Esprit d’Oscar

I'm going to be quite honest, this brand was my first love when I was initially getting into fragrances 10 years ago. I used up an entire bottle of another Oscar fragrance around that time years ago, called Live in Love, and I still think it's an absolutely delightful fragrance. This fragrance, Esprit, honestly doesn't smell so amazing from the atomizer. I actually tried giving this away last year due to the fact that I hadn't reached for it in quite a while, so I held a bit of a get together with my neighbors. I lived in the midwestern US at the time, and many of my neighbors took one sniff of the atomizer of Esprit, didn't spray it, and most of them turned up their nose and said 'Bug spray.' Without saying that I agreed with them, I thought to myself: That's exactly why I haven't been reaching for it, because I hadn't sprayed it in so long, I've just been smelling it out of the bottle and saying the same thing, so I had forgotten just how beautiful it was on the skin. So at the end of the get together, nobody had taken the beautiful Esprit, so I chanced another spray, despite all the negative comments towards it. Then I was enveloped in a cloud of beauty. The scent that I sprayed wasn't the scent I smelled from the bottle. The scent you smell from the bottle can't even compare. Once sprayed on the skin, this quickly becomes the most womanly, heavenly, pillowy fluffy, soapy heliotrope musk with some fizzy citrus in the opening, with this slight tinge of aldehydes that I LOVE, as well as this vintage lipstick freshness that drives me crazy in the best possible way. I bought my bottle in 2020 and shortly after, it was unavailable for quite some time. Now I'm seeing it on Nordstrom Rack, and I hope my current bottle is the formula they're still using for this beauty. Please don't judge it from the bottle, because from the bottle, It smells so non descript and dare I say, cheap. But once sprayed, this scent transforms into the most demure, sophisticated, beautiful magical dreamy veil that it is, and reminds me so much of the love child of Chanel 5 Eau Premiere and Chloe Love, Chloe Eau Intense. There's this freshness to it, but it's not scratchy or laundry-esque like so many fresh fragrances are nowadays, the freshness is moreso a feeling, or a texture, and I liken it to a thin beautiful veil of scent that is prominent, yet still maintaining a translucency on the skin, where I can still smell my natural skin musk; Esprit just enhances it and beautifies it. It's not a thick blanket of scent, and it won't wear you. None of the notes overpower one another. They're seamlessly, expertly blended. Suffice to say, this has become a mainstay in my fragrance wardrobe once again. Lasts quite well, between 8-9 hours, with moderate-leaning-intimate sillage, and that depends upon how much you spray. I can spray 5-6 sprays, which is much more liberal than I'm used to spraying, but this fragrance is so inoffensive and likeable, I can get away with slightly overspraying, and it projects pretty moderately for 4 hours before turning into an intimate scent. I cannot imagine this fragrance offending anyone, and although it's quite a sweet one, there is 0% gourmand or food-like touches to it. I see it being described as 'almond-like' from the other reviews. While I can somewhat agree since heliotrope is often known to smell like almonds, Esprit never goes into marzipan territory. It just smells classic, French, perfectly mixes with the natural clean musk scent that our skin naturally produces, and from what I've learned, it's actually still a very popular fragrance in France, and they certainly do NOT like gourmand scents in France. They know best, so if you do not like gourmands but love vintage classy powdery luminous scents that shine and give off a womanly feminine soft nature, while mixing perfectly with your natural chemistry, then this is for you. I highly recommend.

Oh what a beauty! The opening of Esprit has sparkle and definitely resembles at least a little the original Oscar, if less herbal in aura. Here Esprit also reminds me vaguely of a sunny, modernized L'Heure Bleue, as others have mentioned. This said, in short order I am smelling a sweet floral in the same category as Gloria Vanderbilt, truly airy and beautiful. Strong and enveloping on first spray, shortly after subsiding to subtle elegance. There are yellow roses (as in L'aimaint), along with iris and gorgeousness in general. A boudoir floral, indeed. However! Dry down (which happens fairly rapidly on me) is the most lovely MIMOSA-like aura. I am fond of mimosa notes in fragrance, and also of 'mimosa trees', probably not even related to mimosa blossoms in general, but smelling somewhat similar. That charming, powdery cloud of scent is hard to miss on a summer's walk by pink blossomed yards! Yes, I know we owe Esprit's scent profile to a generous number of notes, heliotrope and iris (favorites of mine!) predominantly. Even so, my nose smells mimosa along with that gorgeous orris/ iris for the majority of dry down. Esprit is short lived on my skin, no surprise, and I don't feel at all unhappy about the soft sillage or shorter longevity. In some ways, this is license to spray with abandon, as I do with all lighter scents, spritzing on hair and fabric for best longevity. A boudoir scent is MADE for creating one's own aura of femininity, so scented undies and hair really make sense in this context. And as for wearing in small work spaces and enclosed environments, Esprit would be ideal. A spray or two beneath clothing will be nearly undetectable to any but your own nose, keeping good cheer within one's own energy zone and out of the general office conversation. ;) Would that all modern releases held this much charm and feminine allure in their stylish bottles! Hats off to the house of Oscar de la Renta for a new classic. Five Stars <3 Update: Wearing 5 or so spritzes generously on hair and fabric transforms a soft flower into a scent with lasting power! I love this gorgeous cloud of powdery goodness. A well named beauty, because my spirit rises whenever I wear Esprit. <3

I'm sure I already reviewed this at some point. I had a bottle, I really enjoyed it, but the nozzle broke and I never had much of a chance to wear it. Flash forward to this past week. I was browsing Ebay and came across what appeared to be an amazing price for vintage Oscar EDT - an earlier version from when they used to put the entire name "Oscar de la Renta" on the box. I loathed the new version, so I purchased the vintage, curious to smell what many consider a classic. This search also led to an amazing price for a large bottle of Esprit, and I jumped on that too. Since this isn't a review of the OG, so I will simply say that it is infinitely better than what is sold today. As for Esprit, I have no idea about the vintage but still really like it. However, I don't understand the comparisons to the OG. Not that flankers necessarily have to suggest the OG, but since this was considered an updated version, I don't think the share much in common. Esprit is definitely lighter, certainly not like the wall of white flowers and spice that washes over you with with the original. This has everything to do with purple flowers - iris, heliotrope, and violet - an a fluffy base of clean musk. I'd go so far as to say it's the antithesis of the original. There's no doubt in my mind that the original is superior in composition and rather revolutionary for it's time, but it is definitely dated. An appreciation of older fragrances is required, though it's still very wearable. Esprit is far from revolutionary, but I am such a sucker for iris fragrances that I actually prefer it. BTW - I did compare on different wrists, and while I stand by my experience of the two being completely different, the end dry downs have more in common. I also must note that Oscar in EDT form equals or even surpasses Esprit in terms of longevity and projection. Final verdict - they are both worth owning. It just comes down to a matter of personal preference, and considering the price, it will not break the bank in most cases. Just make sure to purchase vintage Oscar!

Wow! This perfume surprised me big time! I adore and own Volupte, Intrusion and Live in Love, but this one is somehow way nicer, more rounded and way more easy to wear due to its white florals and creaminess. I totally understand the positive reviews and I must join in praising.. I have the edt - I`m wondering btw, is the edp the exact same scent only stronger and even longer lasting? - and it`s a huge 200 ml bottle. Well, I can already tell there won`t be any problem in using it all up.. On me the opening is a bit annoying and sharp but after just a few mins all notes start developing beautifully. I get a lot of heliotrope, jasmine, tuberose and tonka, also bits of violet and barely any iris, and even less citrus, it is probably there but very underlying just to balance out the white florals. I didn`t read all reviews here, but I saw someone mentioning a bit of Jovan Musk Concentrate in there, I must agree, however lot of other Fragraticians mention the word `powdery` - I get none of that AT ALL. Creamy and lotiony YES, but NOT powdery. Also, it reminds me in moments of my beloved Rochas Byzantine, which also has white flowers and lotiony feel to it. To me it`s a heliotrope-white floral with a bit of bergamot and musk scent and underlying violet, barely any citrus and powder. It smells to me like a super-luxurious perfumey lotion, really soft and elegant, perfectly blended without trying hard. Lasting power in the case of edt is good 4-5 hours, then it turns into a skin scent - I bet the edp lasts all day. It is a scent safe to reach for any season, any occasion - except sultry bedroom scenes maybe - and it is crazy good value I mean I can`t believe you can actually get a 200ml edt bottle for around 30 euros..And the bottle is really pretty too, which is a plus of course. 10/10 for me and love it. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a well-blended white floral perfume, to me this is it.

Finally, all the character of L’Heure Bleue is here without the few notes that make it smell like one needs a trip to the doctor or a downtown deodorant. Esprit d’Oscar was introduced 99 years after L’Heure Bleue, for modern consumers who have to smell like they are at least moderately clean in order to be socially acceptable. I love absolutely love L’Heure Bleue, yet few people would want to be near me if I were to wear it. Just thinking about women wearing Edwardian-era fashions without air conditioning or modern deodorant products and knowing that L’Heure Bleue smells fabulous and disguises an array of stank with outstanding class makes perfect sense of why L’Heure Bleue is as it is. The combination of clean powdery lemon notes, indolic florals, and elegant musks like ambergris make Esprit d’Oscar a safe, gorgeously classy foray into modern, powdered, slightly sweaty but clean enough womanhood. The vanilla just gives it an impressionistic hint of something like Guerlinade. Esprit d’Oscar is authentic and continues the L’Heure Bleue story over a hundred years after L’Heure Bleue changed perfumery for the better in 1912. Esprit d’Oscar is not evocative of sadness the way L’Heure Bleue is, and it doesn’t smell genuinely blue the way L’Heure Bleue does, but there is a lot of classical perfumery beauty to appreciate here. There is genius in Esprit d’Oscar. The longevity is excellent and the sillage is just right. The original YSL Paris EDP came close to this with the beautiful powdery violet, but it has sour rose notes that smell like a blatant refusal to bathe for weeks. Esprit d’Oscar is thankfully devoid of rose, which is for the best. This bottle says made in USA, so perhaps this dodges IFRA. If so, that’s even better.