Eau du Soir

FOR BOTH AWAKE AND SLEEPING BEAUTIES In a faraway kingdom, a princess named Aurora was born, and to celebrate her birth, a feast was held. All the fairies who lived nearby were invited, and each of them was to give the princess a special magical present. All but one was invited. No one wanted to admit a very mean and ugly fairy, who frightened everyone with her mere presence. The king thought she was an evil witch. Knowing that all the other fairies were invited to celebrate the birth of Princess Aurora, the wicked sorceress decided to attend the celebration anyway. Feeling insulted by her exclusion, she did not give the princess any special gift and gave her a curse instead. On her fifteenth birthday, the princess was to put her finger in the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. However, the fairy of the night was still missing to make her wish. She could not lift the curse completely, but she managed to transform and weaken the evil spell. By pricking her finger, instead of dying, Aurora would fall into a deep sleep along with the whole kingdom for 100 years. This spell could only be undone when a clever and handsome prince passing by would fall in love with the princess and kiss her. The king, trying to prevent disaster from striking his daughter, ordered that all the spinning wheels in the kingdom should be taken away and burnt. So, the princess grew up beautiful and happy, without knowing about the curse and without ever having seen a spinning wheel. She was always under the strict watch of her godmother, the Night Fairy. The fairy looked after the young girl every morning and sprayed her with a famous potion named "Eau du Soir" crafted in the wizard school of Sisley, quite proper for such a beautiful girl of royal blood. But on her 15th birthday, the curse finally came true. The princess put her finger on the needle of a forgotten spindle and fell into a deep sleep. Some years later, a brave young prince from another kingdom, who had heard about Sleeping Beauty, travelled to her kingdom and managed to cross the dense thorn forest surrounding the castle. He found all the inhabitants fast asleep. When he faced the sleeping Aurora, he immediately fell in love with her but didn't quite know what to do. When he smelled the fragrance mist "Eau du Soir" around the princess, he could not resist at sealing her lips with a long Hollywood kiss and thus breaking the curse. When Aurora woke up and looked at the prince, she fell in love with him as well. The wedding took place a few weeks later with much joy and festivities. They lived happily ever after, and Aurora always wore "Eau du Soir" crafted Sisley, both as a princess and, later on, as a queen. "Eau du Soir" is a long-lasting Chypre fragrance that my wife chose as her signature already at the beginning of the 21st century. So far, it has not been dethroned from that top spot. The perfume is quite chic and graceful. When I first sniffed it, I immediately found it to be very classy and sophisticated. The ladies who use this perfume exude an elite aura and display an elegance that hardly can be matched by any other perfume. In this respect, it is almost flawless and a feminine confidence booster. It is versatile, ideal for the office, for a business dinner, for an evening in good company and even for cuddling up. It's just not suitable for sports or to use by the seaside. It is great for any time of year and as a day or night fragrance. The fragrance is quite complex and starts citrusy and floral. The opening orange and grapefruit notes are enhanced by pepper and Mock-Orange blossom, a flower also known as syringa or orange jasmine. This heart note has a floral scent similar to that of a fully blossomed orange tree, but more pronounced and slightly sweeter and citrusy, reminiscent of gardenia and honeysuckle. The flowers of the Mock-Orange bush attract an abundance of butterflies and bees to any garden, especially at night. It is a true "Eau du Soir" for pollinators. Along with other floral heart notes such as iris and rose, there is a distinct juniper note that adds something green to the blend and mitigates the natural sweetness of the flower notes. The base is heavenly with quality, strong oakmoss, enhanced by seductive patchouli, a hint of musk and softened by ambary It is a true love potion. It is not easy to be both fair and objective when evaluating this aristocratic fragrance: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Fragrance opening: 8.5 (Citrus, floral and light green tones in a very accomplished blend). - Fragrance finish: 9.5 (Strong presence of high-quality oakmoss, enhanced by seductive patchouli, a touch of musk, and softened by amber accords). - Longevity: 9.0 (3 sprays last 9 to 10 hours). - Sillage: 8.5 (Up to 6~7 feet and 2.5~3 hours of projection with 3 sprays). - Uniqueness: 9.5 (Unique in its sophistication and elegance. Even though it's not very similar, it sometimes reminds me of the scent of Paloma Picasso's "Mon Parfum", as well as the dry down scent of "Coriandre" by Jean Couturier). - Wearability: 10.0 (I consider it both a day and night perfume; it can be used in any of the four seasons). - Versatility: 9 (It is hardly a perfume that is suitable for the beach, the gym or physical activities. It is very versatile and shines both in intimacy, at an elegant evening event, in the office or at leisure). - Praise: 9.0 (You will get many more compliments than with almost all other perfumes). - Quality: 9.5 (Almost perfect). - Presentation: 8.0 (I don't like the cap; it has a nice design but it's too big). - Price: 7.0 (The 100 ml bottle is currently sold at various internet retailers for € 120-135). ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Overall rating: 8.86 / 10.00 - between 7 and 8 = above average; - between 8 and 9 = recommendable; - above 9 = definitely not to be missed; My opinion: This perfume is a statement of high society. It smells rich and powerful and is also an extroverted display of luxuriousness. Due to its price, I cannot recommend a blind purchase. Otherwise, it should be a must-have in the wardrobe of any lady, especially one who spends a lot of time at events and at a night out. It's a bit too "Madam" to appeal to young girls. It's also too feminine for men to use (in my humble opinion), but I like to use it from time to time in the privacy of my home when I want to enjoy the scent of this great Chypre. Music: Lionel Richie - "Three Times A Lady"

Class! It’s the word that best fits Eau du Soir, along with elegance. Moss bomb, at least in older formulations, EdS has retained most of its beauty but the golden thread of age erasing shows. In a nutshell, I would go with any bottle prior to 2012. Comparison between various vintages. 1990 black atomizer, the original black bottle. This is the most glorious version of it! Obviously, and just newly launched, this is oakmoss galore. Rich rose and jasmine heart, a beguiling verdancy with probably more than a little galbanum, the honeyed warmth of syringa (just like in Knowing with pitosporum), and the razor sharp bitterness of juniper. Shaving foam associations welcome. The drydown is dark moss, vetiver and sandalwood that give the ‘Soir’ its meaning! Sillage and longevity is astounding here. 2002 round purse spray, refillable. This was, supposedly, the first limited edition (2001) before the colored bottles but I’ve no proof of that. The smell is practically the same but there is diminished potency. It behaves like an edt version. Notes seem sharper but overall I still very much like it. The brightness and regal elegance that screams when it hits your skin is unmistakable. I’d love it more had it the potency of prior versions. 2004/2006 limited edition colored bottles. Here is where Sisley started tweaking almost yearly with the formula, as if to find a way to fit into IFRA and the scent. Various bottles, some with oakmoss, some with treemoss, some with both or without any, feel and smell dissonant. EdS is there but it smells like a non finished version. It’s shrill, sharp, the floral heart smells poor and it’s only saved by its characteristic juniper tang. Oakmoss varies from year to year. 2008/2011 limited edition colored bottles. Here, Sisley seems to have found a balance. It overall smells better than years before and the sillage and potency have returned. There’s more honeyed floral-ness than before, the galbanum seems absent, but the drydown brings back the signature darkness from early bottles. It’s dry but creamy, warm but still reeking of that signature opening that channels through the entire fragrance evolution. It smells complete and it’s my favorite formula after the black atomizers. 2012 onwards. And here, it’s downhill until today. With stricter restrictions in place, Eau du Soir still retains its character but it feels alien. Sharper than ever, there’s no emotion. The flowers smell wilted, the base feels like a simple white wash of musk and there’s nothing to anchor it on skin. Just like post 2016 Aromatics, both of which are highly recognizable, individual and stern, the warmth and heart are gone. Both, easily converted into signature perfumes for dynamic personalities and never forgotten, with a loyal following, remain so because of the loyalty of their followers. Smell it today and it’s a million times better than the rest of the perfume counter. Smell it for the first time and they’re stunning powerhouses among a sea of nothingness. But smell them after years of knowing them and you’ll sense the change. I’m not gonna lie, I have a 2009 turquoise/coral bottle and two 1990 black ones and I’m perfectly happy. Had I not had the opportunity to get them I would still buy the current, because even if it’s tummy tucked and lifted, it still has class, elegance, and smells infinitely better than the rest of the perfumes in a department store. And whatever reformulations, I’m positive they were made the best they could. It’s a shame that the norm is to disfigure a perfume to its very bones.. Long live Eau du Soir.

Scent: 10 I LOVE the smell of this perfume. It is green, intense, very long lasting with an incredible floral and woody touch. I am a man and this is the one of the perfumes that i choose when i want yo feel elegant and confident. Sonething weird happens yo me with this perfume. It is suposed yo be a feminine perfume but i like It more on me than on women. When i smell It on women i find in very clasical and serious and i feel as It fotos better an old women than a Young one. But when i smell It on a man It on myself i feel totally imoresed. The effect un the masculine skin os totally different and for me marvelous. The true is that my grandma had used this perfume sometime and i could remember that. One day when i went to a perfumery to buy a new bottle of black orchid (which other of my favourite scents) the shop assistant hace me a small tester of this perfume and told me "this is a women's perfume but i think you are going to LOVE It. Try It one day and look what do you think". Sinceramente i tried It It has his own soace on my top ten perfumes. Longevity: 10 This is one of the most long lasting perfumes that i have. Around 8 hours on my skin and almost a week on my clothes. Sillage: 9 The projection is very good and It lasts almost a whole night. I use this fragance usually to nightout and when i do that i can feel It even at the end of the night. Next morning while i go back home i can feel still the trial that i leave on my back. Quality/price: 6 It is a bit expensive perfume. It is not as expensive as some niche perfumes or some special designer perfums, but is over the average prices conparing to most of Edo which one oerson can buy in a normal perfumery. I have paid 130€/100 ml but It is true that fue to his quality It is not necessary to use a lot and the diffusor id very good so the bottle lasts more than other perfumes with the same amount. Versatility: 10 I find It a totally versatile perfume. It is totally unisex. It is green and fresh so is oerfect for a daily use but at the same time is intense, floral an Woody so It is oerfect for nightout aswell. I find It better for special ocassions or as accompany of elegant fittings, and i look It weareable un any season of the year. Global: 9.5

It is rare that I find myself disagreeing with Luca Turin, but Eau du Soir is much better than his scathing one star review suggests. Perfumes: The Guide was where I started my education on all things perfume as a young teenager, and boy, did I take it seriously. As a result, I didn't deign to smell EDS until I au paired in France during college. The mother had a fine perfume collection in both bathrooms, with which I familiarised myself. I was drawn to the EDS bottle initially, thanks to its MDCI-like gold bust as lid. The liquid inside smelled of an old-world, classic chypre - mossy and dusty. Vintage-style in the best way, it is deeply elegant and sophisticated. A little bit Paloma, a little bit Knowing, it is familiar territory, but is no less beautiful for that. I recently bought a vintage miniature from the noughties and it smells as good as I remember. EDS has a bright, fruity opening thanks to the citrus notes. Big, powdery florals emerge early on, led by rose and rounded out by clean jasmine and some sweet white ylang ylang. Iris enhances the powder, while carnation adds a clove-like nuance. The chypre accord emerges early, following the florals closely. It is very mossy and earthy, with patchouli complementing the liberally used, vintage-style oakmoss to perfection. Lily-of-the-valley emerges after the louder florals subside, green and soapy, giving EDS a little lift. A nice woody-amber accord emerges at the drydown stage, grounding this scent and tying it all together. It becomes slightly animalic and musky, with remnants of the powdery florals remaining as it fades. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. Classic vintage elegance in a bottle, EDS is extremely well-blended and beautifully composed. Best worn during autumnal days and nights (chypres smell like autumn to me). Mature, feminine sophistication that would also work well on a man today. 4.5/5.

I couldn't disagree more with Luca Turin and his judgement of Eau du Soir, coldly dismissed in few caustic words. I might be crassly ignorant as far as perfumes are concerned, yes, I might well be, but I find Eau du Soir an excellent scent. I love its sharp opening soon turning to soft, its being so green but also so deep. I bought it in Paris when it was launched (it did NOT come out for public sales in 1999 as Fragrantica notes say, but a bunch of years before) and I still remember the vivid impression it made on me the very first time I sniffed it. I did not buy it on the spot, it was costly - a tiny, opaque black glass bottle - so I did want to be sure. I came back to the perfumer's the following day, still fragrant on the wrist where Eau du Soir had been sprayed the day before. It had turned out soft, sort of melanchonic, a bit lazy, very elegant, very chic. For years this has been my evening perfume and the body lotion is a wonderful complement/alternative to the liquid perfume. Yes, oakmoss, and we all know about the restrictions on oakmoss and the victims they have done. Chypre scents seem to be the ones who have suffered the most from oakmoss being banned. It may be that Luca Turin sniffed a recent version of Eau du Soir where the oakmoss has been replaced, maybe it's for this reason that his opinion is so low. The original Eau du Soir (early '90es) was rich, opulent from the same opulence of Opium but in a different, more muted, direction. I can't see any similarity with Aromatics Elixir, maybe the touching ends are oakmoss, chypre and opulence, for the rest they are very different, excellent both, but not the same. Aromatics Elixir maintains a certain sportiness, lightness that makes you want to wear it in a gym, Eau du Soir is so rich that while wearing it you will feel like Uncle Scrooge in his deposit swimming among his dollars. A nice sensation indeed.