Elle

The lychee, citruses and florals whoosh by me so fast I don't really notice them at all. To me this is, straight from the nozzle and on my skin, patchouli with pepper and cedar. And I can't get enough of it. I still have only the little sample that I've nearly used up, but I ordered a full size today because this is what I have been missing in my fragrance wardrobe for a long time: a scent that grounds me. The patchouli is dry and medicinal, camphor tinged, my favourite kind. It reminds me so much of the patchouli in Shiseido Zen (the one in the square, yellow bottle). The patchouli is joined by spicy, equally dry, pink pepper, and further in the dry down the cedar is detectable. This scent is almost meditative, it centers me. It's not fussy, loud, sweet, or demanding. It has sillage, absolutely, but it's a calming one, not a brash one. This doesn't have a drop of vanilla or sugar or tonka or cupcake or whipped cream. It is dry, dry, dry, but in the best way possible. I can see this becoming a fragrance to wear when I need to focus on making art, instead of wasting endless hours on pinterest. A scent for turning inwards, but in a good way. Focusing on things that matter. This is definitely a unisex scent, and for all ages. This is for all who love it. I'm looking forward to my bottle and seeing if it smells any different to me. If it does, I'll update my review. Update: I received my full bottle and yes, it smells the same! I have hay fever at the moment so my sense of smell is a little impaired, but I think I'm picking up a touch more citrus/floral in the opening than in my sample, which is good because I didn't really get them earlier. And the main player, the glorious patchouli-rose, is definitely still there, and it doesn't take long for it to bloom. I have a feeling I'm going to use up this bottle in record time. Which reminds me. Like many, I was puzzled with the odd choice of bottle for Elle. Fuchsia? For *this* scent? I though it was mighty tacky (sorry YSL!) at worst, and bafflingly 'miscast' for its likely audience (hint: probably not teenagers) at best. But now, holding the bottle, I'm kind of digging it. It looks like a strange flawless block of precious stone. Gaudy with its gold ornaments? Hell yes. But at least it's not boring. Plus, I think it might hold an Infinity Stone inside. I still would have picked another colour had YSL asked my opinion (a girl can dream), but as long as the juice is deliriously good, who cares?

If you miss Midnight Poison (MP), and an original YSL Elle is still available to you (ensure you check authenticity) - this is the only thing that even compares slightly to MP. I own both MP and Elle, and have tested them side by side. This is not quite as nuclear in performance as MP, but it certainly creates a noticeable bubble of at least 1 foot around you. Which to me, is more than sufficient! If you do not like Patchouli - and I mean the unapologetically earthy, strong and very pungent patchouli mixed in with a deep and dark rose, reserved only for the dead of winter or rainy autumnal days, abstain. I see people below commenting rather ageist remarks of "old lady" smells. Be respectful of elderly persons. They wear such strong fragrances as with age, their sense of smell deteriorates, much like their sense of sight and hearing. Further, if you are not as experienced with older fragrances (I don't mean too old either as MP was a product of tail end of the 00's), this may shock you. But take your time with it - do not judge it harshly in the dead of summer *insert a very sarcastic and bitter eye roll*. Try it in the winter! This was recently hyped by Demi Rawling so it is very likely to garner fragrance newbies attention - given novices do tune into her channel. Do not disregard this beauty based on your initial impression and reduce it to just a spice rack or "old lady" fragrance - which I find terribly rude. How I missed wearing a beautifully deep and dark patchouli contrasted with a stunning rose!! I have been so very stingy to use my bottle of MP. But, I may use just one spray of MP and use Elle more liberally. All good things must come to an end. So I guess I will eventually use my bottle of MP and miss it. But for now, consider me satisfied and completely content with stunning little Elle!

Man do I love this stuff. After six months without it, I repurchased it at last. When I first ran out of it, I went on and bought Midnight Poison, which turned out to be the not reformulated version of it. As you May know, they were crafted by the same nose. But there is a deal breaker, my skin chemistry turns amber notes into bug spray. Therefore Midnight Poison always ends up smelling funny on my recently washed skin... I HAVE TO SWEAT TO MAKE MP WERK. There was something missing that Elle has, it's more peppery and the patchouli is less sweet in Elle... Because of the lack of Vanilla. Elle was my signature scent from 2009 to 2013, and about june of this year I finished my 90 ml bottle and ventured to other places... Searched for vintages and forgot about this truly underrated gem. While I adore Midnight Poison, I'll never be able to really put it over Elle. MP is louder, Elle is intensely more deep and complex. Right now I'm wearing each in different spots. They share the same dna, but MP Will never replace Elle in my wardrobe. While MP stays kind of linear after a While, you can sense the different facets coming from elle, from fresh, to fruity, to spicy to end in a woody patchouli and cedarwood drydown, giving it more body and, perhaps in my own crazy mind, depth and complexity. It's kind of sad that People think that this is forgettable and another one of the bunch. To me it was a gateway to patchouli goodness. P.S. This is the only perfume that isn't ruined by freesia in it's composition

Tried this for the first time yesterday, on first spray I hated it, it smelt of chemicals and cleaning products, however an hour or so later I could not stop sniffing my wrist. My god the dry down is literally to die for! This is a classy floral patchouli scent. This fragrance will never go out of style. It has that dewy woody scent feel similar to Alien which i was presently surprised by, but the added patchouli in this and peony make it more softer and feminine and more lady like than Alien in my opinion. To me this suits anyone from age 16 to 106- it is classy and it is timeless and it is softly feminine, demure, reserved and I find it a comforting and warming scent. To me it feels like home. I know a lot of people hate patchouli scents but in this the patchouli is so beautifully blended I would say this makes a safe gift for anyone! It is impossible to dislike this fragrance! It is now on my wish list and I will be purchasing it next pay day! If you want a cheaper but a little less sophisticated dupe of this try Avon unique rose- they smell rather similar to each other in my opinion but of course Elle smells slightly more complex and sophisticated, never the less unique rose is a really good dupe for this! To me this is a patchouli woody dewy berry scent with peony undertones- this is how I would sum the fragrance up. It is an autumn/winter scent- perfect for both day and night in the colder months! Scent= 8/10 Bottle=7/10 Longevity=6/10 Projection= 6.5/10

Hello from Decodawn. This is my review of Yves Saint Laurent Elle. There is quite a back story to be told about this fragrance. 10 years ago in 2007 Yves Saint Laurent launched Elle. In July 2007 Dior Launched Midnight Poison, YSL Elle was launched in October 2007. They were both created by Jacques Cavalier and Oliver Cresp and smell identical. I can remember being in Harrods in July 2007 and a shop assistant put a black ribbon with a rose on my wrist sprayed with Midnight Poison by Dior which I kept in my dressing table drawer. Eva Green from 'Golden Compass' movie and Vespa Lynd in 'Casino Royale' first James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig was the 'face' of 'Midnight Poison' Coco Rocha was the face of 'Elle' in the YSL Smoking Jacket adverts. I tested both fragrances and hey presto they were exactly the same fragrance. Incidentally the 'Noses' create a particular fragrance and it is sold to the highest bidder. Jacques Cavalier and Oliver Cresp obviously decided to play off YSL and Dior with the same fragrance and in the end YSL won and Midnight Poison was discontinued. A little bit of trivia for you Yves Saint Laurent originally worked for Christian Dior as Art Director and set up his own fashion house in 1962 after 10 years with Christian Dior. Elle is a Gorgeous fragrance patchouli, smouldering with passion. Absolutely fabulous. Try it you will love it.