Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
12/19/2023
Serenissima
610 Reviews
Translated
Show original
Serenissima
Helpful Review
12
The variety of fragrances, ...
... that have appeared in the name of Estée Lauder over the years is quite impressive.
After all, this American with Hungarian roots (birth name: Josephine Esther and the call name Etsy) has founded a still very well-known empire in the shadow of the two "dragons" Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, who also dominate the world of cosmetics through their "trench warfare".
Starting as early as 1953 with the magnificent and still so impressive "Youth Dew", a wide-ranging fragrance trail leads up to the current modern and light series.
Mostly all fragrances correspond to the respective zeitgeist.
This is probably why the two well-known compositions "Aliage" and "Spellbound" were re-edited and reissued in 2015.
They have been freed from many potentially allergy-causing substances and unfortunately also robbed of their previous glorious opulence.
As beautiful and successful as they are now, I feel that they lack the "sounding board" that made the individual fragrances vibrate and resonate together and harmoniously in their predecessors.
In any case, this applies to "Aliage"; I have not yet been able to test the new version of "Spellbound".
So "Alliage" from 1972 is darker, earthier and woody-resinous, a typical so-called "green chypre fragrance", full of richness and with all the necessary "rough edges" that its classic base notes have.
The modern fragrance creation is less powerful, if only due to the citrus-floral entrée with a rich, sensual jasmine garnish, although it lacks the characteristic creamy, sometimes slightly sticky sweetness of ripe peaches that so specifically conveys the warmth of rich summer.
This graceful fragrance is therefore more upbeat and younger right from the start, but no less endearing.
This "younger sister in the fragrance" has an atypical but tastefully spiced heart of mugwort and nutmeg, made of fragrant roses in full bloom, which vibrates impressively with increasing skin contact and thus tends slightly towards the Orientals.
Oakmoss has also been somewhat cropped in its effect here, cuddly musk and myrrh with its resinous barbs have disappeared; they have been stylishly replaced by the silvery, silky aroma of cedarwood: Everything was "smoothed out" a bit!
Only the classic vetiver scent was retained, resulting in a composition that is certainly more accessible to many and which, despite all the changes, rightly bears its name "Aliage".
This lightness is naturally noticeable in the sillage and longevity, which brings me back to the previously mentioned "sounding board": nothing comes from nothing!
The fact that the two sisters have the same name forces me to do something that is otherwise alien to me: I have to compare!
But I don't have to decide which version is prettier or more wearable.
Fortunately, this is a matter of taste and adapted to the respective occasion.
They are both charming and elegant, although the older version is of course a little more "dressed up": it is a true child of its time!
However, it is always worth delving into the world of Estée Lauder fragrances and discovering them more closely.
I have not yet been disappointed.
After all, this American with Hungarian roots (birth name: Josephine Esther and the call name Etsy) has founded a still very well-known empire in the shadow of the two "dragons" Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, who also dominate the world of cosmetics through their "trench warfare".
Starting as early as 1953 with the magnificent and still so impressive "Youth Dew", a wide-ranging fragrance trail leads up to the current modern and light series.
Mostly all fragrances correspond to the respective zeitgeist.
This is probably why the two well-known compositions "Aliage" and "Spellbound" were re-edited and reissued in 2015.
They have been freed from many potentially allergy-causing substances and unfortunately also robbed of their previous glorious opulence.
As beautiful and successful as they are now, I feel that they lack the "sounding board" that made the individual fragrances vibrate and resonate together and harmoniously in their predecessors.
In any case, this applies to "Aliage"; I have not yet been able to test the new version of "Spellbound".
So "Alliage" from 1972 is darker, earthier and woody-resinous, a typical so-called "green chypre fragrance", full of richness and with all the necessary "rough edges" that its classic base notes have.
The modern fragrance creation is less powerful, if only due to the citrus-floral entrée with a rich, sensual jasmine garnish, although it lacks the characteristic creamy, sometimes slightly sticky sweetness of ripe peaches that so specifically conveys the warmth of rich summer.
This graceful fragrance is therefore more upbeat and younger right from the start, but no less endearing.
This "younger sister in the fragrance" has an atypical but tastefully spiced heart of mugwort and nutmeg, made of fragrant roses in full bloom, which vibrates impressively with increasing skin contact and thus tends slightly towards the Orientals.
Oakmoss has also been somewhat cropped in its effect here, cuddly musk and myrrh with its resinous barbs have disappeared; they have been stylishly replaced by the silvery, silky aroma of cedarwood: Everything was "smoothed out" a bit!
Only the classic vetiver scent was retained, resulting in a composition that is certainly more accessible to many and which, despite all the changes, rightly bears its name "Aliage".
This lightness is naturally noticeable in the sillage and longevity, which brings me back to the previously mentioned "sounding board": nothing comes from nothing!
The fact that the two sisters have the same name forces me to do something that is otherwise alien to me: I have to compare!
But I don't have to decide which version is prettier or more wearable.
Fortunately, this is a matter of taste and adapted to the respective occasion.
They are both charming and elegant, although the older version is of course a little more "dressed up": it is a true child of its time!
However, it is always worth delving into the world of Estée Lauder fragrances and discovering them more closely.
I have not yet been disappointed.
8 Comments
