Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
12/22/2014
Rickbr
190 Reviews
Rickbr
A few years ago i had a bottle of this perfume but at that time i didn't gave it the proper attention it deserves and ended selling it when i needed. Today, due the generosity of a friend i'm rediscovering this classic from the japonese stylist Yohji Yamamoto and seing how good it is. Essential translates for me very well the important elements of a classic chypre, a style that unfortunately felt out of grace from the feminine public, being alive today due the classics that survived with time and some efforts from niche brands. Also, it's hard to do a chypre at the old fashion way with the current restrictions on oakmoss and what i think it's interesting on this one is that it smells like a classic chypre even with the focus on the floral, green and citrus elements of the bittersweet harmony typical of this family. Essential opens with that galbanum aroma that reminds you of soil and plant, specifically the dry sap aroma of plants. The citric aroma acts secondary to give it a bright and fresh part to this impression with the chamomile extending the vegetal impression with a faintly sweet side. Already in this phase, as with most chypres, you can already notice the earthy, woody, dry and slightly salty base that it's an impression which for me happens due the combination of the typical elements on a chypre base (patchouli, oakmoss and labdanum). But for me the star in this fragrance and that makes all the difference in the harmony it the floral accord at the heart. It oscilates between the bitter and greend side captured of the roses to something more sensual, thick and sweet from the jasmine to my favorite and beautiest part, the citrusy and floral aroma of lindenblossom, which reminds both of orange petitgrain and also of a floral and green lemon. It's a very beautiful perfume, with a lot of things happening and everything balanced in a quite precise way, but it doesn't seem a fragrance for everyone, its driest aroma is not the type which is popular today.
