To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
dro535Unlogrere – :
This is basically how I originally envisioned Cacharel’s Eden to smell like. A dark, mysterious forest. But while Eden’s notes become too loud and medicinal on my skin, L’Essence develops into a deeper, lush perfume. Something about this evokes rain to me. As far as I know, there are no aquatic notes in this, but the green sharpness I get at first subsides into a velvety emerald haze. This isn’t your average forest either. Think of a medieval french forest from a fairy tale, like the ones in those unicorn tapestries displayed in The Cloisters, shortly after a rainstorm.
At the same time, though, L’Essence is very modern and chic. It’s unisex and I highly encourage that anyone interested in trying it not be driven away by L’Essence’s refusal to be categorized. It has a crispness that many other perfumes fail to incorporate on a similarly skillful level, and that adds to the impression of freshness on my skin, as well as the “just rained” vibe. I cannot see myself wearing this as an everyday scent, mostly because this beauty is discontinued, and I am savoring my bottle for as long as I possibly can, but also because I could only wear this when it’s raining and I feel particularly brooding and deep in thoughts of dreamy abstraction.
renault022 – :
This is a masterpiece to me! Unique, exceptional, green-powdery, leather-like, velvet-like, sensual, violet fragrance and I am obsessed with it… <3 long lasting, close to the skin, slightly balsamic… oily scent, full of contradictions.. The bottle reminds with its shape a window of a Gothic cathedral. This is a scent for both sinners and saints.
Inelinmedia – :
I only wear this when ity’s raining, I actually look forward to summmer rains even more now that I have this beauty. Very similar to She Wood Dsquared, but this is more elegant, very classy and the perfect amount of sweetness! I never was big on flowers but this one is just marvellous! It’s sort of low key, there’s a calm and confidence, grown-up woman here but not at all boastful. Kind, a little playful, friendly. Very beautiful!
tik_tak_asik – :
My second review for this, almost one year after my first one (when I had just received this perfume for the first time).
After one year of wearing L’Essence almost daily, I thought I’d add my experience.
First of all, this being a light and somewhat airy scent, my nose has grown so used to it that I hardly detect it any longer. But then I suppose that’s quite common.
Over the last year I have received a lot of compliments on this (EDIT: and that’s quite something, as people over here in Europe are usually not quick to compliment anyone on anything, especially not scent) and even more silence, usually because it’s simply too close to the skin to be detectable by anyone who doesn’t enter one’s “comfort zone”. I have found however that spraying it in the air then walking through the mist will grant it a much more powerful and lasting presence – perhaps because scent clings to hair more easily than it does to skin, I don’t know. This way however ensures that people will get a very quick, very fleeting whiff of it whenever I pass by. It’s there and then it’s gone, like a whisper of paradise just out of one’s grasp; a dream that lasts for less than a second. This makes people curious and most certainly helps L’Essence’s “enchanting” quality. It’s that je ne sais quoi, that thing that you just can’t put your finger on.
Compliments have ranged from ‘beautiful’, over ‘flowery but at the same time not flowery’ to ‘soft’. ‘Soft’ tends to be the general consensus along with ‘indescribable’. And yet I find it heavy-ish, yet extremely light and not heavy at all… It’s truly a symphony of contradictions; soft but sharp, light but heavy, elusive yet present… Words simply do not suffice to describe this, as it really is an experience. This scent tends to catch people off guard. They simply don’t know what they are smelling and experiencing, nor how to put this sensation into words – but somehow it always leaves them wanting more. It really has its very own kind of magic, a dream-like quality like a Sofia Coppola film.
On a somewhat less positive note, this ethereal quality sometimes has people either noticing it but forgetting it immediately afterwards and sometimes not noticing it at all. L’Essence is definitely very elusive.
On a somewhat negative note, one of my best friends doesn’t like it. She considers it an “old lady” scent, which is probably due to the somewhat powdery note the violet brings to this. Personally I find the powdery note to be very, very subtle (I don’t like powdery perfumes at all. It’s one of THE notes that make a perfume “perfume-y” in my opinion). Fortunately, this powdery quality takes a seat at the very back in L’Essence letting the green, the wood and the dew stand in the spotlight.
I still stand behind my original opinion on this: it smells like a lush, green forest just after rainfall. It’s very natural and not at all a “PERFUME”.
I can still vividly remember the day I first smelled this. This is odd because it was a very unremarkable day. The day before I had received a letter that my order couldn’t be delivered because nobody had been at home so my package had been dropped off at a nearby post office where I could pick it up the next day. That day in late May started warm, grey and a bit humid. The week before had been quite warm with lots of sunshine so all the trees and flowers were positively blooming, yet aching for a bit of hydration.
I left for the post office in the late morning (around 10am) and a slight drizzle started to come down from the heavens. When I stepped outside the post office, this drizzle had turned into full on rain – not pouring like a summer storm, but still quite heavy. For some reason I enjoyed this chilling shower immensely, decided not to put on the hood of my jacket and take the long route home which leads through a large park with an abundance of trees, shrubs and some flowers. As the rain started to soak my hair and rolled off my skin, I took off my jacket, letting my light summer clothes underneath become soaking wet, cooling my entire body. It was weird, I know, and more than one person – who were hiding underneath trees – gave me some curious looks. But it felt absolutely amazing. I felt so alive, so refreshed, energetic yet deeply calm and at peace; this experience touched the very core of my being. And the smell that went along with it was exhilarating.
Now when walking through a forest or park in summer sunshine, the flowers will decidedly steal the show. The woods are still there, but more as a backdrop. But when it rains, the roles will be reversed. The woods and leaves and the green will become more prominent, enhanced by the wetness of the rain, all against a faint backdrop of soft flowers; all of them revived and rejoicing in the life that this much needed hydration after a time of drought and heat provides.
This walk home was like a dream.
When I arrived at home I did not want to shower. I wanted to hold on to that moment as long as I could. So I unwrapped the package which contained my sample of L’Essence. I took a whiff of the bottle and immediately thought: CRAAAAAP! Total waste of money. It was so extremely woodsy and masculine – I think it’s the cedar and vetiver that simply overpower all the other notes when smelling it from the bottle – it even had a very artificial quality to it, like cheap hairspray. So then I went on and applied it to my wrists which smelled neutral at that point (so no shower gel/body lotion/whatever that would distort the fragrance. Just plain me). Initially it smelled just like the bottle and I was ready to put the small bottle away in a drawer so it may never see light again.
But then – after a mere minute or so – I was suddenly back in that park between the trees and flowers, thick, fresh raindrops soaking and refreshing me to my very core. A waking dream, a transcendental experience. At that very moment I fell in love with L’Essence and – with it being discontinued (how could you, Balenciaga?!?) – if I were to win the lottery, I would immediately buy all the available bottles the internet has to offer.
I really cannot put it into words any better. I could use adjectives like ‘elfin’, ‘airy’, ‘light’, ‘enchanting’, ‘nymph-like’, ‘forest-y’ but the fact of the matter remains that this scent CAN’T be described properly. No one description could do it justice. I can say that it’s green, that it’s lightly floral, woodsy, ephemeral, airy and it certainly has an “aquatic” vibe to it. But it’s not aquatic in the traditional sense; it’s not a marine scent. It does not feature any “sea-like” quality. There’s no salt, no ocean breeze nor sand. No. This one has a breeze, the breeze that the long awaited rain after a warm, humid week brings with it. It’s dewy and fresh, but not in a soapy way, nor is there a citrus accord to it. Again, it can’t be described with words.
There’s a scene in the tv-series ‘Versailles’ in the very first episode that depicts a dream of young Louis XIV. He dreams about his future palace and along with it a young, mysterious woman who is only credited as ‘Nymph’.
It can be watched on YouTube here: youtu.be/jy1osHWrgG8
And this scent is exactly what would go along with it, even more with the accompanying piece of music which can be listened to here: youtu.be/z129yIOHEPQ
L’Essence really is very unique. This is something that everyone who has smelled it on me can agree on. It is otherworldly and enchanting and extremely intriguing, as there really is no one note that particularly stands out; they’re blended together like a beautiful Monet watercolour. All elements flowing into each other, yet somehow still distinctly present.
Over the past year there was one time when I had finished my bottle and could not afford to buy a new one, so I had to go without L’Essence for about one and a half months. By this point I could hardly smell it anymore as I had grown so used to it. But when I finally got it again, I fell in love with it all over again. Some may say that this is not signature material, as it’s too soft, too unremarkable, too fleeting… But I dare to disagree. As long as I can keep getting my hands on this, I will.
apecenora – :
A natural, aromatic easy to wear summer scent. A fresh, forest aquatic that leans masculine but not hard for a woman to love.
I get between 2 and 2.5 hours before it fades. I’m happy with that amount of time considering what L’Essense is composed from, making it easy to switch to a different scent later in the day.
Edit: I have worn this several times this past month, in July, and it performs best in warm weather. My husband who is a bit picky, loves this scent. It comes across natural and well made. This is not a punch in the nose perfume. It really is a quiet stunner.
marksoy – :
Balenciaga L`Essence is lovely, creamy green scent. The violet leaf is pronounced and a bit bitter but its smoothed out with the powdery violet.
This fragrance is very clean and office friendly. It’s neither overly feminine or masculine. It walks a fine line that is pleasant and inoffensive.
I believe it’s been discontinued, but it’s currently widely available and worth snapping up.
sergei12321 – :
Very beautiful lush green luxurious scent with some surprising violets. Really classy! I think it’s unisex, tried it on the husband who was sceptical but he smelled so delicious. Actually, I like it more on him than on myself 🙂
It lasted about 6-7 hours (2 sprays) when I tested.
777.san4es.777 – :
Second review:
I sprayed this on my neck, close to the hairline and some in my hair. My hair holds onto scents pretty good, and knowing it’s relatively delicate, I didn’t want it to disappear.(just reread this…. it’s the perfume, not my hair I find delicate and didn’t want to disappear, lol)
Now the results:
Since it’s near my face, getting wafts of it, it smells very aquatic, forest~y, earthy, but sweet scent. Smelled great, then something happened and I got an artificial scent of plastic wrap and felt a tad queasy for about 5 minutes.
Thank goodness it past and “unwrapped” a natural aroma that was more blended.
It can be a masculine scent for sure.
So now the visual:
Sitting on a gray colored damp stone in the forest, next to a mossy green puddle, I am inhaling sweet wild flowers and some nearby honey from the honey bees, and eating small oranges.
Unbeknownst to me, there is a madman slowly but surely, wrapping everything in Saran Wrap, squeezing everything together, and I….I am in the middle of it all…..I PANIC…..Then it starts to disappear, and I am left in the exact same place with honey, cedar, violets and orange pulp and wild flowers stuck to the gray damp stone where I am sitting. Smells pretty good.
The End
auditt – :
This is a really beautiful forest floor scent. Shade trees. Cool air. Violets everywhere. Unicorns!
zeroo – :
Charming and loveable scent
Very similar to discontinued Trussardi Skin but Balenciaga lacks the citrus note which Skin had. However, I love the feeling this scent gives to me. To me it is more creamy than green. It is delicate and tender. It makes me smile so to me it´s happy scent 🙂
slav0n777 – :
Reine de neige, Tigerlilliana and everybody else here said everything just beautifully. Yes, it’s like inhaling all the greens of a deep wood, with a very, very shy sun gently caressing the trees,yet heavy grey clouds are still present on the sky and the moss and grass are still humid after a short and light rain. Between the trees, you see lots of wild violets spread into large flower beds. You’re alone and introspect. This is why the silage is so close to skin.
In the opening, I swear that for some moments I smelt nutmeg, similar with the violets – nutmeg combo from Simply by Jil Sander. The bottle, oh the bottle. I would just keep it for its beauty on my counter. Lovely, quite melancholic and cold color of the container, too.
extraordinary inspired celebrity to represent this perfume…Charlotte Gainsbourg – and I said everything with this..
FriendBrian – :
Gorgeous silky violets in this composition. I love this so much. I thought I loved the original Balenciaga Paris and had considered buying a full bottle. Balenciaga L’Essence though is one I find I would wear more often being more versatile than the dressier Paris. That’s not to say you couldn’t dress L’Essence up either.
This is a classy, aromatic, ozonic fragrance that is a great choice for those who want something in aquatic territory that isn’t Light Blue, Gioia, or Miyake. This composition is so much smoother, energetic yet even tempered with a nice woody base and what feels a little like green musk.
L’Essence has a subtle juicy quality about it. I’m surprised that there is no citrus listed, like a twist of pomelo. It reminds me a little of a more vivid and smoother DSQUARED2 She Wood.
Energetic yet meditative all at once. Violets do that to me, both the dark leaf and the silky flower. I love the cedar in this too — more pronounced than the other woods, aromatic yet soft and well balanced with rooty, bitter vetiver, sweet sandalwood and light-handed patchouli.
Much like other reviewers have noted, it reminds me of rain — nectarous, fat, glassy raindrops falling from the soaked brown leaves of a tall limb, catching the scent of sweet air as it falls onto my tongue.
JolineRytaz – :
I’ve received a tester of this for which I’ve paid far too much, because I was intensely curious.
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: this is definitely unisex. In fact, I believe that 9 out of 10 random blindfolded people would guess that this comes from the men’s department.
But I think this is mostly because of what mainstream perfumes dictate as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’. ‘L’Essence’ does not care about such labels however. In fact, I’ve never smelled a scent that’s more averse to letting itself be labelled than this one. It’s indescribable.
So let me just tell all you ladies who conform to the ‘traditional’ femininity as it is dictated by Lancôme for example (and there is nothing whatsoever wrong with that): this is not for you.
‘L’Essence’ smells like a walk through a fresh, lush forest during and after rainfall. And just like nature, it does not have a gender. So instead of calling it unisex, I’d say that this is simply genderless. Not even androgynous, just completely without any gender associations.
The scent opens very sharply, a sharpness that will continue to exist through the entire ride, which really shouldn’t come as a surprise, what with violet, violet leaf, vetiver and cedar.
In its heart the scent becomes a bit softer and more forgiving, without ever losing its intense freshness. Happily this freshness is nothing like the freshness most are used to which usually comes from citrus – which I detest. No, this one is fresh like a forest is fresh; the light, misty air, the green leaves glistening with thick raindrops and dew, swaying softly in the breeze. Though this is not a light forest, it’s a dense, deep, dark forest. The forest that holds mystery behind every tree, where you can’t spot a single animal, yet you know they’re there, probably hiding from the rain. And it’s green. So. Intensely. Green.
It reminds me a bit of my grandfather’s aftershave and his Paco Rabanne, though it’s not nearly as definitively masculine. This association may also come from the fact that my grandparents’ house bordered a deep, dark forest in the back. In the morning granny usually opened all the windows and the fresh scent of the dewy morning forest would enter the house like an invasion. It often rained there during the night, and this scent is very reminiscent of that. So this might explain my association with my grandfather’s scent as they were always a part of his morning routine and went hand in hand with the forest smell. (This is probably also the reason that I imagine Van Cleef & Arpels’s ‘First’ a wee bit – my granny’s signature).
The more it dries down, the softer it gets, even revealing an extremely subtle sweet note under all that wood. Yet it still never becomes traditionally feminine, just like nature doesn’t.
This scent really is a journey, an experience. It’s not a perfume at all. I’ve worn Prada’s Iris with a lot of enthusiasm. I’m very fond of non conformist fragrances. And while that one was always the odd one out in the mainstream ladies’ department, Balenciaga truly takes the biscuit in this regard.
It’s unique, extremely unique. I can promise you that if you wear this you will smell unlike anyone else.
For some this will be off putting and that’s alright. For others – like me – this will be exactly what they’re looking for.
6zava6 – :
I am wearing this one 3 days yet and really don’t know what a magic is that. Day 1 – it smells almost the same as Trussardi Skin /a lost treasure/, day 2 – very similar to Bvlgari Mon Jasmine Noir and today – completely identical to Prada Infusion d’iris. What an experience! Happy!!!!!
genosse – :
Edit to my earlier post:
I have been on something of a fragrance sample bender during the last few months due to my changing sense of smell (comes with middle age).
I have found a few gems, both niche and commercial, that I am going use, but the major discovery was this fragrance. I simply adore it and will wear it year round.
I think that the reason I enjoy this scent is that it is a not cloying, not too iris-y, not too sugary violet. In fact, it goes so well with the cedar and sandalwood and vetiver that it got me into vetiver fragrances as well (among them the masculine Encre Noir that is just fantastic for a vertiver loving woman like me).
And so it goes with scents. I think that once you get the fragrance bug there is no escape. 😀
I am going to turn to tuberose next.
This is an amazing fragrance.
I love violets but not many violet perfumes.
This one is just outstanding in both composition and longevity. Simply perfect for spring.
It smells green, elegant and complex, and lasted 12+ hours on my skin that usually eats up perfumes.
The vetiver and cedar notes feel like a logical extension of the cool opening green notes (violet leaf) and violet.
As I get older my taste is becoming more diverse and I once again appreciate green, herbaceous, earthy and even bitter notes so I stumbled across this gem at just the right time.
ankos10516 – :
My imagination convinced me to blind buy L’Essence, just because the reviews mention words like green, dark, forest, and elves. I was intrigued.
I don’t own any green scents (not a fan, really), nor did the original Balenciaga Paris convince me to buy it, but I am so glad I decided to take my chances with this one!
It took me a week before I decided to write a review and still cannot find the right words. I am enchanted. I reach out for it every day and cannot stop sniffing myself, I’m finding it delicious and love the way it evolves. Nothing sharp, nothing sour, feels like silk from start to end.
Longevity is good, sillage is weak but I only mind because I wish others would experience it. 🙂
georgich1304 – :
I LOVE this green, mossy, violet smell!
Does anybody know if it was discontinued? I haven’t seen it in regular shops for a while now!
Gileexisk – :
powdery violet , great sillage a beauty too !
gosh balenciaga is making my month so nice , very classy and wearable so nice
tmt699Unlogrere – :
This one is a very fresh Violet-scent. Perfect for spring-time. Longlasting and good projection. Not too sweet thanx to Vetiver and cedarnotes. A great scent.
Detta är en otroligt fräsch Viol-doft. Perfekt för våren. Hållbar och med skön utstrålning. Inte för söt tack vare vetivern och cedernoterna. En härlig doft.
tutxan – :
I do like it – it’s a sophisticated scent but there is something about violet that makes me prefer other fragrances. The longevity and quality are wonderful and once the violet top notes have dissipated it dries down to something sweet and delightful.
karabaz – :
Woody mossy crushed violet leaves, its gorgeous and unlike anything else I have. Seems to be much harder to source now, but I’ve just got hold of another bottle
Ahmed – :
Femininity shines through sweet, powdery violets; and masculinity, through nose-tickling vetiver and soft woods. Greenery makes it feel very natural, like dew drops trickling down a tangle of vines.
It, to me, represents a woman of strength and independence. She doesn’t want to settle for being an average girl, she wants more for herself. I see it as being something a woman in a powerful position would wear. Although, I think it can be worn by any woman who sees herself as a leader of her own life, or a free spirit.
I sprayed the back of my hand and had my boyfriend sniff. Mind you, this is something he endures with me almost daily during my perfume testing rituals. This time, instead of sniffing and uttering the usual, “It’s good,” he held my hand to his nose and didn’t want to let go.
“I don’t know what it is about it… It’s enchanting.”
Those were his words, not mine. Although I have to say–I agree with that statement!
PrototipX29A – :
I love this. I didn’t know what it was, I only knew I liked it. So now, looking up the notes I find cedar, violet, sandalwood. I’m such a cedar fan, it had me from hello! Elegant, expensive, exquisite are all words coming to mind. I was prepared for there to be a tea note, this is so beautifully green; it lasts all day, excellent value. Recommended to try. A personal 10/10 x
GomerJJ – :
I don’t have that much experience with the original Balenciage Paris – only sniffed it once at the department store, after having already worn this one, and I didn’t like it as much as L’Essence.
I remember smelling L’Essence on a magazine strip and thinking, “I have to have this”. It was very me. i’m 25 now, i must have been 19 then. for some people thinking that this is an old-fashioned scent, i would disagree. before i was into perfumes, my 19 year old nose was drawn to this because it smelled classy, elegant, and expensive (not coincidentally).
i remember having a guy around my age ask me out after remarking how nice this perfume was on me too!
I don’t even know how to describe the way this smells. Sure, the violet and vetiver are the prominent notes, but… it’s so much more than that. It’s just so luxurious, and i have a hard time comparing it to any other perfume that I own. It’s a very special one — something I would wear just for me though, not to impress anyone at a date, or a job interview, or a girls’ night out. This is one of my “me” scents… i wear it for private enjoyment and to feel like an otherworldly classy lady.
It’s just elegant, if I had to describe it in one word – without the soapiness or aldehydes that you get in other ‘classic’ scents. It’s very sophisticated, and I don’t think it is for everyone – you need to be a certain type of woman to pull this off and rock it. It’s not an old fashioned scent, but it’s definitely for an old fashioned type of woman, be she young or old.
frecypype – :
oggi indosso un profumo verde e viola: verde di note fresche e legnose di foresta, viola per la preponderanza delle violette con le relative foglie. benchè sia un accordo floreale, il bilanciamento con il vetiver, il sandalo e il legno di cedro conferisce una certa asprezza di femminilità androgina molto gradevole e perfetta per il caldo. la violetta non è dolce, tantomeno polverosa, semmai lievemente saponosa nell’assestamento (questa l’unica pecca, per me). questa fragranza somiglia a she wood velvet forest di dsquared, ma anche all’infusione di iris di prada, nonchè a Myqueen di Alexander McQueen e un tantino all’Eau de Cartier: una viola solida, verde, che sa di corteccia. molto buono.
werg – :
After finishing 2 bottles of the original Paris, I was ready to try this. I had heard it was somewhat similar except not so ‘high’ notes. I agree, this L’Eessence is dignified and more solemn, perhaps better suited to a person my age. It isn’t as bright and the only way my limited perfume vocabulary describes it is- a darker version violet scented floral combo. I love it better.
RVMRoman – :
I received my mini yesterday around 2pm and dabbed some on the backs of my hands to test. When I went to bed at midnight, I could still smell it, so longevity is through the roof!
At first it seemed awfully sharp and bitter green to me, tickling my nose and aggravating the headache I already had. I didn’t detect anything aquatic. There was a trace of original Paris, but this seemed colder, more austere and less floral to me. I decided I didn’t care for it. Still, I left it on to see how it developed.
It took about 4 hours for the aquatic note to reveal itself and when it did, it merged with the violets, woods and greens to create a thoroughly enchanting natural aroma. Like a walk on a cliff overlooking the sea with a forest behind me; cool breeze whipping my hair around. Just lovely and lonesome, a bit sorrowful and wistful.
I actually find this to be the more mature fragrance while the original is the younger. It is not as overtly floral; it is woodsier and as I noted before, somewhat austere. I don’t usually care for austere fragrances, but there is just something compelling about this. I love it.
wim852speagoessenda – :
The drydown is like Trussardi Skin. Also detected a bit of Hermes Hiris. I smell note of iris it’s strange as it’s not listed. It all depends on body chemistry to make or break this perfume. Can be elegant but also serious and old ladyish
Fridwisee – :
This is actually a younger fresher version of Paris!! More aquatic, with a beautiful sea side breezy undertone ..nothing old fashioned about it!! I wore it all summer as it smells summery, still with a stylish vibe…Balenciaga makes quality perfumes!! It smells like the color, not in a suntan way, more like fresh air like the ocean, when summer is on its way out…sch a beautiful feminine interesting creation!!
westrn5 – :
Balenciaga! Your perfumes are so unique and beautifully crafted!
Paris L’Essence opens all green and violetty. Pretty, but in a fairies-and-elves sort of way, rather than a pink-party-dress-for-a-princess sort of way. Dainty and understated but a total work of art, nonetheless.
As the perfumes dries down, a woody mossiness becomes stronger, but it also retains a subtle powderiness, and the violets never quite leave. There is a hint of lemon and patchouli in the dying phases. I’m not a fan of patchouli, but here the lemon (which I LOVE, though it’s not listed as a note)violet balances it nicely enough to not be offensive.
I’m wearing Paris (the original) on my other wrist, and find that one slightly bolder, a little more woody and a little sweeter (in a green kind of way!)
I personally prefer the original, I think, though the two really are very similar and I’d be ever so happy to own either! (Still on the wish-list.) Might I add that the bottle are just B-E-A-Utiful too?? Biggest criticism of L’Essence is that it only lasts around 2 hours on my (dry) skin. Otherwise, the story it tells is very beautiful indeed.
zhdan – :
This was my second Balenciaga I purchased and I was not disappointed! It’s definitely different and I’ve yet to smell a similar fragrance to this. It’s so unique and beautiful.
After wearing it 3 different times this winter, it reminds me of banana peels. It literally smells like banana peels, probably more similar to the taste of the peel.
Anyways, there’s a dry note that reminds me of deodorant residue as well. It’s still one of my favs.
Karik2008 – :
This perfume is one of the most worn and most reached for in my collection. L’Essence Balenciaga is very similar to “Balenciaga Paris” (cream & yellow color bottle). It is unnecessary to own both in my opinion but L’essence is the more interesting of the two. L’essence is violet dominant, dry woody, sweet, and slightly powdery like the original Paris. The more bitter aspects, which include vetiver and the green violet leaf, counter the girlish nature of violet and make this a rather serious sophisticated scent. I find L’essence moderate in strength and a bit short in lasting power (~3 hours before I feel like I should reapply). I don’t know if others would agree with me, but I think this is a unisex scent although it is marketed to women. I hypothesize if men wore L’essence it would be very attractive on them.
jnya – :
I had high hopes for this one, because I love violet scents, and I really like the look of this bottle and the marketing with Charlotte Gainsbourg. And I’m glad to say, I wasn’t disappointed! Or I was, the first few times I tested my sample: I thought it was much too weak and too vague. But that’s before I realized it just needs a couple of sprays more than my usual one or two; when applied generously, this really is wonderful, and potent too.
I never tried the original, so I don’t know how it compares to l’Essence, but this one is 100% focused on the violets. It’s less woody-green than I would have expected looking at that lovely list of notes – I don’t get any vetiver, and not even that much violet leaf. That’s okay, though, because the violet note itself is really great: never too sweet, waxy and bright at first and dustier and more complex later on. And as I mentioned, with enough of it applied it easily lasts all day with moderate sillage.
It’s not a conspicuous kind of scent, not the kind to evoke strong love or hate, I think. It’s safe, but not boring at all – “cool” and “elegant” are indeed the words to describe it, as Cunning_blue says. So it’s especially fitting for work, although it can be worn in really just about any setting you could imagine. I wouldn’t consider it as a signature or anything, I don’t love it enough for that, but I do really like it and would like to get at least a little decant to add to my violet collection. I also wouldn’t mind at all if scents like this became much more popular instead of those bombs of sweetness you smell everywhere!
xdi742elipseskism – :
When I first smelt this perfume