There are some iconic fragrances across all fragrance families and Elie Saab Le Parfum is definitely one of those in the orange blossom family. Elie Saab is the Lebanese fashion designer who created the Halle Berry 2002 dress the year that she won the Oscar. Created by Francis Kurkdijan who has created a wide range of fragrances for a variety of brands including Iris Nobile for Acqua Di Palma Le Parfum for Carven, a range of the John Paul Gautier fragrances including La Male and of course for his own range.
I have yet to meet a Kirkdijan orange blossom fragrance that I dislike. Le Parfum from Elie Saab splits the opinion of perfume aficionados but I really like it. This fragrance starts out with glorious sun ripened orange blossom, slightly sweet, bright and at the same time delicate. As it dries down the jasmine comes through but the soft sweetness of the orange blossom remains. Any time of year and for any occasion Eli Saab Le Parfum seems to fit. The longevity of this fragrance is always a surprise to me – Le Parfum is not heady or heavy in any way and yet on my skin is in excess of seven hours.
This is a very attractive fragrance from the Art Deco inspired bottle to the blend itself. I would not describe Le Parfum as pretty because it is not girly, yet t is very feminine. Orange blossom and jasmine is share a sweetness and where jasmine can get quite heady that is not the case here. Having a look at the notes, there is also rose in this fragrance but my nose does not register it at all. I do however, get a hint of musk although there is no musk in the fragrance, and I think that it is because the fragrance dries down to a skin scent. There is nothing carnal or overtly sexy about Le Parfum in my opinion so it is very office/event friendly and yet because it stays quite close to the skin there is something quite intimate about it.
If you love orange blossom and are not familiar with this fragrance, you definitely need to give it a try but if you are a fan of light / white florals in Le Parfum from Elie Saab will be a beautiful addition to your collection.