Balenciaga L'Essence Eau de Parfum review

          Lately, I've been going through an aromatic renaissance of sorts thanks to Balenciaga perfumes. The brand first caught my nose with the release of Balenciaga Florabotanica. After that fragrant first experience, I made a point to find out what other scents of theirs I've been missing out on. Luckily, I didn't have to look far; I happened to have samples of both Balenciaga Paris and Balenciaga L'Essence in my archive of sample sleeves! Today, I'll share my thoughts on Balenciaga L'Essence Eau de Parfum, a more intense and sophisticated evolution of Balenciaga Paris. Balenciaga L'Essence is bottled in a gorgeous glass flacon with a hematite cap, pyrite collar, and green gradation. The green and black coloring hints at a scent dominated by heavy green notes (think violet leaf and vetiver, as opposed to grass).

Notes: patchouli, violet leaf, violet, green notes, sandalwood, cedar

          When I think of Balenciaga, the first thing that comes to mind is their line of popular tasseled leather handbags. Balenciaga L'Essence Eau de Parfum evokes this association for me in a complementary sense; the scent of L'Essence has a close wearing feel reminiscent of leather, but with a verdant aspect. (Which is good, because I'd rather not smell like a leather purse).

           Balenciaga L'Essence is a light and grounded combination of violet leaf, vetiver, and sandalwood. There are no real 'top' notes; the fragrance starts off at mid range with earthy violet leaf and shy violet flower. There are subtle sweet vanilla-like notes that complement the violet felicitously, bringing to mind candied violets. The base is characterized by a green vetiver, along with soft wood notes. The woods are largely composed of creamy sandalwood, with just a hint of cedar crispness to tickle the nose. Over time, Balenciaga L'Essence becomes sweeter and more vanilla-like while maintaining its violet leaf and vetiver character. While the fragrance is base note heavy, it maintains a clean and light feeling due to a lack of smoky patchouli or animal musk notes.

               Much like the brand's bohemian, yet structured bags, Balenciaga L'Essence perfume strikes a balance between earthy and clean. The combination of youthful violet leaf with vetiver and sandalwood has a straightforward elegance. I do detect L'Essence's resemblance to the original Balenciaga Paris through their shared notes; however the former is more grounded, while the latter is more floral and sweet. Overall, I've been enjoying Balenciaga L'Essence; it's a relaxing scent to wear when I'm not in a floral mood! Thanks for reading! Have you tried Balenciaga L'Essence Eau de Parfum or any other Balenciaga fragrances? Do you like vetiver or violet scents?

Love, Dovey.