Review of Elysian Zest (Roja Elysium Parfum) by Montagne
INTRO
Elysian Zest is an inspired expression of Roja Dove’s Elysium Parfum Pour Homme, a fragrance that goes for almost $500 for the 50ml bottle! That’s almost $10 per ml which is roughly $9.20 more per ml when compared to Montagne’s rendition! I usually don’t write too much about the prices and comparing those when I do my reviews but I think it’s important in this case because the difference is so big! I digress…back to the review.
Roja Dove, master perfumer, created what can only be described as a “unique freshie”, it’s hard for freshies to have character because they can get lost on your skin after a while, Elysium broke that rule…so, how’s this inspired expression?OPENNING
Elysian opens up with a blast of citrus, lemon and grapefruit… the latter taking more precedence as an opening note. The name of the fragrance really speaks to the opening as Zesty was the first word I thought of when I applied it. Grapefruit can be sour to some and I think Elysian has a little of that, it’s not sweet , the lemon & lime keep the opening on edge, also, the opening is more rooty/earthy than what you would expect from the notes.It has a unique opening and one that I can describe as “loud” for a freshie (a freshie with an earthy vibe), it does not sit un-obstrusive on your skin, it has character, it demands attention, it’s very complicated and the grapefruit is amazing on it. The scent bubble it creates extends for at least 2 feet away from you. When I apply Elysian I always think of Acqua Di Parma if someone turned up the volume of those to the max setting, why? because it has that Italian vibe, that play with the bergamot, that citrus and lime but this time around is not tamed or subtle. The opening for me is a solid 8 out of 10.
MID & DRYDOWN
Vetiver! Amazing vetiver coming alive! The vetiver is a little dark, perhaps better described as earthy & grounded Vetiver (ethically sourced from Haiti to boot!), side note: Vetiver from Haiti is like saying Chocolate from Switzerland, but again I digress, I can detect Lily of the Valley as its a flower scent that I recognize and adore, pepper keeps things edgy and musk creates a beautiful base for the composition. Let me be clear here, this fragrance keeps its “freshie head” all through the dry down, it changes from the opening but the DNA remains through drydown. A note on the drydown, if I were to describe it simply I would say: A salty and earthy vetiver on a cedar and resin base. It’s pretty amazing, the drydown is a 9/10 for me, why? Because the freshie head is still there and the vetiver really pops.Important note to make here: Freshie is not the same as Aquatic, they are very different, this is not aquatic to me, it’s not reminiscent of the beach for me, this is fields with flowers & fruits before they are ripe, it’s airy but it’s not “beach airy”, it’s earth-airy. I know that’s hard to follow…but it’s how I feel about this!
PERFORMANCE
Projection is about 2 feet for the first few hours, after, the projection remains to around 1 feet, becomes closer to skin after 3-4 hours. Longevity is around 7-8.5 hours before it becomes a skin scent but even at that stage, it still pops from the skin nicely.COMPARISON
I tried this against Supernova by DUA because in my mind they were the same fragrance, when they were so different I went and checked, thus realizing that Supernova is actually a hybrid of the Parfum & Cologne, I thought my nose was playing tricks on me! The opening is similar given the notes, the grapefruit is very present on both, however the DUA one amplifies that note (in my opinion) way more than the Montagne does, this is not a ding on DUA necessarily as the hybrid is meant to be different, just saying that the lemon does not come across the same way for me. In terms of comparing versus the original… this is where my comment on price plays a factor, the original is untouchable for me so I was not able to get even a decant!CONCLUSION
The zesty and citrus opening of this fragrance is on a different level from any designer fragrance you can throw at it, heck, even niche frags can’t really compete, the mix of notes create a scent bubble that is unique and you will realize why Elysium is such a known and admired name. This will get noticed and even un-unitiated noses will appreciate the little intrisicancies like the grapefruit and lemon/lime notes. The drydown will envelop you on a beautiful vetiver base that will remain with you through the life of the fragrance. Should you buy it? Remember when I talked about the price difference? If you like freshies, I would say, the value per price proposition would be hard to beat if not borderline impossible, by a designer or by a niche house. If you don’t like freshies….I think you should try this, it might convert you!Let me know your thoughts below! About Elysian and about the review!
Thanks for reading,
X.
AFTER-CONCLUSION-THOUGHT
I am a reviewer and I want to continuously grow my review catalog and I’ve realized that all my Montagne reviews are positive and I end up recommending them… I thought to myself, “X, how can you be credible if you are always recommending them?” There’s a simple answer to this….if I reviewed Guerlain, I would arguably like all of them because I like their DNA, in the case of Montagne, there’s another “easy” reason when I think about it…they smell natural! I cannot confirm that they only use naturals because I don’t work for them , I go by what they say and my nose and the truth is, when I put them on, that’s how they feel to me, that’s what my nose picks up. So, why do I recommend them? Because the fragrances (so far) are true inspirations and they smell natural, if one of those things is ever not true, I would express it, you have my word.Get Elysian Zest here: https://www.montagneparfums.com/fragrance/elysian-zest
