WHAT I SMELL: Essence Rare opens with what seems to be fading aldehydes that are quickly met by a spiced geranium. The perfume deepens quickly as the perfume moves to a civet and amber making it very mature almost from the start as there’s nothing light nor fluffy about it. As it continues to develop, the oakmoss pushes itself to the forefront and it’s here the perfume puts out a strong forcefield as it’s all powdered and dry oakmoss, spice and civet. After quite some time, the perfume begins to retreat a bit and thankfully a beautiful sandalwood laced with warm florals begins to take the perfume from the overt to the almost sublime. In the end, Essence Rare is still mature, but it’s much more approachable, albeit with a strong personality.
Essence Rare Notes:
Top: aldehydes, bergamot, lily of the valley
Heart: geranium, rose, iris
Base: sandalwood, ambergris, vanilla, oakmoss, musk, tonka bean, vetiver, civet
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Forgive me, but the image of Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady” popped in my head. The perfume seems stuck in the 70s, is a bit unforgiving and begs to be noticed.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ESSENCE RARE: solid, stocky, bold
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ESSENCE RARE: Bois de Jasmin, Fragrantica
BOTTOM LINE: I found the iceberg bottle pictured above at an antique store for $15, so I thought, why not. As many of you know, I love vintage perfumes, but Essence Rare is a rarity where it’s anything but a love. What I typically like about these small extrait bottles is that they generally stay fresher than some of their larger counterparts. I’m sure that there has been degradation with this, but I believe that Essence Rare was pretty much a powerhouse from day one and it does feel very dated. So my 2 bones rating is based solely on this bottle…but maybe it’s just that bottle and some day I’ll run into one that makes me reconsider.
It should be noted that Essence Rare was reformulated in 2018 and the perfume was once again created by Jean-Claude Ellena. But everything that I have read about it states that this new version is much lighter and rather pretty and no doubt more approachable to today’s market.
- Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Floral Aldehyde
- Note: Jean-Claude Ellena
- Classification: To me, very unisex
- Expense: Prices vary. Review based on the 1976 reissued version parfum extrait.
WHAT I SMELL: 
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: 
WHAT I SMELL: Rival in Love opens with a lightly sweetened blood orange that’s quickly met with a juicy, ripe and enticing lychee. It’s so incredibly intoxicating in the softest of ways as there’s nothing sharp here as the perfume just lilts upon the skin with a light and soft sheath of cottony musk. After a bit, the sweetened and soft opening moves to the more round with a lightly peppered rose making it’s entrance. Where the opening was light and demure, the perfume is now more mature and seductive. Here, the perfume begins to radiate and amplify, but never in a way that shouts. As Rival in Love continues its progression, a patchouli enters grounding the florals with a buzzing woodiness. Here, the perfume seems to be in conflict as you can tell that the patchouli is being buffered by something else that is trying to get out on top of it. As the perfume finishes its internal fight, a sweetened vanilla and lychee come out to make the perfume the perfect mix of innocence and seductive maturity. Rival in Love is one “love” of a perfume.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A fight for love that ends in the most beautiful of ways.
The Scented Hound 