Our take
What does Elle smell like?
Yves Saint Laurent launched Elle in 2007, a fruity chypre by Jacques Cavallier and Olivier Cresp. The opening pairs lychee with peony and a sharp Amalfi lemon. At first it reads like yet another light fruity scent. Pink pepper changes that quickly. It gives shape to rose and jasmine, while freesia keeps things fresh and slightly soapy. The base does the real work. A fairly dry patchouli settles in with vetiver and cedar, and ambrette softens the whole with a musky, almost powdery note. That slide from sweet to earthy recalls Miss Dior Chérie, another fruity chypre from the same years. Elle is sharper, though, and far less gourmand. On skin it holds a tension between fruit and soil for hours, which makes it fun to follow through the day. It deserves more shelf space next to the house's newer launches.
When to wear it
A spring and autumn scent that suits the office thanks to its dry base. Two sprays on wrists and neck last the working day.
It belongs to the Chypre, Fruity family. Elle is one of 35 creations by Yves Saint Laurent in our encyclopedia.
