Eau Illuminee (2002)
by Delrae

These Parfums Delrae fragrances all seem larger than life to me. They are somehow more imposing than the ordinary run of niche fragrances. Impressive and sophisticated, Eau Illuminée opens with a rather aromatic top. Normally I would think of aromatics as belonging to a more casual genre, but these aromatics manage to come across as elegant. I think it’s the particular proportion (and high quality) of bergamot and French lavender that creates such a feeling of sophistication. The heart accords move to an aggressive green herbal accord that manages to feel elegant in spite of the rather raw starkness of the herbs. This time I think it’s the combination of bergamot and vanilla that keeps the fragrance from slipping into casualness. The drydown is subtle but it develops an intriguingly modern “distance”: a soft, aromatic presence that I can’t account for with the listed tonka, vanilla, and orris. This is a rather unusual fragrance because it is pretty much absent of typical floral, spices, and wood notes, and yet it is complete and fulfilling. I don’t totally love this, but I can’t help but admire it’s elegance, naturalness, and creativity. Remarkable fragrance that performs beautifully and is very wearable.

16th March, 2009.

It's interesting that men so far are predominating in these critiques. This is a unisex fragrance that does, in some ways, strike me as more M than F, particularly at the strong, sour beginning. My husband loves it on me, but it's a bit challenging in its heavy greenness. I don't know green fragrances well, so this may be naive, but what I think distinguishes EI is the way it combines heavy opulence with cold, tangy greenness. It reminds me of the thick mercury coating on an antique mirror, or looking into a faceted emerald. To my nose it is a little too formal to smell entirely natural, although the herbal freshness is paradoxically quite intense. I think this is the Delrae that was inspired by San Francisco's box hedges? It doesn't smell a bit cat-pissy, but it does suggest something of trimmed boxwood's structured verdancy. A perfume I have to own, though may not often wear.

7th November, 2008.

Fresh, cleaning, summer scent, I think. Green and light. Citrus and herbs. Feels like gourmet cooking without the meats but it's smells wonderful! Sometimes you don't need a lot of fullness to a fragrance and just need something to get you through the day. With something with vanilla in it and one who can detect vanilla in almost anything, there isn't much but it's there and not as cloying as most fragrances that use it. Beautiful.

5th June, 2008.

Beautifully and subtly green and herbal on a base of powder and vanilla. This is perfect for a warm spring day. I'd call this a shared scent, though Delrae lists all their scents as feminine. I find it intriguing for its hay-like quality, even though there is only the coumarin note of tonka bean to account for that. The blending of the herbal notes seems to reinforce the dryish hay note remarkably well and very artfully. I especially appreciate the dry quality of the herbals in this. It isn't very lush at all, just slightly sweet and barely lavender-floral, which is really more herbal than flowery anyway.

5th May, 2008.

Eau Illuminee is the perfect warm weather scent for those who love spice and herbal elements, with just a touch of floral elegance. I "taste tested" a number of scents to add to my collection over the summer, and when the Eau Illuminee sample came in, my hair stood on end, it was so right. Lavendar, rose, basil.. no white flowers and yet so sparkling. An honest to goodness W.B. Yeats "Yes!"

28th October, 2006.

A refined fragrance that nonetheless makes you want to run through a field and roll around in the hay. Absolutely stunning! I would call its evolution from first spritz to drydown "protean" not only because of the subtle nuances that surface throughout the development but also because of its "aristocratic" character. It is equally at ease with comedy or high drama: not a static blend.

I first was introduced to this fragrance by a saleslady at Joseph in Memphis. She informed me that Eau Illuminee was a unisex fragrance. Though it isn't officially "unisex", I would agree with the assessment. It is interesting also to note that many of the negative reviews online call this fragrance excessively "masculine".

Though it may seem an aggressive blend, I would call it more extroverted or pronounced. It definitely makes a statement. The first spritz reveals lush bergamot and basil, and the warm center includes french lavender and "wild aromatic herbs". The herbs, not individually named, are what to my mind gives the fragrance its unique punch. They persist almost as a base, even though orris, tonka, oakmoss and vanilla are officially in the drydown. These ingredients, however, never turn creamy or lush but rather remain very vibrant and seem to constantly intermingle with the herbs. Really an exceptional blend. I would recommend it highly to guys (I'm a 24-year old one that wears this myself) because its powerful and makes a statement. I would also recommend it to those women who wear fragrance for themselves first and not necessarily for others. This is one to wear proudly. It's pricey (125 for 50 ml EDP) but worth it. Authentic.

14th October, 2005.