Azzaro Pour Homme Elixir by Azzaro, 2009

The hardly realizable attempt to ground a new olfactory dimention (more sweet, tasty, dusty, mysterious and appealing??) on the sphere of one of the most appreciated aromatic creations of the parfumed universe. There is the lavender, the oakmoss, some spices plus smoke, geranium, a citrusy accord, may be the aromatic touch of anise and on this plane they added a fruity-tasty insertion (pear and blackcurrant) and a soapy, bit powdery, base because of the vanilla, labdanum and benzoin presence rather than ambergris and musk. Despite named elixir it lacks of the wonderful aromatic-exotic cool touch of the original and is less bold, brash and autoritative of its predecessor for sure . The final sweet-powdery Elixir's warmth, taking the place of the musky-boise' aromatic and masculine Pour Homme's dry down, is common and unoriginal being more similar to the one of some modern creations as Hot Water,  Xeryus Rouge or some Carolina Herrera' scents than to the traditional aromatics fougere. The Elixir's aromatic bit watery initial blast is also similar in its conception to the beginning of some upmentioned modern concoctions with their fresh-aromatic or lavender starting and powdery sweet vanillic final. Anyway Elixir deserves its fair attention for the undeniable appeal and for its attempt to offer a different point of view about a stable aromatic protagonist in the olfactory world.

Azzaro pour Homme Elixir is an alternative for those who like masculine rose notes. Well, for me, anyway because those rose notes, tones and hues are invariably too sweet for me and too dense but there is nothing dense about this fragrance. This is a delightful melange of gourmand and restrained oriental elements that presents as a rather sweet but never cloying lavender and geranium accord before metamorphosing into something akin to a confectionery musk. This stage lasts for around 20 minutes on my skin before the journey rounds out in entirely satisfying sweet gourmand notes that are defined by the tonka bean and restrained accordingly. The vanilla seems implied as if hinted at. This is the most satisfying use of vanilla I have experienced; generally, I find vanilla overwhelmingly, nauseatingly sweet. Azzaro conains it, defines it and bends it to its urbane and chic will. The effect over all is wonderful. It is reminiscent of M7 by YSL but it is more mannered, less strident and never even vaguely like a cough syrup. Rather, it is a demure and confident fragrance. It is nothing like Azzaro pour homme except that both fragrances are timeless and deserving of acclaim. It reminds me of Jacomo de Jacomo Rouge.