Life Essence by Fendi, 1996

Minimal and distinguished. A citrusy and almost ozonic clean initial accord with some delicate floral note whirling around is the misleading prelude to the real soul of a warm woody and  ambery fragrance strong in cedarwood, moss and cypress. Some resins produce an aromatic vibe with a traditional trail and the dry down reveals a woody and mossy temperament. In this final phase the smell is classical, a bit conservative, woody and green in a smooth boise' way. Decent scent for daily usage.

Some couple of monthes later...Just given it another try, on a windowcloth in my living room. To all i have currently sniffed,this would compare as an exceptional fruity oakmoss, so sentual and profound.Once again the element of "nothing else but the very essence" of the fragrance is pleasing my nose.You just dont get through all that unnecessary citrussy-herbal intro. this goes directly to what it was supposed to be -velvet soft fruity oakmoss.I guess i have to give it a plus point for being original and meaningful because this really does represent something beautiful.

Life Essence by Fendi is a nicely constructed aromatic wood fragrance. As another reviewer said, there is something in the citrus opening that is reminiscent of LEau dIssey, but I find that it soon changes to become an excellent warm, green, coniferous accord quite different from Issey. At any rate, the middle notes of Life Essence are dominated by a cypress note that is quietly solid and warmly captivating. The dry down continues the aromatic conifer motif with an enjoyable cedar smoothed and supported by sandalwood and moss. Once in a while, the drydown seems to give off a bit of an off note and a cologny tang. I dont know what causes it, but it occurs so seldom that I tend to overlook it. Life Essence is an interesting fragrance that I like because it is subtle and understated, making it a good fresh but warm wood scent for the office. (Edit of 29 August 2006 review.)

Horrible! This was sold as a mens frag but it was too feminine. Even for a woman this frag is horrible. It has zero appeal to it. No loss here being it was discontinued. Fendi did the right thing!!

Please just don't tell me that Life Essence is discontinued... What about they think? This is nonsense - discontinue the successful...

I've sampled this one a few times and it took me those few tries to understand this fragrance. There are parts I "don't get" but here's what I think of it nonetheless. Aromatic and woody with a citrus touch .Very minimal in structure and is very subtle to me. Lasts a good while despite it's strength. Doesn't feel rich or overly powerful but just a clean woody. It's modern day and more youthful contender I'd say would be Calvin Klein Man. I'm impartial to this one.

Nice clean scent, would easily suggest this as a daytime wear, last great too.

Distinguished, gentlemanly scent of great discretion. Classic and understated without being extravagant.
Crisp and clean herbal opening, mossy chypre formula as lasting impression.
Just like Theorema uomo, inspite of various structural differences, the sheer expression of both invigorating yet classy Mediterranean freshness.

Very nice light woody unisex fragrance. The top is very fresh, with greens of grass and various leaves both fresh and dry. The top also has a light cirtus note that goes very well with the whole composition. At times, it reminded me of the very attractive Agua Fresca by Adolfo Dominguez, and that becomes more and more apparent as the drydown progresses. I can imagine a cool, young european bussinessman wearing this on a holiday or on any free days. Many women like this as some friends were surprised when I showed them the scent and they said it was very refreshing and cool, without being bland. The sillage is very nice too, and the longevity can be different depending on skin types. The drydown is all soft woods and almost like swedish furniture and teak, but still with a fresh breath in it given by the oakmoss.

I rather like this, but don't understand why it's touted as a men's fragrance. If I remember correctly (and I could be wrong), Fendi marketed this as a unisex fragrance.