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Guerlain Vetiver pour Elle: not really for vetiver fans?

post #1 of 28
7/1/10 at 3:40am
Thread Starter 
I have been trying an original bottle of Vetiver pour Elle (not the reissue) for a couple of weeks now, and I must say that I'm a little disappointed.

The various vetivers I've tried or own, all have a very strong, dominant vetiver note, including Encre Noire, Sel de Vetiver, Vetiver Oriental. However I found that Vetiver pour Elle is really a lot more floral/aromatic than vetiver. I can detect the herbally vetiver note, but it almost feels more like a supporting actor than the lead.

I still like it, because it's a really unique take on floral/herbal fragrances. Definitely, I haven't tried a vetiver scent like this, but I would still prefer it if the vetiver note is stronger.
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post #2 of 28
7/1/10 at 6:50am
Well if you like your vetiver to have a dominant vetiver note then there heaps of other fragrances out there to suit your taste. Try Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire or some vetiver essential oil.

Vetiver pour elle is a beautiful, lively, vibrant & floral vetiver. I find it very uplifting and soothing. The florals are thrown in unabashedly & I adore it. The longevity & sillage are both as good as it gets. The vetiver note is most certainly identifiable but like I said before, it is mixed with a healthy dose of florals. This is a very expensive vetiver (perhaps the most expensive I know of) and I didn't dither to splurge on it after I got a decant.

This certainly will appeal to people who don't like unadulterated vetiver or who associate the vetiver note with the smell of a 'swamp'.
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post #3 of 28
7/1/10 at 10:27am
Thread Starter 
Interesting... why would this scent appeal to people who associate vetiver with 'swamp'? Actually, I don't even know what a swamp smells like.

But yeah, I agree that the fragrance by itself is really beautiful, maybe even a little too... pretty. I like the vetiver note for the slightly earthy and herbal vibe, which I think most vetiver centered scents seem to accentuate. However, this is not the case for Vetiver pour Elle. The huge dose of floral was a shock to the system, and when it diluted out the earthy/smoky quality of vetiver, I just got a little disappointed. I still like it as a floral scent suitable for a guy, but if I want a softer, more transparent vetiver, I would choose Sycomore instead.
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post #4 of 28
7/1/10 at 2:45pm
By chance, where did you happen to get the original bottle?
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post #5 of 28
7/1/10 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtgprox05 View Post

By chance, where did you happen to get the original bottle?

EBay. It was sealed and I got it for like $50 Even though it was a blind buy, it's a real bargain, so I thought what the heck!
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post #6 of 28
7/1/10 at 4:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by supperman View Post

Interesting... why would this scent appeal to people who associate vetiver with 'swamp'? Actually, I don't even know what a swamp smells like.

But yeah, I agree that the fragrance by itself is really beautiful, maybe even a little too... pretty. I like the vetiver note for the slightly earthy and herbal vibe, which I think most vetiver centered scents seem to accentuate. However, this is not the case for Vetiver pour Elle. The huge dose of floral was a shock to the system, and when it diluted out the earthy/smoky quality of vetiver, I just got a little disappointed. I still like it as a floral scent suitable for a guy, but if I want a softer, more transparent vetiver, I would choose Sycomore instead.

A lot of people find the vetiver note challenging because the hardcore vetivers can smell very raw & earthy. This gives these vetivers a 'swamp' association.

Swamp:
n.
A seasonally flooded bottomland with more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog.
A lowland region saturated with water.

Vetiver pour elle is one vetiver that doesn't approach that earthiness level and therefore can appeal to people who have found some dominant vetiver fragrances hard to appreciate.
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post #7 of 28
7/1/10 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by supperman View Post

EBay. It was sealed and I got it for like $50 Even though it was a blind buy, it's a real bargain, so I thought what the heck!

That's a lucky score. Original bottles of GpE are very hard to find and rarely show up on ebay. When they do, they usually sell for over $150.

I've had an ebay alert for GpE for a year now. I don't know how I missed this listing. I've just checked the closed listings too but can't see yours. Do you mind posting a link?
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post #8 of 28
7/1/10 at 4:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gupts View Post

That's a lucky score. Original bottles of GpE are very hard to find and rarely show up on ebay. When they do, they usually sell for over $150.

I've had an ebay alert for GpE for a year now. I don't know how I missed this listing. I've just checked the closed listings too but can't see yours. Do you mind posting a link?

Here you go: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Yeah, unfortunately I've never had a chance to visit a swamp, but if it smells like vetiver, the kind of vetiver in Route du Vetiver, I'd love to visit it!
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post #9 of 28
7/1/10 at 5:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by supperman View Post

Here you go: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Yeah, unfortunately I've never had a chance to visit a swamp, but if it smells like vetiver, the kind of vetiver in Route du Vetiver, I'd love to visit it!

Thanks for the link. The listing still doesn't show up in closed listings on ebay. Perhaps it was bought over 3 weeks ago or even earlier. Anyhow it's a fantastic score. If you don't like VpE you can pass on the deal to me ;-)
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post #10 of 28
7/1/10 at 6:19pm
I was completely underwhelmed and disappointed by Vetiver pour Elle also. Definitely NOT worth the price IMO.
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post #11 of 28
7/5/10 at 8:30pm
I have a healthy decant of 'new' Vetiver Pour Elle that was gifted to me by a generous Basenoter and try as I may, I still can't warm to it. And I am a BIG fan of Vetiver by Guerlain (the vintage EdC and EdT) and many other vetiver scents.

I think it's the jasmine note that just ruins it for me.
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post #12 of 28
7/5/10 at 8:47pm
I tested it a few months ago at Saks (I know, I know, it's the reformulated version....), and was not at all impressed. There were too many floral notes getting in the way of the vetiver note. I love floral scents, but I also love vetiver, and when I want vetiver, I don't want any damn floral notes to interfere!
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post #13 of 28
7/5/10 at 8:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by supperman View Post

EBay. It was sealed and I got it for like $50 Even though it was a blind buy, it's a real bargain, so I thought what the heck!

A bargain indeed- I'm positively green with envy- just having paid full retail for my bee bottle at Nordstrom less than a month ago.
No matter! I love both it (and the original V) for different reasons and a bee bottle has 4 oz in it.
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post #14 of 28
7/5/10 at 9:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shamu1 View Post

I tested it a few months ago at Saks (I know, I know, it's the reformulated version....), and was not at all impressed. There were too many floral notes getting in the way of the vetiver note. I love floral scents, but I also love vetiver, and when I want vetiver, I don't want any damn floral notes to interfere!

I think the main problem with the fragrance is just the naming. If it did not have the word 'Vetiver', it would have been fine. For vetiver fans, we would home into it to check it out, but when we find our favored note diminished, it becomes a problem for us.

If we approached it as a masculine Guerlain floral fragrance, I think it would go down better.
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post #15 of 28
7/5/10 at 11:08pm
As a vetiver fan, I do love Vetiver pour Elle as another special take on vetiver theme.
More different vetivers, more possibilities, and more fun!
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post #16 of 28
7/6/10 at 1:17am
This is one of the best vetivers around. I'm not sure how anyone can't identify vetiver as the prominent note in it. Rather than saying it's not for fans of vetiver, one could say it's not for fans of complex vetivers, with complementary florals and other notes.
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post #17 of 28
7/6/10 at 2:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strifeknot View Post

This is one of the best vetivers around. I'm not sure how anyone can't identify vetiver as the prominent note in it. Rather than saying it's not for fans of vetiver, one could say it's not for fans of complex vetivers, with complementary florals and other notes.

Well, vetiver might be prominent, but it's definitely not dominant. It's possible to have a complex vetiver scent while still keeping vetiver as the dominant note, for example Vetiver Tonka, Mazzolari's Vetyver and Annick Goutal's Vetiver.
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post #18 of 28
7/6/10 at 6:47am
Which note do you think is dominant? The vetiver stands out from start to finish for me.
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post #19 of 28
7/6/10 at 7:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strifeknot View Post

Which note do you think is dominant? The vetiver stands out from start to finish for me.

As I'd mentioned earlier, I feel that that the floral notes are dominant. I would describe it as white flowers framed by herbal/vetiver notes.
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post #20 of 28
7/6/10 at 11:26am
I didn't even know that Guerlain issued VpE in 50ml bottles - I thought it came out only in the 100ml bee bottles...

Teddius
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post #21 of 28
7/6/10 at 12:04pm
It used to look like this, and was only sold in Paris duty free airport shops.



Then it was re-introduced in the bee bottles by Guerlain. I have only smelled this 'new' juice, not the old one. According to a few people the 'new' juice is not as good as the 'old' juice. But then of course there are people, like the original poster of this thread, that don't even like the original juice.
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post #22 of 28
7/6/10 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I actually like it as a floral scent.
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post #23 of 28
7/6/10 at 7:52pm
I'm very surprised by the negativity towards this scent. I'm not a floral fan, and I'm a big vetiver fan and Vetiver Pour Elle is the most beautiful scent I've ever smelled. It's more than worth the money for me, even if I can't personally afford it.
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post #24 of 28
7/6/10 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gupts View Post

Well if you like your vetiver to have a dominant vetiver note then...some vetiver essential oil...

You can actually take a little smudge of essential oil and "layer" it onto things whose vetiver is subtler, softer or less pronounced than you like, and get the best of both worlds - all the things you like about the cologne, AND your Visible Vetiver - plus a bonus world - an olfactory illustration of the old adage about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts!
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post #25 of 28
7/6/10 at 9:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtgprox05 View Post

I'm very surprised by the negativity towards this scent. I'm not a floral fan, and I'm a big vetiver fan and Vetiver Pour Elle is the most beautiful scent I've ever smelled. It's more than worth the money for me, even if I can't personally afford it.

I'm starting to think if the reformulated version might have more vetiver in it than the original, because I really do not detect that much vetiver in the fragrance. I wonder if it's because of the oak moss extrait that musked the vetiver. Does the newer version contain oak moss?
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post #26 of 28
7/6/10 at 10:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strifeknot View Post

This is one of the best vetivers around. I'm not sure how anyone can't identify vetiver as the prominent note in it. Rather than saying it's not for fans of vetiver, one could say it's not for fans of complex vetivers, with complementary florals and other notes.

Maybe the problem here is - the smell difference between vetiver oil and vetiveryl acetate?
Those who smelled vetiver oil - could not smell it in Guerlains.
Those who used to smell Vetiver Guerlain (and green herbal smell of vetiveryl acetate) - easily find similarity of masculine and feminine).
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post #27 of 28
7/7/10 at 8:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by supperman View Post

I'm starting to think if the reformulated version might have more vetiver in it than the original, because I really do not detect that much vetiver in the fragrance. I wonder if it's because of the oak moss extrait that musked the vetiver. Does the newer version contain oak moss?

I'm not quite sure, but I DO get vetiver from the new version, and quite it's quite apparent as well. Of course, the thing that I LOVE about VpE the most is how beautifully blended the vetiver is with the florals.
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post #28 of 28
7/7/10 at 10:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by supperman View Post

I think the main problem with the fragrance is just the naming...

Yeah, although intellectually, I totally get that the name of a perfume is a very different thing from, say the label on a bottle of essential oil, and thus liable to be all kinds of flavors of not quite literal, from a reference to an element that is present, but way down on the cast list, to a conceptual or abstract expression of the artist's interpretation or impression of a scent, or even the visual beauty of a flower, at the same time I can't help wishing that they would call it something like "Whisper of Vetiver," or "Vetiver Drive-By."
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