Fragrance Review: Elisire Poudre Desir (Alberto Morillas)+ A Return to Elegance Draw

Franck Salzwedel ELISIREperfumes

Franck Salzwedel (courtesy of Franck)

With ELISIRE I wanted to tell the story of my love for fragrance and painting, driven by my fascination for nature. The world, the sky, the sun, the light, the stars, and the elements. But most of all, the miracle of colors, and their impact on the sensorial and emotional spectrum. -Creative Director,  Franck Salzwedel. 

Elisire Rainbow paper and painted fabrics

Painted Fabrics, Paper -Franck Salzwedel

Creative Director, painter and designer, Franck Salzwedel was born in France, and moved with his family to Indonesia at the age of 10, where Bali in particular enriched his senses and “became the place I cherished the most; colorful, inspiring and life changing.” He returned to France at 16 to finish his studies. He graduated from business school, but soon felt the need to reconnect with his creativity and began studying at IFM, the French Fashion Institute in Paris, working with “the most talented personalities and creators in the world.” As he was achieving great success at Armani with Aqua di Gio and Flowerbomb at Viktor & Rolf, Mr Salzwedel also gained renown as an artist in the abstract genre of color field painting.  Mr. Salzwedel combines his painterly gift with his perfumery by packaging each bottle in a reproduction of one of his color-field paintings. Each perfume has its own delicate color; the effect is lovely as each flacon is wrapped in its own unique artwork. His talents meld beautifully in Elisire, each fragrance celebrates “the infinite radiance of color and the transporting power of scent.” 

Portrait of Joan Crawford by Eve Arnold, 1959

Portrait of Joan Crawford by Eve Arnold, 1959

I can personally attest to the transporting power of Poudre Desir, composed by Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas of Firmenich, my personal favorite in the luxury perfume collection.  Scent is memory and immediately I was brought back to my childhood; I was fascinated by my Aunt Chloe at her dressing table, getting ready for an evening out. I watched in great awe as she sat surrounded by fancy perfume bottles and sparkling jewelry, going through the mysterious and incredibly feminine rituals of choosing the perfect scent, the jewelry best suited to that evenings’ attire, the makeup to enhance her beauty even further.  Best of all was the finishing touch of powder from that swan’s-down powder puff, which to my eight-year-old eyes seemed to be the very epitome of luxury.

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi  grandaughter of Grace Kelly

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi Grandaughter of Grace Kelly via Harper's Bazaar

Poudre Desir is an incredibly elegant fragrance, which would be right at home on any woman’s vanity.  It’s rich with iris, velvety gardenia and powdery heliotrope. It opens with a fairly juicy bergamot; sometimes I get a little tickle of pink pepper, too, but Poudre Desir gets right to its iris and gardenia heart fairly quickly. The iris is neither buttery nor rooty; it makes its presence known mainly by just smelling expensive and elegant, cool and classy. The gardenia is likewise not overbearing or pushy; it adds warmth and cushiness to the iris, and makes a lovely segue for the heliotrope in the basenotes.The heliotrope in Poudre Desire leans more almond than vanilla. It‘s a Jordan almond, not a savory one, and it’s definitely lavender colored  It adds a lovely powdery, intensely feminine aspect to the composition, and is a major component of the perfume.

There are some very clean white musks in the base as well, but they struck me as an intentional addition, chosen because they blend well with the other notes, rather than just being thrown in for a focus group. I think these musks make Poudre Desir a great choice for someone entering in to niche perfumery; they lend a comforting familiarity to a fragrance that is otherwise quite vintage in feeling and considerably more sophisticated than the average department store offering. Sillage is intimate as befits an extrait de parfum and longevity is excellent, clinging to my skin over night. 

Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Pink Pepper, Iris, Egyptian Jasmin, Jasmin Petals, Gardenia, Musks, Cedarwood, Heliotrope

Disclosure: I would like to thank Mr. Salzwedel for the samples he graciously sent. My opinions were not swayed by his generosity

Tammy Schuster, Contributor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen

Editor’s Note: You can read The Nosey Artist’s review and original prose for Ambre Nomade and mini reviews of the collection here. Franck is currently at  Tranoï Exhibition in Paris. At this time,ELISIRE is available in the USA at Bergdorf Goodman New York and www.elisire.com 

POUDRE DÉSIR ELISIRE

Thanks to Franck we have a draw for  2 registered readers as follows:

USA 50 ml  ($290) of Poudre Desir

elisire perfume samples

USA and Worldwide:A Sampler Set of all five Elisire fragrances Eau Papaguena, Poudre DesirJasmin ParadisElixir Absolu  and  Ambre Nomade. To be eligible please leave a comment with what appeals to you about Poudre Desir based on Tammy’s review, where you live and a scent memory of the dressing table of someone you love, what note do you associate with elegance and where you live. Please be specific if you are in the USA and want to win Poudre Desir and put that in your comment

If you would like your  comment to count twice please LIKE ELISIRE on Facebook. Draw closes 1/30/2016

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

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25 comments

  • What is so appealing about Poudre Desir is the dry down it sounds amazing. My scent memory at the dressing table would be helping get my father ready for a date with my mother and him wearing drakkar nor, a timeless fragrance. The note I associate with elegance would be suede.
    I am James from America.

  • fazalcheema says:

    Poudre Desir looks like a fragrance which takes inspiration from both modern and classic perfumes, due to notes such as gardenia and heliotrope. I don’t really have a dressing table memory of someone because as a guy, I didn’t really invade dressing tables or even when I did, I probably didn’t pay attention to fragrances on the table. but i do remember seeing lot of makeup and bangles on dressing tables so maybe the scent of lipstick is the most i remember. The note I associate with elegance is probably Jasmine. I am in the US.

  • I do not have a memory of anyone’s dressing table. My Mom did all her getting ready in the bathroom. I associate gardenia with one of my Grandmothers. She had several bushes growing along the porch to her house. None of my female relatives had a ‘signature’ scent. I suppose I connect with the smells from the kitchen more, they were all fabulous cooks. The note I associate with elegance is the rose. Thanks. I live in the U.S.

  • This sounds like a fabulously feminine fragrance, for some reason heliotrope seems to be one of my favorite notes for sure. And modern mixed with classic seems to be very appealing to my aging nose. I definitely have an obsession with Vintage YSL Opium Pure Perfume, my mother always had a bottle of this beauty on her dresser and nothing ever came close to this, but I also have a scent memory from my grandmothers house, she always went to Spain on vacation and therefore had a collection of Myrurgia Maja soaps, powder and the Perfume in her home and her home always smelled like it. So I have a real fondness and love for this also. I am in the US and would love the opportunity to be entered. Thank you

  • This sounds wonderful – elegant and narcotic florals with a vintage feel. You cannot go wrong! I have no early scent memories of dressing tables. My mother would not *waste* her money on perfumes and wore no makeup except bright red lipstick. I associate original Patou Joy with elegance. I live in the US.

  • Iris is my favorite note in perfumery, so this caught my attention right away. I would love to smell the vintage feel that it gives this perfume… my favorite iris perfumes have that powdery vintage aura about them. So I associate powdery iris with elegance and sophistication. My mother is a no-nonsense farm girl, and I didn’t even know anyone growing up with a ‘dressing table.’ My sister now has one, and so that’s probably the closest I have… hers was filled mainly with makeup and beauty products though, not really perfume…

    I’m in the USA… thank you for the lovely draw!

  • What I found truly alluring in Elisir Poudre Desir is its notes especially iris and gardenia that appear to be present from the very first sniff: … “The iris is neither buttery nor rooty; it makes its presence known mainly by just smelling expensive and elegant, cool and classy. The gardenia is likewise not overbearing or pushy; it adds warmth and cushiness to the iris, and makes a lovely segue for the heliotrope in the basenotes.The heliotrope in Poudre Desire leans more almond than vanilla. It‘s a Jordan almond, not a savory one, and it’s definitely lavender colored It adds a lovely powdery, intensely feminine aspect to the composition, and is a major component of the perfume.” ….oh my goodness what more can someone ask to merely express what and how elegance smells, looks or feels like?
    The above paragraph describes so well, all that a woman can ask in a perfume finesse, class and true femininity.
    I have memories of my mother’s boudoir where she kept all perfumes and cosmetics so elegantly placed on it like L’ Air d’ Temps, Miss Dior and Shalimar.
    To me notes like iris, gardenia, vanilla are associated with true elegance.
    I have liked Elisire on facebook and I thank you for this generous draw and lovely review, so very well written.
    I am a registered reader in Cafleurebon living in EU.

  • I am very curious about the combination of iris and gardenia! I have memories of the dressing table of my mother, with the elegant Chanel no.5 bottle. I associate the smell of iris with elegance. I am in the US.

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    Elegant, but not yet too sophisticated. Very intersting. I remember my mothers perfume treasures I could look through hours and hours and hope to have some of them on my own one day – maybe the fulfilling of the wish exagerated…. The signature scent of my mother is Aromatic Elexier, elegance for me is Rose and Iris. I live in the EU, Austria

  • bunchofpants says:

    The imagery of Tamnmy’s aunt Chloe at her dressing table adds to the appeal of Poudre Desir for me. I’d love to smell such elegance. I don’t recall my mother ever wearing a lot of perfume, so I don’t really have a scent memory of her at her dressing table. I definitely think iris is possibly the fragrance note that most says “elegance” to me. I’m in USA.

  • I was most inspired by Franck Salzwedel’s comment about the influence his family’s move to Indonesia had on him, especially Bali. I was lucky enough to live in Indonesia for a couple of year, and Bali was our weekend get away.. It’s still my favorite place on earth. The attention to the detail of beauty is unsurpassed. And the fact that there is in fact dirt and squalor in the mix only makes the beauty stand out more. It’s not an antiseptic, touristified type of island. Anyway, to the perfume. It sounds so beautiful. I have always wanted an old fashioned dressing table but don’t have room for one, so I collect photos on Pinterest. Sigh. I love the photos chosen to illustrate this perfume. So elegant! I am in the USA, and liked the page. Tahnks for the draw!

  • Gorgeous review! Perfume, color, and fiction all together and three of my favorite things to play around with! My mother didn’t have a vanity. She only ever wore two scents….”Joy” Sept. thru May, and “Maja” for June, July, and August when we were in Spain for the summer. ( I still use the Maja soap to this day….some habits are hard to break! Elegance to me is just floral with a slight skank…. I’m in the USA

  • I do not have a memory of anyone’s dressing table, because my family members always getting ready in the bathroom. From the review, Poudre Desir sounds as a really feminine and elegant fragrance. To me the iris and the rose associates the most of the scent of elegance. I live in Europe. I liked ELISIRE on Facebook. Thanks for the draw!

  • I NEED a perfume like Poudre Desir!! I feel that these days, we don’t have any wonderfully feminine and luxurious perfumes that look and feel elegant and feminine on a vanity table. I think it’s time to throwback to a time where a woman sat down on her vanity table and felt glamorous and womanly! Perfumes these days tend to smell overly sweet and “girly”.

    Poudre Desir is a throwback to those glamorous days. The combination of gardenia, rich iris, powdery heliotrope. It sounds like an unapologetic floral scent. I love this! I also love the powdery notes!

    My aunt had a vanity I used to adore. When I was a kid she gave me a bottle of Chanel No. 5 that only had a few drops left in it. I felt like such a grown up woman! To this day, I attribute powder and aldehyde with elegance!

    I have liked Elisire’s facebook page. I am in the USA. Thank you for the draw!

  • I must get a sample of Poudre Desir! It sounds divine! I love that the heart notes contain both Egyptian Jasmin and Jasmin petals. I am extremely fond of jasmin in my perfumes.

    I have lovely memories of my mother’s dressing table. She had a bottle of Shalimar – the one in the flat, round bottle with the pointy glass dabber top. It looked so elegant on her dresser. She had it placed on a mirrored vanity tray, My mom still wears Shalimar today and it smells magnificent on her.

    Whenever I smell white musk, it envokes elegance to me.

    I live in the U.S.

    I’ve liked Elisire on Facebook, too.

  • Poudre Desir sounds like something I would love as it gets right to its buttery velvet iris, then to sugar coat it with some almond, sounds elegant and like a classy scent I’ve been craving with the cold we have been experiencing… My grandmothers dressing table filled my memories years ago, always neatly arranged and the fine linen that dressed it splashed with a spill ( yup it was me) of her treasured Caron Tabac Blond. I would love the Poudre Desir. Great review and welcome back Tamm y;) I am a registered US reader.

  • Poudre Desir sounds fabulously feminine and fierce and I love heliotrope notes in fragrances! This fragrance is sophisticated and elegant and I can’t wait to try it. My grandmother kept Dior Rive Gauche on her dressing table and my mother kept Chanel No 5, Youth Dew, Cinnabar, and Aromatics Elixir on hers.This was a great review and I am in the US! Thanks for the opportunity and the draw! 🙂

  • Anything that combines Iris with pepper and heliotrope gets my attention. It is indeed a perfume that I’d like to keep on my vanity! My mother in law still has lots of perfume bottles- many of them empty- on her dressing table perfectly arranged! I am in the UK

  • Based on Tammy’s review, Elisire’s Franck Salzwedel’s fragrance philosophy resonated with me in that each fragrance celebrates “the infinite radiance of color and the transporting power of scent” Her description of the notes in Poudre Desir really appeal to me. I live in the US and my favorite scent memory is of my grandmother’s dressing table with it’s Noxzema and White Shoulders – I love both of those scents! I associate white florals (especially gardenia) with elegance.
    I LIKE ELISIRE on Facebook – Cynthia M Richardson

  • As a little boy I watched my dad shave and always use canoe I wanted to be like him I think Iris is an elegant flower. I would like to win Poudre Desir for my wife as I know it would look great on her dressing table

  • This sounds like a very clean and beautiful feminine scent. I’d imagine someone wearing this to a very fancy venue. It would have to be a floral when I think of an elegant scent. To narrow it down, probably rose. I’m in Canada and would love the sample set!

  • Very elegant creation from this house. I think it would make a great choice for the spring. I’m a big fan of floral fragrances. I remember the dressing table of my mother was filled with makeup and fancy lotions and perfumes. It always made the room smell so nice. Iris is a note I always considered to be elegant. I think it always gives a classy vibe to a scent.

    I’m a Canadian reader and thank you for the draw. My choice are the samples.

  • girasole638 says:

    I love the paintings – they remind me of aerial photographs of the tulip fields in the Netherlands! Such a nice reminder of warmth and color in the middle of winter. I’m glad to hear that Poudre Desir’s heliotrope leans toward the almond end of the spectrum – it’s a favorite note. I also love iris, which I associate with elegance, so this one sounds like a winner!
    I’m afraid I don’t have many dressing table memories, but I’m making some of my own now, as an adult! I’m in the US (my choice, if possible, would be Poudre Desir) and I’ve liked Elisire on Facebook. Thanks for the draw!

  • What a great read. I really loved the pictures used. They truly told a story about this fragrance.

    I feel that when used in the right way, oud can be a very elegant scent. While also being daring and showing supreme confidence.

    I will choose the sample set.

    I’m international (Toronto). Thanks for the draw