The Rodriguez press machine describes Narciso Rodriguez Essence Eau de Parfum as a “floral powdery musk” with iris, rose, benzoin, amber, and musk notes. It is marketed as a daytime scent that is both clean, like “liquid sunshine”, and sexy. Superstar perfumer Alberto Morillas created it. The sales associate who gave me a sample of it said that in her training on Essence, she learned that unlike some brands that target their scent to a targeted slice of perfume buyers, Essence is suitable scent for everyone from teens to senior citizens.
So, what kind of fragrance is sexy and clean and suitable for you, your niece, and your grandma? The answer: a scent that smells like a hot steam iron pressing a linen dress that had been stored with a sachet of dried flower petals. Essence smells of the metal of the iron, the steam, and the distant impression of a jumble of flowers too mixed to pick out just one.
For a while this is perfect, especially if a whistling-clean fragrance is what suits you. But after half an hour, Essence’s bit of sweet meadow fades, and the steam-iron-like blend of musk and aldehydes turns chemical and demanding on my skin. It smells all out of balance, like listening to only the soprano half of a duet.
The good news is that for those of you who don’t like powdery scents, Essence isn’t particularly powdery — at least, not in the old-fashioned, face powder way that Lorenzo Villoresi Teint de Neige or Molinard Habanita are. Iris lovers will be able to smell a smidgen of iris. The musk in Essence is very clean without being particularly soapy. And Essence’s bottle is tall, wavy, mirrored, and feels good to hold.
Now for the not-so-good news. If you aren’t a fan of blatant aldehydes, stay clear of Essence or suffer a sucker punch of them. Also, although Essence smells clean, it isn’t especially subtle, and to me it isn’t even remotely sexy. Then there’s the problem with its high-pitched drydown.
Yes, Essence would certainly suit a man or a woman of just about any generation. But, I think Essence would find its happiest home with someone who vacuums her car out regularly, is afraid to order sushi, and loves Kevin Costner movies. For those of us messier and maybe more passionate types, we can save our money by leaving this one on the shelf.
Narciso Rodriguez Essence Eau de Parfum is available in 50 and 100 ml, and in the United States is currently exclusive to Saks Fifth Avenue.
119 Comments
Read more about commenting at Now Smell This.
Wow, Angela! What a perfect description of this scent…”a hot steam iron pressing a linen dress”. I couldn’t figure out what it reminded me of but you are right on the money. It does smell like metal.
Thank you! The hot metal aspect of it is what I like–but ultimately what turns me off it, too, in the end.
Yes, I find that a turn-off as well.
Your brilliantly illustrative description immediately reminded me of my great-aunt’s bedspread. I was still rather young when she passed away (meaning, before I became a frag diva) so I didn’t know what she wore, but as dearly as I LOVED her, it was an old,stale scent I hated. Thanks for another great review.
You’re welcome for the review! It’s amazing how a scent can attract or repulse.
Well, I’m happy to say that there’s at least 4 half empty water bottles behind my seat with a moderate amount of yellow lab. fur, a pair of stretchy gloves and one sock (don’t ask)…..it’s been WEEKS since I vacuumed my car and now I have the perfect excuse to let it go for many more….who knows? maybe that second sock will turn up…
The empty water bottles! Now I really feel at home…
And maybe a bunch of wadded receipts from the grocery store?
grocery store, hardware store, home depot, fashion bug….you could map my path through town by my wadded up reciepts…I do however collect those periodically…
My addiction to sour cream and onion potato chips might show up on the receipts in my car, too, so I know what you mean.
Funny! I had a passenger in my car the other day who asked if I had a yellow lab because of all the dog hair. (I have a spotted white mutt.)
Yellow labs really need to come with a disclaimer : “WILL SHED WITH SINGLE MINDED FEROCITY” —but Roxie is our dog rescue baby and is a lovely pet. She had been badly abused and was scared witless by my hubby when I first brought her home –he had to spend a lot of time sitting quietly on the floor to convince her he was no threat—now she’s completely “daddy’s girl”.
My dog was a rescue mutt too; she’s a beagle/lab cross and doesn’t shed awfully (although she does somewhat). She’s very protective of the kids and thrilled to be a daddy’s girl. Um, dog.
Sounds like a great family dog.
Sweet! My guy is a rescue, too.
SOOOOO, does this scent last long?
T, it has moderate lasting power. Not too short, not too long. It’s easy enough to wash off, too, if you spray some on and then find yourself craving something else.
Yay for adopting rescue pets! She sounds sweet and it’s always lovely to hear about animals adapting happily to their new homes.
Lol – I was still kind of interested until the 2nd to last paragraph “…someone who vacuums her car out regularly, is afraid to order sushi, and loves Kevin Costner movies” – basically describing everything I am *not*. Thankful to have yet another one to leave behind. Hmmm, however, it does sound like something my cousin might like. :-O
It’s worth trying, you never know. But it wasn’t quite right for me.
“…someone who vacuums her car out regularly, is afraid to order sushi, and loves Kevin Costner movies.”
Ouch! Zing! But about what I’d expect. (And hey, I still maintain that “The Untouchables” was pretty good.)
Joe—sent you an email just now, so watch for it ok?
and I forgot to list my last bottle ordered: Le Labo Fleur d’Oranger 27…so add that to the bottom. It’s all that lawn fertilizer affecting my brain.
Oooh – you got some! Jeal.
It pretty much finished off my perfume budget for the rest of my life! So I guess I had better reallllllly enjoy it since I won’t be buying anything else!
I have to admit I haven’t seen many Kevin Costner movies, so maybe I was a little hasty…
Just watched that one last week! I admire the climactic scene on the train station stairs, very visually interesting – although I admit to watching it with one eye closed so I can miss the gory stuff.
Actually, I vote for Andy Garcia as eye candy in that one, all fierce and dark-eyed and dangerous.
Oh, yeah, perfume… I generally like aldehydic florals but this one might be a little obvious for me. I mean, I like to iron, I’m obsessive about my Excel files and I manage to clean the trash out of my minivan every week… but I’m learning to embrace my Inner Perfume Slut and I’m bored with “just pretty” these days.
So that’s the other perspective, I guess, that even if you ARE tidy, you might want a perfume that reflects the inner messy girl.
Oh, I have PILES of clutter…
If all my piles of clutter were suddenly gone…people would think that I’d moved out!
If you like Andy Garcia you should try and find a copy of the movie “Steal Big Steal Littte” – very good.
Oh, I liiiiiiike Andy. I think maybe I’ve seen that one… no. I just checked Netflix, and I’ve not seen it. Thanks for the tip! It’s now in my queue.
Joe,
So were “Dancing With Wolves” and “Field of Dreams”
Hey, it sounds like there’s a real Costner fan club here. I’m still not 100% convinced, but I’ll look into The Untouchables.
The one to convince you of Kevin Costner’s awesomeness is BULL DURHAM. The rest is dreck!
I say Bull Durham when it first came out, but to me it was a Susan Sarandon movie. I’d love to see it again, though, to see how it held up.
Ah, the Untouchables – yes still very good. But mostly b/c of the wonderful crusty old Sean Connery, and the magnificent bat wielding DeNiro….Still….steam clean on dried flowers doesn’t seem to be my thing, even though I love a good aldehyde.
Sean Connery! Now you’re talking.
Oh, yes, the charismatic Mr. Connery! Steals every scene in the film, I think. DeNiro scares the c*$p out of me with his intensity, which is appropriate for a lot of the characters he plays, but Connery eats his lunch in this movie.
I actually liked Costner before he ditched his wife and started getting all hubris-y.
“vacuums her car out regularly, is afraid to order sushi, and loves Kevin Costner movies”: still laughing, I can really see her and she’s clearly not me (even though, at least for the vacuum part ,I sometimes wish I was her).
I too found this one a little boring. Not bad, but it reminded me a bit of many other (and more beautiful or interesting) aldehydic scents I’ve tried, from no. 5 to L’interdit, though never leaving me a precise memory. I find her sister For her much sexier and interesting, though sometimes a little bit invasive and too universally popular and ubiquitous to want to wear it often (ok I’m a snob, but I can’t help feeling annoyed by the idea of wearing a scent that at least two of my friends wear regularly and that I can sniff practically everytime I walk around downtown)
I know what you mean. It’s nice not to smell like everyone else. For a clean aldehydic scent, I really like Nocturnes (although I know I’m in the minority).
I like Nocturnes – very sunny, happy, fresh – I mostly enjoy the great orange blossom accord before the pleasant vanilla dry down. It ranks low on my aldehyde radar compared to some other doosies.
Nocturnes is my favorite soapy aldehydic, but my favorite aldehydic floral is Vega. I’m going to NYC tomorrow (!) and hope to find a bottle of it there somewhere.
Oh- I’d love to be going to the city! I want to visit the Caron shop and sniff out the urn frags so much!!!
It will be great–I’m really looking forward to it.
No, I agree: I don’t want to smell like anybody else, either. The fact that someone else I know has chosen a particular scent to wear regularly kind of crosses that scent off my list.
I hear you.
Hi could you please review some of the Sonia Rykiel perfumes like Belle en Blue?
I’ll be on the lookout for samples, thanks for the suggestion.
Poor, maligned Kevin Costner – the ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ of actors. haha Come on – a couple of his movies had some passion [No Way Out, Revenge, Tin Cup]. Even as a director, he gets no respect as ‘Dances With Wolves’ is always a favorite of critics to bash [especially since it won an Oscar]. Not that I’m president of his fan club or anything. lol Oh, yes, the perfume. Doesn’t sound too exciting, for sure.
I know! I’m mean. Dances with Wolves was truly horrible, though.
Hehe- laughing at all of this Kevin Costner commentary- I do wish I could somehow get back the four hours spent watching Dances With Wolves- terrible movie. Angela, your DWW name would be Stands With A Bottle of Perfume…I thought The Upside of Anger was good. (or maybe it sucked- No, I liked it)
Thanks for the review! I do like NR for Her a lot- I think it is a lovely grown up and tasteful ladyish scent. Not expecting to like this one…but I will take a sniff if that bottle presents itself (I do like the bottle)
Have a great time in NYC! Good luck on the hunt for Vega!
Thanks! I hope the Vega isn’t wildly, wildly expensive, or I’ll have to find something else to buy. Choosing just one bottle is torture.
Yes, “No Way Out”–another good Kostner movie–and sexy too.
Yes, and you mentioned ‘Field of Dreams’ above Filomena. Granted, not a sexy movie, but it was a wonderful feel good magical little thing.
“Field of Dreams” is kind of a modern day classic. And yes, a very “feel good” movie.
Oh – and even though I am a clean freak-Kevin Costner defender – I love me some sushi!! Oh yeah, back to the perfume – the bottle looks interesting at least. lol
Hmm, a hybrid, then. Isn’t the bottle nice? I like it.
The dust bunnies in the corner are saying that this isn’t for me.
…and now I’m craving sushi. Maybe for dinner tomorrow…
Sushi does sound good!
Angela, what a killer review (in more ways than one…)
Confession: I’ve gone back twice to test Essence, because there’s something about it I both loathe and am oddly attracted to. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with your customer profile; this perfume needs a woman who’s clean and ordered, and not sitting at a desk surrounded by piles of books, old newspapers, and several hundred bottles of perfume. Someone who can occasionally see enough carpet to vacuum. Someone who doesn’t have to clean out her nails with her car-key before important meetings. And I think the fact that I’m a slob who dreams wistfully of being a clean and tidy person, is what draws me to Essence.
But after about half an hour I can’t stand it. I just want it go away do I can smell my Felanilla again. The inner slob always wins, hands down.
who wouldn’t want to smell their Felanilla again???
LOL!!
You know, I really liked Felanilla but my brain kept wanting it to be vintage Emeraude. So I felt all weird when I was wearing it, like I had put my socks on upside down or something.
And I notice that I sort of vaguely like several things composed by Alberto Morillas, but I don’t find them very compelling.
Oh no!!! not the dreaded “upside down sock” !!!! (snickering)
I still haven’t smelled Fellanilla, but I’m dying to! It goes on the list.
So many people love Felanilla… I love the opening but it fades to a simple vanilla on me too quickly. Result: I just keep on spraying
Nina, of course! I forgot that it might be nice to have a perfume to nudge you in a direction you want to go. But still. I don’t want to be that tidy (or that harmless) that bad.
CdG 2 is my neat-freak wanna-be go-to scent. I’ll have to wear it this week while I’m trying to get to the point of seeing enough carpet to vacuum. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but always feel like I should be wearing a much crisper, more professional outfit than I ever am.
I know just what you mean!
Love CdG2! I know what you mean though, it really is a ’smart’ scent. Still I don’t wear it as often as I should.
Hey, that’s exactly what I put on today! It makes me feel so… competent.
Well, I have tried this on skin and on the length of ribbon supplied on the fixture instead of paper, and on both it was too – I am going to say “soapy” / “musky” – as it was closer to that to my nose than aldehydic; aldehydes tend to fizz on me whilst being powdery. This reminded me of a classier J Lo Glow, I am afraid.
This one went right to the garbage for me, remember?
F, it sounds like it definitely was not for you! I didn’t get as much soapiness as you, it sounds like.
I do not even remmeber how it smelled, it was SO unimpressive… I threw the aper right away. And the bottle is really ugly, looks deformed. Bad bad idea… the markeitng people did not very well with that. They tried to make it “nice” to everyone and now it smells like : **who vacuums her car out regularly, is afraid to order sushi, and loves Kevin Costner movies** ?!
Autsch.
I wasn’t deeply moved by Essence, but I did like the bottle! It sounds like it wasn’t your thing, though.
I fell in love (okay, strong like) with regular ol’ NR EDT recently, it’s a nice, simple scent. I was curious about this one, and I love the bottle. Your description of the iron part was perfect, and like you I find it oddly attractive. But then it gets bigger and bigger but screechier at the same time, like if Tinkerbell were 30 feet tall. Weird. And annoying.
That is a spot-on description of how I felt about it! A scary, mega-Tinkerbell. I think it’s when the sweetness and floral bits fade that Tinkerbell rears her aldehyde-crowned head and roars.
I loved reading this review!
I sniffed Essence today (the madame in the boutique handed me one of those little NR ribbons imbibed with scent) and I actually thought that I’d like to try this on my skin some time this week as I rather liked it… not sexy (boo), but still, I felt somehow drawn to it. However, I don’t much like the bottle, I prefer the pink or black bottles for the other NR fragrances, but I don’t like those two scents (at least not on me).
Don’t hate me! I ate sushi for lunch, don’t own a car, am writing from a desk littered with at least 25 overdue library books and am indifferent to the actor (except Bodyguard, or is that being dissed here as well?).
Oh, Bodyguard! I had completely forgotten about that one. Hmm. I might watch it if I stumbled on it on TV. I don’t hear much about Whitney Houston these days.
So you must be the exception that proves the rule: likes sushi, messy, no car, but still intrigued by Essence.
Actually I’m just like her too. I like Essence a lot, I have been waiting for a perfume that smells the way it does. It is very sharp in the nose though, do you think spraying the spray further away from my skin would weaken its strength a bit?
I bet it would. Give it a try!
By aldehyde, do you mean like Chanel No 5, which I hate??? I’m really interested in this scent, but I am not OCD, who knows that depends on which friend of mine you talk to hmmmmmmmmmm. interesting review though, got me interested I mean. Might have to try it. need more info.
I figure just about everything is worth a sniff, if you find yourself near a bottle of it. Why not try it? You might like it.
Chanel No. 5 definitely has aldehydes, but these smell fluffier to me. Still, Essence’s aldehydes have that “tickle in the nose” feel that turns metallic, at least to me.
Sound exquisite, and very very not me. What a delightful review though!
Thank you!
I’m interested in trying this for it’s metallic-ness
but since I don’t have a car and I don’t like vacuuming, have tried sushi (I don’t like it though…but I like other strange Japanese foods), and have never heard of Kevin Costner…
perhaps it will not be ~*for me*~
Who knows? You could be like Enidan, above, and like it.
Have you tried CdG Stephen Jones? That has some interesting metal happening.
You wrote such a lovely review! Sadly, this fragrance didn’t smell exciting to me at all. Which I could have guessed if I had read you review before trying it
I’m sure Essence is the perfect fragrance for someone, but it sounds like it won’t be me or you.
I never really thought about it but there must be SOMEONE who likes Kevin Costner movies….
This sounds really interesting. Time to scout it out. ;P
It sounds like there are lots of people who like Kevin Costner movies! It makes me realize I need to see more of them before I get an attitude about them.
To me smells like a mixture of Chanel n5 edt at top notes (aldehydic)and then like Infusion d´iris after 5minutes (powdery-musky-soapy) . They probably tried to please a wider audience by choosing something clean and of course not taking away any existing customers from the more complex NR For Her. At least is doesn´t smell generic fruity floral…
(by the way this is my first comment since I started reading 3 years ago, hope you excuse my poor English as Iam Spanish)
Your English is terrific, and thanks for commenting! Your analysis of Essence is good. I hadn’t thought to compare it to Infusion d’iris, but I see the connection.
hmmm… sounds interesting… wouldn’t mind to try this out on my skin instead of a teststrip. We are always so late with fragrances in Europe. It Sucks
But you get some good ones first in Europe, too! Plus all those Serge Lutens exclusives.
it reminds me of Bulgari’s Omnia series… light, clean, non-descript florals. nice, yes, but without that certain “ZIIIING!”.
That sounds like an apt description.
Yep, that’s me all right: I like my house/car as neat as a pin, am risk adverse, but on the third point, I only like Mr. Costner’s baseball movies, the rest you can keep.
Anyway, it’s definately not a “statement” scent, but I do like it for work, and it does well with my chemistry. I love the bottle too. It is rather cheerful to me.
ps- I like the smell of freshly-ironed clothes too, I am probably a very sick girl…
You aren’t sick at all–I admire it!
How does Essence compare to Prada Infusion D’Iris and Sicily by Dolce and Gabanna?? Does anyone know?
For me, although all the fragrances have a “clean” feel, Essence’s drydown feels a little more woody-synthetic. (Of course, it might be different on you!) I’d love to hear what you find if you try them together.
You really don’t have to be a neat freak to want to smell clean and fresh. I think Essence is perfect for mornings and busy days out, when you are on the go.
On days like that, when I know there is a lot that has to get done and I run arond sweating and then I am going to the gym in the afternoon, putting on sexy fragrances like Addict, Samsara, Omnia, Jungle etc would drive me crazy. They just feel overwhelming and out of place.
I was scared to try Essence as after reading comments here I expected to find myself in a laundromat. But to my surprise, Essence is so nice! Yes, it had that ‘clean sheets’ feel about it, but there was also something girly to it, that made me feel…pretty.
I think it is a nice alternative to the freshness of watermelon and cuccumber scents which everbody seems to be over at the moment. It is more like Bvlgari Green Tea I guess if I had to compare, but of course completely different at the same time.
I cannot say yet how it compares to Sicily or Prada Infusion d’Iris, but I will give it a go, test all three over a period of time and see.
But yes, they all have that clean feel about them and perhaps that’s where the sexieness is for some, in the simplicity, in the going back to basics. It’s like being turned on by a simple white bra and knickers against the stereotype that to be sexy you must wear black or red vamp style lingerie. I don’t know really, but in the time when there are over 1000 new perfumes released each year, where all of them scream ’sexy, sexy, sexy’, perhaps there is something sexy in smelling like clean sheets drying outside in the hot Summer sun.
I’m glad you like it! (Personally, I dry my sheets in the sun whenever I can–this week I’m sleeping on sheets dried outdoors last weekend.) Essence’s dry down is what kills it for me, unfortunately, but I know it works much better on others.
i’d love to use it for the summer, very clean soapy smell that yes can suit anyone. nice review
It really would be a lovely scent for summer.
I really like this one but you are very right, it DOES get quite chemical-y after a couple hours. I wish I could find something that smells like it does at first – but holds onto the smell!
That smell at first is so fresh and nice! I know just what you mean.
It’s very feminine and pesonal scent. I’m in heaven, yesssss
I’m glad you like it! Isn’t the bottle fabulous?
how I can change my own small picture ?
You have to get a gravatar. Go to gravatar.com and upload an image.
Thank You Angela. Merci
)
Nice photo!
LOL!!!!
i smelled essence and i am dying to buy it , tho i clean my car , i love sushi and hate Kevin Costner !!!!!!!
i think is really clean and sexy and i am getting my hands on it as soon as it arrives in mexico !!
i think it would suit a sushi loving gal , that loves aronofsky and michel gondry !!! : P
I’m glad you love it! And you’re proving me wrong! Enjoy that bottle of Essence once it arrives in Mexico.
Like the scent also, although I am no car cleaner, no sushi fan and no Kevin Costner fan (except the movie Dancing with wolves). Thank you for the review. I got curious about the smell after reading it.
O.K., it sounds like I need to revise my profile of the Essence lover! I’m glad you like the fragrance.
Please don’t, your description of the Essence is excellent. I just like the smell of washed and “ironed” clothes. Essence remembers me a litte bit at a perfume in the eighties, called Janine D.