I’ve been sampling the heck out of white floral perfumes lately. Penhaligon’s Ellenisia, described by the brand as “an extravagant floral”, is one of these that I’ve tried.
Ellenisia opens with citrus. And then it’s a soapy version of gardenia, peach, peony and tuberose. It’s a “fresh” floral that is so feminine, so pure, that it seems to be in some church-lady Chanel Les Exclusifs Gardenia drag. Ellenisia loses some of that soapiness and gets more voluptuous. It becomes this stone fruit syrup with tuberose, like Fracas-lite. And the it turns into something that reminds me of Dior Poison meets Givenchy Amarige– plum with heady florals and vanilla. But, this version is like the “eau de cologne” version because it isn’t heavy like those two 80’s powerhouses. It dries down to a fainter version of the heart – white floral with some sweetness.
Ellenisia is not a a scent for me but I’m sure it has fans. I have difficulty with these cleaned up florals and I accept this.
Notes listed include mandarin zest, violet leaf, gardenia petals, rose, tuberose, jasmine, plum nectar, and vanilla. Launched 2004. PERFUMER – Steve de Mercado
Give Ellenisia a try if you like soapy white florals. Or perfumes like Penhaligon’s Gardenia, Chanel Les Exclusifs Gardenia, Piguet Fracas, Kim Kardashian EDP, Dior Poison and/or Lili Bermuda Passion Flower. I perceive this as a feminine fragrance.
Projection is average. I would say with longevity that it wears more like an EDT on me.
Ellenisia comes in two sizes (1.7 oz and 3.4 oz) with prices ranging from $105-$145 Penhaligons (USA & UK), Beautyhabit, and Brummells of London (UK).
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Stone fruit syrup and white florals. Not for me but if you like these “high pitched” white florals, give it a try.
Want more reviews? Try…
Fragrantica – Member reviews
I have a teeny bottle of this because I got the bird cage set for Christmas. It’s probably my least favorite of the set. On me it’s very shrill, if that makes sense. Penhaligon’s don’t last on me in general, which I guess is good if you don’t care for what you sampled but sucks when you find one you like. Malabah, y u go?
That bird cage set was cute. Penhaligon’s has the packaging stuff down.
I would totally describe this (and quite a few other florals) as “shrill”, “high-pitched” or “screechy”. It’s not bad, but not me. You know how some colors of clothing are “shrill” but look good on some people and awful on others, Ellenisia is my acid yellow.
I really love clean florals in the early summer when it’s 90 degrees at noon. I seem to have problems with this line not having any staying power with me. Have you ever tried profumi del forte- versilia aurum? scents of thought gave it a fair review, but I’m really digging this right now and as Sushi Imperiele after it dries down on me which takes 6 plus hours to get past the ginger ale.
95% of these wear like an EDT if they are labeled that way or not.
I haven’t tried anything from Profumi del Forte, love their bottles though.
I love Sushi Imperiale. Reminds me of apple masanada and ginger beer. It took me FOREVER to try it because the name scared me!
OOh anything that has elements similar to Poison is intriguing to me, might try to find a sample 🙂
It’s Poison in church lady drag 😉
Love the blog! Thanks for sharing your white floral exploration. I am on a tuberose binge right now (which is weird since I tend to go gaga for spicy orientals primarily), and it’s good to know what’s screechy. Does anyone look good in acid yellow? I live in the Seattle area, would be great to know if there are local scent events us PAC NWers might be missing out on.
So happy that you found EauMG!
After years of only wearing spicy orientals and incense perfumes, I’m loving florals. Or at least having a good time sampling them.
Hmm…good point. Maybe someone with a really deep complexion. I mean someone must look good in it because that color hasn’t “died” in fashion yet.
I try to post here when there is an event. I also have an EauMG Facebook page that I use to post about smaller things – like gift fairs or classes. We *try* to meet up twice a year to go sniffing at the shops.
[…] reading: EauMG and Mimi Froufrou Libertine Parfumerie has $239/100ml Luckyscent has […]