Elegido

Olfactory Experience

Elegido opens with a screaming Calabrian bergamot – bright, yes, but rendered with a harsh, almost metallic edge. The pepper is immediately present, a coarse grind that clashes with the citrus rather than complementing it. The heart introduces lavender, but it's a synthetic lavender, smelling more like dryer sheets than a field in Provence. The pink pepper attempts to soften the composition, but the Sichuan pepper amplifies the astringency. The base is where Elegido truly falters. The ambroxan is monolithic, burying any cedar under a wave of synthetic ambergris. The labdanum offers a fleeting glimpse of resinous sweetness, quickly overpowered by the plasticky drydown. It mimics the original in broad strokes, but lacks the nuance and refined construction. The original is a sculpture; this is a photocopy.

Projection Power

Longevity is surprisingly robust, clinging to skin for 7-8 hours. Projection is initially strong, filling a room within the first hour, then settling to about an arm's length for the remainder of its lifespan. I wore it during a rainy afternoon walk. The scent held up but became cloying and unpleasant in the damp air.

The Verdict

If Elegido were a character in a movie, it would be the try-hard understudy who memorized all the lines but lacks the charisma to pull off the role.