Alliage
Estée Lauder (1972)

Current Version - Aliage

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness, that I am writing this review. Today is the 50th anniversary of my original Alliage, given to me by my mother for my birthday.

I loved Alliage. In its day it was unique and although not everybody’s cup of tea, it left a wonderful perfume trail wherever I went. My friends knew I was arriving places before they could see me, and a little went a very long way.

Last week, I stupidly purchased a bottle of Aliage, thinking it would be more or less the same as my long lost friend. I should have known better. Where was the bright green rush, followed by the fresh, masculine, woodier tones……….nowhere to be found. Instead I was hit with an amber like warmth, with a hint of the original Alliage in the background, and within 2 hours, it had gone. Maybe my bottle was a fake? Maybe I am just misremembering Alliage? I don’t know, and I never will.

The lesson I have learned, is never go back. Live with the fond memories, and accept that nothing stays the same.

Older fomulation) Aliage starts off sharp, green, with a bracing vivacity. It comes from an age where master perfumers such as the inimitable Bernard Chant incorporated notes such as galbanum and artemisia to create a this wild, outdoorsy energy to compositions. It comes from a time when clearly "clean" and "sporty" meant something very different, preceding the antiseptic, neutered connotations that would render the green chypre floral obsolete (a load of bosh!).

Aliage is similar to Chant's other classic, Aramis Devin, but consider it two variations on a theme. Both are brilliant, with Aliage emphasizing more green and white floral elements whilst Devin is more pine, carnation and spice. Moreover, what is striking about the former, however, is just how much the oakmoss plays a role in the composition. It is truly an example of how it marries itself to other notes, here with the jasmine and rose. Stunning.

The dry down? Oh, the dry down...animalic lumberjack, mossy, deep forest musky paradise. My heart skips a beat.

I find Alliage the most unusual of the older Estee Lauder fragrances: as it hits my nose when I spray it, I am immediately reminded of the green notes of Private Collection; however, on my skin Alliage immediately becomes far more herbal. I don't smell either the peach or citrus notes in the pyramid. The fragrance remains very green and becomes more herbal, before the chypre, musk, wood, vetiver and oakmoss notes develop. There are definitely some green notes shared with Private Collection, but they are almost completely overpowered by the herbal-green notes; Alliage, though is not fresh-green. Unfortunately after about 40 minutes on my skin, Alliage starts to fade, and after about an hour and a half, I can only detect it very faintly. When it's at it's peak, the overall effect is the rather strange sounding mixture of Parfum d'Hermes, Guerlain's Herba Fresca, with the tiniest hint of Private Collection. I don't dislike Alliage, but it's not really my sort of fragrance; and it's sillage and longevity on me are always disappointing.

Very pleasant, but for an essentially green Estee Lauder fragrance (in fact, one of my all-time favourites), I much prefer Private Collection. Definitely suitable for men too

This isn't a 1980s fragrance, but oh boy, the sillage fills a room and lasts all day for me. The drydown on me acts like a linear fragrance too. It is very green and resinous to me. I am reminded of leaves burning in the fall. I usually wear this with a leather jacket or skirt as summer fades and Indian summer begins. It's getting harder to find at Lauder counters. In some places, you have to order it, and it comes in a generic bottle rather than the original square bottle with silver trim. I have an old bottle, so I don't know if it's been reformulated. I hope they never discontinue this.

Opening with a dark green woodsy note, a touch boozy and lashed heavily with galbanum and brightened up a touch by a mandarin/lemony citrus note. Later on a slightly resinous myrrh impression is added. Very pleasant.

In the heart notes a nice, green jasmine note develops, which, at times, has a herbal undertone. The base adds a mossy note, and the myrrh undertone is still present thoughout this stage; this myrrh, however, never really claims a central rôle in this composition as it does, for instance, in Myrrhe Ardente.

I get moderate sillage, good projection, and seven hours if longevity on my skin.

An agreeable green-citrus-woodsy autumn chypre nlended well whist maintaing good structure. The quality of the ingredients is very respectable. 3.25/5.

Don't really know why this would'nt be sold as Unisex.
It's one of the Dark Green Galbanum vegetal bombs that's anchored with Moss Vetiver Oakmoss. A Peachy Citrus top has an acidic sweetness that almost goes Peach Orange Crystals bright. Through the centre is a stripe of something waxy where the Thyme a little dusty resides.
This is my kind of Sports Cologne