Vetiver Elizabeth W for women and men

I wore this fragrance regularly in the mid 2000s (2004-05ish) when Anthropologie stocked it. I wasn't overwhelmed by it at the time and in fact remember it being a fairly ordinary scent that, after a few months of regular wear, became so familiar that I would forget I had it on (I suppose that could be construed the mark of a good perfume). Just the other day, I caught up with a long-lost friend who, entirely unprompted by me, mentioned that "alluring" signature perfume of mine she conjures every time she thinks about our last year of undergrad. I suppose it's due to this unexpected compliment, but I have such nostalgia for this fragrance at the moment! Though my fragrance "to buy" list has swelled beyond my means, I am going to add this one to the top with the highest hopes that it captures something about that time for me as well.

And now some helpful remarks to those folks contemplating purchasing Elizabeth W Vetiver. I concur with Bigsly that this scent has a moderate sillage and is slightly more ambery than its description implies. I also echo Sweetnspicey's point about its masculine aspect. I used this when I was considerably less mature and tended to douse myself, my clothing, and most anything else in close range (no wonder my friend remembers it so vividly). In turn, it lasted all day on my body and would become imbibed in the fibers of clothing until the next washing. Yet it's not offensive if you over-use (I think). So if you take a heavy hand to the atomizer, it's unlikely you'll offend anyone (I hope). And for the price, it's a total steal!

This has been one of my favorite perfumes for many years, and it's Elizabeth W's best-seller. It's very woody, rather dry, a bit spicy. It's the perfect perfume for people, like myself, who lean towards masculine fragrances. The scent is so natural and unique. I think it would smell lovely on a man as well.

This one is rather blended, and I'd call is unisex. It does seem like there are some citrus notes here, but I can't tell what they are. Instead, it seems like there are a bunch of fruit notes, possibly even a little rhubarb, but it's not sweet. There is also a green, powdery, floral quality, but again, it's all blended together. It's not a "blob," but if you must have good note separation, avoid this one. The vetiver becomes more obvious over time, but is never strong, and there also seems to be a touch of amber/vanilla/balsam. Ingredient quality seems good and it lasts well with at least decent projection ("sillage"). I used two sprays to the chest, but the atomizer puts out a very fine mist, so I don't think I used much. I don't detect any iso e super, thankfully, so this is nothing like a fragrance such as Sycomore. The fruit accord here actually reminds me a bit of the fruit accord in Rochas Moustache (I have the older, concentrated version of that one). It's nicely done but if you are seeking an Encre Noire vetiver type fragrance look elsewhere. This is for those who want a really tame "vetiver fragrance."

UPDATE: I sprayed some on my ankle the other day because I like to get different "angles" on a scent and after a few hours, when smelled close up on the skin, I was shocked by what I smelled, which was a very subtle Kouros type of scent! I am now looking forward to wearing it normally again to see if I detect the same sort of thing. My guess is that it's an amber and "dirty" jasmine effect.