Aliage Estée Lauder for women

New to perfumes (so much wasted time...), I'm still learning what I like and the vocabulary to express it.

I have the current formulation and a partial mini of 70's vintage.
The vintage is so much better, surprise huh?
On the vintage the nose biters (aldehydes?) fade quickly revealing a mossy, herbal, delightfully woody scent with citrus tops notes and a very subdued slightly powdery base with just a hint of sweet. The wood reminds me of douglas fir pitch, warm, aromatic with a slight sharpness.
Lord, I wish they would re-release this and sell it to men and save them from smelling like Krispy Kreme counter boys.
The newer formulation?
On it's own, it's alright. The resemblance is there but there's a flatness and kind of a musty, sourness to it with just a slight hit of just wrong. It's a fine dish cooked with poor ingredients and a dash of contempt for the diner.
I've got to get a full bottle of the vintage. I love this stuff.

At first glance, Alliage, one of the Estée Lauder line’s inexpensive mainstays might be considered simply ‘cheap and cheerful.’ It reads, “Sport Fragrance Spray” in a functional, rather non-stylized bottle. Not exactly sexy. But cheap and cheerful implies an innocent simplicity whose grinning surface advises not digging any further. On the contrary, I’d argue that Alliage is inexpensive but sophisticated and spectacular. One of the impressive set of perfumes in the stellar-but-cheap sweepstakes.

Everyone seems to talk about Alliage’s notes, and I will as well, but briefly. I don’t get the peach. I don’t get the oakmoss. I do get a heavy green (loads of galbanum accented by vetiver) brightened by citrus rind oils (bitter orange, lime?) and florals. But since the green is already firmly in place, the floral tone is a clean, airy white jasmine bolstered by musk and what smells like rosewood. I’ve heard people lament the loss of a more heavily oakmoss-laden earlier version of Alliage, but I don’t miss Miss Moss. Alliage is wonderfully balanced just the way it is.

The cool white florals seem a dry counterpoint to the sweet galbanum. And galbanum’s lasting chalkiness lines up perfectly with a resinous base that gives depth and a slow-moving quality. Myrrh? Incense? It all feels very languid and heavy-lidded. I don’t need the bitter green that moss might add. Consider Alliage’s sibling Devin by Aramis for that.

Alliage has a cool quality that implies poise as much as temperature. Its cool impression is similar in to the effect given by mint/basil or camphorous components, but without their harshness or muscle-balm feeling. In cooler weather, Alliage feels forest-like, a bit moist. In my dry southern California heat, Alliage keeps its cool longer and more comfortably than any other perfume I’ve tried. It doesn’t blend with the skin. It’s more like a richly colored clothing accessory, like the perfect tie. It works as an accent and draws the nose’s attention. It doesn’t blend. I think this is how Alliage remains cool through drydown.

Clean and green, not so much tart as a bit sharp. This is one of the few fragrances I wear to work as an RN in a hospital. It’s cool but not quite grass-like, not quite floral. It has wonderful endurance, but after the topnotes, mild sillage. I think it just reads as quality grooming products to my patients and colleagues.

Again the price dilemma. In this case a happy one. Why does this cost so little? It sells at the same department stores that flog haphazardly brewed, blaringly marketed perfumes for 3-4 times the price. Alliage is a distinctive fragrance of high quality and name-droppable pedigree (Bernard Chant) that has been typically well maintained over the years by Estée Lauder. I could wear this forever (were I not so perfume-promiscuous, that is.)

On the US Estée Lauder website one of the reviewers suggested layering Aliage with Pleasures.
I did try this for the last couple of days... and WOW! It's like I have whole new fragrance in my collection. I always felt Aliage to be a bit "butch" and Pleasures to be the most "girly" of all EL's major fragrances. Pleasures brings to Aliage some 1990's clean transparency and a soft musk base and Aliage brings to Pleasures a green opening and accentuates its woody base. I'm not going to go into masculine/feminine, ying/yang crap... but it's how well the 2 work together. It's hard to believe that 2 rather complex fragrances can layer so well, they really become one.

I always have been a fan of Aliage, less so of Pleasures, but this layering thing learned me to appreciate Pleasures in a whole new way.

BTW: I layered the discontinued Eau d' Aliage with the Pleasures edp. But for all those who miss the Aliage body lotion, why not layer the sports fragrance over some Pleasures body lotion... and see (smell) what happens...

krmarich, your review sounds almost like an obituary. In the beginning, where you state, "Aliage was". LOL. Well, it might as well be considering a lot of these classic fragrances are no longer with us. Has Aliage become a victim of reformulation mania, too? Are these reviews for the original or a changed version? You never know. Seems everytime I turn around, yet another scent treasure has bit the dust.


You know, the more I think about it, it was really an honor to actually have experienced a lot of these classic fragrances such as Aliage, Chanel no. 5, 19, Je Riviens, First-Van Cleef & Arpels, Magie Norie, Ysatis, ect. in the 60's, 70's, and 80's in all of their ORIGINAL glory!


The first time I smelled Aliage was in the 70's, and like others have said, I had never smelt anything like it. I would describe it as utterly unique and, well, at the time, groundbreaking. The ultimate chypre-grass gone sophisticated-if you will. Calling all unique fragrance lovers to try this one, if you haven't already, hopefully in all of its' ORIGINAL GLORY!!

Alliage was a fantastic very green chypre. Sharp, clean, crisp and a warm weather favorite. Never really commercially popular, it should not be missed by chypre fans.

Its a walk in a dark forest at on a summer night. The green trend of the early 1970s was perfect. Estee Lauder has come a long way since and not for the better...

Received this yesterday and have been wearing ever since then. Yes, it is green and nice after about 15 minutes. Not much floral to my nose....oakmoss is there which is a must for chypre. I don't think I will purchase again although the price is great at EL.

Much prefer Azuree...or Knowing( another chypre from ELauder).

N.B.As has been said in previous reviews - THERE IS ONLY ONE ALIAGE....NOT TWO. Yes, it is the so-called first 'sport' fragrance. I have to really see what that means. :-)

I cannot smell the green note at all - all I can smell is the oakmoss which i a bit like leather. I would not recommend it in hot humid weather and hope that it smells better on my skin in autumn.

This fragrance is incredibly crisp and green, refreshing without being insipid.

The first time I tried this, it seemed slightly harsh and quite distinctive. The real revelation was on a hot day. I sprayed a great deal of this for a theraputic cooling effect.

Aliage has that sort of preppy-dykey 70's vibe of a woman looking great in an athletic and fresh-faced way, in spite of an unflattering haircut and shoes.

The longevity was just average, but it seems an unfair comparison since hot moist days and sleeveless outfits don't lend themselves to fantastic longevity. I also suspect this fragrance may be projecting long after I've stopped perceiving it in the forefront.

I appreciate Estee Lauder for keeping this fragrance alive and available.

While I will be one of those who purchases this smell- not - tested I thank everyone here for their great information! I saw this recently on Nordstroms.com; I was curious because my grand"mother" was an Estee Lauder fanatic, owned most everything they ever produced, yet I'd never heard of this one. Launched a few years before I came into existence, it just never made it to our collection. However, after reading all the rave reviews I have to try it. It is not expensive at all, so if it doesn't work out I won't feel too guilty for wasting money. I only wish my grandmother was still here to experience it with me, one of our favorite things was discovering new fragrances!

Love crisp, cold, green scents. These hold some of my earliest scent memories when I first fell in love with fragrance. Cristalle, Chanel 19, and my Aliage. Love these crystal beauties. Love wearing them in the dead of winter to breathe in the cold air and catch snowflakes on my tongue.

Another mind bending perfume from Estee Lauder. I expected ultra green and pine but I wasn't expecting spices and florals. This opens with roaring green galbanum that holds center stage for several minutes. As it begins to soften the pine, vetiver and wood become detectable and delightfully chilling: the kind of snowy day where it looks like air full of crystals.

The juice then performs an extremely clever magic trick: unlike perfumes where the citruses disappear in the first few minutes, here they appear about half an hour in with the florals and spice. Caraway is here to maintain the chill but there's also nutmeg and cloves which give off soft soapy whiffs occasionally. The drydown evolves into an almost sweet floral that lasts for several hours. At this point you need to get very close to find the sharpness. (It's so well done and unusual that I've spent a fair amount of time with my nose on my wrist today.)

I didn't expect to like this--I just wanted to check it off my long list of recommended perfumes. Instead I'm in love and have added Aliage to my short list of complicated bottles of art. BTW, no one has mentioned that this is a KICK BUTT unisex scent.

Sillage: 2-3 feet
Durability: 4 hours and counting
Fabulosity: a perfect snowflake
Price to value ratio: very good
9/10

Note on the "sport" mystery: there is only one version of the perfume and all boxes say "sports spray". It seems that this was done to emphasize the coldness but it dropped out of the marketing at some point. The confusion is further compounded by the name being spelled with two "l"s in The Guide.

I was quite looking forward to trying this one, being a chypre lover, and generally enjoying the older fragrances. When I finally got the opportunity, I spritzed a scent strip and enjoyed the bright, fresh opening so decided to try it on; well, I don't know what my chemistry does to this scent, but the only thing I could smell on my arm was a strange, plastic-like mustiness...glad I did not make a blind buy of this one!

Perfect composition!
nothing stiks out well blended, but nowadays it would be called a gents fragrance.
It can manage a same aura as Lancaster Concentree for half as many notes (that is a sign of a good nose for me) Well done!
Who has that perfect nose?????

Quite besotted with Sensous Noir and Wild Elixir...I decided to go to the EL counter and give some of the good old-fashioned ones another sniff, or two...

Aliage really surprised me! I like this VERY much. It opens with a bright green, smooth fruitiness and a small dose of aldehydes (and is initially unremarkable). Then as it began to dry, I was captivated by the mixture of sharp pine, sexy flower, dry spice and clean rich wood. I may just have to get some of this for myself! This is really an impressive fragrance...I always thought Estee Lauder was just for little old ladies! How wrong I was. The green flows from top to the heart and becomes warmer and firmer, as the peachy and citrusy notes fade the spices appear and the jasmine peeks playfully through it all. The drydown is a bit dry and almost masculine (but not brusque); myrrh and musk meet halfway between animalic and resiny, as the moss and the vetiver keep it green, earthy and clean. I am sorry I ever doubted you my dear Estee...

Sillage: very good
Longevity: good
Overall: 3.75/5

Once again, I am happy to be proven wrong! This is most definitely something a guy could wear, and really rock. It is not overly floral and is, in fact, very sexy. I am so happy that I tried this and look forward to more testing and EL reviews in the near future! Who would have thought I would migrate from being a mens counter regular to an Estee Lauder fan?!

This is one potent green scent! It is almost unbearable the first thirty minutes, but please be patient! This is a true gem! Applied sparingly it becomes very warm and incense-like; warm and inviting . A few hours after applying I found it extremely similar to Montana's Parfum de Peu.

I, too, am confused by the two ALIAGEs, but the one in my possession seems obviously to be a supergreen chypre, so I'll assume that this must be the one.

Well, this is not what I was expecting at all. When I made this relatively inexpensive blind buy, I thought that I would be getting another nice summery citrus scent to spray with reckless abandon through the remaining weeks of heat. Far from it, in fact!

ALIAGE is a pretty intense little number, what with the pine thrown into the already heavy chypre mix. This seems like a good perfume for the fall or the spring. I'll give it another try again then... For now, I'll just say that this seems like a distant cousin to MA GRIFFE... Daring and unapologetically unperfumey! The very antithesis of flowery and sweet!

Three-hour update: this composition held up remarkably well, and even improved, over the course of this 90F afternoon. I kept catching wafts and wondering "What smells so good?"

six-hour update: great staying power and still smells swell!

It's a weird fragrance, starts bitter, with woods, citrus and pine, all set on a slightly milder background.

I don't know why I like to wear it so much. I realize that this is not one of those "likeable" perfumes. It's not a crowd pleaser, definetly, not at all teeny...

It's something special, a rarity among perfumes, even among the niche ones, few are so original and unique as Aliage.

I wore this fragrance in the eighties during the first couple of years of university, and it became my hallmark. My cousin, who lived in the same building used to tell me that she could tell I had taken the elevator earlier by the Aliage fragrance that she detected in it... I do not remember why I stopped using it, but I don't think I'd be able to resist the temptation to buy it should I chance to come across it in a store.

I used this in the '70s and 80s and loved it. I thought it was discontinued. Does anyone know where I can purchase it?

I just can not wear this. I can see how it is a classic, and would smell great on some people, but when I have sampled it, it turns grassy and sour on my skin. :(

My lovely Kastehelmi!!
I have the regular Alliage now, and I must say, it really resembles the one I already sent you! It is a vintage bottle, but IMO very much the same. The one I sent you is even stronger than the one I have now. So, if you still have the one I swapped with you, would you consider to swap it back?
Love!!
Action

I wore this in early college years, but because I went through a bad time at that point I later learned to dislike it. HOWEVER, it was a really interesting fragrance and I loved it. I still like "chypre" type fragrances and realize it was probably my prototype for that. Wonder if the new version still smells like 1972 - I even loved YouthDew, my dad's favorite perfume. A bit rich, but hey it lasted!

I wore this fragrance (and only this fragrance) throughout high school. I loved it! But after high school, I had a boyfriend who hated it. So, I quit wearing it. Well, the boyfriend's gone, but I still have some of the dusting powder; it must be about 30 years old. I sparingly dust some on occasionally for that old-time feeling of pungent, spicy spring woodlands. It was a very strong scent, and usually smelt its most intoxicating after several hours of wear. Would I wear it again? You bet. I probably wouldn't wear it as strongly as I did in those wild youthful moments. Oh, I see. They're tempting me to buy some just below. Great advertising technique! Ü

My sister wore it when I was 8 years old.I loved it for its cool,green and bitter smell.It is different from any other fragrance and is very sophisticated and modern.From then,I have never found it in stores,but I still remember its smell .It is very
memorable for me.

I am delighted how this extraordinary fragrance opens, so exciting, glamorous, fresh with the nutmeg and magnificent oakmoss, slightly green at the very beginning, later like a cold deep-green forest, perhaps a bit mystical and somewhat powdery, but extremely comfortable to wear. Another Estee Lauder that can easily become a signature scent.
Very unusual, sharpness is present only at the beginning. Classy & unique! Aliage is completely different from anything I tried before, this is a fragrance that probably does not blend with any skin because the body chemistry plays a decisive role. Very impressive to me,I just love it!

I still haven't smelled many chypre fragrances, so I don't know whether I am a fan of the chypre category. In any case, I have tried Aliage a few times, and I love it! When you first spray it on it is almost offensive in its strength, but it softens almost immediately. The dry-down is really earthy and feminine in a timeless and elegant way, rather than a classicly cloying way, which is a decidedly rare find among the hundreds of fragrances I have sprayed myself with. Those who describe the fragrance as irritating or overly-strong do have a point, as much as I love it. But I think the scent softens so much that it shouldn't send anyone into a sneezing fit. I highly recommend this!

I was in a store today and have always wondered what this smelled like. I was shocked and fell in love. It is very earthy and has a similar quality to Youth Dew. I could smell the oakmoss within minutes. I would wear this as a man. It is very classy and will get you noticed.

This is the greenest of floral chypres, as stated by others but with something of an oriental/incense note. It can only be described as clean, crisp and fresh if it's applied in extreme moderation! Spray a bit in the air and walk under it, that kind of moderation. The EDT has to be about the most concentrated I've ever experienced, except, perhaps for Clinique's Aromatics, which is also a "spray in the air" kind of strong. Very economical actually... Newer fragrances seem to fade so quickly but this one goes on and on and on. Still, like so many of EL's fragrances (esp. Youth Dew, a real stinker in my opinion), I think this is a love it or hate it scent.

I am flummoxed -- the scent as described by the other reviewers on this site is likable, even lovable. The scent as experienced? A thoroughly bitter blend of greenery and potting soil . . . unpleasant to the extreme. Perhaps I will need to give this scent another try in case I completely missed its beauty the first time around, but for now, I remain unimpressed, and as I stated at the outset, flummoxed.

Mom wore this when I was little and growing up. Makes me think of a buisness woman ready for work :) Strong and femanine. Very Sophisticated!

My favorite fragrance, IDeal for sporty wear or to the office. Crisp and clean like fresh cut grass or a walk in an herb garden on a summer day. I get many compliments when I wear it. Not "girly," but more sophisticated.

Alliage is the greenest of all perfumes. In a certain way related to classics like Bandit and Cabochard, Alliage is the opposite of sweetness, the epitomy of coolness. I think it would make a fantastic male fragrance, too and I would not use it myself, because it is too crisp and too uncompromising - but it is the work of a genius!