Fragrance Review: Essence by Narciso Rodriguez

I was able to get my hot little hands on a bottle of Narciso Rodriguez's highly anticipated new fragrance, Essence. I have to admit that it was very hard for me to smell Essence and not compare it to the wildly popular Narciso Rodriguez For Her. For Her is my all time favorite fragrance, and I think many consider For Her to be the gold standard for any fragrance Mr. Rodriguez makes. That being said, Essence is no For Her.

I don't dislike Essence, per say. I just didn't fall head over heals in love with it, and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't. While Essence had the musky quality that I have come to love (and expect) from a Narciso Rodriguez fragrance, it was missing the ultra sexy, sensuous and feminine qualities that I've come to love and expect from NR.

At first spritz, the fragrance had a floral quality. I do not care for florals, but I stuck with it, as the floral notes mingled with the aforementioned musk. Over time, the floral notes gave way to the musk, and a crispness emerged. While the ending was better than the beginning, I can't help but feel that I've smelled this before, maybe even in a men's fragrance. This is definitely a better option for spring than NR for Her, but I'm not so sure that this will be in regular rotation. Sigh.

Update: So, I've had several weeks to get used to Essence, and I have to say I like it a lot more now than I did before. This fragrance has definitely grown on me. It has a very crisp, sophisticated, "grown up" scent, that is more subtle than I guess I'm used to from Narciso. While visiting the other day, my best friend friend spritzed a little and fell in love. In fact, she loved it so much that she proceeded to walk around my around my apartment, holding the bottle, while going on and on about how much she liked it. Crazy girl.

I guess great minds think alike, because I think I've fallen for Essense, too. But, fans of For Her, I am warning you. This is not like For Her. I only warn you because if you compare the two, Essence is sure to disappoint, and you'll miss out on this fabulous fragrance. Enjoy!