She Was An Anomaly

In my opinion, Etat Libre d'Orange (ELDO) is arguably the most creative and original fragrance house in the entry-level niche price range. One of the things I've always appreciated about the brand is its commitment to storytelling. While storytelling through scent certainly isn't unique to ELDO, the house consistently creates fragrances built around fascinating concepts and narratives. What truly sets the brand apart, however, is its ability to transform those stories into fragrances that are not only thought-provoking but genuinely enjoyable to wear, such as Hermann or Ghost In The Shell. As we all know many concept-driven fragrances can feel more artistic than practical, but ELDO has a knack for balancing creativity with wearability, allowing the story and the scent to coexist without sacrificing either.

Beautiful skin musk, different than most 'skin scents' I've smelled (glossier you, clean skin, dedcool milk etc.). It has a fresh, sweet and warm feeling to it. It is beautiful on its own, or layered. Not a strong perfume, but lasts longer if sprayed on clothes. I sprayed it on a sweater I wear all the time, and the scent stayed there for weeks-months after. I have had my bottle for a year and I think the longevity has improved during that time, since initially it was much weaker. Not a blind buy, but if it is for you, it will become on of your go-to everyday / layering scents. I just wish it came in a travel size so I can take it in my bag!

Not notes I’d ever gravitate to but somehow one of my favourite fragrances, and one of the only ones I get cravings for. Smelt for the first time in Tokyo in a store where the testers are sprayed into little beakers. I was smelling beakers pretty much at random and this one really stopped me in my tracks. I’d say it’s a perfect split of sweet and musky. The colours it gives are baby pink and silver. Kinda evokes feminine robot vibes (more so than TGITS for me), like it’s ‘too’ perfect but that uncanniness makes it interesting? Works pretty much all year round and is best paired with a silk scarf.

This is really light and I pretty much had to train my nose to detect it. But I'm glad I did because it's so pretty! Very similar to Moncler Le Solstice (same perfumer) only Le Solstice is more intense. Honestly, I love both and reach for this when I want that scent profile buta even more gentle. It also smells pretty similar to Bath & Body Works Suede Blossoms which isn't on here at the time I'm writing this. It's newer and the notes honestly aren't that similar but they smell similar to me. I also think that the notes on here aren't quite correct, this definitely has iris in it!

Very powdery and musky natural skin scent that is nearly invisible. I doubt others will smell or notice it on you unless you spray it a ton. To me there is a milky sweetness to it as well. I find it quite comforting but am on the fence if a bottle is worth it with the super low sillage. This has never happened to me with a scent but when I smell it I see the color peach, like a light skin color. To be honest I don't care for the backstory I've heard of this perfume but its powdery warmth keeps me coming back. That being said its not very multi dimensional