Estee Lauder • Aliage • Fragrances

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kstone1964 on 1/18/2013 1:36:00 AM more reviews by kstone1964

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

ew ew ew I so did not like this fragrance. I had been so hopeful I remember smelling it on a teacher in high school and hoping the green would bridge me over until I could buy Cristalle my all time favorite green fragrance (I have YSL In Love Again but prefer Cristalle 2 thumbs up) I took one spray and just cannot stand it too strong even for a men's fragrance. luckily I ordered it from Nordstrom no questions asked I'll mail it and just remember that memory is not always a good substitute for first hand knowledge.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Shadow_Witch on 6/9/2012 12:29:00 AM more reviews by Shadow_Witch

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

My review is of vintage Aliage. It starts out with a blast very reminiscent of Cristalle. It quickly turns fresh and GREEN bursting with spring time promise. It then settles into something very close to sweet grass. The sweet grass dry down persists all day. Unfortunately, the oakmoss annoys me to the point I need to take a shower to get this scent off by the end of the day. I have a love/hate relationship with oakmoss. I get lots of compliments though and enjoy having it in my collection.

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allureveil on 2/23/2012 7:57:00 PM more reviews by allureveil

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

There are already reviews here that describe Aliage very, very well. However, let me just add, be warned that at first this seems terrific, then it turns into something really scary, and that bitter odor takes a while -- over an hour in my experience -- to morph into the base note territory. I was afraid I had made a big mistake with this purchase: sprayed it on my wrist, loved it, sat down at the computer and was really turned off by what developed, shrugged it off and went to the grocery store, and by the time I returned home, there was a superb fragrance going on for me! Give Aliage a chance because for me it could be well worth it. UPDATE: I have given up. This just settles into a real stinker on me. Too, too bad. Seems impossible to find any vintage that is still of good quality. Such a drag that they had to change what was, according to reviews here, once a real winner.

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HRH_UK on 2/20/2012 2:48:00 PM more reviews by HRH_UK

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

The info on the notes below comes from the UK EL website. Maybe there's been a formula change since the below posts.

I have fond memories of Alliage from my youth. I smelled on someone on an airplane and I had to have it again. I couldn't believe it was still being manufactured and found you can only get it on EL online, Harrods or Selfridges.
When I tried it on at Harrods, I almost left without buying it. The overpowering stench of Jasmine was overwhelming. After about 15 minutes, I had another sniff, and fell in love.
It is not the Alliage of my youth - that was a very "green" fragrance. The dry down is a woody spice delight with a slight hint of floral. Glad I waited for the old lady vapour to wear off!



Top Notes
-Jasmine
-Citrus

Middle Notes
-Nutmeg
-Rose
-Armoise

Base Notes
-Oakmoss
-Vetiver
-Cedarwood

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Fleurine on 1/21/2012 3:08:00 AM more reviews by Fleurine

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Top notes: green notes (galbanum), citrus, peach
Heart notes: jasmine, rosewood, thyme, pine needle
Base notes: vetiver, myrrh, musk, oakmoss

Estee Lauder's Aliage is a complex and challenging green chypre that caught me off-guard, by kicking off with a remarkably unfriendly but head-clearing blast of bitter greens, peach, herbs and citrus. Helloooo. This opening might make you question, "Why Aliage?"
Ok, if you make it through a few minutes of that without either getting a migraine, and/or scrubbing it off, then you could be in for a real treat.
Aliage then starts opening a wonderful wicker picnic basket of surprises for you, deep in the forest, as you spread out your blanket in the shade underneath the soft fir trees.
Aliage takes some of the bitterness, and slowly start to transform it into piney powdery woodiness, with a hint of jasmine and musk, and I would not be surprised to find out if juniper was in there as well. Although marketed as a "sport" scent, this doesn't smell like a gym, or locker room shower. Aliage to me is about the great outdoors, a cold wet morning in the forest that warms and dries in the sun. Very good.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dioraddict84 on 12/13/2010 3:00:00 PM more reviews by dioraddict84

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

This is the so called first "sport" fragrance. It is very citrus and green. Top Notes

* Jasmine
* Citrus


Middle Notes

* Nutmeg
* Rose
* Armoise


Base Notes

* Oakmoss
* Vetiver
* Cedarwood

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kdm1 on 6/14/2010 7:58:00 PM more reviews by kdm1

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I know I am in the minority here. I had this fragrance in the 70's. It was fresh and green and stayed true to the new green smell from start to dry down. Now...........initial spray is pretty much the same sharp new green bite that I remembered and loved. Then something went all kinds of wrong. Musty, like the perfume was old. This was a new tester bottle at the Lauder counter! I gave it a lip for the green edge and it is very different from the other fragrances out there today. I will not buy unless the original formula was reintroduced. Maybe a vintage bottle?

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perfumenut on 3/31/2010 11:39:00 AM more reviews by perfumenut

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I voted that I would buy this product again, however I know I will never have to since one bottle will last me a lifetime. My bottle is from 2008 and it probably doesn't smell like the original (although I'm not sure because EL tends to keep most of their fragrances as close to original as possible). I've been going through the classic Estee Lauders looking for something established and unique but not wildly popular because I'm sick of all the modern fragrances....well, Aliage is not it (I prefer Knowing, PC and Azuree) but it does have a lot of merit.

Aliage is wonderfully dry, sharp and green and therefore will not get heady or creamy in the heat. However, on my skin, the nice notes develop very slowly, and I have to go through an excruciating 20 minutes of "Aquanet hairspray and scalp". Truly horrible on me in the beginning (and I'm not afraid of abscure notes) but delightfully dry and leafy after an hour or so. I'm looking forward to trying this in humid heat as I think cool dry air doesn't serve Aliage well...making it too sharp and less rounded.

Do I appreciate it - absolutely! Will I wear often - absolutely not. I will reach for this when I go to the beach or pool.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Nowheregirl on 1/20/2010 7:44:00 PM more reviews by Nowheregirl

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

My mom had a solid perfume compact of Aliage in the Seventies that I would play with as a child. So I got nostalgic and bought a bottle. At first it smells strongly of the aldehydes in the top notes, but when it dries down it turns into a smokey, woodsy green fragrance with a hint of sweetness. It may be an aquired taste, but I like it. It's perfect fir days when I don't want an overly feminine fragrance that overwhelmes you with florals or vanilla. It's perfect with jeans on a weekend, but I wear it to work as well.

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*TOP REVIEWER* flairgirl8 on 11/26/2009 3:41:00 PM more reviews by flairgirl8

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

In general, I am not a fan of EL fragrances. I find them either too chemical or cloying. So I was very surprised to find how much I liked this scent on me. This is definitely a fragrance that you are either going to love or hate depending on your body chemistry. On me, it was love at first sniff. Aliage just bonded with my skin. It is not overpowering, heavy or cloying. It is a pleasant, very green scent that lingers a long time. Almost 12 hours on me! It starts out grassy/meadow green and the drydown is green forest. As I am not a fruity or foody fragrance type, this really suits me. My DH, on the other hand, does not care for this scent on me. I just might have to replace him instead.

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vdn on 1/9/2009 6:51:00 PM more reviews by vdn

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Pleasant, green, summery. Perhaps better on linens than people.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Maderine on 11/30/2008 11:29:00 PM more reviews by Maderine

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

The girl I wanted most be like in high school wore this fragrance. On her, it had a true warmth to it--a very sexy yumminess and a bit of green. It smelled fresh, yet alluring--as if she were just the one to cozy up to when walking out amongst the evergreens on a windy day. I tried it numerous times back then, in hopes of capturing some of that coziness, if you will, but it didn't work for me--all I got was green fresh twig with maybe a thorn or two. ...Come to think of it, it was probably poetic justice. Anyway. I tried it again recently, because the goddesses on the frag board swear that our body chemistries change over the years. Many have found that fragrances once loved can eventually fall by the wayside--and, conversely, fragrances once repugnant can become signature-worthy. I was feeling hopeful, I guess...not to mention that I had recently read that it had been reformulated at some point in the last 35 years. Immediately after spraying this on my wrist, my world became SCREAMIN' DEMON GREEN. Seriously, the top notes had me looking around for evergreen needles in a Cuisinart. I was immediately scared and started looking for a washroom, visions of all failed dates in high school dancing in my head. But by the time I found the soap, the fragrance had calmed down a little bit. It became warm, less thorny, a bit of rose and spice. (The EL website says nutmeg is one of the middle notes--I'm not ready to commit to that yet, but maybe.) I kept sniffing over the course of the day, and by evening the fragrance had mellowed considerably. I got a little juniper, faint cedar, warm powder, and...ah! THERE'S the jasmine! And suddenly, I was ready for a walk amongst the evergreens.So now I'm wearing this again, with great success, and I love every minute of it (once my vision clears after the top notes trumpet out of the sprayer, that is). It doesn't smell like that girl in high school, but I get the same effect: it smells like a cozy, windy, forest-y me. This is truly a gorgeous fragrance with more complexity than I can describe. I do believe it's very chemistry-dependent, and I don't believe that's a bad thing--it makes this a signature-worthy fragrance, but only for the right woman.Try it. If you live through the top notes, it could become what your children remember you by.

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luluthediva on 8/3/2008 1:13:00 PM more reviews by luluthediva

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My mother is an EL girl. Still wears Clinique moisturizer. When I was in high school, she started me on a Clinique regimine. My mother would only buy when EL had freebies. Sometimes she would give me the freebies. I remember trying Aliage. Loved it! Everytime I would wear it, when I would come home from school my mother would ask if I just put it on. It stays on me all day! Still does. This is the only EL product I use. I also only use it during the fall/winter because it really stays on me. Since it's about $35, it's pointless to buy for the freebies because you have to spend $40. Near me is a Cosmetic Company (EL outlet). It's hit or miss. They usually only have the boxes on display. It costs around $25 and lasts for at least the entire fall/winter season.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dascha on 6/29/2008 6:22:00 PM more reviews by dascha

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I just tried this today and I swear my mother had this back in the '70's; I remember a simple little fluted glass bottle and the metal thingy that slipped right off. I think I played with it a lot but my mother never wore perfume that often so I don't have any impression of how this smelled on a person. Anyway, the strong, very dry, mossy fragrance sure took me back to my childhood. And honestly, my childhood wasn't that great. This was the way almost all perfumes smelled in the 70's -- almost the polar opposite of how most perfumes smell today (thanks, "Angel"! *not*). So although I APPRECIATE this style, I won't ever wear it because I've got to have just a BIT of warmth. I prefer the warmth to come from wood or spice rather than fruit or vanilla, so still on the "dry" side, but this is just WAY dry. However, it is an excellent fragrance in general. Very crisp, very fresh and very unusual. I'd love the younger generation to start wearing fragrances like this again, and for some of the big-name companies to start making fragrances like this again.

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LindaAnn on 5/28/2008 12:21:00 PM more reviews by LindaAnn

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I remember buying this back in the 70's when it first came out and I liked it, but never finished the bottle and eventually threw it away. I have been so enamored with all of Miss Lauder's fragrances lately and have a new respect and appreciation of her genuis, that I decided to try this again. (the newer fragrances by this house just doesn't move me at all...Pleasures?.....boring) Some reviewers say it is not the same formulation as the old, but truthfully, I cannot remember. This new bottle of Aliage is lovely. It is touted as an outdoor, sport fragrance which is interesting, because I find it very strong (not in a bad way!) and NOT condusive to sport, picnics, or what have you. It is very green and woody as are most of the perfumes that Miss Lauder devised. But the only reason I say I wouldn't buy it again is that Auree' is just so superior and yet very very similar. I would go for another bottle of the Azuree' and just as well pass on the next purchase of Aliage. But please don't misunderstand me, its still a well done, quality essence.

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*TOP REVIEWER* GlamDiva on 5/27/2007 1:15:00 AM more reviews by GlamDiva

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Other, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This review is for the current iteration of Aliage.
Aliage is a very green, jasminey, mossy, leathery
heavy scent that came out in the early 1970s as a "sport fragrance".
I liked it better on men than women, but it's great on some women.
Aliage has been reformulated and just doesn't give the same impression or wear the same. My guess is it had to be reformulated due to oakmoss but, in my opinion, EL has killed this fragrance.

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ScottishLass on 12/5/2006 11:29:00 AM more reviews by ScottishLass

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

I love it. As with all fragrances, Aliage reacts to your particular body chemistry, so it is not for everyone. It is my fall-winter fragrance of choice - crisp, fresh and long lasting. A little goes a LONG way.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Mr_Mellow on 11/11/2006 11:02:00 PM more reviews by Mr_Mellow

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

This is quite a mystery. Is there a difference between ALIAGE - the way the scent is now spelled on the Estee Lauder website

http://www.esteelauder.com/templates/products/multiproduct.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY6840&PAGE=7

or ALLIAGE the way it is spelled on websites like Basenotes and in books like the H&R Guide we use for reference or in the Perfume Handbook?

More interesting is that I have a bottle with each spelling.

Although this is a scent marketed directly at women by Estee Lauder, I came to use it in unusual circumstances and I've loved it ever since. Years ago I was taking a woman to her auntie's house in a car loaded with various items to be donated to a charity bazaar. It was sweltering out and a tire blew. After changing the tire, there was sweat streaming down my face and sticking my shirt to my body. Even when I towelled off, my lady friend felt my body odor might overpower her auntie. So she went through a box of items to be donated and took out a bottle of ALLIAGE perfume and proceeded to apply it on me liberally using the shirt tail of the dry shirt I was changing into as a swab. As I washed up a bit in her auntie's bathroom, I overheard the older woman tell her neice that "your man smells really nice, and very masculine". So all I could think was that ALLIAGE mixed well with sweat. I paid $3 for that bottle of ALLIAGE at the bazaar and was happy to do it, because Alliage For Men (introduced in 1972) had been discontinued by then.

ALLIAGE perfume (I think from 1980 as this woman received it as a HS grad gift and didn't ever use it) had a green note, with sort of a citrus-y middle note follow up, and lots of forest base notes combined with a bit of "oriental" heaviness. The overall effect was strong without being overpowering. ALLIAGE was not a really well known scent, and when I wore it most women told me they thought my scent was interesting or masculine and perhaps even "magnetic" to them. The few who said they might want to try my "cologne" for themselves, were surprised to find this perfume really WAS made "for them". I used up that 1/4 ounce bottle but kept it as a souvenir.

Then at the beginning of the 90s I got another bottle of ALIAGE from my sister who was the cosmetics buyer for a department store. The spelling had changed. This perfume was a bit more green, and even though there were different floral middle notes with less citrus, the forest notes were vastly different and there was no "oriental" myrrh or musk heaviness, as those were replaced by Rosewood, Cedarwood and armoise. It was an astounding change but not unlike-able.

I now wear the current ALIAGE as an "undercoat" because it has excellent staying power, and then I can use it with a really ferocious linear (topnote only) scent that is compatible, like Bay Rum, or some Caribbean citrus. The base notes of the Aliage seem to retain some of these single note scents and it carries the overall effect for 6-8 hours. This interesting change of formulation makes me want to buy some older estate or new-old-stock of the original ALLIAGE perfume to wear again. Since we are building a scent library/museum, I might get the chance.

I began experiencing the joy of scent on my eleventh birthday, with the first of many twice monthly visits to a classic British barber. This shop's mirrored counters were lined with every Creed, Aqua di Parma, Yardley, Stephans, Pinaud, Caswell, Shulton and Swank product made for men as well as dozens of other Caribbean specialty colognes directly imported. I never stopped being a "5 sensitive senses" guy. Being open-minded has made it possible to enjoy the previous and current ALLIAGE/ALIAGE. I would prefer to review scents I only wear myself, as well as a unisex scents. Normally I will only review a scent marketed to women the way I have experienced it "on women". But in a few borderline cases like ALLIAGE/ALIAGE and Fendi/Fendi, I review it first on me and then afterwards on women.

On women Aliage is definitely an item to try before you buy. Unfortunately I can't give you my impressions of women who wore the original ALLIAGE, because I don't remember how ALLIAGE smelled on any women when it was in production. The current ALIAGE can smell great on a woman. It's top-notch if you are going camping or golfing or horseback riding because it has staying power and smells superb out of doors. Indoors it is rather sharp smelling and some women have complained that on THEM it smelled "chemically" even if it smelled great on me. Chemistry can be funny that way.

Another odd thing I've noticed is that even if a woman likes the way ALIAGE smells on me in a car or even at dinner, if SHE wears it, I've been told it affects the way her dinner tastes. Go figure! I've actually loved this scent the most on women at large gatherings at lodges where there is a roaring fire. The strong green notes add a wonderful "outdoor" quality to the atmosphere (as I will likely be near my woman-companion all evening). As the night wears on and the heat from the fireplace warms my companion up, a bit of "hot woman scent" mixes extremely well with the smell of ALIAGE. It can create a kind of tribal "feeling" in the air between me and my companion. It can sure make going on a hayride afterwards pretty exciting. Talk about pumping up the hormones. Whew!

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kurious on 4/2/2006 12:45:00 PM more reviews by kurious

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I agree with Clearing....seems so different than it did years ago. How dare EL tamper with what used to be such a wonderful fragrance. Lauder marketing and fragrance development people....are you listening?????

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*TOP REVIEWER* Clearing on 4/2/2006 11:58:00 AM more reviews by Clearing

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Thirty years ago I started wearing this. It was one of my favorite perfumes in High School.... a different fragrance back then. The last bottle I purchased was bought in 1984, and it seemed like the original formula. It seemed thicker and more varied in composition than it is now. Today it seems thinned out. Something is missing. I suspect it may be a switch from true essences to more synthetic ones to make more money. Of course. Too bad. It was so exciting back then; much more herbal and green. Now it smells mostly of castoreum, patchouli and leathery nuances. The florals are not as rich and the lack of a sustained robust drydown is very noticeable. It's better suited as a room spray for those reasons. Darn it. ~try Private Collection for a little bit more *zing*..

The official notes have nothing to do with what I smell:

~Top Notes: Jasmine, Citrus~
~Middle Notes: Nutmeg, Rose, Armoise~
~Base Notes: Oakmoss, Vetiver, Cedarwood~

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