Wednesday 10 June 2015

ENJOLI - A Woman CAN Have Everything

A fragrance for the modern woman who wanted it all; a career, a husband, and to still look sexy as she read her children a bed-time story. My personal experience of the latter is that you're usually exhausted and covered in baked beans! Created by Charles of the Ritz in 1978, Enjoli promised an "eight hour perfume for the twenty-four hour woman". Boasting the female ability to "bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never, never, never let you forget you're a man", the Enjoli woman allowed her husband to think he was in charge, although really she was. So, thirty seven years later, has the perfume stood up to changing tastes?

Straight away you get a glorious burst of fresh bergamot and peach, although it is only by way of an introduction because this is no Fruity Floral, and just that fact is enough to make my heart sing! The floral heart starts to come through very quickly with the spicy carnation blending beautifully with the rose and tuberose. The standard ingredient of pretty much every floral is jasmine, and whilst it is present here, it provides a wonderful sense of femininity rather than an overpowering dominance.

The base of this fragrance though is where the magic really happens in my opinion. You get a nod to the outgoing trend of the Chypre and a hint at the eighties Oriental explosion that is just around the corner. The cedar links with a powdery iris to emphasise the femininity, but the strength comes from an amber/oakmoss blend which, when added to a magical sandalwood, provides "working woman" confidence that is usually lacking in a typical floral.

Charles of the Ritz was eventually bought by Revlon, but they continued to produce Enjoli. Discontinued for many years in its original formulation, the last reported sighting of the new edition was in 2011 as an American Christmas set, but it would appear that this has also now been taken out of production. Most websites are listed as out of stock, but the fragrance is available in various forms on eBay.

If the eighties powerhouses were a little too strong for you, and the seventies came over as too earthy, then try Enjoli and see if it makes you a "twenty-four hour woman".

The Original Television Advert for Enjoli

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