Havana pour Elle
Aramis (1995)

Green toffee-apple and tobacco floriental.

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This is a very pretty fragrance, and I use that adjective purposefully in order to distinguish Havana pour Elle from the loftier and perhaps less approachable category of "beautiful." From its bright citrus opening, to its warm heart, to its sweet scintillating drydown, this is a friendly fragrance, without being any less magnetic and seductive for that: it creeps up on one in surprising ways, and lingers in memory.

I am not ordinarily a fan of fruit notes, but here they are so well done that I not only appreciate them, but understand why they are there, and how they contribute to the olfactory impression of a world filled with color, variety and joie de vivre. The honey-and-vanilla finish is like a golden wash of sunlight, seen just on the cusp of dusk: embracing, rich, radiant and full of promise.

Havana pour Elle smells nothing like its brother, Havana, but it evokes the same kind of sensory experience. I don't think it is given the attention it deserves, possibly because Havana pour Elle is so unassuming that its depths don't yield to a passing glance. Sillage is moderate, longevity long - like the smooth, inviting impression it leaves.

(provisional review)

Top notes: magnolia, citrus, tagetes, sunflower and queen of the night (the flower of a cactus native to Cuba and Jamaica which only flowers at night);
Heart notes: Daphne, mango, pineapple and orchid;
Base notes: (Tobacco leaf), vanilla, amber, (cedar) and sandalwood.

Havana pour elle is an exotic southern fragrance, full of moist warmth. In the Northern hemisphere (cooler climes or A/C environs) this beauty is often misunderstood. In colder weather Havana pour Elle is a very tart astringent woody floriental with the tobacco and stark white woods dominating the olfactory landscape in a manner that sails very close to masculine without ever crossing the line. Other times the fruit seems to dominate... lush moist and in an odd juxtaposition with the tobacco and white florals - close to rotting. An almost candied, caramelised sweetness which is a common aspect of blends featuring tropical fruits like pineapple and mango.

Too youthful, wild and tempetuous to be grouped with the elegant grand dame tobaccos such as Caron Tabac Blond and Gres Cabochard; But at the same time too innately sophisticated and elegant to be brushed off with youth focused tobacco blends like Escada Collection and Cacharel Gloria, poor Havana pour elle has been neglected and overlooked by many because it is so hard to categorise.

Well my one tip for being able to access all the beauty that this little gem has within is to reserve it for one of the warmer days of the year when you will be out and about ... or when you will be in a situation where your body temperature will be raised a little more than normal. If you do this you will be amazed at the transformation. This is the scent of sexy, sensual, seductive senoritas. Lush, floral yet astringent, the tobacco mingled with its balsamic amber vanilla base will lead you into all kinds of amorous adventures and dreams of amour.

I love the Tango and to me Havana pour elle is the olfactory equivalent of my favourite tango piece (The Assassin's Tango by John Powell). Just listen to that and you will understand truly what Havana pour Elle is about. This is not a scent for a painfully elegant, repressed Grande Dame, nor is it a scent for her wilful, immature peer driven granddaughter. This is not even for the woman stuck in suburbia in an endless rat race of carpools, rival yummy mummys and worthy pursuits. This is for the sultry, sensual seductress in us all. Full bodied, lush, passionate with many appetites that are fully explored, enjoyed and indulged.

The sillage is moderate to strong, (best not to apply too generously) and the longevity is much better than average. I wore it day and night for three days straight during a recent warm spell and still crave it even though the current cooler weather will not allow it to shine in all its glory.

Thumbs up up up! 5 out 5

Very rare one. Found out it is sharp, crispy floral for daytime wear. Its men edition is more popular I guess.

its a great smell, slightly masculine but unusual, distinctively Aramis...sexy

In my opinion its a unique and characteristic fragrance. Specially for the winter. Sure, does not fit into the so popular tender/sweet line but I believe theres are still many who like it. I do. Not because its different but because its a good one!