A unique take on a summer freshie.
By and large, summer scents have a tendency to be somewhat cookie-cutter creations.
It isn’t just a thing among designer scents, which tend to be cookie cutters in general, but in niche perfumery too.
A simple reason being the limits on the kind of notes and scent profiles that will work in summer without becoming cloying.
Normally, a summer scent will be any given combination of fresh, fruity, citrusy, marine or all of the aforementioned.
That’s pretty much the limit of what’s acceptable to our noses on a scorching hot day.
You or Someone Like You – created by Caroline Sabas – doesn’t fully break out of that mould, being a citrusy aromatic.
However, it does provide a rather unique take on the category, unique enough for me to want to cover it.
The adjective of uniqueness comes as no surprise when mentioned in a description of an Etat Libre d’Orange scent.
It’s very much the term that defines their brand.
The uniqueness in this specific scent comes from the perfumer’s use of green notes and florals, while the creation remains distinctively easy to wear for both sexes.
Particularly unique in a summer scent is the heavy presence of jasmine (cited as the chemical compound hedione in the note profile), which is utilised in a rather light and breezy way.
Not at all what I usually expect from jasmine.
The top notes of You or Someone Like You also contain a couple of interesting surprises.
Summer staples of bergamot and grapefruit are present, however this stable combination is livened up and creatively refreshed by the addition of mint and anise.
This gives both an air of coolness and a touch of sharp punch to the opening.
The aforementioned jasmine forms the base of the heart, and is immediately notable to the nose upon application.
Other heart notes play a supporting role that only present themselves after the drydown, with general green notes, fresh rose and a fleeting hint of cassis liqueur.
Like many summer scents, You or Someone Like You isn’t built for longevity, opting for a good time rather than a long time.
This is particularly evident in the base notes of the formula, which consist solely of that other summer classic, white musk.
Ratings
Longevity: .5/1
Five hours is the ballpark performance figure for me.
Projection: .6/1
Projection is slightly above average, which is good for this particular scent.
I think the jasmine in particular would make the fragrance a little overwhelming if it was a projection monster.
Blend Quality: 1/1
The blend of You or Someone Like You is executed perfectly, with no balance issues.
Nor can I think of anything that ought to be added or subtracted.
Presentation: 1/1
As mentioned in another ELdO review, I love the presentation and bottles of their lineup.
Personal Smell Score: .8/1
The scent smells great and unique. However, I can think of other summer scents that I’d buy a bottle of before this one.
Total score: 3.9/5
What Would I Wear This With?
Being a summer scent with a unique twist, it’s a good one to wear with a summer outfit that has a unique twist.
Save the generic t-shirt and linens or shorts for a generic scent, and wear this with something fun.
Maybe a Hawaiian shirt, or madras pants.
Or both.
Regardless of what it is, just inject a little personality.
The scent really does work well with that Magnum P.I. style, to speak the truth.
Concluding Thoughts
If you’re looking for a summer scent with a little bit of difference, this one is a great place to start.
It’s fairly inexpensive, too, though hard to get a hold of a sample.
It is, however, safe to blind buy.
So long as you like jasmine.
Pics all from Etat Libre d’Orange’s website.
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