This month? We try out Jean Paul Gaultier’s golden Le Male Elixir Parfum…
“Imagine a stormy sea. A ship in distress. On board, an army of sexy-looking sailors. Among them, a tattooed silhouette takes the lead.”
While these words read like the beginning of a great romance novel, they are actually the ones used by French fashion house Jean Paul Gaultier to describe their latest scent, Le Male Elixir Parfum. They’re on brand too, naturally. The designer is renowned for creating diverse, different and imaginative fragrances that frequently disrupt and challenge the scented status quo. And this new eau doesn’t disappoint.
Warm, herbal and sensual, the Elixir opens with bright and sharp mint and soothing and earthy lavender notes. Gooey vanilla and balsamic benzoin soon heat things up before being mixed into a blend of sweet and sticky honey, rich and spicy tonka bean and warm and woody tobacco. The overall effect is layered and intense, sensual and animalic, and oh so incredibly sexy. Like the sailors.
This carnal appeal is reflected in Le Male’s iconic bottle as well. Shaped to emulate the male torso, it is copper hued and emblazoned with a sailor’s black horizontal stripes. Grooved lines wind across the form, while a simple, circular ring dangles from atop, replacing perfumery’s traditional topper. As for Gaultier’s famous tin packaging, it has been reinvented with streaks of fine gold, striped with chic amber and plated with the designer’s name in raised black type.
Jean Paul Gaultier, Le Male Elixir Parfum, $168 for 125 ml, available at Shoppers Drug Mart.
