Léonie by Maison Alhambra

A perfume from another world. The trail is brutal and lasts all day. It’s 95% identical to YSL, so I saved myself $200, which makes me very happy with the purchase.

Beautiful, elegant and well-attired, it’s very well crafted. Obviously it’s a dupe of Libre, which my mum owns and adores. We shouldn’t expect a perfume worth 10% of the original to surpass it, but its performance is excellent. Am I insisting on the price? It’s laughable; I’ll buy it again and again.

On me, it smells like funeral deodorant and gave me a migraine, although it lasted forever. I gifted it to my mum and on her it’s gorgeous, very elegant and youthful. At 68, she looks super up-to-date and stylish. I think it’s ideal from age 20 onwards. It’s a pity it doesn’t work on my skin, but it’s beautiful. I wouldn’t recommend buying it blindly, but I’ll gift Leonie Intense to my mum in the future.

It’s impossible not to link it to YSL Libre; it’s a very well-made dupe. The differences I notice are: longevity (the original lasts longer, this lasts 4-6 hours, though it sticks to clothes), the lavender (in Libre it’s a clean, unisex touch, here it’s greatly reduced or barely noticeable), and the vanillas (in Libre they are creamy and natural, here they are sweeter, sometimes I detect coconut or frangipani, so in summer they can be a bit overwhelming, whereas Libre with its cedar and musk is fresher). I don’t detect petit grain or blackcurrants on my skin. Leonie is more piercing due to the orange blossom, tangerine peel and a spicy touch of jasmine. Libre has more balance and quiet elegance. Leonie is more striking, feminine and sweet, like Arab culture versus the modern French style of Libre. Both are good, each with its own charm. If you want to smell like Libre, use Libre, but Leonie is to my taste; I bought the 30ml bottle and happily used it all. You don’t need to pay $120-180 for marketing and status; buy Leonie for $10-22, it’s lovely, enjoyable and you won’t regret it. Spray yourself in it and walk out like a goddess!

This perfume needs maceration. When I opened it, I was scared; it smelled acrid and sharp, saturating the nose. I couldn’t stand more than two sprays and it was repulsive. I left it for a few weeks and tried it again. It changed immensely, becoming kinder and more blended. I don’t know if it’s the liquid or my perception, but it was the most drastic thing that happened to me. Now I use it and it’s pleasant, though it didn’t fascinate me. It smells elegant and professional, but too musky for me.

Bold… its similarity to Libre is incredible. I have a decant of Libre and bought Leonie because it’s more economical, but it’s a great option. On my skin, it lasts about 8 hours, just like Libre.

It resembles Libre a lot, but the trail and longevity in my wife’s first uses were very low. I’ll keep testing it, but it’s nowhere near the potency of the original.