Estēe Lauder
Estēe Lauder
170 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The mandarin strikes immediately, cutting through a velvet tuberose with almost sharp efficiency, whilst lily and rose create a rosy haze around it. Within minutes, the powdery accord becomes apparent—not the synthetic talc of lesser florals, but something softer, more like the bloom on a peach.
Jasmine emerges with quiet insistence as the citrus fades, meeting orange blossom in a creamy, almost buttered harmony. Lily of the valley introduces a dewy, slightly green coolness that prevents the composition from becoming too honeyed, whilst the spiced undertones warm it without dominance.
The woody base—dominated by soft sandalwood—materialises almost apologetically, serving as a cushion rather than a statement. Vetiver's green earthiness bleeds through faintly as the floral heart dissipates, leaving behind a powdery, barely-there skin scent that requires the nose to search for it.
Beautiful Estēe Lauder arrives as a floral arrangement rather than a fragrance—a studied composition that prioritises luminosity over depth. Sophia Grojsman's 1985 creation opens with a peculiar brightness: tuberose and rose jousting for prominence alongside tart mandarin, creating an almost herbal-citric discord before the florals settle. What's immediately apparent is the fragrance's powdery skeleton—that 64% accord isn't subtle, lending the entire composition a soft, talced quality that softens the potentially indolic tuberose and rounds the edges of what could have been a sharper composition.
The heart reveals the designer's restraint. Jasmine and orange blossom layer atop one another without overwhelming, whilst lily of the valley introduces a cool, almost aqueous greenness that prevents the composition from becoming cloying. There's a spiced warmth threaded through (76% spicy accord), though it whispers rather than declares itself—a subtle backdrop rather than a forward player.
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3.9/5 (279)