Estēe Lauder
Estēe Lauder
263 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The floral quartet hits with immediate presence—jasmine's indolic intensity mingles with magnolia's creamy powder and ylang ylang's custard-sweet richness, whilst lily adds a bright, slightly green undertone. Within the first minutes, the black pepper emerges as a spicy counterpoint, preventing the florals from becoming cloying.
As the composition settles, the amber becomes the glue binding everything together, and the florals transform into something warmer, almost honeyed. The mandarin orange nectar begins whispering through—not citrusy, but nectar-sweet—whilst sandalwood creates a woody foundation that lends unexpected elegance. This phase is the fragrance at its most beautifully balanced, floral yet powdery, sweet yet spicy.
The floral details fade, leaving behind a soft woody-amber base infused with residual honey and a gentle pepper dusting. What remains is less fragrance and more a skin scent—intimate and powdery, clinging delicately rather than projecting. By the fourth hour, it becomes a faint, honeyed whisper with subtle spiced wood notes.
Sensuous Estēe Lauder announces itself as a floral that refuses restraint. Annie Buzantian has constructed something genuinely intoxicating here—a white floral quartet of jasmine, lily, magnolia, and ylang ylang that doesn't compete for dominance but rather creates a creamy, almost narcotic mass. The ylang ylang is the culprit: it brings that distinctive custard-like sweetness, whilst the magnolia contributes a soapy, almost powdered edge that keeps the composition from tipping into tuberose territory.
What's remarkable is the amber intervention. Rather than acting as a traditional warm embrace, it dissolves into the florals like honey dissolving into warm milk, amplifying their honeyed facets whilst lending an almost resinous depth. Then comes the black pepper—a crucial counterbalance that arrives without fanfare, cutting through the sweetness with sharp, peppery grains that prevent this from becoming a one-dimensional gourmand.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.5/5 (188)