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I.ArqAnia – :
Last Spring I sprayed Estee on while browsing the Estee Lauder counter at Macy’s. It was not the scent I owned in the iconic Pineapple shaped bottle. With only a little left from before 2008, I was hoping to repurchase this parfum as it’s one of my all time favorites. I’ve been wearing it since the late 80’s. The newer scent and bottle were very disappointing. I decided to try it again after reading reviews of EL hearing their customer complaints and reviewers stating that in July EL may rerelease the Old scent in place of the awful one. I am pleased to say that my new bottle that I just purchased is enough the same for me, though not quite as oily or strong, but strong enough. I am happy with it and thankful they have retired the other scent they kept telling me was the same.
edl289Unlogrere – :
Having grown up in Dallas, Texas , Estee , is the epitome of a sophisticated Dallas lady probably driving not a Mercedes, but the latest Cadillac . She is on her way to her weekly visit to the hair dresser, which will be followed by lunch at the country club . If she has enough time after these events, she will head to Neiman’s to look at the new collection of coats for winter .
This is a fragrance for a woman who is totally polished, confident , and probably a super achiever . This fragrance is one of a kind . It is for a woman IN HEELS and STOCKINGS who would never think of leaving her home looking like a slob in public view . She knows how to present herself and is comfortable in her own expensive leather heels .
I do love this one and have enjoyed wearing it . It is very long lasting and has great sillage and smells SOPHISTICATED . No pralines, marshmallows, carame, or anemic floral and spices. You can’t go wrong with this classic .
May I add that if you are younger and want a classic floral , check out Beautiful by EL. It is so pretty and has great appeal to men . I was walking in a store recently when I was shopping and a young man walked over to me and said “ Mam , your perfume smells wonderful . “ ) And I am a grandma .
nbvtyygibi – :
Estée Super EDP is a bit of a loveable curiousity. A floral aldehyde which is both effervescent and warming. Born in 1968, she doesn’t fit my image of that turbulent era – Vietnam War, the Rolling Stones releasing Sympathy for the Devil, mini skirts and Richard Nixon. Estée is Old School Glamour, not a rebellious hot head. But perhaps by NOT fitting in, she did in fact reflect the 60’s fight for individuality. Maybe that’s why I love her now – she’s the antithesis of what is current. Estée would kick La Vie Est Belle’s butt in a show down. And do it in 6 inch heels with not a hair out of place.
Before I encourage any other individualists out there to blind buy Estée I should warn you – while she is simply gorgeous, she’s super strong and unusual. Try before you buy.
Some reviewers have said that Estée is best in hot weather, but I bought it on a cool rainy day and found it warm and soothing, but, conversely, also invigorating. That’s Estée Super EDP – she just doesn’t fit the norm. There is an effervescent quality (probably the aldehydes) at first, but the carnation and other spicy scents dominate the whole for most of the life of the fragrance on my skin, which is 8 + hours. The honey note keeps the spices from becoming too sharp until the end stages when it has a slightly unpleasant metallic quality in the dry down. Overall however, I love this rebellious girl.
BessePayoxtax – :
My nose has matured over the years and Estee is proof. I used to think she was a horrible, dusty, heavy, and suffocating perfume. Over the last two or three years, however, I have realized I love aldehydes, so I re-sampled it today. I don’t know what was wrong with me! This is so sparkling and light, like champagne. It also leaves a squeaky clean scent behind that just smells so nice.
Not blind buy safe, unless you know for sure where your tastes lay.
I also do not think Estee is close to Halston Classic, which I wear all the time.
rfnz – :
I love this scent! It’s sophisticated but pretty and sort of effervescent. There’s a bubbly champagne quality at the beginning that fades then the flowers, a bit of sweetness and soapiness bloom. The oakmoss in this is understated and not overwhelming. I’ve heard people say it’s more an older woman’s scent but hey I’m over 35…by one year.
I’m glad someone awake with me, I stay its on a cotton ball and wear in my bra gives just enough projection. I agree that less is more! This is strong so you don’t need a lot.
My mom doesn’t like many scents but she likes this so I wear it to church and events. And maybe today just because 🙂
kommentarii-k-gpk – :
Thanks yu este Lauder plz no jenge this perfume.my miniature for ever
FriendLauren – :
Currently wearing the vintage of the Super Parfum from a miniature that a very generous friend sent my way. Aldehydes, this is all about aldehydes and I adore it. The oakmoss and aldehydes allude to you No. 5s and other such fragrances of the time, but this one is quite different. Most of those types of fragrances had a distinctly animalic quality to them whereas this one does not, which is odd. On one hand, it could provide Estee Super with a bit of back bone but it doesn’t really need it. There’s a slightly fruity sweetness and a bit of jasmine & orris root providing a classic white powdery quality, not unlike scented body products or those vintage powders you could find that were labelled ‘unscented’ but still had a scent. Rose helps it become a garden, with honey just making it a bit sweet without making it nauseating. Burnt woods, resinous tree bark and a garden of white flowers and carnations. Quite interesting, makes my stomach rumble (some fragrances do this… am I alone on this?)
elochkinigry – :
This review is for the vintage Super EDP strength, which is quite a rich amber colour, not pale like the modern version. It’s a great, luscious, rich but bright floral. Someone else said it’s like champagne and I think that’s true, thanks to the fizzy aldehydic opening. Its floral heart is floral like a great, rich white wine is floral and it dries down sweetly. I hardly ever wear this but why, I’m not sure, as it always garners compliments, usually of the ‘amazing’ variety. A beautiful fragrance that reminds me of the original White Linen and original Oscar – light, bright, feminine and rich without sourness.
YannieLee73 – :
I have the older formula in the same bottle as picture and i also have the newest bottle i sprayed the older one on my left arm and the newer one on my right the new one seemed a little stronger at first six hours later i can not smell the older formula but i still keep getting wiffs of the new bottle so all these people moaning about the new stuff i cant see why also the newer bottle looks farmore classy then the older bottle so folks i wouldnt pay over the odds on ebay for the older formula the new stuff is great
ZAYZ666 – :
I love @jeffandgoldie’s review. I’m just glad I didn’t try this in its vintage formula. I recently hit the Macy’s 15% off cosmetic/fragrance sale to pick up cosmetics and they offered a gift with $35 purchase by EL. It had a lipstick I wanted so I went to check out EL. My mom wore Youth Dew and I have never been a floral person, so I stayed away from Beautiful. I saw this and checked the reviews on Macy’s and then here. Her review convinced me.
And right she is. Fresh, classic, sparkling. I think of sun dried linens after being washed in a sparking floral scent. Clean. Yet so elegant. The aldehydes really put it up there! I’ve become the ultimate homebody when I get the chance. I have a super comfy home, equipped with a great couch in front of a fireplace, gym and great surroundings. We are so busy in the late summer with parties and travel that lounging around on the weekend after working out is just divine. I can see this perfume become part of that overall experience.
I’ve never experienced something as bright yet warm in a comforting way. Like others, I think of sunshine, yet I don’t see this as just a summer perfume. I see it working on a bright, sunny, cold, crisp day. Like that feeling you get when it’s cold outside but you are letting the sun hit you to warm your face. So glazed to have ventured out of my comfort zone with this. Being a warm weather South Florida gal, I dislike winter. This actually makes me look forward to those bright cold days.
ser328 – :
Along with my review, I want to respond to :PricklyAndHot…PricklyAndHot says:”Because of the coriander note mixed with the floral note this fragrance smells like floral honey a lot, but not in the pleasant way. I was happy to spray it on the blotter, but not on me,” I am sorry she did not ever make it from blotter to her own body…This is why…
I met Estee in 1982 and have been blessed by the meeting…I smelled this on my ‘mother in law to be’ and was so excited! I never wanted to leave the room she was in!
The scent radiates off of body heat and smells so different then if one just smells on paper…Seems the more active you become, different effects come out, in which one just would not smell otherwise…as heavy of a scent it seems to be, Estee’ just loved Summertime for it brought out her inner and outer beauty.Yes, Estee blooms to it’s fullest capability in the kind of heat that makes one sweat!It seems to mingle with one’s own body odors to make you smell delicious as if you just stepped out of a shower from washing with expensive French soap!!Yet,still… Estee is so very comforting, in the coldest of winter days!Bringing to mind the hope of warm weather again one day!It is a mood elevator for sure!
This remained my signiture scent for many years to come.
On that first day ever smelling this magnificent radiant frag… (it was gifted to me to take home, TO try on myself to make sure it was a good one ‘on’ me)…(I was using Glorious and Amour Amour(Jean Patou) mostly during that time)
I put this on and it spread it’s sunshine! A glistening yet, classy beauty, through the apt I was living in.”wow! What’s that beautiful smell?” was asked, from a couple of people in the other end of apt!
As I went about trying that first day, First spray being a huge blast of Aldehides then tuberose, Jasmine, rose, ylang all seem to come out in a loud but gentle naturally sweet cloud, almost how Arpege comes in, but transforms into it’s beauty pretty fast…!?
I don’t get anything fruity or lemon like, as some say here, yet, have sensed a tiny hint of civet for some reason?(right before the dry down.it comes & goes so quickly…I don’t know if this really ever had civet in it, though…but through the whole experience I only get the civet one second, within the transformation to dry down, so please anyone disliking civet do not trust my nose that it is even there…
(May be a mix of some combo of things, giving off that scent to me only?)
While going about a day a mild gentle breeze would bring wafts to my nose of a touch of ‘very slightly’ spiced,floral bouqet within a fresh clean soap & hints of outside green smells with very slightly wood backround..Woods barely there but a very light good ‘expensive wood’ base…Within this soapy clean, gently floral & green( like freshly cut grass scent, mingling in through it all…Just enough tiny hint of powder (just enough to be soothing to the mind, but never choking you!
I didn’t even care what the ingredients were , but knew, I never wanted to stop smelling this.I got many compliments through out the days of wearing this beauty…
One day in a huge mall parking lot a man was yelling and running for me to stop!Yelling to me ” miss please, stop, wait!!” …We watched him run through 5 isles of cars, to get to me and my girlfriend as we were getting into my car! He was out of breath and apologizing for bothering us, but told us he smelled the most beautiful scent when the wind blew and it was leading him to me! My friend and I looked at each other like , “right!” (As it could be a good opening line), but soon saw, this man was pulling out pen and paper asking what perfume I had on as he must have it for his wife! Well, that day, not only had I doused myself with Estee first thing after shower, but a touch of Halston & wild musk too, which I kept out on my tray!!(Estee was kept in box , put away carefully at all times, never left to the elements, therefore the fumes I left out on dresser i did spray on before leaving, figuring what could it hurt?Estee would enhance anything as far as I thought! ” I told the parking lot man all three perfumes…He wrote them down…Thanked us asking us to not think he was a nutcase! I understood well, as I would have done the same…lol!
My friend told me what she smelled most on me was the Estee’ & believed that was the main attraction! She always wore Ambush very lightly at that!She laughed at me for her children & husband always knew when I had been to their home, because Estee lingered long after I was gone!
Years later 51 yrs old, my 11 year old daughter, walked past me and smelled wonderfully fresh and clean, looking radiant…I told her so…weeks went by and she always smelled so wonderful!
During this time I thought I forgot quite a few times to put my Estee back where I kept it, assuming age was setting in…only to find, it was way lower in juice then it should have been!I needed a new bottle and fast! This time as my daughter walked by going down the street to a friends house, I realized she smelled like the clean soapy part of Estee’! I asked if she has been using my Estee’ and she told me right away, ‘yes’ as I always let her use my perfumes.She thought with each compliment on her smelling pretty, I was saying “okay you may use my Estee!!”
I purchase another bottle plus my daughter got me one for my birthday) but had I known my next bottle after that, would be during the oakmoss ban in effect, I would have purchased hundreds of dollars worth of this gorgeous stuff to put away for me and my daughter!
Although, I started out with the parfum spray, I cannot express the panic I felt trying to find what I preferred(super cologne spray…1.85oz.! No stores had it!I called the company…wrote to the company! Begged The house of Estee’ to help me as “I was getting very depressed!” I realized I must have sounded like a crazy person! The women on phone tried acting as a therapist…She consoled me…telling it has happened to her with her favorite, suggesting to get it on Ebay! I went to Ebay only to find, my 25 dollar fume was now 100 dollars for a bottle!I ended up with less then half bottle of very well kept Estee’.I questioned seller so much as I paid 60 dollsrs for a very small amount , yet hers looked the right color etc… I Rather have less of a bottle in good usable condition then one full bottle of rancid perfume…I still have it and wear it sparingly!I needed it today , therefore I ended up writing a review…
Yes my daughter got a couple sprays one day when needing a lift at 19 years of age now, but she understands it’s for severe days only!
I believe this is one of the most therapeutic & stunning, perfumes of all times, along with Jean Patou’s Amour Amour(the one made before 1984) & to top it off, it lasts until the next day for most people I have spoken to…
The projection is unbelievable, which I know is not always appreciated in todays society, but I grew up in a time when strong smells were appreciated…When real patchouli was worn alone…When one could not even smell all the cigs being smoked, for so many other strong smells were in the air! Infact clothing stores had seats with ash trays so a couple can shop while one sits and smokes…I would smell perfumes on clothing brought home, but never cigs, that is how boldly different the scents were back then!
One thing before closing is most think Estee, and youth dew are mature perfumes, yet I took baths in youth dew oil at 5 yrs old as a treat at grandma’s house…I would walk in my home, after school , knowing right away, my gram had been there and left while her youth dew lingered heavily in the air…
My 11 year old smelled young and clean in Estee’ without any of her friends or mine disliking the way she smelled…ESTEE FITS ANY AGE! It’s as delightful as a sunshine filled day!!Carefree, happy and youthful or mature, depending on who is wearing it!! Also, Estee enables an older woman to feel young & full of life!I don’t see how anyone would not feel good and at peace wearing this, in a world which is becoming more uptight & difficult to live in! I suggest this for men too! Young and old.To me it’s about the oakmoss.
I cannot imagine trying the new formulation due to lack of oakmoss…Knowing’ is my second love in the house of Lauder.I wear it a lot now in place of Estee for a Beautiful amount of Oakmoss is in that one!!…a gorgeous well made perfume yet, cannot bring myself to try the ‘new formmula’ and the vinatge is better priced on Ebay to get ‘Knowing’ then afford Estee’…What pulled these scents together to be such big hits to me, is the oakmoss…What could they be without it?How can they manage to last a whole day plus, with hardly any oakmoss?
I feel blessed to have lived during times of less restrictions on so many things, especially perfumes…So many uplifting ,sensual & real fragrances made with so much care using natural elements from mother Earth…
Instead of continuing in mourning, I keep trying to find decent replacements, but nothing compares to our vintage fragrances, so far…I do not have any new loves that last, only likes on new perfumes, just not worth the money for an hour or less of love…
A1402aLEX – :
I used to be a menace with this stuff! Also with Beautiful…still love them both!
siee – :
Very sweet on me. It has a metallic note which I do not like. As a whole I like it.
avalonion – :
Just want to say i love Estee Pure fragrance,and as some have said it cheers you up when you need it!…I have not tried any after jan 2008 because the ones i have are that and before and i just bought one on ebay from 2006.
It seems back in 2008 there was a huge industry change in EU that banned some often used natural ingredients that made our beloved scents last longer and smell wonderful….I also was a Tova signature fan and the same thing happened with her scent….She has a cult following and most knew right away the difference but it was the same with her as Estee lauder saying the formulation did not change..Hello we are not stupid and we most certainly knew something was different whether it was natural ingredients banned (there reason was because they give people allergies but synthetics dont lol) and synthetics used instead which i guess they could keep the formula the same substituting synthetic instead of natural and imo would change the scent and staying power….Why they didn’t just tell people what really happened is mind boggling to me….They just keep saying nothing has changed so its all in your head which is really really messed up!.
I have some of the newer tova and its just ok nothing like it used to be and i am guessing the newer Estee is probably the same…I wear Estee daily now and as many know you dont need much and you smell wonderful all day and night.
Does anyone know what yr they discontinued the Estee Pure Fragrance spray?.
kula4ok_88 – :
Gwenz-
Rest assured, the new bottle is just barely similar to the vintage. There is less in the bottle, it is more expensive, and it lasts less than 4 hours on the skin. What a tragic sort of thing Estée Lauder has done to “The House of Lauder”. Reviewers complain about every single generic square bottle and the liquid inside. Estee was ME.
Can someone tell me—do you regularly wear the vintage (2007 and earlier), and where do you get it?
ogarman – :
I have a vintage mini-sized bottle of the super-cologne, and Oh my gosh, does it ever smell good! No idea why this is classified as a floral, when the aldehydes and oakmoss are so front and centre and so utterly disarmingly delicious. I do get some floral notes but so mixed with the dominant notes they are very much supporting actors and not in the lead roles at all. It is strong stuff, one quick spray on my forearm stays with me for a good eight hours.
I have found towards the end of that time there is a slightly off-note of, well, decaying vegetation, is the closest I can describe it, maybe it’s the age of the bottle I have? But it’s not strong or intolerable, I will be interested to see if I get the same note when I test a new bottle.
9/10 & a new love.
resmadan – :
It seems that EL is turning Estée only in the Super Cologne version. For you the people who like this form, is a good piece of news, but for we the people who like the Pure Parfum version is just terrible. Hope they will make their minds up and bring back the Perfume version. The discontinuation of Estée would be a real tragedy. And something surprinsingly silly for Estée Lauder – who seems to have had more respect for its own heritage and customers than many other perfume houses, although older and presumably fancier- to do.
timoss13 – :
I’m blessed to have found tow bottles of the pineapple shape, like the one in the picture above. They are also Super Eau de Parfum. There was som old stock in the shop, who also selling the new rectangular shape line. I didn’t try the new packaging and juice, but this pineapple shape seems to be discontinued as I assume. So I went immediately and purchase. Last night and this morning wearing it, and I think it is a day perfume, not any day, a sunny one, the sun rays will heat it ,either on your skin or clothes, and the air around you will be filled with the Aldehydic top note for hours, but those playful aldehydes won’t be alone, they will be carrying all the perfume notes, from top of the pyramid to its base, and all that 60’s/70’s nostalgic vibes will be playing in a gentl Tornado, soft but in a rebellious Flower-Children way. It came from the eras where everything was changing drastically in the whole universe, so don’t expect a Belle Époque kind of scent, that criteria in Estée Lauder portfolio is saved for Youth Dew alone.
Longevity: 10/10 + longer lasting Aldehydes (this is rare in new or even vintage formulas).
I just wish EL will preserve this formula, I don’t mind if the bottle is changing, what really matter is that Madame Estée Lauder will be sleeping in piece realizing that her masterpiece gem is well preserved.
seum – :
I love Estee. Yes, it’s not commonplace for a 30 something to wear it (not that I care about that but you know what I mean) but it’s clean and fresh and just gorgeous. If you love white linen or the powder dry down of youth dew you will probably like this aswell.
saharu – :
Cubby:
So I’ve seen the Estée in the super cologne in the original bottle(not square ) on a website and the super perfume in a square bottle on the EL website which one were you interested in because isn’t the perfume the one that most people want? In the original bottle? That’s the only one I’ve had.
djon7601 – :
I don’t remember the bottle being a pineapple shape. I use to have the spray in the eau de parfume back in the 70s and I think the bottle was smooth but the same shape, weird. My best friend used to wear White Linen but I liked the sweetness of Estee! Don’t know if I should order Estée in the new bottle (square and boring ) so disappointing that a nicer bottle wasn’t created for a great classic fragrance! Plus all the other classics have the same bottle. Has anyone tried the new Estée in the super perfume?!! Should I get it?!
soeinfach – :
Well, hello Estee the monster. Handle with care, 1 spray goes a looong way. Opens with alot of dark but fresh aldehydes. Fresh and mature mix with unsweet flowernotes, coriander and woodsy notes. Maybe not for a teenager, but sure a scent for the woman who knows her place best in the middle of all action. bold,warm, flirty and elegant. Estee is like no other scent I have tried. Its lovely if you go easy with her. And with the dark flowernotes – I dare to say its unisex – I think a man who loves dark flowers and aldehydes will fall for Estee.
Tja, hallå Monstret Estee. Hanteras varsamt, 1 sprejning håller i många, många timmar. Öppnar upp med massor av mörka men fräscha aldehyder. Fräsch och vuxen mix med osöta blomnoter, koriander och tränoter. Kanske inte för en tonåring men absolut för den medvetna kvinnan som trivs med att vara mittpunkten överallt. Vågad, varm, flirtig och elegant. Estee är unik och inte som alla andra. den är ljuvlig om du hanterar den väldigt försiktigt. Jag tycker även att den är unisex- då den har mörka blomnoter. De män som gillar mörka blomnoter bör testa Estee och gilla den rejält.
mariachi13 – :
So gorgeous perfume ! Estee = in french ” le luxe dans toute sa splendeur ! “.Thanks so much Estée Lauder for this great american perfume creation !
boxer03 – :
Well, for those who’ve been to the EL website, you’ll see that the bottle has not changed. One has to read the description to find out the formulation. When I’ve chatted with consultants, they’ve said it has been confusing. My bottle has a batch code of A76 (I think). It was bottled in July of this year. And the name super eau de parfum has remained the same, I always wore the pure fragrance spray so this is a little different but most of the original Estee is back.
Edit: Nope, the original isn’t even there, after they claim to have returned to the original formulation. A very generous Fragrantican has sent me the vintage bottle and THIS is what I loved. What a delight to wear it today, 5/13/17.
zakryvashka779 – :
Despite a not unpleasant fragrance, this isn’t for me. It reminds me very much of a primary school teacher, motherly, proper, clean and safe. Not sexy or sweet, not naive or daring…kind of the mom of perfumes.
Edit: I find I like this way more after the dry down, at first its too adelhydic but after a few hours its kind bod a nice effervescent floral.
saxa – :
Look what I found!
This was my older sister’s perfume and the first I ever smelled when I was very little.
At the time I didn’t like it and smelled too “grown up” and “mature”.
It was terribly old fashioned with aldehydes florals and woods.
But when I wore it age 42 I thought it was absolutely beautiful and finally “get it”.
This is the 1st major Estee Lauder fragrance.
Everything about this scent is perfection.
The opening is aldehydes of fresh clean projection, citrusy, and peachy, fruity. A raspberry scent sweetens it up along with the fruit notes.
The opening is my favorite part. It seems to have something old and something new.
The old aldehydes are familiar aldehydes from fragrances like No. 22 by Chanel or No. 5. To me however this opening is closer to smelling like the opening to First by Van Cleef & Arpels.
The floral notes are powdery and heady, fragrant and sweet. There’s roses, lilies, carnations, jasmines, ylang ylang, and tuberose. I have to say that this is mainly a white floral scent. I love tuberoses, white roses, and lilies.
While not 100 percent realistic to white florals – which can smell like vanilla – this has a soapiness to it which is actually very nice. It’s fresh, soapy, clean, like a bath product. If this was an actual soap or body lotion, I would be all over it.
Nothing about it is deep Oriental or musky, it’s a simple, sweet, soapy clean scent.
It’s a bit reminiscent of the later Estee Lauder White Linen, with more floral notes, but with the same white floral clean fresh linen or laundry aura.
The scent’s white florals settle down and they turn into a light cedar wood note and a moss scent. This goes from aldehydic floral to chypre.
The fragrance was done with love and care, with attention to detail, and the result is a gorgeous fragrance.
Superb longevity, sillage, perfume cloud, etc.
Casual and unassuming, a perfume to wear throughout your work day. I have worn this to work as a school teacher.
It can be rather powerful if you spray liberally so all I do is spray twice on my neck.
Estee Lauder was invested in this fragrance and it turned out to be at the time her big success and entry into the perfume market.
Today the Estee Lauder line takes in millions of dollars in net worth.
And it all goes back to this beautiful fragrance.
Today you can wear the original on sites like ebay and the reformulation is very similar to the orignal.
v-sizov25 – :
Let Me Take You Back In Time Via My Memories
1968
There I was. I was already a mother, and my husband was working as a college professor of world history. At the time, I had to quit my own job as a substitute teacher in order to raise my 1st child, my daughter Karen. Often times I would go to the campus where my husband taught and feel rather like I could have been the mother of any of those girls who smelled of clean soapy florals. They had bright futures ahead of them and they were not shy about things like protesting or playing guitars in public places. There was a sort of hippie movement in the UK as well as there was in America.
It was the Swinging 60’s in London and the bolder girls wore the tightest tops, the shortest micro mini skirts and would often get attention with as little minute details as their eyelashes and little bit of glitter on their eyebrows. Barbra Streisand popularized that eye make up but most of the aspiring fashionistas wanted to look like Twiggy and dressed in baby doll dresses showing their legs. I hated that my husband had to look at these girls every day!
One afternoon my husband was sitting next to a girl after class and I caught them in the middle of a lesson. After she left, her perfume had somehow rubbed off on him. I think she had sprayed it on her sweater or arm and it had come into contact with my husband’s arm. The fragrance was quite pretty but it was already fading away during the drive home. I was intrigued by the perfume and told my husband to ask the young lady what perfume she wore. When he reported back to me that it was a fragrance by Estee Lauder, all I had to do was place an overseas order, a Estee Lauder was an American based perfume. I was always very fond of American fragrances i.e. Elizabeth Arden, Revlon, so now I was eager to welcome a new fragrance into my life.
Estee is an aldehydic floral chypre created with a traditional formula of aldehydes, citrus, fruit, florals and woods. More than anything it wears like a very clean soap. I have the Super Eau de Parfum atomizer. The first spritz is aldehydes aldehydes aldehydes, keeping the scent in a bright spirit and utterly feminine. The aldehydes are not at all like Chanel No. 5. I would compare this to the aldehydes in First by Van Cleef & Arpels or the aldehydes in Arpege. The sweet citrus courtesy of a lemon emerges after the aldehydes begin to subside. Lemony and fresh, sweet. Then I thought I smelled a peach scent. It’s fruity but it’s passive and doesn’t last very long. It makes for a decent opening but the opening and the top notes are dominated by aldehydes. I’m accustomed to aldehydic fragrances and love them but if you don’t, beware and stay away from this aldehyde blast. Once you get past the aldehydes everything is very pleasant.
Then there is an infusion of fragrant floral scents. Iris, rose, carnation, tuberose, lilies. Beautifully floral. Not too many flowers but enough to keep you engaged and interested. The flower are detectable individually but some are stronger than others. This smelled an awful lot like carnation to me the first time I wore it. Other times my nose was seduced by the aroma of lilies and tuberose. The white flowers are clean, soapy, and just the slightest bit like White Linen, which would not be released until the following decade. All in all, it’s a clean floral smell, and soapy, sweet, innocent and youthful.
The fragrance turns into woods progressively as the florals settle down. There’s moss, lots of moss and cedar wood and styrax, a lot like