Reviews of Sensuous (2008)
by Estée Lauder

It smells awesome. I found the paper add in a magazine when I was at the gym. It reminded me Armani Sensi may be because of the name and the picture of the bottle. Then, I tried it at a store, it is definitely fantastic. It still reminds me Sensi, but not as powdery as Sensi. Magnolie, jasmine and honey.. combined in a great way. I haven't bought a bottle yet, so I don't know its lasting power, but the paper that I sprayed on still smells after weeks:) Hopefully, it will smell on me for hours.

I bought this blind after reading positive regards to this scent. I'm a definite Amber fiend!

At first spray, there was barely any recognizable floral traces, perhaps the Magnolia, but nothing at all for anyone to be alarmed about to think this may be a flowerbomb. As a matter of fact, this can really come across as foody at first--creamy, I mean REALLY CREAMY. After an hour or so, you finally catch its woody nuances, I'm thinking cedar and patchouli. For a while I was thinking it would be one dimensional and solid like a piece of Werther's candy all the way, but when the woods make an appearance, the magic begins.

It really reminded me of the pastry like, creamy and ambery goodness of Serge Lutens' Douce Amere, though I find Douce Amere much more interesting and less "solidified". Sensuous finishes off with a vanilla-musk trail 6 or so hours later on me. I know I won't wear it too often for fear of gourmand cavities.

One spray will reveal its woody qualities and sensual warm tones. Two sprays or more will give you a sugary headache. Spicy nuances would've been great to add more dimension, like a chai tea note. You can't help but feel so relaxed and at ease with yourself wearing this. Definitely worth a try!

Sensuous is multi-facted and multi-dimensional. Unless you've worn it for a full day, several times, you may have missed an aspect of this intricate fragrance. If applied heavily, Sensuous is jarring in its spiciness; its subtle black pepper note escalates to a scalding smog. If applied judiciously, Sensuous continuously changes over hours of wear; sometimes wafting a sugary note, sometimes exuding hints of lily, and sometimes projecting gentle, balsamy woods. In recent years, I found vanilla-less, dry-warm-wood fragrances only in niche lines. If you love the incense/spice/woods fragrances that have been popular in boutiques, Sensuous might turn out to be a very reasonably priced, gratifying addition to your wardrobe.

A new scent from Estee Lauder that will surely appeal to the masses! This silky smooth fragrance is warm, sweetened amber in a creamy honeyed & peppery base that comes off as softly powdered musk...a skin scent for sure! It's almost got an addictive quality, compelling me to sniff and snorfle my arm where it's resting. (Hopefully, my husband will have the same reaction!) After a few years of pinkish-fruity-patchouli's, this scent is oh so welcome!

I absolutely love the drydown on this. Just the most gorgeous wood, and more beautiful to my nose than some far more expensive niche scents. My husband is very lukewarm on perfumes in general and he said he absolutely loves this, so I got a carded sample for "special occasions." The problem I have is the journey to the drydown. It is far too sweet to my nose, almost cloying. It's possible that the lily is affecting me (I can't stand the scent of lillies) negatively. The only way I could wear this is to spritz myself and then shower (I liked the scent best after a thorough scrubbing). It would almost be worth the waste. All in all, I think this is an excellent new perfume for a company with a long history of excellence, and I would love to see them try a "tea" based scent next.

I sniffed the test strip wet and immediately sprayed my neck and wrists. Wow--delish! This is woods, amber, creamy, lovely! It is subtle. There is nothing offensive or surprising here. This is a nice scent--but nice done very well. This is a year round, round the clock--I slathered myself in 90 degree weather--my coworkers liked it (ok, I'm the boss), but my husband liked it too. I'm not an expert, but I cannot think of many very popular mainstream scents this heavy on the woods--except HDuff w/Love, which is sweeter (fruitier) than this (and I think underrated). I love wood notes, but even checking my subjectivity, I think this will be a mainstream hit.

Sensuous is right! What a lovely new scent from Lauder, a real break from the squeaky clean florals of yesteryear. If molten wood was the brief, this scent delivers! A warm, languid blend of smooth wood notes ... smooth to the point of intoxication. And of course, true to Lauder form, I'm still inhaling from my test strip 3 days later with full force. This is truly a golden scent ... imagine the more mature sister of Bois d'Argent, if you will. However, this entry does prove novel in several ways. Firstly, the obvious break from the syrupy sweet pink scents that currently dominate the market. And secondly, and of slightly more interest to fragrance lovers, Sensuous smells like it could have been born not to the American Queen Mother, but from more humble, niche beginnings. Granted, this scent will not knock the socks off of most scentophiles, but its a gorgeous and comforting perfume which brings a much needed dose of masculinity to the world of female fragrance.