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Estee Lauder Pure White Linen fragrance review

Posted by Marlen on 8 June 2006 10 Comments

Estee Lauder Pure White Linen perfume

Estee Lauder continues its tradition of updating its classics with its sparkling new rendition of Pure White Linen. With a composition to make your mouth water, this new interpretation is being referred to as “the fragrance to live in all year long” and is sure to please lovers of crisp velvety florals. Notes include grapefruit, mandarin, iced rose tea, raspberry, pear, Granny Smith apple, dewy greens, lily, white freesia, white ginger, cardamom, red tulips, rose absolute, honeysuckle, gardenia, tuberose, jasmine, iris, osmanthus, white cedarwood, patchouli and white heliotropine.

Having never been a huge fan of the original White Linen, I was quite surprised when I first experienced Pure White Linen. The scent opens with a succulent juicy pairing of grapefruit and pear against a complex but well-blended background of white petals. As the scent progresses, the fruity notes begin to relax as echoes of the original White Linen make their appearance — a soft rose, a green leafy note, powdery heliotrope. As the scent develops, it also relaxes, leaving a trail of mostly honeysuckle, lily and again, heliotrope, but here it has an almost almond-like quality.

Overall, Pure White Linen is a definite modernization of the 1978 fragrance superstar. With excellent longevity and sillage, the drydown leaves a subtle trail of summer fruits and blossoms (think fruit tea) that seems much more youthful than the original. Alas, it IS another fruity-floral, and with the pear note, reminds me of such scents as Christian Dior Eau de Dolce Vita, Annick Goutal Petite Cherie and Faconnable Face a Face pour Femme. But I have to admit, it’s one of the best fruity-florals I’ve encountered in a while and at $65 for a 100 ml Eau de Parfum spray (it is also available in 30 and 50 ml), one of the most reasonably priced. If scents like Pure White Linen are any indication of what’s to come at Estee Lauder, I can’t wait to try the new Azuree and who knows what else!

Pure White Linen is available now at Estee Lauder counters and online at esteelauder.

Note: image via Images de Parfums.

Possibly of interest

Estee Lauder White Linen Oud Legacy ~ new fragrance
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Aegea ~ new fragrance
Aerin Tuberose Gardenia ~ new fragrance

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: estee lauder, flanker

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10 Comments

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  1. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 1:00 pm

    Sounds lovely. I am a big fan of White Linen Breeze and am very curious about this one too.

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  2. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 3:06 pm

    I am very much attracted to the heliotrope note. It sounds lovely. I have been wanting to try it lately and now am even more motivated to do so.

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  3. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 3:07 pm

    Oy. This one was a scrubber for me and smelled like a laundry detergent. But wonderful review! ;D

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  4. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 3:50 pm

    What was the note or combination of notes in the original White Linen that made it so caustic? Whatever it was, if it's in this version too, count me out. 🙁

    (I write this as someone who actually wore the original stuff for years, back when it was fashionable to slap people in the face with one's perfume.)

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  5. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 5:56 pm

    The heliotrope here adds a soft powdery background, and then in the drydown lends an almost vanilla/almond sweetness. The original was a sharp rose-aldehyde that I still find very unsettling…but then I don't care for that entire class of fragrances: Chanel #5, Alessandro dell'Acqua, etc…

    marlen

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  6. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 5:56 pm

    This appeals to me. I wish Nordy's in AK had samplers of all the ELs so I wouldn' t have to just buy them. I have a friend who is an extremely glamourous older woman who wore White Linen and the original Azuree and I am exploring these in honor of her glamour, if that makes any sense. I like the idea of a rose and fruit tea as long as it isn't too ordinaire, so I'd like to try this.

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  7. Anonymous says:
    8 June 2006 at 9:29 pm

    This sounds like a much more pleasant concoction than the original. I will giff it a sniff if I happen upon it.

    Scenteur7, I am much the same as you with regards to aldehydes – they are like kryptonite to me. I've never been able to wear #5 & many other perfume classics because of this.

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  8. sabsoob says:
    22 June 2009 at 2:08 am

    i love pure white linen and i wear it to work these days, i didn’t hear any complements nor complains 🙂 i have a feeling that nobody understands this fragrance but this makes me even feel better!
    its the kind of perfume that makes u feel good and clean and lasts all day on clothes.

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    • Robin says:
      22 June 2009 at 10:31 am

      How nice that it suits you so well!

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  9. nightwisp1957 says:
    14 April 2011 at 11:42 pm

    A very grown up perfume that can be used if you really want to impress someone either professionally, or romanticly. It’s fresh as a breathe of clean air. Very classy.

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