Life is sweet. Treat yourself to something delicious... a playful side of pleasures that's simply irresistible. This floral confection blends notes of juicy pomegranate, whipped strawberry meringue and tempting caramel with a sprinkling of sugared rose petals, dewy freesia, white peony and fresh greens. How can you resist?
That's the description of Estee Lauder's new Pleasures Delight, and I have to say it sounds like something I'd have no trouble resisting at all. Strawberry + caramel isn't even vaguely appealing to me (yes, I'm looking at you, Miss Dior Cherie).
But Pleasures Delight was actually something of a pleasant surprise. It is more of an oriental gourmand than the description above implies (other notes include lily, muguet, heliotrope, marshmallow, vanilla and patchouli). I said on Monday that Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet makes a vague nod to Thierry Mugler Angel in the dry down; Pleasures Delight is waving its head in Angel's direction a bit more enthusiastically. But like many of the "spawn of Angel", as I like to think of them, it isn't a slavish copy so much as a variation on a theme, and in this case, the results are immensely likable.
The top notes are sweet, but kept from being achingly so by the tartness of the pomegranate and a little flash of citrus. After that, we get sheer floral notes and more dessert: it smells to me rather like vanilla cake with caramel-sugar icing, dotted with a few strawberry slices and flower petals. It isn't an entirely transparent scent, but still, the foody notes are neither heavy nor cloying, and it wears well in the summer heat.
The base is woody and musky, with a healthy dose of patchouli. If patchouli scares you (and it often does me), Pleasures Delight might not suit you, but the patchouli used here is clean and polished, and only slightly earthy. It adds depth, and anchors the sweet notes without adding any of the disturbing elements that make Angel a love-it-or-hate-it fragrance. Those disturbing elements, of course, are what make Angel sexy. Pleasures Delight doesn't strike me as sexy — playful might be more accurate — but nor does it degenerate into silly, or feel so youthful that a grown woman would have a hard time wearing it.
Pleasures Delight isn't my sort of thing, really, but I like it considerably better than many of the sweet fruity things I've tried recently. I don't suppose it is helpful to say that if it is the sort of thing you'd like, you'll like it? It is worth a try, at any rate.
Estee Lauder Pleasures Delight is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.
Hi Robin,
I sampled Pleasures Delight a few weeks ago and I found it vaguely reminiscient of Angel Innocent. Not my cuppa but I can see how people may like the new Pleasures Delight because it's in the gourmand / sweet /fruity category which is popular with the masses.
Have a wonderful day.
Dawn
It does sound like something that would make one's teeth ache, doesn't it? If I were a bee in an experiment, this is probably something they'd spray on me to see if I would develop an adverse reaction to the associated stimulus (nerdy reference to the article in Nature you mentioned the other day).
Dawn, not my cuppa either, but I'd take it over many of this year's releases. I actually enjoyed wearing it. Don't know why, but I dislike Angel Innocent even more than Angel.
LOL — another way to diet, I guess. It really isn't that terribly sweet. I wore it next to Miss Dior Cherie and there is no comparison — MDC just has nothing in the base to temper the sugar.
It isn't too sweet to me. It's dessert foods and fruits, but not pure sugar. The tester I had was of course left in those heat lights and abused as most testers are. So it smelled spoiled, but the magazine scent was pretty good. It's playful and a tad innocent sexy. Maybe flirty as well… I like the add too, I think it fits the perfume.
Yes, the ad fits the perfume perfectly — and I'll go for “innocent sexy” as well
This:
“Pleasures Delight isn't my sort of thing, really, but I like it considerably better than many of the sweet fruity things I've tried recently.”
…sums up my feelings about Pleasures Delight perfectly.
It is nicely done, glad we agree!
“yes, I'm looking at you, Miss Dior Cherie”
LOL
I just sampled Pleasures Delight in my magazine yesterday,at first i kinda liked it but smelled it again and again and then found it still too floral for me,the ad is so pretty though.
funny you mentioned miss dior cheri,at first i loved it then the sample strip was in my purse and gave me such a headache that there was no return for more.
MDC does not agree with me
Do you usually find the mag. scent strips to wear the same as the “real” perfume? I rarely do, so don't usually bother to try them that way at all.
Yes very true, will try it on when i get to the big city.
I really expected to like this new pleasures, since the original is one of my favorite perfumes. This wasn't really what I expected either, and I didn't quite like it. I actually found it a bit strong. But maybe I will give it another try.
It is true that it has almost nothing to do with the original. I didn't find it that strong, exactly, but it certainly packs more of a punch than Pleasures.
Does anyone find that it smells suspciously like Chanel Coco Mlle? They have the same base. But Iinstead of the fresh (albeit sweet) lychee top notes in Coco Mlle, EL Pleassures Delight has that annoying strawberry note in the beginning. In any case, Pleasures Delight smells so close to my mother's staple (Coco Mlle) that she pestered me to buy Pleasures Delight for her as a slightly cheaper alternative to the Coco Mlle!
Will have to try them together one of these days — didn't think of Coco Mlle right away. So many of these are working with the same fruity-sweet palette that it isn't surprising they remind everyone of another scent…
I love this one! this is my all time fav!
Glad to hear from another fan
This one’s probably my favorite! I wasn’t expecting to like it, but then there you go. My fiance adores it too, and seriously, that so rarely coincides. I’m not one for all this snobbery over the “gourmand / sweet /fruity category which is popular with the masses.” If I like it, I like it. If I don’t, I don’t. It is true that I generally dislike things that become popular, especially if I’ve been wearing them. I’m silly like that.
It’s really well done, & don’t see any reason why anybody shouldn’t like it!
Yes this used to be the “One” for me and men would stop me and ask me what I was wearing, it was before I switched to Sensous and then Sensous Noir and now may be off to Sensous Nude as well though that does smell a bit too sweet maybe.