Estee Lauder will launch Sensuous, a new woody amber fragrance for women, this coming July. Karyn Khoury, Estee Lauder's senior vice president of corporate fragrance development, noted:
We wanted to reinvent woods for women — the concept was to create a scent that evoked a molten river of woods. We felt that we had a real opportunity to broaden our reach with this fragrance.
Sensuous was developed by perfumer Annie Buzantian, and features notes of ghost lily accord, magnolia, jasmine petals, molten woods, amber, sandalwood, black pepper, juicy mandarin pulp and honey.
Estee Lauder Sensuous will be available in 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum, 7.5 ml Parfum (extrait) and in matching body products. (via Women's Wear Daily)
Update: see a review of Estee Lauder Sensuous.
LOL at “smoking river of ash”
This one sounds nice, will look forward to trying it.
This sounds like one to look forward to; my only reservation is the honey.
Do you think EL didn't get in their order for pink pepper in time, and had to make do with black?
This is off topic but I didn't know where to post it. I've been lurking for about a month….LOVE this site! Am a newbie at fragrance, I've worn Ivoire for a billion years and am starting to experiment, get samples, etc. Still not beyond the “pretty, eh, yuck, where'd it go?” categories. (I have fair, dry skin and nothing seems to last very long.)
Anyway, I have a friend flying to and from Paris next week and has offered to stop at duty free and pick up anything I want. Are the prices at duty free better than the discount places on line? Are there scents there that I can't get elsewhere?
I need advice! Also, would authorizing a $60 purchase be realistic?
Thanks. I love reading what all of you write.
I'm so glad to see a perfume that's not just a flanker of another perfume!
But is it just me, or does that bottle look an awful lot like the Chanel Chance bottle?
Hello dsb, which fragrances do you really like?
LOL — I am quite sure that if Estee Lauder wants pink pepper, they get it — but I noticed that too
Hi dsb, and welcome! In my experience, duty free prices are rarely much of a bargain — you can usually do better online. But, your friend might find things you can't easily get in the US. Can't think of anything offhand to recommend, unfortunately. You might try posting a query at MakeupAlley.
Is she going to actually be in Paris? I can think of tons of things you can get in Paris that you can't get here.
It does, and hoping the bottle is more interesting in person.
Dsb, when you want the most recent fragrances then dutyfree might be a good idea and for the not so brand new ones I would go for discounters online.
For 60 Euro you could get many fine fragrances but 60 Usd would limit the choices a bit.
Hi Robin,
Do you have an idea when it will be available in stores?
Thanks!
If the “official” launch is in July, would guess EL counters will have testers some time in June, but that's just a guess. Some brands do “soft launches” long before the “official” launch, some don't, and for the life of me can't remember if Tuberose Gardenia appeared early, on time or late.
Dsb, maybe you will like Givenchy or Nina Ricci or Christian Dior or Rochas.
I got a sample of Tabac Blond which I love and my husband hates! (lol) He likes the old Ivoire and Anais Anais. We both like Bellodgia, Mediterraneo, Max Mara, Joy, Fracas, Arpege. I guess that makes me a flowery girl. Tried Kelly Caleche at Sephora yesterday. I loved it to death but it didn't last too long. Maybe it was just the sample squirt?
I wanted to love Narcisse Noir and Le Parfum de Therese but they sat on my skin like nothing. Au The Vert disappeared as soon as it dried. I've had scented dishwashing soap last longer!
Yes, she is going to be in Paris. She lives there part of the year, poor thing. In NYC the rest of the time. I'd hate her if I didn't love her.
They could do a flanker and call it “Sensuous Volcano”. In all seriousness, I might be reading too much into this, but it sounds like it might be meant for grown women, as opposed to so much of what is out there now. I'm looking forward to trying this. Also nice to think that it won't cost an arm and a leg, since it's an EL product.
I'd leave a comment but I'm really busy right now – there's a molten river of woods PASSING RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW!
I'll check this one out come summer – who knows, it might be interesting.
Just trying to think of some that just don't come off easlly and you may like them or not…Dolce and Gabbana Sicily, Lancome Poeme, Gucci by Gucci, Boucheron Trouble, Laura Biagiotti Roma, Givenchy Amarige,
Just a hunch, but my guess is that this will be a hit.
Hugs!
LOL — Sensuous Volcano is perfect!
Agree, it sounds refreshingly “mature”.
HA — good one!
At first glance, I thought the name of the fragrance was Estee Lauder “Serious”. I thought, “Did Estee Lauder get a sense of humor?”
Oh my gosh, I also thought the “molten river of woods” was way over the top. I picture a boiling river with logs floating in it heading downstream toward the perfume factory. Where do these writers come up with this stuff???
Sounds like the name of the flanker that is sure to follow.
Molten river of woods??? Ouch! Watch those slivers.
Sounds like a very different turn for EL.. I look forward to trying it this summer. Although, I wonder why they are launching a woods perfume in the middle of summer…. I think some women will think it's too heavy just because of the high temp outside. The ad photo is good. It's sexy without being Tom Ford's sense of sexy.
It's summer for the rest of the country, in San Francisco where the average Summer temps are between 55-70, with heavy fog cover, it's winter as far as I'm concerned…..
Dunno! But it seems like I do see “molten” used in fragrance descriptions more often lately. Maybe it's the new “buzz” word?
“Evening/dressy” scents seem so rare lately — that might be kind of nice.
I'd bet on it too, R!
LOL — you guys are vicious on that molten river
True enough! But if you live in San Fran, you are not allowed to complain about anything, ever. (Because you live where I want to.)
Ooh, this sounds good. And jasmine petal sounds promising; I have a hard time with different jasmine notes (most 'buzz' on me) so perhaps this will be a jasmine ?accord?note? that fits nicely with my skin. I'm just so glad to see fragrances that are moving away from the over done fruity-floral-food!
How can they have Gwyneth Paltrow (the least sexy/sensuous actress imaginable) as the face of that fragrance?!
Ooh my bad. I forget I live in a “Destination” city where folks travel from around the globe to see the sights, restaurants, museums, etc!
Exactly. Gwyneth doesn't come to my mind when I hear dark/sensuous.
There are actually 4 women fronting it; the other 3 are Elizabeth Hurley, Carolyn Murphy and Hilary Rhoda. I don't even know who those last 2 are, will have to google.
Agree
Hi dsb, so glad your here. I too am new and have the same concerns and likes as you. I have only heard of a third of all the perfume houses. But I am determined to become a pontificating pillar of perfumery, and apparently hyperbole! ;o)
I hope you can layer EL ravishing raging river of amalgamated woods and the pretty petals potency is not powerful!
Perhaps the subliminal PR message is 'If this perfume can make Gwyneth sensuous, think what it will do for you'. I agree that her image doesn't fit the name.
Carolyn Murphy and Hilary Rhoda are models, and both are current “faces” for Lauder. They regularly appear in their ads. I'm looking forward to this one, too – I am a big fan of most of Lauder's scents, which, even if not wildly inventive, seem to be consistently well done, reasonably priced, and easily available.
Finally motivated to delurk by your two wonderful posts of 3/14. Re: Sensuous. I make it a point to avoid perfumes and restaurants that name themselves with an adjective or verb. Yet I am intrigued enough to stop by an EL counter when Sensuous is available.
I am so grateful for your demystification of fragrance note descriptions. I find myself sometimes straining to smell an accord and believe myself to be lacking.
Bela – I think Glenda Jackson already won that prize. (That's not a slam on Glenda J., who I actually like a great deal.)
I think that I shall never see
A molten river made of trees.
Black pepper beats pink's little nose
So come July, see how it goes.
I would have chosen different season
To launch this, heat being the reason.
Jasmine, amber leaves me wheezin'
It could be great, they may be teasin'
It's interesting to speculate what the studio battle would have been like between Gwyneth and Tom, if he'd still been doing the ads. Can you imagine the look on her face when he tried to get her to clutch the bottle between her (nekkid, naturally) thighs? (Personally, I'd put money on Gwynnie coming out the winner.)
That was awesome.
FYI, Robin, Carolyn Murphy is the face of Bronze Goddess, and way more sensuous than Gwyneth IMO.
Hi and welcome! I know what you mean, but can't bring myself to avoid perfumes because of their names — I'd be left with so few!
Glad you liked the article
*clap clap clap clap*
Thanks! And completely agree on EL.
But I've been shocked by some of the women he's gotten to appear nekkid — remember that whole spread of nekkid celebs (excuse me, that should be “nekkid wimmen”) in some magazine?
[bows] thank 'e kindly
Just a little doggerel for the river of woods perfume
Creative Quinn, could you do this more often?
Hi! Late again to post….. I need more hours in the day so I can check NST more regularly! Ha ha!
I have to say I like everything about this perfume so far… can't wait to smell it…. and have a lot of respect for EL perfumes, generally I like them and find them very wearable albeit too “popular” to be a signature scent.
But I was shocked at my initial reaction to the ad pic you have here – Gwyneth rolling her sleeve up makes me think she is about to shoot herself up with some drugs!?!?!?!??! oh my gosh… i can't believe that was my first thought! I am not a drug taker !
LOL! But it is true, she is supposed to look sexy but just looks uncomfortable or something.
Hmm… White man-style shirt and high-waisted black panties. Interesting visual.
The dune-like effect in the bottle is nice, though the shape does remind me of Chanel Chance.