Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
03/01/2022
Oriane
133 Reviews
Oriane
4
A Lush, Fresh Bouquet of Summer Flowers and a Smidge of Fresh Summer Fruit
Beautiful is a floral fragrance launched in 1985. The perfumers are Sophia Grojsman, Bernard Chant, and Max Gavarry.
Top Notes: Rose, Galbanum, Lily, Black Currant, Fruity Notes, Mandarin Orange, Cassia, Bergamot, Lemon
Heart Notes: Carnation, Tuberose, Marigold, Mimosa, Jasmine, Narcissus, Chamomile, Ylang-Ylang, Geranium, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom, Lilac, Magnolia, Freesia, Pink Violet, Sage, Neroli
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Vetiver, Cedar, Vanilla
Firstly, I am surprised no one else has submitted a review of this lovely floral fragrance in the EDP formulation before now. I have always felt that Estee Lauder fragrances were beautiful and a good value. My favourites are Private Collection, Cinnabar, and Youth Dew. Somehow, I never came to own Beautiful Eau de Parfum until quite recently. Now that I have tried it, I realise I have smelt this before any number of times. My bottle is a recent formulation, so I cannot address how the vintage may have smelt and whether or not this fragrance has changed all that much since it was first introduced, but all fragrances are reformulated roughly every five years, so I am sure this one has been reformulated many times for better or worse.
Speaking for the current formulation, this is a pretty floral fragrance that is well blended. I find it very difficult to pick out individual notes, but I do detect a fairly strong, fresh vetiver that rises up from the base into the top notes and then begins to die down once the heart begins to fully open and the fruit makes its entrance. I detect perhaps a bit of rose and a bit of carnation in the top notes. None of the florals really stand out that much apart from the others for me. Compared to my favourite Estee Lauder fragrances, I find Beautiful to be a light, airy floral with a dollop of fresh red fruit--it reminds me somewhat of Givenchy L'Interdit in its heart, and in the deep dry down it reminds me of Clinique Aromatics Elixir. Although I am wearing it for the first time in February, I think Beautiful would make a lovely Spring and Summer fragrance and could be worn both during the daytime and the nighttime. It is fresh and innocent smelling to me. I can see why brides might choose this as a wedding day fragrance. It is a reminder of Spring's eternal joyful return and thus of youth.
Beautiful will work in virtually any setting from office to classroom to church occasions to brunch to a recital to a shopping spree to a funeral, to a wedding, and just about anywhere else you can think of. Well done florals such as this are universally applicable to virtually any setting/occasion. This is definitely a woman's fragrance as far as I am concerned. I do not imagine many men would want to wear this one. I cannot say it smells uber expensive, but it certainly smells nicer than many fragrances you might find at the chemist, and it is certainly more complex and a bit more expensive smelling than most body sprays.
Personally, as far as florals go, I like this more than Jean Patou Joy which is drier and sharper. If you like Joy, then I think you will like Beautiful, too, maybe even more. To my nose, Joy is mainly fresh albeit sharp roses. Beautiful is a full, lush, fresh bouquet of many flowers, and it has a very light natural smelling sweetness to it--no candy floss or pastries here. I detect a bit of red fruit (watermelon?) in this fragrance, too, which may be a source of the sweetness in it. I can imagine anyone from 15 to 80+ wearing this fragrance well. I would be happy to have my 15 year old daughter wear this (if I had one), and I cannot say that about too many fragrances. I do not see how anyone could be offended by this fragrance unless the wearer seriously over sprays or unless someone generally dislikes florals, but who does not love the smell of fresh flowers with a smidge of fresh Summer fruit?
Performance on my skin is reasonably good compared to most fragrances these days. Thus, I deem this fragrance a good value for the price point. It is not ground breaking. It is not edgy or "sexy" or unusual or very sophisticated. It is just a pretty floral bouquet with a bit of sweet Summer fruit and a slightly warm dry down from the sandalwood and clean musk---no powder here and no dirty animalics. The ingredients are of a good quality---not synthetic, not cheap smelling. Would I reach for Beautiful very often? No, I think I would reach for it occasionally in Spring and Summer. My taste leans more strongly toward florientals such as the original and very beautiful Oscar de la Renta or even Espirit d' Oscar or the eternally beautiful and elegant Nina Ricci L' Air du Temps (my own wedding day fragrance) or the luscious garden of Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle. Beautiful is a fresh bouquet of Summer flowers and slightly sweet Summer fruit, always appropriate and always inoffensive but not especially memorable as far as I am concerned. However, as stated above, Beautiful is a safe choice for virtually any occasion and any setting, so it makes a nice staple in one's fragrance wardrobe just like a black dress and pearls do.
Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 6/10 (for the first hour or two)
Sillage: 6/10 (for the first hour or two)
Longevity: 5/10
packaging: 6/10
Top Notes: Rose, Galbanum, Lily, Black Currant, Fruity Notes, Mandarin Orange, Cassia, Bergamot, Lemon
Heart Notes: Carnation, Tuberose, Marigold, Mimosa, Jasmine, Narcissus, Chamomile, Ylang-Ylang, Geranium, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom, Lilac, Magnolia, Freesia, Pink Violet, Sage, Neroli
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Vetiver, Cedar, Vanilla
Firstly, I am surprised no one else has submitted a review of this lovely floral fragrance in the EDP formulation before now. I have always felt that Estee Lauder fragrances were beautiful and a good value. My favourites are Private Collection, Cinnabar, and Youth Dew. Somehow, I never came to own Beautiful Eau de Parfum until quite recently. Now that I have tried it, I realise I have smelt this before any number of times. My bottle is a recent formulation, so I cannot address how the vintage may have smelt and whether or not this fragrance has changed all that much since it was first introduced, but all fragrances are reformulated roughly every five years, so I am sure this one has been reformulated many times for better or worse.
Speaking for the current formulation, this is a pretty floral fragrance that is well blended. I find it very difficult to pick out individual notes, but I do detect a fairly strong, fresh vetiver that rises up from the base into the top notes and then begins to die down once the heart begins to fully open and the fruit makes its entrance. I detect perhaps a bit of rose and a bit of carnation in the top notes. None of the florals really stand out that much apart from the others for me. Compared to my favourite Estee Lauder fragrances, I find Beautiful to be a light, airy floral with a dollop of fresh red fruit--it reminds me somewhat of Givenchy L'Interdit in its heart, and in the deep dry down it reminds me of Clinique Aromatics Elixir. Although I am wearing it for the first time in February, I think Beautiful would make a lovely Spring and Summer fragrance and could be worn both during the daytime and the nighttime. It is fresh and innocent smelling to me. I can see why brides might choose this as a wedding day fragrance. It is a reminder of Spring's eternal joyful return and thus of youth.
Beautiful will work in virtually any setting from office to classroom to church occasions to brunch to a recital to a shopping spree to a funeral, to a wedding, and just about anywhere else you can think of. Well done florals such as this are universally applicable to virtually any setting/occasion. This is definitely a woman's fragrance as far as I am concerned. I do not imagine many men would want to wear this one. I cannot say it smells uber expensive, but it certainly smells nicer than many fragrances you might find at the chemist, and it is certainly more complex and a bit more expensive smelling than most body sprays.
Personally, as far as florals go, I like this more than Jean Patou Joy which is drier and sharper. If you like Joy, then I think you will like Beautiful, too, maybe even more. To my nose, Joy is mainly fresh albeit sharp roses. Beautiful is a full, lush, fresh bouquet of many flowers, and it has a very light natural smelling sweetness to it--no candy floss or pastries here. I detect a bit of red fruit (watermelon?) in this fragrance, too, which may be a source of the sweetness in it. I can imagine anyone from 15 to 80+ wearing this fragrance well. I would be happy to have my 15 year old daughter wear this (if I had one), and I cannot say that about too many fragrances. I do not see how anyone could be offended by this fragrance unless the wearer seriously over sprays or unless someone generally dislikes florals, but who does not love the smell of fresh flowers with a smidge of fresh Summer fruit?
Performance on my skin is reasonably good compared to most fragrances these days. Thus, I deem this fragrance a good value for the price point. It is not ground breaking. It is not edgy or "sexy" or unusual or very sophisticated. It is just a pretty floral bouquet with a bit of sweet Summer fruit and a slightly warm dry down from the sandalwood and clean musk---no powder here and no dirty animalics. The ingredients are of a good quality---not synthetic, not cheap smelling. Would I reach for Beautiful very often? No, I think I would reach for it occasionally in Spring and Summer. My taste leans more strongly toward florientals such as the original and very beautiful Oscar de la Renta or even Espirit d' Oscar or the eternally beautiful and elegant Nina Ricci L' Air du Temps (my own wedding day fragrance) or the luscious garden of Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle. Beautiful is a fresh bouquet of Summer flowers and slightly sweet Summer fruit, always appropriate and always inoffensive but not especially memorable as far as I am concerned. However, as stated above, Beautiful is a safe choice for virtually any occasion and any setting, so it makes a nice staple in one's fragrance wardrobe just like a black dress and pearls do.
Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 6/10 (for the first hour or two)
Sillage: 6/10 (for the first hour or two)
Longevity: 5/10
packaging: 6/10
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