Pleasures by Estee Lauder

Pink Pepper, Green Notes, Freesia, Violet, Pink Berries, Tuberose.
White Lily, Peony, Muguet, Baie Rose, Black Lilac, Karo-Karounde, Geranium, Jasmine.
Sandalwood, Patchouli, Cedar, Musk.

One of the things I noticed after wearing Pleasures a few times is that, as sheer as it opens and eventually develops, it possesses more presence than one realizes. It's clean and slightly green with an herbal aspect that lingers throughout the life of the scent. I asked Mrs. Aromi what she thought of it. She immediately replied laundry detergent and cotton balls. All rightttttttyyyyyyy then........

Unlike my better half, I perceive a completely different aroma, but I will say that I understand hers. She has an extremely simplistic approach when smelling scent and I do not mean that in a derogatory way. As I continued smelling Pleasures after she gave her brief opinion, this aroma would actually make a very good residual scent for a detergent or softener.

The Pink Pepper and Freesia in the opening is bright, clear and immediately accented by a green, stem like quality. There's an herbal aspect in the mix as well as berry. It doesn't take a minute to realize that Pleasures for Women does, in fact, lean very feminine. Once Pleasures transitions to the heart accord, the lucid opening subsides some to expose a slowly developing Jasmine mingled with Geranium and spice. Lily makes an appearance as well and the floral bouquet smells fairly balanced to me. The totality of both top and heart equals clean and rather easy to wear. It's here where Pleasures shows her versatility.

Pleasures center of gravity is in its heart. At least on me, the heart accord keeps pumping out its floral array way longer than I ever expected. On the flip side, this comes at the expense of a rather unimpressive base implementation. I had hoped for a woody outro that was accented with a sensual quality, however that never comes to fruition in any of my wearings.

That aside, Pleasures has surprising longevity for a fragrance that feels "light and clean". The projection is average, but the skin scent lasts an impressive amount of time. Even in extended drydown, Pleasures still exhibits its floral heart with a green undercurrent.

I wear numerous scents marketed for women because they are not "overtly" feminine. They split the gender barrier rather easily, but Pleasures for Woman leans a few notches too far for me to wear comfortably. Still, I give it a thumbs up because it really deserves it and as always, a sample wear is recommended.

Comments

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

Teatro Alla Scala - Krizia

I tried Comete by Chanel today and wanted to write about how Chanel is going by the way of Roger Dove - copying old masterpieces. I did not know where to post that and then I realized I have been neglecting this blog. When I logged in I saw an unfinished post I wrote a year ago about Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia. Teatro is the best full bodied floral - better than any Chanel or Patou. Even better than Gucci L'Arte. A brief background: Teatro Alla Scala is an Opera theatre in Milan. The bottle's design is an homage to the theatre and the perfume an homage to its sophisticated patrons. I wanted to write a symphony for it. Maybe some day. For now here are few notes I wrote comparing EDT vs EDP. And if you don't have Teatro, your wardrobe is incomplete Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose. Jammy berries (more in EDP) . Honey note listed is probably the jammy part Vetiver & moss - more in EDT Rose and carnation is more than jasmine and that is what separates it from other florals like J...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog