“The fragrance of a thousand flowers”

Launched in 1985 and created by Sophia Grojsman, Beautiful is described by Estée Lauder as “the fragrance of a thousand flowers” [1], and it is an exceptional example of a big floral bouquet, something that the Lauder brand seems to specialise in. I would classify Beautiful as a floral chypre, it’s a wonderful blend of heady florals and rich, mossy base notes.

Beautiful has always been marketed as Estée Lauder’s bridal perfume and I can see why, it is completely romantic and there is a young innocence to it that conjures up images of beautiful brides draped in white. Despite it’s obvious bridal connotations, it isn’t exclusively bridal, it is wonderful enough to be kept only for special occasions but also works perfectly well as an everyday perfume. Beautiful is one of those perfumes that would make a good signature scent, not that I’d EVER dream of having one of those, I’m too greedy!

I always find it hard to review the classics, it’s difficult to do them justice whilst attempting to showcase them in a new and interesting way. . That said, it is a perfume that I appreciate from an olfactory perspective, and I truly believe that it it is more than a classic, it is a legend. It it so legendary in fact that it is rumoured that Andy Warhol was buried with a bottle.

Beautiful Solid Perfume Compact

The Notes

Top: Rose, Mandarin, Lily, Tuberose and Marigold
Heart: Orange Flower, Muguet, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang
Base: Sandalwood, Vetiver and Amber [2]

How Does it Smell?

Despite having no fruit notes listed within the top notes, Beautiful opens with crisp, fresh orchard fruit. There are sweet apples, green pears and juicy blackcurrant, all of which are offset by green, and slightly bitter galbanum. Of course, being an 80’s floral, Beautiful has to have a good slug of aldehydes and it doesn’t disappoint, the aldehydes are suitably fizzy, sparkly and luminous.

What makes Beautiful so, well, beautiful, is the big bouquet of white flowers at its heart. Grojsman has cleverly created an abstract bouquet that isn’t easily identifiable as a single flower. Rose, tuberose, lily, muguet, jasmine and ylang-ylang each play a part, adding something of their own (spice and dust from the rose, sweet rubbery petals from the tuberose, light salty indole from the lily, green stems from the jasmine and hot camphor from the ylang-ylang) to the bouquet. It is euphoric in its beauty, complex in its structure and wonderful in its effect.

It may sound like that Beautiful is a bit too much with lots going on, and it definitely is a strong perfume with a distinct signature, but the heady sweetness of the florals is tempered by the warmth of a chypre base. Beautiful isn’t a chypre in the same way that Mitsouko is a chypre, it’s much lighter and floral, but it does have a good degree of moss and patchouli in the base. A touch of sweet tobacco livens things up and prevents the base from becoming to dark and heavy. Beautiful lasts for hours and the sweetness of the florals mixed with the warmth of the base is really something to behold.

I have read many reviews of Beautiful, in which the author has commented on how it now smells dated, I’m afraid that I have to respectfully disagree. I adore Beautiful. It is a timeless perfume, it will never smell old, it will never smell out of date or out of fashion, it will simply always be ‘Beautiful’.

Availability

Beautiful is available in 30ml, 75ml and 100ml Eau de Parfum and prices range from £34-£68. Matching body products are also available.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a (very well used and well loved) bottle of Beautiful from my own collection.

[1] & [2] esteelauder.com

Image 1 galeriwangian.com
Image 2 luxurylaunces.com