Estee Estée Lauder for women

I have fond memories of wearing this. It was a nice clean fragrance. By the mid seventies too many women had discovered it's loveliness and the smell became too commonplace for me. Now might be a good time to try it again.

Estee Super Perfume('68) was my moms signature back in the '70's. She always received many compliments for its clean smell. I've worn the Super Cologne('69) for years, myself. It's a little lighter than the perfume, still very similar aldehyde wooded floral base.
This review is for the Estee Pure Fragrance Spray in the cut glass bottle. This version was released sometime in the early '80's, maybe '80/'81. It's more of a glammed up Estee with the raspberry note amped up, and additional added fruit notes of peach and melon. Mind you, not the kind of aquatic melon that was used so heavily in the '90's. The melon here is green aromatic clean. No rotting smell as some melon gives off.
The aldehydes are ever present, just as they are in the other two versions. Ylang, vetiver and sandalwood show up, too. It's just a very clean and fresh perfume, though heavy, when worn with modesty, is perfect for summer. Pure Spray is less powdery, more crisp. It's like Cristalle Chanel edt vs. edp. Edt is crisper, edp more floral. Kind of like that.

The Pure Spray gives off that '80's vibe, with the intense florals and fruity character. Unlike some of the other powerhouses of that decade, though, Estee calms down nicely, leaving a crisp soapy trail.
Maybe this is the perfume Andie would have worn during the day in 1986's "Pretty In Pink".

I am usually more keen to sticking to the version first released, but out of all three of the Estee's, the 1980's Pure Spray is my favorite.

I'm doing a second review now that I've grown to love this scent (after spraying it incorrectly and finding it to be completely atrocious the first time I tested it).

The cologne is a totally different scent from the Pure concentration. Estee Lauder describes the cologne as being for daytime use. Indeed I find it to be significantly lighter, much more powdery, less fruity, and frankly not as magnificent as the Pure concentration. I also thought it smelled "old-fashioned."

The Pure concentration has that hint of peachy-raspberry-melon that I really like. It's somehow crisper, sweeter, more refined, and cleaner than the cologne. I find the honey to be more prominent as well. Sometimes I think it smells like shampoo, but when I put my nose close to my arm, I know that the perfume smells much more beautiful than than any shampoo. I don't think the Pure version smells dated like the cologne does. It's youthful and fresh and reminds me of White Linen in a way.

I love new Estee!

First of all, Estee has finally been reformulated to match (almost) its original 1968 release. I gave it up from late 2008 until early 2011, when they finally listened long enough to their customers and changed it from the sickening, headache-inducing scent that it became in 2008. You have to look at the batch code. One person on another site wrote that a September 2010 batch code was the right reformulation. Mine says A31, which means America-March 2011. And I spray only ONCE. You simply cannot spray too much of this or you'll repel most people or give them a splitting headache. It is a strong scent that lasts at least 15 hours on me. I've gotten compliments --- again, and that means it's the original juice. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff. No fragrance shopping for me anymore. I have my Estee back!

I always thought of this as the most gorgeous hairspray scent in the pineapple shaped bottle. Being a time release fragrance this gets stronger as the day goes on - amazing bang for your buck. But in this day and age I dont want to smell like Elnette.

This is a review of the original Super Perfume. I was bequeathed a 15cc bottle of this earlier this year, and despite now having the consistency of motor oil, it has lasted the 42 years since its purchase remarkably well. The notes are consistent with the current EDP edition, just richer and obviously more potent. A single dab lasts a full day with virtually no diminishment of quality.

The opening is typically Lauder, with the trademark aldehyde marker being strong, and heralding in an array of strident florals. Lily, carnation and rose notes attach a bitterness that remains throughout, but it’s not dominant, more of backdrop. I am often wary of tuberose because any excess leads to an awful cloying sensation, but here it emerges from the flora creating softness in a supremely serene drydown.

It is easy to see Super as the template for many subsequent Lauder fragrances, but I don’t see that they have ever topped this. Simply stellar

I rediscovered this perfume in the department store. I couldn't remember which perfume my mother first gave me when I was fifteen and I came home from sleepaway camp - Estee or Private Collection? Then I sprayed it on today in a department store and remembered that scent from so many years ago. I looked on ebay to see a picture of an old travel-size perfume, and yes, it was Estee and not Private Collection, which smells even stronger. It smells as fresh as it did nearly 30 years ago, and I'm glad it holds up and stays on me all day. The best thing about Estee is that it is the lightest of all of her perfumes.

A relative of mine fell in love with this around 1970.
After several embarrassing comments from others, she abruptly gave it up. This was a shame, because the fragrance was really good...she just had on way too much. Apply this one by spritzing it into the air and then walking through the cloud.

this is how my high school friends remembers me...with this fragrance, this was my teenage fragrance, I still like it, but not using it no more. soapy, powdery, balmy, musky...if you like these last notes remain on your skin then you can try this on. a nice addition...suitable for daily wear, can be used winter and summer as well.

This is a very rich power house parfum that is sweet, poudre, aldahydic, floral from the late 60's/70's era. Sure it's lemony but for me, I pick up on it's rose and jasimine; almost like Schiaparelli's SHOCKING but not as skanky; these two heart notes are well formulated in ESTEE, where SHOCKING is quite it's name sake with the use of these two notes. I was really quite lucky to have come across a mint, NIB parfum at a Family Thrift Store last week and got it for $25. Although my taste for parfums is very gender neutral, this one is an extreme femme fatale. There was a time when I used trash the early Estee Parfums; when I worked behind womens fragrance counters in my early 20's, at a Macy's Dept Store(that was back in the early 90's)...but my tastes have since changed, I'm nearing 40; I've broadened my horizons and I am an Extreme Perfumista! I now wear this gorgeous full bodied classic to bed, just one dab behind each ear. It's a very heady bouquet and oh, how it lasts on my skin. My flacon is definitley late 80's mid 90's. Like Toucan Sam, I follow my nose; the term "Old Lady Perfume" is no longer part of my Fragrance Lexicon. Try it out, fall in love again...take in every nuance...a true perfumista appreciates classics quite like these.

Another classic, strong and very dry aldehydic chypre from Estee Lauder's stable of Bernard Chant compositions - it certainly bears his unmistakable signature. I think a lot of people find this juice rather challenging since it's another one of those "spray, then walk through the cloud" type of fragrances - more than a couple puffs is far too much and can suffocate those around you.

It's very fresh in a late 60's early 70's sense of the word - starched, crisp, slightly soapy and metallically futuristic in the way that only aldehydes can do. The florals are numerous, but they blend in the way that only M Chant could accomplish - abstract and radiant. Men could wear this too - a light spritz to the chest would exude a clean, white, starched effect through the layer of undershirt and button-down.

For some reason, when I was growing up, many women at my church would wear this on Sunday - and they would wear FAR too much. I remember smelling it over the coffee and cigarettes they would be consuming in the church function hall before mass. In the sanctuary, it could be overpowering with all those women in the same room! Maybe that's why church incense is a favorite of mine - it was the only thing that could cut through the clouds of Estee!

(pre-2008 iteration) Very few fragrances have such a qualitative difference between a light dose and a drenching. If applied heavily, Estee has the definitive “bug spray accord” that gets discussed in ‘old lady’ perfumes. I don’t deny that, and in fact I enjoy it. For the benefit of those I love, though , I wouldn’t wear Estée at this dosage unless I were home alone, with no plans to see anybody before my next shower. But with a very light hand, and probably at least ½ hour after administration for a cooling down, this is a beautiful dry, aldehydic, woody floral. At this volume, Estée has moderate sillage, excellent endurance and becomes pleasantly soapy. I know some see this as a floral chypre, and they likely have more discriminating noses than I, but I don’t get the moss. I do wonder, though, if it’s there behind the long-lasting aldehyde in Estée and I just can’t see it.

With this quality and concentration (Pure Fragrance Spray, huh? Never understood the EL terminology.) Estée, along with Alliage , Private Collection and Azurée, represent the best-spent money in perfumery. Remarkable that this stuff is so inexpensive.

To the previous poster: Make sure you are smelling a formulation of Sept. 2010 or newer. Anything from mid-2008 until then was vile, IMO. I was quite young in 1968 and didn't wear perfume, but I do like the Estee that Estee Lauder is selling right now...such an improvement!

Its 1968 and Estee debuts. It is the perfect fragrance for 37,000 feet. This was the Pan Am flagship fragrance. The bright aldehydes weaved luscious florals in and out of each other. The honey gave it sticky sweet heart and the base lasted for hours on end.

It was sophisticated and ideal for the "jet set". This was a rich and intelligent trend that lasted for a few decades. Today, it is sadly missed and the current reformulation is but a faint echo of the past. Much like the glamour of Pan Am itself...

OFF TOPIC... Annine44: Please don't ever let comments like that turn you away from a fragrance that you love. My grandma wears Acqua Di Gio (her signature) and Insolence, and loves Pink Sugar! And if I hug someone who's wearing any of her great perfumes and reminds me of her, ALL THE BETTER! :o)

Honestly, who cares what anybody says about you, moms, grandmas... I hope you always embrace your choices as long as they work for YOU. Just my two cents.

It was a very long way from hate to love for Estee. She's a nasty lady, not calm and not pretty. Estee is a woman with big ambitions, strong and cold aldehydes, sour lemon and soapy spices. But she also can be creamy soft and feminine, if you'll be patient enough with her.

This was my signature fragrance for years and I felt as if I owned it. I first wore it in the 70s and never felt need to change my fragrance until the year 2005 when one of my sons teachers commented that she loved my fragrance it reminds her of her grandma. That killed it for me, I have yet to find a replacement that I love though.

This is gorgeous, its sweet (but not over) clean and powdery. A lovely family friend wore this for as long as I can remember, a smart, classy lady, immaculately dressed always even to her passing at 92 whenever I smell it reminds me of her, I'd love to wear it but it feel it is hers. Pure, understated chique though - a classic

Please, fans of the original Estee. Give the late 2010 and early 2011 reformulations a try! It is so wonderful!

I am now the owner of a fairly newly bottled pure fragrance spray of Estee. The batch code is A31 (March 2011). The formulation from Sept. 2008 (formulation verified by their corporate office) is gone forever, I hope. It made me queasy and gave me a headache, and I'd been partial to Estee since the 1970s.

If you have loved Estee in the past, check out the newest formulation. Estee Lauder pays attention to its customers and is trying to formulate all the "oldies" back to their original smell. The first 3 letter & digits on the box AND on the bottom of the bottle will tell you how recent it is.

i guess i have the new formulation but i dont care and dont know what it was like before. all i know is that i love its crispness, i think its feminine and mature, it has personality and its longlasting. reminds me of CLIMAT by lancome but its fuller and the longevity is much better. i'm pleased.

I made a big mistake buying this, it really smells like something my aunt would wear, slightly dated, I gave it to her. It does smell nice... just not for me I tried wearing it but it just didn't work for me, I remember smelling this at my grandmothers house in her bathroom long ago, I always thought it smelled good in her bathroom but never knew what it was, as soon as I sprayed estee, the memory of the scent of my grandmothers bathroom, I remembered! lol. I bought it from the estee site, it says you can also use it to spray your towels and linens in you bathroom on the site. After trying to wear it...I can totally believe that.It smells much better on my aunt I think so. Just my opinion. :

New Estee the best!
I don't know the older version but it is fantastic and I don't want any other scents more just the reformulated Estee.

Cubby here again. A 47 year veteran of Estee Lauder sales told a poster from Alabama that EL is tweaking Estee and Azuree...trying with synthetic (non-banned) ingredients to bring back what they smelled like in the beginning. Please continue to express your wishes for the original via online at their site and through phone calls. Apparently they are listening. But they need to be bombarded! I've spent since mid-2008 trying to find something to replace Estee, and though I love Ivoire, nothing --- NOTHING!! --- compares to the original Estee. If you are wearing and loving Estee from late 2008-present, you are not smelling the way Estee herself created it. It has this horrid ozonic, fruity coconut note to it that gives me a vile headache. To Estee devotees, it is immediately noticeable. The way the notes are combined in the original and soapy wonderfulness of it has never been duplicated. I can't wait to find a fresh bottle to smell, and hopefully purchase.

If you have been a devotee of the original Estee Pure Fragrance Spray (pre-2008), please write them via their web site and ask them to bring it back - apparently they pay attention to customer needs and reviews. I've written numerous times and even phoned them. The rep on the phone admitted there had been a change.

I have noticed it today in our biggest department store and it has been sold here only for few days now. I guess this is an infamous reformulation version of this fragrance. Let me explain why.
Looking at the notes and sniffing myself i wonder is it still the same fragrance or what??? All i get is super fresh citrus notes. With a little hint of flowers. that´s it. Nothing else. It is like a Leonard´s " Eau Fraiche" but more softer. Lasting power is amazing indeed but i don´t smell anything wonderful that other reviewrs describe here. I guess this is the bad reformulation. I also smelled "Knowing" and " White linen" and they also smell completly different from what i have at home. While "white linene" is more better than it used to be the "Knowing" is somewhat like "Estee" but without such dominat citrus note. I guess i have to try them once again. But based from what i have smelled today i do not like this scent.

Estee is so sweet and old-school. An aldehydic trip down memory lane. It's so familiar, I am sure my aunts or my sister-in-law must have worn this. My SIL has always had the best taste in all things! And she WAS a stweardess in the 70's, too!

One of those fabulous powerhouses of the 70's. It should be applied very very sparingly. It will still have crazy sillage and longevity.

Estee is another hold-over from my childhood.... the funny thing was, it made me and my grand"mother" sneeze every time we put it on! However.... it was worth it. Estee is a perfect spring time burst of floral delight, nuanced and rich, yet subtle and lilting, if applied with a light touch. Several reviewers have likened it to Calandre, a fragrance from a bygone era, and that's a fair comparison. However, the last bottle of Calandre I got was not what I remembered from its heyday.... to me, Estee still smells good, even with the reformulation. My husband is a tough customer and even he likes it.... another fragrance that won't meet you as you're walking down the street, not a common find these days. For the poster who wondered how to get it, I know for a fact Nordstroms.com sells it. Good luck!

Estee Super was my mothers signature throughout the 70's. Her dad presented her a bottle Christmas of '71, and to this day, she still loves this fragrance. Her dad passed away in 1975, and she still has the card he gave her that Christmas with Estee.

Estee is just a classic all the way around. Starts with a lot of aldehydes and floral notes. The ylang, rose and jasmine stand out the most, to me. I can also smell a little raspberry. The base is soapy and powdery. Has a good sandalwood note, along with vetiver. Estee is a 1968 classic that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Given some of the negative reviews of Estee Lauder ESTEE (not only here, but elsewhere as well...), I had put off testing the bottle I acquired for fear that it would prove to be another reformulated JE REVIENS-type experience. In fact, all my fears were for naught.

ESTEE is another floral aldehyde in the EL line-up, a sibling to WHITE LINEN, not a purely floral perfume. ESTEE also inhabits the same general olfactory neighborhood as CALANDRE, which I tested earlier today and was not really very excited about (though I should say that I may have been sniffing an inferior reformulation... on ne sait jamais ces jours-la!).

On comparing these three fragrances, I find that I actually prefer ESTEE's brightness, clarity, crispness, and general cleanness. However, I should also warn prospective sniffers that the first ten seconds or so are rather sour and off-putting. Fortunately, things improve significantly after that. I can see, though, how some people would be immediately turned off by the opening. I also do not understand how anyone can claim to have tested this perfume if they've never let it mingle with and develop on their skin. ESTEE is an excellent example of how a perfume "on paper" and "on skin" will be two very different things about which very different evaluations are bound to be made, even by the same perfumista, it seems to me.

I definitely recommend ESTEE for those who are mourning the discontinuation of CALANDRE. In fact, I think that ESTEE is better than CALANDRE, except for the first ten seconds. Needless to say, only aldehyde lovers need apply!

Im 22, and love old fashioned, powdery scents. I think this is one of Estee Lauders best frags. If powdery isn't what you like, stay away from this one.

I wonder what the "original formula" was like because the current one is pretty atrocious. The opening is slightly fruity. I thought there could be a touch of melon in it. But I had to breathe through my mouth for the first hour. The back of my throat became sore. What is this made of, roach spray? I forced myself to continue to wear it to see if it would develop into something pleasant. Two hours later it became a lot more tolerable. The drydown smells like honey and cedar. Not bad, but not worth the sore throat and two-hour wait.

Update: I've had a horrible sore throat for the past 3 days, since inhaling this perfume. I sniff a lot of perfume, and no other perfume has ever done this to me.

Update: I really had to give it another chance using a different method. Instead of spraying it like I would spray a modern perfume (3 strong squirts), I used ONE extremely light spritz. When I did that, I really enjoyed the fragrance! I could smell honey, cedar, and and a clean soapiness that I did not get the first time I tried it. I am very happy I gave it another shot and that I know how to apply it now.

I like this. To me it is warm, non-spicy as in no cloves or carnations thankfully, and it reminds me of perfumes from my 70s childhood. Very wearable, very me.
Well... if I've got the right perfume. I tried one on at an airport yesterday and the bottle looked exactly like the one pictured here. However, myself and the saleswoman deduced that it was actually 'Eau de Private Collection' (there was also a 'Private Collection' tester)as that was the box behind it and the box that matched in size (there was no actual perfume name on the bottle or base, just 'Estee Lauder') so it was quite confusing, and I can find no 'Eau de Private Collection here, hmmm.....

Oh, how I wish EL would bring back the formulation of the 90s. Even then, I would apply with a cotton ball. It lasted 15+ hours and I loved it!! It was beautiful; hardly anything compares to it now. My sister told me that Balmain's Ivoire smells likes the old Estee, "only better". And Ivoire is incredibly cheap to be found online. Worth a try, if you love the "real" Estee. How EL could so drastically change something she named for herself is beyond me.

No , no and more no. So strong , stifling. I acually felt as if I couldnt breathe on a whiff of this poison but honestly the only Estee Lauder I could ever wear was Private Collection many moons ago. Cant take it !

I have a small collector's bottle full of the fragrance. Its is a lovely sweet floral.

A friend of mine came over and brought me this one because I gave her one of my other frags that I was tired of...

I had never tested this on my skin, only on paper and paper obviously does not have the right chemistry for Estee.

This is a scent for the patient ones because it needs a lot of time to develop on your skin...
I went from:
'Eh...' to 'oh..well..' and from 'mmmm' to MMMMMM!
Actually you best breath through your mouth the first hour to finally accidentally inhale through the nose and then you'll experience the scent how it's meant to be...
Especially the powdery notes will turn up later in the developing process.

Use with care! No need to overdo this one!

This was a beautiful fragrance until around 2008, when it was reformulated. I bought another bottle recently and tried to like it. It just gave me a splitting headache & I returned it. Estee Lauder: Please bring back the original formulation!

My mother wears this. She uses just one light spray and walks through the mist and that's all! Very strong but it smells so good. I asked what she had that smelled so good one day when she was doing her hair after a shower. I didn't know if it was hairspray, deoderant, soap, makeup or all of these together. It was such a clean just showered scent. I have it and love it too now.

I feel like this should stay in 1969, I am a lover of old fragrances like Chanel N°5 and others but this smells very dated to me.

VERY STORNG!!! I used to ware this but have since moved on after the 1990's. Very clean scent though and I have nothing bad to say about it. Its not a modern scent like the fruity scents today but this is a classic and it will always stay that way. Love the scent.

Kate again...Let me explain...I cannot wear /use atomizers/sprays..allergic..thast is why the cologne is appropriate for me...I would also be interested in Estee as a body cream or moisturiser..again can you or any one help me out on this ?
Kate

I have just found a very small bottle of Estee Lauder Cologne-unopened-that my husband gave to me at lease 20yrs ago....he passed away at a very young age 18yrs ago...The fragrance is just as it was all those years ago...Can I still purchase this cologne around the world somewher? I have tried in Sydney ..but have been told you cannot get it here...Can you help ?
Kate

I absolutley A-D-O-R-E "Estee". Having read previous reviews, I had to buy a bottle for myself. I instantly fell in love with the powdery floral scent-it has a pleasant "soapy" smell that lingers-perfect. It is also very light (though initially it is stronger) I even use it after my shower, which is a first for me, as I usually don't like a perfume enough to use it so often. I dislike most perfumes, but "Estee" ticks all the boxes: light, powdery, floral, a timeless "classic" (unlike your rather synthetic perfumes of today). Buy it! You won't be disappointed.

Estee is one of my favorite classic fragrances. It has a very clean aroma. To me it is a soapy floral with a few fruit notes mixed in, the raspberry note standing out mainly. Estee was my mother's signature throughout the 70's, and she received many compliments on it back then. Estee has been around since 1968, and I can see why. I think it is perfect for any age. I highly recommend to any floral fans.

My mom always wears this & it smells so clean & warm too. VERY STRONG.

Not the classic floral scent for me, aldehydes are emphasized, although later lost... the flowers are not at all dominant, perfect mix!
Fresh and slightly powdery and attractive like many Estee Lauder fragrances, perhaps a little less stable, just perfect for a pleasant summer day.
I agree that is spicy, floral spicy, pure and elegant, a bit soapy. Estee is one of the best for every day, but not impersonal. Top notes might have been cold, but the scent is rich and fairly strong, not at all intrusive. Works fine and somewhat distanced on my skin. I love perfumes with elegant dry-down, Estee is just one of those perfume.

Bohemian Magic! Lauder's launch of Estee in 1968 was pure brilliance. How appropriate to have created this scent in the 60's generation that bellowed FLOWER POWER! This casual, peaceful scent, with it's array of fresh floral notes, was dynamic in the cultural movement back then just as it is today. The rose, lily, iris, carnation and neighboring blossoms in this fragrance will make you feel like a boho goddess. It's mellow woodsy notes in the base is slight but not out of sight as to let the flowers do their thing. What a great year to wear this right on fragrance as the 40th celebration of Woodstock and the 50th anniversary of the peace sign is in full swing this year. Take a trip back in time and relive the unconventional scene of the past with this hip scent!

Very futuristic for it`s time indeed.If used sparingly, reveals a wonderful, fresh honey dipped floral heart with a splash of freshness,unexpected for the 60s.If you smother yourself with it, will miss all the wonderful qualities of this timeless piece. For me it posesses some chypre sides to it.

This is a brilliant classic.My mom used it .This was way before the fresh fragrances were popular.Spritz a little after a shower and you smell like a million bucks .I still use this between bottles and is still my fav perfume.

This is my mom's favorite fragrance and she's in her 40s. She refuses to wear anything but this perfume and she uses it starting from the age of 17. It's a classy floral scent that stays for a long time with you. Personally I love it too and from time to time I borrow this nice fragrance.

Old, classic, but strange, unique smell. Whites flowers and rose remain in background. Main role plays raspberry about some metal note. Sharp and sweet, strong and … avant-garde. They are beautiful.