Beautiful

Sweet classy floral. Nothing to do with Quelques Fleurs which is another beauty. I love it in the summer, gives an elegant aura just one spray is enough.

I don't know what went wrong.. I sprayed some of a bottle my friend had, from a large bottle. This doesn't smell like my tiny mini vintages at all. Maybe it's how she kept it. Maybe it's how mine were kept. Maybe it's my own chemistry in this moment. Maybe it's clashing with the Chanel No°5 and Stetson Original, (which allegedly smells like original Chantilly)... either way: ABORT. ABORT. ABORT. ABORT. This is not working on me. I'll have to test my minis again and check to see how that goes, but this doesn't seem like a safe blind buy. Don't let the lilac note fool you. Don't let any of the notes fool you... you think, "oooh I love that note! Oooh and that one too" But it doesn't smell like that. It's its own dang thing. Whatever that thing is, I'm unsure of anymore. I gotta circle back to this, from one of my own bottles. If it's the same, she can have them, cause it's not working on me now. I do love the oldies. I LOVE to be punched in the face with an 80s-90s big banger. And I LOVE a powder, which several of you are saying this is. I even have this marked as a "love" from some previous time I tested it. But not loving it tonight. Is it this current heat wave cooking the notes? Do not take what I'm saying as any reason not to buy it. Just be aware... t'is not as one seems. I'll have to come back to this.

I picked up a contemporary bottle of this really cheap lately on Facebook Marketplace. Having smelled the original version back in the 90's, there's definitely some differences. The modern version definitely smells more "perfumey" to my nose, quite a lot of something a bit screechy and synthetic on opening, I get a lot of greeness and a bit of a jumble of flowers on the opening too before it settles down and longevity is a bit meh to be honest. Still, it's nice but not up to the vintage version.

Aww I have a bottle given to me by my son's former girlfriend of 3-4 years- they started as high school sweethearts. At the time she gave it to me I was avidly collecting fragrances so it was a perfect gift. But I never really tried it until today and I LOVE IT! It's old school but just plain boss bitch. I know there's every flower in here but for me what I "get" is tuberose and galbanum. But there must be a whole lot else to make these notes be featured as though on a pedestal- but I can't smell them! I smell no vetiver nor amber nor vanilla... I am not sure how perfumery works but I do know that minor changes can make or break a fragrance. Dupes, for example, are usually just a tiny bit off of what they're going for since they're working backwards... Anyway I love this one.

It’s very nice, but a little goes a long way.

Elegant and unique

Beautiful is a phenomenal perfume which I smelled in the 1980s but where I thèn sought only the vilest and headiest perfumes (Poison, Giorgio, Obsession, Coco) I mistakenly 'dissed' this perfume as too ... light. as also with Eternity, Samsara, Ysatis and some others, perfumes which, now all sit in my collection with thoughts of how prejudiced I was and perhaps still am. it is such fantastic perfume with a legendary width and endurance. last night I laid in bed to guess which notes I smelled and it appears I had them all right because they are All In There ! it is a perfume like Giorgio and Giorgio Beverly Hills Red (1981,1989) and if these are more scathing, then this masterpiece of 1985 surely holds its own. beneath I saw someone complaining about not having the Original Version (and later affirming that actually there was nothing lacking in the more modern iteration) and I fullheartedly agree. I was 23 when the 1980s begun and I can assure you that almost all the perfumes from thèn are greatly recreated in later versions. where perhaps Poison and Giorgio really were somewhat different than in their new jackets (these were chemical incidents not detrimental to both Dramatic and Infamous yet Inescapably Lovely specific perfumes which were gorgious and pure experiences) I would say that Beautiful isn't in the slightliest way altered ... to my nose that is. I guess I have a flacon from ca 2012 but that was already 25+ years later and it still smells fabulous. what I also did smell last night was an obvious Melon which apparently sits in the Fruity Notes. the Fruits I almost never smell but I could guess an also Hesperidic opening together with Cassia which gives a Blue, Black Berry note with some pissiness which I do not abscond from. I immediately smelled the Tuberose and knew there were also Roses there. I also smelled clearly the Chamomile and Marigold, the Galbanum sharply as also encased in the whole, and then the Chypre Character of this overwhelmingly floral perfume. the Catfight between Tuberose and Roses gives a smashing impression. I smelled Jasmine, obviously Ylang Ylang, Narcissus, Carnation, Mimosa and Lily. it is sheer heaven. the Woody Notes, Vetiver, Amber and Musk, the Vanilla, Mimosa and Lily give the impression of an Orchard juxtaposed to a forest (Sage, Cedar, Sandelwood, Vetiver) while the Vanilla & Amber round all up within a soothing yet also presentist Clôche of perfume. a Smashing lady of the 1980s, my favorite decade.

as much as I enjoy this because it makes me feel all old-school and classy, my chemistry just wants nothing to do with it, so it decides to sabotage the whole thing. for the first half, it's soapy, sparkly, and heady with every shade and hue of florals but sadly, the horrendous late drydown just goes way too cat piss cassis 😭 I prefer the lotion form of beautiful bc it reminds me of bal a versailles WITTHOOOUUTTT the pissy bedsheet drenched in children's iron supplement

I have always loved the scent of Beautiful, but when I was younger, it DID NOT vibe with my chemistry, so I just enjoyed it when I encountered it on someone else. Recently, I have been going back to fragrances that I previously wore, or liked but couldn't wear. I decided to try Beautiful again. From the 1st spritz, I thought that it was not going to work for me again. I asked my daughter what she thought & she said that she definitely preferred it over the one that I wore the previous day. For the record, my daughter just dissed Louis Vuitton Afternoon Swim. I swear she was raised better. As the evening went on, I noticed that Beautiful had started smelling like the fragrance that I had admired on others. I guess it takes awhile to make friends with my chemistry & has good longevity. This will be my go to fragrance when I'm going to be out & about since I know it will last long.

not sure who decided to put every flower into this perfume but it worked

so so vintage and classic. Love this for when I wanna smell like a femme fatale boss. 5/5

Smells really smoky on me to begin with, but settles into something smoother and classier. Still fairly smoky though.

My mum's signature perfume at the moment, too many florals for me, very strong. The dry down is a lot better. It’s nice on my mum, just not my type of scent profile.

Piyasadaki saldırgan ,vanilyalı ve ağır kokulardan fazlasıyla sıkıldım, nostaljik koku arayışına girmiştim, beautiful un houbigant a benzetildiğini görünce şans veemek istedim, ve beni yanıltmadı. Açılışı keskin ama mest edici, bir iki dakika içerisinde oturmaya başlıyor, dinginleşiyor, yayılımı zayıf, ara ara hareket ettikçe,rüzgar estikçe hissediliyor ama hepsine değer... Şık, zarif, sofistike..özlenen.

I'd say this is a cool spring scent. Its very sweet and floral. The powder note is very strong, you absolutely should not apply too much of this it would be very overpowering. It does partially smell like straight up baby powder and confectioners sugar. I can potentially smell some mandarin orange peel in there. I don't like powdery scents on myself but the perfume by itself can be nice

My mother wore this on her wedding day in the late '90s. I always associate it with an era that no longer exists. Maximalist, but in a good, super sophisticated way. Is it still wearable today? Probably not. Today, we have innocent scents in a world that is highly offensive. Back in the day, the perfumes were the offensive ones, and the world was more innocent. So, no. An offensive perfume in an offensive world is a bad combination. I personally keep it as a time capsule.

This is a beautiful fragrance. I know it sounds cheesy to say that, but this perfume lives up to its name fully. It was my mother's signature scent as my father bought her the set for Christmas the year it came out. She had other scents she wore, but this was THE standout. I remember how she smelled when she wore it to church or whenever she dressed up. It clung to her clothes in the best way whenever she gave hugs. That is one thing I will never, ever forget for as long as I live. The first spray of this you will smell a rose and a light citrus scent. As that dries down the heart note is a white floral and the dry down is a warm, soft amber and vetiver. It smells like spring. Like flowers in bloom. Like hummingbirds and nature awakening after winter. This is so lovely. A classic that has stood the test of time. Whenever I miss my mother (who passed away in 1997 from cardiomyopathy when I was 23) all I have to do is spray this and close my eyes. That is the power of perfume.

Smells like the transition from winter to spring. Flowers are starting to bloom, new grass is growing, the sun is peeking through the clouds but there's that slight icy chill in the air. Very green and very floral indeed.

I will always cherish and have a back up of it as it was the only perfume my late mom was wearing (she used to wear Chanel No 5 but then changed once Beautiful came out). It is a flower bouquet in a bottle, such a lovely perfume. I wear it from time to time; unfortunately, it isn't as glorious on me as on my mom, but it is nonetheless very pretty. It might be perceived a bit dated and very mid '80s but it doesn't bother me at all.

This was my grandmother's signature scent so it brings back comforting, happy memories for me. When my mom worked in HR, this perfume however was responsible for the highest number of fragrance-related complaints. This one is tricky because it's a fine line between nice scent and overpowering migraine fuel. If this didn't have happy memories of my grandmother tied to it, I would probably absolutely roast this.

Wow . Wedding day in a bottle. For years I was obsessed with the smell of YANKEE CANDLE WEDDING DAY . it was the most gorgeous blend of green notes and expensive white flowers. it smelled of hope, anticipation , young love, promise. I researched the notes in the scent used to make the candle and it came up with Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant , the princess Diana wedding scent. Unfortunately that one had musky animalic civet notes which smelled like a beautiful bouquet but something strong and sour like cat wee on me - the distinctive 1970s grandma vibe. I saw lots of comments that Estee Lauder Beautiful was similar to Houbigant . I tried it and it was AMAZING. it is the EXACT smell of the Yankee Candle wedding day, but greener, fresher and more modern than Quelques Fleurs . It's very feminine and floral. Like an elegant adult ladylike lady who always has a nice manicure carries a proper handbag and wears floral dresses. the perfect wedding day perfume. personally I wear it to bed or at home when I want to feel feminine, bridal-special and romantic. I wouldn't wear it to work because I think it's too strong and floral to be taken seriously. it would be great on a day date. I don't think it gives 1980s vibes because the strong green and soapy notes rescue it

Bizarre that recently I find myself reaching for Beautiful so often. In doing so I became hyper focused on learning as much as possible about it. Who other to turn to then fragrance historian, taxonomist, and author of Perfume Legends, Michael Edwards. Reading his work I learned that Beautiful took four years and five perfumers to make, the formula is 6 pages long, and this was the last perfume Estee Lauder herself worked on. One of the five perfumers of Beautiful is Bernard Chant. Chant explained Bulgarian rose as the anchor floral accord that highlights the black current and tuberose. Black current was also found to be an excellent projector for the citrus and green accents according to perfumer Nick Calderone. Calderone’s part in creating Beautiful was imperative in that he combined two bases that were created by perfumers Max Gavarry, and Sophia Grojsman. The first base is a powdery rose orris and the second an orange flower. When smelling Beautiful there is a soft musk peeking through the base, middle, and top notes, somewhat fruity floral and somewhat smoky in a good way. Reading on I learned that soft musk is what gives Beautiful it’s velvety depth and richness. Ambrettolide is a vegan musk compound derived from the Hibiscus abelmoschus plant, and Beautiful is brimming with trace amounts of this from base to top. No wonder this perfume is still considered a best-seller, the masterminds behind it are nothing short of prodigies in the world of perfume royalty.

(Original late 1980s EdP comparison to the Absolu EdP) Beautiful is indeed beautiful. Lauder’s history has many examples that the brand is perfectly capable of giving us beautiful perfumes, so why they struggle to maintain quality output now, and especially with the litany of brands they are buying-up, is a mystery. That’s an aside for a different conversation. I wore Absolu quite a while back and was very taken with it, telling myself, thankfully, that Estee Lauder stayed faithful to the original. But when I went to recall the original in my mind while wearing Absolu I drew a complete blank. It had been quite a long time since I wore the original. I couldn’t articulate how Absolu was the same or how it was different, save for that the original was more powdery aldehydic and musky (i.e. old school smelling). So, I told myself I’d have to wear it again, and play my favorite game, an arm-by-arm comparison with Absolu on one and the original EdP on the other. The orange floral opening is inspired. In Absolu it says it wants to nod to the past but also look to the future, presenting sparkling aldehydes and a more saturated/vivid 4K presentation of citrusy florals than the vintage EdP. The vintage EdP is a true fruity floral amalgam that very nearly feels like it has Roudnitska’s signature on it, but that is more Bernard Chant’s influence on the perfume than it is Grojsman’s. The vintage EdP is very yellow floral, powdery and musky; the citrus and florals are dry and wispy, they have shadows, a sultriness to them, and a very hazy texture, which make their lines and characteristics blurry and create a true floral amalgam more than Absolu does. And that says quite a lot because Absolu is definitely an amalgam as well. Absolu pushes tuberose forward, but overlayed with plenty of citrusy orange blossom and jasmine. The vintage EdP is also tuberose forward, but keeps the volumes of the orange blossom and jasmine a bit quieter than Absolu, which allows rose to shine more in the vintage. Before you begin thinking "oh, a 1980s American tuberose perfume? - I guess I better expect something like Amarige or Giorgio Beverly Hills, and Beautiful is going to announce itself for blocks away as soon as I spray it and dominate the conversation with anyone that comes within six feet of me." No, it won't. This is an unusually well-behaved tuberose for its day, and because red rose has more of a voice this gives the vintage a richer, elegant, and more serious feeling than the Absolu’s happy-go-lucky and vibrant citrus-led energy. Wearing the vintage EdP I’m reminded of the intense fog we get in the late winter months here in Northern California. The fog is cool, very close, cloudy and hazy. It has a silky yet misty texture that’s palpable to the skin and nose, and it’s this feeling of thick fog I get in the vintage EdP. Absolu has a lot more sunshine in it. Fortunately, the dry down of Absolu sticks to the original brief and doesn’t descend into a hateful and scratchy soap musk or fruit-chouli abomination. Green woods that have been sanded down to linen like textures thanks to a very precisely balanced composition of sandalwood, gently green vetiver, and touches of musks keep the intention alive and well: beauty that is not majestic, grandiose, loud or showy, but instead beauty that is calm, restrained, softly spoken, yet alive and confident. For a quiet, restrained, and beautiful tuberose perfume - and not the garish monsters of the 80s and early 90s - very little else is as good as the original Beautiful. It truly lives up to its name. However, it is inevitable and to be expected that the powdery and abstract presentation is likely going to feel too dated to modern noses. That is where Absolu comes in, and I am very grateful to Lauder for updating Beautiful for the 21st century while being very faithful to the original. Absolu is Beautiful, just with a new lick of paint and some youthful energy. The original Beautiful is one of the best perfumes the Lauder brand has created, but if you can’t get your hands on a vintage bottle or you’re not big on vintage perfumes, Absolu is a very worthy choice that is very worthy of the Beautiful name.

smells like my grandma, in a good way. she actually uses this perfume and my mother eventually bought my grandma one to restock and one for myself.. Its grassy/leavey(?) to me and I like earthy scents. I don't think i'd wear this very often though.

Just cracked open a new bottle. I didn't smell this on release but it seems much the same as I recall from about a decade ago. Fresher, but this is a new bottle after all. Complex, warm, enveloping, and okay yes, rather dated. But still as sunny, optimistic and beautiful as ever. The notes don't matter really, this one is all about mood. There is shadow as well as light, the darkness coming from the chyprish elements. Absolutely worth trying if you love classic florals but I completely understand why some people would find Beautiful overwhelming. One or two light sprays is probably all you need.

to me, it s a sticky, sweet, honey and galbanum/mimosa? bomb. i dont see it as aromatic or anything, it s just an aggressive yellow floral. which i love😆 to me, just like eden, it has to be worn during winter, as it will be sickening in the heat. i ve had it since summer, wore it in summer, but it s better left for winter. it s a mature scent, nothing for teens, nothing pink floral here, just yellow. it s powerful stuff, potent, witchy. look, i sprayed it before taking a midday nap with my toddlers, and i SWEAR i smelled it in my sleep. i tossed and turned by how powerful it was!

I have a family member who wears this perfume and I always thought it suits her. It's a sunny, elegant sort of scent. I could see myself wearing it if the chance arises. This is an older scent that still holds up.

It is beautiful, jusr el fragrances do not last on me. What a combo of fragrances. Truly unique for sure.

old lady in my facility had this, smells ok. same vibes as chanel no 5 but perhaps her granddaughter

Ive tried for several years to find an early 1990s bottle of Beautiful, to no avail. (Not an 80s bottle because i dont want to risk buying one thats gone off, as its over 40 years old now. A 90s bottle might be slightly safer, if only slightly). One issue is that for some reason ebay sellers list new bottles as vintage REGULARLY (more so than any other perfumes ive searched for). I check for clues, and run batch codes and 99% of the time the claim that they are vintage is a lie. Its extremely frustrating. I own a 2018 bottle (given to me as a gift). My impressions of the 2018 bottle are actually quite positive. It smells utterly recognizable as EL Beautiful from my own childhood memories in the 80s. No question. The instant i sprayed it immediately was transported to my childhood. Clear as day. My 5th grade teacher wore it, but even in middle school (circa ‘87-‘89) i had friends who wore it (probably their mothers stash). And in fact my 2018 lasts very well on me. I can sleep in it and still smell it the next morning with above average (in modern perfumery) projection. The dry down itself is also very very pretty. I should be happy with what ive got, but i collect authentic vintage perfumes, and it really gets on my nerves that my bottle of Beautiful is made of synthetics. Especially THIS perfume. Because EL Beautiful is one of the super special ones. I consider it one of the top shining masterpieces of the 80s. I love my Poison, i love my Krazy Krizia (a better Obsession, in my opinion), i love my Bijan. But frankly… EL Beautiful was so special … because it was created to be JUST PLAIN BEAUTIFUL… the creators set out to stun with top tier Beauty. They were not trying to be edgy, avant- garde, or shocking. They wanted to stun, yes, but not to shock. This perfume was originally made with tons of high quality essential oils and (i imagine) absolutes. So its such a shame to be wearing this reformulation, knowing its almost entirely synthetic now. Even if i like the way it smells. Bums me out. If anyone has an authentic vintage bottle they dont mind letting go of, please let me know. How would i describe the 2018 juice? A gorgeous sweet floral. Smooth. Spicy slightly starchy Carnation. A luminous Tuberose. A thick and creamy floral. Clean. Update: Found a 1 ounce bottle of the vintage. FINALLY. UPDATE: Received my one ounce vintage. I am glad i only got a small bottle. I cant believe i am saying this but i may prefer the reformulation (at least mine which is several years old, produced around 2020). The vintage is so strong it kinda ruins the beauty. Its downright aggressive. Update: Aha. My vintage bottle stinks because its gone off. Not terribly surprising. Ive noticed 1 ounce bottles of vintage perfumes are much more vulnerable to going off sooner than larger bottles are, but also its a 40 yr old bottle, sooo… Ah well. No big loss. I still have a fantastic large bottle of the newer formulation and its better than good.