Sensuous Noir

I unexpectedly found a bottle of this and it is indeed amazingly beautiful. There aren’t many similar fragrances on the market right now (at any price point.) I was surprised that it resembled Evros by Olfattology, also possibly discontinued and hard to find. However, Evros strongly resembles Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle…so there is one, somewhat similar, perfume available for slightly less cost than the prices for Sensuous Noir on eBay. It is not entirely similar, (the roses are a bit different), but the vibe is similar. Until I smelled Sensuous Noir I did not understand just how much it could be missed; now I do. Wow. Edit: a few days later I wore Charlotte Tilburry Cosmic Power and I had to change my opinion on that. They are surprisingly similar because of the cinnamon note also the overall composition has some similarities, the wear in the middle notes especially. The openings are different and the eventual dry downs are different, but for several hours in the middle Cosmic Power could be the daytime version of Sensuous Noir, more so than the original Sensuous.

This opens strong, heavy and can be overwhelming but in 10-15min it settles in a mature woody scent. I was not very enthusiastic about it as I found it a bit too heavy but I changed my mind. I had sprayed it in my hair and put my hair up for cooking, then after I finished I let it down and WOW such a gorgeus scent! Woody, sweet, aluring. I'd say it is best for cold weather and evenings, date nights and for when you want to feel or project maturity, sophistication and mystical alure.

45 year old MALE here. I visited my mother, and she was about to toss a 30ml brand new in box, 2010 batchcode formulation of this fragrance, that had been sitting in her basement. I opened the box, sprayed it on my wrist and...WOW. This smells amazing. It's sweet, spicy, amber and dries down to a beautiful patchouli woody honey scent. It's very unisex. I'd suggest wearing it in the evening for a special event or date. Probably best worn in cooler weather. It's a very mysterious scent. Projects nicely, and the longevity is fantastic. Its discontinued, and apparently quite difficult to find (unless on eBay, where I've seen the 50ml being sold for $150 to $350 USD). If you can find it at a decent price, please purchase it...man or woman...doesn't matter. It's a masterclass fragrance.

The best from sensuous line and one of the most beautiful rose & patchouli duet. I think that every woman should try this magic😄😄🥰

I have this perfume in my collection but just the empty bottle. I've lost the count on how many times I've received a compliment due to this fragrance. Dark and seductive. This is not demure, mindful or cutesy. This is intoxicating, playful and sexy. If subtle fragrances are your thing, please do not wear this because this fragrance is a attention grabber. Perfect to wear if you're going on a date. Kinda sad that it's discontinued.

Deep sexy and heady, Can be unisex. Lovely spicy, honey, vanilla with a patchouli punch. Best worn at night on a hot date. Can be very alluring. Bold. 8/10

Very similar to Victoria secret bombshell out. But this is imo better quality and better silage, less sweet and an inoffensive well balanced beautiful dry down. Sadly this is discontinued. It smells of pine, wood, vanilla, powder and something classy, elegant, expensive and natural smelling. I hope EL will bring it back one day!

I do get the similarities between this and Bombshell Oud. And it’s funny because I think I got the two of these around the same time because I usually go for discontinued frags as I love so many that aren’t around anymore. I had been wanting to try VSBO for a long time and finally I bought both of these at a great price. It did kind of dawn on me that they smelled alike but I didn’t really think dupe. Sensuous Noir is Definitely sharper but I don’t think it’s as deep and dark as VSBO. Sensuous Noir is very spicy and strong so it’s definitely not for everyone but I love the spicy scents. This is definitely one of my favorite Estee Lauder scents. Right up there with Tuscany Per Donna and Youth Dew. I grew up with my mom and my aunt wearing those two along with poison and The original Opium (which I still like), something about these spicy scents that are just so special to me! 🥹😍

This isn’t the fragrance you wear to attract a man. This is the one you wear when you got him and want him to keep coming back for more. Mature, confident, sultry.

The reason why I have vendetta against Estee Lauder... I mean why discontinue such a brilliantly composed fragrance? It felt like a Christmas morning in our stuga -"cabin" in Sweden, preferably located deep in the forest, in the middle of nowhere. Edit: Years later I found out that Ormonde Woman gives off the same vibes with Sensous Noir, they're like sisters.

Assuming my sample is legit, this opens like Midnight Poison and dries down like a slightly softer and smoother Feminité du Bois on my skin. It's beautiful, but I don't think it's worth the aftermarket premium (especially as I own a bottle of both of the named scents).

My dad is eventually the one who wears this hahaha It smells deep, gorgeous and spicy but my skin amplifies pepper note, I can never agree with it. I can never find a time or place to wear it. No winter in my part of the world. It's obviously unisex, as my dad feels comfy enough to wear it.

If Lancome Oud Bouquet and Dior Midnight Poison had a baby, it would be something very close to Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir. it has Midnight Poison's dark, almost bitter, kind of cold, spicy, earthy rose-patchouli gene but it also has Oud Bouquet's warm and sweet oriental DNA. I hate patchouli when it's too strong and I hate pine in perfumes, I'm not into very spicy or woody or earthy fragrances either. to be honest, I'm not supposed to even like Sensous Noir but here I am, loving it head to toe. fortunately I can't pick up pine in it and patchouli isn't too strong on me. it's all about rose, woods and spices in a warm, ambery base. there's a touch of something delicious here, almost similar to the deliciousness of Oud Bouquet. I can even detect saffron and it's woodyness sometimes reminds me of oud which I usually hate but I love it in Oud Bouquet and I love it here. I can't believe they discontinued this one. they should be out of their minds. this is beautiful and strong and has charisma. it's sexy in an adult, femme fetal way and can be a signature perfume for a queen. it's not my usual type(I'm mostly into gourmands) but it's so good I can't help falling in love with it. Edit: I'm not a fan of it's late drydown. after a couple of hours, it leaves a very very woody scent on my skin without much rose or sweetness.something totally unisex. I use it just on skin,not clothes because I can detect the woody scent it leaves on clothes behind for days. این عطر رو برای فروش یا تبادل دارم اصولا نباید از این عطر خوشم بیاد چون از اکثر نتهاش خوشم نمیاد بااینحال عاشقشم. اگه لانکوم عود بوکی و دیور میدنایت پویزن بچه دار میشدن، بچه شون همچین چیزی میشد. خوشبختانه برای من نه کاج غالبه نه پچولی. من بیشتر یه رز چوبی، اسپایسی تو یه بستر گرم و شیرین امبری حس میکنم. یه کوچولو از خوشمزگی عود بوکی رو داره. حتی زعفران رو حس میکنم و روایح چوبیش یکم واسم یادآور عوده. بطور معمول از عود متنفرم اما تو لانکوم عود بوکی، عود رو دوست دارم و اینجا هم دوسش دارم. خیلی مسخرست دیگه سنسوس نویر رو تولید نمیکنن چون واقعا زیباست و شخصیت و کاریزما داره و یجور بالغی سکسیه و بنظرم میتونه عطر امضای یه ملکه باشه. منتها درای داون نهایی عطر، یعنی چیزی که بعد از ساعتها ازش به جا میمونه یه رایحه کاملا چوبیه که رز و شیرینش خیلی کمرنگ شدن و تبدیل میشه به یه رایحه کاملا یونی. درکل بنظرم سنسوس نویر یه شاهکاره ولی چون درای داونش رو دوست ندارم و اینکه عود بوکی رو دارم که خیلی شبیهشه اما شیرینتره، تصمیم گرفتم سنسوس نویر رو بذارم تو لیست فروشم

I got this much prized number in a very lucky swap, with an incredibly sweet UK swapper (JoannaJJ you are just a diamond!). Sadly, the swap didn't work for me as I don't like this. Hear me out please. It's a high class number, no doubt. The quality of ingredients, the mastery behind it. BUT (sorry, there's one): it needs someone enjoying strong, dry spices notes to be enjoyed. I'm one of those people who believe that spices belong in the kitchen. Unless added to perfume concoctions in very, very small doses. To my nose spices come through as a punch and I don't find them enjoyable when prominent in my fragrances. I like them in food, but don't want to smell like a tasty dish. Said this, I feel same about gourmand notes, despite my signature being Angel. That is one of a kind number, unsurpassed when it comes to balance between gourmand notes and the idea of perfume. Here all I get is a prominent cinnamon effect which I loathe. It renders to me this otherwise great creation alike a cheap smell, as if someone heavily perfumed went to cook. It's way too spicy, and dry, to spark any idea of sensuality and sassiness. Big no. *I therefore have a bottle up for for swaps, or sell* Funnily enough, I'll be sending my swap tomorrow and that too is cinnamon like... Lancôme Cuir. Serendipity. Anyway, please don't fall for the hype and check the most voted reviewers' personal shelves to understand what they like. Anyone liking this loves heavy spices. Buy testers if you can! PS: I have a feeling that on a man this would work MAGIC.

The best flanker of the Sensuous line. It is all cold violets, dry sandalwood and cedar. I also get red berries, spearmint, and iris. It is a gorgeous evening and winter fragrance, so elegant and complex. Estee Lauder should not have discontinued this line.

It is an amazing perfume, deep and sexy. Easily a signature scent. Too bad it is discontinued. I have a 50 ml bottle that I keep as backup, but I have too many perfumes, if anyone is interested DM me. Very Reasonable price.

I’ve had this scent for years and it is one of my absolute favorites. For a designer fragrance, it is bold and dark and not really for everyone. This isn’t an office perfume; it’s more of a bedroom perfume. In the vein of, but distinct from, Dior’s Midnight Poison, Sensuous Noir is a beastly patchouli bomb. It opens with pine, honey, jasmine, patchouli, and spices–all well balanced and intoxicating. Vanilla, amber, and benzoin emerge during the drydown, while the pine and honey subdue. All of the notes have their place and work together symphonically. Sensuous Noir is aptly named; a fragrance when you know what the night will bring and you want to make it an extra good time.

I really wanted to love this however, I don't think I can pull this off with my chemistry. I don't pull any floral notes but get just a small hint of what it could be. I find spices go a bit harsh or sour on my skin.

This is my go to for date night. It’s a sexy enveloping fragrance. It has a warm cozy feel but can be worn in all seasons. I wish this was still made. The bottle I have has held up very well over time.

I agree with the other reviewers that this shouldn't have been discontinued, even though I'd chose the original Sensouos if I could re-release one of them. They're quite different from each other, but still smell related. It's like they took the peppery musky honey DNA of Sensuous and mixed it with a night-timey rose and patchouli perfume, and it works! This is not as coniferous as the highly voted pine note suggests, but it still matches the mood of a magical needle-leaved forest in the snow. Let me try to explain. It's woodsy, earthy and rosy with a balsamic texture that plays with hot and cool sensations. Hot pepper, warm skin musk, plush, but unsweetened, wine-like roses, clean patchouli and sharp guiac. If scents had colors, this would be jewel-toned, like dark purple, burgundy red and emerald green blended into each other. The vanilla is very subdued here, this is far from gourmand. I find this best suited for autumn and winter, especially for evening wear. It's a very intense scent and not the "warm sweater" kind of winter fragrance, I feel it's more formal and glamorous than that. A very strong like for me.

The dupe for this one ladies is Bombshell OUD by Victoria’s Secret!! I just got the bombshell oud and was amazed at the similarity! It also has great staying power!! Sensuous Noir was yummy.

It was best perfume I have ever had , but unfortunately it discounted

If it was still available, I would wear it to my dying day. One of my most vivid memories with it was putting in on a red scarf and wrapping myself with it on a snowy day. I miss it and how beautiful it was.

I love Sensuous and like Sensuous Nude. This one is harder to wear and my husband is not a fan at all. I think I am going to try again this winter very sparingly as it is strong and overpowering if you spray much. I really wanted to love it - too bad.

Lovely, lovely lovely; one of the best fragrances my nose stumbled upon back in 2010. I immediately bought a bottle. Sensuous original was nasty on me and I truly disliked it. Sensuous Noir was on the contrary a revelation: woody, sensual, deep...chocolatey (chocolate is not mentioned in the notes, but it may well be honey + vanilla) and warm that much you need to face a cold winter day. A gorgeous gourmand. Recomforting and feminine. Probably not so office-appropriate, unless in homeopathic doses, but great for a night out. Now it's a unicorn. I really really don't get why this has been discontinued and the original Sensuous is still available. Go figure. _________________

This was my signature scent for years, I was very thrifty with it and the last 20 ml are over in my bottle. It’s the best of the sensuous line. It’s even the best Estée Lauder scent I’ve ever smelled. I cannot understand why would this be discontinued 🙄 just why. This is a gem, and it’s unique. for me it’s smells like fire and pepper. Still love it.

Luckily found a new bottle of this that was sold at the original price and not marked up💜. This is a sexy date night perfume that leaves a wonderful scent trail and receives tons of compliments. Cozy, warm, sexy, pine. You would want to snuggle right into someone wearing this and take a deep inhale. I would sacrifice the other two from the line to have this baby back. Why does Estee discontinue beautiful creations like this but keeps old, outdated scents forever??

Sensuous Noir what a beautiful fragrance and unfortunately another wonder ultimately discontinued. Estée Lauder should bring back this hot and sexy flanker, its SEX in a bottle many fans will be happy, a relaunch of the Sensuous line would be a winner babe! A shout to Anne Buzantian GENIUS for making this beaut!

Oh my, what a sexy little gem! Overall, I get sweet, resinous wood. It doesn't develop much on my skin, and I consistently get the woods (fir & guaiac), benzoin and amber throughout its development, but there are undertones of spice in the beginning, a dark floral, likely the rose, in the middle, and a warm, creamy sweetness in the dry down, which I suspect is from the amber and vanilla. I do not pick up prominent patchouli or honey, though they could be adding to the general richness of this beauty. Sits close to my skin all through, but lasts all day. Wears really well all year round, but develops best in fall type weather. Definitely unisex. Whatever shall I do when I run out of this baby!

If you’re patient people still sell this on Mercari for reasonable prices. (Ebay is atrocious) Its absolutely lovely. Rose, spices and a little sweet pine on top of a very slightly dirty patchouli. It's not overwhelming - very close to the skin for me. I'm sad this was discontinued; it's very niche-esque for a designer flanker. Grab it while you still can if you're a sweet-woody pine lover!