Sheer Beauty Essence

This edt wasn't on my radar at all. I blind bought it based on a few interesting reviews here that intrigued me. PaulinaGillespie talked about being transported to an enchanted forest with fairies and unicorns. Beritskagen described it as a scent of sadness. Fragaria mused that she will wear this for solitary and introspective moments. Many others described it as fresh, airy, cold florals or like a foggy day in the mountains. An curiously disparate set of reviews, indeed. It was with some trepidation when I took off the cap of the bottle and sprayed the scent on the back of my hand, hoping that I at least won't find it nauseating. After waiting for the scent to dry, I took a sniff and...I loved it! But most amazing of all to me, Sheer Beauty Essence does smell like what the others have said. I keep thinking of Tolkien's Elves, cold misty forests, and this feeling of indescribable sadness that was both strange and familiar...and then it clicked. This fragrance makes me think of the "Arwen's Fate" scene in the Lord of the Rings The Two Towers. The imagery of a grieving Arwen, shrouded in flowing sheer dark veil, walking under twilit trees, as this mournful haunting dirge plays in the background. "But you my daughter ... you will linger on, in darkness and in doubt, as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Here you will dwell, bound to your grief, under the fading trees until all the world is changed and the long years of your life are utterly spent." I'm sure Calvin Klein did not quite have in mind the elegiac elements of Tolkien's work when they created this fragrance but this is what Sheer Beauty Essence evokes. I'm not very good in distinguishing notes and describing smells. My scent vocabulary and olfactory experience is very limited. I describe fragrances (to myself) based on the mood, impressions, imagery and emotions that they conjure. But if I have to describe this edt using other fragrances I know, this is like a cross between Chloe edp and Lanvin Eclat d'Arpege. I understand Chloe has rose notes while Eclat d'Arpege has green lilac. I'm not saying that CK SBE smells like either of those two but it's from the same family of fresh florals. Why it makes me think of twilight, mortality and a great civilization fading into the past is a mystery.

CK Sheer Beauty Essence is wonderful on me. I wasn't expecting a perfume with "Sheer" in its name to last very long but it lasted at least 10 hours! I put it on in the morning before I left for work at 8, and it stayed till 6 PM that day! I was getting whiffs of this all day long. I could still smell it before I showered that night, albeit a lot weaker. I had to bring my wrist closer to my nose but the scent was still there. This beauty started off on a rosy note, a soft, fresh rose. After the perfume settled I smelled the light, sweet and happy scent of lilacs. I get both the rose and lilacs scent throughout the day but after about 4 hours the lilacs become the dominant one. This is a true floral perfume, the white peach in here is mildly sweet but does not puncture the perfume with fruitiness. Despite most votes for this being a spring and summer perfume I think it is perfectly wearable for fall and winter. It's a sophisticated, charming floral sweetness combined with a touch of vanilla and musk for warmth. Two sprays to last me the whole day. A delightful, delicate floral. The Sheer Beauty Essence will be well loved by me. Longevity: 10/10 (may vary person to person, but I'm very very happy that it last a long time on me. P.S. I have normal skin, not dry not oily.) Silage: 6/10 (arm's length)

Shana J on YouTube made me buy this and I am not sorry. I can usually tell when I’m gonna like something that she’s reviewing and the notes sounded up my alley. This is really hard to find for a decent price, but I managed to snag one half full off of Mercari, and it is some of the reviewers here are claiming to be!! Uplifting, yet calming ethereal floral with a prominent pear blossom note that really stands out to me. Yes, fairies would smell like this! It is a safe crowdpleaser, it smells clean and light but it’s elevated. Somehow my nose does not get tired or nose blind to this, which makes it extra special because I have that problem with 75% of my perfumes. I want to be able to enjoy it on myself. That’s the whole point! So, if you can find it and you like pear, rose, and lilac, this is a winner.

Simple,elegant,fresh,pure,cool floral scent with a hint of fruits and a soft,sweet Musky base Rose,lilac and magnolia are dominant notes on me,but they are really delicate,feminine and nothing even near sharp,not that much recognizable fruity notes,but there is a touch of freshness that I blame peach and pear for it I agree florals are kind of cold here,but I find dry down warm and Musky,it's really lovely,beautiful and clean,if you're looking for a daily fresh floral,almost powdery and rosey for spring and summertime use,this is a nice choice..versatile,without any age boundaries and almost long lasting I like this one much more than original beauty which is all about jasmine and beauty sheer which is too peachy for me ❤❤❤❤

I don't care about FOMO anymore. I love what I love, and I'm so glad my partner bought me Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty when he found a nice deal for it. Here's what I smell from this lovely scent: a tart, fresh peach, with a woody, clean musk base and light florals in the background. To me this leans unisex from the feminine side. It's almost what I would consider a freshie (akin to a citrus cologne to wear while exercising or sweating in the heat), except that it has more of a tart fruit accord than a citrus accord, and it lasts a little bit longer than fleeting citrus freshies tend to last. Love it! 🦋🧡🦋

I really love this super tart, peachy, almost citrus, slightly musky floral fragrance. The other notes are so well blended it's hard for me to pick them out. This is such a hidden gem you can get at an affordable price. Lovely to wear on a hot summer day when you want to smell fresh. Update: As of early 2023, it's getting harder to find this fragrance. It's going for crazy prices now. I've used a third of my bottle already. I'm going to enjoy it while being aware there will be no backup bottle when it's gone. 🦋🧡🦋

Bought it in a blind buy. But Wow, at first i thought it was very similar to A little black dress by Avon, but a little less in longevity. Overall, the notes are warm and soft, like a cashmere blanket, and snuggling in front of the fireplace on a cold stormy night. The notes are not overpowering. I smell oranges ( it must be the peach) and magnolia. I smell honey too, or it must be the vanilla? Anyway, i think this would be great on a first date, if you dont want your perfume to overpower your conversations.

This scent is very good and unique. It smells very fresh like super clean sheets in a cool night in which some tired person that is away from his home would love to rest on. There is something mysterious about it. I really enjoy it. It smells better on clothes than skin in my opinion. It's well blended. I can only distinguish the rose aspect of it. The rest of the notes are playing together very well to complement the rose aspect.

Unexpected beauty! Very modern, elegant, delicate and long-lasting, at the same time absolutely not boring! The juice perfectly matches the clear bottle, I wouldn't hesitate to wear this on a busy morning along with a white blouse and business outfit. It's a perfect blend of floral freshness and elegance.

This smells sooooo good. But careful: TRY ON YOUR SKIN. I noted it smelled completely different on the paper strip - stronger and sweeter than on my skin. On skin it was much softer. I love it.

a very nice fresh pear-lilac perfume. perfect for spring. i never get bored of this. ahead of its time. timeless.

great scent. smells clean and floral and almost like laundry.

It’s very pretty, floral, soft, safe, fresh. Another genius Joanna review here:. When I decided I should write a review for this, my first sentence was going to be, “beautiful lily of the valley scent...”. When I smell my wrist, that’s what my brain was registering, however, there is no lily of the valley note in this fragrance. So, imagine the experience of smelling a huge bouquet of lily of the valley outside on a early summer day, not necessarily the exact scent Of LOTV, but the season and that light, but lovely smell with a bit of bite. But soft... Then let your brain read the actual notes, think about them when you smell it, and you will clearly realize that it’s rose and lilac and magnolia. I smell the lilac, the Rose is not overpowering it, and I like how when I close my eyes, focus and really think as I smell this particular perfume, I can pick out the different notes. This is the first perfume I have been able to do this... (just ignore my initial, not thinking, lotv mix up :) ). This is actually also the first fragrance I blind ordered after I joined Fragrantica, and I had not yet learned the ways of perfume. I knew nothing of dry down, notes, skin tests. And the way I have applied perfume my entire life was the spray in air, walk through... So I sprayed it In the air, didn’t even walk through it, my daughter and I sniffed the perfumed air as the little molecules fell to the ground, and all I picked up was alcohol and a sharp floral smell. I put it right back in its box and checked “don’t like.” Wow, was I a Fragrantician now, I thought... sigh... I’m really glad I saw this mentioned in the boards, and I came back and read reviews. I made me take it back out and really try it, properly. Like a true Fragrantican. When I look at the notes I do imagine something glorious should be happening, and it’s not glorious, But it’s very nice, and I do like it,

To me, this is very contemporary. When I walk into a home of such, it feels icy and I want to wrap my arms around myself. This isn't a bad thing. It's just very different to sayyyy...walking into MY home which is more the decor of a vardo as compared to a hospital room. Speaking of a hospital room. I would imagine waking after surgery in maybe the 50's or 60's. A very plain room with silver (metal bed frame, bed tray, a bed stand) white walls, light gray floor, and a bit of black...the baseboards hospitals used to use, and a black toilet seat. A nurse sitting in the corner writing on a clipboard is very austere and suits the decor. This....THIS perfume is what she smells like! This isn't a negative review. There are times when I am alone, very solemn, very quiet. I would choose this scent. There's comfort in a stiff white sheet that smells of bleach and sunshine when you have to sleep in a bed that someone may have died in, no? This scent is quiet, a bit chilly, and not at all funny. I am fond of it for what it is. It will never be a favorite. It's just not happy enough for me. My usual scents are comparable to mommy walking into that very hospital room with a big ol' stuffed pink bunny and a new flannel nightgown. I will keep this. It's for me and my "very alone and serious" quiet times. Times when I don't want to hear noise, converse, or really give a darn about anything in the world. This is an important perfume for me. When I purchased this, I expected happy sunny back yard wedding! Blind buys can be, to say the least, interesting! Update-I still can NOT smell any lilac what so ever. I can't believe it, I'm the only one in the world that can't! sheesh....not a drop!

EDIT: yes, this perfume definitely wears much better and more beautifully on warmer, summer days. I enjoy it much more now and my appreciation grows with every spray. Cold roses in summer time work amazing IMO. I never think of CK scents as of particularly elegant, but this one deserves to be complimented in such manner. 🌹🌹🌹 This one is surprisingly heavy on roses, which is a shame a bit, because as much as I like rose notes, I find lilac much more interesting and this one is often described as a lilac perfume. Maybe after an hour or so I can smell a bit of lilac, but would never say it's any significant note. After reading reviews praising "almost ethereal-like" and kinda "sad beauty" of this perfume I guess I expected something different and I'm a bit disappointed. It's not bad and it grows on me every time I wear it, but it's nothing groundbreaking IMHO and has strong CK DNA. It definitely is very cold perfume, henceforth I'm waiting warmer weather to give it a try, wondering how will it wear then. Maybe better? For now one thing from the reviews I can confirm is Sheer Beauty Essence weirdly reminds me of funeral flowers and it doesn't make me too happy, obviously, as funerals by their nature aren't happy events. But still... it's not bad perfume, seriously, and even has kinda unique vibe and quality, which is always good. Cold, really cold and sad pale pink and white roses perfume.

(review from a man, tested on my girlfriend) I hate lilac in the nature. Beside the narcissus, this is the only one which is too intense, overwhelming, and giving me headache. In perfumes, it can be good, if it not overdosed, and not the lilac is the primer and most powerful component. This creation could be working much better with 10% less lilac. The top note is wonderful, after the first sniff I feel, I’m in the garden full of peaches and pear blossoms. 15-20 minutes later the lilac getting more intense and this part of the composition is not my cup of tea, but not bad. The base contains a solid musk and a little bit of vanilla. Maybe with more rose and vanilla the scent could be better. - Spirng/summer daytime scent - The sillage and the longevity is slightly better then average, longevity is 6-7 hours - Try before buy (because of the stong lilac note) Scent (open, top-mid): 7.5/10 (x2) Scent (drydown, base): 7/10 (x2) Sillage: 6.5/10 Longevity: 6.5/10 Uniqueness: 7/10 Versatility: 7/10 Total: 7/10

This was an exceptionally happy blind but for me, based on solely the notes and your reviews, dear perfume lover friends of mine! Had it not been for Fragrantica, I guess I would have never even known this scent existed. This is such a fresh and airy scent, with cool, almost icy flowery notes. And while this is cool and airy, this manages at the same time be a deep and so pleasantly intoxicating floral. The floral notes are so well blended, not a one note dominating distractingly over another. Very unique scent in my opinion, as I cannot really compare this to any other scents I own (and there are well over 200 scents on my shelves). Goes straight to my list of loves. My first ever CK like and love, welcome to the collection.

Everyone else says it - fresh flowers and expensive soap! Nothing at all like the original Sheer Beauty. Very wearable, and I'd say a good perfume for someone who is trying to get into wearing perfume. This is close to a fresh out of the shower smell. If you want to have a fresh, clean scent with a tasteful amount of sweetness and a definitely floral character, give Sheer Beauty Essence a try. Good for all ages, all seasons. More of a day fragrance I'd say but you could get away with it in any setting. It's a nice smell. Not long lasting at all... you will need to re-apply every couple of hours. This scent reminds me quite a bit of Daisy by Marc Jacobs, and the Nine West signature fragrance.

This is very pretty! It’s ladylike, feminine and an easy reach in warmer weather! I do pick up the mix of the fruity and the floral notes! I can’t say it’s overly unique, but it wears well and is very pretty to my nose. I don’t think this would be offensive to anyone. It’s a great scent for everyday wear, work or any daytime activity. It’s an easy reach affordable fragrance that is blind buy safe if you like a floral fragrance. I enjoy this and it’s worth the price I paid!

Can anyone still remember the green Organics Shampoo (was it from Unilever?)? I loved it, used it for years and then: Discontinued. I ́ve never forgotten the smell. And today: I ́ve seen the big bottle Sheer Beauty Essence and haven ́t expected too much cause I don ́t like the Original Beauty of CK. Smelled it, bought it. The same smell as then. What a nice rosy Shampoo scent. I ́m in love!

As usuall... Another blind buy. I liked the composition. Plus all these positive reviews... And what a good decision! Very, very pretty scent! Light, fine, fresh, airy, delicate, but still feminine. Hmm... Yamm! Well, well.... Update. As I liked it at the beginning, I don't like it now. There's something which is not quite "friend" with my nose... Happy to swap if anyone interested.

I sampeled this one few days ago. At the testing paper it was different. so i deceided to give it a go on my skin. well, after testing it on my skin i must say it didn't impress me at all. the scend turned to a kind of old fashioned shampoo scent, pretty heavy and generic. the only good thing if lasting power, about 6 hours, which is ok for an 'sheer edt'.

All peony! That is the overwhelming note for me in this perfume. It is very fresh and elegant, and lasts 4-6 hours. I notice that it almost gets into dryer sheet territory in the last stages, but manages to stay just shy of it. It reminds me of Ellen Tracey Peony Rose, but I like it much better than ETPR in the dry down.

Not bad. It's fresh and makes me think of spring and blooming trees. Very pretty. Lilacs and roses are the most dominant here. There's also some sweet magnolia and fresh peony. Good, but can't be compared the elegance of the original Beauty.

Bottle is heavy though. Smell is very nice, light, but wearable especially for autumn in my opinion. No lilacs, peachy, like pear blossoms with a little bit rose watery kinda smell.

For some reason I smelled a lot of Lychee in this. I love Lychee but didn't love this perfume. It smelled nice of course, but not something I would wear.

Nothing to write home about. Not a sensational fragrance. It smells like your everday perfume. Nice scent but I won't purchase it again.

This is a nice well-blended floral. The lilac, rose, peony, and orange all share the spotlight. Sheer, safe, and work-appropriate.

perfect fragrance for staying home in self isoltion with covid :/ nothing offensive about it!! light and fresh...

Cheap smell. Very similar to zen sun.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last.

I had such high hopes for this and all off the notes sounded perfect for me! Alas, the dissapointment was even greater! To me this was synthetic, gag-inducing pear, pear and PEAR. I don't mean the light, aquatic and fresh almost melon-like pear that most perfumes feature but the worst kind ( straight up Piggelin ice-cream for any Swedes) that reminds me of what is used to flavor candy and popsicles with pear flavor. This was the scent that overpowered me after the intial squirt, but I decided to wait it out and let the other notes develop. NOTHING happened even after a couple of hours it was still that horrible pear smell with hints of floral and nothing else until it completely faded and died down. Not even the lasting power proved worth of the price. I prefer the weak and bland Sheer Beauty a thousand times over this mess.

:( :( This perfume smells nauseating to me. I blind bought this because it has lilac in it, and I love lilac. Turns out it does has a lot of lilac, but there's too much! I'm a floral lover, but I can't handle this. It's too overpowering and the super strong and gummy sweetness from the peach and honeysuckle do not help balance it out. I actually can't really smell any fruits. I just assume some of the suffocating sweetness comes from the peach because it's listed as one of the notes. There is no fruitiness in it. It's just overally a really really in-your-face floral and sweet scent. Despite the name, there is nothing sheer about it. The scent does not change on my skin either. It just stayed the way it smelled when just sprayed and gradually died away in roughly 2 hours. It was such a relief when it did though. :( :(

Just picked this up as a "blind buy". Quickly got online, read the reviews here and decided to go for it. Now, I'm sorry that I didn't heed the negative comments more. This is so not for me! I love the "aunt from Church" analogy. That's pretty much it. For me, it's generic, too heavy on the rose and reminds me of being a kid and not liking the perfumes my older relatives would wear. I'm going to give it another shot, but I'm pretty sure this one is going to get listed for trade.

Essence does not smell on my skin at all. I don't know how it is possible, cause Sheer Beauty smelled on my skin quite well, maybe not great, but still ok. And Essence is like no fragrance after 5 minutes. I think that some fragrances do not develop well or do not develop at all on some types of skin. Chemistry, that is it.

This one I hate it. :-) Sheer beauty is very nice, but essence... It's really awful. I had to wash my hand after a while. Try it first on your skin; don't make a blind purchase.

Smells like cigarettes and beer. Masculine, yet very floral.

How can someone like this? Smells like 100% bug spray!

I made a mistake and bought Sheer beauty essence, thinking it was Sheer beauty in new design. Just thougt somebody else might be wondering, and it's not. It is beautiful, and as others write that it is a sad scent, I really think so too...Not sad, like there is anything wrong with it, but it really smell like sadness...How did they do this? How did they make this fragrance actually smell like sadness? What is the associaton? ...Clean, could floral with a faint warmth ... It's very appropriate. Like an institution perhaps. An institution is for humans, but it is also not a natural habitat. It is an enviorment where we have to keep some order and cleanliness, and then we add some curtains to make it more welcoming like imitating a home for comfort. But we can't add to much, because it is not a home. This fragrance seemes to reflect the balance of that perfectly. I't is no shame in loving it either. Maybe you are a master of subtlety, and sometimes there is quiet bliss and relief in the freedom from constrained cherfullness.

Tried this last month along with the new dior miss dior blooming bouquet but it seems that I mixed up the scent strips that I got when I was about to leave the mall, I couldn't recognize which is which. Next time I'll come back with a full review when I make sure I'm sniffing the right tester. I'll try to write the name of the fragrance on the paper strip with pencil as perfume has alcohol that will dissolve the ink if I used a pen. update May 2014: After nearly a year I may get this & come back with a full review as I think the store that I purchase my fragrances from is still have it. update August 2014 : I'll try to get it this month for sure as I have many points in loyalty card from my local store where I get my stuff as usual. I may also get the new Armani one.

This is a nice clear and cold floral, it isn't anything outstanding, but very different from the original Beauty, and way better than Sheer which was bland. Sheer Essence is definitely a different scent. I enjoyed Beauty , it was in the category of lily scents pretty nicely done.Sheer was nothing to talk about, a waste of money Sheer Essence has a nice lilac note, and it smells lovely, the drydown is really smelling great. I don't think I get any juicy peach really, it is mostly floral, but not sharp at all , rather smooth So it isn't a love for me, but a like, it gets musky in the base, overall easy to wear. Pretty floral, and not sweet.

I actually love this fragrance. It has depth without being heavy. I am going to wear this during the summer for certain. The lilac is great. I do detect a bit of vibrant citrus...but not enough to classify it as a citrus. The musk is light, yet makes an appearance. Still, I would recommend trying it before purchasing...as with many fragrances. If you are not able to do so, then if you like light, summer fragrances you should like this one just fine. Edit The more I wear it, the more I love it. I know I will be getting at least a couple of 3.4 oz bottles!

At first Sheer Essence is ALL rose. I literally smelled nothing else for the first 5 minutes. Gradually the rose softens a bit and makes room for a bit of pear, a squeeze of juicy peach, and a slight hint of peony. I smell no lilac in here whatsoever which disappoints me - I absolutely adore lilac! Overall, though, Sheer Essence is a good fragrance. All the reviews stating that it is "cold" are right - there's definitely an aloof coolness, but that's not to say it's snobby. It's very wearable and would suit almost any occasion.

Just tried this & it smells so sheer just like the name suggested. Smells flowery fresh & really clean. I may get a bottle before summer is gone. I believe it's available in 100 ml bottle only. update: I never knew this fragrance is available in 50 & 30 ml bottles cause I found only the 100ml one where I live. It wasn't that exensive either. I agree with genny17 it has lilac note in it & it's fresh & cold. Reminds me somehow of unbond perfume that I used to wear when I was at college.

It smells a bit like Guerlain Idylle, just a little bit. Also I'd categorise it under same family as Chloe EDP, Hugo Boss Ma Vie L'Eau, Lanvin Me L'Eau and Eclat d’Arpège. CK Sheer Beauty Essence is like a mix of all of these. It's super clean, floral fresh, if you enjoy those lighter Elizabth Arden scents, you'll enjoy this too. Since it is discontinued, prices have gone up, and I wouldn't pay anything over €30 for a 100ml but it's okay for the €15 I paid for my 50ml 🥰

i tried this yesterday and liked it strait away. Beautiful femine scent, reminds me a bit of valentino rock and rose which i love. i can still smell the scent in my scarf today, quite good sillage it seems to have! This is not for those who love strong dark scents, this is joyful , unoffensive, and sheer as the name says:) Well done cK! This is the first calvin klein i have liked after eternity purple orhcid.I am gonna buy a bottle today:)

Oh... So pity to write it but is important to write like we feel, not only write good, to get thumbs up. This scent is really not for me. Rose ́s notes just kill me. I have nothing to rose generally, but this time it reminds me ``aunt from church``who changed heavy, winter perfume to summer one. And here we comes... It is something far far away that could be interesting, but it is not enough to even bother to get sample.

It's an interesting floral. The scent is purple but not fruit purple, not plum or berries, it's about fresh purple flowers. By fresh I mean not aftershave fresh (Mr Klein can do so this to you) but freshly cut flowers refreshing. It has style to it so it's not just similar to floral soap or to a flower scented shampoo. For the times when we want or need to smell feminine, pretty and not redundant.

A friend of a friend has gone out drinking and left this at my flat, so I couldn't resist having a squirt. This is definitely sheer...cottony airy scents reminiscent of an air freshener. A little sweet but mainly floral with that mist-y air freshener element. Like a foggy day in the mountains. I'm sure quite an inoffensive scent but it doesn't excite me one but like a fragrance should.

Very fruity floral. Initial smell is pear, but maybe it's that pear blossom I smell, and peach. Lovely fresh but very fruity indeed IMO. Too fruity for me; I like more floral scents. I don't care pear very much, but in this it's pleasant with peach. All in all it's light and nice and easy to wear. Original Beauty is totally different.