Bronze

Very recently, when by chance I smelled a tester for Ellen Tracy Bronze, I could hardly believe my nose! This is the closest fragrance to that erstwhile and elusive perfume that defines for me sunshine, romance, and youth in olde Florida: Parfum DonCeSar. Long ago, I lived in Florida. My favorite Gulf Coast hotel was The DonCeSar. It still looks like a pink fairytale castle, much the same as when it opened around 1930 or so. The hotel had ITS OWN eponymous fragrance that emmanated from the fountain in the lobby. Despite the image that may conjure, the aroma was not oeverpowering -- they had it just right. The place is stunningly beautiful and how cool that they had their own perfume!! The parfum was for sale in the gift shop and small sample bottles were gratis in guest rooms. I absolutely adored that fragrance. I could never quite describe the way it smelled, I just wore it and people always asked what I was wearing. I used to order it by mail from the gift shop if a trip to St. Pete Beach was not on the calendar. For years I was never without my favorite. Then, one day I called the gift shop to order more and the girl had no idea what I was talking about. Hotel takeover and pfffttt, they got rid of their namesake fragrance along with the hotel's lovely and perfect scallop shell signature logo. The hotel has been acquired by upscale chains -- the second and current one is Loew's. The DonCeSar perfume has been unavailable for I'd guess at least 10 years now. I have a very strong scent memory of it and have mourned its loss. The bottle (I kept several) was a simple flat, round frosted glass vessel with the lovely DonCeSar signature scallop shell printed in white. It had a simple gold-toned metal tall cylinder cap. The box was pink with the scallop shell on it. The 2 scents may not be quite 100% match but so close it doesn't matter. I am a happy girl, once again. The second I smelled Bronze, I said DonCeSar!!!!! I get a citrus zest blend backed by orange blossom and vanilla and carmel. And yes, the violets and or iris, that slightly dark tone, maybe amber? Some woodyness (remember Woodhue from Faberge?) Pingui mentions a "sparkle-like quality." I get that too, but can't name it. Because of my scent-memory association with the DonCeSar, ETBronze will remind me of Florida and the world of aromas borne on the tropical breezes. Now I want to compare ETBronze to some of the fragrances mentioned by others here.

Bronze blew me away. I never expected this perfume to be as wonderful as it is. I purchased a set of four rollerballs which included Ellen, Ellen Tracy, Tracy and Bronze. I figured a great way to test four of Ellen Tracy's Eau de Parfum's at a great price. Out of the four, I absolutely love Bronze, adore Ellen Tracy and Ellen and find Tracy a very interesting perfume. These are perfumes that I am surprised are relegated to the discount stores. They should not be. My first impression of Bronze was Lemon Meringue Pie. Don't ask me why, but that was the image that came to mind. From the top note down, every whiff is absolutely delicious. Creamy vanilla mixed with woods-a lovely scent that can be worn year-round. Wait for the drydown and the nuttiness comes through. So nice to have another note announce its presence during the different stages of a perfume. This is what a perfume is about-discerning the variables that a perfumer puts into their mix, and Bronze has its diverse notes, too, and really, they all smell wonderful. Sometimes when we wear a perfume we feel we must get through the top or middle stage because it's unpleasant, not so with Bronze. Each layer is one to enjoy. You stop to take time and discern the notes. Into the middle the sweetness barely lingers as the sandalwood woodiness embodies the heart of the fragrance. Now Bronze is becoming one with the wearer, a skin fragrance, a scent that mixes with your body chemistry, a little salt tossed over your shoulder for good measure. It becomes heady at this point, you're lying on the sands alone in a cove, the air is moist and damp, the tall grasses are blowing around you. It is seasonless, it is just you, the clean hills of sand around you, the whispering tall grass marshes blowing. The sun is warm. Bronze seems to address many needs as a fragrance for its wearers. It's a soft perfume, it's a gourmand, it's a light oriental. Pick how it suits you, as it wears on you for hours. This can be a meditative fragrance or one for yoga. Bronze can fulfill a Sunday afternoon reading The New York Times in bed or one when you spend the day with your friends at home as a Girls Night In. It's possibilities are endless.

My first perfume review ever..... First of all, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who pointed me to my local TJ Maxx, where I was beyond thrilled to find a 3.4 oz bottle for $17. Actually, there were two bottles on the shelf and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to head back to the store, just to see if it's still there, waiting for me. This started out as a sample given to me at the mall around Christmas 2011. I was spritzed during a rushed last-minute shopping spree. Paying little attention, I tossed the sample in a basket on my dresser and forgot about it until a year later. 2012, Christmas again, I am nearly out of perfume (I will never let this happen again), but I know I am getting perfume for Christmas so I hunt around for whatever drops I might have lying around to get me through. I find my Ellen Tracy Bronze sample. Spray it on, go to work. And throughout the day, I find that I can't stop smelling my wrist. It smells fresh, yet delicious, cozy, warm and sunny. It's my perfume equivalent of slipping on my most comfortable jeans. Or sipping a latte on a rainy afternoon, but also like a day at the beach reading a book I can't put down. In other words, it's all my favorite things. It's such a good fit for me, I'm still surprised every time I spray it. My desperate search for exactly what was in this perfume that I loved so much led me to Fragrantica. Since I'm very new at picking out notes, I could only nod my head and smile when I saw that one of the top notes listed was heliotrope. Makes perfect sense, since whenever I am at a garden center, I can't resist smelling this delicious spicy vanilla purple flower. So yummy. And now I am lost in a sea of fragrence reviews on this website. I love this place, it's like getting lost in a library full of personal perfume stories. Although I've been buying perfume for years, I feel like Ellen Tracy Bronze is my first fully informed, grown-up purchase.

For the longest time I've been searching for a lemon, vanilla blend perfume that is a little more complex than just those two notes alone, yet not aromatic, as it is in Jicky and other citrus vanilla blends I've tried. I finally found it after this was recommended to me by a fellow perfumista here. This is perfect. Lemon with a light, airy vanilla, thanks to the vanilla orchid, that's not heavy or drowning out the other notes. The violet leaf, lotv, and honeysuckle add a freshness to this scent keeping any heaviness at bay, and the coumarin a lite herbal touch. All is grounded on a light cedar base, rounded out with smooth amber creaminess. It is all so well blended that it's hard for me to pick out the other notes (apple? orange blossom?), though I do smell the violet and the heliotrope with its powdery almond characteristic on the dry down. The overall composition is citrusy, creamy, powdery, and teetering gourmand. I first bought a small bottle dirt cheap last summer, but I've since purchased a gift set, also at a ridiculously low price. I'm really very surprised with the silage and the longevity, especially when used with the corresponding products. While not a silage beast, I was able to smell it clearly for at least 6 hours, even in the heat of summer, before it became a skin scent. That's very good considering many more expensive perfumes don't perform half as well. Although I was initially hesitant on purchasing this perfume after having been disappointed by this brand before, I'm so glad I added this inexpensive gem to my collection. It has quickly become a favorite. Thanks, Suz, for the recommendation. ^-^

I have seen this fragrance in discount stores for some time now and never gave it too much thought. That is, until I joined Fragrantica. This one pops up in the forums quite a bit so when I saw it priced at $4.99 for 30mL on my last trip to Marshalls, I had to grab it (total blind buy). While I was rummaging through the other fumes, a gentleman approached me and couldn't stop raving about Bronze and Ellen Tracy (which I also bought blind that day). He had purchased several backup bottles for his wife. Let me say, I have never been this impressed by my other blind buy, discount fragrances as I am with Bronze. It starts out very lemony, like meringue or cookies or lemon drop candies. Then after an hour or so into the dry down, I catch whiffs of the beautiful powdery violet, heliotrope, green earthiness, musk and amber. Sniffing close to the skin reveals more citrus, mandarin, bergamot, (apple?), and cedar. Longevity is good at 6+ hours and there is really no need to reapply except that I enjoy the semi sweet lemon opening so much. This is great quality at a value price. I am a bit sorry that I discovered it this late in the summer. I would consider a repurchase when I'm through with this bottle. Edit 4/22/2015: This really is a beautiful scent and once again, I'm amazed at the quality vs value. The sprayer on my bottle sticks and requires some manipulation to pull the nozzle back up after each spritz. I wonder if that's the reason I see so many bottles of Bronze in the bargain bin. At any rate, it was still worth every penny.