Ellen Tracy

This one makes me so happy every time I wear it, I reach for it often. I feel confident, strong but still feminine, like having someone nice hold your hand just because they want to. It starts out with a bergamot-citrus blast that very quickly turns into a fruity note that is not excessively sweet. The peach and plum are there, but not candied, rather they are lightly mulled or spiced. The sandalwood note is predominant as this perfume dries down, enriched by hints of oakmoss, orris root, cinnamon, and a touch of cedar. I see the floral notes listed, but really don’t get the scent of any single bloom—just a general feminine feel; and a lightness, almost a crispness that keeps some of the heavier notes from taking over, I think which also comes from the faintly lingering bergamot-citrus notes. It is certainly a musk, in a very pleasant and androgynous way—with the musk and sandalwood, this really could be a perfume for a young man or one who likes a lighter scent. My daughter tells me “you smell like Grandpa at the lake”—by which I think she means I smell a bit like a fresher version of Old Spice! I find this scent to be very well blended; I’m using my imagination a bit to get the single notes, as together they create such a perfect whole. It transitions smoothly as it dries down, changing subtly depending on conditions (skin moisture, temperature, stress). While it changes, it never strays far from a warm, spicy sandalwood musk. I’m mid-30’s, BTW, and do like light spicy scents, Orientals, sandalwoods and musks. I find Ellen Tracy to be unique and calming. It isn’t a gourmand; it’s not a bower of flowers; it has no patchouli (notes which seem so ubiquitous and overdone). It isn’t “too” anything—not too fruity, not too sweet, not too floral, not overwhelmingly musky, masculine, or dark; it’s “just right”. And frankly the price (1 oz for $10 at TJ Maxx) makes it that much better!

Oh, Ellen, Ellen, where have you been all my life? Well, at least, the years I have started to appreciate perfumes the way they should be - how they smell on me, and affect my mood, and not what smells good on others (although, on rare occasions, there have been some overlap here). Thanks to a generous sample of "Ellen Tracy" from a wonderful Fragrantican, Raina, I am in fragrance induced nirvana... This fragrance is so absolutely beautiful, I am having a hard time describing my experience except that I feel reborn... The many, many notes in the composition are so artfully blended together, I am also having hard time singling them out. The ones I do sense are: sandalwood, peach, plum, musk, hyacinth, amber, freesia, carnation, and tonka bean. I do not get any citrus whatsoever, and I am VERY happy about that. I find the citrus, on me, tends to get masculine and sour, and not too many citrusy fragrances work with my chemistry. Anyway, back to Ellen Tracy... I generally like sandal but, in this composition, I love the sandal. It is smooth, warm, feminine and sexy, and that's just how this perfume makes me feel. The amber and musk are deepening the experience, and the hyacinth is just at the right level of intensity to make it all zesty without being too punchy. This fragrance feels as cozy as a warm rice pudding on a cold, dreary day... smells a little like it, too... Sillage: soft, close to skin, 2 inch no trail Longevity: moderate - about 5 - 6 hrs. My full size bottle is on its way! Thank you again, Raina, for introducing me to Ellen Tracy!

Ellen Tracy, I think I love you. I found this in a set of four rollerball minis at TJ Maxx. Applied to my wrist and inhaled, excited to see if I liked this one as much as I do ET Bronze and ET Ellen. And I do, I do! But in such a different way. As a fairly new student to deciphering notes, I wondered what I would find upon smelling this for the first time...and the first thing that came to mind was, oh my gosh, I am smelling a more feminine version of Burberry Men, a scent I bought for my husband to try. Could this be right? I immediately came to this site and searched the notes in ET and compared them to the notes in Burberry Men. The notes in common that jumped out at me are cedar, sandalwood and musk. These must be the notes that always bring to my mind walking on a crisp, sunny day in autumn beneath trees whose leaves have turned brilliant colors and are starting to fall. That's how Burberry made me feel when I was searching for a new scent for my husband...and when he was less than impressed, it became mine and I loved it. This is part of what's so fun about this site, discovering what notes stir your soul and bring you to a vivid place in your mind. You can paint a picture with a couple of spritzes. I'm thinking ET will be a definite staple for me come autumn.

I picked up a bottle of the peony and rose and thought, eh...safe enough, good price, I'll take it! The bottle was pretty also. I noticed mine that I bought was a plain bottle but I sprayed some on my wrist and shopped some more. I kept smelling something wonderful, and thinking it was the perfume department I'd just passed, I shrugged it off. The scent was still around and I was trying to sniff where it was coming from and it was ME! It was MUCH better than what I'd smelled in the store. I even thought it might have been another perfume I tried earlier and not the Ellen Tracy one. I got home and checked on here because this was WAY too lovely! The one I got wasn't the peony and rose I tried in the store, it's the plain Ellen Tracy and I'm so happy! This was a pure accident and to me this perfume has that certain something that puts it above too many other perfumes. It's safe, yes, and good for work and not offensive to anyone and I agree with all the other reviewers here that like it except for ONE thing, this has that certain SOMETHING that takes it over the top for me. It's so incredibly desireable to me. It's a fave for sure! Clean and so preppy. I bet Elizabeth Taylor smelled like this in Father of the Bride. :-)

Reviews are about as scattered as the list of ingredients. However, she is pretty just the same. I actually started wearing this over a decade ago after smelling it in a grocery's bargain bin. Those moments are like finding a winning ticket on the ground after a horse race. Amongst the 26 boasted notes: 5 different fruits ranging from berry to citrus and stone to spice, there are 12 different types of flora, 2 selections of wood, some root structure and a few well placed dollops of modern aldehydic chemistry. It's enough to make your head spin. Ellen Tracy is a bold female voice, unbelievable in price, and I know this may seem absurd to some readers, brilliant right out of the gate. By the time you reach the heart, and the perfume has reached its apex of charm, character notes become soft and warm - sophistically tender. This is the layer that seems to come up wanting with other smell-a-likes. This is the smell of a woman who commands her life, but always makes time for others. This is the professional who leads from the front, or the mother who whispers in place of a shout. This is also, always at the ready in my home, to don for my own comfort. And at these prices, it's quite plainly, a gift!

Lovely soft floral, woody scent. Smells clean without laundry/soap/shampoo vibes - more like fresh air and dewy flowers and peaches on a slightly cool morning. I don’t get a powdery note here - and I adore powder, but I do get an aquatic note. This perfume reminds me of Britney Spears’ Curious. ET is suitable in the same all-occasion, daytime framework as Curious. It doesn’t have the extremely impressive longevity that Curious has on my skin, but ET lasts a good 6 hours or more depending on how much I apply and stays a really long time on clothes. ET also has a touch of spice, which is really nice rounded out with the raspberry. Altogether very pretty, understated, and very easy to get along with when you just want to smell lovely in an unobtrusive, enjoyable, tasteful way. I confess that I kind of fell in love with this and with Ellen Tracy Bronze, which is truly gorgeous. There’s something about each of them that just speaks to me. I also love the heavy glass, elegant bottle designs. Very minimalist, ancient Egyptian, and a tad Art Deco. I enjoy seeing them.

I love this scent. The first time I got this perfume was Mother's Day 2019 from my aunt, and it's been my favorite perfume ever since. It's not an "old" scent, or a "little girl" scent. I've always described it as it smells like what a woman should smell like. An adult woman, mature, sophisticated, in her prime. It smells so good, I wear it year-round and get compliments all the time. I will probably never ever get tired of this perfume. I am extremely sensitive to smells, especially perfumes. I get a horrible migraine if a perfume is too strong or is too chemical-y. This perfume is not overpowering, but is not so light that you can't smell it. It's very affordable, and using the same bottle every day 1-2 times per day, (I rarely have to re-apply it!) lasts me well over 8 months. What it smells like to me is woody, floral, musky, powdery, and I can sometimes get the hints of peach and plum throughout the day. Definitely worth the price, and I have re-bought this many times.

I bought this perfume blindly (thank you, Fragrantica members for your helpful reviews) at TJ Maxx for a very good price. I love warm fragrances, and couldn't resist the descriptions. I'm not disapointed. It starts with fruit, but not sticky-sweet fruity; I definitely got peach and plum notes. It went quickly into a subtle, mild musk that is wonderful--I smell the amber, woody notes/sandalwood--with a sweetness that is not cloying. I see others have described it as potentially unisex and I agree; the musk is nearly masculine, but not in an overpowering way. It reminds me of, many years ago, making out with my boyfriend (now husband) in the car--and smelling like his cologne after the fact. That lingering muskiness is similar; very warm, intriguing and intimate. It will be fun to see how it changes on my skin with the seasons and with my moods; even going outside in the heat brings out different notes. Love it!

I acquired this perfume many years ago, sort of by accident and applied it on a special occasion because I was in a pinch. I didn't own any other perfume and I really wanted to feel and look sophisticated that day. I didn't expect to fall in love with it. Ellen Tracy is a sophisticated, rich, complex fragrance. It has a masculine vibe, which I love. I can't really distinguish the fruit or floral notes but it definitely screams spicy, woody oriental. The powder note that some people detect comes from the amber and orris root but is not "old lady" powdery. The cinnamon note gives this perfume such a unique twist. This is the kind of perfume you could wear to the office or on a date. It's sexy in a mysterious way but sophisticated and mature at the same time. When I wear it I feel sexy, refined, and confident. This is probably the closest I've ever come to having a signature fragrance.

I love this scent sooo much it reminds me a bit of burberry brit edp without the lime and citrus because i thought what was the pear was actually the peach in this fragrance so not an exact dupe but you can smell some similarities..it's a wonderful fragrance and the price was too good to pass up for the gift set..from low,medium,to high sillage i would say its well above medium sillage..its really a nice fruity fragrance that feels soft but strong enough to show its beautiful colors..its semi loud..i would of loved it louder but it is loud enough for me to enjoy it...i really am shocked on the price of this one as it smells so good it should be priced more..definately a business scent you can be confident in and out of the office

The first time I smelled this was on my now husband’s grandma. She’s a cool lady and would stay up drinking with us all night. This fragrance takes me back to the days when we were only dating and I was working at the local grocery store Flower shop. I would sneak a spray before work and I can literally visualize everything. It’s amazing what a perfume can do. Transport. Time travel. This starts out on me as a fuzzy peach with a hint of powder (hers is an older bottle so I’m not sure if there is a reformulation or not), but I really get fuzzy peach for about an hour and then the aldehydes poke through until about the 3 hour mark and then I get the woody dry down. So lovely. So beautiful. I’m obsessed.

This is one of those scents that NEEDS to settle to be appreciated. Honestly the notes are a cluster fuck, but once it develops, the scent is delicious. Powdery, sweet, mildly heavy from the plum and oakmoss, but you definitely get the light, fruity, and feminine notes from the citrus and berry to round it out. Very well balanced despite the 800 notes, and just a very pleasant, everyday scent for anyone who wants something more mature but not outright elderly. Edit: Did an official wear test, and amazingly enough, this has amazing longevity! It lasted an entire 8+ hour shift on me skin, and over 11 hours on my clothes. I'm so glad I snatched this up when I got the chance

The Short: I love this scent. Affordable gem for everyday. The long: Fresh and clean floral. There is peach and hyacinth in this and the fluffy musk. I am always uplifted when I wear this fragrance. It is pulled together but, not pretentious. The opening is bright and cheery floral. Midway hyacinth, orris and ylang ylang. And then we are bathed in sandalwood and musk mixed with something white. This is a surprisingly complex fragrance for the price. I think I paid $12 for a large bottle with a body spray. Projection is arms length. Longevity 4-5 hours on the skin. Compliments every time I wear this. Sprayed it once to refresh in the car. It was there the next day.

Ellen by Ellen Tracy has a soapy yet sweet sophistication about it. Clean musk and sandalwood have a calming and mature presence. When I say mature I'm not talking so much about age as I am about the way a woman carries herself, to have an air of maturity about her. A sweet ripe peach and a lush young rose keep this fragrance very feminine as you get more of the woody cedar and powdery-sweet osmanthus in the dry down. I get a hint of orris root and can definitely detect the plum and cinnamon in the dry down. This is a beautiful fragrance, I think it's very classy and office appropriate. Decently priced and I would highly recommend Ellen by Ellen Tracy! Love it!

Alluring in a bottle!!!! My cousin wears this perfume and smells soooooo good. It is long lasting, leaves a trail, has a warm cypre (wood) component, and is sweet. If you want to make a good impression and are into floral/sweet / woody scents this is a great one to try. It has potential to become one's signature scent. Her skin type: oily / youthful Projection: fills a room Longevity: 10 hrs + Office safe: if applied lightly Timing: all year any time of the day Cost: $29 -$11 (red tag sale) for 50 ml / 1.69 oz at Winners / TJ Maxx Disclaimer: my experience may be different from your experience based on skin type, the season, and my personal tastes

This perfume is an underrated every day fragrance gem. I bought it after hearing Mandie Glam rave about it on her YouTube channel and I am so glad I did. It’s so fresh and clean without smelling annoyingly floral. It’s a perfect every day scent for the office or running errands. I got mine at Marshall’s for $12 and it was well worth it. This does not smell like a cheap perfume. It’s basic, but it’s beautiful. Longevity and sillage are not great, but at the price point I just fill an atomizer to throw in my purse and reapply as needed. This is a completely safe blind buy and would make a great gift for any woman!

Hello Radchick, I wonder if your Ellen Tracy is a fake. Apparently, there are some being sold around, even on the trusty ol' Amazon.com. I just read some very unhappy user reviews there. The real Ellen Tracy is a very lovely fragrance... Another possibility for your Ellen to smell this weird could be your skin not linking it; that can be caused by so many different things, diet, medication, even stress - they all can, and will, change the fragrance's outcome. Even vitamin B can make it stink. I've been on some anti-inflammatory meds before, and pretty much all my tried and true frags were way off on me...

There are great scent descriptions below to which I won't add more of the same. What I have noticed is a growing love, which seems weather dependant. Summer spritzing reveals a pleasant enough scent, but in mild, drier weather ET is more evident via irregular, and surprising, though courteous, reminders of a delicate and luxe ally, much like a favourite pet might move her paw towards you as if to say, I'm still here and it's nice hanging with you. No crowding, no demands for attention or olfactory overload, instead it's a pleasing experience of nuanced and clever perfumery, that undulates through the day.

I bought this based on a magazine strip. That can be tricky (it was also super-inexpensive). Although aldehydes and I are not friends, I agree with other reviewers that they are subtle enough to be acceptable. Without the aldehydes, this would be an virtually perfect perfume for me. It's a great combo of fruity and floral, well-balanced with woody and warm. Very wearable. I also bought Elizabeth Arden After Five based on several votes of it's similarity with Ellen Tracy. On the plus side, After Five does not have the aldehydes. It's very pleasant but not nearly as complex as Ellen Tracy.

Mmmm...this is delicious! I must say, this is a cornucopia of a scent. Just look at all those wonderful notes! Such a wonderful mix. I get sandlewood and plum mostly, and wonderful cinnamon stays softly in the background the whole time. It is really a wonderfully different perfume that I am finding perfect for fall...a cornucopia! I love the powdery orris in this also, it makes it so powdery and elegant and complex. The shower gel and lotion are to die for too. I am really loving this...it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. And it smells so much more expensive than it is!