Beautiful

(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.

Ok so ive owned 3 bottles of this. 1 from 2015 the 2nd in 2018 and one currently . The first time i smelt this i distinctly remembered this smell being that of my childhood in the 90s with smelling this around at parties, christmas dinners, and at occasions where the atmosphere was happy decorative and bustling. Its a beautiful symphony of what feels like a 100o flowers and a clean soapiness with some fresh stems attached. Reminds me also of what the gardens during anne of green gables time in that story book smelt like maybe. Also perhaps how the beautiful actresses of the 50s would have smelt like i imagine. Mind you what people call a "Granny" smell today was worn by them in their youth when they were beautiful and sophisticated in their prime. Just because they continued to wear it as they aged does not make the smell "old". I agree there are a few dated smells like perhaps youth dew being beyond fantastic but having a clear smell of civet and that dank animalic smell thats a bit much for most today. We can call that dated . Any maybe the perfumes that lean toward the yardley powder smells have a dated nuance for sure. But Estee lauder Beautiful, Givenchy Amariage, Lancome Poeme, Estee Lauder Knowing and even Chanel no.5 are by no means old lady smelling. Infact its quite the opposite. It does take me back to a better time of people in the 80s in their youth smelling divine. For anyone who finds the reformulation an issue, i personally dont. Infact i like the correction of that waxy note present in the vintage formulation . That was the only thing i did not like and its not here anymore plus they have amplified the soapy note which i love as its clean yet not too musky or powdery. Its simply beautiful. Beautiful smells like a mixture of Givenchy Amariage and Lancome Poeme. Although poeme has a distinctive heaviness with the yellow flowers and a tart note but Amariage compensates with its very sweet note . So if someone misses the original formulation maybe spritz amariage and poeme together and hope for the best. I love all three. My personal favorite is Amariage with beautiful being a close second but a happy staple in my fragrance collection. I think its also aptly named beautiful as it is simply beautiful. There is no other way to describe it.

Beautiful is the predictable sister who got married at 21 and gets the gift set every Christmas and Mother’s Day from her husband and kids. She is the woman who married her 10th grade homecoming dance date, who will live in her starter home until the mortgage is paid off. She’s the lady who is sometimes gifted a Beautiful flanker, and immediately returns it for store credit, because she lives by the motto of “if it ain't broke...” She is the person who vacations in the same Florida timeshare every year, who has never left the country, but will travel the world in her 70’s on a cruise with her husband of 50 years, collecting souvenirs for her 14 grandchildren. (The rebellious sister of Beautiful wears Lipstick Rose by Frédéric Malle. Unlike her sister, Lipstick Rose has had two starter marriages, has been to 20 countries, and is still searching for her signature scent with her third husband’s money.) Beautiful plays it safe. I understand her, even though she does not understand me back. I wear her when I am in the mood for something normal, because that is what she is. Not boring or lame - just predictable, safe, comforting. Her cornucopia of indecipherable flowers coated in delicate powder is as straightforward as the women who swear by her. As for me, I spray her in the air and walk through her mist, because she is not one to be sprayed directly onto the skin. As they say, even the sun burns when you get too much. Beautiful will likely never be discontinued, because her wearers are sternly-worded letter writers and Facebook boycott organizers. They would never stand for it. She is a timeless floral perfume that I will always have tucked away in my vanity, to indulge in an occasional dose of nostalgia for a time I never knew. Beautiful by Estée Lauder - she’s no magnum opus, but she’s a classic nonetheless.

Many years ago in the early 90's, my baby sister went to France on a school trip. When she returned she gifted me a little metal bottle of Beautiful from a factory tour in Grasse. I was thrilled with it, more so because she had been so kind and thoughtful to spend some of her pocket money on me (she had been saving for a whole year). Consequently, Beautiful has always had a special place in my heart and I always wear it when I meet up with my sister for coffee and a chat. It never fails to make us smile. The reformulation doesn't quite hit the same, particularly in the opening minutes, but like most great perfumes, the beauty is in the mid-base notes. Once it dries down, it works its magic and I find myself hard-pressed to tell the difference with the original formulation. In fact, the last time I wore it, my 16-year-old daughter stopped in her tracks, asked what was the gorgeous smell and promptly sprayed her wrists with it. She has been wearing it ever since. The kindness my sister displayed all those years ago in gifting this wonderful floral perfume has now brought her niece happiness too and I love that. The performance of the modern reformulation is great in my opinion which is somewhat unusual for Estee Lauder. Longevity is very long lasting and silage is moderate to strong. Suitable for all seasons and occasions. Very feminine, but any man who enjoys wearing Chanel no 5, no. 19 or other classic ladies' fragrances would love this too. It is very uplifting and a joy to wear.

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.

Hello from Deco Dawn. Following the enormous success of Season 4 of 'The Crown' & memories of Princess Diana, 'Beautiful' by Estee Lauder the Original version is a near copy of Houbigant 'Quelques Fleurs' which Princess Diana wore on her wedding day to Prince Charles on 29th July1981. Estee Lauder launched beautiful in 1985. "The fragrance of a thousand flowers" it is a huge Floral, romantic and still very modern and appeals to all ages from the young to the young at heart and was marketed very successfully from its initial launch as a wedding day fragrance. I wore it on my Wedding Day in 1994. It has had many incarnations over the past 35 years and the new launch this year 'Beautiful Absolu' is paler version and nowhere near as fabulous as the Original 'Beautiful'. May I please give a word of warning and advise to spray once only and wait half an hour for the fragrance to fully develop and adjust to your skin chemistry. Many have been guilty to over spray and almost choke to death and then complain "it's too strong." So a light spray is all that is needed and it will last and last and I promise you will be delighted it really is a magnificent fragrance fit for a Princess. Always in my fragrance wardrobe an all year fragrance perfect for daytime and evening. Available from many stores and online at Brilliant prices. Don't just try it buy it you will love it. A huge thumbs up from Deco Dawn.

This was my favorite perfume in the 1980s, along with Dior Poison and Tiffany. Vintage Beautiful had lush florals that had no notes that threw me off. It was strong, which at the time, I did not mind. Beautiful was indeed beautiful and gorgeous. I have not worn perfume regularly since then until more recently. And when I got a new bottle, it just was not as lovely as remembered. I do not know whether my olfactory senses have changed as I got older or the formula changed. Maybe a combination of the two. What bothers me the most is the heavy soapy scent that I can’t get over. It may also be that these days, I prefer delicate scents, and this seems too heavy. That said, I should note that I don’t mind strong scents if there is no note that is off-putting. Just spray lightly. Update: 4/25/2023. I sprayed again. And I could detect more of the part of the scent I used to like almost 40 years ago. The soapy scent is still there unfortunately, but it does not repel me as much today. Update: 5/30/2023. My partner who never smelled the 1985 original liked this a lot. He said he loves that it makes the entire room smell nice. Btw, sillage and longevity are outstanding. I semi want to hunt down the 1985 original, but I don’t think I want to spend a lot of money. By now it’s almost 40 years old. Original formulation 10/10 Reformulation 8/10

I'm quite 'late' to this one. Out shopping one day - I saw a tester for this and couldn't resist a spritz to try it out. I wasn't expecting to like it as 80s 'big florals' are not really my thing at the moment. However - as the day went on I couldn't stop sniffing my arm! This is indeed 'Beautiful' - - it's not the big, cats choir of florally smells I was expecting. Instead - I feel its a really well balanced scent - the florals are there 100% but not in an air freshener, cloying sense. I find it really hard to pick out any one single flower scent _it really is like a nice walk in a sunny garden after the rain at opening. Mid notes become Warmer and sultry - like I imagine a sunset would smell on a warm, balmy day. The dry down is beautiful - warmth and woody, slightly sweet but not over poweringly so or sickly. At every stage, this smells clean, fresh and bright. The whole wear is a journey and a lovely one at that ☺️ I really enjoy wearing this (headed out a few days later after test to buy a full bottle). I think this is great at anytime and any season. Apr 2024 - This is probably my most reached for perfume. I have the body lotion as well now which is also brilliant. The dry down is utterly sublime 💕 A very surprising true love has developed here! There's no single note or stage of wear which I don't enjoy.

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 didn't start wearing Beautiful until recently. So, I can't comment on the vintage formulation versus today's reformulation. However, what I'm wearing today is simply stunning. It's a syrupy bouquet of heady flowers including the green notes of stems and leaves. The florals are complex, and the synthetics are done just right. This perfume doesn't smell overly chemical at all, its classical perfumery done just right. This perfume lasts and it lasts. It also projects and it projects. A spritz or two is all that is needed. More than that, and it becomes something very unbeautiful. Worn with restraint, it makes the wearer smell feminine and sophisticated in the classic Estee Lauder manner. And this is a classic Estee Lauder scent. Something about the fragrance instantly makes it recognizable as a Lauder perfume. White Linen, Knowing, Private Collection, and all the classic Estee Lauder fragrances including Beautiful seem to have some common DNA that marks them as Lauder perfumes. Beautiful has that expensive, ladylike smell to it. I just feel more beautiful and refined when I wear it. Beautiful is as complex and lovely as the women who wear her. I hope Estee Lauder is smart enough to know when they have a masterpiece on their hands and not to squander their riches.

Thirty-two ingredients, three phenomenal perfumers, and one house willing to put it all together. Mathematically, the components alone become a dizzying array of every type of synthetic flower known in 1985. I envision a caldron surrounded with Sophia, Max and Bernard, throwing into the pot whatever they found in their pockets, and then Shazaam! Everything you could ever want from a mid-eighties floral homage: a copious, and spirited lack of restraint in the art of moderation, and the utter inability to express subtlety. Everything has been constructed in an almost purposeful attempt to overwhelm one's senses. As in acknowledging a ray of light is composed of so many colors simultaneously, the human eye sees only white. So does this fragrance combine an extraordinary number of pungent fauna, that the nose has no choice but to translate the creation into a singular proclamation. The most opulent and radiating glow follows this surrender. You cannot help but be lifted into the light with each wear, like the membrane between this world and the next, becomes semipermeable, and somewhat accessible - if only for a moment. Beautiful, dazzling possibilities break like waves against rock, illuminating a golden mist against the setting sun. Heaven!

I love this perfume, It was my grandmothers signature scent later in her life and ofcourse the "Scent Memory" will always remind me of her. Very Feminine, floral and (BEAUTIFUL!). Its one of those perfumes which I can't emagine NOT existing, and Im surprised that it does pre-date its launch date. This fragrance straight up reminds me of those high end skin creams from yester-year, I suppose thats why it does feel a bit "Dated", but there is absolute NOTHING wrong with "Dated". As they say "They dont make em' like they used to" , and although a bit dated, its ICONIC, and thus Éste Lauder's Beautiful will NEVER go out of style imo. I smelled this on a young lady at work the other day and it suited her wonderfully! Honestly, smelling Beautiful on a younger person, and my enjoying it so much on her sorta gave me a new perspective, and re-inforced the idea that it will for ever be a Classic, and I think that's pretty awesome!😉. Geat longevity, feminine, luxurious, classy-masterpiece and imo should be a staple in EVERY womans collection, and even a guy's, why not? It's just a gorgeous scent, and scents HAVE NO GENDER! 9 outta 10 scent imo.

Oh wow. I worked for Estée Lauder in my early 20s so I know this perfume very well since 2000. It was a best seller for a very good reason; it appeals to everyone and men loved to buy it as gifts for their women. Now in my late 40’s, I was curious to know if Beautuful is still good and my answer is OH YES. I just got a 75ml bottle and I must say it still shines brightly amidst all these new releases and varieties of candy like or Oud related scents. Beautiful is such a BEAUTUFUL FRAGRANCE and I really feel the aroma of beautiful flowers perfectiy in sync with each other. On me, I cannot say one particular note stands out. I just love everything from the top notes to the dry down. I just wished it was as strong as it was before but I can just spray more to get a bigger projection. I will definitely repurchase because it’s worth having. I have a lot of the oldies now - Amarige, Angel, Cinema, Poison, Samsara, L’Instant de Guerlain, Opium etc and I can tell you, I appreciate them much more than I did in my 20s. They are divine for a reason. Thank you EL for keeping Beautiful timeless. 💛💛💛💛💛

Well, I have searched and searched and searched - trying to find a signature perfume that I like MORE than "Beautiful" - and in that process, I have been on a huge quest going into the perfume stores to sample, spritz, spray, and wear all sorts of different perfumes. I've written 330 reviews now on this site. I have discovered a lot of GOOD perfumes, but have not found anything that replaces this perfume. This is a favorite, for sure... for good reason. This is so versatile, it is an easy reach, it is a perfume that you can wear anywhere and everywhere. I really love that. I have not ever specifically purchased the Vintage version of this perfume - and I have worn this over 30 years - so I am no longer able to distinguish if the formula has really changed all that much. I wore this for a signature so long that I wasn't able to smell this after awhile. This perfume sets a great standard for perfumes. It is hard to surpass this perfume. If you find a perfume that smells THIS GOOD -- or BETTER, please message me and tell me which perfume you recommend! For now, this is STILL GREAT!

A radiant mossy-floral fragrance I love. Sprayed it on my left wrist this morning (mindful of the over-spray warnings in previous reviews) but I enjoyed it so much I sprayed it on my right wrist 2 hours later so I could experience the whole story from top to bottom, all at once. It is utterly delicious. Reviews regarding formulation could easily diminish my pleasure, but not today, not in the thrall of this radiance... and if I see an original formulation for sale, I'll leave any disappointment til then. For now, I'm satisfied. A glorious perfume, a timeless delight, an indulgence in the classical notion of perfume as affordable luxury. Beautiful is not for those who dislike florals en-masse, although this is a mossy-floral in the way some roses have a mossy-green tinge and this, along with the woody notes, elevates it above anything cloying, or overly sweet. This is well-balanced, classical perfumery at work. Haiku of the day a bottled beauty enveloped in radiance nose to mossy rose

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.

UnearthlyApothecary has done us all a service with her review - it IS vintage Beautiful! I was saddened to discover my newest bottle is reformulated. Saddened, but not gutted. It is still quite lovely, though less complexity develops, as the tobacco vibe is almost completely missing now. Dry down happens faster and is closer to a pretty white musk than an oakmoss giant. It smells, in fact, quite similar to Avon Sweet Honesty at this stage. Still quite wonderful for hot weather, still a lovely floral, and still well worth having in my perfume collection, if not the dynamite it once was. I take heart at the many reviews added to the page since I checked a few months back... Beautiful is still garnering lovers far and wide! Well constructed, wearable, feminine, and inarguably an excellent floral. May a day arrive when new florals of this beauty and complexity are again released by major houses. I can dream, can't I? :)

i have about half of my grandmother's last bottle of this - she passed in 2013 and the bottle is from 2009 according to the date code. It was her signature and I feel like it really suits me as well. It has lots of depth with one of my favorite renditions of tuberose (fruity but not bubblegum) + slightly bitter powdery yellow florals/galbanum with a touch of spice and coolness from the rich carnation. it's polished without being too formal or fussy, and rounds off with a subtle warm-skin musk that's comforting and fuzzy. I use it sparingly because of the sentimental value and because it lasts exceedingly well. I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting a current bottle to use more recklessly in my day to day or if there's something similar in this genre of scent that hasn't been reforumlated to death the way this one sounds like it's been. The Anne Klein? Something else by Grojsman? idk

Ooh, I think I've done a whole 180 on this. The first two times I wore it, I found it revoltingly old fashioned... and I'm not someone for whom "old fashioned" is an insult. Now, on my third time wearing it (in almost three years), I'm completely taken aback. Soapy-aromatic floral where individual notes ARE noticeable. Initially, when I first tried, notes weren't too easy to pick apart - this is an issue I've noticed some fragrances have when they're reformulated for nowadays, but now I feel different. I didn't spray it on my wrists, and instead chose to apply it to my neck and down my shirt. Perhaps this helped. The fruitiness comes through, the rose, tuberose, gardenia, jasmine and sandalwood all sing. There's purple florals, and a healthy dose of musk. Y'know, this kind of makes me want to revist Youth Dew.

I haven’t worn this since I was a young teen. But I was having memories of it today, as it would be lovely spring date perfume, IF you’re a floral girl. This is the most beautiful bridal Boquet with a bit of airiness from a cold flower shop! I’m not really into florals anymore. I have a few vintage ones, a Chanel, a Cabotine, this ( I pics the mimosa in this) and Design . I love aldehydes so I lean more towards that with my florals. The only floral I mentioned though, that would be considered sexy? Is Design! It’s the only vintage that’s got some vavoom! But Beautiful, has an airy clean innocence to it. This has soo many notes but you feel so angelic when wearing it nothing harsh nothing too much! I heard it’s been reformulated 😢 they truly need to stop doing that