Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche 2019

I thought I was going crazy-I deleted a long review I wrote because I started with speaking about how this is a sandalwood-dominant scent and that mostly what I read is a warm sun baked sandalwood/beachy driftwood type of scent. Then I peeked the notes here and didn’t see sandalwood and thought this must be a case of coconut playing tricks on me, so I deleted. I just looked at Estée Lauders site and yes, there is sandalwood, and I was right. That’s probably why so many reviewers are so disappointed-the notes aren’t correct here and the pyramid gives an impression of a different scent. This is one of my favorite scents and has been for awhile. It’s VERY UNISEX, despite the name. It opens with a lemony bergamot, overspraying can sometimes smell like lemon dish soap, but that will fade within a couple minutes. Then I mostly read a warm, sweet, sun baked sandalwood/drift wood type scent with the most subtle hints of unsweetened coconut, sweet light musk, and amber. I do not get tiare or any other florals. I have montales extreme tiare and that smells like sugary candy necklaces, this doesn’t have anything resembling those notes. It is not a “coconut scent” like so many expect, and if you’re expecting tropical drinks or coconut sunscreen, this isn’t that. It’s a sandalwood scent. The coconut here isn’t sweet, gourmand, sunscreen or liquor. It’s musky, but not in that “I smell like husk dirt” way that some of the plasticky coconut scents turn on my skin. The vanilla is very minimal-I feel like it sweetens the wood or helps make a sweet musk rather than sweetening the coconut. This actually smells almost identical, despite the note difference, to Clean Reserve Solar Bloom, which is a unisex smoky coal and vetivier coconut with patchouli, and smells so much like this I don’t think most people could tell a difference. I almost rushed and bought a FB of CRSB after sampling and loving it, and had to stop myself because I own BGEF and backups and they are too similar to own both. Also, I realized that Bronze Goddess lasts nearly twice as long as Solar Bloom on my skin. Solar blooms florals are different than BG, but both scents are so similar and have the most subtle florals that my nose doesn’t even read them (probably because as a woman, subtle florals get snuck into all my shampoos and soaps, so I turn anosmic to them). I know a lot of reviews complain this scent vanishes quickly but I assure you, it doesn’t. It’s easy to go nose blind to this if you under spray as it’s gentle-though this performs better than a number of EDPs I’ve used. If you spray moderately on the pulse points, a couple spritzes on your hair and couple on clothes, and this will stick around at least 6 hrs, and more than two days on clothes. It doesn’t announce itself everywhere you go. I’m a person who fragrances vanish from in record speed. I sprayed this last night before bed and woke up this morning wondering what smells so good. It is faint and a skin scent, though honestly it’s a rather strong skin scent-most of my other skin scents don’t project as much as this. BG EF smells expensive and quality-no fake burning sinus synthetic sharp or watered down notes that I can discern. It layers extremely well-if you find some complimentary scents to layer, you will notice an increase in projection and lasting power-this is one of those scents that works best with others. Some of my favorites to layer with are: Clean reserve Sel Santal-gives a beachy warm santal bomb that is super addictive and reads on me like a summery version of a Santal 33 inspired scent but way better than any “inspired by” scents or unique takes on the market I ever came across. I smelled Pacificas Neon Moon at Target yesterday and almost thought that smelled a bit like this blend. I almost bought a bottle, but Neon Moon smelled cheap and faint compared to Sel Santal+BGEF. Versace Yellow Diamond - turns the soapy generic summery florals of YD into sunbathing on a wooden porch in a blooming summer garden. I prefer these scents together much more than separate. Also pairs well with any beachy tropical scent-will bring it into a more unisex sandalwood territory. Pairs with any cold/sharp woody/sandalwood scent to warm it up and soften it. Pairs with any white floral. Pairs with citrus dominant scents. Wears nicely on its own, especially in intimate settings. I absolutely love this scent. I’ve tried a lot of Estée Lauder scents and most read too mature on my skin, and a lot of lines EL owns have some of the worst performance I’ve come across. I try to avoid EL. This gem is the exception. I bought 2 full backups before I was halfway through my first bottle. I really wasn’t impressed with this scent at first, I thought it was unimpressive, musky, woody, and that there was no coconut, it almost seemed a bit plastic at first. I wanted a summer sunscreen tropical bomb. Then I found myself with the desire to keep reaching for the bottle for a quick sniff or light spray. In winter and summer. The more I wear it, the more I understand it and the longer it lasts on my skin. Similar to a molecule fragrance in that way. I know a bunch of ladies are mad that this isn’t an ultra femme/pina colada coconut cookie scent, but it’s one of my favorite I’ve ever owned. Wouldn’t change a thing. Absolutely love it. I listed it as my signature scent because I probably reach for this the most to wear alone or with others. As far as coconuts and tropical florals go, I think Aerins hibiscus palm is one of the best “Soleil Blanc” type expensive floral sunscreen scents on the market. I’m also a big tuberose/lys 41/carnal flower fan, which are good options if you want the sunscreen summer flowers. Also BGEF doesn’t smell like, but does somewhat give me very subtle Radio Bombay/jhag sunny side up vibes, though the sandalwood and musk in those are stronger, spicier, and more masculine. This would be more like the sweetened sunscreen versions of those scents, just not a sweet sunscreen like most others think of when they hear sunscreen. BGEF almost reminds me a bit of a sandalwood monoi oil I used, but the fragrance in that was so mild I didn’t repurchase so I can’t compare well. If you’re buying bronze goddess in search of the perfect coconut, I’m sorry but there is no such thing as the perfect coconut. I’ve tried them all. Anything realistic has been discontinued. Everything else is ultra plasticky and/or cheap body spray. I’ll update when/if I find the ultimate coconut, but basically all my favorite coconut perfumes smell mostly like every note they contain besides the coconut.

I always low key loved Bronze Goddess and scents within this olfactive family, I even own Guerlain Terracotta which is sublime but I never, for some reason bought Bronze Goddess, being a huge fan of Sali Hughes, its no surprise that I follow her social media and when watching an Instagram TV episode she did on summer perfumes, she mentioned this and how its the exact scent of suntan lotion covered skin in the sun and I'm not going to lie, that kind of sold me to it and also if Sali loves a scent and I know my local department stores/drugstores stock them you can bet I'll definately seek them out to test them (this is, of course now Iockdown has eased in the UK). I managed to earn quite a few points on my Boots loyalty card, so I decided I'd use those to grab a 50ml bottle of the Eau Fraiche, I'm glad I did, like, REALLY glad I did! I started out wearing this during the wintery months and it smelt like a ray of sunshine, its bright and warm, coconut milk and amber being the most noticable notes on my skin but with it being an Eau Fraiche it was very short lived but I knew that when I bought it, however, it is definately intended to be a summer scent, not only does it really sing in the heat (in the UK we've had a really hot spell of weather which I am LOVING!), it also lasts longer on my skin. In the warmer weather I can smell all of the notes listed before it dries down; opens with bergamot spiked coconut but unlike in the winter, it dries down to a vanilla/amber tiare flower with coconut acting like a backdrop. It's not heavy, I also dont find it sweet, its just a summery, warm but not "warm" scent that makes me think of hot sand, sea air and the feeling of the sun on my skin, its fresh but not in the way D&G Light Blue and Hermes Un Jardin Sur le Nil are fresh. Now whilst I think its a perfectly lovely, fresh and sunny scent, it can smell like bug spray on some people, so unless you know coconut/tiare scents work really well for you, test it before you buy it. Silage is soft; it is afterall a skin scent, longevity in winter is about 3 hours but in the warmer months I get about 6 from it, its versitile for daily summer wear or even a little pick-me-up during the cold months when you long for the warmer brighter days of summer, future repurchase and staple fragrance. (Side Note: how many times did I say "summer" or reference warmer weather? wow)

Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche is a warm scent that opens with white florals blended with coconut. In the drydown, florals dissipate leaving room for more gourmand vibes with the vanilla. Instead of beach and summer, it reminds me of spring when everything is in full bloom under the sun. It smells somewhat mature, not old (even though I've been told otherwise), and could perfectly suit any gender, in my opinion, despite the fact that most consider this a female scent. There are some notes missing from fragrantica, one of them being jasmin, which now makes sense and explains why it is somewhat heady (if you like the scent overall but feel bothered by this, avoid spraying on your chest and/or clothing). I have detected similarities to bugspray, but I actually kind of like it. My sister claims that the opening smells like classic lemon dishwasher. I understand, but I'm not put off by any of these remarks. Personally, I bought this fragrance for its drydown, which is amazing to me - sweet coconut vanilla, as comforting and beautiful as it could be, especially on clothing - but unfortunately, after a few weeks of regular use, I can confidently state that this scent has a very poor performance curve. The drydown sits entirely close to the skin even if I spray 30 times. I'm not kidding, not even overspraying will do. White florals and citrus with a hint of coconut is everything I can rely on with this fragrance as far as projection is concerned, which leads me to the conclusion that I likely won't be buying this again. It's just too weak in what counts for me. If you don't believe me when I say the juice I got is weak, I'll just say this: people don't notice I'm wearing perfume even with 20+ sprays after only 45 minutes. I know this because I asked several of my friends and family directly. I'll update this review once I thoroughly test it with temperatures between 30-40oC, because who knows, maybe it does need that extreme hot weather to shine.

Dang, this fragrance is soo good! Huge fan of this Estée Lauder line!!! And absolutely adore this scent. It's not a very complex one, but it’s very well-blended, uplifting and absolutely beautiful. For summertime, Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche is the perfect designer scent for beach, lazy days. What’s not that great about it is the longevity, it has rather poor longevity, max of 5 hours in perfect summer weather, with almost no projection after first hour. So this is a scent you wear it solely for yourself because it’s very unlikely someone around you will notice it and compliment you... The tropical floral of tiare and the coconut is paired beautifully together and the dry down is intoxicating with creamy, sweet vanilla and warm amber. To those who say, that this perfume is an expensive sunscreen in a bottle, yes, you are correct. This is an exotic holiday bottled with all that comes along with it! Expensive, luxurious, tropical smelling, this 2019 version of Bronze Goddess Fraiche is my favourite of all! Sweet, airy, creamy coconut, vanilla and tiare, this scent encapsulates wonderfully summer season. I just bought the 2025 edition Bronze Goddess Aegea, but after testing this version, I wish I would have bought this 2019 version instead. I had the 2022 version, Bronze Goddess Nuit that was amazing, but this is something else... I need to get my hands on a bottle ASAP, it’s truly beautiful and exactly what I like in this scent profile. Done to perfection for me!!

My beloved Un Jardin En Mediterranee is almost empty so the hunt for the next vacation scent began (might get another FB however...). Love me some aromatherapy. I tend to be more on the aromatic side of things, when it comes to scents that allude to vacation and carefree times. Funny enough though I was craving coconut. No idea why but here we are. What I love about Bronze Goddess is that it doesn't enter the sweet and fruity territory. Which might be why this scent in a way fits into the Lauder portfolio. I loved the insightful review of BerryRose and might want to add that in a way Bronze Goddess is one of the polished interpretations of a vacation scent. The coconut is woody and quite realistic, the Tiare flower used sparingly (in Just Cavalli, for example, it is used in its full intoxicating form). The ambery dry down is soft and you get whiffs of it throughout the day. It has quite the staying power but sillage is soft so you can refresh and reapply without worrying that it might become overbearing (it's an eau Fraiche after all). Would love to wear this beauty on a real vacation. Wearing a tunic, my favorite golden sandals and classic black bikini and of course sipping on a refreshing tonic water. Maybe in 2021! PS: the bottle is absolutely stunning.