Estee Legacy

Estee (also known as Estee Super for a period of time) may be one of the most confusing classics from Estée Lauder family, when you can hardly find it in EL counter. Born in 1968, Estee has to face so many enemies: Arpege, No.5, L'Aimant, Fleur de Rocaille, Detchema, Madame Rochas, Sortilege... In such a fierce market, how many more floral aldehydes did American consumers need? Perhaps for this reason, Bernard Chant and Bethy Busse failed to save the original Estée today. Time has come to 2024. We have witnessed the resurrection of old perfumes such as Le Galion, Lubin, Grossmith, Bienaime, Houbigant, etc.; everyone has launched no less than three perfumes with specific names derived from the brand's history, whether they share the same soul or not. Re-reviewing Estee Legacy in this context, we will find that its vibrant life has finally ushered in a new spring: from banana ylang-ylang to Nivea cream, from snowflake aldehydes to fluffy powder, from peach blush to soft musk, from honey to soap... It's as if Carlos Benaïm intercepted the most charming parts of Sortilege, No.5 and Fleurs d'Ete to form a harmony. In a sense, the bold and fearless Estee Legacy is a new classic beauty that keeps pace with the times, and it is also the work that best fits the key concept of the entire Lauder Legacy series. For the first time I realize that perfume has also achieved the same level as a newly re-composed classical music, still performed by a top orchestra. Furthermore, it is even possible that it has surpassed the original version with a costly formula. This time, we can share the same joy with those who smelled No.5 in 1921. Finally, in my opinion, Estee Legacy might also be called Estee - Peachy caress.

On me, Estee opens with a creamy, captivating ylang-ylang on a bed of musk with spicy carnation and soft floral supporting notes. Turns a bit soapy, but stays balanced and enjoyable to wear. Classy and sophisticated, but not stuffy. The floral notes stay intact throughout the long drydown with just a hint of honey. This is a classic scent, but deftly "modernized" to pare away characteristics that make it difficult for many modern noses. Those who love the original may have mixed feelings. Overall, this is a good quality fragrance with good performance, and one I will gladly wear.

Absolute classic! Opens with soapy floral aldehyde with dominant neroli. Right after beginning may sound strict even masculine sometimes, but aldehydes soften this impression. And most of times I’d describe this perfume as “white shirt clean scent “. Overall sounds pretty linear, but fresh and comforting for 5-6 hours and finishes with sweet oriental honey base. Lovely.

Estée is not one of Estée Lauder's most popular perfumes, and understandably so. An old-fashioned aldehydic floral with a dense chypre base, it is reminiscent of other scents and feels very dated, if good. So, I was particularly intrigued by Estée Legacy, as it seems like the one scent that needed a revamp the most. EL is a lightweight, airy, pared-back version of the original, but it is ultimately quite a different scent. EL is reminiscent of Chanel No. 5 from initial spray, given the bright, soapy aldehydes and powdery florals. Smooth, creamy ylang ylang is most prominent to my nose, sweet and slightly tropical. I get some clean, powdery jasmine, marrying nicely with the ylang ylang. It becomes increasingly powdery as it progresses, reminiscent of a vintage make-up compact. Orris and rose give this effect, and it remains Chanel-like as a result. There is a hint of spice alongside the florals. The honey note is much more pronounced here than in the original Estée, adding rich floral sweetness. It remains light and airy throughout. It fades to a sweet powdery skin scent with a soft cloud of clean musk emerging as it fades. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a daytime feminine transeasonal scent in my opinion. A pleasant aldehydic powdery floral, EL is decent in its own right, but is quite a departure from the original, so much so that it feels pointless. Overpriced for what it is too, my main gripe with the Legacy Collection. No. 5 Legacy. 3.5/5.

This is the best of the bunch for me. It smells like EL answer to Chanel no 5. Big ylang, jasmine aldehydic fragrance with support from rose and carnations. Sweetened by honey. Very musky, clean, sweet, floral, powdery feminine fragrance. I see similarities with the old reformulation but the aldehydes are toned down and the perfume is sweeter overall. This one is my favorite of the new legacy line and worth buying but on sale. If you like the idea of a sweeter Chanel no 5 you will like Estee Legacy. Reminds me of my bottle of Chanel no 5 premiere a bit. It has that same champagne fizz at the top and throughout the fragrance. I really like this one. Edit: 2/8/24 testing this again tonight and I stand by my review. This one is the prettiest of the bunch and worth owning. I'm putting it on my want shelf. I need to get a good sale before I purchase but I do enjoy this pretty floral, and it is very heavy on the ylang which I love.

I'm not normally much of a floral fan and did not expect to like this at all but I am surprised that I do. It is so nicely blended and smooth and bright at the same time. This is an adult fragrance that has a little seriousness to it. I'm just surprised that I'm drawn to it and may even be persuaded to purchase a full size bottle before summer. I can see this as my warm weather fragrance this year. I never experienced the original or any recent reformulations so I am just taking this at face value-It will be a nice and unusual addition to my growing collection. Also I love the bottle feel it is fitting for such an elegant scent.

I'm not familiar with original Estée, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the legacy version is a neat little aldehydic-Samsaroid somewhere between a Guerlain and a Chanel. What it may be lacking in sandalwood it makes up for with a pretty mixed ylang with musk. Rather loud, I find it springs up off my arm desperate to be noticed, and when it is, I assume there must be a beautiful woman somewhere nearby before I realise it's me. I wouldn't buy a full bottle though, as I prefer my ylang ylang more naturalistic and, honestly, more vanillic than this. A pretty pseudotropical soap scent

I get the comparison to Chanel N°5, but this has crystal-clear floral facets whereas N°5 is all muffled under the aldehydes. Make no mistake, the Legacy Collection could almost match Les Exclusifs; I just wonder if this particular one offers anything distinctive enough, even though it's my 2nd favorite.

I like this much better than the regular one EL sells, which I thought had a weird ammonia smell, which Legacy does not have. It has soapy notes, more reminiscent of traditional, luminous perfume. I think it’s quite well formulated. This is nice. Of the Legacy line, I like this one the best.

A friend gave me a bottle of Estee several years ago because it was marketed as sporty, and I was doing a lot of sporty things at the time (relatively speaking, for a myopic bookworm). I wasn't crazy about it at the time, although I liked it, but I never thought it smelled like a real sport scent (not like, say, CK One or something unisex, or a "freshie" or so forth). I have kept it in a box in the refrigerator door all this time, and it has held up beautifully. Now that I know more about aldehydes, I can appreciate this perfume for what it is: a sharp, strong (labeled a Super Cologne Spray! lol) aldehyde-heavy floral fragrance. Its floral mix probably reads as dated to a certain demographic, but I don't care. I think it is a perfume for a lady who might golf or play the occasional set of very desultory doubles tennis, the kind who perspires just enough to glow but always stops short of sweating. The white florals (lily of the valley maybe) and sharp florals remind me a little of White Linen and also Sparkling White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. Also, for a cologne, even a "Super Cologne," as labeled, my older formulation (I'd guess it's probably 15 or so) is insanely strong. I imagine that in the summertime you would have to be very careful not to overspray this. It's a remarkably strong performer, especially for a chypre. Because I love this classic Estee Lauder so much, I was eager to test the new version, so I sprung for the Discovery Version. When I tested my Estee Super Cologne Spray against the new Frederic Malle-ified "Legacy" version, my old juice won on every count, at every stage of the development. It's practically criminal that Estee Lauder is releasing a zombified version of this fragrance and discontinuing the real one. Legacy Estee isn't awful or anything, but it smells like one part OG Pleasures to two parts Estee Super Cologne Spray to one part water. It's creamier than the version I know and love, with a stronger lilac accord, and exponentially less moss. Legacy Estee is very much not a chypre, nor is it remotely aldehydic. In a series of blind test-strip evaluations, I could tell the old formulation (which is perfectly preserved--I have a mostly full bottle that I keep in my refrigerator) immediately from the Legacy edition, at every stage of the drydown. If nothing else, the Legacy edition makes me even sorrier that Estee Lauder is planning to discontinue what I will always consider the REAL version, the one my dear friend gave me as a gift many years ago, my Super Cologne Spray. Is it any wonder that their stock prices are plummeting as we speak? I do understand that there is no way those OG Estee oakmoss notes can return, at least not in the same form, but I don't think Malle et al. even tried to fake them. I get that chypres are a hard sell in this gourmand-jonesing market. Fine! Change the name of your fancy $300 Malle formulation; call it something else, or make it a flanker of Estee. But if you're going to call something "Legacy," don't update it and make it smell like some entirely different fragrance. At every stage of the drydown I could tell the difference between the two. The fragrances aren't even sisters; they're first cousins at best. Only one cousin puts on airs because she has a rich daddy; the other one is prettier, more elegant, and in possession of infinitely more integrity, but she has mud on her shoes and a personality, so the dipshits who surround her think she's homely.

Reminiscent of a Helena Rubinstein face creme that my Mother used in the 1960's. Has a comforting softness, but more on a camphor level. The carnation note is extremely pronounced, and unfortunately the honey note I was hoping would be more forward, is dround by the intense carnation. Hardly any Musk at all.

Opens slightly antiseptic smelling like the Bactine you sprayed on scrapes you got as a kid. I kind of like this aspect of this new version of Estee but it goes down hill from there. As it dries it gets sweeter and the spiciness of the carnations comes out. It's slightly synthetic and like all of the Legacy collection offerings, I would describe this as interesting smelling vs pretty smelling. If one had a budget of splurging $280 on a fragrance, I can't imagine anyone choosing this. I admit I am not a fan of the Legacy collection, so maybe take this review with a grain of salt, but this is not a pleasant experience. Go with the original.

I have this as part of the Legacy discovery set. I am sad to say, I really did not like this one. I only gave it one full wear, but I will not try it again. It was immediately headache inducing and made me feel somewhat nauseous. I smelled it on myself all day and it was just so unpleasant. Objectively though, it is a pretty, VERY floral, fresh perfume. But there is something about it that does not sit well with my nose. I do recommend trying it if you are interested in vintage, white floral fragrances. Not blind buy safe.

Or should I say 5stee Legacy? I feel this might be EL’s answer to Chanel’s No.5. Because it resonates another classic, it does smell good. It begins creamy and ever so slightly tropical with the ylang-ylang before introducing us to the familiar soapy musk, while still maintaining a certain heft with the help of carnation and jasmine. Maybe a little “serious” or “boss-lady”, but hey, who wouldn’t want some attention now and then? I may just be the prettiest in the room!

I haven’t gotten my nose on vintage Estée—I need some of that super cologne STAT!—but Estée Legacy is a substantial improvement on the Estée that’s currently sold. I can’t stomach current Estée, but this Legacy version is very pleasant. But at $280, ehhhhh... I’d pass.

Although there is no mention of aldehyde notes here, perhaps due to the complex floral bouquet, it smelled like vintage soap. Yes, as everyone says, it reminded me of Chanel No. 5. It was even more so than the newly renewed White Linen.

Starts out soapy, reminds me of Chanel No 5 in the opening, then settles into a bright yet warm and soft floral with the tiniest hint of sweetness. I really like this one. Very classy and clean.

To my nose, this is the best perfume from the Legacy collection because it most closely resembles the original. However, for the price point I'll continue to wear previous version.