Sensuous

Ah, I love this one so much. The top notes--supposedly floral, but they're not very prominent on my skin anyway--quickly subside to a supreme sandalwood scent. It makes me think of burying my face in a clean old drawer filled with silken slips. It's woody but never dirty--almost soapy. I think this smells more like a very good luxury sandalwood soap. It lingers beautifully on hats and other woolens, too, in fall and winter, but I also love it in warm weather, as a skin scent. Sensuous EDP still ranks as my all-time favorite EL fragrance, and I love many of them. Update: I love this scent so, so much, and I love the bottle design, but the lid and sprayer are awful--it doesn't fit on cleanly, and it often makes the nozzle part pop off. It's so frustrating to me that I think I'm going to transfer this to a different atomizer so I don't have to fuss constantly with the ridiculous sprayer (which of course is a nonstandard size--OF COURSE). The perfume is very good, though, and I hope they don't discontinue it like Sensuous Nude. I seldom layer this because I like it so much, but tonight I spilled some on my hands after the stupid nozzle top popped off again, and I find that it layers quite nicely with what I had been wearing before, Nirvana Rose; I think, in fact, that the combination might approximate Sensuous Noir (which I have yet to smell; I have only read the Fragrantica descriptions). I think in a way Sensuous is somewhat dry and clean smelling, despite being woodsy, and the lingering traces of Nirvana Rose add a little dirt and depth. I'm not sure I'll ever do it again on purpose, but as perfume mishaps go, this is one of the less catastrophic ones. Update: I still hate the way the sprayer fits, but I do so love the fragrance. If it gets discontinued, I will be bummed. Update: I just checked the website, and it's discontinued! What could Aerin Lauder possibly be thinking? Does she imagine that everyone just wants her super expensive fancy Guerlain-priced offerings and not the good perfumes at good prices that made her mother's brand? I have a large bottle in my refrigerator that's about 75% full and a backup bottle on the way (which I hope isn't a poor reformulation), but in the meantime I'm going to be looking for a good substitute for the future. Sigh. Open to hearing suggestions if you have any. Update: I think the reformulations are a lot weaker than the original formulation, but it's also possible that I'm getting noseblind to this as a skinscent. I think I am going to decant some of this for friends and get their opinion before I tell them what this is. I have always thought Sensuous was an outlier among the Estee Lauder fragrances, and I can't say I'm surprised it was discontinued, even though I'm very sorry. It seems like the reformulations that I have are a bit skimpy on some of the lily topnotes, too, although the drydown is about the same (only fainter). I might end up layering the reformulations, nothing I would have ever even considered doing with the original iteration.

Edit: Felt like my initial review didn't do it enough justice, so I had to expand. I loved this perfume as soon as I tried it, but as I started using it regularly, I could swear it became even more beautiful on my skin. So, I tried Sensuous after finding the perfume on Fragrantica. It was a potential match to my expectation of a soft, summery, personal scent. It went above and beyond! As I said, I loved it from the get-go, but using it regularly felt like this perfume literally weeded into my skin and started giving off even more beautiful personal scent. Sensuous starts with woodsy and sweet notes. After a couple of minutes, the ylang-ylang note comes out, but mind it, it is very discreet and never overpowering. Ylang-ylang sometimes gives perfumes a bit of a masculine tone, but this one never crosses that line, so all I get from this note is freshness. In half an hour, Sensuous settles down with creamy soft honey and mandarin notes that never get too heavy and sticky, as they are still balanced by woodsy notes and just a smidge of pepper. I cannot even begin to describe just how elegant, pure, and special this scent is. Sensuous is a very simple fragrance, but in this case, simplicity doesn't equal a lack of depth. It is gentle, calm, and personal. Longevity is great, pretty surprisingly. At first, I felt the sillage was weak, but a couple of times I noticed it was actually projecting quite decently, not from my wrist, but from my neck and clothes. Right now, I can barely feel it on my wrist, but as I move, I can feel the whiff from my neck, hair, and clothes. Finally, this perfume was not made to project heavily. It is an intimate scent that stays close to the skin and gets to reach only those who come close enough. An absolute gem, so insanely special and personal in its simplicity. Signature worthy.

I almost feel sorry for people who don’t find this fragrance niche or challenging enough. It’s kind of like listening to cinephiles who refuse to watch any movies made by large studios because they’re “too commercial” - a sure way to miss out on some good, clean fun. Sensuous an expertly blended, mass appealing, yet still unique scent. I have yet to come across a dupe since it has been discontinued, and I’ve been looking! estée lauder has always been the queen of the crowd-pleasing fragrance. As soon as you allow yourself to buy in (and your ego to chill) you’ll probably enjoy a warm, grown up fragrance. No photorealistic wood or clean notes to pick out. This thing is blended to become a scent all its own. It’s not “sandalwood, honey, and floral”, it’s Sensuous! For this reason, it’s hard to describe. There’s a powdery quality, but it’s not “baby powder” or “cosmetic powder”, it’s a little spicier and with more depth. Looking for a niche fragrance? Go to a niche house. Honestly, we get it. Looking for something inoffensive, not overtly floral, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and comforting? This may fit the bill. And like I said, I wouldn’t characterize this a boring, it’s layered and blended in an old-school perfumery way, so it will smell different that most contemporary fragrances. And maybe if you flatten it out, it’ll smell somewhat, kind of, maybe a little like a fragrance some adult in your life once wore (i feel like EL fragrances have a kind of DNA that evokes each other). Once you adjust your expectations, I can see very little reason why someone would detest this fragrance other than some olfactory association. It’s quite lovely for what it is.

This is essentially a cashmere jumper in a bottle! I could just basically leave it at that, since, well most reviewers seem to have basically said everything I think of this fragrance as well, but I will expand :) As I have said before in one of my other EL fragrance reviews, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with EL fragrances, I have no idea why because the majority of them such as Knowing, Modern Muse, Pure White Linen, Beyond Paradise,etc, I do appreciate and I would (and do) quite happily wear, but I have a negative association with this house because of someone who wasn't quite so nice and always wore Youth Dew, but I try my best not to let this put me off Sensuous is just simply divine, its like a hug, its warm and clean, on me, Sensuous opens up with a warm, soapy and milky note, a mixture of the ylang-ylang, sandalwood and pepper I think, once it dries down I get more of the lily, magnolia, "molten woods" drizzled with honey and amber with sandalwood still lingering in the background to help pull all the other notes together. Projection is soft and quite intimate which I think is why this is called sensuous, longevity is good, I can still detect it on myself after a long day (spray at 8:30am and still smell it at 5:00pm), it also last on clothing for ages, my (incidentally) cashmere scarf still smells of sensuous 48 hours after I'd worn it, the scent is the olfactive interpretation of beige and the texture of cashmere, I adore it <3 This will be a repurchase, 100%, its easy to wear and its an excellent dumb reach, you can dress it up, down, whatever you want to do and it still always feels appropriate Excellent work EL :)

OH MY GOD. I need to double-check this was the Sensuous I smelled at Macy’s, but I’m pretty sure it is because I remember the timeless, gorgeous bottle. Shades of nude with royal purple detailing. I picked up the bottle on a whim as I was walking by and sprayed just once on my left hand, put it back down then kept on walking. Wasn’t expecting much, since Sensuous Nude seems to be the one everyone loses their shit over. When I brought my hand up to my nose, I could NOT believe what I was smelling. My eyes grew wide in genuine awe. How is this NOT in everybody’s collection?! And like, near the front?! It’s been a few days since I smelled it, but I remember saying out loud to my hubby, “Creamy, sweet in a grown & sexy way, not vintage or mature-smelling like most may assume. Sensuous got the perfect name to describe itself. I’d say it was way ahead of its time. If the OG Sensuous EDP is THIS delicious, and nobody ever talks about it or has it in their collection.. But the long-discontinued Sensuous Nude has all the hype and the stupid high prices.. Well Nude better blow my freaking mind. I really just can’t see Sensuous EDP getting any better, even if it means flankers with a change-up of notes! I’ll be going to their pages and marking them as Want To Try. I really really hope my Macy’s location has them all! I am just dying to know how they reinterpreted this scent but kept it in the family. Actually I’m glad this is so low-key, more for me.

Honeyed woods with yellow and white flowers, a touch of overly ripe mandarin, a pinch of black pepper thrown in and a generous dose of amber for a super cozy, comforting, warm feel. It’s a second skin type of perfume to me. Estee Lauder’s Sensuous was my first EL fragrance and the one that made me appreciate sandalwood in perfumery. I have a bit left at the bottom of my bottle because I want to keep it in my collection for ever, since it appears to have been discontinued or highly reformulated, because of the precious memories I have associated with Sensuous... Where I live I haven’t seen it available in stores so I am inclined to think it’s hard to find and it’s not the same old, rich, creamy, complex formula I know and adore... If you appreciate a creamy, sweet, warm, resinous, woody, white floral and you can still get a bottle, it’s a great one...It’s from the old generation of perfumes when designers were releasing phenomenal stuff and were priced fairly affordable. Sensuous it’s unlike anything I’ve smelled so far, and I am trying new perfumes constantly. I have ordered a Carner Barcelona fragrance, Rima XI, that’s supposed to be fairly similar according to the Fragrantica’s voters so I might be lucky if they are indeed alike. Will see when that one arrives. Will update here my findings in case anyone else is looking for something like Sensuous.

So, this baby is back. Even on the official website. Thank God. Let's not talk about discontinuing it again, please, it was painful enough the first time. I even forgive them for only 50 ml bottles, because it's just that good. For once, they didn't even fiddle with the composition. New bottles are just as good as the old ones. 5 months later...the cap broke. From simple use. I have almost half left, so it wasn't that intensive. Cheap plastic. I hate loosing caps. It bugs me to no end. I lost a cap of Yvresse some 30 years ago, I'm still bitter about it. And I didn't even liked it that much, I gave about 2/3 away. It just didn't feel like me. 6 months later...few years ago, I gave a bottle to one of my best friends. I didn't wear it much, it was disappointing on me. Flat. It was just sitting there, ignored and too good to get rid of. I was blown away how good it was on her. It almost made me jealous. Newsflash people, we enjoy perfumes in friend's company too. So, I'm giving them bottles that I like but somehow don't work on me. Anyway, she alerted me of possible discontinuation, poor thing, Sensuous was already consolation for Jeux de Peau from Serge Lutens, when it became over 200 € a pop, so I bought first reasonably priced bottle I found. And another for me. For some reason, it works now on me too.

Love this. Soft, slightly sweet, woods over a tasteful vanilla-honey-esque accord. Most of the perfumes in the "people who like this also like" section above are ones that are a bit harsh for me, although I do enjoy Hypnotic Poison and Dior Addict in small doses from time to time. This might have been the scent that got me into sandalwood, but when I moved 6 years ago, my mini of this got packed away with some samples and I just now dug it out. I've been chasing niche sandalwoods for a while, and although I don't think I'd mistake this for niche or indie in a blind test, it's very enjoyable. The woody accord smells rather stark to me, and stands out from the rest of the scent. Then there's the mildly sweet, vanilla-ish base, which doesn't smell luxurious but it doesn't smell cheap either. The previous reviewer mentioned Organza Indecence. I have a vintage bottle that I bought with just 10ml or so left in it so I could try it out. Organza Indecence is stunningly beautiful to me. Rich, dense, luxurious, very sweet without being cloying. Sensuous hits me as a lot airier, and the vanilla thinner. So in that way I find the vibe pretty different, but I love them both. I do feel that they are both comforting scents.

This is a surprise! Given this as a gift to add to my Lauder collection. I have fallen head over heels for this one. It's seriously under rated imho. A hidden gem! Opens with bright white florals and soft white musk - on me I detect mostly magnolia and soft jasmine - the jasmine is really clean as opposed to indolic. I swear I can detect a hint of gardenia as well but only very slightly. Moves into the woods after about 15 mins or so. Again - soft woody notes - gentle cedar wafts and creamy sandalwood. At this stage, hints of orange peep through alongside warm peppery/musk notes. The dry down is superb. Woody, warm and clean. Your skin but better vibe. The orange notes become deeper and honeyed which alongside the creamy sandalwood - linger beautifully. This gets better and better the longer it's on skin. It's warm, cosy and sensual. It sits all around in a perfect scent bubble. I do think this smells differently on each individual. It works beautifully for me. It is a fantastic all rounder which I really believe is perfect as a signature scent. Lasts all day - radiates nicely around the wearer, inviting you to come closer rather than being an obnoxious room filler. It's beautifully composed.

Such a beautiful musky honey sandalwood blend. When I first tried this I knew it was supposed to have a honey note, but I didn't remember that the notes list explicitly stated it was a white honey note. But I still noticed that it smelled like opaque, creamy white honey, so I'd say they really nailed it! Honey is a hit-or-miss note for me, sometimes it's great and sometimes really horrible. In Sensuous it's dreamy! The sandalwood is the warm, milky kind and makes for a beautiful base. Over that lies a dusting of tingly black pepper to spice things up. I also find the florals quite noticeable, the creaminess of fresh white lilies and the tropical airiness of ylang ylang add more life and femininity to this scent. Mandarin nectar is another nice uplifting touch. I definitely smell some unlisted musk here, which makes the scent very skin-like and, well, sensuous, but this is not a powdery musk bomb like Sensuous Nude was on me. All in all this is a perfect everyday scent, subtle but never boring. I like this much better than Adam Levine's fragrance, which is also nice, but has a funky tagetes note instead of the lovely creamy florals in this one.

Oh my word this is gorgeous. Yet another sample spree purchase, I was cautiously excited to receive this. Names don't always match the fragrance, and reading the notes doesn't guarantee that they will smell how you imagine them. However in this case they do. Sensuous is an utterly apt description of the fragrance. The notes are everything I hoped they'd be. This is a woman's perfume, not a girl's. The woods and sandalwood are perfect, the light florals subtly lift it. I can't comment on longevity as I have had it only an hour. The sillage does not feel strong and overpowering but just right. So luxurious, like the softest cashmere. Just dreamy. EDIT: Eight hours later I am still getting delicious wafts of this from my neck and t shirt. Wrists have a subtle trace. UPDATE sept 21: something terrible started happening to this on my skin shortly after I got it. The woods ramp up to choking strength, to the point I can't wear it without choking and a massive headache. Every now and then I have a little spray but the results are the same. So jealous of those who can wear it as I no longer can.

I first wore Sensuous when I was in my early twenties, upon it's release. It was one of the few fragrances I owned when I was young. I was still a tobacco smoker then, and inasmuch as something can be harmonious with cigarette smoke, this fragrance was. When I read on Fragrantica that it was not discontinued, I bought a bottle. I can see how both this fragrance and White Linen are from the same house, even though separated by many years and different perfumers. Lamentably, White Linen does not go with my chemistry. I can successfully wear Sensuous sometimes but other times it doesn't suit me. Sensuous definitely has an element of pencil shavings, but it's still very elegant. I am surprised by how much I like the mandarin note because that isn't usually something I am interested in. I do also like the pepper in it, although that might be part of what doesn't always smell right on me. While I do genuinely still like this fragrance over all, I suspect I will prefer it in warmer weather, oddly enough.

I am very sad that Estee Lauder is discontinuing the Sensuous line. Estee Lauder makeup and fragrances were always in my life.My Nana wore Knowing,my Aunt wore Tuscany per Donna, my sister wore Beyond Paradise,my friend wore Beautiful, my neighbor wore Cinnabar, my friend's mother wore Aliage,my cousin wore Dazzling Silver,another grandmother wore Youth Dew, my mother wears Pleasures...and finally I had an Estee! Sensuous. Everything about it is my find of fragrance and I truly love it. I am going to miss it so much. I cannot believe the sales dumped so badly this fragrance didn't even last 10 years on the market! I love the scent and I have enjoyed it since it launched. The market is beyond oversaturated and there's room only for products that get pushed to the forefront, for their 15 minutes of fame, whether they deserve it or not.

Soft OOZE of HONEY-SANDALWOOD. Opens with a softly sweet floral burst with woody & warm-spicy nuances (with reminders of Adam Levine For Women), that deepens into a rich woody amber heart with creamy yellow floral nuances, all resting on a honey-sandalwood base with peppery & faint mandarin touches. Above average performance. Contrast to Adam Levine For Women: These are different but there are some similarities in the ALFW has a much bolder approach with aromatic touches. Sensuous starts softer, building momentum, and dries down with more honey and a smoother approach. ALFW projects better in the opening, but both have good longevity. Overall: Beautiful and easy to wear scent profile, with above average performance, this is the perfect scent to wear for connecting with your sensual side. It's a love for me.. Enjoy!

I got a sample of this one not expecting much but damn was I wrong! I went right away and ordered 2 bottles since I had heard it has been discontinued. This is very sensuous indeed! The florals, woody notes, pepper and honey are all blended together beautifully to create a very sensual spicy, sweet, and musky perfume. I wish I had sampled this years ago or blind bought a bottle of this instead of blind buying Cinnabar and Spellbound. This one is far superior to those. It has the seductive quality that I was looking for in those 2 but didn't find. Cinnabar is going to be used as air freshener and Spellbound for daytime wear. My husband went crazy for this one so ladies if you are looking for a perfume that your man will really love on you give this sexy and very "Sensuous" perfume a try. It can be had for a steal!

This is so beautiful! It’s a signature scent worthy fragrance. Sensuous is present without being too loud, it’s beautiful enough to wear everyday without feeling too special or boring. It’s unisex for sure but the smooth, round quality of the florals and sandalwood make this lean into the feminine side. On my skin, no one note jumps out- sensuous is blended to perfection. It’s smells creamy, the texture is a pressed powder the main note is that of expensive sandalwood, with an almost edible sweetness. Of all the florals listed I perceive Lily most but I have to really look for it. Sensuous creates a wonderful scent bubble. I also found a bottle of Sensuous Nude and Sensuous Noir. I’ve read the flankers are even better than this and since I’m so taken with Sensuous, I’m so excited for the others to arrive.

Sensuous has been my favorite perfume since I discovered it between 2008-2010. I've had several bottles of it. However, my last large purchase (more than one bottle) from Estée Lauder directly, was a disappointment. I think they must have sourced different ingredients in the last batch. It no longer has that deep sexy, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine woody scent. It is much more of a sharp Amber scent. I hope the next batch is able to duplicate the original. Sadly, you cannot return fragrance after opening the bottle and trying the scent during the pandemic. Store clerks have asked if I purchased from an unauthorized seller, but no! It was from Estee. I think I should stick to Macy's in the future, where I purchased my first 2 bottles. *Please bring back the original ingredients, Estee Lauder.*

To my nose, Sensuous is a warm, Japanese wood incense, the kind that lacks spices, that melts into my skin and changes very little once it dries down. And yet, there is just enough ylang ylang to make Sensuous a sort of Samsara Light. The amber isn't overdone, the lily luckily amounts to droplets, and the pepper and other notes lack distinction, and sometimes that's a plus. Sensuous is less sexy than comforting. It's both cool and warm and definitely unisex. It's dryly earthy without being dusty. There is something astringent about it here and there, in contrast with Samsara, but this astringency evokes a visit to a New Mexico spa replete with dry saunas, crackling fires, and artesian waters. Reach for it when you want to feel grounded.

This is delightful. I found a travel size at a yard sale with less than half along with Beautiful and Pleasures but this one is my favorite. Very mature and spicy (pepper) but smells like clove. The formula in mine is still fresh and light in color and is certainly a woody oriental. Doesn't exactly open with Lily, Jasmine or Magnolia imo, it's sheer. Heliotrope?? There is a slight smokiness deep within it you can only smell if you spray a lot. Could be the amber. Honey and Mandarin are the base notes but it's an accent. If you don't like that "old" smell it's not for you. It's Estee Lauder so it's not gourmand, not a treat. It's archival pre-2010 without ambroxan or silly vanillas. Warm but not for the heat.

Love love love This is my main work scent from October to January. I actually ordered this the first time because I needed a purchase to get a discount on makeup. I had already tried the Modern Muse line so picked this. On its arrival I was initially underwhelmed as I found it very simple and linear but I started wearing it to work and discovered it really is beautiful. The sandalwood is a very dry and aromatic cinnamon scent with an overlying powdery gourmand sweetness from the honey. There isn’t much more to it but I don’t get bored if it. Moderate silage for the first couple of hours and very good longevity as I can catch whiffs of it all day and clearly smell it on my skin in the evening.