SpellBound

Spellbound by Estée Lauder was first introduced in 1991 and is categorised as an oriental floral fragrance. How is the current formulation doing, and does it stand the test of time? The first spray has a very oily, waxy, dusty, flowery quality that feels slightly suffocating—almost like flowers that are beginning to decay. I pick up floral notes and perhaps some orange blossom, but I can’t tell them apart; it’s so well blended. This first spritz takes me right back to the 90s, when I was about 12 and smelled my aunts' perfumes. Is it a bad or a good thing? It could be either, depending on your perception. If you’re over 35 and you smell it, you’ll probably recognise this familiar 90s perfume DNA: classic, heavy, mature women’s perfumes. But to my nose, it dries down with a twist. The initial phase lasts about 2 hours on my skin and is challenging for me—but I don’t dislike it. I know the top notes typically last for only about 30 minutes, but they linger much longer on me. After around 2 hours, the fragrance changes. On my skin, the dusty note finally disappears (finally! ;-)) and it settles into a slightly spicy, very delicate cardamom that adds a touch of freshness, along with a flowery, fruity (peach, perhaps) sweetness. This is the point where I start enjoying it the most. After that, it turns into the most beautiful, sweet, warm, ambery drydown—very luxurious in my opinion. The drydown itself (and only the drydown) reminds me a lot of the drydown of Grand Soir: sweet, warm, ambery, elegant, and just stunning. I tested Grand Soir from MFK recently, and of course, the openings are completely different (so don’t go buying Spellbound just because you want Grand Soir on a budget—you could end up being really disappointed), but the drydown is very, very similar. I was genuinely surprised by this quality in Spellbound. I wonder if anyone else gets the same impression. The performance of this fragrance is amazing. For me, one spray is enough to smell it on myself all day, and it lasts on clothes forever—which is impressive compared to modern fragrances that often don’t perform as well. On clothes, it keeps a hint of those dusty notes, but mostly stays a sweet amber, so it’s a win for me. What I really like about it is that it’s a very complex fragrance that truly develops on my skin. I can clearly tell the difference between the top (oily, waxy, dusty, flowery), the middle (a hint of cardamom), and the ambery, sweet, warm, rich base that I really love. I bought it blindly—but don’t copy me, because the first 2 hours are truly challenging. Upon the first spray, I thought... Why did I do this?! But with time, curiosity, and patience for this olfactory experience, I grew to love it. A few final words: Spellbound is classified as an oriental floral, but to my nose, I don’t get many oriental notes (not like, for example, Kenzo Jungle Elephant). I mostly get a flowery, dusty, fruity fragrance with a warm, sweet, ambery drydown, initially very 90s powerhouse, with a very elegant and current drydown. More mature rather than youthful, but oddly present despite being such an old formulation. Suitable for colder weather, with gentle application, could be worn daily in my opinion. P.S. There is a very good review of this fragrance that helped me understand it and name some of its qualities—on YouTube, by Luke Parfums—if you want even more information about this scent, go check it out.

ve the reformulation. I originally posted this under the original When I first smelled this, years ago, it smelled like a spicier Tresor. I love Tresor and I loved this but was not in a position to buy it. I bought my first bottle from an Estee Lauder counter sometime in 2019. I had sprayed the tester and it smelled similar enough to my scent memory that I was satisfied buying it. When I opened it, however, it smelled (like another reviewer said) flat. I wore it for a week straight, lost the cap somewhere, and set it aside. It was still pretty but nowhere near the spiced infused scent I wanted. Fast forward to today (Sept, 2020) and time has done the trick. Beautifully spiced peaches. Rich like velvet. Sparkling with energy. I have one very light spritz on each arm and it’s lovely and warm. On this wearing, peach and amber are dominant but uplifted by cardamom and cinnamon. A little further into the drydown and I sense carnation. It’s so well-blended, though, that I’m only getting the notes if I focus. Will certainly be returning to this throughout the fall and winter. One last thought - it smells like fall colors.

This was a blind online purchase...I have never smelled the original. But the notes sounded gorgeous, and I love powerhouse '80s and '90s fragrances, so I had to have it. At first spray, it was all peaches and orange blossom, which was lovely. But after a while....oh, my. Wow. Here comes a rich, golden, honey-and-cardomom spiced deliciousness, along with carnation, vanilla, and woods. The apricot, orange blossom, and amber are still there...just made richer and deeper, yet also more subtle, by the supporting players. This is a beauty, for sure. I'm really looking forward to it in the autumn and winter, where I think it will shine. I also love Oscar de la Renta's Volupte, another Sophia Grojsman creation, and Spellbound has some similarities to Volupte - without the melon accord, of course. But I have to say that I like Spellbound even better. It kind of reminds me of a cross (sort of) between Elizabeth Arden Red Door and Volupte....a honeyed, ambered, lightly-spiced floral with a touch of fruit preserves and vanilla. It's really lovely.

I don't care what anyone says: it smells like a cozy cup of tea in a witch’s home on an autumn/winter evening. 🧙🏼♀️🍵 It’s not “sexy” in a seductive way — it’s extraordinary, different, confident, and wild, and all of that together is what makes it so appealing. This has instantly become my new favorite stay-at-home scent. It’s very strong and definitely strange — not your typical cozy spicy fragrance, because it carries this untamed magic. 🔮 This scent doesn’t adapt to you — you either have the character to match it, or it rejects you. 🤷🏻♀️ A truly non-negotiable kind of fragrance. And be careful with the number of sprays! Other than that, enjoy! Edit: my body rejects this perfume even though I really enjoy the scent. So we will part our ways because the sore throat it gave me was one of the worst in my entire life.

Such a romantic and nostalgic fragrance for me. It’s addictive and has been my signature fragrance for a long time. My mom used to wear this a ton when she was younger so the scent has always been in my life. I can remember my dad spraying it on me before we’d leave for evening church service. It’ll never get old. Although I no longer have the old bottle, this new one has been a good substitute, even though I wish it had all the notes the old one had. It reminds me of visiting your grandmother who barely speaks English, you can smell the candies she has in her purse and the drifting spring flowers outside. It’s sour and sweet and utterly delicious.