Estée Lauder‘s Pleasures Eau de Parfum was launched over 25 years ago, and, as far as I remember, it was almost instantly popular. A few years later, a friend who knew that I liked the scent gave me a miniature version, which I still have and treasure today. (It is one of the first fragrances I have ever owned.) A couple of years ago, I started to think about getting a larger bottle, and I decided to go for a 30ml one last year.
Estée Lauder Pleasures Eau de Parfum (雅詩蘭黛 歡沁香水, 15ml £27, 30ml £42, 50ml £56, 100ml £80) was launched in 1995. (In the US, it is also available in 150ml ($130).) According to Fragrantica, it was created by perfumers Annie Buzantian and Alberto Morillas, and its fragrance notes include:
- Top notes: green notes, freesia, pink pepper, violet, violet leaf, tuberose, red berries
- Middle notes: lily of the valley, peony, lilac, lily, rose, jasmine, geranium, karo karounde
- Base notes: musk, cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli
The fragrance can be categorized as a green floral. It opens with lily of the valley and subtle green tones. Lily of the valley remains very prominent throughout the wear and lasts all the way until the drydown. The drydown has a slight hint of muskiness and is not particularly woody. The fragrance has a good lasting power as an eau de parfum.
The fragrance doesn’t develop very much over the course of wear, and lily of the valley is undoubtedly the only main note of the entire composition. (I find it quite difficult to detect other floral notes listed above. There is occasionally a very slight hint of rose but it is mostly unnoticeable.) It gives the fragrance a very clean, fresh and uncomplicated character. The cleanness can seem somewhat soapy (which I find fairly appealing), and it can also seem almost a little sharp and angular. (There isn’t any obvious sweetness in the fragrance.) I wonder whether a slightly more nuanced version (perhaps with additional fruity and herbal notes and with the existing floral notes (those other than lily of the valley) being slightly more prominent) would appeal to me even more.
On the whole I like the fragrance, and I especially like its fresh and cool-toned feel. It is a good floral wake-me-up scent for daytime and particularly for warmer months. It seems formal enough to be work-appropriate and casual enough to be enjoyed off-duty, and this versatility may partially explain its enduring popularity. On a personal level, it invokes memories of making some of my first discoveries of the world of fragrance, and that is one of the sentimental reasons why I like it.
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