Reviews of Beyond Paradise (2003)
by Estée Lauder

I tried hard to like this, I really did. The exotic ingredients and complexity fascinated me. Unfortunately, my first test gave me an instant headache and nausea, a reaction I rarely get from scents. My husband also detested it. Sickly sweet with an unpleasant spice note. I cannot detect any particular notes as I can't smell it long enough to try. :(
Here's proof of my honest attempt to like it: despite my very strongly negative first reaction, I just tried it again. I do believe different times of the day and different moods affect one's chemistry. It was worse the second time around. The barest spritz on my wrist sent me to the bathroom immediately to scrub it off, something I've never done before! I have now scrubbed my wrist raw, applied rubbing alcohol and it's still making me sick to my stomach. 2 thumbs down on this one!

Horrible fragrance! I'm not too picky when it comes to perfumes and like most of them but this is bad. It's a bad floral strong rancid smell. It literally smells like funeral to me.

From Luca Turin's book:"[fragrance is] a portable form of intelligence."

From the AMA:: "[NASA] researchers are concerned about the long-term effects of exposing yourself to high levels of vibration. At least one is worried that brain damage is possible".

First up I should confess that with the odd exception (Lys Mediterranee comes to mind) I am not a fan of full-blown florals, so clearly this was never going to be the scent for me.... but I find this almost unbearably strident, especially in the first half-hour - tropically bright with potent melon overtones. An hour later and the jasmine and honeysuckle start to come through (although still with a hint of melon) but there onwards I find it strangely linear and flat - nothing draws me to keep smelling at my wrist. It reminds me of one of those huge cocktails, complete with paper umbrella and plastic flower, that a girl in the Eighties would have sipped by the pool - sweeter than she'd bargained for and probably destined to bring on a headache. Having read the other reviews, I'd be interested to smell this on someone else - maybe I'm one of the unlucky ones this simply doesn't suit!

You know, the first time I ever tried this on my skin, it turned into a fruit bowl gone bad, I could only get fake bananas, fake melon, fake you name it. It was sweet but not too cloying, not too densely sweet. It lasted more than I ever wanted it to last, and that was a long time. The sillage was nice, strange but true, and it didn’t give me any headaches or any bad physical reactions, but in the end it was too much for me, it even felt a bit cheap. That was the summer. Later on, and on a cooler climate, I tried it some other times. I still didn’t like it that much but the initial fakeness of it all was subdued and the top notes became better and less sweet, the fake fruits came and went fast and there remained some plastic (I like plastic) notes that had some soapy undertones that were very comfortable (even if I’m not much of a soapy notes fan). It lasted a long time too. In the end, I started to like the fragrance for what it is: something not entirely bad. I’d much rather spray on the male version of this, wich I love. I got a full bottle of this, it’s pretty and makes a good home spray.

I keep spraying this on myself whenever I go into my favourite department store. I go to cheap perfume outlets and enquire about the price of this perfume. Hence, I have never bought it. I think my hesitation comes from the overly powerful jasmin scent in the perfume. Of course, the perfume is way too expensive for my budget. It's not so much that I cannot afford it, but rather that I prefer spending my money on the things that I really like 100%. Beyond Paradise just hasn't seemed to 'get' me at the right time/price. I think my wallet's happy about that though!

I don't want people to think I only write positive reviews. The truth is, I don't write reviews for perfumes that I don't like. I have no time for that.
Lest you think I save my rejection for the rare, terrible perfume, consider this--my review of a wildly popular perfume sold in every department store in America. Somebody must like this, but it's not me.
Beyond Paradise was bright jasmine and honeysuckle and a multitude of piercingly sweet florals. Not good.

Back in 1995, I thought Pleasures was the limit. But this one beats everythig! Horrible. Vulgar. Perfectly suitable for a fat suburb gal all dolled up in pink and white glitters ready for a local disco party.

Let me start by saying, I love most Estee Lauder products. I really wanted to like Beyond Paradise. I have tried it a couple times, but I just cannot make myself like it.My husband told me he thought it smelled like a hotel swimming pool. It has such a strong honeysuckle note & another note (I just can't place it) that just sticks in my nostrils for hours. YUCK!

Make sure you sample a day before buying it. I really think this will turn off most loyal Estee Lauder clientle. Especially if you are a fan of Estee's original more European spicy & sophisicated scents.

Yet another horrid fragrance from Estee Lauder. irretating old and too floral. The bottle is eyecatching. Dont let it be just keep walking past & try something else.