Lauder launch new fragrance - Sensuous

Win a chance to meet "the sensuous models"? (Hot chocolate spewed over screen and keyboard).

I believe what Lauder Co. meant to state was that the sensuous models will have an opportunity to meet a regular ol' woman who can coherently and/or imaginatively express concepts about sensuality.

There, that's better.

*hands clasped together in prayer*

Please, please, please let it not be an insipid nothingburger.....please......

I received my 1/3 oz. bottle of this from E.L. about 2 weeks ago. Just wanted to say that it's pretty nice. It's not the normal E.L. that kind of overtakes you or that announced itself before you walk into a room. It is as it says. It's a sensuous perfume that is demurely sexy. It does not offend. Neither is it one that if you smelled it once you'd always remember what it is. At least I don't think. A lot of scents that any perfume person will instantly recognize. For Estee Lauder this is a change. It's not loud at all.
So.............I think it'll be a good seller!

I think you've seen the notes on the other thread.

A subtle Lauder? What has this world come to?

Seriously, I remember something that I read somewhere about Estee Lauder (the woman herself) and her motto was something like, 'I make fragrances that people either love or hate. If I ask someone to smell something and they get a 'maybe' reaction to it, I don't like this. I think when a scent has an immediate love or hate response, then you have the kind of fragrance that Lauder represents'.

Sounds like the Lauder mission statement has shifted slightly.

I still want to smell this though. I'm interested to see how Lauder has translated 'sensual'. I'm extremely jealous that you got to try this - good for you!

Intrigued by the notes listed in the copy, I headed over to Bloomingdales after work yesterday to test the new Sensuous. Amber and wood? I did end up buying a small bottle. The amber does not dominate; the woodiness of the scent is warm and subtly spicy. On the way home, I thought that it reminded me of Egoiste, or even Black Cashmere. But doing the double wrist test, I found that I was wrong. Sensuous lacks Egoiste booziness and the serious spice of Black Cashmere.
Yet, I find Sensuous an endearing scent. It stays close to the skin. Warm but not sultry. Perhaps when the extrait is released in July, the intensity and amber will shout out. For now, I am enjoying the EdP as a comforting, very wearable, daily frag.
Others?

I just got back from Bloomies. They didn't have it out yet. The SA said that they would get it in today. She did have a small tester. Well, it is a very sultry scent like Therese stated. For those of you that got to sample Michael Storer's Winter Star, then you'll have an idea of what Sensous smells like. To me it smells very close to Winter Star, but it has a touch of sweetness, just a touch. I don't find it to be bottle worthy right now. This is definitely something I would wear in the winter. I'm trying to break out of the whole season thing, but it's not summery to me. This is something that you would love to smell on a cold crisp night with the hint of a wood burning in a fireplace floating in the night air. It is developing quite nicely though.

I haven't sniffed it yet but will add it to my list. I'll report back when I get to try it.

I posted about this already. I got my 1/3 oz. spray a couple of weeks ago. It's not like the usual Lauder fragrances that are kind of loud. This is a demurely sexy fragrance. I wouldn't exactly call it spicy. It's soft and sensual. You've already gotten the notes right? It's not really distinctive as far as recognizing it the miniute you smell it.

This does not smell anything like a Lauder fragrance, so it's quite a departure. The strong synthetics and superhuman concentrations of the typical Lauder are absent with Sensuous. The fragrance is soft and demure with the spices being carefully muted above a dry woods note.

When I first tried it, it seemed familiar. Very familiar, but I couldn't place it. I ran through a mental library of scents and came up (like Therese) with Black Cashmere. But that didn't seem quite right, although it is safe to say that BC and Sensuous are in the same family of tamped-down spice scents.

Three days and three wearings later, it hit me. Sensuous smelled very similar to the old Sonoma Scent Studio dupe of Chaos. Since I have never smelled the original Chaos, I can't say how close it is to the real thing.

Sensuous could easily be a unisex scent, and it wore very close to the skin. The ''molten woods'' were no more mysterious or mystical than your average Virginia cedar/sandalwood and their function seemed to be to add a bit of dryness or brittleness to the sweeter, moister core. I can't say that I was able to pick out any floral component, although the honey note, a ''golden'' one, is noticeable in the heart, but certainly not to the extent of something like Miel de Bois. There was more to the spice than simply the given black pepper. It wasn't in the least peppery to me and the spices smelled brown without being identifiable. The honey also didn't oversweeten the amber. I found the lowest notes to be woods, with the amber/honey above, and a small citrus top.

I'd be inclined to seek out the parfum version of Sensuous, which might be ideal for fall. I can't quite get over the resemblance to the Chaos dupe. I remember thinking that dupe was a bit green, although not in a vegetal way. Both also shared what I am going to deficiently term a "clay'' note, like modeling clay. Before the molten woods do whatever it is that molten woods do, this clay had a textural effect on the fragrance, flattening it a bit.

Bloomingdale's, as mentioned, is the only place I have seen this scent.

Orion, what a perfect description. According to the Bloomies SA, the parfum will be available in July. Because of its warmth, subtlety, and closeness to skin, I think it will be perfect for travel. I do hate to go scentless, and so I will annoint myself for my flight today.

The only reason I have it is that I worked for Lauder and they sent me my complimentary sample.

Poivre Piquant (honey/pepper) and Bois D'Argent (wood/honey) came to mind when i smelled Sensuous.

First sniffing at the sprayer on the bottle, I tasted vanilla wafers, pound cake and lemon creme cookies. As soon as the spray hit my skin, a beautiful woodsy, slightly lemony with a hint of smoke scent rose up. Amber, tea, spices, soft sandalwood were very apparent at first, with a metallic, jasminey note in the background somewhere. As others have "noted", I was reminded of Black Cashmere, but without the incense. The dominant note is sandalwood, and I know this will sound strange, for a while I smell a cardboard scent as well. About 10 minutes in, a faint, glassy, floral note appeared....smelling like lily of the valley..the woods seemed to be a bit quieter, and the lemon cookie note had disappeared. After 20 minutes, I smelled a delicate sweetness (the honey?), and a hint of orange. It's a very interesting fragrance, not linear, as someone else mentioned, but instead quite ever-changing. And where Black Cashmere was born to smolder on wool-wrapped skin, on cold, winter nights, Sensuous feels like a light silk shirt, resting on the skin.

Edit: Having worn this scent for two days now, I notice that the amber is very light but still the main character for the first hour or so ( I also smell playdoh for about 5 minutes!), while a woodsy-floral sweetness sings quietly in the dry down, with a hint of musk This is a very silky, skin scent, not a typical EL stunner, and perhaps well suited as a comfort scent.

I smelled a sample from the SA at Neiman's.
It's very unlike the EL aesthetic- a skin scent, that will sell well.
I think it's very pretty and wearable.
I'll probably buy a bottle, myself; but the funny thing is-

I think CO2 'butter' extract is the latest thing, LOL.
I suspect that recently, lots of folk are using it to add a 'flowing, golden' aspect to their woods.

So, when will it arrive in the hinterlands, at regular department stores?
I'm always up for a good, new Estee Lauder.
I hope the black pepper note isn't too prominant. That one can be a spoiler for me.

I'm very excited about this one - when will it be out in Europe, does anyone know?

Pomander, I very much enjoyed your comparison of Sensuous to Black Cashmere with fabric similes. Yes, yes, Senuous is like a silk shirt in summer!

I'm arriving a bit late to this party, but I just smelled Sensuous today and it's definitely new territory for Lauder! A skin scent, softly sweet, powdery musk, lingering close to the skin. Ambery and warm...you know, I feel a purchase coming on...

Wait... wait, "this smells like Chaos" - do you mean the discontinued Donna Karan spicy gorgeousness with a coca-cola fizz note? Please say yes. I'll be queuing up when it comes to UK

Dang, late to the party again, and I LOVE Black Cashmere (and butter, Chaya!) So, now do I have to go prostrate myself before Anne at Neiman's, or can I punt and go to the ladies who don't know me at the Chestnut Hill Bloomingdale's? It's July, is it there?!? Argh......

I think Orion may have meant Long Lost Perfume's take on "Chaos" (called "Anarchy") since I don't think Laurie at Sonoma Scent Studio does knock-offs (but for those of you who haven't smelled her Velvet Rose, Ambre Noir, or Bois Epices... RUN!!! Wonderful, wonderful).

http://www.sonomascentstudio.com/index.shtml

Glorious1, I WANT YOUR SHOES!!!! Somebody show them to Lady in Black...

[QUOTE=ComDiva;1256067]Dang, late to the party again, and I LOVE Black Cashmere (and butter, Chaya!) So, now do I have to go prostrate myself before Anne at Neiman's, or can I punt and go to the ladies who don't know me at the Chestnut Hill Bloomingdale's? It's July, is it there?!? Argh......

Well. it's been awhile since I shopped at Chestnut Hill since moving to the slightly northern burbs, but Macy's at Burlinton Mall has this scent, so I'd bet that Bloomies at Chestnut would be a sure thing ( I think Bloomies was the original carrier of Sensuous?)