Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Estée Lauder - Bronze Goddess

The first day of summer

Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess is being billed as a limited release for 2011 but it has a longer history. It was first released as a body oil under the name Azure Soleil in 2006, as part of the Tom Ford for Estée Lauder collection and re-released as a perfume in 2007 called Azure Soleil Eau Fresh. By 2008, Tom Ford had created his own perfume line and Estee Lauder changed the name of Azure Soleil to Bronze Goddess but kept the formula nearly the same.

If you would like to feel and smell like you've been to the beach, but don't have time to get away, Bronze Goddess is the perfume for you. It starts with a summery squeeze of citrus but becomes a creamy, coconutty floral with a warm salty edge.

To me it smells just like expensive french sunblock - I have a tube of 50+ Vichy at home and it has the same "creamy rich flowers and coconut" smell. Underneath, salty amber base notes mimic the smell of warm skin just out of the ocean being dried on a white sand beach.

It's gorgeous, but I admit that after wearing it a few hours, I sometimes feel the need to go shower and clean up before dinner, the way I would do on holiday at a beach resort.  But keep this one around for the cold days of winter, and it will make you feel the sand between your toes again.

A new flanker, Bronze Goddess Soleil, was released this summer. It's very different from the original. Bronze Goddess Soleil starts with a stronger citrus notes - I smelled grapefruit. As it warms up, it becomes a fresh greenish floral that's predominantly lily and jasmine to my nose. It dries down to a light musky and wood base. The only thing that ties the two perfumes together in my mind is that Bronze Goddess Soleil seems to retain a little of that warm skin character underneath its florals, the way that Bronze Goddess does.

While I liked Bronze Goddess Soleil at first, I got a little bored with it after a while. I still prefer the original for it's unique and almost perfect simulacrum of beachiness.

For other great beach perfumes, try Parfumerie Generale Bois Naufragé or Creed Virgin Island Water, both big favourites of mine.

House: Estée Lauder
Nose: ?

Bronze Goddess Notes: coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, myrrh, amber, mandarin, bergamot, lemon, orange, tiare flower, jasmine, magnolia, orange blossom and lavender.

Bronze Goddess Soleil Notes: citron, bergamot, tangerine, lavender, petitgrain, pittosporum, neroli, orange blossom, jasmine sambac, grapefruit tree blossom, pink lily, blonde woods, iris, ambrette seed and crystalline musks.

11 comments:

  1. Bronze Goddess sounds delightful. I think I will take a trip to Holt's and have a sniff. Many years ago I wore the original Azuree before it was discontinued. I have the Tom Ford reformulation which is nice but lacks the beachy freshness of the original. Great review!

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  2. Nearly every blogger raves about this Estee - I must sniff and sniff soon! Thank you

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  3. Hi Anna, you can find it at The Bay too!

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  4. Hello Frida. Yes, it is a perfumista fave. If you can't find a sample try sniffing Vichy Capital Soleil sunblock, if you have that in the U.S.

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  5. I love the idea of these perfumes so much, but I just can't wear coconut.
    I have smelled them both a couple times, and they smell great but I would rather smell them on another than myself. Does that make sense?

    JoanElaine (Blogger won;t permit me to comment, AGAIN)

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  6. I do not like coconut in perfumes. I hate it passionately in sunblocks - that's why I always bring my own products to vacations to avoid the risk of not finding any without the coconut smell. But I really enjoy Bronze Goddess on my skin. It's such a happy scent!

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  7. Hi JoanElaine! What's wrong with Blogger? Anyway, I understand, I feel the same way about lavender.

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  8. Hello Udina. It is a happy scent. I would have called it Vacation.

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  9. I enjoy Bronze Goddess as one of those "experience" scents, but like you, I do get bored with it. I never was bored with EL TF AS despite the 2 being similar. It was like AS was more "Bain de Soleil" and Bronze Goddess is a bit more Hawaiian Tropic.

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  10. Hi EauMG, I agree. I keep thinking I will buy a bottle, but it hasn't made the top 10 Want list.

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