Estēe Lauder
Estēe Lauder
74 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Tangerine and orange blossom burst forth with bright, almost citrusy relief—a moment of pure freshness before the clove emerges, peppery and insistent, immediately shifting the narrative from cheerful to complex. Within minutes, you're aware this is something altogether more considered than a simple floral.
By the second hour, the clove has fully claimed dominion, working in tangled conversation with jasmine and lily of the valley; the florals have lost their innocence, adopting a slightly green, almost medicinal quality against the spice. Sandalwood begins its entrance beneath, lending creamy warmth that paradoxically makes the composition feel both more comforting and more mysterious.
Four hours in, the fragrance has simplified into something almost hypnotic—mostly sandalwood and patchouli with lingering clove, the florals now mere whispers, and frankincense providing a subtle resinous lift. What remains is intimate, almost skin-scent soft, yet retains a stubborn woody-spiced signature that refuses to apologise.
Cinnabar arrives as a baroque contradiction: a fragrance that wraps spice and florals around your skin like an ornate shawl, simultaneously warm and unsettling. The opening's citrus—tangerine and orange blossom—arrives with purpose, cutting through what will become a dominantly spicy affair. That 100% spice accord isn't subtle; clove emerges almost immediately as the true protagonist, its peppery bite tempered only by lily of the valley's green, slightly soapy restraint and a deeper lily that lends unexpected sensuality.
This is not a fragrance for the timid. Cinnabar demands a wearer who understands that florals needn't be delicate or apologetic—here, the jasmine mingles with clove's heat, creating a slightly bitter-sweet tension that recalls old spice markets and vintage fur coats. The woody base of sandalwood and patchouli provides essential ballast; without them, this would tip into cloying territory. Instead, frankincense anchors everything with a faintly resinous, almost religious gravity. That 76% amber accord gives the whole composition a golden, slightly powdery softness that prevents the spice from becoming aggressive.
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3.8/5 (287)