Beautiful Magnolia is a perfume entry from the Estee Lauder ‘Beautiful’ perfume series. It was released in 2021. I received a sample of this at some point with another order, and so, decided to put this fragrance through its paces for a review. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?
What does Beautiful Magnolia Smell Like?
Notes include: magnolia, gardenia, sandalwood, cedar, musk, solar notes, mate, lotus, Turkish rose
Click here to try: BEAUTIFUL MAGNOLIA by Estee Lauder, EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY 3.4 OZ
My Full Review
Beautiful Magnolia stays close to its name, from the very jump. That magnolia note is already present and very prominent in the composition.
But, it is also very fresh and semi-aquatic thanks to the lotus flower that about equals the magnolia for the first part of the wear. It comes across as very clean and watery, with a light herbal tea aroma from the mate, that’ll fade fairly quickly.
While rose is apparently a note in this one, I don’t get any on my skin. Maybe it’s just tough to pick out, but this is mostly the magnolia’s show. Some gardenia, at times, and the opening lotus influence.
Outside of the floral notes, this becomes a muskier perfume, as we dry down. The lotus aquatic smell begins to subside, the magnolia gets stronger, and the musk and cedar base intensifies.
Pretty simple in the close. Magnolia, musk, woods, and a generic floral impression. The musk and wood do turn this into more of a shampoo kind of fragrance.
Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility
Sillage wise, this is a lighter moderate fragrance. It’s not going to leave a huge scent trail and will become more of a skin scent about half way through.
However, the performance for the first few hours is pretty solid on my skin. If I spray Beautiful Magnolia on a shirt, I can pick it up from up to about 5 feet away. It’s not a complete powerhouse, so don’t go in expecting that.
The longevity hits the 5-6 hour range. Again, it’s pretty run of the mill. It’s not going to last a full work day it seems, but can get somewhat far into it. Maybe, some people will get better longevity from this one. Though, my skin doesn’t really ‘eat’ perfumes.
Seasonally, break Beautiful out in the warmer weather of the spring and summer months. It can be a bit too sharp or even aquatic feeling for the wintertime.
This is a daily wear type. Safe for work. Casual. Semi-formal. Not a nightlife perfume or anything that would be classified as sexy. It fits the ‘beautiful’ moniker or at least could be called pretty.
Overall Impressions of Beautiful Magnolia
Overall, do I like Beautiful Magnolia? Yes, it’s enjoyable to some extent, but wasn’t something that I’m crazy about.
As far as shampoo-clean floral perfumes go, this is a nice example. The magnolia and lotus give it more of a unique identity than some along with the tea aroma, found early on. At the end of the day, it’s a musky floral that’s clean and inoffensive.
The performance is run of the mill, but it is one that you should get plenty of use out of if you enjoy magnolia as a note. If not, I don’t think that this Lauder fragrance would change your mind.
It’s on about the same level as Hermes’ Un Jardin Sur le Toit, another magnolia perfume, which is more expensive.
Worth a try, but not an absolute must have.
Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.
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