A Twosome for Autumn: Short Reviews of Bvlgari’s Jasmin Noir and Estee Lauder’s Sensuous

By Marla It’s hard to imagine lonely strolls through autumnal forests in the 100-degree plus humidity of Florida, whilst fanning myself furiously under the coconut palms. But autumn is only a few months away and a glorious time it is. So I was very pleased to find not one, but two new autumnal perfumes, thanks to the charming Wendy at my local Nordie’s, who first had to listen to my 100 winges about ubiquitous fruity florals. One of these newbies may even find a space on my overcrowded perfume shelf next to Feminite du Bois and Theorema. They are Bvlgari’s Jasmin Noir and Estee Lauder’s Sensuous. I must disclose I do not “get” Estee Lauder. After reading Luca Turin’s book, I tried, I really did. But I couldn’t find one that seemed to suit me. Sensuous is a different story and, along with Bronze Goddess (also scrumptious), they seem like outliers in the EL line. Sensuous has many notes but the ones I picked out immediately are honey, mandarin, black pepper, woods, and amber. Though lily, magnolia, and jasmine are listed, they are barely present. There’s also some spice in the mix, something like a tiny smidge of cinnamon, though it’s not listed. It’s not at all gourmand but it’s pure comfort. Sillage is minimal but the lasting power is impressive. I found the overall impression more cuddly than sensuous, but then, in these stressful times, cuddly is often very sensuous, so I suppose the name fits. Bvlgari’s Jasmin Noir is very similar in the emphasis on warm woods and very soft florals. The notes are green sap (couldn’t smell it), gardenia and sambac jasmine (caught a whiff in the head notes), almond (strong), woods, tonka (also strong) and licorice (subtle). Another skin scent like Sensuous, this one has good longevity also, but the pepper/cinnamon is absent; and though not sweet, I’d say it borders on the gourmand. It's one of those "I can't stop sniffing my arm!" scents. So in conclusion, I’m pleased to report that there is hope for 2008 after all. Sensuous has recently appeared everywhere, and Jasmin Noir is slowly arriving at the big department stores. They’re both worth a test stroll.