Perfume Review: White Linen, Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder
White Linen

Top Notes: Aldehydes, Citrus notes, Peach
Middle Notes: Rose, Jasmine, Lilac, Orris, Muguet, Ylang-Ylang
Base Notes: Cedar, Honey, Amber, Civet, Sandal, Tonka Bean

Fresh as cotton, this is a salute to aldehydes or an extravaganza of aldehydes – a perfected fragrance note ensemble, most famously demonstrated in Chanel #5. White Linen is fresh as laundry out drying on a summer clothes line with a breeze going through the bras and panties – which is to say – it’s fresh, clean and feminine in an innocent way – which is why it’s a great fresh perfume for a work day in a traditional office (do they still exist?). That said, there is something unique about the aldehydes which are in full force, alongside a generous bouquet of spring flowers. First whiff is laundry, soap, ferns and other greens. Then it warms up like a ray of sunshine in a emerald green meadow. I don’t often encounter this or would admit it (in a woman’s perfume) but White Linen could probably be worn by a guy with great success. That said, it is a disservice to suggest this is a masculine perfume – it’s just amazingly fresh and floral – and in its own class – especially these days, when sweet and fruity, or patchouli rule – along comes suds, lilacs, bud roses, and a spray of green.

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