Bronze Goddess Body Shimmer Oil and Perfume by Estee Lauder

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Every summer I indulge in one or two new perfumes that I think will work well in Mobile's intense heat and humidity. Typically these are fragrances that market themselves towards the summer season, which is definitely the case with Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess.

I was particularly interested in the Shimmering Body Oil Spray ($42), as I love a good body oil  after a shower to both moisturize and scent my skin. However, I was hesitant to invest in the perfume without smelling it first, so I went with a 5 ml decant ($13.75) from Surrender to Chance, which sells perfume samples and fragrance decants.

Here are the notes as listed by Estee Lauder:

Sensuous Notes
Amber. Coconut Milk. Sandalwood. Vanilla. Vetiver. Myrrh
Warm Notes
Juicy Mandarin. Sicilian Bergamot. Lemon. Pulpy Orange
Radiant Notes
Tiare Flower. Jasmin. Magnolia Petals. Orange Flower Buds. Lavender

Bronze Goddess is frequently described as smelling like a day at the beach, and I'd have to agree with that. It definitely evokes skin that's been slathered with a coconut sun tan lotion that has alternately been warmed by the sun and then cooled down by a dip in the salty ocean. I still remember the frequent beach weekends of my teen years and the feel and smell of briny skin soaked by Hawaiian Tropic. Crossing my fingers that skin cancer is not in my future.

Yet it's a bit more elegant than just coconut suntan lotion on warm skin, although I'd be lying if I said I could detect the nuances of all the notes listed. While I wouldn't classify this as a light fragrance, it does have a skin scent ambiance in that it is not overpowering, which is what I try to avoid during the hot summer months.

Bronze Goddess Shimmer Body Oil ingredients

The Shimmering Body Oil spray is lovely to look at in the bottle and leaves my skin lightly scented with a soft sheen as opposed to visible shimmer. This is a dry oil and does not leave any obvious residue, just soft skin. I'm glad I got a decant of the perfume as well, as the two together give just enough fragrance that lingers for about 5-6 hours.

Estee Lauder releases Bronze Goddess each year in the spring, and reviews make me believe that each year's fragrance may be slightly different.  My decant is from 2008 (I believe), and apparently 2015's version emphasized lemon more than other years. I did read reviews saying that 2016's version smelled rather synthetic, and with current perfume ingredient limitations and trends, that would not surprise me.

I also saw more than a few comments from people saying they were underwhelmed with the fragrance of Bronze Goddess at first, but that it has grown on them with time and is now a favorite.  I'm more in the underwhelmed category right now, but am hoping to savor it with more usage. I just haven't been reaching for it as much as I thought I would, but it is a nice scent and definitely summer wear worthy.  I could even see breaking it out on a gray and chilly February day, when I need something to remind me that warm weather will be back with a vengeance.