We Are Beautiful... or Just Well Lit? First look at Estée Lauder’s Beautiful Magnolia Fleur

The new spot whispers we are beautiful while giving us silky petals, kiss-me lighting, and just enough swagger to fill a subway platform. It’s for Estée Lauder’s Beautiful Magnolia Fleur, a flanker that seems intent on dialing the magnolia fantasy to peak luminosity. I’m charmed by the mood, suspicious of the message. Perfume is persuasion. I want the juice to whisper back.

Magnolia in fragrance is a tricky muse. It can tilt creamy and solar, or go tea-bright and airy with a cool, citrusy sheen. The original Beautiful Magnolia wore like a fresh bouquet with a modern, shampoo-clean undertone. If Fleur is the lighter sister, I’m betting we’re in chiffon territory - more petal sparkle, less bouquet weight, a skin-hugging trail that says summer wedding at 4 pm.

If you’re already loyal to Beautiful, that big 80s-born heart with a wedding-veil sillage, you might find Beautiful Magnolia a polite contemporary. Where does Beautiful Magnolia Fleur fit? Likely the most transparent of the trio. Think less bridal bouquet, more magnolia mist on collarbone.

Context helps:

• Crave opulent magnolia with real presence? Try Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile.
• Want a breezy, almost ephemeral magnolia? Jo Malone Star Magnolia does balcony-breeze elegance.
• Prefer magnolia with twilight drama? Bvlgari Splendida Magnolia Sensuel leans plush and satin.

The ad’s power statement lands somewhere between empowerment and after-hours skincare commercial. I don’t mind being seduced, but I want a point of view I can smell. If Fleur brings a crystalline magnolia with a cool tea lift and a soft musky drydown, I’ll happily eat my skepticism.

Plan of action if you’re magnolia-curious:

• Test Beautiful Magnolia Fleur on skin, not paper. Magnolia nuances evaporate fast on blotters.
• Wear side by side with Beautiful Magnolia to check overlap. If the difference is only volume, choose your sillage.
• If you miss the operatic sweep of vintage Beautiful, layer Fleur over a sheer white musk to lengthen the arc without adding weight.

Pretty spot. Now show me the petals. I’ll report back once I’ve worn Estée Lauder Beautiful Magnolia Fleur through a humid commute and a late dinner. If it still sparkles then, we’ve got a keeper.