Bronze Ellen Tracy 2011 Eau de Parfum

I am mystified by the swift transfer into clearance bins of perfumes only just released. Ellen Tracy BRONZE is a case in point. As other reviewers have attested, the primary source of this perfume is now at deep discounters such as TJMAXX, Marshall's and Ross, which are asking all of $10 for a bottle or $20 for a gift set. Yet BRONZE was launched in 2011!

This must be a sign of the times: with new perfumes proliferating like rabbits, marketers need to be savvy in order to capture their intended consumers' attention--and perfume wallet share. Of course, the fate of BRONZE could also be indicative only of the peculiarly incompetent marketers chez Ellen Tracy. To be honest, I'll never understand why designers who produce pricey clothing ask nearly nothing for their perfumes. (Pierre Balmain, anyone?)

BRONZE reminds me a lot of Dsquared SHE WOOD: water, woody violets in a pleasing, slightly sweet composition with a bit of an oriental feeling to it. So why is SHE WOOD a famous perfume and BRONZE relegated to the dust bin of perfume history in less than a year?

I don't know. But let us violet lovers simply rejoice that this sort of trouvaille can be had for so little money. Although this perfume is not niche, it is solid designer fare. I would rank this as equivalent in quality to any of the Salvatore Ferragamo perfumes. This means, too, that there is a bit of luck to a spritz. Sometimes it will go well, and sometimes there will be a bit of an unpleasant waft, especially up top. But the drydown is worth the wait, and I am happy to have picked up a gift set of this obscure but enjoyable designer fragrance.

Some of the Ellen Tracy perfumes I like a lot, above all, TRACY. Others are just okay, including ELLEN TRACY and LINDA ALLARD. One of them, ELLEN (the one in the white box), smelled yucky and sour to me when I tested it once at the store (again, TJMAXX). I find that BRONZE falls into the plus column of this designer's somewhat puzzling list of perfume offerings.

Bronze blew me away. I never expected this perfume to be as wonderful as it is. I purchased a set of four rollerballs which included Ellen, Ellen Tracy, Tracy and Bronze. I figured a great way to test four of Ellen Tracy's Eau de Parfum's at a great price. Out of the four, I absolutely love Bronze, adore Ellen Tracy and Ellen and find Tracy a very interesting perfume. These are perfumes that I am surprised are relegated to the discount stores. They should not be.
My first impression of Bronze was Lemon Meringue Pie. Don't ask me why, but that was the image that came to mind. From the top note down, every whiff is absolutely delicious. Creamy vanilla mixed with woods-a lovely scent that can be worn year-round. Wait for the drydown and the nuttiness comes through.
So nice to have another note announce its presence during the different stages of a perfume. This is what a perfume is about-discerning the variables that a perfumer puts into their mix, and Bronze has its diverse notes, too, and really, they all smell wonderful.
Sometimes when we wear a perfume we feel we must get through the top or middle stage because it's unpleasant, not so with Bronze. Each layer is one to enjoy. You stop to take time and discern the notes. Into the middle the sweetness barely lingers as the sandalwood woodiness embodies the heart of the fragrance.
Now Bronze is becoming one with the wearer, a skin fragrance, a scent that mixes with your body chemistry, a little salt tossed over your shoulder for good measure. It becomes heady at this point, you're lying on the sands alone in a cove, the air is moist and damp, the tall grasses are blowing around you. It is seasonless, it is just you, the clean hills of sand around you, the whispering tall grass marshes blowing. The sun is warm.
Bronze seems to address many needs as a fragrance for its wearers. It's a soft perfume, it's a gourmand, it's a light oriental. Pick how it suits you, as it wears on you for hours. This can be a meditative fragrance or one for yoga. Bronze can fulfill a Sunday afternoon reading The New York Times in bed or one when you spend the day with your friends at home as a Girls Night In. It's possibilities are endless.

It kind of has a Banana-Lemon Cream Pie vibe, with a little bit of Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo on the drydown! It sounds really weird, but I rather like it. Quite soft and pretty. Definitely worth $7 blind-bought! Very safe for the office and church, I should think. Citrusy-creamy-powdery.

For the longest time I've been searching for a lemon, vanilla blend perfume that is a little more complex than just those two notes alone, yet not aromatic or heavily spiced like other citrus vanilla blends I've tried. I finally found what I was looking for after this was recommended to me by a fellow perfume loving friend.
This is perfect. Lemon with a light, airy vanilla, thanks to the vanilla orchid, that's not heavy or drowning out the other notes. The violet leaf, lily of the valley, and honeysuckle add lift and freshness to this scent, which keeps any heaviness at bay, and the coumarin a lite herbal touch. All is grounded on a light cedar base, rounded out with smooth amber creaminess. It is all so well blended that it's hard for me to pick out the other notes (apple? orange blossom?), though I do smell the violet and the heliotrope with its powdery cherry-almond characteristic on the dry down. The overall composition is citrusy, creamy, powdery, and teetering gourmand.
I first bought a small bottle that was very inexpensive, but I've since purchased a gift set, also at a ridiculously low price. I'm really very surprised with the silage and the longevity, especially when used with the corresponding products. While not a silage beast, I was able to smell it clearly for at least 6 hours, even in the heat of summer, before it became a skin scent. That's very good considering many more expensive perfumes don't perform half as well.
Although I was initially hesitant on purchasing this perfume after having been disappointed by this brand before, I'm so glad I took the chance and added this inexpensive gem to my collection. It has quickly become a favorite.

Mostly sweet citrus, soft purple flowers, and vanilla-musk. Great fragrance for work, a picnic, church, pretty much anywhere that you don't want your perfume to be loud.

Also very well-blended. All around just a gentle fluffy little marshmallow of a perfume. Kind of what I imagine a unicorn or a rainbow might smell like.

Good lasting, too.

I see a common theme between this and Ellen Tracy's Ellen. That one is a shade darker, with fruits and a slightly (and I mean kitten-slightly) animalic musk. Both are great background scents that just make you smell plain good.