Estee Lauder • Knowing • Fragrances

FancyShmancy on 4/16/2013 11:02:00 PM more reviews by FancyShmancy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This is a beautiful fragrance. I agree with what a lot of others have said in their reviews, in regards to perhaps dabbing this one on rather than spraying, as it is quite a strong smell. Lovely though. Not an "old lady" smell by any means, but don't think this ones suited for young girls either... A lovely, sophisticated and mature fragrance.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Olfactoria on 12/22/2012 2:03:00 PM more reviews by Olfactoria

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

Knowing, like Angel, is the perfect example of a fragrance that deserves its five-star rating in Turin & Sanchez' "Perfumes: The Guide," yet is unwearable for me. It is a lush rose chypre of great quality and distinction, in a hefty, artistic, asymmetrically ridged bottle that befits an elegant and mature classic. All the same, I feel sick every time I try to wear Knowing. It has a raspy, nail-varnish-like quality that I associate with old perfumes that have soured from exposure to the light. While I recognize intellectually that Knowing is simply swimming in oakmoss, and not the least bit sour or stale (having been purchased a year ago from Macy's), it nonetheless offends my nose and makes my head spin.



I can wear Aromatics Elixir and Cabochard just fine, so it's not that I am averse to loud dry chypres... But something about Knowing just never settles down for me, never becomes cozy and wearable. Shame.

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Lilosette on 10/20/2012 11:49:00 PM more reviews by Lilosette

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

What makes Aldehydes Patcholi Jasmine
Sandalwood & Civet a good perfume
ingredients i just don't know. 90 %
of my perfumes That i love are these
ingredents it's Romance Wraped in a bottle An
elegant perfume perfect for
going to a high class Resturant
Going to a Posh Fine Art Museim
having a candle light dinner with your
signifigant other. i'v notice some a leather
note in this perfume i'm deffinily buy this again
when it runs out.

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Jessabell on 7/11/2012 6:10:00 PM more reviews by Jessabell

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

my mum has this perfume because she recieved it as a gift from her friend. I am 24 and i adore it! its very strong and so i dont feel its something i would wear right now at my age but most definitely when im older i will bathe in this stuff lol... mind you if its over sprayed it can be too much but rightly its amazing!

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Mandella on 3/2/2012 11:54:00 AM more reviews by Mandella

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

I had trepidation before trying it because it's supposed to be a BIG 90's affair. I heard that one spritz and walk through are more than enough...so I spritzed and waited for a full-on attack. Smelling this fragrance was like walking up to the biggest,nastiest-looking bouncer in a club and being met with Mr.Manners. The juice is powerful, but it is so well blended that you can almost forget it's there. Kudos to Estee for her great nose!

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Mashenka11 on 1/11/2012 10:55:00 PM more reviews by Mashenka11

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Okay..... I am going to be honest. This perfume smells like urine.... But that is only in my opinion and a few of my family and friends.

I used to wear Britney Spears' Fantasy because I like sweet scents.... everywhere I went, in elevators, buses, people complimented me on my perfume. However, when in a different country I lost my wallet. Magically, a girl sitting next to me in a bus that day asked me if she could buy whatever perfume I was wearing right then and there...so I sold my Fantasy.

I got Knowing as a gift. Since I like to always wear perfume, even if I am not a fan of the scent, I wore it regularly until I had the money to buy one I really liked. Tip: Don't spritz it on yourself like a body spray...its STRONG. My nose grew immune to it but my friends told me that once I left their car my scent was still flying around in the car...and not in a good way.

This scent is not girlish or young.... in fact it smells kind of old-fashioned to me. If you want to really make a statement in a room, wear this stuff. It doesn't fade away like other perfumes do. But, my dad still told me it smelled like "urine".

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*TOP REVIEWER* candystripelegs on 12/30/2011 10:15:00 PM more reviews by candystripelegs

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I sampled this today, one tiny spritz on each wrist, I am a lover of "big" scents (mostly orientals) and the majority of my collection is what some MUAers often refer to as "old lady" perfumes. That being said..I found this stuff extremely potent and pungent for the first 30 minutes or so.


At first, I smelled a very strong synthetic rose or floral scent...then it morphed into what I can only refer to as the scent of autumn. Burning leaves, campfire, the last of summer's flower petals blowing in the wind.


4 hours in, Knowing has dried down, but doesn't fade away. She's still strong, but she's grown in a dark mossy delight of incense, woods, rose, and a dash of spice and cream.


Part of me feels like this fragrance is lovely, mature and I'm surprised that I've ended up liking it since I prefer spicier and stronger musks. Knowing definitely holds onto those floral notes, but it's not too girlish. In fact, I think a man could wear this.


First impression : This is a fragrance that a woman would buy but a man wouldn't. Meaning, it smelled nice and womanly but somehow lacked sex appeal. 80s, early 90s. I felt like I should be wearing a power suit with a bob haircut, like this was a scent that a career woman would wear. She wants to be taken seriously, she needs something to last all day, she wants to retain her femininity but she also wants respect and never wears her skirts too short.


After an hour, like a 30 year old woman, she bloomed...growing more into herself, She's not trying to fit in, she's not trying to make waves by being shocking or "different". She simply is.


I never thought I would love a fragrance with as much rose as this one has but I have a feeling that Knowing will grow to be one of my favorites.

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*TOP REVIEWER* highrise on 11/22/2011 8:56:00 PM more reviews by highrise

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other, Fair, Cool   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

I try hard to surmount my difficulties with Estee Lauder because I appreciate the compositions so much - but Pleasures turns into celery, White Linen screeches and Cinnabar is an old eraser on me. However, I kept going back again and again to Knowing because I adore chypres and really loved Paulina Porizkova in a tux.
So I wrestled it like a cranky old boar in the forest over three days, and it finally clicked. It's grand and lush and slightly prickly, in a wonderful way. Finally an EL that feels like a version of me.

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eky321 on 9/21/2011 7:52:00 PM more reviews by eky321

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

What a discovery! it is an excellent perfume. It is a very special aroma that changes with time it is flowery/spicy/woody.
The dry down is very dry, but smells good. It is a unisex perfume. Sensuous Noir is a mixture of Knowing with Sensuous, the aroma of Knowing with the base of Sensuous.

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asw37 on 3/2/2011 7:31:00 PM more reviews by asw37

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This used to be my essential perfume back in the day when I worked behind the reference/research desk at a large public library. It used to mask any bad smells (and believe me, if you've ever worked in some parts of a library there are a billion of them) coming from people or things.

My colleagues would groan when I wore this perfume because it is loud and not everyone's cup of tea, and to be honest, I used to drench myself in it. I had one colleague who wouldn't get in the lift with me, he hated it that much. However, it got me through dealing with many of the great unwashed that I would encounter through my day because all I could smell for the first half of the day was myself and Knowing. Of course, the more I applied the more immune to the smell I became. Knowing has great lasting power!!

I have no idea of notes or other nice-ities of the perfume. I like it, but it's not a perfume I adore. It was used so I could save my Coco or Mitsouko for me, not work.

I have smelt this on others and it's lovely, but I think for me it now has too many bad associations (like the crazy guy who used to follow me around sniffing saying, "You smell like a girl..." or the other punter who used to come and request some glass cabinet books on guns of WWII and then take his shoes off when reading, but I digress), so I won't ever buy it again.

The other reviews say it all much better than I. It is a lovely perfume and is very striking for the right person, in the right time and place. But I just can't wear it anymore.

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*TOP REVIEWER* atomic_girl on 6/19/2010 9:15:00 PM more reviews by atomic_girl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Powdery and rosy. Brutally nauseating if overdone...this one is best dabbed, not sprayed. Heed this advice and you shall be rewarded with a truly gorgeous and womanly (NOT girly) fragrance.

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perfumenut on 3/24/2010 9:55:00 AM more reviews by perfumenut

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I wore KNOWING when it first came out in the 80s....I drenched myself in it (the horror!!), but now as I revisit this old-time favorite....I do apply it with a lighter hand.

Now, KNOWING has a lot of oakmoss in it and I fear(ed) a reformulation, so I got my hands on a bottle of new old stock (15 years old) and a bottle of fresh new stock and I will compare the 2 side by side.

The old new stock is a deeper amber color whilst the new stock is a lighter gold/slightly green color (I didn't notice the green tinge - it's so light - until I compared it side by side with the older one). Also, the older bottle has a more secure gold piece on the bottle.

I spritzed the older KNOWING on my left wrist and the newer on my right....I think I did pretty well with equal sized squirts. Within the first moments - I thought, oh no, the new old stock is "old" because a few moments of musty "old fragrance" were evident, but they disappeared in about 10 minutes and now I believe I am smelling true old stock in my comparison to new stock.

The old new stock now smells (25 minutes later), a little softer and less sharp than the new stock but this is a VERY minimal difference....honestly I would not notice this difference if I weren't doing a side by side. They smell very similar (so good job EL if there have been changes). The sillage of both seem the same. When I press my nose to the skin I cannot make out obvious note differences, however the one difference that I do get - and I can't explain since they do smell almost identical - is that when I breathe in the old new stock I almost think of the smell I get when walking into an Hermes boutique, however I do not get this mind/smell image when I breathe the new stock. VERY WEIRD and I can't place what is causing this difference.

Overall, if you are a KNOWING fan, I say kudos to EL for keeping this one true! I am a KNOWING fan and when I wear it, I feel rich and sophisticated and unique, but as others have said you've got to be in the right mood. Fabulous chypre IMO!

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*TOP REVIEWER* judysmath on 3/5/2010 3:34:00 PM more reviews by judysmath

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

UGH! Smells like chemicals and is way too strong. Not my cup of tea. It may be "haunting", but in a bad way.

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*TOP REVIEWER* youdroppedabalmonme2 on 3/4/2010 6:13:00 PM more reviews by youdroppedabalmonme2

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

A lovely, dry, haunting chypre with amazing sillage that is definitely out-of-step with current fragrance trends; there are no fruits or desserts or ozonics in this one whatsoever, and the florals (rose and jasmine) take a back seat to the dry woods and spices. That's actually why I love Knowing: it has held its own for more than 20 years despite being definitely Not for Everyone. But as a chypre lover, I take this one over P. Picasso and Aromatics Elixir any day of the week. It is absolutely beautiful and luscious on my skin, whereas some others go all cat-pee on me.

I will say that Knowing works better on some people than others. I will also say that the EDP is every bit as powerful and concentrated as most pure parfums--if not more so--and therefore this scent CANNOT be approached with the typical multi-spritz technique of most fragrances or it (and you) will smell dreadfully overdone. I actually spray about 1/2 spritz on a cotton ball and dab that on my wrists and neck before tucking the cotton ball into my bra. Either that, or I spray 1 spritz in the air, wait a moment, and walk through. That is how I make Knowing work its magic for me. And it's why I marked this scent as relatively inexpensive-- an 0.5 ounce bottle of EDP lasts me forever!


The only reason I took off a lippie is that Knowing takes some "work" to wear. It is very easy to overdo, and when overdone it is pretty darn claustrophobic. (This is a danger when women wear Knowing every day and lose their sensitivity to it.) But I think the work is worth it. A timeless masterpiece, and a bold and devastatingly sexy choice. To be worn with dramatic accessories and a ball-busting attitude...

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Jenblossom32 on 8/15/2009 10:52:00 PM more reviews by Jenblossom32

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Sexy, deep incense. The lotion is the best way to go. This fragrance I respect! Be courageous, young ladies, and wear it with confidence!

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kmlessing on 8/13/2009 6:25:00 AM more reviews by kmlessing

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Knowing is my signature scent -- I have been wearing this since my late 20s. Sure, it's not for everyone and it is definitely long lasting. The drydown is simply perfect for my skin. I must have different body chemistry but for me, it's the only scent I have worn that both men and women have commented on that "you smell good." I hope this will never be discontinued. Luckily, the body lotion and shower gel can be used on those days when I want a lighter version of the fragrance.

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JenJenofAz on 8/6/2009 3:03:00 AM more reviews by JenJenofAz

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is super STRONG and long lasting! This is the BUG SPRAY of all perfumes! I don't know...........I find that Estee Lauder's perfumes have that "something" in them that I just don't like! That something is a moldy earth like smell. Ancient and funeral like. Tomb rotting. Death. The only one that doesn't seem to have this "something" is Beautiful, even though that one is sharp and bitter at first blast. My mother and sister have worn this and it stank to high hell on them, not to mention that I tried it and same thing! Does this really smell good on anyone? And does anyone use this stench sparingly? Because you do need to use very low doses of this potent stuff or we'll all die! SERIOUSLY! I find this to be one of the strongest and the worst of all perfumes. I'd rather die sufficating to death from Patchouli! I mean, Youth Dew comes to mind(or as I like to call it, Youth Pew!). That stuff seriously stinks BAD! Again, it has that death like trademark "something" that I've just mentioned! Like something left rotting up in your attic! Now, to be nice, I think Estee Lauder's perfumes are unique(you know, that death like quality!)in that I've NEVER come close to smelling anything like any of them.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Dagney on 7/14/2009 4:58:00 PM more reviews by Dagney

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Wow, this is an interesting fragrance. Aldehydic, floral, and woody-spicy at the same time. Supposed to smell like rose but I don't get a whole lot of rose at all. It's a serious fragrance so I don't think I'd wear this alot but really glad I tried anyways.

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Belann on 6/30/2009 4:48:00 PM more reviews by Belann

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

When I was around thirty I wore this quite ofter and like it but it did give me a headache. That is rare!
Went into the store today and tried it on. It still gave me a headache and did not smell very good on me. Oh well.
I usually wear Chanel Mad. Coco and Boucheron. I would like to change it up some but I am having a tough time.
I am going to try some Clinique tomorrow and will see what that smells like on me.
Also, I always see if my husband likes it on me. Don't do everything just for my husband but it is nice when he enjoys smelling me!

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mkhongms on 6/9/2009 3:58:00 AM more reviews by mkhongms

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This was a bit strong when sprayed sparingly - then it became 10 times stronger as the day wore on. It began to choke everyone around me until I washed it off.

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