Way Off Scenter's Review of Knowing by Estée Lauder

Genre: Floral

Knowing is a rose so big that a family of four could take up residence inside it and still have room to entertain. You know it comes from the 1980s: never before or since have floral scents been as loud. Knowing is to rose what Giorgio, Amarige and Poison are to tuberose. A scent like Joy is feeble next to Knowing, and of the older florals only Fracas comes to mind as matching its flamboyance.

For all its heft, Knowing is still a great rose. It may be big, but it's highly articulated, filled with interesting detail, and surprisingly well proportioned. Smelling Knowing navigate its way around being too sweet, too heady, too soapy, or too fruity is like watching a circus elephant pluck a daisy by the stem. How can anything so huge be so poised and dexterous? Knowing will appeal to those who love Pierre Montale's grand rose scents, and I might even go so far as suggest it as a less exotic, though much more affordable, rosy alternative to Amouage Lyric. In case my description leaves any doubt, Knowing fills the room and lasts forever. There's no turning back once you press that sprayer!

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