Friday, November 23, 2012

Stella by Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum review


          Stella McCartney Stella Eau de Parfum was a purchase from early on in my fragrance exploration; it was an evening appropriate counterpart to my light floral collection. Even visually, the blackened rose gradient stands out amongst my largely pink or clear fragrances; the bottle design beautifully depicts the dramatic floral scent inside.

           Stella McCartney Stella is the personification of a ripe, resplendent rose. It captures the flower at the moment when the heavily perfumed petals can barely stay alight. The intended notes include rose, peony flower, mandarin, rose absolute, and amber. Rose is the dominant and almost singular note. The other notes are built underneath to bolster the natural character of a fragrant rose. As mentioned above, this rose is mature , not one of a green bud. Peony adds an opulence and fuller body to the rose scent; one might imagine that our basic rose has gained a multitude of burgeoning petals like a peony. The mandarin was not readily apparent; I had to sift through layers of the scent to find a true mandarin at the heart. The juiciness of this mellow citrus complements the sweet nectar component of the rose. Stella has an amber base. The amber scent is clean, with just a hint of spice running throughout. I would describe Stella as a medium to heavy scent due to the strength of the rose, as opposed to a strong amber, musk, or patchouli base. Though it is a heavier floral, it may still appeal to light floral lovers due to its simplicity and lack of exotic or heavy base notes. As someone who typically wears light florals, I consider this to be an evening scent. However, I have heard Stella called a daytime fragrance; I think it's just a matter of personal preference and perspective.

Stella Jr., trying on Stella's hat for size.
          Stella McCartney Stella is the essence of a full petaled rose. In reality, this rose is too voluptuous to be a a true rose. This sleight of mind is accomplished via a supporting cast of scents used to bolster the natural character of a rose fragrance. Rose scents can come across as mature or dated. However, the simple structure of the scent and the clean amber base keeps it fresh. Thanks for reading! Have you tried Stella? Would you wear this in the daytime or evening? What are your favorite rose fragrances or body products?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. I'm 'petal'-ing through the last requirements of my fragrance ban (see here). After this, there's only one more scent to go!

11 comments:

  1. Ahhh I love rosy scents! Must check this one out! I don't mind wearing heavier perfumes during daytime in this season. We only get very bleak daylight that many hours a day in any case. Congrats on reaching the end of your perfume ban!

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    1. Hi Sunny, yes! You must! I think it's a good scent for winter--- as you said, the daylight is short anyway!

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  2. Love this one. Perfect for both day and night.

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    1. Hi Flyvasted, Thanks! I'm glad to hear you love it too!

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  3. This perfume looks amazing!!

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  4. I wore Stella for a couple years before I fell down the rabbit hole of niche, classic, and vintage. I've since found scents more suited to me, but I did really enjoy wearing Stella for those years. I also gave it as a gift to my wedding party. It really is a lovely scent and would make a soft, beautiful signature.

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    1. Hi Liesl, thanks for the comment! It really is lovely, and it sounds like you have a wonderful collection as well :)

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  5. I used to wear this as a daytime scent as my next "signature" after the Givenchy Very Irresistible. I made it through halfway down the bottle before I got distracted with other things. :) I agree with your review almost fully, and the amber base was what really made me enjoy the scent for as long as I did. But despite that and the strong rose, something about it was still fresh and active to me that made it perfect for a work day. Like you said, a matter of perspective. So interesting how that works!

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    1. Hi Liz, Wow, I guess I reviewed two signature perfumes in proximity (proud of self!) Halfway down the bottle is quite a bit; I still have a lot left since I only spritz from time to time. I think what you mention about 'freshness' is right; it's heavy but still brings that to the table :-)

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  6. This was one of my first "real" perfumes back in high school! I still really like it, although I am not as big a fan as rose now as I was then. This one is a really nice unstuffy rose frangrance, though. It never lasted all that long on me, though, so that's frustrating. A lovely fragrance, though!

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