Floral and Fresh (Stella McCartney: Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum)

Member Name: glitter_princess

Product:	Stella McCartney: Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum
Date:	14/10/08 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Long lasting smell, feminine with an edge

Disadvantages: Not cheap

When it comes to perfume I can be a bit of a fickle creature. I've always wanted to be the type of girl who has a "signature scent" that everyone associates with her, but somehow I always seem to get bored of my current favourite and flit my interest to something new. But now I've smelled Stella that's all set to change!

"Stella" is Stella McCartney's first perfume and was launched in 2003. Either I've been oblivious or they've not done an awful lot of marketing around this fragrance as I've only just discovered it! Like all Stella McCartney products you can be confident this hasn't been tested on animals.

- The Scent -
I like my perfumes to be feminine but fresh and Stella captures this perfectly! The strong top note is Rose Essence, giving it a pure and natural rose smell, and this is fused with peony flower adding a lightness, and mandarin essence for a fresh vibrancy. Before all this talk of flowers gives you the impression that this is an old fashioned, old lady perfume, the bottom note is Amber which gives the fragrance a depth and stops it being overly floral, giving it a very intense, modern edge. I receive compliments about this perfume all the time - often from complete strangers! It's wearable as a daytime or an evening fragrance as the Amber gives it that slight sexy edge that can carry it into the evening. However, I now prefer to wear one of Stella's other perfumes, Sheer, in the daytime as it's slightly lighter.

- Staying Power -
This definitely isn't a delicate perfume which fades away after a couple of hours! The scent is very strong and is still noticeable at the end of the day.

- Bottle -
The bottle design is really classy and has an Art Deco feel - hand cut glass which is dark purple in colour with a fade effect moving to lighter purple at the top. It has a silver band around the neck and a black stopper. The glass feels lovely and heavy when you pick it up and not at all cheap and thin like some perfume bottles I can think of!

- Price -
Well, there had to be a catch, didn't there! Stella isn't a cheap perfume and the Eau de Parfum retails at Boots for £43 for 50ml. Have a hunt around some cheaper internet sites though like strawberrynet and there should be some bargains to be had - strawberrynet are currently selling the 100ml Eau de Parfum for £53.

- The Range -
Also in the Stella range are a body lotion, roll on deodorant, body scrub, body cleanser and body cream if you really want to douse yourself in the Stella smell! Personally I feel that might be a tad overpowering!

This serial perfume swapper has now been faithful to Stella for over a year - quite an achievement!

Summary: Great perfume for those who like florals with a twist!