Stella McCartney Stella Eau De Parfum Spray for Her

During my recent perfume hunting expedition (due to twice-a-year craving for a change) and this really stands out for me. This is it for me at this round and I believe it'll keep me going for a while until the next time I crave for a new fragrance.

I didn't know anything about this perfume when I saw it in Debenham. The first thing that got my attention was the beautiful bottle - a deep purple glass bottle shaped like a diamond. It just looks classy and intriguing. Funny how the presentation of a perfume bottle can do to us. I never thought my motivation to at least try a perfume would be affected by the design of the bottle. The truth is, if I have heard good things about a perfume, then the design isn't important; if I know nothing about it, I do go for bottles that are more appealing... Good job 'Stella' has an attractive design.

THE SCENT

'Stella' was released in 2003 and a more intense version (albeit with the same notes) 'Rose Absolute' was out the following year. I always tried the original version on one wrist and the Rose Absolute on the other to decide which one to buy. So in this review, I will talk about 'Stella' and then compare it to Rose Absolute.

In their official website, it says 'Stella' captures 'the contrast between the fragility and strength of the rose associated with the dark sensuality of amber'. The top notes are rose essence, peony and mandarine essence. The heart note is rose absolute. The base note is amber.

MY TAKE OF IT

When I first sprayed it on my wrist, I was immediately attracted to its pleasant, slightly sweet/citrusy and light rosy scent. A lot of perfumes don't start off too well with their head notes and we always have to wait for it to dry down a little but Stella doesn't have this problem. There is nothing sharp or harsh about it right from the beginning. As time goes on, the rose note reveals more of itself but it's not intense or overpowering at all. It's just soft, feminine and pleasant. In fact, at one point, I felt it was like fresh rose water. The amber is woody and musky, which does give the perfume the warmth and the richness but again it's not intense. It's just noticeable but doesn't make a strong statement. The quality is high and it works well with my body chemistry.

The whole thing is soft and a bit subdued compared to the image given by th bottle. It gets a bit deeper and appears to be more sensual if used it more generously. It may not impress those who are looking for a more intense and sensual scent or a scent that makes a strong imporession on people. Overall, I don't think it quite matches the statement on their website but I really like it. At the end of the day, I prefer something that's a bit understated, pleasantly noticeable but not blatently obvious.

However, the staying power of this perfume, especially as Eau de Parfum, definitely has room for improvement. It fades away a bit quicker than I'd expect from EDP and the scent doesn't seem to develop much or show me anything more interesting after an hour or two. It smells more or the same throughout.

To give a better idea, I'm drawing a comparison with the Rose Absolute. The Rose Absolute has the same notes but is stronger and probably lives up to the statement set out for 'Stella' better. It plays down the citrus and peony in the beginning and gives the heart note - rose absolute a bigger role and the amber gets more intense. When I first sprayed it on, the rose was immediately noticeable, much stronger than the original Stella. The rose note stays on quite a while before the amber note blends in well. To me, the rose note is a bit too intense from the begining but I like it after 3 hours. The body is much richer and the development seems deeper and more complex. It's got more of a powdery and sexy feel after the dry down. I guess this may appeal to those who like rose scent, like Stella and are looking for a stronger and more sensual presentation.

The staying power of the Rose Absolute is better than the original. It's still very noticeable after 5-6 hours.

To be honest, it took me some time to decide which one to go for. In the end, I decided to get the original Stella because it feels more like me. It's a very wearable day fragrance, for work or for shopping. If I want it stronger for going out or special occasions, I just top it up with another layer a while after initial spray to make it a bit deeper.

The origional EDP comes in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml and costs £29, £35.5 and £56 respectively. It also has pure parfum and a range of body care products. To stick to the title of the product, I won't go into the prices of Rose Absolute but as far as I know, the Rose Absolute only comes in EDP. I'm not sure about Boots but Stella and its variates are definitely available at department stores like Debenham and Rackams.

Thanks for reading.