Tubéreuse Astrale Maison Crivelli 2024

Wow, what kind of sample have I received here? I didn't ask for it, but I can still test it. Just the color makes me think the worst.

And... Yes - where do I start? An unpleasantly sticky, intense scent, absolutely not my style, but everything is a matter of taste. Personally, I find it terrible and would love to wash it off, but then I can't really comment further on the fragrance. This scent is outdated, old-school, it's only for people who are into the past. My great-grandmother would have loved it, but for my 60-year-old mother, it would probably already be too old-school.

The opening is pure esoteric shop. You're standing in line, today is a big summer sale for crystals & life potions. So many people in the store, you're squeezed between two gentlemen in old, warm real leather coats. It creaks and squeaks as they move, and you're stuck. You try to get some air, but all you breathe in is incense smoke, stale and aged, you don't smell any spice, just the limp old soft sticks. Every breath of this scent gives me a headache, more and more.

Then the leather note comes through even more intensely, you slip between the two leather coat gentlemen and land in a basket full of old sandals. Next to you is a child, unsupervised, throwing Play-Doh in your face. "How dare you fall into the sandal basket!" - Plop, plop, plop, one ball of Play-Doh after another, some get stuck in your nose, you're suffocating on Play-Doh, surrounded by leather. A hint of rubber somehow. You want to escape from the basket, but you slip on the Play-Doh and fall right back in.

An employee comes over, "Hey, you look pretty shriveled up in that basket, would you like some carrot cake?" - Yes, why not. It doesn't really suit me right now, but I'm always in the mood for cake. And then she throws the carrot cake in my face. "How dare you fall into the sandal basket!" - Plop, plop, plop, I'm getting carrot cake and Play-Doh in my face. The leather coat gentlemen were actually vampires, and they flutter away with their coats, the haze intensifies again with the stirred-up air.

An hour passes, I've given up. I'm slowly getting used to this haze. Something sweet pokes through, a woman came into the esoteric shop, she was wearing something with vanilla, a gust of fresh air paired with her scent. And just as quickly, she disappeared again, but the memory remains.

I take a deep breath, "what do I do now?", I'm trapped here. An employee opens the shop door, "It's pretty stuffy in here!" - And a bit of freshness comes in, I notice a very slight citrus scent, someone outside has a lemonade stand, the air is slowly relaxing, but the previous notes are still floating around me.

And that's how the scent ends. No great development, initially it hits you hard in the face, then it gradually becomes lighter, but it still remains unpleasant in my nose. Quite creepy. It lasts really long, I've had it on my wrist for 10 hours, and it won't give up, it just becomes quieter. But even when it's quiet, in my opinion, it's not pleasant. The sillage is strong, the haze lingers in the room.