Stella Stella McCartney 2003 Eau de Parfum
2
Heavy Metal Vixen On-Screen/Modern-Day Gibson Girl Off-Screen
Originally reviewed on May 12, 2009:
Innocence and roses go hand-in-hand. This is one bad-arse rose with a Harley and a leather jacket. It's what I imagine a fabled black rose to smell. Romance has an edge and it's very, very seductive.
The scent's longevity is impressive. The consistency of scent is amazing; if you love how it smells when it's first applied then you will be delighted to know that scent will stay with you all day. Of course, what I love most is how naughty I feel for simply wearing this fragrance, especially at work. I liken it to liquid burgundy lingerie.
Updated lamenting on September 22, 2023:
I have to remind myself that I began writing fragrance reviews in 2009. I'd written music reviews before 2009—I've even had some of those reviews published in actual newspapers—but perfume was new territory. With music I can convey a thought based on a mutual understanding that the reader knew of what song or musician I was speaking. With perfume, I had to try to convey what I was smelling and assume the reader hadn't smelled what I had smelled.
But who *hadn't* smelled Stella Eau de Parfum by 2009?
My review was based on the assumption the reader had been living under a rock and I was privy to some secret knowledge. What I didn't understand was that the reader likely knew what Stella Eau de Parfum smelled like but didn't know how I'd interpreted it. Isn't that what perfume reviews are? Not cold, hard facts nor a scientific journal entry but a subjective interpretation of what we perceive?
What do I perceive nowadays? My discontinued beloved reminds me of a 1980s heavy metal video vixen, writhing and sashaying her way through a video. But once the director yells, "Cut!" she grabs a cup of chamomile tea, reads Agatha Christie, and remains largely chaste in both her mannerisms and lifestyle. She's gorgeous and she knows she has the goods to pay the bills without much effort. However, don't confuse her on-screen persona for her off-screen reality.
Some reviewers mention some ethereal Gibson girl when describing Stella Eau de Parfum. I don't quite get that, even if that's what Stella McCartney's brief asked for. Stella Eau de Parfum looks like she has a long list of lovers and a vast number of notches on her bed post, but she's discriminating and mostly chaste. She loves all kinds of heavy metal, leather, concerts, motorcycles, bad boys from afar—all the trappings of a so-called 'bad girl'. She's also very well-read, most discriminating, and probably comes from old money. You just can't pigeonhole this gal.
Personally, I enjoy wearing this in the summer during concert season. This is my rock & roll go-to perfume. I don't know who will accompany me to concerts once I'm out. Damned discontinuation!
Innocence and roses go hand-in-hand. This is one bad-arse rose with a Harley and a leather jacket. It's what I imagine a fabled black rose to smell. Romance has an edge and it's very, very seductive.
The scent's longevity is impressive. The consistency of scent is amazing; if you love how it smells when it's first applied then you will be delighted to know that scent will stay with you all day. Of course, what I love most is how naughty I feel for simply wearing this fragrance, especially at work. I liken it to liquid burgundy lingerie.
Updated lamenting on September 22, 2023:
I have to remind myself that I began writing fragrance reviews in 2009. I'd written music reviews before 2009—I've even had some of those reviews published in actual newspapers—but perfume was new territory. With music I can convey a thought based on a mutual understanding that the reader knew of what song or musician I was speaking. With perfume, I had to try to convey what I was smelling and assume the reader hadn't smelled what I had smelled.
But who *hadn't* smelled Stella Eau de Parfum by 2009?
My review was based on the assumption the reader had been living under a rock and I was privy to some secret knowledge. What I didn't understand was that the reader likely knew what Stella Eau de Parfum smelled like but didn't know how I'd interpreted it. Isn't that what perfume reviews are? Not cold, hard facts nor a scientific journal entry but a subjective interpretation of what we perceive?
What do I perceive nowadays? My discontinued beloved reminds me of a 1980s heavy metal video vixen, writhing and sashaying her way through a video. But once the director yells, "Cut!" she grabs a cup of chamomile tea, reads Agatha Christie, and remains largely chaste in both her mannerisms and lifestyle. She's gorgeous and she knows she has the goods to pay the bills without much effort. However, don't confuse her on-screen persona for her off-screen reality.
Some reviewers mention some ethereal Gibson girl when describing Stella Eau de Parfum. I don't quite get that, even if that's what Stella McCartney's brief asked for. Stella Eau de Parfum looks like she has a long list of lovers and a vast number of notches on her bed post, but she's discriminating and mostly chaste. She loves all kinds of heavy metal, leather, concerts, motorcycles, bad boys from afar—all the trappings of a so-called 'bad girl'. She's also very well-read, most discriminating, and probably comes from old money. You just can't pigeonhole this gal.
Personally, I enjoy wearing this in the summer during concert season. This is my rock & roll go-to perfume. I don't know who will accompany me to concerts once I'm out. Damned discontinuation!
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Exciter76
