Paris Chéri Astrophil & Stella 2021

like a morning in paris but the idealised version of it... what people imaging before moving to the city in search of a dreamy life i suppose.. grabbing your morning cafe and pain au chocolat from the neighbourhood boulangerie, vogue in hand, while you yourself are immaculately turned out-- a perfect balance of chic and dishevelled. the coffee note is very ethreal.. like breathing in the smell of a cafe and not actually drinking the coffee. very pretty and joyous but by no means a totally unique fragrance, and there will be many many more like this yet.

Imagine taking a petit-dejeuner in the city of love. Vanilla, cocoa, coffee in the early morning. The powdery orris is not that strong on me, which I prefer. The cacao and coffee notes remind me of childhood, happy moments of my life. you can't get enough of wearing it all day long. Lovely scent with great sillage and good performance. Again, I love it!

It does smell like a perfect, dreamy Gross Matinée (słów morning). Very comforting scent, whenever you feel a bit under the weather. All year round. Not a strong silage, it’s more like a delicate silky veil around your neck. Definitely feminine, can imagine it being worn by women of different ages. I love that it’s so niche!

As a gourmand lover, I found this one extremely interesting, but until recently, I hesitated to test it because I wasn't quite sure if the scent would be for me. However, I was proven wrong!
I received the tip from a good friend that I should take a closer look at this little treasure since it was supposed to be NO ordinary gourmand fragrance.
I then got a sample of it and was extremely curious about what was so different but also so special about this scent (gourmand fragrance).
To begin with, I had no experience with Astrophil & Stella until now...
As far as I know, Astrophil & Stella is supposed to be a niche house/brand, which made my curiosity even greater :D
I imagined quite a bit about what it might smell like since I only know sweet, creamy, spicy, and intense gourmand fragrances :))
What does this one smell like? This very question occupied my mind all week, and I could hardly wait for my package with the long-awaited sample to arrive.
My grandfather was just as ready as I was for testing, so we both sprayed a spritz on our wrists and we were both equally amazed!
I can only say that for every sweet tooth, this fragrance will be a true surprise!

I will try to describe this fragrance as accurately as possible so you understand why I still can't believe what kind of gourmand fragrance I just smelled/tested! :D
The scent....
Starts with the most beautiful and fluffiest powdered sugar-vanilla note! And now here it comes, I bet some of you are thinking PLEASE NOT TOO SWEET!
But no! It is not sweet at all, but fresh! (Not citrus-aquatic!)
It does have a sweet note, but soooo delicate and subtle like no other!
This fragrance is soooo soft, tender, fluffy, and special!
My grandfather said this is how angels must smell! :D
So innocent and yet beautiful because it is so soft :))
Then I smelled a cotton candy note, which also melts on the skin like in the mouth.
(Not like Pink Sugar, too much of everything!)
Coffee ice cream with an extra dollop of cream on top, again very creamy, soft, and milky too!*.*
Tonka gives the base a very gentle powdery note that perfectly rounds everything off :))
This is what it smells like in an angel's kitchen/bakery! :D
Everything is very fluffy, creamy, and full of powdered sugar :))
My grandfather associates the color white with this fragrance, for him the most innocent and gentlest gourmand fragrance he has ever tested and smelled :))
And I completely agree with my grandfather! :))

The longevity and sillage are also very good, lasting 8-10 hours on the skin and all day on clothing :))
I can very well imagine that it could also appeal to those who do not like gourmand fragrances because it is sooo gentle and so rounded like hardly any other.

After Dans Paris, which I like so much that I will buy it (it smells to me like doll heads, makeup bags, and almond croissants), I now have another fragrance on my current "probably wish list" that is supposed to represent Paris, which for me goes in a similar scent direction as the Celine fragrance, yet is completely different, and this despite the fact that I am not even a fan of the city.
With high expectations, I got off the train in Paris a few years ago and was disillusioned after 3 days; the "myth of Paris" seemed shattered, as I had imagined the city almost entirely like Montmartre, which is only a few blocks: backdrops like from the film "Midnight in Paris", the city of arts, poets, and bohemians; the rest/the majority is more like Cologne city. However, I have heard from some people that Paris polarizes; for some, it is great love, for others, great disappointment. Cities like London, Rome, Venice, or Barcelona, on the other hand, have quickly and sustainably fascinated me, yet I do not rule out trying Paris again...

At first, I smell a similar vibe as in Minuit et Demi at the start (gentle coffee plus subtle citrus in the background, but without sweet caramel); it also vaguely reminds me of "So New York" by Bond No 9, but without the stale filter coffee note; I perceive a nice blend of spiciness, bitter cocoa, and nuts (where the cocoa note does not come off as gourmand or edible). In fact, the fragrance is also quite powdery as it develops without a sharp talc note, but fine and dry like cocoa-coffee powder, freshly ground, a gentle scent cloud, not creamy like a hot coffee with milk.
However, the coffee is not explicitly discernible if one is not aware of it (for those who do not like too much coffee); it is finely woven with the cinnamon and cardamom, which does not come off as masculine, and a subtle dark cocoa note (I actually do not like chocolate in fragrances; I just enjoy eating it).
In addition, a not-so-sweet vanilla tonka powder with a playful aura, still perfumey and not dessert-like, at no time heavy and opulent.
It reminds me of sunny mornings in street cafés, whether in Budapest, Brussels, Rome, Amsterdam, Vienna, or indeed in Paris, between picturesque or Mediterranean buildings in the old town with a cappuccino sprinkled with cocoa powder on the table, and the air promises a spring or summer day. Sunglasses-wearing people in relaxed airy yet sophisticated clothing, a daily newspaper tucked under their arm, the current Vogue on the café table, carefully made-up women, fat pigeons on cobblestones, children running around a fountain squealing, while fresh croissants are pushed into the displays of the bakeries and people stare into the spotless windows of designer shops.
I still smell the fragrance the next day on my wrist.

Addendum: sometimes I detect a sharp multivitamin juice note at the start...

After a long time, a renewed test, and I find it unbearable; sharply sour, my palate tingles as if I were biting into a sharp-sour pineapple. No more café associations, just sharp citrus sourness with cardamom powder.
Compulsion to wash it off.