After Uranus, this is my second test of the hyped brand Velixir, after Uranus already pleasantly surprised me once!
First things first, I have of course smelled the inspiration, City of Stars by Louis Vuitton, before, but I can't make a direct comparison here. That's why I'm reviewing Asteria today entirely as a fragrance in its own right.
The opening is truly extremely strong. A beautiful, sparkling blood orange awaits you. Right at the beginning, the juicy mandarin note even gives me very subtle Afternoon Swim vibes. From the very first second, however, there is also a slight powderiness and floral quality in the background, paired with a delicate musk note. But in the opening, the refreshing fruitiness clearly dominates, and I really like that!
Personally, I am absolutely not a fan of overly powdery fragrances. So I was all the more curious to see where the journey would go. In the heart, the fruity sweetness is still present, but the powderiness keeps pushing further to the forefront. In the later drydown, the citrusy sparkle unfortunately recedes into the background, and musk and powder take over.
And this is exactly where the fragrance unfortunately loses me personally. For my nose, the combination of strong powderiness and musk ultimately veers in a somewhat old-fashioned direction, so let's put it bluntly: It gives me a slight "grandma vibe". As far as I remember the original LV, it is significantly creamier rather than merely powdery. And that creaminess would have suited Asteria much better in my opinion.
Longevity and sillage are extremely solid for a fragrance of this type.
In terms of craftsmanship and, above all, value for money, Asteria is an absolute winner! Anyone who loves powdery-fruity fragrances with a musky base gets a lot for their money here. Because of the powdery drydown, it is definitely not a candidate for my personal collection, but objectively speaking, it is certainly a very solidly made fragrance!
