CD1810

I am writing this review of the new Eau de Parfum by Stella Alpina. So why don't you suggest it as a new perfume under Research and write it there, the gentle reader might ask. Apparently I am not able to observe the complex necessities for a new suggestion to be accepted, because of course I suggested the Stella Alpina Eau de Parfum with a photo and source. Dear research team, a thousand thanks for your (voluntary) work, a great effort that you do privately. Perhaps a guide on "how to successfully submit a new perfume proposal" for people like me who have already failed several times due to the (presumably justified) quality requirements of the new proposal process (what a word!)?

But now to the eau de parfum: the fragrance pyramid is no different from the after shave. Above all, however, the name says it all - edelweiss, without knowing what the flower itself smells like, is an association that I immediately have with Stella Alpina: a mountain meadow in the summer sunshine, blooming, lots of fresh herbs, bees buzzing, but a cool breeze that becomes icy after sunset blows over from the slightly gloomy forest - that is Stella Alpina: fresh, herbal, floral, creamy and - completely hidden - a certain sharpness. The whole thing comes across without any noticeable progression, but is very natural throughout.
Stella Alpina is clearly unisex for me, the longevity is not bad at all, but the fragrance remains close to the skin overall. At €80 for 100ml, I think that's quite forgivable, especially as the eau de parfum comes in really chic packaging, like all of this brand's fragrances.

A 4711 fragrance in your collection? That's not really possible, is it? It's embarrassing, it's cheap?

Yes, you might think so and I have to say that I am also a victim of overpriced branding and I enjoy it too. It wouldn't really occur to me to buy a fragrance from 4711.

And yet I did it today and I haven't regretted it one bit.

So what do you get when you buy "Wakening Woods of Scandinavia" from the Cologne Intense range by 4711 for an astonishingly small amount of money?
Exactly what you want. A summery impression of coniferous forest - fresh, green, woody, spicy, citrusy. All of this in an astonishing quality, without the chemical club being swung too hard. Although perfumer Geza Schön does use ISO-E-Super and has certainly done so here too.

But that doesn't matter. "Wakening Woods of Scandinavia" even has a progression: it starts off very fresh and citrusy for me, the fir gradually comes to the fore and becomes more dominant, but never overpowering. Floral sprinkles always remain integrated, but are clearly perceptible after around half an hour.

For me, the whole thing is clearly masculine and not even that short-lived, "Wakening Woods of Scandinavia" projects quite moderately, but it is not completely skin-deep.

And so - sure, it feels strange to have a 4711 in your collection and to be so enthusiastic about it. But I wonder: how would "Wakening Woods of Scandinavia" be reviewed here on parfumo if it came in a Pana Dora or Louis Vuitton bottle and cost six or seven times as much? This one definitely performs longer (or at least on a par) than the rightly hyped and highly priced Afternoon Swim or Cactus Garden and, for me, offers pure olfactory pleasure.

In this respect, even if it's not exactly fancy, cool or sophisticated, it's really good:
Bra gjort!

Like many others, I am on Parfumo to get new ideas and inspiration from the world of fragrances. But you don't always need this forum for that. Sometimes a knowledgeable, well-run niche perfumery can help you discover new brands or fragrances.
In this case, I came across a small stand with 30 ml bottles of L'Essence des Notes at the checkout at la Schiller in Oldenburg. The equivalent of the Snickers shelf at the supermarket checkout, no question. And it had the same effect on me, because I immediately bought the wonderfully green and citrusy Pampelmousse et Basilic. After buying and giving away two more fragrances from this range, it was Cardamome er Enbruns the day before yesterday.
And again I am very satisfied. As with all the fragrances in this range, you get a simple, light fragrance with a special quality that delivers what it says on the tin. There is a green, somewhat dry spice note mixed with salty aquatics, amber and musk round it off and give it a slightly floral base. This is really excellently constructed and more complex than you might initially expect.
However, you can't expect much in terms of longevity and silage. Re-spraying is a must, but at €39 for 30 ML, it's perfectly justifiable.
If you don't have access to the fragrances from L'Essence des Notes, I recommend ordering a Discovery Set. This house has a lot to offer and is worth discovering. And hardly anyone can resist a Snickers in between!

Actually, it is not a quality feature, if at a fragrance the price is what seems most worth mentioning. Here but already.

So, 24€ for 100 ml I put down in the niche perfumery of my confidence.
Yes, the flacon looks like 24€. Yes, the packaging is also spartan. But the content is not.

You get a fresh-woody-fruity Aquaten with very, very neat performance. Synthetic it is also, but what aquat is not? Others hide their artificiality perhaps better, but cost many times more. I feel reminded of one or the other offshoot of the Acqua di Gio series, Calone, as already smelled below, says hello.

Poured into a fancy Armani or YSL- Flacon at four times the price, I would not pay attention to this one. But as a cheap "guilty pleasure" - fragrance for in between he is a killer, a price killer stop!

Yet another unappreciated fragrance from the much too unappreciated house of Acqua del Garda. I like these upper Italians because I find that they deliver high-quality, relaxed, largely niche fragrances without overdoing it price-wise. They're also not exactly overambitious, but unexciting and deliver what's on the box in a very neat way.

This time, no. Actually, should be here Neroli Portofino leggiero or Colonia Essenza light, at least in the fragrance pyramid Neroli should appear in a prominent place. It doesn't, but I smell above all the not exactly new combination of neroli and orange blossom. Like a classic refreshing cloth deluxe.

Colonia Mea is then also quickly described: It begins with a veritable flash of neroli orange blossom freshness, and in the first quarter of an hour to a truly intoxicating extent. Wonderfully imaginable in Italy at temperatures beyond 35 degrees. So not really appropriate in northwest Germany at the moment, but by no means less refreshing. A certain Mediterranean-like woodiness with hints of rosemary and thyme comes in after about half an hour, gives more core, before tonka mellows and softens the whole thing.

Longevity and sillage Colonia Mea delivers in a limited way. It is just a light, summery Eau de Cologne, which wants to be re-sprayed and can due to the moderate price.

Colonia Mea certainly does not deserve an originality award, it certainly does not aspire to. But who is looking for a classic Neroli- Eau de Cologne and especially for financial reasons do not want to Acqua di Parma or in the end still to Tom Ford reach, which should try it with Acqua del Garda.
Although you do not quite get what is in the fragrance pyramid, but that at least at its best.