L.I.L.Y

I had it and I couldn't really get to like it, I think it has certain qualities but the scent is a bit cold, a bit metallic at times. It is dry so I can see why it is called masculine. I think it is a nice departure from lots of sweet scents out there, yet for me just wasn't too attracted to it. I did enjoy though the Lilly of the valley note , this scent is on the edge of being a cold floral almost. I get the comparison with Baiser Vole , they both have green undertones, much greener though in the Cartier.

looking forward to this! the notes sound promising and the inspiration behind the concept is really wonderful and heartfelt. however, i read on nstperfume that it will be released in UK in january and in SEPTEMBER in the US! hopefully they won't take so long.

"And then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin". -Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada) WARNING: This is more of a conceptual review rather than a practical smell review. I purchased this for $20 at the drugstore without any huge expectation. I figured it wouldn't hurt to divulge into the wacky world of interpretation - this instance being Stella's take on her momma. Like most of Stella McCartney's frag's, L.I.L.Y. is underwhelming, but interesting somehow, and grows on me with each wear. The truffle note is barely detectable, but the pink pepper evens out the predominent floral fluffiness. Pink pepper usually does. To sum it up, it is a pretty scent and a good contemporary take on an English garden. No decipheral lily of the valley - just enough twinkle of old-fasioned nuances to evoke the era where such notes were more noticeable (and weren't synethetic). Bottom line, you won't smell like an old lady, so I applaud McCartney for this, but smell like a typical "I don't want to smell like an old lady " type of lady, you will. It's a brave feat to depict a portrait (let alone of one(s) you endear), no matter what medium - paint, words, reinacting, or through perfumery. Paloma Picasso attempted it as ode to her grandfather's Cubism in her self-titled perfume. All perfume is mere subjectification, so I can concede with this. The problem with Stella McCartney (as all artists-cum-fashion designers) - especially ones who are spawn of famous parents (rock stars, no less), is conflict of interest. Mass market meets art, (or art meets mass-market), whichever, in lieu of the constant pressure to produce content for its own sake. We all know there is no real way to depict her famous photographer/wife of hallowed rock patriarch Paul McCartney in a market jesture of art to be produced via an inexpensive perfume line without it losing its whole concept altogether, thus, the concept dies to mediocrity and predictably gets assigned to the proverbial drugstore clearance bin. If you're a fan of the MCCartney's, like me, and grew-up listening to Wings, have ever been charmed by Linda's plain, no make-up farm girl beauty, and love the zany, warped imagination of MCCartney in his song writing, you'll wonder how such two people and their lingo'd affection for each other ever ended up as a concept for a botttle of lily of the vally perfume. The abbreviated name is clever, but you will never make the practical connection and the generic perfume will never conjure such imagery. But all that aside, wear it if you must wear a pretty scent you don't want to think much about nor be challenged by, but still somehow feel sophisticated, because a perfume ought to do that... I appreciate Stella McCartney serving us personal content and nostalgia rather than just a flower bouquet she likes for the sake of it being "pretty". It served her interests as an artist, which in turn, serves the ever- flooded industry of floral-centric scents , and in part, fulfills its proverbial destiny - ending up being enjoyed by a budget-buying wannabe perfume reviewer such as myself.

I am not a fan. It smells like a man's fragrance. It's not horrible, but I don't want to smell so green and musky.

Although I love Stella's creations...I still haven't made my mind on this one...It definitely has a different vibe compare to the perfumes that came out this last 5 years.... Kind of cold and harsh at the beginning....the opening is mainly floral, no pepper detected by my humble nose.The lily of the valley is there but lacking sweetness,which is not necessarily a bad thing.After a while the harshness is gone...and the oakmoss and patchouli appear...both very light and discrete.Unfortunately (or fortunately for some)the perfume does not develop any further...and the musk notes never shout out their existence in this creation.The sillage is satisfying and the staying power is quite remarkable, without being suffocating.Actually it keeps a freshness from the beginning until it softly fades.I have tried it in winter time, but I have the feeling that this girl will behave differently in hot and humid conditions.Very unique, and very sophisticated.Someone needs to know it well before it appreciates it.