Estela Sonata

I ordered nine samples from this house because the concepts sounded beautiful and I wanted to explore their range. Unfortunately every single one of them behaved almost identically on my skin. The notes listed on the bottles may vary but the perfumes all opened with the same harsh synthetic citrus and sharp sweetness. On my skin this immediately collapsed into a 1970s drugstore horror show.

None of the top notes were pleasant and the dry down never improved. Each scent settled into the same aldehydic base formula which read as plastic, powder, metallic citrus and something oddly sour. If you are sensitive to aldehydes or bright synthetic fruit notes you may have a similar reaction because my skin amplified those ingredients in the worst way.

After testing nine different options from the line it became clear that the brand uses a consistent chassis and my body chemistry does not agree with it at all. This is no shade to the house, but a big caution to anyone with similar sensitivities.

If you decide to explore this brand I strongly suggest ordering only one or two samples first. If the base formula works on your skin you will know right away. If it does not, the entire collection will likely behave the same and you will avoid ending up with nine unwearable vials the way I did.

I love the smell, it has a old world floral and a lovely antique dry down.