
I have it: 99 I had it: 27 I want it: 167 My signature: 2
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I have it: 99 I had it: 27 I want it: 167 My signature: 2
The fashion designer Stella McCartney (the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney) launches her second fragrance. The first one, Stella from 2003, had a lot of limited editions and flankers, so for 2012 an entirely new concept was finally developed - a fragrance named L.I.L.Y.. L.I.L.Y. is inspired by Stella's memories of childhood and the estate in the countryside where she grew up.
Stella explains to wwd magazine the name of the fragrance: “It comes from my dad’s nickname for my mum: “Linda I love you”. The name is also from the lily of the valley ingredient — I love it as a flower, and so did my mum — it’s delicate, feminine, innocent. It was part of my bridal bouquet. But I also wanted to explore its darker, more masculine side. It’s a woodland flower and I wanted to capture the roots and the earthy side of it.”
The composition is developed by Jacques Cavallier of unusual notes of truffle on top, made from natural extracts, lily of the valley in the heart and of oak moss at the base, which represents the sexy and sinister contrast to the flower in the heart. All the notes were chosen by Stella herself, who wanted a clean and uncomplicated fragrance.
The bottle design is done in Art Deco style and it is a mixture of light and darkness, feminine and masculine. Crystal part of the bottle reminds of the old English vases, while the metal frame represents a modern and masculine edge.
The campaign, shot by David Sims, features the Polish model Malgosia Bela, who is 34 years old. Stella wanted the advertisement to show someone who is not too young and who does not wear much makeup.
L.I.L.Y. is available as a 10 ml roll-on, 30, 50 and 75 ml Eau de Parfum with an accompanying collection for body care.
Top Notes
Middle Notes
Base Notes
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| poor | 5 | |
| weak | 3 | |
| moderate | 6 | |
| long lasting | 9 | |
| very long lasting | 6 |
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I agree with the reviews of "old woman" scent category... On the other hand this also has the same sort of scent vibe that the scented letter paper & envelopes that were popular a decade ago, and it makes me think of this as a sort of vintage style scent and it's kind of nice. But still I feel this is more of a annoying head ache perfume that is used by old ladies who don't have working sense of smell anymore.
If this is an "old woman's" scent, she must be a 300 year old elf or sprite because "L.i.l.y" is nothing but pure, crisp, freshness. It has a slightly melon-musky undertone that's almost sweet (must be the truffle) and a soft cumin-like, peppery note, that reminds me of pencil shavings. A crisp, vegetal green emerges and there's a metallic, mineral freshness that lingers over the whole thing, making me think of damp stones.
To me, "L.i.l.y" is spring flowers, a morning meadow, a stone wall covered in dew and warming in the early morning sunshine. It's intimate, special and nostalgic and it's subtle, along the lines of "Les Nez's" offerings. It' a childhood memory of lily of the valley, not a strong soliflore of the note and something about it really makes me think of the smell of morning, of being outdoors all day long, as a child, with the fresh air and wind blowing against you all day, the sun warming your skin, the smell of spicy grasses and flowers being picked against your hands. The smell of the outdoors, only idealized.
For those who aren't moved by this scent, I can only think you must be anosmic to something in this blend because "L.i.l.y" is the ethereal (but not too ephemeral on me, as it lingered on my skin like the smell of a roll in a meadow, for six hours, before trailing off into a vague, musky sweetness) stuff of dreams. For anyone who loves green scents, it's beautiful. It's kind of like a more public friendly, updated version of "Eden" by Cacharel.
this smells like an old woman's perfume to me. It is almost sickeningly floral and sweet.
I am an English rose grower and lover of all things rosey, so, naturally Stella's gorgeous rose based fragrances have been my beloved favourites.
I love Stella Original. Stella Nude is my favourite followed by Sheer 2008 and other sheers.
I find Rose Absolute very naturally rosey and wearable even though it is a little drier than than the others.
But this fragrance, I could not come to love.
In my opinion, if you cannot enjoy the opening of a perfume, you do not want to wear it, because a fresh spritz of your chosen scent should be an enjoyable experience.
The opening of this one is dry, arid pepper, and as the composition develops, dehydrated oakmoss accompanies the pepper along with some weak florals that attempt to poke their weary heads through the dessicated dunes, but fail to make a significant impact before the sun has already set on my opinion of this fragrance.
Fortunately, I only bought a sample of this.
Not the Stella I have come to know and love, and a very poor tribute for L.I.L.Y.
(In my humble Opinion)
Surprisingly I'm not getting much LOV here. There is a burst of something fresh at the opening then it dries down to mostly musk, similar to SJP Lovely. It's nice but there isn't much of the note I was looking for.
I get a lighter, softer version of Coco Mademoiselle. It opens quite aquatic with sprinkles of pepper. Then it warms down and the truffle note emerges and floats haphazardly among the other notes. i dunno, it must be just me. i love truffles but i dont get its fullness in this perfume. Longevity is about 4 to 5 hours on me.
I thought this would be great, as it was described as having oak moss at the base...it's very uninspiring and has very short longevity. It's like that really good looking guy you think is a great kisser because he has nice lips; but disappointingly find out that he slobbers. that's what L.I.L.Y is like.
I got this in the Sephora sampler, and at first, when I tried it on, I thought, not a chance. This one definitely isn't me. But then when the weird pepper/truffle opening died down a little and the lily of the valley started to come out, I realized this was everything I'd wanted Coco Mademoiselle to be, without the massive, screaming patchouli that ruined CM for me. I went into Sephora wearing it, thinking I was going to use my voucher from the sampler pack to get either Chloe or Omnia Crystalline...but this just spoke to me.
this is lovely. it is breezy with a hint of naughty. it has that alcoholic twist at the end when it dries down, but nothing too astringent-like.
smells like a sweeter version of l'eau par kenzo to me
I love it!! I think it is a real summer/ autumn perfume. its fresh and clean smelling. can be quite expensive, but so worth it its not very common among peoples choose of perfume... be different from the crowd!!
Well despite all the emotive hype and heartfelt claims to have personally given much deep and meaningful selection of each and every note: I'd be grateful if Stella could stick to turning out expensive frocks.
If a hefty punch in the nose of burning pepper and eye watering sickly overdone Lily of the Valley (although it could be anything really) reminds you of your Mother you have definitely got serious issues.
Like every other cheap smell-alike clumsy celeb' air pollution this is all hype and absolutely nothing else.
I'm almost exclusively wearing vintage scents these days so maybe I'm just rather spoilt as the difference between 'then' and what is presented to our noses 'now' is an insult.
This like so many others is just plain bad.
Harsh as this may read I truly find the emotive play in the marketing of this poorly executed pong distasteful.
it smells like wind
This smells nothing like mademoiselle
This perfume is nice for people who feel compelled to wear perfume, even though they aren't particularly in the mood to wear perfume. It's what I expected 'This is not a perfume' by Juliette has a Gun to smell like. I would definently prefer lily on these off days as opost to not a perfume. Even though it's VERY light it does also smell nice, which I cant say for NOT a perfume.
I tested L.I.L.Y several times, since I wanted to give it a fair chance. Well, I don't think I'd buy it for myself, but I find it lovely. This is basically a musky, mossy lily of the valley. Nothing trendy here, but a classic scent with a modern twist, that I'm sure will appeal to many who want something more tasteful and yet chic. I much prefer Stella's original rose fragrance, but that is simply a matter of personal taste - I love roses. I'd still appreciate this one on other people.
I'm so surprised at the lack of creativity here. This is nothing but Chanel Coco Mademoiselle without the heavy patch (although it's still there). There's also an 'air' like note to it, that makes it less stuffy, earthy, and thick than Chanel.
It's not that I dislike it, it's just it's so much like CM, that I'd never purchase it.
I was gifted a sample of this. It smelled interesting. On me it smells like a fresh cut pepper from my garden.
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.
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.
Sorry, but what I feel here is something in between of Chanel Chance and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Nothing really unique, and this is not a solo of lily of the valley.
Wearing the fragrance today and finding it mild and a bit bland, not peppery or woodsy to my senses. Definitely a 'dry' floral in the sense that it is lacking in sweetness and sparkle. Meh. Going on ebay.
it's a quite soft and fresh fragrance. the lily is definitely overwhelming along with the pepper. too bad the musk is quite in the background. not my kind of scent but it does represent the name well ...
omg i have it and it brings headache to me...it smells like pepper and i wait for the next notes to come but nothing happened but peppers and peppers yuck!
it's such a heavy perfume that i think that i would rarely use it x(
Does the acronym L.I.L.Y., which is the name of Stella McCartney's new fragrance, actually mean anything? Or is this just another lame effort at coolness to mask yet another boring launch?
Having now smelled L.I.L.Y., I'm guessing the latter. It probably means nothing, as this is a light, watery, slightly green and totally forgettable lily of the valley soliflore which can be had from cheap-o soliflore fragrance houses for very little money. This does not smell bad, mind you, but it does not stand out at all from the crowd.
I am reminded a bit of Cartier BAISER VOLE, although I'm working from memory. I'll report back after retesting the Cartier. It's true that lily of the valley and lily are entirely different flowers, but both of these fragrances are more watery and green than floral, at least to my nose, and both feature "abstract", not natural flowers.
Basically, this is a yawn, and a short-lived one at that. Oh well, who wants a yawn with nuclear longevity?
-------------------
update: I stand corrected! L.I.L.Y. stands for "Linda I love you," and this fragrance was inspired by Stella's memories of "the estate" where she grew up. Oh brother.
Just got a sample size of this and one spray was enough to turn me off. Can't say exactly what it is but there is a note in this that says "old woman." Ironically, husband likes it. Bleh.
Very in-offensive ,close to the skin-
soft and green calm and relaxing but also boring- can do way better for the price .
This opens as a bright crisp floral, and then the green notes move in quickly. There is a strong lily of the valley note, and I could smell the patchouli easily. The oakmoss is not as strong on me as the patchouli, but I love that its there. A cool mix of florals and greens.
I like this. First green, sharp and peppery but softens quickly. The drydown smells very similar to Yves Saint Laurent Y.
Far too weak for the price. I only smell a faint floral with apricot. You would have to use it like a body spray for it to register.
It brought to mind Miss Dior Cherie.
This is Issey Miyake + shrill lily note. Sorry Stella, this is just a very typical, watery floral. Wear this and blend into the crowd...
When I first sprayed it on, I hated it, but after it sat on my wrist for 30 mins, now I can't keep smelling it! Its very very interesting... can't quite figure out what exactly it is that I like, but I'm intrigued and maybe addicted now! Well done Stella!
Delicate chypre. That's exactly where the design, layout and content correspond to the idea completely. Truffles are, lily of the valley can not hear (attention!) for overdose may be the smell of bug, straight green bug, of which full summer! I am not at all intimidating, but I heard when I was much too much stuck nose into elbow with fresh spray. It is possible that someone so too will seem. Romantic image of a lady in the gas scarf.
I absolutely loved it, very clean and feminine, the only thing i didn't like was that i wasn't able to smell it on myself while i was wearing it, but luckily everyone else smelled it and admired it
I love this Perfume.it is a wonderfull fashionable chypre.a uncommon fragrance,not as sweet and fruity how the most new perfume releases at the last time.a graceful chypre not overwhelming how much chypre perfumes.after one hour it smells voluptuous in a classy way.
this is a beautiful chypr , so nice and unique for me, I never smelled something similar. It has a touch of old school frags ..So intrigue ! I like it a lot - the only one new frag of many years what I like but I test 50 every week for a year))) Only one concern - power and longevity + sillage. I didn't quite got an impression of that. It seems to me that it lacks these, but will try again. So many frags of our time doesn't have strength and good sillage and I am sick and tired of that already..But prices are high as for a good quality perfume((
Unexpected nose punch! This stuff is on the strongish side; Lily of the valley, oakmoss and patchouli are power trio. It mellows out slightly after few minutes; lilly of the valley and musk to end it. Like many others I am taken off guard by this perfume; it is unlike any other Stella McCartney's I have tried before. This one's grown up and heavy cloyerfume.
I hope it smells nice, it would be so cool to buy a fragrance with my name ;-) (Well, almost anyway, Loved the story behind the name of the fragrance)
First read of this in a magazine, and wasn't sure what I'd think. I don't care for the original Stella but I like this, it is different and I think I'd describe it as mature as well as modern. I don't find it masculine at all, could it be because we're not used to much oakmoss/truffle being used in women's fragrances? This has a woody freshness that is a welcome relief from the fruity florals I'm getting bored with. Definitely a scent for a grown-up woman, not a teenager. I think the color of the scent should have been green, though-there really is nothing pink about it! Well done. If you're looking for something new that not absolutely every woman on the planet is wearing, try this.
I guess I love pepper in perfumes... as well as moss and musk, this is another smellME scent I fell in love with, from first whif !!!
I cant say why reviews are so dismissing this, might be the topnote with a bit sourness , could be the tuber that is strange for some... or the subtleness that comes later, or the pepper ? On me it just stays and stays and smells great. I like it because its different, smells like nothing else !
I just love this earthy, subtle scent, its elegant and they´ve just added the right amount of everything !!!
That´s my Stella - I love your scents !!!
Thanks lovely Sumukorento, for letting go of this delight !!
Nice and different. Quite fresh and earthy. I like this :)
...the younger and shy sister of Narciso Rodriguez for her.
I did sprayed it on my wrist the other day and I have to say, that it didn't last long on my skin (maybe 30min) and I couldn't make much out of it. Such a pity usually testers smell more intense than the fragrances. I don't think that I will be buying it. Sorry Stella too expensive for 30min!
I tested L.I.L.Y. in a department store the other day and fell in love with it. On first sniffing it seemed nice but not particularly special but on my skin it started to smell phenomenally lovely and the longer it was on the better it smelled. As others have mentioned, it's floral, clean, subtle and it's one of the best florals I've smelled, along with Gucci Guilty. The lily-of-the-valley doesn't particularly dominate, to my nose anyway, and no one note stands out to me but the combination of notes just seems to work incredibly well together to make a truly lovely fragrance. I've not been overly impressed with Stella McCartney's other perfumes so this one is by far the best one I've smelled. As for the sillage, unlike with some other reviewers on me it lasted FOREVER, both on my skin and on my clothes, despite it being so soft and subtle, and I kept getting lovely little whiffs of it whenever I moved around. So, I LOOVE this perfume and it's become one of my new faves. :-))
Just picked this up today, i really do love it!!!
Gentle refreshing , lily of the valley goes quite quickly but the drydown is beautiful, musky but not strong in your face, stays close to skin, and amazing lasting on clothes.
The 30ml has no frame and i quite like the bottle ,
I am a big fan of Stella in two, but find her other perfumes too strong. Anyway will enjoy this 30ml and see how i feel when this one is finished.
I so wanted to like this because I love the name and the love story of Paul and Linda. I also kind of like the bottle, although I agree that it is rather painful to operate it if you have a small hand. Should I ever change my mind and fall in love with the juice, I am not getting a 100 ml bottle - perfume should be pleasant, not painful!
Anyway, chances are slim that that will ever happen, because I found the perfume to be rather tame. A sanitized flower with a woody drydown. I am not that fond of Lily of the Valley, but this is so cleaned up that it doesn't even bother me, I am just bored. And in perfume I much prefer to be bothered rather than bored.
Edit: I see that 32 people say it reminds them of Chanel 19. I am almost in tears to see my beloved, complex, first love from Chanel compared to this indescript soapyness... Needless to say I don't agree!
The drydown is too masculine for my taste.
The 30 mL bottle don't have a frame, and is truly beautiful! Small bottles are always prettier!
I am very fond of L.I.L.Y, it has a smoothness I adore, and it is flowey yet not sweet. It smells almost natural, just more beautiful. Perhaps it is because my skin has a sweet note by itself that L.I.L.Y becomes very beautiful on my skin. It doas not smell so much, but it is longlasting, and I don´t need to respray it for the whole day.
It is the first very gentle perfume I have been fond of!
30 mL-flaskan har inte en ram, och är jättesöt! Små flaskor är alltid sötare!
Jag tycker mycket om L.I.L.Y. Den har en mjukhet som tilltalar mig, och den är blommig utan att vara söt. Den doftar nästan naturligt, bara vackrare. Kanske det är för att min hud har en söt doft i sig själv som L.I.L.Y blir bra på min hud. Den doftar inte så mycket, men doften sitter kvar länge, och behöver inte sprayas på igen på hela dagen.
Detta är den första mycket lätta parfym som jag tycker om!
Sorry, but the bottle and fragrance inside are not in harmony. Absolutly. Such a pseudo-glamourous bottle which is very unpleasant to hold while spraying in a big size (tester must be 100ml). In reality this bottle does not look so beautiful like on the picture, the frame kills it all (just my opinion).
Now to the fragrance. Tea indeed. Spicy tea. Somehow i do get associations with Bulgari´s "White tea" fragrance. Yes it is strange how peppery lilly-of-the-valley can call associations like that. Very poor sillage and i can´t hardly smell it after 2 hours. Drydown is plain and boring: dry musk. The whole concept of the juice inside indeed reminds me of a L-O-T-V flowers in a fresh spring mud. Not appealing sadly at all to me.
Please do not remove this comment, since others might find it useful. Not every review should be positive, so people like me wanted to make a blind buy might find it very informative. Thanks.
The beginning of this fragrance gave me the impression that it would fit right in with the other feminine and lovely Stella Mc Cartney fragrances, despite not liking lily myself. However the lily seems to droop for a while, becoming watery and dull until the woody smelling notes come forward and give this more depth and make it more sophisticated than the impression the opening notes gives you.
Not for me, but if you are a fan of lily this is definitely worth a try.
I absolutely adore Malgosia Bela who is the face of L.I.L.Y. campaign and admire Stella. So when I had an opportunity to visit UK and get my hands on it, nothing could have stop me:)
I am still trying to work it out though, since yesterday when I got it. Expected more of a floral and the lily is present for a short while only. It reminds me of flowers in the meadows or in the forrest, with their earthiness, more green than sweet. It stays close to the skin, seems as your natural beautiful scent. LILY has a totally different personality than Stellas. I like its freshness, mossy green and some kind salty notes that seem to pretend it is your own scent not a perfume.
Reg the bottle, got a 30ml, which is very comfy to use
I have to say... I am an original Stella fan from the word GO. I didn't go at this new scent expecting it to be incredible. I expected it to be beautiful, innocent, and sweet. I realize the L.I.L.Y is based off of her childhood memories but I couldn't help thinking of the flower and how it's such a pure and innocent flower. That is exactly what I got. I'm not in love with it and dying to rush out and purchase it at this very moment but I will add it to my arsenol for those days I just want something to add to the feeling of sweet and innocent like the first day of Spring.
It smells like Grandfather kissed Grandmother who used too much of her "Lily of the Valley" perfume.
The bottle is wonderful and I expected something light, maybe slightly spicy and sweet. Maybe they thought ok, the evergreen ROSE got a huge hit last time, why not bring the good old lily of the valley back and spice it up a gear. Sorry. Didn't work.
Got it yesterday, need more time to know what I think about it... Like it at the moment but I was expecting something really amazing... Perhaps too much expectation? ;)
I had to buy this after testing in the shop today. Stella McCartney does the most amazing skin scents that just smell like they are part of you. This is nothing like the original Stella, but is still the kind of romantic scent that will have others thinking "Wow, she smells lovely". Clean, floral, but subtle. Only those you allow close enough to you will be able to smell this amazing perfume.
Nope no LotV here - I get tea,the kind we call here 'Builder's tea' black with 2 sugars and then quite quickly, a clean woody drydown. I don't get the kind of earthiness I expected from truffles, more like a light sandalwood. Little sillage but lingers on the skin. If anything this reminds me a little of Samsara now it has been cleaned up.
Having said all that about what it is not, I can safely say I like this better than any previous Stella Mac scent just because it's a lot less wan and watery than the others. This at least has a bit of character and is a little different.
This is nothing like what I expected (hoped for). There is not a single hint of authentic lily of the valley in this and they are even so bold as to display bowls of the flower alongside this perfume.
So, it's not a deep earthy lily of the valley fragrance. If you want lily of the valley go Comme des Garcons Lily for effervescence or Diorissimo for elegance.
All that said, L.I.L.Y is still a fine scent. It opens slightly green and aquatic with a nondescript floral note and hints of fruit.. maybe cassis. It soon flattens out to a rather warm (or even hot) woody scent and is somehow reminiscent of Kenzo pour Homme. It has the same metallic, almost salty watery smell. This sets it apart from a generic aquatic.
The scent lasts well (7 hours so far with moderate projection) and it's not obnoxious or immature. I'm very interested to see what others thin about L.I.L.Y.
I'm dying to try this one! I love the bottle, I dont think it's kistch (which I can appreciate at times) at all, I see more like Dali
I love Stella as well, her veganism... her clothing line.. the first stella perfume.
Truffles? Hate them, BUT when used in moderation in the right recipie, they are wonderful earthy goodness :)
I'm judging the bottle now: mmm, a bit kitsch!
I have great expectations about this perfume because I love Stella so I guess I will at least enjoy the mastery behind L.I.L.Y if not the fragrance itself. I hate to wait! There are many scents with lily-of-the-valley around and some are very special, like Diorissimo that has been around for ages!
In this case there is also tuber (truffle). That's even a more difficult one! Have you ever smelled real truffle? God... good to eat but not a smell that you usually want to wear on yourself! Earthy, to say the least...
Now I'm very curious!!! Like a truffle dog, LOL!
I don´t know why already 2 women have voted I love and Like it - have you smelled it? I always rely on opinions there, but since you click on LOVE or LIKE button before you even get to smell it I doubt reliability of the votes. Please wait even though you think you WILL love it or WILL hate it in the future. I think this is not really helpful ;)
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