Sweet Pulp

Wow, this is an absolute and immediate love for me. I'm a self confessed fruity frag lover, and pear and fig are two of my favourite notes. I've recently become very curious about the work of Miguel Matos, and have been collecting samples of his scents (some hits, some misses, but all interesting). So when I saw Astrophil & Stella release this, it seemed almost perfect for me. The brand seem very hard to find in the UK, but I spent the last week in Copenhagen, and visited a fantastic boutique there (Crime Passionel) who stocked it. On first sniff, the pear is very prominent. It's juicy, sweet and effervescent, seemingly combining with the citrus notes to give a fizzy and refreshing tang. It's slightly green, with just a *hint* of bitterness that almost gives the sparkling pear something to bounce off, kind of like a gin and tonic vibe. In the dry down, there is a soft fuzzy texture, akin to both peach skin and fig. A woody earthiness comes out to underpin it, and I detect the sandalwood, patchouli and some vanilla. For me, it's exceptionally well balanced - it's almost as if the bright fruitiness keeps glinting off the deeper base notes, and both compliment and elevate the other without one being overshadowed. Needless to say, I sprayed 2 sprays on my coat and left the boutique, only to return a few days later to purchase. The scent lasted fully through the next day on my coat (in 1 degree Celsius weather), and became really addictive, mouth-watering and delicious. So I expect longevity and sillage to be good, although will update here once I have worn a few more times. This is somewhat sweet, but not in a cloying or sickly way, more in a natural fruit juice reminiscent manner. It also doesn't smell like anything else really that I've smelled before so has a certain uniqueness, it perhaps reminds me in the tiniest bit of Zoologist Panda (one of my top 5 scents) just purely because of the balance between fruity fresh and earthy base (although Panda is a lot more obviously soil, this is less overtly dirty) . I actually think this may do quite well in most seasons due to the balanced nature of it, and is more unisex than the notes may suggest.

This is a unique fragrance, it's sweet, fruity and cirtussy at first and then calms down to a deep sweet almost creamy musk. The sillage is pretty strong and only cloying at first and then it calms down to something that hits people within a few feet of you. The staying power is insane, I pulled clothes to wash out of my laundry basket that had the heart notes on after a week. It's expensive but definitely worth the money if you love unusual sweet scents.

I looove how it behaves on my skin. It is peculiar, somehow feels warm, sticky and thick. This is the first time an artificial smell evokes such tangible experience for me.

I really love this, but the perfume is so yellow that it has dyed my skin. How am I supposed to wear this if it dyes me and my clothes? Maybe it’s just my sample, but it’s unwearable, practically.

If I were to describe this fragrance in two words, I'd say unique but weird. Overly sweet, fruity with musky- musty undertones. A conneisseur might actually enjoy this scent, not so sure about the non- fragheads around. Sample first.