PennyPearl

A Helena Bonham Carter fragrance;
dark, mysterious, a little vintage.
Black coat, knee-length dress with black silk tights, stilettos, sunglasses.
A misty autumn afternoon, paper lantern light, crows landing in sync in a naked tree.
This is how the perfume presents itself and this is how I feel about him.

The fragrance begins with smoky orange blossoms and keeps this for the most part, orange blossoms that do not turn out too fruity sweet and incense that does not come across too aggressive as feared.
What I smelled at the "Delina Exclusif | Parfums de Marly" partly too extreme and sharp, I find interestingly here as more coherent.
In places Athalia reminds me of other well-known fragrances, which I can not name ad hoc.
Noble soapy without a dominant rose I feel him, paired with incense sticks and blown out candles in a closed room, soapy-cool and cuddly smoky-powdery at the same time;
i emphasize deliberately smoky-powdery, because it is not a gentle, lovely powder note, the incense plays a role throughout, which gives Athalia something haughty and distant.
Nevertheless, Athalia does not (only) opulent and arrogant to me, depending on the dosage, he has something very serious and down-to-earth, awakens business-office associations in me.

All in all, it works on me at least more successful than "Delina Exclusif | Parfums de Marly" , "Delina (Eau de Parfum) | Parfums de Marly" (which I found very nice, but which triggered no urge to buy) or "Cassili | Parfums de Marly".

Midnight in Paris.
Cobblestones, Montmartre at dusk.
Poets and artists rant and philosphize over wine in a sidewalk café.

The top note starts with intensely dark-sweet cherry with subtle spice, not a tart fresh cherry, and I get a fragrant toy doll association with it pretty quickly: my Cherry Merry Muffin is back, but more intense this time ;)
At the same time, the scent exudes something melancholy and nostalgic; I actually have to think of a cute tea room with stucco on the ceilings, dusty chandeliers, and delicate dishes that my grandma keeps in her glass case.
It reminds me then also slightly of the waxy fine lipstick note of "Seduction Collection - Iris Crush | Jimmy Choo" , which is of course much stronger there.
Café Chantant represents more the scented dolly, the "Seduction Collection - Iris Crush | Jimmy Choo" more the lipstick, they have small similarities, but are still independent enough.
The strong cherry unfortunately warps piece by piece, but still remains perceptible in the background and combines nicely with the soft, sweet powderiness.
The drydown smells like warm bodies dusted with pink powder (not sweaty or somehow animalic, but just very sensual) and captures that cherry/berry doll-like quality more than, say, the "MMMM.... | Juliette Has A Gun" , which is just not intense and long-lasting enough for me in contrast to the Café Chantant.

A very fine, dreamy powder fragrance without "stuffiness" with nostalgic vibes that have something playful about them and therefore do not smell old-fashioned.
I smell him very much like!

Actually, with the title of the review is already much to the point:
berry little doll already sums it up well, as I have already heard from some here.
My favorite strawberry-my-little-pony from back in the day and my much-loved Cherry Merry Muffin Püppi I clearly perceive in this fragrance, but without a blatant plastic note.
It reminds me a little of "I Love New York for Her | Bond No. 9" , this gently creamy berry sweetness, reminiscent of blueberry muffins, without smelling really gourmandig-essbar.
No jam-heavy-syrup-thick fruitiness, which I don't like at all; prefer dolly berry sweetness then.
I don't smell any flowers out, but a consistent berry-gentle dolly sweetness that isn't overbearing.
I feel like you have to spray a lot as it doesn't seem very intense.
It also has this "airiness" to it, which sometimes makes the scent not really tangible to the nose.
Now and then I perceive him badly when I sniff the wrist, which is a pity, he could have quiet a little more strength.
I would have "I Love New York for Her | Bond No. 9" for "girly moments" like, but did not buy it at the time and now it is no longer available.
This one might be a good alternative, but it seems a little too light for me at the moment, so it's not yet a purchase candidate for me due to its "ghostly elusiveness".
I'll keep trying him out...

At first I see an elegant lady strolling through chic shopping arcades in a picturesque big city; whether in Paris, Rome, Prague or Barcelona.
Playful and haughty at the same time I feel the fragrance.
Fruity sorbet with citrusy coolness and neat sugar.
Plum with heavy jam sweetness, currant juice.
Artful rose petal decoration of sugar draped on pretty cakes.
The fruit attack actually reminds me a bit of "Mon Paris (Eau de Parfum) | Yves Saint Laurent" ; fruit syrup sweetness, which is not so my cup of tea, even if Tabac Rose smells more high-quality and there is a slight woodiness right at the beginning, which gives the fragrance more depth than the Mon Paris.
Somehow I smell at times also a "tipsy alcohol note" out like the last residual puddles of fruity cocktails that remain in glasses after a long party night.
From further away, there's something captivating about Tabac Rose that I like, holding my nose right up to my wrist during the opener bothers me a bit.
The fruit notes don't make it so easy for me...

So I wait until the arguably dominant, quaffable alcohol fruit notes fade, wait longingly for rose & cinnamon, which can then also slowly creep in, and with the added spice it then becomes nice;
sweet rose with spicy cinnamon, oriental spice bazaar vibes and tart cocoa, which I perceive only subtly in the background, it does not become gourmand-sweet.
Later, the rose also distances itself and it reminds me very slightly of "Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian" in gentle and feminine (the labdanum note?) with sweet-smoky-woody tobacco.

In any case, a fragrance with an interesting course, which I curiously like to spray on the wrist, but it is not a personal love so far; "Gris Charnel | bdk Parfums" and "Velvet Tonka | bdk Parfums" have pleased me even better.

"Boah, is the beautiful", was my first impulse thought when spraying on (I think I also said it out loud), which is not so common.
Baby almond powder and a little like "Loukhoum Eau Poudrée | Keiko Mecheri" I smell here ad hoc, only softer.
Sweet powder is now times my Beuteschema, that I find the however sooo beautiful, I would not have expected nevertheless.
Very delicate and somewhat sweet, but not sugary slaying, I feel him also not very marzipanlastig as last tested by me "Heliotrope (Eau de Toilette) | Etro" , because really fat marzipan I do not like at all!

It is not gourmandy sweet, sweet yes, but the powder combination makes it NOT edible.
The fragrance is quite linear, which does not bother me, because I find already the top note as very nice, in the further course adds only a gentle woodiness, which prevents the drift into too sweet realms.
Einzelne Duftnotehn I smell here hardly out, for me it is a powdery, velvety, sweetish melange.


Going back to the title; Velvet Tonka for me is cozy and elegant at the same time, which is why I think of a carefully made up woman in a satin morning coat, lying on the sofa with a glass of champagne and dozing off to the music of Katie Melua or Michael Buble.
For me, the fragrance is more feminine, me Velvet Tonka would be too soft on a man, but of course that's just my personal assessment.

In any case, Velvet Tonka has positively blown me away as well as "Gris Charnel | bdk Parfums" !

AFTERNOON: After testing it several times, I must say that it seems less durable than when I first got to know it; the sillage is strong, I was directly addressed to it, but I find that it quickly becomes restrained...