Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 (Arturetto Landi) 2023 + A Transportive Giveaway

Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930, image by Karl©

Step into the mesmerising world of Shanghai during the 1930s, a city that captivated hearts with its alluring secrets and irresistible charm. Master Perfumer Arturetto Landi of Mane, (he is the nose for many renowned fragrances including the legendary People of The Labyrinths Luctor Et Emergo (1997), Cristian Cavagna Murice Imperiale and Maison Tahité Coffee Bomb) has crafted a fragrance that transports us to this extraordinary time and place. Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 is a powerful and distinctive floral composition that reveals the enigmatic allure and romanticism of this mystical city. Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 is an homage to Shanghai’s rich cultural tapestry, a celebration of its vibrant energy and the captivating secrets that lie beneath its surface.

Arturetto Landi perfumer

Arturetto Landi  of Mane courtesy of Astrophil & Stella©

At the heart of this fragrance lies a harmonious fusion of deep and heady ingredients, drawing inspiration from the juxtaposition of Shanghai’s elements. Just as the city seamlessly blends the traditional and the modern, so does the fragrance combine the freshness of herbal green tea with the intoxicating allure of narcotic tuberose. This unique combination sets the stage for a captivating olfactory journey. Imagine strolling through the bustling streets of Shanghai, where the air is infused with the aroma of sweet plums and ripe mangoes. Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 captures this essence with its vibrant fruity accords that dance gracefully with the velvety presence of jasmine sambac and ylang-ylang. The fragrance unveils itself like a blossoming flower, each note revealing a layer of the city’s enigmatic character.

As the scent evolves, a powdery aspect emerges, evoking the elegance and sophistication reminiscent of Shanghai’s glamorous era. This delicate touch adds a sense of nostalgia, reminding us of the bygone days when romance lingered in the air. It is a tribute to the city’s vibrant history and the passionate souls that once graced its streets.

Streets of Shanghai at night

Streets of Shanghai courtesy of Unsplash

The dry down of Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 is where the fragrance truly mesmerises. A velvety tonka and vanilla embrace the senses, creating a warm and sensuous aura. These notes intertwine with a musky accord that lends longevity to the fragrance, ensuring that its allure lingers on the skin, just as Shanghai’s charm continues to captivate our imagination. Shanghai 1930, is more than a fragrance; it is an olfactory opus that invites us to delve into the mystery and romanticism of Shanghai. With each spritz, we are transported to a time and place where the past merges with the present, where love and passion intertwine, and where the allure of the city is palpable.

Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 is a testament to the artistry of perfumery and its ability to evoke emotions and memories. It serves as a reminder that fragrance has the power to transport us to faraway lands and immerse us in their unique stories. Embark on this sensory journey and experience the city’s essence in a way that words alone cannot capture.

Notes: Bergamot, green tea, plum, mango, cinnamon, violet leaves, tuberose, champaca, jasmin sambac, magnolia, ylang-ylang, orchid, sandalwood, myrhh, white musk, tonka, vanilla.

Disclaimer: Bottle of Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 sent by the brand, all views are my own.

Karl Topham, Senior Editor and UK Ambassador

Shanghai 1930 Astrophil & Stella

Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 courtesy of the brand.

Thanks to Astrophil & Stella, we have a 50ml bottle of Shanghai 1930 for one registered reader in the EU ONLY. You must register for your comment to count. To be eligible, please leave a comment about what appeals to you about Karl’s review of Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930, and where you live. Draw closes 06/7/23.

Please also read: Karl’s review of Madame M. Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 was featured in Karl’s Esxence 2023 Best of Show Part 1 here. 

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29 comments

  • Scentsational Exchange says:

    Karl’s review of Shanghai 1930 is captivating as usually. His description of the fragrance as a journey through the mesmerizing world of 1930s Shanghai, with its alluring secrets and romanticism, immediately stimulates the imagination and makes you feel like you are personally present on the streets of Shanghai. The fusion of herbal green tea with narcotic tuberose, complemented by vibrant fruity accords and a powdery elegance, creates a sensory experience that transports to the vibrant streets of Shanghai I have never been to but would love to. The mention of the velvety tonka and vanilla in the dry down, along with the musky accord, promises a warm and lingering cocoon. I love that Karl’s review highlights the intricate craftsmanship and storytelling ability of perfumery, making me eager to explore the olfactory opus that is Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930.

    I am from EU, Germany.

  • FC says:

    Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 seems interesting as it is a flora, fruity composition with a tea note. The tea note matters because a tribute to Shanghai should allude to its tea culture. I am in US.

  • simo975g says:

    First of all, the cute bottle design caught my attention. It reminds me of Royal Copenhagen porcelain.
    It is really cool to use 1930’s Shanghai as an inspiration. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie in that setting so it was difficult to imagine until Karl painted an immersive picture with his words. I’d love to be transported by this scent.

    I live in Denmark, EU.

  • Jeremi says:

    The fascinating facts appeal to me in this review. I live in Trzebnica, Poland, EU.

  • INYA says:

    The notes of plum, champaca, tuberose and myrrh are calling my name. Thank you for introducing this brand to me and for another awesome draw. Mich USA

  • Grethel says:

    Honestly I am a little nervous about the notes but the author mentioned that the dry down is a musky – tonka -vanilla delicious blend and completely sold it to me.
    FL USA

  • Giorgia295 says:

    I love the bottle of this particular fragrance and I love the brand in general. I really enjoy Karl’s review and comparision with the smell you can smell strolling around Shangai. I have the feeling I was passing by the street he describe.
    Greetings from Italy

  • Shibuichi2000 says:

    I know it’s silly, but I was just thinking how can someone evoke something they, most probably, never experienced. Was the perfumer even born in 1930?
    Maybe that’s exactly why I’m so curious as to what Shanghai 1930 smells like, especially since I never went to Shanghai, not in the past, present or in 1930 .
    The notes sound to me like a somewhat sweet garden (if that’s even a thing) and the bottle is …oh well, simply wow.
    Regards from EU.

  • Salem says:

    What a grand perfume! I have rarely seen so many “central” notes featured in a perfume, able to be picked up by a nose! Green tea, tuberose, plum and mango, and then some more luscious flowers in the form of ylang ylang and jasmine sambac. I would say there is no chance this is a laid-back, tranquil perfume. It has to be a total diva! Just like Shanghai, an entity of colors and contrasts coexisting beautifully.
    I live in the EU.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • Nikolina_84 says:

    This seems to be a really interesting combination of notes, as Karl says, “a harmonious fusion of deep and heady ingredients” – freshness of herbal green tea with the intoxicating allure of narcotic tuberose and aroma of sweet plums and ripe mangoes, followed by velvety tonka and vanilla in the drydown.
    That sounds delicious!
    Hugs from Croatia, EU

  • PetaloDiCera says:

    Thanks to Karl for this hypnotic stroll through the streets of Shanghai in the 30s, an unexpected journey: I couldn’t ever imagined fruits and flowers in this way.. this opus (like Karl described it) opens up new images and atmospheres to me..
    I’d love to try this <3
    Smiles from Italy, EU.

  • mic says:

    I’m particularly intrigued by fragrances inspired by a specific place and time, such as Meo Fusciuni’s Varanasi and Sogni, or Tam Dao by Diptyque. Such perfumes make you travel without leaving your room. In this review, Karl describe Shanghai 1930 in a way that makes me feel like I’m walking through the city during its Golden Age. Rich and busy streets, surrounded by spring flowers and the sweetness of pleasures that only a 1930s metropolis could provide. A truly work of art by a master perfumer such as Arturetto Landi.
    Thanks from Italy, EU

  • Patricia R. says:

    I’d wish to have a piece of this art. The mystery is palpable from the ad photo and packaging, and it aligns well with the notes of tea and mango. Other than that, Shanghai is a rather unknown territory to me geographically and historically.
    Slovakia

  • ancaan says:

    Never been to Shanghai so I can only imagine what scent the city evokes, but judging by the listed notes, this is a city I want to explore. The green tea combined with tuberose and champaca draws me like a magnet and being a sucker for nostalgic scents as Karl’s described it makes me really keen on trying Shanghai 1930. And that bottle is beautiful, like a fine porcelain. Greetings from Romania, Eu

  • Aya V says:

    I’m happy to see many perfumes and perfumers from Asia and inspired by asian countries are getting attention. Growing up in Japan, certain kinds of smell, usually tea and local flowers are the trigger of calmness and this sounds like a right on the spot to it. Bottle reminds me of ancient Chinese pottery as well. I live in Chicago, and I’m stoked to try out this beautiful concussion.

  • Trinity33 says:

    Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 sounds like it would be perfect for the warmer summer months. The focus on mangoes and plums brings a fruity freshness and the combination of green tea with narcotic florals like tuberose, jasmine and ylang ylang references a sophisticated Asian vibe. I used to wear PoTL Luctor Et Emergo back in the day. It’s nice to be reminded of that fragrance again. MD, USA.

  • cynthmarie says:

    I really love the imagery Karl uses of the blossoming flower with each layer revealing a part of the city’s character. This sounds like a beautiful opulent perfume. Green tea, tuberose, and vanilla are among my favorite notes. In Texas, US.

  • Arron_Q says:

    The power of fragrances to transport us to different places and times is one of the most magical aspects of the artform. Shanghai 1930 seems to be a fragrance created with the idea of tranporting us to a beautifully exotic cityscape. I love the sound of tuberose and green tea mixed with tropical fruits, such a lush combination! I’d love to give this one a shot. It sounds like something I would wear around the house in times that I just want to relax and unplug. I live in NC, USA.

  • Dazi83 says:

    What a beautiful olfactive journey through mesmerising world of Shanghai during the 1930s!
    This is the part that captured my attetntion: “Imagine strolling through the bustling streets of Shanghai, where the air is infused with the aroma of sweet plums and ripe mangoes. Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 captures this essence with its vibrant fruity accords that dance gracefully with the velvety presence of jasmine sambac and ylang-ylang. The fragrance unveils itself like a blossoming flower, each note revealing a layer of the city’s enigmatic character.”
    EU

  • olgAPOISON says:

    “velvety tonka and vanilla embrace the senses, creating a warm and sensuous aura” and when i saw cinnamon and plum, my fave in the notes i was sold. Im from EU would love this

  • Sonbahia says:

    Nice review Karl! As evocativeis the post as Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 is. Some perfumes transports you to a place, other to a time, but Mr.Landi takes you in a sensory journey at a time and place: the Shanghai in the 30´s so “The Paris of the East, the New York of the West”. He does that with a floral oriental fragrance. As Shanghai was a city of many contrasts at that time, the scent combine the freshness of green tea with the heady tuberose, the fruitness and the flowers jasmine, sambac and ylang-ylang and the drydown is musky and velvety with a opulent vanilla and tonka bean that lingers in the skin. The allure of a bygone era and city in a scent. I live in Spain, EU.

  • AJ says:

    Tea & tuberose sound like a divine combination! I also love perfumes that are inspiried by places and travel. I’m in the USA.

  • zazazelle says:

    Green tea + tuberouse = sounds very interesting, especially blended with plum, mango and myrrh. Is it a retro floral bomb or “the elegance and sophistication reminiscent of Shanghai’s glamorous era”? I wanna try!
    Also – the design of bottle! So beautiful.
    I live in the EU, thank you for this opportunity!

  • mmerline says:

    Excellent review, Karl. The interaction between the green tea and tuberose accords sounds really elegant and easy to wear, especially paired with the unexpected powdery aspect of Shanghai 1930. I assume that powdery feel links up to the tonka and vanilla drydown beautifully. I also like the variety of fruit and florals in the notes list that back up those primary notes.

    I’m in the USA.

  • sephrenia300 says:

    Lovely review Karl! What appeals to me about Karl’s review of Astrophil & Stella Shanghai 1930 is learning that the fragrance is an homage to Shanghai with deep and heady ingredients that seamlessly blends the traditional and the modern. I am a big fan of Shanghai and would love to try a fragrance that draws from that inspiration! I live in the US.

  • Caliwas says:

    Beautiful review by Karl of *Astrophil and Stella Shanghai 1930. What appeals to me about this alluring fragrance is the velvety tonka and vanilla notes that create a sensual dry down were Karl states the fragrance truly mesmerizes. The bottle is gorgeous. Thanks for the giveaway. Greetings and gratitude from the USA.

  • MissT says:

    I am instantly attracted to the combination of fruit, heady flowers and cinnamon. What a delight!
    Karl’s description of the fusion between modern and the old, comparing the way the fragrance unveils to a blossoming flower is particularly gorgeous.
    Many thanks for this draw. I live in France.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thanks for the fun review, Karl.

    I love the idea of capturing old Shanghai in a bottle. The use of green tea and plum in the opening, beautiful florals (lloknig at you tuberose and champaca) and white musk and tonka in the base, really make this a frangrance reminiscent of the vibrancy of the city.

    I would love to get my nose on this.

    Cheers from WI, USA