Description
“Standing out for its distinctive freshness, Costarela is the true expression of our Mediterranean spirit, a perfume where cheerful bergamot sails peacefully with warm-hearted amber.
Costarela evokes that unique feeling of freedom that one can only experience when admiring the immensity of the open sea; a perfume that captures the marine Mediterranean breeze and the salty woody smell of the old boats shored on the sand.” – a note from the brand.
Costarela by Carner Barcelona is a Citrus Aromatic fragrance for women and men. This is a new fragrance. Costarela was launched in 2016. Top notes are bergamot and saffron; middle notes are sea notes and sand; base notes are virginia cedar, ambroxan and amber. The nose behind this fragrance is Shyamala Maisondieu.
seeriscizpo – :
Very fresh, big citrus-y, a bit salty perfume, which turns into chemical musky base in a while. Staying power is very poor, on my dry cold skin majority perfumes last forever, that one is gone in 1-2 hours. Not worth of price tag, plenty of similar, and even better similar ones on mass market.
pavel n72 – :
Costarela is an authentic marine scent: salty air, sandy beach with a citrus twist. It’s a very warm, natural scent, and there’s nothing synthetic smelling or off in the composition.
For an EDP, it’s performance is timid as I get 2 hours tops. That would be my only complaint…. and what prevents me purchasing a bottle.
Snaider – :
First of all I’d like to say that I’m not a fan of the new trend of ambroxan but I do like this scent. Costarela has the smoothest ambroxan accord I’ve ever experienced in perfumery. Ambroxan creates a sparkling-uplifting and beach-bright effect to this scent. It doesn’t hurt my nose so I suppose ambroxan has grades and quality.
Dominant notes are bergamot, salty sea note, ambroxan, a beach vibe, wonderful scent for warm weather daytime.
Performance is moderate overall.
petra cotes – :
This Is a lovely Mid spring & all of the summer scent.
You will like this if you love;
1.Dior Homme Cologne 2013 By Christian Dior
2.Bergamot By Malin+Goetz
3.Night By Perry Ellis(Only in the opening)
If you tried those two and like them, then you love this one.
It sweet, aquatic, citrus with sea notes.
Perfect for events on or around the; beach, parks, or just a hot summer day.
Wearing this to the movies, or just hanging out with loved ones…wearing shorts & short sleeve tee shirt. Listening to Will Smith’s SummerTime song, drinking some lemonade. Perfect all around.
Now would I outright buy a bottle of this fragrance after saying, what I wrote above…HELL NO!
Here’s why: you can get this same scent profile with…
Dior Homme Cologne 2013 By Christian Dior.
The DHC 2013 last longer, projection & sillage is better as well, plus you can get a 200ML of DHC 2013 for $80 – $100.
And Costarela Carner Barcelona cost $180 – $220 retail or $160 – $180 online for a 100ML. Nope, you lost me right there.
Thankfully I tried this via Scentbird, when it comes to niche fragrance and their high prices. Get a decant from someone, get a sample free of it from a Carner Barcelona boutique(if you have one near you), Sephora(free) & I think Macy’s(for free). Buy a sample from eBay. A decant from ScentBird, Scent Box or Luxury Box for $15.
Please don’t buy this outright.
I hope I helped someone.
I used six sprays…both wrist, back & front of my neck, chest, and front of my shirt.
Will I buy this again?…NO!
What’s the strength of this? EDP.
Can you use it as a unisex scent? Yes.
Am I willing to trade this fragrance? Yes.
Should You Skip It, Sample It First or Blind Buy It?
1.I say Sample it first if you still wanna try it for yourself(It’s super pricey).
2.Skip it and get Dior Homme Cologne 2013 By Christian Dior(Much better, you’ll thank me later).
Is it the old, new formulation? New.
What’s its availability; in production, limited edition or discontinued? In production.
SKU Number: 8437011481306
Batch Number: Unknown (Production Date: ?)
Age: 25+
From: Scentbird
Size: 8 ML
Scent: 3.25/5 (Okay).
Value: 5/5 ($12.00).
Sillage: 2/5 (Two feet).
Longevity: 1.5/5 (Three hours tops).
Creativity: 5/5 (Citrusy, fresh & a walk on the beach).
Projection: 1/5 (Less than an hour).
Versatility: 5/5 (Spring and summertime only & anywhere).
Compliments: 5/5 (Nice).
Until next time, I’ll catch you on the flipside.
Djoni – :
When I read on the sampler that this contained “hot sand accord” I scoffed. What could possibly smell like sand anyway, never mind hot sand in particular? But somehow it really does. Nice fresh blast of citrus and then, yes, the smell of warm (I still wouldn’t say hot) sand. Definitely evocative of lazy beach days in all the best ways. Really doesn’t last long on me though – under 3hrs and it’s gone, vanished, swept away by the breeze. So, more than pleasant … but I want something this good to last, not waft away.
beria5 – :
Costarela is beach in a bottle! This one blown me away!
As soon as I smelled the scent on my skin, I quickly imagined myself near to Marinha beach, located in Algarve, Portugal, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, the water is cristal clear, surrounded by this natural and beautiful rocks and caves.
The scent is very well balanced, where you can smell the bergamot, the saltiness of the ambegris/ambroxan, sand accord and I detect some musk too.
Because of that, the versatility on this one might be short. I just see myself wearing this fragrance in casual situations, at the beach, holidays, summer parties… well, Summer, in general.
Still need to try it more to have a clear opinion about the performance, but, scent wise, 10/10.
marica – :
The only notes I can pick out individually are bergamot and ambroxan. I do get an impression of the beach on a hot sunny day though, and I like that a lot.
teebraWam – :
Really nice salty briny scent that to me, is better than Sel Marin by Heeley. It has a sharpness from the Ambroxan that gives this scent great longevity. As far as Summer scents are concerned, this one is probably on my top 5 list. I highly recommend this to anyone and I also believe that it’s “safe” enough to be a blind-buy.
9/10
6JIOHDuH – :
This is strangely came out very strong smelling to my nose. Probably because I live in a hot humid country and this could be very heavy in such weather. As such, I would like to test this in a dryer summer. I think it will be more fitting and deliciously refreshing.
USLA – :
Love this fragrance, it really makes me want to be by the sea
I’ll say this though, the liquid is actually clear. Not sure why a lot of The advertising has it in that darker colour when that’s not the actual colour of the fragrance..a bit strange
denis-sencov – :
Triple XXXtreme…ly pleasant, such a lovely, laid-back scent, wearing it now, on a fresh, sunny autumn day, taking advantage of the last vestiges of sunshine for all their worth. Sure, drydown errs on the side of ambroxan, but personally I can live with that quite happilly. Golden haze. My perfume is gently hugging me, and I don’t feel the need to call a special victims unit of the local constabulary. This scent won’t blow your mind, it will ease it.
sahsa1959 – :
The ambroxan ruins it for me!
Costarella opens quite promising. Fruity, citrussy, beachy, salty and sandy. I actually thought I discovered a new winner.
However after a short while the ambroxan predominates. It’s the tabacco-pipe type, very dominant, heavy and nagging. doesn’t fit the “airy/beachy” image that Carner Barcelona is marketing this fragrance with.
Too bad!
5/10
Edit: tried iT again. Actually I like it a lot more now. Will report again. 🙂
7/10
LOL, Today I didn”t have a good experience. The ambroxan was overwhelming, everything was sharp en unpleasant. I”ll leave it here.
5/10
toleven – :
Costarela opens with a deliciously fresh citrus zing (Italian bergamot), softened by some leathery, aromatic sweetness (saffron) and the distinctive salty, smooth, creamy note of Ambroxan. Unusual but enthralling is the combination of the bright bergamot and the sunny, warm saffron which almost feels like the sun sparkling on the sea. The Ambroxan though is not as penetrating as in some other creations where it overpowers all other notes right from the beginning.“Ambroxide, widely known by the brand name Ambroxan, is a naturally occurring terpenoid and one of the key constituents responsible for the odor of ambergris (natural grey amber). Ambroxide is synthesized from sclareol, a component of the essential oil of clary sage”. (Wikipedia)
Here it masterly supports the unique “hot sand” smell of this wonderful perfume which delivers a velvety-warm and sensual experience combined with mineral saltiness… it’s especially lovely, if you spray it on, wait a while and then head to the beach (or just go outdoors). This adds an even more authentic note from sun-warmed skin with sea salt (provided, your skin gets to see some sun ;)).
Sadly, all the other notes despite Ambroxan almost disappear on my skin after approximately 1-2 hours, so I started layering it with Creed’s “Virgin Island Water” which is THE ultimate Masterpiece summer fragrance for me and which I completely adore due to its freshness, flanked by coconut, ylang-ylang and rum (and with enormous longevity).
Layering those two adds a salty-hot-sand side note to the citrus-coconut-rum blend… and the dry-down of both together is ultimate perfection, if you prefer an outdoorsy-fresh-air-beach-wind-sun-touch to your overall impression/look, rather than being a walking bouquet of flowers (and I’m a white-flower-lover!), especially at work.
Leave the “Virgin Island Water” out and use “just” Costarela and you get an even cleaner, very office-safe perfume which you can also use in autumn or spring or to add an interesting salty-mineral twist to other perfumes as it doesn’t exactly smell like a perfume (a little similar to the Escentric Molecule perfumes…). It shows a perfect balance between salt, warmth and aquatic marine notes – while being more mineral and salty than the usual marine/aquatic theme and having no sticky suntan lotion touch at all.
Overall longevity is also good (but projection very moderate) and you always smell as fresh as if coming from a walk at the seashore.
It really evokes that unique feeling of freedom during summer holidays, where it’s only the sea, the sun and you which matters, while you are lying in the sand on the beach, dozing off, being lightly sunburned, carefree and tired from doing nothing, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. A dreamy scent of the sea. “When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused.” (Rainer Maria Rilke)
tangarmen.majl.ru – :
This is extremely complex. It comes off very very pleasing with a nice citrus note. The Amber is not femme or powdery, it’s a masculine scent. I think I’m going for a bottle, love it love love it. I have a feelin it will be the next big thing..
897100 – :
This is really good, I’d owned a few from this house that I liked but didn’t love and found each a bit too feminine for my taste but this one is so refreshing, the notes just work so well, love at first spray
Mackenzie_fromAD – :
“Costarela Carner Barcelona”
Its kind of salty marine scent , opened with nice refreshing salty vibe then gets more little bit creamier like sun lotion of maybe ginger or blood mandarin touch with the musky saltiness , and the ambroxan “an synthetic trend note this year ” with a woody cedar base .
I found “Costarela” one of the quality perfumes in this genre (salty based scents) , nice and well crafted , maybe lacks a little bit of the strength and projection , but in any way I found it solid and makes the job real good ! it likes a good day on the beach under the sun put the lotion on the body , and taking ginger& mandarin Ice cream , looking the beauty of the sea ,it has touch of life and enjoyment .
One of the best salty based scents i tried , even better than the over hyped “Sel Marin & Acqua Di Sale !
Costarela Dance
8/10 .
aleks-84 – :
As a lover of Tardes and El Born from the same house and quite different from Costarela, I had high hopes for the new Carner !
From my first little sample, yes I was slightly dissapointed.
But it’s only because it has a much lighter,, cologne like approuch.
The smell is excellent and is beautifully wrapping your skin in its sheer softness.
On me I get a lovely citrus start, musky and a tiny vibe of salt or “the beach vibe” but lacking the coconut or suntan oil feeling…wich I find great !
It is smooth, fresh , airy, breezy you name it.
Very wearable but needs to be resprayed several times during the day, but really – its lovely, so I don’t mind.
From my point of view…CARNER Barcelona has done it again !
Congrats to another success to your perfume family !
OTBETb – :
If one could capture the smell of a day sitting on the beach in Hawaii, watching surfers tackle waves as the strong winds blow through the North Pacific Ocean – this Fragrance would be the top contender. Marine scents can be tricky, sometimes evoking a cheap linear synthetic smell of ingredients put together without proper sense. Costalera on the other hand, has, as with the other perfumes in the line – a quality that defines what people search for when looking for niche. Soft, inviting yet still imposing with the amber and musk (the ambroxan holds this Fragrance together in real, clean and pure manner). Carner Barcelona released the perfect summer fragrance just in time, and it differentiate itself from the others in the line while still keeping the rich DNA that runs throughout these perfumes.
Nester-tut – :
So deliciously sandy! Warm and refreshing at the same time.
Yes, it is much lighter than other fragrances in this line, I am only hoping that future reviewers won’t dismiss it too quickly. Don’t be too harsh please, only because it doesn’t contain any incense or leather 😉
If you like beachy vibes – that is a great niche offering. Crisp, skin-like and sunny + completely unisex.
Geptpoinuetle – :
A very pleasant citrus marine fragrance: translucent, calm, little salty, well balanced, good choice for summer, white shirt..