stellamaris

A new year’s blessing! Peony, China’s national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, orchid for luxury and elegance, pomelo for luck, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat for prosperity, pussy willow for growth, King mandarin for good fortune, cypress for longevity, and peach fruit to represent the fourth phase of Wu Xing. This year’s Lunar New Year blend also has an extra dollop of wild orange and flaming red dragon’s blood give you fortitude and strength, and, of course, to assist in scaring away the rampaging Nian. I am so happy I pulled the trigger on this little monkey with my Luper order. Wow this is so amazing, and very powerful. It goes through so many phases and is so long lasting, and every phase is so colorful and lovely. On my husband the wet was very citrusy, with seemingly the tangerine being right out front, and the dry down turned immediately into orchid! I love this, still exploring it. At the very end I smell the pine resin.

Hellboy. All the Dawns. Lyonesse. Twenty One. Avenger.

I have to say the one that I am hoping makes a reappearance is from the Carnival, Stormclouds Over the Midway. To me that was an amazing evocation of a rainstorm in the summer.

Having adored the original, I was eager to try this one and it does not disappoint. Easily as beautiful as the original. I don't get a strong cinnamon note, and the smokey aspect is very nicely blended with the other things. This is a darker heavier scent, absolutely a must have for me.

This is beautiful, and the patchouli is very wearable. I like it just as well as the original, and the bottle art is glorious.

Wow. I never reviewed this? This is my husbands favorite BPAL outside of Hellboy. He tends to go for flowery things, and he amps the heck out of whatever jasmine is in here. I see the Wood of Jasmine, maybe that's it. Whatever it is, it's beautiful on him. I have never worn it myself, but it's his nightime go to, and it's lovely, very sweet flowery and musky. Also I might note my husband does love him some jasmine and mostly wears more feminine leaning things, but this does not make him smell effeminate. Not that it would be a bad thing for someone else, but he's sort of a hulking very butch guy, but this works on him absolutely. Making an order for my sixth bottle of this...better buy two...

All Third Charm is good Third Charm. For me this is one of the all time best BPALs, right up there with Sentimental Journey for red musk sexiness. Rich and lovely, intense. I love Snake Oil, don't get me wrong, but for me Third Charm is a bit more rich and deep, more like Scheherazade in it's composition if that makes any sense, whereas Snake Oil is a bit more forthright. Also Third Charm is less vanilla sweet on me, more fruity red musk. I am a huge fan of Beth's honey notes, but I don't smell it here, in either version but that might just be me. Not a good PTA meeting scent, unless it's the Harper Valley PTA, but I digress.

This is actually quite strong. I had to have it due to label art and name, please, had to. The rose is the old fashioned dried rose thing, not a fresh rose, but the iris is a bit of a stronger presence to me. Overall a pleasant inoffensive thing, true rose lovers should explore it. I often crave that old timey rose thing, horrifyingly called "old lady" by some. You know I had to pop in to amend this review just a bit, to say how much I am loving this one. It's really full and beautiful, not as innocuous as I first thought. Definitely a statement, and one that I am liking, old fashioned but not tired.

This is a lot like My Mommy in a Boat, which is a good thing. It is aquatic but has a grounding sweetness to it on me. note though, I tend to turn things sweet, your mileage may vary.

You know, the 2012 one was so light on me, I thought, but my husband seems to love it so I am going to get this years too. To me it's very well blended and almost herbal, but my nose is maybe off.

I love this one. It's a perfect neutral Dead Leaves HG that I can wear with my BPAL Dead Leaves things.

Attention fans of Sugar Skull and Lemon Scented Sticky Bats. Buy this right away. It's glorious, with that same delicious lemon from those two. The pumpkin stuff gives it great backbone, this is no wispy lemon scent. Gorgeous. Fresh. Winning.

Lately I have worn the heck out of : Third Charm Dead Leaves and Whatever Feeding the Dead Bruised Violet

Bittersweet: the scent of forgetfulness, peace, and oblivion. Like asphodel petals on moonlit water. I hate to be the first review of this, but this is just Blergh for me. What ever asphodel is keep it away from me and my home. It is super strong and nasty. It reminds me of a giant white flower super anti hero with a really bad weight to lycra ratio who pounces out at me from the shadows and beats me with a ginormous white plastic flower. yeeech.

Anesthesia for the win! It's the most amazing cooling mint and lavender. I absolutely have to have at least one and a backup at all times.

The spirits concur: misty bourbon vanilla and lemon sugar. I was so excited that the goblins picked this one for me! The lemon is super juicy, the whole of it is nice and light. Yes, being always the right answer... I thought it would remind me of Lemon Scented Sticky Bat, but it's fresher and juicier, less candy like.

Strangely does not remind me of Boo, but is just glorious and last s for ten hours or more. So very winning

Honey absolute, honey myrtle, and white frankincense. I dies. This couldn't have been any more perfect for me, beautiful honey and frankincense. This one is not too strong in scent, good for layering with just about anything, resins, foody stuff, flowers... This is The Perfect Blender. Also the formula is a nice light spray, so I can reapply even on dry hair, and I don't look like a cow licked me.

Ivory Vulva has a creamy coconut note to me.

Fae. Fairy Bites. Leanan Sidhe. and also Fae. Fae for the win...

Here's one Elmwood Cemetery. It is very lush, sharp green. Beautiful and evocative, all green to me no dirt. The most greenhouse, or florist shop to me is Dawn, Mourning Victory, which does not smell like a typical floral to me, but more like that smell you get when you open a florist's fridge. To me, that could be greenhouse.

Joyleaf Tombeur is still available on the Lab's site I believe. IMO it is a stellar BPAL blend, truly one of the best.

Blood Rose, Dawn Mother, Sherezade,Tombeur, Anactoria. Just off the top of my head.

Purple-stemmed raspberries, twining grape vines, Spanish moss, and dusty pale woods. Well I never reviewed this, but as I am about to finish my bottle, I have to chime in to say how much I loved this one. The berry note for me is very strong, and the old house vibe is also. So sad to see it go.

Jeez if I had known that I would have snagged some!