Stardust

[silver_dollar]

... This scent reflects the futurism, self-indulgence and excess of the Glitter 70’s: champagne, hyacinth, tuberose, ylang ylang and flashing white musk with jonquil, tobacco flower, white sandalwood and a pale poppy.

Oh, nice. It's a very, very "white", sparkly sort of scent. I didn't notice the hairspray smell til after I read the comments here, but there's also a fruity champagne and tobacco flower. It's perfumey in a chemical sort of way, but I'm not complaining. It smells really high-end. When it's dry, there's a slightly powdery white floral that doesn't overpower the other notes. It lasts forever, too, which is a small miracle as my skin usually eats up BPAL. So yeah, I love it.

ETA Lab description. Edited November 23, 2007 by Shollin

[supremegoddessofall]

This is really delicate but very pretty! I get the same sandalwood/floral balance that I got from Sleepy Moon, but...different somehow.

 

ADDED Oct. 28:

 

In bottle: Champagne and white musk.

 

On me: Soft pretty florals with a light musk. I am not very good at picking out the individual florals, but I *think* I'm mostly getting ylang ylang and jonquil. Little bit of sandalwood in the background, too.

[Iceblink]

So perfectly named. If drinking champagne is drinking stars, then wearing Stardust is wearing them. It really does smell sparkly and effervescent. I get the hairspray note when first applying it, then it dries down to prominent white musk with flowers. It's the best party you've ever been to, but with a hint of the morning after to come.

[maijasu]

Hmmm...I'm not getting the hairspray vibe that others have mentioned. To me, this is a very expensive-smelling, sophisticated, smoky floral. It feels like a scent to save for special occasions. It's definitely not the type of scent I usually wear, but it's very well done and very sexy.

[zankoku_zen]

Out of all the Yule scents last year, I have to say that Stardust had the singular most appealing description I have read. I was very tempted to buy a bottle, unsniffed but alas, Peruvian postal workers are not very work/ethically inclined.

 

Finally managed to snag an half-imp.

 

For me, this scent was a really sophisticated floral. When I hit the board to see the notes, I realized that I was smelling Charlie.

 

It still smells like Charlie, six hours later. I put this on at 10 at night, managed a whiff when I woke up at 3 AM... and now it's 10 AM and I can still get faint whiffs of it. So, throw wise, this gives Tempest a run for its money (except, Tempest just explodes on my skin).

 

Verdict: This is one of the most perfumey blends of BPAL I have tried. Since it smells of Charlie, it's strangely reminiscent to adolescence but it has a mature and sophisticated edge that Charlie never did. I'm going to enjoy the imp but I'm not sure I love the scent enough to get a bottle.

[Alchemy21599]

*queue KC and the Sunshine Band*

 

In the imp: I smell Jovan's White Musk.

 

Wet: this smells like quite the party! Musk, sweet opium poppy and tobacco.

 

Dry: musk, champagne and a hint of sweet smokiness. Quite different than the '05 version IMHO.

[Emma2403]

I was really in love with stardust 05, so I had to try the 06 version as well. Let's see.

 

In the bottle: champagne and musk and tons of bubbles and stars. I swear I can smell them. It's as beautiful as last year's.

 

On my skin: it doesn't morph very much. Musk and champagne mostly, with very white flowers hidden behind. It's so festive and also full of nostalgia, like evoking a time of insouciance I've never happened to experience myself.

 

After a couple of hours: it stays very loyal. Lovely white musk, with a bit of a smokey atmosphere. Still some champagne and flowers.

 

Verdict: I wish I could bathe in Stardust! I didn't notice any significant difference with last year's version.

[PilotKitten]

Oooh... really HEAVY on the ylang ylang here! This one is a heavy white floral on me... and after the drydown it turns to straight-up soap. Not even cheap hotel-brand soap... just soap... not even worthy of the name Hilton (and that may be saying something ).

[jenleigh]

I'm looking at the note description for this and going "It has tobacco in it? I'd never have known that!"

 

And it's true - I never would have from smelling it. What I get is a lovely blend of the tuberose, ylang-ylang, and something "fizzy", that must be the champagne. This is the one true winner of this year's Yules for me, and I need a bottle before it goes bai-bai.

[cinderfallen]

Stardust is definitely not for me. I get the worst of both worlds--the effervescence of the more sparkly notes are competing with the base notes and it ends up smelling like a murky, rotting combination of flower, champagne bubbles and spicier sandalwood.

[NanookPurple]

(Cross posted on the Lush forum's BPAL thread:)

 

Wet: So far it kicks Champagne Snow Showers' ass. It's completely unrefined, it's rakish and irresponsible. It's boozy in a light, frothy way, not like bourbon. The hyacinth is prominent and sharp...you know what? This totally smells the way a hyacinth-vodka infusion would smell. If anyone would attempt such a thing.

 

Dry at five minutes: The decidedly alcoholic nature of it has wafted away. Which is too bad, because I really liked that stage of the scent. It make me want to dance. Or drink. Or both. Now it's pure hyacinth, and I'm getting that sexy ylang ylang as well. I swear there is no tuberose in this scent. Right now it's a lovely youthful floral, kinda sassy. If I were a pop tartlet starting my own fragrance line, I would sell these in sparkly bottles with my name all over it. Maybe I'd change my name to Kellie-with-a-cute-"ie" and dot the "i" with a heart.

 

Dry at ten minutes: Ok, we have a fader on our hands. And it's such a shame because I felt like this scent was about to get interesting (ok, I was just dying to smell the tobacco flower.) I like it. I just wish I could smell it better to tell you why I like it.

 

Conclusion: Definitely needs to be slathered. And worn while drunk and dancing. I think that a few drinks and some alcohol-infused sweat could bring out wonderful things in this little potion.

Edited December 12, 2006 by NanookPurple

[theseagrows]

i loved stardust 05, and still have a fairly full bottle, so i got in a decant circle and snagged an imp of 06 before committing to a bottle. good thing i did too, because i like 05 much better than the current one. on my skin, 06 seems to be heavier on the poppy on ylang ylang, notes that i don't really like, whereas 05 was heavier on the champagne, musk and tuberose. 05 was sparkly and 06 is more powdery and dry, at least on my skin.

Edited December 14, 2006 by theseagrows

[talula_fairie]

This, on me, is floral hell. It's sharp, nausiating, incredibly strong (definitely a long laster!) and just....awful. My husband said it smells like cheap drugstore perfume. I'd have to agree.

 

I can tell though, that with someone else's chemistry it would be magnificent. Sadly, I can't wear most florals, this being no exception.

 

ETA: This was Stardust '05. if that makes a difference.

Edited December 15, 2006 by talula_fairie

[emzebel]

2005 Version - A sweet powdery musk with florals, but they are not overwhelming. This is definitely a party blend.

 

Comparing this with 2006 - after aging a year, the alcohol comes out more in this - I think that new, these smell very similar, but there is more of an alcoholic haze in my year old decant than I get from the musky floral breathy smoke of the new bottle.

 

I think that after slathering this on NYE, I shall cellar this for a few months, and see what time makes of Ms. Stardust...

[myoubi]

I can't believe I've never reviewed this blend!

 

I have three bottles of Stardust. While I've reason to think that's overkill -- I really don't slather, and this certainly isn't one to reach for every day -- I just wanted to be sure I never ran out. Besides, sometimes it's fun to wear dressy things out in the day. Wearing Stardust in the day time is kind of like wearing opera pearls to lunch

 

On me, stardust 05 smells firstly of hairspray, but not unpleasantly. As soon as that dissipates, I get a white floral overlaid with fizzy sparkly champagne -- a cold, clear white scent that's just a little bit dirty. To me it's very jaded and devil-may-care and makes me feel awfully glamorous. The drydown is muskmuskmusk, which is the only thing I dislike about it; after 8 hours, I'd like it if the remaining scent had at least a little mroe complexity. Still, given that most of the time I'd be wearing it would be for 4-6 hour parties in the evening, that's not really a problem!

 

Stardust is gorgeous, and hugely underrated. I'm really sad so few people seem to adore it...

[Koumori]

Stardust.. wasn't quite what I was expecting. I didn't get any kind of hard edge or sense from it at all; as soon as it dried on me, it was a sweet powdery floral not too far removed from Endymion or any number of other sweet powdery florals. It's nice enough, but there's nothing decadent about it.

 

ETA: This was Stardust 06.

Edited December 27, 2006 by Koumori

[Eemia]

This is for Stardust 2006....

 

It starts out almost metallic and sharp on my skin, like the chamicals in nail polish remover or hairspray. I didn't mind it though; it was interesting and surprising because of the deepness and softness floating in the background.

 

After a few minutes that edge faded into something like a strong floral perfume with a lot of musk. Happily, I can detect the ylang ylang, which I adore! It is really beautiful in this.

 

I wish I could describe this better! But....There is a really nice sparkling quality above all the deepness and heaviness of the perfume. This is a very different fragrance from those I usually like to wear but it smells fantastic on me and I am hording mine because I only bought one bottle.

[storme]

In the imp: tobacco and hairspray and bright sparkly florals.

 

On me, wet: hairspray and booze and a stale, cold old-smoke-and-perfume feel. Bleah.

 

On me, dry: This feels like the morning after, when the extent of the party debris is revealed and with a hangover pounding in your head. Ecch.

 

Verdict: No, really, I don't think this is one I'll be wearing in future.

[edenssixthday]

Stardust - I had an unpleasant reaction to Stardust 2006, and since I loved Stardust 2005, I figured I’d better try them side-by-side so I could compare. First off, Stardust 2006 is a dark oil with a strong green tinge. Stardust 2005 is much more golden. Stardust 2005 is much stronger on the tobacco and Stardust 2006 is much stronger on the uh… well, the more negative aspects of a big night of parties, meaning, I distinctly smell … dare I say it? Um… I smell… vomit. That’s what I recoiled from the first time I tried the 2006 version. On my skin, something in this blend turns to vomit. Just slightly – like someone vomited and the cleaned it up, but you can still catch whiffs of it. Ick. I adore my Stardust 2005, but have a strong need to get all the Stardust 2006 out of my life. Sadly, my decant group didn’t fill up for this scent, so I’m stuck with quite a full load of Stardust 2006. Maybe it’ll age nicely and smell better in a year.

[keltic]

this was another scent that upon reading the description, i was desperate to try. but alas, for me it falls victim of the “too many notes” syndrome. i can’t pick out any single note, or even any type of note in particular. it’s just a harsh “wow, that smells like perfume” and too much so type of experience.

[LadyMedb]

Some of the more high-end perfumes I like are appealing to me because they smell mysterious and sophisticated. Well, here is a fabulous BPAL example of this - it's all gorgeous opium, flowers, and alcoholic fruit, but not in a cluttered old-lady way. It speaks of feminine mystery and just a little bit of excess. It's not what one would normally expect from BPAL (although reminiscent, with the poppy and pale flowers, of another of my favourites, Euterpe), but overall it's worth keeping for those days when just one isn't enough, and you'll take the whole lot, dammit! I like Stardust a great deal, and it likes my skin, too!!

Edited January 14, 2007 by LadyMedb

[yeahbutnobut]

Stardust 06

 

In the imp: yup, hairspray, just like last year.

Wet on skin: now the flowers start to come out and the hairspray scent diminishes.

Dry on skin: it's almost identical to last year's, when it was fresh. This has now turned to that 'retro perfume' of powdery white musk and soft floral notes of hyacinth, tuberose, hints of ylang and dry sandalwood, with hints of smoky poppy and tobacco flower and a splash of bubbly. It's just like what the 05 version was when I first tried it (now the smoky notes are more dominant).

After a while: like the 05 version, the florals merge and the drydown is much smokier and drier, with the tobacco flower and poppy taking the lead, with a background of white musk and sandalwood and just the barest hint of crisp champagne.

After a couple of hours it's predominantly opium poppy and hyacinth with hints of tobacco flower and musk.

Verdict: this version of Stardust is identical to last year's. Although the 05 version has aged a bit and now the poppy and tobacco notes are stronger, giving a more opium-like scent, this version smells like what the 05 version was like when it was fresh. Starting off with hairspray which thankfully morphs into that distinctive perfume of powdery flashy white musk and champagne, with sharp heady blooms of ylang and tuberose with tobacco and poppy, with a hazy, smoky drydown of tobacco flower and opium and perfume wafting in the air and lingering on skin. It's the smell of a party, but much nicer-the booze and smoke scents are much more sophisticated than they'd be in reality (and that's a good thing). It is the scent of New Year's Eve, of hairspray and glam rock, 70s perfume, smoke, drugs and rock and roll, and I love it. However, since it is pretty much the same thing as Stardust 05 (I think it's a little more poppy and hyacinth than 05 but still…), which I have ample amounts of, I don't need a bottle.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Maybe the decant, but I already have two bottles of 05 and I'm fine with just two bottles.

If you like this, try: Languor, Vechernyaya, Bon Vivant, Euterpe, Opium Poppy

[Tess]

This could go well or badly. I love booze and white musk, but there sure are alot of florals mixed in here.

 

In the bottle - A powdery floral (tuberose) with a sparkling musk under it when I breath very deeply.

 

Wet - Super powdery and floral and light.

 

Drying - This is staying very true to the bottle. Nothing has changed at all. It still has that powdered tuberose scent with a slight hint of musk and champagne underneath.

 

Dry (2 hours) - This has dried to a generic sweet white musk. Lovely, but not terribly interesting.

 

Overall - It just didn't work out for me, sadly. It wasn't as swanky and boozy as I had hoped. Stupid body chemistry.

[Bangles]

This is the 06 version.

 

I fell in love with this in the bottle - which is unusual; most oils in the bottle just smell boozy or medicinal to me no matter what they are. But this one gave me a light, nostalgic impression.

 

On my skin, I have a hard time picking out individual notes: it smells almost exactly like a hair salon. Not in an unpleasant way; it's light and sweet and slightly floral (though florals usually go to soap on me and this one doesn't). At the same time, I can see this being worn to a nice party - by someone else. Although it's pleasant, it's not really my style.

[lapillus]

It seemed appropriate to test this on the day the Stardust Casino was imploded

 

 

In bottle: the oil is dark mossy green! Sweet green herbal/floral

 

Wet: much as in the bottle but with a pleasantly tart edge

 

Dry: Stays nice and clean and tart and green/floral.

 

Later: stays amazingly well for such a green, light scent. I love the dry down and it’s still there 12 hours later.

 

Summary: Oh dear, another LE I want a bottle of! Very much my sort of scent.