Celeste

[Stephanielynn]

Madagascan vanilla bean, vanilla orchid, orris root, and saffron.

Wet and dry on my skin, Celeste is the vanilla from Antique Lace (without the floral/linen aspect) covered in powdered sugar.

[Dharklady]

Celeste is a light blend. Definitely a mature vanilla and not particularly sweet though there is no question it’s vanilla. The floral and saffron make it complex and add depth while the orris adds a dryness that comes out as it warms up. The orchid becomes a touch more pronounced as it warms up as well. This is a gorgeous blend and very feminine.

[calivianya]

Celeste goes onto my skin smelling just like pure vanilla cotton candy! When drying down, a little bit of floral makes its presence known and I really start to smell the saffron. Celeste is absolutely beautiful, but I'm not sure if I'm going to need any more than my decant.

[Iceblink]

Oh, this is good. I get all of the comparisons to waffle cones and cotton candy--the vanilla in Celeste is just delicious! There's a delicate floral quality to it as well from the orchid and orris. It's sweet but not tooth-achingly so, and very feminine and girly. I'm not getting a lot of saffron from this (and I *did* pick up a lot of saffron from, say, Love's Philosophy--this doesn't really remind me of that blend except for the fact that they've both got vanilla in them). Very pretty and I think this'll be a bottle for sure.

[mxtine]

Bottle: Boozy saffron

Wet: Sweet vanilla, orchid, and something horribly sharp. I can see from other reviews it wasn't just me that noticed this. I couldn't tell what it is, but rubbing alcohol sounds about right. This phase lasts for 5 or so minutes before it starts to fade.

Dry: Sugary, warm, musky vanilla. The final result is a lovely blue cotton-candy perfume, VERY much like Aquolina Pink Sugar.

 

Celeste is a stunner for me once the sharpness wears off. I was reminded of Underpants a few times but they are nothing alike other than the fact that they share the same saffron note. I didn't smell the orris, which is a good thing because I don't think I like it. It has great throw and lasted through a 5 mile run today.

 

I definitely want a backup bottle.

 

ETA. Now that I've properly tested XCDL13, I can say that Celeste is very similar. The big difference is the weird chemical note and the intense sweetness, but it has the same vanilla.

Edited April 24, 2011 by mxtine

[Cheri]

I love Celeste. For those who are missing Antique Lace, you have to get this. It's definitely the vanilla from AL. It's a warm, comforting scent. It lasts forever with only a tiny drop. I can smell a touch of the saffron while it's wet, but the drydown is all vanilla. Just yummy!

Edited March 31, 2011 by Cheri

[Ondine]

Weirdly waffling between good and not so good on me. This smells like a sweetish vanilla type perfume sprayed on a slightly hot leather seat. I'm getting that chemical edge (which reads as leather on me) but there's still something hovering above it that's pretty. I absolutely can't do leather notes though and what's seeping through is making this not work for me.

 

Edit: I received a bottle that is nothing like the tester I had which was heavy on the leather. This bottle is sweet and vanilla with an edge (saffron?) Much much better!

Edited August 16, 2011 by Ondine

[zankoku_zen]

Celeste to me smells like a better version of Morocco, which probably explains the popularity. Pretty vanilla and a good bit of saffron, which to me smells like the exotic spices in Morocco. But yes, a more vanilla Morocco.

 

Tasty. Esp. if you like/love Morocco.

[wl552]

Waaaaay back in the day, when I first got into bpal, my first purchase from another bpaler (I forget now who it was) frimped me a sniffie of AL. Not knowing any better, I sniffed it, didn't care for it too much, then passed it on with my first sale. That was quite a long while back. My scent memory, though, remembers... or thinks it remembers... how it smelled.

 

Celeste smells almost just like it only without the weird tang I got from AL that put me off it. It's very pretty, though unlike the early reviews of cotton candy, it's smells to me like a heavily vanilla saturated piece of cotton. I usually can't do "linen"s and such, but there is something fresh beneath the not overly sweet vanilla. When I first tested it yesterday, I was underwhelmed, but as time passed and again for today's full wear, I'm enjoying the comfort and ease of this oil.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Vanilla bean! It isn't as foodie as I expected. It's musky and almost golden. Less like bakery vanilla and more like the crisp flavor of fresh vanilla ice cream. I totally second the "waffle cone" description.

 

Wet: Still vanilla. Just the right amount of sweet - not quite cotton candy for me, but a gentle sweetness, with a hint of spice and butter.

 

Dry: Definitely musky, soft vanilla and touch of florals. Very pretty!

[Antoinette]

Whoa, I've fallen hard for Celeste. This was love at first sniff.

 

Reviews had me worried in terms of references to a muskiness, so I got a decant first and have skin tested with it liberally. Thankfully, I'm not getting musk. I do detect something soft and fuzzy, the way musks come across to me sometimes, but whatever it is, it's beautiful here. Basically, this is predominantly vanilla and it's stunning.

 

First impression: This reminds me a lot of the vanilla in XCDL13 and it's instantaneous love.

 

Wet to dry: This does not morph on me. It's the delicious vanilla that I love with vanilla orchid making it so pretty and feminine. The orris lends a softness (love orris) and the saffron really isn't that detectable.

 

Seriously, Celeste just shot up to being an all time fave. I ordered two bottles right away. Celeste, I love you.

[SophieCedar]

So, I've read the reviews, had some of the unfavorable experiences at varying times, and still I come to the decision that this is the vanilla I was waiting for.

 

Wet: this phase can vary wildly depending on the time of day, environmental smells, no longer detecable scent still lingering on my skin mixing, excess coffee, etc etc etc. Sometimes it's brilliant warm vanilla and saffron with sweet soft orris and orchid. Other times it smelled like vanilla vodka (this happened at work..yes the place you rrrreallly don't want it to happen), vanilla plastic (if it was applied cold), or vanilla soaked tires (accidental layering or I had too much coffee that's oozing out my pores).

 

Drydown: even though the wet phase is always different, it consistently comes to the same wonderful conclusion.. warm vanilla bean and orchid with fire-stoking saffron. It absolutely glows. The throw is amazing and easily identifiable, but fortunately, (and this is the reason I started getting heavily into bpal) separates itself from all the musky, weird, chemical, girly, vomit-inducing, beguiling vanilla perfumes on the market. A true go-to scent.

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Saffron and orris, some vanilla bean.

Wet on skin: Dry orris, some spice from the saffron and vanilla.

Dry on skin: It takes a bit of time, but Celeste dried to a warm slightly foody vanilla, a hint of saffron and orris on my skin. Very pleasant!

Final thoughts: A beautiful warm, slightly spicy vanilla scent! Much less cotton candy vanilla than the prototype, I find that the released version of Celeste more pleasant to my nose, because of its slightly spicier nature and drier aspect. It has moderate throw and lasts a while before needing another application. Also, don't be put off by the first sniff, the drydown is completely worth it. I have a backup already, but I fear it won't be enough!

Try if you like: Clockwork Couture: Female, Snake Oil, King Cobra, Antique Lace, Black Lace, Red Lace, Liz

[iiinterstate]

I can see where some people might get cotton candy musk from this, but for me Celeste is much less foody. To me, this smells like Antique Lace with saffron instead of linen. To be honest, I don't love it.

 

After about 20 minutes, it's a lot more of the vanilla musk that I was hoping for, but very very light. I like it, but I hope the vanilla strengthens with age.

 

 

Edit: Okay, it's been an hour, and I am liking Celeste a lot more. The floral-ness has burned off, and it's way more musky and delicious. There is potential for gloriousness here.

Edited April 9, 2011 by iiinterstate

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I'm going to admit something here; I *loved* Vanilla Fields when it first came out. Celeste smells like a much more sophisticated, complex and grown up version of Vanilla Fields. Instant love and I shall be buying a bottle.

[karihan]

In bottle: Strong, slightly dry vanilla with a little edge from the saffron.

 

On wet: Yes, this does call to mind both Antique Lace and Love's Philosophy, but the vanilla orchid gives it a white floral tinge that makes this it's own scent. The saffron gives this a bit of spark that keeps it from being cloying.

 

Drydown: Still very vanilla, but now the orris comes out more. I'm pretty sure that's what's turning the scent a little powdery. Not drastically though.

 

Conclusion: I'm still a little on the fence about Celeste. Very pretty scent overall, and I do like having the Antique Lace vanilla without the cotton/linen/fabric kind of note that always amps on me. I like the combination of sweetness and elegance with a subtle hint of sexiness, but that orris powder note at the end keeps me from falling for Celeste wholeheartedly. Of course she could be suffering from comparison with Kitty on my other wrist, over which I am , so I'll let her settle for a while and give her another try later.

[Gin]

I get mostly vanilla orchid from Celeste. I can see where the vanilla cotton candy/cotton candy musk impression comes from. I think it almost smells boozy.... and I like that.

[Wench457]

This is heartbreak on me. I adore Antique Lace, and anything vanilla really. This should have been perfection. I was relieved to hear that others have had the same experience I have, because I thought I must have been nuts. All I get from this is new tires, with just the very slightest hint of vanilla in the background.

 

I weep.

 

ETA: And, several hours later, the vanilla has shown up to the party. And yes, it is the vanilla from my beloved Antique Lace. And yes, the new tires are still lurking in the background.

 

:sob:

Edited April 19, 2011 by Wench457

[Blood onmy hands]

I ordered a bottle of Celeste from the Post when the collection first went live and then a second bottle right before it went down. The two bottles smell nothing alike (as is all too common lately). The first smells like golden, crumbly, dried flakes of shimmery honey and sugar. Very much a sexy honey dusting powder type of scent. The oil color is a light yellow and the second bottle has clear oil. The second bottle is like a dry, clean, sharp musk, actual baby powder, and maybe floral honey (but barely any honey and mostly just clean floral). Ridiculous. These 'varations' happen so often and it really makes me feel like I'm being ripped off. You shouldn't be able to buy a bottle or sample of something and then order a second bottle and have it be completely different. If you can't consistently produce a single scent, then you need to just discontinue it or not sell it in the first place...

Edited June 11, 2013 by Little Bird

[diamondstars]

ANTIQUE LACE!! I thought I'd never get the chance to wear anything so similar again but Celeste is almost identical to me.

 

I need 100,000,001 back-ups of this one!!

 

GORGEOUS!

[yeahbutnobut]

Celeste

 

In the imp: slightly boozy vanilla with a bitter saffron note. The vanilla is awesome though.

Wet on skin: whoa. The saffron here is strong and almost chemical/alcoholic, but there’s a glorious vanilla underneath.

Dry on skin: nooo, plastic! I am sad. This develops a scent of PVC! It’s like vanilla sugar and PVC and polished shoes. I really hope this scent dies because the vanilla sugar I smell here is so nice. It’s like the vanilla amber sugar in CC Female, I agree, maybe also like XCDL13. But that PVC smell is really annoying. I’m not sure if it’s the floral part of the orchid or if it’s the saffron.

After a while: so the PVC note is receding a little, and turning into saffron. It’s fierce saffron though, with a scent of polished leather to it. It’s not subtle like the one in Underpants, but it isn’t medicinal wintergreen like Love’s Philosophy either. The vanilla on the other hand is magnificent. A little sweeter and fluffier than the one in Elf v4 or Underpants, this is vanilla sugar blended with a very feminine, slightly floral vanilla musk. It’s a very pink vanilla.

Eventually (I think it takes an hour or a little less) the PVC is totally gone! What I’m left with is the most glorious pink vanilla sugar scent. It’s a bit like candyfloss and ice cream but there’s a sophistication to it as well.

Verdict: I wasn’t sure about this in the decant, but the bottle I ordered is so much nicer! Not as PVC-scented and with a lot more vanilla. And I love this vanilla so much! After the biting saffron note fades away, clouds of fluffy vanilla (which if they were visible, would be pink) waft around me. Celeste is fittingly named because this is heavenly vanilla. I love how much throw the vanilla has, and how long it lasts on me. It’s a vanilla note that’s like a cross between vanilla sugar and candyfloss. I tend to find that Madagascar vanilla has a sweeter, more sugary, slightly cake-ish scent to it whereas Bourbon vanilla is deeper, darker and sometimes a little smoky. This vanilla is definitely the sweet fluffy variety that at times has a hint of cake (just cake, no icing/frosting/filling) to it, however at times the orris adds a hint of something almost musky and the orchid gives it a sophisticated floral aspect. This scent is really growing on me and I can’t wait to see how the vanilla develops as it ages. A must for all vanilla-philes.

Is it a keeper? Yes. I may even get a backup in case the vanilla ages amazingly.

If you like this, try: Clockwork Couture Female, Love’s Philosophy, Morocco, Signior Dildo, Staged Moon Landing, Lyonesse, Underpants

Edited April 21, 2011 by yeahbutnobut

[pinkgyrl]

I get a lot of sweetiness and creaminess upon initial application - it's almost seems like a french vanilla on my skin versus madagascar vanilla. It's a very light and airy scent and just breathtakingly gorgeous. It's not a floral scent on my skin at all - and the orchid just adds depth and sweetness to the vanilla. I thought maybe that I smelled sandalwood (some type of warm note grounding the sweetness) - but it's most likely the saffron. I thought of Clockwork Couture: Female the moment that I smelled it blossoming on my skin - so if you are a fan of that scent, you should definitely give Celeste a spin.

 

This makes me think of fairies for some reason - like they are dancing across my skin - it's a very playful vanilla scent. I'm going to need a bottle or 3 (hehe)

Edited April 22, 2011 by GirlinDenial

[milo]

Wet, very faint vanilla and saffron. As it dries, the vanilla sweetens and strengthens and we're left with spun-sugar vanilla with a touch of saffron, very similar to the bath salts. I find that this is sweeter than the salts, though, and the salts are more 'sultry'. I definitely see the comparisons with Antique Lace, though this is less floral and Underpants, which Celeste is sweeter. I was hoping that the perfume would be like the salts, very similar just a bit sweeter, and the salts have a more musky quality, which I wish the perfume had. I'll defininitely have to use less next time, and not slather, very deceiving as I could hardly smell it out of the bottle, so I slathered. This is back-up worthy to me, but a little goes a lot on me, and not sure I need it.

eta: Just decided that this is just too sweet for me. I will keep the bottle, however and see if the sweetness mellows with some age, and when I'm craving the scent of vanilla cotton candy.

Edited April 24, 2011 by milo

[birthdaycake]

In the bottle Celeste smells very heavy and cloying. It reminds me some kind of Emirati perfume (random??) although I'm guessing it's the saffron that's lending it the Arabic/incense-y feel. My flatmate and I both had to scrub it off as it was stinking up the room.

 

It mellows into quite a pleasant vanilla but the dry-down is faint and I don't know if it's worth the initial stage. Will keep and see.

[Voleuse]

This is pretty, but relatively faint. The vanilla is lightly sweet, but not intense, with a fuzzy halo of something a bit musky. (I'm bad at recognizing orris and saffron--it could be one of those.) That said, this stays remarkably true to the first impression--there's very little morphing on me, and it doesn't fade for quite a while.