Thousands of Lights

[naeelah]

Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when–the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire.

Indian ambrette seed, beeswax, champaca flower, saffron, Italian bergamot, frankincense, oak bark, and vanilla orchid.

Perhaps bizarrely, I'm on a bark rampage lately. Every scent with bark makes me think NEED. I really enjoy the peculiar woody quality barks impart. Add in beeswax, ambrette, and champaca, and HECK YEAH.

This scent is very light on my skin. It seems to absorb very quickly, so after a couple of hours, it's very much a skin scent with little to no sillage.

Wet, it's a bright, warm, citrusy beeswax scent. Definitely has a Christmasy vibe, but it's light enough (not heavy and wintery) that I think it's appropriate for all seasons. As it dries, the beeswax becomes more overwhelmed by the ambrette and other notes. It's present, but instead of being noticeably honeyed, it's balanced by the dryness and sharpenss of the saffron, frankincense, etc. In this stage, I can smell the vanilla orchid most clearly. It's more floral than vanilla, here. Not foody. Saffron often has a sharp, wintergreen-like quality on my skin, but I get little of that here. I detect a hint of sharpness, but it's subtle and well balanced by the warmth of the other notes.

I can't really pick out the champaca. If I look for flowers, I realize they're here, but this scent does not strike me as a floral blend. Nor is this scent particularly resinous, either. I might describe it glibly as "a slightly bitter ambrette." The bergamot evaporates rather quickly, so while the scent retains its bright, warm edge, it isn't strikingly citrusy after 30 minutes or so.

As it continues to wear, the sharpness recedes and it becomes warmer and softer. I'd summarize this blend is a gentle amber incense, rounded by soft wax and brightened by a hint of citrus. Overall, a very light, cheery blend.


I'll compare it to blends that I think are a bit similar:
Leo '07 - if you like Leo, you might like this. Both have an interesting balance of amber, bark, and resins.
Light of Mens' Lives - this one might be most similar, only smokier and without the citrus.
Hanerot Halalu - Hanerot Halalu is smokier and much stronger on the beeswax. In Thousands of Lights, the wax is a soft base.
Hand of Glory - Hand of Glory is darker, spicier, with a much more pronounced smoky bark.
Midnight Mass - quite similar in overall tone, that of a bright, golden incense.
Jacob's Ladder - Thousands of Lights lacks the cola vibe that Jacob's Ladder can have. It doesn't feel fizzy to me. Otherwise, it's similar in being a lightly citrusy, warm incense. I think it's softer and less overtly incense-like than Jacob's Ladder. Edited April 12, 2012 by naeelah

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Sweet, woody incense.

Wet: Beeswax and frankincense with a citrussy edge. Surprisingly cologney.

Dry: Sweet, spiced incense. Very christmassy. Merely 'ok' on me, but I could imagine it working well on a bloke.

[megank4]

I'm surprised at myself for not jumping on this when it was released, as i love beeswax/ candle scents like Lights of mens' lives and candles moon. Anyway, i really like it, but it isn't as strong of a beeswax smell as those, more of a smokier scent.

[JTobias]

The beeswax is gorgeous but is overpowered (on me) by the frank. It is quite reminiscent of a chapel alight with candles; creates amazing ambiance.

[Lucchesa]

The beeswax is gorgeous but is overpowered (on me) by the frank. It is quite reminiscent of a chapel alight with candles; creates amazing ambiance.

 

Umm, yes! I am a total sucker for anything candle-themed. It is perhaps my very favorite BPAL subcategory. So I group Thousands of Lights together with The Lights of Men's Lives, Flickering Lantern, Chanukkiyah, Hanerot Halalu and The Writing on the Slate, each beautiful, each unique but sharing that ability to, as JTobias says, create amazing ambiance and conjure up the beautiful glow of candles.

 

Champaca can be a deal-breaker for me. It stays in line here, does not go weird and amp on me. I love bergamot but do not get recognizable amounts of it here either. In fact, it is hard for me to differentiate most of the notes in this blend because the evocative effects of the whole are so potent. There are the nutty, earthy tones of ambrette and saffron, a sweet vanilla beeswax, the incense that sends everything soaring. It's simply gorgeous, and I can't believe I neglected to review it earlier.