Winter Stars

[The Poison Queen]

Winter Stars

I went out at night alone;
The young blood flowing beyond the sea
Seemed to have drenched my spirit’s wings—
I bore my sorrow heavily.

But when I lifted up my head
From shadows shaken on the snow,
I saw Orion in the east
Burn steadily as long ago.

From windows in my father’s house,
Dreaming my dreams on winter nights,
I watched Orion as a girl
Above another city’s lights.

Years go, dreams go, and youth goes too,
The world’s heart breaks beneath its wars,
All things are changed, save in the east
The faithful beauty of the stars.
- Sara Teasdale

Dreaming my dreams on winter nights: starry blue musk with mugwort, white mandarin, rockrose, and snow.

In the bottle: The blue musk really stands out to me with a little bit of mugwort.

Wet: Blue musk (it really DOES seem blue) and mugwort, with just a hint of rockrose and snow.

Drydown: The blue musk stays the predominante scent. This is a very interesting scent and I've got nothing like it in my collection. Definitely will keep my bottle to see how it ages.

[Lycanthrope]

Preface: Mugwort smells a little like stanky-stank on me.

 

I get mostly a strong mugwort (that gummy, resinous stinkiness/herbalness), which is like a burnt sage leaf to my nose, a bit gummy, sticky, and dry. I get little mandarin or orange/like, and then a very gentle blue musk. The rockrose/costus is definitely adding a hint of sweet, but I am not getting a lot of iciness or even Beth's snow note. It's very narcotic. I think this may be a good bedtime scent if I can get through the strong initial burst of muggle-wart. With drying down the musk moves to the forefront and the whole scent does even out a tone. I love the concept, but I see this being less 'bright' and more 'gentle night.'

[Aviatrix]

I have no idea what mugwort smells like, so I'm not sure if that's what I'm smelling from the beginning. There certainly is something a bit herbal in there, so that's probably the mugwort.

 

It does seem fresh and sort of "blue" as the above reviewer said. The musk is there and is actually really pretty. The snow is not really noticeable, but lends a bit of coldness to the blend as a whole. I can envision a vast winter night sky dotted with cold, but beautiful stars.

[zankoku_zen]

Blue musk, herbal mugwort, and in general, a touch of rose and snow.

 

It's a quiet, contemplative blend. It has the same vibe as Silence, but not as rich, still. It's more gentle than Silence. It definitely evokes going out in the middle of the night, surrounded by snow, and looking into the clear sky with all the twinkling stars our there, your breath creating a bit of mist around you.

[Astarial]

I think it's the mugwort I'm smelling that makes this so herbal and sharp - it holds strong for quite a while, actually, from decant to partway through drydown, with the wet stage being a bit bitter, salty, and definitely cold. It's much, much gentler once that goes away, though I can never explicitly pick up on the mandarin or the rockrose - I think it stays mostly blue musk and snow.

 

Edit: While the mugwort is still hanging around, it's a lot closer to Black Ice than I was expecting it to be.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Andyl

[Victory]

I'm with Lycanthrope- that mugwort (at least here, since I haven't had this happen before) is stinky. Almost a musty smell. For the first 5 minutes it is all mugwort and then... it's gone. Not completely, if I MASH my nose against my wrist and get lucky I can get a little sniff of snow. I'm really disappointed- it is so frustrating when a perfume disappears within 10 minutes, especially when the first 5 are stinky! I just got my bottle a couple of days ago, so I am really hoping that it will settle down and get more oomph.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp, I can't place this scent, but I'm not liking it, off the bat. It reminds me of belly-button lint. To the point that I don't think I can even try this one on. That is a first for me.

 

Verdict: *

[Midnight Eris]

For me, I think it's the mugwort and blue musk combo that's so very stinky, and to the point where I'm nearly repulsed by the scent in the bottle. I've never smelled blue musk before. I usually have really good luck with musk, but I did have a bad experience with black musk from a BPAL scent before and I'm hoping this blue musk doesn't repeat that. However, I find that if I don't put my nose very close to it, the stinkiness mellows and I'm able to smell something more herbal and pleasant. After it's been on my skin a few minutes, the rose starts to peek out a little bit and it becomes much prettier, much more fresh. I'm keeping this one to see how it ages - I hope the mugwort mellows and the other scents come out more, because what I'm smelling now is very nice.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Blue musk w/ chilled flowers.

 

Wet: Rockrose leads the pack of florals, as they float in the musk.

 

The dry-down: Mostly blue musk now, with flowers in the mix. The snow note isn't obvious; it's there to evoke the cold. May get a bottle as I love blue musk.

 

I love looking at the stars in wintertime.

[annemathematics]

I'm so glad this exists. winter night bottled up to be enjoyed in any season or at any time of day.

 

I blind bought a bottle, drawn to it by my love of nights outside under winter skies and my curiosity about a perfume featuring mugwort.

 

for the first few weeks, it was as though the mugwort and the musk were two singers on the same stage, singing different songs and completely ignoring what the band was doing. the mugwort was funky and sticky and in my face. it reminded me a little of fresh white sage. the background of mandarin and rockrose and snow was surprisingly elegant. each part seemed unaware of the others. it was actually very nice (discordant, experimental, downtown 80's nyc) but left me wanting more...which time would so gracefully provide.

 

the mugwort in the bottle is fresh, not dried or moxa-ish at all. I have to remind my self that there is musk in this. it doesn't stand out on me and doesn't go powdery. now that winter stars has settled, all the players have come together and the scent really is like being under a clear sky on a crispy, chilly night. the mugwort brings about a strong sense of calmness and clarity, reminding me that she's often used for divination and meditation.

 

there is a slight hint of mugwort being herby-funky-medicinal. this witchy aspect, along with the beauty and elegance of the scent as a whole and it's power to invoke a long, clear winter's night make Winter Stars my future winter solstice smell of choice. sorry, to juan!, this is more my jam.

[Caper]

I wish this had a touch more mandarin and it would be a winner. As it is it is mostly musk and not terribly interesting. I'm going to keep my decant, but pass on a bottle.

[waternight]

In the imp: Quite herbal and fairly dry. Hints of snow and blue musk, but mostly herbal.

Wet: Heavily herbal. It's somewhat bitter - almost minty, but really green and gritty mint leaves with none of that cold minty blast. Blue musk is really trying to hold its own, but it's struggling against the dominant mugwort. This is not a sweet scent at all.

Dry: Not much of a morpher. Stays heavily herbal. Quite an odd scent.

[milo]

Medicinal at first, then turns into a soft blue powder.

[Atrous]

I'm disappointed. I love the lab's snow note but I don't really get any snow from this

I just gives the scent a sense of chilliness.

Also, I think its the blue musk/mugwort combo that's making Winter Stars smell medicinal, sharp, and skunky.

Not for me.

[Cali]

As much as I'm appearantly and mostly unfortunately not a fan of mugworth and mandarin, I can tell exactly what's going on here and it, ofcourse, fits perfectly to it's concept. There's definately some sort of awe in here, a sense of feeling really small under a blanket or stars.
Chilly, blue/orange, soft.