The Golden Hour

[non_boingy]

Note: Limited release perfume oil; atmosphere spray review topic located here.

The last fleeting moments of sunset, casting a perfect, magical, golden light across a damask-adorned dining room, bathing a father and daughter in an enchanted glow.

This is a beautiful amber vanilla--very true to the atmo spray, but on the skin it does blossom into something slightly more floral--maybe vanilla orchid? It reminds me a lot of a slightly cleaner and dryer Celeste. There is also a backing of spice when it initially goes on wet. I think this is what the reviews of the atmo spray are picking up on when they say "resinous" but to me is it definitely a spice--a little cinnamony, a little cardamomy, but a warm spice to be sure. It's a Christmas/baked goods vibe, but it burns off on me quite quickly on the drydown. The throw is quite subtle and stays close to the skin. I could imagine this being a good scent to wear in an office or professional setting when you still want to feel a bit feminine--it's not a screaming floral or a sugary candy-frosting vanilla, but a beautifully blended and subtle Your Skin--But Better! scent.

I was really worried I wouldn't need this AND Celeste, but I can't get enough of these warm vanillas, and I think they do differ in a numbr of ways! It is definitely extremely fitting as a "golden" scent--it makes me think of lazy Sunday afternoons in early fall, sipping coffee and reading snuggled up with the cats on the couch.

[celestia]

♔ The Golden Hour

 

I seriously can't believe I managed to catch such a beautifully rare scent. I owe this all to a very special BPALer, thank you so so so much for letting me enjoy this. I am one very, very lucky soul! There are no specific notes for this, so I've attempted to describe.. in verbose detail.. what each of the components and notes might be. As usual, there is always the TL;DR for the quick and dirty.

 

In the Bottle: Golden, sweet amber, breath of white florals, soft resinous incense, and a faint trace of linen

 

Wet: Light vanillic incense with a bit of resinous body. I also get some light, almost waxy citrus in this, might be the same citric note in Mother Ghost because it’s quite fleeting and transient- it’s very restrained though and almost feels luminescent. There is a slight linen note, that's quite perfumey and refined (kind of like the delicate linen note from Antique Lace, rather than the dryer sheet note from Boo!). It mimics the kind of lighter day glow that shines through the window onto luxurious drape-y duchesse satin like cloth.

 

The vanilla deepens, becoming more creamy-rich, but never resembles vanilla bean, it’s a drier but it’s definitely golden- maybe bourbon vanilla? The light ambery-resins are not rich like Nepalese amber, nor is there a tell-tale deeper bronzier spice, like in antiqued amber. I’d even hesitate to suggest grey amber because with all the other notes, this ends up smelling like a lighter, and much paler amber. It mimics a sunset-like golden glow without the warmth- perhaps even artificial glow made cool from a chandelier up high.

 

Drydown: As drydown approaches, I can identify a soft, incensy note that could be mistaken for spice- perhaps elemi, or a really soft myrrh, it might even be white sandalwood? It’s definitely there but it’s quite faint and well blended. There’s also this light salty sweet note that reminds me of the ambergris from both Lyonesse and Edith Cushing.

 

Oh… my god. Then I get the most beautiful, creamy-white-musky floral note I’ve ever smelt. It reminds me of the florals from Elf v4, but a lot cleaner without the heavier vanilla musk accompanying it. Definitely Top 3 material. It’s not heavily fragrant or musky in the way vanilla orchid usually presents, but it smells like something very familiar in my collection. I may have to revisit this review again to fill in the blanks. Such a multi-faceted scent, there’s so much detail in it. I am absolutely in LOVE with this and I am so grateful I have it in my collection.

 

In the final drydown phase, all these beautiful notes blend seamlessly and I get creamy-white florals, soft dry sheer vanilla sugar, and faint traces of light amber resin and white sandalwood that remind me of a very beautiful, soft light musk.

 

TL;DR: Pale golden amber, luxurious duchesse satin, ambergris, sheer vanilla musk, elemi or soft myrrh, white sandalwood, and the most elegant, and a clean blend of beautifully rich, creamy-white florals.

Edited May 22, 2017 by celestia

[soniahgreen]

In the bottle: warm amber, vanilla, and a hint of citrus, and possibly spice

Wet: Rich vanilla, feels very golden and warm

Dry: Becomes a close to the skin vanilla

 

I was lucky enough to grab a bottle off of Etsy. It's a shame that this couldn't have a wider release because it is truly beautiful. It reminds me a lot of Edith, in fact I think I like this better than her. Simple, elegant, and gorgeous.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: This is such a beautiful warm, glowing scent. I get a lot of glowing amber and some warm woods (oak? reminds me of Haloes). I get hints of a cleanish vanilla as well. Maybe it's a vanilla musk. This is so so beautiful. I like it way more as a perfume than I did as an atmo. There is something musky in this. Reminds me a bit of Lyonesse - maybe ambergris? I think that's where I am getting the clean vibe from (or maybe "fresh" is a better word?). This is exactly my kind of scent, I put it in the same category as Edith Cushing - that elegant, refined, more than just a "vanilla" vanilla perfume.

 

Dry: This is pure heaven on me. Doesn't morph really as it dries, though perhaps the amber and woods die down and the vanilla and musk/ambergris come forward. A generous soul gave me a tester of it ages ago. I tested it (but somehow didn't review it, which is not like me) and fell in love and was immediately DISO. I am so grateful now to have a bottle, but I love it SO MUCH that I know I will be seeking out a backup. This type of scent is as close as I get to a signature scent. It's so beautiful, and I am so happy to have it.

[milo]

I have been DISO of this baby since I got the atmosphere spray a couple of months back and fell deeply in love . I cannot believe my incredible luck at obtaining a bottle, and it is everything I hoped it would be. . At first, I'm getting a fougure, it kind of reminds me a bit like Banded Sea Snake, it almost is aquatic, though that could be my association with the aforementioned snake. The fougure disappears soon, and we're left with a warm, glowing amber, with a touch of clearness, like the amber crystallized itself. This does remind me now of a stronger Edith Cushing, and is also reminiscent of blends like Lyonesse and Black Opal. I adore this, and can't wait to see what it's like after it settles a bit and with some age behind it.

[Minh Scent]

A warm, elegant amber. Gorgeous!

[dementia_divine]

I have never tried the atmo.

 

In the bottle: I’m getting a deep amber.

 

Wet: The deep, smooth amber is the dominant note. I can also smell a touch of a sweet, musky floral, perhaps the costus from Like a Girl (not sure on this, though), and what I believe is a bourbon vanilla musk. There is also some oudh at play here as well, and perhaps some frankincense. This is in the same family as scents like Hesiod’s Phoenix and Implacable Beautiful Tyrant HG.

 

Dry: This is musky resin scent infused with a light floral note. It shares something in common with The Magician’s Wand, maybe oak as LizziesLuck mentioned, but this doesn’t have the glowing quality that that scent possesses. I also agree that it is similar to Edith Cushing, but not nearly as vanilla-ed (Edith has a buttery vanilla musk, and this scent does not).

 

Verdict: This is really lovely. I am glad that I was able to grab a bottle, and I look forward to pairing it with Implacable Beautiful Tyrant HG.

Edited August 31, 2018 by dementia_divine

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Sweet, warm, amber. A slight bit of sandalwood, as well?

 

Dry: The amber is lighter, and I'm not sure it was sandalwood I was smelling earlier. This is the smell of.. oak? Teak? Whatever it is, I'm not the biggest fan.

 

Amber does really well with aging, so I'm going to set this aside for a while. If it doesn't improve with age, I'll be letting go of it.