An Omen of Good Fortune

[GoldenRubee]

Black tea, mango blossom, wolfberry, oakmoss, and star anise.

This opens up wet with strong black tea and little else on me. After half an hour it starts to mellow out and some of the other notes start blending together and making themselves known a little more. Wolfberry is another name for goji berry and adds a little minor spice to this this as does the star anise, but not licorice per se. An Omen of Good Fortune is very light, not cloying at all and the drydown is woody, fresh, slightly sweet and soft.

[Invidiana]

This is predominantly black tea and anise on me; I have to really strain to pick up the goji berry and oakmoss and anything floral. I imagine it would be great for someone who prefers black tea as a dominant note--it' a very true licorice-infused black tea with a bit of an earthy undertone from the oakmoss--but not really my thing.

[Mellifluous]

Whoa black tea!

 

This is a very strong black tea, like, walking into a drying house while the workers are aerating the drying leaves. Its quite pungent and bitter, and after a couple good huffs (to try and find the other notes) I can feel the astringency down the back of my throat, as if I was drinking a strong cup. After a bit of a drydown I do get the anise, and a slight licorice quality, but overall this really is a true black tea scent. I'm kindof not sure if I really love this, or if I just want to really love this. I may have to buy a bottle just in case.

 

 

ETA: I do have to add, at the first couple of sniffs, it does come off rather earthy, and slightly of a dark DARK patchouli. Once you put it on, it turns very noticeably to black tea. But that first second, or if you were to smell it from the cap, it has that black patch smell.

Edited February 16, 2012 by Mellifluous

[yewberry]

Pretty. Really, really pretty. And (thankfully) not in a floral way. Something (the oakmoss, I'm thinking) is giving it a warm, slightly musky foundation that keeps it from drifting off into space. I'm pleasantly reminded of Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden...except warmer, more grounded, and generally more grown-up. This is a fragrance for Beltane, and I look forward to wearing it on the first sunny day of spring.

[angelicruin]

Predominantly black tea with wafts of anise on my skin. Has a smoky quality to it on my skin.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Oooo! The mango blossom is unusual and lovely. It is also quite strong. The black tea and wolfberry make an excellent and interesting support for the dominant mango note. The oakmoss and anise are understated and more accents that scents in their own right. This is all about the mango. Wet: Warmth brings out the oakmoss, though the mango stays dominant. Similarly, the wolfberry grows more distinct. The result is more wild and outdoorsy than foody. The black tea really ties the whole thing together beautifully, and the anise remains an accent. I’m loving this. I can think of nothing like it in the catalog, though it reminds me a little of march hare in spirit more than specific notes, if that makes sense. Dry: Not quite as special, though still lovely. The mango and oakmoss are still strongest, with the wolfberry holding it’s own. The black tea mostly fades out and the anise was never strong.

[a_llb]

In bottle: Surprisingly astringent yet airy. No anise to speak of, and only a hint of mango blossom. It's predominantly black tea, leafy and biting.

Wet: Becomes quite earthy, bitter & dark. Wolfberry lends an acidic brightness, and the moss seems rather sharp as well.

Dry: Smokiness envelops the tea, totally not what I was expecting! As the blend smooths, it's like sitting on moss-covered rocks on the shore surrounded by wisps of smoke from an early morning driftwood bonfire, a cup of hot black tea warming your hands, & a faint waft of tropical blossoms on the salty breeze. There is a hint of luxury to the throw, very high-end.

 

Verdict: This is a unique blend, I don't think I've ever smelled anything similar. It seemed so bitter at first that I really didn't think I'd like it. I'm glad I gave it the chance to bloom. I don't see myself keeping it, as I am being ruthless with what stays in my permanent collection... but this is really lovely, and a tough call to make.

[yuniper]

I agree that this is a very unique blend. On me it is very fresh smelling but with a woody smoky note on top. I am not 100% sure this is for me because of the smoky note. It is a very interesting combination however. The fresh note is very "crisp" and "juicy".

[Incendiare]

My first impressions of this in the vial is the oakmoss and nothing else. Wet, I can smell a bit of black tea, but it's weakly brewed to me. After a couple minutes, the anise join the oakmoss but through and through, the oakmoss remains as the dominant note on me. The sweeter notes never showed up on me, sadly. It's an interesting blend but not my style.

[karykeion]

Graciously decanted by tkannon!

 

 

In the decant: Wow, that's some black tea and licorice. It's really earthy and almost reminds me of chocolate, for some weird reason.

 

On me, wet: Earthiness and tea. I'm not so big on earthy scents, but tea makes me swoon with happiness, so I'm utterly torn over whether I like this or not.

 

On me, dry: Earthy and mossy. I'm not really getting much goji or mango blossom, and I'm getting way more anise than I would like. I might make my way through the decant, but it's not going to become a favorite.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Oakmoss. Maybe a slight hint of something sweeter, but the oakmoss is so strong I can't be sure.

 

On skin, wet: Oakmoss and a little cool black tea.

 

On skin, dry: Oakmoss, tea, and a touch of anise.

 

After an hour: Pretty much the same as the initial drydown. May have to deathmatch this against Pumpkin Masala Rooibos--the oakmoss is clearly different, but it has a similar feel because of the tea and anise--but I do quite like it.

[zankoku_zen]

MANGO TEA!

 

This smells exactly like mango black tea.

 

I find that while I love to drink mango black tea, I'm less keen on it as an actual perfume.

 

However, if you love mango blends, and there aren't that many in BPAL, this one has a pretty strong mango note. I would definitely check it out.

[ami226]

Hmmm. This one is not so good on me. Is there no vetiver and patchouli in this one? I am really getting a lot of dirtiness. That is actually pretty much all I smell.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from the lovely and generous spiresinthesnow.

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and a light yellow-beige color. Right off the black I get all of the notes: Black tea, oakmoss and to a lesser extent, anise, are strongest; the first impression is of bitter herbs. Then along comes the the mango which smells like the fruit - I'm not getting any floral note. The wolfberry might be blending in with that, I don't know what it smells like.

 

On me, wet: Much like in the imp except that the mango is stronger. The other various notes seem to be vying for attention, with first one and then another coming into play and constantly shuttling back and forth. The bitter herbs are not as dominant as they were in the imp, but are still strong players. It is an exceedingly unusual and complex unisex kind of fragrance.

 

After 20 minutes: Same as above.

 

After 30 minutes: The mango keeps taking over more and more as the other notes fade. But they are all still around. The anise is developing more of its licorice aspect, which is a startling combination with the mango, but as it turns out, they go amazingly well together. I have some cool star anise earrings that my niece made for me, and I've been looking for the right perfume to wear with them. Well, here it is!

 

After 1 hour: Pretty much the same. This blend doesn't morph - it stays fairly consistent, with the only change being that the mango gradually becomes more dominant.

 

After 1 hour and 15 minutes: A strange and rather piercing petroleum-like odor has very suddenly developed. It must be something weird my skin chemistry is doing to the scent.

 

After 2 hours: Fortunately, the tarry smell lasted only a few minutes, disappearing completely as suddenly as it came. But it took most of the remaining scent with it. It's virtually gone now.

 

Verdict: I really like this for how unusual it is and for the amazing bittersweet contrast between the mango and the anise, tea, and oakmoss. I'm going to order a bottle to wear with my star anise earrings!

 

My rating: 4 stars

[Little Bird]

The black tea (I think) is reminding me of a dark, earthy, smoky vetiver or tobacco. Sort of a dark, bitter, earthy woodsmoke. The mango and berry add a bit of bright, sweet, juicy fruitiness underneath the dark smoke, and it's an odd pairing for me. It's bright, juicy and sweet, but also dark, bitter and smoky. This reminds me of one of Sweet Anthem's perfumes (maybe Peter, which is notes of black currant, leather, champagne, lemon, matcha tea and patchouli).

[milo]

At first, I'm getting something harsh and biting, like vetiver. This fades pretty quickly, and now it's a fresh black tea with something creamy and waxy. I like the tea, but the waxiness is bothering me. An almost win here, but doesn't quite make the cut.