stellamaris

Thank you everyone for your reviews, so happy I have this. I know there will be days where the candy goodness of this will be perfect. Can I just edit to say that this single note is not a single note really, it starts off obnoxious cherry (which I love) with Dragon's Blood and eases into a DB softened by the cherry candy. I am so surprised by how much I love this one, it may break my No Backups rule. I have been looking for the perfect Dragon's Blood, most of them disappear like poof for me, even my beloved RIP Dragon's Reverie was gone in a half hour, but this one lasts, and morphs beautifully.

Strangely I do not get any rose from Marie, it's straight up violet for me.

Mary Read, it's in Bewitching Brews : Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder. I really love this one, the patchouli is a light grounding element here. It's very nicely blended, the sarsaparilla just giving a tinge of sweetness.

This is a nice red musk, playing well with everything else, not just stomping around and taking over. Edit : I don't get it. Clearly it was fine when I got it, but after resting a couple weeks, it's turned into pure evil. All I smell is that top note of molasses from Black Taffetta, and herbal who knows what, like the same thing as Witch's Garden, frimps of which have gone straight into the oil burner. Blergh. This is so sad...I had to dig up my sales thread for this one.

Never having tried the fabled Banshee Beat, I cannot chime in, but this is good stuff. Good. Sweet, but very fresh, not cloying. Everything melds into a nice cool incense. Win. I do get the Feed me and Fill Me comparison but that one is sharper to my nose. This one is rounder. It starts off with that creamy thick fuzzy thing like Tombeur (the most amazing BPAL, ever.) It is however light, and sometimes I will end up throwing something heavier on top, like, um, Tombeur... Cannot smell the cinnamon to save my life however. This may lead to layering with Playful Wooden Mallets. The other most amazing BPAL ever.

Guh. where has this been all my life??? Why has this been kept from me until now????? It's so goooooooooooooddddddddddd... It's thick rich nose tickling cake frosting, with incense and boozeyness. What the heck. I LOVE this. It drys down to something thick and sweet. love love love.

Whoa. This is awesome. It's familiar but very hard to nail down. Thank heavens, no anise or licorice, just very round vanilla wet, that morphs into an amazing incense perfume. This smells like Greenwich Village in the 1970's to me, it's very evocative, sort of stormy and wet, but also sophisticated and cool. Creamy somewhere too. This is what Mick Jagger's scarf would have smelled like walking down Christopher Street by Seventh Avenue in 1972. Gorgeous.

Well, I did not think it possible, but I like this years version even better than the last one. The vanilla/cocoa are very lush, it's less dead leafy, but just leafy enough.

Well, I ended up getting Stage Blood on the very last day, I'm excited to try it. My two favorite DBs are sadly DCed, Tintagel and Dragon's Reverie. I do love Blood Rose though. I find it very heady and rich.

You might not agree with the leather note in Kubla Khan, it's pretty strong. I notice you like lush, heavy scents, why not try Urd or Skuld? I think they are the unsung heros of BPAL...IMO of course. And yes, Diamond's Gong is winning, I vote that too, it has a very nice inscensey vibe to it. Oh yes, and Midnight Mass is an amazing Frankincense, it's very deep and lasting. Quite amazing. It's out with the Yules now.

There is a very prominent note that exists both in The Wretched Rose Window (a Weenie from 12?) and Stardust from last years Yules. In Wretched Rose Window it's slightly less prominent than the rose, but it's right out front in Stardust. I can't figure it out because TWR does not have an "ingredient list" just a spooky description. This note is very plush and rich, and smells exactly like something in a Jurlique cream I used to use. It feels old-timey to me, I have no clue what it is and would love to ID it so I will be able to pounce on anything else with it. I am hoping one of you people who write those amazing detailed reviews completely unlike mine (which read either Good! Stella like perfume! It smells like win! or Bleech WTF is this fresh hell in a bottle) can help me...please????

hmm, I know Kuang Shi, it does not have the Thing, but maybe that's it???

I really like to put things in the diffuser that seem too ??? for wearing as perfume, like The Tavern of Hell or my favorite for rooms, The Witch's Garden. All my hoarded imps are great for that. Seemingly all the homeless Taverns of Hell came to my house. As for roses, I like to wear them as perfume, but weighing in on the rose debate, I really don't like Rose Red, although it's my BFFs favorite, it is nasty on me, but would most likely work as a room scent. The truest rose to me is The Rose, and I love Peacock Queen. Seance is a real true rose as well.

ha ha hoping for the brewing to be happening right now... I have El Dia de los Reyes, I don't get coffee from it at all, but maybe she will...

that's hilarious... I will search for Mornings in New Orleans...sigh... I was hoping Cafe Mille et Un Nuits would work. I might try it anyway, just because I love the Only Lovers series.

My daughter loves the smell of coffee with cream. Misk U was proclaimed "not coffee" and I don't think Mata Hari will do it. Any other ideas?

I love this one, I spray it on my clothes before dressing. It's just glorious.

This is literally the best stuff ever. I have gone through four bottles of it. It's a scent that lingers, and is beautiful and unusual. Love. I stalk it on Etsy now.

can't smell this one, nope, no can do. That said it was the perfect candle to burn at work, everyone else was loving it madly. so, all''s well.

yes. Just yes. Delicious and layers perfectly with all things foodie.

wait...I love Kubla Khan!!! I have not worn in for cold, I usually wear it spring/summer... I have to try it now! ok dug it out of the top shelf...wow it's delicious. thanks for that!

The 2014 version for me is surely the best one. It's a gorgeous glorious floral, a no brainer.

hmm, still on the fence about this one. The "leaf" note is one that I love but it's sort of a bully for me, it tends to bury everything else. I want the smoke and incense but all I am getting is leaves, everywhere. And something lovely and green. Almost like Buenos Noches. Very fresh in the dry down. and...the big bottle came, and it smells different from what I remember but still so good, an amazing outdoor scent. Almost smokey, I think that's the leaves but very green, and the dirt does not overwhelm, I can amp the dirt thing until it's like blergh (Zombie I am glaring at you) but not here, it's just grounding and nice. This is one of the most complex story telling BPALs I have ever bought, I am so happy to have it.

I also like the foodie things when it's cold. I HATE the cold. If I never saw another snowflake it would be a day too soon. OK done ranting... Mother Shub's everything. Gingerbread Snake. Snow all of the things, especially Snowballs.

Not a heavy patchouli, more like Imp, a refined version of Imp. Very very very good, all the peaches were awesome.