A Thousand Thoughts, and Hopes, and Joys

[HerbGirl]

And cares long, long, forgotten: joyful sugared carnation and vanilla freesia.

Oh my.

If you love carnation and vanilla do not let this pass you by.

This is the carnation perfume of my dreams. It is a true carnation and, while I don't smell freesia yet, the vanilla is prominent. I don't often smell vanilla when it is listed, but here I smell it. Lovely. Stunning. I love it.

Eta: I just wanted to say that I get absolutely no honey here, not even a vibe (I cannot wear honey) just for those of you who cannot wear honey and are interested in this scent. I know honey is not listed as a note but whenever I read a review where someone so much as mentions honey I run... Edited December 19, 2016 by Herb Girl

[Jenjin]

The 2016 Yules have been emotional for me. Coming just after the Anniversary collection, they have symbolized sacred offerings to winter. Talismans of hope and truth to empower us in the enveloping darkness.

I'm a huge fan of the lab/post carnation and couldn't pass this one up. RED! This oil is Christmas red, it makes me wish for a clear bottle. Upon application, carnation is the main player here, along with something sweet and sparkling I'm guessing is the freesia that is giving it a creamy vanilla sweetness. As it dries down, the floral notes deepen and become a musk of GORGEOUS glowing carnation. It could be the most magnificent carnation in my collection with excellent throw, and I can detect is even after 6 hours of wear.

 

TRANSCENDENT

Edited December 20, 2016 by Jenjin

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: I love carnation. I love sweet florals. I love vanilla. This was a no-brainer.

 

In the Bottle: All the carnation! Spicy and fresh, but with a sweetness around the edges.

 

Wet: More carnation! VERY carnation!

 

Drydown: Eventually the other notes step forward to soften the carnation. Vanilla and sweetness and a gentle white floral that tilts ever so slightly toward my dreaded skanky-rose experience but backs away from the edge.

 

Verdict: Glorious carnation settling into a very comforting scent that stays reasonably close to the skin. I'm very glad I got a bottle.

[missnix]

Hmm. I may need to let this settle more and re-test in a few days, because right now this smells a lot like Liz from the Hellboy line to me. Like, I wish I still had my bottle to compare because it's that similar. It's smoky, feminine vanilla florals, lacking the leather I suppose (I dislike the Lab's leather note though, so that's a win as far as I'm concerned).

 

It's beautiful, just threw me off when I recognized it and then had to spend an hour thinking about why. Maybe I'm going crazy, or maybe my bottle was mislabeled. Who knows!

[pinkstardust420]

I first have to say that I'm not usually a fan of carnation. But when I saw its blended with two other scents I really like, I knew it would be a winner. And boy is it! Carnation hits you in the face right off the bat but it's soon warmed and softened by the beautiful vanilla. Not getting too much freesia; it's more of a background player here. Very pretty scent.

[sailthetethys]

OH MY GOD. This is smoky and spicy and sweet perfection. It smells like a sexy birthday cake candle that just got blown out.

 

I love carnation blends, but I've never actually known what carnation smells like. Apparently it smells like that ridiculous sentence I just typed above and can't bring myself to type again. This is magnificent and I need it in my life forever.

[sunlitgarden]

In the decant: Sweet-spicy carnation and vanilla.

On my skin: There is a little smokiness to this when first applied; like another reviewer said it's like a candle just blown out kind of smokiness. It's mostly carnation, sweetened by the vanilla and maybe the freesia (it's not a note I'm very familiar with). As it starts to dry, if I sniff my wrist closely it reminds me of warm dust in a computer lab. I know that sounds weird, but it's not bad; there's something comforting about it. It reminds me of playing Oregon Trail and Kid Pix in the computer lab at my school. Whatever that scent is fades as it dries, though. The drydown is warm, sweet, creamy vanilla and carnation, similar to Alice on me. I still think Alice and Morocco are my favorite blends for carnation (and they have the added bonus of being GC), but if you don't like some of the other notes in those oils or are looking for another sweet carnation scent, this is definitely worth trying. It's a really nice carnation.

Edited January 15, 2017 by sunlitgarden

[VioletChaos]

I am a HUUUUGE fan of carnation. It's my favorite on a *very* short list of florals I'll wear, so I got this based on that one note alone. Hopefully, this won't spell disaster!

 

In The Bottle: Sugar, a floral I'm assuming is freesia, and carnation a bit hidden under the first two. I'm hoping carnation gets more feisty on my skin!

 

Wet On Skin: THERE she is! That's my girl, coming out to play! This is most certainly the carnation that was in the single note that came out in 2012, which I love to pieces. There's the same freshness to this carnation that I feel in love with in that SN back then. Even and I type, it's wafting up to me in sweet little lilting bits. As I bring my hand closer to my face, the freesia is much more of a presence- I've not had this experience before, where one note can be smelled from a foot away but the other note is more present up close and personal. It's interesting, but also unsettling: I keep going to huff the carnation and coming away with freesia, which, TBH, I don't like nearly as much.

 

Dry Down: The free is winning out, alas. I'm not surprised- when I wear carnation SN, I have to reapply, so this makes sense. Though, even on dry-down, the carnation is wafting up at me some, so I *might* keep this bottle around to see what new tricks it develops after its had a chance to age a little, perhaps it'll smooth itself out some

[Aviatrix]

This is mostly an ultra-sweet carnation scent on me - too much so or my tastes, sadly! I'm not entirely sure what freesia smells like, but there is definitely a vanilla in the background that is equally sweet.

Normally I tend to go for sweet scents, but for some reason this is a bit too much.

 

But if you're into sweet vanilla and carnation, I'd give it a go

[Casablanca]

I didn’t smell much from this when it first arrived, so it has rested a few days.

 

A light brown sugar dominates the blend when it’s wet on my skin, a little caramelly. It’s picking up a bit of clove spice from the carnation, but I don’t smell the floral part of the carnation yet. There’s a secondary vanilla floral, though. The freesia’s got a strawberry tone, almost candy-like, but the way it’s connecting with the vanilla reminds me of tiare flowers.

 

Dried, the freesia has drifted off and the carnation has come in, but it’s more subdued than I expected based on earlier reviews. Sugared vanilla is stronger on me than the carnation. I’m still getting a little sense of tiare, though, and wonder if there’s a dot of it in here unlisted. It blends right into the sugared vanilla, so maybe it’s just a combo of things reminding me of it.

 

I like this and hope the carnation comes out more with age.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Hmm, this barely smells like anything! Then I start to get hints of freesia. And something fruity? Like pear, maybe. Not at all what I was expecting! Where's the carnation at?

 

 

Dry: The carnation has come out. This is still somehow a bit fruity, reminding me faintly of Queen Alice. Only getting the faintest hint of freesia. Also the faintest hint of plastic. Sadly, I don't think this is meant for my skin. And I had such high hopes! I will test again another day, and how today was just a bad skin chem day.

 

 

ETA: Second test - apparently vanilla plus freesia really does equal plastic on me.

Edited February 12, 2017 by LizziesLuck

[Dark Alice]

Wet: As carnation normally does...it goes to spicy, sweet cinnamon floral on my skin with hints of vanilla.

 

Dry: Cinnamon, spicy sweet freesia. It's lovely, but not for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Vanilla, carnations, and freesia. This is sugary and pink. Great throw and wear length.

 

Huh, I actually am not a freesia fan. Who knew.

[crimescenecleanup]

Skin test:

 

Oh, it's that exact carnation note from Maiden that I love so much!

Eeeew...but then vanilla and sugar step in to do this weird burnt sugar thing. Vanilla, you are a cruel temptress. Combined with the freesia it smells a little strange and medicinal like...bandaid adhesive?

Go figure. The prettiest girliest floral scent of all the Yule releases would turn into burnt sugar and bandaids on me.

 

Paper test:

 

On a paper test strip, it stays carnations, with a bit of earthy raw sugar and a very perfumey vanilla. The freesia seems both tart and green and creamy at the same time, and I think it is what people are calling "plastic". The effect altogether is a little disorienting and strange. These notes don't seem to go together at all.

Full drydown mellows it out a bit, as the individual notes stop warring for supremacy and meld into a more balanced blend.

In the end it becomes very bright, playful floral perfume, and very modern. It is innocent and pretty, without being the sort of thing your grandmother would approve of or find ladylike. It still seems weird, but in a cutting edge fashion way.

 

It took awhile for me to warm up to this, but after an hour I've decided I really like it - as long as I wear it in a scent locket.

Edited January 29, 2017 by crimescenecleanup

[Little Bird]

This smells like Bath & Body Works' Sea Island Cotton fragrance + bpal's High-Strung Daisies.
The vanilla freesia is a cool, breezy, vanilla powder puff sort of floral. Clean, but not outright soapy, with an almost salty aquatic feel to it. Vanilla is soft and powdery rather than sweet.

A Thousand Thoughts does smell sugared and vanilla-y, but it's nowhere near as sweet as I was expecting it to be. It definitely leans towards a clean floral with dry, subtle sweetness.

I don't think my bottle of this will be a keeper, just because it reminds me so much of Sea Island Cotton and bpal's High-Strung Daisies. I can even smell the pink peppery note and hint of bubblegum that I get from Daisies in the drydown.

[Atrous]

sweet,slightly spicy carnation softened by vanilla.

I don't know what freesia is supposed to smell like but I am picking up a floral, other than carnation, that smells pink and sweet.

There's something about this blend that smells old-fashioned, in the best way.

[LiberAmoris]

A Thousand Thoughts, and Hopes, and Joys is an unabashed floral, reminding me of the sweetness, simplicity, and joy of Hope and Faith. Like those sweet florals, this is also a mood elevator and perfect at this time of year when I'm craving spring.

 

Freesia isn't one of my favorite notes, but it's ok, because this comes across on my skin as Sweet Carnation Plus. The carnation is so intense that it pulls all other notes into its core...you can run but you can't hide, vanilla freesia! The result is a perfume that comes across as primarily carnation, but has depth and complexity beyond that single note.

 

To enjoy this one, you need to like carnation. Carnation is a unique floral, cellulose-stiff and spicy like an uptight, hard-to-get rose. But if you're into it, this is a must-try.

[freyasfae]

This was a sort of mix of powdery florals and sweet sugary. The carnation gives it a bit of spicyness, but I still found it too sweet.

[theseagrows]

omg this is so pretty! i loves me a sugared carnation, and they are so rare. this is a soft scent. it's a sugary carnation with hints of sweeter florals and vanilla. i'm not sure i'm normally a fressia fan, but the way it's blended in this is just gorgeous. i may need a bottle of this.

[beezzzkneez]

This is an amazing carnation scent. Morocco is one of my favourites and this definitely has a similar vibe - Morocco is more mellow on me, this starts with a strong blast of fresh carnation that morphs into a deeper, richer scent with the vanilla sweetness coming in. It settles into a really smooth, rich, sugary waft with the slightly sharp, spicy carnation dominating. I adore it.

[doomsday_disco]

This was one I was interested in back in 2016 that didn't make the cut, so I was glad to get to try it this year!

Alas, my skin tends to amp carnation, and that is the case here. I was hoping it would be more sugary and that the vanilla would play a big role, but what I got is mostly lightly sugared red carnation. It's not the pink carnation of High-Strung Daisies or Pink Moon 2007. While I can smell the perfume-y freesia note in the bottle, it's MIA on my skin. 

 

If you're looking for a carnation-dominant scent, you'll probably love this one. I just wish I got more than carnation from it, and that it were more sugary!