Canis Major

[SadariEvenstar]

Embracing the brightest fire burning in the canopy of night, Canis Major hunts Lepis eternally as he dances with galactic clusters of his sister stars.

Star-speckled brown fur and hay.

This smells so good. So freaking good. Minty, musky, super wearable. I love it. Oudh? I think that's oudh, and some pine maybe?

There's vanilla in there. I can smell it really well on the dry down. Though some of that might be coming from my hair. I don't know there's a lot going on here, but it comes together to perfection. Edited November 17, 2017 by SadariEvenstar

[hammy]

In the bottle - Crystalline dog fur. I don't know how Beth does it.

Wet - The fur aspect is almost sassafras-ish? But also crisp and cool. It's awesome -- I just don't know what's going on.

Drydown - It's ethereal and snuggly at the same time. Approachable.

Verdict - Rapidly climbing the charts as one of my favorite Yules.

[lady_pandora]

I get snowy mint in the early going, morphing to a soft musk note (I would guess this is the "skin musk" note?) and a sweet element that reminds me of beeswax. Soft and pretty and cuddly. It doesn't really smell like the literal scent of a dog to me, but it does smell like snuggling with a dog makes you feel, if that makes any sense. Keeper!

[Dark Alice]

Star Light. This smells like crystalline starlight with fur. It is beautiful. I don't know if i Need a bottle or not....dang it.

[squidhearts]

I tried this on at an event on Saturday and decided, foolishly, that I didn’t need a bottle. The staying power was INSANE and until Tuesday night I could still smell the scent on my wrist, and now I want it.

 

Wet it’s vaguely minty—cool, wintery, crisp. A little green. Definitely suggestive of a dark clear night with stars. There’s a brief powdery perfume-y moment on my skin, and then Canis Major dries down to this amazing sweet, snuggly musk. I agree that something about it smells like how snuggling a dog *feels*, which is, of course, wonderful.

 

It doesn’t smell like literal dog—or at least not like my dog, who smells like frito paws, lavender baby shampoo, and whatever grass he’s rolled around in recently. But it’s that really nice musky BPAL note that’s a clean sleepy cuddly smell. I don’t think the sweetness is vanilla, though I love vanilla, so I would be fine with that. Maybe beeswax. It’s a very subtle sweetness.

 

The musk note reminds me of Wulric, but softer and lighter and...nicer? Haha. Simpler, cleaner, lighter. Gorgeous.

[LiberAmoris]

Canis Major smells like starlight musk. Wet, I get some of the hay, but it dries down to a snuggly vanilla musk on my skin. The sillage is actually reminding me a bit of the creamy feel of Morocco, so perhaps there's sandalwood in this. There's a very light minty feel to this when wet that gives it the glimmer.

 

Hours later, this clings as a wonderful skin musk. Really nice!

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: I get the "star-speckled" part first and foremost; it reminds me of Zorya Polunochnaya or Lyonesse. White musk? White amber? Vanilla? Ambergris? Something in that family, anyway.

 

Wet: Ah, there's the musk! I kind of want to say it's the same warm, fuzzy one as in Coyote. It blends wonderfully with the cool, crystalline "stars." There is an element of mintiness, or possibly ozone, which blooms once it's had a chance to warm up on my skin, but it fades after five minutes or so. I'm left with an interesting combination of warm, cuddly musk and that crystalline element, which I'm now almost positive is ambergris, Zorya P.'s vanilla, or quite possibly both. This is definitely a good thing, as all of these are total win notes on me. It comes off as incredibly elegant and ethereal, and yet simultaneously snuggly and comforting.

 

Dry: Yeah, I'm going to call this the same "gossamer vanilla" as was found in Zorya P. - They have the same ethereal, elegant feel to them. The puppy-fur musk, however, makes this a warmer, snugglier, more approachable scent. I'm only getting hints of the hay right now, but I imagine that will really come into its own as the blend ages. Bottle-worthy if vanilla or musk are at all your things.

[theseagrows]

ah yes, i definitely smell something light and shining but cannot place it, but it could be ambergris. along with the fur, this is so pretty. it is very reminiscent of fur, though not literally. it definitely smells fuzzy and musky. i am reminded, in terms of feel, not scent, of bakeneko, which reminds me of cat fur in an non-literal way. this is like the dog version. i really like this one, likely not bottle worthy but i will probably keep my decant.

[LizziesLuck]

Something about this really called to me, I almost blind bottled it, but talked myself into a decant.

 

Wet: Ooooh that's good! The "fur" translates to something akin to skin musk mixed with maybe a sugary brown musk on my skin. The hay is sweet and "clean" smelling. This is LOVELY so far. Something a bit suede-like about it also.

 

 

Dry: I should have just bought a bottle. This is so so lovely. Reminds me a bit of Unicorn and Ram (I think?) with the soft, warm musk and suedey feel. The hay is beautiful - it's always a little spicy on my skin. I will need a bottle of this!

[sailthetethys]

To me this is the tame, cuddly companion to the ethereal forest being that is Buck Moon. Same crystalline sparkle, same sweet skin musk, but the fur is fuzzier and sweeter, and the forest has been replaced by a warm bed of hay.

 

Im in love.

[zankoku_zen]

Minty musky hay that dries down to a vanilla-tinged musk-hay. Fuzzy, warm, and very comforting. Masculine. I think mr. zee_zee would amp up all the sweet elements in this but it's a very friendly blend. Medium throw and wear length.

[SweetEpiphanies]

Completely agree with the previous reviewer who compared this to zorya p's "gossamer vanilla." When I received this I liked it enough but wasnt wowed, but for some reason I kept coming back to it. Then it hit me that it reminded me of Zorya P. I also get the same sassafrass association when wet. This is definitely one of my favorite yules of all time.

[RedPersimmon]

So, I've had my decant for about two months now and when I was wearing Canis Major today, I was getting a LOT of almond. Like, a musky, sweet, cherry-almond. Not getting a ton of vanilla, though--this is definitely not foody. I also get slightly soapy floral notes and then something in the dry-down that reminds me of the dry-down of Snow White.

[mishi-bear]

Shimmering chilly sassafras. Sweet vanilla hay. Fuzzy warm musk. Definitely has a dog like smell to it, and not in a bad way. Very lovely and interesting, but also feels a bit 'sad' to me in a way I can't exactly place.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Hay, brown musk, and ambergris? There’s definitely ambergris in here.

 

Wet: Warm brown musk, I believe the same one found in The Small Brown Cat, ambergris, and hay. This is a cozy, comforting scent. I believe there is also some benzoin in this, and I get more hay as it sits on my skin. It is becoming sweeter as it dries and it does have a resemblance to Zorya P.

 

Dry: The scent is much softer and sweeter now. I still think this is in the same family as Zorya P, and now I believe I am getting Zorya P’s gossamer vanilla with lots of wonderful ambergris, brown musk, and hay.

 

Verdict: This is really pretty. I do not feel the need to obtain more of this, but only because I already own a bottle of Zorya P. I like this a lot.

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: Crystalline floral. I don't get anything that I could describe as fur or hay. 

 

On my skin: 

 

Wet, I get a note that's much richer and sweeter, like honey or amber, though I still don't get the smell of hay. (Spent enough time handling hay in my life to be 100% sure of this.) I'm not sure if the Lab's version of a hay note is different than mine, if the oil has changed with age, or if this is something that will develop in wear time. Several minutes dry, and the round sweetness starts to go soft, just the tiniest bit powdery, like amber can do on me. 

 

The only additional morph this undergoes on me is for the floral note to disappear entirely. It's soft, gentle, beautiful amber on me. Which, I cannot complain about a bit since I love amber -- but I do understand if someone acquired this scent expecting a different experience. The throw is on the strong side of medium.

[little bee]

I'm truly awful at describing scents since I'm not experienced enough to pick out the different notes.

 

In the bottle: There's something that makes me think of cleaning fluid or disinfectant wipes (probably the "outside" element). No idea was it is, but I did not like this in the bottle. Thanks to these reviews though, I decided to try it because I loved the idea of a snuggly scent.

 

Wet: Softer. It loses the sharp edge that bothers me and overpowers everything in the bottle. It smells less like disinfectant wipes and more like a candle? Still not my favorite.

 

Dry: This is why I've been wearing it every day. Dry, this is perfect. As others have said, there is a warm, snuggliness to the scent, but not too warm. It's not a foodie or very sweet, but it has the same comforting appeal to me as Dorian. When I get a whiff during the day or rest my head in my hand, I get this sense of gentleness from the scent and it's immediately calming. I love how long this lasts too, definitely more than 24 hours.

[Lucchesa]

Canis Major is a lovely, cozy scent.  There's an initial sharp coolness, the star-speckled qualities, but it doesn't last long on my skin.  Soft brown musk dominates with soft dry hay, not the aggressively lemony note that hay sometimes turns into.  This reminds me a lot of Coyote without the buckskin -- I wonder if there is some amber in here as well. 

[VetchVesper]

Really lovely.  I'm pretty sure I'm getting grey amber and/or ambergris, but that might just be because this reminds me so much The Gloomy Day.  Canis Major is fuzzy and soft and warm, like a cozy, angora sweater.  I'm also getting maybe a teensy hint of vanilla?  After a few minutes, something bright and a bit citrusy comes up from underneath.  My brain says bergamot, but it's not always trustworthy.      The citrus begins to go bubble gummy, but always stays below the amber, just adding a little lift to the scent. 

 

Honestly -- I just watched ParaNorman this week and was revisiting my bottle of Bub, and the undercurrent I'm getting is sorta Bub-like.  So, the odd, sweet, playfulness of Bub, underneath a big thick layer of amber angora sweater.  There ya have it folks!