The Poinsettia Gown

[zankoku_zen]

A perfume simply inspired by a vintage Christmas postcard. Rose cream, jasmine cream, mallow, vanilla foam, and sweet amber.

[TheIceMaiden]

This is so pretty and girly and elegant.  It starts off with lots of cream, some jasmine, and hints of rose and amber (white amber, I think).  It eventually settles down to a creamy, fluffy vanilla scent with light floral and amber notes. 

[torikitty]

I got this for my sister, so I took a sniff. It's pretty, but I can smell the jasmine and rose, which I know is HeadacheTown for me. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the sleeper hit of the season.

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

I am so happy to review this for the vanilla lovers. I can safely attest to the vanilla. It’s creamy, wait.... the description says creamy so why am I just repeating the scent description? Right, that would be silly. So, what I want to say is this, IT REALLY IS A LOVELY VANILLA CREAM BUT. yes. BUT... and again BUT, if you don’t like florals this isn’t the gourmand blend that’s gonna make you appreciate florals cause they are being hugged by this gorgeous vanilla blanket of fluffy, sweet, comforting, warmth. Cause, all mixed in with that vanilla is FLORAL. And it’s a heady jasmine blend with an undercurrent of old English roses. First blooming roses that don’t repeat the good kind that English gardeners grow well and Americans try to emulate. But. It’s floral.

 

i don’t like floral.

 

i don’t like jasmine.

 

so, if you like vanilla and you like floral you will appreciate this so much as the vanilla really is an embrace. Wrapping the florals up in the softest sweet warmth. But, there are still big fat bouquets of flowers wrapped up in that blanket and it will not smother them.

 

ahem. 

[starbrow]

The cream in Poinsetta Gown is extravagant and foamy, the aromatic interpretation of 18th century French court dress trimmings, with yards and yards of frothy lace and ruffles and bows. That's the good news. The bad news...is that creamed jasmine and rose had a battle in my nose, and they both won. Unfortunately, unless you love one or both of these bodacious florals, you are probably going to be a very uncomfortable jousting field for a while. I am an occasional jasmine partaker and an active rose avoider, and this one was far too much for my fainting nostrils.

Edited December 21, 2019 by starbrow

[stellamaris]

Wow this is strong! And I’m happy about that. Beautiful 

[ReineDeVampire]

This is the 3rd time I've worn this, and after having sat almost a week, this scent has really settled! The jasmine and rose are there but not trying to dominate each other anymore, and the mallow/vanilla/amber is all just there softly in the background. It's definitely sweet, and definitely floral. It's neither rose or jasmine heavy anymore as they blended together, like cancelling out the negatives of each (the rose isn't powdery, the jasmine isn't sharp). It's got the sweetness from the vanilla/mallow and the amber in there. There's a slight spice that I think is a combo of the rose/amber? But it's really nice. Definitely give your bottle/decant a few days to settle. When I tested it the day my package arrived, and then wore it a couple days later, it was good, but I was unsure. The rose and jasmine were STRONG and (exactly as described by starbrow) battling for control of the scent. Same basic scent but also so different now.

[Casablanca]

A tower of airy, frothy vanilla foam over a glass of heavy jasmine-rose cream. Mallow adds poof to the vanilla foam and helps it reach a soaring height above the glass in defiance of the laws of physics.

 

The froth, as in life, is short lived. Once dried, the Gown collapses into a creamy heap of heady florals. 

 

Emphasis on the floral. 

 

I love rose and jasmine apart. Together, they can overwhelm, and that happens at this point for me. This is one stage, two divas, and no mutual artistic respect.

 

[RobberBaroness]

This is a very ladylike scent, bordering on old-lady-scent.  I wasn't keen on it right out of the bottle, but it grew more delicate as it dried.  I like the soft florals and the sweetness, and I may wear this on days when I want to make a quieter statement with my scent.  Sadly, it fades on me rather quickly (or maybe that's just my nose!)

[roseus]

At first this smells a lot like La Folie from the Lupers, all sweet jasmine cream. But once on the skin a soft creamy pink rose joins, and the amber really grounds the whole blend. Soft, feminine and floral, but the creaminess brings it into a wintry realm. 

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Well-blended floral with sweet, light gourmand underpinnings and excellent throw I looooove vanilla + floral, so this was a no-brainer. Even though it's a Yule scent, I'll definitely wear it for Valentine's. However, I don't love jasmine, and though it's not the dominant note, I'd love this even more if it were replaced with, say, my beloved frangipani. It's not a dealbreaker though.

[feyofthefellwood]

I wish my skin was not so finicky with jasmine, which smells different on me depending on my hormonal cycle. When I tried this last week, it was an intriguing vanilla/creamy heady floral; but when I tried it the other day, it was . . . wet dog. 😥 Will have to be careful about when I put it on. I love the concept of this one, jasmine is just not a friend to my chemistry.

 

Edit: a year later, I'm enjoying my decant more than I thought I would. The florals are less sharp now, and when it dries down over time, it ends up smelling like this gorgeous jasmine-rose candy. Debating whether I'll need more than my decant.

Edited February 1, 2021 by feyofthefellwood

[zankoku_zen]

This codes to me as a vanilla shortcake with rose cream. It's rosy but also kinda foodie? Very very different. I'm not sure if its floral or foodie, or both. Good throw and wear length.

[doomsday_disco]

The Poinsettia Gown would be right at home in the Lupercalia update. I get more jasmine than rose from this one, and it's a softer variety of jasmine, not a super heady, indolic one. Both floral notes are accompanied by an exquisite cream that takes this into flormand territory, kind of like if you had some floral-infused scones with cream nearby. 

 

I thought this might be too similar to Allegory of Chastity, but I think I may like this one more? It's creamier and less rose-y.

 

I am not sure I need a full bottle of this, as I do not reach for scents starring jasmine that often, but I do think this is a really lovely flormand, and I'll definitely be hanging on to my decant.  

Edited January 23, 2020 by doomsday_disco

[theseagrows]

i enjoy the creamy/vanilla/sugary florals so knew i had to try this. it starts off with primarily cream and rose...the cream has a sort of burnt sugar thing going on. after a few minutes i get a little bit of jasmine too. after about 15 minutes the burnt sugar note wears off and it's mostly rose, cream and a little bit of amber. it ends up primarily a rose cream after the drydown with a little hint of amber. i know i've tried several other bpals in the same vein and i think i'll stick with the ones that are slightly less foody. that burnt sugar thing doesn't really work for me...

[Teamama]

Sugary jasmine is the main note on my skin, with a little bit of vanilla.   The rose cream, mallow and amber never really showed up on me.  If you love the jasmine sugar in La Prostitution et la Folie Dominent le Monde, this will definitely float your boat. Glad I tried it. 

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: Jasmine and rose, tempered by mallow and vanilla. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, while I do get a lot of rose and jasmine, the mallow is also very prominent, rounding out the scent and keeping the big floral notes from being overwhelming on me. As it dries, the rose amps somewhat, but that's mostly evident near the skin, not in the scent's throw. 

 

This is ultimately where it stays on me, a rose and jasmine floral that's very creamy and just a touch grounded by amber. It's very pretty and very wearable. Maybe not so much that my very patchouli-and-resin-loving self needs a whole bottle of it, but it's definitely not like the rose and jasmine are running away on me or anything.

[RoseThornAndOak]

This is lovely. Initially, it is a bit strong floral and sweet blend, with the jasmine getting somewhat cloying, but not too indolic to me. You can smell the rose and creamy notes as well, I picture a pinkish rose with a vintage edge. I would give the wet on skin and settling down stages maybe a 3.5 out of 5, but its final drydown is the star of the show, bumping up to a solid 4. Just gorgeous and well balanced, creamy, sweet florals. If I apply then rinse the spot with water after approximately 15-30 minutes, I can get to that final gorgeous scent a little quicker, but I like the other stages enough to not really have to do that often. 

 

I was afraid this would go sour, but so glad it didn't. Another definite winner from the Lab! Interested to see how it ages, too. ❤️

 

For fans of Katrina van Tassel, Hope, Alice, Cassia Aromatics Rose Milk, and Sarawen's Chocolate Rose.

 

Edit 04/25/2024: This has aged beautifully. It has mellowed but retained its depth. Wow!

Edited April 25 by RoseThornAndOak

[Little Bird]

This was the first Yule scent that I added to my cart and it does not disappoint in any way.  The description just sounded so unbelievably pretty, and the scent lives up to the description. 

I don't have the greatest track record with bpal's jasmine (often going soapy or very sharp on my skin), but this one smells just like the jasmine bushes in my yard.  It smells sweet and almost like honeysuckle, but more sensual and heady.  Then the vanilla foam smells like a non-soapy aquatic and sweet, creamy vanilla.  After a couple months of aging, I love this even more, and I get lots of the vanilla and jasmine with this clean, but not soapy undertone that makes it feel so refreshing.  It feels like wearing sunshine and being outside and it's so beautiful.

[tinyvulture]

I had to wait on my Yule order since finances weren't cooperating, but I'm glad I was able to snag a bottle of this before it went away. I just KNEW it would be amazing and it is! My #1 fave BPALS are always the sugared/creamy florals. Here it's sexy jasmine and sweet rose combined with cream and sugar. The jasmine is the stronger of the florals, and that suits me. I might have to track down a backup bottle because I can see myself using this one up!

[milo]

Creamy rose floral, like a lotion used over soapy skin.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is not really my style.  I'm glad I didn't get a reaction, maybe my allergies are subsiding.

[VetchVesper]

I get sort of a salty, sweaty jasmine over creamy, vanilla sweetness.  On me, the rose is a background note, though it peeks out a little more in dry down.  Poinsettia Gown succeeds in smelling vintage, like a classic perfume with a twist.  The amber comes out as musky on me, not like perfume note musk, but like body musk.  It's interesting that people are describing it as clean.  To my nose, it smells rather dirty.     It's taken a while to review this one b/c I wasn't sure how I felt about it when I first got it.  I wanted to see how it aged and if it grew on me.  I think, for me, Poinsettia Gown's a pass, but I can see why jasmine lovers would really like this.  

 

P.S.  I get the references to La Prostitution et la Folie Dominent le Monde.  I liked that one more though.  I'm actually getting tinges of the Sea Foams Milk as well.  So like - a cross between the two with a dash of rose, served in a vintage perfume bottle.  🤷‍♀️

[fairybites]

This review is for the 2020 Winter release.

 

Creamy rose and vanilla upon application. The vanilla fades as marshmallow and jasmine come through more. Amber doesn't appear until it's dry. Stays a creamy amber marshmallow with hints of jasmine. The rose didn't stay around very long, maybe 30 minutes before fading. I don't think this gets soapy at all, it reminds me of a softer vintage perfume. It's very sweet and pretty, floral and slightly foodie at the same time.

 

Don't think I'll upgrade to a bottle since it's a bit more on the floral side than the gourmand, but I'll hold onto the decant to see if aging changes things. 

Edited March 5, 2021 by fairybites
Added year of my decant

[Anna-Marina]

This is my surprise favorite of the 2020 Winter release. This was a chance blind-buy, because jasmine is usually headache inducing and I don't generally like mallow and cream notes as they turn sour. Oh, but I am so happy to have proven wrong with Poinsettia Gown.

 

I completely agree with the other reviews that this is heavy on florals. I've been testing this for a few weeks now and my hormones impact whether the jasmine or rose is more pronounced. But thankfully, while the jasmine has been sharp at times, the other notes have kept any headaches at bay. The first 40-50 minutes of wear is loud florals and the beauty comes afterwards when this morphs into the most delicious creamy aura. I've not been able to pick out the vanilla, but I know its adding to the softness. There are two images that come to mind...one is I'm lounging in a milk bath with petals floating on top of the water and the second is of a beautiful portrait by John Singer Sargent (not MadameX though). I'm just envisioning the caress of lush, rich fabrics and lace.

 

Ultimately, Poinsettia Gown makes me feel safe and cozy. I thought this faded completely after a few hours of wear, but I put this on last night and woke up to a beautiful cloud of creamy rose so I'll have to remember to not continuously slather this on. I can't wait to see how this ages.

[freyasfae]

That is a heady jasmine, funnily enough the rose helps soften the edges of the jasmine, but it's still so much FLORAL. I tried to let it settle on my skin, but ultimately wiped it off because the jasmine was just too much. It's elegant, classic - definitely feels like the vintage postcard image that inspired the scent.