Eau de Boujee (formerly Boujee Bougies)

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I've mentioned here before that I am susceptible to blind buys, and also to the influence of one Suzy Nightingale's recommendations. So when Boujee Bougies had a 40% off sale, I went crazy. I originally wanted their four currently available scents in travel sprays, but when I saw how insane the postage was, I ordered three travel sprays, a full bottle, and a candle. Just to get my money's worth. The candle, which I have not yet lit, is Succulent, and it smells amazing in its solid, non-melted, state. I am fond of green scents, so I decided Verdant would be the full bottle, and Gilded, Queen, and Quir the travel sprays. While I do not regret my overall purchase, I do wish I had chosen either Gilded or Quir as my full bottle, as both of them are more to my liking. Read on for more of my thoughts on this brand. Quotes are from the Boujee Bougies website. 

Gilded

Lemon, Saffron, Gold accord, Frankincense oil, Frankincense resin, Carnation, Cedar Leaf, Beeswax absolute, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Labdanum, Leather, Civet, Musk

All that is gilded will be bold. A celestial temple of golden light transcends Earthly reality. The whispered mysteries of ancient spirits, covered in gold by awe and time. All life endeavours to ascend to a higher plane, a state attained through incense and devoted spirituality.

This is such an unusual scent! I'm not sure what gold is supposed to smell like, even though I studied to be a gemologist and worked in a jewelry store for a few years. I never noticed a smell, metallic or otherwise. But the combination of lemon and saffron, which are both obviously yellow in color, does promote an overall sensation of gilding. Despite the beeswax, frankincense, and myrrh, I'm not getting a sensation of a literal church. However, I am feeling a large and airy space brightly lit by the yellow sunlight streaming in through multistory windows. There's something almost fruity about the drydown, and I'm not getting the leather or civet. In any case, this one is definitely FBW for me.

Queen

Rhubarb, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Carrot seed, Rose, Violet, Raspberry leaf, Geranium, Iris, Black tea, Benzoin, Opoponax, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Earthy notes, Musk

Alice stepped through the looking glass and was made Queen, and now she's thrown a tantrum and there are jam tarts everywhere. The sweetness of Victoriana is set to the soundtrack of a hallucinogenic dream. Honeyed black tea is spilled. Red and white roses dance around a mushroom.

I must say I'm a little disappointed in this one. On my skin, it's all rose and raspberry, not particularly sweet or jammy. It even gets a little dusty in the drydown and reminds me of the reason why I tend not to like rose scents: too many of them make me think of scented bath tissue from the 70s/80s. I wish that any of the other notes came out on my skin. On paper, it's a bit more interesting, and I get the tartness of the rhubarb, the carrot seed/iris, some of the black tea. But no jam tarts, or even sweetness, definitely no hallucinogens. 

While Queen is fine, it's just not my cuppa. However, I think it might be quite nice layered with Quir.

Quir

Bergamot, Pink pepper, Amber Xtreme, Rose absolute, Tobacco absolute, Leather harness accord, Castoreum, Cashmeran, Patchouli, Labdanum, Musk

Explicit acceptance and subversive joy in a secret world of leather and pleasure. A celebration of defiant exuberance, the spectrum of individuality and identity. Patent leather glistens amid well-worn biker jackets, adorned with spiced floral corsages.

Perhaps my skin cleans up naughty scents, but I don't find anything particularly subversive about Quir, despite the "leather harness accord" and beaver butt gland juice. Quir is all about tobacco and gentle leather on my skin, with patch and musk at the base. It's cozy and comforting and quite delicious and I might have to spring for a full bottle if BB has another fabulous sale. Better yet, once it's sold here in the states, so I can avoid the insane shipping costs. 

Verdant

Timut pepper, Neroli, Cactus accord, Violet leaf, Tomato leaf, White flowers, Australian Sandalwood, Javanol, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Concrete accord, Musk

New verdant air reaches skyscraper heights as millions of green stems weave through brutalist buildings from some distant past when humans ruled the Earth. A dewy mist lightly hovers over the concrete jungle, and a desert has turned into an oasis. New life can begin.

Several of the green fragrances I own and love rely on galbanum and basil to create the sensation of walking through a forest or meadow or whathaveyou. Verdant, however, has an unusual cactus accord (which unfortunately contains Calone, one of my most-hated fragrance ingredients) that gives off the vibes of a moist greenhouse, also the sensation of snapping a fat aloe vera leaf to get to the healing ooze within.  But I'm getting ahead of myself. The opening notes are a fleeting bright citrus aroma and a slight tingle of spice that comes from the timut pepper, a cousin of Sichuan pepper that is not actually a member of the pepper family but is a bud of the prickly ash tree. 

While I dislike Calone and its "marine" sensation (I don't understand wanting to smell like something that's washed up on a beach, or sushi), I can live with it in Verdant, being that there's a lot of other, more delicious, things going on in the fragrance, such as two different kinds of sandalwood, a lovely grassy vetiver, and musk. 

One other thing: Verdant is a prime example of a scent that must be tried on skin. On blotter paper, it is all about the tomato leaf and white flowers, with no noticeable marine note. It's joyful and delicious. On skin, at least my skin, it's almost an entirely different fragrance. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.