seajammarket Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 (edited) I love this PE. I have waited to review because I get very emotional talking about it and when I wear it. This is what I sent to Mara… Bonne Belle She would start her morning off climbing and swinging from the large indoor trees pretending she was the queen of the jungle in a forest of bamboo, sprinkled with bergamot. She ruled everything in her sight; she was the sparkling queen of all creatures. After living her daydreams, it was back to reality, realizing her pedigree and what a refined indoor kitty she was, after getting that little whiff of sweet pink rose. When the afternoon sunbeam hit her mommy's lap it was finally time to settle in with soft, warm and round sandalwood and amber. In all her seventeen years, she was never an old lady - so much personality, round and soft, but not a lightweight, blaming all mischief on her brother. She was ever so fond of her hats. I brought back such a selection from a trip to Paris. The snooty french sales girl didn’t want to sell them to me, told me (I had short hair at time), “ pour un chignon” to which I replied “ bsolument pas, chapeau pour mon chat”. There was a hat for every day and every occasion. This was her achats chapeau (shopping hat) Mara’s description… .”For Bonne Belle - her looks and your description of her as such a little lady reminded me of my own little soulmate, I made her something really special. I loved your idea of the fresh bamboo base, and as you asked for a "delicate" rose, I chose fresh cut rose stems only...it's consistent with the bamboo greenery and has just the softest nicest part of the rose smell. I chose my favorite fuzzy warm Indian Sandalwood and favorite velvety white amber, and there's just a couple of drops of Bergamot EO on top. To me it smells like raindrops, with a touch of velvety-ness beneath. (It smells like my Lunacat does after she gives herself a bath - I always say, “ y baby smells like raindrops!”)" The scent is amazing for me, truly like velvet raindrops, but without a water accord, nothing sharp, all smoothness and warmth, green and soft without any edges. Mara has created many scents similar I am sure, but when she brewed this for me she really did add the magic or allowed it to enter. When I put this simple soft sent on I am hit with an emotional ton of bricks that takes my breath away and I am almost always brought to tears. There is an avalanche of all the happiness, laughter, tenderness, joy and unconditional love that has been given to me throughout my life. I am filled with so much gratitude and my heart is so full it feels like it will explode. I am at a loss to understand how she could send these things to me in a bottle. I was hesitant to review because I know you guys will think I am off my rocker, being brought to tears or close to tears every time I wear a scent. Because they are such happy tears and such a fullness of heart I don’t hesitate to wear and have almost finished a bottle. I will certainly do more PEs, but I don’t know if this one can be topped emotionally. Edited May 21, 2014 by seajammarket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Cat Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Oh, Seajammarket, I've been waiting to read this: thank you so much for this review! I am pretty sure that no one here will think you off your rocker -- speaking for myself, I know exactly that magic of Mara's you describe, where she is somehow able to capture the essence of a beloved familiar in a scent. Where memory and joy can be stored in a bottle. And thanks for sharing about your Bonne Belle! What a special soul. I'm glad to have a scrap of her story here, and the bit about the hats... oh, I'm tearing up myself reading your words, in the best possible way. So glad you had such a wonderful experience your first time out with a PE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajammarket Posted May 22, 2014 Author Share Posted May 22, 2014 Thank you Blackcat. I know you truly understand because of Olivia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyvey Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Truly beautiful all around. If you're off your rocker so are we all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggers Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I've been waiting and waiting to hear your review of Bonne Belle! I'm so happy to hear how much you love it. Scent has a secret & direct pathway to the heart; I'm not surprised a bit that this one moves you to tears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveStruck Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) In all her seventeen years, she was never an old lady - so much personality, round and soft, but not a lightweight, blaming all mischief on her brother. SJM I got choked up and teary after reading this so no, you are far from off your rocker. I had seen this pic awhile ago and looked for a review! Now I know... I zeroed in on this line (your quote above) because weeks ago I happened to notice Mara had Catalina for nearly 17 years (after I read her description of Love Immortal. That one still makes me cry to read because it sounds exactly like my Tasha's personality and our relationship.) I've had many relationships with feline familliars in my life but none more profound than my little girl 'soulmate' kitty - Natasha. I lost her in August 2005 - just two months shy of (wait for it) her 17th birthday. I find this to be a strange, wonderful, bittersweet coincidence that three of us here at LP have these heart-filling, heart-breaking memories made with precious girls (Catalina, Bonne Belle and Natasha) that we were lucky enough to have for 17 years. (Heck, who knows... maybe there are several of us here with magic17 year feline relationships. It wouldn't completely surprise me that somehow we all ended up here, connected by Mara and LP) I'm pretty sure we can agree on the huge void left by these ladies that has not (and perhaps may never be) filled. I at least find some strange comfort in realizing that there are other 'kitty moms' out there who had otherworldly connections with a particular feline familiar in their lifetime, and as such can understand what that feels like (and why the loss still stings). I share in your memory, your grief and your celebration of Bonne Belle. Thank you for doing this! And thanks to Mara for her innate understanding and GIFT of manifesting scent through feelings. And yes...the tears are falling. I sincerely tried to hold it together while writing this but... you know. BTW... I raised Natasha together with her littermate brother (aptly named Boris, of course) who only lasted 10 days without his little sis. I'm certain I'll have to do a PE celebrating her memory for me, especially now (or perhaps some kind of "Sugared Blues" - they were both Russian Blue.) She was MUCH smaller but gave her brother hell (ala Miss Bonne Belle). Lastly... my name just happens to be Jan so of course I kept returning to it. SO glad I got to read your precious memories. Edited May 22, 2014 by LoveStruck55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveStruck Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) If you're off your rocker so are we all. Thank you tyvey for your levity, perfect timing (certainly lightened my mood after opening my box of bittersweet memories just a few seconds ago...) and most of all for the reminder of the 'safe place' we all share here at LP. And OK, sorry, I don't know how to combine posts (multiquote after the fact) when I was the last one to post before it updated the others (and then I found another post to quote!) Halo maybe you can combine them to save space? And Eggers... if it weren't for you I wouldn't even know HOW to friggin quote so I know you all have major patience with me and my learning curve. TY! Edited May 22, 2014 by LoveStruck55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggers Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 LOL! No problem! I couldn't figure it out for the longest time either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose Blackthorn Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Awww...seajammarket, how beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halo0073 Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 The kitty love of my life, Bailey was 17 when she passed too. It's been seven years and I still miss her like crazy. Seajammarket I'm so happy for you that this potion worked out so well. I love that she loved hats. Mine hated them but every year she wore Easter Bunny ears for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveStruck Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 The kitty love of my life, Bailey was 17 when she passed too. It's been seven years and I still miss her like crazy. Seajammarket I'm so happy for you that this potion worked out so well. I love that she loved hats. Mine hated them but every year she wore Easter Bunny ears for me. Wow Halo that is wonderful that you had Bailey! As I said, it would not surprise me at all if this story resonates with many of us here on the forums. Was Bailey with you during some tough times? Tasha (& brother Bo) got me through some of the hardest years of my life (and it was no picnic for them- being uprooted and moved about 7x over their 17 years). I think the fact that these particular felines stay with us so long is that they know they serve some higher purpose for us... little kitty soulmates or guardian angels (or both!) I'd love to hear more about Bailey or see a pic of her... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halo0073 Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Yes she did. Twice. Once when she was a kitten/young kitty she got me through one of the roughest patches in my life. Then again 15 years later when I returned home to live with my mom broken down and about an inch from a nervous breakdown. She was my soulmate kitty. She was deaf and incredibly in tune with me. She was a pure white angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethOSP Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 (edited) Wow. Seajammarket, now I know just *why* this is such a beautiful, loving perfume. I am honored to have a bottle. HUGS! P.S. Crying along with all of you. Happy cry! Edited May 23, 2014 by ElizabethOSP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveStruck Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I've been waiting and waiting to hear your review of Bonne Belle! I'm so happy to hear how much you love it. Scent has a secret & direct pathway to the heart; I'm not surprised a bit that this one moves you to tears. I love that she loved hats. Mine hated them but every year she wore Easter Bunny ears for me. I'm not surprised about Bailey - anytime I put hats or ears or reindeer antlers on mine they made the same face that Eggers LemonLime Head Kitty avi has! Seajammarket obviously Bonne Belle was a fashionista - ahead of her (kitty) time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Cat Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I have been waiting to be in the right space to review this, although I sampled it the day the box arrived.... I knew from Seajammarket's beautiful review that this has such love and history attached to it, and Mara's description of the scent on the PE thread was of course very intriguing. The scent is, all on its own, just lovely -- like raindrops is very accurate! It is soft and delicate (I think between this and Terra Mater "rose stems" is my new favorite note!), wearing close to the skin but at the same time a very palpable presence. It's also a fascinating combination of a velvety texture, while the scent is very evocative of water. Actually, what it makes me think of is being in a greenhouse, with rain beating down, and all the windows mostly closed to keep the water out, but with the scent of fresh rain and cool air coming through at the windowsill. With a beloved cat crouching on one's shoulder or curled in the lap, of course! As for the intent... of course it's possible I'm influenced by the knowledge I bring to it, I suppose, with the the lovely moving tribute above (plus being privileged to have had a very special email exchange with SJ about our beloved companions and Mara's genius for memorializing them!), but I can feel a very quiet powerful energy with this PE. Even though it's not evoking *my* beloved familiar, it brings to life all the associations/emotions from my own life, loves and losses. I had a really hard afternoon today, nothing happened but I was just in one of those moments where the accumulated griefs of the last few years snuck up and hit really hard. I came home determined to pull out all the stops for self-soothing.... cook a really good dinner, read a comforting escapist book, and of course snuggle with my kitty boys! I was trying to think of the perfect LP to add to the mix and almost slapped myself in the head when I caught sight of my bottle of Jan's Bonne Belle sitting on my bedside table with that impossibly sweet picture on the label. This brought the magic. So thank you, Seajammarket, for sharing this loveliness with us! I feel so lucky to have gotten a bottle of this. I'm going to treasure it and use it carefully, but I foresee using it quite a bit when the tough times come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveStruck Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Wowza. I didn't even know there were extras of JBB to get at one point! I think I probably joined LP after they were spoken for. I am really touched how Mara and ALL the feline sistahs on this forum celebrate the blessed familiars that have crossed our lucky paths. I loved your review Blackcat... made me all verklempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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