Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Anya's Garden- MoonDance and StarFlower

Natural perfumer Anya McCoy is a Miami, Florida resident, and it might be just my imagination, but I see her perfumes as wild and lush as the Florida of my dreams (I admit that all but one of my visits down there had something to do with the Mouse and his world). Her two newest creations, Moondance and StarFlower take this idea to new heights.

MoonDance is pairs tuberose and violet in a way that seems to me both utterly new and oddly familiar. It feels like a place I knew long ago but can't quite remember, and it makes me think of the house where I lived when I was about six or seven, playing in dark green yards that were full of promise and mystery. Rich floral perfumes can be a hit or miss for me, and MoonDance is most definitely a hit.




StarFlower would make you forget everything you thought about botanical perfumes. A floral gourmand sounds like a really bad idea-


A candy for seduction, sweet almond and lemon cherry radiate over tempting tuberose - who can resist? The deep and delicious drydown of chocolate, maple, nutmeg and vanilla

It could have been crazy and cloying, but instead Anya's promise is fully kept. The almond-cherry in the opening is fully there when I approach the sample, but is fully transformed on skin to a tuberose praline. If you're familiar with creative artisan chocolatiers such as Max Brenner, Bespoke Chocolates or MarieBelle, you could easily imagine a tuberose truffle. It would smell like StarFlower.

Both MoonDance and Starflower are strong and long lasting. They are deeply satisfying and come fully alive on skin.

Bottom line: Love. Want. Need.


MoonDance and StarFlower are available as a parfum extrait ($75 and $60, respectively for 3.5 ml) and an EDP ($125 and $100 for 15 ml). You can also order a sample set (highly recommended). The samples I tested were sent to me for review by Anya.

Art by Brandi Milne.

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