[hypothermya]

Libertine

Like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads.

Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk.

Initial Impression

The rosewood is the most prominent from the vial, with the herbal chamomile and the harsh bergamot following. Very woody and herbal smelling. Not recalling just yet why I was so interested in this one.

Wearing It

Oh my! This is like Fenris Wolf, only prettier! A nice rosewood base with chamomile, bringing to mind the most lovely polished red wood that I can imagine, with lovely soft violet and primrose on the top. It's like smelling this dusky, glossy scent, a floral with wood tones underneath, and the musk lending it a blushing warmth.

I could see a man wearing this, but it's lovely enough that I'd wear it too. It reminds me a bit of those women in Brotherhood of the Wolf, where they're dressed like a man but have that gorgeous hair and that dashing smile that utterly frames their feminine beauty.

This is a lovely scent. I was somehow hoping that most of the scent I ordered from this last update would be so-so, so that I could avoid ordering more big bottles. This, however, has completely dashed my plans. I rarely can bring myself to wear violet, but this is just too lovely not to wear. And any violet fans will just fall in love. Definitely going onto my big bottle wishlist.

[LiberAmoris]

Libertine on me is a herbaceous rose/violet with the musk and sandalwood running underneath like a warm current to balance the slightly astringent nature of the chamomile and bergamot. The overall effect is of a very lovely organic, ‘natural’ blend; rose and violet burnished and buffed until absolutely smooth.

It smells like something the upper classes would have used to scent their linens right before the French Revolution, at the height of decadence. Lovely as a perfume but I also think it would be great spritzed on sheets.

[antimony]

On me, this scent was really dominated by rosewood, and maybe the bergamot a little too.

It smells dry and rich at the same time, like well kept up furniture, but in a good way. I think it's the musk and sandalwood that give it that kind of rich feeling.

Unfortunately, it was gone by lunchtime. If this scent lasted longer, I would be all about a 5ml

[Theravada]

I ordered this because of the bergamot note, but was a bit concerned how I would react to the other notes in Libertine.

Well, I shouldn't have worried! This is a fantastic blend.

The bright, citrusy bergamot seems to be the strongest scent, but there is this wonderfully subtle sweetness playing underneath the tart bergamot that I'm so in love with. I think it is the chamomile mixing with the other florals. It's just beautiful, and I'm not usually a fan of florals. The patchouli isn't a big player here, but the musk gives the whole mix this smooth, smokey quality. This is just brilliant!

Libertine is amazing. I pictured this as a masculine scent, but now that I've smelled it I'm not sure I can picture a man wearing this. But I can easily picture myself ordering Libertine again :P

[Summerpixy]

My skin loves roses of all types. Libertine is no exception to this, the largest note to 'pop' is the rose-wood, after that the bergamot and other notes fade into a subtle background. I adore this, I just wish that it had lasted longer on me.

It's lifetime was short, but I really did enjoy it. I think I may end up getting a bottle of this anyway, even if it doesn't have the longest lifespan, it is still a perfectly lovely fragrance all the same. Besides, it gives me time in the evening to switch to another perfume for sleep.

:D It's a winner :P

[Penance]

This was one of the many generous freebies in my last order from the Lab. :P

First sniff:

This is complicated smelling! Bergamot is the most prominent note for me, followed by violet. I can't smell any of the other notes distinctly, but I get the impression that they're there.

Wet on skin:

Bergamot and violet with a hint of sandalwood. It's a mix of citrus and powdery florals and dry sandalwood incense on me. This is definitely an unusual mixture, and sadly it has two things I can't normally wear in it: powdery florals and citrus.

Dry down:

No real change from when it was first applied. The violet gets a little stronger and the sandalwood a little weaker, but other than that, it's a very linear scent for me.

The bottom line:

This one's definitely not for me. Citrus and violet generally aren't my thing, but the sandalwood note was nice. :D

[diabolique]

this is uber-soft on me, very unoffensive. for some reason, i actually like it. it must be the sandalwood and musk that makes me really dig it, because i don't like violet or rose. this is becoming very sweet, and i'm so glad i gave it a chance before i swapped it away. the violets, which don't scream out at me like they usually do, are adding a soft, sweet "purple" to the blend. wow, libertine DEFINITELY surprised me! i'll try to keep this one around.

[LaLisa]

Very decadent smelling in the bottle--sandalwood, bergamot with the heavy sexy florals. On me, sexy, sweeter than my normals scents, slightyly spicy (the chamomille) with a whiff of post sex voluptuousness. Something I would wear again.

[Nepthys]

One me this is a very light, unassuming daytime scent, mostly an herbal woody-floral. It reminds me of those beautiful Merchant-Ivory historical films set in old mansions, where all the rooms are huge and filled with gorgeous heavy antique furniture and fresh flowers. This has the same association of quiet wealth and good taste. At first the wood was the strongest note, which I really liked, but it dried down to emphasize the violet. I preferred the initial impression. However, I think that as much as I like this, I might like it best as a house scent so I'll probably use the rest of my imp for that.

[nevermore]

I don't really know how to describe this one. I can smell violet, bergamont and cammomile in the vial, but they blend so nicely that it's hard to pick them out on my skin. Luckily, the rosewood doesn't end up smelling too rose-y, but simply adds a nice base to the otherwise fairly lights perfume. It's splendid. Occasionally, I run across perfume that I know I need more of right away - this is one of them!

[ChupaChup]

The rosewood, chamomile and bergamot are the only notes I can really detect in Libertine. I'm not a fan of violet on my skin, but luckily it never showed up. Although I could wear this, I feel it's more of a gentleman's blend (note I said gentleman, not guy). My boy tried it and liked it but said it was too faint, so it was swapped. He's a guy.

[ashtonrose]

Like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads.


That is why I purchased Libertine. It just made me feel like romance would be in the air. I am glad that I was right. The bergamot hit me first and then the rosewood and chamomile. I didn't smell the violet too much, which was fine.

I just think that this is a wonderfully blended smell.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Bright and sweet – it smells like berries, though I know there aren’t any in here. I do catch a hint of the pale citrus bergamot – very nice.

Wearing: The deeper notes come out right away, sandalwood and musk. Libertine is very warm and enveloping. A keeper.

[quinkel]

another gimp that I wouln't have ordered based on the notes but i am very happy the lab trew it in.

Libertine evoces very romantic feelings in me, making me long for spring( while i usually hate spring/summer).It smells like the 16th century, and now they put me in a time machine and I am walking in the 21st century with the wrong perfume :D (like in those movies where they forgot the actor is wearing a digital watch while playing Alexander the Great :P )

What I smell is mostly roses and a faint hint of violet. It's about an hour now and it stays slill the same as when I put it on.

Pleasant, friendly, soft, daytime

[reina]

sweet (but not too much), powdery, soft, relatively light... but I have a feeling it will stick to my skin.

very nice! There are resembalnces between this blend and Ave Maria Gratia Plena... but I think I like this better. Yes, I do.

[feline.by.design]

:::does a little dance:::

I'm so clean, the cleanest I've been!

I had ordered an imp of Libertine from the Lab with my Cold Moon order, and the wonderful thing came (hooray). I was attracted to the oil when I saw it on the BPAL website. Bergamot? Gorgeous. Sandalwood? Me encanta. Chamomile? Sounds yummy.

So, I tried the oil out and was so surprised at how clean the oil smells when wet. Libertine, on me, at the beginning smells like a clean garden scent. After a couple of minutes, the clean smell transforms to a clean floral, with the primrose and the violet sneaking out and rising to prominence coupled with the chamomile and Arabian musk, with a hint of the sandalwood at the bottom to ground it out.

During the time I was testing it, I noted that it remained for the most part a very clean, pretty herbal floral. Libertine is good for those of us who like only shy, mellow, unassuming florals. The fragrance didn't go powdery on me, but I didn't note any bergamot. No matter, though, it's still a fantastic scent.

But I'm going to be passing my imp on. Why? Well, I've got a 5 ml bottle of Libertine soon to be on its way from Red Hot Mama's UNICEF auction!

:::does a little dance again:::

-doreen

[Lit Chick]

I love testing oils completely blind. I have no internet at home, and so when I get my latest swap in, I'm usually at a loss for what's in it, and what the general consensus is. So, Libertine was a delightful surprise!

At first, the clean smell that others have mentioned threatened to go soapy. In fact, it was a tad astringent, but there was a pleasantness that gave me hopes for the dry-down. I was not disappointed. The musk was the most identifiable note - everything else blended into something warm and soft.
It must be the musk, but this reminded me a little of Red Devil after a few hours wear - but not as overtly sexual. Libertine is a more understated afterglow. Beautiful.

Libertine faded rather quickly on me... I will be using my imp up, but a bottle purcahse will depend on future performance.

[bellis]

I'd been lusting to try this scent ever since I first read the name and description.

It was the first BPAL imp I sniffed, and it was all bergamot, rosewood, and a hint of chamomile. As soon as I put it on, the rosewood lept forward. Apparently my skin loves it, because for the first hour or so it is definitely the dominant note. After a bit the florals come out and it turns into a gorgeous blend of violet (which I wasn't sure I'd like), rosewood, and chamomile.

I could still smell it floating around me for the first few hours, and I could still smell it on my wrists after five, by which point it was mostly rosewood again. It's very warm soft, but not soft as in gentle. Soft as in thick velvet curtains and silk sheets soft.

I love this and so does my skin. :P

[Andra]

First Impression: Rosewood and powder.

Second Impression: This reminds me of Unseelie. Only golden brown where Unseelie was more golden green. I'm getting the rosewood and herbs and the musk.

Final Analysis: Not overly keen of how this smells on me. It starts off woodsy and powdery and then finishes very powdery.

[xoe]

On me, Libertine is all rosewood. Maybe a little bit of something else, adding some depth, but mainly Rosewood. It is quite beautiful, and rich. A lovely, lovely blend.

[shelldoo]

i went looking for violets and this one popped up

and man am i not disappointed, altho the most noticeable note to me is a musk, followed by the rosewood, then the violet softens it all making it a beautiful blend, i am in adoration :P

[Madame Nyx]

Reminds me a lot of Magdeline and Lucy's Kiss. A floral that has a dark base to it. These never last on me so I am swapping it. It does smell great for a oil with rose, even primrose, in it though. Rose tends to overpower all notes in an oil once it reaches my skin. This one doesn't. i like the smell of the rosewood very much.

This post has been edited by Madame Nyx: 17 March 2005 - 08:40 PM

[anmorata]

Libertine:

Wet: Very strongly bergamot. Very much a blue-flower feel, IMO.
Drydown: Still strongly bergamot, with hints of sandalwood peeking through.. somewhat powdery.
Long-term wear: If it weren't for the bergamot dominating this scent, I bet I'd love it. But bergamot is all I get out of it. :P Off to the swaps pile, sadly.

[Falathwen]

This is the woods before the leaves have come out.
At first, this blend is like the scent of bark after a rain. There is a sweet, almost grassy background.
As the blend dries down, floral notes come forward. I can pick out the violet and chamomile, but they do not overpower. This blend could easily be worn by either a man or a woman. . It is complex, but not heavy

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: *whines* Musk. I can smell it, and it's not the pretty white musk that loves me to pieces either. It's the "I will eat your soul" musk. I'm also detecting some very green notes rather than anything floral. None of the woods are out yet.

Wet: Oh no. It's doing that evil herb rotting on my skin thing that lavender blends do. This is very sad, my friends. Yeah, evil herbs and some rosewood.

Dry down: Evil herbs with both rosewood and sandalwood. Not a nice blend on me at all. Things are rotten in Denmark. And on my wrist.

Dry: Evil herbs and rosewood with the sandalwood in the background. The evil herbs of doom, though, remain the dominant note. Washing off.