Dinerdulcinea

It's funny, but this is the one scent for which I was truly longing. This scent was the reason I placed an order. I really wanted it to work...

BUT...

It totally doesn't work on me.

First, in the imp, I smell an interesting camphor like odor...

same wet...

on dry, for a little while I get 2 woods...maybe pine and oak (?) and real leaves (which I like). But no herbs.

The scent eventually turns to spicy soap on me though...and for this, I cry. It is NICE spicy soap, but soap all the same. And I don't want soap.

ALAS!

I forgot to mention that the Hubby tried it too.

On him, he said:

"smells like those wax things we used to get from the ice cream man when we were kids." (the ones with the fruity syrup. I think he is referring to the odor that I called camphor-like)

It turns a really manly, sexy, spicy soap on him, but still soap though. He said "It's all right." (he's such a boy. They are sometimes known for their specifics...ex: you look "fine.")

I totally LOVE this scent.

I loved it at all stages. I think we have a keeper!

When it finally dried and settled after a bit over an hour (though I liked everything on the way there) I finally got the honey with some nice blood orange.

MMMMMMM!!!

The other notes never really popped on me except the ylang ylang at the beginning. When I first put the scent on and for about an hour afterwards, it was lots of blood orange (which is great) and ylang ylang.

I will want to wear this one when I am in a good mood and feeling girly.

Bewitched was a very nice green tea and blackberry on me. It was a true blackberry, not something that smelled like an imitation. And the green tea was really nice.

Eve was a frimp and one I wanted to try too. (Thanks, LAB!!!)

Eve starts off heavy on the florals to me, but pleasant---apple blossom and rose. There is another smell that seems a little "off" for a few minutes. The apple blossom smells a little like apple blossom perfume at this stage.

When I smelled it in the imp---the honey smelled nice and sort of fruity. On me, I don't get honey for a long time...mostly rose. And the rose is like a rose that is starting to dry a little (nice enough if you like that smell).

Even suddenly turned on me (in a very good way) about 1 1/2 to 2 hours in...she became very warm (a little honey) with nice rose and real apple blossom (the smell of apple blossoms is one of my favorite springtime/early summer scents!!!).

After another 2 hours, it is back to rose and apple blossom perfume, only a little fainter. It turned out to be nice on me, but I am not sure I will wear it THAT often because I think I would have to be in the right mood (maybe feeling like a flower fairy).

Nice though!

I do also have to say that I am impressed that these florals stayed pretty true on me, as florals have a tendancy to go all soapy/powdery on me. (just goes to show, it's all in how ya mix it! Beth can keep them true!)

This scent is TRULY DIVINE on me!!!!! At ALL stages!

At first, I got a really sexy incense smell that was not head-shoppy on me, but beguiling...

then after a while it got msuky and totally sexy!

I LOVE the earthy saffron and all the other spices too. I wonder what they all are, cuz they REALLY work on me in this blend!

This is a keeper for sure!

YUMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!!!!

all the same?

Maybe he doesn't have a good sniffer???

Anything with pepper in it should help one to stay awake.

I bought a blend of essential oils several years ago that is especially for that, and the one ingredient in it that seems to do the most is the pepper.

I haven't actaully FOUND a place near me that carries Vanilla Lust, so I wanted to know if anyone else had tried it an knew of a BPAL like it. I found out you CAN order a sample from Nordstrom. I will post that info in Retail Therapy if anyone wants the details on how to order samples from Nordstron. It costs $2 and you can get up to 2 samples of whatever.

Thanks for the research! I am dying to try it or something like it!

I didn't know what tiare flowers were so here is what I found...sorry it is a little long...

Tiare is a type of gardenia. Read on if inetrested.

Botany

Gardenia taitensis Family : Rubiacea

The Tiare Tahiti bush is in flower all year round. Its even, snow-white flowers contrast with the dark green of glossy smooth-edged leaves. Their unique strong and sweet perfume is reminiscent of gardenia and tuberose flowers, with some aspects of apple-tree flowers.

The Tiaré flower road

The soul and heart of Tahiti, the emblem of that faraway paradise is the little white star of the Tiaré flower. More precious than a gem, this fragrant ornament embodies the douceur "Sweet Life" in Polynesia.

By France Valentini

Tiaré goes by the pretty Latin name of Gardenia Tahitensis and is the treasure of the Society Islands where coralline limestone imbued with trace elements gives it exceptional quality and fragrance. As you stroll along, you will be charmed by the beautiful bushes of six or eight-petal stars that stretch along the roads as far as the eye can see. Their fragrance is so sensuous and so intoxicating. But don't pick them, as they are part of the region's heritage.

The tiaré flower is an art of life in Tahiti

The legend of the Monoï

Made into a garland placed around visitors' necks or into crowns during celebrations, the Tiaré flower is a staple of life. "Tanés" (men) and Vahinés (women) wear a Tiaré bud on the right ear to indicate that they are fancy-free, and on the left ear when their heart is taken. For centuries now, Tahitians have produced Monoï oil obtained from the maceration of Tiaré flowers in coconut oil. Monoï holds a very important place in Polynesian pharmacopeia and culture. This beauty oil gives a silky skin and strong and shiny hair to Tahitian women.

Produced according to very stringent rules, Monoï has to macerate for at least ten days and must contain ten flowers per liter of refined Coprah oil. It is an important source of income for the entire archipelago. So to ensure that you are buying the authentic product, look for the "Véritable Monoï de Tahiti, appellation d'origine" label.

In imp:

At first there is this wonderful, lovely rich sweetness and a little candle smoke...then on second sniff all I can think of is...bubblegum!

on wet:

now I smell like spicy bubblegum.

Dry:

I am getting a bit of a vanilla-like smell, which I like...but VERY SADLY, the other notes have totally turned to powder or soap on me.

SUMMARY: ALAS! Wanted to like this one too, because I really like neroli and bergamot and thought they would be nice with the other things. One to trade.

In bottle:

Very incense-y with something sticky-sweet-smelling. Not sure about this one...also a strong floral.

On wet:

OK, immediately the distasteful notes I smelled in the bottle are peeled away, but now there is a powdery sticky-sweetness left. Kinda soapy. Not sure I like this one on me.

Dry: Now I am getting baby powder, soap and DEET. ALAS!

SUMMARY: AAAAAAAAA!!! I did SO want this one to work on me. It sounded so neat in the description. Very disappointed my skin hates this one. Oh well. One to trade.

In the bottle:

My first thought was "mmmm...spicy fruit!" Upon closer examination, I can smell the lily of the valley, the opium and the mandarin most strongly.

Wet:

The strongest scent on me is lily of the valley perfume. Not like the flower itself (which has a lighter, less alcohol scent), but like a perfume made from it. It is practically all I can smell. Nothing wrong there, as I like lily of the valley perfume. It reminds me of my childhood. We'll see what the dissipating alcohol smell leaves behind as the oil dries.

After a few minutes...the opium comes out very strongly now and pushes everything else into the background. Also fine with me, as I apparently like the smell of opium. : )

After about 20 minutes:

Now it is opium and sandalwood. Very nice! I like this spicy smell! It is lighter now, but not soapy at this stage. MMMMMMM!!!

After about 2 hours:

I am surprised that after being so nice for so long this one is starting to get a little powdery/soapy on me.

Summary:

I never did get vanilla on me at any stage. TOO BAD, because I love vanilla! I liked it for the first hour or so, but now I am not so sure I would wear it. I'll have to ponder that and see if I can think of any circumstances in which this particular phase would be a scent I would want to have on me.

Bewitched:

In the bottle:

I can definitely smell both the blackberry (strongest note) and sage. Also a little raspberry. Smells yummy here, but I have some concerns that it may turn old-lady (perhaps the sage here) on me in this blend. We shall see.

Wet:

OOO! This reminds me of a favorite incense or potpourri I had about 15 years ago or so. After just a minute, the berry comes out strongest, but the incense smell is still strong on me. Perhaps that is a combo of the green tea and sage. I am excited to see how this does!

20 minutes later:

Even more incense-y on me. I swear it smells JUST like that incense/potpourri that I loved. It is a very pleasant scent-memory.

An hour later:

Starting to fade, sadly. It still has the incense/potpourri smell, but it is very light. It did NOT turn old-lady on me at all. It seems like it won't be very long-lasting on me, but it is pleasant. I can still smell the blackberry, but everything is muted and faded. My co-worker said "mmmm!!! Berries!" just now.

After a few hours:

Almost totally gone now. Alas.

Summary:

I like this scent, but I might like it better as a room scent since it has such a strong scent-memory for me. Nice though.

In the bottle:

Ahhhh!!! The sweet-pea is the strongest note for me straight out of the bottle. I can smell a little bit of dried sage. Very light and a nice compliment to the sweet pea!!! MMMMM!!!!

On wet:

Oooooo! This is very nice so far. I am very fussy about floral scents, but this one is light and rich, not heavy and cloying. It smells GOLDEN to me. Not like fiery red, but the warm golden of summer sunlight. I like the sweet-pea very much. I was afraid it wouldn't smell good on me. We'll see how it dries down. I can also smell the first hints now of something else...perhaps it is the spicy vanilla smell coming on that is how I have heard people describe tonka (I have never smelled it alone).

Dry:

I can smell what I presume is the tonka now, but the sweet-pea is still the dominant note. Very nice blend. It has a sort of honey sweetness that is quite pleasant (probably the combo of the tonka and sweet-pea). I just got a HUGE compliment from a co-worker (male) friend. He said he likes it better than Kathmandu (the other one I tried today), though that one is also nice. He said the floral in this is realllly great. I would agree. I have to be careful with florals as they often turn very old-lady on me, but this one is OH-SO-NICE! It is so pleasant and gratifying to find a floral that I like. Especially as this is sweet-pea, which is a flower with special meaning for me.

After 5 hours:

The tonka is still nice and light, but warm. Honestly, this smells to me just like a sweet-pea flower that is just about to fade totally away. Different sweet-pea cultivars have different scents (but like variations on a theme), but this one smells JUST like the one I had in my garden this summer. So lovely. Thanks! BPAL!

Summary:

Definitely a summer scent for me. Very pleasant! After I try some more things, it might end up being one I would like to wear more of.

In the bottle:

I smell incense and spices, but the incense is sort of sweet...The top note of the oil is something I can't quite place...it is almost like candy/menthol combo, but not unpleasant. Perhaps it is the chiuri bark...I am unsure what that smells like, or maybe some of the Nepalese spices? Hard to say since I have no way to compare since I don't know what those ingredients smell like. It could also be the cedar.

On wet:

I smell the lotus now, but there is still the same spicy sweet scent that is sort of candy/menthol smell.

Drydown:

A few minutes: It is starting to become much more woody on me and more spicy and mysterious-smelling. I like that. I put this oil in 2 places to test...on inside of one wrist and then in the crook of one elbow...and the wrist smells more like that sweet smell and the elbow more woody. Weird!

20 minutes:

Now the wrist is saffron and wood and other spices (which I LOVE). The elbow has more of the candy/sweet smell.

Over 1 hour:

Interestingly, that menthol/candy smell has dried to a wonderfully spicy WILDFLOWER HONEY smell on me!!! I am guessing that perhaps not a lot of other folks got honey, but I am now getting a very rich honey spice. There is saffron and the scent has become much softer, but not powdery like old-lady smell...a soft powdered spices, sandalwood and honey. MMMMMM!!!!

After 5 hours:

Sadly, no more honey. The honey stage only lasted about an hour on me. But now it has faded to a very soft woody fragrance. I can smell the cedar, the sandalwood, and the spices (esp. saffron). Very nice.

Summary: though I am not crazy about the unidentifiable candy/menthol note, which was the dominant note with my chemistry for quite a while, I liked it a lot when it finally settled and even when it had become faded and soft. I think this would be a FABULOUS scent for Fall.

I might consider buying this, but as this is my very first review and fist sniff ever, I think I will wait until I have tried several more.

I know that Tansy is a mosquito repellant. I don't know of any BPAL scents that have it, but if you have some tansy in your yard, it works fairly well.

Hi!

It was recommended I ask this question in the vanilla forum or here with the retail perfume experts...

Has anyone tried Jill Stuart's "Vanilla Lust?" If so, are there any BPAL scents that smell similar?

Pardon my redundancy if you have seen this before. Last place I ask...I swear.

(feeling just SLIGHTLY obsessed with vanilla lately!)

I hope this is the right place to post this and the appropriate way to ask...I couldn't find Jill Stuart fragrances mentioned anywhere when I searched the forum...

Does anyone have an experience with a BPAL scent that smells like/works like Jill Stuart's scent "Vanilla Lust?"

If so, which BPAL scent was it?

Thanks!

Great! Thanks for the thread leads! I will post over there to see if anyone on those threads has ideas.

You're awesome!!!

I hope this is the right place to post this and the appropriate way to ask...I couldn't find Jill Stuart fragrances mentioned anywhere when I searched the forum...

Does anyone have an experience with a BPAL scent that smells like/works like Jill Stuart's scent "Vanilla Lust?"

If so, which BPAL scent was it?

Thanks!