Leanan Sidhe

[Thimbleviolet]

... Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.

I have a 2yr old aged imp of this, and when I initially got it, Leanan Sidhe did not stand out but since then I have tried it again and grown addicted.

On me this amps jasmine, almost pure jasmine like wearing jasmine absolute, this is day jasmine not night jasmine. It is tinged with some faint white florals and something lightly green, more like dew soaked grass than herbs though.

It has a decent throw to start with, but fades over a few hours and requires close wrist-sniffing to detect.

Colours: white, green, lilac and a touch of gold

Impression: It is early morning and the mists still hang heavy in the air, you are walking barefoot on dew soaked grass studded with tiny wild flowers. To your right is an old stone wall covered in blooming star jasmine which glows softly in the morning light.

[applecider10]

Very sweet, very pretty. VERY floral. You might find a similar fragrance at a scent counter, so there is a commercial character to it, but there is also a slightly more natural tang here that makes it appealing. I can't pick out any particular notes; it's just a dewy floral scent, green and purple and slightly damp. I like it. Not THAT special, but perfectly nice.

[blacksh33pboi]

I agree with the above reviewer in that it's a bit tough to pick out specific notes. It's a fragrance with broad appeal because of how inoffensive it is. Not too floral, not too green, not too anything. Just a nice, light, dewy floral. While it might not be too complex and some might not like its simplicity, it's definitely a perfect perfume to wear if you're going to be around family, at work, or around anybody else whose perfume tastes aren't known yet. It's a great 'safe' scent to fall back on. I do wish the 'herbs' part was more noticeable, as I like herbal scents, but beyond that, it's hard not to like.

Edited January 4, 2015 by blacksh33pboi

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Soapy white flowers.

 

Drydown: The soapiness subsides as clean, white flowers bloom. Lily for certain, and I’m not sure what else. It smells very white, with touches of gold and green too. It reminds me of Aspen (for women). Fresh, a touch grassy-woodsy, and bright white.

 

Dry: The florals are dialed down now and I can actually smell the mist and dew! Fresh and sweet in a watery, clear, greyish-green way. There’s a touch of powdery softness from the flowers, but mainly it’s a very clean, glassy-clear sort of scent. I’m trying to identify the notes and I’m really not sure...definitely the lab’s water note, probably lily, maybe jasmine, maybe lavender, perhaps a light evergreen (NOT pine), and possibly clover or ambergris or moss too??

 

 

 

7 out of 10 bones

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Exactly as described! Quite magical, really! Light, misty & dewy! Very mysterious!

 

Wet on skin: The herbs & flowers are coming to the front, but it's still very light, misty & fairy-like! So pretty!

 

Dry on skin: A bit more musky & powdery now, but still very pretty! It's not as ethereal as it was in the imp (or wet), but it's still quite mysterious! It's not only herbs & flowers - the mist & dew notes have mostly turned to powder, but there's just enough left to add a hint of intrigue.

 

After a few hours: A little more musky & powdery than when dry, but still a nice herbal-floral scent.

 

Verdict: I really like this one &, while I know I’ll wear it a lot as is, I would LOVE to try it in a scent locket!

[Nicnivin]

In the imp, it's all fresh and green and herbal with a slight floral note, but on me, it turned into powdery, soapy laundry detergent. It just doesn't work with my chemistry AT ALL.

 

I do love how it smells out of the bottle, so I'm considering adding the oil to a water bottle and using it as a linen spray.

[fundercat55]

This is one I never would have picked out on my own, but I received it as a frimp with my last order and I'm so glad I did. In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's a sharp, green, herbaceous scent that quickly morphs into a spicy, carnation like scent with a whiff of greenery in the background. I love it. It reminds me quite a bit of LUSH's old Potion lotion, which was a favorite of mine. It turns slightly powdery at about 30 minutes of wear, but in a pleasant, soft way. This also has a surprisingly long wear for such a light scent. 4+ hours later and I can still smell it. I'm definitely putting this imp into heavy rotation and will definitely consider a full bottle once it's gone.

[aquazoo]

The floral in this turns really soapy really fast. It’s a no for me.

[freyasfae]

My first review! I ordered this along with five other imps for my first BPAL purchase. This one is definitely my favorite, and one I would consider buying in the full size. I like florals, but I wasn't sure how I would feel about herby, but the description was so evocative that I got it, and I am glad I did! I now want to try herbier scents. As for this one, in the bottle, I wasn't too keen on it, but after I applied it and even more so after it dried, I just adored it. Romantic and soft like it says with notes, ever so often, of just a hint of malice (like the Leanan Sidhe!).

[PrinceofcatS]

I've had this bottle for about 5 years. I got an imp of this when I was young and discovering BPAL for the first time and it immediately became a bottle purchase. Because there had been no notes listed I remember being anxious about how it would work on me, but I really had to have it for the subject matter.

 

It really does smell like being outside - not grass, precisely, but wet dew on green things - and is a beautiful, light, misty floral with some clout to it. I think I agree with the reviewer who suggested jasmine, but on me I think it's predominantly lily. I don't find it commercial, though; to me this is the epitome of BPAL's ability to take typical subjects and make them magical.

 

I think this has herbs in it only such that they take the edge off.

 

I believe this one of those scents that gets less fresh with age, but I still think it evokes misty floral meadows, they're just darker now.

[Christine Daae]

In the vial: Wet and sweet and green. Really pretty!

 

Wet: Indefinably green, sweetly floral, and quite strong, at least at this stage - a lot of BPAL perfumes are close to the skin on me such that I kind of need to lean into my wrists to smell anything but I’m getting wafts of pretty green and floral even while I type!

 

PrinceofcatS (who is the reason I bought this imp to try!) mentioned that there seems to be lily in here and I agree with her - that might be where people are getting the soapy/shampoo impression, though I don’t get that myself. I think I am getting carnation here, too (and even rose, perhaps?) - something in this reminds me of Alice, though it’s not milky or honeyed. As it dries down the misty impression begins to dissipate, like actual mist evaporating in the sunshine, leaving sunwarmed flowers and grasses.

 

This is sweet, and floral, and misty-green; herbs and grasses and dewy florals. It’s very clean and soft, ethereal and fey (in the otherworldly sense, not the doomed-to-die sense). I got this both for the name and concept and because it was recommended to me; I love spring florals a lot, am descended from Irish folk, and (like I mentioned in my review of Muse yesterday), my husband and I are collectively known as “muse and her maestro,” so I have an affinity for the concept of artistic muses. This is indeed very springy and will be perfect for spring days (if we ever get any), but it’s not as sharp-green and clear as some springy florals can be; it’s not sharp or crisp, it’s soft and sweet and airy and dewy in the sunshine while still having a surprising amount of throw on me.

Leanan Sidhe is definitely going into my spring imp rotation for days that I want to feel like an Irish faerie muse, otherworldly and all-consuming.

[Kmye Chan]

In the imp: green florals. I can't pick out the notes.

 

Wet: this is fresh, green and very floral, although the florals are a bit undistinct - lily and jasmine is my best guess. Not much else to deepen the scent; this smells like a shrubbery at sundown on a bright but chilly spring day.

 

Drydown: I think I detect some carnation peeking out on the drydown? There's something vaguely sweet and spicy coming through, but it's faint. Mostly still green florals. It doesn't morph much on me.

 

Throw: low.

 

This is pretty and fresh, as pretty much everyone else said. It's not massively distinctive and definitely inoffensive - almost on the fancy soap edge, but greener and more herbal. I'll have to wear it more to decide whether it's a keeper.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Sweet, aquatic floral. Much sweeter and with more "dew" than I had hoped. I was hoping for more wildflowers and herbs. It's getting a bit soapy too, there something in there that's not great with my skin chemistry. It's quite perfumey as well.

 

 

 

Dry: Still a bit too sweet and aquatic for me. Not really getting many herbs, can't pick out individual flowers. It recovered from being soapy though, and I imagine if I enjoyed sweet floral aquatics I would really like this,

[Psycry]

In the Imp: This is watery flowers, and green and pretty.

 

On my skin: I really like this, it's watery, and light, and the flowers are so lovely.

 

Drydown: I can't believe that this is a water scent that isn't going to...oh wow. INSTANT sharp turn into a high-pitched, shrieking cheap cologne on me.

 

Crap.

 

Maybe I'll try this in a water mister, or something else where it doesn't touch my skin.

[Cali]

From the imp; soapy, green, herbal. It definately has a sense of whimsy in there.

On my skin it goes to something similar as the dead leaves note. That, but a little less... dead.

Is there white rose in this? It reminds me of it. In the end on my skin, fresh messy dishwash. Not for me unfortunately as much as I love the concept.

[Beary Strange]

In the imp: herbs and flowers

Wet: herbs, flowers and incense, a tad bit soapy

Dry: flower herbal soap with a side of incense; the description mentions "nighttime dew" and I definitely get something from this that smells of night, maybe a bit of chamomile or lavender is in this?

 

This turned soapy on me, but I don't dislike it. To me, a flowery herbal soap smells of clean, like a relaxing bath right before bed. The result is something that is very calming and soothing to me; this would make a very good bedtime scent.

Edited November 24, 2016 by BearyStrange

[BridgeKeeper]

Woah, is this floral. I'm not good at identifying notes, so I won't even try. I could see this working as a nice perfume on some people, but most definitely not on me.

[SecondDreemurr]

In the imp it was a perfumey floral and a hint of green.
On me I can't really tell because I must be allergic or very irritated by something in it. Instant headaches and made my nose hurt

 

I was really hoping to love this one...

[Miss Landau]

Some sort of floral, can't quite pick out what, and damp, green moss. Kind of like the smell of the moss on rocks in a creek bed. Very delicate and faint, but atmospheric.

[slyvanestra]

In the imp: Greenery and flowers, all damp. I adore it already! I feel like I'm in a very magical garden, but one that might have tricked me into a fairy ring.

 

On the skin, wet: More of the water and flowers, with the greenery in the background. It's sweet, to lull me into a sense of security, but utterly addictive too.

 

On the skin, drying down: Pure velvety flowers, more herbal notes coming back out, and the wet has become very reminiscent of a stone fountain to me.

 

And it all blends so beautifully too, so there's not one overpowering note; everything tells a story with the other scents. I only bought an imp of this but I can see it becoming a bottle in the very near future.

[Teamama]

Subtle herbs & flowers. Delicate, sweet. This is in the "warm forest magic" family that my daughter loves: if you like Elf or Fire Monkey, Leanan Sidhe is probably for you.

[Nascargot]

I think perhaps my nose is just very bad at picking up floral notes? Many department store fragrances smell identical to me for this reason; my nose just feels overwhelmed and confused. I can't really discern anything in particular, though it is certainly very flowery. Many seem to say that it is gentle and mossy, but what I got was a bit sudsy instead, reminiscent of my favorite body wash.

For me it was quite resistant, persisting despite several rinsings and an eight hour sleep. I'm very impressed with how long it lasted; I only wish I liked it a bit more! Given that it smells so 'clean' on me, I'm mostly inclined to wear it after showering.

[achildoftime]

Wearing it makes me feel like I should be romping through a magic meadow. It's breezy, herbal, and is all kinds of lovely.

 

My beloved peeked over my shoulder while I was starting to write this up and skeptically said "Magic meadow?" I had him sniff and he went "I know exactly what you mean now." So it's legit. Absolutely one of my favorites!

[doomsday_disco]

I know I've tried this before, but I guess I never ended up writing a proper review.

In the imp: The mist and dew notes leap out to me the most, along with some herbs.

Wet: Dewy, soft white florals and herbs. I think there's a moss in this, too, perhaps one of the mosses found in Cathode, which is adding some warmth to the scent.

Dry: Now there is a bit of spice present when smelled up close – maybe ginger? I am not able to adequately pick out what I'm smelling, but this is a white floral blend accompanied by some moss, the aquatic mist and dew, and a bit of spice.

After a few hours, the scent becomes sweeter, and the white floral aspect is more prominent. I wonder if this contains jasmine. This is something that jasmine usually does on me. The moss, spice, and herbs are not as strong as they had been, but they're still lingering in the background.

Verdict: I'm enjoying this a lot more than when I first tried it. I'll be hanging on to my imp.

Edited January 28, 2018 by dementia_divine

[ramblingrambler]

Irish Spring soap, to a T. I think this would be great to do a load of shirts in for that “always zesty clean” smell, but on my skin it turns sharp and pungent.