Moscow

[filigree_shadow]

A rich, bold blend of imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine.

This smells like some sort of jasmine-scented hair spray on me. Really horrible.
Sorry, but that's the truth.

I was really hoping for something in a nice musk, amber, bergamot, and tangerine combination, but that's not what I got. At all.


Edited to add description. Edited November 17, 2007 by Shollin

[stellans]

.

I wore this today, because it fell into my fingers from my imp box at random. I am so glad it did!

 

In the imp: rich fresh florals, no one note immediately comes to the front for me.

Wet on skin: Ah, there's my rose, but softened by jasmine and then sharpened again by the slight citrus tang. The amber didn't show up until the drydown started, and I didn't really pick up on any lily-of-the-valley.

Dry: Mellow, but mature, this floral combination works so very well for me. I love florals best of all, and this is no exception. My skin tends to amp up rose, but since it's my favorite scent, that's just fine with me. The other notes deepened the floral top, and provided a very nice base for my lovely rose to shine. Also, the first application lasted surprisingly long for what seemed to me a fairly light scent. A very pleasant surprise indeed!

Verdict: I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists all day. When my husband came home, the first thing he said was "Wow, you smell great!"

Is it a keeper? Any perfume who gets that kind of response from the DH gets to stay, and I will be getting a big bottle of it soon. Or at least as soon as the Spring Fling is done, if I don't get it from my Switch-Witch.

Edited March 20, 2009 by stellans

[lapillus]

Wet: an old-fashioned floral. With a bit of citrus in the back.

Dry: a more expanded version of the wet. Very pleasant, but once again, not me. Will citrus works well enough with my chemistry it just doesn’t seem to mesh with my self image or something. I may keep it and try it again later and see if that changes.

[Mimicake]

I grabbed this one out of the imp box today with closed eyes. When I looked it up to see what notes where in it, I was scared to try it because of the jasmine. I was pleasantly surprised however, the jasmine wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. I never got any of the citrus notes, but the rose and bergamot came out to play nicely. A nice scent overall, but I'm too scared of jasmine morphing to buy a large bottle.

[Naamah_Darling]

This smells a lot like the new generation of body scents devised by sexier companies like Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works. It's rich, deep, soft, and sensual, a combination of floral and perfume notes that is both original and traditional at the same time.

 

In the bottle the jasmine is the topnote,

 

On, it smells strongly of the florals mixed with the citruses. This is, and I hate to say it, a lot like my grandmother's perfume. She wore White Shoulders, so it must be the amber and jasmine. On, the amber really comes out, and the jasmine deepens. The musk adds a low, hollow warmth to it, gives it some room, even as the bergamot and tangerine close it up again by providing a tart topnote. This isn't what I would call citric so people like me who don't care for citrus scents needn't be afraid; bergamot is more fruity than orangey, and the tangerine is its usual polite self.

 

The carnation comes in second here, right with the lily of the valley, and they both come forward in the blend as the bergamot and tangerine die back. The throw is jasmine, lily, and amber. I'm only barely getting the rose; it's piggybacking on the jasmine, warming everything up and giving it a touch of romance without overwhelming. The bergamot lingers giving it a little spice, but it's an influence more than an outright scent toward the end.

 

Overall, this isn't too strong on any one thing. It's mostly jasmine and amber, which means it works well even on me.

[sparkybish]

In the imp: Floral, pretty, old fashioned. I can't pull too much out specifically

 

Wet: Bright, crisp floral. Still feels old fashioned, but not stuffy. More vintage and chic. The rose comes out, and I think I am smelling the lily of the valley. The carnation is peeking out with a hint of spiciness.

 

Drying: The amber is bringing a nice softness and the tangerine is adding a nice well roundedness.

 

 

Overall impression:

 

Feminine, traditional, but unique. I think this may be my very first 5ml!

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Rich cologne, as well as a sharp note

 

On Skin: Floral and rosey with a hint of tangerine

 

On Drydown: Imperial. Rosey but not overwhelmingly so and this definitely smells kinda 'perfumey' but it smells Russian.

 

Verdict: I can imagine Russia smelling like this. A bit grandiose, a bit melancholic, a bit brooding, regal, imperial. This is one of the more evocative Wanderlust scents I've tried. I really like it for that reason. But this is not something I'd be comfortable wearing. It's an incredible olfactory experience but I don't see myself reaching for it. Maybe I'm not Russian enough in my soul.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: There are a lot of notes here, but the rose and jasmine easily stand out. I also detect some of the carnation (in fact, the floral base in this, reminds me, sort of, of the base in Gypsy Queen)

 

Wet: This is really strong jasmine overwhelming other notes in the wet stage.

 

Drydown and wear: This appears to be a scent that will follow in the line of Florence and Venice. All three strike me as these beautiful 'red gold' gilded scents, really majestic, varied and complex...but all three either disappear on me or reduce to one note on my skin. This perfume basically reduces to jasmine. During the latest stages of the drydown, I pick up on some citrusy/fruity smelling notes, but not much else. By the time those other notes are noticeable, the perfume itself is too light on my skin.

Edited June 28, 2007 by The_Merf

[Nimthiriel]

In the vial (initial impression):

The moment I open the vial, I feel like I'm standing in a gigantic jasmine bush holding a huge bouquet of lilies of the valley - it's wonderful! Two of my very favourite flowers and scents, mm.

 

Initially on (wet):

It's a shock of roses, lilies and jasmine on my skin - my nose nearly itches with the intensity! It's pleasant, feminine and brave.

 

Wearing it (dry):

10-20 mins after application, it's unfortunately all soap on me, with no noticable trace of the florals or anything. Real odd. I hope it gets better!

 

20-30 mins after application, still soapy, but now I get hints of roses and lily of the valley.

 

An hour later, it's much more floral, thank heavens, with just a touch of "soap" to it. I still get nothing of the amber or the musk, but mleh. It's pleasant.

 

6 hours later, it has evolved into a more soft and complex mingle of flowers, and the amber is coming through well. Ahh, good stuff.

 

Finally:

Hmm. I'm a bit ambivalent about this one. I'll put it in my trade pile for now...

[Skirt]

I can't smell a tangerine at all - it's all floral, and too much so. This reminds me of my mom's old perfumes from the 80's, way way way too strong for me.

[Neely]

In the bottle: lily and jasmine.

 

Wet: lily and jasmine, with that lovely ode d' skunk funk I get when jasmine hits my skin. Why jasmine, why?!?!

 

Dry down: a very nice floral. The funky skunky has gone, and now this is really pleasant. The amber and musk provide a nice base for this, smoothing and grounding the floral notes. This is very well blended, and seems to have melded with my skin so I cannot smell any notes on their own.

 

30 minutes: this is a complete surprise! With the skunk funk of jasmine, I was sure it would be a swapper. But the other notes have all gotten rid of Pepe Le Pew, and it smells divine!

 

Conclusion: luckily the skunk funk didnt' last long. It is the only thing making me hedge on a big bottle. Beth and the labbies are geniuses. Because of BPAL I actually can wear some florals, so I have had to rethink my "no florals, no way, not just no, but HELL NO", policy, LOL.

 

Rating 1-5: 3.5-4, only loses points for Pepe's apperance.

Edited July 18, 2007 by atropos

[hushmesilent]

Moscow smells a lot lighter and more feminine than I originally thought it would! I was very pleasasntly suprised. It smells like a fresh bouquet from a flower vendor! This is also a little fruity, but not overbearingly so.

 

It's ilke getting hit in the face with a bouquet of roses and lillies of the valley and then eating an apple to make you feel better. LOVELY!

[ClareN]

Moscow doesn't know what it wants to be, on my skin. At first it was all dreaded white flowers, then amber, then white flowers with rose and amber, then dark musk. Currently, it's all carnation, with the white flowers peeking in and out. BPAL's carnation is lovely, I could definitely use a carnation/musk blend, but the other notes in Moscow aren't right; the white flowers are especially ruining it for me. I can certainly see how someone could fall in love with it, though.

[taramarie]

On me, Moscow is just florals and musk, with none of the florals really standing out. It's a pretty blend, but I expected something a bit more from it. I'll keep it around, though.

[aquazoo]

Wow, that's a beautiful citrus floral! The tangerine fades fairly quickly, but now those spicy things are coming through. The rose is coming through nicely, not the least bit overwhelming. Really pretty. Keeper!

[steelxrose]

I really wanted to love Moscow..

 

In the bottle: holy rose! A faint hint of the other notes, but mostly rose.

 

On my skin: My skin amplifies rose like it amplifies cherry, and neither turns out for the better. All I got was a lot of rose. Pass.

[MaidenGenevive]

Moscow

 

My first thoughts are, this is a high quality, mature floral. I like that it's complex and layered. It has a quiet warmth that keeps it from being piercing. The tangerine adds a subtle sweetness.

 

Also, this has a lovely fade to it. It's never overpowering, but as it wears, it's gentle. It's a richer floral that doesn't suffocate even upon reapplication.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

3 : Most florals give me a migraine, excepting light florals. This is the first heavier one that I could handle. It's a bit too mature for me, but I think I'm going to hold on to it for now, as florals really are complicated on me.

[Kimiko]

I didn't smell the rose at all in the ump, which was interesting because rose pops up on me very quickly. I wanted to see what it would do on my skin!

In the imp my boyfriend cringed and said it smelled like medicine. lol. I decided it was better than some of the others he had turned down.

I basically smelled Jasmine all night, the oil stayed smelly on my wrist for most of the night too.

I like it. Not as much as others but it's an imp keeper at least.

I'm planning on trying it once or twice before making a final decision of bottle or not.

[topazphoenix]

Moscow was all jasmine on me, my skin amps jasmine like nobody's business - and I don't even like jasmine.

Edited July 10, 2009 by AmandaKay

[TrueStar]

Rose....all day. No change, just rose. Did I mention this is all rose on me?

 

I'm not a fan of rose, so off to the swap pile it goes.

[breezefaerie]

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Moscow is all floral! It's very heady and sweet, very fresh. It is so for the most "perfumy" smelling of all the scents (the number is very small unfortunately) that I have had the opportunity to smell.

 

After a half hour: I thought Moscow was going to disappear there for a few minutes but it seems to have come back. The initial florals have dried into a much softer floral blend on me. I can't seem to pick out any one note on my wrist. It smells very old-fashioned, almost powdery but not quite. It's very feminine.

Edited December 8, 2007 by Janet

[gchris]

In Vial: green, fresh floral

 

Wet: The bergamot is peaking out now. I smell flowers and something cold. There is not mint in this so I don't know what it could be.

 

Drydown: All I smell is rose, but since I don't like rose that maybe why. It is a fragrance I just cannot get past the rose.

[bryghtrose]

This is a very nice floral spoiled by bergamot. I really dislike bergamot.

[Suu4LC]

This scent was not for me.

 

It really felt like an old lady floral to my nose-a Grandma scent.

 

It was almost allll floral. The blend felt very generic unfortunately.

 

It sweetened up as it dried, but not enough for me to like it.

[laforetnoire]

In the bottle, it's tangerine and rose.

When dried it's jasmine with lilies in the background.