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Languor

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An opiate torpor, soporific, trancelike, and sublimely languid. A poet’s morphine dream, a listless journey into a gentle dream and the precipice of intoxicated madness. Paperwhite and black narcissus, three lilies, black poppy and tuberose and a hint of hypnotic opium den haze.


I was very interested in the "opium den haze" part of this, but very nervous about narcissus and poppy. I know that narcissus is probably what turned Darkness and Hades into bad mixtures on my skin -- it became very chemical on me. While I do get a strong whiff of that smell in this blend, overall it strikes me as a very dark and sophisticated perfume. The initial scent that I recognize from Darkness -- sort of like hairspray -- fades quickly and the dark florals emerge.

This is a dignified banquet sort of scent...it's definitely not the sort of thing I'd go out of my way to smell, and I don't tend to wear things like this either, but I can definitely imagine this as an "occasion" scent. It doesn't strike me as a hazy languorous scent oddly enough, but I do think of black and red silk and velvet and diamonds with a thin layer of dust (that musty bookstore kind of smell that I remember from the Hermit!). I always get that plasticy chemical hairspray smell from one of the notes in this though, which other people seem to get as well. Is it narcissus? I think it is. But I can see wearing this to a formal occasion and I will try to remember that this would be perfect if I am ever invited to one! :P

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I too was interested in the 'opium den haze,' but I've had mixed luck with narcissus in the Love Potions and the occasional bad run-in with poppy too. But, when a frimp shows up, you can't turn it down.

 

In the imp, this had that medicinal smell in Laudanum, but it went away quickly upon application. Then, as expected, the narcissus came out and turned all funny on my skin, mingled with a faintly-sweet smoke scent, much as I got from Belle Epoque.

 

The scent stayed like this then, not morphing into anything else. What was funny was that it didn't fade. It stayed at full intensity until suddenly just being gone; there was no lingering or diminishing.

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languor is smoky, spicy and sweet on me....with a touch of bitterness....like a fresh dandelion :P

 

this is quite a unique blend and i think i need to give this little baby imp a few more tries of this interesting scent to see if it will work for me as i am still on the fence about it.... *sigh* :D

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I'm guessing that the candle wax-like opening is opium+narcissus, because those are the notes that this has in common with Darkness, which smells similar. The lillies, tinged with poppy, show up early, and their perfume is heavy and narcotic.

 

I usually don't like florals, but this doesn't go soapy on me and it fits the concept perfectly :P bravo!

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In the bottle: Opium, poppy, and narcissus. I think I'm in love.

 

First on: The only difference here is that the lillies and tuberose come out a bit more. And the poppy helps spice it up. *drool*

 

Drydown: Yup, love. It's sweet & smoky at first, but after pulling back, there's a twinge of spice. I need more of this. Now.

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Maybe more than any other BPAL I've tried, this scent is "me."

 

It reminds me of something that I can't place (maybe the opium incense I used to burn?). Anyway, Languor is truly lovely. It's a sophisticated, deep, and sexy floral. It's smokey and velvety. Words are failing me a bit--it's indescribable.

 

I'm ordering a big bottle today. Thank you, Beth, for making this. :P

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Initially a lot of narcissus and soft white florals this quickly fades into a faintly powdery, smokey scent. Mysterious, relaxing and with a touch of spice as the opium rises to the top. Smooth and definitly soporific this is calming in a deadened-senses sort of way. complex but not quite me.

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First Impression: Sharp, almost musky and civet-like - there's something in this I really don't like.

 

Dries down to: The sharpness, which I think might be stargazer lily, tones down quickly and other florals start to come forward. Then, it becomes almost totally floral - lily, I think and very, very light. The final result is tolerable but nothing special.

 

Additional comments: From the description, I'm not surprised this doesn't work on me. Lilies seem to turn "musky" on me, except for lily-of-the-valley, which I love. I usually don't mind opium but I can't detect it in here at all nor the tuberose.

 

Lasted: Barely 1/2 an hour - definitely a sprint not a marathon.

 

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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Bottle (Imp): Um, something bitter or off.

 

Just On: Or not. It seems to disappear when I put it on.

 

An hour or two later: I honestly can't smell this at all now.

 

Around 6 hours: Okay, I think it's there, but this is really quiet. It doesn't jump out at all. It's possibly smoky, and maybe has some flowers.

 

12 hours: It's gone again.

 

Overall: This one really confused my nose. Might have to give it another shot sometimes to see what happens.

 

After reading other reviews: Well, obviously I'm not the only one who had short lasting results with this. I couldn't pick out any notes whatsoever, and the brief time when I could even smell it was just way too short. I guess this *is* a langourous scent.

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languor.jpg

 

Very pretty narcissus scent in this, and Languor bears your keeping your nose away from the source, too. Let there be a good deal of air between your nose and Languor because it is very much better when it can dissipate around you, that's what brings out its beauty.

 

Perfumy, in an incensey way, a little bit earthy, and quite heavy, I can see that when you think of this one, it would make you lazy.This one is not entirely to my taste, but I can see why some folks would love it a lot.

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Lilly-of-the-valley, white lilly. Narcissus and lilly. Why does this remind me of childhood? Such a traditional floral, a very "perfume-like" scent, I thought it would be too much for me. It reminds me of a *first perfume* sort of experience.

 

With a little time the lilly gives way to creamier tuberose and opium. The drydown is so different on me than the opening notes that it's hard to imagine that it's the same scent. The lillies vanished, and instead I have opium, smoke, and tuberose.

 

This isn't the sort of scent I normally wear, and the waxy-virgin-mary-holding-easter-lillies opening is a little much for me. However the drydown is really lovely. This may not end up being something I order, but I'll definitely keep trying it as I keep being drawn back to the strange nostalgic feeling I get while putting it on.

 

Come to think of it, this may just be a brilliant scent.

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This is all Marshall Fields floral on me. That cliche overly perfumey white floral that gives me a headache. The lilies here are going sharp and perfumey on me rather than soapy as they usually do.

 

In the drydown this gets a bit more of a smokier smell to it, but it's still mostly still just department store floral on me. Very blah and makes my head pound.

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In the imp and in the drydown stage it was smoky-floral. Very nice. The name and description fit it perfectly. Now that it's dry, however, something isn't right. There is something very bad gong on here with my skin. It's acrid and bitter and a little bit plastic. oh well

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I wanted to like it, but all I get is lily & narcissus, none of the opium or poppy that made me want to try it in the first place. Then after about 45 minutes my hand started to itch where I had applied it. Definitely not for me!

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Rating (on skin): 0/5

Summarised in a word or two: Flowery powder.

 

In the imp/bottle: I'm not adept at picking out floral notes, as I don't generally care for floral blends, so I can't pick out anything from this, save for the lilies. I do know that whatever I smell, I like!

 

On skin, wet: I still can't pick out anything but the lilies, but this becomes very powdery as soon as it touches my skin -- a strong floral powder that, while not unpleasant, isn't something I really care for personally. I do finally recognise the other prominent note, and it's narcissus, a note that I don't seem to have a good history with.

 

On skin, dry: Something in this turns unpleasant, and it begins to remind me of the public bathrooms at beaches or swimming pools: a strong floral barely covering something wet and rancid.

 

Conclusion: I'm not terribly suprised that this doesn't work out for me; floral blends almost never do.

Edited by Aredhel

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Chalk me up as another person for whom this one smells like a rather generic floral. There was something that felt very Southern about this to me and it never developed into the scent of a languid, smokey, hazy room as I had hoped. It sounds like Languor is beautiful on some peoples' skin, but alas, not on mine.

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In the imp: It smells a lot like Darkness, which is great, because I love that particular scent, but like just about everyone, I want to smell that opium den haze.

 

Wet: This is more floral than Darkness--I can actually pick out the three main floral notes (lillies, poppies and narcissus).

 

Drydown and wear: I claim to be one of those people who "can't stand florals," but what I really mean by that is that I usually dislike roses, carnations and lillies (though BPAL combines lillies with other notes in lots of interesting ways, and I'm surprised by how many BPAL lilly scents I like). When the flowers are deep and dark, like they are in this blend, I just can't get enough. Languid, sensual, intoxicating--Languor is fabulous!

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I, too, got the band-aid smell for the first 10 minutes or so of Languor. It's so much better dry; I can't attempt to identify which floral notes I'm smelling when, but the scent seems to be in a state of flux. It's a very slow, lazy state of flux, but there are definately sweeter perfumey moments and smokier, spicier, more dusky moments. A dark, creamy and sophisticated floral.

 

Loves it. This imp is a keeper.

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Wet: very floral,with the rather too-much quality that narcissus had in the wet stage of Hunger as well. I need to give it time to know what's going to happen.

 

Drying: Okay, now it's starting to develop a spicey quality with the floral, which makes it more interesting. Still, I'm losing interest in florals in general except for a few rose scents, so this isn't likely to be a favourite. Also, it's fading very quickly.

 

Dry: Basically gone, in well under an hour, except for a faint lingering sourness. Not a success for me.

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This scent is ALL Opium poppies and sweet musk on my skin.

Starts out with a hint of floral, but thankfully that disappears as soon as it dries.

 

This is a warm, rich, deliciously seductive scent. But at the same time, oddly comforting.

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This is really nice, I wasn't sure if I'd like it from the notes that are in it but actually its really nice. It was a heavy dreamy scent when I first put it on, the tuberose comes through really strongly and the whole scent is very bright turqoise blue to me - by blue I don't mean its aquatic, its more like a hot summers day that is perfect for sitting there and day dreaming.

 

It then morphed into something that is really familier to me but I can't for the life of me think what. I think that this could be a grower actually, the more I smell it the more I like it, the more I think it fits my personality quite well!

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Imp

I smell the lilies strongly, yet the notes are altered to be less green and bright...something darker waiting.

 

Wet

Plast-icky lily. Strange. This smells like band-aids with a touch of lily and hint of spice.

 

Dry

Run of the mill lily, cept it is encased in plastic bandaids.

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I have trouble identifying specific floral notes, so this review is going to be kind of vague. Suffice to say this is a luxurious, sensual floral scent as opposed to other fresh, light florals I’ve tried -- and that appeals to me. The opium adds depth and a slight smokiness to it.

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Wet this smells like very sweet gardenia and bandaids???!! When first on it smells like strong bandaids/plastic mixed with floral notes- really weird!! After a couple of minutes a slight spice comes through, like a faint cinnamon. Luckily the plastic smell is gone at this point. The floral notes continue to develop and reminds me of Sacred Whore. I also get some rose too. This one is very strange on me. It’s too heavy and ”perfumey” for my taste.

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Languor

 

In the imp: smells like white flowers with a hint of something sharp, dark and smoky-the opium? I’ve never tried an opium scent, let alone a BPAL one.

Wet on skin: smooooke! Damn, this is a smoky floral!

Dry: smoke and flowers. I’m getting two sides to this scent. First what hits you is the dry, dark, shocking and sharp smoky scent, almost dusty. I don’t really know the smell of opium, but I’m thinking that is what that smoke is-it’s not cigarette smoke or tobacco of any kind, but it’s something along those lines-almost like incense, but heavier and more narcotic in feel-a musty smoke that clings to you almost chokingly. Underneath that is a wonderful soft floral scent, white and dewy-sweet tuberose, lily and dry, crisp narcissus. I love that aspect of the scent-but I’m really not into the smoky opium scent…it smells a bit too smoky for me.

After a while: the smoky scent does seem to tone down a bit, letting the floral notes shine through. The flowers in this blend are heady and sweet-but that’s a good thing. I really like this floral scent that I’m getting now, it’s like a bouquet of lilies and narcissi scenting up a room.

After a few hours, the smoke is gone and the floral scent goes a bit dry, but is nice none the less.

Verdict: another unusual scent from the lab…I’m not sure what to make of this. Whilst I really love the floral scent this has, I’m not so keen on that smoky, dry, dusty and dark scent I get at the beginning-I think that’s the ‘opium haze’…I dunno, but that note freaked me out a bit when I smelt it. This does go down a bit though as time passes and the flowery scent becomes clearer and lovelier-it’s a really heady floral, but I like that. But I’m not into the wet/just dry stage of this scent. I may give this another try, another time.

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