Maenad

[Diva Urd]

Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.

Vial: Strawberry herbal tea.
On: Strawberry - now more natural than in the vial, with a fresh undercurrent. Still reminds me of flavored herbal tea. Kinda nice, even though I'm usually not a "berry" person. Dries down to a sweet strawberry floral.
Later: Strawberry (now somewhat like the lipgloss flavor) and hibiscus. Not shabby, but not great. Swap. Edited January 1, 2010 by Shollin

[Argentwolf]

Very sweet: strawberries and poppy, definitely. It's more evocative of slumber parties and lipgloss than orgies, but...that's just me. Pretty decent staying power.

[angelicruin]

This scent is mostly strawberries and carnations on my skin. As if I took Strawberry Moon '05 and layered it with Pink Moon '05.

 

Very pleasant and probably something I should think about buying a full bottle of.

[Venneh]

In the imp, this is a mix of strawberryish orangeish floral with a bit of a kick from the poppy. Really interested to see how this turns out on my skin.

 

On my skin, it's almost exactly like it was in the bottle, the mix between the strawberry, orange, and carnation and hibiscus, with just a bit of a kick from the black poppy. And it's really, really good on me. Unless this does a sudden violent turn on me, I'm thinking this needs to be upgraded to a bottle.

[ami226]

On the skin: Wow! Strawberry!! This one smells better on me than Strawberry Moon ever did. On me it smells like strawberries with a slight hint of orange. This is a perfumey strawberry though, not really candylike.

 

Later: Starting to smell a bit floral. Most of the fruit is gone and now I primarily smell what I think must be carnation.

 

Fades kind of quick, but I think I might want to try this one again. I quite like it actually!

[gingiemay]

A strawberry scent that finally doesn't go sickly sweet and Jolly Rancher on me! The florals keep this from getting sugary and the carnation adds a very faintly creamy floral undertone. Delicious! Bottle for sure!

[meltingfish]

In bottle: Very sweet. Too sweet for my taste. All I can smell is strawberries, and strawberry is ay to sweet for my taste. The evil, evil strawberry almost made me want to throw it out, but I tried it anyway.

 

THANK GOD I DID!

 

Once it dried, the strawberry almost completely disappeared. Still sweet, but mostly musky and pretty. The strawberry eventually came back on to make it smell like strawberry incense. Still a bit too sweet, but the muskyness makes the sweetness pleasant. I'm not a sweet and fruity fan, but Maenad may make me change my mind.

 

Bottom line, although I was reluctant at first, Maenad was a pleasant surprise. Definitely a keeper!

[fairnymph]

Light golden oil. Sweet, sharp, fruity and spicy - complex! Definitely the plastic, candyish, very artificial strawberry note typical of most BPAL barring a few recent releases, unpleasantly sharp and astringent orange blossom, some sweet-tart hibiscus - these are the only distinct notes in the imp, but I can tell there's more going on and there's a definite spicy edge.

 

Strawberry dominating, a little more realistic and pleasant, more of a rounded note with some juiciness, and just behind it orange blossom - also more pleasant, softer and more orangey-fruity, but still sharp in that unique way. Definitely much nicer within seconds on my skin. The hibiscus is also still a major player but hasn't morphed - it remains fresh, tart and bright and almost juicy and fruity - it adds a tropical, pink feel to this already coral-pink vibed blend. The poppy definitely strikes me as dark, it's now distinct with a sharp spicy and slightly bitter bite, and the carnation is the faintest note but also now distinct, quite stemmy, green-white and only lightly spicy, more of a velvety textural addition than anything else.

 

Not a lot of morphing after it dries initially, other than that the strawberry continues to be nicer and the orange blossom more pleasant and gentler and fruity, while the hibiscus holds nicely and is the most beautiful part of this blend for me. The poppy is going a little powdery on me - actually, that HAS morphed substantially and rapidly - from sharp spice to spicy dust, almost like old black pepper with barely any kick left. The carnation has smoothed out a bit, it's still faint but perhaps a bit more apparent, even more velvety, but more white, less green and stemmy, with no real spice to it - it's a lovely carnation note, I just wish there were more of it!

 

The final drydown is quite nice - the orange blossom eventually loses all its sharpness and morphs into a lovely light sweet orange fruity note that's almost as strong as the star of the blend, the only lightly candyish-fake strawberry - a spike of bright, fresh fruity-tart hibiscus keeps it fresh, though it sadly has faded a lot over time. I can't pick out the poppy anymore though there is still a faintly peppery dustiness in the distance, and the carnation has held, woefully faintly but persistently, and maintains a feeling of white velvet with an almost creamy edge. A surprising lovely fruity blend with a bit of complexity around the edges. Definitely feminine, with lower throw and poor but not dismal longevity.

 

Much better than expected but not for me.

[TulaMontage]

In the imp - Headache in a bottle! Carnation and artificial strawberry sweetness.

 

Wet - Sickly sweet strawberries and it's still over poweringly floral. I dislike florals

 

Dry - Artificial orange blossoms galore. I don't like BPAL's orange blossom note. I think it's far too creamy and reminds me of "old lady" perfume. Woa, this is turning into even more of a headache... I need to get it off. Quick!

 

Verdict - This wee imp is up for a new home.... asap!

[Torrilin]

Wet: plastic strawberry with a hint of carnation underneath

 

Later: the faintest hint of vanishing carnation

[animalcule]

imp: strawberry, subtle florals and spice

 

wet: strawberry and spice... the strawberry fades away fast, leaving only a bit of fruitiness.

 

dry: as others have described it, strawberry incense (more incense than strawberry on me). I don't wear anything that smells like incense, so I''ll pass this one on.

[steffanina]

Maenad-

 

In Bottle: Strong, eye-watering floral.

 

Wet: Not quite so eye-watering. Floral with a strawberry undertone.

 

Dry: The berry scent is stronger, but a little cloying with the florals. This doesn't work for me, pity.

 

Overall: Too cloying and floral for me.

[milica]

After testing this a few times in the past year or so, I still don't know if I like this enough to wear it.

 

In the imp, this is sweet, too sweet. On the skin, it starts as very sweet strawberry and then turns to fresh strawberry... and again after 5 minutes turns to sweet strawberry syrup. After few hours, carnation comes out and then everything goes sour. And then turns to carnation again and stays that way. But on the wrists, it stays sweet strawberry syrup from begining till the end.

 

I kind of like it, but I think it's too sweet for me.

Edited July 9, 2010 by milica

[misamisa01]

In the imp, it's a sweet scent, with what seems to be a hint of musk.

 

This scent changes very quickly on drydown. The florals quickly come out, but the strawberry adds sweetness to them. I would also say that there is a hint of spiceyness hidden in the background, lurking about.

 

This is a very interesting scent, but I'm not sure if it's really for me.

[starfish327]

in the imp: very sweet, with a faint floral/herbal undertone. not quite citrus, but a citrusy tone. other people are saying strawberry but i'm not sure i've ever worn the lab's strawberry note so i'm going to take their word for it.

 

wet: this reminds me of either candy or the dentist. it's very sweet still with a slight tart kick. there's a hint of spice underneath it as well.

 

dry: a sort of fake strawberry note- like strawberry scented things, and not strawberries. that said, it's not bad but i feel like i want to try layering it with other things.

[jett perilous]

Maenad, where have you been all my life?!

 

I love strawberry scents. This strawberry is a little too sweet though, but that's where the florals come in and make it turn smokey and awesome.

 

My only complaint is that it seems to fade very quickly, but I can always try it in a scent locket.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: the strawberry LEAPS at my nose and fills it completely. Smells fresh at 1st but quickly something turns it dirty and just plain wrong (in a sinful way). The orange blossom and hibiscus are making this ultimately cloying and the poppy is turning it towards little girl plastic toys. yikes!!

 

Drydown: whew. the poppy wins over the rest and this turns to a sweet narcotic floral. The wet phase is disturbing but this is much better.

[DamnSatyr]

Sweet and candyish, a bit fruity... definitely love this one. =)

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: holy strawberry orange blossom! super strong, super girly, super not my thing. there's something else, maybe black poppies or carnations, that keeps it from being fully sweet, and smells a little evil. threatening, perhaps. but it's pretty much overpowered by that first impression of girlish fruitiness.

 

On my skin: strawberry leaves (not the berries themselves I think) and luckily no orange blossom on me (it tends to turn into sneeze-inducing baby powder-esque nastiness). that dark undertone is still there and is actually quite pleasant, in spite of the uber super girly stuff that comes up front. it's actually quite smoky later, and still a bit evil. like watching women smiling like pretty demons (think The Devil's Advocate, that scene in the dressing room).

 

Last thoughts: it's mysterious enough, though the strawberry later turns into something more like strawberry pez than anything. I think it could've been much worse if the orange blossom showed up though, or if it stayed as sweet and innocent as it initially smelled in the bottle.

[sparkleyturtle]

Whoa - sweet. Overly so in the imp - on the skin it is still strong, but not as bad. Still just too much, though. It makes me think of a candy store, so maybe you are holding a lot of sweet strawberry candies in your hand.

[ajansuz]

In the imp: Way too sweet berries and something a little tart.

 

Wet: Like I've been holding a handful of strawberry and orange Pez in a sweaty palm for a little bit too long.

 

Dry: This is pure Pez and dirty honey on me. Yuck.

[sabrebabe]

In the bottle: Dark, cooked florals. Definitely the black poppy and hibiscus with a touch of carnation. Very dark and bitter.

On the skin: Ack! Aggressive spicy strawberries and angry poppies! Definitely a spicy wood as well. Hibiscus hanging back and waiting…

Dry: Strawberry lipgloss and bubblegum. Girly middle school sleepover with no sleeping and lots of giggling.

Much later: Still strong strawberry bubblegum, but now I’m getting Barbie pink plastic scent. Sorry, gotta wash this off!

Into the Trade pile!

[aleciarivas]

Another scent to turn into immediate playdough on me Slightly strawberry scented playdough, but still dough...

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Fruity bubble gum. Really, I think it’s my nose breaking down the strawberry accord with the poppy, orange blossom and hibiscus, and coming up with fake fruity accords that were not intended. I can barely pick out the carnation in the chaos my nose is making of this, but it is there. Wet: It makes slightly more sense on my skin, with the strawberry accord components reassembling into a strawberry flavoring scent instead of true strawberry. This allows the orange blossoms to smell more like orange blossom, the hibiscus to create a subtle background, and the poppy to add a little sex appeal. The poppy strengthens as it warms, slowly coming to dominate. This is fore the best, as it imposes some order, and hides the seams on the strawberry accord better. Likely this won’t be a problem for normal people and likely most people won’t break down the accord to start with, but if you have trouble with some strawberry accords, likely this will not be one of the exceptions. Dry: Ah, there is the carnation, right there with the strawberry gum.

[gniwle]

I was trying to think of the perfect way to describe this, and I think I've finally got it. Maenad smells exactly like strawberry PEZ. Spot on.