Wanda

[jj_j]

"And yet a restless, always unsatisfied craving for the nudity of paganism," she interrupted, "but that love, which is the highest joy, which is divine simplicity itself, is not for you moderns, you children of reflection. It works only evil in you. As soon as you wish to be natural, you become common. To you nature seems something hostile; you have made devils out of the smiling gods of Greece, and out of me a demon. You can only exorcise and curse me, or slay yourselves in bacchantic madness before my altar. And if ever one of you has had the courage to kiss my red mouth, he makes a barefoot pilgrimage to Rome in penitential robes and expects flowers to grow from his withered staff, while under my feet roses, violets, and myrtles spring up every hour, but their fragrance does not agree with you. Stay among your northern fogs and Christian incense; let us pagans remain under the debris, beneath the lava; do not disinter us. Pompeii was not built for you, nor our villas, our baths, our temples. You do not require gods. We are chilled in your world."

Along with Loviatar, she has become something of a 21st century Patron Goddess of all Dominatrixes. While Loviatar is the Goddess of Pain, Wanda govens Control. She is the breathtakingly beautiful sable-wrapped marble queen of Sacher-Masoch’s fantasies. Her scent is a deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle.

Wanda goes on and warms up in exactly the order Beth provides in the description. Juicy purple-red merlot, then the distinct leather note that insinuates itself into the blend before you realize what it's doing ( and doing beautifully); there's no question that Wanda smells like sex underneath it all. How she manages to convey heated, flushed skin, I'll never know - but it's there.

The floral scent in this is so faint it's almost not to be found; it's like the intensity of Wanda overshadows them (the myrtle's the only one that I can consistently find, and that's holding my wrist to my nose, breathing deeply in and out, and searching out a floral note). The dry down brought me an interesting combination of the faintest rose along with the wine and leather, but that was after having this on for quite a while. On me, the violet wasn't even discernable.

While not familiar with Wanda in the literary sense - albeit not for long, now that my curiosity is piqued! - I can see her being about control from what this scent offers. There's no stopping this woman from getting what she wants, as she's intense, charismatic, and has no hesitation in using her womanly wiles to ensure her wishes are met. [/color][/font]</span>

[cookie]

Looks like jj_j and I were in the same mood today to try Wanda...

 

Wanda is GORGEOUS! The notes that stand out on me are the merlot, violet and a touch of leather. The leather helps keep Wanda from crossing over to fruity classification. I want to say a boozier, sexier, more adult and less fruity Kitsune-Tsuki, even though the two don’t have any specific notes in common. (So even if you're not Kitsune fan, don't let my crazy olfactory interpretation discourage you).

 

Amazingly complex and completely unique. Good luck ever finding anything that resembles Wanda should BPAL ever discontinue producing her.

 

On list for bigger bottle already. Think I’m buying mom one too.

[allamanda]

Wanda

 

When first applied sweet with a hint of something alcoholic. Like cookie, I am reminded of Kitsune-Tsuki while this is wet, I keep smelling plums. This fades a bit as it is drying and faint leather and musky smells tone down the sweetness.

 

Once this is completely dry the florals break through, I can’t identify them individually just a really pleasant combination.

 

This is just wonderful. Yet another to add to my ‘big bottle’ list. The best of it is that I had no intention of trying this; I hate the smell of leather!!

Edited September 13, 2004 by allamanda

[Shollin]

First sniff: Wanda smells like... erm… Nerds candy. The white ones. Clearly, my nose is mad.

 

Wearing: OK, better – now it’s white wine, not white Nerds. Still nothing like the description, but that’s my nose for ya. As it’s drying it prompted a round of “Ooh… OK… ooh… hey! Ooh.” as I noticed it going very interestingly spicy and shifting quite abruptly from white to red and the leather suddenly asserting itself underneath. Wow. Hot spiced wine – not warm, but hot enough to burn your tongue – and leather, very tight black leather. OK, it’s shifted again, and now it’s more like fruit punch, probably spiked fruit punch, over leather… (this has all happened within about half an hour, by the way). I think, now that it’s settled down to sweet plums over smoky leather, that it’s not really me. Interesting, and quite pleasant in the hot spiced wine phase, but after several hours, not me.

[TygherRayn]

In the bottle: The mere description scared me. I was worried Wanda might be too overpowering for me. But she's not bad. Wine. A rich, bold wine, tainted by the dark floral of violet. I'm not noticing the musk, or the leather like I can in De Sade .. but they may come out when I'm wearing her.

 

Wet: On me, this is a wine/floral at first. I now and again get a hint of the leather beneath it all, but this is mostly wine. Very warm wine .. perhaps almost a mulled wine .. but not quite as spicy as that. The crust roses come out, but blissfully, at least for now, they're not cloying and over-ripe. They're just there, mixed in with the gentleness of the violet, swathed .. or perhaps drowned, in the bold wine. I really keep wavering between 'Oooh, this is so hot!' and 'I'm not sure I like this.'

 

Wearing: Definitely a sexy scent. The leather in this, like De Sade, reminds me more of hard boot leather than the smell that draws me to most leather stores. It's not soft, it's not gentle .. but it's alson not a predominant note for me. This is wine-soaked leather. This is a hidden garden, walled to all but the owners, where they play out debaucherous fantasies.

[Astarte]

Wanda is so familar to me from somewhere but I dont know where. I love this one anyway, it just cant be categorised simply as a floral fragrance/a musk fragrance. This is a wonderful ensemble of many elements. I cant smell the leather, but the fruit/flowers/wine/musk notes are all present

 

Great stuff!

[Northernminx]

In the bottle: Fruity merlot, reminding me of blood rose.

 

On me: The merlot is still the predominant scent, but I can get the floral of violet tempering it. I'm not getting the leather or the sex just yet so we'll see how this one works. So far, yummy and vibrant, but very close to blood rose except a little more floral on me. Like it, will use the imp, but I'm far too in love with my blood rose.

 

Note: Will try this one again another day as I just finished organizing all my new samples and am wondering if my nose is wonky from over-use.

 

Edit: Attempt two: THe leather is definitly coming through more this time, though this is still a very wine rich scent on me. I'm not certain I want to get a full bottle as it's not different enough to justify it on my skin, but I will quite likely use up the imp.

Edited July 28, 2004 by Northernminx

[isyche]

First sniff: grapes, must be the wine. Second sniff: violet. Then - oh, there's the leather. After that, the notes sort of settle into layers with the cool floral on top and the warmer scents underneath.

This is really different and sexy, another one where I can't stop smelling my hand. I love this; it's so complex and Beth seems to have really captured what she was going for. The cool violet over the other, more sexual scents suggests the cool control of a dominatrix. It's kinky in an elegant way.

[twistygirl]

Whenever I try out an Imp that's one of Beth's choices, I always try it on before reading what's in it to see if I can figure it out. Had I read that this has wine in it, I would have been less eager to try it, as wine scents inevitably turn sour on my skin, but nothing in this turned the least bit sour. Wet, the merlot is very distinctive and predominant, and surprisingly agreeable to my skin. Rather grapey, a deep sweetness. Then the leather starts to nudge itself into play, which smooths out the merlot and makes it a much rounder scent. Dry, it's a very pretty but not-at-all-coy floral blend, with the violet being the predominant floral. The merlot and leather remain to give the violet a bit of a boozy edge. This wears very close to my skin, with little waft. It smells purple to me.

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Purple! light purple. I smell berries and sweet, light, fruity wine. Very pleasant.

 

wet, on my skin: This is very light and airy...I wasn't expecting this at all! I'm not dissapointed, though, this is very, very lovely. In fact, I think the word "lovely" describes this scent perfectly. It's beautiful and pleasant and feminine, but there's nothing cloying or heavy or powdery about it at all. It's sweet in a very subtle, elegant way. It's the color of lavender. This is light purple silk. It's sultry in its own innocent way.

 

dry, on my skin: The berriness lasts quite a while. Fabulous.

 

This is so beautiful!! This is a magnificent day scent.

 

ETA: Holy shit! The sex just showed up!!! Good God, it's INTOXICATING! The "lovely, elegant pleasantness" has been shoved *violently* to the back of the scent, and the sex has hungrily taken over. UGH. This fits the description PERFECTLY for me now!!!! Wow........WOW... (lol)

Edited July 20, 2004 by Effluvia

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Brightly fruity and then smack with that leather whip.

 

Second Impression: I didn't get wine nor musk from this. I think I was expecting a sexier, naughtier Lilith. That leather note does not agree with me.

 

Final Analysis: Disappointed that the notes that I love in this stayed hidden from me even after a long drydown. Just fruit and leather.

[Tesseljoan]

The lab threw this in as a freebie, and I would never have picked this one myself, especially after trying Loviatar. Loviatar was a great concept captured in a bottle, but she was too much for me.

 

This starts of berrilicious. Wine has a tendency to go berries on me, I guess. Not that there's anything wrong with that, i love it. When it dries, the leather becomes more prominent. On me, this stays a wine-leather smell as well, but that's good for me. Wanda is light enough for me, with interesting depth.

[heartbeast]

Oh. My. Goddess.

 

This started out very grapey, and I could smell the leather just behind the very grapey wine. Then it dried down. Oh my. I don't know what myrtle smells like, but roses and violets are my two favorite flowers.

 

Wine and leather and violet and rose is what I smell like; heady, lush and rich. Powerful, confident and good enough to eat. Wearing this scent is *good for me*. It's not so much me, as it is what I want to be more like.

 

I don't get the dominatrix in the classic sense. What I *do* get is the woman encapsulated in the quote used in the lab's description. The leather I smell isn't shiny black leather boots with heels, it's well-worn oxblood leather riding boots without heels, that go all the way up the thigh. Oh yum. Power; relaxed, female power that doesn't have to try.

 

I can't even begin to express how much I love this scent. I do believe I've found my first 10 ml bottle.

[reina]

I can see how some people decribed this as a fushcia colored blend.

it is very bright. Not bad!

I don't think I can smell the leather in this, but the grapes are prominent. Very pleasant when it fades slightly, it seems to mature from the initial bubbly-ness into something that reminds me more of wine than red grapes - a little twinge of tartness is added to the sweet juice.

it's very nice, and would work well with someone who's skin would bring out the leather. I wish mine did. it's 3 hours into wearing this, and it's starting to fade rather than soften. I have a feeling that my skin tends to swallow up certain blends, as it did, alas, with dear Pele.

I'll be trying Wanda again. Hope it goes better next time.

[babykitty]

First Impression: Whoa! Grape soda. Very strong grape fragrance which smells exactly like Poison cologne to me (flashback to 1989 & high school--yikes!)

 

after 30 minutes or so the grape has died down and there is a very pretty, but soft floral fragrance. Much better.

 

Overall, I'm not sure I can get past the dominate initial grape enough to order it. The dry down floral is beautiful, but fades too quickly on me.

[Nadirah]

Wanda is Sweet but adulterous. I feel like lounging on a fluffy couch, legs crossed at the knees and leaning far back to watch what comes my way. This is a rose scent I could fall in love with, not too rosey not too sweet she has a gentle strength to her. This brings to mind a woman who will make you bow down with only her eyes, she doesnt need to speak. Her intent is known. Its really hard to explain, as it really needs to be felt.

Wanda and Loviatar really should have a night out on the town, they really would kick it off!

[hypothermya]

So when this perfume first made its debut, I wanted it. Badly. But it had roses in it, and wine, and I've never had success with those two before, so I didn't order it. I read the rest of the reviews, wishing that I had though. But, lo and behold, I got this imp as an extra in my last order (They are *so* generous!), and so I tried it anyway.

 

First Impression

 

This smells a bit like candy, in the same way that Lady Macbeth smelled like candy. There's something about the red wine in the BPAL perfumes that always smells that way out of the vial. But underneath it, I can smell the roses, the violets, and -- Ah! -- the leather that I recognize from De Sade. In the vial it smells like...potential. There are a bunch of elements that I recognize, and I don't necessarily like the way they smell now... But I suspect I'll adore them on my skin. Or at least...I hope.

 

Wearing It

 

When I first apply it: Heaven. That's the way that red wine should smell! That's the way that I wanted Lady Macbeth to smell on me! Rich, rich, and beautiful, and the red wine mixes with the violets and roses to form this luscious scent! It dies down to make room for the smell of leather. I never pick up on the musk, but I suspect that anyone else could probably smell it a bit.

 

After it's dried, the wine never smells quite as rich as it smelled at the beginning, but it's still lovely! For once, a rose scent that works on me!! It smells like carefully cleaned and polished leather, black of course, which has been worn and warmed by body heat. It smells like sweet, juicy roses (just how I had wanted Persephone to smell) and delicate violets. It smells...well...divine.

 

Lasting Power

 

This scent is *strong* when you apply a goodly amount -- perfect for a night of clubbing when you're going to be surrounded by the scent of everyone else. But when you apply with care, it's just strong enough. And it wafts around my body, instead of staying close.

 

And it lasts a good long while, probably more than 4 hours on me (after several drinks and a night of dancing, I couldn't smell a damned thing, but prior to that it was luscious and lasting).

 

I adore this scent. If this is the scent of the pagans, then let me be pagan. If this is the only rose scent that I'll ever be able to wear well, then I'll be happy. Wanda and Kali are my two "adult" scents that smell like sex and like hedonism on me. (Wanda being the darker of the two.) They smell corrupted (insofar as smelling like wine and tobacco, respectively), and give me the sensation of being sexual. While Katharina makes me feel fiesty and lovely, Whitechapel makes me feel bright and feminine, Kali and Wanda make me feel like a strong, sexual, full bodied woman. I'm definitely getting more of this stuff.

[Witch Baby]

 

First Sniff: Oooh! This is lovely! Very dark and wine-ish, a good sort of 'I feel grown up scent'.

 

Wet: Still very dark and decadent, I'm totally in love!

 

Drydown: Ewwwww, it's gone all icky on me. . .it smells like black licorice and wet leather. Not at all the wine scent I was going for.

 

Up for swaps

 

[Miggins]

In the bottle: Powerful. Red wine and leather predominantly, with a hint of spiciness.

 

Wet: Wooo, mama - this was serious. Not a perfume to be worn first thing in the morning. It was so full on, it almost made me gag. I seriously had to fight myself from running to the bathroom. A real hit of leather just came up and walloped me with that sleazy, spicy background note.

 

Dry-down: The leather just took over on my skin and it smelt very masculine on me. As it dried, the hint of merlot came through and eventually it mellowed to a pleasant, rich deep-red kind of smell, but still very powerful. Not for me I’m afraid - I’ve already swapped out my Imp.

[madame royale]

Wine soaked leather indeed. Wanda isn’t as dark as I imagined it’d be—it’s quite bold and round. Very juicy. Uncomfortably close to being too sweet, but redeemed by the leather. I can smell the violets and rose only on the exhale, oddly enough. After many hours, it’s faded to a subtle muskiness. Love its unusual composition and its sassiness. Definitely will purchase another imp, if not a large bottle.

 

I’ve stored my 30-odd imps in a cedar-lined box and every time I open it, one particular scent keeps tantalizing me (and I can’t believe one scent can overpower all the others). Wasn’t able to pin-point it until now. Wanda is one strong, sexy bitch! She hurts so good.

 

ETA: I've come to realize I don't like leather in my scents, so Wanda's been brought down a notch, but she's still pretty impressive.

Edited September 16, 2004 by madame royale

[alizarin]

Wet, Wanda has the scent of a just-poured glass of red wine in a dark room, luscious and slightly sweet.

 

Dry on me, the wine melts into an intoxicating dark musk, heady and strong and sexy. It's making me want to put on a little black dress with stockings and garters and high heels. The original sweetness clings to it only a bit, like a half-forgotten memory.

 

Downright entrancing, this is. Definitely keeping the imp, may have to invest in a larger bottle and some new black stockings with seams.

[malanna]

Initially, the wine is most prominent with a hint of leather. After it's dried, the leather and wine melds smoothly, like leather that has been soaked in wine, except with a less leathery smell. After a few hours, the wine smell fades and there's just a dry leather smell (leather that's been left in the sun for a few hours, not leather that was already dry to begin with). When I wear this, the leather I think of is not smooth leather pants, but black leather, with all the tiny little bumps (like the bumps on a lizard). I think this is a robust purple scent, like Bordello, but Bordello is bright and more direct. This is playful, but in an adult way.

[glampyre]

Wanda is so lavish.

 

I'm unable to distinguish the musk from the leather from the wine...but that mixture is amazingly well-crafted.

 

Initially, I smelled the florals, which soon gave way to those deeper notes.

 

Luscious, decadent, perfect!

 

(I've already ordered a big bottle of this!)

[fragrantgrasse]

This is my first review so hang in there with me....

 

When I first smelled Wanda, I experienced duality. How was I to analyze this scent (left brain) and swoon (right brain reaction) at the same time. The swoon won out.

 

What also fuels my love of this scent are the poetic words describing Wanda "...And if ever one of you has had the courage to kiss my red mouth, he makes a barefoot pilgrimage to Rome in penitential robes and expects flowers to grow from his withered staff, while under my feet roses, violets, and myrtles spring up every hour, but their fragrance does not agree with you."

 

yikes. I love that.

 

Heady and intoxicating. Sophisticated and lecherous (where's my spell check). A deeply buried memory tugging at the outer limits of my awareness. It reminds me of Paris - this scent is very complex.

 

The dry down is a slow simmer of leather notes, and the voluptuousness of violet & myrtle. Altho, I never would have catagorized violet as voluptuous, in previous incarnations violet has always remined me of a grandmother.

 

But make no mistake, Wanda is no one's grandmother. Unless your grandmother is a little blue-haired dominatrix.

 

I love Wanda

 

 

 

edited for spelling etc..

Edited September 5, 2004 by fragrantgrasse

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Huh...I can't figure Wanda out. I got the leather right up front, but with a crispness, as of apples...but not smelling at all like apples, more like crisp grapes that have been in the fridge. The florals came out beautifully--florals love me--but it was much softer than I expected, and faded fast. Intrigued, I decided to re-apply. The wine came out more clearly with re-app, but less leather this time. Still soft...definitely a Victorian dominatrix, sexy in a sophisticated way but still a touch coy, like she's getting used to this role. Like maybe she was a good girl who had one too many glasses of merlot one night and surprised her boy by pulling out a whip.

 

This smells nothing like my usual favs, but I like it and will keep the imp to apply in Wanda's honor on nights when I want to pull out my boots and riding crop.