Desdemona

[captainoats]

Innocent, soft and pure: sweet pea, carnation and water lily.

 

In the imp: Very clean and fresh - I'm worried it's going to go straight to powder on my skin.

 

On, wet: More fresh in a green way than most of the scents that have smelled 'clean' to me so far...definitely a watery smell too.

 

Drying: Ack, something is going weird on me skin...someone else said it smelled like a porta-potty deoderizer, and that's kind of how I feel right now.

 

Final Verdict: Soap. Darnit. How did I know? Off to the swaps.

 

 

Edited to add description.

Edited May 11, 2007 by captainoats

[radishbaby]

Imp : Lilly, lilly, lilly. Oh please let this not be all lilly.

 

Wet :Lilly . . . and something else. I'm used to carnation being a spicy scent on me but there's not spice in here. There's a floral in here that my nose just can't peg. It smells as if I stuck my nose deep into a very fresh flower. Interestingly enough when I put my nose to it its a floral yet all around me I spell something akin to greenery and dry pasta. o___O

 

Dry : Why hello there sweet pea, you apparently smell like dried pasta and are giving me an allergic reaction. This has got to be the most wonky perfume testing I have ever tried. What the heck is going on with my body chem??? This smells like a very nice green floral overall though - like one of those bouquets you can buy from the florist.

 

Overall : This just isn't me. That combined with the mysterious dried pasta and ever growing reaction which is growing more burny on my arm as I type means its off to the swaps with this. This would be a really gorgeous scent on someone else though. I wanted this to be a good nighttime scent - oh well.

[La Soldier]

in the bottle, I didn't like the smell at all. it smells like ophelia. generic perfume. blah!

 

but as soon as I take the top out to apply it to my skin, I get a whiff of something delicate and enticing. wow! yum!

 

on my skin, it becomes a strong floral again, but holding my hand away I smell something sweet. it is kind of like laundry detergent, but I like that smell. haha.

 

I have to disagree with the first post, this is much more grown up than ophelia. ophelia is overpowering in smell, but it's so rosey it seems like a child's scent. desdemona is much more complex and enticing to me.

 

on the fence on this one as far as big bottles go. definitely keeping the imp.

Edited May 24, 2007 by La Soldier

[Iceblink]

This sounded so light and pretty, but carnation just hates me (see also: Alice, Maiden, etc.). Instant powder! I was hoping the sweet pea would even things out a bit, but nooooo...

[modernsaints]

This was kind of heavily floral in the imp, but I went "oh maybe it'll soften up a little"

 

It did not. It turned into the heaviest, most sickly, disgusting powder I can imagine. I offered it to the madre, who was heartbroken (she'd been expecting a most perfect floral). On her, it had the same effect, though not as intense. I don't even know what the hell note did this; it just... wow. Ack.

[neuilly]

Sweet pea...pure and simple. Can't get even a whiff of the other notes. I like sweet pea but I find it comes off really young and doesn't suit me.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: My first thought upon smelling this in the imp was "floral like whoa". FWIW. This is sharper than I was expecting. Clean, pretty and pink.

 

On the wrist: There is something in this that reminds of the pink shaving gel/foam stuff I used to use... Skintimate something.

 

Drydown: I can't shake the feeling that this smells like Skintimate shave gel but sharper and less fake. The longer it's on the sharper it gets, which isn't helping. Swaps.

[faded_stranger]

I'm in the market for a sweet, clean summer scent, so I had high hopes for this one. I'm always cautious when applying a new BPAL for the first time, and I dabbed just the tiniest bit on the inside of one wrist. The assault of white floral soap that followed was something I would have expected only if I'd dumped the whole imp on my forehead while laughing maniacally. I went to do dishes immediately after applying it, as that usually gets rid of any trace of perfume I'm wearing, but Desdemona pushed through. An hour later, when my husband got home from school, he pulled me into a hug, and then, as he's aware of my BPAL addiction, asked me what perfume I was wearing. I told him the name, and that I wouldn't likely be wearing it again, and he smiled and said, "Good, because that smells like soap and pee."

 

Alas, this one certainly wasn't for me.

 

Edit: I've started scenting envelopes with this imp, and the results are beautiful. All the pretty florals that just die when I put this on my skin come out beautifully when I send my mail.

Edited March 6, 2008 by Caspian Gray

[caiella]

This is one of my first purchases with Bpal. I absolutely adore it. This is a going to be my first purchase in a bottle as well. I could wear it every day. Very soft and clean. yum!

 

-Caiella

[Shitow_Haruka]

first sniff: watery florals

 

wet: The waterlily is strong on me, with the sweet pea sweetening things. Then the carnation comes out...it's a bit peppery at first, just what I want from carnations, but...

 

dry: Unfortunately the carnation is turning into a floral dyer sheet on me. When that finally settled down, the sweet pea and waterlily played well together, but I don't think I'll be reaching for this again.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: water lilies (mmmm...) with a bit of carnation spice.

 

Wet on me: Soft, watery, fluffy, sweet. Smells like a little girl's perfume.

 

After a few minutes: Well, I don't know what sweet pea smells like, but I can identify water lily and carnation. I don't smell any carnation but can pick out water lily; I guess what's left over is the sweet pea! It's a bit like floral soap but very soft. Kind of lily-of-the-valley-esque.

 

Drydown: Sweet, soft, powdery. It reminds me of a floral version of Alice, and I rather like it.

 

It's not particularly outstanding, but it definitely is innocent, soft, and pure, just as described.

[Lunaratu]

All shrieking soapy florals on me when wet. However, this settles down to a very creamy, subtly spicy floral. I can sense the carnation struggling to come out here—the only problem is that sweet pea can have a tendency to amp and be slightly soapy on me so I’m only getting the tiniest smidgen of the lovely carnation here. Sad.

Rating: 2/5

[Northernskygal]

I do so love the Lab's carnation so I had high hopes for this blend.

 

It smells wonderful in the bottle.. it smells like a nice shade of pink... on the skin at first, gorgeousness abounds, this is truly a completely lovely floral... then.. sweet pea takes the water lily and the carnation hostage and just dominates this to a point that.. meh. The sweet pea turns very baby powdery on me very, very quickly. There is an underlying hint of a touch of spiciness, which I attribute to my beloved carnation, while the water lily has checked out for the day all together. It smells okay, like spicy baby powder, but it is not something I would really want to smell like.. often...

[Salem]

My first review, arg.

 

In the bottle - Flowers, almost bitter. I definitely get the carnation and there's a slight lingering of the sweet pea. One sniff? Smells pleasant, 2 sniffs? Bit heady, 3 sniffs? Headacke time.

 

Drying/dry - I just couldn't get to grips with it. I wanted a floral, light carnation smell but to me this is perfumey heady sickly floral and reminds me of a sweet from my childhood that I'd rather forget. The more I smelt it, the more I wanted it off my wrists. I'm sad as it seemed like it could of been amazing but I don't think my skin likes the floral notes and just turns them into a sickly grating headacke. I only got my imp this morning too. Oh well!

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Very floral, almost soapy. Mostly water lily (by process of elimination, because I know what sweet pea and carnation smell like) and a little carnation.

 

WET: Still very floral, kinda heady. Sweet pea's starting to come out. Smells a bit like dryer sheets.

 

DRY: Sweet, powdery, slightly soapy floral. Pretty, and I actually like it. Makes me smell like I just stepped out of the shower and was using this really fancy floral soap. Though I just don't think I'll want to smell like this often.

[sparkybish]

I can't remember how it first smelled on me, but now it has gone to a bad place. I think that's the lily. It was the last of my original wishlist and what I have learned from that wishlist is that I'm not so good at choosing scents for myself. Now that I've smelled and tried a bunch of bpal I'm doing better.

 

So for me, it goes to the swap pile. Sadness!

[Pendragon]

*bites lip nervously* Sweet pea? Waterlily? I don't think I'll like it!

 

In the imp: sweet and soapy. okay not what i was expecting, but it reminds me of fragranced laundry powder.

 

Wet: powdery and sweet.

 

Dry: same

 

Verdict: I cant definitely see why this is called innocent, but smells like someone who's sprayed too much powdered deodorant under their arms

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like sweet pea. Not quite as sweet as sweet pea usually is, but it's... well, I just don't like sweet pea.

 

And, you know, there are some scents that just don't suit me as a person. There are other scents that are so utterly wrong for me that if I wore them I'm pretty sure people would laugh at me and ask me what in the world made me think that I could get away with wearing such a scent. This is one of those ones. It belongs on someone who is most definitely not me.

[agnusdei]

If I was ever in doubt of how lovely and intricate a straight floral blend of only three components could be, Desdemona would make me eat my words. I get such a soft and refined feel from this, with that floating watery quality that is mentioned in the other reviews. The sweet pea and water lily together create something so innocently gentle and childlike, with the carnation adding its delightful spice. I’m very pleased that the carnation didn’t get lost in this blend, I can definitely smell it peppering each breath I take and adding a little playfulness to contrast the delicate sensation of the other notes.

 

Throughout wear Desdemona goes from the mostly aquatic blend of sweet pea and water lily to more dry and carnationy, all with decent throw. It will certainly see some wear from me, especially in the coming spring.

[gchris]

In Vial: strong perfumey floral

 

Wet: Blended florals

 

Drydown: The sweet pea is the strongest with the other notes playing in the background. Great floral if your a fan of sweet pea.

[Aldercy]

This was a free sample. I dashed to look up the description and was almost positive I wouldn't like it after reading it, but I'm just not a straight floral person and I balk at the word "carnation." Really, it's not bad all things considered, but it's not really the scent I want to project to the world.

 

I found this to be very old-fashioned... I felt a bit as though I should be 14 and sitting in a picket-fence-enclosed house in about 1906. Maybe flitting about the musical "Meet Me In St. Louis." Cool, powdery and childishly sweet... a scent to go with white handkerchiefs and demure little gloves. If you enjoy that image, maybe Desdemona is for you, but I just tend to lean toward richer smells.

 

I think it might have induced a slight headache (which is common with me, but I've been really pleased that almost all the BPAL scents I tried haven't been doing that while most perfumes will) but then again I'm also sick.

[Hannya]

In the bottle: Oh dear…very floral. Danger, Will Robinson.

 

Wet: Oh, I think I like this - which is weird since I normally don’t like florals. It’s overlaid by a sharp…something that keeps me from getting at the individual notes. It does have considerable throw, though. As I type this, I keep getting little wafts of pure, delicate white flower yum, but when I get my wrist up close for a sniff, the sharpness takes over again. Tres annoying.

 

Dry: The sharpness is finally gone, and as advertised it is all water lily and carnation, with sweet pea lingering around the edges. Very, very nice. A May and early June sort of scent that makes me want to put on floaty clothes and go wandering through meadows at dawn – a mildly disconcerting thought for one as desperately ungirly as I. Unfortunately, it zooms right past this stage before settling into soap. Good soap, mind, but nevertheless…soap. Still, it was wonderful while it lasted, and it would no doubt be very good on someone whose skin isn’t inclined to do brutal things to florals.

 

Nota bene: Previous posters are not kidding about the staying power of this thing. The base note’s latched on to my skin and is hanging on for dear life.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: sweet, soft, green, very light on the floral

 

wet on skin: a slight muskiness comes out, but mostly it's the 'green' note i smell. very soft. i could see letting a child wear this scent.

 

dry down: oh no! it's gone to total powder on me!

 

in all: i've actually never had this happen before. i *really* love carnation, and i've heard so many wonderful things about sweet pea, but i guess this just wasn't meant to be.

 

now excuse me while i wash this off, toot sweet!

[djsiberia]

in the imp: it smells really sweet and i can really smell the carnations. i'm not sure if the sweet scent is from the sweet peaor water lily.

 

unfortunately, i'm not the biggest fan of carnations and it's not screaming test me!

[donnatron]

Imp: Sweet pea undercut by a bit of spicy carnation. The lily smells like a spritzing of C&E's lily of the valley.

 

Wet: The sweet pea is all up in my grill. It's pretty aggressive, and I can smell lily and carnation in the background asking if maybe it would like to back off.

 

Dry: Really pretty and balanced floral. The sweet pea does step off and becomes more round and balanced and lily steps into the spotlight.

 

Throw: Moderate. Lasting power isn't too great.

 

Overall: It's really pretty and sultry in a weird way. It's not aggressive or coquettish or anything, but there's something very appealing about it, and it's very pretty and classical. Somehow I get the feeling that my own partner wouldn't feel this way about it, but I could probably go to Pearse Estates on a weekend and pick up a role-player who likes my true-to-period perfume.