Lady Una

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Honey musk, green tea leaf, blackberry leaf, vanilla bean, and fae spices.

This scent makes me want to lay on a blanket on the grass and watch the clouds on a sunny day.

I love honey scents, and this sparkles with the addition of the blackberry and "fae spices". It reminds me of YSL In Love Again which always smelled like blackberry + grapefruit.

Lady Una is blended so well and smells beautiful on my skin. The only negative is that it doesn't have all-day staying power.

[heywilma]

Lady Una, I am disappoint. I had such high hopes for you; with this many people lauding your virtues, you had to be amazing on me, right? Right? But you weren't. You were just kind of generically pretty. Very sweet and flighty. There was the promise of something great in the bottle, but you suffered a change of heart once you came onto my wrist. I guess I'm at blame here too – I do amp musk like a crazy person. This relationship could be saved, if only I got something out of you I couldn't get anywhere else.

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Honey musk and green tea.

Wet: Green tea, the hint of blackberry, sweet honey/vanilla musk and some subtle spice lying underneath it all.

Dry: Absolutely lovely, the vanilla really pops and this feels feminine without being a screaming girly scent on me. I’m in love.

Notes: This ended up being a light refreshing scent and definitely the winner.

 

[Victory]

Lady Una to me is a close cousin of Comforting Plush Companion- the honey musk and vanilla are both the stars, which I love. While CPC is very much a cool weather scent because it feels so very warm, LU is the summer cousin. It is cooler, thinner (CPC is really a thick cloud of a scent that wraps you up), and a more vegetal scent. I think that vegetal note is the blackberry leaf, which doesn't smell at all like the berry to me. I don't smell the spices or green tea much. This has been getting good wear in my summer rotation. I find I prefer CPC to LU, but I am glad to have both. At some point I will run out of CPC, and not only will I have my bottle of LU but I can replace it!

[mimosa]

Pretty fruit scent. This smells more like blackcurrant than blackberry to me with vanilla and lots of sweetness.

It fades very quickly on me, dry down removes the sweetness and leaves a beautiful dusty fruit with a little spice.

[Lorelai1945]

Right away I'm getting a lot of leafiness and green tea with some spice. I can tell there's honey in there, especially when in the imp and really wet on the skin, but it doesn't scream honey like other blends I've tried. It's in the background just adding some sweetness. I don't get any discernable vanilla (unfortunately), but I do get a little bit of the berry as this dries blending with the green and spice. Once dry, this really clings to my skin and mellows-then fades. I just put it on a couple of minutes ago, and it's already almost gone. Overall, I don't mind it, but it's not the love I was hoping for. Decant will be plenty.

[SophieCedar]

Definitely ladylike!

 

Wet: slippery honey musk and gentle green tea leaf. Glad this isn't just "green tea" which is normally too strong for me. The leaf version is fresh and earthy. Blackberry leaf is the same: meaty blackberry with a green leaf note. Vanilla bean is there but hiding behind the honey musk.

 

Drydown: soft vanilla bean and the fae spices. Mellowed warm honey. This doesn't have a strong direct throw but I smell it as I'm moving around? Odd! Very lovely.

[reconditarmonia]

I get the impression that this would be a great scent for summer or winter: the honey musk and vanilla (which doesn't make it cloying! maybe because it's vanilla bean) are cuddly, but the green tea leaf keeps it cool. It seems very sophisticated, but not like a traditional "sophistication!" scent. I get blackberry, too, and a bit of spice.

Edited November 20, 2010 by reconditarmonia

[TheIceMaiden]

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed Lady Una as she's been one of my favourite GC scents since she debuted. Lady Una is also one of the very few blends with honey that I can wear. This scent is all about the vanilla bean, with a little blackberry in the wet stage, green tea in the dry stage, and the honey musk adding a sweet, slightly powdery base to tie everything together. This is a close-to-the-skin, feminine scent and hopefully she'll never disappear from the Stardust collection.

[arrow]

In the bottle I can smell a sweet, swirly mystery. Something unusual, fruity-- a light scent but really rounded and full. The vanilla sort of teases my nose a bit, but because it doesn't take the center stage I can focus on the other, more unusual notes.

 

On my skin it warms up a little bit, thanks to the vanilla that my skin loves so much. It still stays clean and light, but complicated. The honey sweetens it but isn't very thick or cloying the way the honey in O always ends up on me. When I smell this, I think about bright golden sunshine filtering through leaves with a light wind picking up hints of spices. It reminds me of making green tea properly, with all the pretty, clean cups and teapots: an exacting, beautiful, slightly mysterious tradition.

 

The notes seem to work together to create a really lovely perfume. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay around as long as I'd like-- but that just makes me want to soak myself in it. I will wear this often-- especially on days I want to feel light, feminine, and sophisticated, but with a special twist. As I will be moving to a warmer climate soon, I can see myself reaching for it day in and out as a bright, summery contrast to the oppressive heat.

[saralaughs]

Based on the character in the book, I had a vision of a sensual, exotic scent that is regal and sophisticated at the same time. I let myself down; meaning I expected a bit too much from Lady Una, me thinks.

 

It's a very beautiful sweet musk scent that has a bit of a tart/fruity edge to it, so it is very nice. Just not what I wanted from the scent. My skin doesn't cooperate sometimes.

[grrrlennyl]

Lady Una

 

On: Incredibly sweet musk and an almost sour note. Powdery and sweet, too. Pretty.

Half an hour in: Powdery, sweet musk, with a bit of a soapy edge. I'm hoping the soapy note goes away.

5.5 hours in: Sweeter and powdery. Soft. I think the vanilla bean is coming forward more.

Overall: This is such a pretty scent.

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: I primarily get blackberry out of this, and not much else.

 

On: Blackberry and blackberry, with some blackberry. It's almost fizzy and very sweet.

 

Later: Very faint blackberry. Yeah, I'm afraid I am not really into berries, and this is all berries all the time on me. I'm glad I got to try it though!

[Dominique]

Preconceptions: If I recall correctly, I bought this bottle off of a very nice lady at a Meet'n'Sniff. I'd tested a little of it, and loved the scent enough that I bought it on the spot.

 

In the bottle: I'm bad at picking out notes (as I say frequently in my reviews). That said, there is a vanilla note, and some spices. It's not a sweet scent, and not remotely foody. Smells good, though.

 

Wet: The vanilla note is still around, with a background of . . . something. Maybe the musk, maybe the tea and blackberry leaves. It is sexy. On me, Tamamo no Mae is sexy because it's subtle and restrained. Lady Una is sexy because it's bold and noticeable.

 

Dry: The vanilla is the top note, but not the dominant note. I'm not certain how to describe the scent, other than that it is a warm, spiced vanilla, though that doesn't do the scent justice.

 

Verdict: I'm still pleased I got this bottle - it sits well on me, and has good throw.

[orata]

This is GORGEOUS. Very creamy, sweet, and lovely: my first impression when sniffing it was of the vanilla creaminess.

 

On skin, sweet honey and sticky, musky blackberry add to the creamy vanilla chord, with a strong hint of green tea freshness and greenness (honestly, it blends in very well with the blackberry; I wouldn't have been able to pick out this separate leafy note except that I have a single note green tea perfume oil that smells just like it). It's very faint, though--I feel like I need to drench myself in it to smell it at all.

 

The blackberry and musk start to come through more with the drydown, and the vanilla weakens, which is odd because I always feel like vanilla is one of the longer-lasting notes on me. It dries down to a gentle, very sugary honey-vanilla muskiness that doesn't have throw but is fairly long-lasting. I don't know where the "fae spices" are, but that's fine by me. I suppose they're in the background, adding to the complexity of the scent.

 

I bought a 5 mL unsniffed because the description sounded so fantastic, and I'm SO glad I took the gamble and that it's GC! It is delectable and despite its general impression of creamy sweetness, it's not overly saccharine.

 

(I realize as I'm about to hit "add reply" that almost everything I said in my review directly contradicts the one just above mine... I say "sweet" and "delectable", she says "not sweet or foody"; I say "faint", she says "good throw", "bold and noticeable"... I'm not *trying* to be contrary!)

[whataboutprom]

Wet this is much cleaner than I had anticipated, a little fruity with a hint of soap.

 

As it dries, the honey and vanilla come out, but I think the white musk is contributing to its soapiness. The soap note is gaining strength along with the others.

 

This kind of smells like a clean floral lotion my grandmother wore. I don't think it works with my chemistry, but I might age the bottle and see what happens. I like most of the notes in this, but I hate the smell of clean soap.

[Gateau]

in the decant--honey and an herbal, leafy green sharpness

 

wet--lovely blend of honey, vanilla, and something that smells citrusy like pink grapefruit

 

dry--a honeyed vanilla, not too sweet, with a dryish undertone of herbs or leaves. I don't get anything specifically berry, but there is something tartly fruity to it. It's gorgeous -- pretty and comforting without being aggressively foodie. It's just a shame that it doesn't last long on my skin, though if it gets on my clothes that helps it stick around. But for that one flaw it would be 5 stars. Need a bottle for greater slathering.

[SadariEvenstar]

I have two bottles of this and I really have a hard time believing that they are the same perfume. The older bottle is a sweet fruity scent while the newer bottle is all sharp musk and honey. The fruit only comes out long after dry down on the newer bottle.

 

I honestly don't know how I feel about this. I LOVE my older bottle, so when I opened my newer one I was rather disappointed. The new one is so strong it actually burned to put it on my skin and while it is a pretty scent I much prefer my first bottle.

[Sakari]

Vanilla blackberry tea...and those three notes take turns in terms of strength and throw. It's a quiet scent all the way through, though, and doesn't morph much for me from bottle to skin to drydown. I definitely get the association with Dorian--it does smell like a quieter, more feminine variation (and smells lovely layered with Dorian, too!). Quiet, creamy, sweet, delicious.

[KissleMeNow]

I spent a while struggling to describe this, because the only words that were coming to mind were "mysterious" and "good." As in "I'm not quite sure what I'm smelling here, but damn it is nice!" The best description I can give that it's a bit like a more womanly Dorian. Definitely womanly rather than "girly", which is what I originally wrote. It somehow seems more "grown-up," though not in a sensual way. Apart from the honey musk/vanilla/all-around pleasantness I can get a definite whiff of green tea. I was expecting the blackberry leaf to give a more plant-y scent, but instead I think it's just being sweet – yet it's neither sugar-candy sweet (a scent I don't really go for, if it's strong) nor what I would expect if someone said "fruity." There's a hint of spice.

 

Basically, I can't quite put my finger on this scent, but I do know I'll be wearing it a lot.

[Manon]

This is now my new favourite scent. I am so glad I went for it! I'm a big fan of Lush's 'Karma' and have been trying to find a scent that I love/will love as much as that as I've been using it now for 10 years or so.

Lady Una is warm and spicy and sweet and gentle. Its very blackcurranty for me and with the honey and vanilla about equal to each other. It smells so great on mys kin i can't stop sniffing myself!! If I could buy a huge bottle I would!

[VioletChaos]

I've been meaning to purchase this for ages and decided to chuck a bottle onto my latest order out of few

that it would be discontinued if I waited- I've had that happen too many times lately!

 

In The Bottle: Mostly I'm getting lavender and a touch of honey.

 

Wet On Skin: A bit of the vanilla is peeping out and mixing with the honey in a really lovely way. I am enjoying the journey this scent is taking me on thus far!

 

Dry Down: Honey and Vanilla in equal measure, with a touch of lavender in the background. This is actually more what I thought Beaver Moon 2011 was going to be like, actually, so I'm glad I get to have it here instead!

 

In All: This scent is a *very* far scent, indeed. Medium throw, but not at all cloying or presumptuous, this scent is so beautiful, so evocative of so many wistful moments from my own life and from favorite love poems and literature. I am so, so, so glad I didn't wait any longer to get this scent- I might even get a backup soon, just to be on the safe side!

[ReallyZeb]

There was a moment of hesitation, and then she sniffed her wrist again, and she was, under the strange stars, utterly, irrevocably, lost.

I never thought I'd find something I loved quite as much Dorian, but here it is. Yes I get berries and vanilla and musk, but also that intangible sexiness that's also in Dorian. I'm in love.

Edited March 16, 2012 by ReallyZeb

[joyfulgirl]

this scent is the entire reason i did my first decant circle. it sounded so unspeakably beautiful that i knew i must try it...

 

in the bottle: disappointingly harsh and perfume-y. it kind of smells like a pool? wtf...it doesn't smell like a bpal blend at all!

 

on my skin: AAAAAH, there we go...WHEW! blackberry and green tea rush up at me...followed by some fresh, green smelling spices. the honey musk and vanilla are a nice undercurrent to all the green, leafy stuff going on here. they sweeten it up without making it a primarily sweet blend. it is definitely an herbal, green scent. this is one of the rare blends where i can pick out every note with no problem...and i love it!

 

drying down: the green tea takes center stage for me. i was hoping for more blackberry, but we'll see how it ages. it definitely feels summery...warm green grass and sunshine.

[wishingwell]

Well, it's official.. I absolutely adore this, but it doesn't last very long on me at all.

 

In the vial, it smells.. really perfumey, which is almost off-putting. But as soon as it hits my skin, it becomes this gorgeous, well-blended scent of honey and spice with a green background to it. I cannot smell this without thinking of a pile of crystallized honey dust and emeralds. The spices and leaves are so perfectly blended into the sweet musk that I don't get any of my normal "oh god herbs no please" reaction from my nose. Not even a little tickle of a sneeze! As it dries, it becomes slightly fuzzy and softer than before but there is not a lot of morphing going on for me.

 

But.. an hour later, and Lady Una is so faint. Two hours, she is practically gone, leaving behind the merest whisper of her former glory. Will definitely have to think about this before I get a bottle, because despite how much I love it.. I don't know if I am okay with having to use so much to wear it for a day.