Bon Vivant

[dreadeddragon]

An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.

In the bottle: Ooh, smells like VS's Strawberries N' Creme body spray.

First on: Not as sweet as in the bottle, the champagne note comes out more and it gets almost an alcohol-y smell, but not in a bad way.

Drydown: The two scents merge nicely, neither is more distinguishable. If you like VS Strawberries N' Creme, you'll like this.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This smells rather sharp and biting. I don't really get much sweetness out of it at all. It smells rather like a sharp wine.

 

Just On: As soon as it hits my skin, the sharpness fades just a little, and I get some sweetness coming forth. Strawberry sweetness. Now it smells like strawberries and champagne, and I could certainly deal with that on a regular basis.

 

An hour or two later: It's a little more champagne, and a little less strawberries now, but I still like the strawberry parts. It's less sharp now, but still has some bite to it.

 

Around 6 hours: It almost smells like flowers mixed in there with the champagne and strawberry, but it's not much, so I could be imagining it. I rather like this, but it's not jumping into the top list as quickly as some of the others. There's really not much sharpness left to it

 

12 hours: It did pretty much fade away. Just hints of strawberries left, with a barely distinguishable bit of champagne, and there isn't any bite left to it at all.

 

Overall: I like it, but not as much as I expected to from the description. I'm very happy I got to try it, and it does smell very much like the description. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to love me as much as I wanted to love it.

 

After reading other reviews: I didn't get bubble gum, or as much sweet strawberries as I wanted. I do like it, but I'm not bowled over by it. I would rather have gotten the sweetness that others got.

[sarahj]

Bon Vivant

 

freebie from the lab

 

in vial: ripe strawberries and fizzy champagne

 

wet: same

 

dry: unfortunately, within an hour the strawberries have disappeared and I am left with an alcohol-champagne smell, not too pleasant...within another hour this has disappeared, too

 

verdict: I will try this again, but I have a feeling that this is headed off to swaps

[Gin]

This is exactly as the Lab describes. Strawberries and champagne. This is a fun, bubbly blend.

[sh1mm3r]

I was surprised I liked this one (thanks to the lab for the freebie).

 

It didn't change a lot on me, there seems to be a clear note that stops it from being overly sweet, which I assume is the champagne, but I never get the distinct alcohol that some have gotten.

 

I could smell strawberry for almost 8 hours, and I applied very little!

[darkkat]

Got this as a freebie from the Lab.

 

Unfortunately, I've never been too much of a strawberry lover (unless they were liberally coated in sugared cream), and so the scent of the strawberries, while nice, was too 'natural' for me. The champagne smelled like... well, like champagne, really. Fizzy wine. And I'm not a wine fan either (much to the bf's dismay -he's a wine snob). And of course, the smell of champagne and strawberries just wouldn't work well on the bf (six feet plus hairy men should not generally smell of strawberries, unless there is a damn good reason... although I guess no-one would exactly argue with them about it).

 

Swapped this one out.

[quikslvr]

I smell like a strawberry wine cooler! Light spring/summer scent, very young, very innocent. Little variation in during the course of its lifespan. A tad on the commercial side for me.

[olympia301]

 

Fun, frothy, frilly Bon Vivant! It's exciting and fruity with its strawberries and a slight bit of wood or myrtle in the background to provide the cork and the aging casks for the champagne. I really like this one, it's giddiness done well and the sort of strawberry which was chosen to go into this one is more like a strawberry candy from a very good confection house than cheap strawberry jam. It's classy and upbeat. I am happy I have an imp of it and could see buying a 5ml bottle in advance of Spring. I'd say "Well done!" and raise my champagne flute to this one.

 

 

Icon is a painting by Edouard Manet, I supplied the champagne glass with the strawberry in it.

Edited July 2, 2005 by olympia301

[blaqpearl]

This was one of the first scent I got to try from this company. This one was very juicy and bright. Almost too sweet like candy. Although very pretty, I am more of a musky and incense chick. But I am glad I gotta a chance to try this.

[arabella]

First Impression: A dish of strawberries drizzled with honey sitting out on an al fresco breakfast table.

 

Dries down to: The champagne becomes more prominent and blends in with the strawberries. Unfortunately, it now smells like a glass of champagne with strawberries perched on the rim that's been allowed to sit out and go flat, while the strawberries softened and got mushy.

 

Lasted: 3 hours.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5

[aurore]

Bon Vivant- In the bottle; ahhhh, very sweet! As I browse through the BPAL site I tend to pass by strawberry scents, because even though I like sweet and fruity, something told me I didn't like strawberry. And now I'm pretty sure of it.

 

On my wrist - EWWWWWW!!! Nail polish remover! *sticking my nose in a bag of fresh-ground coffee* AHHHH, that's better.... OK, I tried to give this a chance, I really did, but 30 minutes later I was still overwhelmed by the scent of nail polish remover and I finally had to scrub it off. If it helps any, this does smell like a particular nail polish remover that I always thought was very pleasant smelling... for nail polish remover, though, not for perfume....

[Ajila]

Wet this was purely sweet champagne. As it dried I got a waft of strawberries, those same fresh green strawberries that turn up in Pink Moon, but that disappeared so quickly. The champagne note hanged around for a bit, but it also disappeared. This was so lovely, I just really wish it lasted longer.

[Finny]

In the imp, strawberry and wine.

 

On my skin, sadly, this turns in to Strawberry Shortcake doll.

 

I really had high hopes for this as a summer scent, but it is not for me. I love though, that in this order, I got Thalia, which is the summer scent for me, so all is not lost!

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I got this imp in a swap, and I am in love with it. I'm not sure why, because it's not normally the kind of scent I go for.

 

In the imp I'm slightly daunted by the syrupy strawberry smell, but something about it is effervescent in the nose. A second sniff makes me go "mmmmmm!" It reminds me of a scent from Victoria's Secret, but I didn't like the VS scent because of the bitter chemical tang it had.

 

As it warms on my skin, it turns to pure sugar, but not in a bad way. Picture dipping juiciest, ripest, strawberry into granulated sugar until it sparkles. Or a crystallized strawberry. In fact, I have a Blenko glass strawberry on display in my house, and this scent reminds me of that, glossy and deep red. It makes me want to eat a candy.

 

As it dries, it softens, and the sugar dies down a bit, and the strawberry is still fragrant, but almost floral. I can't stop sniffing myself.

 

I put some on before I went to bed last night, and I fell asleep with my wrists up beside my face. This scent makes me feel all smiley and perky. I think I need a big bottle of this for gloomy days, especially in the winter when I'll need a kiss of summer.

[zankoku_zen]

I remember smelling this at the DC BPAL swap and thinking I liked the strawberry notes.

 

In the Bottle: Smells strongly of strawberries.

 

On Skin: It reminds me to Fruit Roll ups. Or a Strawberry Jolly Rancher. Very sweet. Where is the champagne??

 

On Drydown: Some of the sweetness evaporates. Now it just reminds me to strawberry jam.

 

Verdict: Pooh. I was hoping that the champagne notes would come and cut the sweetness of the strawberry. Instead, I smell like candy. Off to swap.

[gothiccastle]

Wow! Opening the imp, I expect bubbles to tickle my nose. Sweet champagne and sugared strawberries! Very sweet, and candy like, almost giving off a hint of flavor with the scent.

 

Dry: Reminds me alot of the scent of strawberry flavored lipgloss, but the chanpagne never gives up center stage. Gorgeous blend! Must have MORE!

[Little Bird]

I really hated strawberry scents before I tried BPAL's interpretation of strawberry. I'd been turned against the fruit thanks to lines like Dessert Beauty, where the strawberry is sickeningly sweet and plasticy. But BPAL's strawberry is just lovely. The fruit is somehow richer and reminds me more of the actual fruit, rather than bad candies.

 

This does have a sweet candy smell to it, it's just not a gross and overwhelming sweetness. And the champagne is fizzy, alcoholic, and oddly clean smelling on me.

 

The champagne amps up after spending hours on my skin and I dislike how boozy it becomes. In the end, I love Hollywood Babylon a lot more as a strawberry scent. Bon Vivant is still lovely though and I plan to keep my imp.

[ethermaiden]

ooh, too sweet! Sticky sweet, with a children's tylenol liquid faux-fruityness to it. If someone were to make a champagne and strawberry candy, this would be what it would smell like.

 

This is just a slightly acrid sticky sweet strawberry jolly rancher stuck to the picnic table on me.

 

I really wanted to like this, but as the second strawberry scent that's gone awry on me, I'm guessing that strawberry just doesn't like me all too well.

[WidgetAlley]

Received this as a frimp from the Lab in my first ever order.... I don't think I ever would have picked it out for myself, but I do like it. This is exactly what it says: strawberries and champagne, very festive and bubbly and summery.

 

The strawberries aren't artificial-smelling and plasticky, thank goodness. They smell... well, like strawberries, like the big beautiful red ones at the height of summer, the ones that don't even need to be rolled in sugar. The champagne keeps behind that at first, a tickly, powdery, golden alcoholic note. This one doesn't morph on me at all, it stays very sweet and uncomplicated, with the two notes alternating in strength for several hours. I like it, but it's a little simple for my tastes.... I'll save the Imp for when I'm feeling cheerful, but it won't be a big bottle purchase.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: strawberries and champagne

 

Wet: Um, like Mr. Bubble and cucumber

 

Dry: champagne comes out more, and it smells a like antiseptic and somewhat rancid. I can barely barely smell the strawberry. Yeccchhh.

[misfitroxy]

Whew! Strawberry overload! This oil is very reminiscent of the strawberries in sauce concoction that one finds on funnel cakes, waffles, and other such tasty treats. But it's absolutely spiked with a bright liquor.

 

It hops off my wrist, bright and bold. The champagne note is a tad bitter on me and turns the strawberry more artificial than I'd like. It doesn't seem to be morphing much beyond my initial impressions. Though it does take on a sweeter, hard candy scent after a while. Sort of what you'd expect from a Strawberry Jolly Rancher - super sweet but a tad tart at the same time.

 

As a final assessment, I would say that Bon Vivant is fun and merry for certain, but not for me. Glad I was able to give it a run, though!

Edited September 1, 2005 by misfitroxy

[urraca]

This was a lab frimp I never would have chosen for myself since I do not like smelling like fruit. But the lab knows best, of course, and this really surprised me.

 

When I first put it on I thought, "Ho hum, scratch n' sniff strawberry, how nice, how predictable," but as it developped on my skin, I discovered a lot more going on here. First, I was impressed by the naturalness of the strawberry scent. Then I detected other notes coming through. Amber? Honey? It is almost strawberry scented O on me. And coould that be a little rose peaking through on the drydown?

 

So I'm keeping my imp, even though I didn't get any champagne from it. Maybe I'm supposed to drink champagne while wearing it.

 

[Nemesister]

this really is a perfume i should hate. i really do not get on with strawberry scents, but this is a gorgeously fruity, boozy oil. you can almost imagine getting the bubbles up your nose when you sniff it! champagne and strawberry...nuff said

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Exactly as advertised, strawberry and chanpagne.

 

Drydown: Strawberry is starting to smell a bit more candy but champagne is staying relatively true.

 

Dry: Wow this stayed almost exact! It's tart and bubbly and while there is a candylike smell there is definitely strawberries and champagne. There also seems to be a tad bit of something sharp in the background, which I will have to mull about. As time goes by I am getting a bit more of a powdery hard candy smell. The champagne has receded a bit.

 

Undecided.

Edited September 21, 2005 by AlaskaSnows

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Hmm. Something sharp, a little bit tart, but I'm smelling something in here I do not like.

 

On, wet: Ack. Fake strawberry chemical reek. x.x How, I do not know, as BPAL does not use fake chemical shite, but there it is. It's making the back of my throat burn. Not tickle, burn.

 

5 minutes: The worst faded away, but I still smell of fake strawberries. Strawberry Shortcake dolls, that's what I smell like. BURNING Strawberry Shortcake dolls. No champagne at all. ICK. Washing off now!