Bon Vivant

[brownbear]

An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.

Wet it was kind of sharp strawberries. I think the sharpness must've been the champagne note. As it dried it got a little creamy. Overall it smelled a little fakey to me. For a strawberry scent I really prefer Strawberry Moon. oh well

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle:

 

Whoa. That actually smells like champagane and strawberries. A little more of the sharp, boozy smell than the strawberries.

 

Wet:

 

More strawberries now.

 

Drydown:

 

This is such a fun scent. The strength isn't quite what I'd like, but otherwise it's fruity and bubbly. I love that the champagne is sharp, and keeps it from being too sweet. It also fades a little early, but I clearly just need to slather more. Yum!

[katalia]

This is all strawberry to me. It makes me think of those car air fresheners.. only way, way better. I was worried about the champagne notes because I don't want to smell like alcohol, but I didn't get that at all. Just.. yum.

[Firewaver]

How bubbly and different!

This is definitely a fruity departure from the bpals I've tried before.

 

I love the boozy champagne notes, though they are very potent, i wouldn't wear this and speed on the highway, unless I wanted to have to endure a sobriety test.

 

The strawberry isn't too sweet, it is made fizzy and bubbly with the champagne. It smells a bit like fizzy strawberry soda. I like this, it's fun and innocent, though I could only wear it to parties or certain occasions that called for a bubbly side.

[UltraViolet]

 

In the bottle

It's a pale gold liquid.

Yep. It smells like sparkly, strawberry something. It does smell liquor-like and bubbly as champagne.

 

On

Well this just might be the best strawberry scent. Better on my skin than Hollywood Babylon, Pink Moon or Strawberry Moon many even ,it's fruity and sparkly.

 

30 minutes

This dries down to a crisp and sparkling medium strawberry scent, a strawberry full of light and it's subtley sweet which is nice for me.

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

Fruity

 

Summary

It's a perfect strawberry scent, not too thick nor cloyingly sweet.

 

Purchase again?

Yes. a 5ml.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[melrose]

Beth keeps dispelling me of my notions - why, yes, I do like strawberry scents if they smell like the real thing and not that gag-inducing sweet fake smell you usually come across.

 

And the champagne note - whoa! How did she bottle the exact smell of champagne?

 

I guess you can tell I really like this fragrance - it doesn't last long, but it's oh-so-yummy.

[Aharona]

This is a fun, sweet, bright pink and bubbly scent. I feel like I am 10 years old again when I smell it!

 

In the imp: I get a slight sourness and bright sweetness.

 

Wet on skin: Candy strawberries, pure and simple mixed with a sharp note. I assume this to be the champagne.

 

On the drydown: The strawberry blends in with the tart making it not as sweet/

 

I'm so glad I got this as a frimp because I stay away from fruit notes/ scents. But this one just makes me happy and feel pretty. I must go sample some champagne now to compare it to Bon Vivant.

[wingedcorset]

It's sweet and fun and girly. A very young scent. I can't really pick out the the strawberries and the champagne blend very well, with neither dominant on my skin.

[PrettyPenny]

In the imp: I'm getting mostly super sweet strawberries. I was kind of hoping for more of a sparkly champagne, but I try it on anyways.

 

On: Oh wow, the strawberry is sort of taking a backseat, and the champagne note is helping to cut down on the sweetness. This is wonderful, fruity and light. Yummy!

[voodoobaby]

I got this as a complement to my favorite, strawberry/champagne scented lip gloss. Bon Vivant is wonderful. It's heavier on the strawberry than the champagne, and for some reason I seem to get a slight gingery scent out of it as well. The scent stays pretty much the same all the way through, except the strawberry gets a little more pronounced as it wears. The scent is fun and fresh and bubbly--effervescent is definitely the best description. I'm keeping the imp.

[WaltzforZizi]

Mmm, another frimp I love.

 

Initially I didn't think I would get along with this scent at all. But then, what do I know?

 

When I first applied it started out very much like sugar covered strawberries. Very sweet. As it dried down the champagne notes came out and gave it a lovely boozy scent, which I loved. I think I smelled something spicy in there. I'm not quite sure. No welts, so maybe not cinnamon... Hmm or atleast not a strong cinnamon. I'll have to apply after a shower too make sure.

 

Over all this a delightful scent and I think it's going on my 5ml list.

[PurringPulsar]

Bon Vivant

 

In the imp: fizzy sweet strawberries! This smells like a strawberry flavoured soft drink.

Wet on skin: I think the champagne note is coming out now, and the strawberry note is so sweet, yet a bit more tangy now.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is quite nice! It's very sweet but not cloyingly so, thanks to that tart crisp champagne note. The scent is light, fizzy, bright and lively, fruity sweet and, ahem, bubbly. It smells like someone added a big shot of strawberry syrup (like when I eat a bowl of strawberries covered with sugar, I get this red sugary juicy syrup left) to champagne. In fact, this scent has given me an idea for a new party drink…I think it will go down a storm for new year's eve (the scent and the drink, that is).

After a while: this stays pretty much the same, except I think the champagne note gets a tad stronger and a bit drier (as in, wine-dry) in scent (damn, it really smells like bubbly!), with sweet strawberry candy still hanging around.

Verdict: this is a very pleasant scent. BPAL's strawberry note is very, very sweet, like sugar coated strawberries, but the champagne in this adds a nice tangy crisp effervescence that tempers the sweetness of the strawberries. The scent is light and lively, not cloying or over-sweet, fruity and fun. I think it would be very nice for summer as well as for parties of all kinds-it even makes me want to add some strawberry syrup to some bubbly as a BPAL inspired party drink!

[Katinka]

Remember that Firefly episode that starts out with Mal and Jayne playing pool in a bar, while Inara stands by sipping a little pink drink? This is the BPAL equivalent of that little pink drink. Fizzy, fruity, frivolous. And oddly enough, I rather like it. My daughter does, too, but I suspect that's because it bears a passing resemblance to Juicy Fruit gum. I have to giggle at the idea of a man wearing Bon Vivant, though.

[cantabile]

Strawberries are my favorite food and have an uncanny power to make me instantly happy, so any scent containing strawberry is an automatic "hell yeah I want to try it" for me.

 

in vial: Delish! The strawberry note smells realistic and juicy to me, though the equally realistic champagne note is a lot stronger. High hopes for this one.

 

on skin, both wet and dry: Well, that was anticlimactic. The champagne note goes totally flat and weird-chemical on me and overpowers the few whiffs of heavenly strawberry I do get. I think I saw someone describe this as turning to the plasticky smell of an old Strawberry Shortcake doll on them, and I guess my chemistry is similar that way because it sounds about right to me. Curse you, skin!

 

verdict: Another heartbreaker for the swap pile. Now all the pressure's on Maenad to be the GC scent with strawberry that wins me over, since I've come to the unpleasant realization that amber loves to give me nasty headaches, so Hollywood Babylon is right out. Maybe I should start hoarding more Strawberry Moon...

[sideviewhotel]

Hm. I dunno. I get a subtle champange note, but it's mostly strawberries. Unfortunately, it's not fresh damp strawberries, it's chapstick strawberries. It's waxy & plasticky. Boo.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

In the bottle: Strawberry Shortcake, as in the perfume I used to wear when I was 8. Brings back some fond memories.

 

Wet: Fake, waxy strawberries, and cheap champagne. I smell like a cheap hooker.

 

Dry Down: Strawberry Plastic, very little throw.

 

I soooooo wanted to like this one, but alas, as BloodRose Flowers predicted, she will end up with it.

[Thaleia]

Received in a swap from the lovely lorajc - thanks!

 

In the vial: 'Uh ...' was my first reaction, because I smelled something super-sweet, then I realised it was strawberries. It's better if you don't smell it up close, because it'll be too strong then - but if you hold it a few inches away and sniff, it's really delightful. Now that I had a second sniff, it smells like strawberry shortcake. I'm hungry, man.

 

Wet: Eee, strawberry! It's like Victoria's Secret Strawberries and Champagne, which is really a hit with boys (trust me on this one), only the strawberry smells fresher and not so 'packaged' - and this'll be a perfect complement.

 

Drydown: More strawberry. It's not like standing in a field of strawberries, like at those strawberry farms, but almost. It then gets a sort of underlying creaminess to it. Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry ice cream. Strawberry champagne. It sparkles.

 

Dry: Finally, champagne comes out and makes an appearance. It keeps the sweetness of the strawberry in check, but allows it to stay sweet.

 

Bon Vivant is the journey of a strawberry, from strawberry patch to kitchen to romantic evening for two with a bottle of champagne.

 

Rating: 4.25. This is really fun and girly. AND, I'd imagine, a hit with the boys. I'll try it out with my guy friends, and let you know.

[Silverstrike]

Strawberries and champagne make me think of my honeymoon, the only time I've had strawberries and champagne, and this is really close to the scent. Beth really nailed the champagne part, it's uncanny. The strawberry smells a little artificial to me, kind of like how Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo smells like artificial grape. That said, after I put it on, it smelled sweetly artificial (not yucky, just not. . . real?). After drydown, it turned into a greener/plasticky smell which wasn't unpleasant. I miss the champagne!

[Wench457]

Bon Vivant: very sweet and light, makes me feel cheerful just sniffing it!

 

On: Strawberry candies - this is wonderful!

 

Dry: the candy note has mellowed, though it is still recognizably a strawberry scent. The champagne adds a richer and deeper note to it, though it is still light and effervescent. I definitely need a bottle of this. The longer I wear it, the better it gets.

[abbycomix]

This was disappointing to me because it ended up being very heavy and too sweet. I was really looking forward to a sophisticated, bubbly, fun strawberry. Sadly, I didn't get any champagne and the strawberry was more like strawberry incense. It also turned powdery. I guess bad chemistry strikes again. However there is hope for those like me! I just got Swank and it smells like I was hoping Bon Vivant would. Give Swank a try if Bon Vivant strikes out with you.

[cal_steph]

I thought it would be all strawberry, but there is a definite balance between the strawberries and the champagne in this one. To me, it smells like a bubbly strawberry lip gloss in the imp. A pleasanty light boozy smell.

 

On me, the strawberry note begins to smell less balmy and the champagne gets richer. I like it, but full-bodied incensy scents are more "me". Still, I'm going to hang on to it for a little while longer and see if the mood strikes before putting it up for trade.

[sookster]

i thought i was gonna love this at first

sniff from the imp as the strawberries are positively effervescent

 

upon application this changes into something not so wonderful with

my chemistry.....while the strawberries are still in the forefront they

turn into something strange.....something doughlike.....or yeasty

 

definitely not for me

[jena]

In the imp:

Very sour smelling... and definitely champagne.

 

Fresh on the skin:

Wow... this smells exactly as described, strawberries and champagne. The closest thing I can compare it to is Arbor Mist (the cheap-o strawberry "wine"), but in a good way... all the sweetness of strawberry but not in a sicky-sweet sort of way.

 

After about five minutes:

It has faded now to a very lovely smell that I can't define. The fruitiness is there, but it's now just a very feminine scent. It reminds me of a quaint country shop that sells homemade candles and hand-sewn quilts, this light and sweet smell that isn't at all "manufactured".

 

I definitely like this one!

[Mountaingrrl00]

I liked this in the imp. It smelled sweet and sparkly, really fun, like the fruity kiddie colognes I used to wear. I actually like fake strawberry, and this is good fake strawberry. I only wish it smelled that way on my skin. The champagne note was chemical-smelling and headache-inducing, and I had to wash it off.

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: strawberries and champagne!

 

On my skin: the strawberries are stronger now, and they're sweet with a tart afterbite. This isn't a fake strawberry scent either; it's real and red and beautiful.

 

Drydown: exactly the same as before, but with a smidge more sparkly champagne goodness.

 

Overall: Another winner! I was so hopeful that this would smell exactly as it was described, and it does! Sadly, it fades relatively quickly, but is still worth a bottle.