Katharina

[Emileesaurus]

A strong, willful blend with a soft, utterly lovely soul: white musk with a trickle of bright, sharp apricot and orange blossom.

In the imp, this smelled very faint, and it was hard for me to place any individual notes beyond a vague sense of "perfumey" -- probably the white musk coming through. On application, I got almost pure white musk, but with a light floral underneath it.

After about a half-hour, the musk starts to fade, and I can definitely smell the apricot coming out. Occasionally, the floral peeks through, enough to be noticed but not overwhelm. This is a beautiful, well-made blend -- I can smell all three of the notes, without any one of them dominating. It fades after only a few hours, and it's a shame it doesn't seem to get much throw, but I'd definitely consider a 5ml bottle of this. It seems like it would be perfect for a spring day.

[ScabbyLucy]

This smelled so good in the vial- ripe, juicy and fresh. On me, I get white musk and a little of the orange blossom.

 

Nice for some, but on me, white musk doesn't smell like the "nice, clean skin" sort of smell.

 

On me, it smells like laundry detergent.

[Teaker]

Katharina was one of the first BPALs I ever tried, in my very first imp order. I don't know if it was blind luck or some kind of psychic perfume magic, but Katharina is the perfect "me" scent. If I were a perfume, I would be Katharina. It isn't my very favorite, and it isn't the one I wear most often, but it's just the perfect scent for me.

 

The apricot smells fresh and real, the white musk is clean but not sharp, and when it dries there is the barest hint of orange blossom. It smells cool and sweet, without any hint of cloying candy-ness. It's got an almost fizzy quality once it's dry. It's not the most long lasting on me, but it has good throw for about 4 hours before I feel the need to re-apply. I'd describe it as more musky than foody. There is absolutely nothing dark or complicated about this scent, and sometimes that is exactly what I want.

 

I've seen it compared to Tamora, which I also got in my first order. I personally find zero similarities between the two, Tamora is so sweet and candy-like it makes me ill. It's completely unwearable for me, whereas Katharina is completely perfect. I can't thank the lab enough for making this scent!

 

Edit: Sad news, readers. After aging about 6 months, Katharina has done a complete 180. It now goes on as strong orange blossom with a touch of apricot. The apricot disappears almost instantly, leaving an almost soapy orange blossom single note. I'm devastated.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Teaker

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: A very light, airy scent. Perhaps a vague fruity floral?

 

Wet on skin: Oh, theres the apricot! It's fresh and juicy and somewhat foody (I want to eat my arm). I'm also getting a touch of vanilla somewhere in the mix. I guess the white musk is in there too, but I'm not really smelling it. Is that the "clean" smell everyone seems to compare it to? If it is, I'm surprised, as the last couple of scents that had white musk in them smelled more like feral animal on my skin. This, on the other hand is oh so nice.

 

Drydown: Freshly cut apricot, with a touch of warm vanilla and a background of white musk ("clean" smelling).

 

I think this is a lovely scent, perfect for spring! It's not too strong, but the throw is above average. I think re-applicationwould be necessary throughout the day, as this only lasts about 3.5 hours. I'll definitely keep my imp.

[Frills]

Katharina went on soft. I thought it disappeared, and then twenty minutes later a soft, beautiful scent, everywhere.

 

I rarely go from imp to "must have a bottle" in one try, but this is an exception. I need a bottle.

[Limelight]

When I first put it on, I didn't think it was anything special. Just more sweet perfume in a sea of sweet perfumes. This scent reminded me how important it is to be patient, since within 30 minutes the apricot/orange blossom combo bloomed and gave almost a peachy aroma on my skin. Wonderful, and the way the white musk plays with that is very gentle. All together it is a perfect day scent for the upcoming hot months. I was looking to expand my GC collection and this would be a good bottle for me to start with.

 

Edited cause either I or the board can't get it together!

Edited April 11, 2014 by dirtytrip

[lucycat]

In the imp: Orange blossom and musk. The apricot is just perceptible.

 

Wet: The apricot comes forward, and gets stronger as the oil dries and warms on my skin.

 

I can smell all three notes in this, though the apricot is strongest. The musk and orange blossom keep it from being overly foody. Katharina is light, pretty, and feminine. It does have a young vibe, but I don’t think it’s “too young” for me, and I’m 39. It fades after only a few hours, so will need to be reapplied, but I think it will be perfect for spring.

[kahmiel]

HOW DID I NOT KNOW I LOVED APRICOTS.

 

I am really really glad I got an imp of this in my last order. I dont know why I did. *checks order to make sure it was her and not the lab that did it* Yup, I did. Yeah, I am pretty sure its just because I like the taming of the shrew.

 

The apricot is strong on my skin, it is fruity and light and beautiful, as it dries the musk comes forward some and makes for a headier scent, but still light and lovely. I could bathe in this.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Apricot & a little bit of orange blossom, held together with a very mild, white musk. This is a very light scent, like a breeze in springtime!

Wet on skin: Juicy, musky, slightly-overripe apricot! It's somehow still very light too.

Dry on skin: Ahhhh, this is so pretty! A sweet, light, fruity-floral musk! Love!

After a few hours: It's faded a bit & is even muskier now, but it still has that fruity-floral sweetness to it.

Verdict: Just lovely! I can see this one getting used quite regularly!

[Veronica]

Wet, this is juicy apricot over an overwhelming and cloying orange blossom sweet floral note. Dry, the orange blossom tones down and the musk comes out to help bridge the other two notes--a feminine, soft sweet apricot scent, peaches and cream-esque (without being too creamy). Not overly powerful or foodie. Very pretty, it has a quality to it that makes me think it seems like something a commercial perfume would smell like. Not bottle worthy for me.

Edited February 9, 2015 by delighted

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Soap. Slightly sweet, slightly sharp soap.

 

 

Dry: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. I love apricot, and the apricot in this is gorgeous, sweet and tart at the same time. And I do like florals, I just don't know about these florals. I'm not sure that I like orange blossom. This will need a full day test before I make any decision. Also, I feel like this is a spring scent, so I may save the imp till then and test again.

[Soupy Twist]

Sweet juicy apricot with some orange in the bottle. There's the briefest flash of musk when it goes on, but it vanishes instantly, which is perfect for me. The middle note is that soft rounded apricot, and it dries into a pretty, sweet neroli without any of the weird chemical notes some neroli can develop (I'm looking at you, Arcana). Beautiful! I'll have to try this again in the spring; this might be a keeper.

[Musamea]

in the imp: the same bright juicy apricot as March Hare, with hints of orange blossom to add a floral touch

wet: all apricots, all the time

dry: the apricot goes a bit powdery on me, probably because of the combination with white musk; if I sniff deeply I can get a bit of orange blossom dancing in the background, but mostly this is like apricot single note. A bit too simple for me, but perfect for anyone who loves apricot!

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Fruity fruity fruit fruit fruit! Apricot so strong it almost gave me a headache upon first sniff, and I can still catch whiffs from the uncapped imp from half a foot away. If there's any orange blossom or musk in there, it's buried in the landslide of apricot.

 

Wet: Ah, there's the orange blossom - it's still playing second fiddle to the apricot, but at least now it's discernible. And I'm not sure whether I'm actually getting the white musk, or that's just me wanting to smell what's in the description, but there's almost definitely something anchoring all the fruit - still sweet (as white musk tends to go on me), but giving it something to grab onto. In fact, right now it's reminding me of Grand Guignol (albeit a little more floral-sweet and less boozy-sweet).

 

Dry: That lovely orange blossom note emerges more fully, with the apricot slowly but surely dialing back. Hmm, now I'm not sure whether to file this under gourmands or florals! But either way, it's a keeper.

[Myrrha]

Why did I not know about this scent before? I had a couple of treasured imps of The Temptation and loved it. This is similar but a bit stronger and longer lasting.

 

When first applied, strongly apricot. It is lovely but at first I thought it might be too simply apricot to be a favorite.

 

Dried, after about 1/2 hour, the orange blossom comes out and it feels more balanced. The white musk must contain some vanilla as the base of the scent seems to have some soft, cool vanilla.

 

After 2 hours it is fainter, becomes more of a skin scent (they never last long on my skin though). At this phase it is vanilla-y white musk tinged with apricot and orange blossom, just heavenly. It seems to become the actual scent of my skin as fruits like apricot and peach have a relationship to skin-scent. I imagine a scent like this could draw someone closer as it smells so wonderful yet is a soft scent that they would have seek out.

 

It is winter time now but I will continue to wear this from time to time anyway and will be buying more.

 

Edit: this would be amazing as hairgloss and bath oil.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Myrrha

[freyasfae]

Very fruity, the white musk is a little more subtle then I would like, and I can barely detect the orange blossom which bums me out. It's still a very pretty scent, but very sweet and fruit forward - late spring/early summer type of fruit. My bestie loves white musk and peach (even though this is apricot), so I think I am going to gift her this along with my imp of Fae.

[Casablanca]

I have two versions of this now, so revising my earlier review to compare them. I have the imp I got a couple months ago, and an old imp I got in a lot on eBay. I don't know how old it is, but the label is yellowed.

 

Here's the review on the imp I got a couple months ago:

Bottle: I love the apricot and orange flower.

Wet: A sharp golden-orange apricot floral and melting candle wax. Maybe that blendy beeswax smell is the musk, or an unlisted note. It has the home comfort of linen without that actual smell. Instead, this fragrant woman curls up to sleep in a bed of soft honeycomb. The fruit and flower are fresh and lush.

Dry: Much the same. Lots of the white musk and a little melting beeswax, with fruits and flowers in the background.

Here's the older imp:

Bottle: The smell in bottle has diminished considerably compared with the fresher version. Actually, it's barely there. I mainly get the light musk, with the more volatile fruit and flower smells gone.

Wet: Katharina's nectary orange blossom and juicy apricot are barely even traces left in the scent. This is just a light musk and a touch of beeswax now.

Dry: A plain skin musk similar to Neutral.

Conclusion: Katharina doesn't age well. If you pick up this fragrance, don't wait or be sparing.

I already got a bottle of this, and I love it when it's not aged!

Edited May 2, 2016 by Casablanca

[porcelaincrypt]

Imp: This was one of the ones I liked most from the free imps I received with my recent order. My first impression was that it was a little sweet, fruity and innocent with some floral. It had a familiar vibe and then I realized what it reminded me of....Victoria's Secret Love Spell. I used to wear that as a teenager and boys in my class would always compliment and comment on it. There was something to it. The notes in that and Katharina are kind of similar, Love Spell is Peach instead of Apricot and Cherry Blossom rather than Orange Blossom but they both have Musk. This scent takes me back to spring time of 2002 when I was 16 years old. Basically it is budding romance, young lust/love and high school crushes to me.

 

I sniffed the imp today again as I wanted to try it on my skin and this time I got more floral and less Love Spell but it's still there in the shadows. I'm super hesitant with florals and I'm iffy about orange scents, I like some but others not so much, so I'm not sure I would invest in a full bottle of this but I do like it.

 

On my skin: Close to how it smells in the imp. Definitely floral- the blossoms stand out, perfect for a spring day. A little powdery. The apricot and fruity smell makes its appearance a bit more after a few minutes.

 

It is a very faint scent , which for florals I appreciate. It was not overbearing in any way and most of the day I hardly smelled it on myself. However, I'm wondering now if this may have the same effect as Love Spell... When I was out and about today I felt like I was getting extra attention from men. I thought maybe I looked really good today and chalked it up to ovulation and pheromones , does anyone else think that way? lol I've definitely noticed a connection in my own life before. But anyway as I was writing this review it dawned on me that maybe it was Katharina working her magic! I will have to test her out again at various times of the month and see if she played a role.

[Cali]

While sniffing this I was reminded of how I'd forgotten that I love abricot. The abricot was what really stood out at first sniff from the imp and it keeps that quality up 'till drydown. Once dry, the abricot takes the backseat (it nearly vanishes) while the blossom and (mostly!) the white musk come out to play. It's really cute and a nice spring scent.

[spikyfairy]

Frimp from the lab. I am not a big fan of any of these notes, so I was not expecting this to go well, but this was the point in my early BPAL experimentation that made me suspect white musk is my mortal enemy. Many a nice blend turned to screaming laundry powder, alas..

This is really nicely balanced, I will give it that. The orange blossom and apricot control the white musk somewhat, but overall the whole thing is far too sweet & girly for me. It is soft and pretty and clean, and not strong at all. Very inoffensive, if you happen to get along with these notes.

[lizabelle]

This is primarily apricots and syrup to me--I don't get a lot of orange blossom, which is odd as almost every white floral amps to some degree on me. It's similar to Four Seasons: Winter without the orange, so those who are worried they'll run out of that one should try this! As a whole it's more perfumey than I expected, smooth and lightly sweet, and has decent lasting power.

[roseus]

In the imp: Warm and fruity sweet.

 

Wet: Definitely apricot. There's also something here that just reads "perfume" here, which is an impression I've never really had before. I want to say it's a dark musk or maybe a floral? I'm getting a dark, sensual apricot.

 

Dry: Pretty much the same but the apricot has softened and blended into the other notes more. A very elegant fruit scent, but still too fruity for me. Looking at the notes though I was sort of right! White musk usually reads clean and light to my nose, so this blends wears much differently than I would think.

[celestia]

♔ Katharina

 

In the Bottle: Sweet, non descript orange florals and fruits

 

Wet: Simple unripe apricot, very bright and fruited, a hint of sharpness which translates to a bubbly carbonate rather than “oh no chemistry”. It smells quite clean smelling, almost like a salon product. It smells kind of innocent and less creamy than other apricot blends I’ve tried, most likely owing to the obvious lack of accompany creamy notes, haha. Instead, I get a bit of sweet floral. It never goes powdery, but has this lovely, velvety texture, definitely calls to mind fuzzy apricot peel. Though, since this stone fruit doesn’t particularly smell very ripened, I do confuse it with yellow or golden peach.

 

Drydown: It morphs a little sweeter, and becomes slightly candied. I can pick up a slight tartness to it, and fizz during the initial stages have subsided. This apricot smells really nice, like a fresh, tart and brightly sweet stone fruit. It doesn’t have the same depth and ripeness I can identify from the apricot note in Haloes, and it’s not as gourmand, creamy, spiced or “dried” as Aristocratic couple- and most certainly not as buttery and obviously foodie as the peach in Gáttaþefur. This one is more sweeter, brighter, tarter (a tad sharper) and untainted. It kind of morphs straight into a clean, peach candyfloss (not particularly candied, mind you!) in the final drydown. Such an underappreciated scent!

 

TL;DR: Clean peach candyfloss

[torikitty]

Really light and sweet. I can see canned peaches or juicy apricots. Stays really close to my skin. It's nice, but it needs something to bump it up a bit.

[achildoftime]

Very sweet apricots that are just ready to be eaten. It's sweet and strong. I don't really get much floral at all, really. It pretty much stays a SN apricot on me, which I'm pretty okay with.