Katrina van Tassel

[lostluckkitten]

White rose and honeyed cream.

Haha, my dude also hates this. Thinks it smells like bug spray

I am NOT a floral person, especially not rose, but I actually enjoyed Katrina for the most part. Not something I want a bottle of really, but she's nice. The rose is very lush and definitely WHITE rose. It smells the way fresh rose petals feel - soft and thick. The honey and cream are very yummy, but they do something on my skin that reminds me of a slightly floral sunscreen I used to wear when I was on swim team. Not bad at all, just a scent memory.

She did go a little funky on me about 30 minutes in. However, this floral-hater did not hate Katrina, so there is that.

Edit for description. Edited September 18, 2008 by lostluckkitten

[femmefatale]

I got this knowing I would hate it. I'm not big on florals, rose goes old lady on my skin, cream goes sour, and honey goes powdery.

 

Somehow all those bad notes make something really wonderful. It is such a truely beautiful rose. It's not what I would call a very sophisticated rose, but it's not too youthful. It's that stage between being a teenager and full woman, where you're still flirty but beginning to know what you want (and just learning how to get it).

The honey adds just the right touch of sweetness and I'm (thankfully) not getting the sour cream note I was so worried about.

 

This was the one I had planned to try and quickly swap, but I am now planning on getting a bottle.

 

ETA: Crap. Spoke too soon. Now it's powdery. Bet it would stay beautiful in my locket though.

Edited September 18, 2008 by Femme_Fatale

[jizatt]

The rose doesn't go sour on me, so that's good. But, I don't feel the love for this that I wanted. It's very soft and subtle, like honey dusting powder maybe, touched with rose.

[livingdead71]

I'm generally wary of rose, as it tends to go all shrill and soapy on me. There are a few rose blends out there I love though, such as Bess and Eve, so I'm still willing to give them a try every once in a while. Also, I love honey and cream and I just had to have a scent called Katrina van Tassel. I'm so happy I went with my instincts on this one. The white rose is very soft and pretty and feminine. The honeyed cream smells sweet and delicious! I can't get over how much I love this. It really is a beautiful scent and one I will wear often.

[Little Bird]

There's not much to say about Katrina Van Tassel, as it's a pretty simple scent. I love the white rose in Parlement of Foules (one of my all time favorite blends), and it's just as pretty here. I don't get much of the cream or honey, but there's just a touch of honeyed cream rounding out the edges, like an extra sweetness to the rose.

 

This is a soft, sweet rose. I love it, and I'm glad I have a bottle.

[greenranger]

Wet, ROSE! However, it was round full rose scent, and not the screechy rose I sometimes get when it amps on me. It was strong, but, I could, unbelievingly, still smell the honeyed cream as well.

 

The rose was strong for an hour, and then it began to fade. Three hours in, all that is left is the barest hint of honeyed cream.

 

For a rose scent, it worked suprisingly well. I think I'll stick with my decant rather than springing for a full bottle, but, I am happy I tried it.

[sparkybish]

My mailman was late, but he just came with my precious oils and I had to break open Kat and smell her first and I love her.

 

She is everything I wanted Alice to be, and she just blew Alice off my favorites because she will never compare to Kat. I am blown away with the perfection of the rose and cream and honey all loving on me, with no powder, soap, foodiness... anf she reminds me of my first job at a coffee house. I don't know why, but she does. Must order more Kat. Maybe two more.

[IronMollyBlack]

This is a "fresh" rose that is almost green smelling, to me. I get a bit of the honey sweetness. It goes a bit "dryer sheet" on my skin. I don't get much of the cream note. She's not the girl for me!

[pinkstardust420]

Darn. Too much Rose. Not much if any honey or cream.

[Hayet]

Add me to the list of Katrina fans. Nearly the most perfect rose scent yet, and I say that as a Peacock Queen and Hope fan. I don't have much to add since I agree with most of the other reviewers- if rose tends to go sharp on you, then the honey note seems to sweeten and temper it. Very, very pretty. A princessy scent, indeed.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Hayet

[dawndie]

Wet: fairly strong rose essence

 

On skin: beautiful light rose

 

Half-hour later: the rose has sweetened up a bit; no cream standing out

 

In conclusion: I have an imp of the White Rose SN so of course I was looking forward to trying a "honeyed cream" version. Cream notes sometimes go "off" on me, but the pure loveliness of the soft rose and honey keeps the cream in check. This is a beautiful blend!

[Finny]

Sweet creamy rose. Beautiful.

[Vespar]

In the imp:Soft,feminine and fragile.The essence of Katrina in a bottle!

 

On wet:Soft and delicate florals,the white rose is prominent but sweetened by the honeyed cream.My nose is glued to my wrist!

 

An hour or so later:The rose and cream have mellowed and are very soft,airy and comforting.

 

Verdict:A beautiful scent that's not overpowering.Sadly,it reminds me of a hair styling gel my brother used to wear and though I'm loving Katrina,my memory links this scent to the gel. I'm not sure if I'll buy a bottle,but I'll definately use up my imp.

Edited September 26, 2008 by Vespar

[Pottersville]

First, in the interests of full disclosure, I HATE rose. So why did I get a decant of this? Because you just never know with the Lab! And ultimately, if I were going to wear rose, this would be it. It's a relatively light, airy rose (though still far sweeter than any of the lovelies growing in my garden) softened even more with cream. During drydown it goes thru a mercifully short baby powder phase, and ultimately settles into something that smells quite a bit like Burt's Baby Bees. I am actually going to hold onto the decant, rather than swap it away.

[tartchef]

First, in the interests of full disclosure, I HATE rose. So why did I get a decant of this? Because you just never know with the Lab!

 

Yep, that's my story, too! I spilled a bottle of cheap Avon rose eau de toilette on my bed when I was 8 or so, and have never been able to stomach the smell of rose perfume since.

 

But we may be able to make an exception for Ms van Tassel.

 

Rose, yes, but dampened down by sweet, cold cream & a drizzle of fine white honey. Definitely white rose, too - the blowsy, old fashioned ones that have a faint blush of pink at the throat. As it dries, miracle of miracles, the rose doesn't amp at all - if anything, the honey amps, lovely & spicy, but rounded out by the cream.

 

An unexpected but very welcome success! I won't wear her often, but she'll be a treasured addition to my imp box

[Iceblink]

I love the lab's rose notes although the blends sometimes tend to fade quickly on me. Kat's holding up pretty well so far. A fresh blast of strong rose dries down into a creamier, softer scent and then the honey comes through. It's simple and very pretty.

[AEris]

I had forgotten the notes to this one before I slathered some on, on my way out the door, and I'm proud to say that I described it as "lightly honeyed rose" before reading the scent description : -)

 

The honeyed cream is light and faint in the background, and the rose really dominates the scent. After 6 or so hours of wear, the honey and cream notes are more noticeable, because the rose eventually fades.

 

It's a lovely scent, I'd have to be craving it to wear it again because rose is moody on me - but it is entirely befitting of its namesake. This is exactly what a young, fresh, classically refined girl should smell like!

 

4.4 out of 5

[MoonDragon]

It's a gentle sweet white rose scent; the rose amps up a lot on me for a bit, but fades into the honeyed cream notes. Which is basically what everyone else has said, so I'd like to add that it smells AMAZING layered over A Blade of Grass--it smells like you're rolling in a field of roses.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is dewy roses, honey and cream. When first on this is very strong roses with a warm feeling to them (unlike the chilly feeling of Rose Red for example). After a few minutes, the rose starts to soften and the creaminess develops. After a couple of hours the honey comes out making this a lovely rose, cream and honey blend. On the drydown this is a very soft, close to the skin honeyed rose blend. Beautiful! A must try for any rose lover.

[BelladonnaBarbie]

If I had a bottle of this and a bottle of Alice next to each other without labels it would be very, very difficult to tell the difference. The rose in Alice may be tempered a bit more by the spiciness in the beginning and the creaminess in the end - but very slightly. If you love rose, Katrina is for you, it's definitely the dominant note here. If you love Alice (like me!) I say pass on this one. It's a lovely scent but just too similar to justify.

[Juushika]

I'm usually not a fan of rose (nor it of me), but I've had good luck with white rose before so I thought I'd try a decant.

 

In the vial: Very mild sweetness with a touch of sharpness—probably the honey and rose. It's a clean white color.

 

On me: Pale but sharp white rose, just a touch creamy and sweet. The rose is white, feminine, but not strongly floral-perfumey—it's a pure, natural scent. It does have a bit of a sharpness, which is characteristic of rose on my skin, but the sharpness is tempered by white honey and cream. I can't smell either distinctly, and the blend isn't sweet or milky-sour; instead, the honey and cream blend with the rose to create an allover smoother, gentler scent. That said, the scent is actually fairly one-dimensional, and it doesn't morph at all during wear. The color is pale, clean, slightly translucent white; the throw is pleasantly stronger than I expected.

 

Verdict: My white rose of choice is usually Magdalene, which more dark and dreamy; this is the same white rose, but Katrina is lighter, younger, and sweeter. It's a pleasant scent, but the honeyed cream is just too soft, making for a rose so pure that it almost lacks personality. I like it, but I don't think I love it (and I only wear florals infrequently)—so I'll hold onto my decant and retest, but I don't need any more than that.

[Summerpixy]

Soft sweet rose and cream. I didn't get a whole lot of honey but there was a nice dewy quality that I usually find in Rose Red. This is lovely and simple, she'll softly stay with you for a good length of time and she doesn't tend to bowl people over either.

 

 

If you like this try: Love in the Asylum, Come to Me

[tarotgirl99]

In the bottle: A strong white rose dominates...very little honey.

 

Wet: I almost swallowed my wrist. The honey is the honey of Honey Moon--golden spun sweetness. But instead of flowers and herbs, it's all rosiness. I get no cream. I try to do other things but I am enchanted by this scent on my wrist and keep coming back to inhale some more.

 

Dry: The honey fades but the lovely rose stays and stays and stays, like an Energizer Bunny. I put on a few tiny dabs and 12 hours later, she's still hanging around on my wrist. Medium-to strong throw.

 

Some of the reviews scared me, because I love rose, but not Rose Red, not freshly cut rose. Also, cream can turn into nasty baby puke on me. Not this time.

 

Katrina is a potent white rose, but not the sophisticated Peacock Queen rose (which I also love). Slightly softer, but just as strong. I thought this might be a bit like Lady Luck Blues (which I also love), but Katrina is zestier, more full-blown.

 

I am trying to cut way back on my BPAL, but I may need a second bottle of this pure loveliness.

[Eemia]

The rose here isn't as rampant as so many of my favorite rose scents. This one I kinda had to work for to find it in there. It blends into its surroundings pretty thoroughly. But it's still rose, and it's pretty and sweet. Like a dainty rose. Honey is my occasional death note, but it stays mild. Mostly I can smell the creamy/powdery notes that remind me of something antique. I thought the cream would morph into a musky scent as it dried but it really stayed true. Nothing remotely musky emerged.

 

Another reviewer mentioned that it smelled similar to Alice, and I agree. Alice is one of my go-to scents for when I'm standing in front of my bpal box deliberating for what seems like an eternity and I still can't pick anything. I can see Katarina being one of my go-to rose perfumes.

[milo]

This is all rose and honey. I don't get the creaminess either as a previous poster reviewed. While this is nice, I'm not sure it is me.