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Grief

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GRIEF
It is not well, therefore, to mourn long for the departed; else Grief, whose sole pleasure is in such mourning, will be quick to send fresh cause for tears.

Inconsolable: lily of the valley, hyacinth, calamus, muguet, hydrangea, and elemi.


imp: mixed florals, nothing stands out too much.

wet: this is mostly lily on my skin. the other florals are indistinct.

dry: the lily just keeps getting softer and softer and i can finally pick out both hyacinth and hydrangea, if only a little. a very nice springtime scent.

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Grief - When first applied, this is extremely strong, high-pitched lily of the valley and fresh, springtime calamus. As it dries down, both of those notes settle down significantly and this becomes a lily-dominant, mixed floral blend on a bed of fresh-cut greenery. It's pretty, and those who love springtime floral scents may like this one a lot.

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This is a very nice, bright floral. After a few minutes, it fades out to something a little less sharp and a lot more green. Not very much throw, but it's a pretty scent! Perfect for spring. :D

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Grief is, as others have already said, a spring-y floral with some green tones. It smelled sharp, perfumey, and scary in the bottle, but it instantly calms down on my skin. It smells mostly of a creamy, slightly sweet lily and hints of green stems. The other floral notes dance around in the background and smell clean, but not soapy.

 

I expected to hate this, since I'm not much of a floral person, but it's not bad. It doesn't go soapy or sharp on me as I was expecting. Grief is creamy, spring-like, a bit sweet, clean, and gentle. It's not at all what I was expecting a blend called Grief to smell like. It's actually rather calming and soft. I'm happy to have a partial bottle of this one. I rarely wear florals, but I would wear this in the rare moment when I am craving a floral.

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Light yellow oil. Very much a feminine floral blend, but not too overpowering - more delicate, feminine, soft - with a powdery edge and a bit of soapiness. Mildly sweet. A surprisingly light blend overall - the lily of the valley and muguet are not being bullies (yet), and I don't get the typical sourness of the elemi.

 

Much stronger; the florals, all of them it seems, amp instantly and powerfully on my skin, as florals typically do. I get more of the hyacinth - a favourite floral note of mine, which has a nice fruity overtone and a bright Spring-like feel. The hydrangea is not a note I've smelled in perfume that I recall, but I know it from the actual flower, and it's very realistic, a green-white, fresh note that's more planty - sort of like dewy new green leaves. This note overlaps a bit with the grassines of the calamus, but it's sweeter than regular grass - a lot like sweet grass, a lovely note. I swear I get a bit of daffodil in here, too - such a SPRING feel this blend - odd considering the name. While the LotV and the muguet are stronger and headier, with more powder and soap, they are still tolerable considering I often find them utterly unberable. I still get no sign of elemi, to my relief!

 

This gets sweeter and more powdery over time, with the LotV and muguet amping, but the hyancinth too. Hydrangea and calamus remain reasonably strong and distinct, though - this is a surprisingly well-balanced blend without any bullying going on. It also goes MUSKY/OAKMOSSY - like a sort of earthy musk? It smells like oakmoss and vanilla musk got mixed in here, which is a definitely lovely addition. This has a very pale green, or rather leaf-green tinged WHITE sort of feel, innocent. It's almost a little milky, too - that could be the elemi coming out, being a bit sour and mixing with the powder - but it's not that unpleasant of an effect - not at all like the typical BPAL notes, but yes, there is a milk note, like fresh milk from pastured cows that have grazed on bright green meadows.

 

The hyacinth note is definitely the same one from Egle, and this has a very classic, traditional 'white feminine floral' feel to it over that oakmoss and musk base (or it's almost my period which is when everything dries down to oakmoss/musk). It's light and pretty, and remains fresh and slightly sweet, a little grassy, a bit milky, and powdery but not overly so. There's an odd bitter soapiness at the end that I don't like, though. The usual suspects are very well behaved here and I'm surprised by how pleasant this blend is in the final drydown. It's not something I'd wear, but I thought I'd be running to the sink! Good throw and longevity.

 

Meh, I guess?

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Very floral on my skin, and funereal in feel. Somber, and beautiful. It's a perfect spring scent I think, and very elegant. I would agree that this is very much a soft floral, and there's nothing screaming on my skin. I can't usually wear florals or anything green without it going soapy, but this blend doesn't do that. The lily of the valley and muguet are standout notes by far, but they aren't overpowering the blend.

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On wet, I get a TON of lily of the valley. I get some of the hydrangea which gives it that green planty smell, and in general it sort of smells like Host of Air, but much more floral and with a ton of lilies. As it dries, I get a hint of hyacinth and the lily recedes. It goes from what I'd consider Host of Air: Lily Power to a more yellow floral, which is definitely the hyacinth coming to the fore.

 

Well, if I ever run out of Host of Air, I think I'll pick up Grief. On the other hand, very apropos for a funeral.

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I'm not familiar enough with any of the flowers or the notes to pick out individual scents, but this is kind of a surprising floral. I'm not usually a fan of florals, but this one is clean and wet enough that I kind of adore it.

 

This puts me more in mind of the scent of the air when you're around flowers, rather than the flowers themselves, and it's cold and wet enough that I would compare it to that air just before or just after a light rain. It is melancholy, and despite all the floral notes, I'd say it's more gray in color than anything. It will make a fantastic spring floral, but I'm not getting the brightness I'd usually associate with spring florals. It's certainly beautiful, though, and I can certainly see myself wearing this often (which is impressive, for something without even a hint of lavender in it).

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Grief smells EXACTLY like AIRS' Rain perfume oil on me. I put Rain on one wrist and Grief on the other and couldn't tell the difference. I guess it might be the Lily of the Valley note that is in both blends. It tends to dominate on my skin with both perfumes.

 

As they dry, Grief is a bit more green than Rain and Rain more ozone...but not by that much. So odd.

 

Still, I'll keep the partial bottle I traded for, since I love AIRS' Rain and my boyfriend, who seldom likes perfume, likes Rain too, so he'll probably like this one as well.

Edited by Madame Nyx

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Thanks to princessbeena for frimping me this one!

 

I had no idea what the notes were in Grief, so I just opened it up and had a slather. I guess I was expecting something kinda cold and alone and sad, which is how grief feels to me, so I was quite surprised to find that this is a mix of pretty florals.

 

But now, having read the excerpt that Beth chose to go with this one - which relates to not dwelling in grief - it all makes perfect sense. This is the kind of smell that you couldn't be sad around - it's bright, and pretty, and the combination of the floral notes have achieved that lovely balance of sweetness that makes them heady without being too strong or 'flowery'. I'd say the lily is foremost in the fragrance, but the muguet is also quite present.

 

I'm not sure that this has anything especially awesome that makes it rise above other BPALs with similar combinations of floral notes, but then I'm not a big fan of florals in general so I can't say I've tried a huge amount of them. But overall, this is a very pretty and unobtrusive scent that has a lovely elegant touch with a slightly sombre yet sunny feel.

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florals and i normally don't mix, but i knew that grief stood out on my to try list though i couldn't remember why- it's the hyacinth. hyacinths are my favorite flowers.

 

in the imp: soft white flowers, im assuming lily, over...something. i can't put my finger on it. not bad just familiar.

 

wet: this really reminds me of the ghost, but i think i like it more. it reminds me a lot of cool water, which i wore all through high school.

 

dry: first dry the hyacinth really sticks out and makes this an almost aquatic on my skin, without the sneezing and sinus pain a lot of aquatics give me. so this is definitely the fraternal twin of the ghost, but i think i like this one better for when i feel like a floral.

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A very pretty, clean white bouquet, with the lily of the valley prominent. Not cloying like the similarly-themed Eternal. Reminds me of the Jessica McClintock perfume I wore in high school! For that reason, it makes me feel more nostalgic than sad.

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Wet: very solemn blue white floral mix. Varying shades of gray and soft green too. The muguet and calamus are strongest, lily of the valley and hyacinth second.

 

Drydown: same color mix, add dark purple. Great sad, but not sweet, floral scent. the lily of the valley is still slightly obscured by the calamus amd muguet? Unless this is a lily of the valley essence that I'm not familiar with.

 

Further into drydown: ahh there's the lily of the valley! It gets a little spicier white floral as the blue/purple notes subside.

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Grief

 

On: A sweet, earthy, heavy floral.

1 hour in: Something in this is turning to an odd vegetable note on me.

4 hours in: A slightly soapy floral.

Overall: Very, very springy, which is nice. However, the drydown wasn't great on me.

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In the imp: A bouquet. I honestly can't tell very many notes apart from each other in here, although I'm usually good at detecting flowers. It feels white and fresh.

On: White, fresh flowers. I am now getting the lily. This feels almost minty at first, it is this cold on me.

Later: Still fresh, but a bit nondescript... may be good for summer wear, but I can't say I crave it at the moment, considering it's still not exactly warm outside.

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I'm a little surprised by this blend. With a name like Grief, I'd expect it to be sharp and at least somewhat unpleasant. I'm no floral lover, but for a floral, this is very soft and gentle. It's more like grief after the initial devastating stages have passed - you're looking back on something terrible, but the pain is slightly muted by time. It is mainly lily of the valley, and it is very light and ethereal on my skin.

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Ohhh, lily of the valley, old friend. You work so well on my skin, but I overdosed on you in my teens....I guess it's time for a revisit, though, because I kind of love this scent.

 

I'm somewhat confused as to why the note listing contains both lotv and "muguet", since they're the same thing....maybe one's a bouquet of other scents meant to evoke lotv?

 

Other people are getting actual lily from this, which may be the case, but it's not doing that soapy thing on me that lily so often does (whenever I find an exception, I buy a bottle).

 

The hyacinth is the other note I'm really getting out of this in full force, but it's not too-sweet or candle-y or anything, just a lovely damp spring scent.

 

Fantastic scent...light and sweet and well-blended....really all of the pleasure of florals, but none of the overpowering-ness, soapiness, or boredom. Might want a bottle come springtime, or sooner if I keep reaching for this imp.

Edited by LadyMedb

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My experience with this scent is a little strange and involved: I have been away for quite some time from BPAL. The main reason for that is my son, may the Powers that Be watch over him, was very ill for a couple of years and my attention was totally focused on him. He was, by the way, a huge fan of my BPAL scents. "Wow Mom, you smell GOOD!" was something i often heard from him. We were both always the ones to notice the smell of things first, to smell things others couldn't. But when he got sick, i obviously stopped BPALing - and then two years ago this June, he passed away. During that time, i've slowly come out from behind a totally unapproachable wall of grief to start tentatively, slowly finding myself again. One of the big things my son and i shared was a love of scent. When he was just a baby, i used to smear my vanilla oil on his favourite stuffed doggy before bedtime so he could sleep. The smell reminded him of me. Even as he got a bit older, we followed that ritual nearly every night.

So, over the past few months i started noticing the smell of things again, which had disappeared for me. I immediately remembered BPAL, and decided to take a peek, smiling a bit as i remembered how J. and i shared such a love for it. People always told us that we have a very sweet, flowery natural smell, and i was remembering the way he smelled, wishing i still had something that his fragrance had lingered on. But after a year and a half there was really not much left of him. So, browsing the site i stumbled across "Grief". Immediately i ordered an imp of it, sort of afraid of the associations, but reading the reviews it seemed that it was not a "depressing" scent at all...so i ordered it.

 

The moment i opened it, i was hit by a wave of crazy emotion. That smell...the lilies, in particular...smelled just like my son. For a moment i thought i was going crazy but there it was. His smell. I put it on, teary-eyed and laughing at the same time. As it dried, the lilies blended in a bit more with the rest of the elements, but was still in the forefront for me. It is...amazing. I am having a hard time giving a "scientific" review of the scent, it's far too emotionally charged for me. But i had to write something about the scent that brought me back to BPAL - something that was a real joy for me when my son was alive and something that i'm allowing myself to enjoy again now. Scent is such an evocative, important element in my life (again, finally) that i am happy to have rediscovered it. It's been gone for so long.

 

Thank you, Beth.

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In the imp: Sweet florals. Honestly, I can tell you, I would not be able to tell theses notes apart individually, but this is gorgeous. I hope this doesn't morph on my skin.

 

Wet on skin: Same as above. A sharper floral, almost lemony is coming out on my skin, and the sweet floral is turning slightly aquatic, but it's still beautiful.

 

Dried down: Same as wet.

 

Throw: This has some decent throw to it. And I love that sweet, almost aquatic floral in it. That sharper floral, I only get when I sniff my wrists.

 

Verdict: ***** These imps are definitely keepers for me. It might be awhile before I grab a bottle, but I think there is one in my future.

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got a frimp of this from the lab. it smells floral and a bit aquatic in the imp and at first on my skin. it quickly becomes a soft, slightly sweet blend of florals. i am not even sure which ones i'm smelling the most. maybe hyacinth? because i am definitely not getting any lily of the valley, though i thought lily of the valley and muguet are the same thing (?) this seems much softer than that. maybe it's hydrangea? not sure! it does seem lilyish, but not like traditional lily of the valley.

 

sorry for my vague review! these florals are hard to pick out on my skin.

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In the bottle - A green floral with an apple-y undertone

 

Wet on me - A slightly high pitched green soapy floral, basically lily of the valley

 

Dry on me - A soft green soapy floral

 

Overall - Lily of the valley isn't my cup of tea and thus was all lily of the valley on me

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Let me start off by saying I'm sort of against florals.

 

My scent palette: I'm a foodie that doesn't tend to like the lab's vanilla scent unless there's something sugary in it. Eat Me is one of my favorite scents along with Captain Lilith (more boozy but still sweet). I am slowly finding out that I don't like 'wood's in my scents. I love FOREST smells (like pine needles, juniper, leaves, moss and grass) but sandlewoods, rosewoods, and things like cedar or oak woods just don't do nice things on me. I love Magnificent Autumn, Samhain and Druid! I like spices too as long as they aren't kitchen spices (like mint and sage). Frankincense smells a little like sage so I haven't been too happy with that in my blends either. Scherezade and Sapphics are my go to spice oils but I generally layer them with something sweet. My biggest no-no are florals. Lavender and Jasmine, ylang ylang and peony run rampant. That said, carnation and sometimes rose can be quite nice on me if they're toned down. I also am not sure about my take on citrus. Lime is overwhleming (but I liked it in Lily Witch despite the leather). Bergamot is nicer. Leather and hemp tend to give me headaches.

In the bottle: It kinda smells like that organic, non toxic cleaner we use at work that never really cleans anything.

On my wrist, wet: It's sort of acdic. I didn't know that floral scents do that. I guess it just sort of smells like lemony cleaner. Now I happen to like how lily smells on the flower itself but I don't know what's making this one smell like cleanser. Just looked it up. Elemi is lemony so that's it.

Fifteen minutes later: Okay, we're not getting to the 30 minute review, washing this off. It's gotten very harsh. Like I'm being stabbed by fake flowers.

Thirty minutes later: NA

Verdict: It was a frimp. I knew going in that I don't like florals SO this wasn't a big surprise for me.

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