Roman Chamomile

[jj_j]

Sweetly herbal, this lacks the dustiness of the dried chamomile I have stashed away in my shelf of teas, which means it's totally true to the scent of chamomile.

 

This version is much sweeter, and much more pleasant, than other chamomile oils I've smelled; I'm assuming it has something to do with the roman variety of the plant.

 

I really do like this - it dries down so soft and sweet that I'm strongly considering a bottle for everyday wear. It's light and yet substantial - never overpowering - and really glows sweetly gold-green.

[with coffee spoons]

Opening the vial releases the most vibrant chamomile scent—a green herbal scent liberally spiked with fruity apple. In short, it’s very chamomile, but vital, not the dried up, months old tea bags we drop into hot water before heading to bed.

 

Applied, its vital quality is strengthened—this is just one of those scents that needs to be warm. I’m not quite sure how to explain it. Body heat intensifies the qualities of a fragrance. With some scents—read: jasmine and gardenia—I love them in nature but have difficulty wearing them because they become richer, smoother, unbearably luscious and so cloyingly warm. So thick and warm that I have to dash to the window for a gasp of cold air. In this case, my body heat simply intensifies the inherent vitality of the scent such that it has its own bright green pulse. On the skin, applied somewhat liberally, this is bright but complicated enough to be deeply satisfying. It separates its primary “smells like” components for you on the skin: true to real life chamomile, it smells like round sweet apple over an herbal base of which mint is the most identifiable constituent. This vital chamomile scent stays true throughout wear, still pulsing and alive, but pulsing always these same surprisingly rich notes. Generously applied, it begins to lose some of its original potency after the first hour, but is still discernible from short distances after a few hours. Overall, it’s delightful and uplifting, but also soothing, and certainly a pleasure to wear.

 

I don’t know that I’ll order full bottle, as I’ve a few hundred BPAL scents left to sample, but I will certainly keep the imp.

[Northernminx]

I've never really had a chance to smell chamomile before, and while this was a soft, soothing sweetness to it, there was a faint herbal undertone that was decidedly not me, as if there was something going to seed under that light lovely smell. My chemistry apparantly did odd things to this one. Regardless, this one is not on a list of keepers for me as my body and nose have rebelled.

[TheDarkMother]

I got Roman Chamomile in a swap with da minx, and I will do my best to review it with my nose stuffy.

 

In the Bottle: This is oddly more floral than the tea bags of chamomile that I have, so I am vaguely surprised. This is much better indeed!

 

On Me: A lot more medicinal than I thought, a very green Nyquil scent under the floral, or a eucalyptus-like scent. It fades quickly though, leaving a scent of earth and flowers, something that makes my tongue tingle on the sides.

 

I don't think I like this one. Off to the swaps with you, little imp.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: this is the perfect, slightly sweet, but kind of mentholated, chamomile.

overall: this is just wonderful. i like to put a bit on myself and on my pillow to help me sleep. it's something i always try and have around.

[shelldoo]

wow, i didn't expect to love this but it is incredible. it is soft and sweet and green, it smells lushioucly fresh very very nice

Edited March 3, 2005 by shelldoo

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Medicinal chamomile!

 

In the imp/bottle: This is definitely chamomile: lush with an apple-honey quality to it.

 

On skin, wet: This smells almost medicinal to me. It's got that apple-honey quality that chamomile has, but something almost like menthol as well.

 

On skin, dry: There's no significant change from wet; it's still medicinal, and strikes me not as chamomile, but a dry green herb.

 

Conclusion: I love how this smells in the imp, but it turns into something very different on my skin.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Aredhel

[chopchica]

This is more of a medicinal scent for me, since I don't really like how it smells. I sniff little dabs of it when I'm feeling an instant need to relax - and it seems to work quite well. I'd still choose chamomile tea in a pinch though. Just the thought of it is soothing.

[wickedgoddess]

This is the first time I have reviewed a single note, and I am not sure how to go about it. All I can say is, this is absolutely gorgeous! I know chamomile from chamomile tea of course, but this is stronger, bolder, darker and utterly beautiful.

 

I wonder what blends contain chamomile and I see only two currently available scents, Rome and Libertine, neither of which I have tried. But ooh, Despair sounds lovely. I know it is discontinued, but it's going to the top of my want list.

 

As for the Roman Chamomile itself, well, while I said I am only interested in single notes for testing purposes, if this were available as a 5ml, I would buy it in a heartbeat, it's that lovely.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 5.

[olympia301]

 

Strong and true but not sharp and volitile. Roman chamomile should remind you of rosemary but have a sort of tarragon lilt with it. This one definately does. Very true to what I know as chamomile, and not so loud as to be unwearable as a scent by itself. Very nice.

Edited November 17, 2005 by olympia301

[Little Bird]

I was not sure what this would smell like, as I don't believe that I've ever smelled chamomile before. Surprisingly, this reminds me quite a bit of lavender though. First on it was very similar to the way that Lush's angels on bare skin facial cleanser smells to me. I usually find lavender very bland and unimpressive though, and I am loving Roman Chamomile.

 

It's herbal and comforting. Herbal in the same way that good lavender is, but with a honeyed sweetness and something else that makes it so much better. I tried some of this on after getting into a fight with my mother and it really helped to calm me down and fall to sleep. I woke up a few hours later and it was still strong and comforting. After a few hours I noticed that there is also something faintly lemony about this on me. Like a barely there drizzle of lemon and honey underneath the herbal scent.

 

I love this one. I would get a big bottle if I could, but I'll definitely be saving my imp for days when I am feeling stressed out and overwhelmed.

[theshapeshifter]

Wet on skin, this is a much stronger scent than I'd anticipated - it actually reminds me of rosemary! In the drydown, it becomes the scent I'm more familiar with from chamomile tea, soft and gentle. It doesn't have a whole lot of staying power on my skin.

[edenssixthday]

Roman Chamomile - When I first apply this and it's wet, it smells heavy and stringent and reminds me a lot of lavender. However, as it dries, it gains that lovely, gorgeous scent that is the reason I adore most Roman Chamomile oil blends I've encountered in my life. BPAL Roman Chamomile is very soft, wispy, and herbal upon drydown. It's incredibly relaxing and calming. The scent doesn't last worth beans on my skin, but I think it would smell gorgeous if burned in an oil burner, which is how I have traditionally used most of my Roman Chamomile oils in the past.

[Shollin]

First sniff: *happy sigh* I don’t know how a scent can be so plain and still so gorgeous. Roman Chamomile is thoroughly plain-Jane. It’s calm and quiet and understated. There’s a bit of a “cleanness” to it, but overall, it’s decidedly neutral. And yet it’s utterly lovely.

 

Wearing: Understated gorgeousness. I love.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Sniffie bought on LJ

 

Initial Thoughts: I don't think I've ever had the chance to smell chamomile in its fresh form; it's always been the dried herb or the tea.

 

In the Vial: How interesting! It's sweet and tangy and herby all rolled into one! There's a lovely fresh green-ness to it.

 

Wet: Not so sweet now. Still tangy, still herby, but absolutey no trace of the dustiness I often attribute to herbal notes. This is so very much the note of the fresh flowers/leaves/whatever chamomile is like in a garden.

 

Drydown: The sweet returns a bit and now I get a bit of "tea" impression. Probably because of my habit to dump sugar into any kind of tea.

 

Verdict: This is a pretty, unharsh herbal and I would buy a blend with this in it.

[Limelight]

Does every SN have about a 30 minute lifespan? Seems like it with me. This scent is better than any chamomile tea I've ever smelled. If the tea smelled like this, I'd keep it around all the time. It has a sweet, grainy quality and by "grainy" I mean like the scent of a grain field. A golden herbal scent that is extremely elegant yet understated, like a straight-cut, unadorned silk suit that cost thousands of dollars. I bought a vial of this long ago and the aging has improved it. Will buy more if I get the chance.

[zankoku_zen]

On wet, the chamomile has almost a sagey quality to it. Very sharpy herbal. And then it dries to a very soft, soothing chamomile. Like think sweet chamomile tea. It sticks very close to the skin, and then it absolutely fades out after 30 minutes.

 

Soft, soothing, chamomile.