Leanan Sidhe

[bellis]

... Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.

This is all lovely soft herbs and flowers on me. It reminds me of a perfume my grandmother wore when I was a little girl. It's very sophisticated and almost regal, but lasts all of fifteen minutes on me. I'll have to swap it for something that lasts a bit longer.

[Em-]

This was laganappe if my very first lab order and if they were hoping to give me something very different from everything else, boydigidy!

 

I have sworn to myself that I will at least try everything that somes my eay, even if when I read the description, my reaction is *whoo-boy, way too floral - Pass*.

 

So I gave Leanan a whirl, for my beloved Irish poets, if nothing else.

 

Whoo-boy, way to floral. Pass.

 

Honestly, I wish I could past that stage, into the herbs and the fruit!?!, but my chemistry (both brain and body) simply will not cooperate.

 

But, the upshot is that I have gifted a coworker with my imp and thus begun the initiation of yet another convert into the cult of BPAL and she has been getting compliments right and left! So there you go...

[quikslvr]

Very light, very herb-y at first. Generally, a sweet and light pastel aquatic floral. Beautiful, kind of misty, but definitely floral. Almost soapy--it's on that clean edge, but walks it well. Ethereal, one of those elusive smells that you catch on the edge of your awareness, but when you turn attention to it, it escapes you.

[SeaMonkey]

In the vial- its flowery and I can't pick out any notes.

 

When I put it on, it becomes very strong and perfumy. It reminds me of when I was little, sitting in church on Sunday morning surrounded by a bunch of Souther Baptist women trying to outdo each other with their perfume.

 

I had to wash it off. My body chemistry apparently really doesn't like florals

[Kittyflop]

This is my third time wearing Leanan Sidhe, and I still can't get my head around it. Very few florals work for me, but this one definitely triggers some emotional memories (good ones) of some kind.

 

It is soft, herbal and floral in a good balance. It lasts fairly well (4-5 hours) and luckily no soapy drydown. A good floral to try if your chemistry has trouble with them, because it's not too perfume-ey.

 

I'm still not sold on it, but may need to try it a few more times. This is one of the few scents that I haven't been able to say definitely yea or nay.... it's very mood-dependent (or weather-dependent, or something...)

 

ADDED April 11:

 

Floral, herbal and clean. It’s well blended and no single note is dominant. For an herb blend, it is strong and lasts a fairly long time – herbs usually fade quickly on me.

 

I keep wanting to love this because of the description and inspiration, but I am forced to accept that herbal, green scents don’t fit my style or my nose or something. They smell lovely but nondescript – I think my nose just doesn’t pick up on the herbs. I never find myself reaching for them

[Nisaba]

One of the best things Beth has done for me is introduce me to the concept of aquatic scents. I'm generally into spicy, heavy, woody, warm scents, but I'm finding more and more that aquatics make gorgeous everyday scents light enough for me to wear to work (discovered this wearing certain Voodoos, and at work I need every hand I can get!), and that I just downright love them! So meeting Leanan Sidhe was bound to be a good experience.

 

In the bottle it's very sharp, aquatic. Wet, it's, well, wet, tangy and slightly citrusy. The dry down is aquatic tang, the tang I guess coming from the herbs. It's so so nice, and unusual, I love this

[Kaygee]

Just got this. Excited because I've never tried any if the Irish scents, and as an Irish descendant, feel an obligation to find one that works for me.

 

In the bottle: Oh dear. Johnson's Baby Shampoo.

 

On the skin, wet: Better than above. Strong floral, but not overly sweet...more like wild flowers than traditional gardenia/rose/jasmine/lily of the valley type stuff...also nice green grass smell. It's ...meadowy.

 

Dry down: Very strong. Real staying power...gets quite perfumey as it warms up.

 

Hour later: Oh dear again. Smells like White Shoulders now...which is an expensive and popular perfume, but I grew out of my White Shoulders stage before I finished my freshman year of college...and that is a LONG time ago.

 

This is a young woman's scent...a serious, romantic, somewhat bookish young woman, who can still wear flowers in her hair without irony.

 

Had to wash it off. The days when I could do much of anything without irony are far behind me.

[friendthegirl]

I get a slightly aquatic note from this, though it's not so overwhelming that it's turning me off. It's slightly sweet and has a bit of floral though I can't detect any particular notes.

 

It is a bit too perfumey for me.

[Lycanthrope]

Mood: Fresh, Decisive

Element: Air, to me, although the notes are green.

 

In the Bottle or Imp:

Strong, light green herbal aroma. Not quite the same notes, because it's much sweeter, but similar kinds of herbs as fresh rosemary, peppermint or parsely. Bright herbs that snap.

Wet, on Skin:

It's sweetening on me quick quick, and the green is amping up somewhere I don't want it to go. The florals, whatever they are, seem to also be amping up to a scream. I think... light florals may include my bane, lily. Lily and I... we're like the Hatfields and McCoys of fragrance... we just keep fightin'.

Drying Down:

Sigh. Smells very sharp on me, and I don't like the effect. Plus, the lily is hanging around like an unwanted houseguest. Go away, lily! I think underneath this all I can detect a very beautiful LILY and LILY subtle blend LILY of herbs and LILY light mountain florals. And LILY.

Over Time/Longterm:

That generic soapiness I get from lily blends.

Final Verdict?

Sorry Leanan! Off ya go to someone whose chemistry works with ya.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression: Wow...I really was blowed away by this one..not at all what I expected..Complex clean and crisp...and very floral... This could be an everyday scent for me...Love it & keeping it.

[Elisabeth-Anne]

When I read the description for this scent I knew I had to try it. I got it in a swap and oh, am I glad I did!

 

Bottle: Soapy detergent.

 

Wet on skin: Still soapy, but a fine, sophisticated Chanel soapy.

 

Dry down: This scent is utterly lovely! It's floral, yes, but I can't pick out any specific notes. Perhaps that is because they all blend together so well. It just feels like a haze of loveliness around me. Maybe that's the Celtic mists?

 

Leanan Sidhe is going to be a favorite of mine from now on.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Smells grassy and herby.

 

Just On: Yeah, grassy, herby, and there's something else playing around in there.

 

An hour or two later: Hmm, this seems different. It's more like flowers.

 

Around 6 hours: Well, now I'm getting flowers, but not really soapy ones.

 

12 hours: It's faded away to nothing now.

 

Overall: I like it, but don't love it.

 

After reading other reviews: This is one of those meh scents on me. It mostly smells like I've been rolling around in grass and flowers (and not WITH someone <g>), and while pleasant, isn't one of my favorites.

[Lilithlefay]

On me it was very floral and very soapy, which disappoints me because I love all concepts irish and fae, but it turns vey soapy floral on my skin. Very sad.

[Chococherri]

Leanan is the first BPAL scent I've purchased. I love it. Supposedly this scent is going to be discontinued (at least that's what the lady at the shop where I purchased the oil told me).

[dubh_ceol]

I seem to be attracted to softer scents recently. This is a beautiful scent. Soft. The smell reminds me of a cool summer night, with patches of mist in the hollows. It's not too sweet, because the herbs balance it out. Very pretty.

[Little Bird]

Ugh. Leanan Sidhe wins the award for worst BPAL scent that I've tried thus far. This just does not agree with me at all. It's the most bitter scent that I've ever had on me. It's not floral or anything in particular on me, it just smells like some sort of poisonous chemical that is going to kill me . It seriously burns my nose/throat when I try to smell it. This is definitely one for my swap pile...

[Alice Aforethought]

At first, this strikes me as a beautiful blend that is both herby and darkly floral. As it dries off though, its mood lightens to a lush water meadow, rich in depth but it seems like someone has been bathing in it and has viciously soaped themselves. And then it goes powdery on me.

 

It's a shame it doesn't keep to its first stage.

[vesper]

Leanan Sidhe, from "Bewitching Brews"

 

Out of the Imp: Green and soapy. Interestingly, the soapiness really does evoke Ireland for me, since I didn't have a tumble dryer there and had to hang my laundry over the heater in my room, which constantly made the whole place smell like fabric softener.

 

Wet on skin: Still soapy, but more of the florals come through.

 

Dry on skin: Fresh green florals.

 

Definitely an everyday scent to be worn in more conservative company. This is something I can wear around my friend who wants me to "stop waerin' all black and smellin' like a funeral mass".

[feline.by.design]

Leanan Sidhe actually has lasted quite a while on me so far (five hours and counting), yet although it is a pleasant scent, I don't know if this would be something I would get in a bigger bottle.

 

The fragrance is very light and refreshing, evocative of soap without a soapy feel. I like it, but it seems like something that would be better suited as a room fragrance rather than something I'd wear often. During the initial wet phase, the flowers and herbs are very crisp and strong, but now, hours later, I get predominantly a herbal note that, although still very light, is a bit darker than the initial sniff.

 

I think I want to test out Leanan Sidhe a bit more before I decide whether or not to get a larger bottle. As it stands, the blend would make a lovely room spray, and I would be tempted to snag a bottle just for that.

 

-doreen

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Mmmm sweet light citrus tinged flowers, a lot like Muse. I smell a lot of floral, possibly Jasmine. It is a green floral rather than just white, it has stem in there not just flower.

 

Dry: Floral and jasmine, with the barest breath of herbs. I like it, but it isn't standout, IMO, I like Muse better on my skin.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Fresh soap with a hint of moss/light florals.

 

First on: All soap. Upon further sniffing, an addition of florals can be barely detected.

 

Drydown: Still the same, but maybe with a hint of candle wax? I'm just not down with the soap scents. Off to swaps.

[enderfem]

In the bottle: Green and floral, sort of like Fae mixed with New Orleans. I don't usually do well with florals, lets see how this goes.

 

Wet: Wow, this is stronger than I had thought. Not as dainty as I had feared, but the florals are making a big show of it.

 

Drydown: The herbs come out to play, mixing with the florals, just like in the bottle. This one also has amazing staying power on me, unlike Belle Epoque, which didn't work well and left after an hour anyway. I really like this, its light and crisp, reminds me of spring in Tennessee.

 

I'll definitely use the imp, and there may be a 5ml in my future.

[Faerykin]

Leanan Sidhe

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): This is a slightly powdery herbal. I think I smell lemon.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): The lemon scent moves into the background of this very herbal blend. It isn’t quite powdery enough to be headache-inducing … and I hope it stays that way.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): This becomes a soft, semi-powdery, herbal floral.

 

Uh-oh, this is beginning to morph into a perfume. Bleh! Off to the Swap Pile with you! So disappointing, I really wanted to like this.

[Monster]

Ohh, what a pleasant suprise. This is a very fresh, herbal/floral scent. This almost has a department store perfume quality to it..which isn't bad at all. This smells like something every woman could enjoy. It's delicate and classic smelling.

 

The throw on this is pretty good as well. Hours later and I could still smell this as I waved my arm past my nose.

 

Overall, this isn't a "me" type of scent but I can definilty appreciate it

 

__________________________________________

 

9/18/2009 ETA: Just revisiting this scent....

 

 

In the imp: Light floral...very fresh and clean smelling.

 

Wet: Soft, gentle floral notes...nothing too loud or screechy. This has a pale, watercolor feel to it. It sort of reminds me of a perfume interepretation of Monets Water Lilies painting.

 

Dry: I really can't pick out individual notes, I still think this has a commercial perfume quality to it. I think this would probably be a great perfume to give someone who is thinking of switching from regular department store perfumes to BPAL.

 

Overall: Again, not for me but really lovely.

Edited September 19, 2009 by Monster

[Lit Chick]

LOVE THIS!

 

Ah, that said, this blend caused on of the worst pefume-headaches I've ever had. As other's have said, this smells very commercial at first. So familiar.... so I dug in my old stash and found Calin Klein's Truth. Sniffed the cap - yep! That's the note.

And then I decided to compare the two on. Big Mistake. There's a reason why I stopped wearing Truth. ACK. Evil stink that would not die!

 

A few days later, when I could smell again, I wore Leanan Sidhe all by herself. Beautiful. While it's super-perfumey when wet, the moment it dries it turns into a soft, clean, second skin scent. I understand why this gets called soapy - to me it isn't - but it is the smell of freshy bathed skin. Bathed in a luxurious pool with flower petals by beautiful attendants....

 

I get no throw, and it didn't last long. I'm probably going to buy a bottle and make a spray - this is just gorgeous!