Aeval

[bellis]

A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife’s sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka.

Gorgeous. Sunwarmed sweet pea and sage, with warm musky background of tonka. This is a lovely fresh and slightly herby floral. So far, it is relatively strong on me. I'll definitely consider getting a bottle of this. It would be perfect on hot summer nights. Edited January 26, 2006 by Shollin

[Ayln]

A nice floral scent that's also a bit warm from the tonka. I don't get headaches from it, and it has a decent throw. I don't like or hate the scent, but I don't think I'll ever wear it. If I get it as a frimp again, I'll keep it around.

[arabella]

First Impression: A green, oily floral with a hint of fruit.

 

Dries down to: This doesn't change much from the start - the sage remains the dominant note throughout.

 

Additional Comments: This is a puzzling scent. It's almost like a floral plasticine but strangely it's not repulsive at all. Maybe because it's so light.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[Rhowan]

In the bottle: I smell Spring! Green and very bright floral

 

Wet: oh! Yum! This is very lovely! I am getting just fresh fresh fresh floral.

 

Dry Down: Was there sweet pea in Pink Pheonix? This smells just a tad like Pink Pheonix but not candy-like. Very fresh sweet pea...I can't pick out the sage though. After about 5 minutes this gets a strange slight plastic scent. It's barely there but it is there.

 

Conclusion: I will keep the imp of this and probably use it on my pillow to relax me since it will most likely stay true on fabric. Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear this because of the plastic scent. Which is a big bummer because this is beautiful

[mandragora]

In the imp, smells like green herb, slightly sharp. Applied on skin, goes immediately sweet pea on me (almost as if it's a single note scent). There is a bit of a plastic smell that is off-putting. Driesdown beautifully though as the sweet pea mellows and the sage, tonka and musk rounds out the scent.

 

Very lovely scent. Sweet pea really agrees with me. Will have to remember this scent for when I run out of Annabel Lee.

[loves_requiem]

I didnt get sweet pea...

 

This is a green, dry, lightly sagey scent...kinda how some metaphysical stores smell near the smudge sticks and drums.

 

When I wore it, it totally reminded me of theis lotion I tried at Sonoma_Williams once that was herb based...it rocked.

 

So, I may keep this.

[Hawke]

In the vial: A sweet floral that must be the sweetpea. I suspect this will be too "girl" for me.

 

Wet: Eek! Something in this went instantly chemical and sharp, enough to make me flinch back from my sniff. And the floral, yes, underneath it which I think I was right about. It'd be too girly if it didn't smell like someone had dumped cleaning fluid in the vial.

 

It *must* be the sweet pea that did it, because Pink Phoenix has that note as well, and that was *AWFUL* on me. A lovely scent for someone who doesn't have my skin chemistry.

[couscous]

Sweet pea is a pretty good floral note on me, which means that it has not been automatically axed as a heady headache-inducer. Still, I've found that the presence of sweet pea in a blend usually means that sweet pea is the foreground AND much of the background, and so all of said blends take on the same kind of generically pleasant sort of springtime innocence no matter what else is in it. What can I say? Sweet pea is pretty and recognizable and fresh, and she delivers a pretty predictable result. You don't die over her, but she behaves and she's nice to you. Sweet pea is like the Betty Cooper of florals!

 

Despite the fact that you never really swoon over a sweet-faced angel the way you do over a mean vixen, Aeval is my favorite of all Beth's sweet pea blends thanks to the musky sweetness of the tonka and the saving grace of bracing sage, which was a fantastic idea. It gives the blend a slightly naughty, more substantial feel, and, on the base of such a wearable and jovial floral, you really do end up smiling. Sweet pea for grown ups. I'll bet men like this one on women, too!

 

Perfect for spring, and, if you are not a fan of tulips and carnations and honeysuckle, you can still own a piece of ultra-femininity with aeval.

Edited February 11, 2006 by couscous

[WidgetAlley]

Purchased off a co-habitant of the alchemylab LJ. *waves at rhovanion*

 

In the Imp: A bland floral that reminds me of the smell of unscented (or "original" scented) bodycare products. Must be the sweetpea. There's a strong musk note, too, giving a sort of golden-velvet feeling, and something sharp and dry and a touch green that can only be the sage. I can't pick the tonka out specifically, but I imagine that's what's giving it such a strong sweet note. I expected an overall impression of pink from this, but instead I get a light cream and a smell reminiscent of upscale lotion. Not a bad thing by any means. It's pretty and girlish without being too fluffy, if that makes sense, just very natural.

 

Wet: Musk and sage pop right out, making this quite pleasantly herbal and warm, then a still-soft-but-slightly-spicy floral note that I can only assume is the notorious sweet pea. The musk is definitely the "pale" musk rather than the white one; the white one goes either sharply clean (Embalming Fluid) or sort of vanilla-esque (Dublin) on me, and this musk is sort of... fuzzy gold-cream-brown. I swear there's something in here that's almost like sassafras: bubbly and brown and sugary. Tonka? In fact, when I put my nose right up against my wrist, it's sort of like a flowery root beer, or maybe Dr. Pepper. I think it's the combination of sage and tonka. It's nice though, not too loud but not undetectable, either. Didn't someone before me say tea cakes? I can see that. Johnson's Baby Oil and sunblock as well... not that it smells like them per se, but rather that it has an impression of creamy-sweet softness, like something you'd rub into your skin. Relaxing and spa-like.

 

Dry: It's a bit powdery now, but in a pleasant way, not an annoying one. The notes have settled and mixed until it's quite hard to pick out anything individually: I think the sweet pea and musk are on top at this point, mingling to form a lovely, sweet, white-gold sort of smell, with the round, vanilla-without-the-vanilla-like tonka backing. The sage lends things a very slight herbal tinge and keeps the floral from becoming cloying or too high-pitched.

 

Verdict: I wasn't too keen on this at first, but Aeval just keeps growing on me. It's soothing and makes me feel cool-fresh even while the actual scent itself is warm and comforting. It gives off a very welcoming, feminine air, nurturing and tender, and registers as "good smell!" without being perfumey. I think I'll hang on to my Imp for those times when I want to make someone feel as though I and my house are a place of rest.

 

While I'm not all that crazy about the blend itself, I have to say, Aeval is a bit like being hugged by a beautiful woman and invited to relax while she makes you tea. I love the way this makes me feel.

Edited February 15, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[Nekomata]

Wet this is musky and sagey. Not a great smell, and I don't detect any of the other notes. It dries on the skin sweet and sagey, almost reminds me of sun tan lotion. No really for me.

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: I'm smelling florals, musk, and tonka. I might be getting sage as well, but I don't have that good an idea what sage smells like; I don't usually cook with it. The end result is kind of generic-perfumy, but this seems like it could work on my skin.

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- Sage, musk, florals, tonka. I'm pretty sure I'm getting all the notes now. It's quite nice; this is like Oberon's gentler cousin.

Dry -- The drydown is warm and round yet...ethereal is the only way I can describe it. It seems cliche'd, but this really is a very fae perfume.

 

Conclusion: I like it. I feel like when I want something with this sort of feel, I'm more likely to go for the more foresty Oberon, but this is quite nice as well. I'll see how often I use it.

[tereshkova2001]

Justice and sensuality, all right. Measured and balanced, with the sage and musk coming across as strong and the sweet pea there to soften it a bit. Puts me in mind of that exquisite painting of Liberty and Justice kissing (I won't hotlink, but it's at http://www.mindpollen.com/liberty_and_justice.jpg). This I really love.

Ya know, I do my best to write reviews, but the description really captures everything I could say. Imagine "judicious yet powerfully sexy", and that's what this smells like.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: the blend is really well balanced. Floral, yet herbal and the faintest hint of musk.

 

Wet: I am getting a major scent memory. I have smelled this scent before, but I can't place it. It is a good memory, though.

 

Dry: Oh, this is fabulous! Truly a bewitching brew! I will be ordering a big bottle and this scent may have found a place on my Top Ten list.

[bookishgrrl]

Source: Imp from lab

 

Eeesh, Aeval, you are hereby the winner of 'scent that broke my heart.' I wanted to love you. You were the scent I was most excited about in my first order! Sweet Pea! Musk! Sure, I didn't know what Sage or Tonka smelled like, but the reviews said overall you were 'girly' and 'floral' and 'pink' and 'sweet'... yes, please!

 

The day my order arrived I walked into the stairway leading up to my apartment and saw the box sitting on the steps. I also noticed a very strong 'headshop' smell... a disagreeable (to me) one. Uh oh. Upon opening the box it got stronger. What was that smell coming from? Bringing the prized Aeval imp up to my nose... AIEE! That was it! It didn't smell like sweet pea. It didn't smell like musk. I could only guess it was either sage or tonka. I trepidatiously opened the imp.

 

 

Whatever that scent is (I'm pretty sure at this point it's the sage), that is all I get from the imp. I even gave it a shot later in the week and applied some, letting it sit on my skin for 1/2 a day to see if it would change. Nope. Just that sage(?) scent, which may be delicious to some, but completely bowls me over, and not in a good way.

 

No sweet pea, no florals, not feminine, can't even smell the musk. Maybe I got a bum batch?

 

Update: As mentioned in another post, I still have a love-hate relationship with this scent. It's like being compelled to keep smelling something gross just to see if it still smells gross. It does And my nose is either getting used to the sage or it's mellowing out a bit. I guess I've grown a bit of an affinity for it. Not enough to wear it again, though.

[kourika]

Because of the tonka in Aeval, I thought that I'd probably love this particular blend. However, when I got a frimp from the lab, I was overwhelmed by the heavily sweet scent pouring from the imp. I've learned that my skin frequently morphs even the oddest things into lovely scents, so I gave Aeval a try, only to discover that whatever causes the cloyingness in Aeval is true on my skin. It was so sweet that it made me feel sick to my stomach, so off to the swaps she goes.

[parrot_suspect]

This is a wonderful fragrance. It's soft, slightly sweet and smells kind of like a baby. The notes combine to create a gentle, soothing, clean sort of scent. Imagine Morella without the iris. Aeval doesn't morph much as it dries down. I applied it this morning and it's still quite true to the original scent, although the tonka is a bit more apparent in the drydown.

 

If you're looking for a pleasant, "clean" spring fragrance that isn't too floral, give Aeval a try.

[mermaidrage]

I don't know what to think about Aeval. I really don't. In a way, I don't like it at all, but at the same time it's soft and makes me feel nostalgic. It's a bit comforting and other people seem to like it on me. It's one of those scents that's hard for me to break down.

 

It's candied sage with a bit of smoke. It's a little bit too warm and sweet for me, but I can't quite write it off yet. Aeval is so intriguingly different. I think I'm going to hang onto it and see if it grows on me.

 

I don't think I'm going to want a big bottle though.

[QueenFae]

This is a divinely lovely blend. The sweet pea is the first thing I notice, but it's rich and thick in combination with the warmth of the tonka (one of my favorite notes!). The sage is an undertone, it's there just enough to give Aeval an herbally feel, and it's really interesting against the other notes. I can detect the musk when I'm looking for it, but I wouldn't describe this as an overly musky blend. Really unique, this is a great one.

[valentina]

In the imp, the first whiff of Aeval is all about sage, then a light, white sort of musk, then a hint of sweetness. It's very herbal and clean-smelling. On my body, it smells almost identical to the vintage cologne called "4711." (It's a German scent, it's been around forever.) It's always been a great unisex scent to me, it's clean, not too masculine, not too feminine. Aeval is so similar on me, I can't believe it. It stays very much that way, no morphing going on... overall, it's a clean, herbal smell with slight, and rather pleasant, powdery undertones. It reminds me of someone who's just stepped out shower and smells incredibly clean and fresh.

 

It's not a big sex-on-a-stick smell, but it's something that would be nice to use when I want to smell nice, but not distinctively "scented," which isn't very often (I'm a Leo, I like to roar), but the imp will be nice to have on hand. (And thank you to the Lab for frimping it with my last order!)

[brownbear]

Hmm this is an odd one. I can't decide how I feel about it. I'm not getting much in the way of flowers. I get mostly tonka and some musk. The sage is way off in the background. It isn't strong or heavy handed, but it isn't very soft either. I like it better in the imp where I get some of the sweet pea. It gets very powdery on my skin. Not quite sure what to make of it, so I probably won't wear it much.

ETA: Cute roommate review: "Eiw, it smells kind of flowery. I like the other one (magus) better." - but he did like this better than golden priapus, which surprised me.

Edited May 8, 2006 by brownbear

[juniperus]

Bottle: wow, amazing blend - I can rarely catch all of the notes at bottle-sniff, but with this I could.

Wet: sage and sweet pea most clearly defines this - very crisp and clean.

Dry: I'm catching the musk, and the tonka hasn't sweetened this beyond all recognition.

Later: where patchouli makes me think hippy-shop, sage makes me think occult bookstore. this is fresh and clean, a light floral that doesn't seem too 'young' for me. And I love sweet pea - must plant some, I've always loved my grandmother's.

[elfmaiden]

I can really smell the sage from this and it's a strong sort scent that really makes a bold impression. The other notes start appear after a awhile on my skin and the sage sort of mellows out.

 

I like this smell, it too reminds me of something I can't easily place. We've always had alot sage around the house, so must be something from that.

 

It's a light scent that I'd have no problem wearing during the day.

 

I seem to amp musk and the scents associated with it and I'm glad it does a nice battle with the sage! I'm learning to love trying to sniff out all the different layers of the scents.

 

Jenn

 

ADDED June 29:

 

Aeval! Love ya baby!

 

Imp: I get all the notes mentioned, the sweet pea, a kiss of sage, and in the background the tonka and musk.

 

Wet: The sweet pea really takes over, but not in bad way at all. I'm a fan of the note ever since Juliet and this reminds me of that oil ALOT.

 

Dry: Very light, very girly, very fresh and summery flowerly. I think I like this more than Juliet and it's growing on me the more I wear it! I think I might buy a big bottle of this instead of Juliet but they are SO close on my skin.

 

How to choose!

 

4 outta 5!

 

Jenn

[themerrybaker]

Aeval is vanilla (tonka?) sweet pea on me. It is a young, girly, scent and sweet but not cloying. If I needed another bottle, I might consider it but as for now will just enjoy the imp.

[Taniwha]

This is my first review, and I feel a little out of my league. So many have strong responses, find the scents to be very evocative - my nose doesn't work that way, I guess. Makes me hopeless at wine tastings too...

 

Anyway, AEVAL.

 

In the vial and wet, it is a nicely balanced mix of herb and sweet pea. I love it very much - each tempers the other, and neither ends up cloying or overpowering.

 

Dry, another scent takes over that I can't identify - must be the tonka, which I'm not familiar with. It makes it woodier for me, but not unpleasant.

 

I will seriously consider ordering a full size bottle of this - it's lovely.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

herbs, slightly sweet

 

wet:

sage, slightly musky, barely a hint of a sweet floral

 

dry:

more musky as it dries, not as crazy about this…

 

overall:

a little too musky for me..

 

rating: 6/10