Aeval

[Tess]

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.

I'm very scared of sweet pea and sage, but I love musk and tonka so much that I'm trying this one out. Let's hope it's smooth and not too herby/floral.

In the vial - SWEET PEA and SAGE. Arg, oh dear.

Wet - SAGE and SWEET PEA. Arg, oh dear.

Drying - Someone please, please make the tonka and the musk come out more. They're there, I can feel them. I just need more of them and less of the herbs and floral.

Dry (25 minutes) - Well, the tonka and the musk are ALMOST to the point where I'm happy, but the sweet pea kicked it up a notch to counter it. Bah.

Overall - I just can't stand the sweet pea. Time to pass this on.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: Bright and clean, I’m immediately worried that this will go soapy on me. To my nose it is a sweet white floral. The musk and tonka might swing this, but I won’t know for sure until later.

 

Wet: It is still sweet and floral, but it is much richer now. If it makes sense, this is a level-headed scent. The sage sharpens the blend, which is what might go soapy on me.

 

Drying down: The sage has warmed up slightly, smoothing out some of its bite.

 

Dry: Aeval has sweetened up a bit. The combination is like what one would get if they took Leanan Sidhe and added an air of regal authority. It’s still a very clean scent, though I believe it’s one I’ve smelled as a public restroom cleanser. My son says it smells like lotion.

 

Later: It fades into a blend of sweet pea, musk, and tonka. The end result is rather pretty. It retains its kinship with Leanan Sidhe to my nose. It still has good throw, though the scent is quieter.

[shadith]

On application this smells wonderful.. I get white musk and sweet pea. Almost immediately it turns a little soapy on me, but it's not one of those unpleasant loud soap smells that I get when one note goes wrong on me.

 

After a while it gets more clean-powdry (the sweet pea almost vanished), light and unobtrusive but comforting, actually it smells like I wished Enraged Bunny Musk would have been based on the reviews (but it had gone horribly wrong on me).

 

The throw of Aeval is quite strong, I applied a little of it on my wrist and can smell it wafting up while I'm typing something on the keyboard.

 

Actually the scent is quite beautiful (although I have the impression it does not smell on me like it was intended to be), but there is one little note floating around in the background that puts me off. I can't pinpoint it, can't describe it, but I don't like it. Additionally the blend doesn't suit me- as nice as it smells (without the weird note), I think I can give this one away.

[birdiefu]

My initial impression when I first put this on was of suntan lotion without the coconut. Wet, Aeval is very strong and when I sniff myself I can taste it too. It is herby, but there is also a high floral smell that gives it a 'department store perfume' kinda smell. A lot of throw, and I had to wash it off after about 30 minutes as it was starting to give me a headache.

[NoirRosaleen]

Soapity soapity soap soap. For some reason, sweet pea turns directly to soap on me, overriding all other scents, and refuses to change the entire drydown. Bleah...swap-box!

[Lanet]

My first experience with Aeval was a crushed imp that leaked on everything else in the package - but boy did it smell good!! Since there wasn't enough left for me to try it on my skin I bought another imp. Yum!

 

Sweet pea for sure, but not just simple sweet pea - you can tell there's more to it. I love musk, but I can't really pick it out here. Must be the tonka & sage (although I'm not sure what either of them smell like). I don't want to call it a "clean" smell because because that implies light and white. This has depth...and throw that I don't get from anything else. I'm afraid to actually say it, but this may run a close second to my beloved kitsune-tsuki.

[ScrimHazard]

In the bottle: Wet flowers

 

Wet on skin: Still wet flowers. It really does smell like a spring morning at a fairy ring.

 

Dry-down: Sweet pea, but warmed up and refined.

 

Probably not going to buy a 5ml of this, but I will definately use up my imp.

[klavierbarrette]

in the imp: floral and sweet.

 

on skin: pretty much as in the imp, but i can smell musk and tonka. i can't smell any sage (though i don't really know what it smells like) but i assume it's just keeping the floral and tonka in line.

 

it's very sexual and more feminine than the other reviews have said on me. though i wouldn't mind testing it on a guy. it's not a scent i would wear everyday as it's much too feminine for my tastes, but i wouldn't mind getting a bottle of it if i had the money.

[buzz23666]

this is a strange one indeed.

 

Wet - aloe and light musk

 

Dry - this smells like an ointment similar to Neosporin or some such cream/gel like that. - with a hint of bandaids. Where is this medical-hospital smell coming from? What is the note that is doing this. Could it be the sage? I know its not the musk or the tonka.

 

The most peculiar thing about this one on me is that I find it oddly compelling. What's up with that.

 

Maybe its because I was PMS-ing at the time I tried it. I think I will have to give this one another go to really give it a fair shot.

[supremegoddessofall]

I predict I will like this very much. Mmm...indeed I do. The sage and the sweet pea are competing equally, which gives it a slightly darker edge than pure sweet pea. The musk is hiding out, too. Very yummy.

 

Score: 5 out of 5.

[ND¢]

buzz23666 made note of a smell of an ointment like Neosporin or something of the kind... I smell Desitin (I think that's what it is called?) The sweet pea is overwhelming; I think that's what's causing it.

[Aevalin]

This oil is the reason I was lured to BPAL in the first place - The tale of the Faery Queen Aeval wasn't all that common when I chose my online name in her honour. And then I found out about this oil blend...I had to have it, I had to love it !!

 

And I really do like it, although there are oils I love more I think. I get a lot of sweet pea with something green (the sage?) as it dries on my skin. Not so much Tonka. It's very pretty, just a departure for me - I usually like earthy blends - with resins and sandalwood. I'm just hoping the musk doesn't eventually turn it to Baby Powder...

[bristlecone]

Maybe I'm insane, but this smells like honeysuckle and musk to me. I was so sure I was dead-on with the notes that I had to look it up, and was surprised that I was actually quite wrong.

 

A few people have mentioned ointment, and I think I can see where they're coming from, but for some reason it doesn't bother me too much.

 

Aeval will probably never be one of my favorites, but I'll keep the imp. I bet it will make a fantastic spring scent.

[Naamah_Darling]

Oh! I like this in the bottle! The sweet pea and sage combine for a liquid, rainy scent that is at once sweet and clean. On, the tonka and the musk come out – this is a pale musk, but it's quite strong. The scent is strikingly sexy. The pea and musk and tonka make it warm and sensual, the sage gives it some refinement and keeps it from being too sweet or delicate. I really like this. It's rather traditional, but it's lovely just the same. The throw is magnificent.

 

This is the kind of smell people will follow you around to get more of. I adore it.

 

It wears down to a soft, feminine scent that is somehow meadowy. Very nice.

[SeaLady]

Too flowery for me in the bottle!

 

On (wet): Soapy and floral?

 

On (later): Sage and sweetpea (I think that's what smells sweet, hehe), and musk - almost no floral. At one point I sniffed in class and was shocked! at how yummy my wrist smelled - it reminded me of amber, which I assume was the tonka bean. That's faded now, but I still quite like it

Reminds me a little of lying outside in the grass in the spring- though there's nothing in it that smells like grass. I guess it's more the feeling.

[Limelight]

At first I thought, wow, what a winner! It came on with a gentle, musky sweetness. But now the sweet pea has taken over, and it's not terrible, but I think with that development that Aeval has become too powdery for me. Kind of a laundry rinse scent. Every time I smell it now, something twinges in my sinuses, like I'm about to have an allergic reaction I may try it once more later, just to be sure, but I think I'll have to swap it away.

[darksybarite]

Yay! My first review

 

Imp - First whiff reminds me of something… but I don’t know what! It’s a clean smell, not musky: the bottom note is very subtle, and the mid & top are blending really well. Not foody at all, reminds me somewhat of incense maybe? Clean, but a sea-swept sort of clean, hint of stone perhaps

 

Wet - There was a brief sweetness that faded quickly, and now I’m getting some sort of refined musk or incense. There’s still that familiar note that I can’t quite place.

 

Dry - This scent has a throw like a professional shot-putter! I put it on about a half-hour before leaving the house, and I had to roll down the windows and hang one arm out to alleviate the olfactory pressure in the car. I still liked the smell though, just too much. Of course, I also slid the full wand against my wrists instead of dotting... note to self: a little goes a long way! I found myself randomly sniffing my wrists and smiling throughout the day, and now, 10 hours later, I can still smell it warm on my wrist:)

 

The verdict? Warm, almost amber-y (I guess musk+tonka=amber?), good throw... definitely something to dot on for a night of flirting and fun, but perhaps too strong for everyday wear.

[aestien]

Bottle: wow, this is a heady floral

Wet: ugh! The sweet pea does not agree with me at all. It's all sour floral on me, no beautiful sage, no warm tonka, just cloying sweet pea

Dry: nope. Not any better, a little musk, but this blend is all sweet pea on me

 

Yikes. Now I know. My skin chemistry does not agree with sweet pea, it just turns it into stinky, sour floral. Ick.

[blaectreow]

Bottle: wow, this is a heady floral

Wet: ugh! The sweet pea does not agree with me at all. It's all sour floral on me, no beautiful sage, no warm tonka, just cloying sweet pea

Dry: nope. Not any better, a little musk, but this blend is all sweet pea on me

 

Yikes. Now I know. My skin chemistry does not agree with sweet pea, it just turns it into stinky, sour floral. Ick.

 

 

I must second Sonnett's review here. Sweet Pea hates me, and the feeling is mutual. It makes me nauseous, and sadly, Aeval never morphed out of the sweet pea.

 

Off to the swap pile.

[lady_pandora]

It's funny how BPAL oils have a way of finding you just when you need them. I'd actually tried Aeval before and been left with a bland, not-very-memorable impression--then again, I'd had about 8 other oils on my arm at the time. And if I've learned anything about BPAL over the last year and a half, it's that if you have 9 oils on your arm, you can't necessarily get an accurate impression of any of them...

 

Fast forward to yesterday. I'd been angsting all week. Long story, but suffice it to say that I was pondering how to successfully integrate my sexual self with the part of myself that demands respect and dignity. I went to a party and gave two imps to a male friend, and he gifted me with an imp of Aeval. I hadn't actually expected this guy to give me anything. So I was thrilled about the freebie, naturally, and also thought Aeval was an excellent concept for me at the moment, considering the myth behind it. So I decided to give it another chance.

 

Wet, Aeval is pretty much all sweet pea. It's very girly and sort of a clean, nice-body-wash sort of scent.

 

After about an hour, musk rises to the surface, and I get a sexier vibe from it as the warm musk balances out the light girliness of the sweet pea.

 

It takes about another hour for tonka to appear. When it does, it brings a lovely vanilla-esque aroma to the blend. It does mostly drown out the musk, but blends so well with the sweet pea that I don't mind much. The mixture of floral and vanilla is similar (though different, as it's different flowers) to the effect pf Le Serpent qui Danse on me, with the added bonus that unlike Le Serpent it lasts more than fifteen minutes.

 

The scent continues as a warm, sensual, but not-overpowering sweet pea/tonka blend for about six hours on me. Throw is moderate. Then, just before it vanishes, it's all sweet pea again for one last second wind.

 

I really like this one. It works well for the faery queen of the same name, I think, with the ethereal quality of the floral and the earthy, sexy quality of the musk and tonka. It's delicate yet dignified, sensual without being in-your-face. I think I'll wear it in spring, and whenever I feel the urge to get my regal temptress vibe on.

[starkiller]

At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this, as the sage came across very strongly. But then I discovered a truly wonderful bonus of this one - it gets rid of my headaches! From the niggling tension ones to the full blown migraines, a dab of Aeval on the pulse points gets rid of them completely. The longer it's on my skin, the nicer it smells, more of a musky top note and less of the sage, with a touch of the sweet pea. I've been recommending this to everyone I know who suffers from headaches.

Edited December 26, 2006 by Star

[phedre]

in vial: sweet pea and more sweet pea.

 

wet: it has a bit of a dryer sheet quality. The sweet pea is dominant, with a touch of vanilla and musk, barely there. There's no sage here at all.

 

Aeval: Dryer sheets. There are other notes here, the musk for sure, but it's all overbalanced by the dryer sheets. Ah well. Off to the swaps!

[littlefoot76]

Mmm. Out of the bottle, this one's like a warm fuzzy blanket on a rainy night. The sweet pea and tonka give a nice, comforting sweetness. The sage keeps it fresh, but the musk makes it warm.

 

Wet on my skin it reminds me a bit of an perfume from the 1940s. It's complex and feminine. I think the sage and tonka drop back a little bit and the musky floral takes center stage. This is a perfect scent for a lovely dinner at a quiet, romantic, candle lit restaurant.

 

I'll post the dry effect in a couple of hours.

 

ETA On dry down, Aevel becomes less sweet, I think, and less floral. Interestingly enough, I kept thinking, "What smells like Philosophy's Amazing Grace?" I then sniffed my wrist and thought, "Oh, it's me!" I don't really think it smells like that, now that I realize it, but for some reason, that's the connection that my brain made.

I think the sage is the strongest note on dry down. It's really quite yummy!

Edited January 12, 2007 by Littlefoot

[alliekat13]

Mmm...light and clean sweet pea, like Juliet with some spicy sage in the background. On skin the musk and tonka emerge blending with the sage and sweet pea making it a sexy, warm and clean scent. This is definetely Juliet's older sister, and bottleworthy.

[monsteralice]

Wet: Nice, not perfumey, not too sweet.

 

Dry: Smoky without smoke - the sage is discernable as a sensation more than a separate note.

 

Duration: Still wafting at 5 hours, still strong at 9 hours.

 

This one's a keeper!