Two, Five & Seven

[aessedai]

A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose…
…and just an itty bitty bit of green grass.

Sugary, sweet roses. Very pink and innocent.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I don’t care for florals and roses are one of the biggest offenders, but I found that I really like Rose Red, so I’ve been curious about Two, Five and Seven. I like Rose Red because of the greenness, so I’m hoping the grass note in this gives it a similar feel.

 

First sniff:

 

Whoa, roses! I’m sure that sounds stupid given the inspiration and description for this, but this is rose in the most overwhelming way. I’m normally terrible at identifying most floral notes, but I can actually pick out the different layers of rose in here. Some are heady, some are powdery, some have that green rosebud scent that I like…this is like being buried alive in roses.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Phooey, now Two, Five and Seven is doing the infamous “sour milk maneuver.” Every now and then certain rose notes do the same thing that amber often does to me: make me smell like an unplugged fridge. I don’t see this being “me” anyway, but it’s still frustrating.

 

Dry down:

 

The sour milk is gone and Two, Five and Seven is pure rose…every kind of rose you could possibly think of. But, like I said, I’m not a floral fan and roses are one of the biggest offenders. Two, Five and Seven has some similarities to Rose Red, but not enough for me to really like this. Where Rose Red is almost entirely green instead of being “rosy” (by my definition, anyway), Two, Five and Seven is overwhelmingly rosy with only a hint of green.

 

The bottom line:

 

Not the nightmare scent I had feared (rose hater that I am), but not the Rose Red replacement I’d had minor hopes for, either. I’ll see if my mom wants it (she loves rose).

[Phaedra]

First off let me say that I am and always have been a major rose lover. It's always been my favorite flower and favorite scent so I have high hopes for this one (especially since I like many of Beth's other rose blends). Wet this smells like Persephone- a sweet, lush rose. This pure rose, brighter and lighter than London. It is also similar to Rose Red (my #1 BPAL rose so far) but it's warmer. After a couple of minutes this becomes fuller and rounder. This is a truly gorgeous rose blend but is not as long lasting on me as I hoped it would be. I'll have to try this a few more times and put more on to see if it lasts longer.

[Voleuse]

Wow. This is definitely a rose scent but an incredibly rich one. Deep and sweet and fresh and a little bit thorny. Green and petal-soft. It's like stepping into a huge rose garden (like in Huntington, or Victoria), just after dawn, and breathing deeply. Gorgeous.

 

Because I've already promised this imp away, I didn't slather it (I test by swiping my wrist a couple of times with the wand), so it faded quickly and quietly. The green and the sweet came out a little more, but it smelled no less like roses. And it stays that way! No turning to powder or soap on me. And after the initial fade, it didn't disappear for a while afterwards.

 

I'm not a huuuuge rose fan, so I'll try a few more rose scents before I settle on a bottle. This is, I think, worth at least 5ml purchase.

[LyndaM]

Another winner! I'm loving the Mad Tea Party collection, so many of them are working out so well for me. In the imp it was very green, and I was wondering where the rose was. On my skin, Two Five and Seven immediately bloomed into pure rose, I only get a brief whiff of green while it's wet. My skin amps florals and in this case I feel lucky!

 

This is a light, 'pink' rose scent to me, perfect for daytime wear, as opposed to London and Whip (my night-time picks), which seem like darker and heavier roses, more deep red than pink. I will definitely wear this often. I have a 10ml coming from swaps, I'm happy I got the chance to snag it without the wait.

 

I do wish it lasted longer; I plan to use a lil' of the precious to make a small amount of lotion for layering, to hopfully increase the staying power. Aside from that, it's perfect.

 

Edit: Something weird has happened with Two Five and Seven. It suddenly smells like hairspray on me, all the time, wet and dry. Like the Aqua-Net I used in the 80s to support my big hair. I don't know if my bottle has gone funny, or my chemistry has. I loved it so I'll keep trying, but I'm very sad. Maybe I'll order a fresh bottle...

Edited November 8, 2005 by LyndaM

[Chas]

This smells fruity to me. The rose is definitely there, but something in there is fruity. It's not as strong as Persephone, but the effect is similar. The fruit dies down after half an hour or so, leaving a soft, sweet rosey smell, but it also fade quickly. I'll hold onto my imp, but I can't see myself buying a bottle of this.

[Oio]

This is my very first BPAL fragrance! Thanks to Undine for the Imps, frimp and tea!

 

In the imp

 

Smells a litte fruity and sweet. Not terribly rosey.

 

Wet on me

 

Sweet! Fruity! and then a smell that takes me right back to 1976, standing in the bathroom.... snorting the Glade Rose room freshener. I loved that smell, but I'm a little disturbed by the flashback.

 

Dry on me

 

THe fruity smell lingers, the blast of rose has died down. My daughter (6) says I smell like a candle. My son (8) says I smell like a "Flowery Banana"

 

I'll add to this after it dries for a while.

 

right now, I'd say it's ok, but not as wonderful as I had hoped.

 

Last edit: The scent faded very quickly, but never got rosey again. Fruit all the way. I must find my roses elsewhere.

Edited October 13, 2005 by Oio

[Vampire Sass]

In The Bottle: Powdery roses, very sweet.

 

Wet: Faint roses and soap. As it dries it gets sweeter and starts to smell like artificial strawberry and bubble gum.

 

Dry: Still smells like fruit gum, and back to smelling like soap.

 

I was incredibly disappointed by this perfume. I had been looking forward to it so much. I love roses and I've been looking for a very pure, strictly rose scent. Apparently this isn't it. It very much disagrees with me. I assume something strange is going on with my body chemistry. I will definitely try this again to see if it smells any better, but I have a bad feeling Two, Five and Seven and I just don't get along.

[Footnotegirl]

In the bottle:

Ewwwwwwwww. Urine and sugar. /Old/ urine and sugar. Not. Nice.

 

First brush on the skin:

Silicone 'toy' scent. Very plasticy and sweet.

 

Dry-down:

Magic happens! Within a couple of minutes, ick turns to /oh mmmmmm/. Warm sun on golden antique rose petals, melting away the dew. Very round and full.

 

Time passes:

The roses sharpen up and cool down. There's lots of roses, and this extends out to a long period of sweet-sharp, dark red and sterling silver roses. It hangs in the air quite nicely. Doesn't go powdery on me.

 

I'm not generally a huge fan of rose scents. They're nice, but I usually find them either too fake, too overpowering, or too powdery on me. This? Works. I don't know if I'll keep it or give it to a dear friend who loves the Roses yet. But to be tempted to keep this at all is a major sign of liking it.

[zenvodunista]

footnotegirl's review of this is dead on, though in the bottle i smell soapy roses and a whiff of urine. i was concerned.

 

it hit the skin though and in thirty seconds the urine astringency was gone and i was left with roses that bloomed one after the other. first came the soapy rose, followed by florists rose, then a heritage rose, Lincoln rose, tea rose, wild rose... and so on and so forth. it was really quite amazing.

 

my only complaint is that it lasted for about 2 hours on my skin.

 

i'm not sure if i will keep it --but that's only because i have a plethora of roses coming into my life right now (Persephone! ROse Red! Peacok Queen!). but rose oil tends to age well, and i one day i'll run out of those others, and i'll have this lovely waiting for me

 

good show!

 

n.

[Ankhet]

Two, Five, and Seven:

In the bottle: Yes, I definitely smell the roses, but I also smell..sugar, I think.

Wet: Again with the roses under the sweet. Candy-sweet, or Hall's-sweet.

Drydown: Roses. Light, wafting roses.

Conclusion: Keep. Try again to see how it does as a perfume.

[Rock Goddess]

I'm really starting to get dejected when it comes to roses. I love the smell of real roses, but the scent doesn't agree with my freaky chemistry. That being said, 2,5,&7 was better than the rest I've tried.

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, it was overwhelming roses. I could pick out the several different scents of the different varieties. It was actually kind of pretty then.

 

Then it started to dry down, and it started going soapy. Luckily, it didn't go all itchy, watery-eyes soapy like several others have on me, and it retained some of the pretty, real rose scent. The soapiness started to wear off, and I thought I was in the clear....

 

But then something bitter and incredibly sharp kicked in. I'm pretty sure in was the green grass note....I'm allergic to grass, so it makes sense that that note is screwing this up for me. The roses are still in the background, but the bitterness is overpowering them.

 

This one really morphs a lot on me. After about 1 1/2 hours, the acrid grass note disappeared, and 2,5,&7 became soft, lovely roses, and was quite beautiful. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I could stand to sit through the soapy and bitter stages on a regular basis. This scent would be beautiful on someone without my wonky skin chemistry. I'll hang onto the imp and try it one more time, because I really want it work.

[polydactyl]

I like roses, so the sheer extravagance of this oil's description really appealed. However, I've got a problem with a certain rose note that smells like static to me, so I was wary about that.

I knew that this was going to be over-the-top roses, and I wasn't wrong. This scent was rich and heady and almost intoxicating. It actually smelled like red wine and candy! I detected a bit of the static rose note, but it would fade in and out of the melange, so that didn't bother me at all. The sheer power of rose covered up the grass notes for me. Very lush and decadent. It is also is a good reminder that not all roses smell alike!

[amrita]

When this is wet, I smell faint sweet cherry (it reminds me of little girls) and faint roses. A few minutes later this starts turning pretty soapy... sweet, flat, warm, soapy rose. A half hour later, I smell faint soapy rose when it wafts, but if I stick my nose up close, this is unbearably soapy! I don't get any grass at all. An hour later, I'm still getting soap, and the faint cherry smell again... strange.

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: I'm scared. Roses generally smell really bizarre on me....I'm scared of the plethora of roses. But I am brave! Truly I am! My exact reaction? "Holy Sh*t, roses!" Like that was a big surprise after reading the description. Which.....truly it was. I didn't expect so MUCH rose....why? I have no clue, I'm silly like that. It's literally like standing in the middle of a room from one of those cheesy love movies where the guy sends a dozen roses on the hour for three weeks. It's just...rediculous amounts of rose.

 

Wet: I believe I summed it up perfectly in the last sentance of the in the bottle. Rediculous amounts of rose. It's not bad...just rediculous! I actually like it though. I think after Persephone and this one I might actually stop shying away from rose scents. If this is as rosey as Beth's notorious rose gets.....that's not so bad!

 

Drydown: Mmmm that's a very tame rose. I expected it to be pungent ... like......well like it was in the bottle. I was actually literally scared of this scent!!! Courage has it's rewards.

[Chrysantza]

Origin: Frimp from the Lab!

 

In the bottle: Roses, to be sure, many many roses of all different kinds. Also, a really strange note that reminds me of mint toothpaste.

 

On me: Well, they ain't lying when they say "Roses!" If you've ever promised someone a rose garden, give them Two, Five and Seven instead. This is a very sweet, pure rose that is like a rose garden or being surrounded by bouquets of fresh-picked roses.

 

This also did NOT turn soapy on me (which some roses do). All in all this is a really nice scent, especially for day. I like it better than my former pick for daytime roses (Moon Rose). But it can't quite measure up to my very favorite rose which is Black Rose. I don't know if it's the grass or what but every so often there is that toothpaste note! I think I need some musk or resin in my florals to balance them out.

 

Verdict: Keep, use up, but I don't think I'll get a bottle. It's nice but not "must have."

[doneyeri]

This was actually the first BPAL I had the pleasure of trying. A cast off from a friend it just didn't work on, for me, it worked amazingly well...a surprise for me, as I hadn't thought of myself as a "rose" sort of girl...I'm very quickly learning that was awful stupid of me...because I'm finding myself clinging to anything that has rose in it and hoping for more!

 

Immediately after putting it on it is definatly very rose and floral, but a much warmer, sweet scent than I normally associate with rose. ...typically rose on me has an acrid, sour smell that wrinkles my nose...none in two, five and seven though!

 

As it dries the scent just gets warmer and spicier...and after a half hour or so, it almost smells like what I imagine a vase of roses next to a steaming cup of chai tea would. I'm in love!

 

...quite obviously I need to reassess my feelings on rose scents!

[Muppetk]

How did the labbies know I was dying to try this one?

 

In the imp: Fruity candy! Starburst or skittles, I believe. Bizarre!

 

Wet on me: boozy/candy/roses. The recipe for sex.

 

Drying: Deep rich rose with a slightly sharp note. Aside fromt he sharp, quite lovely.

 

Dry not long: Rich rose with a hint of starburst candy. The candy note is a bit odd. I'm not quite sure what to think of it.

 

Dry maybe 10 minutes: most of the candy is gone, but a hint of the sharp is back intermittently. When it's not sharp, it's shaping up nicely.

 

Dry longer: Now this is what I was hoping for, plus some. Rich rose almost to the point of fruity, or like roses steeping in a good fruity red wine. Nice!

[LiberAmoris]

Two, Five & Seven is one of those oils I kept meaning to order but then forgot to, kept hoping to catch up to and didn't. It's been on my wishlist forever, and today in my order I got a frimp from the generous Lab!

 

I love love love most of the BPAL rose blends even though before I found BPAL rose was one of my least favorite notes. But Beth has completely won me over and now I love them.

 

Two, Five & Seven smells a little like the rose from Persephone in the imp, but on my skin it's much more layered. I can really smell the different types of roses and it truly is a bouquet bursting with different varietals. It dries down to a very soft-petaled rose, and I absolutely love it.

 

If I had a BPAL blend for the kind of tenderness and vulnerability I was able to offer to my first love, this would be it. It's absolutely unguarded. There's definitely an Edenic quality to it.

 

Right up there with Rose Red and Persephone for 'bright' rose blends, in my book.

[desu]

In the bottle: Fresh dill with roses lurking in the background.

 

On the skin: The fresh dill scent gets even stronger as those lovely roses all turn to soap.

[squishycat]

This made it onto my "order sample *now*" list right away. I love roses - all roses, any roses, and I'm fond of grassy scents as well. I was not disappointed in this scent.

 

In vial: ROSE. Oh wow, rose, with something light and sugary on top.

 

Wet: The sweetness drops for a bit, and it's just rose, rose, rose - strong, but not heavy. I was in a hurry and just finished putting it on as I got in the car - everyone else could smell it (the rest of my family complained, but none of them are fond of florals. My brother's girlfriend agreed with me that it was WONDERFUL, though.)

 

Dry: The sweet, grassyness is back, and the roses are still going strong. I can pick out multiple rose notes.

 

Final: This scent lasts forever on me, and is an absolutely beautiful sweet, sugared rose, with maybe a little spice. A nice daytime, outdoor scent that I am buying 10ml of. Good for a date in the park or a picnic.

[sophia_helix]

BPAL rose and I are not friends. This started off smelling like a real rose for about five seconds after application, only to dry down to the cloying, candy-sweet fake rose I get from every BPAL rose blend. This one gives me a headache, for good measure. If you don't play well with rose, you probably already know it and will avoid this pure-rose blend, but in case you were holding out hope -- this is probably not the magical rose blend that will work for you.

[ktesedale]

I was so looking forward to this scent - it was one of the first things I swapped for - but it just didn't work out.

 

In the bottle, I smelled rose with a hint of greenery.

Wet, I smelled freshly cut grass. It smelled *exactly* like mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Surprisingly, no rose at all.

Dry, the grass smell became stronger and more acrid, and was pretty bad. A little bit of rose came out - a very sweet rose smell - but was completely overpowered by the nasty grass scent. I can almost catch the alcohol smell other reviewers mentioned, but it fades in and out.

 

Throw was quite strong, as was staying power.

 

I might try this one as a room scent before I swap it away, but I won't be wearing it again.

[SeaMonkey]

I'm getting sweet grass and roses. This smells like real roses, not rose perfume, and the rose is subtle. This might actually be a rose blend I like

[Fefferbella]

Ack! Death by Roses

 

Very strong and sweet. I love it, but it's insanely overpowering! Smells like real roses, but *sheesh*, too damn many.