Love in the Asylum

[yellowrose]

Love in the Asylum. Based on the poem by Dylan Thomas:

 

A stranger has come

To share my room in the house not right in the head,

A girl mad as birds

 

Bolting the night of the door with her arm her plume.

Strait in the mazed bed

She deludes the heaven-proof house with entering clouds

 

Yet she deludes with walking the nightmarish room,

At large as the dead,

Or rides the imagined oceans of the male wards.

 

She has come possessed

Who admits the delusive light through the bouncing wall,

Possessed by the skies

 

She sleeps in the narrow trough yet she walks the dust

Yet raves at her will

On the madhouse boards worn thin by my walking tears.

 

And taken by light in her arms at long and dear last

I may without fail

Suffer the first vision that set fire to the stars.

 

A song of love and madness: two roses, tolu balsam and ambergris with vanilla, labdanum, tobacco leaf, carnation and tonka.

 

This was an impulse purchase based solely on the "Hey, isn't it cool to have a scent based on a Dylan Thomas poem?" factor. Purchased one bottle because roses (in general) are sometimes iffy or aggressive.

 

Wet: lush roses and a hint of something softer.

 

Drying: since this was applied to elbow crooks, it makes sniffing a little challenging, but as it is drying and afterwards, there is a lovely rose scent. These are the sweet, well behaved roses of Moon Rose and Black Cat. Never really got any of the other notes intelligibly. These other notes in combination soften the scent. There was a hint of tobacco at one sniff, but not an overpowering blam of the note.

 

To be fair, I'd hoped for more vanilla, carnation and tonka and really didn't seem to get them ... but there were many, many other things that interrupted the process. For this reason, I'll keep experimenting.

 

I do really like the comforting aspect this scent has. I can't really articulate it properly. When there is a breeze that wafts up this scent, inhaling it becomes a moment of being. Very Zen, but ... that's my take.

 

Now I'm kicking myself that I didn't order that second bottle. Drats!

 

And what an honor to be the first to review Love in the Asylum!

[oakmoss]

In the bottle and on application, the first impression is mostly roses, which I had high hopes for, as roses usually work on me and some of my favorite scents are rose-based (such as Two Five & Seven). The under-notes are sweet, as you'd expect from ambergris and vanilla. Unfortunately, there is something else in this blend that reacted badly with my chemistry, resulting in that rotten-floral scent I often get with blends that have lily. This will be a swapped bottle, alas.

[AliBabble]

yeah, i have to admit that this one is different than i expected - very rosy and sweet. but my expectations were all about "tonka! tonka! tonka!" and i'm not sure i'm picking up much of that. there's something spicy (carnation? i forget ) lurking in the corner somewhere. not sure yet on this one. but the label is so great.. i guess it's the asylum room? very nice.

[loveandprozak]

Wet: There's a slight flash of initial unpleasantness brought on by the tobacco. I was somewhat afraid what I'd put on my wrist at this stage because the mix wasn't altogether welcome to my nose.

 

5 minutes: The strange off-scent fades quickly, thankfully. In its place is a scent that somewhat resembles Old Morocco. The spiciness of the carnation is quite prominent. The scent begins to have a floral-incense quality to it. The ambergris and vanilla in this are warm background scents that influence, as opposed to making themselves strongly known.

 

30 minutes: Not too much change. Rose/Carnation/Tobacco/Incense. It's a very dusky scent.

 

Drydown: As Love in the Asylum dries down it becomes somewhat sweeter, and the sweet resins come to the surface. It's a dramatic morph, but the scent that it morphs into is so gentle that there is nothing jarring about the changes. Sweet, ever-so-slightly spicy florals with maybe just a tiny whisper of heliotrope. (That could just be the vanilla and the ambergris working together, though, as they could very likely create a similar scent.)

 

 

I have been looking forward to Love in the Asylum with much anticipation. The notes in it sounded very "like me", and I was drawn to order multiple bottles of it. After an initial strange couple of seconds on my skin, it doesn't disappoint me in the least.

 

I've really been hoping that one day I'd log on to BPAL or DSH and find a scent that was dedicated to the Algonquin, or Dorothy Parker herself. To me, while this scent is not consciously dedicated towards such, it's probably the closest, scent-wise in evoking that fragrance-scene. The carnation, rose and tobacco create a moody, smoky, floral. This to me is not a romancing floral, but one that caresses a drink with cigarette-stained fingers and makes jaded, all too accurate reflections about the world around it. The flowers have been saturated just a little too long in an angry, crazy world in an even angrier, crazier city to offer either chaste love or idealism, but there's something alluring in the sharp looks, rough edges, and barsmoke all the same.

 

Very evocative.

[olympia301]

Roses, I smell roses. I smell some other things faintly in the background and I wish that part were a little stronger and mingled with the carnation and tonka and vanilla and the rest of the crew. It is a very nice blend, don't get me wrong, and the roses are a fantastic variety but they just seem to overpower everything else in Love in the Asylum and make it a good rose perfume.

[theseagrows]

love in the asylum is my first LE bottle purchase, so i was very excited to open it!

 

when first applied this smells very rosy. it kind of reminds me of a tea rose i once tried, but as it dries the tonka/carnation/vanilla comes through and turns into a bit of a spicy rose.

 

it also smells familiar, somehow- it reminds me of gaultier perfume, but obviously not as strong or alcohol-y, and more rosy. i think the similarity lies in the florals mixed with tonka/vanilla/spiciness.

 

i really love this scent- it's warm and sexy.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - roses, glorious roses! Sometimes roses work on me and sometimes they don't. I really hope these do, because so far, this smells wonderful.

 

Dry - the roses get a tiny bit powdery on me, but not enough to effect my enjoyment. As it dries the balsam comes out to play. At least I think it's balsam it's a creamy yet almost warm scent, absolutely delicious. It mingles with the rose and after awhile, I think a bit of tonka comes in to play as well. There's not a lot of throw, and while this is light, it's not too light. This basically is a rose top note with a lucious symphony of scent behind it. It's a keeper!

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4

[Koumori]

I'm getting overwhelmingly roses out of this one. Some of the other notes start to come out a few hours after application, as the scent is beginning to fade on me, but those other scents don't blend with the rose as I'd hoped they would; rather it's sort of a serial scent. Nice, but not spectacular, for me. Until that fading drydown, it's much like Othello, which will probably remain my rose of choice.

[VelvetSky]

I'm not really sure why rose is a note that is so widely disliked by so many BPALers, but it's one of my favorites, and my bottle of Love In The Asylum reminds me why I love it so.

 

This fragrance opens with very distinct notes of carnation and balsam underneath the fresh rose, which makes it feel light and fresh with an interesting little green tang.

 

It mellows down slowly into a riper rose, but still fresh rather than that lovely musky/murky rose as with Othello. There is a hint of tobacco which only lasts for a few minutes.

 

The drydown is gorgeous and sweet and creamy...so feminine and elegant.

 

I'm so glad I ordered this LE. I just love it.

Edited August 19, 2005 by VelvetSky

[violetblue]

This is LOVELY!!!! I am so glad I ordered one - the throw is awesome, a little goes a long way on me. It's almost Spellbound's cousin to me, rosey and incensey, the tobacco and carnation a tinge of spice/greenness that give it a nice kick. I see myself using up my 5ml quickly and wish I had bought two.

[ChupaChup]

I'm totally is lust with Love in the Asylum . When this was announced, I immediately ordered 2 bottles, every single note is something I love. I was a little worried when some of the early reviewers found it to be a mostly rose perfume - I love rose but I wanted the other notes, especially the ambergris, vanilla, tobacco leaf, carnation and tonka. Yahoo, I get them all though the amazing morph of this perfume!

 

When first applied, I get something quite green from this perfume, it must be the rose because it's almost that florist's fridge smell I get from Rose Red. But that's about it for me and the roses in this blend, after that they recede way into the background. The next phase I get is an orchide vanille phase (*swoon*), just like Regan without the stephanotis. I don't think there is any orchid in this blend, it must be some combination of other notes with the vanilla but it's gorgeous. Then there is just this wonderful melange of the ambergris, tobacco, carnation and tonka, all flitting in and out, it's so hypnotic. Eventually this dries down to something very much like the drydown of Black Phoenix (once the almond has burned off).

 

Great waft, seems to be pretty long lasting. I've had it on for 3 hours now and it's still going strong. This is just one of those wonderful oils, you know how you know as soon as you open the bottle, it just fits you? Great job Beth .

Edited August 20, 2005 by ChupaChup

[luxuria]

In the bottle: spicy but green smelling roses.

 

On my skin: same thing, but the rose fades more and more as this dries down on my skin. What I'm left with is a musky and powdery but still rather light floral perfume with some creamy freshness backing it.

 

I like this but i'm not head-over-heels. A little too floral, especially rose.

[Eros]

In the bottle/just on~Roses with a very light herbal something.

The roses get stronger but not overpowering. It's a deep, dark rose scent. Have had this on 3-4 hours and still, pretty much all I get is roses. Beautiful blend, but I was hoping for more of the other notes to shine through~tonka, vanilla, tobacco leaf...

Fortunately, the roses in this haven't given me a headache

 

Lovely, but not sure I'll be keeping this one.

[lorajc]

I'm still undecided on this one. At first (first hour or so), this is a strong green-rose that reminds me of the Empress. I am one of the people that cannot wear rose most of the time. There are a few exceptions, but in general, it amps up on my skin, as does Beth's jasmine. After the rose stage starts to calm down, the tobacco leaf, ambergris and tonka come into play. I'm not sure I like the tobacco leaf. I'll have to wear this a bit more before I make a final decision on my bottles. This might grow on me. If you love the Empress, I'd give this a try, as they smell very similar to me.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: rosy and a little bit fruity, with a green note in the background(?). Not overly sweet. I can't really smell the tobacco so much.

 

Wet: the rose goes a little powdery on me, but the tobacco comes out more and tones it down. It smells a little deeper, if that makes any sense, but the rose is still the dominant note. It's not strong at all.

 

Dry: the tobacco and vanilla come out more, but the scent fades a lot and I have to keep applying it. I really like it, but it doesn't stay long enough.

[Imbrium]

In the bottle this is green and spicy - carnation, I think, and perhaps the balsam?

 

On, this is very rosy. Roses always seem very strong on my skin, and sometimes it works out beautifully, and sometimes it doesn't. This is a gorgeous rose blend.

Many of the notes - the tobacco leaf, the "greenness" I smell in the bottle - don't seem to develop on my skin.

 

In fact, this reminds me very much of Havisham, in a way. They're both predominatley rosy scents, with backgrounds that give them a unique aort of "atmosphere." However, where Havisham is a cool, aquatic rose on my skin, the tonka and ambergris make Love in the Asylum a warm rose blend, with a hint of carnation in the background.

 

What can I say? I knew I'd love this one, and I do. Hooray!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Roses.

 

In the bottle: Uh oh... roses. Lots of roses. And carnation. This does not augur well.

 

On skin, wet: This is a something of a cacophony of smells, it is. I catch heavy rose, vanilla, carnation, tobacco, and what I guess is ambergris? This certainly brings madness to mind, as the notes all seem to be running around the bottle (I can only imagine them flailing around inside the bottle, their little arms going every which way). Poor little notes, they can't seem to co-operate with one another.

 

On skin, dry: Vanilla rose. There's something here that brings Zombi to mind, some warm, dark, earthy scent. I'm ambivalent about it.

 

Conclusion: Interesting -- and certainly mad! -- but not for me. Too heavy on the rose. I'd hoped it to be a mostly vanilla-tobacco scent, but as is wont to happen, the rose just took over, and Love in the Asylum was ruined for me.

Edited October 22, 2006 by Aredhel

[Sheila]

Oh, yum and bliss!

 

First, this is one of my favorite poems, and I was stunned to see it captured in scent form, since I always thought it was rather obscure. My college "boyfiend" used to call me a "girl mad as birds," which at the time seemed romantic and special but now seems pretentious and possibly psychotic. (We were both English majors, and quite competitive about who could recognize the most lines of poetry. It was a messed-up relationship, not helped by the fact that we both won the same scholarship. But I digress. )

 

I love rose scents, and have been looking for a "dark" rose scent. Spellbound, Black Rose, and Blood Rose were all terrible on me--they smelled like "dirty rose," if that makes any sense. But this is lovely, and just what I was looking for. In the bottle, it smelled like a very expensive rose perfume. On me, it's primarily rose, but the amber and carnation give it a touch of spice and make it incensey and dark. Simply lovely--and the bottle is fabulous.

 

Beth, thank you so much for a scent that is very personal and gorgeous.

[ephemera]

Somewhere along the lines I read TONKA and missed carnation. Oops.

 

This scent is rather nice, but it's not striking me as a "me" scent. A little too floral, and carnations - while I love them on my desk - in a bottle turn to rancidness quickly. *woe*

[LiberAmoris]

Love in the Asylum is all incensy rose on me (must be the mix of rose and tobacco leaf) with the tonka and carnation just underneath. I love rose blends, and Beth does such amazing things with them, but I think that some of the supporting notes are clashing with each other on my skin. Something about the blend reminds me of a mix of the Queen of Clubs and The Empress.

 

I'm going to give this one a couple more tries. It's very pretty and I really want it to work!

[Lorencita]

I was so anxious to try this. I really wasnt too impressed when I first sniffed it, it was very strong and mostly carnations in the bottle. I dabbed some on, and it was overkill with the carnation and heavy rose. I wanted to wash it off, but I decided to stick it out, I love roses so I had high hopes. So glad I did! Now it smells like rose incense & a little carnation with some tonka making it smokey. I love it. I'm really happy that the strong first bit is only 10 mins, then it's a sexy rose scent that I adore! This has many faces to it, you can look at it many ways. I love Beth's Rose blends, and this definatley doesnt dissapoint! Me=happy!!

[slave1]

In Bottle: Floral and perm solution.

 

On Skin: Ok, the floral is very strong. Rose and carnation, wow! I was hoping the Tonka and vanilla would be stronger but they are washed out by the extreme floral notes. The balsam and tobacco give a background green note. This scent is very crisp. It’s pretty, but I’m not sure it’s me. Rose this strong never really works on me.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle:greenery, rose, a hint of something a bit medicinal

 

 

wet: ROSE!!!! and a touch of teh crisp green scent from rose red. not so much up front but lurking.

 

as it dries it is still very much rose, but i get a hint of vanilla, and something kind of sweet, the green is not as prominent after it dries.

 

this has quite a bit of throw, and is a rose lovers dream. i just wish carnation would play a bit...but i still love it

[aidenraine]

Rose rose rose rosey rose! is what this shouts out while wet on my arm.

 

And drying down- ROSE!

 

and a few minutes later- ROSE!

 

rosity rose rose... it's a very old-fashioned, dusky rose, a Caswell-Massey rose (I'm sure I am spelling that wrong.) I can see this in a lovely body lotion.

 

It's very perfumey though... and kinda hurts my head. I can't really smell anything past that.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Exremely strong and powdery roses. Wonderful label!

 

Second Impression: Rose is one of the notes that can sink or swim a fragrance and this one is going down for the last time. All roses, powdery strong. I was hoping for something that would be a naughty version of Crucible of Courage but I got a sneezefest of rose powder. Where did all the other gorgeous notes go?

 

Final Analysis: I'm gutted.