The City in the Sea

[Reedsong]

The scent of Death’s seaside throne: luminous aquatic notes threaded through by creeping ivies, white woods, waving kelp and bruised violets.

When presented with many tempting choices, I often have trouble deciding between them. I'm the girl who takes forever to order a pizza (angering the waitstaff with special requests, too) and looks at five hundred websites before making the simplest purchase.

Once I do find something I enjoy, though, I obsess over it to a degree that's amusingly bizarre.

So when I say that my favourite BPAL scent is The City in the Sea, anyone who possesses any quantity of this perfume will become my new bestest friend in the whole wide world.

Its aroma, even in the bottle, evokes all of the unfathomable mysteries of the ocean. I handled my imp with the ginger nervousness usually reserved for holding babies and loaded guns; I could tell it would smell fantastic on me.

And oh, it did - on my skin, it multiplied and released complex, powerful notes. I smelled seaweed, salt tang, aquatic sweetness, and a darker languor that suggested the hypnotic, ancient rhythm of the sea. I had to stop working for a while; I need my wrists to type, but they were riveted to my nose.

I tried it once and then, wrenchingly, offered it on my altar to Agwé, spirit of the sea, because it was so completely of his realm.

I then found and paid a large sum for a full bottle, and will probably hoard this stuff in the future with the zeal of an angry cult leader stockpiling ammunition.

Verdict: Exquisite beyond words. Anyone who tries to get my bottle will inspire the follow-up fragrance: "City of the People Sleeping With the Fishies."

"Keep raising the prices, we'll break into your houses and take the f-ing cigarettes. They're a drug, we're addicted, okay?"
--Denis Leary Edited May 19, 2006 by Shollin

[moon_lemming]

Yes! An aquatic that loves me! I think it might be because of the violets, which almost always make a blend work for me.

 

Wet, City is a salty aquatic, a little perfume-y but with an herbal undertone that balances it out. Dry, it's my perfect aquatic blend; it's got the salty wet ocean thing going on, but darker than I expected. The herbs remind me of plants lining the ocean floor (the "waving kelp," I guess) and the violets lend a soapiness that lightens up what would otherwise be an incredibly dark, deep scent. They keep it feminine.

 

Ack! If only my fear of aquatics hadn't kept me away from a full bottle! I am happy knowing that there are aquatics that will not turn to peanut noodles on me, though, and I will provide a loving home for the one imp of City in the Sea that I DO have.

 

 

eta: lol, "violets almost always make a blend work for me," hahahaha. with a few more years under my belt, I can now say this is not true AT ALL, but this violet is definitely not the sharp nose-cringing sort that I fear finding in violet blends. It's a very soft, dark violet.

Edited June 14, 2010 by karen

[ajcj213499]

This is the ocean on a overcast day with a chill wind. The City in the Sea is not for me- I like my aquatics happier feeling (if that makes any sense)...

[sookster]

first sniff from bottle this is very water-like to me; the sea or the ocean and a sniff of floating driftwood...unfortunately and sadly this just did not work at all with my chemistry...

 

i think it was just far too delicate for my taste...i was hoping the violet in this would be a bit more prominent as beth's violet blends normally knock my sox off...

 

ah, to live and learn the bpal way...

[eviltemptressdq]

I was lucky enough to get an imp of this from someone that refers to the scent as "My Precious" (see Reedsong's review above. hehe). And it is, indeed, a lovely scent! I'm a big fan of Sea of Glass & Empyreal Mist, and this is definitely in the same world as those two. Very aquatic and crisp... not too "sharp", as some aquatic scents can be... To me, as well, this could be very gender neutral! I *will* find a scent that i can make my boyfriend wear, I swear! Maybe this one?

 

LOVE THIS!

Edited June 10, 2006 by eviltemptressdq

[TheFairestLady]

I would imagine this would make a lovely scent for one's significant other, though it is slightly too masculine for me, personally. I bet this would go beautifully with LUSH's Sea Vegetable soap.

 

In the bottle, it smells rather... unappealing, almost like some strange blend your great-grandfather might have worn.

 

Upon application, however, it shifts into a fainter, more comforting scent--one that reminds me of standing on a beach as the tide comes in, tickling my sand-covered toes. Yet there is something else, something undefinable. There is a sense of florality, almost, as though wild flowers might be growing among the sand dunes and tall grass.

 

Nice, but not for me.

[edenssixthday]

The City in the Sea is an incredibly gorgeous aquatic. It’s very “perfumey”, but I just love it! Some reviewers have mentioned their distaste of the violet in the scent. I happen to love violet, but I find it very subtle in this scent, and the violet that I do smell is dark and kind of murky. This is a fabulous scent that I will definitely be hanging on to. My only issue with it is that it has very poor staying power and throw, even in a scent locket.

[theseagrows]

on me this smells like an aquatic citrus-floral. sweet from the florals but sharp from the ozone. it reminds me of commercial perfume, as ozones often do. i cant really make out separate notes in this, and i can't smell the violet at all. i like it better than some aquatics i've tried, but it's not really a keeper for me personally.

Edited June 21, 2006 by theseagrows

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Sharp, crisp aquatics, sea kelp, violets.

 

On me: Sharp, lovely aquatics and woods, sweetened a bit by the violets. There's a hint of green - probably from the kelp. This scent is gorgeous.

 

Verdict: So glad I got a bottle. I love this scent!

 

Rating: 5/5

[purrbox]

eh... it's ok. i'm not really riled up about it one way or another. in the bottle it does have a salty, marine quality, which is rather evocative of the name. but on me it's generic boys soap. smells clean, and not unpleasant, but not anything i'd care to wear. i can't smell any violets or ivy, or anything really, other than just that soap smell... i don't know how to describe it better than that. this was a disappointment, because i generally like aquatic scents.

[sofiaviolet]

Has violets, so I had to try it. I definitely smell them among a darker kind of aquatic. This is very cool and crisp. I love it. My Numb hoard shall soon be joined by a City in the Sea hoard.

[supremegoddessofall]

Tried this at a meet and sniff. I shouldn't like this because of the violets, but this is great. It's beautiful and smells very familiar to me, like some kind of bath product I've used before. It's definitely aquatic and has a very wet feel to it.

[steffanina]

The City in the Sea-

 

In Bottle: Dry cruel aquatics. (How can aquatics be dry? Shut up, they can.)

 

Wet: Nothing floral in this aquatic. It's almost minty.

 

Dry: Oh, I do like this! It reminds me very much of Bed of Nails on the dry-down. It's neither eye-watering nor too floral; it doesn't feel floral at all. I'm going to have to assemble the aquatics I have and figure out which ones I like best. This one will probably be up there, yeah.

 

Overall: Nice.

[oh_the_horror]

In bottle: Sweet, delicate, Victorian soap.

 

Wet and drying down: Almost tolerable aquatic blend. The aquatic ones always hate me. Soap, soft florals. I'm imagining light blues and violets. I smell like I just took a long bath with some really nice old fashioned soap that had a Victorian looking label on it.

 

Dry: Now it smells like I put on some men's cologne. It's kind of soapy too. Not for me at all. I love aquatic notes on men though, so I'm trying it on my boyfriend. It might a little too feminine though.

[Em-]

This is a soft floral aquatic that I like and can wear. That is really all that I need to say about this one, I think.

[biernaise]

City in the Sea:

 

This oil is a green glass odyssey into the marine undertow. The salt spray is lacey and artful- you can almost taste the water's depths.

 

Beautiful and fearsome!

[QueenFae]

This is a deeply aquatic blend. I'm not a huge fan of violet, which is one of the top notes in this, so I knew before I sniffed it that it wasn't for me. I can smell the sea kelp note, whatever that is, and it really does remind me of something you'd find washed up on the shore. There is something else in there that reminds me a little of a men's cologne note. This definitely delivers what it promises, but it is just not for me. I will find my bottle a better home.

[alliekat13]

The soapiest aquatic I've ever smelled, both in the bottle and my skin! All it smells like to me is Irish Spring. That's all I get, I can't even pick out the individual notes.

[femmefatale]

I'm so glad I was finally able to get a bottle of this! It is more perfumey than I would have thought, but it's very nice. It's a bit darker of an auatic than say something like Sea of Glass, which is much sweeter on me, but the violets keep it from being too dark. I also catch a bit of the woods and...the kelp? There was a soapy hint as first, but that seems to be fading

I really, really like it. I think it might even work on dh.

Of course, this means i have to try to find more! LOL

[chrisann]

I've been wearing this about 30 minutes now, and I have been trying to figure out what it reminds me of. I've had my AHA! moment and it is this:

 

My trip to Florence Italy, there is this small apocathery that sells local perfumes. I bought a unisex body mist that was a jumble of various tangy citrus notes, intermingled with clean ozone notes, and a kick of skin musk. This is a dead ringer for that scent.

 

It is so envocative for me. I am brought back to walking the cobblestone streets of Florence that Summer. For me this is a wonderful, happy, nostalgic scent. One I am happy to treasure

Edited March 8, 2007 by growwild

[filigree_shadow]

This smells sweet and salty on me, and not overly aquatic. Clear and fresh, not murky at all.

 

It is rather refreshing, but I'm not an aquatic scent kind of person. My husband is, and he said that he likes this one but likes R'Lyeh better.

[jessu]

I *almost* didn't get this one because I had sworn off bpal aquatics after Kingsport had it's big ozone party all over my skin. And I was scared of the violet note to boot.

 

Thank god I caught a bottle on ebay! I was so wrong, this is great! It's a little water, a little wood, a little ivy, and a little violet- it reminds me of Thalassa without the frankincense and jasmine.

 

I'll keep this one at my desk at work. This is a great soft everyday scent, and I never remember to apply before I leave the house.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Soapy fresh, green, salty, ozone.

 

Wet: More green-aquatic (ivy!), less soapy and salty. I'm getting a hint of violet. Much lighter, both in sharpness and throw, on my skin.

 

Dry: Light, mossy woods have emerged. The violets have amped and the ivies stay strong. Unfortunately, this is still rather soapy on me and a flaring my rosacea a bit.

 

Summary: Soapy, ivy-green, lightly woody violets. Low throw, and fades quickly.

[gchris]

In Vial: Fresh, clean, a tiny bit masculine

 

Wet: Watery notes and light men's cologne. This is not salty like many aquatic scents are. Now I'm getting the violets, hope this doesn't ruin it for me. I don't like strong violet blends. I do smell the ivy in the background lending the *tiniest* hint of green.

 

DRY:Still fresh. Not a heavy scent. A mix of water and green.

[Sweetie666]

In the bottle ~ This smells very strongly of...nail polish remover...

 

Wet ~ Ocean water, a very pleasant scent

 

Dry ~ Woodsy and oceany, I love it so much!! With just a hint of violet. Lovely!!