Maenad

[Laz]

Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.

I didn't really like this in the vial, but I gave it a go regardless. I try everything once!

On my skin to begin with, it was very floral, which I dislike. It stayed that way for a while, and when I was tempted to wash it off, it did a complete 180. I smell like strawberry sherbet, my husband keeps threatening to lick my arm, and I'm suddenly very very happy with this scent!

[labeth]

I got this as a frimp from the lab, and I was excited to try it because I really like strawberries and carnation seems one of the only florals that works on me. This one is very morphy.

 

In the imp it mostly just a sweet fruity smell. Once I put it on, it started out extremely acrid, and I considered washing it off. But, considering all the people who mentioned how much this one changes, I left it on a wihle longer. After a few minutes, the sharp scent backed off some, and it became a very light strawberry.

 

This one's not a whole bottle for me, but I'll keep the imp. I feel like it'll be nice for mid-summer.

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Very sweet, almost artificial strawberry, with a hint of something behind it.

 

Wet: The strawberry has faded a lot, and now there is something faintly floral.

 

Later: Gah - in only 10 minutes, this has gone horrendously plasticky - I smell like one of those fake strawberry smelling kids toys. It hasn't lasted very long either, sadly. One for the swap box I think.

 

Regretfully doesn’t work on me – a 3/10

[swilde]

I got this as a freebie in my last order, but I've chosen it before. It's a sexy and unusual fragrance befitting its title.

 

Orange blossom and strawberry blossom are the first apparent notes, and they are lively

 

Fresh white carnation and black poppy are probably the greatest floral combination I've smelled, and I don't take to florals easily. They are like day and night- contrasting yet complementary. I'm not sure what hibiscus smells like, but maybe that is what's unified them so well. The throw is good, and it lasts.

 

 

So I guess it's not too far from the mark to think of modern day maenads as high school girls slutting out on prom night: a corsage, some strawberry wine, and some sexy perfume sweat off from getting busy with your date.

[modernsaints]

First test: hmm, sweet, sort of candylike, sort of powdery...

 

Second test: OH GOD I KNOW WHY IT SMELLS FAMILIAR. I smell like orange and strawberry Pez :|

 

I don't think I'll wear this again, because, Pez? What? But I miss Pez now. There's something delightful about eating candy from the decapitated head of a cartoon character.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: acetone, nail-polish remover, but with something sweet that compels me to keep sniffing.

 

On my wrist: The acetone smell burns off very quickly and I get a fleeting impression of something deeper and sweet, a little like vanilla. That doesn't last long.

 

Drydown: Very cool! Extremely fruity candy and playful flowers. It's a very in-your-face scent that won't appeal to everyone, but I love it. I might get a big bottle of this.

 

Maenad met with approval from the boy too, who's usually too cool to comment on my BPAL beyond disparaging remarks like 'That smells like a scented candle' -- when I put my Maenad-enhanced wrist under his nose, he took a big sniff and said 'That is awesome!'

[naeelah]

I don't believe I have this imp any more, so I can't give an in depth review, but I just wanted to give my general impressions.

 

This smelled like an evil strawberry patch. There was a sweet berry (definitely strawberry) element, a green element, and a touch of florals. I don't know if it smells like a real strawberry patch, but that's the comparison that got lodged in my mind. It was very sweet, but I think balanced out by the other notes, so on my skin it wasn't overwhelming.

 

Strikes me as being very similar to Medea, actually.

[dydan]

I got this as a frimp in my recent order from a fellow BPAL'er and I'm glad she sent it my way.

 

In the bottle its almost overwhelmingly strawberry fruity smell. Like most BPAL scents it morphs once it hits my skin into something completely different. The strawberry is still there but its dropped into the background. I'm getting a more spicy floral scent with just a hint of strawberry to sweeten it up. Mama like!!

 

I can envision Jessica Rabbit wearing this scent while she's telling us she's really not bad, just drawn that way. I can be naughty AND nice wearing this one! And that suits my little Gemini heart just fine...

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very sweet and a little bitter or tangy.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells like fruit and a very green stem or leaf scent. It’s very strong and a little bit spicy as well.

 

After a few minutes: The strawberry is strong in this, but it doesn’t seem plasticky on me like a lot of strawberry scents do from other places. It’s very sweet, but there is definitely a flowery undertone deepening the scent. I think it’s the hibiscus, since it seems like a crisper floral as opposed to spicy like the carnation would be.

 

Later on: This has become a fruity and spicy scent. The strawberry is still very evident, but really is “distorted” by the florals in the blend. This is definitely worth another try.

[mspixieears]

Ooh this is yummy – the strawberry reminds me of Hollywood Babylon and Lampades. Oddly enough my skin is not amping the florals which I can barely detect. I thought this was instant love but it grows into something a little too sweet for me.

[Kimbernunk]

I was skeptical of this because I'm not fond of strawberries, but I figured I'd try it and see what happened.

 

This went from smelling sweet and floraly in the imp to smelling like fake strawberry flavored bubble gum on my wrist. After about fifteen minutes the strawberry at least stopped smelling fake, but it's way too sweet for me and I'm really not getting much floral at all.

 

Off to the swap pile for this one I think. I can see where someone into sweet, fruity scents would probably love it.

[MaidenGenevive]

Maenad

 

This smells like sweet candy that quickly turns bitter. The sweetness is a mix of strawberry and orange, the bitterness reminds me of orange rind. Florals chime in, complicating the mix. Overall, it feels like a sweet, yet bitter, floral candy.

 

[2 - Dislike] I'm not too fond of this pairing of fruit with flowers.

[hkhm]

imp: overwhelming hibiscus and strawberry. i think i can detect the carnation as well.

 

wet: the strawberry scent mixes with the carnation and gets sweeter and sweeter. reminds me of what those strawberry shortcake dolls smelled like in the '80's.

 

dry: fades to a soft, yet far-too-sweet strawberry floral. i would have loved this as a little girl but it's far too sweet for me nowadays.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Strawberry

 

Wet: Flowers and strawberry, it's good but unusual. It's very sweet which I love!

 

Drydown: This is great. I don't usually find florals I like as much as this.

3.5 outta 5

[violetflower]

In the bottle: Very strong floral, almost bitter to my nose!

 

Wet on my skin: The strawberry comes through immediately, almost wiping out the strong, bitter-ish floral smell, but then the floral comes back out, but not so strong, or bitter now!

 

As it dries down: Hmm, this is reminding me of something, but I not sure what, it has taken on a bubbly fruity note, but with the dark bitterness lurking in the background

 

Dry: Sweet and Fruity! It is actually really nice now, but I am not sure I want to go through that wet stage every time I wear it! It will probably put me off reaching for it.....

 

I literally used a tiny bit to skin test, and it is quite strong, so a little of this will go a long way!!

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: fruity like bubblegum fruity, with an unpleasant cheese-like afternote. hmmm.

 

wet on skin: more of the same! only stronger!

 

dry down: mellowed a bit, but still has an unpleasant undernote to it. like feta cheese under a big pile of juicy fruit gum.

 

in all: not pleasant on me in the LEAST. off to swap!

 

 

 

[steelxrose]

Maenad

 

JOYGASM! Sweetness of berries fresh from the vine in the bottle. On my skin, SWEEET, SWEET, SWEET! I couldn't tell the different notes, and am pleased to find that strawberries are in this. There was quite a throw to this, and it lasted for a good four hours. A definite keeper.

 

(Albeit I cannot slather, as that managed to give me a headache.)

[steelgossamer]

In the bottle: Sweet and fruity with a touch of floral

 

Wet: Oh god, sickeningly sweet! Get it off get it off! First time I've ever run to the bathroom to wash off a scent. Ugh, too too sweet like Pez fresh out of the wrapper. Awful

 

I didn't get to the drydown because the sweetness was simply too much for me. I can still smell it some and I do not like it.

 

I hate when something that sounds so good smells so awful on me. This goes in the swap pile.

[willowtreeling]

This smells like strawberry candy with a bit of the candy edge taken off, probably by the other ingredients...i don't recognize the other scents, but the super sweet aroma is tempered a bit--it does smell a bit like a non-smoky Hollywood Babylon. It also reminds me of strawberry chapstick.

 

I like it--I smell like a mellow Strawberry Shortcake doll, but i would like a tarter strawberry scent, I think. I don't think I would buy a big bottle but I could see this as a scent that a high school willowtreeling would have loved!

Edited January 25, 2008 by willowtreeling

[persephanise]

Hee!

 

I got this as a frimp from the lab, opened it, sniffed it, and threw it in the swap pile. I didn't try it on becuase it smelled kind of weird in the imp.

 

Today I was reading some reviews that mentioned Maenad as being a strwberry scent and I thought to myself, "Wel, heck, why not go back and give it a shot?"

 

So I just tried it on, and after a few minutes it smelled of sweet candy. Oddly familiar....

 

And then I read another reviewers take on it: strawberry pez! It is! it's totally strawberry Pez!!

 

I'm sure I won't want to smell like strawberry pez particularly often, but sometimes I am in the mood for ridiculous things like that. Plus, I bet it will be fun to layer. With Bless? With O?

 

It's definitely a fun, lighthearted scent. I put a tiny dab on my wrist and that is STRONG! I'm excited to have found another scent to play with.

 

I may even get a bottle of this. Just because it's so much *fun*.

[angharad]

At first, Maenad is super-strong and gag-inducing. One of these notes is just WRONG to my nose -- sour, stale, and completely off-putting. But I resisted washing it off right away, hoping the strawberry would come out to play...and after half an hour or so, she did! Such a sweet, bright strawberry. This scent is strongest at initial application but still has about average throw when the strawberry comes out. Unfortunately she doesn't have much staying power -- the scent was completely gone after an hour.

[gchris]

In Vial: smells like something sweet mixed with some kind of pepper

 

On Skin: Now I smell the strawberries. The blend of this smells like bubblegum. I smell something a bit darker kind of herbal and astringent. The gum scent morphed out really fast.

 

Later: Smells like strawberry soap. It very much has a fake strawberry scent. Reminds me of something a little girl would wear.

[maribouquet]

Carnation and orange blossom are prominent to begin with, and then the strawberry picks up and gives this a candied flower smell. It is very strong at first, and though it calms down considerably into something pleasantly fruity, overall it's too sweet for me.

[bellacalla]

I agree with those who say it smells like a kids toy. The first thing I thought of was Strawberry Shortcake the doll/character. It's like a fake strawberry smell with a hint of plastic. I don't hate it as it really reminds me of childhood, but I definitely don't want to smell like a strawberry scratch n' sniff sticker every day.

[lilirose]

Wet: bitter and fruity.

 

Dry: so sweet it makes my teeth ache. more fruity than floral, to me. Not really unnatural, but very candy-ish. Sort of “tutti-fruitti” for lack of a better description.

 

This is another one that is "nice but not really my thing".