Annabel Lee

[blueroses]

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me -
Yes! - that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we -
Of many far wiser than we -
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

A soft, innocent blend, touched with a funereal, gloom-filled air: wild peony, sweet pea, cucumber and white sage with sea lilies and moss.

In the bottle, I smell sage and cucumber right off the bat.

On: This is very light and pretty. Cucumber is one of my favorite notes, and with the moss it balances out what would be perfumy floral blend. The cucumber and moss give me a fresh, green impression.

This is a definite keeper, but I'm saving it for spring.

[coulrophobe]

Annabel Lee is a soft, pretty floral - I can definitely pick out the sweet pea and peony. I often have a problem with cucumber going sour on my skin, but it's behaving nicely, and the sage/moss notes provide a base that's pleasantly green, but not too sharp. I agree that this is a fresh scent, not a heavy or perfumy floral. Very well-blended and springy - the mental picture I'm getting is sprays of pink flowers with dew-covered greenery. Quite lovely!

[Imbrium]

Oh, wow! I mean - wow! This is so perfect!

 

It smells, initially like straight sweet pea - but a very light sweet pea.

As it dries, it smells - green, and herbal, though it doesn't scream sage. I catch whiffs of something like a sweeter Amsterdam - I think that's peony - and something keeps it from just turning too sweet and floral.

Hours later, this has the same, faintly cucumbery quality of Blue Moon - really lovely.

This is beautiful: a really clean, girly scent that's not too floral.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Imbrium

[Lorencita]

This is really perfect. Such a clean girly scent. This is something that will smell good on everyone! The peony is perfect here (my favorite floral) I love the clean, almost soapy quality (but not soapy at all) I have another bottle on the way

[Lycanthrope]

Definitely green, sweet... possibly what I was hoping Aeval would be on me but isn't! It has the same fresh, plant-like, wet aroma that Aeval has at first without the blast of sage that soon follows and overwhelms. After the initial leafy cucumber passes, I get a whiff of light, airy floral that hovers... maybe a touch of jasmine-like white floral over this green, wet, youthful base. The drydown retains maybe a touch, a faint brush of herbal sage. Yes, it's very feminine and airy, so that means I won't be wearing it out... but hoarding and using at home.

[CapricornSister]

I'm in heaven! This is a dreamy white, light scent. Wet, I get the cucumber and sweet pea the most. The moss comes out in the background on the drydown, but it is very subtle. I can't pinpoint the other notes well.

Definitely an innocent, wispy perfume. Very comforting. Bravo Beth!

[LiberAmoris]

Annabel Lee is so lovely. On me it's a haunting blend of sweet pea, peony, sage, cucumber and oakmoss, in that order of prominence. It has a sea-swept, moonlit, unfulfilled quality to it that matches its inspiration perfectly. The overall effect on me is a dreamy light floral with green, sea-brine soaked undertones. It also has the feeling of being carried on air---it feels open and drifting rather than pent up and compressed.

 

I cannot stop sniffing myself, it's just such a pretty and sad blend. It smells like longing.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: cucumber, and peony

 

wet: what an intresting scent. cucumber, peony, sweet pea. but really it is sweet, almost innocent in nature.

 

as it dries: this one doesn't morph a whole lot. it is a gorgeous blend of soft pink florals, not candy pink, but a soft floral pink. the cucumber lends it a juicy clean air. that keeps it from being cloyingly pink flowers. there is a hint of something i want to call aquatic but it is not water like. possibly this is the sea lilies? this secnt can be summed up in one word. soft. not soft as in barely there, but soft as in feminine softness, like a young girl just reaching womanhood, full of innocence, softeness,and hope for the future.

[UltraViolet]

4

 

In the bottle

Wow so fresh and lovely smelling, the same sort of vibe as Blue Moon to me but not really the same of course.

 

On

This is lovely, the cucumber and wild peony are what I smell primarily. The sage and is there but lightly and the rest are like whisps of scent atop everything else.

 

30 minutes

Becomes more soft and powdery floral with lashings of cucumbery freshness.

Ohh.

 

Throw:

more than average

 

Scent category:

Floral

 

Summary

This so perfectly encapsulates "Annabel Lee".

It's fresh sea air smell with a white floral perfume.

Good lord.

 

Purchase again?

Yes.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

Edited November 28, 2005 by UltraViolet

[joseybird]

99% of the time, when I say that a perfume smells like Irish Spring, I'm not too hot on it. And yet I can honestly say that Annabel Lee *does* smell reminiscent of (girlie) Irish Spring, but in the best way possible.

 

(I should also mention that within 5 minutes of opening the box, this oil had recieved two compliments, as I offered two curious women a sniff from the bottle and they both loved it).

 

The sweet pea, peony, and cucumber and the most evident notes in the blend (I especially recognize sweet pea from Juliet), and they-oh happy day!--do *not* go nasty or sharp on me. The sage adds a "grassy" note to the blend, making the florals feel fresher, more "alive." The cucumber smells like morning dew. It has a very aquatic feel, but more like dew than bodies of water.

 

This is so sweet and innocent and girly without being "little girl" *IN THE LEAST* THIS is what I imagine Ingenue smells like (I've sadly never tried that blend).

[darkling]

Annabel Lee is predominately sweet pea in the vial and on my skin. The sweet pea note is very gentle and innocent. There is not hint of cucumber or moss which makes me very sad as I love those notes.

 

Over time, this scent becomes too floral for my tastes; lilly may be the culprit. Anything reminiscent of the sea never appears.

 

This scent seems to work well with other people's skin chemistry so I know it will find a good home elsewhere.

[gingersnapp]

This is a GORGEOUS floral. Peony and sweet pea are strongest on my skin, and it's absolutely beautiful. The cucumber and sage round it out softly so it's not all florals.

 

This is delicate and feminine and innocent, and I love it love it love it!

[tempete]

Annabel Lee starts out as an incredibly sweet floral on me, and guessing from past experience, I would blame either or both sweet pea and peony. As the scent dries down, the cucumber note emerges and tames down the sweetness of the floral opening. Annabel Lee is actually quite nice once the initial sweet floral burst has subsided, so I think that I will hold onto my decant for me, but I doubt that I would get a bottle.

[aidenraine]

Ready to snif the imp: Oh my, it's some kind of incredibly sweet candy. What is this? It's so familar. It's fresh and comforting.

 

Alright, ready for the wrist: I get grassy and sweetness, a lot of sweetness. It's sugary, like easter grass really. I feel like I'm in the kids' cereal section of a supermarket chain. It smells kinda like sugar, water, and artificial flavoring.

 

Woooo man, the sweetness is coupling with the fact that I've eaten a ton of candy today is enough to make me yarf... Oooog.

 

I'm getting strong perfume from this now and I'm betting it's the lilies.

Sugar and perfume.

 

The scent dries to a bit of a mossy-floral. Hmmm not really growing on me.

[Northernminx]

I love this one. Soft and fresh with a touch of mossy floral and a slight hint of cucumber and fresh grasses. Gorgeous, pretty, feminine and somewhat aquatic without being watery. Definite keeper for me.

[PurringPulsar]

Annabel Lee

 

In the imp: sweet pea and cucumber. A fresh, pretty, soft floral.

Wet on skin: pretty lilies, sweet pea, and maybe sage and peony.

Dry: this is a gorgeous scent. A very light, feminine scent of gentle, delicate florals and a slight hint of green and a fresh touch of cucumber. Very pretty and soft, yet with a strong floral punch. It’s also very pastel coloured; it gives an impression of pinks and baby blues and light greens. It’s lovely. It also reminds me of something that I can’t remember now…

After a while: now I remember what this reminds me of-it’s Juliet. Maybe Aeval as well. This scent is now downy soft and quite creamy. The cucumber is stronger now as well. It also reminds me of a body lotion I’ve smelt elsewhere. I also get a slight hint of something aquatic and marine…

Verdict: this is such a beautiful scent. Another wonderful feminine floral scent from the Poe collection, this one is soft and almost creamy in feel, it is a gentle yet heady blend of sweet pea, lily, peony and a bit of sage and cucumber. It is floaty and light, almost downy soft, and a little bit aquatic. It seems like a perfect spring scent. I may eventually get a bottle of this, but I’m still unsure. I’ll definitely keep the decant though!

[SeaMonkey]

This is a very beautiful, sad floral. In the imp, I smell peony.

 

On my skin, its cucumber, sweet pea, and moss.

 

Its sweet and sad at the same time. It smells like something I've smelled before, but can't place, like a memory I'm trying to remember.

[cupide430]

Sweet, fresh, and soapy at first. Almost violet-y on me at first. The soapy-violet-y bit goes away fairly quickly and what is left is a very sweet floral. It is quite fresh and quite strong. It has pretty good staying power, so far. This would make a good fresh spring scent.

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Indescribable. Fruit? Flowers? Fruity Flowers? Creamy delicious juicy flowers.

 

Dry: Smells like jasmine, but I guess it's the peony. It's sweet and luscious. The tinge of sage and cucumber behind it balances it and gives it some bite, but it is mostly a sweet floral.

[Loligo]

I have no idea what sea lilies are, but if I see that note in anything else, I will snap it up immediately. I get a faint salty tang from this that I *never* get from supposedly "marine" perfumes, which just end up smelling like detergent on me. Peony and sage are the most prominent notes at first, but within half an hour sweet pea and cucumber have moved to the top, with that gentle ocean scent whispering around the edges. So unique and lovely. The sweet pea is just a *touch* too strong for me to want to buy more of this, but I'm so happy that I have this imp.

[spanishviolet]

The description of this sounded lighter than I normally go for, but it lingered in my head & wouldn't go away till I ordered it. Fresh out of the box today:

 

Wow. This is light and sweet. I get the sweet pea & peony, with underpinnings of cucumber, and it's all beautiful. Innocent and demure. I'm looking forward to wearing this a lot in the spring, and am definitely glad I got a bottle. Not my usual sort of thing, but probably the most perfect example of its kind. And I think I really like sweet pea ...

[DiamondHeart]

SQUEEE MY POE IS FINALLY HERE!!

 

First sniff: OOOH! It's so beautiful- I'm in love! It screams second bottle!

 

Wet: Maybe third.

 

*sniffsniff* Ok, definitely third. This is wonderful!!

 

So GOOD! I love it. Beth, you are a goddess and I love you!!!

 

~Diamond~

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Cucumber and sage. I wonder what the difference between regular sage and white sage is - it seems to be a bit lighter, and a bit less herbal. There's definitely a nice mossy background that I think adds the gloom perfectly. The peony is faint but present, like fading innocence, or innocence fading in a memory.

 

On me: Cucumber, peony and an undertone of corn tortilla? Call me crazy but that's what I get from this blend. Corn tortilla! Nevertheless, I like it! It's a bit watery (I blame the sweet pea for this) and a bit commercial (I don't know why I think that, but it does seem rather commercial) but it's lovely and innocent. It reminds me a bit of Desdemona, so perhaps after 'A Demon In My View' is no longer available that would be a good substitute for those looking to replace their much-loved Annabels.

[zenvodunista]

gently sweet, innocent, slightly briny, and ethereal, this perfume perfectly captures the beautiful and dead Annabel Lee. i cannot seperate her notes, but she smells like the poem. i sniff it and i see the ocean with bright moonlight on the waves, and a man sleeping on top of a tomb, dreaming of his lost love.

 

it smells wistful to me. damp, and cool.

 

i love this! i was the most excited for this, and for Lenore, and i'm so glad they both work so well on me.

 

n.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - this is very green smelling. I get sweet pea and peony and something with the tiniest bit of spice to it; probably the white sage.

 

Dry - Mmm….cucumber. I forgot how much I like the scent of cucumber. Ah yes, sage too. I find myself liking this quite a bit, even though I am not particularly fond of sweet pea. Annambel Lee is my second favorite Poe poem, and I was sad when I saw the notes and thought I would hate it. This entire collection has been full of pleasant surprises like this. I just might pick up a bottle of this evenutally, and will certainly hang on to the imp.

 

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