The Peacock Queen

[Incendiare]

In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred.

2011: Now, I love rose, but I will admit that Beth's roses can be a little iffy on me. Some are too heady, too sour, too sharp, but Peacock Queen is a beaut. It really truly is a fresh rose. Nothing more. This year's smells even fresher than last year, and a bit closer to Rose Red. Like Rose Red without the stems. Peacock Queen 2011 jives well with my skin chemistry too. Wet, it isn't going sour or anything, nor does it amp like crazy. It's simple and beautiful. All rose fans have to try this.

[ajansuz]

Rose Red 2010 was my go-to rose perfume until I bought Peacock Queen 2011. I still love Rose Red, with its greenery beneath the floral, but Peacock Queen has to be the purest, most true to nature rose scent I've ever had the pleasure of wearing. It's not a morpher on my skin chemistry at all. From bottle to skin, the scent stays the same, lush, fresh, gorgeous red rose. The throw is phenomenal. The staying power is for hours and hours. When I sleep in this, my bed holds the scent after I'm up and about. I love it. No soap. No grandma associations. Just grand and glorious rose.

 

5/5

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

In the decant: A lovely red rose.

 

Wet: Haughty indeed--she's going to powder on me, oh noes.

 

The dry-down: Rather disappointing, this. The Queen doesn't like me, but that's no surprise. I give her a chance every year. This year she's sour rose powder. There's some kind of amber in here, I'm betting. Scent locket to the rescue!

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): This is a red-violet rose in full bloom. The scent certainly does smell like lush, velvety petals. It’s gorgeous!

 

Wet: Yum, I still get a full bloom rose from this, although now I smell just a hint of the thorny steam and rigged green under petals.

 

Dry: Rose comes through as pure, velvety, with just a hint of greenness. I do get a sense of haughtiness from it and I like this scent for this take on rose. I just wish it lingered a bit longer.

[84trillion]

This smells exactly like Queen Helene Mud Masque. ... That being said, I don't really know if I like it, even being a big fan of rose. It's very simple, almost light, and very pure - but not for me.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: A warm, slightly soapy rose. Very femme, very classic.

 

Wet: Classic, sharp, feminine rose. Miraculously, it doesn't go soapy on me, although something in it is.. a little bit old-lady?

 

Dry: Sharp, green rose, the 'classic' rose scent. Doesn't go soapy on me, which is GREAT (and rare!), but it's such an unadulterated hothouse rose that I'm not sure I'm head-over-heels for it. I much prefer the walking-in-the-garden rose scents, or the licorice-y or the fruity ones. Still, the description is dead on for this!

[Withjoy]

The Peacock Queen 2012

 

Whoa! When I first put this scent on it blew me away with ROSE. It felt pure, but at the same time overblown. This is an old-fashioned rose bush you'd find growing beside a gravestone in an old cemetery. (I don't mean that the cemetery is part of the scent, it's just that often the heritage or antique roses can be found in very old cemeteries. The bushes were planted before big companies got into hybridizing!) Anyway - the Queen smells like a flower that has blown (completely opened up) and is on the edge of dying. The scent is heavy, but fades a bit as it dries.

 

After ten minutes or so, I'm starting to get an "old lady powder" feel. Hopefully that will go away, because I really want to have a rose scent that doesn't have any of the greenery notes that Rose Red has.

[lavenderfrost]

(Decant of the 2012 release.)

 

Oh dear God, this one is amazing. I love roses and thought I had my quota filled with my 5ml of The Rose and imps of Rose Red and Harlot - hahaha! I'm going to have to scrounge to buy a 5ml of this before it goes away, because HOLY CRAP.

 

I won't go to the trouble of typing out a description of the phases of the scent, because it stays pretty true the entire time. It's a perfectly full bloom straight from the florist's refrigerators, less greenery than Rose Red or The Rose, but still very chilly. Definitely haughty, it knows how gorgeous it is and it will make damned sure the world knows it too.

Edited December 4, 2012 by lavenderfrost

[paintednightsky]

2012 decant

 

Smell like a velvety, fresh rose. Not as much of the greenery in the beginning as the Red Rose. More voluptuous. Reminds me of full-bodied, quality roses-received and from mother's garden, not the weak/cheap roses that barely smell from a grocery store. I prefer this version more than Red Rose and am considering buying a full bottle.

[becca_s]

This is a decant of the 2012 version, I have never tried Peacock Queen before so I can't compare it to other years versions. This is a very true and pure rose scent, probably the most realistic rose scent that I have smelt from BPAL. I have been looking for a rose scent that works on me for ages, and it looks like this is the one the only problem is that it seems to fade pretty quickly.

[DJ Sin]

In bottle:

wow rose!

 

Wet:

overwhelmingly blooming rose mixed with myrrh and lotus! (to be honest I was wearing a faded Black Lotus on my wrist while I put the Peacock Queen on my upper arm)

The combination is very interesting. I think they play well off each other.

 

Dry:

Very much rose, It reminds me of old rose perfume that I used to have as a child. To be honest, rose isn't my favorite scent, however I have fond memories of it and yet bad memories associate with the note. My first experience with the labs rose note was when I tried on The Churchyard (I love it btw, but the rose is quiet in that one. So its interesting to try a pure "in your face" rose perfume!

 

Throw:

After 2 and half hours it still smells like the wet stage on me.

 

Additional Thoughts:

I may layer this one with Belladonna to ground the rose out more or add it to the Churchyard to bring some of the rose back it that blend. Since I think this is one oil that I can't wear it alone.

 

 

(Edited to add my latest findings)

 

Still going strong!

and it morphs!! Wonderfully!

Rose is still there, lightly but it turned to spice with a hint of chilliness to it. (clove? cinnamon? maybe...)

 

I may have to buy a bottle after all! Going to try it again tomorrow with out any other oil added and see if it morphs the same way again.

 

1.12.2013 update

Peacock Queen (alone)

Did not morph into the wonderful scent I was smelling on the first day upon its drydown

Still debating on bottle of this one.

Edited January 12, 2013 by DJ Sin

[zeldaZ4]

ITI: Delicious rose, not so much fresh, but that of the old Rose Milk hand lotion. My grandmother always had a bottle on her dresser. When I was a little girl we would watch the Rose Parade on New Year's. Rose Milk was one of the sponsors, and I always associated it with the lovely, smiling Rose Queen waving proudly from her float.

 

On Skin: Wet, something vaguely woody starts to emerge behind the rosiness. The thorns? Dry, it stays true to my initial impression. A rich rose with something solid behind it.

 

Sadly, I am beginning to believe that my skin eats rose. I love the scent passionately, but it fades quickly. This one and Lil' Menes' Feline Entertainments are making me wish even more that the Zodiac Scent Lockets would come back soon!

[milo]

Haughty, but lush beautiful rose at first. This dries down to a rose soap to me, kind of like the molded rose soaps that were only used for guests. This incarnation is not working on me.

[PumpkinGuts]

As far as roses go, this one is deep red and velvety. Very realistic, sensual, mature without being "old lady floral".

If you're into rose, you need this.

[yakiguri]

I've only recently started rediscovering and falling in love with rose, and I'm glad I chanced a bottle of The Peacock Queen unsniffed. I agree that this is a bright, lush, thick red rose, and I also somehow get the notion of dewiness though, like a freshly watered bloom. No soapiness or high-pitchededness anywhere. I don't know how Beth does it, but I'm utterly in love.

 

EDIT: This is for the 2012 version.

Edited January 26, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[venusinfurs]

I love Rose Red and thought nothing could beat it as far as rose scents go, until I tried Peacock Queen! It's not a scent that really morphs, just a gorgeous, sexy, rich, almost spicy rose. Much warmer and less sharp and green than Rose Red. No soapy floral or grandma smell in this one. It's one of my favorites...might even replace my old standby Smut on valentines day this year!

[Thimbleviolet]

In the bottle: Rose syrup. That rich, turkish delight fruity rose scent. A little sweet. Reminds me of a climbing rose, deep velvet red, that grew on a wall near where I used to live.

 

On the skin: The sweetness disappears. This is a heady rose, a little darker and definitely haughty.

 

Drydown: My wrists eat it up in a matter of minutes. However, the oil I put in my hair is still there and I catch whiffs of it throughout the day. It's cooler now, and less fruity. Almost feels as if there is some other floral note in there I can't quite catch.

 

Verdict: The best of Beth's Rose scents I've had the chance to try so far. I like it better than Rose Red, Snooty Rose and Black Rose. The SO complimented it too, and noticed that is was different to my other floral scents. If only it had a bit more throw and staying power!

[brilliantcat]

Well, it's rose so I don't have high hopes as rose and I often battle (with rose winning). Yep, that's rose all right. It's fresh rose petals and a very realistic rose scent. Very slightly soapy. This is unapologetic rose, in-your-face rose, it screams "I AM THE ROSE QUEEN, I CAN DO ANYTHING". And it's definitely not for me

[Atrous]

2013 version:

This one doesn't morph at all. Its a lush, heady, fresh rose. A deep red, haughty rose.

It starts out that way in the decant and stays that way through to the dry down. Nice throw too.

I'm very pleased.

[zankoku_zen]

2013

 

Lush, red roses. Big, blooming, red rose scent.

 

Heady, womanly, rose.

[sunlitgarden]

(2010 version)

 

Wow, how have I not reviewed Peacock Queen before? It's one of my top rose scents, and I'm a big rose lover.

 

This bottle has aged for several years now. Now, in the bottle, there's an almost chocolatey note. Rose Red is another of my favorite rose scents, but to contrast, that one has a juicy tartness to it, which isn't present here. Peacock Queen is more like a wine. It doesn't smell like wine, exactly, but evokes the rich ruby thick sweetness.

 

On my skin it's pretty much pure velvety red rose. I feel just like I'm sticking my face into a dark red rose flower, even with the almost "fuzzy" texture of the petals as my nose brushes against them. It's almost magical. [Note, I reviewed it without looking at the description again -- I had forgotten that it had the word velvet in it. It really does smell velvety!]

 

If a rose was made into a wine, it would be Peacock Queen. (As a side note, since it's called Peacock Queen, and peahens are fairly plain, I'm imagining a fabulously pretty villain sipping the rose-wine, while imagining evil plans of world domination. Smexy. )

Edited January 26, 2014 by sunlitgarden

[HerbGirl]

I am SO smart...but late.

I got a decant last year...just put some on tonight and i really hope this comes back this year because woah i am smart now and will buy a bottle, or two.

This rose is everything a rose perfume should be. I love Rose Red for her bright, crisp dewy loveliness, and i love Peacock Queen for being her sexy, voluptuous older sister. Wow...this is beautiful, true velvety rose scent and i love it.

[doomsday_disco]

2007 version.

 

In the decant: The description matches perfectly. This is a voluptuous red rose.

Wet: Yep, a very haughty red rose. It isn't as sharp as Rose Red, which is more of a fresh rose note with more greenery. This is a haughty rose with large, velvety petals.

Dry: Same, but softer now.

Much later: Ah, I definitely get the 'thorns' now. This was tagged with 'red amber' on the Lab's website (even though the note wasn't listed in the description), and now I know why! Rose and amber!

Verdict: I enjoyed this one a lot more than Rose Red. I don't feel the need to hunt down a bottle of it, but I may grab one if it returns in a future Yule update.

Edited December 3, 2015 by dementia_divine

[VagueInnuendo]

Bottle: Wow. Velvety rose petals in full bloom. A very true rose accord, without any of the youth or greenery of Rose Red.

 

Wet: Much the same, just a touch sweeter on my skin. I smell like I've been rolling in rose petals.

 

On the dry down: Oh no no no what is this? Stale buttered popcorn. I'm so sad, this is still lovely rose a few centimetres from my wrist, but it's throwing something altogether different. Dammit.

[LizziesLuck]

2010

 

Beautiful pure red rose on me. Sometimes rose (especially red) goes soapy on me, but not this, it stays true. The only reason I still debating whether to snag a bottle if it's released again this year, is the fact that I do like white rose better than red, and I have accumulated a fair amount of rose scents. I still may cave and get a bottle, as this is truly a beautiful pure red rose scent.