The Peacock Queen

[Shollin]

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.

First sniff: This will come as a shock to no one, but the Peacock Queen is, of course, All About Rose. She’s a little more haughty, a little less velvety – and a little more powdery – than Rose Red. There’s a bit of greenness to her too.

Wearing: I’m fortunate to have two Holy Grail rose scents – Rose Red and Two, Five and Seven. I don’t often feel the need to smell like a rose, so I suspect those two are all I’ll ever need. The Peacock Queen is a bit too cold for my taste.

[medvssa]

In the imp it smells of voluptuous red roses. Not pink, not innocent. It is just rose, but on me, this has a sharp and acrid undertone, like a green note but strange, much different than form the vial.

 

My skin seems to swallow it. It smells a bit weird. After a while, I smell a bit more, but seems to turn powdery.

 

I think that, for some reason, this is an unsuccesful rose scent on me... sadly.

[storme]

In the imp: mmm, soft, damp rich red rose.

 

On me, wet: this is still a very pure, very deep and sweet ripe red rose note. If there's anything else in this at all, it's maybe a little bit of green rose stem sap.

 

On me, dry: yup, still that ripe, mature rose scent - this is a rose *just* at that moment of full maturity before it starts to wither and rot.

 

Verdict: This is a very pure rose - maybe too pure to wear as is, for me. In fact, I bet this would be excellent for layering experiments. Hmm....

[Elrianra]

Roses, deep red roses in their full bloom absolute pour out of this bottle. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. On me, it's wet red roses with dew glittering off the petals. If wine were so sweet, I'd drink it by the gallon. As it dries, this goes heady robust sweet wine-dark roses. I could get drunk off this scent and never want to come down again, absolute heaven as this rolls up and down my arms, coyingly curling around me and just sucking me down. It warms up to sunshine and red roses - this is just... ROSES!!! WHEEE~ On the die down, it softens to honey and roses, no longer the imperial reds and crimsons but a softer velvet-y amber toned red rose.

I cannot stress enough how lovely this is. Just... heavenly. I'm in bliss.

Edited May 23, 2006 by Elri

[ariesathena]

I suppose there isn't really much to add to the other reviews. It's rose. It's the perfect rose. I've been searching for a good rose scent, one that isn't too sweet, isn't too soft and powdery and I have finally found it. This smells exactly like the fresh roses on my desk. It's far more mature than most of the other rose scents I've smelled. This one brings to mind images of a sophisticated woman in a little black cocktail dress sniffing a bouquet of freshly cut dark red roses. And perhaps pricking her finger on one of the thorns.

[eviltemptressdq]

it seems I've been searching forever for a perfume that duplicates what it actually smells like when you have someone give you roses... and this scent is IT.

 

First, I'm in love with the art on this bottle... I can't stop admiring it! Then, well, the scent? It really is the TRUE rose scent I was after. Strong and... thick? Nobody gives me roses... and, well, technically I'm more into non-traditional flowers... but the SMELL. I love it SO much. This is quite possibly my all time favorite BPAL to date!!

[edenssixthday]

The Peacock Queen is one of my biggest disappointments from my Yule/DiMV purchases. With words like "blood red, voluptuous, velvet, haughty and imperious, vain, thick, etc." in the description, I thought for certain this would be a rose I could go to the grave with. Then, when I heard the rave reviews from others over The Peacock Queen, I got more and more excited about it. While it is a beautiful, deep, and true rose, it is incredibly subtle both on my skin and in a scent locket. I even went back and doused the cotton locket pad with several more drops of the oil, and it's still indiscernible despite the fact that the locket is resting on my chest, directly under my nose. I can't smell the scent unless I shove the locket directly in front of my nose. As pretty as the scent is at that point, I would hardly call this "vain, haughty, voluptuous, etc." It's weak and impotent, and probably my least favorite among all of BPAL's roses.

[gloom bear]

Oh yeah, I'm going to have to track down a bottle of this. With a single sniff this validated all the swaps/purchases I arranged in the last 2 weeks for BPAL imps before smelling a single one. My rose quest ends here. It starts off as nothing but roses and it stays that way on me...and lasts a good while too. It's the most fabulous rich, warm, rose scent. Not a young girly rose smell…more womanly but definitely short of crotchety old lady. It makes me think of an afternoon spent sitting in an English Queen's garden. Good throw and lasts well. Don't forsee anything that can knock this baby off the pedestal. I couldn't ask anything more...except for it to be in the GC.

Edited November 29, 2007 by gloom & doom bear

[dragonryder]

Very much the rose, but with a twist of green.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Dark, fresh red roses.

 

On me: This smells almost like Rose Red to me, but definitely more mature and darker. This is a really rich and velvety rose. Mmm.

 

Verdict: I love this, but I think I still love Rose Red more. Still, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a bottle of this gorgeous rose scent.

 

Rating: 5/5

[Eunice]

I am in love with the Lab's rose scents and this is another winner. Very very red and sweet and with a green ending. Rose Red is more rosey and flamboyant than The Peacock Queen but The Peacock Queen is all about elegance and haughtiness. This is a rose scent with thorns.

[elfmaiden]

This smells perfectly like a bunch of cold roses sitting on your table.

 

It doesn't change much on my skin which I'm thankful for and when I wear it, I can definitely get the "haughty and vain" vibes from it. It's such a pure rose you really don't need anything at all with it.

 

I have to hunt a bottle in my next pay...

 

Jenn

[kunoichi]

From the bottle, this is a surprisingly soft and gentle blend, perhaps of rose and something a little citrus- or herbal-scented as the scent is sweet and a little spiky. On my skin, the rose comes through a little stronger, but it’s still got that citrus/herbal-like edge to it - but I have to hold my wrist very close to my nose to get the full scent! The smell doesn’t seem to more, just get softer... After a couple of hours on my skin, this is a sweetness so soft and gentle that is just a breath of fragrance against my skin, which practically vanishes....

[sofiaviolet]

In the imp: Pure rose. Kind of an English rose, if that makes sense. More powdery and delicate, less wet and sensual (that's Rose Red).

 

On me: A very powdery rose. It's pretty. But it's making me sneeze. Stupid allergies.

 

Verdict: I'd keep it if I wasn't allergic.

[juniperus]

Bottle: rose, but sharp..not a green sharp, tho.

Wet: the sharpness reminds me of the fake-rose in cheap bath products. It's clearly not, but it's really calling that scent-memory.

Dry: I can't put my finger on the note that's making this so harsh for me. the rose is sweet, but this bitter sharpness isn't a counterbalance so much as an additional irritation. it's really getting me in the sinus.

Later: and it's almost totally gone in a very short time...hm. oh well.

[phedre]

This one doesn't change on me a bit. From bottle to skin to dry down, it's pure rose. And not a sleepy old english rose, this is a bouquet of long stemmed, perfect red roses, complete with baby's breath and lush greenery.

 

Conclusion: Once in a while scent, not something I'll wear often.

 

Update: Tried this a few more times and fell in love with it! It took some time to grow on me, but now it's one of my top 10.

Edited December 28, 2006 by phedre

[Gin]

Peacock Queen -

 

Wow, this is red rose? I would have sworn it was white. White and chilly. Fresh, cold roses (similar to, but minus the "juiciness" of Rose Red) on a marble table.

[fairy]

Reading these reviews got me a little sad because I am a huge fan of the rose smells..oddly I can't smell this AT ALL. In the bottle I smell air. First dab, nothing, second dab, nothing, third dab (more of a slather at this point) I smell the faintest rose somewhere in the distance, like I put it on yesterday or something.

 

I dont know if I got a wonky decant or if it just went bad. Or maybe my nose just needs a break from all the sniffing I've been doing lately. But I wish I smelled this one. It sounds so lovely judging by the description and reviews :/

 

Edited to add...as time passes I've noticed it does get a little bit more noticeable. Hooray! So give this one time to settle...

Edited August 9, 2006 by maddi

[strangemusic]

Acquired via swap.

 

...man, y'all. I'm such a rose whore.

 

Just so you know, the first time I'd ever seen the description for PQ was yesterday, 2 September-- well after I'd written up my review. Here's what I wrote down: Mmmmmm... proud, haughty rose, with a sullen tang; showy, much like a male peacock's fan. This, to me, is rose as teenager- you can see the growth, but there are still flashes of untutored inelegance, the yearning for experience.

 

I get more rose sachet/high-quality rose soap as this dries, as well as a hint of rose attar... the real thing, which is a bit difficult on the ol' sniffer. Strangely enough, this scent doesn't extend far beyond my idea of my personal space, and truthfully, why would it? This is not a rose for the hoi polloi.

 

Very feminine, but she's a bit cold... and I don't entirely think her haughty demeanor is deserved.

 

C&P from my LJ, dated 2 Sep 2006 and slightly edited/expanded

[Dinerdulcinea]

Nahhhhhhhh...this turns to cheap rose on me (and a very strong one).

 

Methinks I have to be careful with those rose scents. I seem to do well with them if they are in just the right amount in a blend with other things...but I often get "dead rotting rose" or "cheap dimestore rose" when the rose is very strong or by itself.

 

Swaps, awaaaaay!!!

[jasmine]

Mystique, thy name is BPAL. Even before opening the vial, I really, really want to like this scent due to having a peacock friend. My review may be slightly skewed as a result, so consider yourself forewarned.

 

It smells like roses on the wand and roses on my wrist -- not the dark, earth-accompanied roses of Zombi, but a lighter bouquet. There is something else in the background, but I can’t figure out what it is. I feel that this scent has a “perfumey” quality that Zombi lacked, a bit less believability, but it’s still recognizably and firmly rose. (I just tried Zombi yesterday, and it’s a very convincing rose, so the comparisions come easily.)

 

This melts rapidly into my wrist, to my dismay. There is throw, but it has a subtlety I hadn’t expected.

 

...I wrote that, and then I discovered that Peacock Queen was just taking her time. She has now blossomed back out in firm and appropriate force, doubtlessly because I dared to write something so inappropriate about her. Now, she is a lady with presence. I don’t think this is a pure rose scent, but there is no sense of layering -- whatever the other scent might be, it’s very supportive of the rose, and the rose is entirely and beautifully dominant. It must be a hint of some other flower. (I wish I owned Pride for a comparison, as narcissus seems terribly appropriate to the description, but I don’t know what narcissus smells like.) Now the rose is swirling around me. That’s neat.

 

I wore Peacock Queen to work, and it lasted detectably over ten hours -- not merely “detectably” as in “I sniff my wrist and there it is” but in the sense of “oh, what’s that nice smell? Wait, it’s me! Yay!” It was lovely.

 

This scent seems like an “everyday” rose scent to me. I would be content wearing this to work, to a casual dinner, or to the movies, but for a night on the town, I would reach for something with more sultriness. By any other name, I think that I’d smile at my imp and be content; however, by this name, I’m tracking down the bottle, even though this is a limited edition scent. Go figure.

[supremegoddessofall]

Ooh, this is another good rose on me! It's less "wet" than Rose Red, but just as pretty. More rose love!

[azhure]

In the vial: Faint roses. I'm surprised by the faintness - I always expect Beth's roses to be more in your face than they are.

 

Wet: The rose is still somewhat faint on me. What the?

 

Drydown: Ah, there's the rose! It's definitely a red rose, but somewhat remote and almost dusty. It's a lovely scent, and captures exactly what it's meant to.

[Em-]

Very rose, but a more complex rose than Rose Red, after a while this morphs into something that is more of a rose heavy general floral on me. It is nice, but a little too much for moi.

[jessiesquash]

At first sniff, I thought that this was WAY too rose for me BUT after wearing it and giving it a chance I began to really love it. The rose tamed a bit and something lovely and green emerged. It was still ROSE but not your grandmother's rose. It was a gorgeous, sexy, and definitely haughty red rose. I love this very much and it lasts like no other rose I've tried.