Dublin

[ipb]

The scent of misty forests, damp alder leaf, and the gentlest touch of white rose.

dead on the money. it reminds me of this forest i hiked in in france a few summers ago - one of my hiking partners wore this white rose perfume and i kept smelling it - and has that morning pre-dawn foresty smell, but not a pine forest like loup garou, no this is a forest of big proud leaves-dropping trees.

i'll definitely use up the imp and buy a bottle or two (coz my mom lurves it as well)

ADDED Nov. 21:

preface with being otr, which futzes with some notes.

my left arm has some new dublin, my right arm has old dublin (er prototype). obviously, i reviewed new to the old before, so this is more a comparison

when wet, new is very much more smokey and piney. the florals don't come out to play ~at all~. still a misty forest, but this one's one that someone took a hunk of pine and started burning it.. the new is as it will be: it doesn't particularly morph, and is a nice soft clean white rose with some woods hiding in the back.

when they dry, new is still slightly smokey, and instead of the giant leaf-dropping trees in the back, i mostly smell a hint of pine. the clean white rose is more prominent than it was before....

i'm undecided as to how much i like the new dublin, but i'd pick a bottle of the unreleased without question. it'd be a great office room scent, though. clean yet feminine but not so cloying or foody to be in your face.

[red_jezebel]

This is wonderful! I really hope Beth doesn't change the formula too much before release - I want a bottle of this!

 

I really am struggling to describe this one other than WOW. It is just brilliant.

 

I find this to have a feminine aura to it without being of the sickly sweet or overly-flowery variety. The rose isn't as bitey or harsh as sometimes I find rose can sometimes be (am I odd?), just gentle like roses on a breeze. Combined with that there is a definite "woody" quality to it, but like quantum spice said, certainly not piney at all - more a case of a gentle version of that bark smell one sometimes gets on clothes after leaning against a tree. If you don't know that smell, I recommend not sticking your nose to the nearest tree - you'd get some odd looks...

 

Anyway, back to the review: I also get a faint hint of freshness and greenery which is like standing on top a hill in the countryside and taking a nice, long deep breath - rather intoxicating! And I must say I have no idea what damp alder leaf smells like, but at least I know now that it must smell great - as there is nothing at all I can say against this scent. Except maybe that it has the result of wrist-stuck-to-face effect all day long. Glad I didn't put it anywhere else

 

And it makes me feel all floaty - which is rather great since I'm a clumsy oaf.

[morleigh_s]

Beth did a really good job with this fragrance. It really reminds me of being in Ireland. When I smelled it I first thought of walking the grounds of old castles. Very misty and mysterious. When wet, it smells just like a forest...not a pine-y forest as other have stated but kinda like the forest in Legend (lol...why is that movie in my head lately?). As it started to dry down the rose really came out and normally I'm not too too fond of rose scents because sometimes they can become overwhelming or sickly but this rose was just right. A very white rose scent. Gorgeous!! I didn't really smell any damp alder leaf (but then again I probably could pick out damp alder leaf smell if it came up and smacked me in the face) just a very green forest scent that dies down into a gorgeous rose perfume. I basically bathed myself in this stuff the other day and it is really long lasting. I could smell it up to 7 hours later.

Edited May 27, 2004 by morleigh_s

[Koumori]

A truly lovely scent, very much evocative of misty mornings and damp leaves. The rose is a bare undercurrant, enough to cut the "green" of the alder but not enough to push it into actual floral territory. Beautiful, fresh scent. I loved this in the bottle, loved it on me... but alas, it evaporated on me before lunchtime.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Clean and green, yet somewhat dark and mysterious all at once.

 

After Wearing It:

First on this smells strongly of lemon and clover, though neither note is on the list. It's very fresh, clean and green, evoking images of brilliant green meadows and babbling brooks and waterfalls. Wet, the lemon-clover scent is so thick on me it almost smells juicy, it's very hard to explain.

 

Later, the scent thins, and becomes sweeter and more ethereal. The lemon disappears but I still smells bits of clovers among the mists and wet leaves. The white rose here is subtle and surprisingly appealing (because I hate rose!), adding to the enchanting, soothing quality of fragrance very well. The scent is both fantastic and familiar. It's like those moments of deja vu in a dream where you're not sure if you've actually dreamed this dream before or if you're dreaming that you've dreamed this dream before. Like feeling at home in a place you've never been. It's refreshing and unusual. Very nice.

 

Oddly enough it kind of reminds me of a shampoo my stylist used to use on my hair years ago that I liked. It had the same sort of clean, sweet green scent. It was biolage, maybe? Not sure, but I loved it. Decent staying power too, btw.

 

Final Thoughts:

This is so very different from the sort of scents I wear, so I'm not sure if it'd wind up in my regular rotation no matter how much I like it, but it'd make a fab room spray. It's that perfect blend of fresh, pretty and unobtrusive. I'd love it as a linen spray, or as a shampoo. I did enjoy having my clean hair smell like this.

[chai_girl]

I like this scent but it isn't something I'd reach for on a regular basis. It is a fresh, green, clean scent with just a hint of dampness (don't ask me how she does it!). I can definitely smell the rose but it isn't an overwhelming ROSE scent. It would make a great soap, shower gel or room scent.

 

I'm going to give this imp to a friend who I know will wear it.

[Requiem-of-Roses]

NOTE: This is a review of the older, un-reformulated Old Dublin.

 

In the vial: Fresh, green, damp. Just like the others have said. It really does give the essence of wandering about outside of a moist, time-beaten castle out in a misty field right before the sun peeks up behind beautifully bouldered, green hills. It's a bit "brighter" smelling than I first imagined, but it's still quite lovely. It makes me feel like I'm breathing in clean, crisp, fresh air. Nice.

 

Wet: Goes on with an insidious amount of strength on me. Not at all in an overbearing way, it just packs a suprising punch for having such subtle notes. Hmm, I do sense an underlying scent of baby powder...but, it's far too subdued to tell. I really hope this stays put where it is. I despise baby powder with a passion and I just couldn't bear the thought of Old Dublin going powdery on me. I've been longing for it for so long...

 

After the Drydown: Oh, woe is me. Baby powder. I barely smell anything else. I never once got the influence of the white rose...I don't think it stood a chance. Over time, the baby powder just got stronger and more pure to form. It's now 100% pure powder...just like swiping a baby powder scented deodorant down my arm. Totally not my thing. I'm quite disappointed...not in Beth & Co., for I'm sure this is a lovely scent otherwise...I'm disappointed in my chemistry. It's almost hard to fathom the sharp downward spiral it took once it touched my skin and started to dry. The difference is astounding. I had to wash it off - it was making me naseous. I want to cry...

 

Overall: Well, I wanted to love this one...I wanted to buy a 10mL right off the bat, just because it sounded so lovely. Q was nice enough to decant some for me, because she noticed that I was busting at the seams to try it and couldn't bear to wait. I am glad I got to try it, though...even if it didn't work out whatsoever. But, I do have one thing to keep in mind...this -is- the old version, and they've done some tweaking at the Lab, so I may try this again in the future. So, after reading some newer reviews and finding out what they might have changed, I'll decide whether to try it again or not, for sure. So, we'll see!

 

Old Dublin...there may be hope for you, yet.

[Skallywag]

I was a little nervous of trying this to be honest! Its probably because I so wanted to like it as I'm from Dear Old Dublin!.

 

Well, its gorgeous!

 

My first impression from the bottle: a perfect balance of damp green broadleaves to gentle unobtrusive floral/rose. I love rose, but alas it dosent seem to like me and ends up with a mustiness that becomes incresingly overpowering but not with this..... Hurrah!!!

 

btw...Anyone who "cant do Rose" - try this one! it just might work.

 

Immediate impression upon putting it on is- walking into a Lush shop in town- so its a familiar scent which feels homely and somewhere I like to be!!!! Dublin!

Its strongly white rose but its gentle and working for me by staying fresh and not going musty at any stage.

To my nose, its got hints of clovey carnation (or else white rose is a spicey rose scent) in the background but mainly the white rose.

 

Im not sure if Beth is still working on this. If she is, this scent is beautiful but the lovely damp leaves scent fades fast. It would be totally perfect if it lingered with the same strength of white rose. 50/50 kind of thing. It would make it more more leafy and mystical. I am sure Beth said somewhere she hadnt got quite the mistyness she was after yet????????

 

Its strange, but this is the first bpal scent I feel immediately comfortable wearing.

I like the others, but some are very alien to me ( very American??? does that sound odd?? I mean nothing bad by it!) and take getting used to. Not so Old Dublin.

As a Dubliner...Thats weird!!!!!

 

I have just this minute been complimented by a guy here in the office!!!! Wahoo! First bpal compliment too!

My skin seems to be eating this one.Must re apply quite often me thinks!What a hardship! Not!

 

Well done Beth its lovely

[Shollin]

First sniff: Soft, rainwashed blue-green, somewhere between fresh and floral.

 

Wearing: A very cloudy floral – that’s the only way I can think to describe it. It’s definitely not sunny, it’s a bit too solid to be misty, and it isn’t quite dark. I can't pick out any specific notes, which is usually the case with me and florals. It didn’t make much of an impression, sadly. It’s pretty, but not quite me enough, despite my rabid Celtophilia.

 

I wonder if I got the reformulated version of Old Dublin, because this was entirely floral on me, no greenery in sight. I loved the sound of the misty forests, but I just got flowers.

[Eris]

Green, green, green.

I can hardly smell any floral in this blend, no rose at all on me. There is definitely an evergreen scent to this greenery too. It reminds me of the boysenberry/pine candles my parents used to get for Christmas. This oil goes will my skin, blending with me rather than just sitting there, but my mind still isn't made up. I might actually like it better if the rose came out a little more; for now, I have to decide if I can wear it and get over the holiday associations it keeps bringing up.

[clover]

Beautiful, beautiful Old Dublin.

 

First impression: I'm not sure what alderleaf is, but this smells gorgeous!

 

Upon first application: Very green, and sweet. I would've sworn there was a little bit of berry in here to sweeten up the greens. I can't detect any rose at all. Thank goodness, because 90% of the time rose goes all soapy on me.

 

After a few minutes: This is just so beautiful! I'm absolutely in love again. I adore pine and evergreen and all scents of that nature, but I'm afraid they smell too masculine a lot of the time. But this is the perfect sweet, gentle evergreen scent. Just like a forest.

 

Thank you Lab! With Old Dublin you're allowing me to indulge my love for all things coniferous while still being soft and feminine. And that's a little bit of a miracle as far as I'm concerned!

[Falathwen]

This blend is bracing when wet…like walking outdoors on a bright day. It is equally green and sweet - like blossoming trees or fresh moss underfoot. I was a bit worried that the rose would be strong, since I have learned to be cautious of that, but I actually do not notice it except as a lovely deep part of the sweetness. As the blend dries down, I do notice the bark and clover scents others mentioned, but also I noticed a faint echo of the sea in this…I am not sure what brought it out, but I love that

[VelvetSky]

Old Dublin is an imp that I have been eagerly awaiting, because Beth's description just made me want it, and made me just know I'd love it.

 

As usually, our BPAL Queen didn't let me down. Straight out of the vial, this is Yule to me. Soft, misty evergreen, wood and winter berries...like brushing through fresh greenery on a walk through the woods. It's sweet, but a natural and gentle kind of tree-sap sweet, with the sharp twinkling red berries always in the background. I think of a magickal place when I smell this.

 

The drydown is rosey and calm, but the blend never turns overtly floral on my skin. The wonderful, amazing wood and berries are always there. Oh and one more plus...Old Dublin lasts forever on me.

 

 

I'll be hording this precious stuff until my bottle comes. Beth, you have truly wrought magic with this beautiful perfume.

[isyche]

Oh, I love this. Wet, it's sweet in a natural green sort of way, as others have said. Clover, trees, mist, hint of roses hidden back amid the green. As it dries, on my skin it turns to something lightly spicy, like pine needles but not, and a faint rose scent wafts up.

 

This is so good. I fell in love with the description before it was released and I'm so glad it works on me. I just wish the initial green clovery smell lasted a bit longer, because I completely adore it.

Edited November 14, 2004 by isyche

[LiberAmoris]

Gorgeous.

 

Dublin is simply beautiful. A very green and red and white scent, lush hills and trees and berries with a drifting murmur of rose. There is something very Christmassy about it because of the alder (which smells more to me like a very mellow juniper/spruce) but it's also just foresty and fresh.

 

I think I like this better than Val San Retour for telegraphing the feeling of walking through greenery.

[pkwench]

Vial: Ah. This is pleasant. It's a soft, misty smell. It reminds me of various "forest" scents - only nicer.

 

Wet: It strengthens almost instantly and a sort of man's aftershave thing starts happening. Not in a bad way, but yes.

 

Overall: The manly evergreen forest-y aftershave thing sticks around, but it evolves into a manly evergreen forest-y nice scent. It smells PURELY green. IF I close my eyes and smell it, I can almost imagine opening my eyes to a cool, dark forest.

[ChupaChup]

Oh, I really can't believe how pretty Dublin is! It's definitely striking me as a Yule scent right now, but I can see loving it year-round. I'm getting the softest waft of evergreen notes, not at all Pinesol, you have to try it to understand how gentle the forrest feel is. My nose can't pick out the rose separately at all but I'm sure it's what is making this blend so unusual. Definitely a walk through a hushed forrest on a snowy day kind of feel to it

[pekeana]

In the vial, (Old) Dublin is... it's minty and piney and green. That's all I get out of it.

 

On me, it sweetens and remains a bit minty, but a lot more of the evergreen comes up and just envelopes me in slightly-tangy, slightly-minty goodness. It's very herbal in the background, and --

 

Aw, heck, here comes the rose.

 

And then it's rose.

 

And nothing else.

 

Argh.

[diabolique]

what the hell? i did not expect this one to be so gorgeous.

 

i can't pinpoint any rose note, any "misty forests" note, or any damp elder leaf. this smells VERY christmasy to me. i never would have ordered this one on my own will, although it sounded very intriguing, and the lab tossed it in as a freebie. i'm definitely going to be using up my imp if my grandma doesn't steal it from me first.

[stardust]

I smell like a pine tree! No roses, no mist, just pine. In a fresh, verdant forest, without notes of decaying wood or soil or anything. Since I used to spray my mom's pine tree scent on myself as perfume...

 

I love this one! Definitely getting a big bottle.

Edited November 23, 2004 by stardust

[orangepoppy]

Old Dublin, you are a beauty.

 

On first sniff, from the bottle, it's an aquatic pine. Then when I put it on, it goes suddenly sweeter. Oh heavens, it's a slightly sweet rosey pine! I love this. Very fresh and sparkley. As it dries down, the sweetness fades and there's a soft pine scent left on my skin - just barely hanging on. In 15 minutes, Old Dublin was gone, like a leprechaun into the misty forest. Grr! Not to be outdone, I slathered some more on so I could finish this review.

 

Overall, I love this, but it doesn't last long enough on me for a bottle.

[darkling]

All I got from Dublin in the bottle and on my skin was a faint, sweet floral with a bit of leefy greenery. I could not pick out any distinct notes.

 

It faded fairly quickly to a dusky rose that could only be detected by putting my nose to my wrist.

[LaLisa]

I got Old Dublin as an imp and felt the scent was very green and foresty and masculine when I smelled it, but because I love Dublin and have spent many many wonderful times there in all seasons, I tried it to see how the scent would work for me.

 

Roses don't take on me for some reason, so I was left with just green green green...piney damp foresty.

 

It stayed "manly, yes" to such an extent that I gave it to a nice boy.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Spicy moss. The boy and I opened this one, and I was disappointed. I had hoped for something light and dewy, the way that Blarney castle and all its hidden little glens were. Instead, moss. The boy loved it, wanted it and I intially handed it over. After we got a faint floral note on him, he handed it back.

 

Wet: My god, what is that? It smells like spice. Like the nutmeg and cloves I put in the pumpkin pies the other day except with a more woody omph underneath. It must be the alder leaf.

 

Dry down: Spice, spice, spice. I smell like the spice cabinet. Where are the dreaded floral notes that came out on the boy and made him hand the imp back to me because, really, who needs the boy parading around and smelling like flowers. I want to smell like flowers.

 

Dry: It's calming down. I smell like the woods, like wet leaves and moss and lichens that grow on the stones. It's kinda fresh in that old world way. There's still just the tinest kick of spice that makes me think of bunches of nutmeg and cinnamon sticks tied together even though it doesn't really smell like cinnamon or nutmeg but like some strange kind of wood I'm not familiar with. There's the tinest bit of a floral peeking out around the edges, like when you walk through the forest and stumble into an unexpected glen full of wild flowers. But is that a headache I detect? (Probably caused by the fact that I spilled the imp on myself opening it and then spilled more of the oil onto the label when I was trying to put it on.)

 

I don't know if I want to smell like the woods. It's not fair that it was more floral on the boy than me. I do kinda like the spicy undertone. I'm going to have to try again and see if I get a different reaction. Also, we're putting it on the boy a second time because I'm sure he'd love to smell like the woods even if there is that slight floral shade.

 

If the boy doesn't want this I'm swapping it. I like the woods, but I don't want to smell like them.

 

ETA: Had to wash this off and am swapping it. I'm dreadfully allergic to something in it which means that even the boy can't wear it around me or I'll die. So sad.

Edited November 26, 2004 by magikfanfic

[Northernminx]

Green and blue and mist woods. This is like a cold wood on a misty morning, utterly fresh and stunning and clean and cool. This didn't last long on me but was so beautiful I absolutely must have more. So very very pretty. This actually raised a welt on my neck but didn't anywhere else so I think I may just have to be careful in application.