Dublin

[LushNatty]

(Old) Dublin:

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

 

This smells EXACTLY how it is described. It is absolutely phenomenal. If I close my eyes, I am in the middle of a wood after it has rained and I can smell the needles and leaves on the ground, all mossy, with the rainwater evaporating in the sunshine and the fragrant blossoms…OMG!

A scent that I wouldn’t have sprung to buy a 5 mL of at first release, possibly because the description undersells it a bit, but one that I am very glad that I found a bottle of in a swap. Incredible.

Doesn’t last quite as long as I would like, so I tend to put a few drops on at a time. On the body, it doesn’t smell as watery, but the “damp green leaves” smell deepens and blends with the rose, and has a fuller smell than it does in the bottle and on first application. Medium throw, unless I slather. For some reason, it’s more “rose”-y smelling in my cleavage than it is on my wrists and neck. Nice.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 5! Will be a staple.

[perfumediva]

very light green fae scent

smelling pine, sweet pea, waft of "wind".

 

its like standing in a breezy pine forest on a misty rainy day..

 

its soothing, refreshing, wet..

 

 

like the smell of rain falling through pine trees

[wingedcorset]

I don't really like evergreeny scents, but I love this. It dries into a creamy rosey evergreen scent that I just adore. The imp I have is, however, Old Dublin. We'll see how much I like the new formulation.

[RainyDayGrey]

Oh, Dublin, how I love you! You are gorgeous, and perfect, and exactly what I was hoping you would be. *big happy sigh* I love foresty scents, I do. I absolutely adore my Black Forest, Dracul, Golden Priapus, and Hemlock. They all have sharp, dark green evergreen needle notes that I just can't get enough of. However, I did want something softer and a bit more femenine. Something that evoked the same feeling of standing in the middle of a forest without smelling like I rolled in a pile of pine needles. I was hoping to find that in Hamadryad, but if you've read my review of that, you'll know that it went horribly wrong with my skin chemistry.

 

I could seriously weep tears of joy every time I smell Dublin, this is exactly what I was looking for. This is much softer than the other foresty blends I've tried. I can still smell those lovely evergreen needle notes, but they aren't as prominent here. Just a soft breeze in the background. Over that, fresh green spring leaves. The rose in this is just perfect. I love rose anyway, but it can be very sharp. Not so in Dublin, it's soft and creamy and covered with dew. It doesn't overpower at all, just gives the blend a femenine aura. I love this so much. Thank you BPAL, for letting me smell like a tree while still smelling like a girl.

 

[mayhap]

Mmm, Dublin. I jokingly described this to one of my friends online as "pleasantly festive without smacking you over the head with the fa la la la las", and although it's a fairly strong scent on me with an impressive throw, I keep thinking of it as something very gentle and soft. A lovely, misty pine forest with dappled sunlight and sweet flowers. Definite keeper for me.

[Fleurdelys]

What attracted me to Dublin initially was the pretty white rose. I haven't ever really tried a lot of "foresty" scents, but I figured the forest notes would stay in the background.

 

I am soooo glad I was wrong.

 

Wet, this scent is all sweet rose.

 

Within ten minutes, you get damp green leafy deciduous scents peeking out.

 

Ten minutes later, evergreens and moss show up (faintly though, just enough to give this scent some bite).

 

After a time, it's mostly soft foggy forest with a breath of rose.

 

It's like a forest snuck up behind you when you were distracted by a rose growing by the side of the road. My skin just LOVES those forest notes. I never would have known or thought to try this scent, if I hadn't been seduced by the rose offering.

 

This is a beautiful, complex scent. It's perfect to wear to work, because each note is faint enough and balanced enough not to scream out to your coworkers, but at the same time has great lasting ability. I could still smell this on my blouse and skin after getting home from work.

It's also a great attitude balancer, somewhere between "sweet" and "take no prisoners!"

 

I would try this if you don't like heavy florals, but want a little something sweeter to break up an otherwise woodsy scent.

I would also try this if you haven't tried/been nervous about trying a woodsy scent. It's a great gateway dru....er....scent.

 

Already ordered a bigger bottle!

[Voleuse]

My imp is labelled "Old Dublin." On first application this is a strong, gorgeous forest in winter. Not quite pine--perhaps that's alder--and mist and barely sweet on the edges. Incredibly fresh.

 

This fades quickly on me, but I don't use a lot on the first test. The forest scent stays strong, but I think the rose comes out a bit, after a while. I'm pretty sure I want a bottle of this one.

[theseagrows]

a fresh, gentle forest scent like the description. i am not sure i can make out the white rose, but if it's there it's very faint. there's no smokiness to this, it smells like a softened pine to a degree. unfortunately my skin eats it right up

[WidgetAlley]

This is going to be a hard review to write.

 

Out of all of the BPALs I've tested (a pretty small number, considering some of the devotees' counts on this board.... say...... 55, 60?) three have given me the most wonderful, visceral reactions. Dorian is, to me, the scent of being in love. It makes me utterly content just to wear it. O is, not terribly surprisingly, the smell of sex to me... do I even need to tell you what reaction that triggers? And then there's this.

 

When I originally bought a bottle of Dublin (unsniffed), I wanted something very, very specific. Well over a year ago, I met a man on the friends-of-friends network who lives in Dublin... turns out we share a lot of the same extremely dorky interests. We started swapping emails nearly daily, chatting-- that moved on to phone calls-- and then, this past August, he happened to be in the States for an anime convention not too terribly far away, and came to visit me. Since I didn't know him in "real life", he started off in a hotel, intending to stay there for a weekend... by the end of the weekend, he'd left the hotel and was sleeping on the couch instead. Even my parents adored his sweet, gentle nature and his intelligent wit.

 

What I was looking for in Dublin was the scent of that weekend, sitting on the porch and just talking for an eternity. The smell of August rain showers, height-of-summer blooms, and the lush trees that surround the area.

 

What I got instead is even better. Don't get me wrong, Dublin is very much an outdoors sort-of smell, but it's not the landscape I was thinking of. No, this is the scent of the man himself, almost exactly-- one of the first things I noticed about him as he stepped out of the cab and I hugged him was how good he smells. His natural skin-scent is a dead-ringer for the Lab's white musk: that sweet, vanillic, just a tad sharp, delicious creation Beth bottles so beautifully. Dublin is sitting by the lake late at night, kissing him goodbye, smelling the breeze off the water and the pine forest nearby and his smell, clean and animal and a touch spicy all at once.

 

Laying all that aside, Dublin starts off as white musk on me, edged with pine and a hint of what might be cinnamon. The rose rises up on the dry-down and softens and sweetens the whole thing considerably... this is rich and green-blue-gold, water and sunlight and forest all at once, perfectly blended. If this scent were a place, it would be Rivendell. If this scent were a person.... well, you know. Did I mention I'm getting a 10mL?

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Beth, for bottling one of my favourite people in the entire world and making him accessible whenever I want him. I don't see the Boy as often as I'd like, considering the 3000 miles, and seven and-a-half-years, that separate us, but you've somehow captured his presence, and it calms me and uplifts me in a way no other blend has. For the times his absence hits me hard, there is Dorian during the day, to tell me that being in love is a joyful thing, and Dublin at night, to remind me he's never that far away.

Edited December 1, 2005 by WidgetAlley

[rinoastar]

I should specify--this is a review for "Old Dublin," and I hope the reformulation smells half as breathtakingly beautiful as the imp I have.

In the imp: Stunning. Simply gorgeous, faintly "clean laundry" but moreso.

Wet: There's rose, underneath something sharp and lovely. Pine, but not pine, ivy maybe? Like sticking your face into the fir tree at Christmas if it were decorated with sweet flowers and anointed with rose oil.

Drydown: Oh, there's the roses I've been getting from other rose scents by the lab. I've always hated rose; I think rose smells like an old lady. But this rose is different--Dublin is different. These roses are sweet, yes, but clean. Impossibly clean and fresh smelling, in the way that even fresh roses aren't for me. Dublin smells white to me, like pure white light filtering through the trees as you stand in the middle of an enchanted glen in the forest. Don't get me wrong--it smells nothing like the forest, but the light...!

Later: I've got Mabon in the crook of my elbow and Old Dublin on my inner arm, and the smell that keeps wafting up is breathtaking. It's white innocence, not weighed down by heavy florals. It soars up to greet me and I'm in love. I adore this scent. Perhaps I ought not judge a scent by what I think I'll like and go instead with what calls to me from the site. After all of these perfect rose scents, I'm tempted to let myself move on to the lab's vanillas!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a beautiful rose softened by damp greenery. lovely.

on: tons of rose and a lot of pine. an interesting and pleasant combination. this is perfect for the chilly, rainy weather we're having today.

1 hour later: this is really old lady-ish on me. floral, powdery, and slightly soapy.

overall: this is nice at first, but my skin does terrible things to it.

[bristlecone]

I ordered an imp of this months ago because it sounded like something I needed to get my hands on ASAP. I like the idea of forest scents, but when I try them, I often find they're too masculine/heady/creamy/resiny/sandalwoody/whatever for my tastes, and I was hoping Dublin would be different. When I got it, I sniffed the vial, decided I wasn't blown away, and felt that it smelled a bit too much like Christmas to wear in the middle of summer, and put it away in my imp box to be tested on a later date.

 

That date came earlier this week. I put some on and was treated to the best "tree" smell I think I've ever sniffed (outside of an actual forest). This is like a Christmas tree but sweeter and better. It's comforting and stimulating at the same time; within minutes of dabbing it on, I felt warm and tingly all over. It just smells unbelievable. Definitely in my top five BPAL scents of all time.

[urraca]

It starts out with a sweet mixed wild flower vibe, kind of like Arkahm Revisted/Flower Moon/Vinland but with a soft pine note backing it up. Then the scent seems to literally grow up on my arm. It changes to a mature, almost powdery (but in a good way) floral. It may be the white rose doing that, but I don't normally get that from white rose.

 

It starts out with a sweet mixed wild flower vibe, kind of like Arkahm Revisted/Flower Moon/Vinland but with a soft pine note backing it up. Then the scent seems to literally grow up on my arm. It changes to a mature, almost powdery (but in a good way) floral. It may be the white rose doing that, but I don't normally get that from white rose.

[vyola]

Note: this imp was labeled "Old Dublin"

 

A mixed experience. Reviews made this sound like Tintagel's younger cousin so Mom and I were eager to try it. It's greener than Tintagel and I get more cinnamon from it. The rose comes through as it dries, goes away, comes up again.

 

But alas! It has no throw and no staying power on either of us. I had to put my nose right up against my skin to detect it and it was gone from Mom in less than an hour, from me in less than two. This might be something to add to lotion or oil and layer along with Tintagel.

[Sycorax]

Oh. Oh my. This is absolutely lovely, in the bottle. It's got a high, sweet scent that I wasn't expecting, yet it somehow manages to smell fresh and clean and dewey. The rose isn't so heavy as it is in most other BPAL blends.

 

After application, that high sweetness mellows out, and I get a wonderful soft woodsy scent. I don't smell any cinammon, but there is definitely something green and sharp inthis, just to make it interesting - probably a type of wood that I can't identify.

 

I think that Dublin is stunning. This is the woods and the fields in springtime, after a rainshower. I think I need a 5ml of this!

[ajcj213499]

Dublin is amazing for the first hour or so (at least on me), but dried down to a powdery perfumey sort of scent. I wish it could have stayed how it was in the beginning, because that first hour was really wonderful...

 

REVIEWED AGAIN:

 

Well, I swapped away my original imp but later decided I needed more Dublin... It still turns powdery on my skin after awhile, so I've started wearing it in a scent locket and it's beautiful all day. I don't get the Christmas Tree scent but rather a bit of the birch from Snow Moon. This is also fantastic on my pillow at night... I sleep really well with it, like I'm sleeping in an enchanted forest or something. This is a scent I think I'll be able to wear year round... it's just beautiful.

Edited February 15, 2006 by Arylkin

[harmonyfb]

In the bottle, sweet pine.

 

Wet, resinous pine.

 

Drydown: Pinepinepine....and suddenly, there's something spicy. Really spicy. Carnation? Is there carnation in this? I'm not sure if I like it or not.

 

Dry, an hour later: Hm. Kind of a soft, dusty scent that's fading fast.

 

Sadly, the rose never made an appearance, and I can only assume the spiciness was supposed to be the alder leaf. Hmm. I think I'll hang onto this and try it again in a few days, see if it changes.

[sh1mm3r]

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this already. I've had it for a long time.

 

Usually, I go back and forth between my top three - Honey Moon, Dorian, and Glasgow. But this morning, I wanted something that wasn't too sweet, wasn't too floral, and wasn't too spicy.

 

I have my imps divided by my own categories, and this one is in the Isles section with Phantom Queen and Glasgow, all of which are pretty evocative of meadows and moors, and that was the kind of day I was having.

 

For the most part, this scent is really green, but not the jungle green of Eden. It is more of the deep forest, rainy, ocean nearby green. I can smell the rose but it wafts in and out of my senses. I feel really peaceful when I wear this.

[silver_springs]

Dublin reminds me a bit of Dorian, only more "mature".

 

It's a sweet woodsy scent. Which is odd because none of the woodsy scents I've tried have been sweet but Dublin is. And it works. It also lasts pretty long, which is always a plus with me.

 

I'm not in love with it but I wouldn't mind getting a 5ml one day. It's not on my immediate list but eventually.

 

7/10

[Phaedra]

Wet this is pine/evergreen mixed with a sweetness in the background. When first on it still smells like the pine/resin but not as strong as it does in the imp. It's very wintery! This is similar to Snow Bunny but without the citrus. This really smells like a forest- lovely! After about 30 minutes a rose note develops. This is a lovely blend of evergreen and floral notes. I really like this alot. I think this could work in both cold and warm weather. I will definitely use up the imp of this!

[shirasade]

In the imp: My first impression was very much pine. After more consideration it feels like a green forest after a rain shower with soft, white rose peeking through.

 

Wet: The pine softens, which improves the scent. It gets even fresher, like moss glistening in the after-rain sun. There's still a sweetness mixed in, and maybe a hint of menthol.

 

Dry: It stays forest-y fresh and sweet in a clean, not-cloying way for about an hour. Then it turns a bit soap-y, like pine laundry detergent.

 

Overall impression: I wasn't sure whether a pine smell like this would suit me - but once applied I couldn't stop sniffing at myself, it is so refreshing. Definitely a keeper! A pity that it doesn't last longer, though.

[BlackWingedRoses]

WOW! Fresh forest. VERY Green. I had a scratch and sniff book as a child that had a Christmas tree to sniff that was my first reaction/memory to this scent. This reminds me of that new, freshly cut pine smell. But it isn't Overly piney like Pine-Sol. This is that pretty festive pine that makes you want to inhale deeply. There is something sparkly and intoxicating about this too. It must be the faerie dust

[Meg]

In the bottle: pine and another kind of tree, certainly alder - smells very fresh.

 

Wet: I can smell herbs and it feels fresh. There seems to be a hint of mint somewhere.

 

Drydown: There are wet leaves there, and pine, but I don't get any rose, which is extremely unusual, as I tend to amp it a lot. I can smell moist branches and a slightly sweaty scent, perhaps some kind of musk. There is something sweet, sickly sweet, even, in it. It reminds me a bit of Talvikuu, and it's not a good thing, really.

 

Overall: I don't know about this one. It starts out very fresh and piney, and smells rather realistic as a forest. But then the scent all but disappears, and I don't even get a glimpse of rose. It stays as a faint aftershavey sort of smell, a bit masculine. I'm a bit disappointed, because of all the raves I read and because I wanted to like a forest scent. Apparently, this is proving quite difficult. Ah well...

[PirateMaggie]

There was a light hint of pine and leaves when wet, but on drydown this became a chemical, cloyingly sweet and soapy floral. It gave me a headache, and it took several scrubbings to get the smell off.

[mandragora]

In the vial: Cloyingly sweet floral.

 

Wet on me: Ooh, green and piney notes temper the sweet floral smell.

 

Drydown: Smells like wet green forest. A fir/pine forest ... during winter. There's a mint note that lingers. The notes continually morphs and gives a more complete overall feel to the blend.

 

Verdict: Lovely scent. I like it, not enough to purchase a bottle but will definitely keep the imp.

Edited February 18, 2006 by mandragora