The Perfumed Garden

[sophia_helix]

The Perfumed Garden for the Soul’s Recreation. This scent is based on a venerable Tunisian perfume that was used to excite the senses, inspire sensuality and inflame passion. Myrrh and Moroccan jasmine with apple peel, Indian sandalwood, myrtle, quince, citron, and thyme poured over soft musk.

Damn. I've been desperately awaiting this literally from the moment I ordered it...but something is desperately awry. Lovely fruit and florals in the bottle, then unscented, melted candlewax on my skin, making me literally sick. I guess it's probably the jasmine. Edited November 18, 2007 by Shollin

[mandragora]

In the vial: Sweet, spicy and fruity, apple peel and citron.

 

Wet on me: Oooh, pretty. Fruitiness tempered by sandalwood and myrrh.

 

Drydown: Very nice, very complex, the scent becomes sparkly sweet with a musky undertone. Yes, this is a musk that works with my body chemistry. This scent proves that I can take musk in very small doses.

 

20 mins later: Very clean smell that is similar to Dirty.

 

Verdict: A definite keeper. This scores 4.5 out of 5.

Edited February 13, 2006 by mandragora

[foxroses]

first thoughts on this, as i just got my imp and haven't been able to test it for long..

 

wet: oooh... i am so glad i got a bottle of perfumed garden

 

cause unless it does something fucked up in a bit, this is niiice.

 

wet on skin: i can vaguely smell apple, but there's some other fruitiness in there (quince and citron) definitely. you can tell its layered over musk vs. like a floral, but the myrrh and jasmine (trouble notes for me) are actually nice.

 

5 min: its not as sweet now as it was right on but still nice. it's weirddly apply, like it doesnt smell like apples, but you.. get it.. somehow.

 

5 min: the jasmine is coming out a bit on me so i hope it doesn't stay that way. i still actually quite like it

[Rheliwen]

Oh wow, the one Lupercalia oil I was hesitant on is the only one that works for me!

 

Initially, it's a bit sharp. I'm thinking of floral infused granny smith apple. The citrus only makes an entrance in this introduction.

 

What I'm left with is a expertly blended oil where each component is beautiful, but even more so as it compliments the whole. No one note is dominant here (other than the top 3: myrrh, apple peel and jasmine). The myrrh give this a grounded, round feel. The apple peel gives it a fruity tartness, the jasmine lifts the mood of the blend. And for you jasmine haters out there: moroccan jasmine is SO MUCH BETTER than your everyday jasmine. It's not soapy or cloying at all...and I don't like jasmine so I'm one of you. The other notes just seem to keep this blend aloft.

 

It's much fruitier than I was expecting, but the sandalwood and myrrh give this such a nice, rounded edge.

 

I needed to add that I think I have decided this is my #1 bpal...yes

Edited October 2, 2007 by Rheliwen

[AlaskaSnows]

For me, this is a heady mix of jasmine, with a teensy bit of jasmine, and some added jasmine with just a piiiinch of jasmine to jasmine it up a little. I love it, of course, but am not sure I need it, I have a lot of pure jasmine perfumes, though this is a super high quality one.

[Chrysantza]

This starts out as a sweet, haunting soft fruity/floral with a touch of herbal green (the thyme?).

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't have much throw on me and dries down to something just generically perfumey.

 

This is probably going in the sale/swap pile.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Fruity musk

 

On Skin: A little plasticy at first… I think it’s the musk, myrrh and jasmine mixed doing this because I can almost smell those notes blending. The other notes stand out on their own. The applejack is quite crisp and sweet, the sandalwood is a beautiful woody background note and the myrtle and quine are bery light in the back as well. The citron has a beautiful tart note that only flickers through every once in a while and the thyme has a slight metallic medicinal note that eventually shows through. After a bit the plastic scent fades and the myrrh becomes dominant. Very exotic and sweet. If you like myrrh scents, try this one for sure. It is quite sexual and enticing. Not a scent I’d wear every day, but I would like it for special occasions. It is quite string, both in throw and how long it lasts.

[QueenFae]

What a gorgeous scent! It's a light, beautiful floral, but not overly perfumey or flowery. I can pick out the jasmine and the apple peel, and underneath there is just a hint of sandalwood and light musks. It's too pretty for words, definitely alluring and feminine. I can detect a hint of the citron, which gives it a little bit of a fruity undertone. This is perfect for those of you who think they don't like florals; give this one a shot. I have been so happy with all the Valentine's LE's, they are just fabulous. This one is definitely a keeper, I love it.

[girlmadasbirds]

wow.. this is heavy on the myrrh. i hope it settles down so i can smell the other notes.

*waits*

still super-strong myrrh and a bit of citron.

:/

[LittleGreyKitten]

OK. This is one I've re-edited the review on twice. First I thought it was the bee's knees, then I changed my mind, and now I've re-fallen in love. I dunno why it is that this scent strikes me differently at different times, but it does. It has a strong resiny/musky base, with soft fruity goodness over the top. I like it better than all the Lupercalia except Smut, which I love. I will keep playing with this, see if it is a favorite or not. It is well blended, nothing sticking out sharply over the smooth muskiness.

 

4 out of 5.

Edited February 18, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[bellis]

This starts out beautifully, incensy fruits and florals with a gorgeous hint of apple peel. After about half an hour, though, it dries into nondescript fruit punch. I really liked the first 30 minutes of this, but I'll swap it on to someone who it stays pretty on.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I'm not sure how well this one is going to work. I do love myrrh, apple peel, sandalwood and thyme, but the rest has the potential to go completely wrong on me.

 

First sniff:

 

Floral-fruit-musk-herbal. Different, but I don't think it's for me. I'm having trouble teasing apart the different notes, all I get here is an impression, not a complete picture.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Fruity and floral and not at all me. I smell the apple in here which is good, but I also get a whole slew of flowers in the background, which ruins this for me. I've already got a headache from the other floral scents I've tested today and this is just making it even worse.

 

Dry down:

 

All floral now, which isn't surprising given my body chemistry's love of turning anything with florals in it into a pure floral perfume. This is definitely not for me.

 

The bottom line:

 

Far too floral for me. It's giving me a headache.

Edited February 23, 2006 by Penance

[valentina]

I tried Perfumed Garden courtesy of a lovely friend who ordered the Lupercalia scents that I didn't order. This is the joy of enabling! I was rather hesitant to even put it on my skin, since I knew it had jasmine in it and that's usually a ticket to disaster. In the bottle it's lovely, gentle, very much a waft of garden air. And on my skin, it was such a pleasant surprise... no knockout jasmine blows to the nose, but rather a gentle, subtle, green smell. Not bad at all, not bad at all!

 

On drydown, it morphed into a very clean, albeit soapy, scent. I smell like Irish Spring soap, actually. I have another friend who wears Dirty and she loved the smell of this on me. Not unpleasant, but, well... not my idea of big fun. But if I find a decanted imp, it might be a nice scent to have around, for certain days when I don't want to smell like my usual incensey, patchouli, boozy, winey, smut-slutty self.

 

valentina

[populuxa]

Everything about this scent is super-cozy-warm. The sweet jasmine and myrrh, and the FIG! Oh the fig sings a nice song all around me. It's a warm, freshly watered garden. The tang of the cintron and apple peel is there, with a lovely bed of florals lingering in the sweetness. It's a great warm-up wintery scent.

[PurringPulsar]

The Perfumed Garden

 

In the imp: sweet and fruity with a hint of floral, sweet apple and jasmine with other gentle notes which bring to mind a sunlit garden.

Wet on skin: oh wow, this gets richer, sweeter, more fragrant…fruity, floral, and a hint of herbs.

Dry on skin: wow, this is lovely. I smell strong sandalwood, musk and sweet myrrh mingling together very nicely to provide an exotic backdrop for the jasmine, sweet apple, and another sweet fruity note that might be the quince. The thyme adds an interesting hint of something herbal to it all…I'm amazed at how well blended this smells, all the notes merge into a wonderful harmony of scent which is sweet, rich, complex yet balanced. It brings to mind relaxing a sunlit oasis full of varied plants, flowers and fruits all exuding delightful fragrances, the scent registers as light green and sunny yellow with hints of white and pink/purple in terms of colours.

After a while: oh my goodness. I smell Fairy Jasmine. Yup, that's right…I get hints of Lush Fairy Jasmine/Alkmaar/Silky Underwear in here! Which is a good thing-I love FJ. I've been looking for a BPAL jasmine scent which smells like those Lush scents, and this is it. The Moroccan jasmine note in this is probably one of BPAL's nicest and truest jasmine notes…I think it's a note that even people who don't like BPAL's regular jasmine will like. So now, the scent is like FJ/Alkmaar with a more exotic sandalwood incense background and also a hint of fruit and citrus to it.

Verdict: this garden scent is a horticultural hit! A beautiful, well blended, mellow blend which to me, is the scent of a paradise like oasis providing respite and sanctuary to weary travellers. It's a wonderfully warm and exotic scent with it's notes of incense-like sandalwood and myrrh, with hints of myrrh, and delightful jasmine (I adore the Moroccan jasmine in here), yet it's also fresh and light, with juicy ripe fruit notes of quince, apple and citrus. The drydown is just as lovely-not least because it's a dead ringer for Lush's Fairy Jasmine (and I've been looking for a BPAL equivalent of that scent, and this is it)! this is another one of the more underrated Lupercalia scents which I have fallen head over heels for and I might want to hunt down another bottle through swaps…

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

In the vial: mmm, crisp apple and floral, like a dreamy version of what apple-blossom should smell like.

 

On me: a soft blend of myrrh, apple, and jasmine, all notes quite distinct but existing together calmly. The musk is nice and creamy, underpinning them all. The jasmine is not as horrid as it *can* be on me, but still not something I really like. I was right to get an imp, not a bottle. It's good to try this, but I shan't need much of it.

[jidabug]

Wet: Softly "green" and floral with a hint of musk.

Dry: It's official, either my nose or my body chemistry is wonky. The floral has pretty much disappeared and I'm left with something earthy, musky, and kind of smoky.

Final: This is breaking my heart because I really wanted the soft floral fragrance that everyone else has described. If I really strain I can just barely smell a bit of jasmine, but that's it. I'm definitely going to retest this one.

[GemmaCat]

I bought this before learning that bpal jasmine and I do NOT get along.

 

In the bottle: heady florals, predominantly jasmine.

 

On my skin, initial: Oh no, the jasmine is taking over! This is SO strong and pure that I got dizzy and started feeling ill. I was determined to stick it out to the drydown, though, incase other notes emerged.

 

Drydown: Nope, still just buttloads of unwelcome jasmine. It doesn't morph into a putrid floral monster like other bpal jasmines; this stays true to the flower scent, but it's just WAY too much.

 

Overall: this makes me physically ill. Off to the swap pile!

[Beatrice33]

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but it received an unsolicited "mmmm ... you smell soooo good" from hubby, so I figured I ought to give it more of a chance. Upon second wearing, I'm really warming to it -- a fruity floral with a bit of exotic spiciness underneath from the myrhh and sandalwood. It's really different from everything else in my collection. It's a softly sexy scent as opposed to my knock-em-over-the-head Snake Oil, Smut and Snake Charmer! Now I'm eager now to search for other scents with apple peel, quince and citron once the search engine is up again.

[sookster]

yesssssssssssss!

my thirst has been quenched as i have *finally* found a bpal scent

containing jasmine that i am head over heels for...

straight sniff from the bottle this is softly floral and pretty...

on, this is just too gorgeous...myrrh, jasmine and apple peel all make

their presence known....this lasts a good long time and i am thrilled

beyond words that i took a chance and ordered a bottle.....

[niter]

Imp

I smell sweet, sticky fruits and jasmine.

 

Wet

All I smell is jasmine, but it is behaving on me for a change! I can see how the jasmine note works on so many people. This IS pretty, but not for me.

 

Dry

I am not getting the fruits but I have found a jasmine that is lovely on me. However, it is not for me and my husband is not a fan so it will be off to the swaps. I am happy that there is not total lack of hope for BPAL jasmines. The only part that I did not care for about this blend is that all I could smell was jamine. Despite it working, a one note blend is kinda boring....defeats the purpose of me trying BPAL. Pity my skin makes jasmine so strong because there is great sounding stuff in this blend.

[Voleuse]

What an odd scent--but in a good way! In the bottle, it's all apple peel to me, but on application, I get myrrh and musk, sweetened by apple. It's alternately cool and incensey when I sniff it, lovely in each, but never both at the same time. It's bright, but not warm. There's also a strong dollop of musk, to my nose, that's surprisingly animalistic.

 

I don't get strong jasmine, but it's definitely there. This is amazingly complex on me, lush and green and enchanting. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm definitely going to hang onto it until I figure it out.

[Naamah_Darling]

In the bottle, light, sweet, and fruity with the scent of apples.

 

While it's wet, this smells a lot like my grandmother's perfume. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I always liked the scent, I'm just amused at the resemblance.

 

This is a very crisp, wet scent, and very traditionally perfume-y without being unpleasant. I'm bad with florals, but I'm pretty sure that cool white flower note is the jasmine, together with sandalwood's sweetness and myrrh's faint warmth. The quince/apple peel comes out in a fruity roundness that fills the scent out without making it foody. The musk isn't detectable to my nose, but it never really is. I can smell its influence, though, as a sort of radiant, candle-like warmth smoothing all the other scents together.

 

This is an expert blend in which nothing really predominates, and for someone searching for a perfume that's very traditional yet not utterly repulsive or commercial, this would be an excellent choice. Sweet and cool.

 

It's floral, so it goes powdery on me, but without lavender or violet, it's not baby powder, it's just a perfumed talc sort of smell. On someone whose skin appreciated florals, this would be great.

[alasindocs]

This smells absolutely freaking GORGEOUS on me.

 

The Apple peel is very fleeting, and the jasmine is very subtle, for some reason I get lightly floral warm and delicious honey...I'm too flippin lazy to read if that's a note..

 

But I love this...with a love that is all loving and obsessive.

 

And I have already had three people tell me I smell amazing (including my 9 y/o son)

 

I am in love with a L/E..wouldnt it figure

 

EDIT: Ok, I got a second bottle of this in a swap, and it smells practically NOTHING like the first bottle I got from the Lab, it smells much more like what everyone else here is reviewing, alot of Apple Peel and Jasmine out the wazooo.

 

Well crap, now how the hell do I figure out what was actually in my bottle of Perfumed Garden the first time? I got Honey and coconutty somethinoranother.

::sigh::

Edited March 8, 2006 by Finnoula

[VenusFlyTrap]

Wow!

 

After Smut, this is my favorite of the VD scents! (and the opposite of Smut's sexiness)

 

Very pretty, sweet and lovely.

 

Absolutely enchanting, both in the bottle and one the skin.

 

I'm getting multiple bottles of this one!