Les Fleurs du Mal

[masquedbunny]

The scents of the blossoms of darkness, condensed into one perfume. Features a rose base, softened with lilac and wisteria.

In the imp: Strong old lady perfume, hard-edged florals. Kind of my generic expectation of perfume.

Wet on skin: Not much different, but maybe a powdery undertone to these florals... Can't really pick "rose" out of this.

A little while later: Oh, very powdery and soapy--like a classic Dove bar of soap, as a matter of fact. Still quite floral though--in a way that makes me think of a rose sachet for the lingerie drawer. Dried flowers and soap. Fairly strong scent, when compared with others I've tried so far (granted, I haven't tried very many yet).

After about two hours: The "powder-poof" impression has died down a bit, but still evocative of a lingerie drawer.

I'll see how it wears throughout the rest of the day, but this feels rather like Victorian-lady-smell to me at the moment (like I'm trying to seem older than I am). It's not bad, per se, but I don't think it's right for me. Edited January 22, 2009 by MasquedRabbit

[obsidienne]

Les Fleurs du Mal starts off a strong rose with lilac & wisteria adding depth... then it amps into a soapy rose blend with highlights of soapy lilac and soapy wisteria. The lilac and wisteria war over top the rose for dominance as the blend dries and develops, and this war isn't over quickly. At times, it's gorgeous. At other times, it's soap. The rose is always there, it's those other two that can't get along.

 

In the end, it calmed down and was pretty, but still reminded me of floral soap. Pretty, but still soap. This is the third Ars Moriendi blend that did the soap thing to me. I'll try it again, maybe it's hormones.

[milo]

Unfortuneately, I had to wash this off right away, as the scent was just too wrong on me, and I'm going out soon. Much too florally, I actually thought there was jasmine in this one. Rose is iffy, and lilac has never worked on me, so I'm not surprised.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Soft white rose with slightly sharper wisteria and just a hint of lilac. It's a very pale, wispy purple floral and quite feminine. It has a dry, old-fashioned quality, almost Victorian, though it's not old ladyish to me. (I have a feeling that association depends on whether or not you've known a lot of old ladies who wear lilac dusting powder. )

On, wet: Not dried up at all now! Now it's a big bouquet of very natural white roses, complete with green leaves and stem, and some equally fresh lilac—not powdery lilac, but the real, glorious thing. This smells like my mother's flower garden in springtime, very innocent and fresh and crisp. The wisteria has almost disappeared, way far off in the background.

On, dry: The lilac and rose have swapped, so this is mostly heady-sweet lilac, softened by the roses. The green stems and leaves are gone, so this is less fresh and a bit more powdery—not in a bad way, though. More like that big bouquet of fat lilacs and roses has been saved for a few decades, and is now faded, dry and crumbly. There's a little bit of the wisteria again, and it gives this an almost overripe, decaying edge—very subtle, but enough.

Later: Rose and lilac melded together—dry, faint, but sweet and feminine.

Overall: This reminded me of Veil, but I liked it much more—it's still a very pale, Victorian-style, lilac-based floral, but I think it plays better with the softer roses and subtle wisteria, because this one is only ever sharp in the imp, not on my skin. The rose keeps the lilac from taking over, and the wisteria plays its supporting role well. It's a ladylike, dignified sort of blend, and it has almost an air of faded gentility to it—a reminder of great fortunes or good times, now mostly forgotten. I can't say that it makes me think of Baudelaire, but it does seem a good fit for the Ars Moriendi section, and I like it.

 

 

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

What a gorgeous floral! Lush, warm, womanly, softly spicy goodness! I'm not a floral gal myself, so I probably won't be needing a bottle any time soon, but this is really exquisite and I will cherish my impfull! If I ever were to get a bottle of something strictly floral, this would probably be it! Beautiful!

[Kikkervisje]

Wet: It actually smells like flowers. Not some strange, flower-like chemical. Having started trying natural florals… I may not hate the category so much after all. You can definitely smell rose as a sort of deep undercurrent. It’s layered with another scent, and has a soft wispy overtone which softens everything. (Apparently, a strong lilac with wispy wisteria according to one who actually knows something about flowers. I am pretty clueless at picking out floral notes with the exception of rose and lily accord. Something to work on. Based on said other person’s comments, I must amp lilac?) The scent also has somehow… a bit of warmth to it? Not sure. Also a dryness. Unfortunately, there’s baking going on in the house; and, at this point, it’s making this a bit difficult to review.

 

Dry: Soft, but with good throw. The scents tone down a bit, and I think it’s gone largely to wisteria on me. Drier. It does smell a bit like one might imagine an old bouquet would–-dry, aged, soft, a bit lonely somehow. Not soapy at all on me.

 

Wear Time: 7.5 + hours (not on the wrists, but on the collarbone)

 

Fits Description?: I think so. Although, I get darkness more as a… seclusion. Or a dried bouquet left in a mausoleum.

 

Overall: Actually quite nice. I don’t think I’m going to take to wearing florals on a regular basis, as they’re still just too feminine for my taste. But this is quite pleasant, and I think it would be great on the right person.

[Lyrical]

In vial: strongly floral.

 

Wet on skin: rose and more flowers.

 

Dry on skin: I don't like rose. If you like them, you should probably try this, though.

 

[tragedy]

a beautful single creamy rose, strong good throw.

Not much else to say because thats all I get.

But as far as roses go this one is beautiful

[moon_lemming]

Oh deer. FLOWERS.

 

This will be short: in the imp, Les Fleurs du Mal are flowers du DETERGENT, par for the course for the Lab's floral blends (wisteria is one of the notes that do this pretty consistently). On my skin, this oil is a dead-on imitation of baby wipes. It morphs into a sweet-ish floral that is tolerable -- I can make out the rose, and I love rose, so that's good -- but it never quite loses that baby wipe vibe.

Edited July 28, 2009 by karen

[wldhrsjen3]

I'm not generally much of a floral person, but I do love lilacs and roses so I had hopes this might make a lovely spring scent. Sadly, I found it slightly disappointing.

 

In the bottle: roses. A massive bouquet of roses, with lilacs hiding in the background.

 

On my skin: all I smell are roses, with some note along the edge that smells slightly off... I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the wisteria? Sadly, I can't find the lilacs - or at least, they don't smell like the lilacs I know and adore.

 

As it dries: the rose remains strong. Although it fades enough to allow suggestions of other flowers to peek through, it's still fairly intense. That impression of something just a little off continues to nag me.

 

Twenty minutes later: it's settled into a more well-rounded floral bouquet, but it's still mostly rose. And, although I smell the hint of lilac, it isn't true lilac. This is just... too floral, too prim for me. I'll pass it on to someone who can appreciate it.

[undream]

i'm not exactly sure what wisteria smells like, but i love me some rose, and this, on me, is definitely rose. the lilac is there as well, just beyond the roses, softening and sweetening this oil into a very feminine, very victorian heady cloud of beautiful florals. &of course, i love it.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting a really strong mix of roses, lilacs, and wisteria. On my skin, the rose and lilac dominate, with the wisteria lurking underneath. It's a nice floral, but I'm thinking that this'll be just fine as an imp.

Edited October 12, 2009 by Venneh

[Stormslegacy]

In the imp: Strong perfumy dark floral

 

Wet: Definitely a rose scent. This is incredibly strong. There's greenery in it. It's surprisingly dark for a rose, not like most of the rose-scents I have tried before. Honestly, this is the way I thought London should have smelled from the description.

 

Drydown: The rose mellows out a little and powders a bit. Almost as though wet, it had been just coming out of the bud and now it's opened up. It's a little perfumey to the point it makes me feel sneezey. Even as I type, I can still smell it--this one has a ton of throw, and is definitely NOT one to wear if you plan to be in a car with others. This is one of the strongest BPALs I have ever tried!

 

Dry: Dusty, powdery flowers, after only about half an hour or so. I don't think most people can tell that smell from baby-powder. Damn. And it started so good! After an hour it's almost like sniffing a dried, wilted flower. Here and gone just like that. How odd! ETA: HUH...in a short period of time, the lilac comes back with the wisteria, completely changing this to a gentle soft light-purple, almost soapy but not quite.

 

Conclusion:

Not ZOMG bottle! but pretty nice in the beginning. This is a rich dark rose scent with good throw.

Edited November 15, 2009 by Stormslegacy

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: flowery, sweet, soapy

 

Wet on Skin: not bad for a floral

 

While Drying: fairly delicate, though I can smell it wafting up to my nose

 

After a Little While: Starting to deepen; rose and lilac is an interesting combo; not sure what wisteria smells like… heading toward Rose dominance.

 

Later: takes a few hours to die down to an acceptable level

 

Final Thoughts: May be too heady/floral for my tastes. At least it doesn't go soapy once it is on the skin.

Les Fleurs du Mal earns a 3/5 on my skin.

[voorishsign]

Frimp from the lab. I don't expect to love this because I'm not really a floral person, but I want to try it because I make it a point to try every oil I get, just for the sake of experience.

 

In the imp - sweet, calm florals. Very pleasant.

 

On wet - at least one of the flowers is slightly sharp, possibly the lilac. I barely smell any rose, which is disappointing because it's one of the few flowers I don't necessarily mind as much.

 

Drydown - ah, there's the rose! A light, sweet floral, delicate and refined. Not my kind of scent but gorgeous for floral lovers.

[Finch]

I get expensive soap at first then it dries into a traditional, almost old fashioned, sort of floral perfume with strong notes of lilac and rose. It's very soft muted colors, lace and flowing silk.

[lady_pandora]

A frimpie from the Lab! Thanks Lab!

 

I'm getting a lot of Fleurs, but not necessarily much Mal. This starts out as mainly rose. It's a nice rose, full and soft. I keep thinking I smell violet, too, but apparently it's not actually here. There's also something sharp underneath that I can't place. I only get the sharp note right next to the skin; the throw is a nice rose.

 

The rose continues to dominate for a couple of hours, after which the note I keep mistaking for violet--I think it must be the wisteria, because I'm more familiar with lilac and this ain't it--starts to overtake the rose in the throw, while next to my skin it's gone kind of bitter and dusty-smelling.

 

It's pleasant if I don't mash my nose into my wrist and get the bitter/dusty thing, but it's one of those oils I'm not sure I'll wear very much, because I don't really have a niche for it. If that makes any sense. I have rose scents I like better, and general floral blends I like better, so I don't see myself reaching for this one much.

[Acushla]

Smells very similar to a lot of the florals I've tried that just don't work for me at all. I think it's the lilac that really doesn't agree with me, plus rose and I haven't gotten along very well in the past for the most part. Pretty much stayed the same from the imp to my skin, though it did of course soften a bit towards the end. I wanted to love this one from the description, but it looks like it's bound for the swap pile.

[sakuratart]

This seemed to me a standard heady, overpowering floral, kind of like what I would expect from a traditional classic French perfume.

[hersphinxness]

I know there's no lavendar in this, but somehow once it hits my skin I get this very crisp, assertive lavendar note. It reminds me of a Victorian style lavendar perfume I had as a teenager. It's actually very nice and different from my other florals; it smells more "natural" somehow.

 

Dry, I can pick out the lilac. It's softened a bit and sweetened, but the rose and wisteria are still making this fresh lavendar magic. This is great. It has a distinctly old-fashioned, Victorian feel, but it's not stuffy. It's a classic, slightly vintage scent, confident enough that it doesn't have to shout about itself. Poised. Pretty without being silly or sweet.

 

It's a close to the skin scent on me, though it does last a while.

[pandorasmuse]

In the imp: More nursing home-ish than expected. A bevy of grandmothers.

 

Wet: Mmm, lilac! Other flowers as well, but it doesn’t have that elderly smack to it any longer.

 

Drydown: This is reminding me of a scratch-n-sniff book I had as a kid. I’m pretty sure there was a lilac sticker in there. I’m liking it, but I’ll have to remember to use a light touch if I end up WEAR wearing it.

 

Later: Mr. Muse says it reminds him of a bathroom. (Usually he tells me things smell like cake.) I didn’t smell it until he said it, and now I can’t un-smell it. That comment may be a dealbreaker.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: great floral blend. the lilac and wisteria are a wonderful soft wispy purple with an undercurrent of light red rose. Sweet, sad, unmistakable blend.

Drydown: rose is more prominent. Some of the wisteria and lilac has burned off but it's still significantly altered the rose base that you wouldn't smell it and only say "rose".

[Ella LaRose]

very nice floral, I smell lilac and gardenia, not sure why. good girl scent.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Lots of florals. Ooh, funkadelic rose and sweetness. I'm scared.

 

Wet: I put just the tiniest bit of this on, and of course I'm amping the bloody lilac like crazy. I so do not like that note. It's cloyingly sweet and a little rancid on me. Not flattering!

 

Dry: Yeah, dirty rose and lilac. Not good.

 

Overall: Another floral that I just don't understand. Old lady-ish and rotten.

[Gateau]

Imp -- juicy flowers, nothing specific

 

Wet -- white and clean floral with a touch of rose. Almost like a nice fresh bar of Ivory soap.

 

Dry down -- It's Ivory soap and nothing else.

 

Dried to a faintly sweet creamy floral but mostly soap.