Le Serpent Qui Danse

[darklines]

A sinister, darkly seductive scent inspired by poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Violet entwined with vanilla and gardenia.

 

So this was definitely a perfume that I wanted to love but it went so wrong on my skin. In the imp I thought it smelled pleasant, very nice florals with a little hint of vanilla. On my skin it went allllll gardenia, no violet or vanilla to be found. Gardenia, apparently, amps off my skin in a really strong, not-good way.

Too much gardenia for me, but I think it could smell nice on someone else.

Edited November 18, 2015 by darklines

[Bassmastadroog]

Wet: At first this is a perfect mix of violet and gardenia. Gardenias are so pretty! Ethereal-y pretty. I don't get any vanilla at first application. I'm glad that the gardenia is balanced with the violets...because violets are SO strong on me in the candy fashion, I wish they weren't but most blends just become candy powder (note: I feel like the best blend for people that have the candy powder violet problem is Bruised Violet Compound).

 

Crap. I smell the candied violet coming through.

 

YES. Gardenia is slipping back in. I know a lot of people don't like gardenia really, but it tempers out candy violet scents SOOOO well. It makes them a little darker and fresher. I'm starting to love this scent now that the violets are equalizing with the gardenia. I don't smell vanilla yet, which is sad, but its pretty nonetheless!

 

Overall...I'll keep my imp but I don't know yet if I like the violet enough to order more.

[Teamama]

In the imp, this is powerful and it's hard for me to differentiate the notes.

 

Wet on me, I get violet, and a little vanilla, but no gardenia. The violet is powdery and wistful, and seems like orris root.

 

Dry, almost exactly the same as wet, just softer and more powdery.

 

This is not a joyful scent on me. Sad little Snakey, dancing alone, trying to do the steps but she ain't got feet.

[freyasfae]

I really wanted to like this scent, I mean Baudelaire, c'mon! But this was just sweet, sweet, sweet on me. The gardenia would sometimes pop up, but it was mostly vanilla and candied violet. After trying some other violets, I am thinking violet may be temperamental with me. Ultimately, on me, this scent ended up more sweet than floral, and I really wanted floral.

[RasAlgethi]

Lovely in the bottle, very regal. Sadly on me it's just gardenia all the way. Very sickly sweet. Kinda old lady. A real shame because the notes are beautiful. I'll just have to chalk it up to skin chemistry.

[TijuanaBible]

When I first tried it on I got violets with a hint of vanilla, no gardenia (at least, as far as I can tell). As it dries, the vanilla really amps up, and it's all I can really smell-- I can smell some faint flowers if I put my nose right to my wrist. This is nice, but there are violet blends I like better.

[roseus]

Soft candy-sweet violets, sweetened more by vanilla, with a heady background of gardenia. Innocent and playful upfront with a sly grin behind it. Violets aren't really my thing, but it is a nice scent. To me this really similar to Fleurette's Purple Snails, but it could be my limited experience with violets thinking all the blends smell similar.

Edited June 17, 2016 by roseus

[LizziesLuck]

I really don't like violet, and it doesn't care for me either, but I just have this compulsion to try everything, so I will just try to be objective!

 

 

Wet: Violet is sometimes bitter on me, sometimes powdery, and sometimes screechingly sweet. Today it's so sweet it makes my teeth ache. Very much like candy. This is actually the closest I come to liking violet (which is not actually very close at all) as I like the sweetness better than when it's bitter or powdery.

 

 

Dry: Violet indeed. If you love sweet violet scents, I would imagine this is a must try! It goes a bit powdery as well. so like violet candies ground down to powder. I am going to rate this Not Disgusting and that's pretty good coming from this violet hater!

[renfair]

I ordered this scent as an imp from the lab. After ordering it but before receiving it, I was able to smell it at Loved to Death in San Francisco. That lowered my hopes a little, because I really wanted to like it and it wasn't doing anything for me in the bottle. So when I got back from my trip, the imp was waiting there for me to try it out.

First Sniff Impression: Kind of an alcoholic floral. A bit like a nice, homeopathic cough syrup.

Wet in Vial: I can get the violet, but that's about it.

Drying Down on Skin: The gardenia seems to come out with the violet right away. No vanilla yet.

Dry on Skin: This is a little soapy on me. Like a really nice, milled French soap, but still not something I'd want to wear. I think I might need to avoid violet. Eventually some of the soap goes away, maybe when the vanilla starts to come out more.

Conclusion: This got slightly less soapy after a while, but still not one for me. I think violet is a no-no note for me, despite how much I like them in real life.

[bluethorn13]

This is the perfect balance of floral and sweet on my skin. I'm not familiar enough with the different florals to tell the difference between the violet and the gardenia but they are there in the forefront for the first little bit of wear. With vanilla sitting in the background waiting patiently. It's a nice warm vanilla which is becoming one of my favorite things. The floral notes do disappear fast. so much so that I made the mistake of slathering a bunch on after my morning break and ended up sneezing a bit in my own perfume cloud. I'm going to try this one in a scent locket next time and see if that changes things.

I love this one it's on my list of full bottle wants.

[Pixie-elf]

In the Imp: Bananas and Flowers?

On my skin: Sweet Vanilla Florals, Batman. This is a gorgeous scent. It's almost banana and flowers I want to say.... Then it turns in to gorgeous sweet flowers. Oh God. I might need a bottle of this if it stays like this. The Gardenia is glorious.

Dry, after 5 minutes: Vanilla and Gardenia,

Dry after 10 minutes: Vanilla, Gardenia and... Pepper? I'm smelling something peppery. It's not bad.

 

After 30 minutes: A wee bit of Violet seems to have mingled in with the Vanilla and Gardenia. It has more of a perfumey scent now. If that makes sense? It almost grounds it, somewhat.

After an Hour: Back to Vanilla and Gardenia loveliness.

I really like this. It's a beautiful scent. I might want a bottle of it. It's just lovely!

[Nikki Scarlet]

This was a frimp. Didn't know about it before receiving it but the notes sound nice. So far I've liked floral vanillas :3

In the imp:
. . . Not actually getting any vanilla. this is a very bright and somewhat sharp floral to my nose. A strong scent, but one I'm not so sure I care for.

On me, wet:
The strength dies down but so far it smells kinda grimy on me. :\

On me, dry:
The griminess mostly goes away (pops back up here and there but mostly gets out of the way), and it's a fresh, gentle, but somewhat boring floral. Kind of reminds me of Febreze, actually.

Verdict:
Ehhhh. I don't hate this, but I don't think I like it enough to keep. Passing it on to someone who will appreciate it more.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Nikki Scarlet

[gloame]

Sharp violets. I'm not getting any vanilla or gardenia, which is a shame because I love both. I like violets, but this doesn't do anything extra special for me.

 

Where I'd wear this: Rescuing a princess from a dark tower

[goblingrin]

This is a sharp violet in the imp and when first applied. As it dries, the gardenia gets stronger but then it starts to smell like baby wipes?? After a couple hours that goes away and it smells like warm vanilla with a floral tone, but at that point it has no throw (but its still so nice to sniff my wrist).

[Spaztic]

I put this one on not knowing what the notes were and was instantly like "violet!", which I like.

 

It reminds me a bit of Guerlain's Insolence, it's quite nice

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Violent with an accent of gardenia and an undercurrent of vanilla. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the vanilla is most detectable, though the violet and gardenia stay present in the background. On the initial drydown, however, the throw is all violet -- though gardenia remains noticeable close to my skin. The vanilla disappears on me, as vanilla often does. As the blend settles, the throw continues violet while the gardenia becomes stronger in the skin scent. It's possible some vanilla is acting in the background, rounding out the gardenia and keeping the floral from becoming too piercing. Gradually, the gardenia becomes more noticeable in the throw as well, adding some floral lightness to the deeper violet. 

 

Ultimately, I like this, because I like violet, and this is mainly violet on me. The gardenia makes it maybe not my favorite violet blend, but I'll likely use up this imp. 

[Joyleaf_]

I am not a florals type person. I love resins and patchouli and vetiver. However I am trying to branch out to new horizons, and try what Im frimped no matter what.

That being said, I kind of hate this. Its very sweet and powdery and floral and I imagine my grandmas carpet to smell like this. If you like delicate sweet florals, then this is for you! Enjoy!

[fairybites]

In the Imp: Vanilla with a hint of violet

On Me: I am not detecting any gardenia at all, just the violet and vanilla. Which isn't bad, vanilla is one of my favorite scents. It's a pretty clean smell, but I can't say I'd wear this a whole lot and I doubt I'd get a bottle of it. If you're a fan of violet and vanilla, this would probably be a good scent for you. Glad to have gotten it as a frimp to try, though!

[Permanent.Black.Ink.]

This tracks hard into dish soap on short order, which I believe is the violet taking over.  There's some vanilla that comes out around hour hour, but it's a real peripheral thing; kind of like trying to look at an eclipse.  

[Luna Fatale]

Le Serpent Qui Danse

 

In the Imp: Bubble wand soap (the kind you used to blow bubbles as a child) & something sweet.

 

On the Skin: Deep floral smell (soap's not there at the moment fortunately). A simple scent but the vanilla gives some sweetness and the violet gives some sort of kick to the white gardenia. I like it at this stage! It's very sophisticated. As it dries it's getting sweeter and I like it even more.

 

After awhile I smell the bubble wand soap again s: but then it turns to the most delightful sweet powdery vintage floral smell that I quite like. I'm not sure I'd get a full bottle of this scent because at times I love it and other times it doesn't agree with me. lol Cx
 

[skyturtles]

First of all, the oil in the imp (unknown age) is a beautiful red color, which made me think it would have red musk or the like as a note. Imagine my surprise when I opened and sniffed the imp! This is my first experience with violet, and I think I'm a fan. Roses and lavender do not do it for me, but violet? Perhaps... The vanilla gives just a hint of sweet smokiness, but does not overwhelm at all. In fact, if I hadn't read the notes list, I wouldn't have been able to pick it out. Gardenia gives it a smidge of powdery green. The longer it dries on my skin, the spicier it gets... I think I've found my first floral winner! My partner says I smell like baby powder but I promise, I don't.

[spaghettysburg]

There is a fleeting moment of promising, sweet violet in the beginning, but unfortunately it gets quickly overpowered by the gardenia and vanilla. The lab's white florals tend to be indolic on me, and this is no exception. The vanilla also has a tinge of that "generic bakery note" that I usually get from foody blends. Soooo bathroom-y gardenia + musty bakery smell- not great. The violet comes out a little more as it dries, but it's not enough to save this one for me.

[MolyH]

I'm a huuuge fan of vanilla and hoped this would be a sugary, creamy violet, but I don't catch any vanilla notes in this at all. Instead, it smells confusingly wet and watery, like a big bouquet of violets drowning in the rain. I have no idea how water has a scent, but this oil is 90% water, with a very diluted hint of violet and nothing else.

[RoseThornAndOak]

A new frimp from the Lab! Holy heckedy heck violet. Sweet, floral, a lot like those violet candies you can get. I'm not getting much gardenia or vanilla, which is unfortunate, but I am enjoying this. The vanilla emerges a tad on drydown. Considering a bottle.