Saturnalia

[erendirascent]

Unrestrained revelry, unchained licentiousness! Violet deepened with vetiver.

In the bottle: I am going to hate this--it smells like cigarettes
Wet: Horrible, horrible cigarette smell
Dry-down: I am nauseous. Literally. I appreciate the smell and wish I could handle it but it has truly turned my stomach. When I sniff my wrists it reminds me of a woodfire and the violet is very sexy....but it is much too strong for me. :-( I want to try something with violet but no vetiver, the vetiver and I do not agree :-(

[EdenIris]

Oh, my goodness, no.

 

Wet: I used to take Chinese herbs for inflammation. They were bitter and alkali and almost intolerable. Saturnalia in its first phase was exactly the smell (and taste -- it got in my throat) of those herbs. I've had good experience with vetiver in other blends (Anathema comes to mind), so this was a surprise.

 

Drying: I tried to give it a chance, I really did. Kept waiting for the violets to come out. They did not. Just bitter medicine that faded a bit after an hour or so but never became anything remotely pleasant.

 

Verdict: Unrestrained licentiousness is not likely to occur while I have this scent on. It is the opposite of sexy on me. Fast track to the swap pile.

 

Of all the scents I've tested, there have only been two that I really couldn't stand, and this is the second, so I don't feel too bad giving it a negative review.

 

ETA: Several hours after initial application I'm finally getting the jungle green scent I associate with vetiver, but it doesn't repay the effort of waiting.

Edited June 25, 2009 by EdenIrisMae

[donnatron]

Bottle: Vetiver and violet. Nothing odd here.

 

Wet: So I'm pretty sure there are two varieties (at least) of vetiver than the lab use. One is the sultry, dark smoky vetiver of Lunar Eclipse and Prurience. The other is a drier, more grassy vetiver of the sort used in Queen and Saturnalia. I prefer the smoky one, but I can deal with the other. This is definitely threatening to go gross, however.

 

Dry: Dirty violets. I'm a little sad because I know this used to be pure sexiness on me but now it's still wearable and I like it but it's also like, "Would you like to smell like a violet garden? WELL YOU CAN!!!" The violets actually clean it up quite a bit and make this sort of boring. Like violets and dirt.

 

Throw: Moderate to strong.

 

Overall: I actually had my bottle up on the sales board but I think I'll keep it. I can see myself being in the mood for this every once in awhile.

[topazphoenix]

Ugh, this one is singularily the worst BPAL I have ever smelt. Vetiver is in some of my favorite blends and it smells nothing like this horrible burnt meat smell I'm getting from Saturnalia. And it's not just slightly burnt or smokey (I'm rather fond of slightly burnt foods lol) but rather like ingesting the hot charcoal of a hotdog. I wonder if it will get any better with age or if those fabled violets will show up later.

[rayvn1]

This was .... weird. I can't be much more specific than that. Just....weird... Lots of bitter vetiver, a hot blast of scent. I don't think I could wear this, but on the right person it may do interesting things.

[greenforrest]

Imp: Deep parma violets without the sweetness, and dusky smokey vetiver

 

Initial: same!

 

After Initial: same again, but going quite peppery on drydown. Smoky black pepper-y, not paprika or bell pepper.

 

Impressions: The air in a dark dank dance club after everyone's left; the hall after the revelery; the lingering scents post-orgy. Much much to Paperrose for this!!

[annanwater]

Pure vetiver on me...and I'm afraid vetiver smells like whiskey in a really bad way to my nose. That's all I could smell in the bottle, and all I can smell on my skin. I'm afraid this is a fail...if only I could get smoky violets! *sigh*

[ravenscanary]

This is a big no, and the first BPAL I really had to resist washing off to see how it morphed.

 

In the Imp: Astringent alcohol and burning. I smell no violets.

 

On my skin: If I try very hard, I can smell violets. A few violets that were tossed in a bitter herbal chemical fire!

 

Drydown: About 2 hours later, this has mellowed to a faint but severe, black, bitter herbal smell with a touch of violet.

 

Not remotely worth the wait.

[stardreamer]

Meh. On me, this is green-and-incense, with the green part fading after an hour or so, and a lingering smokiness. Never got anything that I recognized as violet, and the overall impression was somewhat masculine. It isn't nasty, but it's not something I can see myself wearing either, when I've got so many other scents I like better. Off to the swap pile.

[Leopard403]

I love these scents that have few notes, as it lets me narrow down what works and what doesn't!

 

While intense on me, I like violet. So I guess it's the vetiver that's the Rule Out scent for me. Duly noted, and this imp goes to the swaps pile.

[melrose]

In imp, and on, wet: bug spray of the I-just-grabbed-hold-of-your-throat-and-won't-let-go variety.

 

Near drydown: Godawful medicine.

 

Far drydown: Same. This is my worst BPAL experience ever.

 

 

Evil in a bottle.

[Venneh]

This smells like floral cigarettes in the imp. This is probably not going to turn out well. I got just a little of it on a fingertip, and it smells exactly like it did in the imp. Uhm, no. Swaps now.

[morinpm]

Oh man, this was one of the very few BPALs I've actually had to wash off. Saturnalia was absolutely intolerable on me (I do like violets, but I'm not certain that I can wear them) and I'm rather afraid to open the imp again to try to suss out more scent impressions other than "ARRRRGH VETIVER". Alas! Off to the swap pile...

[kunoichi]

From the vial it is a stringent woody note - pure vertiver! On my skin it changes to a somewhat unpleasant scent as my skin chemistry fights the vertiver and violet - a number of violet scents turn bad on my skin, sadly; though I can detect a hint of it's licentiousness as it somehow reminds me of what a wet satyr might smell like - manly, yet with a wet dog smell from his fur! After a few hours on my skin, this calms down and becomes a soft and quickly fading version of its former self; quite nice and subtle by this point, but it is is also practically gone.

[Sawasdee]

I don't smell violet in this at all, from wet to dry. Just a smoky, dirt and fungus smell, which I actually kind of like. I'm also smelling leather, don't know where that's coming from, but I think I'll keep this imp. Not a big bottle purchase, but interesting...

[impolight]

Upon first opening the bottle, there is an immediate and rapid recoiling... Good Heavens, is that the vetivert?

Woo! ASSertive!

But then a memory surfaces of the first encounter with Bluebeard, & this is a prompt to take heart...Saturnalia has violet, yet this is NOT, repeat, NOT shy violet.

This violet has a sneer on it's lips, and a cocky swagger to accompany the preposterous bulge in it's pants.

Dabbed on the epidermis (after asking permission, of course) Saturnalia adopts seductive and convivial mannerisms. Cleans up nicely. Sweetens a smidge.The revelry here has died down, the amateurs have succumbed to discombobulation, so the aged cognac and fine cigars have come out as accoutrements for the ribald yarns swapped by the bonfire's glow.

Saturnalia is a mesmerizing weave of Royal Purple and Sky Blue. A pornographic peacock tail-feather.

A deep and formal scent; sweet, yet distinctly more on the masculine side. Worn best on occasions where ruthlessness is a virtue...

Charismatic. Enchanting. Deliciously perverse.

Only wear this scent if leaving indelible impressions on the psyche of another is something that can be accomplished without the tiniest blemish on the conscience.

Not for beginners, this one... Timidity's body chemistry would be a dead giveaway.

[kohimame]

Ok, I can't do vetiver, I just need to deal with it.

 

Basically, if you can wear a vetiver blend (and if you can, I'm envious) then ignore this post and give it a shot. I'm sure it will smell lovely on you. HOWEVER if you're like me and can't come near vetiver without it turning into a scary, dirty, bitter mess, avoid this scent. It'll just get your hopes down.

 

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: ugh

 

Wet on Skin: oh god what have I done?

 

While Drying: I should have known better

 

After a Little While: vetiver drowning violets in a sea of doom

 

Later: apparently Vetiver offered Violet some cookies, because Violet has gone to the dark side.

 

Final Thoughts: I can handle vetiver when it is well integrated (read: well hidden) in a blend. This is not such a blend. Vetiver is not my friend. I like violet - not all the time, but it the right blend it works for me. This is not such a blend. I blame Vetiver for corrupting poor Violet.

Saturnalia earns a 1/5 on my skin.

[Greenwoodtree]

This was a frimp...an amazing one!

 

Upon 1st opening: Fires burning, dark smoke, sweaty partyers heaped on top of each other!

 

Within the hour: A subtle sweetness, an elegant and sophisticated twist, reminds me of secret rooms in the party house that are left for those "in the know"

 

After several hours, and through the next day or 2 (lasted through one shower!):

Ahhh, here is the meat of this wonderful, luxurious scent - Lord Byron's velvet jacket, tossed on a brocade chair, next to the bed where he has explored every carnal delight of the companion within...

 

The smokiness lingers, but the perfumed velvet, worn next to a sweaty, sensual skin, remains fore front...Takes me places I wish to be!

 

Bravo!

[RhinestoneHousewife]

This was a frimp.

 

In the bottle: Musky, warm and masculine.

 

Wet on skin: Holy crap! It smells smoky and medicinal. Like burned medicine.

 

Dry on skin: It smells exactly what I imagine Nightcrawlers' "BAMF" would smell like. Smoky, burning....brimstone?

 

Verdict: Not for me at all. As much as I really like Nightcrawler, I don't want to smell like him when he's BAMF-ing in between dimensions.

[SueTigger]

*le sigh*

 

I received this as a frimp in a swap and tried it for the first time today. After about 2 hours, I had to wash it off my skin. The violet and vetiver don't do lovely, sexy things on my skin. This is great ... for someone else.

 

 

[lahdeedah]

Found: one violet scent that has some serious violet POWER!

 

This scent on me is everything I was expecting it to be, which makes me quite happy. I expected dark, sinister violet and that's exactly what this is. Simple. The vetiver is surprisingly mellow here-- just swirling in the background deepening the violet and keeping it going. This scent is so DARK it's almost black. It's giving me the picture of one of Anne Rice's Mayfair witches sauntering through the Garden District of my beloved New Orleans at twilight. It's very evocative for me. Funny though, this is what I would have expected from Le Serpent Qui Danse in terms of suiting the name. Saturnalia doesn't seem to quite fit. There's no celebration here, no licentiousness. More like secrets and mystery, things kept hidden from the light. Very nice.

[ajansuz]

I ordered this in my latest order because I'm partial to violets, and while I loved Nocturne, the tuberose didn't love me quite as much as I hoped it would. It became something of a bully and beat up on the violets. So, on to Saturnalia!

 

In the imp, I could definitely smell violet and vetiver, but there was also a bit of a strangely medicinal odor that made me think of eucalyptus. The only time I like eucalyptus is when I have a cold and need to breathe, so I was a little concerned as I dabbed it on.

 

Wet, my skin amped the violet very strongly and more of that...so hard to describe...kind of cold wind eucalyptus scent, but not sharp and obnoxious, just...intriguing. OK, so far, going with the flow nicely here.

 

On the drydown, the vetiver began to assert itself a little bit, kind of smoky, kind of dirty, but in a good way, not a bad one.

 

The staying power of this is better than any other BPAL scent I've tried so far, and the throw is BIG. HUGE. This violet is a lot less candy-like than Nocturne, not sweet at all, kind of smoky, and sinister. I still get the impression of a cold wind, an aloof sneer that somehow manages to be sexy and draw one closer despite one's better judgment. Saturnalia just replaced Nocturne as my favorite BPAL floral to date. If this is what the lab's vetiver does for me, I'll have to try more with that note. I like this a great deal.

[maika]

Nooo...without any further description, this is absolutely not for me.

 

The thing that makes me saddest is that I love both violets and vetiver, but this is just too much vetiver with really intense throw.

 

Straight to sales.

[milo]

In the imp, this is all about the vetiver, and I'm almost too scared to skin test. It is pretty strong vetiver on the skin for awhile, but gradually fades into a watery violet, with just a touch of vetiver. I don't mind this, though it really is off-putting at first, kind of a 'naughty' violet, like Faith gone wild one night at the carnival, and got with Wulric, Doc and several others, then had a shower.