Pulcinella & Teresina

[Naamah_Darling]

Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.

In the bottle a thick and lovely mixture of rose and resin. It goes on hot and heady, roses with a hint of wood, and a strong draft of incense to draw it all together. This is beautiful from the first moment it touches my skin.

It doesn't change much as it wears, which is a very good thing as it's a lovely scent. It just stays warm rose and incense, with a slightly dry woody sweetness hovering about the edges. Though I feared the cedar, it doesn't really come out. I can't smell it at all.

Delightful! This is a truly beautiful scent, one I hadn't expected to love as much as I do. But I do love it, and I'll have to order me a bottle.

There aren't many reviews of this, and I'm forced to wonder if that's because nobody's trying it. Get with the program, folks! This is a lovely scent, and one that rose fans shouldn't pass up!

[moon_lemming]

The woods combine to remind me of a cross between a cedar chest and pickles. I'm not sure why. I don't get any rose, and this is just way too medicinal for me to wear. Wood strikes again. (Hehehehe.)

[Iceblink]

This is pure, sweet cedar on me with a floral hint in the background. It's not something I'd normally wear but it's quite unique and I think it might grow on me.

The oil is a gorgeous color, too.

[jasmine]

There’s a sharp vegetative note in this upon first application. It’s not quite herbal -- it’s more like a broken fern stalk. Underneath, there’s something familiar, and that familiar scent coalesces slowly into a dark fruitiness.

 

Over time, the vegetative scent fades and the fruit takes over. It’s similar to plum, closer to prune, and not quite either one. It isn’t foody, despite being fruity... a dry, precise fruit flavor. There’s still something higher atop it, but I can’t sort it out.

 

So... this presents a certain problem. I read the notes from the lab, and then I smell my elbow, and I can’t pick a single one of them out. Wood? It’s not there. Rose? Not there either. Labdanum? I’m not sure... but once it hits my skin, this decant of Pulcinella and Teresina smells more like Haloa than anything else. I’ve got no reason to think this was a bad decant, but I’m utterly confused, and I’m giving up. On me, it smells like nothing but dark, dry fruit, and it doesn’t really appeal.

 

I’m going to try this scent again in a couple of weeks and see if it improves -- it may be a temporary skin chemistry oddity.

[azhure]

In the vial: Cedar, cedar and more cedar. It's not a bad scent, but do I want to smell like it?

 

Wet: Cedar. And...yep, cedar. I keep on wondering where the wood scent is coming from.

 

Drydown: This softens a little. Only a little, mind, with the rose coming through very faintly. I don't have much luck with Beth's rose scents, other notes always seem to dominate. This isn't any different.

[phedre]

In vial: Pure cedar. It reminds me of my step-father's canoe shop (he handmakes canoes out of cedar)

 

Wet on my skin: Pickles. I swear to $deity, I smell dill pickles.

 

Drydown: the cedar comes back, but the pickles still dominate. How very very bizarre. I get no florals from this whatsoever.

[Voleuse]

This is strong cedar and light resin on me, dark and polished. It's a little sour as well, which might be deliberate. Like rose petals and incense gone off. It could be nice, but it's not really my thing. Off to swaps!

[cranberry]

In the imp: boozy, woody resins

 

On the skin: Once applied it still smells like boozy, woody resins. I think I’m smelling the labdanum strongly. There’s a hint of sweetness here. After it’s been on a few minutes, it seems to deepen and richen. I can best describe it as deep, dark sexy. It reminds me of an expensive perfume. This is gorgeous – polished wood & deep incense. The red rose seems more blacked to me. This whole scent seems black or a very deep brown to me. Because it’s so dark, I think a man could pull this scent off just as well as a woman.

[chrisann]

Okay, when I first got a decant of this about 4 months ago, I tried it and it was a jumble of sour, strong woods, and a kick of rose. Very bad on my skin, and my decant went immediately into my swap pile.

 

I tried it on again today, and I have to say it is a completely different fragrance on my skin now. Aging changes this perfume so drastically. That sour note? Now is replaced but a warm rum skinscent.. I'm 30 minutes into it now, and all the notes are embracing each other into a spicy, woodsy, rose scent. It reminds me of a WARMER version of Parlemont of Foules. The rose in this is suggestive, not dominant.

 

For those of you who tried this lab fresh, give this smellie some time to age and settle. It really is quite surprising how it evolves.

 

Grade B

[Syzygy]

I want to be friends with rose, but rose doesn't want to be friends with me. It always goes sour or soapy. Nevertheless, I got a decant of this when CD first went live. And was rewarded for my optimism with the overpowering reek of sour, pickled wood. So, like growwild up there, I put it aside to let it age for a few months. I tried it again recently, and this time I got...the overpowering reek of sour, pickled wood.

 

It would appear that the enmity between rose and my skin is of a deep and abiding sort, destined to outlast Time itself.

Edited January 25, 2007 by Syzygy

[kat15lee]

The woods combine to remind me of a cross between a cedar chest and pickles. I'm not sure why. I don't get any rose, and this is just way too medicinal for me to wear. Wood strikes again. (Hehehehe.)

 

Pickles.. yes... I know what you're talking about. That salty, pungent smell. What is that? I smelled in Cereberus too.

Ugh.. it ruined both scents for me. Don't want to wear pickles!

[filigree_shadow]

Woah. I don't know what I was expecting from this scent, but this isn't it. I was taken by surprise.

 

This smells like the inside of a cedar chest. Dry, very woody. Hardly any rose at all. Slightly smoky, but not a hazy smoke, an acrid smoke.

 

This scent reminds me of an antiques shop.

[hackess]

Bottle: Woody resin.

Wet: Cedar, front and center. There's rose in this?

Drydown: Ooh, it gets sweeter. Now I'm smelling teak. It's almost like a dry sweet tobacco or the wood they use to make humidors. Still no rose, but it's really quite nice. I may consider rescuing this from the swap pile.

[bunnymcfoo]

See, I don't like puppets. These puppets don't like me. Sharp, bitter, and hateful. I'm told that the drydown goes roses and woody, but I can't get there, can't make myself work through the note here that's turning my stomach.

 

 

Maybe it's the teak? That's gone bad on me before. Or maybe it's the labdanum. Whatever it is, it smells like utterly wretched crap on me. *sigh* Oh well...they can't all be winners, right?

[The Perfumed Ferret]

This blend starts out as OMG wood! But I had it on good authority that this would be a good blend for me so I stuck it out.

It took about an hour for it to mellow out, but when it did...ooo baby! this is a beautiful blend. Very woody, with a pungent backround of what I can only guess is the labdanum. Oddly enough I could not discern any rose notes.

 

This is a warm, comfortable scent.

 

 

10/10 on the ferret scale of goodness

[LadyCrow]

In the bottle: Sharp, pungent labdanum.

 

Wet: Teak! Deep, dark, heavy wood. One of the darkest wood scents I've tried, along with Monster Bait: Ventriloquist's Dummy. I like this, oh yes.

 

Drydown: The teak, which is a bit astringent, backs off just enough for me to get the cedar and labdanum (not much of the rose; it's more suggestive of roses than a rose lying on top of the teak dresser or whatever), but is still the dominant note. I think of old architecture, antiques, chests of drawers. The associations to go with this lovely blend are fascinating -- nothing like the concept, I fear, but fascinating!

 

I agree with other commenters who state that a man could easily pull off wearing this without feeling excessively girly. However, I'm keeping mine for me. Sorry, guys.

[bryghtrose]

I'm not getting the labdanum or the rose. The cedar and teak are completely dominant here. When I first apply it I smell like an upscale artisan lumber yard- where they have all the exotic woods for the serious craftsman/artisen. As it dries down I smell like my mother's cedar hopechest. Neither is an unpleasant smell.

This is a strong perfume. It reminds me of forests and Earth in a metaphysical sense.

[Mountaingrrl00]

The description didn't appeal to me, so it wasn't until I sniffed this at a meetup that I discovered how much I like it. The rich wood-resin blend just grabbed me immediately. I love teak, I love cedar, and the woods in P&T smell like the real thing. These woods might have gone too dry if not for the labdanum and rose. The labdanum adds a bit of sweetness and a moist, almost sticky feel to the blend, and the rose brings an airiness. I love how it smells on me and gets richer, warmer, almost spicy, and a little sweeter with my chemistry. This has become an instant favorite. My only regret is that it doesn't have as much staying power as I'd like. I find myself slathering and re-applying.

[alicia_stardust]

This is strong cedar. Cedar, cedar, and more cedar. Beneath that, as the scent warms up, I get a meandering rose scent that is very reminiscent of the rose in Parlement of Foules. Lovely, but strong. Both rose and cedar amps on my skin so this has a wide throw! I'll keep my decant but probably won't buy a bottle of it.

[funkmoppet]

Damn, Dang, Blast and Bugger it.

 

Labdanum, you smell so wonderful to begin with, until my skin recognises you for the evil resin you are and blasts you into Doom Powder.

 

Wet, this was a wonderful, Teak laden, resinous blend with well-behaved rose, swirling around on my wrist. Dark and rich.

 

Dry. Nope. Skin's not having it.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Dark wood, darkness in general, with a little swish of dark green.

 

Wearing: It’s just dark dark dark and very woody. Add a little dust and I suspect this is what Management’s trailer smelled like in the HBO show Carnivale.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is all woods for me - cedar, teak, as well as the labdanum.

 

Once I put it on, there's a hint of the rose over the woody scents.

 

This one's not for me - it's slightly sour when it's dry, and a very woody scent.

[mspixieears]

A gently floral cedar when applied wet, smells of antique furniture. There is some sweetness in it like cinnamon perhaps? Not sure. I think at present it’s a tad too masculine for my liking. Develops to smell like smoky or burning cedarwood. Might also be nice as a room fragrance.

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Pulcinella & Teresina is cedar and rose, like a rose bouquet next to an open cedar chest. As it dries, the teak comes through as well. A couple of hours later, the rose is gone and just the woods remain. I love this, I just wish the rose lasted longer.

[donnatron]

Oh phedre, I'm glad I'm not the only person who got pickles as a drydown note.

 

This was a kind freebie tossed in an ebay purchase.

 

Imp: It smells like cedar chips.

 

Wet: Cedar chips and... dill pickle chips. Weird. But... maybe?

 

Dry: Sadly, no. It dries down to dill pickle chips through and through. There's something else in the background that smells almost milky. I smell like an elementary school cafeteria and it's making me very, very sad.

 

Overall: Not for me, sadly. It's kind of serendipitous that I was gifted this because the description sounded right up my alley and I was prepared to purchase a 5 ml unsniffed.

Edited February 25, 2008 by paperrose