Melisande, The Puppet Mistress

[zillah37]

Behind the diminutive stage, the puppet mistress stands, a pale and grinning Professor, the Lady of Chaos. Her hands are tangled in web-like strings; a swazzle peeks through her violet lips. Behind her, you see a wavering image, with all the vague haziness of a mirage: a leaping coyote, a flame-haired and scarred Norseman, a glittering golden spider, a laughing monkey, a leering satyr, a shadowy flutist, and an African youth dressed in black and red.

Jasmine sambac, dark musk, violet water, vanilla bean and mimosa.

I just took a nice long sniff of coffee beans to clear the nose so let's keep on going. *g*

In the bottle: Erm. Jasmine and violet. Neither are scents I like at all. They turn to rotting flowers on my skin. It's got a hint of the mimosa in the background though so I'm hopeful that something else will end up on my skin instead of the rotting flowers.

On my skin: Ah! Jasmine! [backs away] Oh god, I'm not getting anything but jasmine from this and it's making me not want to sniff anymore. But I will. There's still mimosa in the background, but it's all being drowned out by the jasmine. I can't seem to get anything else from it.

Final verdict: No, no, no. I can't take this much jasmine. This is definitely not for me.

[Nachtwulf]

In the bottle, this reminds me of a sweetly sugared version of Beatrice. It's not fruity, it's not floral... it's sweet, 'damp', and faintly powdery.

 

On, it starts out much like it is in the bottle, but then as it dries, all pretenses at florality vanish, and what I seem to be left with is a powdery vanilla musk that's highly reminiscent of Antique Lace. In fact, if one were to add 'dried floral arrangements' to the 'lace' of AL, that's what this is like... it's powdery, a bit 'elderly'... I imagine it being like Havisham, though I've never smelled it. It's got that whole 'dried flowers fossilized wedding cake powdery little old lady' air to it.

 

No jasmine. No mimosa. I thought I actually got a bit of lotus from it, though that might be the vanilla. Not...really my thing, I fear.

[thematerialist]

Oooooh, Melisande.

 

I'm one of those people who is always on the lookout for a good jasmine scent that isn't weighed down with something else (the closest I've come is Lush's Alkmaar), and this seems to be it for me.

 

It comes on rather strong for me, but it's not unpleasant, especially when it fades a touch. The vanilla bean and the mimosa cut the potentially migraine-inducing combination of the jasmine and violet for me, and the musk gives it a lovely warm edge that reveals itself after about twenty minutes.

 

Absolutely lovely. I've been looking for something like this.

[Diana]

Bottle: very jasminey, pretty gosh-durn perfumey.

 

Wet: jasmine/sweet floral. There's something kind of sharp in there, almost green-ish, but I don't know if it's the "sambac" variety of jasmine, or one of the other notes saying hello.

 

Drydown: The sharpness has faded, and I can now detect violet (yay!). Oddly enough, I'm not getting much musk at all from this, it's very faint & skin-like.

 

I really like this. This is a floral that's sweet without being cloying, not old-fashioned, powdery, sticky, or waxy. It's very delightful.

[blueroses]

Bottle: Musky jasmine.

 

On: Whoa, jasmine. This is a very perfume-y scent, a very heavy floral. I do get some violet, but it's pretty much drowned out by the jasmine. Funnily enough, even though I can smell musk in the bottle, I don't get it on my skin.

 

After wearing for a while, a little sweetness comes out - I suppose the vanilla bean. I'm one of those people who normally can't wear the Lab's vanilla bean note, but here it just smells sweet, not like plastic. It's a shame, because I'm not a huge fan of jasmine, so I'll be passing this bottle along. This would be very nice for floral fans, though.

[grifyn_whiffs]

IN THE BOTTLE: Wow. I don't smell jasmine in the bottle *at all.* The first whiff out of the bottle is dark musk and mimosa. I bought this one for the jasmine note (one of my favorite notes, a bright and almost spicy note with my chemistry), so I'm hoping there hasn't been a terrible accident.

 

WET: Whoa, Jasmine! There it is! In fact, I now can't smell ANY other note at all. It goes frighteningly "single note" for a second, and I already have a jasmine single note! Hmmm. Because I smelled other notes when I opened the bottle, though, I'm excited to see where this one goes.

 

ONE HOUR: The jasmine is still very strong, but I'm now sensing the violet water and vanilla bean. This threatens to be almost too sweet. It's VERY girly, more girly than I usually like. But as I wait, the dark musk starts to counter-act the bright sweetness. It's still very floral, but not as overwhelming.

 

DRY-DOWN (about four hours later): Complete baby powder, near-soap. I'm not surprised: some jasmine notes go powdery on me, and mimosa ALWAYS goes powdery on me (some scents with a stronger mimosa note actually smell like "orange candy" on me -- I'm looking at you, Succubus -- so I'm grateful this one doesn't go that route.)

 

Comments: I'm glad I got this one; it's a jasmine blend, and I'll definitely use it, as it maintains a "spicy" quality on me like good jasmine notes do, only going powdery/soapy at the very last. BUT... I'm sort of disappointed. The blend didn't really hold any surprises for me, and there's no real "mystery" in the scent - in the way of something "working" on me when I'm not sure how. It's very pretty, but doesn't make me want to jump up and down.

[Rosaleen Dhu]

Very very jasmine...which normally I don't really like, but I ordered this in the hopes that the musk and violet water would balance it. They do. The drydown is a beautiful floral musk. I'm so happy I took a chance on this!

[shelldoo]

preface: jasmine is my nemesis, i lovingly call it satan's flower (ok not lovingly) it gets sharp, and metallic and gross. but i needed the whole set, and thought maybe it will work.

 

in the bottle:ummm yeah it is jasmine, and musk

wet: sharp, metallic.....

 

dry:yep satan's flower, that is all i can smell, it kills everything else, and turns rusty nail....i hate jasmine.

[LiberAmoris]

Melisande is sweet violets and jasmine with a heavy musk base. It's a simple and straightforward blend that smells both juicy and powdery, even though that sounds contradictory. Really, the violets and musk are the star here, at least on my skin.

 

After a few hours this still smells like violet-jasmine-musk. There's very little change. Although it's not a complicated blend, the violet really works for me, and I'm always a sucker for musk. I have a feeling this is another CD blend that will grow on me.

[lorajc]

Another well blended LE, although not quite my cup of tea. I knew I wouldn't be able to wear this, as I can't wear Beth's Jasmine blends....however, this one isn't bad, but since I don't like Mimosa....I probably won't wear it. I can smell the mimosa and jasmine (not that strongly though) and it's quite lovely but not really my taste. I bought the whole Al-Gazam and I'm glad I got the chance to try it. Maybe I'll set it aside and try it in a few days to make sure I want to get rid of it.

[Tramp]

Very jasmine-y but well tempered with violet. Normally jasmine is one of my four horseman of the apocoplys scents but here it isn't as overpowering as usual. It is an almost juicy that has me intrigued. There is a high, sweet note that I can't place. Maybe it is the vanilla bean tempering the jasmine - I'm not sure. Or maybe it is the first time violet has ever been anything other than pure powder on me. There is something almost boozy on the drydown.

[zenvodunista]

I am not a jasmine hater -- in fact, I am a jasmine Lover! But I can only smell jasmine in this :/ I'm going to give it a few weeks though and see if the jasmine lets some of the other notes shine through.

 

I will be conducting a layering experiment though with P&T at some point. I'm betting they'll work well together. At least my preliminary testing (one on my left hand, the other on my right hand) seemed to send off a wonderful mingling throw. Jasmine woods. -- each one tempering the other.

 

 

n.

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: This scent actually scared me. The phrase "floral cacophony" popped into my mind, and I thought "Um, I ORDERED this?"

 

Wet: Almost immediately, the chaos subsides, and the florals begin playing together nicely.

 

Dry: The musk is just a little stronger than the florals...jasmine always seems overpowering in the bottle, but on it just dries softly and sweetly. I can smell a hint of the vanilla. This is like Wanda and Perfumed Garden's distant cousin: it smells slightly similar, but is clearly the missing link, and not a direct descendant. I like it.

[Phaedra777]

While this was wet it was heavy, chaotic florals. It dried to a lovely soft floral musk, but I'm not sure if I can bear sneezing for 20 minutes to get there. I really wanted to love this one.

[Bagfish]

Melisande wet was similar to the wet stage of both Khajuraho and The Perfumed Garden, lovely zingy sweet floral. It dries down to a mellow, musky vanilla-jasmine, which for a jasmine enemy such as myself is actually amazingly pleasant. No violets appear in the drydown of Melisande

 

I don't think this is "me" but it is pretty and has surprised me with being a jasmine I don't hate! I wish this had been fantastic as I love the picture of Melisande most out of all the CD artwork, however I won't be getting a bottle and will probably pass on the imp.

[Shannihilation]

I can't really pick out any of the individual notes in the bottle. It's just... sweet. Very sweet. It stays pretty true to that on my skin as well. I've had this on for about an hour now and it's a very sweet floral with an edgy undertone that I'm assuming is the dark musk. Every once in awhile a hint of the vanilla bean comes wafting by to say hello and smooth it all out. This is a nice blend but I don't love it as much as I loved Theo.

[PurringPulsar]

Melisande, the Puppet Mistress

 

In the imp: jasmine! Lots and lots of jasmine.

Wet on skin: a sharp, greenish jasmine scent. This has the potential to go either way on me.

Dry on skin: heady jasmine tempered by violet. Actually, the sharp, almost bitter scent may be due to mimosa, but it does remind me of the greener jasmine scents, like Ligeia and Yesod. There's a load of jasmine that packs a punch, with hints of bittersweet mimosa and powdery violet. I can't smell the musk but the vanilla does sweeten the scent up a great deal.

After a while: whoa, this has softened up a great deal. No longer the sharp, bitter jasmine I got before, the mimosa has lost it's edge and has become the soft scent I'm more familiar with, and has teamed up with violet to smooth down the scent and to give it a delightful powdery aspect. The jasmine is now cocooned by these delicate flowers, and the vanilla still adds it's sweetness to the scent. No musk yet, but I think I can detect it's depth under the flowers, adding a rich and intense base to the soft powderiness. I really like this now. The jasmine here now reminds me of Luna or Twilight, but smoother...and the scent that wafts far from the skin is the most delightful vanilla-violet-sugar! This is like an even better version of Le Serpent Qui Danse.

Verdict: this started out very heady and quite bitter and I thought 'oh no, this will be like Ligeia, a jasmine that didn't work on me'. Thankfully, this changes for the better. The mimosa and violet temper the jasmine, stopping it from becoming too aggressive, and adding a delicate touch of powder to the scent, whilst musk provides depth. The vanilla makes this even lovelier, especially concerning the throw, which reminds me of Le Serpent Qui Dance and Euphrosyne. The colour this evokes is a very pale twilight purple, a light pastel violet colour. This is another CD I will eventually have to get a bottle of, it's dusky and gorgeous and ever so feminine.

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Le Serpent qui Danse, Euphrosyne, Bearded Lady, Perfumed Garden

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[birdiefu]

I don't think I realized the floraly potential of this blend and bought it for the musk and vanilla. However, even though jasmine is usually totally overwhelming on me, this wasn't too bad.

 

Bottle: Light floral, jasmine predominant. Surprisingly not very 'perfumey' smelling (that sharp high note), more like true flowers.

 

Wet: Florals. I can detect the jasmine, but it's not *all* jasmine. There is something bitter in here- I'm guessing mimosa but I don't really know what that smells like.

 

Dry: Mostly light and soft floral, they have blended more together and the violet has come out. I get a touch of sweet vanilla and if I concentrate really hard I can detect the musk. Not bad for an anti-floral person like me, but I'm not sure if I would ever feel like smelling like this.

[SultryWolf]

bottle: What I like to call "Beth's Dark Jasmine" - it's not the sweet jasmine of our girlhood, but a sultry womanly jasmine. Reminds me a bit of Sacred Whore. On a second sniff, the violet just peeks through.

on: Much the same; on the drydown, the violet begins to dominate, while the sweeter flowers weave in and out. There's a soft, gentle throw - and I can't tell you right now how long it lasts, because I'm currently obsessed with reapplying

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

It's an understatement to say jasmine is no friend of mine, but I just have to try all the CD scents...especially as I sometimes fancy myself a Professor of Chaos (well...a chaotic professor, anyway). I must say, the dark violet quality of Melisande is a nice twist--reminds me a little of The Raven--a touch of sugared-violet candy. However...there is jasmine. Need I say more? Off to swap!

[LittleGreyKitten]

The jasmine is major player here. It's a nice jasmine, for jasmine. While honestly I don't hate it, I so rarely use florals that I really doubt I'll use this. It's well blended, for sure, it's so primarily jasmine, and so not me. If there be violets, musk or vanilla, they're well buried.

[QueenFae]

A very heady, feminine, perfumey scent. The jasmine is extremely strong, and coupled with the musks notes, there is a lot of throw in this blend. I think I would like this very much if it wasn't for one of my mortal enemies; violet. The violet creeps in to darken the scent and pull all kinds of ickiness out of my skin. I can't really smell the vanilla note at all, unfortunately. Not my kind of thing, but a lovely women's blend just the same.

[treska]

Melisande provided me with an entirely new and unique experience. Yes, I can smell the jasmine, but here comes the vanilla bean floating up. And oh, is that violet? How nice! And over there, could that be the musk? I'm not sure, but it's certainly something nice. Such a symphony of scents. I'm waiting for the jasmine to start up the All About Me Revue, but that never happens. Everything is mingling politely with everything else.

 

This is a first for me: jasmine playing well with others. It's lovely and entirely unexpected. Happiness

[anomie]

I had really high hopes for this scent, since I love love LOVE jasmine.

 

Bottle: Jasmine. Nothing but. Heavy and rich and just a little soapy. Love it.

 

Wet: Still very jasmine, with a hint of something sweeter - I don't know if it's the mimosa or the violets.

 

Drydown: Oh, wow. The jasmine is just a whisper now, and it's a light, green, wet, floral scent. I don't even know how to describe it, but I love it. Perfect for summer - a shame, now that it's verging on October!

 

ETA that a few hours later, my skin has really amped up the vanilla. Now it's like a less spicy Bearded Lady. But since that's my favorite BPAL ever, I don't mind at all.

Edited September 23, 2006 by Nomie

[Little Bird]

I love the puppets, so it'll be interesting to see how I like their mistress. Jasmine is one of my least favorite BPAL notes, so I'm not really hopeful.

 

In the bottle... I definitely smell jasmine, but it smells creamy and sort of nice in the bottle. Creamy jasmine flowers and vanilla.

 

On me, this is an incredibly soft floral. If I didn't know that this had jasmine in it, I would never suspect it. Weird, because my skin usually amps up jasmine like mad. Mostly this is mimosa on me... very light and slightly fruity sweetness that goes a tad powdery in the drydown. I can also pick out a watery violet note that is a bit sharp after a while, but not really bothersome.

 

The Puppet Mistress is a barely there floral on me. Sort of like standing underneath a tree that's heavy with sweet, pink blossoms. I can't pick out any jasmine or musk. I don't generally love florals and I don't love this, but this is a light enough floral that I could get away with wearing it and not getting a migraine.