Wanda

[Mermaid-on-Land]

...Her scent is a deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle.

 

Omg yum. I put this on and right away I get a juicy vibrant very *grapey* wine. The wine is on the sweeter side but only slightly, and not in a dessert way, more in a fresh/fruit way. It's not extremely boozy but more so than any other scent has been on me (I don't mind though, it doesn't smell like I spilled a bottle of wine on myself either lol) It has the same humid quality as some scents like Eros and Hell's Belle, but not warm like those scents, it's almost on the cooler side. The hint of florals I get is mostly what I think is the myrtle and a hint of rose, I don't overly notice any lilac. The leather makes an appearance about 5 minutes in and balances nicely with the wine. This is gonna sound terrible but it's shoe-store leather on me. Very clean, new leather jacket-ish. First leather scent I've tried and I really liked it as a note! It's actually very fresh for being a heavy scent, not cloying at all. The throw is strong and fairly noticeable, although it oddly disappears off my wrist a couple hours after application. I can't sniff my wrist directly but the scent still drifts around me. Going on the favorites list I think!

[marilyn eyre]

Now this is some good stuff. I get a heavy wine undertone that goes a little cherry, which I like. The florals don't go soapy, and the leather is delicious. Bottle worthy.

[gloame]

This really does smell like wine & violets. Violets are hit-or-miss for me (total shame). This isn’t working on my skin, but I like the vibe of it, and I think it would work for others who do really well with violets and wine. The leather is in the background, creating kind of a… I don’t know, almost like a buffer between this scent and your skin. It’s really interesting!

Where I’d wear this: Wine night with friends in winter

[cyborgutena]

I got this imp for free and didn't read the description or notes before trying it. The image that came to my mind was somehow.... sexy fairy godmother? Feminine velvety gown and cleavage with a soft glow.

 

On top it smells fuzzy-sweet (where fuzzy is violets) and on the bottom it is deep and mature with a hint of leather. I didn't realise wine was a note at first, but it became more winey as it went along. I think the wine accounts for my 'mature' impression from this one, along with the leather. Overall, I would describe it as deep sexy wine with violets on top. There's a sweetness that isn't sickly. The colours I'd associate it with are deep red and deep purple.

 

This isn't something I'd wear, but I wouldn't mind being seduced by the woman this would suit.

Edited December 29, 2018 by cyborgutena
added a couple of details based on my current impressions.

[LunaGoth]

I got an imp of this based on suggestions of forumite's favorite leather blends. I get sweet wine from this. I can't make out the other notes but feel that they could be subtly grounding and rounding out the scent to prevent it from being too sweet or cloying. I don't find the wine note "boozy" which is just fine with me. I applied it about 2 hours ago and really need to huff my wrist to detect it anymore, so not terribly long lasting. I could see myself wearing this around Beltane or Midsummer because of my association with sweet wine or mead and those holidays. Not bottle worthy to me but I'll keep my imp and probably wear it a few times a year.

[AraliaShine]

I get a syrupy dark wine first and foremost. It's tasty and intriguing and lasts several hours on me.

Later there's the intimation of leather and definite undertones of hot, flushed skin. This one's naughty,

but the florals aren't. There's only a hint of rose and I think it's smoothed by the myrtle. I do like violet,

but I have to reach to catch a glimmer of it here. Going on the full bottle list!

[donkehpoo]

"I bought this specially for you. I remember you said you 'go for merlot.' "

"I said I worked at Merlotte's."

 

Wet: Sweet merlot, and a little bit of rose.

 

Dry: Stays similar to the wet stage; sweet merlot and roses. While the merlot was the star of the wet stage, I'd say the roses and merlot are about 50/50 now. The roses, by some miracle, haven't turned soapy at all.  This is lovely!

[spookyumbrella]

I get a dribble of wine and a ton of leather. Maybe I just notice the leather because I personally dislike leather, but either way its there loud and proud. If you want a strong, fruity leather, give Wanda a shot.

[monocainsheresy]

Merlot, musk, and a hint of leather. No flowers on me.

Sweet, lavish grape candies.

[Roogna]

BUBBLEGUM!! lol seriously, all I get is sweet, red, fruity bubblegum. then some sweet musk and florals

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Merlot, leather, and floral. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's completely rich, fruit-forward merlot. It's so fruit-forward, in fact, that I had to double check the note list to make sure there wasn't an outright fruit note in it. As it dries, the merlot dials way back, and the leather comes forward. I can't tell you there's no musk in the leather, just like I can't swear there's no floral in the wine's sweetness. But none of those notes are super clear at the moment. Given even more time to develop, I can pick out violet and myrtle from the floral notes -- but I really have to sniff for them. 

 

Overall, it's a very sophisticated scent. There's a lot of complexity, but it doesn't feel too busy. That said, it also feels colder and more aloof than scents I usually like. 

[RoseThornAndOak]

Wanda was one of the first BPALs I ever tried back in 06-07. I came across another imp recently, unsure of the date. It is like I remember, a deep, dark reddish purple fruit with tons of sugar on top. Goth fruit. I dunno, lol. Final drydown a bit airier but maintains its sweet fruitiness. Fruits go a bit sour plastic on me and so does this one slightly. Would be gorgeous on the right skin. 

 

It's unlike most others, maybe fans of Jaillbait would enjoy it.

[whipwaif]

omg. spicy berry musk. and SO delicious too. immediate full bottle purchase. the merlot and sex-flushed musk are the dominant notes for me. i can pick up the slightest hint of floral, which is definitely a dark violet. the leather is pretty soft in this blend too. if you're afraid of leather notes typically, i don't think you have much to worry about. 

 

what can i say? i'm not sure it's the most complex scent i own, but it's easily one of the sexiest and none of the notes listed here clash (which i was afraid of with the florals). love it, love it, love it!

[fairybites]

Heavy rose and wine, I don't get any leather but there's definitely some musk and violet in the background. It's mostly wine when wet, it actually smelled closer to a mix of fruits than wine because the musk hadn't kicked in yet. After drying, the wine note fades quite a bit and now it's a faintly wine floral mix. 

 

It's pretty, but morphed so much on me. I really liked the wet stage more than the dry one, but I don't hate it. 

[Supertrooper Omni]

I am ambivalent about leather notes and florals. Typically, heavy dark leathers are not something I'm attracted to. Wanda has a lot of recommendations on the forum for leather lovers so despite initial reservations, I love trying crowd favorites. Not dank! Pretty light actually.

 

Several reviews noted a syrupy grape blast in the beginning, which reminded me of Nosferatu, a GC scent that I'm extremely fond of. Quickly the cherry grape wine syrup morphs to leather then into a diffuse mixed flower with a cloudy atmospheric rocks quality with a hint of sweetness and ghost of a ghost of leather and v light moss.

 

Very airy and reminds me of a BPAL nosferatu (which I love) but in a different arrangement. Wanda is a very wearable light sheer -- androgenous spring vampire drinking maneschewitz wearing a single leather shoe in a springtime graveyard enjoying meadow breezes vibes

 

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by Supertrooper Omni

[ittybitty]

It smells like if you left a bottle red wine and a basket of overripe cherries in a car with a leather interior in a hot day. The sweetness of the cherry is at the forefront, but it's swallowed up quickly by a deep, hot leather and a kind of plastic smell. After an hour, though, the plastic dies down, and I'm left with a sexy skin musk with a faint leather smell in the background. I don't think it's bad, but I don't think this one works well with my skin chemistry. I never did get a floral note out of it 🤷‍♀️