Queen Gertrude

[virusq]

Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium.

I like the smell of wisteria and my sister said she liked the smell of chrysanthemum, so I purchased this scent on a girly whim. I have no idea what a delphinium is, but neither wisteria nor chrysanthemum come to mind when testing this imp. It’s light and floral, but really nothing like I expected. It also turns to baby powder on my skin.

[KittyHawk]

Imp: HI I'M A VIOLET!!! I feel like I was bitch slapped by a flower, or the glove of a very regal lady.

 

Wet: I can tell there are other flower notes in this, but the violet is stealing the show.

 

Dry: The violet is mellowing out now; I can finally get a hint of wisteria; I can't detect any chrysanthemum though.

 

Queen Gertrude is about as icy as you can get. I imagine acres and acres of blue and purple flowers covered by a foot of freshly fallen snow. It is very lovely, but not something to wear casually or as a daily scent.

[OctoberGwen]

This is beautiful. It's hard for me to find a floral that's not either too girlish and high-pitched or too Old Lady, but Queen Gertrude is IT. Sophisticated and elegant, it may just turn into my go-to fragrance for 'grownup' special occasions.

 

I love the violet note in this, and normally I find chrysanthemum too bitter but here it just adds a nice complexity and undertone that works very well.

 

I do wish it lasted a bit longer, but next time I'll slather and see what happens with it.

[archergrl]

When given a choice between this and Titania dry and wet(reapply) on my skin my mother said she liked Gertrude better. I of course was the opposite haha.

 

It is an interesting scent but first impressions it may go to swaps as it is not my favorite but we will see if it grows on me first.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): I get a soapiness when I initially sniff the vial. I can certainly discern the violet (very strongly) and the coolness of the delphinium is an interesting touch. The wisteria and chrysanthemum are weak, but present.

 

Wet: On me, it's very sharply floral as the violet is the dominant scent. The delphinium still cools down the violet, but only slightly. There is just the slightest hint of softness, which I think is the chrysanthemum. If's very feminine, just just a little too floral at the moment.

 

Dry: Still sharply floral even when dry, with heavy violet and delphinium. The softness of the of the other florals during the wet phases is no longer present.

[boomtownrat]

Queen Gertrude was a frimp in my most recent order from the Lab. Reading the description made me cringe because florals are the most likely fragrance to trigger migraines in me. Just sniffing it in the imp when I first got it a couple of weeks ago was enough to give me stabby head pains and a queasy feeling - warnings that I should have heeded, but I wasn't sure if this or one of the other frimps I sniffed was the culprit. Still, I decided to try this the other night, just a little dab on the wrist, because I felt guilty about not trying something that essentially was a gift from the Lab.

 

This knocked me down with a purple and green flowery fist. Indeed, it was this frimp that gave me the head pains and nausea, not one of the others. After a few minutes I knew I had to wash it off, but I couldn't get rid of it all. At least I managed to soften the smell just enough.

 

Having said that, it's very true to life, and I think this would be good for those who like purple florals and can handle them. It's just that this clearly isn't one that I'll be able to tolerate.

[becca_s]

This starts out quite sharp - I can definately smell that icy delphinium. On dry down it's all violets and wisteria, it's a fresh scent and reminds me of a meadow ... it also reminds me of something from my childhood. I like it and will keep the imp, not sure if I would purchase a big bottle though

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Light floral, and something I want to describe as being cold... I suppose, from the description, it's the delphinium, but it doesn't smell floral, just cold.

 

On skin, wet: Floral, slightly soapy now instead of cold.

 

On skin, dry: Essentially the same as when wet. Mildly soapy, but not unpleasantly so.

 

After an hour: It stays fairly stable the whole time, never really changing from the light floral with faint hints of soap. Not nearly as interesting on me as it smells in the imp.

[stellamaris]

This is quite lovely, and is surely going on the Big Bottle list. It's violet, but not so one note as to be thin or trite, very rich and gorgeous.

[Mokiefraggle]

Received this as a frimp in my very first order, though I didn't find it terribly interesting at the time. Since I got it in late autumn, I found the heavy, spicy scents more interesting and appropriate for the time, and set it aside with intent to try it in spring or summer. That said, I've been wearing it frequently for a cool alternative to my usual warm and heavy scents, so I decided it was high time for a review.

 

Queen Gertrude certainly lives up to the "regal iciness of delphinium," since just smelling it in the imp makes me shiver--it actually smells cold, something I didn't think was possible! I definitely can make out the wisteria, though the overwhelming scent seems to be the violets. It's a surprisingly green scent for all the rather "violet" scents involved (if you'll pardon the pun!), and is rather refreshing, both in the imp and wet on my skin.

 

As it dries, unfortunately, the scent seems to fade very quickly, no matter how much I slather on. It ends up being a strange, somewhat grassy scent that just vaguely hangs close to my skin, as if I'd just been trimming flower stems to fit a vase. It's still cool and crisp, just not flowery or terribly interesting. The cool aspect I like, but it's definitely a scent I'd have to continually reapply to have it as something I wear with any regularity. Definitely not on the bottle list.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: This reminds me of floral pastilles. Violet dominent. I don’t know the other flowers well enough to tell you which is which as far as second and support. They are individually percievable and go together well with the violet. No skin test as I am a couple decades past being able to carry off violet, but it is pretty.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Sweet tarts and florals.

 

Wet: Paper-white flowers that I recognize from some other lab scent (what else has delphinium?), the ivy note from Sir Hugh Ockram's Winding Sheet, and lots and lots of fresh, non-powdery violet.

 

Dry: A faint pretty violet. Clearly, not meant for my skin.

[lunaticana]

Violet & wisteria ... It is just purrrrrrfect

Edited November 30, 2013 by lunaticana

[lady_pandora]

Queen Gertrude is a straightforward floral that doesn't morph much. I smell violet for sure, and at least one other flower, which I think is maybe the wisteria, but don't hold me to that. It gives the impression of a powdery floral floating on the surface of a more nectary floral. It's like violet mixed with something similar to the way I remember Shadow Witch Orchid. Definitely upright and dignified. Not really my thing at the present time, but I think it's doing what it's meant to do.

[Malaena]

In the imp: Violets and ice!

 

Dry: Violets with the icyness of delphinium. It strikes me as something a well-to-do octogenarian would sport. After about 30 minutes the bitter chrysanthemum peeks through.

 

Verdict: This is lovely but definitely strikes me as a scent for an older woman.

[ccelaya]

very sweet violets.

 

I usually hate the smell of violets but this smells very clean and earthy.

 

A little too floral for my taste, but if you like a clean floral scent, try Queen Gertrude.

[Kmye Chan]

In the imp: Lots of violets - not candied violets, but green, fresh flowers with the stems and leaves and all. Some white florals lurking behind, but not too intrusive.

 

Wet: ooooh this is lovely. Leafy violets and white flowers, like it says on the bottle. It smells very regal, although rather young and gracious to my nose. In fact, it reminds me very much of Penhaligon's Ellenisia, which is sweeter but has a similar violet/white flower combo going on.

 

Drydown: this doesn't morph much as it dries, just mellows a tiny bit.

 

So so beautiful. My favourite violet perfume I've tried from the lab so far. Considering a bottle of this one.

[Nicnivin]

I love the scent of violets, but some hideous chemical catastrophe happens when it hits my skin, and I end up with a raging headache.

 

This is a -gorgeous- perfume, and I agree with other posters who've said that it's definitely best suited to older women. Being a lady of middling years (cough), I'm technically old enough to wear it, but although wisteria and delphinium have been added to this blend, the violet still amps on me in the worst possible way.

Sadness.

It's a lovely blue violet scent, evocative of springtime and true majesty, but not for me. :\

[freyasfae]

Unlike several of the BPAL violets I have tried, this actually smelled like floral violets on me instead of candy violets. Because of that, the scent has the regalness I associate with violets, but I think violets are like pine for me. I love them as a scent, but not on my skin. Alas, it eventually goes soapy, too.

[seida]

I love this way more than I expected to! In the imp, I thought it smelled fairly generic

 

Fresh on it smells lovely and soft and violety. Quite plant-like and green! Just the right amount of sweetness for me.

 

As it dries I find it smells more and more like Guerlain's Champs Elysees (which is a favourite of mine) except a bit softer. Beautiful! Think I want a big bottle of this

[Christine Daae]

In the vial: Generic purple jellybeans! Apparently that’s what violet smells like to me now.

Wet: Floral generic purple jellybeans! I can detect that there are other floral notes in here now, but they’re not very strong compared to the violet.

I’m starting to be sad that I don’t like violet that much, or maybe just that it doesn’t agree with me - it’s quite strong on my skin, and I always thought that I did like violet! But apparently it’s a bit too sweet and candylike on me. I’d love to actually smell of violets, but I don’t particularly want to smell like purple jellybeans.

Anyway - delphinium looks to be an “early spring” floral, wisteria is a little lilac-y, chrysanthemums make me think of autumn-turning-to-winter (maybe because they’re the November birth flower?). I don’t really get the wetness of an early-spring floral, I do get a little bit of a sweetness that reminds me of lilac separate from the candy-sweetness of the violet, and the barest breath of a green note. This is a little powdery and too-sweet on me rather than chilly, icy, or regal. Which is a bummer! I bet on someone who can wear violet this is really pretty!

[joopjoop]

Very elegant, very stately, very very violet.

 

If I were a violet lover, this scent would delight me. As I discover that I am not a violet lover, I feel that this is good violet as violets go but that's about it...

 

Queen Gertrude is very evocative to me of both the Victorian era and the 1980s. Or rather the way that "Victorian"aesthetics were interpreted in the 1980s. This scent is very Laura Ashley at the height of her glory, very your mom's collection Victoria magazine stacked around the house, very Crabtree and Evelyn in the local mall. Shortly after putting it on, I remembered my grandmother taking me to some decorating froufrau store that specialized in teacups and elaborately trimmed throw pillows and I loved it so much. THAT is what Queen Gertrude reminds me of.

 

As such, I find it pleasant from a sense memory perspective, but I'm not actually crazy about the way it smells. I think I'm just not much of violet person. I appreciated the experience however and it is always nice to remember my Gramma.

[Kat villalba]

To me it smells simply white clover flower incense

[Casablanca]

I'm not usually much for soft florals, but this one has been on my curiosity list for a while.

Gertrude is a soft floral lover's floral. She is cool-toned, all pale purples and blues and soft whites, like a bed of petals of those colors. I can pick out violet and wisteria, but am unfamiliar with chrysanthemum and delphinium. She probably has white musk, though there could be a little blue musk mixed in.

This is pretty and I'm glad I tried it, even if it's not me.

[Lucchesa]

I rarely wear straight-up florals. Queen Gertrude is a straight-up floral dominated by violet, which may be lovely on you but is iffy at best on me. On my skin, it reads as "mature" floral. In other words, I'm 50 and don't feel old enough to rock Queen Gertrude. But if florals work for you, this might be an excellent "don't f*#k with me" scent for a workplace situation. Aloof and in charge.