Szepasszony

[darkitysnark]

Szepasszony

 

The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. She revels in storms, particularly when hail rains down on her. Water dripping down eaves into a puddle is an invitation for her to cause mischief: she uses the puddle as a magickal tool for casting her wicked spells. It is considered foolhardy to step into a circle of short grass ringed by taller grasses, as those mark the circles where the Fair Lady dances. A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers.

 

Another Lab freebie (huzzah!).

 

In the bottle:

clean, pure, bright fragile flowers bruised by hailstones

 

Wet:

there's a citrus tang, but mostly the flowers swirl up. This oil seemed relatively light, so I double swiped.

 

Drydown:

More clean, high floral. Everything is so melded to me I can't make out single notes. Aquatic=clean=almost soapy on me, but this is holding it's ground just at the threshold of soapiness.

 

It's been about two hours so far, I'll update at the end of the day on lasting power.

 

Conclusion:

I like this, but not enough to get more. I'm figuring out that I'm more of a "down low" note kinda gal, rather than these light, airy, "high" aquatic notes. Still, I will probably keep this imp for the rare day I need a light, non-aggressive buoyant scent... or when I haven't showered.

[stardreamer]

Got this in a swap for the Wrath that didn't work on me. On first application, this is very sharp and citrusy, almost a grapefruit scent. After an hour or two, the aquatic/rainy notes come out very clearly; there's no noticeable floral in this. It fades faster than the sweeter scents tend to, but still remains present for an acceptable length of time. It reminds me strongly of Tempest; I'll want to do a direct comparison sooner or later. I like it, but as usual with non-foody scents, R. says it's headache material. Definitely one for the "not while he's around" group!

[Macha]

In the bottle: When my boyfriend picked this out for me, I had no idea what Szapasszony meant, and when went back to the BPAL site and checked, I’ll admit I had a pleased shiver, since Fair Lady or White Maiden is one of the original meanings of my name, Jennifer. In the bottle it smells like flowers in the middle of a rainstorm, sweet and light but with a rain scent.

Wet, on skin: The light air notes and the rain are predominant. There is a slight cold smell, but it’s faint, not nearly so predominant as on, say, Ice Queen.

1.5 Hours on skin: The airy rain notes have faded into the background, leaving a clean floral scent, very subtle and nice and a bit like flowers just after a rainstorm. Rather reminds me of walking through flower gardens in the wintertime, which I love to do.

Drydown: Has faded almost completely.

Conclusion: Beautiful, subtle fragrance. Doesn’t hit you over the head with it, but creates a softness. Unfortunately, it also didn’t last on me (apparently a common problem.) After a couple hours it was gone, and I found myself wishing I’d brought the bottle with me to work so I could reapply it.

[larkredblade]

I love this scent. It is fresh, airy, and floral, but not as heavy as Midnight. It is a Spring scent -- the smell of dewey flowers in the crisp cool early spring air.

 

It didn't have much staying power though and tended to fade quickly.

 

I noticed when I wore it that I had a burst of energy -- I wrapped all of my holiday gifts in one shot -- cheerily -- and I think the scent had something to do with it. I'll have to experiment with this more.

[Ishtar]

Not being a huge fan of aquatic scents, I would never have tried Szepasszony if the Lab had not added it to my order. I must admit that I was favourably impressed!

 

It is aquatic indeed, but this is the purest water, neither salty nor metallic nor soapy. It doesn't have that cold sharpness that most aquatics have to them either. To me this is a warm spring rain, that makes the scent of surrounding flowers stand out more. Quite charming; and even if it is not "me" enough for me to get more, I might well use up my imp this spring

[sihaya09]

For the life of me, I cannot pick out individual notes here. This is a blindingly white scent, sharp with slight hints of spring yellows and greens. It smells like rain and ozone tinged with uncanny, unrecognizable sharp hints, like grass or maybe twisted verbena. This is more what I expected Unseelie to smell like. It is a soft scent that is sharp at the same time. The scent stays very close to the skin but is truly interesting. It fades quickly, though, like a quick summer storm while the sun is still shining. I like this one enough to buy a bottle, so on my list it goes.

[hypothermya]

Szepasszony

 

Initial Impression

When I first smelled this, I was really tempted to think that it was just a generic auquatic scent. Having smelled Hurricane, Tempest, Storm, Lightning, Tears, and a few other aquatics, they were beginning to all blend together for me. But then I decided, after setting this imp aside, to come back and give it another shot: And when I sniffed at the vial again, I suddenly noticed all of the differences. It smells clear and fresh, with a lot more ozone than most of the other scents with aquatics. No salt, and no drift wood, just pure, unabashed rain notes. And the slightest undercurrent of..white flowers...

 

Wearing It

What a lovely demoness in disguise! I'm very glad I gave this a second chance. On my skin, she develops into a lovely rain slashed floral (much less emphasis on the floral, and much more emphasis on the rain). Once again, she doesn't hide any salty notes, like Hurricane or Tears. And my skin hasn't quite turned her into the generic laundry detergent smell, like it did with Lightning (it was those ozone notes not working with my skin). Instead she smells a great deal like fresh dropplets of rain and ozone, mixed with the softest of wet, white florals. There's a slight edge to her...something almost reminiscent of a department store perfume that, like Venom, makes her seem dangerous.

 

Unlike the other "winter" blends I've tried (Yuki-Onna, Snow White, Ice Queen), Szepasszony stays more true to her original element. She smells like great big wet snow flakes, mixing with melting water and crushed flowers. While Yuki-Onna smells like jasmines and lemon over a bed of cold, ice crusted snow; while Snow White smells like swirling powder snow settling onto a bed of vanilla and fruits; while Ice Queen smells like an ice skating rink mingling with citrus and mint; while all of these things occur, Szepasszony stays a wet winter goddes with only her cold air and fat rain drops to keep her company. If you're looking for a true winter/rain scent, this is it.

 

Myself, I think I'll be testing this imp a few more times to make sure that I don't have an allergic reaction to this oil (many aquatics will set off my allergies, and hence many a good blend is lost to me). If I'm not allergic, I'll be ordering a big bottle of this once my Chaos Theory 17 runs out.

[Fulltiltredhead]

I love this fiercely. I've been wearing snuggle on the couch in a blankie scents for awhile now, and this sweeps the cobwebs out of your brain and lifts your spirit slam up out of the dumps. Whale watches. Rain and sea spray in your face. Wet daffodils and the silvery sun sparkling on water in the early morning in spring. Dazzling and pristine. A high, clear, sustained silver-green note from Pan's flute. Unearthly, divine. A phenomenal aquatic.

 

If you think you don't like aquatics, based on the ones available commercially (Escape comes to mind, for example), try this. It will rock your world. This is what a water scent should be. If Sea of Glass is even better, well, wow. I can't wait to try it.

 

This will be a miracle in the nasty heat of summer. Definitely a good one to make a body spray from and keep in the refrigerator for all over spritzing when it's 101 and 100 percent humidity. It will feel like you've died and gone straight to heaven.

 

I'm ordering 10ml this minute.

 

ADDED April 6:

 

I mixed it into a bottle of 1 part jojoba oil and 1 part rosehips oil - to taste, so to speak, and used it after a bath tonight. It's all over me, head to toe, and it feels and smells just deliciously, mouthwateringly like cool, clean, water. This is going to be really great in the heat of summer. I would love to make a body powder with it.

 

It's sublime.

[glampyre]

Szepasszony

 

I'm afraid that my rreview isn't going to do much than reiterate what others have said.

 

Light, clean, airy...beautifully floral without being overly sweet. Just a really honest, fresh scent.

[Lit Chick]

Oh, how I love this today....

 

At first swipe, I was hit with the sharp, cold aquatic smell I was expecting. And then...citrus? Odd. It stayed sharply citrusy on me for a bit, with lots of throw - and then the sweet came. I braced for the cloying horror that I was sure would follow, but it never came. This blend found the perfect level of sweetness for my skin, and went no further.

 

So fresh, so clean, and not in a "deodorant" type of way. I was expecting this to be a "bitch pants" scent based on the description, but I'm cheery and bright, despire wretched back pain. Oh, wondrous blend, I adore you!!! And so do my coworkers and callers.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: This reminds me of Baobhan Sith in how light and airy it is with an undercurrent of something sweet and chilly except, you know, this is lacking the tea note that makes me drool over Baobhan Sith.

 

Wet: This is a very chill kind of smell, but it also has a very floral undertone. This is bright and cold and breezy. Frost bitten flowers. It reminds me of the Yule LEs as well as Babhan Sith. This is very nice, but does smell similar to a number of scents I already have. I'll have to test this against other things to see, though.

 

Dry down: Remains crisp and chilly with a nice floral bite to it that isn't cloying or overpowering. There's a little more of the rain smell coming out now around the edges.

 

Dry: There is a hint of citrus to this, but I think it may just be something in the florals. I was worried that this would be awful on my skin as it is an aquatic and I have problems with those. It just seems light and clear, though. The water is taking the foreground now, and while it's not as lovely as the floral cold, it's still nice. Oh...oh no. It's done it. It's turned into fabric softener. That's what aquatices tend to do. Either they smell disgusting or they turn into fabric softener on my skin. Oh well.

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Very light and airy with a slight scent of flowers. Very pretty.

 

On Me: Sharp and ozone, like a dryer sheet, but with a beautiful floral fragrance as well. I adore this! Its so fresh and clean and springtime! Must get a big bottle of this one as well!

[Gin]

Szepasszony makes me think light, green, floral. Like a spring flower--white and the palest pink held up by a spring green stem. Upon rereading the Lab description, I can definitely smell the aquatic notes. It smells like a cool, cleansing spring rain. Finally, Szepasszony dries down into a clear, green, soapy scent. I think his would be lovely in a candle or bath.

[xoe]

For me, Szepasszony is a clear, light aquatic. A little bit citrussy, a very light bit of florals. It is quite soft and lovely. But, my skin apparently eats it up because it was gone within 2 hours.

[shelldoo]

ozone, aquatic, white flowers, my skin hates it, it is very very light and airy but goes way sharp and cutting one me

[Pixie-elf]

In the Vial: It smells a bit sweet in the vial, but very watery.

 

Wet: Oh, it smells very nice on my skin! It smells Aquatic mainly...

 

Dry: Something else is in here, that's making me a little itchy, I think it's one of the ozone notes, sadly... It's still very Aquatic and rain-like though. It reminds me of a nice rain, maybe a summer rain.... Very pretty.

 

Conclusion: While I really like this I doubt I'll be buying any, something in it is messing with my allergies! =( It's very beautiful and aquatic, not in a lotus way. If you like aquatics, or just, the rain, you'd like this ^^

[bellis]

Delicate white florals in the imp, the aquatic notes don't show up until I've got it on. I feel like I'm walking through a field of sweet clover just as it's starting to rain. But it's a warm, light, summer rain, and even though I don't have an umbrella I'm in no hurry to get home. This is absolutely lovely and soothing, but I think I'll have to wait until my Storm Moon gets here to decide whether or not to get a bottle.

[Ice]

This is such a beautiful cool floral. It feels clean, wet, and very white. Definitely a keeper.

[surf-tormented]

One of the best icy scents I have tried, right up there with Ice Queen. BRRRRRRR!!!!!

[sarada]

Szepasszony is the perfection of the crisp, clean, clear water scent, to me. Most aquatics, I cannot smell at all once they touch my skin, though I like them in theory. Sea of Glass, Amsterdam, Lightning, all smelled very eye-openingly refreshment and crisp to me, but they vanish on my skin instantly or even become a little bitter.

 

There's something about this, though...it doesn't fade, and lingers in my hair. It is impossbile not to feel like you just stepped out of a chilly rain on a spring day, when wearing this, and I'm looking forward to splashing it everywhere this summer. I want to make a shower gel and a shampoo out of it if I can, to help me cool down on a summer day. But it is equally lovely on a crystalline winter's day or night, for wandering through the freshly fallen snow.

 

Unicorn and Szepasszony are the only fresh white floral scents that really, really work for me. Both are in my Top 20, even though I don't like much else that is this light and floral. It is not perfumey. It does not scream "flowers!!". I wouldn't even know there were flowers in it if not for the description...I just smell pure, white, crystalline freshness (but not the fresh linen smell...this is more like fresh air, a soft after-rain mist smell).

 

I don't think I can possibly get enough of this, as I can imagine just stepping into a bathtub of this.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Bright!

 

In the imp/bottle: I love this in the vial. I've don't catch any specific notes, but it's very clean, bright and aquatic, with a hint of something floral.

 

On skin, wet: Not very different from in the imp, just a bit cooler. Soon, it makes me think of a light aquamarine colour, for some reason.

 

On skin, dry: It smells vaguely of some sort of powder, but in a very good way. It almost smells the way I thought Lightning might have. This is one of the few aquatics that I absolutely adore.

 

Conclusion: Powdery, watery and light, thi is everything I'd hoped Lightning would be. I'm not quite sold on a larger bottle yet, but I'll definitely be considering it.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Aredhel

[oatmealneko]

Vial: Fruity ozone. Usually I get a citrus tang off on an ozone scented oil, but not this one. It's berry-like.

Wet: Fruity ozone, but here comes the florals. It's not strong, but it mixes in there with the fruity scented ozone well. Hard to pick it out unless I'm sniffing closely.

Dry: Florals have gone away, but it's on the cusp of turning soapy. But it doesn't. Yes, it's still fruity ozone. Berry ozone.

 

I'm undecided about this one, I think I may keep the imp, but it's weird. I'll have to try it again.

[Loligo]

I occasionally have really weird perfume reactions, but usually when I come read the Forum I can find at least one other person who reacted similarly. Not this time.

 

Szepasszony gives me a strong STRONG immediate burst of fake fruit scents, first fruity bubblegum, then one of those sour candies that were so popular for a while. Then it disappears. Half an hour later I couldn't even find where I'd applied it.

 

Bizarre. And I don't react that way to all light scents -- I can still find a trace of Empyreal Mist on the other arm, and I applied that nine hours ago.

[theshapeshifter]

Wow, definitely sharp, cold wind, and then something like a sharp lemon candy. It went on really fresh and lovely... the only thing was, it didn't last very long, even in my hair.

 

I want to love it, but I wish it stuck around more.

[ohm]

A freebie from the lab - turns to pure dishsoap.