Amsterdam

[SlySionnach]

Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses.

Imp: Soapy clean. Afraid that this will go floral soap on me now.

Wet: Very aquatic. I can smell the flowers and I think I can pick out the tulips and peony (the latter being one of my top notes). Not soapy yet!

Dry: Not soapy at all. I'm in love. This is like fresh flowers floating on a river. The throw may not be great but I don't care.

Verdict: Bottle. Hands down bottle required. It's on my "Next Order!" list.

[elinox]

First Sniff: A very light, feminine flower, probably the peony.

 

Initial Wet Application: Spring flowers, still very light though. I can’t seem to tell the difference between tulip and peony, but there’s definitely a clean, wet spring flower here.

 

Beginning Dry Down (first 15 minutes) & Dry: It’s clear and springtime fresh, despite being very light. Once it dried completely, this was a lovely spring scent which makes me think of freshly blooming flowers (despite my allergies!). I wish this would come out stronger!

 

My Reaction: I dipped this three times and swiped it across my wrists (usually I only do one dip) and it’s still just so faint on me. I’m getting a clear, clean water with this with a light touch of the flowers. I’m thinking that the initial flower scent is actually tulip since peonies tend to have a stronger scent and tulips are more reserved. I didn’t get green grasses at all though, which may have set off my allergies so that’s good. The fresh flowers is very reminiscent of springtime though which is lovely! I really wish this had more staying power and throw as I like it, but it’s just so light on my skin.

 

Rating: 3 (I like it, but it’s so faint!)

 

EDIT: After having this on all day, it got up a little more oomph after initial application and it still smells like clean, wet tulips. It’s still not particularly strong, but I am getting the occasional throw and I’m liking it!

Edited May 29, 2013 by elinox

[hexnut]

Blind tested frimp; colorless.


In Vitro Aquatic and mildly sweet.

Wet A pleasant aquatic scent. The "bright" quality faded rapidly.

Drying Only five minutes after application this was soapy, barely sweet, and almost astringent. At fourteen minutes it was just soapy and at forty-six minutes it was gone.


Amsterdam had been on my list to try because I hoped for a green grass scent. Sigh.

[icecreamcone]

Amsterdam definitely has a bold tulip scent.

If you love powerful flower scents this would be worth checking out.

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[doomsday_disco]

This is a lovely floral scent that would be great during the spring. I don't think I need a bottle of this because I prefer my sugary florals, but I will keep the imp.

[Morsigne925]

Funny, I have always hated the smell of tulips, but this scent is actually very pleasant. On first whiff, the absolute first thing that popped into my head was playing the game Flower. That's the image I persistently get from smelling this - flying around in a sometimes sunny sometimes drizzly green grassy flowering meadow on a breeze.

 

It becomes a little more floral as time is going on and I miss the grass, wish it stayed around longer; I absolutely love this for a spring scent. Pleasantly surprised, as I was convinced by the description that I'd hate it. 3.8/5 stars I think.

[TorchedEarth]

I was actually excited about this one, but sadly it turned to soap on me as soon as it touched my skin.

It smells like the fancy soaps that we had in the bathroom when I was a kid that we weren't allowed to use.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Tulips mainly, with a little peony & grass

Wet on skin: Peonies! The tulips & grass are still there, but the peonies have taken the lead here. There's a very 'fresh' feel to this - like being next to a stream, in a really beautiful park in springtime!

Dry on skin: All blended together now, so it's hard to pick out individual notes. A very sweet, fresh floral.

After several hours: Slightly soapy floral. Still a really nice scent though.

Verdict: This is a gorgeous springtime scent! While it does end up a bit soapy on me, it takes quite a while to get to that point, so it smells fresh for a fairly long time. I really like this one!

[quickdrawkiddo]

I've tried Amsterdam a bunch of times -- for a long time I had it in the "not for every day but nice for a change" pile. But I finally had to accept that it just doesn't work on me. The description sounds pleasantly fresh and springy, but on my skin this is a damp, soapy floral. Nothing aquatic or grassy about it, which is too bad because those are notes I tend to enjoy. It's a very old-fashioned floral and those just don't work on me at all. Oh well!

[LizziesLuck]

Excited to try this, there aren't many Bpal scents with a peony note!

 

 

Wet: Clean floral with semi-aquatic hints

 

 

Dry: Such a light, beautiful floral. This needs a full day test, but I might need a bottle. The peony is gorgeous. This isn't quite as good as Peony Moon, but I do think it'll be lovely in the spring.

[Veronica]

This is a very green and aquatic floral over a spicy floral base from the tulips--sad because I adore peony as a note and tulips are my favorite flowers!

[freyasfae]

Like many other posters have said, this is a lovely, light spring scent, emphasis on the light, but I don't mind reapplying for such an unequivocally spring scent, I love wearing scents according to the season and this is a perfect representation of post-rain spring days when the sun is coming back out.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Grass and flowers.

 

Wet on my skin: Damp, green grass and flowers.

 

Dry: Green florals like this don't generally work terribly well on me, and this one is not an exception. It goes soapy on me within 5 minutes of application, and stays there without much morphing. It smells like tulips and grass and expensive hand soap, and while that's not an unpleasant smell, it's not something I want to smell like. I'll be passing this imp on to someone who appreciates old-fashioned florals more than I do.

[Nicnivin]

Normally green florals work really well on me (The Lilac Wood, for example, is one of my all-time favourites), but with Amsterdam either the tulip or the peony goes really soapy and powdery on me. I do like the scent, so I'll add a drop or two to a scarf or dab a bit into my hair so I get the fresh, spring-like fragrance around me without actually having it go funky on my skin.

It conjures up the most beautiful spring or early summer day, with crisp green grasses and fields of tulips in full bloom.

 

In the depth of winter, it's also really nice to diffuse around the house or sprinkle on a pillow to remind me that there will be flowers again, once the snow finally goes away.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: My first impression was "soap and water." I'm a little worried, since aquatics usually come out soapy on my skin, so to smell soap ITI does not bode well. There are some lovely light spring florals under there, though - here's hoping these come out more strongly on my skin.

 

Wet: At first, it can't seem to decide which to settle on: fresh water, light florals, or soap. As time goes on, it settles more firmly on soap, but it's a pleasant, nicely-scented floral soap.

 

Dry: Unusually for my skin, it leans more floral and less soapy as time goes on. But it was never strong to begin with, and even the the faintest of florals are gone by about four hours.

 

I think this one is going into the swaps box - my "soft, feminine, princess-y florals" category doesn't really need any more rounding out, and this one just has so little oomph to it. Plus, the whole soapy thing.

[Cali]

A very fresh, happy spring scent. From the imp, it's kinda like a soap that's acting as grass and tulips.

It's lovely, but goes even soapier when applied to my skin. too bad, this is nice!

[ShannonElisabethJones]

In the imp, it's fresh watery green. When I first applied it, my fiancé called it "grandma-ish" and not particularly sexy, but pleasant.

 

I rather like it. It's something I can wear to work and not be overpowering.

[joopjoop]

Starts off as a beautiful green springy smell with tulips as the dominate note. I barely get the peony which is too bad because I love peony.

 

It quickly turns to a soapy floral on me and then does a slow fade into a very clean and pure soap scent. I quite like it, but it wasn't what I was expecting at all.

 

I feel like this is one you could wear while working out (it wouldn't get overpowering or weird-smelling when you sweat). It reminds me of a long walk around the lake in the summer. It has that warm clean skin feel - in fact it smells like sunny childhood - like a clean and snuggly five-year-old who has been playing outside for a while and is ready for a snack and a cuddle.

 

The imp is a keeper, but I don't think I need a big bottle of this one!

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Fresh peony and newly cut grass.

 

Wet: Much the same, but the floral side is edging ahead.

 

Dry: This is a really lovely, fresh floral. Not what I like for myself but it'd be nice wafting past on someone else.

[Bamels]

Frimp. I am quite scared to try this as aquatics and florals are my enemy. The bottle smells of sharp, fresh, grassy soap. On and wet it is a grassy soap. It's quite a nice soap actually. Definitely getting the grass and water. I'd love this as a shower gel. I'm not sure if I will keep it as I can't think of a situation in which I would like to wear it.

[Soupy Twist]

A floral grass in the bottle and on application, which turns more aquatic as it dries. This is lovely! Great for spring.

[lizabelle]

The lab's peony note is unfairly pretty. It makes me want to get bottles of anything with a peony note (which, granted, is not that much, but still!). This starts out similar to The Dormouse with a lovely fresh peony note and green undertones, but then sadly turns to soap on me. Very nice peony soap, but still soap. Aquatics utterly refuse to behave on my skin, which I suppose has saved me from getting another bottle of fresh pink floral perfume.

[gloame]

This goes all dusty floral on me, which gives me a headache. Not a fave.

[achildoftime]

Beautiful, freshly-watered tulips. It smells like a lovely spring garden. There is a touch of green sharpness from the grass, but it's not off-putting to me. I'm a bit surprised to only be getting a suggestion of peony because that's what it mostly smelled like in the imp.

 

I do wish it had a little more throw as it is so pretty. Ah, well. I'll still hold on to the imp because it is lovely.

[Casablanca]

On the wand, I smell waxy, multicolored, freshly watered spring flowers and grass.

 

On my skin, this is about the same. Watered and bottled spring flowers, a little grass. It smells pink and yellow and green to me. It reminds me of Qui Aime Bien Châtie Bien, but softer, thinner, a little greener, and more aquatic. I liked Qui Aime, so this is one to consider as a backup, even if it’s not as full-smelling.