Amsterdam

[Meg]

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

 

In the bottle: I'm immediately stunned. It smells exactly like our lake does when it's hot in the summer - a humid, lush green scent, with a sweetness from flowers.

 

Wet: Lovely grass and flowers, surrounded with the moisture of fresh water. I don't get the classical aquatics that hurt my nose, though, huge bonus.

 

Drydown: Soft, discreet flowers - I can't name any of these, they're completely blended into the general scent of grass and water. This is like lying on a meadow in front of the lake, under the sun. Peony is probably the most recogniseable floral, it becomes more insistent after a while.

 

Overall: A lovely aquatic blend. This is bottled summer, and also bottled Lake Geneva to me. The first time I opened the bottle I was confused, wondering if that smell came from the bottle or from the wind coming up from the lake. It's really beautiful, fresh and one of the rare aquatics that doesn't hurt my nose or smell like a cheap deodoriser. I love it!

Edited August 14, 2006 by Meg

[steffanina]

Amsterdam-

 

In Bottle: Very floral and pretty.

 

Wet: A bright sweet floral. Lemony?

 

Dry: This is a sweet and delicious scent. It's the sort of sweet floral that freesia is, even if it's not freesia, and it has nice staying power. The "lemony" impression stays around all through.

 

Overall: I like!

[BrightRedScream]

This one I was scared of because it's such a floral scent..

It's light, and it makes me think of a floral field, with sun shining down and a stream trickling near by.

It's actually quite pretty.

I don't DO florals usually..but there's something about this that makes me really like it.

It's feminine, it's lovely, it's light hearted.

Wow..a floral blend that I can tolerate - miracles never fail!

 

I do think I'd like this in a larger bottle to wear on days where I want to feel a little more feminine, and pretty...

 

BEAUTIFUL blend Beth - and thank you for proving that I can indeed do florals

[arabella]

First Impression: A gorgeous, fresh floral - definitely peony and, probably tulip with hints of "green". There's also a "glimpse" of Lily-of-the-Valley in this.

 

Dries down to: Stays the same but the "glimpse" of LotV disappears.

 

Additional Comments: To me, this is what spring smells like. The peony is obvious but not glaring. The tulips and grasses add the freshness and the water gives it a "sprinkled with frosty morning dew" feel. I just wish it lasted longer - then, it would be perfect. As it is, it's destined for the scent locket.

 

Lasted: Less than an hour.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

[Saliekat]

In the bottle -

Laundry detergent. Reminds me of Bon Bain Bonnard by Lush.

 

Wet on the skin -

Lots of tulips. Loads of tulips! Fields of them! In the rain!

 

Dry -

Sweeter flowers - the same flowery scent, but in the sun after a long hot day. Not as fresh as when wet. It smells more like fabric softener now. A shame, because the wet scent I could just sniff forever.

 

Le hub says -

"It's like going to British Homes Stores and sticking your face in one of their bowls of pot pourri. 4 out of 10."

[lilfaerywingz]

This was a toss-up for me. It was the first green smell that I have liked. Bright, and spring like, but also like a freshly cut lawn. So if you are into the grassy smells, you will LOVE this. Perfect amount of throw too.

[Faeried]

Soapy aquatic, floral, smells kinda like Rl'yeh.

 

Still debating if its a keeper.

[supremegoddessofall]

Florals, but I'm also getting a bit of what feels like citrus. And some aquatics. Neither of which are making me overly happy. Not getting grass at all.

[SeaLady]

Grass, and something that strikes me as a nice generic women's perfume - that's the water, probably. It's much better than most women's perfumes, but I'll have to see if it gives me a headache like they usually do. It's lovely, but I think not for me.

[Elemcee]

Amsterdam is very bright and clean and fresh. It does make me think a bit of those days in February and March when the new flowers are growing, but it's still freezing cold. Going for a walk in the early spring past fields of tulips and peonies.

 

This is too 'cold' a scent to wear in Winter, I think. The 'water' notes make me shiver, unitentionally, whereas in Summer, they'd be nicely cooling.

[Elrianra]

In the imp, this is glasslike; the water notes are sharp and resonant while the florals liven it almost to shards. On my skin, this is all florals. Sharp, crisp, in your face fresh picked florals. Ick, this is just taking the route of FLORALS'R'US on me. Dried, the sharpness has faded to a semi-sweet floral arrangement. Not exactly what I had in mind... hmm. No.

[tempestteapot]

I agree that this is an outdoor floral scent. Lots of green grass and water. But the tulip is definatly in there. Oh for the single notes...*sigh*

 

I love the way that the water and the flowers mix. It's really light and sweet without being 'stuffy room'

[oh_the_horror]

In bottle: Very clean, flowery, watery. I can tell my skin is going to hate this.

 

Wet and drying down: Whew. Sharp, sour aquatic notes. The tulip is beautiful, but I can't tell if it's working on me or not. The sour aquatic notes are overpowering everything. Eventually, it becomes sweeter, lighter and more floral.

 

Dry: Clean, light, ethereal. I would like to smell it without the sour aquatic notes underneath.

 

This is a little too light for me anyway. But I do want to try more things with tulip, peony and green grass. This reiterated that aquatic notes don't like my chemistry.

[jessiesquash]

Fresh flowers and clear waters indeed! Absolutely gorgeous! It's green and fresh and absolutely delicious. It has just the right amount of throw and a hint of sharpness. This will be perfect for summer!

[Brianne]

In the vial:

tulips and water!

 

On me:

Arg. I have this rather unfortunate problem with aqautic florals - they all end up smelling pretty much the same on my skin. Aqautic notes often take over so I am left with mostly the "watery" smell and then behind a floral that is almost lost behind it. I can clearly smell peony here and even a green-ness that must be grass, but right in the front is that aquatic.

 

Final note:

If you liked Dormouse, Peony Moon or The Pool of Tears - try this one. It's very pretty peony and a very crisp aquatic.

[copyshopclerk]

Mmm, a frimp from the lab that turned out to be amazing!

 

In the imp: Aquatic, cool, grassy florals. I'm not usually much for florals but every now and then with the right things to balance them out, they can be lovely - so far so good!

 

Wet: Seems very light. It's a floral, but not a traditional wear-this-to-be-fancy floral, but more of a youthful floral that would be appropriate to wear for more casual settings (i.e., pretty much everything for me!). Very similar to Szepasszony, which I absolutely adore, but where Szepasszony is winter, this is spring.

 

Dry: Yep, definitely a cousin to Szepasszony, but that one has an icy quality and Amsterdam is grassy. Very fresh & clean. Love it!

[grifyn_whiffs]

My first impression of this one (in the imp) is that it starts off like Titania and Endymion -- bright white, sparkling. No white/pale fruits in this one, though -- a possible "dewy"/aquatic note in common with the former, and seemingly no notes in common with the latter. So I'm stumped, but those were the first two I thought of, with that initial nose-tickling sparkle.

 

This one is GORGEOUS. I wouldn't have picked out the peony in this if I hadn't known it was there so I must be getting tulips more than anything. I'm used to peonies smelling... a bit "pinker" than this. This is a very fresh and alive smell.

 

Sadly, my skin is treating Amsterdam like a "white" floral, i.e., eating it. After half an hour, I can barely smell it, as lovely as it is. I like a bit more sillage and a bit more staying power.

[PirateMaggie]

Oh my, this is wonderful. Not at all strong; throw is very light, and staying power is short-lived, but this blend is nice enough to make slathering and frequent reapplication worth it. I'm a huge fan of BPAL aquatics in general, and Amsterdam lives up to the high standards set by Sea of Glass and Prague, but is different from both. It has a very mild hint of salt tang though it is primarily a fresh water scent, but nothing like the salt of Sea of Glass. It also has the smooth, cool florals of Prague, but much subtler and less sweet: I'm reminded of white peony tea, sipped on green grass by a bed of tulips. None of the notes are jarring, and none push to the front, though the notes are distinct. it's not really a morpher; more breezy: now, a hint of water, not, a hint of greens and tulips.

 

Amsterdam is clean and mild and would be wonderful in hot weather. It would work equally well on an elegant fashionista and a sporty outdoorsy girl.

 

I would recommend this to all lovers of aquatics. This is an excellent perfume in its own right, but people who found Prague too sweet, Sea of Glass too salty, and Szepasszony too ozone-y might find Amsterdam just right.

[Kimocean]

I am with so many others who found this to be a gorgeous wet floral. I love the smell of tulips (they're my favorite flower) and they are very present here in their cool gentle scent with a hint of the grass growing next to them and a touch of the richer peony wafting by every now and then.

 

I didn't get much throw on my skin although it stuck around for a long time if I put my nose up to my wrist. In my locket I get a lovely light cloud of wet tulips around me that so far has lasted for 4.5 hours.

 

This seems like a perfect early spring scent to me...when I lived in upstate NY the tulips and daffodils popping up through the snow were always so welcome when they showed up in March or April and this scent makes me think of the glee I always felt when I first noticed their strong green shoots.

 

edited to remove the extra words that I never notice until after I hit send!

Edited February 28, 2007 by Kimocean

[osbick_bird]

I love everything about the way Amsterdam smells. On me, I get a lot of grass and water, with the florals coming though underneath. It reminds me of how good the first sunny days of spring feel, when the ground is still wet and there's a bit of bite in the air, but first flowers are blooming and the sunshine is finally beginning to warm everything up. This scent is pure springtime! On me, it has a very light throw. Sadly my skin likes to eat it, but I splurged on a big bottle and don't mind reapplying.

[Iceblink]

From this imp I learned that tulips=instant headache. It is a very sharp, damp, green floral and the tulip note dominates, crawls up my nose, and tries to kill me. Yeeeowch!

[stellans]

I really wish I'd kept better track of where I got which imps, because I would so send a major thank you to whoever made sure I tried this scent! I love this blend, because it just shouts "Spring! Vernal Equinox! Ostara!" There are indeed grasses in this, the first time you mow your yard after the last frost. The tulips are there, and in the south they bloom for quite a while. There are other floral notes here, that my nose is not qualified to pick out and name, but I truly love this imp.

 

In the imp: Definitely aquatic notes in the imp, and some florals.

Wet on skin: the aquatic notes aren't nearly as pronounced on my skin -- now I'm getting fresh grass and florals, lovely spring florals. Tulips, yes, and peony, but I'd swear there were other spring scents: maybe a little daffodil, hyacinth? The early florals, you understand.

Dry: All floral, all spring. Others have mentioned the lack of throw -- not with me. I catch this scent anytime I move my arms, or my head. It stayed with me a good 4 hours until I needed to reapply, which I think is excellent for a light floral such as this.

Verdict: I love it, and want a bottle.

Edited May 1, 2008 by stellans

[Browneyes]

I must admit that this went straight into my wishlist when I read Meg's review comparing it to the smell of Lake Geneva. I used to live in Geneva, and it is a place I miss sooo much and want to return to badly

 

So the review:

Imp: the "typical BPAL aquatic" with floral, grassy notes

Wet: a sweet, blossoming aquatic... definately tulips, and I love tulips!

Dry: extremely wearable and very realistic. Possibly my favourite aquatic thus far. It does smell like a fresh lake breeze laced with florals on a hot day, but I don't know if I would have made the association to Lake Geneva specifically on my own. I look forward to going back to Geneva, and then maybe I can make a snif test while standing on the Quai...

 

Very lovely!

 

ETA: light throw and wearlength

Edited March 24, 2007 by Browneyes

[Spring Snow]

It's so nice to wear this blend in early spring, because I feel like I smell of the beautiful new flower buds in the trees, floating in a beautiful pool. I really like how it's a floral, but the floral part does not overwhelm the light, soft sweetness. I don't think it smells like Amsterdam, per say, as the canals get a bit 'yerk' in the late summer (when I stayed there) and the coffeeshops alone put out a stench that will forever eclipse other remembered smells of the city... but as a scent of the Netherlands' countryside, I think it's spot on.

Fiance loves it too.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: A very light, clean scent

 

First on: I can smell the tulips, and that clean laundry scent as well. Not at all what I was expecting for Amsterdam, though I guess it does make me think of Holland in general.

 

Drydown: Hasn't changed at all, still tulips and clean laundry. It's a nice spring scent.

 

Overall: I'm not really swayed either way on this one. I'll probably keep the imp unless someone asks me to trade for it.