Amsterdam

[MinxyMinou]

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

This is extremely light, fresh and pretty.

I get a lovely light floral, a green grass note and of course the aquatic note.

Staying power on me is average and it's a very light scent for me with not a lot of throw.

It really is gorgeous, a perfect light, cooling perfume for spring or summer days.

[Amoraexcena]

Imp: fresh, light dewy peony.

Wet on Skin: The aqua note comes out, as do the grass. Crushing deep grasses dotted with peony with a bright gurgling stream nearby. It reminds me slightly of Chance by Chanel.

Drydown: it dries fast, stays close to the skin. I can see the tulips now, still in the process of blooming, just going from green pods to yellow blossoms. Definitely a springtime scent.

[DeltaCat]

I also get Irish Spring, but only with a light floral twist. So green and fresh. Must have a bottle!

[angelicruin]

Floral and grass on my skin.

[moosue]

Yay, frimp!!

 

In imp: Huh. I like it, watery and soft. Very pretty. Aquatic with ozone?

On, dry: Woah, is this the same scent?! What went soapy?! Smells like floral drug store soap. I'm pretty sure it's my skin that did awful things to this. I've never had something go soapy before. Thanks for the first, Amsterdam!

 

This would be so pretty on the right skin chemistry.

[skyelyric]

Just whiffing off the imp wand I got a very sour note, doesn't bode well, but meh. On my skin, this is a sweet, light, watery floral, and as it dries it turns into sunshine and clean laundry. Not sure I would wear this out, but it's a really nice scent to have wafting around while I'm gardening or hanging around on the back patio.

[Saya]

BPAL does 'green' notes really well and this blend is no exception. The floral elements don't quite develop on my skin allowing the green grasses to take center stage. Pretty realistic smelling to my nose. This is a light blend with minimal throw.

 

Could be a nice blend to wear this spring. I think I'll keep the imp around.

[yellowbread]

I don't know that I can pick out any individual notes, but it's a very fresh, green, slightly watery scent to my nose. It doesn't change much when applied to my skin and doesn't have much throw, but it's pleasant.

[lunchboxmonkey]

On me this, is very light and pretty. The florals aren't cloying or overpowering, and the aquatic note isn't a salty sea note. Its more like a clear, still lake with sunlight sparkling off the surface and flowers strewn across it, floating slowly by. Definitely a calm, pretty scent and I like it a lot.

[animalcule]

Light, pretty, fresh, springy floral. Very light scent, no throw, disappeared fast.

 

Smells like any number of nicely-scented body products to me, unfortunately.

[hersphinxness]

Light and pretty in the imp, with a strong, fresh tulip note. On my skin, I get mostly damp grass. In fact, that's all I get, no hint of the pretty tulips or peonies now. It's okay, but I get a nice damp grass scent from Garden Path With Chickens but with more of the florals I like. Still, this would be a good choice for someone who is looking for a clean green/aquatic scent.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Very much a green floral, laced with water and grass.

 

On skin: I'm not familiar with tulip and peony, but I like this distinctive floral scent, with aquatic and grass notes giving it an airy clarity. Amsterdam is a simple grassy, watery floral: it really does remind me of little ponds and fountains leaping into a blue, sun-filled sky. It is also bold and peppy: while Endymion and Helena (similar watery florals) are dreamy, romantic maidens, Amsterdam is the spunky maiden running through the grass, revelling in the spring showers. Colour impression is a pale, translucent green with a touch of pastel blue.

 

Verdict: Attractive variation of a pure floral, but pure florals are ultimately boring. There are much better floral-mix blends out there, so I don't see myself wearing this much.

 

ETA: See how many times I can use "floral" in a review!

Edited December 18, 2010 by Vega

[Tiada]

This smells EXACTLY like what I expected from the description. It's very green!

 

Grass is clear, and the other notes blend into a water-y floral (tulips are frontrunner). Light, crisp, bright. I just wish this had more of something. Anything. It's too light for me and disappears on my skin within an hour. It's a gorgeous scent, but doesn't have enough substance and presence for me to wear more than very occasionally.

 

This actually does remind me of being in the tulip gardens near Amsterdam in May, I guess it's more like a wistful scent memory than "BAM" actually being there.

 

Edit: I reapplied when it faded, and went much heavier on my application the second time, and it seems to be sticking around much better this time! I'm very easy on application, a little bit here and there, and with heavy/deep/powerful scents this is all that's really needed, I think with lighter scents like Amsterdam I just need to put more on to begin with

 

I do like it now that it's sticking around. And it smells way more like peony than any other note once it's decided what it's going to stay with.

Edited March 19, 2011 by Tiada

[calivianya]

Amsterdam goes generic floral on my skin. For the first few minutes, it smells like fresh cut flowers, but when the water note starts appearing it smells like stale, lotion-y flowers. It was nice for those first few minutes, though.

[Gateau]

Imp--Cut flowers and the expensive European shampoo scent I'm starting to recognize as the lab's grass note.

 

Wet--Tulips! And grass, a tiny hint of that distinctive peony soapiness. Wow, had no idea tulips were that recognizable. Something watery, sort of lily-like taking over.

 

Dry--Getting dominated by that wet scent, with tulips in second. The grass is in the background, but comes forward as it dries. That tulip/peony scent is really nice and fresh. This is a fresh outdoor floral scent, not anything you'd find in a vase or heavy perfume.

 

Like so many fresh scents it fades out really fast. Will need at least a bottle for slathering.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: An unusual floral blend, rich and dark, but unfortunately a touch chemical. My sample is very old, and I think the grasses have broken down. Wet: Very faint on the skin. I think that’s the peony on top, with a faint fresh water aquatic touch and that chemical sting that I noticed before. No dry down info, as it faded too fast.

[Klolly]

I used to wear the perfume Sunflowers and loved it. Somewhere I read that this is the bpal equivalent and ever since I heard that I've wanted to try it.

In imp: Ooh, very fresh and bright. I think I'll like this.

 

On wet: This is gorgeous. It's like the lushest, freshly watered lawn on the block has just been mowed on a perfect, blue sky, sunshiney day. I smell the grass most. It's a very thick, sweet smelling grass. The kind that leaves green stains on your jeans and fingers easily. I smell the water a lot as well and I'm afraid it might give me a headache later. But it smells great, headache or not, like very icy water.

 

Dry: The grass has become less prominent though still very present. The florals are pushing their way to the front and the water is getting louder. Throw on a scale from 1-10, 10 being I can smell you from more than five feet away, is probably a 3. Maybe even 2. I don't think it smells just like Sunflowers but there is a similarity. Both are fresh, sunny, carefree and feminine. This would be a decent substitute. Overall, I really like this scent. It's beautiful!

[Amalthea]

Imp: Hmm Nivea Visage cream??

Wet on skin: Can barely smell anything! Clean florals...

Drydown: Nivea visage cream with some citrus twist

Dry: This is light and refreshing. In a skin cream way...

Verdict: Still on the fence... it reminds me of Skinfood's Balck Sugar scrub. It's nice. I hope I can find an opportunity to wear it.

[rhubarb3point14]

Ooh, pretty!

 

Straight out of the imp, it's bright green freshly-mowed grass. Then clear-as-a-bell tulips and peonies. Very natural, outdoorsy, simple, and innocent.

 

This dries very, very soft and disappears rather quickly. I agree with the person upthread who said this might make a gorgeous room spray. I think I might buy a bottle solely for that purpose.

[HerbGirl]

Well, I love Tulips, Peony and grass...

 

I really tried and wanted to love this, alas it just went soapy on me...and things that go soapy on most folks rarely go soapy on me. Eh, it smells awesome in the bottle though!

[karykeion]

Hello, frimp!

 

In the imp - Aww, this smells so cute! It's grass and flowers and water and...just, aww.

 

Straight on me - it turns into soap. Flowery soap. I mean, it's nice, but...welp.

 

After an hour - Well, there's the wet grass and flowers, but it's still grass-and-flowers soap. It's pretty, but it doesn't work for me and it isn't really my thing. Ah well.

[lavenderfrost]

In The Imp: COOL AND FRESH AND CLEAN AND SWEET. ♥♥♥ Not sure/can't remember exactly what tulips and peony smell like on their own, so I can't pick out all the notes, but it's awesome nonetheless. YAY MORE HOT WEATHER SCENTS.

 

Immediate Application: Same. It's like enjoying a perfect spring day outside with the flowers and the trees and the allergies. The kind of day where the sun and I have an uneasy truce going; cool enough that it doesn't roast me alive, so I don't curse its' very existence. ^^;;

 

30-45 Minutes Later: Warms up a bit, but still mostly the same.

 

Love it, as I figured I would - this kind of blend is right up my alley.

[whitsunweddings]

Dans le port d'Amsterdam

Y a des marins qui chantent

Les rêves qui les hantent

Au large d'Amsterdam

 

In the imp: Cut grass mixing with florals... Some sort of olfactory pun?

Wet: Grass, amazingly so.

DryL A sharp, grassy floral that sticks close to the skin and fades quickly.

[milo]

This is spring in a bottle! Very fresh greenery and soft tulips, with a bit of fresh water thrown in. I love this, though it's usually not the kind of scent I wear. It's what I wished Dirty would have been. This is clean, and green, and I want moar!!

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): It’s a very light scent, to the extent that it is hard to smell out of the imp. I think I get peony and tulips with a splash of grass.

 

Wet: Yep, that’s aquatic right there. Slightly astringent with Lysol spray.

 

Dry: Oh, very soapy after 15 hours.