Wilhelmina Murray

[fairy]

WILHELMINA MURRAY

With his left hand he held both Mrs. Harker's hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension. His right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom. Her white nightdress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the man's bare chest which was shown by his torn-open dress. The attitude of the two had a terrible resemblance to a child forcing a kitten's nose into a saucer of milk to compel it to drink.

Tea rose, white sandalwood and a flurry of pale, virginal blossoms, smeared with a smoky, blood-soiled blend of myrrh, hyacinth, Daemonorops resin, dark musk and blackcurrant.

Van Helsing, Art, and I moved forward to Mrs. Harker, who by this time had drawn her breath and with it had given a scream so wild, so ear-piercing, so despairing that it seems to me now that it will ring in my ears till my dying day. For a few seconds she lay in her helpless attitude and disarray. Her face was ghastly, with a pallor which was accentuated by the blood which smeared her lips and cheeks and chin. From her throat trickled a thin stream of blood. Her eyes were mad with terror. Then she put before her face her poor crushed hands, which bore on their whiteness the red mark of the Count's terrible grip, and from behind them came a low desolate wail which made the terrible scream seem only the quick expression of an endless grief.

Out of all the lovelies from the Order of the Dragon this one intrigued me the most for some reason.

In the bottle: Doesn't jump out at you. It's a lovely, faint smell. Even though it isn't listed in the ingredients I want to say I smell my beloved amber.

Applied this turns into one of the most incredible scents I've ever smelled. Words that come to mind are thick, smoky, gorgeous resins, golden. In a weird way it brought to mind the Black Moon series, particularly Schwarzer Mond, only this one smells a lot warmer and I'll say it again..."golden".

As it dried I started smelling some floral notes, perhaps the tea rose, with a touch of some soft powder yet there is a spice there too. But oddly this doesn't turn into a floral-type blend. It keeps its warmth and glow with it's luscious resins and mmmm there's that flirty blackcurrant! Wow, I really don't have the adequate words to describe just how gorgeous this oil is.

It's sexy, dark and warm at the same time, smoky and just plain beautiful.

If this oil were a visual: I imagine walking into a room lined with gorgeous and richly colored orange and gold-threaded throw pillows. There is a haziness to the air. An amber incense wand is slowly burning as a Dead Can Dance CD is playing ever so softly in the background. Even though I've never been here I feel at ease so I sit down and the pillows engulf around me. The air is the perfect temperature, the feeling is perfect comfort, the colors are golden orange, the atmosphere is *rich*. I just want to sit like this for hours as I'm completely relaxed.

Hope that makes sense

[hangingfire]

In the bottle: Rose, sandalwood, and florals forward. Not getting so much of the musky stuff just now.

 

On, wet: More emphatically rose. Still not ...

 

Drydown: Oh, wait, that's where the myrrh and resin notes are.

 

Miss Murray is a tricksy one, that's for sure. Comes on all light and floral at first, and then you start to get the hint of something darker going on, and it slowly becomes more heavy and mysterious as it dries. If anything, it reminds me a lot of the League of Extraordinary Gentleman Mina, even more so than the original.

 

Very nice indeed.

[aestien]

Bottle: clean white florals with an intriguing creamy undertone

Wet: soft clean white floral, the rose doesn't dominate at all, evokes a sweet white bouquet clutched in white lace gloved hands

Dry: wow, this transforms into a slightly heady blackcurrant, dragon's blood, sandalwood, and myrrh blend on the drydown, with just a memory of the innocent floral, there is almost a metallic sharpness here.

 

This blend really does transform from light victorian innocence into sweet, heady, darkness. And the floral stage doesn't bother me, it's clean and light, with that hint of what is lying in the shadows ahead, I am incredibly impressed and in love with this blend.

 

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: Sweet, pale summer flowers, with a hint of something wistful and fretting.

 

Wet: The flowers are light, but the darkness emerges almost immediately. The flowers are very sweet, but are light enough to pair nicely with the resinous incense undertones.

 

Dry: All of the above. And there's a vague fruitiness, too...the black currant? It's like...innocence defiled, but not in the traditional sense. Innocence corrupted by what was already inside the person, maybe.

 

And I tried this on the back of one hand, Count Dracula on the other...and wow, they go together really well. Mmmm! I'm just saying

[lookingglass]

Mmmm...tea rose. I have always wanted a tea rose that was wearable. I believe this is her.

 

Wet, this reminds me of Ouija. It is light and floral, but dark at the same time...a little dusty...like the scent of flowers lingering in heavy drapes.

 

On the drydown, there is a hint of dark fruit, but the flowers are still predominant.

 

Dry, this has melted in beautifully. The musk and resins give this a delicious creaminess. It is romanticly evocative of this tragic Victorian heroine...like scented letters to a secret lover. The dragon's blood is the last to go. Oh, how I love the dragon!

 

This scent is light and fades very fast. I wouldn't have thought so with all of the flowers (which could have been very heady) and the resins (that usually hold on tight), but I really have to slather. She'll be going in a roller bottle for sure. I think that if you liked Alice but it was a little too girly you will LOVE Mina.

Edited October 3, 2006 by lookingglass

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Intense, deep floral incense. Viola touched with a bit of Dragon's Heart?

 

This is a keeper.

[jesvet]

This is one of my favorite florals. I wasn't so sure smelling the bottle- mostly light rose.

 

On, the sandalwood swirls around the rose and the spices ground it. The drydown is a beautiful, creamy floral that seems more blue to me than anything. It's also lasting longer on my oil eating skin than most lighter florals do.

 

Just gorgeous.

[Christine Daae]

In the bottle: Sweet, cool floral.

 

Wet: Very rosey, slightly...lily-ish? Very "cool" at the outset.

 

Drydown: This is a very sweet, quiet floral with a slightly dark undertone. There is nothing offensive about this, it's so light and pretty. Almost too light - I have to keep my nose almost pressed against my wrist to smell it at all.

 

While wearing: As it dries, the blackcurrant and dragon's blood become more apparent. The description "innocence corrupted by what was already inside the person" is perfectly apt. The darker aspects become more apparent as you wear it. Deeper, sweeter, darker, spicier, flirtier and just lovely.

[Eunice]

This is lightly rose scented but it isn't entirely girly. The sandalwood and resin makes this a more mature rose scent. After some time the blackcurrant comes out. I'm seconding what hangingfire said about this being more of a "League of Extraordinary Gentleman Mina" rather than a Bram Stoker Mina. I don't get light and innocent from this at all. And this is much better than anything I could have anticipated.

[dnipbhsw]

This is an intriguing scent to me. It starts off being very sweet and innocent with a bit of a sharp bite to it, and soft powder in the background. Then in minutes, it starts to darken, and becomes incredibly... sad. It becomes a soft, smokey, sophisticated rose. I love this.

[edenssixthday]

Wilhelmina Murray - Based on the scent description, I thought this would be at least slightly dark and heavy, but rather, it’s a very light floral. It has a slightly faded scent, which is probably the tea rose tempering some of the other florals a touch, and maybe even muting the juiciness of the black currant and dark musk. It’s a pretty scent, but fairly generic. It’s quite a disappointment for me among Beth’s blends, as it really doesn’t stand out as unique or inspired, at all. On my skin, at least, this one has no personality or pizzazz. Not only that, but it sticks very close to my skin and fades quickly (within the first hour). I really wish it had the drydown on me that it seems to have on all of the other reviewers. It sounds gorgeous and I'd love to see what it smells like on someone else. It’s nice enough, but considering how quickly it fades and what little punch it has, it's just not one I’m ever going to reach for over the blends that knock my socks off.

Edited October 17, 2006 by edenssixthday

[tarotgirl99]

Oh I love this.

 

It starts off pure floral and then morphs into something deeper, more intriguing, but still sweet and innocent. The tea rose predominates but takes on the various other notes in an in-and-out pattern, like a formal dance. Balance and beauty.

 

Must. Have. Bottle. (And I'm generally more of an imp girl. So you know this is LOVE.)

[sofiaviolet]

This is really really faint. I kind of smell some rose and sandalwood. The myrrh, resins, and musks are totally not present. It fades far too quickly. I've only had it on for a few minutes and I can't smell it unless I practically put my hand up my nose.

[Jettcat]

In the bottle: Dark smoky resins :loves:

 

Wet: Well hello there myrrh, I remember you and you've brought your friend musk as well.

 

Dry: The dark resins take a backseat and the hyacinth is front and center. Not to girlie, but dark and mysterious, ready for a ride on the Orient Express.

 

Overall: I wish the resins would have been more bold, because the rose and hyacinth took over in the end. Something I'll wear when I want to appear neutral.

[oakmoss]

Sometimes a perfume just nails it in terms of the imagery and invocation of its source inspiration, and that's so for dear Mina. The gentle blossoms swiftly morph into a swooning spiciness, with hints of dusty rose peeking through, like the tatters of innocence. And then as suddenly, it's gone... just .... gone. Ordinarily I'd be whining, "Where's the throw? Where's the staying power?" But for this blend, it seems right that she should be an apparition that fades away sooner than you would like. I may have to get another bottle, for frequent touch-ups. This is one of Beth's most beautiful, I think.

[klavierbarrette]

this smells purple on me! woooo i love my purple scents. i can smell the tea in it. i'm not really sure what the other notes smell like, so i can't really pick them out. just purple, tea, and sandalwood.

 

very pretty scent. i may have to put more money in my acct and order another bottle before october ends. :x

 

Eunice_Branca said it reminds her of LoEG Mina, but i think it smells like Dracula Mina. I think the other Mina would wear something like Snake Oil

[gingersnapp]

This is exactly what I would imagine Wilhelmina Murray in the film would smell like. Soft and floral, but with a little hint of fruit and dragon's blood resin. Dragon's blood usually overpowers every other note in a blend on my skin, but this time it's playing very nicely, especially with the tea rose and blackcurrant.

[maijasu]

Ack...rose and I just don't get along. I don't even smell any of the other notes, because my skin is just turning the rose to soap. I'll be passing my decant along to a more loving home.

[Little Bird]

I love myrrh, resins, and currant... but Wilhelmina Murray quickly dries down to a light, bland sort of floral. It's a nice scent. There's a spicy sort of tea rose and hints of something that smells grassy and green at first.

 

There are several rose and resin scents in the BPAL lineup that I like a lot more. I don't even really get any resin from this one.

 

After about 10 minutes on my skin, this is just a light, plain rose note on me, and it goes slightly sharp and suffocatingly perfumey (odd, because tea rose usually is sweet and lovely on my skin).

[supremegoddessofall]

Light florals, mostly rose. I'm not getting sandalwood at all, and the fruit note I was expecting from the currant is absent, too. I'll need a retest to get a better feel for this.

[theseagrows]

this definitely has jasmine or some white floral in it. i dont get any rose...i am more a fan of rose than white florals, but this isn't so bad. it's like a musky/resiny white floral. it's hard for me to pick out any other notes. i like it quite a bit for a white floral blend! i don't think i'll get a bottle, but will keep my decant.

[Alchemy21599]

I acquired my Wilhelmina through a decant circle because while I love myrrh, resin, sandalwood, and blackcurrant, rose and some other florals are deal breakers for me.

 

In the vial: virginal blooms, including tea rose. Like a nosegay clutched by a blushing bride.

 

Wet: a rose is a rose.

 

Dry: still rose water. I keep waiting for the resin and myrrh to come out, but my skin is just amping the rose. Off to swaps.

[Thaleia]

A darker, more complex Parlement of Foules. PoF is one of my favourite scents from earlier this year's Lupercalia set, so I'm glad to have found something similar. This is definitely more resiny and less rosey than PoF, and smokier. DB resin is hit-or-miss with me, and I'm glad to say that this one actually works on me, and isn't really too cloying or in-your-face.

 

I've swatched Miss Mina against PoF and I must say they really are quite similar, and now that I sniff them against each other I can tell that Mina's got the sharpness of sandalwood added to the floral/resiny combination ... and if it's possible, since PoF tickled my medievalist's heart so much - I'm actually preferring Mina.

 

This is a very Victorian scent, very evocative of the Dracula legend and what I imagined Lucy's Kiss to be like, but this is taken about ten steps further. I’m seeing flashes of Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman enacting the passage quoted for this scent. And let me tell you, it’s hot.

 

I am going to ignore the sort of antiseptic scent I get initially on, because I love the idea behind this and it smells so good ITB and after drydown. It doesn’t take long at all for the myrrh and dark musk to calm down, leaving a heady, Victorian blend of rose-dominated florals. So sophisticated and womanly. I’m definitely keeping this, and I think this is one of those scents that, for me, a little bit will go a long way.

[birdiefu]

I mostly get rose from this, but a nice rose rathen than the usual rotten smell I get from it a lot. The rose is grounded by darker elements, and I love resins and musk! I can't really pick those out individually, but it really makes this rose beautiful. I usually don't like floral blends, but I think this is the first floral that I really like! It also stays true and doesn't go soapy or powdery on me- excellent blend!

[PilotKitten]

Very very faint on me... and I'm a slatherer to boot. I can certainly catch a faint hint of tea rose and a sugary fruity-type of sweetness but nothing beyond that. This is almost just plain water on me, I can't smell a thing.