Desdemona

[jkfagtongpun]

Innocent, soft and pure: sweet pea, carnation and water lily.

I love sweet pea. I love carnation. So, naturally, this seemed it would be a good one. It is a lovely, beautiful, feminine scent. BUT, just not for me. It's a little too light, no surprising sharp edge, no hidden depth for me. I guess I just prefer something with a bit more bite or oomph.

[yakiguri]

This is quite a pretty, feminine scent, and while I love carnation it's mostly drowned out by the sweet pea and water lily. I like sweet pea but it so utterly dominates this scent that it turns borderline acidic. The lack of a grounding note also makes Desdemona fall a little flat on my skin, so overall the scent is like looking at a pretty guy/girl, going over to talk to them, and realizing just how much depth they lack as soon as they open their mouth. I'll stick with Aeval for my sweet pea/light feminine scent needs. Swapping.

[TheFrenchWaffle]

In the imp: floral. The carnation has me a bit worried though.

wet: lily and carnation are very present. I am a bit worried it might stray into powder/older lady cosmetics smell but so far it is behaving nicely.

Dry: sweet pea peeks through and blossoms into a full-bodied sweet pea blend. It reminds me of Aeval but Desdemona amps better and longer.

Final verdict: Good staying power and plenty of throw. I do like this scent but not quite enough to buy a whole bottle.

[Klolly]

In imp: A fresh, fruity feminine sort of smell. Almost candylike but not quite.

 

On wet: This smells really nice. Girly yet mature. Like a feminine woman who is still in touch secretly with her inner child. It makes me think of a little victorian girls tea party outside after it has rained.

 

Dry: Kind of has a weird soapy acrid smell to it. I don't know why I keep trying bpal florals. They just don't work for me.

Edited November 29, 2011 by Klolly

[bpalscentsual]

1/22/2012: Desdemona (Illyria)

 

Previous scents: None.

 

In the bottle: Yes, this is definitely more floral than Cordelia. This smells very pink, I think because of the sweet pea.

 

Testing method: Swiped wand twice against inside of both wrists.

 

Immediately: Whoo. That is a floral. A very meaningful floral. The sweet pea in here is meaningful. Whoo. Okay.

 

Fifteen minutes: I was having doubts that I would smell any carnation, because, come on, what does carnation actually smell like? No longer. It smells like a sugared, sweet rose. This is a very heady, heavy floral. Whoo.

 

One hour: Wow this has a hell of a throw. This isn’t pure funeral, corsage carnation, but it’s threatening to do what rose does on me, which is overwhelm me and make me go GIRL YOU STANK TAKE A BATH.

 

Several hours: Oops, just kidding, this is turning spicy-carnation and overwhelming everything else with its sickly-sweet floral aroma. This is floral STANK, totally not agreeing with me, though I don’t know if it’s because of my skin chemistry or my olfactory powers.

 

Overall: I had high hopes for this, but this is not a light floral or one for the faint of heart. The throw and power are insane, even for a small tester bit. I infinitely prefer Cordelia to this, because Cordelia is more watery and white and this is just too much PINK YES HI I AM A PINK FLOWER SMELL ME PINK. Swap pile for this one.

 

DISCLAIMER: Due to differences in skin chemistry, inherent olfactory powers, and other scents that an individual might use throughout the day (i.e. scented deodorants, shampoos, room sprays, cooking odors), these oils will smell different on every individual. This review is only intended to illustrate my personal experience wearing it throughout the day.

 

ETA: Holy cannoli, what in the world is even going on with this? I washed it off at 6 PM last night because it was way too strong, and I can still smell carnation on my wrist at 9 AM the next morning.

Edited January 23, 2012 by bpalscentsual

[becca_s]

At first Desdemona is a very watery floral on me. It kind of reminds me of a bubble bath liquid I used to have when I was a child. After 10 minutes or so, the carnation and sweepea come out alot more and the soapiness fades away. There is spiciness from the Carnation and sweetness from the Sweetpea. The waterlily must fade on me quite quickly even though at first it is dominant. This is really pretty and quite a nostalgic scent. I really like it, my bottle list keeps growing larger and larger ... and I think that I will have to add Desdemona to that list. I think it would make a nice everyday scent, because its light and fresh, and would be good in spring and summer.

[Saffrin]

Imp: Lily seems to be the base, with some almost spiciness that I'm guessing is carnation (still not experienced enough with carnation to pull it out singularly). The sweet pea is there, but it seems to blend into the other two. It's hard to distinguish by itself. If I hadn't known it was in it, I may not have recognised it as sweet pea.

It's a sad scent. A loving, sad scent. Perhaps an effect of the lily lending it a funeral associated sadness?

 

 

Wet: There's the sweetpea. It and the lily take the front now, with the carnation? dropping back.

Very aquatic floral with a slight spicy edge. It defintiely has a base. I'm not finding it as light/airy as I thought I would.

This is innocence. Not naive, little girl innocence, but loving, trusting innocence.

 

 

Dry: The sweetpea disappears for a while, with the carnation amping, but as the other two drop off, it comes back again.

I am in love with this. The scent and the mood it gives are my fave from BPAL thus far. It makes me feel alive, loving and beautiful.

 

 

Found myself a 5ml. <3

[Gwydion]

In bottle: I do not know two of these flowers well enough to pick them out from a crowd. Suffice to say this is sweet, richly fragrant white flowers, with carnation giving it a little snap. This is gorgeous, unusual, and perfect for it’s concept. No skin test as I haven’t a prayer of it working on me.

[hammy]

In the bottle - There is only the tiiiiiniest bit in here, barely enough to test. It’s a little soapy. Must be the water lily, since I already know and love carnation and sweet pea.

 

Wet - There’s a clean green wateriness to it, mixed with a white floral. It didn’t stay wet too long, so that’s all I got.

 

Drydown - A little more carnation now. Awesome. Powdery though.

 

Verdict - I wish I had enough to properly test this. I gave it my best shot, and as far as I can tell it’s nice. A bit powdery soap, but mostly greenish white floral.

[achildoftime]

Very sweet, sweet pea when it's freshly applied. It's an almost painfully sweet floral that does manage to mellow out in about 10 minutes. I get more water lily once the sweet pea balances out. It's a little spicy from the carnation, but it still keeps a little airy. I wouldn't call it complex by any stretch, but it is quite pleasant.

[Lucchesa]

Wow, I must really hate water lily, because sweet pea and carnation are two of my favorite florals and Desdemona didn't work on me at all. It's another reminder, I guess, that I just can't do pure florals and that I really need to stay away from anything that might be aquatic. This is not a spicy carnation on me, nor is it the luscious sweet pea of Mouse's Long and Sad; everything just gets drowned out, no pun intended, by the water lily.

[doomsday_disco]

Desdemona starts off strongest on the sweet pea (woot woot!) and lily, but the lily overtakes the delicate sweet pea note over time. The carnation in this is really subdued, just adding a light spice to the scent. It does gain prominence with wear, but mainly its smooth petals, not the spice. It's mostly about the water lily.

 

I think this is nice, and I'm glad to have tried it, but I know I won't reach for it over other sweet pea and lily scents in my collection.