The Ecstacy of St. Theresa

[fairnymph]

Frankincense, iris, white gardenia, Roman chamomile, amber, and agarwood.

In the bottle: Sweet and herbal.

Wet: Gardenia, BAM. Chamomiles comes in closely behind, and amber and frankincense are strongly present as well. The iris is there, but distant. I think I can maybe smell something else that's resin-y and must be agarwood.

Dry: The iris has sprung to the forefront, and is battling it out with Gardenia. Between the two of them, I can no longer smell anything else. And I am not a fan of iris, so off to the sink I go.

Summary: Powerful gardenia and iris.

[taramarie]

In the imp, The Ecstasy of St. Theresa is just frankincense. On me, it's iris, gardenia, and chamomile. It's pretty, but too light for me.

[zankoku_zen]

I have to say that this so didn't end up smelling like I thought it would - so it was iris and amber, and then it got this almost 'peach' overtone to it - which was juicy and sweet. And it ended up in a sweet, slightly powdery floral.

 

Huh?

 

Yeah.

[skepticism]

I had to try this scent because Roman chamomile and frankincense are some of my favorite notes, and gardenia is one of my favorite florals.

 

 

In the vial I got swirls of white gardenia, tempered by an equally strong presence of Roman chamomile. Upon wet application the gardenia took a few steps back and allowed the iris to shine through and illuminate the whole blend. How lovely and Baroque! The drydown took a holy route and became pure Roman chamomile with a tinge of frankincense, but I'm not quite sure (agarwood?).

 

Not sure how much I like this blend on it's own. I need more gardenia/white floral presence to say that I absolutely love it. I think that it does a great job emulating The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, though. Very golden, airy feel.

[greenranger]

Gardenia, iris, and chamomile, with resins behind them.

 

The iris is going very sweet. I'll give it a few minutes to see if it calms down.

 

Alright it is calming down slightly, but, I don't think this one is for me. The iris is in the forefront ahead of the gardenia and all the other notes. I don't think I care for iris all that much.

[EdenIris]

In the wet and dry down phases I did not like this. It was all Gardenia Attacks!

 

But then the gardenia backed off and allowed the iris and chamomile to come out, and the amber and (possibly -- I don't know much about it) agarwood smoothed it out. Didn't get much frankincense at all on my skin. This might be a good candidate for the scent locket.

 

It doesn't evoke the sculpture for me so much, nor is it a very churchy scent (if churches smelled like this, I might start going to mass....)

 

Overall, it's a beautiful fragrance, by far the most feminine BPAL I've tried. Not an everyday thing for me, but great for special occasions; as someone mentioned in one of the first reviews, it would be a lovely wedding day scent. I bought a mostly full bottle in a swap unsniffed, and I don't regret it.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Gardenia, wood, amber, another floral in that order.

 

Wet: Gardenia over a warm, wide resiny base. This has potential.

 

Twenty minutes: The gardenia hasn't gone piercing or headachy, but it's not the warm version I sometimes get either. There's another floral, sharper, so I think it's the iris. The base definitely is resinous, but with a woody edge. I think this needs a little longer to blend.

 

One hour: Wow, that one calmed down a lot. It's got a gentle resin base now, just a shade more woody than most, and the gardenia has blended back down. The sharp floral note is gone, and instead I think I'm getting chamomile, kind of a honey-like overtone but extremely understated. If this is religious ecstasy, it's over-rated, but it would make a nice subtle daytime perfume.

 

Two hours: Very gentle, warm resinous scent. I don't know why this is so subtle on me, because normally resins and gardenia really pop up off my skin.

 

Four hours: Still very pleasant, very subtle. I like it, but I don't think it's successful enough on me to keep.

 

[donnatron]

Imp: Almost almond-y and very golden. I definitely get the sweet gardenia and a touch of frankincense. The chamomile is present and very, very mild.

 

Wet: Maybe it's just an overall golden-ness I'm interpreting as almond? It's a very sweet scent and that is aided by the amber/gardenia/chamomile combination. The iris is a bit drier and reserved. The frankincense is making it smell very... frankincense-y is really the only way to describe it. It smells like frankincense on charcoal. I couldn't identify oude if it punched me in the face so I'm assuming it's that murky, sultry wood note sort of lingering behind everything else.

 

Dry: It's mainly frankincense but the warm, light almost copal/frankincense drydown I associate with King Cobra and Ostara. There is a creamy, lush gardenia note backed by sweet, herbal chamomile and then an incense-y warmness that is definitely one of the (more forgiving, on my skin) ambers and the agar-wood. It's gorgeous. Very rich and feminine on my skin and a little lush and damp and sweet while also shot through with a solid sternness. It's kind of kinky but in a very subtle way.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: I really, really like this. It's a really complex and interesting scent with really intense layers to it. It's also a perfect evocation of the statue--very lascivious and sexy while kind of buttoned up. An interesting, lovely blend.

[SophieCedar]

oooh wow!

 

Wet: iris, chamomile, gardenia, and frankincense, in that order. Words that come to mind: sweet, wine-like, pure, heady, intoxicating.

Drydown: the amber barely makes a notable appearance, but I can tell it's working the backstage. It just adds a golden warmth to the background. However the chamomile, iris, and gardenia take over and turn sugary on me. It's almost saccharin-like. I like it, but it doesn't love me. Going back to it later when my chemistry changes.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Deep woods and rich florals, a glowing and red scent.

 

On skin: Oh, this is a splendid melding of deep, pious incense/woods (with the slightest herbal feel) and soaring, lush flowers. The frankincense/agarwood/amber ground the blend and give it a solemn, holy depth, while the flowers -- too blended for my nose to distinguish -- give it an airy, clear fragrance that doesn't go powdery or high-pitched at all. In fact, these florals feel "red": richly fragrant but without the propensity to get high-pitched and dominant like "white" florals do. If this is what iris, chamomile and gardenia smell like, then I like them! The scent remains constant over time and doesn't morph much -- thank goodness! It resembles All Saints' (glad someone upthread agrees), and seems like a richer, more "mature" version of Lady Lilith despite having really different notes. Colour impression is a glowing maroon.

 

Verdict: Ah, I love The Ecstasy of St Theresa -- not a Top Ten, but definitely for keeps and constant wear, and maybe a bottle in time. This is a perfect depiction of a religious ecstasy: soaring euphoria mingled with holy reverence. Beth has perfectly captured the essence of the sculpture and spirituality in scent -- and I love the blend!

[elka_knits]

This is an initial impression review. Mainly because I have a wee bit of a headache and am blaming Mme Moriarty's patch for that

 

This is a very round fragrance... sultry in the languid sense. I am not a big flower person so spent some time wondering if it was gardenias or magnolias that I was smelling. Either way that velvety plush petal white flower smell. Almost overwhelming when first on although it has toned down quite a bit {took @half hour} I am not getting any of the other notes. No amber or frankincense which I was looking forward to. There is a bit of a green feel to it as well and slightly defiled. Like bruised and faded petals once it toned down a bit. Yeah this is one of those unhelpful reviews. I was hoping for a floriental but am getting strong florals. Will be back in a couple of days when I get a chance to try it without a headache

 

Okay I haven't tried it again but editing to add: The Flame really liked this one on me. He usually doesn't comment on what I wear out of the blue. When I picked him up from work yesterday I did get hints of amber and frankincense so it was becoming the floriental I thought it would be. Unfortunately I couldn't smell it at all after a couple of hours. Maybe an occasional hint of something floral . My skin eats it up. I pulled on the shirt I wore yesterday after my shower to get the kidlets off to school and I still smell it on my shirt so it isn't a weak scent. It just you know doesn't last *on me*

 

Unfortunate

 

It is a very wet and sultry scent. As I mentioned yesterday languid. I sensed hot humid dusk and a southern beauty lounging on a chaise fanning her self. Perhaps one of the most evocative of my bpals since the moment I put it on I was transported elsewhere. It was just PERFECT for the chilly fourth day raining dreariness of yesterday. I will treasure my imp as a total mood lifter but due to its rapid dissipation and quite frankly the heavy floral until just before it fades { I prefer the resins} it will not be a bottle buy for me. Unless the husband requests it which given the variety of perfume I have around I sincerely doubt. Only time will tell if he loved it that much.

Edited December 16, 2011 by elka

[angelamaria]

In bottle: sweet gardenia, chamomile, and frankincense. It's definitely a floral, and already I'm wondering if this would be too loud for me. I mean, it's practically screaming floral.

 

Wet on skin: gardenia, and frankincense to hold it back a bit, but really--WHOA GARDENIA. Very floral, although softer and not as I AM FLORAL HEAR ME ROAR as in the bottle, it's...well, floral. Sweet gardenia, almost candyish or bubblegummy for some reason, and frankincense, with a creamy tone. This stage is softer, and is something I can handle, and it's a very lovely gardenia blend.

 

Verdict: right, so I think iris on me tend to go quite sweet, usually cloyingly so, before it completely turns over and goes eurgh. That cloyingly sweet, almost grandmothery scent...eh, yes, that's the iris, and it's right here. So it's not just candyish but also oily-sweet. I aged this for a couple months, and while it smooths out a fair bit and is not as oily-sweet anymore, it's still candyish-sweet.

 

Verdict: sadly a no, although it's a very pretty blend in small doses.

[LiberAmoris]

Bernini's sculpture of St. Teresa has always been one of my favorite works of art—it brings amazing physicality to a divine experience. The frankincense and Roman chamomile in this blend are what make it feel 'right' for the inspiration, in addition to the searing beauty of that white gardenia note. The amber and agarwood marry at the bottom, bringing warmth as foil against the almost unworldly high whiteness of the floral. I like this best after it settles in and the gardenia settles down a bit, as the golden arrow of the frankincense, chamomile, amber, and agarwood are what I enjoy most. I'm so glad I got to try this!