Vipralabda

[themerrybaker]

She is tearful and dejected: her lover has broken a promise, and did not arrive for their tryst. She feels that she has been deceived, and her heart is volleyed from misery, to anger, to resentment: benzoin, Greek sage, hay, melaleuca ericifolia, oakmoss, and blue chamomile.

This is not a happy or pretty scent. Misery, anger, and resentment are bitter herbs.

Vipralabda is butt-kicking earwax bitter, rather than mopey, wistful, or melancholic. I think the sage predominates, but to my nose the herbs smell like thyme. A good while after drydown, there may be a hint of benzoin - like a tantalizing memory of something sweeter.

The oil itself is unusual in that it makes an opaque coating on the inside of the bottle and has a layer of something lighter on the top.

This is a great addition to the Heroines concept. If there are eight faces; each has its time. Bitterness belongs, but is no more the "truth" than anticipation or confidence. I could see myself wearing this on an "all things must pass" day. It will be interesting to see whether the contents of the bottle eventually mix themselves.

[astridclaire]

Very herbal and brown-green at first, but then it turns into more of an after-the-rain kind of scent.

 

It makes me imagine sitting under a tree after a good spring rain while drinking a cup of chamomile tea.

 

This scent isn't something I'd usually go for, but it's very refreshing and earthy with just enough benzoin to give it a bit of resinous sweetness.

 

It's growing on me!

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Disclaimer- I love BPAL herbal blends and they almost always smell wonderful with my skin chemistry. Sometimes I just want an aromatic herbal to keep me company throughout the day.

 

Vipralabda has an overall slightly sweet, balsamic quality touched with woody herbals.

 

This scent brings me back to my days as a gardener, walking through tall grasses in the hot summer sun and pulling out weeds and cutting back geraniums.

 

It also smells of aromatherapy blends and high quality linament salve that one uses after a hard days work.

 

This perfume would be very much at home in BPAL's Panacea catagory. It is not "pretty" in the fruity-floral fashion. It isn't sexy or foody. It's something to use when you need something soothing.

 

Can't imagine wearing this on a hot date or a night out with the girls but it'd be great for a mediatative walk in the woods, an afternoon out in the garden or for when you need something to ease life's ups and downs.

 

Anyhow, a quick search on the herbals in Vipralabda indicates that Melaleuca Ericifolia is a sedative, Greek Sage is a mental stablilizer and good for woman's internal dampness and Blue Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory.

 

Scents this reminds me of- in tone and not as dopplegangers-

 

Tombstone's balsamic and sassafras and then Tzadikim Nistarim's embracing, almost medicinal, reverent beauty.

Edited February 9, 2007 by Heavenlyrabbit

[Little Bird]

Vipralabda is a bitter, herbal scent on me. It isn't very perfume-like or wearable. On me it has a bitter, astringent greenery mixed with a dry and almost smoky sort of herbal something. I have a hard time picking out any of the listed notes. This does sweeten up after an hour or so, but only slightly underneath the bitterness. It's not so bad that I need to scrub it off, but I can't think of any point in my life where I would actually want to wear this either.

[hepkitten]

I'm having a completely different reaction to this than I thought I would...it's definitely a smoky herbal, and it feels really soothing and comforting now.

 

Many of the heroines smell exactly like their descriptions on me...this one, however, doesn't. I agree with Heavenlyrabbit that this feels more like a Panacea.

 

This blend is very subtle and complicated; I feel like I'll need to spend time figuring it out.

[forspecial_plate]

Hmmm...this is a strange one...very herbal and grassy, but doesn't make me think 'Bitter!'. It's more of a cloying, sweet herbal scent to me. Perfumey is the word I kept thinking (lame). Up close the scent is too much. But I have to admit there is something about it, especially the throw, that compels me. On the down side, there is something about it that smells chemical to me and reminds me a bit of cheap hairspray. I think it's the hay that's doing that. It doesn't take over the scent completely, but it's an undeniable quality.

 

Vipralabda does have a lot of strength and throw. After about an hour I tried rinsing it off just to tone it down a little. After that, I smelled the chamomile a lot more. It reminds me of davana blossom essential oil. But the hairspray is still there.

 

I like Heavenlyrabbit's review, and that gave me a frame of reference for this scent. I agree that it would be good for a meditative walk in the woods. I don't know if I'm going to keep or swap it, but I am glad I tried it.

[PurringPulsar]

Vipralabda

 

In the imp: warm hay layered with various herbs. A herbally-medicinal scent.

Wet on skin: mmm, this is actually quite lovely. Soft, gentle herbs and sun warmed hay.

Dry on skin: this is surprisingly good! It's a very soothing, warm scent of spices, herbs, hay and a hint of moss and sweet benzoin. The hay note is soft and golden, like a warm summer's evening in a golden field, that golden dryness enhanced by the camomile-this blue camomile seems a lot softer and deeper than the Roman kind. I also smell something spicy, like saffron-I have no idea what that is? The sage note in here is gorgeous too and the moss adds a touch of green powder whilst benzoin really smoothes the scent off with it's gentle sweetness. This is actually a very therapeutic scent, calming and healing. It reminds me of a summer evening in the South of France or Italy.

After a while: the spice and sage tone down a bit, the hay still rules the scent. This is what I hoped to get from Scarecrow, a real genuine 'harvested fields in August' scent, but this one smells almost like an aromatherapy blend as well, soft calm herbs still peek out here and there. I'm wondering if this warm spice I get is the melaleuca ericifolia (which, apparently, is an Australian tree also called 'rosalina', according to one e.o. site)? There really is a feel of 'herbal remedy' to this, and it's very reassuring. It then starts to over-sweeten a little, gaining the 'very ripe fermenting fruit' scent I get from some herbal scents, only this doesn't smell sickly or cloying. It's actually a very pleasant, smooth fruity sweetness overlaid with the hay. It also smells like herbal incense, there's a slight smoke to this, like sage burning. I also smell something reminiscent of either rosemary, basil or juniper. It also reminds me of Bitch now, funnily enough!

The scent's fruity scent does fade and reverts back to warm herbal hay again, with a hint of something almost reminiscent of vetiver.

Verdict: despite this scent being described as the scent of a sad, rejected, betrayed woman, this actually smells more like the kind of scent to soothe and alleviate such feelings. It's very therapeutic, almost cathartic as a scent, it makes me think of taking a brisk walk in the countryside to clear your mind when emotions are too overwhelming, the fresh air does you good…and so does the herbal, healing scent of this oil. It's like a warm summer evening out in a field, or like a Mediterranean evening with the scent of herbs and dry grasses in the air. Golden and dry and warm and herbal, soft camomile and hay, a little sage, and a few spices. The benzoin adds a welcome comforting sweetness to it all. There are a few moments of fruitiness to it as well, and this blend is similar in feel as Bitch, I suppose I could also use it for the same purposes. I was expecting this scent to be harsh, an off-putting herbal, but I was surprised at how good it smelt and how it made me feel. This really does calm me down, I also agree that it feels more like the Panaceas, and thus could be used as aromatherapy rather than perfume, for moments if I ever feel bitter, hurt, rejected or betrayed, or even just stressed out or irritated for any reason.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Just the imp for now.

If you like this, try: Scarecrow, Antony, Scales of Deprivation, Bitch, Bitter Moon

Edited February 23, 2007 by yeahbutnobut

[fiddledragon]

In imp: Bitter, herbal resin.

 

On me: Very very bitter, foresty, herbal-resin. Productive angst in a bottle. Not a pretty scent, but potentially useful. This is one pissed-off herione :-)

 

ADDED 11/12/08:

 

I'm pretty sure I reviewed this fresh, but I pulled it out today just to give it another whirl because I wasn't feeling well and this seemed like a sort of cleansing kind of scent.

 

A year of aging has made such a difference! Now the oil is dark and thick, and the benzoin (at least, I assume that's what it is) has sweetened and come forward into cozy warm incensy goodness. There's a slightly floral overtone that might be the remains of the hay note. It wasn't at all what I had in mind when I put it on, but it's just what I needed!

[savage_rose]

This smells like a green sharpness cut with dulled, dried herbs. Very "herb cupboard"like, a bunch of scents mixed together, but there's something sort of medicinal about it...I think it's the benzoin. At first I smelled more herbs, but now I'm smelling more sharp medicinal smell than anything. I can't decide if I like this...sometimes it smells like a clean, sage smell, and then it will smell like Ben-Gay. Yeah. The jury's still out on this one!

[midnight_aeval]

Strange, I am usually not a fan of heavily herbal scents and in the vial that's exactly what Vipralabda is. I was almost so turned off by the scent in the vial that I didn't test it out on my skin. Boy am I glad I did!

 

It's not a scent that would have my nose glued to my wrist- this is a scent that produces a wonderful aura of scent around you that wafts beautifully. It's slightly masculine, but has a mysterious sexiness to it.

 

Needless to say this scent REALLY works on me.

[maijasu]

I was intrigued by the notes in this, but sadly, all I could smell on my skin was a soapy floral. Sigh. Off to swaps.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Benzoin and chamomile.

 

On me: Very herbal. Mostly benzoin.

[edenssixthday]

Vipralabda - Reading the scent description, I never thought I could like this scent, but it's really amazing. I don't associate this scent with dejection, bitterness, misery, anger, resentment, etc. Rather, it just smells like an exotic, East Indian type scent -- the way an Indian shop smells from the various fabrics, materials, incenses, etc. in the store. It's quite lovely on my skin, and I can hardly believe that there is hay in this, which I normally find highly aggravating due to my associations of hay with allergies, sneezing, and sinus issues. It's a deep scent on me and very woody, resinous, herbal, and slightly sweet in an nag champa incense-like way. I do like this, but it's a little too woody to keep me from wearing it often. I could see an exotic belly-dancer pulling this scent off gorgeously. The throw is moderate and the staying power is above average.

[SultryWolf]

in the decant: Stark and herbal-woody.

on: Warms up quite a bit, becoming almost floral over the woody-earthy. Quite subtle.

[Bagfish]

Abso-bloody-lutely gorgeous. This is the stand out of the CD/Lupercalia decant set I just received, I was sniffing imps and got a few specks of this on my fingers from opening the imp, and *pow* this gorgeous sweet, heady herbal scent is wafting about me.

 

There is something of the rounded honeyed-herbalness of Luperci to Vipralabda (although they don't smell similar, they have a similar form) that just amazes my nose and makes me go weak at the knees. I don't get the pissed off heroine about this at all, it is a lovely, herbally beautiful calming scent and is totally bottle-worthy.

 

[slave1]

VIPRALABDA

 

In Bottle: Herbal

 

On Skin: The sage is dominant here, sharp, herbal and green. This scent is earthy and very planty in feel, but not fresh or lush plants… dried and dead plants… powdery dirt. Yes, a very dry and sharp scent. It smells like it could be used for aromatherapy, not really as a perfume… at least in my opinion. It’s not my kind of scent at all sadly. Light to medium throw and long wearlength.

[Browneyes]

Bottle: herbal but alot sweeter than I expected

Wet: this really does remind one of an aromatherapy blend/ healing tea/ herb cupboard/ health store... sweet pungent herbs.

Dry: this is just gentle and beautiful. I like it alot. I'm glad to have a partial bottle

After around 5 hours I can still smell it - it is a lovely sweet herbal skin scent that I look forward to slathering on hot days or right before bed

 

ETA: I amp oakmoss and benzoin it seems. But it is still beautiful, and I just slathered some on to go to bed

Edited April 19, 2007 by Browneyes

[Rheliwen]

Mmmm...rich Indian incense.

 

The benzoin is rich and resiny and reminds me of smelling the amber chunks you used to get in lockets at the hippy nature stores.

 

This is a rich, slightly green resiny blend. Like moist incense. And it only gets better with time. It sweetens up a bit with the sage and hay. The chamomile gives this a soothing base and the oakmoss lends some earthy creaminess.

 

If you like incense/resin blends you'll like this one. Midnight Mass lovers will like it. Others have mentioned that this really isn't a wearing scent but I really like it as a perfume. It reminds me a lot of the incense in this one Moroccan restaurant I used to go to.

[Em-]

I almost ordered a bottle of this straight out, and wish I had - this is fresh light herbs on me - just lovely -chamomile, sage with a hint of vanilley incense and a breath of golden hay. This is such a lovely spring/summer scent.

[spanishviolet]

I didn't get a decant of this because it sounded "too herbal." Then at the last moment I ordered a bottle because the description fit my state of mind at the time. Thank goodness for the last minute save!

 

It is herbal - I get a lot of chamomile - but it's not harsh the way chamomile can sometimes be. Instead it's cool & creamy - must be the benzoin, I guess. It doesn't bring on feelings of bitterness & betrayal, it soothes them & leads to feelings of calm contentedness & repeated wrist-sniffing. Herbal with a hint of resiny richness underneath, I guess.

[eleventhousand]

Very medicinal. Reminds me of a dreaming blend that I had years ago. The chamomile is strongest to my nose, with a sweet grassy element, that smoky crush of benzoin.

 

Oddly enough, it's very pretty and wearable.

[filigree_shadow]

I didn't think I'd like this one. I thought it would be too sharp/herby for me. Sage is almost always a no-no note for me. But... I like this more than I thought I would. I think it's the blue chamomile in this that's making it wearable for me. It softens up the scent.

 

Oddly, this scent feels exotic to me. I don't think I've ever had that reaction to something that seemed mainly herbal before. It's unusual, and I like it.

[cuervosueno]

Initial reactions: herbs and soft wood. It is green and astringent (not bitter for me) but with a very soft note beneath that I can smell the warmth from the benzoin (which was the main note that interested me in this blend).

 

It does feel like a walk in a summer meadow to me. I find it comforting, and can see why some would think it smells like a panacea blend. The hay note is golden and beautiful

 

I don't know what I'll think of this in the end, but for now, I am very much enjoying it.

 

eta: about an hour in, it has turned to warm incense with just a hint of herbs. I can see why some reviewers compared to an Indian store. it is gorgeous!

 

What a morpher, and what an interesting scent.

Edited May 30, 2007 by cuervosueno

[QueenFae]

After reading the first few reviews, I was actually expecting this to be more bitter than it is. It does have a certain herbal sharpness to it, but there is also a soft, floral quality. There are overtones of sage, fresh, garden herbs (still green), and undertones of soft, comforting chamomile. There is a breezy, airy, spring like quality to this blend that makes it unlike other herbal blends. This conjours images of the inside of an open walled temple in the middle of the forest.

 

This is strong, but not overpowering. It's got just enough kick to stay with you most of the day. This is very complex, and actually "smells" like a very high quality, expensive blend.

[maribouquet]

I can't pick out the notes, but to me this smells sweetly medicinal and astringently fresh, as though I'm cleaning a cut or have just washed my face after crying. It doesn't smell 'good', but it is bracing and clear.