Queen Alice

[sookster]

Carnation, posies, and white amber with a hint of inky treacle, sandy cider, and wooly wine.

straight sniff from imp is moist tobacco and wine...interesting...

once applied carnation amps up and makes this blend very floral-like while remaining
sweet...somewhat fruity...

such a pretty blend indeed

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Carnations and amber. Sweet.

 

On Application

Spicey carnation and wild flowers. Very sweet.

 

Dry Down

Gets even spicier, peppery. I do smell a bit of lanolin (the wooly wine?) in the background. The treacle adds a depth to this. I really, really like this one. I didn't think I would.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

[spybarbie]

I loved this one in the bottle, as it was the perfect blend of masculine and feminine - flowers and spice.

 

But, as I'm not a huge fan of smelling like cinnamon - I'm not sure this is a scent for me.

[isisonearth]

In the imp: Carnation, cider and wine (which scares me since wine usually goes very sour on me).

 

Applied: Spicy carnations, appley cider and a warm glowing amber, just a touch of something smoky too (could that be the wine?).

 

Drydown: Mainly amber and gorgeous spicy carnations. However if I inhale too deeply I get a bit of cigarette . I'm pretty sure that is a skin chemistry issue. I think this is one for me to try in my locket.

 

Verdict: Very much a grown up version of Alice. I do think I prefer Alice though with its cream note and brighter sweeter feel.

[cam]

In the bottle, I get a strong (pleasant) apple scent. On, it's apples and mint. Once it dries, this very nice, musky sort of undertone develops. Very feminine and nice. I like this one.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Sour wine.

 

In the imp: Sour wine, full stop.

 

On skin, wet: Carnations, cider, and warm wine. Not bad, but not really nose-catching.

 

On skin, dry: Sweet, floral cider and sour wine. A very strange combination indeed, this one, and not one that works well with my skin chemistry.

 

Conclusion: Wine is wont to turn sour on me, and it does just that in Queen Alice. Beneath that sour wine is a very pleasant floral cider. Not my thing, really, but very nice all the same. The thing is, of course, that one can't get rid of that blasted sour wine.

[marared]

Frimp!

 

In the imp: a Renaissance faire mix of sweet wine and sweet cider left in the sun for hours and gone sour. Makes my nose twitch.

 

On me: it's not quite *as* sour and I smell the carnation, but again, it smells like it's been sitting in the sun too long, rather than the hothouse fragance of other carnation blends I've smelled.

 

Maybe this'll improve with time, but right now, it's pretty blech to my nose.

 

 

Edit: wow, this is tough to scrub off, too. It took two thorough soapings just for one swipe of the wand.

Edited August 6, 2008 by marared

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Salty molasses (treacle) and flowers.

 

Immediately on skin: I can smell the treacle mixed with wine the most… it has a syrupy sweet but slightly salty and burnt quality to it. There is a light touch of flowers: the carnation is very obvious, and the posies seem to be adding a sweet floral note. The amber acts as a nice base to this, adding a slightly dry, warm feel to the blend.

 

After a few minutes: The wine in this has gotten stronger, and there’s a very fermented feel to this. It must be the fruitiness of the cider coming through. The treacle adds an interesting feel… something almost salty. The carnation rounds out the blend, making it a bit more wearable. It’s syrupy, sweet, deep wine with hints of molasses, fermented cider, and carnation.

 

Later on: This softens with wear and after an hour or so, the overly sweet wine note has drifted away. There’s still a fermented, fruity quality to this, but the carnation is coming on stronger now so it is more of a syrupy, wine drenched floral as opposed to a wine and molasses scent with a hint of carnation.

Overall Impressions: Scents like this are why I adore bpal: it’s not your traditional perfume scent, but it has a great feel to it. It starts out a wine and molasses scent, but then morphs to more of a carnation dominated scent. If you like carnations but don’t like floral perfumes, this is one you should try.

[anguissette]

First BPAL I tried, was a frimp in my first ever order from filigree_shadow.

Beautiful. It lasted a long time and morphed through many delicious flavors of floral goodness. It wasn't a light, breezy, innocent floral, there was definitely an underlying darkness which makes this such an interesting floral for me. I think it was a good introduction to the complexity of BPAL, both in how it morphed on my skin throughout the day and the complex blending of notes to give what would be a light, typical average floral scent a dark edge that makes it very special.

[djsiberia]

wet/in imp: something sweet that reminds me of apples and something that reminds me of tobacco leaves..

dry: i can smell the carnation and i think the white amber is making it sweet.

 

hrm, this isn't bad, but when i sniffed it again, the florals are starting to make me want to sneeze. i think i'll pass this along to someone else.

[mylogicsaysburnsendmeaway]

It seems to be the consensus on the board that treacle can equal burnt plastic, and sadly that's what this did on me. To start with I get sugar and delicous apple, then burnt plastic. It takes a good hour for the plastic smell to die down. Then I get sugary, spicy carnation with enough wafts of burnt plastic here and there to be unpleasant.

[sprocket21]

In the imp: Carnation and wood. Interesting and quite beautiful!

 

On me: Can I just say how excited I am that carnation is the dominant note? It smells totally lovely, and then slowly fades away. Now I can barely smell it on me! I think this one would be PERFECT for an oil burner. Carnation is the perfect mix of creamy and spicy and isn't soapy at all - why can't all florals be like it?

 

Edit: Now that it's completely dry, the wine has come out quite a bit and is melding with the carnation in the most fascinating way! It's also a bit stronger on my skin too. What a lovely scent!

Edited September 11, 2008 by sprocket21

[tinyvulture]

ooh, treacle! that unmistakable sticky, syrupy sweetness really jumps out at first, followed by lovely wine and carnation notes, and a jolt of sour apple cider. but the cider fades as quickly as it appears, and sadly the treacle and wine disappear as well. i’m left with a gentle carnation perfume. the amber isn’t noticeable as an individual note but i think it adds a soft, powdery touch to the floral. i do like carnation, but i prefer the bold spiciness of Pink Moon.

[gingiemay]

Wet in imp - Carnation, cider and wine. A really unique combination. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

 

Wet on skin - The wine-cider notes are really coming out. There’s a smoky sweetness too that could be treacle.

 

Dry on skin - Really interesting. I get the carnation, wine, cider and treacle. I think I will keep this imp and wear it around to make a final judgment.

[Iceblink]

Queen Alice took a while to settle on my skin; she went from WINE to CARNATION to WINE to CARNATION back and forth for ages. The final drydown seems to be wine, carnation, and cider. It's a rather bizarre blend of notes and I don't think it works on me (carnation hardly ever does) but this is an interesting scent "sequel" to Alice.

[Deyja7]

I was randomly sifting through my imp box today, and decided to give Queen Alice a go.. I had forgotten what the notes were supposed to be. Sniffing the vial i got mostly cider. Once on, it became so heady.. the depth of the treacle mixed with cider. We're brewing cider here, the proper warmed, spiced kind. But down the table someone knocked their glass of red over.

As it dries, the carnations peek out, making the blend a little lighter. This is going to be a new love for me.

[Hawke]

Carnation makes me nervous when listed first. If it's in there, though, the cider is covering the smell in the imp.

 

Wet on the skin, the cider eases up a bit and peppery carnation peeks through. Not exactly a floral in the early stages, but recognizable. There's a hint of amber in this too, but rather than going powdery as it usually does on me, it's crystalline and sharp in this blend. Definitely a resin rather than a powder. The wine is a little closer to vinegar than I like and I'm pretty sure this is going to swap.

 

Eventually the sour edge bleeds out of the wine note, but this still isn't my kind of thing. Not quite floral, not quite fruity, it's hovering between okay and uncomfortable and I have far too much other stuff to keep something that doesn't want to play nice.

[Schmoozy]

I find Queen Alice to be such an odd combination of scents that work really well together. It begins as a spicy carnation that has hints of amber, and a touch of cider.

The spiciness is deepened by the wine which I envision is red. To me Queen Alice, The Lion and The Mouse's Long and Sad Tale are all cool weather scents. Perfect for the fall when you know the cold is coming. I adore how Queen Alice remains all spicy carnation on my skin, as I feared when I first tried it the cider would overpower. This is the perfect pairing for Lush's potion lotion and having recently tried Cememence, this is quite similar.

[Myrrha]

I was going to write a review saying that the reviews that analyzed the notes and talked about treacle, wine and wool were making the perfume sound more peculiar than it is, and that it really adds up to a sophisticated adult woman's "fun" scent and is more alluring than you might think from the notes.

 

But then I caught a big whiff of it wafting around me, the wine being especially salient at that moment, and you know what? It is a peculiar scent. The treacle and wine combine into something you have not smelled before and will not smell again anywhere else. It is unique and a little strange. But it is also quite good, at least with my chemistry, and it is fun. I will wear it when I am in a peculiar mood and do not wish to smell of flowers.

[ouch!]

This goes from foody to floral in a fun fifteen mintues!!!

 

I like this, and didn't expect it to smell how it does.

 

When it's wet it's a spicy treacle, it's almost like toffee apples to me. This is..kind of a burnt treacle like the burnt vibe I get from Sugar Skull. Only not so dominant and overpowering....the carnations come out on drydown and it's soooo nice. I'm not really a foodie a but a few blends recently have been making me go like this The carnations make it very spicy..YUM!

 

This is sugary brown goodness with the spice of Carnation, I'm so thankful there is no booze note coming through (And I always say that but it's true). This is the carnation that's in Lush's Potion cream. It's really really nice!

 

The Treacle side of things calms down after about 10 minutes and this is where it starts to go more towards the floral. The posies must be making their appearance..and the amber sweetens things up more and takes the spicy edge of when it's really dry.

 

I think that..this scent represents Queen Alice in such a good way because..it starts out fun with the treacle The young, fun side of Alice...then it turns more regal and powerfully floral, but still keeps a sweet edge to it the whole time like she's trying to be the Queen in her own little fantasy. I like it!

[sqwook]

Sweet, pretty. A tinge of wweet apple. I can pick out each of the listed notes if I try. Interesting! Not something I'm likely to reach for (I go for things that are a bit deeper) but it's a great blend.

[GypsyRoseRed]

When Grace dresses as a princess, she wears Queen Alice and I must say it's perfectly appropriate. It's elegant, but slightly sweet at the same time and not overly floral. I think this is a wonderful clean scent that doesn't even have a whiff of 'air freshener' or dryer sheets though it's hard to pin down individual notes. If the treacle is there, perhaps that's what stopping the scent from being OMGflowers, but I definitely pick up on the light touches of amber and sweet wine mingling with the spicy carnation note. Overall, a beautiful scent and a fragrance that will always make me smile.

Edited October 16, 2008 by GypsyRoseRed

[jewelbug]

Imp: Treacle and spicy carnations.

 

Wet: Lots of spicy carnation plus a sharper floral that I don’t particularly care for. Its very sweet with a dark, almost smoky, treacle note.

 

Dry: Treacle with bits of spicy carnation and a little hint of fruitiness.

 

Overall: This is a very cool carnation blend, but it fades pretty quickly on my skin (few hrs, max). Pity.

[Elvena]

I have three words. Avon Sweet Honesty. Of course without that yucky undertone all Avon scents have. It's lighter and less cloying than Sweet Honesty by Avon, but it is Sweet Honesty.

 

I have very traumatic scent associations to Sweet Honesty so it's a emphatic NO!

[isentropic]

I was a bit scared when I opened the bottle and even more scared when I put it on, but now that the trauma has worn off and the scent has warmed up to my skin, I'm delighted.

 

 

In the imp: Vinegary sort of apple, like bad bad cheap perfume. Made me nervous to put it on.

 

Wet: Cat pee? I am so confused! This smells heinous. I'm convinced I have to get rid of it somehow.

 

Drying: Becoming more bearable, warmer, spicier, appley.

 

Dried: A pale, spicy flower with a hint of sweetness. Classy, inviting, flavourful, grown-up. I really am enjoying this now and am thrilled I gave it a chance.

Edited October 22, 2008 by isentropic