Queen Alice

[agirlnamedfury]

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

 

This is actually a very light, crisp floral... not really what I was expecting. I haven't had very good luck with apple cider notes before, but this one isn't immediately awful on me. I honestly can't decide if I like it... may need to wear it a bit more.

[Casablanca]

First, carnation and posies. And then, booze! Wine!

How odd that it does smell woolly.

After the flowers and booze, I smell the cider, and something weird that reminds me of mushrooms. I suppose that's the treacle, and I guess I can get a sort of molasses tone there -- but it also smells somehow fungal. Or something does.

I'm not into booze notes that actually smell boozy. Mushrooms aren't a love. But it's been fun picking out the posies.

Pass.

[lizabelle]

I was afraid of the amber in this, but it turns out I don't need to be--BPAL's apples love me, and I them. This is very cider-heavy on me, which I am not complaining about at all. There's a wine note here but it's much softer than I'm used to, and it does indeed smell wooly! There's something sharp and herbal in the background, almost like wet moss or the start of green mold. I don't mean that to sound unpleasant; it's a really interesting note unlike anything I've smelled before. I get no flowers and no treacle, which I am a bit sad about. Probably not a bottle purchase for me but I may keep the imp.

[Lucchesa]

Given that I adore carnation in general and Alice in particular, I was sure this was going to be a bottle buy for me. Which is why I try to test imps first. This was sweet boozy fruit in the imp and remained so on my arm. For me, a more accurate description would be "Carnation, posies, and white amber drowned out by inky treacle, sandy cider and wooly wine." It's not unpleasant; it's just not what I was hoping for in a regal Alice. It doesn't morph on me much at all and is lasting pretty well with low throw. Definitely more of an autumnal scent in my opinion. I may wear it to have drinks for a friend's birthday later in the week, and I'll keep the imp because it's Alice, but a bottle is not in my future.

[achildoftime]

This is mostly wine for me with some treacle. It's very sweet and pretty boozy. It pretty much just smells like juicy wine and some hard cider. I'm not a big fan of smelling like wine, so this is a big pass for me.

[Pixie-elf]

Mulled cider / wine, carnations, creamy amber, pollen from the posies and fruit. It's a lovely creamy fruity spicy scent that evokes winter / fall.

[sunreon]

This was very sweet and spicy at first, threatening to go to that icky sticky spiced holiday realm I have no love of.

 

It must have been the wine, and perhaps the spices from the cider. I like applying the scents without rereading the description first, so that I don't let my brain look for things with a bias.

 

At first I thought it was berries and cinnamon. That was the wine. The spicy cinnamon scent was really annoying at first but unlike Alice's Evidence, it went away after about a half hour. The carnations were trying to pop through but just not quite making it.

 

Now that it's dry, the scent has really calmed down and schlorped right up into my skin. For something that was so loud at first, it's been very short-lived. Might have to try some lotion first next time.

 

Now it's lovely wooly and amber, but light. The tiniest hints of apples, and perhaps a very faint floral in the background?

Edited July 7, 2018 by sunreon

[roseus]

With my recent found love of apple/cider scents I have no idea how this escaped my notice. On the wand I get spiced cider and deep ruby fruits. It's sparkling and jewel red. On skin this is a deep and regal cider. It reminds me of a pomegranate cider I had last autumn. The amber adds a warm perfumey-ness and elevates the scent.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Carnation and wine! The wine note is fairly heavy, and strong.

 

Dry: Fairly similar to the wet stage, but I think the treacle note is mixing with the wine a bit now. The carnation is still there, but the wine/treacle combo is very strong. Kind of a heavy, deep wine scent with a touch of carnation.

 

I really enjoy this, but this is more of an Autumn/Winter scent IMO.  

[follis]

Unknown imp age, peachy in colour.

Wet: treacly florals, slightly alcoholic 

On: Such a strange mix... I don't really know what to say to this.

Ok so my partner just said it smells like the burning plastic hair from a doll. I agree. Yes we know what that smells like haha!

I was going to wait and see for dry down but urgh couldn't stand the plastic. Gotta wash it off.

[artisjok]

With the heavier notes in Queen Alice, I was surprised to find carnation came through the strongest on me. Wet, the cider is entwines with the carnation’s spice. The cider burns off quickly, and it’s fresh carnation petals back by posie and a light touch of the wine. I totally thought the wine was going to drown everything, so this is a treat. It’s mainly the sweet floral and after a while the whole scent winds down to a soft cozy wool.
I do wish the treacle came through, as I like those chewy thick sweet scents, yet I’m more pleased with the scent than expected. 

A lovely experience! 

Edited August 16, 2020 by artisjok

[ladyphlogiston]

I got almost no florals, wet or dry. On me she was all cider, with some subtle floral tones underneath. It was juicy and yummy, but not very interesting. Eventually I scrubbed it off because it got annoying and I wanted to wear something else. 

[mymymai]

Updated Review: While Queen Alice is nice for a sangria-thick wine scent, I missed the carnation in my aged imp, which is what added the interest for me. On top of that, my skin practically ate up the entire scent within two hours. However, Seraphim smelled exactly like the soap with which my mother use to wash my mouth out.  As such, I'm much rather smell Queen Alice.  #tournamentofunderdogs #underdogs

[donnaehm]

In the bottle

Definitely the alcohol notes, plus some of the floral (the posey notes, I'm thinking; not catching the spiciness of carnation).

 

On my skin

Ooooh, nice. The wetness and edge of the cider/wine gives way to a warm caramel/foody vibe.

 

Dry down

Elegant, warm, and soft. There's a wonderful gentleman's cologne vibe to this that I adore.

 

I described a similar vibe with The Antikythera Mechanism as "elegant in a beautifully tailored three-piece suit way but with the top two shirt buttons undone". Here, the look is classic: silk tie shimmering around the collar of the shirt, pocket square tucked neatly into the jacket breast pocket, French cuffs.

 

Duration

This is an all day one on me. It even lingers into the next day. Clings well to scarves or sweaters.

 

Verdict ✔️⭐

Queen Alice is gorgeous. The amber gives it a wonderful softness but there's also that masculine bit of edge to it which compliments and deepens the blend.

 

"Spicy, creamy floral" from a previous comment sums it up nicely.

Edited March 9, 2021 by donnaehm

[fairybites]

This is sooo faint, I have no idea the age of this imp. It's a strong floral and booze scent with not much else on me besides hints of spice. 

 

Not hating it, but it's just not for me. I love a good boozy blend, but I am just not digging the florals in here. I'd probably like this better as a soap of something instead of a perfume.

[murqmaid]

regular alice was a sleeper hit for me, so I'm wearing **queen alice** to bed tonight.

 

right away there's that familiar, pretty carnation note, and I smell some complementary florals which i assume are the posies. the light, pretty notes are ruined by what I'm guessing is the *hint* of inky treacle??? (a dark, syrupy type of molasses?). it makes the blend smell kinda off, and adds this spoiled note that doesn't belong. thankfully it wears off a little and I'm able to enjoy the sweet, fruitiness from the cider and wooly wine. 

 

kinda pretty on the drydown, but that treacle messes with things.

[alyelle]

In the imp: Cherry jam, blackberry jam, and sweet apple cider. This was a frimp, and I am praying to everything in existence that it doesn't contain cinnamon like all the other cider blends.

 

Wet: A tiny application, pending allergy checks. Instant amp of a very powdery carnation, alongside treacle and amber, and the crumbs of a spiced currant cake.

 

Dry: When I didn't immediately break out in a rash, I applied more for a proper wear test. This ends as mashed apple and sparkling cider, summer carnations, spiced and sugary vanilla cake studded with plump raisins. I ... love it?? It's amazing. It's everything I wanted Autumn Cider to be, and is probably the first cider scent I can actually wear. Hashtag blessed.

 

Medium throw, and a reasonable lifespan of 6-8 hours.

Stars: ★★★★★

[bellumed]

All "sandy cider and wooly wine" in the imp, but I pick up more of the floral notes on my skin. Cider is the strongest note in both cases. On drydown I'm getting amber and carnation more than anything else - I still smell apple, but the scent has changed over completely and is no longer foodie at all... mayyybe there's ink at this stage?

 

Queen Alice smells good, but it's not a standout for me, especially dry.