Havisham

[tempete]

The embodiment of heart-wrenching loss, torment, of mad, obsessive cruelty and chilly revenge. This is the scent of a frost-limed wedding bouquet, frozen forever in time.

I won an imp of Havisham in rhubarbbear's auction.

Havisham initially was a very sweet floral that was very reminiscent of Moonflower to me. What seems to differentiate these two scents is the presence of a mint undertone, which gives the impression of something cold and icy. The sweetness gradually fades during the drydown, and the mint note becomes more apparent. Havisham is definitely the scent of a very reserved and haughty and aloof woman.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Havisham is a bit of an old-lady, powdery-flower scent, but it’s so powerfully sad.

 

Wearing: A very pale, gentle floral. I have a single-note imp of blue lilac, and that seems to be the main thing I’m smelling here – along with some rose and maybe some weeping lilies. This might just be because I know the story behind the scent, but Havisham strikes me as desperately sad. It isn’t really my kind of floral, either, and that coupled with the emotional overtone makes this one I won’t wear often.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This smells flowery and herby both.

 

Just On: Yep, it's flowers and herbs.

 

An hour or two later: Soapy herbs and flowers.

 

Around 6 hours: Still pretty soapy.

 

12 hours: Perfumy soap. Faded a little, but still soap.

 

Overall: While I don't mind soapy smells, they aren't really my style (damned skin chemistry), so I probably won't be keeping this for too long. It's nice in the imp, but my skin totally ruins it.

 

After reading other reviews: I guess this fit pretty well with flowers and herbs, though I'm not sure if it was really herbs, or just the blend of flowers I was getting. I didn't get any of the lime part.

[Imbrium]

I recently swapped for an imp of this after resisting trying to find it - I figured florals were always a gamble with my skin, so why pay a lot for a scent that might not work, or get attached to one that's hard to find.

Silly me, I tried it any way, and I'm in love.

 

Between the bottle and my skin, Havisham changes very little - it starts out rosey and aquatic, and it stays rosey and aquatic. The first time I tried it out, I did notice that there was an odd "warm" sort of scent to it, which threw me off a bit since I wasn't expecting anything like it. What strikes me is the rose in this blend. I want to call it white rose, in part, I think, because it's such a light and cold scent, but I really have nothing else to base that on. Regardless, it's a very interesting rose scent, and unlike any I'm familiar with.

 

Hours upon hours after application, Havisham is still there, though far fainter. When I sniff my wrist, I get a rose and warm skin scent.

 

Overall - I'm kicking myself. Why didn't I try this gorgeous scent sooner?

[blood*rose*flowers]

In the bottle: A get light white forals possibly gardenia and a possible light rose

 

on wet: A light sweet floral. The only difference from the imp on me is a little extra sweetness. This is one of the few florals that doesn't feel over whelming. Its not out screaming, "Hey I smell like flowers!!!"

 

Drydown: This smells a little colder a little icyier like white roses left over after the first frost of the season if you slight crushed their petals you would have this scent.

 

Overall: One of my very favorite scenes in a book is the descriptive image of Miss Havishams room in Great Expectations, the dining room table littered with the memories of a festive day that became a tragedy. Minus the lack of dust mixed with the dust of ancient food this smells like the sadness and cold that would have hoovered in that cold room and in her heart that went equally cold this scent is a perfect match for its name sake.

[Little Bird]

This is a very pretty blend, but not one of my favorites. It is too floral for me, and gets a bit too soapy in the drydown for my preferences. It makes me think of a white rose encased in melting ice, with the green stem glittering with frost. It's a bit herbal and floral, with a shell of icy aquatic.

 

In the drydown... just soap

[zillah37]

I got nothing out of Havisham but soap. :/ It smells very strongly of medicinal soap at that. I'm glad I got to try the scent out, but I'm very sad it didn't work on me.

[olympia301]

 

Floral as only an old bouquet can be, sad and winsome, Havisham delivers what it promises, a nosegay of regret. I somehow think that the Lab has sidestepped the cliches of mundane floral and injected a big note of dust here, which is disturbing and totally necessary to carry along the illusion. Abandoned love, love lost, humiliation of being kept at the altar and the groom never comes...this is the essence of chagrin. A great performance piece with the proper balance between outright bridal floral overdrive and the pulling back of hope into despair.

 

Of course the icon is Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, I thought it fitting for this scent.

[Voleuse]

This is not a pleasant scent, exactly, but it's perfectly tuned to the intention. I get watery rose on first sniff, with a hint of citrus sharpening the blend.

 

As it dries, I get dust, sneeze-inducing and surprising. It's petals crumbling, fine lace yellowing from age. There is a bit of a soapy element as well, but again, it does seem appropriate for the blend. It's beauty forgotten.

[QueenFae]

This is such a fabulous scent. Beth has really captured the "aged" wedding bouquet smell. There are some bright beautiful florals on top, mainly roses, and "white" flower scents. The florals are completely entombed in a sheath of dust, decay, and ancient smelling rooms. It really reminds me of walking into an elderly person's home where there are rooms that haven't been used in decades. This couldn't be more perfect for Ms. Havisham; you can almost smell the agony of disappointment. I'm so glad I got to try this one, I feel lucky!

[slave1]

In Bottle: Cold aquatic rose

 

On Skin: The first thing I smell is rose… yellow rose. There is also a brisk cold aquatic note, I wish I knew exactly what it was. This scent has a very sour and upsetting feel to it. I also get white, light yellow and icy blue tones from this. While at first the scent doesn’t seem cruel to me, the description did bias me and I am starting to get a negative feel. The roses turn more sour and bitter as the scent dries down. This is not a scent I’d wear… mainly because I don’t really like rose fragrances, but also because it just feels like a tainted scent from the description. There is no warmth here, there is no happiness… it is a scent of sadness and loss. There is a very light herbal note in the background that helps add to it’s crisp iciness. I think if you’re a rose fan you must try this since it is quite different from Beth’s other rose blends. Throw is strong and so is the wear length.

[edenssixthday]

Havisham is a really nice, mellow rose scent that is very different from other BPAL roses. This is a real rose, but it seems to be white or yellow rose, not red. It's really pretty and incredibly feminine. There is something very crisp, crystalline and clear about the scent, too, but I can't identify any other distinct notes. It actually gets stronger as it dries down, too, which is unusual for me. Havisham has really good staying power, and moderate throw. It's a beautiful rose, but I like a few other BPAL rose blends a lot more than this one, so I'm okay with the fact that it's an impossible-to-find LE, and I'm glad I had a chance to try it out.

[Em-]

Dusty, powdery florals - perfectly evocative of a preserved wedding bouquet. Not so much my thing, though.

[supremegoddessofall]

Very cold and aquatic, on top of roses. It's not bad, but it's the rose note that doesn't work as well on me. I'll save judgment for later.

[chrisann]

Okay, I have been gifted a BOTTLE of this lovely by another wonderful forumite. I mean gifted. it was an extra Still reeling from the generosity!!

 

My impressions: This is a cool rose. White, and watery. It does not have that green, icy, edgy, pitch to it, that Rose Red has. Nor, as potently rich and red as Peacock Queen. Yet, this is such a lovely rose scent on it's own. The longevity and intensity that Rose Red and Peacock Queen have, does not assert itself here. I thought it would when I first applied it. I'm 2 hours into it now, and it is an echo of it's former self. A little sweeter, the rose scent smells 'cried out' (for lack of better description) and haunting. It is so pretty, and fits perfectly into the story of Ms. Havisham. I am impressed by Beth's interpertation.

 

I will treasure my bottle

[wikkidraven]

i got a lovely bottle from princessbeena after winning a queen of spades auction--thank you!

 

that said, havisham hates me. to my nose, this is antique lace drenched in lime and herbs. it's GREENGREENGREEN, so much it's almost blinding white, an acidic and astringent smell, that slowly begins to morph into a faded rose.

 

then turns to soap. what a strange ride.

[myoubi]

Dear God this is beautiful.

 

I was fortunate enough to come by a partial bottle of this beauty (thanks to the generous swapping of lj's miaandmoe) and I am so glad as it has rocketed into my top 10. Havisham is a freezing, vaguely aquatic rose, but a rose that's not at all old-ladyish -- it's slightly herbal, and somehow vaguely spicy. I get a hint of the dust that others have mentioned, but it's not at all unpleasant -- on the contrary, it's a nice grounding note in relation to the other florals. I'm not good at dissecting floral scents, and this one blends into my skin pretty quickly, but leaving a trace of itself behind, it doesn't just disappear (if you know what I mean). If this was a GC, I would bathe in it. As it is, I may never get my hands on more, but that won't stop me trying.

 

::

[filigree_shadow]

A very soft rose, with something vaguely metallic. It smells a bit like some kind of alcohol on my skin.

 

I've tried it a couple of times, and I think it's just not working with my skin chemistry. I like the rose part (which is amazing because I hardly ever like rose), but whatever else is in there is not agreeing with me.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

I thought I had reviewed this, but I guess not.

 

 

This is my OMG scent.

 

In the bottle: Sharp and crystalline lime. This is like frozen limes, followed by roses, lily, and gardenia, and fresh cut spring time grass.

 

On the skin: This mellows down after a few minutes and settles into a a "deeper" white floral scent (for lack of a better description. The lime warms up and get just a tiny bit less sharp complimenting the florals beautifully.

 

In five minutes it's gone. Such a damn shame.

[harmonyfb]

This was a generous swap from The Perfumed Ferret.

 

Overall impression: A very pretty floral, if a little old-fashioned.

 

On closer sniff: Yes, there's rose in there, somewhere, but there's also a sharp greenish note that serves to make it a little more stand-offish than it might be otherwise. Throw is veryvery low - my nose must be near my skin to get the full effect. Made, I think, for those who love intimate florals.

[zankoku_zen]

I really got the limes in this. Cold, ice-encrusted limes powdering white flowers (possibly a hint of rose). This scent is cold, frozen (without being snowy) - it gives you the sense that time has passed by and yet this... heartache remains. It's got that bridal feel to it - but none of the joy.

 

A very powerfully evocative scent.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, green, delightful rose.

 

Wet: Same, but even brighter. Maybe some citrus somewhere? Okay, definitely some citrus, though it's light. There may even be some mint, because there's a slight coolness to this oil.

 

Dry: This one stays true, and has a pretty good throw. There's some white floral in here too but it's light, and the rose takes foreground.

 

Summary: Fresh, delicate rosy deliciousness. My favourite rose oil ever.

 

This was before I tried Peacock Queen, which to me is the ultimate rose blend, but Havisham is still one of my absolute favourites - top 3, for sure. I would die for a bottle!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

Rose Red sometimes smells almost fruity in its rosiness, and to me Havisham has that same sort of fruity-rose thing going. at least until it settles into my skin - and then it smells like a perfect bridal bouquet - roses, lilies, and lots of greenery.

sortof like i imagine this one might.

 

overall, this is a breathtakingly gorgeous scent.

[Ravenclaw79]

Sweet and flowery. Very nice, but not something I'm likely to think to pick up and use.

[Gin]

Havisham

 

Cold white flowers. White roses, white lilac, maybe some Lilies of the Valley? Rose tends to dominate, though, in a chilly, almost-powdery way. Very beautiful, but alas, roses aren't a note I tend to actually wear.