The Perilous Parlor

[Caper]

A memory of pleasure passed. A ghostly rendezvous, delight beyond death. Faint echoes of laughter and the distorted music of a harp drift by, along with the scent of soft white pear and sweet vanilla.

I was so excited to see this one come back since I know it is well loved.

It has the same pear as The Vine, but the vanilla gives it a different base. Unfortunately I started to get hints of the vanilla/plastic that other people have mentioned in Snow White. The pear is really beautiful, but probably because I had The Vine first, I prefer it.

I really think vanilla might not be for me.

ETA: I don't know what I was thinking, but there is no plastic in this at all. It might have needed time to settle down before I tried it, but the vanilla is gorgeous and complements the pear nicely.

I think I've just added yet another bottle to my weenie order.

[yakiguri]

This starts off with sweet soft vanilla and yummy juicy pears, then immediately heads straight into plasticville, running every red light along the way and refusing to budge once entering the city limits. >_< Vanilla is one of my most-worn notes, and Enlightenment of the Courtesan Jigokudayu proved I can wear pear, so I'm wondering what else is in the mix causing the plastic. Ah well.

[TheIceMaiden]

I tried the original 2007 version of this when it came out, but did not like it as I found it too sweet. But I'm glad I decided to try it again because I quite like this year's version. It does start off very sweet pear and vanilla, but the sweetness fades quickly to a more natural pear and vanilla scent. The drydown is a pure, lovely vanilla scent. The throw is very light from start to finish, and the wear length is moderate. I will definitely keep my decant and am considering upgrading to a bottle too.

[Rshields]

2012 Version:

 

This is very soft and gentle, if your looking for something basic & wearable in Bpal land. Doesn't have a lot

of throw for me, i'm getting the pears with a vanilla tea-ish scent.They compliment each other nicely.

Reminds me a bit of Boo, as there is a slight

cotton edge. A wonderful before bed frag. Not a must have but glad I got to try the Imp.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Strongly pear with a powerful ally in vanilla. A lot of pear. Wet: The pear is still dominant on skin, but the vanilla softens it’s edges as it warms. It’s lovely and pleasantly sweet. I am suspecting honey despite it not being listed. This is must have if you like pear scents. Dry: As it fades the vanilla lasts slightly more than the pear, slowly shifting the balance in vanilla’s favour, but it’s lovely throughout.

[becca_s]

This starts out with really, sweet, juicy pear. The sweetness wears off the pear and this drys down into a lovely mix of vanilla and a realistic, not too sweet pear. It's about 50/50 mix of vanilla and pear on me, it's a soft, comfort scent. It's also really wearable and versatile. I decided to order a bottle

[fairestrocza]

2012 Version

 

So far, this is the biggest WIN out of this year's Weenies.

In the imp and wet on skin, there is a delicious syrupy pear scent, softer than the pear from The Vine. As it dries, the vanilla blooms in the most amazing way. This was a huge surprise, because my skin often takes vanilla notes and turns them into the beach ball/plastic doll disaster... but not here! Finally, I can join the I-Rock-Vanilla club! The pear starts to fade into the background, but I'm left with something that is more than just sweet vanilla. There is a quality here that I completely lack the ability to put into words, but it is also present in Samhain (I know, no obvious shared notes - I wish I knew what scent combination is responsible). The closest I can come to describing it is 'effervescently waxy' in the best possible way. I can already tell by the dwindling level in my decant that this will be a well loved oil. I have a bottle on the way, and I'm wondering if I should break my no-backups rule for this one. This is the kind of scent that gets in my head and demands to be worn; the type of scent that blooms in my scent memory and sends me running for the bpal box.

A perfect scent for bedtime, a nice dinner out with someone special, walking the dog, reading a book, paying bills, doing laundry, developing superpowers, raking leaves, watching tv, solving world hunger, or just sitting around staring at the wall thinking "DAMN, I smell FANTASTIC!"

[zankoku_zen]

2012 version

 

The 2012 version is better behaved on my skin than 2007. If 2007 was plasticky pear doom, this one is much more of a musky vanilla blend. I get the strongest hit of pear on wet, but the fruit note quickly dissipates and I get a musky vanilla. There's something almost 'dusty' about the vanilla note though.

 

Hrm. Very torn on this one.

[Gateau]

Sad to report I am of the "this turns plastic" school. I like the sweet pear note, indeed very much like The Vine, but there is something to this one that makes it a little screechy and cologney, and then the vanilla kicks in and turns into plastic modeling clay. I had high hopes, but I'll have to stick with The Vine for that pear.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: This smells just like the original 2007. Dry: The vanilla is definitely more musky and the pear is extremely light. I really enjoy the original better and I am glad I have it.

[PumpkinGuts]

I love this, at first. It's all juicy pear Jelly Belly but fades to a generic vanilla smell that reminds me of deodorant spray. I had been wondering how it would compare to The Vine, and it looks like that's what I'll be continuing to grab for my pear fix.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: This is for the 2012 version. I loved the previous Perilous Parlor, so let's see how this compares!

 

Wet: Sweet pear vanilla ice cream. This is delicious and identical to the 2007 version.

 

Dry down: Total disappearing act! Seriously I can't smell anything 15 minutes later.

 

Dry: Gone

 

Verdict: Off to the sales!

[Ilex]

2012 version, never tried the 2007

 

Wet/first 10 minutes: Very syrupy pear. Not like the pear in Quincy Morris I was hoping for. And the vanilla is strong.

 

Dry down: The pear is sort of vague and lost compared with the blast of vanilla. There is a waxy quality to this, like a vanilla scented candle. Vanilla can be an iffy note for me, so going waxy isn't so bad, its not playdoh putty plastic smell at least. Overall its almost marshmallow like, very sweet, very simple.

 

I am not huge on this, but my husband sniffed it and said "Oh, vanilla. I like this!" and got very huffy ("You never like the ones I do" kind of adorable that he cares and he is picky about scents) when I was critical of it. I'm disappointed the pear wasn't more prominent and it is so sweet. Perhaps it could be layered with something to make it more interesting.

[TheMistWalking]

2012 Version (aged about 4 weeks).

 

This is a very light, sweet pear that seems almost floral to my nose. Sadly, it only lasts about an hour and a half on my skin (2 hours tops).

 

Hopefully, age will strengthen it a bit. Otherwise, it will need to be slathered and reapplied frequently.

[milo]

So this is what pear is like, hmmm. This is not at all like The Vine on me, which what too sweet. This is juicy and realistic with a touch of vanilla. The throw around me is quite different, like a soft floral with a touch of the pear. I keep getting whiffs of myself and wonder 'what smells so good', and it's me. This scent is nothing quite like anything I've tried before from Bpal and other perfumes. Just slightly sweet vanilla pear. I hope it doesn't go uber sweet, otherwise I"ll have to write this off. For now, I think a decant is order, maybe a bottle depending on the rest of the wear tonight.

[jkfagtongpun]

Dang it! I really wanted this to work for me. But all I get is pink bubblegum!!

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Musky vanillaed pear.

 

Wet: More pear, and it's fresher-smelling.

 

The dry-down: The pear is lovely and fresh, only lightly sprinkled with vanilla. A morpher in its own subtle fashion.

[greedygirl]

Perilous Parlor 2012 - In the bottle very much pear ....not fresh pear but a candied pear. As it dries on the skin the vanilla comes forward and the pear retreats & becomes more like fresh pear but not quite . It makes me think of some lovely poached pears, cooked with real vanilla bean.

Foody but not cloying . Quite nice... I am very pleased I bought a 5 ml.

[mymymai]

ITI: Oh, that's Pez-like pear. It's overtly candy-like and a bit too sweet.

 

Wet: Yep, artificial pear-flavored candy with super sweet vanilla. Honestly, this would be great for a tween or teen, but I feel awkward wearing it as a 30-something.

 

Dry: After about 20 minutes, the pear becomes less artificial as it melts into the vanilla. Foody-lovers, this is a great scent for you. For me, not so much.

[London]

This worked on me, which was an unexpected surprise. It smells like a baked pear with vanilla sauce when wet. Then as it dries if takes on this creamy Victorian vanilla smell. With only a faint whisper of pear. It reminds me of how Dorian smells on my skin but softer and less spice.

[arlith]

This smells amazing in the bottle, very pear and delicious. On my skin, it changes quite a bit.

 

Most of bpal's vanilla's turn to plastic on me, and that's exactly what this did. Its not an unpleasant plastic, sort of what a Pear Strawberry Shortcake doll would smell like.

 

I would have loved this when I was younger, but its just a little too sweet and plastic for me now.

[StevenBoatman]

Just bought this one from the lovely forumite, ralenth.

 

On applying the oil, I get a big blast of juicy pear. Not plastic or fake pear, but so close to the real thing that I can almost feel the juicy goodness!

 

Once it warms a bit, the pear recedes and a sweet, gentle vanilla comes out. This is a bit different from other BPAL vanilla notes. This one (on me) is almost crystalline. Visually, it would be like looking at a tower made of clear quartz. It stays true to that smell for the rest of the wear. I love it!

[Aviatrix]

I was very curious about this one, since I've never smelled the BPAL pear note, as far as I know.

 

It starts out as fresh, juicy, almost too sharp pear. Not much vanilla at the moment.

 

After a short while, the pear mellows out and becomes very sweet and soft, and the vanilla pokes its head out at drydown, too.

 

Overall, this is a very pretty, ever so slightly foody, blend that I imagine would be nice to wear on a rainy day

[theredkilt]

2012: This is LOVE!!!! Imagine Dorian without lemon and the lavander fougere and added pear instead!!! This singing on my skin! <3

[theseagrows]

i get a slight tartness from pear but then it just blends seamlessly with the vanilla. it's pretty and the vanilla is the stronger note in the end, but the pear keeps it from being too foody or sweet. tart + sweet...very nice! it seems like a soft, comforting fall or winter scent (for me.) and thankfully it's a foodie i can handle.