Venice

[any_old_actress]

A complex, voluptuous scent that captures the robust beauty and of the Italian Renaissance: lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, heady jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf.

FIRST SNIFF: wet herbs, fruits, flowers...

WEARING IT: once this dries it becomes so much softer and enjoyable. the red currant really plays a big roll with the rose and sandalwood mixed in there too. i can't detect much of the other ingredients, maybe the jasmine and the faintest tart of the lemon WAY in the background. it really IS a red scent...

VERDICT: it's not "me" so i wouldn't buy a bigger bottle - but it might be nice with my red currant body lotion from little shop of beauty.

[FireInCairo]

This is a scent for jasmine fans. This is what stands out the most in Old Venice. It's a very sweet scent. It would be lovely to wear on summer nights..

[upsidedown]

Old Venice is all red flowers and berries and memories of my Italian family, rich, sweet, heady, and just the slightest bit tart. I'm definitely getting the plum, the currant, and I keep thinking I smell figs, against the gentlest most unobtrusive floral backdrop. Images of summer nights and golden skin and again, red flowering plants and berries and fruit. I doubt this is something I would ever have ordered for myself, as neither fruits nor heavy florals are my usual taste, but I recieved this as a freebie and I'm really, really impressed; this is beautiful and evocative.

[shadow]

The first time I tried this one, I was shocked. I'd read all these beautiful reviews and all I could smell was cat pee. (Don't ask, I think I have really freaky body chemistry.) Luckily I gave it another chance, and now I love it. This is sparkly and clear red. It's incredibly feminine and doesn't go powdery or sugary, it just gets softer and softer. Like all my scents so far it has very good staying power.

[Imptress]

Oh, this is just lovely!! Very, very floral with a luscious fruit undercurrent to keep it interesting. It's not at all heavy or overpowering... just wonderfully complex and fresh. This one drives my husband wild, too, so I see a big bottle of this in our future!

 

ADDED Oct. 31:

 

I've already reviewed this some time ago, but I had to add a new comment. I save this fragrance for "special occasions" as it's so rich and complex (plus all I still have at this point is my imp-- I need a big bottle!). I recently was out of town for a business meeting and we had a dinner with the client and I wore this that night. Two of my colleagues immediately asked me what I was wearing as soon as they smelled me and insisted that they each wanted an imp of this the next time I order. One of them termed this a "man catching" scent! It really is something special!

Edited December 10, 2004 by Shollin

[Tesseljoan]

When wet, the jasmine strikes me first. when on my skin, there is a brief moment when the fruit comes through more, but then one of the florals beccomes unbearably loud and sharp on me, turning this in a bouquet whacked around the head.

[VelvetSky]

Wow!!! Luscious, fruity, rosey, sweet, full-bodied, decadently delicious stuff! I don't know how this tiny little Imp is holding all of this huge complexity, but it's just friggin amazing.

 

It explodes onto the epidermis with glorious rich red rose. The jasmine, fruits and berries slowly creep in, mixing in with the rose, creating a symphony of red and purple and white. This is strong stuff with staying power. If you don't want to be noticed, and if you don't like ultra-sweet florals, do not wear Old Venice!!

 

If you do love those smells, this may be your holy grail.

Edited July 4, 2004 by VelvetSky

[Lorencita]

This was a choice due to all of the wonderful reviews. I can say I am amazed by Beth, she is a genius with what she does with these oils. I fell in love with this from the imp scent, to application... to dry down. This is every flower imaginable in one bottle. It actually gets even nicer as it dries down, not old lady at all. Just perfect. This is my first order, and I have not tried one that I dont like, truly amazing. Good staying power, never leaves, just slowly fades.

[deandra]

Old Venice is fabulous. Don't be fooled by the bottle - at first drop, I could only smell rose, but once it is on your skin and dries, you can smell the vineyards, and I smell the wisteria, too.

 

My boyfriend normally dislikes florals, but this is one that he loves the smell of.

 

I am so in love with this. Old Venice is my favorite so far (but I haven't yet tried Snake Oil, the best-seller.)

 

Will buy this again.

 

So sorry - I meant to post this under the other reviews for Old Venice; I did not mean to start a new thread. I am new. Forgive me.

 

EDIT: Topics merged, no harm done. --Shollin

Edited July 24, 2004 by deandra

[Astra]

While Old Venice is a nice scent in its own right, it does not for me capture the essence of what I would imagine Renaissance Venice to be. This is somewhat disconcerting since I tend to form an impression of the scents based on their name and inspiration.

 

It begins as a burst of flowers on a rolling hillside of rural Italy--sunflowers perhaps. Wine bobs gently beneath this, giving it an appealing sharpness. To me this is warm and golden rather than red, as some mentioned. I see a gregarious family picnic in the country, sun-drenched in the late afternoon.

 

Though not rich enough to be the cheeky decadence of a velvet-clad courtesan, it is an exquisite floral, made light and interesting by the wine.

[ylangylang]

someone mentioned cat pee in a previous post. unfortunately i smell that too, but i love bpal scents so much i'm willing to try and look beyond that and wait to see what the scent turns into after initial application. old venice is tricky with florals elbowing each other out of the way for attention. i smell honeysuckle, wisteria, jasmine, violet, rose, and willy wonka tart and tinys candy. it's a crazy chaotic sweet rainbow party.

[lavinia]

Wow! this smells so lush and nice! It reminds me of fragrances by annick goutal...very floral but in a upscale and decadent way. I like this on me and can't wait to test it around a boy toy to see if it is effective as a man-magnet. I suspect it will be!

[sarahjay]

well, I got my first-ever order today and this was the first I tried. I love it! I had hoped I would... it was a bit heady at first but so so gorgeous.

 

already on my list for a larger bottle

 

(I honeymooned in venice)

[serafina pekkala]

This smells so sweet in the bottle, there is something similar to Noir and Queen Mab in Old Venice.

 

It's is very rich and mature. I get red candyrock, and something very concentrated reminding me of cows at a farm: not a bad smell, like trampled-on grass and straw.

 

Then I get a heavy, fruity redcurrant, completely stripped of tartness. Err, it makes my eyes teary. Wait, I know what it smells like: the taste of dried cranberries!

 

After a while this complex scent gets spicier. It smells like the colour red, and rosepetals. The next morning I can still smell that heady red rose.

 

Old Venice still smells like somebody else's perfume though, like her scent rubbed off on a dress she fitted in a shop, and then I tried it on. Too sweet for me.

[patashoqua]

In the bottle: a cool, rich floral, like lilies and freesia. Hints of a light fruitiness.

 

Wet: immediately sweeter, slightly sharper. The jasmine, lemon and waterlily, I think, come through most strongly at this stage.

 

Dry-down: this one lasts and lasts! It's the only one I can still smell in the morning if I put it on before going out at night. Too bad it doesn't really suit me. As it dries, the rose becomes stronger and stronger, with undertones of something almost overripe.

 

Old Venice is, as others have mentioned, a rich, mature smell. There's something almost jarring about it as it dries. It's exaggeratedly and voluptuously feminine, and there's something unwholesome under the gems and silks and pillowy flesh it evokes.

 

ETA: I will keep this imp and use it sparingly for costume parties and other (rare) times I have to dress conspicuously and elaborately like a girl.

Edited September 17, 2004 by patashoqua

[LiberAmoris]

Wow…Old Venice is juicy bursting florals on me. Probably the first BPAL oil I’ve tried so far that my mother and I would love equally. It’s very elegant and wearable, but it has a kick to it that makes it far superior to a more traditional composition of the same notes. The red currant, lemon, and violet plum add a fruity lusciousness to the florals in much the same way that Perspehone’s rose is augmented by the pomegranate. The result is a cascade of flowers (wisteria, rose, jasmine, and violet) drizzled with the tart and mouth-watering fruit juices.

 

I wore it to work last week and was amazed at the power of this oil to lift my spirits. There’s something effervescent and bright about it that makes me feel like I’m applying color to myself, as well as scent. Every time I think I’m not a flowery grrrrl, I’m going to pull out my imp of Old Venice…

[Lady Ravenglass]

Old Venice isn't too long-lasting on me, and is fading fast. It's lemony and violets, and I'm not wild about either of them so I hadn't tried it on 'til now. The florals are defeinitely there. It's not 'old lady' florals as such, but I think this is either a little to grown-up for me or designed for someone a little tidier/smarter. It's womanly, but suggests elegant suits and slim personal organisers. This is for the career woman I think. It's lovely, but just not me. I can't wear gold or heels like that. Swap pile I guess, though I might see if my mother likes it (though she's hated all the oils I've let her sniff and insists on sticking to named brands...).

 

Now to find a scent that screams 'scruffy goff in charity shop'.

[glampyre]

Old Venice

 

On my skin, Old Venice is nearly all a beautiful, sumptuous rose. It's very pretty, faintly spicy, and definitely has staying paower.

[inkstone]

When I received my imps from Dovekie, she'd thrown in a lovely tarted up imp of this too.

 

In the vial

A whole slew of florals, most notably jasmine. I'm getting a hint of lemon cleanness in the background.

 

Wet

The jasmine and honeysuckle bloom on my skin, like it has a tendency to do. However -- and I never knew this -- sandalwood apparently really likes my skin too. Wow, I'm about to be bowled over with the smell of sandalwood. I'm getting a hint of the plum in the background and a certain spiciness that I think belongs to the currants. But wow, sandalwood.

 

Drydown

There are so many floral scents in this that I'm having trouble distinguishing them. The jasmine is still prominent on me though, mingling with the wisteria and violets. The plums are adding a sweetness, the currants add a spiciness, and the sandalwood has moved to the background to provide grounding.

 

Final thoughts

I think my skin tends to suck up the rose note or brings out the other notes more, because I didn't smell it at all. Of course there are so many floral notes in this that it's blending together and making it hard for me to differentiate. This is a very feminine blend and perfect for summer nights. I don't think I like it enough to buy a bottle, but I'll be keeping the imp.

Edited October 24, 2004 by inkstone

[tempete]

(Old) Venice has gotten such good reviews that I thought that I would give it a try. I definitely get the juicy red scent that other people have experienced with this BPAL; however, there's something lurking in the mix that smells off. I suspect that it's either sandalwood, lemon or jasmine that is disagreeing with my nose, as those notes have caused problems for me in the past.

[pkwench]

VENICE

 

Vial: I can't pick anything out-there's so much going on here. It's soft, I can tell you that much. Soft, elegant, and a touch sweet.

 

Wet: The scent almost seems to revolve. One moment I think I smell waterlily, the next something green or something lemony. Intriguing!

Overall: Okay, this is going to sound weird. It reminds me of Calliope. But Calliope if you took out the mintyness and replaced it with lemon and rose. It's soft, it's relaxing. It's delicate and feminine. Unfortunately, it also makes me sneeze.

[helarctos]

On me, the jasmine and lemon in Venice just seem to curdle one another. They smelled almost like neroli, which is terrible on me. Hours wore away the strength of that scent and left an unremarkable floral blend. This one's not for me.

[surf-tormented]

I received a free small sample of this in a trade. I was very happy to try it.

 

It almost had a fish like smell as I first put in on. No, I am not kidding.

 

Then as it dried, it became more flowery. It seems very light on me, maybe something I would buy to wear to work, you know, a scent that no one has a problem with.

 

I smell a little bit of jasmine here, couple with a few spices and lemon. AIRS has an oil called Jasmine Italian, I don't think they make it anymore, but it is a lot like this but stronger. I will probably stick with my half bottle of that for the time being. Venice has a lot more depth of note than Jasmine Italian does, but I can't hardly smell it and the point of me buying oils is to be able to smell them. Pity.

 

I love this little sample though. I love it when people add free imps on my wishlist for me to try. Yum.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

I'm really on the fence about this particular blend. 've tried it twice now with remarkably different results.

 

The first time I put it on, the predictable rose 'zing' happened, maybe all the worse by the lemon. I stuck that out and it dimmed somewhat to lemon and the slightly dusty smell I associate with violets. It managed to be somewhat pretty, but definitely not a favorite.

 

I've tried it again today, and amazingly I got almost no rose from it at all. The lemon showed up briefly but has faded, and the violets have combined nicely with the waterlily, and the currant adds a hint of juiciness in the background. Weird skin chemistry. I think I'll let the imp hang around till spring and see how it reacts to me then. To my nose this is definitely a spring/summer nightime fragrance.

[malati]

I was apprehensive about trying this one as it contains the dreaded violet albeit in leaf form.

 

Whilst wet it was fruity by which I mean plum and red currant rather than lemon. This was the stage I liked the most. During drydown it became very floral with the fruitiness disappearing. It's a very complex, heady scent which I expected from the ingredient listing.

 

Just when I thought I'd got away with it a definite murkiness developed behind the florals which dragged the whole scent down for me. I'm assuming it's the violet leaf although I don't know that both the violet leaf and flowers would have the same effect.