Swan Maiden

[obsidienne]

White gardenia, white iris, sandalwood, calla lily, French magnolia, muguet, jonquil, and orchid.

I'm all sad because Swan Maiden starts off so very beautifully on me, then ends in failure. I think I have to accept that white florals do not often do well with my skin chemistry. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter because I'm really glad I got to try it!

Swan Maiden starts off for me as a lush white gardenia, with some dusky orchid and the barest breath of sandalwood. There is a sweetness to it, perhaps from the lily, and a crystalline quality, maybe magnolia? Whatever the case, it's a cool, chilly white floral. Very lovely. I love the wet stage.

Then, five or ten minutes in, calla lily. My nemesis. Calla lily starts to amp. And amp. And amp. Until it takes over everything else. And there is naught but calla lily left, which my skin always turns into a weird sour AND sharp plastic "lily" scent that is not pleasant. Only calla lily can do this to me! It has ruined a fair number of blends so far. I think this is the last time I'll take a chance on it.

And so this maiden must find a new home.

[Gin]

Oh my gosh, this is fantastic. It's floral floral floral, but they're lush, full-bodied florals. I love gardenia, and that is what smells dominant here, so it's really a no-brainer.

[biocarolyn]

I wish the orchid was there. Instead, shrieking gardenia (I should know better ) Beautiful in the bottle but just raging white floral headache on my skin. Oh well...

[windbourne]

Whoa strong. Very white, very strong white blossoms -- magnolia and lily first, with the iris tempering it a bit, some orchid, some muguet, and a definite background of pale sandalwood.

 

Gets a bit sour for a while; I'm not too fond of gardenia sometimes, and this is one of the things it does that I'm not wild about. Mellows down after about an hour; the magnolia is pretty strong, reminds me a lot of White Phoenix or Yvaine, but without the sweet or lavender notes.

 

This is a very white, pure scent, slightly feathery from the iris and sandalwood, slightly watery around the edges. -Very- evocative of a Swan Maiden.

 

Drydown is pretty consistent; on me this is not much of a morphish scent. It's pretty strong, and lasts a fair while, but the throw is not too strong. Still, it's one I'd be wary of wearing around people who are sensitive to department store-type or ordinary perfumes. It isn't quite that, but it has a bit of that feeling. Clean, white, feathery, floral.