The Oval Portrait

[euterpe414]

Evil was the hour that she saw, and loved, the painter. Gentle beauty and innocent devotion: honeysuckle, carnation, stargazer lily, bluebonnet, vanilla musk, and rice flower.

I'm really loving the Oval Portrait- it is so dainty and feminine, something which I don't identify with personally but on occasion love in a fragrance. It reminds me very much of some other creamy light floral blends- Pink Moon, Antique Lace, Haloes, Victoria and The Atrocious Attic, yet manages to hold its own. The presence of the light musk and the almost green, crisp lily really stand out to me and make this fragrance unique. The other floral notes tend to stay very well blended, and the drydown does not change this scent very much. It lasts quite a long time on my skin but has a medium amount of throw. I'm glad I got a chance to snag a bottle of this since I missed it when it was up on DD, it's wonderful!

[PurringPulsar]

The Oval Portrait

 

In the imp: honeyed honeysuckle. This may turn soapy.

Wet on skin: strong honeysuckle and white lily. Very pretty for now but it seems to be veering in the soapy direction.

Dry on skin: honeysuckle and lily. This is a light and delicate floral scent with the barest whisper of vanilla musk and a hint of honey. There is a slight soapy scent to it all that I’m not sure about though. It reminds me of rose-less Victoria, and also actually reminds me of Et Lux Fuit, for some reason. I think the vanilla musk in this and ELF and Victoria are similar. Victoria isn’t soapy though, probably thanks to the rose. But for now it’s a soapy honeyed floral with a hint of musk.

After a while: I was hoping the other flowers, especially the carnation (and I’m curious as to what bluebonnet smells like) but they don’t…all I can smell is honeysuckle and lily and a faint hint of watery musk. It’s ok, but it is very soapy. Usually stargazer isn’t too soapy on me, I love it in Victoria, but in here it is a little too soapy and so is the honeysuckle (which I prefer when it is weighed down with sweet or resinous notes and spices-like in Chimera, Hony Mone and Hermia) which is going waxy now. The vanilla musk is too weak in the face of these floral notes.

Verdict: this seemed the most promising of the new Poe scents, and I took a gamble with this, hoping the carnation and vanilla musk would make the potentially soapy flowers into something beautiful, but sadly, the soapy flowers won out. Despite the pleasantness of the vanilla musk, a surprisingly fresh musk with a white and breezy aspect, the honeysuckle turned into full blown soap on me. So did the lily, I suspect. It is pretty, clean and light and ghostly, but I am not keen on what the floral notes do to my skin in here. So this one is not for me, ultimately. I prefer Victoria when it comes to floral vanilla musk and lily.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Not really.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle:

Sweet floral. A little creamy. Maybe some honeysuckle. Can not smell any stargazer or carnation (two of my favorite cut flowers besides non-hot house roses.) Ethereal.

 

Wet on skin:

Now it's just sweet floral, no longer creamy. Very close to the honeysuckle that grows along my driveway. Very faint and ethereal still.

 

Dry on skin:

Honeysuckle. Faint.

 

Verdict:

Hmmm undecided. I got it because it had been sold out and then more were found and I was ordering anyway. Just wanted to see what the fuss was about. Will need to test once more, might be something to swap.

[nevermore]

Reminicient of Antique Lace and Et Lux Fuit, both of which are favourites of mine. Same creamy base, but each has different florals. The Oval Portrait has mainly honeysuckle and blue bell, I think - similar florals to Fairy Market. Very nice, but given that I have several bottles of Et Lux and one of Antique Lace, I don't think I need a bottle.

[ifinena]

In the bottle and wet on, it's a creamy floral. As it dries down there's something very intensely floral coming up, can't be the honeysuckle as I know what this smells and I love it. It's not the carnation either, because, sadly, it doesn't make an appearance at all (on me). Dry on my skin it's still a strong floral. There's something soapy in the dry stage.

 

I am glad I got to try it but I think this is going to my swaps post.

[alhbooks]

I get honey at first, with a delicate blend of non-specific florals, but after it dries, I do get whiffs of carnation, much softer than Maiden but very comforting. I'm very happy to have a bottle of this one. i think it will age well.

[lucyintheSkywithDemons]

Hi there...

 

oh * my * Goodness...

 

This one is my all-time favorite .. I tried about 150 different BPAL Oils,

but this one tops them all for me...

 

In bottle :

 

Sweet, milky florals , honey ( ? ), vanilla, a hint of musk ... boy, this is sooo good..

 

My boy sniffed this one and his comment

" This smells like a whole lot of calories...yummy "

 

On skin :

 

Soft and powdery, vanilla-musk - but not to sweet or foody.

Then it morphes into something... *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHA*

I can´t even describe it.

Its posh, its feminine, its "I know what I want and I know how to get it !" - for me its perfect !

 

I hoarded 3 bottles allready, will always want more...

[Lunaratu]

I'm shocked! I thought I had posted a review of this already!

 

This is by far my favorite BPAL blend ever! and I'm not exaggerating in the least

 

This scent just perfectly melds into my skin into a gorgeous me but yet so much more beautiful than me scent!

 

First on this is definitely more of a lush, sweet floral but this quickly dies back to become more of a second skin scent. I can certainly detect the vanilla musk and the carnation comes out to play as a very light, flitting floral with some spice to create some sex appeal. Yet this is extremely lady-like and young. It's creamy, sensual yet demure. This is for all those young ladies with that glint in their eye and a certain insouciance in their manner.

 

This scent is just utter perfection on me and fits no matter the season and I must admit I slather this on every morning just to get the subtle waft of it throughout the day.

 

If you reapply this scent I notice that the carnation simply becomes a tiny stronger, creating more of a spice in the creamy, sweet, skin scent.

 

There is no end to how much I love this scent! It is perfection on me and the epitome of what I have always wished to smell like! I have already hoarded seven bottles and I worry that they won't be enough

 

Rating: 10/5! (ok maybe i'll not break the rating system and say 5/5 )

Throw: light

Edited June 16, 2008 by Lunaratu

[iiinterstate]

Oooh so excited to be able to try the Oval Portrait.

 

First on its creamy vanilla, and after a few minutes the florals come through. I sometimes amp honeysuckle but that doesn't seem to happen here...I smell mostly lilies and a teeny bit of carnation.

 

For a little while there it seemed like this would be TOO much floral on me, but now the vanilla musk is back and balancing the flowers very nicely. The throw is very light, but so lovely. This is a blend to be saved for special occasions.

[filigree_shadow]

Well, now! There's something pretty! You know, I thought this would be really overbearing in the flower department, but it's not. Not at all. The vanilla musk and rice flower are pretty strong, and the hold down the other florals very well. It's much more of a creamy scent than florals usually are, and the honeysuckle isn't too heady at all. The carnation gives it a slight spicy kick that combines with that musk very nicely.

 

Soft, lovely, and feminine. Yes, I definitely like this one.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Very pale yellow oil. Sweet, complex, intense floral. Immensely feminine and delicate, soft and rich but rather clean and fresh as well. Honeysuckle, carnation, lily, and rice flower.

 

Wet: Less sweet, fresher and brighter. Almost a bit soapy with a cleaner edge as a result. Super sweet rice flower lightens, while carnation (the creamy sort) and fragrant, slightly heady honeysuckle amp. Lily holds, clean and gorgeous and not powdery.

 

Dry: Dries rapidly. By far the strongest honeysuckle blend I've tried. The lily, citrusy fresh behind it, is beautifully distinct as well. The carnation, though softened, still provides a creamy base, along with the light but sweet rice flower. Soapy edge - maybe from the bluebonnet, which I'm not familiar with.

 

Later: Arrgh, this is definitely going soapy, and fading rapidly overall. The honeysuckle has weakened tremendously, so it turning soapy in part would make sense, in addition to the bluebonnet. Lily has faded to balance carnation in control. Vanilla musk has crept out, blending sweetly with the soft rice flower.

 

Summary: Creamy carnation, fresh, slightly powdery lily, heady, somewhat soapy honeysuckle, soapier bluebonnet, and faintly sweet, gentle musk and rice flower. All the notes appear and remain, but the blend loses steam over time and becomes increasingly soapy. Good throw, but weak lasting power.

 

This is one of me to retry. It's similar enough to Victoria and The East that I'm not sure i need this one as well, especially as I like the others ones more, but I do love the strong honeysuckle stage. This could be one best used in a scent locket and applied to hair.

 

If you like this, try: Tamamo-no-mae, Victoria, The East.

[PinkoCommie]

I'm not typically a florals person. BPAL, however, has taught me that I wear lilies well and the vast majority don't go soapy on me at all. So I gave this a shot.

 

I am so glad I did. This is a gentle, soft, comforting scent. I know that BPALdom is crazy after Black Lace, but I think so many are missing a treasure here. I love it. It's one of my "girly and proud of it" scents.

[ami226]

In the bottle: Wow! This scent is sooooo strong in the bottle! I think I can pick out some lily and something soft and sweet.

 

On the skin: Not so sure about this one. It is such a strong floral on me....

 

Later: Well, it has died down a bit and is now lovely, gentle, and pretty perfect! At first I thought I would definitely swap this bottle away, but during dry down it has turned into such a lovely scent and a definite keeper! Mmmmmm! So pretty!

[Dormouse]

Vanilla can sometimes amp badly on me but I love lilies and honeysuckle, carnation usually works, well on my skin and I've been really liking rice flowers lately, so I took a chance with this. I'm really glad I did.

 

It is a beautiful rich, sweet scent with the lilies as the main player. As it dries the honeysuckle and rice flower begin to appear with the vanilla providing a deep grounding base to keep all the flowers in check. A little later there is a slight feel of spice which must be the carnations. It lasts and lasts, finally becoming a delicate skin musk and vanilla with just a breath of stargazer lily.

 

Absolute perfection. It's tied with Black Lace as the most perfect vanilla scent ever! I have another imp on the way already and I'll be searching for a bottle.

[donnatron]

Imp: Eh. Sort of high pitched. White florals.

 

Wet: Again, high pitched, some white florals. Evolving resin note. White musk?

 

Dry: This is pretty. Bright florals over a warm, creamy resinous base and then a sort of bright, astringent scent that reminds me of... white tea? Very layered. Definitely getting a tea vibe. It reminds me of Earl Grey Cream tea but with a different floral (lily?) swapped in for the bergamot.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: It's nice. Inoffensive, not one that I'm necessarily married to. Will use up the imp but won't be killing myself to find any more.

[Tramp]

pulled this blend out last night in a random grab. I put it on and immediatly got a sweet honeysuckle scent from it. That softened in just a few minutes and it became a warm vanilla blend.

[cfrancesca]

This is a very creamy "white" floral scent.

 

I get creamy vanilla, lily, rice flower (sometimes this can go a little "hairspray" on me but not here) and a little spiciness from the carnation. After a few minutes, I start getting the honeysuckle, and the carnation starts amping a little more.

 

This is really beautiful! I only wish it had more throw, it's very much a skin scent for me.

 

 

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting vanilla musk and florals, a really nice scent. On my skin, it's mostly the florals, but we'll see where it goes. The vanilla musk comes out under, and I can't quite tell if I like it enough for a bottle, so I think this'll be a second skin test. Ends up being mostly florals and lily on the second skin test, going to pass it on.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Venneh

[jizatt]

I knew my chemistry had been weird, but this FINALLY smells like what I thought it should. It had been a pale, nondescript floral that was pretty but didnt capture me. Tonight though? Tonight, it is the carnation and vanilla musk of my dreams. The lily is cold, smooth and creamy over the top and fades away as it wears. I dont smell honeysuckle or bluebonnet that I know of. Rice flower might be part of the creaminess that I smell. ADORE.

 

[fireweaver]

Initial thought upon first application : "this smells like magic"

 

It's creamy, floral and just beautiful. Unfortunately it fades pretty fast on me. I don't mind reapplying though

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: This smells very strongly of rice flower on me, which I recognize from my beloved Molly Grue, though until now I didn't know that was what I was smelling. Love it. It's very different from Molly, of course, because of the other floral notes and the creamy vanilla musk. The carnation is so well behaved in this I can't even smell it (usually amp it like crazy). Something green and really lovely is coming out as well. This is really fresh and lovely. Very different from anything I have.

 

 

Dry: This dries into a nice, sweet, white floral. Really pretty and lovely. The rice flower that I love is still there, but not as dominant. This is very work-appropriate. Not really in-your-face floral like some of my favourites are. I look forward to wearing this now that it's spring!

[doomsday_disco]

This started off really sour on me, and I'm not sure why, infused with some spicy red carnation. Then that sourness goes away and it becomes musk forward (more musk than vanilla -- I don't get any vanilla with it until the end of the day), and it's predominantly a musky lily and rice flower scent on me. I wasn't able to pick out the honeysuckle in this one, and I'm not familiar enough with bluebonnet (despite having a decant of the single note -- I didn't dig it up during testing) to pick that note out.

 

It was really nice to get to try this, but that sour phase in the beginning is too rough for me.