London

[autumnviolet]

Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness.

In St. Charles, Missouri there is a place called The British Shop. The place is chocka block with British food, tea, candies, soaps, and perfumes. Plus the place is very old-the building is from the 1800's.
So when you walk in, you are awash in the most delectable smell. Roses, powder, sweets, violets, orange blossoms, lavender, sandalwood, tea, woolens, cookies with ginger and lemon, dust and old wooden floors. I have spent hours in there, just inhaling and browsing. I have sniffed every scent bottle in the place and never tracked down the precise scent. When I asked the owner of the source of the terrific smell, she told me it was a combo of the goods in the shop.

Elizabeth, Lab, congratulations on capturing the uncapturable-the scent of a British shop on a cold November day. I'll be buying a vat of this.

In bottle: roses, tea, violets, rain, dust.
wet: sharp roses
dry down: the fabulous smell stayed on me for about 3 hours. It smells-dry-like the bottle scent. Predominantly rose, but also powder, sandalwood, violets, and dusty books. In a good way.

Words cannot begin to describe what this aroma means to me. I had a past life in Britain and I kept getting teary eyed when I'd catch a sniff of the scent.

[cookie]

This IS tea rose! Oh so English. The dry down is very bright on me. I want to say white sandalwood? Don't let that turn you off. Its very faint, whatever it is.

 

I think I know why those who don't usually like rose are liking this one - its youthful and sophisticated. Other roses sometimes can be perceived as musty, maybe reminiscent of elderly ladies. (Not me - I love rose, esp those from Beth). Just a thought.

[larkredblade]

When I was in high school my friend had this very expensive Tea Rose perfume and I would borrow it from her all the time. I'd drown myself in the stuff.

 

"Old" London reminds me of this scent. It is not an overpowering rose, but a light, crisp, airy rose. It's very feminine and flirty. I'd love to use this as a linen spray, or even a couple of drops in some bath water for an empowering Aphodite goddess bath -- throw in some rose quartz and simmer.

 

Definitely on my bigger bottle wanted list.

[Ishtar]

Yay, another rose blend for me to try! I love rose scents, especially when Beth makes them!

 

On me, London is a soft, subtle tea rose that I would call old-fashioned, but in the best possible way. Dainty, lovely and elegant.

It reminds me of Moon Rose, only without that cristalline quality to it.

 

A beautiful, simple, straightforward blend that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys roses

[malati]

Fresh on the skin this smells exactly like the rose petals I used to steep in water to try to make perfume as a child. It's pure wet rose but there's no green-ness to it.

 

As it dried down it became a little powdery and I was reminded of Zombi.

 

Once dry this has completely turned. The rose has all but disappeared and what's left behind is quite unpleasant. I've been wracking my brains to describe it and the best I can do is honey with an undertone of stale urine. Unfortunately this is the first rose scent that has not worked for me.

[VorpalBunny]

This is a lovely rose, like the smell of roses that someone gave you and you painstakingly dried them. On me, I don't smell any of the other notes. It reminds me of a more mainstream version of Zombi. Very lovely scent.

[FireInCairo]

Oh wow!!! This is lovely. Smells of how old Victorian England must have smelled.. the Victorian spices really adds a lovely touch to this classic Rose. I can almost smell the petticoats drenched in this blend... goregous through and through...

[Stanzi]

On me, this is almost a single-note tea rose scent. I love tea rose, and although I'm not sure how to describe its difference from "regular" roses, it *is* a very distinctive floral note. This is a refined and old-fashioned fragrance, with medium lasting power, and I may purchase a full bottle someday when I've used up my supply of Creed's Fleur de The Rose Bulgare. London would definitely be a more affordable alternative! As for the name, this scent doesn't remind me of the city of London itself, but maybe it does evoke an Edwardian rose garden, in spring or summer, behind a house in a London suburb.

Edited January 3, 2005 by Stanzi

[erishkigal]

ok this is my first review.... *clears throat*

 

london smells like a perfect tea rose. light and airy. smells exactly like a 'tea rose' perfume i had as a youngin. very classy and feminine. its got a light almost sweet rose scent... and i love roses so i love this!!!!

 

if you like roses you'll love this too.. its rose but different...

[luxuria]

This smells like rose and nothing else. Light and girly rose, but definitely not fresh (it's a city rose rather than something crisp and fresh you'd find in the wild- y'know?). It does smell a bit old fashioned, but not in the sense that you'd feel like you're wearing a dated scent.

 

People who like rose will appreciate this, but seeing as it really lacks any other elements on me, I can't recommend it to anyone else.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: It's a barely there rose, very light. Somehow I also smell a faint creaminess. Dont know where that came from.

 

Wearing: I really underestimated this one. When it touches my skin it positively swells with roseyness. It's not too strong or cloying, but it is very robust for tea rose. I don't smell any other notes right now. And twisted/blackened? Hardly! It's just an innocent, feminine scent, no doubt meant for a lady. Also of note--I put this on before bed and it lasted on my skin all night. I don't usually think much of plain rose, but I might have to keep this one.

[paschat]

This is a superb tea rose fragrance, that smells like a real tea rose - not synthetic at all. It's a very delicate tea rose, and not overpowering. Lovely for those who like tea rose scents.

[Caitfish]

In the bottle: Very sharp. Rose and something with a lot of bite, it smells very like a sharp alcohol. I guess this must be the "twisted" that the description refers to. This might be a loamy scent, as it IS reminiscent of Zombi, which I really didn't like.

 

On: The sharp note does fade out a little bit - but I wish that this were just the tea rose note, as that element is very beautiful. It's very light and fresh. An indoorsy rose versus Rose Red's outdoor rose. A quiet rose versus Kurukulla's boisterous rose bouqet. But on a very deep inhale, that sharp note remains and unfortunately corrupts this blend for me.

 

Come on, come on, let me get used to that scent.

 

I am SO conflicted. I LOVE the tea rose scent in this. It's gorgeous. But I really hate that other note... I think my initial repulsion may have set me against this from the beginning and may be exaggerating my impressions now. I guess that the problem is... if I can't decide and I'm afraid that I will despise it or not wear it... I won't get a bigger bottle. I'm looking for the perfect Rose scent for my sister, who smelled Rose Red and adored it, but won't accept my bottle because she knows that it is an LE and doesn't want to take mine. I don't think that this is it for me, but I may get a bottle for her, because I don't think this note would detract from the rose for her as it does me.

[thespring]

I'm not a rose fan but this is nice.

 

I spent my childhood in London and this one does remind me of of it.

 

I think I like it despite my dislike of roses because it's soft, light, clean and crisp. No heavy rose here.

 

Delicate and innocent, a good girl rose.

[Northernminx]

I usually love rose scents, and this was lovely but not quite as stunning as some of Beth's other roses in my mind. Dry dusty tea roses and not much else, any oomph this had was beaten up by my silly chemistry. While pretty, it didn't call out to me to purchase more or attach my nose to my wrist so I'll swap it off to someone who may more appreciate it.

[rainbow]

Mmmmm....roses. I get rose from this, and rose only. I'm not smelling the tea, the spice, or the dark and mysterious notes, but I'm getting lots and lots of rose.

 

Now, lots and lots of rose makes me happy, as I adore rose scents. This one is just perfect- fresh, girly, and rose.

 

Rose, rose, rose. There's very little else for me to say, except that I can see myself purchasing a big bottle for spring and summer.

[shelldoo]

well i adore alot of beth's roses and love love love black rose but this is not like that velevety goodness it is drier, definitely a tea rose, it seems almost fragile, if a scent can smell fragile that is but yes tea rose is all i gte, it is pretty and to me smells young, i think my dd would love it to death i may gift her w/ it

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle Roses mmmmmmm

 

Wet Roses....lovely breathing full lipped, powder... gorgeous. This is the rose I have been looking for.......... aahhhhhhhhhhhhh. When I was little..... like around age 6, Victoria's secret had this bubble bath called English Rose Garden. It smells almost EXACTLY like this. I have been searching for something like this for years....... AHHHHHH

 

Drydown This is the perfect scent for spring so lovely and green. I can pick out maybe violet and I think carnation in there as well. I am being taken back to childhood summers in margate.... omigod........ This is how I remember my Aunt's gardens down the shore, the green grass rolling in .... wow....

 

Two Hours Later Just simply gorgeous. I want a big bottle so I can add it to an atomizer and spray my sheets with it. Not to mention to cover myself in it. Usually tea rose is too damp and sickly sweet, and uptight....... not this ::swoons::

 

Verdict LOVELOVELOVELOVE it!

[UltraViolet]

I'm not one for rose scents too much unless their mixed with citrus notes but this is nice.

It is a true rose scent much like my fave "The Empress" but it's lighter and airier to me.

Unfortunatley it is turning somewhat soapy on me after 10 minutes but not completely.

After the dry down it doesn't change much, which is good as alot of florals, especially rose do this change-a-roo thing on me.

This has a slight "throw" on me. It's not sweet at all, just a pure tearose scent that stays true and has above average staying power.

[Longstofly]

London is a nice dry rose scent. It reminds me very much of the roses I used to save and dry. After they dried out and were sitting in a vase on my dresser they would smell like this.

 

Unfortunately for me, I have falled head-over-heels in love with Rose Red and it just destroys many of the other rose scents for me

 

I bet people will love this one though so I'm sure it won't be in the swap pile for long!

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Nice rose scent that's less fresh than Rose Red. Reminds me of dried rose petals, the lingering scent of them without the green.

 

Wet: Rose with something kinda weird in the background. I can't really tell what it's supposed to be, though. Maybe amber or some kind of slight musk. It still smells like roses, but these have been dried and added to some kind of larger scent even though they remain in the foreground.

 

Dry down: I cheated and looked through some of the reviews and, yes, I can pick out a slightly spicy note in there that is probably carnation. Hmmm...I have so many lovely rose scents already. It's not that this one is bad or anything. In fact, this is about the only blend where that carnation note doesn't drive me crazy because the rose note makes it basically more background than anything else.

 

Dry: Rose and carnation. Not bad, but I have a lot of other rose scents so I don't think I'd really get a chance to wear this one that much. Persephone, Rose Red and The Empress are already favorites who have earned bottle status and even though this is a nice, mature dry rose scent I just don't think I'd wear it on a regular basis.

[Finny]

A dry rose, and a bit of spicy flower, carnation? It is fresh and floral, and not quite me. It is a wonderful rose scent though, and if I wore florals, I would wear this.

[Julilla Regina]

I have to agree, this is very dry, very proper. It turns slightly powdery, but not baby powder'y. It almost reminds me of the rose-scented powder Crabtree & Evelyn make, but it's not exact. It's a cool, dusty rose. And no, it's not old lady at all. It's a fresh young lady's rose. Very pretty.

Edited March 22, 2005 by Julilla Regina

[ginevra]

You know what I love about London? It's a perfect tea rose without that weird crap you smell from commercial perfumes - I used to have to buy Tea Rose from the Parfumer's Workshop for my rose fix, but now I have a much better option with London. Yum! I only wished it lasted longer on my skin. It lasts about 3-4 hours on me. I will definitely be getting more of this on my next Lab order!

[anmorata]

London:

Wet: wet, dewy roses. lemon tea.

Drydown: long-faded roses and old photographs.

Long-term wear: Brilliant. A rose that I actually enjoy. Brava!

Edited April 10, 2005 by anmorata