La Vita Nuova

[Balame]

Apple blossom, white rose, lemon balm, and champagne grape.

In the Imp: Fresh green apple and rose.

Wet: Light, refreshing, reminiscent of springtime. All of the notes are noticeable except for the grape to me. Mainly it's the crisp apple with a soft rose and lemon supporting it. Maybe I'd even call this romantic, which (for me), is rare in scents that are so bright.

Dry: The main theme is still there, but it went soapy on me. Still not bad or something I'd recoil from, but it reminds me more of generic soap now than a clear spring day.

Verdict: Not my style nor all that memorable for me, but nice.

[gingiemay]

Apple blossom and white rose for me, with a hint of lemon. The lemon tinge gives it a very slight powdery feel so it's just not for me. A lovely floral, though.

[kolibri]

Decant imp from malibusunny's Feb/Mar 2013 circle. 2nd scent tested (preceeded by Belgian Chocolate, et al).

 

In the imp: sweet, grape-y. Not booze-y, but wine comes to mind.

 

Wet: Giant fruit notes. I was kind of overwhelmed at first. Then I started to pick out the different facets. The effect is mostly light and bright, and that combined with the rose makes it smell 'expensive', if that makes any sense.

 

Drydown: Morphing... We've got fruit. Then, we've got floral. Something slightly spicy/sharp. Later, soap/dryer sheets....and that's where it stays.

 

Overall: The bits I liked best didn't last very long, and then I spend the rest of the wearing feeling like I'd just washed my hands at someone else's house (if that makes any sense). The Apothacary has a lemon balm note, and La Vita Nuova has a lemongrass note - I'm wondering if that's where the dryer sheets thing is coming from when I wear either of these. Since I accidentally ordered another imp in another decant circle, I'll probably swap one and keep one.

[OctoberGwen]

2013

 

This almost works for me, but the grape makes it much too fruity for my taste. It is a very light, bright scent and lovers of fruity blends will really appreciate it.

 

A pity, because I love lemon balm and don't see it often.

[Shealynne]

At first this smells entirely like apple on my skill, but after a while I begin to smell more lemon balm and rose. It is very springy, the brightest and most playful of all of the decants that I purchased this time around.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2013 version.

 

 

In the decant: Some combination of light fruits and florals.

 

Wet: The lemon balm is trying to over-ride the other notes, but they are still there.

 

The dry-down: I was hoping for more of the white rose note. A nice gentle floral, but not really my thing.

[milo]

Holy Green Apple Jolly Rancher Batman! This is what LVN smells like at first, fruity and fun with a bit of sourness. Dry, more floral, to make this a green apple type shampoo, kind of like Pert Plus. Not for me, and I'm getting a bit of fungus which seals the deal.

[Soupy Twist]

Mostly apple blossom; the grape is sort of hinted at without ever being fully realized. A little soapy/powdery. Pleasant but unremarkable.

[marilyn eyre]

Very soapy rose with that cheap apple smell that I happen to adore for nostalgia reasons. The grape kind of comes out after the soap smell burns off.

I know my description doesn't sound appealing, but there's something about it that I just adore. So clean and pure and I love Dante, this is a winner.

[crystaltongue]

My skin loves appleblossom, rose, AND champagne grape, so this one is absolute winner. There is a touch of soapiness when wet, but is seems to fade pretty quickly, leaving behind a sublime late spring sweetness. I don't know which year the bottle I was gifted is from, but whichever it is, I am very happy to have it.