Butterflies and Plovers

[Eutectic]

Blood orange, King mandarin, nectarine, patchouli, violet, ylang ylang, and amber.

 

I searched for a topic and didn't find one so I appologize and please move if I've buggered this and it's in the wrong place!

Wet--wow, very citrus in the bottle but with a hint of something else. Not super sweet, more like the fresh oils from the rinds of the fruits.

Just on--The citrus mellows quickly and the other notes start to blossom on my skin. The floral is very understated for me and meshes well with the citrus. I'm not smelling any patchouli.

Dry--Okay, there is the patchouli. Just a hint. It's grounding the other notes so this becomes a much more sultry blend than I expected. Very nice, definitely more of a summer scent for me though.

[edenssixthday]

Butterflies and Plovers - This scent is absolutely the perfect olfactory depiction of the painting that inspired it. I see this piece of art when I sniff this scent on my skin. It opens up with a very bright citrus scent that's made ultra-sweet by the blood orange, as well as the strong, woody scents of patchouli and amber. I don't detect the violet in this scent at all - it's just all bright, sweet citrus combined with dry, wood-type scents. In the bottle, it smells mostly woody, but I love the way that the fruit notes warm up on my skin. This isn't the type of scent I would normally be drawn to because it's a bit too wood-scented for me, but it works beautifully in this blend. I really like it. Based on sniffing the bottles alone, I thought it was going to be my least favorite of all the NIFSA scents. However, after actually wearing it, I think it's among my top four favorites of the NIFSA blends.

[hkhm]

bottle: patchouli, violet and amber. this is deep and heady.

 

wet: wow! patchouli and vetiver and violet times ten. i'm thrilled because violet so rarely works on me and this works like magic!

 

dry: this is an amazing zingy violet that seems to be infusing everything. it is the violet i have been searching. i will need at least two more bottles of this scent.

[alicia_stardust]

This is such a gorgeous representation of the artwork for which it was named. This is so complex and earthy, yet fresh. I get a woody and earthy side to this which comes from the patchouli and amber, and then there's a bright and sweet citrus and fruit to counter it. On top of that, the violet lends a sort of dusky, soft layer to fill the gaps between the woodsy earth and the citrus. Something about this reminds me of fresh green grass and summertime. I particularly get that impression when the oil is still wet.

 

Lovely!

[dawndie]

Wet: dusty oranges

 

On skin: lots of orange "fizz." You know when you peel an orange and there's a fizzy mist of juice and oils when you're digging through the peel and pith? I'm imagining all that fizz going up my nose right now. After every sniff I think I'm about to sneeze

 

Half-hour later: the orange fizz has calmed down and violet has amped up, and everything's under a layer of dust from the amber

 

In conclusion: this was an interesting blend -- the oranges were certainly assertive, and I like violet too, it's a unique floral. It ended up too dusty for my liking though.

[Melenass]

I love this scent!!!!! I love king mandarin!!!.

 

This is skillfully mixed (violet, pachuli, amber and ylang ylang...) is an very elegant scent.

at the same time i smell my arm I watch the painting, and this to do me smile.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Segments of sliced oranges lying in gritty dirt.

 

Immediately on skin: As soon as this was on my skin, the citrus disappeared almost completely. There’s just a light breath of it that gives the blend a very fresh feel. In the front of this now is the violet, and the patchouli is lingering lightly in the background.

 

After a little while: This seems to have blended quite a bit on my skin. I get a patchouli blend now with hints of sweet citrus and violet and then a little smokiness and warmth in the background. There’s also a hint of the almost smoky ylang ylang, which in this blend smells almost like very smoky jasmine to me, but it’s very light.

 

Overall Impressions: I usually can’t stand patchouli, but the other notes temper it nicely. It’s a fresh, sweeter patchouli blend, with all of the other notes blending in lightly.

[Brianne]

It starts off as sharp ylang ylang - not a scent I'm fond of, but one I'm tolerant of (as long as it can blend into the background eventually lol). Then the violet and patchouli comes through and it becomes deep and heady - definitely floral but without the soft quality usually associated with florals. It has a grassy quality too behind it all - sort of green and pungent. I do not get any citrus at any point with this blend - not in the bottle OR on my skin. Which is unfortunate, because that was the part of this scent I was most looking forward to.

 

I appreciate the depth of this scent and it is nice, just not what I was hoping for!

[AEris]

Earthy, fruity, soft, and fresh all at the same time. I think it's attractive, not really "me," but very interestingly balanced. The prettier notes leave my skin sooner than I'd like, and it dries down to a light patchouli skin scent.

 

3.4 out of 5

[ymmat]

I almost left this one untried, but I figured, what the heck.

 

I'm not wild about it in the vial. The citrus strikes me as slightly bitter. It blends well with the patchouli, but my mortal enemy lurks in the background. I can smell him, waiting. *does best Kirk imitation* YLANG YLANG!!!

 

I decided it was time to face my nemesis and I applied it to the back of my hand. Instantaneously, there was violet and for a brief second, I thought I would escape the inevitable, overpowering pain that is ylang ylang - near me, on my skin, anywhere in my sphere of influence. *shakes fist* But the inevitable happened, just as quickly the violet was eaten alive and Mr. Ylang Ylang moved into the neighborhood. He's now hanging out with the patchouli, toking it up and mocking me. I hate him so much.

Edited February 21, 2008 by ymmat

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is blood orange and anise...

 

once applied patchouli, violet, ylang ylang and the orange is gorgeous...this is a dark scent

for me ... and not the least bit sweet; very dry...excellent throw and perfectly done

[Iceblink]

Wet on the skin: citrus air freshener. Oh, don't do this to me, pretty butterflies.

As it dries: the violet is becoming more prominent. And there's an earthiness from the patchouli. This is much better after about an hour on me.

[4492]

This looked like a good one for me - patchouli, ylang ylang and blood orange are notes I'm at least vaguely familiar with and like.

 

Sadly all I got out of it was blood orange (in huge quantities) and violets...PARMA violets. There was a smidge of mandarin after a few hours but not identifiable patch, ylang² or even amber.

 

Also? My gran used to wear violet perfume and she makes a mean mandarin flan. Which is not really the kind of imagary I was looking for!

 

Sorry Butterflies and Plovers. You have a beautiful name and a wonderful piece of artwork but I'm afraid you just aren't for me.

[xoe]

At first, all citrus deliciousness. As is its way, the citrus fades rather quickly. The violet/ylang are the strongest part of this, after the fade of the citrus. This is blended beautifully. No need to fear the patchouli in this for you patchoulophobes. .. but it doesn't last very long.

 

I'm going to try my decant a few more times before deciding if I need a bottle. Its really pretty and feminine, but fades so quickly.

[cranberry]

First sniff, this was mainly patchouli. As soon as it hits the skin though, citrus comes out strongly. This has a woody quality that’s almost like cedar that I’m attributing to the patchouli. As it dries and wears, ylang ylang and violet emerge combining wonderfully and surprisingly with the patch and citrus.

 

This scent surprised me – I wasn’t expecting anything so dark and dry. There’s a very dusty feeling to this scent – I think it’s the patch and the spike of citrus. I find this scent pretty unusual and quite enjoyable. After it’s been on about a ½ hour or so, the violet gets stronger but still doesn’t overtake the patchouli. I don’t ever detect any amber, but maybe it’s a dark amber adding to the dry, dusty feeling I’m getting.

 

If I had to classify this scent, it would a patchouli scent no question about it. I like this quite a lot and the whole series has turned out to a wonderful surprise.

[lilirose]

This blend? Is love. I know I tend to rave about a lot of scents but truly- this is an all-time favourite. I dearly wish I could afford a couple more bottles for hoarding.

 

It's very sexy, passionate, and sensual on me. At first it's very, very mandarin- like dawndie said, it's orange fizz, like the smell when you're peeling a lovely fresh mandarin. On my skin, this hangs on for far longer than any citrus has the right to- the brightness of the orange hangs on well after drydown (I can still just make it out four hours after applying!)

 

I can smell both patchouli and ylang ylang in this, but they are so perfectly balanced that it's neither too earthy nor too sweet- both notes just lift up the yummy citrus but also give it a depth that stops the whole thing from being foody.

 

Throw is terrific (though I did slather a bit) and staying power is excellent.

 

Can't say enough good things...if you're considering a bottle but the price seems steep, all I can say is SO VERY WORTH IT (yep, I'm shouting).

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Tart-sweet orange citrus, ylang-ylang and violet.

 

Wet: Whoa, ylang ylang amping! The citrus amps a little too - I'm mostly getting mandarin. Faintly, there's some blood orange and nectarine. The violet is present still, and I can detect warm amber in the background. No patchouli.

 

Dry: Mildly sweet fruit, soft violet and ylang ylang, sunny amber, and finally a hint of light, spicy patchouli. A very warm, orange-gold scent.

 

Summary: Womanly, complex, sophisticated. Slightly spicy, somewhat heady floral with hints of delicate patchouli, dry amber and orange fruits. Divinely blended. Sexy.

 

Not my style, but I admire it, ya know?

[slave1]

BUTTERFLIES AND PLOVERS

 

In Bottle: Dirt and florals

 

On Skin: There is a very dirty note in this, I’m assuming it’s the patchouli which usually amps very earthy on me. The violet is sweet and gorgeous, I’m a big fan of violet. The citrus notes are sour but are balanced perfectly by the sweet violet and ylang ylang. The amber is soft and powdery and helps ground the scent. As the scent develops, I like it a lot more. The patchouli fades some… but probably not enough for me. Still, it’s a nice scent and does remind me of being in a garden and letting butterflies dance on me. My wedding was at a Butterfly Pavillion, so this scent rings close to me, I just wish it didn’t have such strong patchouli. Light to average throw, short wearlength.

[PurringPulsar]

Butterflies and Plovers

 

In the imp: violet! No orange or amber, just violet and patchouli.

Wet on skin: now I smell the orange! But violet and patchouli are still dominant.

Dry on skin: gorgeous fizzy blood orange and mandarin mixed with powdery violet and a dry patchouli that smells like dusty earth. There’s a hint of tart nectarine too. This actually reminds me of a less heavy version of a Countenance Foreboding Evil, which is probably due to the orange, ylang and patchouli mix. The orange is then blocked out by the mandarin, which wants to be the dominant citrus in here and smells just like mandarin should-freshly peeled and juicy. Then I smell something almost like hay or straw…no idea what that is. I don’t smell amber yet. This reminds me of Clio now, but I prefer Clio because of the parchment scent.

After a while: where’s the amber that was promised? Now it reminds me of Clio even more, but a bit less dirty/earthy, and with a lot of violet. I’m not crazy about this kind of violet though, it’s not a sweet violet like La Befana, but a dusty ‘old smelling’ violet, it smells a bit dusty and grey, and wilted. One of the citrus notes-which I normally love-has turned to a strange dry peel and straw scent. Underneath is the dry patchouli.

This seems to fade fast…or at least, all but the patchouli seem to fade away from my skin quickly. No more orange now, very little in the way of nectarine or even violet…now I just smell the slightest hint of patchouli.

Verdict: I was hoping this would be like Angeronalia but with a more violet-y feel and a lovely amber background, but it wasn’t on me. This smells like a lighter Countenance Foreboding Evil on me, without vetiver but with a very musty violet in it’s place, it’s not the gentle sweet violet note I like. The citrus notes are lovely, but they are soon drowned out by the smell of dusty flowers and dry dirt from the patchouli, and there’s no amber showing up at all. I was disappointed by this one-and it didn’t last long on me either.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Not really.

If you like this, try: A Countenance Foreboding Evil, Angeronalia, Clio, Le Serpent Qui Danse, Ultraviolet

[angelicdemise]

Lots of orange when I first apply it, and then it calms down to a soft orange. I didn't get most of the notes everyone else got, just orange and maybe something floral or herbal ever so lightly over it. I like it and will definitely use the decants I have.

[the_cat_goddess]

In the vial: HOLY WOW! Very strong. First thoughts were neroli and patchouli, but I do not see neroli in the note list.

 

Wet: Oh my! I do not like patchouli normally, but this is amazing. This may not impress most people, but it smells like how orange-flavored children's tylenol used to taste when I was a kid (may still, just not a kid anymore). I used to sneak them and eat them like candy. I was not expecting to like this, but I do, I do!

 

Dry: Spicy and orangy. Aaahhhhh.... I couldn't be happier sniffing away at my wrist.

[zankoku_zen]

At the beginning, this was very violet!driven. And then, on the drydown I got more of the juicy citrus of the mandarin and blood orange.

 

And now it's heading straight into patchouliville! It's like someone took sweet juicy oranges and dropped them into mud. Bwaaah!

[Hayet]

I'm not entirely sure what's going on in that lovely painting (I mean, the big penis is obvious but the man's expression is vague and priceless), and I'm not entirely sure about this scent, either (other than ORANGE!). The first time I tried it, it was absolute orange-patchouli love- like an elaboration of Ravenous, a favorite of mine. Today it's just sour and ylang ylangy. No violet in sight! Will give this one a third shot, but I don't see a bottle happening here.

[azhriaz]

Don't like this one much at all. Dirty patchouli with a sickly sweetness in the background. Well, it's not that bad really, but I'm refusing to let myself fall for another one of these Salon blends! The notes just seem to clash on my skin instead of working nicely together.

Edited April 6, 2008 by Azhriaz

[ImperatrixMundi]

Ylang ylang and violet have conquered and subdued amber and all that citrus and are subsequently warring for domination over patchouli.

Seriously, where are those citrus notes? Violet and ylang dont blend at all, both notes usually dominate on me and with them together war is going on. I will be passing this one on.