Parentalia

[hipslike___cinderella]

The Day of the Fathers. A festival of remembrance, honoring family that has passed into the next life.

Cypress, rose, violet, frankincense, ambrette, marjoram, and Lebanese cedar.

First review, you say?

When first opened, Parentalia seems predominately herbal. Not in a medicinal sense, but as an outdoorsy mishmash of cypress and flowers. Cypess/violet/cedar aside, the rose and frankincense is evident, too- frankincense lending a dreamy smoothness to everything.is a bit quickly on my skin. The cypress and cedar recede, and the florals come forth more. The best part happens after 15 minutes, when the beloved violet creeps up more. It casts a powderiness, but doesn't ruin the blend.

After an hour I'm left with a pretty smear of violet. That's what this blend is, pretty, and most definitely a blend for the encroaching spring. Edited February 4, 2008 by Shollin

[portalkat]

The first time that I tried this, it smelled mostly of rose and violet with a bit of resin in the background. I tried it a couple of days later and the wood with the frankincense and herbs were the strongest notes with only a suggestion of the flowers. This is what I had been hoping for, resiny woods softened and sweetened by the floral notes. It is really beautiful, a bit musty and somber and a wonderful tribute to those who have passed before.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Cypress with a very herbal feel and a hint of sweet flowers.

 

Immediately on skin: This is very sharp and herbal, with a dark green woodsy feel coming from the cypress. There’s an airy sweetness that creeps out as well… it’s very light and wafting.

 

After a little while: This scent has gotten so much more complex… the cypress has faded somewhat and the frankincense has come out, along with the rose. There’s also something lightly spicy about it, which is nice. It’s a slightly smoky and dark wooded scent with hints of sweet resins and rose.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent starts out rather sharp, but smooths down with wear. The feel of it is more unisex… it’s completely wearable for women and I think it would smell great on men too. Upon drydown it’s quite complex, so I think that others might amp different notes.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is cypress and marjoram...quite herby...

 

once applied something pickle-like which subsides quickly; rose and lots

of herbs ... this has pretty good sillage and gets a little smoky after even more

time...

 

interesting for sure

[alicia_stardust]

I can't believe there aren't more reviews of this! I smell the cypress first and foremost, and it consistently remains the most noticeable to me. The rose is cool and watery and light and it is deepened by just the faintest smear of dusky violet. The duskiness is complemented by the frankincense and ambrette. I do think I smell the Lebanese cedar in here, but I can't be sure. It seems to have a different characteristic smell than straight cedar but it seems to lend itself well to the cypress.

 

I think my favorite part of this is the way the rose and violet mingle with the heavier, darker notes. This has a very strong throw and long wearlength.

[evanescence]

Gorgeous!!! The label is beautiful, so if you're into labels, this one has a stained glass vibe about it.

 

Sniffing from the bottle - not so great. I passed on trying it several times and it almost went straight to the sale page. The cedar, cypress, frankincense were just all WHAM! - to the point that I almost didn't even bother with the skin test. Lesson learned... b]so [/b]glad I did, as it quickly turned into a lovely smoky incense on me. I'm getting a beautiful violet from it, not sure about the rose, but really I think just an incensey subtle floral is my best description of it.

 

 

I'm just stunned by how much I like this, and thrilled by how much it likes me.

[soonyi]

wet, what a stunning, complex mix! a woodys/deep herbal mix with a soft pink rose blanketing the background

 

dry, the majoram (and possibly ambrette) turn sour food on me with the cedar/cypress/rose mix so lovely and charming....garh! i wanted this one to work! damn those herbs!

[cranberry]

This starts off as heavy cypress and herbs. It smells fresh, woody, a touch evergreen and herbal.

 

As it wears the frankincense and rose come out, toning down the cypress and herbs. I’m having a hard time deciphering the background beyond the rose and resins. It smells dark, slightly woody, a bit smokey, almost familiar but not quite. Like an interpretation of an exotic incense blend from a land far away (like it should be one of CDG’s Incense series). Quite lovely in fact and so surprising considering the strong herbal beginning.

[slave1]

PARENTALIA

 

In Bottle: Incense

 

On Skin: That same almost clove-like incense as is in Valentine of Rome, so I’m thinking it’s the frankincense. The rose is very sour and burns my nose. The cedar is very strong and with the violet rounds out the sweet side of this scent. This scent is very woody and herbal, a natural scent. The rose really kills it for me though, since it’s so sour. Too much of a harsh overall scent here… I do love the background notes, and that there is a soft side. But when it finally warms up on my skin completely the rose is still too much. It has a medium to strong throw and a fairly long wearlength.

[angelicdemise]

On me this is a haunting rose with a bit of cedar underneath. Kinda like dried roses that have been found in an old cedar chest. I love it! It reminds me of memories, not any specific ones, more of the feeling of looking at old pictures. Ones where your grandparents were young and happy.

[PurringPulsar]

Parentalia

 

In the imp: mmm, herbal incense. I smell marjoram and frankincense here.

Wet on skin: now I smell rose and something sweet and balmy mixing with the herbal incense.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is gorgeous! I love the dry herbal scent this has from the marjoram, it reminds me of the scent of a perfect summer’s evening on holiday somewhere warmer than here. Then there’s the frankincense, which is fabulous in here, and underneath I smell a woodsy, slightly powdery rose (powder in a good way) with an exotic spicy and slightly sweet feel that reminds me of Baghdad. I think it’s the violet making it powdery but though this smells traditional and has a feel of age, it doesn’t smell too old fashioned for me.

After a while: the initial herbal-resin scent fades a little, and the slightly powdery scent of rose, violet and woods is now strong. It smells ancient and exotic, the rose is wonderfully strong now, contrasting nicely with the cedar. It now reminds me slightly of Pulcinella and Teresina, but without the thick resinous scent I got from that. This smells a little bit dusty at times, but also noble and strong, with a vintage feel to it. The scent then turns to a pleasant powdery scent of soft sweet rose and violet with a woody undertone.

Verdict: this one surprised me by how beautiful it was. I was expecting something old fashioned and maybe a bit masculine, but it’s actually a really lovely unisex scent which is traditional in a very good way. First I get a blast of marjoram, mixed with frankincense it makes a fantastic herbal incense, and it made me realise how much I love those dry Mediterranean-style herbal scents. this then changes into a lovely rich woodsy scent of cedar and rose, it brings to mind a box of fragrant wood filled with old rose petals, like a keepsake or heirloom from a distant relative. It’s a strong, solid scent with a feel of something vintage and classic, and a has lovely balmy warmth to it.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes, I got a bottle of this one.

If you like this, try: Arcana, Baghdad, Wanton, Marie, Pulcinella and Teresina, Scales of Deprivation, Clod and the Pebble

[blu°]

Parentalia is pure love to my nose and on my skin.

 

I can't yet say much more other than that I loved it. I'm still undecided if I love it more or less than Valentine of Rome or if I love them just the same.

 

Parentalia while wearing sometimes gave off whiffs that reminded me of a somewhat softer Thanatos.

 

The ambrette is truly beautiful. It is a bit powdery, especially with the violet next to it, but it's a wonderful kind of powdery. Sweet, smoky, yet bright, light and somehow clean smelling. I'll get my future bottle a place of honour right between my Thanatos and Arcana bottles. I think it would fit that gap perfectly.

 

I'm repeating myself, but I just love the herbal, floral incense scents. I wish I had enough money to get five bottles of Parentalia.

 

ETA: worn this a second time after having tried Valentine of Rome for a second time, and I don't know if my chemistry changes so fast, or if it's my nose or whatever, but this time Parentalia was rather boring on me. It reminded me of my experience with Ouija, which I first loved, and later on found to be boring, too. Somehow the violet and rose and cedar lost their individuality and combined into something rather plain: rosé-tinted powder. I think I'll have to test it a third time, to make sure, but time is running short before the update goes down.

Edited March 21, 2008 by blu°

[AEris]

I also get the herbal incense vibe, but I'm not picking up much in the way of violet. There is a resinous honeyed note that makes me think of maple syrup, not sure if it's the ambrette or the frankincense or what the heck it could be....

 

Parentalia is pleasant as well as unique. I'm not completely taken, but it's not bad.

 

3.2 out of 5

[savage_rose]

It smells like those dried desert rose stones...rose normally loves me, but I think the violet in this one is glomming onto it and making it rowdy and misbehavin'. And I just took a big whiff trying to determine if I liked this enough for a bottle, and it made me sneeze. It really packs a throw!

 

I think I may have to get it, just because it's such a unique rose, and I've been so into rose lately. WOW, I cannot believe I am getting a violet scent. I'm glad I tried this!

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle it's super yummy -- I am smelling a spicy rose violet cedar. The incense spice is the top note and the rose-violet-cedar are on the bottom. Very very nice. Dark.

 

Dry on my skin it lightens up and becomes a lovely incensey rose-violet.

 

VERY nice.

[Little Bird]

Parentalia starts off as herbal, almost bitter smelling woodsiness on my skin. A bit sharp. Then the florals come crashing in and I smell a soured something that I'm guessing is the rose going sour. I was overwhelmed by how bad this was for the first fifteen minutes or so, but it finally did calm down a little on my skin. It's as though the flowers and woods literally dry out in the drydown, because I'm left with something like rose dusting powder and dusty cedar planks. There is a bit of a resinous/incense quality as well, but it's very light on my skin and I seem to amp Parentalia into a dusty/dry/powdery category that I don't really love. I might hold on to my decant to see if this ages a bit better, but it's inching its way towards my swap pile.

[alhbooks]

Starts a little bitter, almost wood ash, with an underlying sweetness but softens quickly into something much more pleasant. i do think it's a good unisex blend (and I like those on me) with more herbal/woodsy than floral on my skin. The rose and violet start to come into play after 15 minutes or so, but this is nowhere as woodsy as Clod and Pebble.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

A somber, herby scent which seems very natural and calm... oil-burner perfect, I say. It smells very damp and even, though... am looking forward to it.

 

On Me

The first thing I notice is the cypress/an oakmossy smell, then the rose appears. And my skin amps it, so the resulting smell on me is a wet, buttery rose with an undercurrent of something dark, dark green and yet there is something sweet happening. No idea what it is, but there ya go, I guess.

 

 

Overall? I love this for the concept and how it smells in the bottle, but on me it wasn't insanely exciting. The throw was good and it lasted awhile, but it smelt like other stuff I've worn and didn't stand out a whole lot for me.

 

But hey, I liked this enough, and I'm not expecting to have a Dee experience every time I slap on some BPAL.

 

I short?: A nice, neutral rosey blend on me.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Damp cypress with rose and violet just barely skirting over it.

Wet: ....where did it go? I'm getting just the barest hint of cedar, which has a tendency to amp on me.

Drydown: Muted cypress with roses. Lovely, but almost undetectable.

Dry: The sweetness of the rose is coming to the forefront, much like my beloved Rose Red. It's tempered just slightly with the cypress and cedar, though.

 

Not rating this one yet, as I think it needs to be retested after my period. If my suspicions are correct, though, I think this is a blend I won't be able to wear regularly. Cedar tends to overwhelm everything else on my skin, and while it's lovely right now, it's very, very faint.

[taramarie]

(I originally posted this on 4-22 but it looks like it was deleted when the forum went down.)

 

In the bottle, Parentalia is just incense resin. Wet on my skin, there's this strange sour note I can't identify. Dry, it's all resin with maybe a little cypress. Someone else can have this.

[edenssixthday]

Parentalia – This has some of my favorite notes and some of my least-favorite notes, so I was really curious to see how this scent would pan out on me. It doesn’t pan out at all! It’s a cacophony of scents – woods, resins, florals, and herbs – clashing together in what smells like an olfactory battlefield on my skin, each note vying for top dog position. The notes don’t begin to blend well on me and each one is singularly identifiable. I can’t really describe it except to say it’s just a really weird scent on me – very woody, floral, resinous and herbal. I think it’s more masculine than feminine, but I probably wouldn’t wear it even if I were a guy. The throw and wear length are moderate.

[filigree_shadow]

I think cypress and violet are the prominent notes in this one, although it does seem to have that sort of peppery scent that I usually associate with cedar. When I first put it on the violet was soft, but that's definitely the floral note that I smell in this. Can't really pick out a rose note. When it was dry the violet not was stronger, but it seemed more velvety than violet usually is, and I bet that's from the rose.

 

If violet is sometimes a little too bright for you, try this one. It's darker and drier than violet usually is because of the wood notes.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is cedar, pepper, wood, and a touch of rose. When first on it's cedar mixed with something floral and "perfumey". After a couple of minutes, the rose comes out a little more and then it almost smells like apple?? After a couple of hours this is a mix of faint violet, rose and woods. It's soft and cozy smelling although a bit soapy too. On the drydown this becomes a soft violet and rose blend with some hints of wood in the background. It's sort of like a cross between Danse Macabre and Harlot. Nice!

[zankoku_zen]

I get rose, violet and cedar. It's a soft, almost powdery blend because of the roses. Soft and cozy!

[milo]

This is kind of citrussy on me. I thought for sure there was lemon here, but maybe it`s the evergreens. After a bit, a sweet, delicate rose comes out that doesn`t go powdery on me, which is always nice. All in all, a fresh citrus-like blend with a touch of rose. I`ll certainly enjoy the imp while it lasts!