Parthenope

[Epiphany]

Honeysuckle, orris, moss, musk, benzoin, oakmoss, and star jasmine.

Ah yes, Jasmine. Mortal enemy of my skin chemistry. (Tobacco takes a back seat, as it turns up in far fewer blends that would otherwise be awesome on me).

In the imp: This is a very lovely aquatic--greenly mursky (musky + murky) water, with jasmine petals floating on the surface. And some honeysuckle vines growing along the bank.

Wet on: Jasmine. Ah, yes, now I remember why we avoid one another.

Dry: Powdery soap. That sort of white soap that I could never use 'cause it would give me a rash. Foo.

If only it would smell like the art.

[nekogrrl]

Looking at the notes, I was hoping this was going to be a lovely floral aquatic.

 

Sadly, that is not to be. From the imp all I got were the florals. Wet - florals. Dry - florals. Sharp, strong SWEET florals.

 

Sigh.

[Magpie]

I love aquatic scents, so this was always going to be one of the attractions of the Grindhouse for me.

 

Interestingly, it doesn't smell that aquatic on me at first, though in the imp it was a sweet aquatic that seriously reminded me of melon. Now that it's on and drying a bit, it smells like babywipes. Cytherea initially smelled like Crowley-scented talcum powder on me (though it improved) and this smells inoffensively and prettily of handwipes or mild soap.

 

Gradually it's drying even soapier, though the orris is making it powdery, so Parthenope is vaguely soapy, powdery jasmine for me. Sadly, this lady doesn't seem to be working with my skin, which is a pity because I loved the idea of her and her initial scent. She's pretty enough but doesn't seem to want to live up to her original promise.

[veronicafranco]

i get mostly orris/iris from this one. a little jasmine and a little moss (not that i could tell you which moss). definitely no dead clams. on me, this is iris-sweet and creamy, a touch green, like an expensive "all-natural" spa sort of body product (lotion or cream comes to mind, but i can see where people are getting soap). i like it but don't need a whole bottle...

[Little Bird]

In the vial, this is sweet soap.

 

On my skin at first, this actually is a pretty nice soapy scent. I normally hate anything that smells soapy, but this has an interesting sweetness to it that I like. The jasmine and honeysuckle both seem more subdued than usual, putting forth a sweet floral-ness.

 

Unfortunately, in the drydown, something in this turns to serious baby powder and the florals sharpen just enough to start bothering me. Baby powder and creamy floral bar soap. Parthenope isn't a scent for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Oh man... Honeysuckle and Jasmine duel it out - it's like a slightly aquatic hothouse floral death match.

 

Jasmine wins.

 

I throw my tickets. I was betting on Honeysuckle.

 

Jasmine beams.

 

I scowl.

[forspecial_plate]

This scent is wonderful! I'm not sure why I didn't have any interest at first, probably because of honeysuckle and orris. But a kind soul sent me a sniffie, and I love it!

 

I actually like jasmine, especially when the weather is hot and humid. It behaves in this blend and allows the other notes to play too. There is a slight touch of powder which I attribute to orris, but it's not so bad. If it were any more powdery I wouldn't like it, but as it is, it's just right.

 

I really can't pick out other notes here, it's just all blended together. Gender neutral is how I would describe this. For some reason I'm reminded of Lysander, just a little. I agree that the scent matches the dreamy 'green' tone of the portrait. I could see wearing this to work (applied lightly), to a party, even a formal occasion. I've already snagged a decant, and who knows....I may end up with more before all is said and done. This could be a new favorite! Just goes to show how little I can predict what I'm going to like.

[khiseer]

No honeysuckle for me but no over powering jasmine either!

 

very aquatic and salty! almost 'the phoenix like"

 

the scent itself is very soft and It makes me think of swimming in the salty ocean then falling asleep in a soft clean sheeted bed with the sun setting on you and warming it all...

 

I will be keeping my bottle but i think i can let some of it go as decants as it isn't "wild" enough for me

[Ohmaude]

I love the Honeysuckle and Jasmine in the Wanderlust scent New Orleans, so I had high hopes for an aquatic version. Today is super hot out, so I was thinking it was a Jasmine kind of day. I love Jasmine.

 

This starts out as Honeysuckle and moss in the bottle (yum!), then it gets super musky with Jasmine (hmm), at which point it morphs into soap. I rarely get soap from BPAL.

 

The soap fades a bit after few moments and I'm left with honeysuckle soap. Darn.

[innocent]

Me: Hi Parthenope.

Parthenope: I AM AQUATIC!

Me: *reads notes* No you're not.

Parthenope: DRYER SHEETS!

Me: Honeysuckle! Musk! Benzoin!

Parthenope: SOOOOOAP!!

Me: *cries, chucks decant into swap pile*

 

I'll try her again in about a week, when the hormones should be more settled - but I don't have much hope. Aquatics hit my skin and turn into bad dryer sheets quite consistently.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

First sniff smells great, I’m a huge honeysuckle fan so this looks promising. It has a few notes that I’ve never smelled (orris & benzoin).

 

On My Skin

Beautiful! The honeysuckle is tempered by the moss and musk smell so it’s not too floral. I’m not sure if it’s the notes I’ve never smelled before but something in this mix is amazing.

 

After a Bit

This isn’t a strong scent, it’s very understated – something I could wear to work without offending too many noses. Now that it’s been on my skin for a while the moss and jasmine are more prominent and gives Parthenope a lovely, feminine smell.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 4 Throw – 2 Longevity - 3

Overall – 4

 

Final Thoughts

Great scent! I really like this one, it’s not in my top 10 but it’s probably close. If I have some extra money when the next update comes I’ll pick up a bottle.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Saya

[theseagrows]

honeysuckle and jasmine often don't work on me, but i figured they might work with the other notes. i was wrong though, this one doesn't smell too good with my skin chemistry. i smell mostly florals, orris and musk. there is a sour (jasmine/honeysuckle) powderiness (orris?) to this scent and not much else. it just smells musty and powdery on me :/

[AEris]

This is a strong jasmine scent, with a powdery feel to it.

 

On me, it's really just jasmine and baby powder. It's kind of pretty, but at the same time, it's not my style. Soft and understated, for pale girls in pink sweaters.

 

3.5 out of 5

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Parthenope is honeysuckle and jasmine over musk. Dry, moss starts to come through as well. Something about it reminds me of Euterpe. This is gorgeous!

[voodoocatwoman]

Starts out earthy- I pick up orris and musk and moss.

 

Turns powdery. Soft with a hint of jasmine.

 

Not bad. Not incredible, though, either. At least not on me.

[jade_starlight]

It starts off as moss and honeysuckle. Then the dreaded jasmine pulls out her stompy boots and goes to town, doing a Mexican hat dance all over everything. I really should have known better once I saw jasmine listed, but I decided to try it anyway.

 

ADDED May 21:

 

Oh, this is nice. It's mostly lovely moss with a hint of a sweet floral in the background with the aquatics. *huffs wrist* I absolutely love this, and need more.

[vikitty]

Jasmine and honeysuckle! Jasmine and honeysuckle! On me, this is like a prettier version of New Orleans without the decay. I absolutely love this. The moss keeps it from being too cloying.

[PurringPulsar]

Parthenope

 

In the imp: mossy wet flowers, smells like a cross between Roux Ga Roux and Banded Sea Snake.

Wet on skin: mossy flowers…and it seems the honeysuckle and jasmine aren’t turning bad so far!

Dry on skin: mmm, this is very pretty! It smells primarily of moss and honeysuckle with jasmine, which is veering on smelling bitter but thankfully isn’t smelling too bitter, this is actually quite nice. It reminds me primarily of Roux Ga Roux, the mossy scent is very similar, like a thick green Spanish moss scent, a damp moss boosted by the gentler, more powdery oak moss. Amazingly the flowers aren’t soaping on me as they normally do. The scent seems to quickly lose that bitterness and turns to a powdery mossy sweet floral.

After a while: whoa, this scent has throw! And the floral notes still haven’t turned bad on me, yay! Now this smells like a sophisticated powdery moss-musk scent, like a kind of moss scented dusting powder, with hints of soft sweet flowers. It smells like what I wanted Tupapau to smell like. I think I now smell a hint of sweet benzoin here. It’s not as wet as it was before, but the scent brings to mind a pale greyish green colour like that of oxidised bronze, or like the green of Parthenope’s skin in the picture.

The drydown is not too different, still that powdery green moss and soft musk scent with a hint of gentle flowers and even a hint of resinous benzoin, which is doing really lovely things here, like it did in Thalassa. This isn’t too aquatic, but at times it hints at it.

Verdict: another Grindhouse scent containing jasmine that I can wear! She’s not as instantly loveable as Daiyu but this scent is so intriguing and wonderful in the way that it contains jasmine and honeysuckle, hints at aquatic, and actually works on me very well…so rare is this occurrence, I wound up buying a bottle. this is moss, musk, and a hint of floral. it’s almost swampy in a Roux Ga Roux way, but much too soft to be considered truly swampy, this scent is a soft powdery green scent, like green skin musk with hints of benzoin and jasmine. Almost like Thalassa’s quieter sister. It’s gorgeous but because of the fact that there are times when this turns to extreme powder on me, I have to be in the right mood to wear it.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes.

If you like this, try: Roux Ga Roux, Thalassa, Banded Sea Snake, Eos, Tupapau

[rayvn1]

Not good, Miss Parthenope, not good at all. Powdered floral from the get go. For hours and freaking hours... You're going to a new home tomorrow where hopefully they'll appreciate your strong and lingering presence.

[waternight]

In the bottle: Sweet and powdery - orris, I'm looking at you!

Wet: Orris is dominant, layering over the florals, which are definitely riding in the backseat. I get the jasmine, but barely. An unobtrusive thread of musk is present as well, and a drop of benzoin. A bit later, the orris settles down a bit and the jasmine comes out a bit more, supported by benzoin and oakmoss. It goes through a stage where it smells like fancy floral guest soaps.

Dry: For a while, the orris disappears and this is all musk and oakmoss and light jasmine - a very sexy and dusky scent. Unfortunately, the orris returns and this travels to the Land of Powder.

[mgrazulis]

Oh how I wanted to love Parthenope!! The notes read like aquatic heaven...

 

But orris killed the nose deal on this one!! Not many scents have provoked a sneeze-session, but Parthenope holds the record for most sneezes in a three minute period. There's a reason that nothing labeled hypoallergenic can contain orris! It's evil!!!!!!!!

 

Parthenope will need to find another home.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Honeysuckle and Jasmine and moisture

 

Wet: Mmmm! Honeysuckle and Benzoine! It's almost herbal on me! Oakmoss?

 

Drydown: Awww...it's just reverting to jasmine...I like jasmine and all, but I've already got plenty

 

Overall: I'm not willing to give up on this just yet. The wet stage is really cool and I think with a bit more oil on the skin I'll be able to keep that drowning white floral smell.

[donnatron]

Imp: Honeysuckle, moss and jasmine. Honeysuckle and jasmine are one of my favourite combos so let's see how this goes.

 

Wet: The jasmine is the star player with a touch of powdery orris. Maybe a bit of moss?

 

Dry: Oooh. Warm, sweet honeysuckle with elegant jasmine. The orris is a nice, powdery violet touch. I get the moss as a hint rather than the usual "HI! THIS IS MOSS! HOW DO YOU LIKE THESE APPLES?" I wonder what sort of musk it is in this? Maybe Arabian or skin musk? Altogether it's very well blended and sultry. Reminds me a lot of New Orleans or Peitho but is still more than the sum of those parts.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: My favourite Grindhouse girl is Marianne simply because she is so down and dirty and voraciously sexual. Parthenope is a little more refined and graceful. Still a beautiful, sensual scent but also coy and coquettish. Will use up the imp and think about getting a bottle before the carnaval hops town.

[milo]

Not surprised that this one doesn't work for me. Honeysuckle and jasmine, love to smell the flowers, but don't like it on myself. And while delicate, this is indeed honeysuckle and jasmine.

 

eta: Half an hour later, I'm sitting here at the computer wondering what smells so damn good. It is a baby soft, delicate floral now. Not very indicative of a Grindhouse lady, I really like the scent, but it is not me. I could imagine this to be the natural smell of a young girl just entering her teens. Very nice!

Edited July 18, 2009 by milo

[skylarkza]

In imp: Wet and slightly honeyed smelling. Like fresh green leaves and flowers in a stream.

 

Wet: Something musky to it now. It has lost most of the wet smell and is now strongly floral and musky. Maybe somebody just stepped out the stream and is covered in those flowers?

 

Dry: HELLO honeysuckle! Jasmine - I see you there too, trying to hide behind hineysuckle. Why are you two beating up the other notes? I mean - it does not smell bad, but a bit more variety would be nice. Ah, who am I kidding - I love jasmine and honeysuckle and smelling like them is NOT a bad thing.

 

Later: Hmmm... this now reminds me of where the honeysuckle and jasmine grew in our garden when I grew up. But with a greeny-damp scent behind it. Like near the bird bath at night, but a bit stronger. Lovely.