L'Estate

[AEris]

Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle.

This is one of the most awesomely gorgeous BPAL fragrances that I've received in quite a long time, I am completely enamored!!!!!!!!!

On me, I do not get any powder at all, and amber often goes powdery on me when it's fresh.

It's an artfully blended floral, fresh yet creamy, like sweet tree blossoms. It reminds me quite a bit of Tamamo-no-Mae, just without the citrus/tea business.

I don't know what to say, I wish I could describe it better than this, but I'm just at a loss for words. A masterpiece!!

5 out of 5

[hologhost]

I was very nervous about this after I ordered it - and then started reading reviews. I'm really not a florals girl.

 

Golden and warm indeed. The notes are very well integrated and hard to pick out. But the amber is definately there. The florals are too, but not in a way I don't like - if that makes any sense at all.

 

I'll be really interested in seeing what this does after it settles down from aging a bit. It doesn't have quite as much throw as I like.

[Little Bird]

L'Estate reminds me of Midnight Mass and verrrry strongly of aged A'arab Zaraq. It's a smooth, cool, sweet, resinous sort of amber with touches of sweet floral.

 

I thought that this would turn to baby powder on me, as bpal's amber almost always does on my skin, but this isn't powdery on me at all. I don't get any of the dreaded golden musk either. It's just cool, smooth, sweetened amber and a bit of cool lily.

 

I'm so surprised that this isn't powdery on me and that it doesn't smell warmer. I expected a hot, sunny sort of amber, but L'Estate makes me think of laying in the shade on a summer's day, feeling the cool ground and looking up at elegant blooms...

 

I like this. So far, L'Estate and La Primavera are both keepers for me

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet and golden; vanilla and amber, softer honeyed herbs, lily, sunflower. Faintly powdery. Reminds me of a softer and more complex O.

 

Wet: Deep peach colour. Much, much more floral and a bit more herbal, less foody-sweet vanilla. The lily and sunflower jump out. Amber has a hint of powder, but not unpleasantly.

 

Dry: The lily and sunflower have amped further, the former going a bit soapy. Honey myrtle is strong too and gives this an outdoorsy feel. Vanilla is soft and natural, amber lightly powdery.

 

Later: Here comes the sandalwood, though it's very light and soft, and provides more warmth than dryness. The amber is gone more powdery, the vanilla has amped and taken on a distinctly deep cream note, the myrtle faded. Still quite floral, and finally some yummy musk.

 

Summary: Golden-bright, clean, vaguely powdery florals, sweet creamy vanilla, soft powdery amber, hints of warm sandalwood and herbal honey myrtle. A very natural, rich musk ties everything up into a lazy, soothing package. Ultra feminine. Great throw and lasting power.

 

Very fitting and gorgeously blended, but this is not quite my style. I must say it is a wrist sniffer and the most gorgeous sunflower, musk and vanilla notes, and the ambers are pleasantly and only lightly powdery.

[thelaurenator]

Breathtakingly beautiful. I get something honey-ish, vanilla amber, and lilies, with a touch of unusual florals-- I'm guessing myrtle and sunflower? Although, the honey scent could be the honey myrtle.

 

This is stunning, and has quite an awesome throw on me. This reminds me of a lazy summer day at noon. Just... ugh. GORGEOUS. Instant top 3 for me.

[Monster]

I was very nervous about this after I ordered it - and then started reading reviews. I'm really not a florals girl.

 

I felt the same way! Sometimes amber goes all powdery and old lady on me, other times it's the most gorgeous thing in the world. And the flowers? I was totally taking a chance with this one...especially at $50 a pop! Yeooww.

 

Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle.

 

Out of the bottle: A sweet, warm, golden amber. Really! It's like a ray of warm sunshine. It sounds silly but I can't think of any other way of describing my initial reaction. I think there might even be something citrus in this. Hmmm. The amber might remind me of the kind used in House of Mirrors.

 

I'm babbling.

 

Wet on my skin: Mmmmmm. Definilty the same amber from House of Mirrors. This smells warm, citrusy and comforting. I'm not really getting much lily and if I smell sunflower it's sweet and faint. This isn't an overy floral blend at all....it's more resionus if anything.

 

Dry down: Theerrrrrreeee are the flowers. Ok, I can smell them now but they're still soft, faint and in the background. The amber dominates along with the sandalwood. The citrusy smell is still there which gives this that bright, sunny feeling. Very nice!

 

Verdict: SUMMER! Absolutley summer. NOT floral on me (which makes me really happy) and delightful. I will be wearing this one for the rest of the summer. I'm glad I spent the extra cash and decided to take a risk.

[Brianne]

This is a very golden scent indeed. People who love amber will surely love this scent as it is predominantly amber (at least on me!). I get some florals too, but it's like... amber soaked florals lol. If you liked Et Lux Fuit, I really think this is in the same vein as that, it reminds me a great deal of it. It's a sophisticated scent in my opinion, something I'd think of as mature.

[Dark Alice]

First and foremost.....How the hell did I almost let this one get away from me!!!!!

 

The vanilla infused amber and nepalese amber really start out gorgeously on my skin (on wet)

 

And then something light and fruity comes out....peach....like peaches fresh from the tree in August.

 

On the drydown the peach goes very light and I am left with this soft, summery, golden amber with light hints of vanilla!

 

This is gorgeous! I am soooo glad that I swapped this for L'autunno.

[zankoku_zen]

This is definitely a golden scent. Not like liquid sunshine, but more the warmth of a sunray has been bottled up. It's golden, gloriously warm and resiny, and honeyed. It's like watching the sunlight through this drop of honey.

 

I agree with the comparison of a softer and more complex O. It's much more than that, but the amber is just slightly, oh so slightly, powdery on me.

 

But it's really pretty.

 

...

 

Unfortunately, it makes me hungry. Mmmm. Honey....

[djnevermore]

In the bottle and very wet, this really reminds of what I remember of Chaste Moon...creamy florals with gardenia.

 

Dry, it's a bit less like Chaste Moon but I still smell a bit of gorgeous, true gardenia, as if someone is trailing a blossom under the path of my nose occasionally. It's also creamy (not harsh floral) and wow! I just smelled a bit of honey and then it was gone and then back again. Slightly powdery.

 

If you're a floral fan, this is amazing!!!!!!! I'm not sure I'll keep mine though, as floral is usually the last I reach for. However, it will take me a long time to decide because this is such an amazing blend!

[filigree_shadow]

I really wanted this one when I read the description, but now that I've tried it I'm not so sure about it. I think I like it, but something about it reminds me of cardboard. I know that sounds awful, and I hate saying it, but it's the truth. It's a little off-putting.

 

I have figured out, though, that I really have to give ambers a while to settle in and age. It's not fair to judge them straight off because sometimes they smell a little off on me at first. I'm not going to give up on this scent yet because I think it will be very lovely for me in year or two. It already smells warm and glowing, and I think it'll be even better in a while.

[jeniviolet]

This is doing the unfortunate amber powder thing on me, combined with lily's overly perfumey floral. Hiding underneath is a soft hint of the honey and musk. I'm gonna age this one and try it again in six months, because I do think it has a lot of potential.

[rachel2205]

This one changes quite a bit on my skin. It's much more floral and sharp when wet, but now it's been on a couple of hours it's a creamy sort of scent, the vanilla and amber blending into a soft - smoky isn't the right term, perhaps "smudge"? - smudge with a gentle ripe peach and a breath of florals that remind me of the powderiness of Enraged Bunny Musk or Antique Lace. Very pretty!

[GhillieDhu]

I was a bit worried at first. In the bottle this smelled perfumey in the way that things often do when they're preparing to attack me. But the worries were unfounded - this is gorgeous! On my skin, it's all glowing golden amber and fresh-cut Easter lilies, with a hint of green (the sunflower?) to keep it from getting cloying. As it dries, it settles to a soft ambery vanilla skin scent that lasts for ages and isn't at all sugary or powdery. It's young without being flighty, peaceful and sunny and innocently sexy. I don't want to say it's a simple smell... but it's tight and seamlessly blended, in contrast to the delicious jumble of notes that is L'Autunno. I adore this, and will definitely be keeping my precious decant.

[Schmoozy]

Warm, golden, inviting amber with a hint of lilies. I adore amber, and while I couldn't pass up L'Estate, I was really worried about the lilies messing around with a gorgeous amber blend.

Thankfully the lilies to me are just an after thought if you will. The vanilla, musk, sandalwood and amber combine for sweet and sexy golden scent, and surprisingly the honey myrtle is barely noticeable. I suspect it adds to the sweetness.

I only wish I would have gotten more than 1 bottle of this utterly beautiful blend.

[crebbsgirl]

This is a very golden scent. Warm and light. The amber and honey combination is very reminiscent of O. This is slightly lighter, more floral. But not overly so. On me, the florals hung out it the background. Unfortunately, my skin seemed to eat this one right up. Even after slathering - twice. It hung around for maybe an hour and then totally disappeared. Stupid skin chemistry. I really, really enjoyed this one, it's just too bad it has no staying power for me.

[Victory]

This is the scent of florals lying on a bed of vanilla amber, and is very lovely. L'Estate reminded me very much of biggerCritters when it was fresh, and now reminds me very strongly of The Oval Portrait. Actually, when I put OP on one arm and L'E on the other, they are very hard to tell apart. All three scents are vanilla + florals, with different florals but bC's vanilla is different than the one OP and L'E's seem to share. I really like all three scents, but I wish that they were more distinctly different on my skin and I wish that the honey showed up more in L'Estate, since I love that note. It may just be that my skin amps the floral/vanilla combination since others haven't had this response to the oil.

[PurringPulsar]

L’Estate

 

In the bottle: ohhh, I smell sweet gorgeous amber and a hint of floral.

Wet on skin: sweet delicate golden amber gorgeousness.

Dry on skin: this is absolutely beautiful! Sweet vanilla amber boosted by silky golden musk and sandalwood, and a touch of floral-this lily note isn’t turning to soap on me, yay! The amber is sublime, I can smell the vanilla, but most of all I can really pick out the Nepalese amber, which smells a bit like Arcana’s Nepalese amber note (and, in turn, like those Ambra de Nepal scents) and I wonder if there’s a hidden cardamom note to this. It is a tiny bit spicy, but in a subtle way. Overall this scent is golden, warm, sultry and evocative of sunset colours. For some reason, it makes me think of summer holidays, there’s a very exotic feel to it. It also reminds me of Mouse’s Long Sad Tale, that mix of floral notes, vanilla, sandalwood and magnificent amber.

After a while: this just gets better and better. The amber gets smoother, sweeter, more wonderful. This blend really glows, radiating scent off the skin. the scent is so golden, it’s the colour of late evening sunshine, it’s a scent that makes me think of that balmy and gentle warmth at the end of a hot day, mellow and welcoming. It’s just so beautiful, perfect amber enhanced subtly by floral notes, vanilla, musk and sandalwood.

The musk that lingers at drydown is a dry Egyptian musk scent, reminiscent of sun warmed skin with a hint of sand.

This then turns into pure golden amber and vanilla and musk. I can’t stop huffing my wrist, it is absolutely beautiful. Possibly my new favourite amber scent, along with the likes of Inez. I also adore the way this wafts.

Verdict: this blend more than makes up for the gloomy summer weather I’ve been having here. It is sunshine in a bottle. Pure liquid gold, this is a glorious blend of ambers with a beautiful golden musk, lifted with subtle floral notes and sandalwood, with a hint of spice. It smells very regal, a solar scent, but very feminine, luminous, shimmering, the scent of a sun goddess. It is like the scent version of a mellow summer sunset, and it seems to glow so radiantly from the skin, a very uplifting scent. I am in love with that spicy Nepalese amber with it’s cardamom-ish nuances! interestingly there seems to be a slight variance with my bottles-two bottles smelling a bit lemony, but the other being a purer amber scent, which I prefer. But I love both versions. I’m keeping at least one backup bottle of this scent!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Oh yeah.

If you like this, try: Mouse’s Long Sad Tale, Inez, Hermia, Hymn to Proserpine, Lyonesse

[Limelight]

Well, I knew it'd be love as well. In the bottle, it's gleaming and sharp. Hold your best piece of golden citrine crystal to the light and look through it. On my skin, after about 30 minutes, it's rubbed itself down into a soft, sensuous fragrance. It's fuzzy. How can a scent be fuzzy? But it is. It also has this silky cling to it, much like my beloved White Phoenix. Must be the wonderful musk entwined with the amber. So, get yourself some if you can. Well worth it.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Mostly amber, with musk and lily. Smells wonderful.

 

Wet: Oooh, fabulous! It smells very ambery, but with a bright yellow note that's almost like citrus. Is that the myrtle?

 

Twenty minutes: Amber, musk, a sweet note, and still that bright citrusy note. It is subtle, though: I had to breathe on it to warm it up before it registered well. Perhaps it would do better in a location closer to a warm pulse point.

 

One hour: Amber vanilla musk. The lily and citrusy note seem to have folded in together. Still subtle; I will probably need to wear more of this than the usual few dabs.

 

Two hours: Comparatively light, pleasantly vanilla-tinged amber-musk.

 

Three hours: Persistently light and yummy. Evidently the sandalwood is not the red variety, because it's not souring. Hurrah!

 

Five hours: Still persistent, more balanced toward vanilla now.

 

Eight hours: Sandalwood, musk, amber. Very light, but still there.

 

This is quite nice, and I'll keep my imp, but I prefer the L'Estate bath oil.

[Hayet]

I really like this one about an hour or so after I put it on. It's gorgeous all throughout, but it's the whiffs of vanilla-amber throughout the day that make me keep this blend around. It's rare for me to find a scent that lasts all day, but this one does. Oddly, I don't think "summer" when I wear it. Easter, maybe. It's much more of a spring scent to me.

[Pepperminx]

When the inquisition was up I was hoping to get L'Estate and I am so happy I did - both the oil and the roomspray rock my world. But as gorgeous as it was back when I first got it, it must be at least ten times better now after some aging.

 

It's pretty much vanilla/amber after dry-down, the wet stage being slightly harsher and almost sneeze inducing that lasts for about 5 minutes or less. As another one of my favorites, Glowing Vulva, it just kinds of melts into my skin without any effort and it's hard to make out any other notes than the vanilla/amber combo, although I realize that without the other notes the scent wouldn't be what it is, but that is all I get whiffs of throughout the day. I can't smell the florals much (if at all), but maybe I'm just not trying that hard. This has easily made it into my top 5, and to me it doesn't say "Summer", it says "ALL DA TIME!"

[tehriaz]

um, banana?

 

smells like fake banana both in the bottle and on skn. ew.

 

eta: fake banana drizzled in artificial vanilla. this is incredibly gross, but I'm kind of fascinated and keep sniffing out of morbid curiosity I guess.

 

WHY is it that the gross ones have such massive throw?

Edited December 20, 2008 by tehriaz

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Very faint amber, which surprises me, because the atmosphere spray and bath oil brimmed with scent

 

Wet on me – Soft, sweet vanilla and amber, with the sharpness of the lily in the background

 

Dry on me – The blend settles into a sweet, golden vanilla

 

Overall – I like the dry down, but the blend seems a little flat and one dimensional on me

 

[GardenCat]

OK - it's a cold, foggy spring morning and I needed a pick-me-up, reach for L'Estate. It's honey and soft warm amber sweeten up my mood, while the peaches and lily perk-up my nose. I feel like a golden goddess, smotherded in L'Estate perfume & bath oil!

 

A most beautiful scent for any day - glad I picked up an extra set!