Viola

[Lunaratu]

Gentle tea rose, lilac, Calla Lily, and Somalian Rose layered over golden Peruvian amber, Spanish moss, red sandalwood, rosewood, and myrrh, with the lightest touch of Mandarin.

This is floral soap. Soap, that’s all…and I had hopes for this one.

Rating: 2/5

Edited to add description Edited October 9, 2007 by Lunaratu

[ariosa]

This was the last of the frimps I received from the lovely roseaeron! Initially, all this is is rose on me. Which doesn't surprise me, because that's usually what my body picks up and runs with. It's not pure rose, however, for I can smell a bit of resin and a bit of mandarin. As it begins to settle, though, the predominant scent is rose, rose, rose, and for that alone, it will likely find its way to swaps.

[willowtreeling]

I am just starting to figure out what works for me and what doesn't...and I am afraid rose does not work well with my chemistry...or maybe it works too well?

In the bottle, I just smelled sweet flowers--I thought maybe a bit of violet, but that might have been the lilac/ lily combo.

On me--it's a more wearable version of that Tea Rose perfume my mom bought me in 9th grade from the local drugstore, with maybe a bit of a powdery scent....it's pretty, but not me.

 

I like the smell of real roses, I just have never smelt a rose perfume that smelled real...I want to try more bpal rosies, but I think I will avoid the tea rose

[sheridankm]

This was a very old-lady perfume on me... which is sad, since this is only my second scent and I was hoping to be happily surprised. Instead I ended up with a faint lilac-tea rose-powder combination which smelled like a dusty department store counter or foam handsoap. It faded very quickly on me, too.

 

I'm disappointed, since Viola is one of my favorite Shakespearean characters. But this scent just doesn't work for me, and frankly I can't imagine it on her either.

[Nia]

Just a generic floral, and how I hate to use such a vague and negative label. The roses are obvious but there is enough of everything else to avoid the dreaded insecticide/ room freshener effect. The good thing about this one is that it definitely isolates one lilly because most of them go soapy on me. It is good to know that calla lily doesn't.

 

I will only keep it because I only swap away the big soapy / mucky disasters, but this is not a memorable scent at all.

[laliloo]

I found Viola to smell of softly rosey and violets (I guess my nose is telling me violets because of the name - it's more likely lilac). It's a little cloying at first but it's not horrible. I liked it - the rose overwhelm and didn't make me feel nauseous like Moon Rose did. Surprisingly, I've found Viola works better for me on some days than on others. Sometimes the cloying-ness doesn't go away and I have to wash it off, other days it's pretty and comforting and I enjoy wearing it. Weird!

 

I'll be keeping my imp for days when I feel the need for a comforting rose scent, but I won't be getting a 5 ml of this one.

[KikuPeach]

Imp:Floral. Too blended for any individual notes to form.

 

Wet: Nice floral, still can’t really tell. Not too light or frilly. Is that the mandarin peeking out? Ah! Sandalwood! Rosewood! I didn’t catch ‘em til I read em again. Nose too tickly to tell more. I like myrrh.

 

Dry – out comes the Sandalwood and mandarin, but carried on a palanquin of everything else. I can’t pick out any of the floral notes listed, which is wonderful. Strike that – here comes the tea rose. I love rose. But, uh oh, the rose is taking over. Hm. I still love rose, but I liked those wood and mandarin bits better.

 

When I read the description for the scent, I had expected on something very soft and sweet. I’m glad I took the chance. Viola is cunning and sophisticated, (though she enjoys herself), and androgynous ‘til the third act, when she lets down her hair and all the girly comes out.

 

/unsure. Loved it wet, and like the rose. I’ll definitely use the imp (this may be my LAN party perfume, and for dates I’m trying to lull into a false sense of security), and we’ll see about the bottle. Then again, I do love roses . . .

 

((Eek. this has faded already. I can barely make it out. Apparently my skin just 'ate' it. I may use up my imp, but something else is going to have to satisfy my wood jones.))

Edited July 2, 2007 by KikuPeach

[storme]

In the imp: powdery lily-rose with a faint-but-juicy citrus tinge.

 

On me, wet: rose, rose and lily. Very upmarket-hotel-soap-ish.

 

On me, dry: a very demure and restrained rose-and-lily scent, not actually too soapy but, well, nothing special. Bah, where are all those other notes?

 

Verdict: This is very nice in a twinset-and-pearls way, but it's not really very me.

[bryghtrose]

Viola when wet is a perfumey floral. It smells like perfume. On my skin, it starts off as a soft rose, and then dries to a powdery, artificial plastic rose.

[MaidenGenevive]

Viola

 

Besides deliberately applying very lightly (which I always do, but it doesn't seem to help with some scents) it comes off as a delicate scent. Of course, lathering it on would make it more intense, but I won't be doing that.

 

Delicate, warm, lovely. Clearly feminine. This is late Spring, or Summer. I couldn't help but notice the rose first, but this time it smelled different. The other scents I've tried with rose smelled awful to me, but this rose actually smelled like real rose. I love the smell of live, growing-in-the-garden, roses. Not many rose perfumes capture that.

 

I smell the other flowers mingling in the background. They are mixing too thoroughly with all the other notes to really make their own appearance. There's a sweetness to this blend, but happily, it isn't overpowering.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

3 : What a complicated relationship I have with florals. I dare-say I like this scent, although it might do to test again. I hope to find more delicate florals, to get me out of this losing-streak I've been stuck in.

Edited August 31, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[gloom bear]

Viola starts as a slightly herbaceous green scent with a young rosebud underneath. As it dries, the green fades and the rose blooms. With so many notes listed besides rose, I didn't expect this to be so rosy, and I'm really pleasantly surprised. The other notes seem to keep the rose fresh and young and prevent the weird morphing that most of the other BPAL rose scents do on me. This would definitely up there with my current favorite rose, London, if it stayed like this. About 2 hours later, the rose fades and the other notes dominate. Nice, but I'm a hopeless rose lover.

Edited September 27, 2007 by gloom & doom bear

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): All I get is myrrh and sandalwood. Where's the rose??

 

On facial cotton (dry): There it is! This one has only a touch of lily, which is fine and dandy, but I was hoping the floral notes would be stronger.

 

On me: Tea rose! Its sweetness is blended with incense bases, which give it a soothing mature touch. Lovely, but not my style.

[mhickle]

I bought this as part of an imp pack because I just *had* to (the name and all). I had to ignore the fact that there's rose, as rose does not typically work on me. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the rose was not horrible on me - it's nice. Very different from what I normally wear or what I am normally drawn to. It's fairly powdery, but light enough that it seems to work. Still not a favorite, but doable.

 

I have to say, though, this doesn't scream"Viola" at me - my skin really amps the rose, and it's just too floral. Someone else mentioned that it's androgynous until the "third act," but unforunately I'm not getting that, though I was expecting it. It sounds like it would be, but on me it just lacks the strength and boldness I see in the character.

[Northernskygal]

In the imp Voila is rosey and woody. As soon as it hits my skin the roses explode. There is something.. I'm guessing either the moss or sandalwood maybe.. that keeps it smelling very.. real.. This is a very elegant blend, very feminine, very.. sophisticated. This is.. the finest rose scented soap produced by the most luxurious line. It is really wonderful, not overbearing, but also not wimpy. On the right person, this would be an incredible blend.. on me.. it smells great is just.. feels weird. I would love to be around someone else who was wearing this, if I were to try and wear it though I feel like I would be wondering who had on such lovely perfume.. only to realize it was me.. a nice scent, no doubt, just not the right fit for me.

[alaitallon]

I'm not a big fan of florals at all, but this one was pretty tolerable for me. It calms down as the scent is on you longer and the mandarin comes out rather nicely, making up for the floral scent (for me, anyway! Those who like florals would love this one!) There's another vague scent that is absolutely alluring for me, almost a sort of soapy smell but not quite, and that makes me enjoy this scent a bit more as well. The overall scent is pretty faint for this one, but I think that's okay. I would probably wear this again, even if it is a floral.

 

Rating: 6/10

[binaryfaerie]

A nice floral. I can smell the roses and the lilies, and every once in a while, the mandarin peeks through. This one reminds me of Ophelia, but not as extreme on the lilies. I'd wear this again, but I don't think it'll be a favorite.

[maribouquet]

Argh, lily.

[donnatron]

Imp: Dominant moss with a touch of elegant, spiced sandalwood and sweet rose and mandarin.

 

Wet: This immediately smells like Jezabel on me, which is kind of weird. I get an amped rose/mandarin scent with this revolting screaming sourness.

 

Dry: Ah... due to my old nemesis, oakmoss. Oakmoss is not actually my old nemesis, but in the family of my nemeses. The type of note that can sometimes be subdued by other notes in a fragrance but not in this one. This goes almost pure moss on me with a slight underlying hint of sandalwood and rose. The moss is disturbingly body odour-ish on me. I smell like I have been climbing mountains and gutting fish with my bare teeth for a week and decided that a few swipes of fragrance would substitute for a shower.

 

Throw: Mercifully minimal.

 

Overall: Oakmoss got the funk.

[CrazyPretzel]

Initial impression: sweet, lush, juicy tea rose and soft rosewood.

 

The rosewood comes out more strongly on my skin, along with a somewhat dry and dusty Spanish moss note. There's something candy-sweet in here too; probably the mandarin.

 

Hmmm. I really do like the florals in here, but something about that moss note is disturbingly off, like an out-of-key instrument in a symphony. It makes the whole smell just a bit too dirty.

[anardana]

I got this as a frimp- I thought it might be okay on me because of the nice non-floral notes, but this was all ROSE on me and I HATE rose. So, if you like roses you should try this one

[jiggahava]

This smells very thin and watery. I misktook the lilies for violet. It's a slightly dusty floral, due to the rose and lily togeather. There's something slightly green and pungent lurking in the background, which I attribute to the moss. It's very light and pale on me, and the throw is minimal. Pretty and pleasant enough, but nothing special. I'll probably keep my imp and use it when the weather gets hotter. It's a nice cool down scent.

[Leopard403]

Viola always was my favorite Shakesperean heroine, and this scent captures her in such a lovely way: Sweet, but sort of brash. Strong, but not overbearing. Not overtly feminine (well, how could she be? ) but very soft and sultry at the core. Slightly reminiscent of the dry floral of London, there is a bit more fresh greenness here, with just a hint of something smokey at the bottom. Sexy in a sneaky way, just like its namesake.

[alicia_stardust]

This is mostly roses and roses on me, with an accent of lilac that comes across as very cool and almost watery. It really changes the rose a bit in the way that they mingle together. I do get a hint of moss and sandalwood. This is overly lush and has a strong floral vibe to it. It's a bit strong for me and a bit too rosey but it's a fitting creation for Viola and one worth checking out if you love florals and dewy summer roses.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Rosey amber.

 

On Application

Strong tea rose

 

Dry Down

I normally abhor rose scent but I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the lab rose blends. This initially turnd me off but as it dries down the other elements make this a dusty, rich, but not piercingly high, rose scent. The moss gives and earthiness and the sandalwood it's woodiness. I like it. Will keep the imp.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

[Iceblink]

Sandalwood, rosewood, and above all FLORALS. Lilac and lily together should spell doom on me but they smell ok so far. Maybe the woods are making them behave. This is one of those "expensive soap" BPALs...nice, light, wouldn't want to smell like it all day, but would love it in the shower.