Viola

[jj_j]

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.

Heavy on the tea rose and lily for the first five minutes, Viola settles into pure warmth and gentle, lush, but faint rose with a hint of lilac. The amber, spanish moss, and rosewood make this absolutely round and full and warm, and that drop of mandarin gives Viola just enough sparkle to not be a woody floral scent.

The sandalwood never makes it out in the open; I guess red sandalwood is a lower-key version of the sandalwood that came clamoring out in Velvet. Whatever the case, this works.

[Gothabillywench]

Mmmm, a new fave! Viola is a bolder, ballsier more in your face version of Endymion on me. Floral but it packs quite a punch- think it's the tea rose.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: O creamy white floral goodness. It reminds me of the trinity of my floral faves, Endymion, Queen of Hearts and Hymn.

 

Second Impression: This one the creamiest of the bunch with a bit more depth, perhaps it's the resins. Smells lovely on my skin and hair, fairly faint though. It's much stronger in my scent locket hanging under my nose, MMMMMMMMMM.

 

Final Analysis: Another beautiful white floral, I would have a hard time choosing which one I like best.

[hypothermya]

I've always thought that Viola is one of the brightest, loveliest, and most courageous characters in all of Shakespeare. Twelfth Night has always been one of my favorites (right up there with The Tempest, and Taming of the Shrew), and I was dying to see how Beth envisioned Viola. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that the cross dressing Viola had such a floral theme to it, but after all, she really is a lady underneath. So even though I'm not necessarily a fan of florals, I gave this a shot.

 

In the Bottle

 

In the bottle this is definitely heavy on the floral. I can smell the tea rose right away, and something really sweet -- reminds me of the sweet pear in Endymion, although there's no pear in this.

 

 

Wearing It

 

On me, this is very strongly floral. I think the Calla Lily comes out when it first goes on wet. As it's drying, I'm sniffing it and my nose is getting all itchy -- damned allergies -- so this is probably going to be one of those scents that I'll have to forego for the sake of my respiration system. Bah. As it dries out, the amber, spanish moss, and sandalwood (i think it's sandalwood...something resiny that isn't the amber) start to make the scent a bit more full on me. Instead of smelling like a straight floral, it's got more of a woodsy smell, with a hint of something foreign (as if a dab of Old Morrocco or Scherezade fell into it). The sweetness is totally gone at this point, and I can't seem to pick out the Mandarin note. Just very floral/woodsy, as if you stumbled into a clearing in a forest, sunlight soaking a floor full of rich flowers, the scent overwhelming you. It's a very warm, feminine scent. Lovely. Of course, my nose is still tingly... Stupid allergies.

 

 

This is definitely one of the best floral scents that I've worn, and it has more body and more oomph than any other I've tried. But at the same time, I'm still not a big floral wearer, and I think that it just isn't compelling enough for me to ignore my allergies for. But smelling it, I definitely find myself envisioning some of my female friends who have a bit more grace and femininity than me; perhaps less tomboyishness, and a glowingly warm, loving personality...

Edited May 18, 2004 by hypothermya

[Koumori]

When I put this on, I initially got a strong rush of lily of the valley, which I think is the lily and tea rose combination talking. It mellowed out eventually so that the amber and sandalwood scents came through more, which was more to my taste, but unfortunately by then (several hours into wearing) it was already on its way to wearing off. Viola is one of my favorite characters, so I'm sad this one wasn't really me. It's the rare floral that really grabs me; for a lily-based floral scent, I prefer Ophelia, and for a rose-based floral I prefer Othello.

[Becky]

when I sniffed it in the imp it came across as a light soft rose. strong rose scents are not my favorite, but I gave it a try. at first it was very rosy. then, very very rosy. after about an hour a bit of the sweetness came out, the amber I guess, but it was hiding underneath the roses. when I could smell the sweetness I liked it better, but the rose was just too much. just not for me.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: The rose is very prominent - a very heavy floral in the bottle. I can tell there is someting interesting underneath all those flowers, though.

 

Wearing: Again, the rose is in the forefront when wet, but this quickly fades to a warm floral with woody undertones. The effect is slightly spicy and very feminine.

 

Final Impressions: This is a pretty floral with warm, slightly resinous undertones - a combination that works well for me. I think a big bottle may be in my future...

[Ms. MSGirl]

This is like that amazing smell coming from your box of imps. Initially going on, it is the very dry musky rose of Spellbound, with a soft resiny or woodiness coming through as it dries. Not at all creamy or too white on me, although some of the sharpness of the florals does put me in mind of Queen of Hearts. Its initial sweetness dissipates and it ends up being very very fresh and almost piney to me, like the woods in the summertime.

 

It's got a lot going on, something for everyone I would say, which is why it's like that great smell coming from your box of imps. It's got staying power out the wazoo, too, and I really like it for summer -- less sweet and feminine, which is what I sometimes feel like on outdoorsy days. I am even getting a kind of woody cologny note from it which reminds me of the crossdressing, ladykiller Viola.

 

I don't like the drydown quite as much as the wet flowery phase, but it's a definite keeper, along with Rosalind and Tempest, under the category of fresh outdoorsy scents.

[amberbella]

Oh, Viola, how I love thee. Of all the rose scents I've tried so far, this is my very favorite. I think it's the amber that makes this rose wearable for me. This one is so pretty, floral, and soft. It is an absolutely round and full scent. Another of those scents calming enough for me to wear to bed.

 

This one is a definate keeper and a big bottle must.

[heartbeast]

I thought that the rich, buttery note in Juliet was the musk interacting with the stargazer lily...but it must be the calla lily, because Viola has it too. Obviously I need to try some more calla lily scents. This stuff looooves me.

 

The richness that calla lily has on my skin is delightfully underscored by the amber and woody notes, while the other flowers and the mandarin sparkle above it. There was a moment, during the wet phase, where the mandarin interacted with the richer notes in such a way that it reminded me a bit of those chocolate oranges. There's a bit of creamsicle too, in a very non-foody way, if that makes sense to anyone. This also reminds me a bit of a lighter, more elegant and less earthy version of Estee Lauder's Youth Dew. Viola is Stella Kowalski to Youth Dew's Blanche Dubois.

 

The one thing that's a teensy bit disappointing is that, unlike the scents for Juliet, Desdemona and Katharina, this scent doesn't put me in mind of Viola herself at all. I'm not sure why not. It is also the only Illyria scent for a character that I have actually played, and one of my favorite roles ever. So that's a bit of a shame...but who knows, as my relationship with this scent evolves (as they always do, if I wear them often) I may change my mind about that.

[tempete]

Initially, Viola is a very strong rose scent on me (no lilies thankfully because they go completely soapy on me). I can tell that something is subtly altering the rose note, but I can't quite pick out which note is responsible. As it dries down, the rose note recedes slightly as the sandalwood and amber notes emerge. The final drydown is a lovely mix of amber and myrrh, with very light floral notes floating on top.

 

Given the other reviews, I was quite surprised with how Viola developed on me. I'm not overly fond of the initial rose rose rose (with a bit of something else) phase, but the drydown is utterly gorgeous (amber and myrrh just love me). I will use up my imp before deciding whether to spring for a bottle.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: soft tearose

 

Wet: starts to smell powdery as soon as it hits my skin

 

Dry: grandmotherly lilac and tearose talc

 

Verdict: unfortunately, this is another BPAL rose scent that turns to instant powder on me

[Ishtar]

Wow, Viola is a gorgous floral if there ever was one!

 

It manages to be both delicate and punchy, how does Beth do that?!?

 

Just because of the name, I was almost convinced that there was violet in this blend, but I see this is not the case. The rose note is wonderful, creamy, soft but ever present.

What surprised me most was that there is no musk in Viola, as it evolved exactly like white musk-based blends do on my skin, from fresh to powdery. It is probably the amber and the sandalwood that impart that mellow, creamy powderiness to the blend.

 

Another keeper!

[shelldoo]

In the bottle: floral, roses, I thought violets too

 

wet: hmmm very strong floral don't think I am gonna like this.

 

 

dry: Beth never ceases to astound me w/ her rose blends I end up loving them. This settles down into a very nice mature yet not old lady like rose, I think it is the amber...gorgeous blend.

[Camilla T]

Oh wow, I really, really like Viola!

 

At first sniff: Very heavy floral, am intrigued. I love floral scents

 

On Application: Wow, this is heavy rose - almost heady, but creamy and sweet

 

After five minutes: Mmm, the rose is now playing with the cala lily. It's very strong on me, but because there is this creamy and sweet note to it, it's not overpowering.

 

After fifteen minutes: Something almost citrussy comes out to play. Maybe it's the mandarin and the sandalwood. It mixes very well with the - still heavy - florals.

 

I think this is a scent that lasts on me. But I'll be back and edit this topic later to tell you

 

Yes, this really is long-lasting scent on me. Me likes...!!!

Edited January 21, 2005 by Camilla T

[sarahjay]

this is a really lovely blend - I like all the florals and combined with amber, sandalwood, moss, rosewood & myrrh it's a match made in heaven for me

 

it's quite light on me - but then it's february and I'm wearing polo-necked jumpers a lot! I think this would be lovely in spring/summer. I may get a bigger bottle for spring

[Gin]

Viola goes on with a very strong bite. I'm not familiar enough with many of the notes to be able to pick out which is the culprit. As it dries, it stays spicy but I can smell the florals in the background. Finally, this becomes a surprisingly sweet floral. Gorgeous!

[Falathwen]

This scent was surprisingly colorful to my mind’s eye; it was like a floral tapestry of pink, purple, green, and golden brown.

When I first applied it, there was a breath of mandarin that quickly blended with the dominant rose and lilac. There was a lush and sweetly complex background; it was hard to pick out most of the individual notes in the swirl. The dry down was very powdery, but I expected that because the blend contained both amber and rose which tend to do that on my skin.

[joseybird]

An exquisite scent The rose and lilac mesh beautifully, and I can detect the rosewood and manderin. Even though I generally don't like florals, the woods mellow them and prevent them from getting soap. Definately FBW!

[Northernminx]

I was expecting this to be more floral than it was, but it was a very grounded floral scent, not white and flowey but a bit more of a practical earthy floral. Mandarin, Myrrh and a bit of lilly were the predominant notes on me and while this ended up flowery, it started off with a nice fresh, clean herbal - very green.

 

Lovely and complex and well blended.

[Femke]

To me, when on, this smells like sunshine. You know how the air can fill itself with a warm, lingering, lazy scent when the sun is shining? On me, Viola has that warm laziness. Got the imp from a friend and have ordered a 5 ml of it.

[alston78]

I like Viola very much! In the bottle the rose is very evident to me, and it seems to be mostly floral. On my wrist, however, the spicy notes came out and Viola became playful and womanly at the same time. It's a very long lasting scent (close to 12 hours now!) and strong without being overpowering. I enjoyed smelling it around me all day. I'll have to give it a couple more tries before I decide on a big bottle, but I'm definitely enjoying the imp.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: This is a heavier, more complex blend than what I was expecting. I can pick out the moss instantly, which is probably a very bad sign given my past relationship with moss. The florals are mixed together well enough to make it hard to discern which is which. And, sadly, no mandarin as of yet.

 

Wet: Sandalwood and flowers. Lilac. Lilac with a background note of sandalwood. I've always had a fondess for lilac, really. Such a pretty little thing.

 

Dry down: Still floral but no longer discernible as to which one it is. The other notes are all blending together in this one making it hard to pick anything out of it when I sniff my hand. The rose is light but there. It's the only scent that really stands out on its own. Everything else kinda blends together .

 

Dry: I don't know. It kinda smells like very high quality soap. The moss and the various woods give it a nice background note and the flowers are a little generic blended together. So that it basically smells like a really expensive, nice soap. Which is cool but not me.

[Julilla Regina]

This was all powdered rose on me, I think because of the amber. The rose tried to hold on, like a trooper. It ended up like a rose scented powder, which is not bad, but not really like it smells in the vial. I wish more of the mandarin had come out, or the moss. It is delish in the vial, and holds so much promise. If you can do amber, do this one, it's so nice...just not on me.

[Sheila]

This is one of the first imps I ever tried. I got it in my first order, liked it, but set it aside because new scents were coming in. I decided to try it again--it's aged 6 months, and it's absolutely glorious.

 

First, I smell violets. Not sure if they're in here, though, or if it's another sweet, dusty flower that makes me think violets. Then I smell rosewood and myrrh. This scent is a lovely combination of floral scents and woody, resiny scents. I'm not a huge wood-scent fan, but the rosewood and sandalwood in here are wonderful--they add depth and mystery.

 

As it aged, this became less powdery and more deep and spicy. If you're unsure about either florals or woody-resiny scents, try this.