Lady Lilith

[kawaiiferreto]

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Climbing rose, vanilla cream, vanilla flower, white tea, mandarin, red and white musks, opium poppy, Parma violet, and opoponax.

Much with other red musk blends on my chemistry - this is lovely. However, it's not stand out OMG must have more lovely. It's nice, and it's delicious, but I really couldn't tell you what makes it any different on my skin from Red Moon 2007 - they are both lovely, but underwhelming. I wouldn't have a reason to pick this out of my big box of other BPAL lovelies.

(However, on someone else where red musk doesn't tend to amp and smell the same this could be fantastic - before it dries down the other scents are THERE. They just don't stay on me.

Edited to add scent description. Edited September 30, 2008 by kawaiiferreto

[sariasister]

I bought this scent instantly when it came out, because I loved the description. It's my favorite BPAL floral so far, but, like others have said, it doesn't last very long.

On my skin, I mainly smelled the rose with just hints of the other flowers; the vanilla notes weren't very prominent and I couldn't detect the musks at all. The white tea note came out more on drydown.

My husband and I both felt that this one smelled like baby, but not in a powdery way, just in a very fresh way.

I really loved this scent.

[Schmoozy]

A slightly sweet floral, tempered with vanilla and tea. The red & white musks combine beautifully with mandarin and there is a definite hint of violet. I really don't detect any opium poppy or opoponax, but I think the poppy is hiding behind the rose and violet.

I love how this does not scream floral, nor does the sweetness get overbearing. It is creamy and light, and absolutely beautiful. The mandarin white tea, vanilla musk and violet are the real standouts here, and together Lady Lilith is magical.

[livingdead71]

In the bottle and on me, it's all tea, red musk, and mandarin. I'm sad that I don't really get any vanilla from this, though it is still a very pretty scent. Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, it does have a very short wearlength. However, it's pretty enough that it's worth slathering. Glad to have a bottle.

[vegasblueblood]

I am surprised at how little vanilla I get from this. On me, I get lots of mandarin, tea and what I am assuming is the red musk. No rose at all and I think I can detect the vanilla sweetness faintly beneath the mandarin and tea. The violet gives it a slight edge but this is not floral on me at all. This is a lot different from what I thought it'd be but I still really like it and I have a feeling it will get even better with age. Thankfully there is not too much white musk since I am not a fan of that.

[caitilarkin]

Lady Lilith smelled so glorious in the bottle that I almost bought a backup before testing it on my skin. The mandarin and tea were the strongest notes, but the florals definitely held their own. The musk is in the background, and I didn't detect vanilla at all. It's a womanly, complex, very unique blend.

 

Wet on skin: Very similar to the bottle, with the mandarin still dominating, but not shutting out the other notes

 

Dry on skin: Went through a painful half hour of screaming, shrieking lye (not soap, but LYE) that I attribute to the florals--eye watering, sneezing wretchedness Luckily, the floral scariness eventually retreated to the background and the mandarin reappeared, anchored by the musk.

 

This weird lye-like morphing has happened all three times I've tested Lady Lilith. I'm at a loss...but I refuse to give up on this blend. Maybe after it ages for awhile...

[Jilara]

I love red musk, and I love vanilla, and I love parma violet, so I figured this one was a shoo-in.

 

Well, I love the scent, but it's nothing like what I expected!

 

Wet, its soft and musky (though not red musky), with a hinting of roses. And then it just starts to blend and morph, and it's sensuous and yummy. It's warm skin that says "touch me" with a soft vibe of vanilla and a vague waft of floral, a woman's smell, with a languid feel. It's like a younger version of Dolce stil Nuovo. After an hour or two, there is a slightly sharper note that comes out, but it doesn't make me think of tea. It's a greenness, some form of vegetation, maybe poppy? Not the flower, but a slightly green sap, but sleepy...it lightens it enough that it doesn't cloy.

 

Lovely scent! I suspect I'll wear this one a lot.

[birdiefu]

This is one of the very, very few blends with rose in it that don't amp into rotten rose petals on me! It is a very pretty scent, very feminine and girly.

 

First on, I get a general delicate flowery scent with violets predominant, giving the scent a purple vibe. Nice violets, too! As it dries, it turns very creamy, with a touch of those florals still evident. The mandarin and vanilla manifest themselves as a creamsicle sort of scent, bordering on foody, but the florals keep that in check.

 

Oooh, then the musks come out too, I definitely get the juicy red musk, and my notes say I smell Egyptian musk, but that must be the white musk instead. The scent has the feel of sunset at this point, and the florals have gone very soft over the layer of vanilla orangecreamsicle and musk. I can see how this could be OMG love on some people, but I don't feel like wearing florals often.

 

The only problem I have with Lady Lilith is that a few hours in once she has faded quite a bit, the residual scent on my skin is a bit...unappealing. I get a touch of very faint vanilla over unwashed dog . But, I could either reapply or wash it off at this point.

 

Overall, nice and pretty but probably won't be a regular for me.

[dawndie]

In bottle: dusty musk

 

On skin: the red musk blooms right away, somewhat unusual as in other blends it takes a while to appear. Punchy mandarin too

 

Half-hour later: there's a melange of subtley dusky florals, one isn't stronger than any other. Pretty amazing, as rose or violet (both of which I like) can succinctly overpower everything else. The base is red musk with a bit of Southern sweet tea

 

In conclusion: this hints around a sweeter Chrysanthemum Moon. Many of these Salons are so sophisticated, and this is the first Salon bottle I've purchased. Lovely!

[euterpe414]

Wow, my skin is turning this one really, really SWEET and musky. I can smell the red musk first and foremost, with hints of rose, vanilla, mandarin and cream. I don't know where the violets and other notes are, perhaps they are contributing to the overall sweetness of the blend? Regardless of the disappearing notes, this is a gorgeous, feminine blend. It definitely has the feel of the painting down pat- wistful, soft, romantic, and feminine. I am always amazed at the Salon blends and how they capture the artwork so perfectly, and this blend is yet another outstanding example of this.

[milo]

This is sooo beautiful. I'm getting a citrussy, soft floral, very wispy and romantic. It is almost foody, I'm wanting to eat my wrist, but it is more like a fizzy, "girl" drink as I like to call them. Very nice, glad I got this one!!

 

eta: It's about a month later, and this has turned into THE most beautiful red musk blend with the wispy florals taking background. This may have replaced LV as the fave baby scent.

Edited November 5, 2008 by milo

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells like a pale, watery, cool, fruity-floral blend. It's a little too floral for my tastes.

 

I don't care for most of The Salon fragrances, because they tend to smell like department store perfume on me, and they fade very fast on my skin. Lady Lilith has better staying power than most of the other Salon scents did on me, but it still has a very classic perfume sort of feel that makes it not very unique to me.

 

For the first ten minutes or so, I actually really like this scent. The mandarin is fantastic and seems to keep the florals under control. The zingy citrus is uplifting and makes me happy. In the drydown, though, the citrus disappears and the rose takes its place. It dries down to a faint and unremarkable smell of light rose perfume with powder and some other, unidentifiable floral perfume smells thrown in.

 

It's not as bad as Gladdener and Lilith Victoria were on me, but it's not very exciting or unique smelling on me either. Lady Lilith is just a light, boring floral scent on me.

[Zeljana]

the most prominent notes in this one are red musk and mandarin but very well blended. it's rather sweet, but rich - it really is a pre-raphaelitic painting in a bottle. when wet there is something green about it, like freshly cut flowers, but very rounded with fruits. dry, musk comes out to play. very elegant.

it's like a more complex and sweeter version of vechernyaya.

it's very strong upon application, but staying power isn't that strong at all. it will definitely age wonderfully.

verdict: too sweet for me, but will keep my decant in hope that the aged version will have more "edge".

Edited October 8, 2008 by Kosyena

[naeelah]

This sounds gorgeous in the description -- such a perfect interpretation of the painting -- but Lady Lilith unfortunately doesn't seem to like me.

 

Wet, immediately, it's a lot of red musk (plummy, slightly rubbery) and mandarin. The white tea comes out and gives a lovely lemony quality that takes the edge off the musk, and the rose follows soon after. For a few minutes, it's gorgeous. I don't smell much of the vanilla or other components yet.

 

As it dries, the red musk takes back over, and the poppy and violet emerge. All together, it has a strangely musty quality on my skin. The white tea, fleeting top note that it is, seems to be gone already. At this stage, when it's work with me rather than against me, it's a lush floral deepened by the musk and mandarin. It's predominately rose, but I do tend to amp rose. It reminds me a little of Marianne and similar blends, but they're worldly, erotic, baser characters; Lady Lilith is a fresh cream complexion flushed pink, classical beauty in its prime. A temptress on a pedestal rather than in a whorehouse.

 

With the note description in front of me, I can pick out each component (although I never do get much vanilla), but as a whole, it blends seamlessly. I think this is very much in a classic perfume tradition.

 

The top notes burn off within the hour for me, but the red muskiness lingers a good long while. Red musk tends to be a bit weird when young, so I definitely think this will improve with a few months of aging.

 

Try it if you like: Marianne, Marguerite, The Haunted Palace, Moscow, Versailles, Three Brides

[Suu4LC]

This smells insanely good in the bottle. I don't really get the rose at all, I mostly get tea and mandarin and musk. Gorgeous!

 

The rose comes out a bit more on the skin, but not overwhelmingly so-the other notes keep it in check, mainly the musk and mandarin. This feels very refined and dignified. Man, I really love the mandarin in this. If you are worried about the rose in this, as I was, don't be! It just just-barely-there!

 

The drydown softens this up considerably. A soft, elegant tea scent with undertones of mandarin, musk, and soft flowers. Exquisite!

[Iceblink]

Oooh, a morpher--this smells very candylike in the decant and when wet--vanilla-sweet roses and violets. Gorgeous! It changes character as it dries and the red musk makes itself known. I'm now getting mostly musks and mandarin. So interesting! I bet this is going to age fabulously too--I'm not sure if I need a whole bottle but I'm glad I have a decant.

[starwild]

This is absolutely my favorite of the three Little Miss Lilith forum only scents. It reminds of Hell's Belle but with vanilla, and less of an attitude, more of a quiet self-certainty. It's softer than Hell's Belle and the opium is smoky and not horribly sweet, but just the right touch. The musk and mandarin and tea, plus the flowers and vanilla-opium is something incredibly smart, sophisticated, but strong and beautiful.

 

I desperately need a bottle or bottles of this one, sadly I'm broke--if you're not sure, get bottle(s) because I will buy it from you later! Heck, I might claim this as my signature scent if that honor hadn't already been taken.

[Leopard403]

This is absolutely gorgeous. I fear musk, but this is a complex and sexy version of it. A floral musk, if that's possible.

[angelicruin]

This is just a beautiful blend of tea, musk, and very light floral mixed with a creaminess, which I presume is the vanilla. I have to watch anything with floral in it, but on me this has barely any floral throw. Mostly just tea, fruit, musk, & vanilla. So glad I decided to get a bottle after trying the decant.

[FandF]

This starts out a little harsh, but the dry down is quite lovely. The rose is not prominent at all and vanilla cream works fine with my skin. Lab "cream accords" have been terrible on me so i'm glad that this one is different. I was just about to give up on cream notes!

 

I'm not getting a strong tea read like most people. This is a soft scent, a tinge of violets or floral but extremely wearable. I really like this scent!

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Very mild rose, violets, vanilla and mandarin. The rose is not thick or cloying and is very fresh.

 

Wet on skin - A delicious mingling of roses, citrus, white tea and a hint of violet. It's sexy and elegant. I'm eagerly anticipating the drydown!

 

Dry on skin - The red musk and white tea are really prominant now, along with the vanilla cream. This is a gorgeous, complex scent. I can't believe it's many stages! LOVE IT.

[themerrybaker]

Smoky opium, dried petals, and powder. Lady Lilith definitely evokes the decadent fin de siecle Victorian period. I like the subtle, peaceful impression. Definitely a good scent for work, or for when you need a bit of help evoking less vulgar times than these.

[Kimocean]

Reading the notes I had no idea what to expect from this scent. I love citrusy florals and opoponax but usually can't handle anything with red musk as it tends to amp like crazy on my skin and get very "dirty" smelling.

 

Wet on me this is a strong blast of mandarin and tea with a hint of soft musk behind it. Not scary yet but no sign of the florals.

 

As it dries the mandarin fades almost completely on me but the remaining scent is still very pretty. The vanilla has come out to play but is not cloyingly sweet as many vanilla blends are on me. I've also found the violet but it's very gentle. The tea stays present throughout and the musk hasn't amped out of control. Overall it ends up being a very gentle pretty scent.

[Malista]

Wow. I was worried about the red musk, but it turns out that was silly... Fresh on I get a wet hit of mandarin and red musk (love the mandarin, dislike red musk intensely), then the white musk kicks in, swamps all the other notes, and disappears, just like it does in lighter mixtures. I really thought the other notes in this one would be able to stand up to white musk, but I am sitting here with a very expensive bottle of nothing much in the way of scent. I guess I've finally learned my lesson regarding white musk. I can smell like this for a whole lot less money; good basic unscented soap will do it.

[sleepflower]

I have been trying to come up with a good enough review for this scent, but alas.

 

I am not so good with notes, but I do recognise roses, vanilla, and tea. In the bottle it is sharp and citrusy but instantly on my skin it changes to this perfect scent. It is floral, powdery, sophisticated, warm, slightly sweet but thankfully the sort of sweet for which I have come to love and trust the lab. The throw is excellent.

 

Sorry for the slight book-geekdom, but this is close to the scent I imagine was the subject of Grenouille's obsession in Perfume: Story of a Murderer. I would be completely taken by anyone who smells like this.

 

Sometimes it fades on me far too quickly, but other times it lasts through the day. I suppose I need to learn how to make imps so I can reapply it during the day.