Belle Vinu

[Vega]

Red sandalwood, vanilla, rosewood, osmanthus, and white peach.

Sniffed: Light florals and woods. I think it's the combination of sandalwood, rosewood and osmanthus.

On skin: Rosewood (yep, smells like rose-infused wood) emerges first, followed rapidly by the other notes, and everything mixes together during drydown. Belle Vinu is a pretty combination of calm, light sandalwood and rosewood, the dry citrus-like osmanthus, and touches of bright juicy peach and sweet vanilla. Unfortunately the woods and osmanthus dominate after the scent dries, and it ends up quite dry and woody. I'm reminded of Libertine, a similar floral-light woods blend.

Verdict: Belle Vinu is a pretty scent, but it isn't all that distinctive. I'm rather disappointed that I didn't get more peach and vanilla to balance the woods. For swaps.

[tajana]

The top notes to this are a freshly floral osmanthus and white peach, just barely ripened, with that soft and fuzzy skin quality. The delicate nectar-like notes play well off the fresh, distinctive rosewood. Rosewood, bolstered by red sandalwood, is really the star of the show, which delights me. The sharper, vaguely spicy aspects of the dry wood meld perfectly with the delicate peach and subtle dose of creamy vanilla. The osmanthus note takes things to the next level, boosting the floral side of the rosewood and just generally enhancing the fruity-floral, springtimey, refreshing aspects of this scent. I love osmanthus tea, and I love wood notes, it's no surprise that I'm head over heels for Belle Vinu! One of my all-time favorite BPAL scents. I can wear it anytime, anywhere and net compliments.

[aleciarivas]

Unfortunately, I get a green-smelling herby scent from this one which I don't care for. I'm pretty particular, and if I wasn't so picky then this might be a winner for me. I get hints of the peach and the vanilla from time to time but it's just that- hints. The green scent is much stronger and continuous, so I'll pass on this scent.

[melrose]

I love most of these components, but they blend with my skin chemistry to produce something perfectly bland, perfectly pleasant, and perfectly boring.

[romarin]

It goes on as indeterminate floral but quickly comes out as a plain, ripe, real peach. There might be other notes, but you can't tell because the peach gets peachier. And peachier.... Half an hour later, intense waves of PEACH are rolling off me and into the hallway. And by peach, I mean a really intense, last thing smelled by Jame's aunt as she's crushed to death by the giant peach, peach. Way, way too much.

 

So I went to wash it off. However, the soap and water appear to just lift off the excess fruit. The peach is still there, but it's beautifully balanced with a bit of smooth wood and something a bit peppery. Belle Vinu, scrubbed under the pump, is quietly cheerful but not thoughtless, innocent but not naiif, witty but not mean. She's also a good kisser.

 

This turns out to be a keeper.

[theseagrows]

this is a very sweet, cloying peachy-floral on me. i am amping only the osmanthus and peach. it's so floral, it makes me sneeze-it's like entering a flower shop! i am not getting any woods or vanilla to temper this one. it's sweet and sharp and way too strong on me.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

So, in the imp this smelled a little powdery - soft and not a whole lot of definition. Not bad, just soft.

 

When I applied it, though, the woods started really coming out. Almost like my great-grandfather's old cigar box decades after his last cigar and before I put all my BPALs in it. There's some spicy florals in there too, but mainly warm and woody.

 

After a few minutes, I'm getting that peach-skin scent..almost like I'm just biting into a peach and the skin has just broken.

 

I like this one, maybe for work. It's not really in-your-face, it's soft and pretty, and the warm woods keep it from being cloying. Nice!

[becca_s]

Belle Vinu is a soft delicate scent - it's mostly sandalwood and peach on my skin. I actually thought that this had musk in it until I checked, something in this turns musky on me. I like this scent, it reminds me of something from my childhood. It is slightly powdery. It will be good for days when I want to wear something natural and soft, it seems suitable for lots of different occasions. I will keep the imp and decide later on if I want to get a bigger bottle of it.

 

Edited to add: The longer I wear Belle Vinu the more powdery it becomes, so I have decided that even though it's nice it's too powdery for me.

Edited April 11, 2012 by becca_s

[undream]

starts out unbelievably light & fresh and beautiful(!). warms into a very soft, slightly powdery, very subtle floral scent yet remains light & fresh. i'm not getting any overt peach note, just maybe a whiff of vanilla and an overall delicate whisper of Spring. morning rain, flower petals in the river, the barely there ghost of a girl's innocent first love. it's not really a "me" scent, and i will likely be listing it for swap, but it is lovely nonetheless. (:

[cadenza]

In the bottle: It smells very green to me, with an undertone of "purple" (something wine-y?) Possibly the purple smell is the white peach, as I always tend to misread peach notes as something else.

 

On application: Very green and woody (the rosewood, probably), with the slightest sweet undertone. After a minute, the peach begins to float up and become noticeably peachy.

 

Ten minute drydown: It's gotten very sweet and flowery--mostly peach and sandalwood, with that green, rosewoody smell still strongly behind it.

 

Half hour drydown: I am now amping the "rose" in "rosewood" like crazy. Green and rosy with just a little bit of sweet behind it. Where did the pretty peach smell go?

 

Dry: An interesting, complicated scent. The peach scent comes in and out, sometimes balancing out the green/rosy/woody scent, and sometimes overpowered by it. My skin apparently snarfed up all the sandalwood.

 

Spouse Verdict: "You smell like Fruit Stripe bubblegum. That's mostly a good thing, although it has a bad connotation because it smelled really good and only tasted good for three seconds. That's an exaggeration, it was probably thirty." No/Maybe/*Yes*

 

Conclusion: All in all, a pretty, complicated, sophisticated scent that would be very work-appropriate. Not really very "me," but since the spouse likes it, I'll probably keep the bottle I have and pull it out occasionally. 6/10

[Dizcodancer]

This has grown to be one of my favorite BPAL scents, and I find I wear it often - as it's not quite as overpowering as my other favorite, New Orleans.

 

I agree with the reviewers who picked up on a powdery scent in this. I got Bell Vinu as a frimp, so I have no idea how aged it it. That could be why I do not detect any peach whatsoever? I love peach though, so wouldn't mind that either.

 

Every note in this blend is an absolute win for me. I love the softness of the rosewood and vanilla - which are the two most prominent scents in the blend on me.

 

On, this smells like a warm, rich powder. Not talc like at all, but a powder you'd love to wear. I think it is a classic scent, that would be pleasing to many. I cannot picture men loving this scent though - I'd love to get some feedback from men. It is very feminine.

[JazzieCazzie]

A frimp from the Lab with my recent impapalooza order.

 

One I would never have ordered myself because, despite quite liking most if not all of the first few notes listed, the last note mentioned was the dreaded "peach." A deal-breaking note for me, no matter where it comes in the list.

 

But I'm trying everything in my impbox, old, new and ... well, everything. My goal is to have reviewed or -re-reviewd every single BPAL I own.

 

IMP: Yup. There it is, right in my face. The Peach. Over every other note, I get "the fruity."

 

I dab a teensy tinsy bit on my wrist ...

 

WET: As far as peaches go, this isn't horrible. It's closer to fresh peach (which happens to be one of my favorite things to EAT, but I just don't usually like fruit SCENTS if that makes any sense) than prevous BPAL peach notes I've tried (stomach-turning Fae, I'm looking at you) -- though I know they're really popular with people, so it's clearly just something with my chemistry that makes it nauseating. This is kind of soft and pink ... maybe the vanilla and sandalwood offset the peachy-peachy?

 

DRYDOWN: Nah. Just not me. Just a little too girly-fruity-sweet for my tastes. Not horrible. But does reaffirm my feeling that I don't go well with fruit.

 

OVERALL: 1.5

 

Scampers off to the swap box.

[Alainn]

Sourced from a forum sale, so I'm unsure how old my imp is.

 

In the imp: Ooh, juicy peach! With a floral edge, no woods to speak of.

 

Wet, on skin: Wow, this one is STRONG. I'm getting a bit of a bug-spray vibe while this is wet, which feels like the rosewood and osmanthus attempting to gang up to smack down all the other notes. I still don't smell any sandalwood, which is strange given that most of the other reviews mention how woody this blend is. The peach is really juicy and fresh, and seems to be keeping the florals from piercing my brain. It puts me in mind of Persephone a bit at this point, with its fruity/rose essence, although the fruit here is sweet peach instead of bright orange.

 

Dry: Ugh. Apparently my skin (or my nose?) can't tell the difference between rose and rosewood, because dry, all I'm getting from this is roses, and they aren't playing nice. It's turned sour and amped up to crush everything in its path. I was hoping the vanilla and sandalwood would temper everything else to make this wearable for me, but they never showed up, and the icky rose(wood) staged a coup and defeated all other notes. Very disappointing.

 

I've been searching for a peach scent to love and pet and call my own, and sadly, this isn't it. Swap box!

[ringmaster-red]

In the vial: very woody

 

Wet: Very woody. The sandalwood makes it quite dry, there’s just a hint of rose, and the peach comes through to give it depth. A little powdery, but not altogether unpleasant. Average throw. After a few minutes, it warms and the vanilla comes through more. It becomes more of a sweet peachy sandalwood. Sniffing from farther away, I get wafts of mostly the peach and vanilla.

 

Dry: It’s a sweet, woody peach. And it’s definitely a fresh juicy peach fruit, not a fake peach smell. It’s warm and soft. Not overstated. After 10 more minutes, the peach is much more apparent. I do like it. I’m not sure if I like it enough for a bottle purchase. I’ll have to test it another time.

[milo]

Getting the peach and a heady floral right away. This ends up being a peachy sandalwood, very sweet, almost alcoholic. Definitely not my kind of blend.

[Chanteuse87]

THIS is what I need in a peach scent. It's perfect -- floral and peachy, with a firm grounding from the woods. Not too sweet, but purely feminine in a young and fresh sort of way, at least on my skin.

 

While Tamora smelled like "melted skittles" according to my husband, this one is sheer and delicious.

[brilliantcat]

Herbally floral in the imp. No woods, no vanilla, no peach. On me, the peach blooms immediately, though it has a sense of sugared dried fruit rather than fresh peach. This is lovely! As it warms, the vanilla lends a light creaminess and the woods add some depth. It seems more like peach blossom than fruit, but it's definitely something I would want a bottle of!

[symbiosis]

I get a lot of peach out of this imp - both sniffing the imp itself and on my skin. The sandalwood, which is a note I generally like, is nonexistent on my skin. To balance out that disappointment, I am glad this blend isn't too floral on my skin. Largely this is a clean, pretty peach on me. It's nice enough, but I'm not really one for smelling fruity.

[mymymai]

ITI: Oh, that's pretty. It's white peach, rosewood, and a hint of osmanthus. This is feminine, pretty, and innocent.

 

Wet: It's still lovely - peach, sandalwood, osmanthus, and rosewood combine beautifully together to form a scent I would consider wearing on a regular basis.

 

Dry: It dries to faint peach and rosewood, which is still really pretty. This is a keeper for me.

[Redillon]

I really wanted peach but all I got was rose. All floral rose. *sigh*

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: my impressions are a fresh floral with a bit of sharpness underneath.

 

Wet on skin: This is a fresh floral, but with a powdery sweetness which reminds me of amber.

 

Drydown: Why am I smelling sharp, biting cotton/linen; yet there and no such notes in the is blend. Maybe it's the red sandalwood which comes across as sharp? I"m not too sure. I'm not liking this stage so far.

 

An hour later: well the sharpness is still there, but it's not nearly as prominent as it was. There is a soft sweetness which somehow reminds me of amber, but must be the vanilla in the blend rounding out the bite of red sandalwood.

 

Wish I could smell the peach and vanilla, but all I got was spiky sandalwood and floral (osmanthus?), perhaps smoothed out by the vanilla. This isn't a blend I'd reach for as it's too pungent in the wet and most of the dry down.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: I don’t know whether it’s more accurate to call this a flowery peach, or a peachy floral. I’m not familiar with osmanthus, and that must be what I’m smelling, because I know all the other notes.

 

Wet: Slightly green floral.

 

Dry: As this warms on my skin, it becomes a juicy, natural-smelling peach, just slightly sweetened with vanilla. I’m really surprised that my skin isn’t amping the rosewood or sandalwood, or both, but I can’t even pick them out.

 

A nice surprise: all the notes are ones I like, but I would not have thought to try this. Somehow I never look at Marchen. I think it will be even better after a little aging.

[miamaslegi]

176: BELLE VINU
GC: Marchen
"Red sandalwood, vanilla, rosewood, osmanthus, and white peach."

Received from lab 10 August 2013

In bottle: I'm having a hard time smelling this in the imp - all I'm getting is a faint, soft sandal. Hopefully I'll be able to smell it better on my skin.

Wet: I'm not really getting the peach. This is mostly sweet, flowery osmanthus and soft sandalwwod.

Dry: This faded really quickly and was difficult for me to form an impression of since it was so faint on my skin. After less than an hour, this is just a vague, nondescript floral sweetness. It's pretty, but very faint and completely forgettable. No need for more.

2/5

[BoneBone24]

Wet: A dewy, sweet floral. Almost creamy.

 

Drydown: Smooth and creamy-sweet (without screaming ‘vanilla!’). The peach adds a light touch of fruitiness, in a sparkly, uplifting way. The osmanthus, sandalwood, and rosewood meld together nicely in a slightly floral and beautifully grounded base. Very beautiful and also very unique. It shares a few notes with Tamora, and the overall balance is similar, but this is lighter and more ethereal.

 

Dry: It stays the same mix of sparkly-creamy-floral-peachy-grounded-smooth goodness as the drydown, with the exception of the left wrist being a bit more peach-dominant and the right wrist being a bit more osmanthus-dominant. Both are lovely, and that’s coming from someone who is very picky when it comes to florals, fruits, and vanillas!

 

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

Edited December 23, 2014 by BoneBone24

[Veronica]

Wet, this smells green but sweet--a budding floral. I can detect the rosewood as a background note--a warmer, more soft sandalwood. Dry, this is a very lovely rose scent--soft and floral, not at all dominant or overwhelming (very different from Peacock Queen, The Rose). I don't get a strong vanilla, a touch of peach but this is not a fruity scent on me. I really like this and may consider a bottle.