New Orleans

[PilotKitten]

Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.

Definitely honeysuckle. I used to have huge bushes of this growing in our backyard when I was a kid. This is a humid, almost tropical scent. I don't know how something can *smell* humid, but this pulls it off. There's a scent of lemon as well which gives it a refreshing zesty quality that makes it "fresher.... more alive" somehow. Good scent but not a new favorite of mine... off to the swap pile.

[dorei]

I originally ordered New Orleans simply for it's association for my great affection for that beloved city. My husband and I honeymooned there in 2003, and returned for our first anniversary. We were devastated when Katrina hit there last year.

 

When I first got the bottle, I was disappointed, because I thought I'd never be able to wear it. The honeysuckle was so strong in the bottle that I got a headache shortly afterwards. But today, in honor of the anniversary of Katrina's ransacking of the city, I decided to wear it anyway.

 

While it was wet, I had a nasty headache. The jasmine and honeysuckle combo was so overpowering, I felt like I'd be thrown into a big bush of the stuff.

 

Then it dried, and I was left with a soft floral, more jasmine than honeysuckle, with a very faint citrusy-spicy scent, and within minutes, my headache went away.

 

I think that while I won't wear it often, I will still wear it on occasion. And when my husband and I *do* return to New Orleans, and we will, oh believe me, we will, I shall bring it with me.

[sarahj]

New Orleans

 

freebie from the lab

 

in imp: predominantly jasmine with hints of lemon and spice

 

wet: honeysuckle begins to overpower

 

dry: jasmine and honeysuckle

 

verdict: not a great combination on me...will probably swap this one

[spaceprostitute]

In the bottle, the lemon and spice is most prominent. I don't want to compare it to a cleaning product, but at the very least it isn't a smell I would wear as a perfume. On my skin, the floral amps up, the lemon and spice die down, and it all gives me a headache. The floral is almost oppressive, heady and humid, and I guess I've never been one for jasmine. This is no exception. However, it delivers what it promises and if you like oppressive, heady florals, this is it. I can appreciate it for what it's supposed to be and the image it's to evoke, but I just can't wear it.

[aquazoo]

Oh my god yes yes yes spicy whoot!!! This is lovely, a thick sweet floral that redefines floral. And it lasts a long, long, long time.

[Deiicide]

My skin seems to swallow up this one. Heady and but in a sweet way. It turns to baby powder upon me in a bit. Oh well, can't win them all.

[Neely]

In the bottle: today's secret word is jasmine. Now, whenever you hear that word, scream real loud. Let's try it. New Orleans smells just like jasmine, AGGGHHHHHHHH!

 

Wet: jasmine, AGGGHHHHHH.

 

Dry down: jasmine, and something rotten. I mean this is very evocative. But I tend to amp that funk smell florals get on me.

 

30 minutes: the moss is gone from the room, but he left his bitter stinky body odor behind in the room with jasmine and magnolia competeing to see whose perfume is the strongest. Honeysuckle is sitting demurly with hands in lap watching the cat fight.

 

Conclusion: I suspect that jasmine and magnolia(maybe) have that "funk" smell and so it is really strong on me. Or the jasmine and the spanish moss are creating a rotten vegatation in dark water vibe. To me it smells like a body that was dumped in the biayou has been just pulled up by the police after some poor fisherman accidentally hooked it. The dead bloated floater, is up on the bank with the wet soil, and blooming flowers on the shore. Neat imagery it conjures for me, but not something I want to smell like.

 

Rating 1-5, on my skin this is a 1.

[snapesbabe]

 

This one doesn't like me. I had to wash it off. My mum used to have a magnolia tree in the garden of her old house; on me, this smells like when all the flowers had gone brown and dropped off and you trod on one on your way up the path.

 

* sticks it in the swap pile *

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

we hateses the jasmine and it hateses us right back.

 

i love honeysuckle. LOVE it. if i could conjure up a magnolia blossom and honeysuckle branches, that's what i'd carry for my wedding bouquet.

 

that being said...

jasmine turns into something much like civet on me. and i don't much care for lemon.

 

but for those that jasmine and lemon are nicer to, i can see how this would be a gorgeous scent.

[Chrysantza]

Got this in a gift package from someone who knew I liked sweet florals.

 

This is a sweet, sweet floral (comparable to Euphrosyne). Very heavy on the jasmine and the honeysuckle. Thankfully, I don't get that much lemon (citrus and my skin chemistry are not friends). I really love this as it's sweet, floral, and has a wonderful throw and staying power.

 

Definitely bottle-worthy.

 

Incidentally, honeysuckle is supposed to be a Mercurial oil which increases the brain power - I don't know if this works for everyone, but I did write what turned out to be a very good paper whilst wearing New Orleans! YMMV.

Edited November 18, 2006 by Chrysantza

[jasmine]

Chemical and strange initially on the wand -- in fact, this smells distinctly swampy. I’m definitely picking up the jasmine, but it doesn’t seem like happy jasmine... it seems like rotting jasmine. While that may be appropriate to the name, I’m not at all sure how I feel about smelling like it.

 

Fortunately, the rotting quality eases up promptly, and the chemical note is mostly gone as the jasmine comes out more fully. My skin amplifies jasmine, so I’m not terribly surprised.

 

As time continues, New Orleans grows more acceptable, but I still can’t pick anything out save jasmine, and it’s a lush, overripe jasmine. I’ve met jasmines that I preferred to this one already.

[tempestteapot]

I'm just going to have to give up on Jasmine. It just jumps up and takes over anything else it's mixed with. *sigh* Maybe a scent locket or something.

 

I wanted to love this one so much just for the name.

[supremegoddessofall]

On me: Jasmine hell in a touch of spice. The lemon isn't being overpowering, but it is souring things a bit.

[Phantasmagoria]

Whoa, spicy-jasmine! That's mostly what it is for me. I do pick up on the honeysuckle, but it's just choked by the spices.

This one is very bold, very sharp. That's not to say that sharp is bad, it can be good. But this cuts like a wicked sharp knife. Definitely not for me.

Edited December 21, 2006 by Phantasmagoria

[kwsix]

in the imp: sweet, heady florals

 

wet on my skin: Holy moly, sweet flower overload! This is jasmine and honeysuckle to the nth power. It's so sweet and cloying that it could induce a migraine. But oddly enough I don't dislike it.

 

drydown: As it dries, the florals are tempered by something that smells like damp and rotting vegetation. I mean that in the nicest way. The damp and rotting things are actually making this smell much better. They're holding back the jasmine, and I'm for anything that has the power to do that.

 

overall: New Orleans isn't a "me" fragrance, but I enjoyed the ride. Floral afficianados should love it, and everyone else should at least try it once.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: sweet, heady flowers

 

On Skin: HUGE honeysuckle and jasmine scent. It reminds me to a floral hothouse.

 

On Drydown: Again, the juggernaut of honeysuckle and jasmine.

 

Verdict: This is a big, bright, floral hothouse of a perfume. If you love honeysuckle and jasmine, this is for you. I like both... but this is way too much for me. It's big, southern and heady.

[femmefatale]

Wow, pure honeysuckle in the bottle. And STRONG!

 

Wet it was a very sweet, strong honeysuckle. Gave me a headache as well that went away as it dried. As it's drying down the jasmine comes out along with a touch of something. Maybe a bit of spice?

Hubby really likes this one on me. I wil wear this again, though a little more lightly on the wrists, but more on the back of the knees etc to help keep away the headache reaction.

Not sure if I will buy a bottle. Will have to try it a few more times.

[maribouquet]

Very pretty, lush floral in the imp and wet, but my nemesis jasmine makes it unwearable for me.

 

Of all the BPAL jasmine blends I've tried, this one comes the closest to working. The lemon and honeysuckle are lovely together.

 

ETA: I spoke too soon! After an hour, it's Burnt Tire City. Oh well. I have Bayou when I need my Ponchartrain fix!

Edited January 25, 2007 by maribouquet

[Sashan]

Imp: Jasmine and Honey

 

Wet: Just gorgeous! Jasmine, honey with a hint of spice in the background. It's definitely a sticky, humid scent. Sweet but not at all sickly.

 

Dry: I love how the spices come through and blend with the jasmine. I can now detect a hint of lemon in the background. I can't stop sniffing my wrist! This scent stays very true to when it was wet. An absolutely beautiful floral.

 

I love it. Perfect for summer and I think this requires a bottle.

[theseagrows]

i got this as a frimp from someone. wet, all i can smell is strong, strong jasmine, which my skin tends to amp. after it's dried a bit the honeysuckle comes out more, tempering the strength of the jasmine a bit. i can sense a slight spice in the background, but it's mostly pure jasmine and honeysuckle. jasmine is hit or miss for me, and this one seems to be more of a miss because i just amp it a lot.

Edited November 28, 2018 by theseagrows

[Jilara]

Wet: honeysuckle and white flowers on the night breeze...

 

Drydown: the honeysuckle and white flowers are still foremost, but something stickier is starting to manifest. I think it's mimosa.

 

1 hour: honeysuckle and mimosa, with white flowers in the background, like a whisper of mist. There is a faint green note here, like wet vegetation.

 

2 hours: jasmine and mimosa, with a honeysuckle chaser. It's gone very soft and nocturnal.

[n1k1ta]

Oh, wow. Just wow. Beth has captured the Garden District. Or she's at least captured my wanderings through.

 

The honeysuckle is intense almost to the point of being sickly sweet. However, it never goes to that point. The jasmine is subtle and takes awhile to reveal itself. The jasmine has to be the note that keeps the honeysuckle from being chokingly strong.

 

There is the citrus from the lemon that adds a certain pop to the floral medley. I never caught the spices at any time though, New Orleans was completely floral on me. However, I am not complaining.

 

Here's another bottle buy for me! Mucho love for New Orleans.

[ilona]

Yup, this is straight-up honeysuckle on me. It's very lovely, but I'm not a huge fan of straight florals. I'll keep the imp though, if only because I'm going to NOLA later this year. I'll have to wear it at least once while I'm there!

[kueble33]

In the bottle, the scent is very floral. It calmed down when I put it on, and eventually the jasmine and a mixture of the spices came out. I cannot stress how amazing this scent is. I could just slather it on. If your skin works well with jasmine, you should try this scent.

[Victoria]

I'm not sure why they named this scent "New Orleans". I'm from New Orleans and this smells nothing like New Orleans. If I were making a scent called New Orleans, it would be full of sweet fruity rum, Spanish Moss, bougainvillea, a touch of beignet with sweet powdered sugar, and maybe even a smidget of chicory coffee and sweet cream.

i agree. i tested this at Scarlet Garden and i have to say, although it was nice, it didn't capture the true essence of New Orleans. I am curious to see if Vieux Carre is a better match, if it ever becomes available.