Khrysee

[hlinspjalda]

Golden.
Vanilla amber and orange blossom.

In the vial: Almost all amber, but with a trace of vanilla.

Wet: More strongly amber, but also more strongly vanilla. The orange blossom hasn't scuttled this scent for me the way it so often does. I might wind up liking it after all!

Half an hour: Vanilla stronger than ever. I would definitely age this, if I had a bottle!

Two hours: Now it seems a little like "Snake Oil," or "Snake Charmer." It's deepening a bit, but still more vanilla on me than anything else. I am happy the orange blossoms are behaving.

Three hours: The vanilla is starting to react with the orange blossom in unexpected ways. It's made the scent go a little bit bitter. I think I'll probably re-home this one.

Eight hours: This is the vanilla note that eventually turns to scented doll heads on me. The amber isn't playing well with it, either.

I traded this to a more loving home.

[cinnamonster]

Wet this is is strong, clean neroli, reminscent of Barcelona in the sun, a clean Spanish cologne smell, and as time goes by the amber really comes out, I don't find much vanilla. Later still I keep thinking ooh, I smell Snake Oil, until I realise it's me.

Other people have called it Snake Oil Light which is fairly accurate, but it's nicer on me than Snake Oil.There is something about this that reminds me very much of Obsession by Calvin Klein.

 

 

It's very sexy, not terribly long lasting, I reapplied more than I have with anything else, but partly because I love it so much, and I can't wait to get more. It was very highly complimented when I wore it to a sunny wedding reception!

[catattack]

When I first received my imp, this was what I'd written in my notes:

Imp: Slightly medicinal vanilla

Wet: A tart, medicinal vanilla and burnt plastic.

Drydown: Smells of bitter oranges covered in burnt plastic.

 

Well, something told me that I needed to let the imp rest for a couple of weeks, and try again. After all, how could orange blossom and vanilla amber be a bad combo?

 

Retest:

After leaving this for a couple of weeks, it's settled to a fabulous scent! It's sweet and resin-y. The vanilla amber is so rich and enveloping. The orange blossom has mellowed and adds a floral to the scent to keep it interesting. It's like a giant fluffy orange capsule has surrounded me. This scent has become one of my favorites. Multiple bottle-worthy!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Amber coloured oil. Fruity orange blossom and a little vanilla. A bit of a sharp edge to the orange blossom.

 

Wet: Way sweeter! More FRUIT from the orange, much more vanilla - almost foody. I'm reminded a little of O, and I think I detect a similar amber - possibly the same vanilla/amber combo. The orange blossom isn't going soapy!

 

Dry: Definitely less blossomy and more orangey, and the vanilla has amped a little bit. I'm sure it's the same amber as in O, and it's similarly plastic here, but not as strong, powdery, or overwhelming as in O (or not yet).

 

Summary: Not much morphing beyond the drystage, the final drydown is very fruity orange blossom over a slightly less powdery version of O. Syrupy, sweet, and a little plastic on me. Good throw & longevity.

 

[Muppetk]

I just do not understand why this didn't work for me. I love amber. I like orange. I usually love vanilla. The scent is pretty together -- it's very much an O + orange blossom to me. All the individual notes, and I can pick them out, are nice. But they only seem to go together "nice" on me, as opposed to the OMG I would've expected. And the overall scent feels like it clashes with my personality. I'm sure I'd be thrilled to sniff it on someone else... but *shrug* scentfail.I just do not understand why this didn't work for me. I love amber. I like orange. I usually love vanilla. The scent is pretty together -- it's very much an O + orange blossom to me. All the individual notes, and I can pick them out, are nice. But they only seem to go together "nice" on me, as opposed to the OMG I would've expected. And the overall scent feels like it clashes with my personality. I'm sure I'd be thrilled to sniff it on someone else... but *shrug* scentfail.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A very pale vanilla with a touch of coconut

 

Wet on me - Slightly plasticky vanilla

 

Dry on me - Warm, creamy vanilla with a slight rubber note

 

Overall - A warm cosy vanilla scent

[obsidienne]

I was generously frimped this lady, and it has turned into an instant love affair -- and a total surprise, as I tend to like more complex blends. However, Khrysee turned into the most luscious golden warm vanilla on me, with a just a hint of orange blossom. Sometimes I find orange blossom a bit weird and sickly, but in here it was perfection, and rounded out the blend. I was nose-glued-to-wrist the entire afternoon. It seems to me that I have found The Perfect Vanilla and I am kicking myself for not buying a bottle of this when it originally came out. Geez.

[cranberry]

Oh I love this! I thought I would and I do.

 

Wet on the skin this starts out bitter orange blossom underlain with dark vanilla. This is very much in the Snake Oil – Ravenous – Vixen family. It doesn’t have that fizzy quality that Ravenous has, so perhaps this is closer to Vixen. This smells very dark to me, and quite sexy. The amber gives it a brighter feel than the patchouli vanilla in Vixen. The orange blossom gives it a bit of a feral feel to me, not indolic but almost.

 

As it wears the vanilla gets stronger and I’m getting that aged Snake Oil vanilla. Gorgeous.

 

[noumenon]

LOVE this! It smells like a Lush store! And when it's really dry and has been on my skin for a while, it smells like Arabian Nights specifically. A little clay, a little spice, lots of warmth.

 

Since Lush products always gunk up my pipes, this is the perfect substitute!

[Venneh]

Got sent this by ifinena as a BPAL Santa package; thanks again! In the decant, I definitely get orange blossom and amber. Eager to see what comes out on my skin. Once on, at this point, it's pretty much the same; orange blossom, amber, maybe a little vanilla in there. We'll see how this goes. Ends up fading quickly, not that appealing of a scent on my skin. Ah well. Was definitely worth trying it. Swaps/sales.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Venneh

[donnatron]

Imp: Primarily orange blossom with a strong hit of vanilla/amber.

 

Wet: More vanilla and a slightly powdery orange blossom. The amber is strangely (thankfully) quiet.

 

Dry: Sigh. It's the amber from Haunted. The supremely nasty amber from Haunted. So a gross, powdery play dough amber with a really pretty vanilla/orange blossom underneath. This scent is like the Rosemary's Baby of Haunted and Hunger, the former of which is a spectacular fail on my chemistry and the former of which requires so much aging before I find it palatable that I've just given up on it. It's really not working on my skin.

 

Throw: Moderate.

 

Overall: This is a nearly dry sniffy and Khrysee is ridiculously popular. It's probably for the best that I don't particularly care for it and don't have to hunt down a bottle this long after 2009's Lupes have left town.

[saralaughs]

I'm an amber lover. And I adore vanilla like there is no tomorrow. It was a no-brainer for me to try to track some of this down at one point in time. I didn't do it sooner as I didn't want the trouble of loving something I can't have.

 

Anyway, on me its awesomesauce. Beautiful, golden amber with a creamy sweet vanilla. It's not foody at all though. The orange blossom is the one that definitely makes this blend unique. It's a bit florally sweet and bright yet smooth. Very elegant and sophiticated yet sexy. And it lasts. The throw is moderate on me.

[thebirdofhermes]

Okay, I would like to note now that vanilla tends to sour on my skin. So I tried the tester I was generously frimped with great trepidation.

 

In Vial: Orange coloured oil. Sweet and creamy orange scent. Could be good. Okay, on the skin it goes.

 

Wet: Still a creamy scent, but the orange blossom is taking a back seat to the rapidly amping amber. There's something a bit odd about the amber; I think it may be the kind that goes off on me.

 

Dry: And it's gone very sour and ick. Not at all surprised, really. Also, aside from the vanilla, it is the bad kind of amber, the kind that turns to flat cola on my skin. (Likely the same amber that goes off in The Lion.) And I'm certain it's not an age issue, as I have similarly aged amber blends that don't do that. There's a breath of my beloved orange blossom hiding in the background, but mostly it's the combined badness of vanilla, the wrong amber, and my skin chemistry.

 

Win for those of you who love this, as you'll have one less competitor. I wish it had stayed like it was in the vial, or even wet. Shame.

[ami226]

This one was one of the first blends containing amber that I ever liked! It was smooth and kinda powdery, but overall quite pleasant! Didn't get much orange blossom....

 

Sadly, after a bit, this blend became kinda bitter and sour. Huh.... Ah, well.

 

-ETA-

It's either the amber or the orange blossom that turns off on my skin. I am beginning to think it is the amber that is the culprit. It adds an old bitter edge that reminds me of a soap my grandmother had. Not for me at all.

Edited August 26, 2012 by Catseyes

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Vanilla and amber with just a touch of sweet floral citrus

Wet: A slight sugared orange with just enough amber to keep it from being too foodie.

Dry: Vanilla infused with orange, almost like an orange creamsicle but without the whole wanting to lick your arm part.

Notes: I got this as a frimp from a kind forum seller. It is a wonderfully sweet scent without being sickly. I just wish it wasn’t a past LE because I would love to get my hands on more of it!

 

[Eemia]

At first this is very much like vanilla liquor, or a thick, boozy syrup. It's much stronger than I thought it would be since I was anticipating more of an overall floral fragrance from the orange blossom note. But I only notice that as a secondary effect. I love orange blossom because it doesn't feel like an obvious floral on my skin. And no matter what it always strikes me as a complex scent, like there's all sorts of layers in one little note (which I'm sure is actually the case!).

 

The boozy vanilla and amber are robust for awhile and within a couple hours more of a pale orange emerges. It's slightly fruity and a little sweet with a powdered undertone. Everything is gentle and more lush. I can still smell the vanilla in there but it's very tame. It reminds me of vanilla flavored soy milk at this point, one of my absolute favorite drinks. It has a similar natural, mild, milky tone and a density that feels thick.

 

I've had this one since it was released and I've worn it often. It suits a variety of moods so I don't have to over-think it when I choose my fragrance. I gravitate towards extremely feminine scents and this certainly fits that category. Whenever I wear this I always feel a little softer.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is all vanilla and amber to my nose - golden indeed! Then, on my skin, it becomes very sweet and warm - I'm not getting any of the orange blossom at all. It's the same when dry; for me, this is very straightforward - vanilla and amber all the way.

[lahdeedah]

I'm so grateful to have found a bottle of this recently, and even happier that my gamble on buying it un-sniffed has payed off! Khrysee for me is the kind of nostalgic scent that I love discovering in BPAL. It captures a refined sensuality of a time past. It's simple and sweet. I do wish BPAL amber wouldn't go quite so powdery on me, but it works here, as opposed to Jezebel, where it's straight up baby powder on me. I detect a whisper of orange blossom, but it's really this is all about that vanilla scented amber.

 

Khrysee evokes for me a lady in a silk dressing gown sitting at her vanity, hair perfectly coiffed, perhaps a simple ribbon choker at her neck, dusting herself with a fluffy powder puff coated in sweet-scented powder. Very, very feminine and utterly poised and well-mannered. Love it.

[jizatt]

I have an interesting relationship with Khrysee. I go between "love this so much" and "wait, what's that?". I love the vanilla amber, I think its the orange blossom that sometimes goes a little off. Its maybe a little sharp or too much of a perfumed assault or something. But the stage at which I feel "love this so much" really is gorgeous. Its a dreamy amber and vanilla haze, what I swear is a skin musk, and a floral orange floating over the top.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Sweet orange blossom and brightly glowing amber, smoothened by creamy vanilla.

 

On skin: Well, well, I can't think of another blend that captures the fullness of "golden" as well as this. Khrysee is smooth, fruity orange blossom in neat balance with drier, bright amber, with a breath of creaminess from the vanilla, although this remains discreetly behind the others. Amber starts asserting the upper hand over time, but for the most part it remains balanced with orange blossom. A radiant, bright orange-gold blend that glows, with this precise colour impression. A simple scent, but perfect in its nothing-more-nothing-less simplicity. Khrysee bears a passing resemblance to Vixen, but they have quite different moods despite the common orange note. Perhaps Khrysee is the modest, traditionally feminine cousin of the coquettish, libertine Vixen.

 

Verdict: Khrysee truly is golden -- and a bit too golden and bright for me. At the end of the day, I guess I prefer Vixen for my simple orange blossom blend.

[griffonner]

In the imp- Amber and orange blossom, faintly sweet and spicy. Not picking up any vanilla.

Wet- Mostly amber, though the orange blossom is still adding a floral/spicy note to it.

Dry- Spicy, sweet, complex amber.

 

Good for daily wear when I want something more complex then straight amber.

[cosmoblue]

In bottle, bright and sweet floral and resinous.

 

Wet, sweet creamy floral resinous cheerful and quite strong.

 

Dry, creamy, soft bright and floral. The throw is not nearly as insane as it was wet. It feels like spring and the amber is so smooth and gorgeous. It is really soft and comfortable.

[Monday]

Ooh this is pretty much all bright orange blossom in the beginning. Reminds me a bit of Vixen but without that pesky patchouli and ginger. Goes on rather spicy and resinous.

The vanilla starts to peek out when it's drying, it's morphing into a feminine vanilla blend. The orange blossom is still very prominent once Khrysee is dry.

I'm not sure if I can pull this scent off. I mean it's gorgeous but very feminine and powerful.

[neuilly]

I love the vanilla amber...not entirely sure what orange blossom smells like. There's sort of a warm incense note to me. A little bit like Morocco?

 

I like this scent but I normally don't wear incense blends. I feel like this is perhaps a bit mature for me? But then again, sometimes it's time for something new. I'm torn!

[ajodasso]

Hell and back for a bottle of this, and I'm not sorry...

 

It's the sweetest, warmest, brightest amber I've ever met. It reminds me of an amber-oil blend I had in high school that I'd got from a local New Age shop.

 

Pure nostalgia <3