Ysabel

[oakmoss]

Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León, was a proponent of education, establishing lasting institutions of higher learning, a patron of scholars and artists, and an enthusiastic sponsor of exploratory expeditions, including Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. She possessed a great military mind, and was integral in the retaking of Grenada, thus sealing the Reconquista. With her husband, Ferdinand, she ruled with equal authority and power, unifying Spain and laying the foundations of the Spanish Empire.

HER PERFUME
Red carnation, red roses, Spanish cedar, velvet musk, pomegranate, clove, and incense.

Lovers of resin scents, offer a low curtsy to Her Majesty! I wanted this blend because I love all things carnation, but to my delighted surprise, Ysabel uses the carnation to spice up a deeply resinous undercurrent that reminds me very much of my beloved Penitence or the Pit and the Pendulum. The roses send up a gentle velvety whiff every now and then, but this is NOT a rose scent, so if roses frighten you, fear not. My overall impression of this is of red and gold, fierce Spanish sunlight, opulence, passion, pride, and power. Magnifico!

[angelicruin]

Inside the bottle, spicy carnation.

 

Wet on my skin, the clove, cedar, and carnation notes are strongest. I agree this is a very resinous scent. As it begins to dry, I also begin to pick up the incense note. I'm not really getting any rose out of this scent, nor am I really smelling the pomegranate.

 

Completely dry, it's clove, carnation, and incense. Lasts on my skin for several hours. This has a pretty strong throw on me---a little goes a long way.

[anomie]

In the bottle: Incense and musk and a bare dry hint of cedar.

 

Wet: Oh hey there's rose in this! And carnation! Oh - hey guys, settle down. Stop blooming all over my wrist. Except don't. Mmm.

 

Dry: Oh, you let the clove come out to play. Oh my god I'm going to die of joy. This is unbelievably sexy and gorgeous on me and I want, like, fifteen bottles.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: That's lovely! I'm picking up all the notes, but especially the clove and carnation.

 

 

Wet: The cedar, the rose, and the incense are really coming out to play. There's a fruity sweetness that must be the pomegranate.

 

 

The dry-down: This is a proud and regal Queen who has spent a lot of her time at Mass, but also in her garden, and hunting in the woods. She wear velvet in the fall and winter. Strong and independent, she is elegant and a bit haughty. There's an actress friend of mine that this would suit perfectly, as this is just the type of part she would play.

 

Layering this with her bath oil amps up the roses and carnations on me, a lovely effect.

 

If you like a sweet incense with a touch of florals, this is a keeper. I may try layering this with The Rose later on, and see how that works as well.

[ifinena]

OMG Ysabel!

 

I'm sorry I can't be more coherent now. I'll edit this later on for a more objective review.

For now, suffice to say that if you love carnation (it's soft here), resins, the faintest touch of rose, clove, soft musk, this is an incredible blend.

 

Mme Moriarty you created a masterpiece in this category.

 

 

ETA a couple days afterwards: I keep wearing this. It's a bit intense the first 20 minutes or so, but the dry down and the 2-5 hours stage is divine. Also, it is sliding towards Tabula Smaragdina/RoseCross territory,because of the incense note, but the rose is still subdued. I can catch the carnation only in whiffs when I move around, but not when I huff into my wrist. I'm in love with her majesty.

Edited October 28, 2009 by ifinena

[Lycanthrope]

Good eve, Queen Ysabel, I welcome you to my court.

 

What's this, you say? Your court-girls have entered my salon and have filled it with ruby red rose petals. Their scent, to me, is always cloying and somewhat frightening as they, much like their tossers' pastiched lips of crimson, crescendo into a frightening...

 

But, hold. What is this? Queen, you enter, holding a marvelous crystal flacon filled with a most mysterious aroma, which you, arching an eyebrow, mist into the air like mist from a waterfall, a beautiful concoction of mysterious, enticing carnation, pushed forward but not overwhelmed with the tickling fiery sweet clove, and supported by a thrum of murky patchouli. The effect is intoxicating, mesmerising, I close my eyes in ecstasy, and I forget all about the bevy of rose littering my grand chambre, even as your slightly deranged handmaidens pull from beneath their petticoats even more petals and find yet-unexplored corners to stuff damp, velvety torn rose petals into.

 

You step closer, a smile, and I take another breath.

 

The carnation, the spice, the swirling smoke, the absolute hypnotism, the...

 

*WALLOP!*

 

I black out. Awakening on my left side, the first thought is on the condition of my dress linens, and at what horrid cost it will be to clean them properly. The second is the aroma of roses, wet, squished, blood red, at eye level, slightly torn and dragged across the cement floor, intermixed with that lovely symphony of scent. Oh, how I hate roses.

 

But, as I rise slowly to my feet and kneel before my majesty, that wonderful carnation rises again, with another spritz it opens my eyes and mind with its glorious radiance, and within my heart I know that I can't live without this perfect aroma, and take it, roses and all.

 

I glance up at you, your majesty, as you hoist a large, flowery umbrella, composed of tightly stitched rose blossoms, over your shoulder, a duke-shaped dent apparent in the careful tempered metal frame. You snap open an intricate fan covered in the finest lacework, a brilliant ivory, and from behind it I can see your dark, brooding eyes sparkle with the laughter of a conqueror.

 

I am yours, my crimson Queen!

[tajana]

Umm... that's a tough review to follow!

 

I am a huge fan of cedar and carnation, and often quite pleased with cloves, pomegranate, most incense, and many musks. However, roses often end up really awful on me. Nonetheless, I sprung for a decant of Ysabel.

 

Freshly applied, there's a lot of velvety rose, with a bit of carnation on the side. The flowers are really lush and true, and for once rose behaves beautifully on my skin. Dark, resinous incense rises up after this starts to dry down, and it really takes center stage. It's the perfect accompaniment to the rose. The cedar and clove add a bit of extra bite, but not too much, as they are tempered by smooth, subtle musk and the faintest hint of pomegranate. After a couple of hours, it's mostly womanly red rose melded with clove-spiced, smoky musk. It's hard to for me to say much more about it, since it really blends into one cohesive scent that definitely feels "crimson" in character. Very regal. I could definitely picture Queen Isabella herself smelling like this.

[Lamia]

This started magnificently - very sexy and red, all cloves and musk and roses. Oh dear, I thought, I may have to hunt down a bottle of this if this stays so fabulous.

 

Drydown, turns to roses. Sexy clove-y roses, oh my yes, but that deliberate grab-your-face musk/rose/clove has faded away.

 

I can't decide if I am relieved or sad!

 

Edited for HTML fail

Edited July 2, 2009 by Lamia

[marsmomma]

Ah Isabel, if only I afford more of you!

 

On me, I can smell rose that is dominated by a wonderful union of carnation and resiny incense. The cloves are not too dominant on me but is in the background with the lovely roses. Magnificent!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Light chartreuse coloured oil. Red Rose, is that you? You smell shockingly similar. Red roses and rich spicy carnation in equal force, some rather piney-woodsy cedar (not dry), more distant clove and incense, and then a tiny hint of tart pomegranate fruit.

 

Wet: More carnation, lovely lovely carnation! More velvety-rich than spicy. I find the rose pretty minor in this, considering how rose can dominate. The cedar is lighter, less intense though still very evergreeny to my nose - I wouldn't have known this was cedar. I think the spice is the clove, and the carnation here is not actually spicy. Still a suggestion of tartness, but I can't pick out pomegranate.

 

Dry: Clooove amping, and this SO reminds me of Red Rose. The mysterious 'incense' even has a tobacco note to my nose, the rose note is *exactly* the same ,as is the clove, and I swear the cedar smells exactly like that blend's fir. The musk has emerged now, and it also smells like Indian musk. One difference is this is less sweet, minus the tonka, and I find it much less revolting as result, and then it has the amazing carnation note which has sadly faded a bit.

 

Later: This is going sort of...rancid on me. Sweaty. Like bad BO, which Red Rose ALSO did. I guess it's the Indian Musk, which without fresher notes, is really dank and manly mannish on me. The pomegranate is definitely just gone, poof. The incense is mostly tobacco, from what can tell - actually, it reminds me a bit of the tobacco/incense vibe in Black Lace, a resemblance most likely strengthened by both scents sharing the same musk note, too.

 

Summary: Rose Red with gorgeous velvety carnation and a less dominating (i.e. more bearable on me) clove. It sweetens up a little bit with me over time, probably due to the musk which amps and amps and becomes actually pretty sexy, if still a little manly for me. The fir-like cedar fades quite a bit, and in the end I find this okay. Great throw & longevity.

 

The rose doesn't dominate on my skin and I amp rose. I am blown away by this carnation note as others are - it's stunning. Oh, and I wish there'd actually been some pomegranate. It's simply not there. I cannot overestimate the similarities to Red Rose, and the colours of the oils are even nearly identical.

[ami226]

On the skin: Incense, clove, and cedar are the only things I recognize. Maybe a hint of a floral that must be the carnation. On the dry down, it is pure incense and cedar.

 

It is nice, but not really my thing...

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells very red and spicy. I can smell spicy carnation, dry, spicy cedar, sweet clove, and a RED rose. It reminds me very much of Red Rose. On my skin, the dry, spicy cedar, rose, and sour edge also reminds me of Pulcinella & Teresina.

 

My skin usually amps up spice notes and rose, but I only get a tiny hint of red rose for the first ten minutes or so after I apply this oil. Mostly this is dry cedar, clove, and a bit of carnation spice on me. It's a little too much dry wood for my tastes. There's a lot of cedar going on here, especially in the drydown. After a half hour, all I can smell is tons of dry cedar and a tiny whiff of spicy carnation.

 

I don't know if Ysabel is a keeper for me. I have blends that are similar to this, but a lot better, so I'm not sure I'd ever wear this one...

[Dark Alice]

This is everything I wanted Red Rose to be but wasn't. Spicy, clovey, rosy.... And I think the carnation note is way lighter than red rose, b/c my allergic reaction to carnation is very little. I will wear this on days when its a) cooler and when I want to feel regal.

[zankoku_zen]

Agreed - this is like Red Rose lite on me. Admittedly, I like how 'heavy' RR is. This one is lighter on both the rose and the clove, more musk and hints of carnation.

 

If RR was too scary for you, try this!

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Exquisite! Carnation and rose, with a touch of cedar.

 

Wet: Carnation plus cedar make a warm, spicy feeling. I get the rose, too, but mostly it's spicy carnation, like really aromatic pinks.

 

Half an hour: It's matured now. There's a warm base of musk, a lot of woody spicy notes above it, and the carnation rides on top. I can barely make out any rose or fruit impression save that it is a touch sweet. So far, Ysabel loves me although she is not quite as floral as I expected.

 

Hour and a half: And still love. The clove and incense have developed. Together with the cedar, they give an even more spicy note to the carnation. The effect of the musk has diminished some, and the pomegranate is just a tiny hint of something tangy and red. On me, this is a fabulously spicy carnation, not at all the rose scent I was expecting.

 

Four hours: This has just been fabulous on me. It's somewhat more floral now, but still predominantly a spicy one. I anticipated this would be a lot like the Unity Red Rose, and it has been, except that until the last hour or so there's not really been any identifiable rose. I'm very happy with what it turned out to be, though.

 

Six hours: And still going. Never soured, flattened, or went pear-shaped on me. Ysabel rocks!

 

[Monster]

Ahhhhh! This is so good! I'm all about dark rose scents lately. I can't seem to get enough of them.

Ysabel really is a lot like Red Rose (from the Unity set)....just with less clove.

 

In the bottle Ysabel is all dark, velvety rose and carnation.

 

On my skin the cedar and incense are present immediatly. The musk note gives the rose a sultry, velvet-like feel while the carnation and clove add just a teeny kick of spice.

This is one of the most lovely things I have ever smelled. <3

 

As the oil dries into my skin the initial big, boldness of the incense and cedar fades away to just a faint, smoky hint of resin. Rose is still very present throughout...now it's just a nice rose incense blend on my skin. THIS is how I like floral scents to be. This is exactly it! If I were to sum it up in two words it'd be "resinous rose".

 

Oh boy. Ysabel is by FAR my favorite Warrior Queen. I hope she'll be up for a while longer because I think I may need to pick up a backup bottle.

Time to slather away!

[Gin]

Ysabel is all carnations (and perhaps clove) at first. Dry, it's a bit rosier and well, dry-smelling--must be the cedar and the incense.

[edenssixthday]

Ysabel - I'm afraid this one doesn't quite do it for me. I'm not a fan at all of carnation, which is spicy in an unpleasant way to me. Add the clove to it, and it really brings out the spiciness of the carnation. I normally adore rose, but the rose in this blend is turning slightly soapy on me for some reason...perhaps it's the combination of rose and the musk? Sadly, this one's just not meant to be for me.

[Venneh]

In Her Majesty's bottle, I'm smelling florals and what I think is either the incense or the cedar, one of the two. Once on my skin, she smells like the rose and carnations, first and foremost, with the wood and the incense underneath, and the clove playing nicely with all of them. She winds up as a sharper floral with the incense and cedar wafting underneath; a really nice scent, not sure how often it'll come into rotation, but a definite keeper.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Venneh

[abejita]

This one was instant love for me. I immediately went and found a backup bottle, and I am really not doing that much these days. It smells like the color red, which happens to be my favorite since before I could speak. Regal, rich, velvety-textured, stately red. Super-saturated and intense. Carnation and clove dominate, which is fine by me. The musk and incense give it depth while the pomegranate balances the rose.

 

I love it.

[MCS4096]

Oh god it's all roses Please please please let aging bring out the carnation and clove! I would looooove that! I dont get any fruitiness or spiciness, just roses! I'm not even a serial rose amper! waaaahh

[Geminirubyshoes]

My favorite Queen of all! I absolutely adore this. Totally evocative of long, sweeping velvet dresses and rich wooden tabels with rose bouquets on them. Ok, fine it makes me think of the Tudors! I can't help it!

I get complimented on this like crazy when I wear it. I've managed to use half the bottle already. Its soft but strong at the same time....there need to be more blends with Velvet musk! I would buy them all! Ysabel is a winner truly if you love these kind of notes, seek this out. But you can't have mine though

[jessiesquash]

Oh this everything I hoped it would be!! Clove normally amps and destroys every other note within 2 miles of it when placed on my skin but it's behaving - just quietly backing up the carnation and making it spicier. The cedar takes center stage when I first put it on which reminds me of my mom's quilts that she keeps in a cedar chest. The carnation and the clove provide the spice and the rose and pomegranate give it just a hint of sweetness. It's just beautiful; very regal and warm. I'm hoping that with a little time on my skin (and maybe some ageing) the musk and resins will come out of hiding too but honestly I'd still be pleased if they didn't. I can't wait for the perfect occasion to wear this!

[heathercaley]

My bottle is starting to become properly aged

 

Ysabel starts off dark and incensy, but as she dries down the carnations pop through like crazy. They're those buttery warm carnations. Either that, or that "smoothness" is the velvet musk. The clove is spicing things up, and the rose isn't amping to high hell (like roses are supposed to do on my skin)

 

The throw is pretty high and strong. I put just a dab on my arm and I've been getting wafts of it for an hour now. Just a little dab!! Ysabel has strength!

 

If you are a fan of Velvet Bandito, pick this one up. It's his twin sister.

 

Verdict? This spanish rose has some 'splainin to do.

[SophieCedar]

Mmm. Smells like Potion lotion from Lush. And a bit like Cosmic Dreamcatcher because of the cedar. This is a wonderful red velvety dry blend. The pomegranate is slight enough that I don't wince, cringe or balk! Miraculous!