Alice

[LunaSea]

Curiouser and curiouser. Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.

Alice is a scent I have been very excited to try. In the bottle it smells lovely - mostly of the milk and honey, but the carnation comes out too. When I put it on my skin, I get a bit of a spicy scent out of it! Unfortunately, it turned to powder on me within just a few minutes. Maybe rose doesn't like my skin either. Sigh. I think this imp is destined for the swap pile.

[diabolique]

the imp i received of this a long time ago was quite lovely. it was girly, sweet, and milky. i loved it, although alice isn't very "me." i'm not sure if my skin chemistry made this go bad or if it's another factor, but the bottle i received from a forumite turned VERY powdery and sour in the bottle. i had to pass this on. if it smelled anything like the imp did on my skin, i would've happily kept it.

[harlequin]

First sniff: The rose and carnation are definitely prominant. It changes from one whiff to the next as to which one is more noticeable. very cool!

 

On: The same, but a bit more amplified. so far, so good!

 

After a bit: Ooo. the flowers are blending together a bit more and I can smell the milk and honey making them creamier.. there's a bit of crispness at the same time though... definitely the effect of the bergamot, but the amount of that must be pretty small because it doesn't really have a bergamot smell..

 

 

Verdict: Absolutely gorgeous! This order definitely has great spring/summer scents in the form of the Mad Tea Party! I hadn't even made the connection that i'd ordered 3 imps from that category and they're all fabulous! Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, and Alice... I love you guys!

 

ETA: Ah! the reason I didn't remember that I'd orderd 3 MTP's is because I didn't! I thought I'd actually ordered Cheshire Cat, but I didn't. It was a freebie. I shall snuggle it even more, then!

Edited January 21, 2005 by harlequin

[etherealchild]

In The Bottle Milk and honey sweetness

 

Wet The bergamont has a tea like quality that is coming out verrrrrrry strong on me. Almost a cinnamonny vein. The honey is somewhat spicey. How funny, my chemistry is making Alice an almost spicey scent!

 

Drydown Ahh it's gotten slightly powdery. I can barely make out the rose. How pretty! It's swirly and creamy and faintly spicey. Like the most delicious cup of tea. This isn't somethnig that I would pick out for myself, but it has such a lovely fragrance..... reminds of this creamy tea shower gel I used to have..... this is a great scent for spring. Something you would wear aroung young childeren. What softness and warmth and childlike playfullness it conveys!

 

Two Hours Later I smell of sweet tea and creamy roses....... very soft and pretty...... has a definite effect on people around me....... calming and alluring...... puts me at ease, and makes me feel warm and sweet. It's such a good girl scent!!!!

 

Verdict I like it a lot, even though it isn't ME . I'll keep the bottle to break out when I'm in the mood. All in all, quite pretty and yummy.

[rhubarbbear]

when i first sniffed alice in the vial, i thought 'hmm, a light floral. pretty, but not overwhelming'. i waited a few days to try it.

 

when i put it on the honey came out and it smelled awesome! milky honey. i was very excited, and instantly began considering a big bottle.

 

sadly, the honey faded after about 15 min, and then i got mostly bergamont and a touch of rose. which was nice, but not quite the milk and honey induced drool fest i'd settled in for. eventually alice turned to a clean, slightly soapy floral. overall i'd say its a perfectly fine scent, but not not a love-fest.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

Alice is an exquisitely lovely scent. When first applied the honey and the rose vied for attention, but then all parties settled down into harmony. The rose is very soft (a nice change, since they're hard for me to wear without smelling like lemonade) and smells divine with the honey. This is the first blend I've tried where the milk note actually makes its presence known. The carnation adds a unique twist and a very soft spice. The bergamot runs beneath to unify (more felt than smelt, if that makes sense) and adds a cleaness to the scent without it turning soapy.

 

I may have to buy a bottle for this summer. Or sooner, it might give Mata Hari a run for my bedtime oil.

 

Beautifully done Beth.

[sarada]

If I accomplish nothing else in this lifetime, I WILL review all of the Mad Tea Party scents! I've tried all but one, now...but strangely enough Alice was one of the very first I ever got as a freebie, back in April 2004, and I haven't reviewed her until now! For one thing, most of my original imp evaporated before I got a chance to get to know her. I didn't know anything about proper imp storage back then, you see.

 

Milk, honey, carnation, rose and bergamot. Hmm, out of those, the only one that I like is bergamot. Oh, and rose, but I can't smell rose in here! But I have learned that one cannot make assumptions, with these oils...and it turns out that I do like milk and honey together, sometimes. Carnation surprised me as well as I never thought of it as such a spicy scent. So the spicy floral, the lemony herbal bergamot and the smooth, luscious milk and honey do work together in their own peculiar way. I don't smell the rose in this at all, it must blend in with the carnation somehow...I love rose so usually I pick it out right away...perhaps on another's skin the rose would come out more.

 

Curiouser and curiouser...I don't think I'm going to like it, but whenever I dab some on, I keep sniffing at it and thinking of how nice it would be to wear on a spring or summer day. This is a scent for sunny days, for summer in a calico dress, for strange adventures in the herb garden, for all of childhood's innocence, optimism and creativity.

 

I used up what little was left of my imp and then immediately got another as a freebie from the lab! But I looked at my growing collection and decided to give it to a friend who very specifically loves milk and honey very very much...and my once-a-year-when-I'm-in-the-mood-for-it relationship with this scent doesn't justify my hoarding it. I have a feeling Alice will wander back into my life again eventually!

 

Edited several times for silly typing errors and the like.

Edited February 3, 2005 by sarada

[aurianrose]

Okay, when I first smelled this in the imp this morning, I hated it. It smelled like strong oranges. I decided to put it on anyway and give it a try. I'm so glad I did.

 

Oh. My. God.

 

I smell so good. It smells like milky roses and carnations. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. And now, it's settled down into a sweet honey scent.

 

This is the next big bottle I'm buying!

[Finny]

Milky, spicy, floral.

 

At last, a floral I love! This is a sweet little girl smell, sugar and spice and everything nice. The carnation adds a spicy smell, the rose is gentle, and the milk, honey and bergamot smell of sweetened earl grey tea with cream. These notes combined make a fabulous perfume, and it captures Alice completely.

 

Perfect.

[tempete]

Wet, Alice is a burst of carnation and bergamot, though I can tell that the milk and honey notes are lurking in the background. As the scent dries down, the floral notes fade to a whisper and the milk and honey notes take over. Alice is one of those peculiar scents that can dry down in different ways on me. Sometimes the honey note is the predominant note on the drydown, which is not so good because then the scent is too sweet. Sometimes the milk note dominates, which is much much better, but then Alice becomes a second skin scent because she doesn't have much throw in this version (not such a bad thing). If I can figure out how to reliably produce the milky dry down, then I'll be getting a big bottle of Alice.

 

Edited to add: I've decided not to get a bottle of Alice because she has very little staying power on my skin and there are other skin scents whose drydowns are nicer on me.

Edited February 12, 2005 by tempete

[amrita]

In the bottle - fruit punch.

 

Wet on application - fruit punch, then carnation and cloves. A minute later, the honey warms up and comes out, followed by a powdery, creamy yellow. It is warm and sweet, like the fragrance used to scent a fine delicate floral soap.

 

Almost an hour later, the powderiness has disappeared and it smells of slightly spicy honey.

 

In two hours, all I get is sweet amber.

 

This is a pleasant blend, but my skin sucks it right up, and it's a little too sweet and benign for me. I like the spice before the drydown... too bad it doesn't stay longer.

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle:

 

Very light and a tad bit musky.

 

Wet:

 

This was all honey and milk. Honey turns to sour ickiness on my skin. This is the best honey blend I have tried so far in that the icky factor was not so prominent.

 

Dry:

 

Ok there wer go! The milk and honey disappear and I am left with carnation and bergamot, two of my favorites . It has that distinct musk/spice floral that carnation is so good at, but with a tinge of light sweetness. After a while this turned into spiced baby powder. I have not decided whether that's a good or bad thing.

 

Overall:

 

It was pretty much how I imagined it would be. I am thankful the honey didn't ruin it. It would be beautiful scent to wear this spring

[ivyandpeony]

Alice is a scent that I don't think I will ever grow tired of. On me, it is perfectly balanced sweetness, creaminess and spicy floral notes that is simple and elegant. Although many of the BPAL rose blends have gone way too rosy on me, resulting in that overwhelming powdery grandma rose that we all dread, the ones that work are so gorgeous. Alice is one that works and I love the way that the rose harmonizes with the spicy carnation to offset the milk and honey. This is a truly inspired blend and one that makes me shake my head in awe at Beth's creativity every time I wear it.

[bodegaselkie]

I just got this imp and was quite eager to try it. I put a bit on and as it heated up, it released a wonderful scent that reminded me of sitting down to tea at a patio table in a rose garden -- the roses in the background, but fresh and young, much like the rose in Eve. I am a huge fan of tea-drinking, and especially of Earl Grey tea, which is flavored with bergamot, a component of this scent.

 

Alice was more floral than I had anticipated, and at first I wondered if I would like it, but the sweetness came through and balanced the scent for me. It's also more "perfumey" than some of the other scents I've tried to far, and I feared that would drive me away.

 

So: reasonably strong but not overpowering, a good balance of the tea/sweetness and florals. After many hours it's a bit powdery and faint, but still present. I'm looking forward to wearing this one often.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Spiced tea and roses

 

After 10 minutes- I don't know what it is about milk based scents but they disappear on my skin after a few minutes. This smelled of spiced tea and roses for about 60 seconds and then- POOF, gone. Down the rabbit hole!

 

After 30 minutes- Nada. My skin soaked Alice up and there is nothing there.

 

Summery Alice, you and are were not meant to be friends. Off with your head!

[Batgirl]

When I first put this on I get a very gentle, pretty rose. Eventually this morphs into a more spicy rose, which has got to be the carnation coming into play. At no point do I notice the milk (though I'm not really sure what I'm looking for there) honey, or bergamot.

 

This scent is very light. Though I slathered it on my skin (even the normally very potent bosom spot) I couldn't smell it at all after the first hour. It kept going strong in my scent locket though, but it didn't waft nearly as much as most of the lab's other scents.

 

All in all very nice. I think if you're a fan of Beth's rose scents you should at least give this one a try.

[helarctos]

Carnations and cream -- but I have to practically smash my nose against my wrist to detect it. This imp came fresh from the Lab -- maybe it needed to age?

 

I don't get the usual BPAL-honey scent from it at all. Very, very light scent. It's as though I were keeping a carnation in a bud vase near my desk.

[anshara]

In the imp: A top note of Rose underlined by milk and honey. Thank THE GODDESS no Carnation.

 

swiped on wrist, wet: Milk, honey, and, rose... Oh I love this!!!

 

Drydown: one to two minutes: Oh no, carnation... I was hoping it wouldn't come out. It's such a harsh note. It's killing the Rose and milk and honey..... I so totally love the wet stage... I'll give this a few hours for the carnation to mellow out....

 

ETA: Thank God!!! It's gone! All honeyed creamy roses now

[misfitroxy]

In the imp, it’s very almond-y with a greenish kind of floral note. After applying it to my skin, the almond fades completely. I get a little of the creamy, milk-like effect but it quickly turns powdery on me. The rose, honey, and bergamot are completely lost on my nose even after sitting with it for several hours. The carnation is the brightest note that I can detect, but unfortunately not a flower I agree with all that well.

 

This absolutely strikes me as a scent for a little girl anxious to join the grown ups, so Beth is spot on in that regard. As for working with my chemistry, it’s simply not meant to be.

[Pixie-elf]

In the Vial: Sweet but a tad soapy.

 

Wet: Starts out a little soapy then turns into something that's very nice and sweet.

 

Dry: Mmm, I thought I could smell Almonds in here but I may be wrong. I think it's the honey and milk. I think I can smell the carnation, but not the rose. I really like this.

 

Conclusion: It's nice, I'd def. Consider buying at least another imp and maybe a bottle! It's a lighter version of Lush's Potion, which I like, it seems. ^^

[joseybird]

Marzipan, carnation, and milk! A little girl's birthday party =) The carnation notes pop out immediately, but the milky notes prevent the scent from going powdery, like so many BPALs go on me. This is what I wanted Maiden to be, and I love it! It's a very proper little's girl's scent. No mischief or bubbles--just a quiet, gentle, proper innocence, and very comforting. Very true to its namesake =) just not *quiet* so...stuffy

 

It also reminds me of old fashioned soap, like your grandmother might be fond of--not to imply that Alice is at all old-ladyish! But it's reminiscent of a faded era...

[shelldoo]

wow i loved every stage of this one

 

wet it was very almondy

 

as it dried it became a milkey sweet boquet of roses

 

completely dry is a soft sweet boquet, sometimes i get roses, sometimes carnation it is simpley beautiful, sigh another bog bottle, how will i wear it all?

[slave1]

I was so excited for this scent since Alice in Wonderland is one of my idols. Plus anything that has milk and honey notes makes me melt.

 

In the bottle, Alice seemed very light. Pretty and feminine.

 

I put on quite a bit because my skin drinks up oils and because I like scent applied heavy. All I could smell was the carnation.

 

An hour later... why does my skin do this to me???? It makes anything with florals in it turn completely floral. I smell no milk or honey, the scents I was so looking forward to. I smell the carnation with a slight spice to it. I feel like I'm wearing a corsage. The scent is very faint though, not strong at all. I have to smell my wrist several times to smell it.

I guess I can try wearing it in my scent locket, but from the bottle I didn't smell the milk or honey anyway.

 

I hate saying anything bad about a scent, so I will give it this. It is very dainty and pretty. I do feel very girly wearing it which is nice.

[mmcfa2]

How does she do it? This smells EXACLY like Milk with tea specifically earl grey, with a hint of carnation's pepper. I feel as if I could drink my arm!!

 

I tried just a smidge at first and could not find it on my arm. Applied it more liberally and I got the most comforting cup of tea ever. once it settles into this glorious milk and tea scent it hovers just above the skin, just like it is until it vanishes about 4 hours later. I wish it lasted a bit longer, but it's worth applying again. If you go for it on this one, get a ten ml, you won't be satisfied with a 5 or an imp cause it's a bathe in me scent that just gets better and better with each sniffing.

 

Ya know, I'd like a scent of just the milk as well.. mm Mother's Milk? adding a touch of amber perhaps? How the heck did beth capture the scent of milk??? muttering and musing....

 

Pennance, I know we share the same hatred of almond. I'm so sad you got almond from this! But I'm thanking goodness I did not.

Edited March 14, 2005 by mmcfa2

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I already know I'm among the few who don't love Alice. In fact I'm among the very few who truly hate it. Milk-type scents in general make me a little queasy fairly often but add carnation to that and it's a definite nauseator. But, in the interests of reviewing, I'll give her one more chance.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, yeah, now I remember the main reason why I despise Alice: it smells like almonds. That's not to say there's actually any almond oil in here, just that it smells like there is. Normally I'd assume my instant nausea when I open the imp was almond-induced, but since it's not listed in the notes I'm going to assume it's most likely the milk or the carnation (or a combination of the two since I can wear White Rabbit just fine), although the reaction I'm having is a bit extreme for that. But yeah...it smells like almond milk to be exact.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Okay, having dabbed it on as lightly as possible I smell...almond. I don't know if I'm imagining it or if it's just a combination of things that just smell like almond or what, but that's what it smells like to me. No milk, no honey, no flowers, just almonds. There's maybe a vague similarity between this and the milk note in White Rabbit, but it's barely there for me.

 

Dry down:

 

At least the almond note (or whatever it was) has disappeared. Now I get rose and a hint of milk. I still don't like Alice, but it's better than it was before. This scent just isn't for me by any stretch of the imagination, unfortunately.

 

The bottom line:

 

"Queasier and queasier...." Alice hates me in much the same way blends with almond in them do, unfortunately, so it's off to a new home with her.