Alice

[agirlnamedfury]

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

 

Grass and almond cookies. I know those aren't really the listed notes, but that's what this smells like to me.

[Miss Landau]

Really got the rose and bergamot inhaling from the imp and freshly applied to wrist. Has settled down over an hour into honeyed milk. I suspect I'll like this for the office - soothing and comforting, but subtle enough not to intrude on co-workers.

[iskhavin]

TIL that apparently I amp carnation like crazy. This was sweet and milky-rosy at first, but as it dried down it turned into all spicy carnation, so strong that I'd call it cologne-like, with a little bit of powder in the background.

[Coldfire]

Imp: carnation and bergamot
Wet on me: spicy carnation with milk and honey.
Drying Down: spicy carnation milk and honey. I'm not gonna jinx it!
Dry: HO LEE COW! Finally a scent with rose that DOES NOT AMP on my skin! This is milk and honey and carnation and lovely!!!!!

[lizabelle]

This is even sweeter than I expected, to the point that I'm on the fence about it. I do love the milk note in here, and the roses/carnations blend in nicely, but it may be the honey I don't like. It has an aftertaste (afterscent?) that's just a little too sweet. It reminds me a bit of a baby doll. In the end it's probably not my kind of scent, at least unless layered with some spices or woods.

[Mufasa]

I absolutely adore Alice!!! Admittedly, I only bought this because it's Alice and I'm so happy I did. This is a morpher on me starting out with a baby powder floral, then a non-powdery light floral and finally a delicious honey cookie scent, it took about four hours for the florals to end but the cookie smell lasted for about another three hours. I really enjoyed the floral stages only because they were very nostalgic and evocative of Alice's character.

[Lucchesa]

Alice was the first bpal scent I fell madly in love with, and it is still my go-to feel-good scent. I travel with it; I wear it all year long; it buoys me when I catch a whiff of it. Pulling out the stopper invariably raises my mood two or three notches. Just thinking about Alice raises my mood. Love it! It is sexy in a light, flirty, but not little-girl way, delicious in an Earl Grey tea with marzipan cookies way. When I was home for the holidays and put it on to go out to a family event, my mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, said, "You smell wonderful!" I also have the hair gloss, and also adore it.

[Nikki Scarlet]

My first review in my very first BPAL order.

 

At first I found this kind of subtle and difficult to discern, but I think that was because I'd just finished sniffing all the other imps in my order and some of them are quite a bit stronger. After washing my hands to remove as much of the scents of the other imps off my fingers as possible, this was my first choice to give a proper review, so I could get a better sense of it.

In the imp (post-hand wash):
Hmm. "Curious" is a good word for this. It's still rather subtle, and a bit . . . odd? I think I'm picking up the a mix of the honey and the bergamot. It's coming out more medicinal than I was expecting. It's not bad, but not the sweet, candyish scent I was expecting from reading the other reviews.

On me, wet:
Still a strong chemical scent up front that I'm not really liking. I'm thinking this is the bergamot. But once you get past that, there's a softer floral scent. I think this may be the rose and carnation coming out.

Drydown:
I'm getting a bit of the milk now, which is making the florals smell creamier. The strong chemical scent is dying off now, but there's still a sharpness in the background. Further sniffs are bringing back a sweeter honey in the mix, which is nice. There doesn't seem to be a lot of throw to this, though: I have to press my nose right up to my wrist to get anything.

Dry, a few minutes later:
Oh, now this is interesting. Now that it's dry, I'm getting almost pure honey, with occasional whiffs of rose. This one's quite the morpher!

Dry, about an hour later later:
Back to milky floral, with honey floating beneath the surface. This seems to be that sweet, innocent, nostalgic, girlhood scent other people were talking about. it's really become lovely.

A few hours later:
The scent lasts pretty long, but once it gets past a couple of hours it pretty much turns to a rosy soap smell on me. I do like the clean smell, but it's comparatively a bit humdrum: I'm kinda sad to have lost the honey notes.

Verdict:
Alice took me on quite the adventure! On the whole, I like it, but I don't think I'm excited enough by it to want a full bottle just yet. For now I'll keep the imp to see if it continues to grow on me and if the lingering scent is any different at different times of the month. I'm not fond of it straight out of the imp, but my body chemistry seems to do some really nice things with it that make it worth keeping around.

Edited July 10, 2017 by Nikki Scarlet

[goldentipyunnan]

This is my first review, and Alice was the scent I was most excited to try from my first order! I love to drink earl grey tea with milk and honey, so I was really hoping that the milk, honey and bergamot notes would be the strongest in this scent. Unfortunately, I don't really get any bergamot except maybe if I sniff the actual bottle really hard. On my skin, the honey and rose are definitely the most dominant notes. Together they do smell a bit powdery, but I kind of like it (I'm not afraid to smell like an old lady, but other people may want to steer clear of this if you don't like soapy rose scents). After an hour or so, the powdery-ness mellows out to a nice light, sweet floral. I will definitely keep wearing it throughout the summer, and the added bonus of being reminded of Alice in Wonderland every time makes it more fun

[Shadowdawn]

Based on the note descriptions I thought that I would absolutely love this one... but it has made me sad.
Upon initial application is reminds me *a lot* of Dana O'Shee, which I adore, but a bit stronger and with better throw. So far, so good. Very creamy, but with a slightly herbal/floral (but not cloying) background to keep it grounded. And not too sticky sweet either which is a relief. I was expecting just a little less milk and a little more floral (or even honey), but it's similar enough at this point to Dana that I'd go for it.

 

*Spoken in a lifeless droning tone* .....One hour later....

Anything that might have called itself a floral, or even an herb, has long since died and powdered to dust in the back of an old spice cabinet, in a memory, from a decade ago. The milk has gone sour in the sun.

And, somehow, miraculously... I get... linen. Like, white tablecloths. Why cruel world?! And finally, in a dramatic, final, death cough, as it expires, the linen melts bitterly into burned plastic and used dryer sheets. How did this blend turn into plastic and unclean laundry over here?!

 

------------

 

2022 Edit: Alrighty well, I've received a totally fresh imp from the Lab and having completely forgotten how this ever used to smell on me, I uncorked and rubbed some on. I also did this without reading the notes to remind myself what was in it. 

So, blindly sniffing I got a very light, creamy, summery, slightly floral vibe up front. Not too sweet. Tea party indeed! I thought, "aha! Thick cream, freshly steeped tea, and tuberose." Which apparently is totally wrong. Er, that's awkward.

 

As it continues to dry down I think wow the strong tea here has turned totally spicy! Like Chai almost (but without a buttery/foody/sugar note). And I wonder where the hot cinnamon and spice blend is coming from. It's actually heckin' delicious. How?! I am not getting a hint of milk or that sourness at all. Which is a good thing. I also can't detect the honey although I recall I used to amp it.... and no linen either. Creamy cream, a total melange of spices, and uh the barest breath of mixed florals come through. I'm not detecting a whiff of rose in any form, not even a white rose! No milk, no honey, no rose. It's so odd. Spiced hot cream and black tea. I am not even getting any of the citrus/pepper that bergamot usually brings. If someone said this was heavily cinnamon-spiced white hot cocoa I would believe it. 

 

I guess surpassing 30 does things to the body because I'm guessing the Lab changed nothing which can only mean.... my body chemistry is what changed. 

Edited April 14, 2022 by Shadowdawn
The Progression of Time

[PinkoCommie]

Even knowing what I know about my skin and anything rose, I tried Alice anyway.

 

The imp is what did it. In the imp, I smelled the beautiful milky, honey, carnation-y goodness that this scent wants to be with a hint of the light white rose in the background. I thought it would be okay, that it would behave. And to its credit, it did...for a whole 30 seconds. After that, the rose got stronger and stronger and now all I can smell is overpowering roses and something green and it's giving me a headache AND OMG I SCRATCHED MY NOSE AND NOW IT'S ON MY NOSE AND IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY SEND HELP OMG.

 

My epitaph should read "killed by Alice, with a rose."

[gloame]

I don't think this is soft at all. To me, it's hyperactive, imaginative, and definitely child-like. There are no softened, womanly edges; it's all girlgirlgirl. I don't know how old my imp is but I get a lot of fruit and honey; tangy-sweet. There's some milk, but it's the spilled milk of impatience vs the creamy milk of a more womanly blend. The rose is not at all dusty or stuffy. Nice, but not for me.

 

Where I'd wear this: Playing drunken croquet with girlfriends

[CitrusFiend]

In the imp and wet on skin, cool florals with a hint of spice. Surprisingly strong throw. Dry, the rose dominates, which sadly happens very often with my skin chemistry. It's just too floral for me.

[achildoftime]

It's so spicy I thought that it had cinnamon in it. It almost smells like cinnamon milk when it's wet. As it dries, it becomes a very powdery rose. Rose doesn't usually overtake on me, but it did with this. It's not a bad rose, but I like it much better with the spiciness. All I can think of is porcelain dolls when I smell it. Not a bad thing, but it's not really something for me.

[whisperstilled]

Subtle, sweet, and herbal. Reminds me of Gennivre a bit! Really lovely and well-balanced.

[Corvidchaser]

I've become so attached to this one this week for some reason. It's very comforting.
The rose mixes with the bergamot & though I usually dont like rose, as it dries to powdery on me. The milk seems to soften the "old lady" scent of roses on my skin.

[monocainsheresy]

Over the summer I went to Massachusetts and ate at a little café in Cape Ann. I ordered a piece of a cakey thing that strongly resembled blueberry boy bait, but without cinnamon sugar and some sort of red fruit instead of blueberries.

The lab has precisely bottled its taste as a scent in the form of Alice.

[starryeyes]

This smells like a warm vanilla-rose milk tea.  It's not sugary, but mildly sweet and rosey with a dot of creaminess- doesn't go powdery on me either.

This is a very gentle scent, not a lot of throw on me but I'm constantly smelling my wrists because of how good it is.  It's good if you don't want something in-your-face, I think it's my new favorite.

Edited March 18, 2019 by starryeyes

[alouettesque]

Wet on my skin, it reminded me of marzipan and old family recipe sugar cookies. As it dried, it got more baby powdery. The bergamot didn't come through initially for me but when I applied more, it did, which was lovely. About an hour and a half into wearing it, it got really sweet and soft, like honey and milk. I think this would be a really nice scent for a cold wintery night if you just wanted to feel all snug and cozy. 

Edited April 18, 2019 by alouettesque

[Vefenna]

Alice was a frimp and I just fell in love with that scent!

 

In the beginning it smells like smokey rose or rosewood? Maybe like wild rose? But right after couple minutes it turns  into sweet and creamy spicy flowers. Honey, milk, carnation, bergamot, it's all there. I don't know why, but it reminds me of Christmas or winter time, it's comforting and cuddly. If I'm not sure what to wear it's one of my go to.

[Rane.]

Recieved as an Imp with a purchase in 2018. First impressions are milk & carnation. Rose slowly works its way out. So delicate & sweet. I've started scenting my cuddle doll with it.

[feyofthefellwood]

Alice is subtle, sweet, and pleasant. Weirdly, I get a blueberry muffins scent association, although I can smell the honey, milk, and rose when I look for them. All the notes are very well-balanced, although as a carnation lover, I wish I got a bit more carnation.

[storme]

A gentle, light fragrance, the carnation is a bare whisper of warmth under the creamy-honey scent. Usually the lab's honey note does unspeakable things on my skin, and rose is often a powder-bomb, but here they both just suffuse the scent with sweetness. Delightful and unexpected.

[fairybites]

In the Imp: I just smell the roses and maybe some honey

On Me: As it's drying, it's still very floral and honey with no traces of milk to my nose. The carnation is coming through so to me it's mostly a mix of that with rose and honey. Very sweet with a touch of spice, almost like potpourri to me but way nicer.

 

Definitely the better rose scent I've tried. I have mixed feelings about Zombi which was also rose, but Alice for me is better. Maybe it's the mix of honey and canation and less earthy scents? I can see myself buying a bottle of this at a later date and perhaps the hair gloss as well. It almost reminds me of Lord of Misrule by Lush but less strong? Maybe they would pair well together.

[LadyLuckless]

I owe Alice a sincere apology! I had a bottle years ago when I was a BPAL rookie unaware of the magic of “settling” and aging. I tried her fresh out of the mailbox, thought she smelled like bug spray, and immediately swapped her away. The shame of it! I almost missed the delicious gently spiced, milky floral bliss so reminiscent of LUSH’s beloved Potion scent. Carnation/Rose loveliness! The bug spray went away with settling, and I’m betting it will age right out. Love ya, Alice! Please forgive me?