Bluebeard

[stellans]

The lab description:

A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver.

 

Another one of my searched-out lavender note blends, I loved this right away. It has a deep, dark purple scent that really suits me to a T. The scent wafts well, and doesn't wear away quickly, unlike some lighter lavender blends. This is a keeper, and I ordered a bottle.

 

ETA: wow! I wore this again today for the first time in a long time, and the vetiver has really kicked in since the last time. Aging this blend really, really pays off in major way for those of us who love vetiver. Rawr!

Edited May 14, 2009 by stellans

[madeleine]

To me, this smells just like cucumbers. I suppose that's the vetiver? It actually made me gag a bit, upon first sniff.

 

Anyway, I like it a bit better once the lavender comes through, but all in all this is Not My Scent.

[n1k1ta]

I'm not sure why this perfume is called Bluebeard. It's not very scary. Though I will say it does smell like a washed nobleman of the seventeenth century. Maybe this is the shiny facade of a psychopath.

 

It was very soapy in the beginning. Okay, it was rather boring... and soapy. I wasn't thrilled.

 

What really came out on me was the violet and musk. Despite this perfume being based on a murderous fugly man, Bluebeard is relaxing and lightly floral. This is by no means a men's cologne, so don't be fooled by the name. I think this more suited for Bluebeard's comely young wife than him.

 

I'm kinda on the fence on this perfume. I might have to smell it a few more times (or get an offer for it I cannot refuse) to determine its fate in my meager collection.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Lavender and vetiver over white musk.

 

Wet: Vetiver drowning lavender in its darkness. Then lavender starts coming out with a vengeance.

 

Drydown: I get a lot of vetiver, which dries down to powder on me, as well as a rather medicinal lavender. I don't smell the violet very much but I'm convinced it's hiding in the background, adding to the general darkness of the blend. When the vetiver starts lifting, it smells more like a traditional lavender cologne.

 

Overall: It's a very dark scent, dark rage indeed... the vetiver gives it a broody quality, the lavender is sharp and stabbing. It works very well as a masculine blend, it's definitely too masculine for me and vetiver doesn't like me very much anyway, but it's certainly a good representation of Bluebeard's dark, murderous personality.

[filigree_shadow]

For a scent called Bluebeard, I was expecting something more swarthy and swashbuckly than this. This smells more crisp than I was expecting. The vetiver keeps it from being too floral, but it definitely doesn't drown out the lavender and violet.

 

The scent this is reminding me of is on the tip of my tongue but I can't place it. It's a kind of food, believe it or not. It's something like the clear-ish squishy orange-flavored filling you sometimes get in the middle of chocolates. I have no idea why I would be smelling that in this blend, but I do smell something citrusy in this. Maybe it's from the white musk, which has a tendency to smell lemony on me.

 

Mostly this seems to be a combination of lavender and vetiver, and since my husband likes lavender a lot more than I do, I'll be handing this imp over to him. I bet it'll smell good on him, too.

[hecate_jones]

My hubby really likes lavender and vetiver scents and they work well on him,but not this one. Waaaaay too floral, even after wearing it a while and hoping it would just go away and calm down to something less in-your-face lavender-violet.

It's a dark, dark edgy violet-lavender, though. I was hoping for something a little different, I suppose. The vetiver just seems to darken up the lavender and violet and give it extra 'oomph'. Not for him. Nor for me. Alas.

[metaldog32]

Frimp compliments of the Lab.

 

This is not something I would normall gravitates towards..simply because of the violet and vetiver. These two notes usually don’t bode well on me..especially the latter. Lavender can tend to go a bit sharp on me as well…but what the heck..might as well try.

 

I actually wore this to bed last night..to try to get my head around the notes and feelings..I didn’t know what the notes were until today. I am trying it again.

 

Initial sniff from frimp: Nothing specific jumps out at me..except the whole vibe I get is…dark…..and a bit foreboding. I get a whiff of something muky..aquatic..and a tad salty..along with something..akin to woody..but a bit gritty too??? I remember last night when I sniffed from the imp..what mental image jumped in my mind..and it was that of being on a deck of a wooden ship during a storm..the saltiness of the water with the wet wood..and that gritty note..which has got to be the vetiver. I don’t really get the violet or lavender..they are very well blended.

 

Appliet wet on skin: It’s the sharp vetiver…and what I thought was a touch of a salty aquatic is perhaps actually the lavender??? I can’t stop sniffing my wrist..but I actually don’t really enjoy the scent..it makes me feel weird. Another reviewer says this scent evokes the concept of Bluebeard aptly.and I agree. Definitely has a bit of a masculine vibe to it. Somehow..it sort of still smells a bit salty to me..like sea spray, a touch of wet wood, and lavender..again the violet is kind of MIA..unless it is acting as supporting role with this whole dark vibe I get.

 

Couple of minutes on skin:Vetiver and lavender are still here..mixing it up. The white musk has warmed up a bit in the mix..making this a bit more bearable on me..funny..it has a bit of a cologne like quality..which I don’t normally associate as violet..but maybe that’s how it’s translating on my skin?. Still consider it a bit of a sharp scent on me.

 

Ten minutes later:It’s softened a bit..but it’s still the sharp/salty lavender and vetiver with musk in the background. I can’t say it’s awful on me….I just don’t feel comfortable with it on..something about it..kind of disturbs me. I get used to it after a while..but still..not really me.

 

Twenty five minutes later: Softened considerably again..and now it’s more cologne-like..not so much gritty vetiver..still a bit masculine. Now I get a touch of faint sweetness maybe it’s the violet..finally..peeking through???

 

Drydown: A touch of soft and salty aquatic with a breath of lavender and violet.

 

Lasting power is impressive…6+hours with throw soft to medium

 

Bottom Line: Bluebard is indeed a bit of foreboding fragrance on me…it evokes a darkening of the soul and made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Sure it softened up..but it isn’t something I would ever reach to wear..unless I wanted to feel weird. I had very emotional and slightly disturbing dreams after wearing this to bed…I don’t feel the need for a repeat performance. Evocative indeed.

[Rchll]

Bottle: Kind of soapy but in a very sharp, spiced way. Not a light floral and the musk/vetiver really comes out.

 

Self wet: soapy fades pretty quickly. The hubby says I smell like dish soap and flowers which says it is "alright". I think it is the vetiver that is making this woodsy. It’s a sharp scent but drifts into floral (not light but the dark blooming kind).

 

Late later: soapy still, in a darker sort of way and not exactly unpleasant but not for me. I get less and less floral and more and more sharpness as it fades.

 

Next morning: I noticed later in morning at work that my arms still smelled like soap, though it was tinged a little on the sour/sharp side. This one has to be washed off and not worn off.

 

Overall: eh, it is so-so. It got a decent vote from the hubby who does not usually even comment on how I smell. But I personally am not fond of it so think I'm gonna look some more for a floral that suits me.

[lapillus]

Scent: Bluebeard

 

Wet: well, that's different - clean maybe ceadery? Not quite sure what to make of this one. Definitely not floral, fruity, resiny, or foody.

 

Looking at the description it must be mostly the vetiver that whacking me over the head I don't mind a little of it in the background but this far up front it's NOT my thing.

 

Dry: Oh there are lavender and violets. Neither of which are my favorite to beginwith and nothing that's with them is helping mitigate the aspects of them that I dislike.

 

Summary: No, this is not really my thing, although it's not scrub-it-off-NOW awful, it's definitely for the swap pile.

 

ADDED May 7:

 

I decided to give it a try as a room scent to see if it was just me that it's reacting to badly and it works much better as such, but the second imp I've ended up with is still going to be swapped

Edited May 8, 2007 by Shollin
Merged followup review

[Neely]

In the bottle: lavender and green herbs, vetiver, I think.

 

Wet: Lavender with a violet chaser. This is surprisingly soft and stays close to the skin, even at this stage.

 

Dry down: lavender has decided to take over the show and make this a production of Pirates of Penzance. This isn't forbidding at all. Infact, Vetiver has decided to be the stage manager and is behind the scenes. Lavender is the star, and violet is the understudy. This is light hearted and lovely.

 

30 minutes: lavender is still dancing and singing on stage, "I am the very model of a modern Major General..." at the top of his lungs. Violet is standing on the side of the stage and Vetiver is back stage keeping things running. Still not dark or forbidding, but light, fresh, and clean.

 

Conclusion: on me this is a beautiful lavender blend. The only note that dominates is the lavender, but it is softened by all the other notes, especially violet. Much like Marie's tea rose softened and made smooth by Violet. In fact those two scents are like the male and female haves to a perfect couple. I may have to try and blend them together.

 

Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 4.

[forspecial_plate]

Honestly for the longest time, I didn't think I would like this. Just goes to show what I know. Also demonstrates the beauty of the Frimp.

 

Bluebeard works really well on my skin. I can smell all the notes if I concentrate, but it's the blending and balance here that are most wonderful. It's something close to Ultraviolet, which I didn't like so much. This is so much better (for me), I think the musk and vetiver give it a fullness and roundness that I love. Lasts a long time, too. Hours after I put this on, I smell a big resemblance to Baron Samedi for some reason. I'm sure they have at least one note in common, maybe vetiver.

 

Who knew I'd end up liking a scent with violet??

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

It does seem like an angry scent! It stings my nose.

 

First on:

It smells like pine or juniper at first, but I think it might be the violet interacting with some other ingredient. It reeks of male anger – what a bizarre way to describe it!

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's still very juniper-but-stingy-violet – I'm great with descriptions. It really does scentify jealousy and blind rage. It's not an unpleasant scent (it smells good, strictly speaking), just one hat gives off an unsettling vibe.

 

20-30 mins after application, it has mellowed out a bit, but it remains... awesomely unsettling.

 

Finally:

Swapping this, but it's a great scent. I just have no ”use” for a scent like this.

[aquazoo]

Woody, slightly dusty. Something in there isn't quite right. Maybe it's the lavender annoying the other notes. Trade. Ugh, it just gets worse. Wash it off!!! Well, ok, the lavender fades out eventually and it's tolerable.

[bombus]

nope, not for me. It smells so manly! it reminds me of a man's bathroom right after he took a shower and brushed his teeth. I feel like I can even smell the steam.

[daiconharuko]

Forgetting what this was supposed to smell like, I took a wiff and instantly put it down. Sniffing again I can smell the lavender but it smells tainted and very masculine.

 

I'm under the impression from smelling this and others, it's vetiver and Violet that I don't like at all. Bummer!

[ImperatrixMundi]

This was a must try for me, I like all the notes, vetivert included!

 

In the vial this smells extremely bitter, something medicinal overlaid by a very bitter lavender and a hint of vetivert.

 

As it dries down the lavender fades very quickly on my skin and this mellows a lot. The violet comes out, not a deep purple violet, it is greyish and subdued by the white musk and vetivert.

I love violet, but in commercial perfumes all you ever get that is not single note violet is a happy springtime floral with a violet topnote. This is very different indeed and I thank The Lab for making this!

 

It really becomes a very malicious blend, the scent of cold rage. An evil violet and white musk blend, who thought someone would ever make something like this? What I like about this blend is that it is so unsettling, bordering on the unpleasant. It says stay away, somehow, especially on a woman, because of that masculine touch it has. It is a difficult blend but I love it.

[Lyrical]

This was a frimp.

 

In the vial: smells weedy and, going by the description, I can't think when I would wear it!

 

Wet on skin: smells like garden weeds.

 

Dry on skin: I can smell the violet, lavender and vetiver (I hate vetiver). It is sharp and unpleasant. I never got any white musk at all.

 

Better luck next time, I hope!

[PersephonesChild]

I wanted this because of the violets, which I've fallen in love with in Marie, and for the white musk. I was very nervous about the lavender, which is my deal-breaker scent.

 

In opening this, the imp immediately splashed all over my fingers, so I didn't get much a chance to test it in the imp before smelling it on my skin.

 

What stood out most on my skin was this sense of warmth-- something that smelled a little like hot air. I can faintly smell the violet, which makes me happy, and the white musk works for me too. But what was this heat? Checking the notes, I guess it's vetiver.

 

Ah. Vetiver. At last, we meet.

 

I have to say, I really kind of like it-- the muskiness of it is uncommon for me, but not overwhelming. The vetiver is intriguing. However, the lavender is still there, and it's keeping this from being one of those scents I bury my nose in my wrist for.

 

I might try wearing this for a full day, which is usually the real test of any scent, but my guess right now is that it won't make it into my "favorites" rotation. I give it a 3.

[theGreatMissJJ]

I'm a little apprehensive as I do violet and white musk quite well, but lavender is never a good sign. I'm not too sure about vetiver as I haven't really tried too many blends with it. Here goes nothing.

 

In the imp: Predominantly woody, of which I suspect vetiver is the culprit. Woods are all right, as long as they're not too strong because they can sometimes have an acrid aftertaste.

 

Wet on skin: Ugh, here comes the lavender. The result is a sharp scent that isn't exactly unpleasant but certainly not something I would ever wear.

 

Dry: Oh, you flirtatious violet. It was supposedly the perfume of Napoleon's wife Josephine because violet shortcircuits the olfactory triggers in your nose so that you're "scent-blind" to it. After a while you can smell it again before it does its disappearing act. It's the ultimate tease when it comes to floral perfumes. Between the bursts of flowers, I can detect a light musk but unfortunately it's being undercut by the disgusting lavender and the sharp vetiver.

 

Throw and wearlength: Throw is stronger than I would like, but that may be because I just want the lavender to go away. Wearlength is fairly short however, thank goodness.

 

I can actually imagine a man pulling this off better than a woman. It's not awful, but definitely something I wouldn't be trying again.

[alexandra]

One of the first bpals I tried as I love the Bluebeard stories - particularly The Bloody Chamber. I expect him to be manipulative, charming and uncompromising. And I'd like an olfactory echo of the forbidden room itself...

 

In the imp: Hmm - sharp, bright lavender. Ooh you nasty boy. I like bad boys but they need a spot of softness.

 

Wet: Brutal, bright lavender. Frankincense raises a fist.

 

Dry-down: Very Graham Greene. Violet acting as agent provocateur while heavies lavender and frankincense lean on the bar, knuckle-dusters glinting.

 

Dry: Dark but still sharp lavender, a warm metallic there. I quite like it. It is invigorating and adrenalin filled: rather than the man himself, the metallic notes make me think of the tell-tale key to Bluebeard's room - all silver and indelible blood. But there is something redeeming in there as well, very apt indeed.

 

The Husband Sniffs - "what's that you're wearing? It's uplifting."

 

And?... I don't love it but it makes a fascinating vision of the fairytale and I will use it to write - job done!

[Czarina]

In the imp: bitter.

Wet: wet mossy rocks.

Drydown: drier mossy rocks (it's the vetiver).

Later: turns powdery and I get the first hint of violet.

 

Average throw, below-average wearlength.

 

Pleasant but nothing to jump up and down about, and not my Holy Grail of Violet. Sigh.

[Wwindy]

On me, Bluebeard is almost entirely white musk and violet; on drydown I get the faintest hint of lavender, but not much. Shame, too -- I actually like lavender and would be glad to get the strong lavender results others are posting!

 

It's fading very quickly, leaving just a shadow of powdery musk behind.

 

I'm not sure why, but for some reason this scent reminds me very strongly of Ombre Rose, which I wore in high school. Weird...

Edited December 6, 2007 by Wwindy

[WillowWoman]

In the bottle: Very masculine. Not necessarily unappealing, though. Just strange.

 

Application: Oooh. I would love to smell this on the boy.

 

Drydown: It's getting less masculine, mellowing out into something quite nice.

 

Dry: Powder. Pleasant powder. It reminds me of an old woman, somehow. For some reason, oils don't really seep out from my skin. It's almost like my skin sucks them all up. I put on three swipes of this and I can smell it vaguely as I type.

 

Conclusion: An interesting experience, but not one I would jump up and down to repeat. I will be assaulting the boy with this scent, though, to see how it works on him.

Edited December 22, 2007 by WillowWoman

[hkhm]

imp: a swish of violet and lavender. no wonder the first thing i thought when i sniffed it was: "mmmmm... purple..."

 

wet: the vetiver is, for once, behaving. the violet is a hint, the lavender is a breeze, the vetiver is an accent while the musk ties everything together. my husband has informed me that he will be using the imp next.

 

dry: the lavender is the topnote once dry but there is still a lingering touch of violet and vetiver. off to the husband's imp pile it goes!

[lainevierge]

Mmm, wet on my skin this is just like Saturnalia, but once it dries it the lavender and white musk come out making the edgy vetiver so much softer. It's almost like there's a hint of sweet vanilla in there somewhere. Lovely!