Siren

[Splendid Molerat]

Siren.

 

Bewitching, tantalizing and dangerously seductive. A thrilling, exotic blend -- deceptively sweet, but spiked with malice. White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla and apricot.

 

Sitting in the shade by some overgrown jasmine, with a sun-warm apricot in hand and cool ginger beer to drink. There's also something like blood orange in the blend, a mild citrus.

 

Siren retains more complexity applied to my hair rather than my skin (which tends to take ginger to a dry and dull place). Wafting, come-hither-ish.

 

Also bears some resemblance to the scent of an Aveda salon, another place of which I'm fond.

[anmorata]

Siren:

Wet: Ginger and vanilla? What an interesting combination. A touch of jasmine, too.

Drydown: Jasmine, ginger, and vanilla. Slightly creamy, not bad!

Long-term wear: Maybe, just maybe, this will be a big bottle. Maybe.

[kmasden]

This is very vanilla and jasmine. It almost smells slightly woodsy to me. I get sleepy, white, thick petal'd flowers and vanilla from this. Unfortunately, I don't get along with apricot or peach. As much as I love the thought and think it's a great addition to this type of scent, it smells fake to me and lends it a "not in love" status.

[tigerlust]

Siren

 

In the imp I can def smell the apricot. I'm not sure I like that. Smells too sweet.

 

But then on, oooh! this is nice!! I can smell every note mentioned! The wh ginger, jasmine, vanilla & then the apricot just underneath it all. It's almost bubbly to me! All these notes are loving my skin too! Yeah!

 

Later on, it's going all incensy on me I only get a little of the vanilla and ginger, but I like that!! It makes me feel....SASSY!!!

[bellis]

Damn. I really hoped I was going to love this, but it's all apricot and vanilla on me once it dries. It's rather cloying, and although I can get a hint of peppery ginger if I smush my nose to my elbow. The jasmine doesn't show up on me at all, however. Smells lovely in the imp, but just isn't working on my skin.

[quimerula]

Wet it's vanilla with apricot and a bit of ginger.

Sweet but with the acid touch of ginger, a bit soapy (not in a bad way) and without jasmine.

 

Dry it's a bit softer, and goes quite better. This one is very odd in my skin.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Apricot and jasmine in the vial. An interesting almost spicey scent. Not that sweet at all but kinda aluring. I sometimes have problems with the apricot blends, though.

 

Wet: Chocolate and root beer. I must be going insanse. No, that's what it smells like on me. How freaky is that?

 

Dry down: It still has a very interesting root beer quality to it, but I'm starting to detect some of the other notes as well. Jasmine with the apricot working as a spicey backdrop for it. I was hoping this might be a nice ginger/vanilla blend. My skin had other ideas. Well...we're back to root beer with a little vanilla lurking in the background of the scent. And now ginger. Nope, disppearing. Vanilla. A very slight vanilla, though, as all the notes seem to be merging and then being devoured by my skin.

 

Dry: When I can catch a whiff of it, it's basically a slightly spiced vanilla. Most of the time, though, I only smell the merest suggestion of a scent on my skin. Weird. This was one of those scents that smelled like nothing I had ever imagined it would.

[Ajila]

To me this was primarily creamy ginger. At first the jasmine hung around the edges making the scent very off kilter, but it quickly faded and left me with soft ginger and vanilla, I like it, but it would have been nice if the apricot had made an appearence.

[Alannah]

It's a really pretty light orangey-red in the bottle. I first thought I smelled a very light coconut and something was reminding me of apple, but I knew that couldn't be right because it was mustier. Then I read the description, and it said apricot! Yep, that's it. I really like it. The one complaint I have is that it's too light on me. I totally went crazy slathering it on and I can barely smell it now, just a few hours later. The apricot is definitely the strongest on me. I barely get any jasmine or vanilla, but it does all blend together into a nice smell. Feminine but not girly. I just wish it was stronger!

 

A number of hours later, I was thinking "who has doughnuts?" and realised the smell was coming from me! The vanilla came out really strongly much later apparently.

 

I would've never ordered this (it was in with my last order), but I think I love it!

[synique]

Eeep! A jasmine scent that doesn't go pure jasmine on me. Yaaaaaay!

 

It starts off a bit weird with the skin chemistry (possibly due to the vanilla/ginger combination), but ends up a mostly ginger and apricot scent on drydown.

 

Very very pretty - rather unusual as well.

[VelvetSky]

I smelled the ginger in Siren before I even popped open the lid of the imp. This is a strong, spicey/sweet perfume that you only need a tiny swipe of to get the full effect.

 

Although ginger is the dominant note in the top of this fragrance, the lovely sweet apricot comes through quickly. These two notes mix beautifully together, and although I'm normally not into gourmand scents, this one is really lovely.

 

The jasmine that rounds out Siren is soft and creamy, and quite nice blended with the vanilla in the basenote.

 

The thing I like best about Siren is that it's strong, but never sharp.

 

Thank you, dear Lab, for sending me this imp as a gift.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 0/5

Summarised in a word or two: Rotting apricot.

 

In the imp/bottle: This is... bad. This is sickly, rotting apricot.

 

On skin, wet: Musky, earthy, rotting apricot. Apricot and I don't always get along, but geeze!

 

On skin, dry: Apricot and vanilla. I have no clue what the problem is -- I adore ginger and vanilla, and apricot and I usually get along, but together, it's a horrible thing. The vanilla comes 'round after about an hour, but by then I'm wanting to wash this off.

 

Conclusion: Definitely not for me. I'm not sure what my issue is with this, but it's not something I want to smell again.

Edited December 24, 2005 by Aredhel

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - imp received in a swap

 

Preconceived Notions - Apricot is a note that turns my stomach, and I actually swapped for this before I realized it contained apricot (that part was cut off in my spreadsheet).

 

Wet - Apricot! It figures, with 3 notes I love and 1 that I hate, that it would be the one I hate that is most prominent. Still it smells gorgeous although very light, so I slather more on. This is sweet and sexy and if I can get past the apricot, I just might love it.

 

Dry - a delicous spicy vanilla with a touch of apricot. The blend of vanilla, white ginger and just the barest hint of jasmine is one of the most delicous scents I have tried, and the apricot isn't nearly as off-putting as I feared. If this was apricot-free, I would be bathing in this stuff, but as it is, I still find it fantastic, and will consider a bigger bottle down the road. It also lasts much longer than I originally thought it would. Now if Beth would only make this same blend with pear instead of apricot, I would be in scent heaven!!

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[Little Bird]

This is a very interesting scent, and not at all what I expected it to be. I didn't smell any jasmine at all, which was odd because it usually dominates on my skin. I was grateful for the lack of jasmine though

 

When I first apply this it smells like pure pepper. Very hot and spicy and strong. Then for about 5 hours it smells like an odd (but pleasant) blend of canned sweet apricot juice and pepper. In the final drydown before it disappears, it is a lovely vanilla and spicy ginger scent.

 

It's unlike anything that I've ever smelled before. I'm not sure that I love it enough to buy a bottle, but I may go through a few imps of Siren.

[quikslvr]

Yikes. Dangerous smelling at first. It makes me think I got a mislabeled imp. Sharp musk, to me. Then it calms some and turns into very pointed soap. Then softens into a more creamy ginger-vanilla scent, with strong hints of orange. Beautiful end, but I'm not sure it's worth the wait.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Jasmine and vanilla. It smells like there's some sort of wood here - white sandalwood, maybe? That's probably just the ginger, though. It's very hard to describe.

On me: The weird sandalwood-esque note - which probably was the ginger - disappears and is replaced by a delightfully fruity scent. Apricot and vanilla are surprisingly strong, while the jasmine looks on from the sidelines. The ginger adds a slight bitterness which only helps deepen the blend. It's very unusual but definitely a sexy scent.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Hmmm....this smells oddly familiar. I know this scent. Where do I know this scent from? Oh yes! Hunter Moon! It smells quite like (though not exactly alike) Hunter Moon does in the vial.

 

On me:

This is strangely like Hunter Moon on me, it's smokey with an undercurrent of something sweet and fruity - and it makes me think that there must be one or more of the same ingredients in Hunter Moon. Like others, this makes me think of a wood polish, but I don't think it smells like that in a bad way. It's reminscent of it, but not exactly like one. The smokey overall impression of this does not go away, and this is far less sweeter than I expected.

 

Final note:

I had decided not to buy this because it sounded like it was going to be too sweet for me. Luckily, the lab included an imp as a freebie in my last order and I'm so glad they did. I really do like this, and I think this calls for a big bottle. I am still undecided if I like enough to get a bottle, but I'm wearing it to a party tonight and if I get any compliments on it, it will go on the bottle list. This is a situation where I think I need someone else to make up my mind for me, but I certainly like it enough to seriously consider!

[misfitroxy]

Siren emits a deep, spicy honey kind of scent in the imp. Dark golden brown and incredibly warm.

 

It becomes incredibly sweet on my wrist, almost to the point of a vanilla candy kind of sugar overload. There’s something reminding me of sweetened coconut lingering in the background as well. In fact, it’s making me crave a rich, buttery pound cake, as that’s almost exactly what it smells like to me during this phase.

 

I’m aware of the ginger, but it’s not exceptionally potent. And as it settles, I’m becoming more aware of the apricot. It’s strange to encounter in a fragrance, but lovely nonetheless.

 

Once fully dry, it turns almost nutty, in a buttery sort of sense. I’m glad others are getting the “baked goods” connotation with this blend; otherwise, I’d think I was crazy since none of the individual elements really scream "cake!" to me.

 

I absolutely do not see myself wearing it, as it’s far too sweet for my tastes. But it would be a gorgeous kitchen scent. Or something to fill clothes sachets with (or add to unscented dryer sheets). I haven’t encountered such a powerful “can’t-stop-smelling-my-wrist” blend in quite some time. A definite love, even if it won’t make my more traditional perfume rounds.

[oceangirl]

In the imp: Smells like old lady perfume. I'm not too sure about this. . .

 

Wet: Whoa. No more old lady, now I smell coconut and some type of floral undercurrent. There's no coconut in the blend, though. I think one of the notes is being mangled by my skin.

 

Dry: The floral is the strongest note now. Very tropical.

 

This scent would be good for sunbathing or going to a luau. However, I don't think my skin likes it too much, and I have other scents that I don't turn coconut.

 

So this one's going into the swap/sell pile.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: wow, that's a lot of apricot. I like it in March Hare, but I'm not so sure about this.

 

wet on skin: still lots of apricot, with a hint of vanilla to bring it down a bit.

 

dry down: the apricot has calmed down, but the vanilla hasn't come through any more. I'm also starting to smell some jasmine, but it's not very pleasant to me. I'm normally fond of jasmine, it's a bit sweet for me.

[metaldog32]

Am running out of room to try my imps..so Siren will have to be the last of the mohicans for today. I actually purchased a bottle of Siren..but that went to my sis. Fortunately..a generous forumite/E-bay seller included an imp of Siren for me to try..so I get to do a review. The imp is actually pretty old..it has the hand written tag on it and the oil is caramel colored.

 

Now..I happen to LOVE ginger...and I do enjoy apricot..so I am excited to just dive in.

 

Initial sniff from imp: Interestingly enough..it is the ginger that is in the lead..with a faintness of apricot. I would have thought it would be the other way around..me like this!!

 

Applied wet on skin: Trying to find space on my arms not tainted with either Aeval or Blood Kiss is proving to be challenging..but I am managing. Back to Siren: HELLO APRICOT!!! There you are...and with you I see you brought your friend vanilla...ginger is sort of there..but the melange right now is very similar to a sweet fruit laden confection..as other reviewers stated..there is something of a whiff of coconut I get as well if I inhale deeply...almost like toasted cocount.

 

Couple of minutes on skin: It's all sweetness..with a faint whiff of bite-which I am assuming is the ginger. Apricot is somewhere in the background..but basically all I am registering right now is vanilla..I am not getting the jasmine per se..

 

Dry on skin: It's all come down to the vanilla with a touch of the jasmine. I like it well enough..but it is a bit sweet for me.

 

Bottom Line: For me Siren can work in late summer/fall and maybe even winter..the vanilla adds a richness with the apricot and a ginger. I won't get a full bottle because sis and I don't share scents, but I will enjoy my imp...the ginger,vanilla apricot combo is too good to pass up!!

[zankoku_zen]

I got to try this at the BPAL meet up in DC.

 

In the bottle: Something very warm, kinda musky, kinda floral.

 

On Skin: I get whiffs of the ginger, and a hint of vanilla. It's sexy.

 

On Drydown: Has a bit of floral note now, still can't smell the jasmine or apricot. I get the idea of a confident yet elusive woman.

Verdict: Pretty scent. But not me. I'm glad I got to try it though.

[Seraph]

first waft : heavy perfumey cleanser, bitter overtones

 

first on : WOW that's got a sharp little kick

 

5 minutes later : oooooo... jasmine with a bite!

 

1 hours later : Can't decide if this is spicy with a kiss of floral or flora with a bite of spice. It brings to mind the image of a deep south (maybe even New Orleans?) antebellum style house way back in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by acres of swampish wooded lands (...there was a Chevy Chase movie where he inherited this house...) and on the porch of this house is a rocking chair... and a glass pitcher of iced tea nearby... and the heady scent of jasmine wafts by on a hot breeze but that breeze also carries other aromas, vague florals and something spicy from somewhere way off in the distance that only barely got caught by the wind....

 

verdict : I like it. I'm not sure I like it enough to buy a bottle of it, but I like it enough to keep an imp around, maybe buy another imp later if the one I have runs too low.

 

=========

 

random notes : wore this one out one in the wonderful summer heat while we were shopping, in some stores but mostly riding around in the hot car. It didn't seem to waft too well in the sense that people around me could smell it, but it dawdled around behind me as I moved. People I would pass would sniff the air and look around in confusion for something that should smell like jasmine after I'd moved about 5 feet away from them. Different temps or even a constant temp might have the waftability shifting some.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Apricot bubblegum

 

On Skin: The apricot is strongest and the ginger gives it an earthier note. The vanilla sweetens it to the point where it does smell bubblegummy to me. The jasmine is light, I barely smell it so I wouldn’t consider this a floral scent at all. I love the description the lab gave it and I think it fits well. Sweet yet seductive, you get attention with this scent.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): A little sweet, and a little earthy.

 

Just On: Some sweet, and some gritty earthyness.

 

An hour or two later: Smooth yet gritty, I don't know how to describe it.

 

Around 6 hours: Goodness, it's almost totally gone, and I'm having trouble smelling it.

 

12 hours: It's gone.

 

Overall: This is sort of what I was hoping Loralei would smell like. I like it. It's got a little of everything I want, and nothing is too overpowering. I just wish it would last longer on my skin.

 

After reading other reviews: I think that the old version would not have worked nearly as well on me, so perhaps I'm glad I have the new one. The sweet has to be the fruit, and the gritty earth secent must be jasmine and ginger, which is rather surprising to me. I certainly didn't get the amount of sweetness that many other reviewers did.