Saint Foutin de Varailles

[dawndie]

Beeswax, frankincense, dried rose petals, and a dribble of wine.

In bottle: whisper-light rose

On skin: pink roses

Half-hour later: dusty-resiny rose with a honey-sweet background

In conclusion: this is like a sweetened Parlement of Foules, which was all resins and roses. I like the extra sweetness (from both the beeswax and the wine) but it seems duplicative to PoF. A mellow, pretty blend.

[MeiLin]

In the decant: Sweet wine. Yummy.

 

Wet: Almost a coconut. Warm. The beeswax and wine predominant, which I think is where I'm getting the coconut accord. A great deal of throw.

 

Dry: Mostly beeswax with sweet wine. As it dries, the rose petals come up, but they're not amping like they usually do. Definitely a dried rose. The frankincense is way at the back, but it's there.

 

Verdict: Nice. Maybe a partial; maybe the decant is enough. Not sure.

[angelicruin]

Oooh this was quite a surprise. Sweet beeswax and wine on my skin with soft rose petals.

[ami226]

On the skin: A honeyed rose with another strange sweetness in the background that kinda puts me off... I think I need to try this one on again...

[Myrrha]

The first time I tried this scent I thought it was gorgeous dark roses and beeswax. Now, trying it again, it seems lighter and sweeter.

 

As it dries it goes through a phase where it feels flat on my skin. Either the frankincense or the beeswax is not working quite right. Then it dries down to a sweet and slightly powdery resin scent with rose in the background.

 

It is a a little similar to Lilith except that Lilith is quite a bit darker. Parlement of Foules is also similar. The beeswax and frankincense make St. Foutin warmer than either of the others, a slightly golden fuzz of powdery resin with roses and a little wine. I like this one.

Edited March 17, 2010 by Myrrha

[kbrighton]

This is very, very nice. A dusty rose scent made less dry by the beeswax and dribble of wine. This is reminiscent of the Last Rose of Summer, but juicier.

 

The first time I tried it I was overwhelmed by the wine note, on subsequent tries the wine was less pronounced and the whole thing came together in a melange of wonderfulness.

 

 

 

 

[Molls]

I was really looking forward to this one. I love rose, I love wine, I like beeswax. But the frankincense is making it really powdery. I'm afraid it's a no-go for me...

[naeelah]

I'd forgotten what notes were in this, so when I put it on, I was surprised that it smelled rather like cherries. Aha, that would be the wine note! It doesn't smell like the lab's usual cherry note, it's just a very rich, red fruity scent that reminds me of cherries. This is definitely not the dry wine of Prospero. This is more like the wine in Madrid or Lady Macbeth.

 

In the bottle and in the first hour or so of wear, it smells very strongly of roses and fruity wine, with beeswax and a bit of astringent frankincense. The frankincense immediately fades and blends in, but I suspect its staying power will improve with time.

 

After a couple of hours, the pronounced fruitiness of the wine recedes, so now it smells primarily of beeswax, with frankincense and dry rose petals. The wax here is very creamy and waxy, but lacks the sugariness of honey it sometimes has.

 

This scent isn't so unlike Libra, but where that one went a bit flat and soapy on me, this one remains rich and voluptuous. The rose note here is very deep and red, and the effect is only intensified by the richness of the wine. It's almost difficult for me to separate the two notes.

 

So in short, this is a rich, fruity rose and wine scent with beeswax and a hint of smoky resin.

 

Try it if you like: Libra, Prospero, Red Queen, Blood Countess, Lady macbeth, the Knave of Hearts

[papermaker]

This one is a winner on me.

It's wine and resinous at first. As it dries there is rose and subtle sweetness from the beeswax. Dry It is rose and beeswax, with a tiny amount of frankincese.

[zankoku_zen]

So on wet, I definitely got the wine note combined with the beeswax. As it dries, its more of a candle scent (beeswax) because to me, it almost smells like coconut, with a touch of frankincense. A touch of rose here and there.

 

Not my cup of tea, and I'm surprised at how well the frankincense has behaved in this blend.

[aquazoo]

Peaches and sugar. There's the beeswax / honey note. Ordinarily I don't like peach scents, but this is when a rose smells like a peach or vice versa. Yum, really beautiful!

 

[heathercaley]

This is by far one of my favorites of all time. Easily on my personal top ten.

 

I usually amp rose notes, and frankincense can turn sour on me. Also wine notes tend to go a little bit wonky. But put together, each note cancels out each other and turn into the most beautiful scent. Sweet beeswax with a touch of rosey wine, and then a dash of resin to warm it up. Its bliss! I require back ups.

 

[ralenth]

At first, St. Foutin is too boozy and I get green prickliness from the rose. However, after an hour, it has morphed into this gorgeous warm beeswax with a deep wine note underneath. I really regret selling my bottle now.

[Argentwolf]

The 'dribble of wine' is practically all I can smell! There is a bit of smokiness way in the back, there -- the frankincense, perhaps? Now that my imp has aged a little, it smells like wine that's been aged in blackened wooden casks -- this makes it interesting, but not necessarily something that I want to smell like. Wine notes tend to go pretty sour on me, and while the incense helps keep it from getting too out of hand, this one just doesn't work on my skin.

[ianastar]

Wow, I actually get the wine notes in this. A grapey smell, like when you spill wine on something.

 

As it dries more of the rose and frankincense start to come out. The rose isn't as obnoxious as it seems in Wicked. This rose is actually not bad, the frankincense really takes center stage here, and those grapey notes of the wine lingers around the edges.

 

Really nice actually!

[Altaira]

This reminds me of a innocent little sister of Zadok Allen Vinyard. Very similar notes are there, but it is young and sweet, not grownup and sexy.

 

Overall, it smells like a berry candle to me.

[Invidiana]

For anyone afraid of sharp dry rose (and I know I am), this is nowhere near that. It's dominated by the gloriously musky and slightly sweet beeswax with those trademark honeyed undertones, and that entwines swith tendrils of incensey frankincense and the softet brush of tea rose. I actually don't detect any red wine here anywhere; maybe it's a white wine note? In any case, this is gorgeous, sensual and oddly relaxing.

[yamiko]

In bottle: Beeswax and frankincense.

 

On me: It starts out nothing but wine when it's very freshly applied, but that goes away quickly, and starts to smell how it did in the bottle. As it dries, the rose comes out more, and it ends up smelling like soft red rose and beeswax.

 

Overall: This is a very lovely scent. It usually flies under my radar, but every time I put it on, I am not disappointed. I need to remember to wear it more often. I really do love the Lab's beeswax note.

[Jupita]

This is really a big love at first sniff for me.

In the bottle it's really not that impressive.

Upon my skin, this is lush red roses, on a black mantle, splashed with wine and the scent of candles...

It really smells like a romantic evening, but with a sexy side to it, coming probably from the frankincense, who tends to smell rather naughty on me.

As the time goes on, this becomes rosier, but doesn't turn sugary sweet.

I'm really in love -

Need mooooore.

[griffonner]

In the imp- Beeswax followed by sweet wine, all of it backed by dusty rose.

Wet- The sweetness tones down, and the frankincense comes out with the beeswax. Only this faintest hint of rose.

Dry- Beeswax and roses. Makes me think of old books and tea on a rainy day.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Resinous rose and beeswax.

 

Wet: Hmm. I'm really not sure about the wet phase of this one. The rose and wine seem to get into a bit of a spitting match and it becomes very, very high pitched and overly sweet. I cannot smell the frankincense at all and the beeswax is... flat?

 

Dry: This dries down to a strong beeswax base with the rose/wine floating overtop. A hint of frankincense lends a nice bit of resin but is not the major note. It reminds me a lot of a creamy version of Blood Rose. It's lovely but... I just can't think of a lot to say about it.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: I really like this, but I've been wearing it on a regular enough basis that I have the tail end of a bottle left and won't be overly saddened when it's gone. I feel like it's a spin on Blood Rose but a little more daytime friendly.

[bonny]

ooo i wouldn't have picked this one up on my own but i was frimped and BOY, is this nice. it's the same wine note as halloween vegas, still sexy like vegas but in a more... romantic way. the beeswax adds a lovely creaminess and the rose petals are just barely there- there's a dusty floral hanging in the background. i LOVE this. color impression is a deep red.

[alyelle]

I don't do well with rose scents, but I was given a partial decant of this by a lovely forum member I bought some other imps from, so I figured I'd give it a go.

 

Imp: wine, tea, and the cloying, sickly scent that I smell with all rose blends.

 

Wet: surprisingly lovely! A warm black tea, frankincense and papery, dry roses. No wine at all, and none of the overly sweet smell that rose normally gives me.

 

Dry (10 mins): ... oh. I amp resins and incense notes, but I also amp rose - which is probably why I don't enjoy it, to be honest. And in the frankincense/rose contest, the rose is now winning by a whole lot.

 

dry (6 hours): alas, poor Yorrick, he was overwhelmed by roses. After three or four hours I start getting hints of beeswax, but it's pretty much all rose, all the time.

 

Overall it's not an unpleasant scent, regardless of how this review looks. On someone that wears rose well, it would be beautiful. The throw is excellent, it was still quite strong after eight or so hours wear. But it's not a scent I'd have ever chosen and it's definitely not one I'll need to track down more of. Had it stayed what it was at the 10 minute mark, I might have been tempted.

 

Stars: ★★★

Edited February 4, 2014 by alyelle

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Rose wine and frankincense.

 

Wet on skin: A little stronger on the frankincense and rose than the wine (yay! I was hoping it wouldn't be too boozy).

 

Dried down: Rose and sandalwood, with a hint of wine. The beeswax sweetens it a little bit asit dries down further. I'm kind of loving this one. It's soft, has a lot of my favorite notes, and complex.

 

Throw: Not getting a whole lot, and I wish I were, but that's not exactly a dealbreaker for me.

 

Verdict: ***** This is a two-bottle order, if I can afford it. It's that good.

[patina]

Wine! Also roses and frankincense and a little inoffensive honey. The frank is very dry and holds the super-sweetness of the wine in check. Really this is one of the best frankincenses I've smelled.

It smells like a little altar.

 

Most likely a bottle purchase, but then again, I like everything here. It gets a little faint on the drydown but that's okay.