Needlework

[tativa]

Oolong tea, lilac, sheer musk, crushed ginger, wisteria, delphinium, and lavender.

it smells like wet, spring flowers, the freesia and musk mixing together to make an almost light honey scent.

I can't smell the ginger at all, nor much of the tea.

Lilac, wisteria and light musk are def the stars here.

Lilac normally hates my skin, but its quite lovely in this blend.

Needlework isnt the lovely lavender i had hoped for, but I think it'll get alot of use for those spring days I am feeling girly and wearing a dress.

[MichelleB675]

I'll admit this was a must have the second I saw the lilac listed, it's one of my favorite flowers and scents.

 

In the bottle and for about the first hour it's mostly lilac.

 

After that the lilac backs off to let the other notes shine through. I get the tea, a bit of ginger, and a lovely blend of lilac, wisteria and musk.

 

I really love this one, it's one of my favorites so far. It's very springy/early summer. Beautiful blend.

[Myrrha]

Wearing this scent is like unexpectedly finding a couple of free hours and sitting in the shade of lilac and wisteria drinking iced oolong and peacefully doing needlework. It is cooling shade and leisure in a bottle.

 

Wet: I notice the lilac first, and a cool, moist almost aquatic aspect to the scent. It isn’t really an aquatic note but somehow moistness is infused into the scent like it is in Glasgow. It feels very cooling and refreshing.

 

As it dries: The cool musk and wisteria come out and balance with the lilac. It makes a blueish purple floral scent like lilacs and wisteria painted with transparent watercolors.

 

Dry: a gorgeous, light watery floral. If I focus on looking for it I can smell the lavender but mostly it just adds a relaxing soothing tone to the scent and shapes the character of the lilac and wisteria. The lilac and wisteria do not refract into fake smelling notes on my skin at all, they smell enchanting even if I put my nose right down into my wrist.

 

After an hour: The refreshing, watery aspect of the scent is the tea, and it comes out more now and is more recognizable. The musk is more prominent now but it is delicate, cool and transparent not an animal-like musk. The lilac and wisteria color the tea note so it is like musky iced tea with flowers floating in it.

 

Verdict: I like this much better than Nocturne for a lilac scent and better than Glasgow or Dian’s Bud for a cooling floral. I might need at least a second bottle because I can imagine wearing this frequently in the summer.

[hkhm]

bottle: a jumble of jarring floral notes.

 

wet: lilac, wisteria and lavender wafting over musk. the tea is that bright, clean faintly sweet feel inthe background. much nicer than i was expecting.

 

dry: this dries to mostly lilac and wisteria over that faint tea scent on my skin. the lavender has faded but leaves a soft, leafy feel behind. comforting.

[Ravenclaw79]

In the bottle, this is lilacs and something soapy. On the skin, it's about the same. When it dries down, it comes into its lilac-y goodness fully. It's something like a Charmkin, and something like Melancholia. I'll have to test those two side by side later on.

[edenssixthday]

Needlework - When I sniffed the bottle, all I smelled was a note that's usually rotten on me -- lavender. But I got some on my fingers, so I rubbed it on my arm to go ahead and give it a shot. Once it dries down, it's actually really gorgeous! Even though I can still smell the lavender, it's faint, and the wisteria and musk are the top notes, and the lavender compliments the overall scent really nicely, surprisingly enough. I thought I'd dislike this, but it's really pretty. It's very much a springtime scent, highly feminine, and makes me think of ladies wearing flowered dresses with big hats and white gloves, drinking tea while sitting in wicker chairs on the patio in the shade of a freshly blossoming tree or two. It's a very calm and pretty scent.

[abyluv]

wet: punch you in the face lilac.

Dry down: lilac starts to fade into other florals...and is gone

dry: oolong tea, lavendar and...ginger?

 

This scent fades quickly on me.

 

It's ok, wish more of the floral note to it. I get the feeling this may be one that others like on me better than i like on me

 

amended:

after sitting for while I am happy to say that the flowers have perked back up.

There is also a light musk scent that is very pretty, def a keeper. I'm shocked at how much this is a morpher on me.

Edited February 18, 2010 by abyluv

[reynardine]

In decant: lavender

 

Wet: lavender, lilac, musk and ginger. Nice and light, rather pretty.

 

Drydown: very light, liquid floral. Lilac dominates here—I’m barely getting the lavender, a note which I dislike. The ginger keeps things crisp.

 

Later: Lovely light floral, a shade aquatic. I’m getting a bottle of this!

 

[Siberia]

In the bottle, this is awesome - sweet flowers (predominantly lilac) held in check by the more herbal lavender and ginger. When I put this on my skin, it starts off pretty well balanced in the wet phase, but then the lilac takes over, beating all other notes into submission, and demanding that they pay obeisance to the awesome power of the almighty lilac. I never smelled anything like tea. I

 

In the lilac phase, it's still very, very sweet, much sweeter than I'd expect from just a flower. I actually like how it smells, but it's incredibly strong and gave me a headache. I am going to keep this, but on me at least, it's powerful stuff and should be used very lightly.

[prunesnprisms]

I think it was the lilac, it smelled like lilac, sure, but that doesn't mean my skin wants to smell of. I loved the idea of it but the execution of it pretty supremely didn't work on me. I had to wash this one.

[musichappens]

This smells just like springtime to me -- fresh blooming flowers. The musk is faint, but still noticeable. However, the oolong tea and the ginger are pretty much nonexistent on my skin. As for its throw, this started out remarkable strong, but quickly calmed down (which I'm grateful for). Longevity seems to be a slight issue for me, but I think it would do really well in a scent locket. I think might try to find a partial of this rather than pick up a whole bottle.

[fairnymph]

Rather sharp and powdery floral. The tea is sharp, the florals are old-ladyish soapy-powdery and sort of musty, and I don't get any of the ginger or musk at all. The lilac is very light, and so is the lavender (though this is one note that I like here, so far). Fucking wisteria dominates.

 

Surprisingly, better on my skin - fresher and brighter. More lavender and the ginger, which is definitely fresh and crushed, comes out. The tea is much stronger and has that nice piney-citrus aspect that strong, good tea has. I get a bit of a sort of green-white floral that's fresh - it reminds me a bit of jonquil or daffodil, so I think it's the delphinium. Quite nice. Unfortunately the lilac is a little stronger and as usual too heady and 'fake' for me; the wisteria is amazingly not any stronger but still there, and goddamn I HATE WISTERIA SO FUCKING MUCH!

 

EGADS. This has pennyroyal in it. Not only does it have my #1 most hated note of all time, WISTERIA OF DOOM, it has my #2 most hated note of all time, PENNYROYAL OF PAIN. And the lilac has amped up considerably along with these notes to make a sharp, heady, powdery mess of pure evil. This is very sad because lavender, tea, delphinium and ginger being trampled far below are lovely. They are there, but irreparably tainted by the nasty trio above. Likewise for the musk that's coming out and reminds me greatly of blue musk - sort of dusky and violet-hued and twilight-esque, with a little white musk thrown in to brighten it up.

 

Rotten minty floral soapy heady POWDER that's been peed on by evil old lady poodle dogs over a fresh, delightful delphinium-lavender-ginger-musk-tea base. The latter actually amps up a bit after a while in a vain attempt to fight off its demonic overloads but in vain. Somehow the two layers of horrible and lovely make this blend all the worse; I'm reminded of how fantastic this COULD be, taunted, and the clashing is just bizarre and painful. I can smell all the notes, but this is not working. Epic fail but at least epic fail I pretty much bet on. Of course, strong throw and longevity.

 

Edited February 25, 2010 by fairnymph

[Yoginispirit]

Wet: Gardenia-like flower. Sweet and sharp. Wisteria most likely.

 

Drying: Much of the same.

 

Dry: Eh, perhaps a touch of aquatic or lavender but still Wisteria. Hmmph. Where's my tea????

 

This is a beautiful, feminine scent don't get me wrong, but its so similar to other florals that I already have that its not really doing anything for me. I'll keep it in hopes that aging will bring out its beauty.

 

 

[Little Bird]

I was excited to try this, because I love lilac and lavender, and I'll try anything that mentions tea. My favorite bpal lilac scents are the Blue Lilac single note and Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree from The Salon. The lilac note in Needlework is very different from those, though. This is more of a perfumy, laundry-fresh lilac scent. The only notes that I can can pick out for sure are lilac and musk, but something in this goes slightly soapy (and oddly a powdery, dry smelling soapy that gets caught in my throat) and the whole thing has a very perfumey, sharp feel. As it dries down, it's even less lilac and more dry, sharp musk and soap.

 

I *love* the artwork that inspired this scent, but this is too sharp, musky, soapy, and dry for me.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Little Bird

[greenranger]

 

 

I get mostly lilac and maybe the delphinium and wisteria from this. The lavender is not there, nor is the ginger. It is a soft, pale blue floral type of a scent for me.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Cool, herbal florals, dry musk, and a bit of spice and smoke at the very end.

 

Immediately on skin: The wisteria and lilac come out full force, cool, smooth, blue florals. Behind that lingers very dry musk, and some herbal lavender. It’s very cool and calming.

 

After a little while: This scent is still mostly lilac and wisteria, but those notes don’t seem as lifelike to me now, and more like perfume. There’s just a touch of warm tea, and a hint of herbal lavender. This is cool and floral, but watery without being aquatic.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a very floral, cool scent. The wisteria and lilac are the strongest notes and at first they seem very realistic, but they settle into more of a cool perfume scent after a while. That’s when the tea comes out a bit more, adding a bit of almost a smokey/watery feel to the blend. Pretty, but a bit on the “cool” side for me.

 

[Venneh]

To be honest, I was a little reluctant to test this and passed in the first round of decants b/c of the lavender, but now I've seen all these reviews comparing it to Hanami, which I like a fair bit, so we'll see what this does.

 

In the decant, I'm getting the lavender. Damnit. On my skin, I'm getting the tea first and foremost... which is interplaying with the lavender, the latter which appears to be dragging the entire scent down to nothing with it. However, the tea bitchslaps the lavender, and that and the ginger dominate for me. Not quite what I'm looking for.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Venneh

[Lorelai1945]

In the bottle this smells like creamy tea with flower petals in it. It's soft and feminine and springy. When I first put it on, I smell a lot of the same thing, but as it starts to dry, one of the florals pops out in the forefront...ah! Maybe the lavender? There's almost a hint of mintiness in there, but not really minty. As it continues to dry, I get more of the floweryness with some tea. It's slightly cloying, but I don't hate it either. Once it's completely dry, more of the tea comes out. I'm still kind of on the fence. I don't mind Needlework, but I also don't know if it'll get worn. If not, I may swap for something that will get more love.

 

I wish it smelled on the way it smells in the bottle...

[pandorasmuse]

In the decant: Tea and lavender are the standouts.

 

Wet: TEA! And also musk, with flowers at the finish.

 

Drydown: As it dries, it becomes lilac & gentle tea.

 

Later: This is going to be awesome when the weather gets warmer. Unfotunately, my skin eats it and it’s gone in about 2 hours.

[fiddledragon]

Mmmm....lilac. This is a wonderful true cool petaly lilac. It's like a fresh breeze on a warm late spring day sitting among lilac bushes. I get a touch of lavendar, some musk, and what might be wisteria, but it's mostly lilac on me. White/clear/crystal/sheer musks often go all department-store on me, but this just has a touch of musk that deepens the scent nicely. I'll be reaching for this one a lot as the weather warms up!

[windbourne]

You know, I was pretty sure this would be one of those Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin sort of scents for me, and I was completely correct. It's a pale and pretty little floral without much depth or meaningful weight behind it; very lavender in tone (if I had to give it a color, it'd be #E6E6FA, or Lavender. Seriously.) but thankfully without a lot of lavender in the scent.

 

*shrug* Lilac, wisteria and a lovely little underhaze of sweet ginger and tea. A little musk, a little delphinium. Lasts about three hours, throws gently and almost quizzically. Finito.

[misscoldheart]

As a seamstress, I was naturally drawn to this one. Lucky for me the description seemed promising as well!

This, on me, is a nice light springtime floral blend. Not getting much ginger or tea, which is a shame, but I can def see myself wearing this in the warmer months. It's really light, though, so application through the day may be key.

Edited March 9, 2010 by misscoldheart

[starfish327]

 

this is my statement for full disclosure: i am most definitely NOT a floral person. i liked this one thematically but someone bought me a decant as a gift, because of the theme (i'm a fiber artist that studied sexuality formally for awhile) otherwise i would have avoided it.

 

that said, this is one of the very few almost pure florals that beth has made that i can actually wear. normally i have to have a large dose of something else to be able to pull them off.

 

however, this is almost a lilac sn. through the decant and wet stage, that's literally i get-lilac. however it's a very true lilac and it does remind me of may in my front yard back home. it then goes through a lilac backed a really faint almost aquatic note (i have absolutely no idea what that could be- i've never gotten that reaction from the lab's ginger, but i'm only familiar with about half of the other notes, at least in oil form). it then warms up a little and it's lilac backed by ginger and what i think is the tea.

 

however this is still heavy heavy lilac on me. but it's not overpowering unless i have my nose right up against my skin. it's a very very pretty, light scent and it does strike me as appropriate for spring. this is much more delicate that what i would have picked out myself but i can actually see myself seeking out more of it.

[Dark Alice]

Well this started out beautiful. Light clean florals, with the barest hints of lavendar. THEN BAM! Lilac. Lilac is becoming a death note for me apparently b/c this has just turned into lilac single note.

[ravenscanary]

Source: Full decant from circle.

 

In the vial: Musky lilac and wisteria, with an oddly smoky undertone - the oolong tea?. This seems more complex than I expected.

 

Wet: All lilac, all the time. It immediately goes a bit soapy/powdery on me.

 

Dry: This actually improves on drydown for me a ton. I get a cool floral blend instead of the "Lilac single note", and it's lovely and fresh instead of powdery. Good morph! there's a hint once again of the tea note, though it's very, very faint, which makes me sad - I was hoping it would be more prominent.

 

Notes: For a fairly delicate floral, this seems to have good staying power on me. I'm not sure this is bottle worthy, but I love the art...this will be a hard decision.