Touched Twice

[childoftime]

TOUCHED TWICE
It was long that the unicorn stood by Prince Lír before she touched him with her horn. For all that her quest had ended joyously, there was weariness in the way she held herself, and a sadness in her beauty that Molly had never seen. It suddenly seemed to her that the unicorn’s sorrow was not for Lír but for the lost girl who could not be brought back; for the Lady Amalthea, who might have lived happily ever after with the prince. The unicorn bowed her head, and her horn glanced across Lír’s chin as clumsily as a first kiss.

He sat up blinking, smiling at something long ago. “Father,” he said in a quick, wondering voice. “Father, I had a dream.” Then he saw the unicorn, and he rose to his feet as the blood on his face began to shine and move again. He said, “I was dead.”

The unicorn touched him a second time, over the heart, letting her horn rest there for a little space. They were both trembling. Prince Lír put his hands out to her like words. She said, “I remember you. I remember.”

As delicate as life, as gentle as death, and as powerful as love: sheer, luminescent vanilla musk with frangipani, red sandalwood, frankincense, champaca flower, coconut, rose absolute, white cyclamen, Himalayan mogra, angelica, and white oud.

In the bottle, I smell rose and some soft sweetness. Once I put it on, the rose absolute really blooms, if you can forgive the choice of word. While this is wet, all I get is ROSE ABSOLUTE! ALL ROSES HERE. Now that it's starting to dry, I can smell some coconut and frankincense starting to peek out. If you love rose scents, this is right up your alley. If you're not a big rose fan like me and you were hoping that it wasn't going to dominate, maybe you have different skin chemistry and will thus be luckier, but this is definitely a rosy one. I'm thinking of things I could blend this with to cut some of its rosiness, because it is really pretty, I just wish the other notes could compete with that rose absolute.

[Diva Urd]

In the bottle: Ohh, what a pretty bouquet, with some soft coconut and a hint of very gentle musk. There's a fresh, almost minty note to it, as well.

 

On: ROSE!!!!! with a bit of coconut. This is what I was fearing would happen As it dries, the ROSE still dominates, and a more high-pitched, slightly soapy floral with a lemony edge rises to the top. The coconut seems to lose its battle to the ROSE.

WHY CAN'T YOU SMELL ON ME LIKE YOU DID IN THE bottle?!

 

Later: Maybe it's because I'm tired and it's been too long since my last dose of allergy medicine, but all I get is ROSE. "Touched Twice", we apparently were not meant to be. Might give this another test tomorrow when I'm more awake, and if my opinion changes, I'll edit this post, but right now, this is firmly in the swap/sale corner.

[Ghost of a Rose]

"As delicate as life, as gentle as death, and as powerful as love": I love this quote from the description!

 

In the vial: A complex scent - it's hard to identify any particular scent at first. Then I do pick up a hint of vanilla, and then florals, maybe some coconut. It is a sweet fragrance.

 

On me, wet: My skin definitely brings out the coconut. Otherwise, nothing I can recognize other than flowers in general. I do like it!

 

On me, drydown: Still very coconutty, but the florals keep it from smelling like suntan lotion. It reminds me of Hawaii. That must be the frangipani (called plumeria in Hawaii) and cyclamen together with the coconut.

 

After 20 minutes: Already much weaker. I'm betting that this is going to be a short-lived scent on me, unless the musk and incense notes show up and linger on. So far the scent is still pretty consistent - now I can smell the hint of vanilla again. About this time, too, the rose makes an appearance but on me it stays in the background.

 

After 2 hours: Sure enough, the lower notes are now apparent. I smell mostly coconut and vanilla musk. My teenage son sniffed my wrist and (without knowing anything about what oils were in the perfume) picked up incense, rose, and coconut. So obviously the rose note is still there even though I don't notice it anymore myself.

 

Verdict: I'm not a big fan of fruity or foody scents as perfumes, but I really like this. It is complex enough that the overall scent doesn't come across as either of those, even though coconut is arguably the dominant note (on my skin it is, anyway.) Because of the coconut, I would choose this blend most often for casual times. The floral and incense notes tone down the coconut to make this fragrance wearable for a routine workday as well. I wouldn't wear it for a formal occasion, or for times when I need to present an impeccably professional image (such as a job interview or meeting an important client for the first time.) But for a regular day at the office it would be fine.

 

My rating: 4 stars

[futuregirl]

In the bottle: Soft, creamy, super-sweet pink/white floral.

 

When first applied: ROSE. Like Rose Red or Peacock Queen or Katrina Van Tassel, that much rose. This is a pale rose, but very loudly rose. I'm not getting really any other notes; I can sort of tell they're there, trying to come out of the background, but the rose just completely dominates.

 

Dry, 30 minutes after application: This is still a rose scent. If I had no idea of the listed notes, I'd guess it to be some type of rose single note. It's a slightly different rose than most others I've tried, but I can't really put my finger on what's different about it. It smells like roses as living flowers, in a garden or vase, as opposed to perfumey or dried roses.

 

Two hours later: Now that it's calm and mellow, it's still a rose scent, but there's a little more complexity in the background. I still can't pick up any other specific notes, but I know they're there.

 

 

Verdict: I like this, but I don't really know what I'll end up doing with it. I really wanted some hint of coconut or resin or just the 'whiteness' that seemed to be indicated by the notes, but it's straight-up rose. I already have several other rose scents that I grab when I'm in a rosy mood. It's nice, just not quite what I expected. Anyone who really loves rose and is still looking for their perfect rose blend should definitely give Touched Twice a try!

[ami226]

On the skin: Beautiful rose with a hint of coconut. Oh, no... there is something here that is turning a weird tart/sour/powder. It's not the rose... but whatever it is, it has completely taken over. A greenish tart/sour powder. It smells like what I would think the stalk of a weird plant would smell like after it has been freshly cut. (Can't think of a particular plant to compare...) Oh, maybe it is the scent of freshly cut rose stalks. Not the flower itself. With a bit of powder.

 

*sigh* Not at all what I was hoping for. I think I am going to keep this one around though. The label art is too awesome for me to give up on liking this one!

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Beautiful label art!

 

Rose is an iffy note for me. It works beautifully with resins and dark musks, but becomes overwhelming in floral blends. I took a chance on 2 bottles of this because all of the other notes sounded beautiful.

 

In the bottle, this is a bright pink, sweet tropical floral. On my skin, it's really pretty, I love the tropical feel of this with frangipani and coconut. I can smell the rose, but it's nowhere near as strong as Rose Red or Peacock Queen. The sandalwood, frankincense and vanilla musk are reigning it in. This is still light tropical rose-floral on the dry down, but musk and sandalwood have taken over.

 

I can see myself wearing this sometimes, but I won't need 2 bottles. I might give my sister the other bottle, after the baby is born. She loves rose scents.

[cfrancesca]

On me, is mostly creamy soft coconut, well-blended vanilla musk, creamy roses, frankincense (which I usually amp) and soft woods. It reminds me of White Rose and a creamy, soft coconutty version of Parliment of Foules. It's a really beautiful, soft and ethereal. Though I was expecting this to be primarily a rose scent, I think it might be too similar to other rose blends I have to justify keeping it.

[Belladonnastrap]

Touched Twice is absolutely beautiful. It's a floral that is a bit heady but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me. I've learned that even if there is vanilla or coconut or musk if there's a floral my skin just amps it up something fierce. I get nothing but super florals from it. I'm gutted it doesn't work for me. It actually reminds me a bit of Shroud just with a bit more oomph.

 

If you ramp up florals and aren't really looking for the rose/vanilla/coconut then give this a try.

[bookandbroom]

Well, this is different.

 

I ... I ...

 

all I can smell is rose-dotted fresh kitty litter. Not catbox, not used kitty litter, but the smell of a new bag of kitty litter.

 

I have NO IDEA what makes my nose register this this way. My nose feels guilty, and submits that it may be malfunctioning.

 

(WTF, NOSE.)

[hhg]

Rose, rose, rose, rose -- from the bottle, to wet on my skin, to dry to a couple of hours later. Nothing but rose. And I was really hoping that since rose was listed among the last in the scent ingredients list that Touched Twice might work on rose-hating me, but nope: epic fail due to ROSE-on-steroids clobbering everything else in this scent. (at least on me). I hereby vow never to knowingly purchase another BPAL scent with rose in it ever again.

[porcelina]

i thought with the vanilla musk and sandalwood and coconut and other things this could be okay but instead its ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE and some other vaguely sweet stuff but mostly ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

did i mention ROSE?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

 

rose.

[Amaranthus]

In the bottle I smell creamy vanilla musk and red sandalwood. On my skin, it stays this way for about thirty seconds before it explodes with beautiful roses! I love rose scents. I don't smell the other floral notes, but I am wondering if they are working with the rose absolute to create a warm and glowing rose scent. It smells like a white rose, but suffused with golden/pink light. The roses calm down after a little while and I can smell vanilla musk again, and now coconut, and soft wood notes. These wood notes are gorgeous. When I sniff my wrist what I detect is creamy vanilla/rose and woods, but in the air around me I smell sandalwood and white roses. Beautiful! Love this perfume, and love the bottle art!

 

Edited to add: This perfume is strong, by the way. A little goes a long way.

Edited August 15, 2011 by Amaranthus

[fetish911]

ROSE. And that is it. Nothing else. I hate rose. Where are all the other notes hiding? I am sad now.

[Viridian]

In the bottle it's a lovely soft floral. I can't pick out any notes, just a sense of sweet florals.

 

The minute it hits my skin, the rose note dominates, and it's not until maybe an hour in that I can really pick out anything else. I amp the lab's rose like crazy, but I like rose, so I thought this one would be an easy winner. Instead I find I'm disappointed that the rose overpowers so strongly that I'm missing out on the rest of the notes.

 

By the time I can smell anything else, the vanilla musk peeks out and makes it like a less candy-sweet Katrina Van Tassel.

 

I may give it some time to settle, though I've never known rose to get LESS rose-y, maybe some of the other notes will deepen and ground it.

[mymymai]

ITB: Powdery rose, just a hint of coconut and frangipani.

Wet: Rose, frankincense and sandalwood, other non-rose florals. Floral, but very pretty.

Dry: Softly floral with a hint of coconut and other warmness I can't describe. Very pretty.

[Invidiana]

I was really hoping this would be like the Looking Glass bath oil and really let the vanilla musk (and in this case coconut) shine through in equal proportion with the rose. While they're definitely evident, along with soft florals and woods in the background, the rose turns out to be the star. It was really the gardenia and frangipani I wanted to be the prominent florals. The rose here is feminine and not sharp or dry, but I'd still been crossing my fingers for more creamy vanilla and coconut. I don't believe it's the same type of rose (damask rose) in Looking Glass that turns out so sexy on me either. Really pretty, but the rose is stronger than I'd hoped so I can justify keeping one bottle, but not two.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Invidiana

[Siberia]

In the bottle, this smells nice - a sweet rose with sandalwood underneath. Like many other reviewers, though, when I put it on, the rose grew and grew and grew. It smells like powdery rose incense. It's not bad, but not that special either. It smells very much like Clermont to me.

[yakiguri]

Normally I wait a few months to review scents I just received, but I couldn't wait!

 

On me, Touched Twice is a very soft, ethereal floral. Right on application I get rose, but it's less smacked-in-the-face-with-a-bouquet-of-red-roses and more like the simple beauty of a single white rose being held by a first-time bride. The oud, frankincense, and sandalwood bolster and deepen the coconut and vanilla, but as of yet I can't really pick out the other florals. If this is what this blend is just on the first day, I can't wait to sniff this once it's aged.

[Dracen]

In the bottled it smelled to me like roses and coconut. On me the rose didn't grow but stayed the same as the vanilla grew. I do tend to amp vanilla. Now that it's completely dried down it smells like a dusty vanilla. Not a powdery vanilla but a dusty one. It's really nice. My partner compared the dusty-ness to old, loving worn library books. It might be the vanilla musk doing something weird but nice on my skin.

 

I bought it even though I doubted it'd be for me because I'm a big time TLU fan but I feel very nicely surprised. My skin took to this in a great way.

[killerklown]

I wanted to love it, but alas, it doesn't love me. Pure baby powder, nothing else. It's the risk I took with the rose but I was hoping everything else would have drowned it out.

[edenssixthday]

Touched Twice - This is a very pretty scent, but probably not something for those who don't love rose! On me, it's predominantly sweet and ethereal vanilla musk with the floral sweetness of frangipani (!!! ) and rose. There's a hint of creamy coconut, and a layer of dry, gritty frankincense that keeps the scent from floating into the ether. It's really pretty, but honestly, I have other pretty floral scents that I love more, and am not sure how often I'd reach for this one.

[Balame]

In the Bottle: Yaay, it arrived! I get a delicate pink rose scent and sandalwood.

 

Wet: The rose is definitely predominant, but not in a loud way. I sort of hate to say this, however, there is also something that makes me think "dirty" when I smell this. And not in a naughty way, I mean really literally dirty. It's like a rose got trampled and smashed around in some dirt in a forest. It's not a horrendous smell or anything, but more, "Oh, jeez. It could have been so nice." This really speaks to the end the the unicorn's journey, for sure, as it's a pale rose that just got whiplash from being dragged through the woods.

 

Dry: There's not quite as strong of a woods component now, but I still get hints of dryness and less pleasant florals now and then. I wasn't sure what mogra was, but after looking it up apparently it's a form of jasmine, which is not good for me. Unfortunately, jasmine tends to go dirty baby diaper, which is very much the other strong player here aside from the rose and sandalwood. Not getting any of the other notes.

 

Overall: I think this would have been much nicer if the jasmine/mogra wasn't present, or at least if it didn't amp so terribly on my skin. I was hoping the coconut, frangipani, and vanilla would pop out more, but no such luck. Floral lovers will definitely be into this, though.

 

*edit* to fix Smeagol talk ("I gets hints").

Edited August 21, 2011 by Balame

[stellans]

On me, this beautiful fragile scent is almost totally vanilla. I might get the faintest touch of rose, and maybe a little teeny bit of frankincense and/or sandalwood, but the dominant scent in my nose is definitely vanilla. Sweet, sweet vanilla. Cloyingly sweet...vanilla. I'm not a big vanilla fan, especially when it's practically unadulterated vanilla, because it's just too sweet for me. Le sigh.

[KrahesPhoenix]

I'll probably come back to this review in a few months as I'm kind of on the fence with this oil and I will be testing it some more in the future.

In the bottle: Weird sour rose. I'm a little disappointed, because I see a lot of people mentioning "sweet" and "coconut". None to be found here.

 

Wet on the Skin: First off, it kind of burns my skin! This has never happened with any other BPAL before, so I'm a little confused. It's not...painful, it's more...itchy? For all I know I could be allergic to some component, but it's not killing me so whatevs. All I get so far is strong sandalwood and a little rose. Red sandalwood doesn't smell like the toasted sandalwood that I love but it's not bad.

 

Drying Down: Baby Rose and Big Daddy sandalwood. Maybe the tiniest hint of fruity floral in the background but that may be just my nose WISHING it into existence.

Overall: I don't know. I like rose, but I don't know if I like it with the red sandalwood. The red sandalwood seems to be dominating and the rose peeks in trying to compete. It's a little weird. Maybe my skin amps sandalwood?

[lectriceye]

I love this scent! It goes on all rose at first, but then the coconut and vanilla show up for a while. I can see this being a cousin to the Last Unicorn scent in the first stages, but it's not so earthy. As it dries down though I get more sandalwood and something soft, but the rose does go away on me. I wish the rose stayed around, as I love anything rose!

 

I can see the similarities between this and Katrina Von Tassel, but it's not as creamy. This is a very soft and beautiful scent though and I'm so glad I caught it in time.