Beautiful and Adored

[orata]

They consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents’ house–my more than sister–the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures.

Beautiful and adored: rose musk, white gardenia, English pear, vanilla bean, red currant, and honey.

Ooh! First time being first! The bottle is fresh out of my cold mailbox, so I'll come back and edit if I find this any different after it's had some time to settle from transit and warm up.

Beautiful and Adored is a very traditionally feminine scent. It's very floral--bright and well-blended with TONS of gardenia and musk hitting me at first sniff (I'm not good at IDing musks other than red musk, but I would say the rose musk smells to me like white musk plus tea rose). It seems gentle in nature, but it's not as delicate as I would have thought; the musk was quite assertive and sharp on me, so much that I almost felt my nose hairs crinkling when I inhaled! The pear is a pretty strong note as well, and is lovely, but fades a bit as the scent dries. I do get some honey and vanilla as well, but I can't pick out the redcurrant at all (it may be blending with the pear to produce a general fruity note). It settles a bit and is a beautiful light scent when it dries down completely, but it's definitely not for everyone, as it's a very, very girly, "conventional perfumey" lightly fruity floral.

Edited to add: it's far into the drydown now, the florals have died down and the redcurrant has come out to play at last. I keep getting the most amazingly beautiful whiffs of perfume wafting from my wrist when I move, lots of creamy vanilla touched with light musk, pear, and redcurrant. Gorgeous.

[izile]

I'm having a harder time smelling this one out of the bottle. Not sure if it's because it's milder than my other stuff, or if it's because I've got the hot tea and honey out for the beginnings of a little one-sided congestion and post-nasal drip.

 

In the bottle: very light, very powdery, hard to smell much behind a little sweet, a little soft and a little rose

 

Wet: hasn't gotten much stronger, starting to remind me of Dawn: Maiden - which is a favorite, but how similar are they??

 

Dry: Definitely reminding me of Dawn: Maiden with the rose and honey. I will want to come back and try this again when my nose is 100% (I'd say I'm 75-80% right now) and do a death-match to see how close it is to Dawn: Maiden when one's on the left wrist and the other is on the right.

[VioletChaos]

This bottle was my big Yule gamble this year, the one I felt least sure about, but the notes just sounded so beautiful that I threw caution to the wind. Let's see if that's paid off!

 

In the Bottle: fresh rose and gardenia, with a hint of the pear. at first sniff, it smells like an English Garden. This is promising!

 

Wet On Skin: The rose and the pear are really popping now. so far, I'm not getting any honey or currant or vanilla. I hope that changes, though, because I could see those notes really changing this.

 

Dry Down: It's the pear note from Perilous Parlor and a strong, green-tinged rose. Very fresh, bright floral.

 

In All: Medium to heavy throw- a little bit goes a long way. The rose/pear combination is not a bad one, I'm just not certain it's for me. I'm willing to wait a month or two to see how it ages, if that brings the vanilla and honey out, which would change this scent considerably. If it stays as is, though, I'll likely swap it as I like my roses with more cream and sugar.

Edited December 6, 2011 by VioletChaos

[Imbrium]

I really, really want to love Beautiful and Adored. I wanted so much for it to live up to its name--almost every note in it is a hit on my skin, and I figured, that pesky gardenia can't go too wrong, right? I mean, it's never done anything offensive on me that I know of, so Beautiful and Adored should be golden on my skin!

 

I can't really point a finger at any one note, but something here is just not working for me. In the bottle, Beautiful and Adored smells nice, though definitely girly, definitely with a sort of 'classic perfume' feel. But on my skin, for some reason, all it smells like is hairspray. It doesn't really change in the drydown, either. It loses a bit of its sharpness after an hour or so, but it still smells like hairspray--hairspray with crazy strong throw. Three times now, I've tried it, and three times, I've gotten hairspray.

 

I'm going to give it a bit of time to age, as previous reviewers discuss, to see if the vanilla and the honey come out a bit more, and see how it goes. Because I really, really want this to work for me.

[Dark Alice]

This just has way too many notes going on and not blending well on my skin.

 

Wet: I individually smell the gardenia, honey, and rose. But these are the dominant notes and they don't blend well for some reason.

 

Dry: Gardenia all the damn time with rose following in the close second. No vanilla, no pear. Sigh...I had such high hopes for this one.

[lohengrin]

In the bottle: Fruity floral, but heavier floral than I usually get from that sort of blend.

 

On skin, wet: As usual, my skin starts to amp the rose right away, even if it's "rose musk," apparently. So basically, roses with a hint of fruit and, alas, soap.

 

On skin, dry: Roses and soap.

 

After an hour: Soap. A bit of rose still lingers, but mostly it's soap. Never got any vanilla or honey at all, and the fruits went away as soon as it dried, so this is definitely not a winner on me.

[angelicruin]

Very feminine. Rose, gardenia, and a trace of pear softened with a light vanilla. I'm not getting any of the honey or much of the red currant, but I do love this one. So lovely!

[stellamaris]

Beautiful and Adored is just that, beautiful and adorable, with a strong juicy fruitiness.

Oh and I forgot to say, from a habitual slatherer (this is not a word BTW) this is strong stuff, and very lasting. I like this one very much, it's very girly, but with a backbone.

Edited December 31, 2011 by stellamaris

[Gateau]

I found this very pretty, mostly a rose-gardenia floral with hints of the honey-vanilla sweetness and a fruitiness. But there wasn't much to distinguish it from Endymion or La Belle au Bois Dormant in the end, so while I'll probably use up my decant I don't see the need for a bottle.

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: Love gardenia and vanilla bean. Like English pear. I hope the other three notes behave themselves.

 

In the Vial: All spring-fresh and sweetness, with lots of pear and gardenia with a dash of rose. Even if it doesn't work on my skin, this will definitely get used in a scent locket.

 

Wet: The rose tries to go skanky on me, but so far the other notes are beating it into submission. The red currant isn't too boozy, the honey isn't too sickly sweet. The pear and gardenia are prominent.

 

Drydown: Darn it, it's making me itch. I used to never have this problem. I don't know if it's because of dry skin or what. Scent-wise it has smoothed out into a nice airy floral with a dash of sweetness.

 

Verdict: I wish the pear was a bit stronger and definitely the vanilla. It's definitely a good subtle scent for work if you're a floral fan. I'll certainly keep the imp for my scent locket but I'm not sure I need a bottle.

[Leopard403]

Wet, this is all juicy pear. As it settles on my skin, the vanilla comes out with a very soft rose. (And I mean soft: I amp rose, and I can barely tell this is there. Maybe the "rose musk" is the secret!) I don't smell any honey or red currant, and the gardenia is only noticable if you know to look for it. Overall, this is a mild vanilla pear with slight floral overtones. It is quite pretty, but it doesn't last on me.

[Iceblink]

I love the fresh, sweet pear note that this opens with but as it dries the gardenia (oh, you bad, bad gardenia!) takes over and turns this into a floral mishmash. I do smell vanilla underneath it all but it's mostly flowers and the pear is almost gone. Sad!

[Minerva]

This is practically a pear single note on me. It smells like really, really expensive pears, the ones that come in a special box because they're like $35 for six. Expensive pears and a hint of "perfume". I like this!

[Little Bird]

In the bottle and on my skin, Beautiful & Adored is an intensely sharp, biting sort of rose perfume with a hint of sweet pear in the background. As it dries down, it's less ROSE and more of a perfumey white floral smell with a touch of soapy clean, and I can't smell any of the pear anymore. I'm not getting any vanilla, currant or honey at all.

 

Beautiful and Adored is very floral and perfumey on me, all rose musk and white gardenia. I think that this would have been really lovely if the pear and vanilla were stronger/there, but it's too floral-perfumey for me as it is. It starts to give me a headache after a while, because it's so sharp & perfumey.

Edited January 9, 2012 by Little Bird

[theseagrows]

this was an iffy choice for me, because pear, currant and honey don't always work on me, and i am not into very fruity or sweet scents, but i think the "rose musk" is what drew me in. i thought it'd balance itself with those nicely. when first applied i think i'm getting rose, pear and currant for the most part. something in this smells almost leafy or green to me, but i'm not sure what that would be. now that it's dried down, it's a really cloying fruity scent with honey and florals. way too strong and sweet for my tastes, so i will have to swap this.

 

[milo]

In the imp, and on for a bit, this smells like a fresh tea with a touch of white rose. I'm really liking this so far, and I'm not a big rose fan at all. Maybe the sweetness of the pear is translating to tea, at any rate, the rose seems to be behaving here, and perhaps the musk is keeping it in check as well. As I'm typing, rose seems to be coming out more, as it usually does, but it really is quite pleasant and sweet. This blends fits the description perfectly, though I probably don't need to upgrade unless the other notes start to poke out a bit more. Nice to try though!

[yuniper]

I like this one a lot, much more than I had expected. Words that come to mind: delicately sweet, blossoms, English, gentle. This is what commercial perfumes SHOULD have smelled like. It has a hint of rose, but to me it is not a sharp or dominant rose. Very balanced scent, well done.

[Altaira]

In decant: Strong floral perfume. Rose and other flowers.

 

On skin: Pear becomes noticeable, but the florals are still very strong and prompting a headache. Washed off.

[GoldenRubee]

I was curious about rose musk and decided to give this one a try.. When first applied this is all pear SN and lovely. I love pear scents and hoped it would stay just like this but of course it didn't. The next scent to appear was the gardenia, very soft and likeable. This would be okay too if it stayed a light gardenia but then the rose made herself known-thankfully not loudly. I amp rose so was surprised that it was so soft. The end result is a muted floral/fruit scent that lasts a long time and isn't unpleasant but not for me.

[teamilk]

On me, I smell just a little bit of rose, but more pear, vanilla, and gardenia with a very soft touch of honey to make it sweet. I do like it. I don't know if I'd get a big bottle, but maybe a partial or a few imps. To a casual nose, this might blend too much and smell commercial. I like my perfume to have a bit of a off-beat vibe.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Wow, the rose/pear/gardenia combination is delicate and lovely. The red currant and musk provides a sensuous edge to what is otherwise a very virginal scent. The honey and vanilla tie the elements together beautifully. This is very much a young woman’s scent. (No skin test due to rose).

[lilyliza]

In the imp: Pear is the main player here, juicy but softened by vanilla bean. Actually, I'm really liking the pear/vanilla combo. I smell a bit of gardenia and touch of red currant brightening up the whole thing.

 

Wet, on my skin: After an initial burst of super candy-sweet, mostly gardenia with the other notes in the background.

 

Drydown: The rose musk mellows out the gardenia into a more well-rounded floral scent, while the vanilla bean smooths it out further. The honey, pear, and currant add even more sweetness, although the fruits are much fainter than the honey.

 

Dry: Pear nestled in a gentle bouquet of flowers drizzled with honey.

 

I thought it was pretty. This is definitely one for fans of gardenia and ultra-feminine scents.

[Caper]

i was hoping the gardenia would be subtle, but it's not. this was almost all gardenia for me which made me sad. it actually made me add gardenia to my death note list since i've realized that even a touch is too much for me.

 

still looking for a good pear!

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from the lovely PhantasmMystera.

 

In the imp: Oh, this is beautiful! I first notice the gardenia, then a very realistic note of pear, delicate enough to not seem foody, and blending gorgeously with the florals. In the background I can detect rose, red currant, and honey.

 

On me, wet: Right away I get a throw of musk. Then a fruity note that is less defined than it was in the imp. Sniffed up close, the gardenia is the primary note. And here comes the vanilla, which I didn't notice in the imp. This isn't quite as beautiful on my skin - it is slightly foodier, and I miss the true pear note. But it is still very bright and pretty.

 

On me, after 10 minutes: Pretty much the same. It is getting fruitier, and the gardenia is leaning towards powder, but it's a beautiful powder, not baby powder. All of the notes are starting to blend together more so that it's harder to pick out individual scents.

 

After 20 minutes: I'm reminded of Juicy Fruit gum, but fortunately the gardenia and musk help to balance that out.

 

After 30 minutes: Now mostly gardenia and rose musk powder, with a mild undertone of fruit that is fading fast. It's a dry, feminine, and elegant scent.

 

After 1 hour: Now all the fruit is gone, and it is even more lovely. Powdery gardenia, rose, and musk.

 

After 2 hours: Weaker, but otherwise the same.

 

After 7 hours: There is still a delicate breath of musk lingering on my wrist. It's a plain musk now, without any trace of rose.

 

Verdict: I definitely want a full bottle. And I want to try it in the perfume locket, too, to see if the exceptionally beautiful fragrance that I smelled in the imp (with the fresh pear note) will be retained longer.

 

My rating: 5 stars

Edited January 26, 2012 by Ghost of a Rose

[zankoku_zen]

Roses, pear and honey. It's a sweet, slightly musky rose blend.

 

Pretty, but not for me.