Psyche

[MaidenGenevive]

Psyche

The tale of Cupid and Psyche is both a perfect love story and an allegory for the soul's search to reunite with Deity. This is the scent of true love, your heart's deepest, purest desires. Bulgar rose, Chinese white musk, lavender, orchid and frankincense.

 

In vial, bright lavender. Wet on skin, lavender remains the strongest note, while others are present, but quietly in the background. As it wears, rose and other florals rise and mingle with the lavender. There is a light musk that gives it almost a powdery feel.

 

[3 - Like]

[Limelight]

Well, this had to be a heartache, didn't it?

I was allreadyset for my big emotional connection with this one, as the Cupid/Psyche story holds a special place with me in my mythology studies, but there's no love for me here! Lavender and I get along great usually, but this time, in the bottle and on my skin, it's medicinal. Very herbal and dry, no warmth to it, and the frankincense only makes it worse somehow. No real rose or orchid, and it finally dries down to an ugly BO finish. I vow, by English Leather, Wind Song, Stetson and all other cheapo perfumes, never to wear Psyche again.

[mudspinr]

Oh dear, rose does not love me and I don't love rose. Which is strange because I DO love Roses. In any case psyche is not liking me at all.

 

In imp: lavender and something brighter...not too strong.

 

Wet on skin: roses...roses...did I mention ROSES. The roses that ate New York. The godzilla of roses. Heavy, strong, avon "roses roses" prefume that my aunt the avon rep used to give me when I was in high school in spite of the fact that I hated it and it made my mother sneeze. This stuff has serious throw too, I can smell it while I'm typing, and I didn't use much.

 

Drydown: I'm still drowning in avony roses. No other notes are making it through the sea of rose. I'm being mugged by avon reps....aaaaaaagh!!!!! Going to go wash before I get a migraine.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

sniffed from the imp: Lavender

on skin: lavender and frankincense...and possibly the faintest whisper of rose.

[tziporra]

Hooray for swaps and sales! My never-ending imp hunger is fed!

 

Psyche was the first thing I tried out of my package of imps I received today. She reached out of the imp and grabbed me with that wonderful lavender note. I was nearly ravished, in fact. And wet on the skin, it was the same -- Tzi swooning in a sea of lavender deliciousness.

 

But alas, it was not meant to be. The overpowering lavender soon disappeared into my skin, and became it's usual well-behaved self. I liked the naughty lavender! And now Psyche is a soft powdery floral (can't find the rose, which is odd since I usually amp rose), very nice in her way, but not for me.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

[tinyvulture]

i smell roses, lavender, and frankincense. i’m usually a huge fan of rose and incense blends, such as Rose Cross. but with Psyche, the lavender is quite strong, and i’m not sure i like this lavender. the rose note is like dried roses, not bold fresh-cut flowers.

 

it’s a sweet, floral, feminine perfume, very whispery and understated. pretty, but not quite right for me.

[voodoocatwoman]

Another winner in the soft but compelling contest.

 

In the imp: I smell lovely lavender, but without the bite that lavender sometimes gives my nostrils.

 

Wet: Lavender and incense. Musky almost.

 

Dry: The incense is stronger and the lavender faded but it is still a soft pretty fragrance. I would love for my room to smell like this.

[inurbanus]

I love the story of Cupid and Psyche, so I was really looking forward to trying this one. Unfortunately, it didn't work out very well. The first fifteen minutes of Psyche were burning plastic on my skin. After that (thankfully) went away, I'm stuck with lavender. I don't get any rose or frankincense. If you like lavender, I would suggest trying this one over one of the Somnium blends, as this one seems gentler. However, this one was a no-go for me.

 

2/5

[MaeKitty]

In the bottle: Frankincense, citrus, lavender

On me: ROSE, musk and a tiny bit of orchid. Eh. It's ok, but nothing super awesome. A pretty floral, but not my favourite. Looks like rose bores me these days.

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Psyche is rose and lavender, somewhat faint. Lavender always smells too medicinal on me. As it dries, it's stronger and the other notes show through. It's pretty but there's still too much lavender for my taste. I'm grateful to the Lab for this frimp and I'm happy to pass it on.

[Pika]

I keep avoiding this one because it's got lavender in it. I love the (not-overpowering) smell of lavender is house/object scenting, but don't really like it as a perfume. Psyche's got some interesting stuff going on though.

In the imp, it's very nicely blended with the other florals and (I think?) the frankincense. Something resiny, I guess that's gotta be it.

Wet, it maintained that nice mixture for a little while...

Drying, it caved in and went faint lavender with a light musk. Most of the rest I can't detect anymore.

 

 

I actually really like the scent of this in the imp, so maybe I'll skip wearing it as perfume and try it in my scent ball. (O decadent use of the preciousss!) I might swap it though, because for some reason I can't get over the association of Psyche-lavender and probably will continue to avoid it.

[twilighteyes]

Musk and lavender. Tiny bit of resin in the background.

[gchris]

In Vial: Pungent green with a hint of eucalyptus

 

Wet: Oh my! This reminds me of something my Grandmother use to wear.

 

Later: This truly smells of aged perfume

[djsiberia]

in the imp: i get lavendar slightly floral

i;m not getting any hints of other notes, the lavendar s really amped up and making me sleepy

[seamor]

Intriguing scent. The frankincense note I get first is deeper, more faceted that frankincense usually seems. I think I can recognize lavender in it, and probably the other notes are present but not making themselves individually known. Very well blended. I can't recall smelling anything quite like this before, and I am enjoying it very much.

 

Later I get a stronger rose with the frankincense, etc, behind it. I never do pick out the orchid or musk separately, but I'm sure they are in there helping to make this scent fascinating and complex.

 

I like Psyche a lot. Sadly, it only lasts me a couple of hours.

Edited April 20, 2008 by celtimor

[donnatron]

Imp: Musk and lavender. Heavy on the lavender.

 

Wet: The orchid goes a bit sour as it figures out my skin. The rose is a whisper and the lavender and musk dominate, while the frankincense makes itself known but doesn't go overboard.

 

Dry: This is really pretty. It smells... very French and very expensive. I'd wear this to job interviews or to situations where I have to assert myself as a stylish, in control woman. This is a lot more domineering than I would have thought, but it's absolutely gorgeous.

 

Throw: Pretty good.

 

Overall: I've always hedged on Psyche. Would I like her? If I didn't would it break my heart? I'm glad I took the plunge. This is beautiful and I will put it to good use.

[savage_rose]

Lavender and rose are in the forefront, with an incense base. A pretty, comforting scent.

[Rouge]

In the vial - Sweet and lovely; a breathily floral yet very delicate blend of rose, frankincense and lavender.

 

Wet on the skin - This blend reminds me why Lavender is one of my favourite notes for everyday stay-at-home wear; its clean, fresh and clarifying.

 

Next stages - Psyche seems to me almost a spiritual scent - there's nothing here that speaks of earthly pleasures like lust or money. To use a tarot phrase, this is an Ace of Cups scent; it brings to mind the manifestation of a higher, divine love. The rose never becomes sour or soapy, and the frankincense is just delicate enough to sweeten the floral notes without overwhelming them.

 

Dry down - If you don't think rose scents work for you, try this. You won't be disappointed. It's a temperate, measured and beautiful blend.

 

Similar scents - Rose Cross, Ode on Melancholy

[AEris]

This is a soft, soapy herbal floral. The lavender in this blend is not sharp, piercing, or medicinal at all. It blends with the other notes in such a way that it becomes a background note. The orchid is actually more prominent than the rose, in my opinion. I can't say that I'm even picking up on any rose. The musk and frankincense also play in to soften the edges of the floral/herbal notes.

 

I can see why some people would love this blend. However, my personal overall impression is that it smells too soapy and ordinary on my skin.

 

3.3 out of 5

[Myrrha]

Thank you!! I am so glad the lab sent this to me as a frimp because it is probably not one I would have tried. Although I think now that when I see blends of white musk and flowers I will take notice.

 

Wet -- Lavender. It is a dry, astringent, herbal smelling lavender. Usually I don't like herbal scents or straight lavender.

 

5-10 minutes -- The flowers start to come out. I think I can pick out the rose but it is more of a real blend than a patchwork of notes. It just turns into a really elegant perfume. It is still a little crisp, not overly sweet or girly, but at the same time feminine. It is a little on the "classic" side but it has character.

 

Drydown -- It gets a little sweeter. Still fresh smelling but I can't really pick out the Lavender anymore. On me it seems to last a couple of hours. I'm not sure because it is a bit of an ethereal, transparent scent and it could be that I still smell like it to someone else after two hours. It does not turn to powder at all or do anything strange on my skin.

 

I will be buying a bottle of this!

 

Edit to add: Well, I've discovered several scents that are more interesting on me than Psyche. I still like it but I'm not sure I love it enough to buy a bottle. Also, of all the BPALs I've tried this is the one most changed by the time of the month. It only really smells amazing for two weeks out of the month.

Edited July 17, 2008 by Myrrha

[filigree_shadow]

Psyche may as well be a lavender single note, as far as my skin is concerned. Kind of a powdery, herbal lavender.

 

Sniffing it is making me sleepy. Seriously, this reminds me a lot of the Somnium blends.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Dry lavender, musk, and a touch of rose.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells mostly of dry, unsweetened lavender. It’s so herbal that it’s almost peppery. The white musk blends in, and a touch of the rose. Underneath everything is the tiniest breath of sweet orchid.

 

After a little while: This has softened into something totally different. It’s so soft now: a mix of delicate white musk, smooth rose and a bit of orchid. It’s very faint and I don’t get any lavender from this any longer.

 

Overall Impressions: This is so different when it’s wet and when it’s sat on my skin for a little while. I think at first it’s way too dry and herbal, but when it dries it’s very faint. The drydown makes me think of a nice rose soap that has a couple of other faint notes put in, but the rose is still the most identifiable note. This is nice, but fleeting.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: lavender and a touch of rose.

 

wet on skin: the rose has totally vanished. i'm getting a sweet floral undernote, something that is tempering the lavender but i can't place it.

 

dry down: the lavender is soft, more subtle now, and that other floral element is still present, mixing beautifully.

 

in all: a light floral, perfect for hot summer days and garden tea parties.

 

 

[Iceblink]

Sweet frankincense as the base with rose and lavender on top. Very soft, very feminine...and it's going to be powder on me in a flash...but it's nice while it lasts! Delicate and pretty.

[Lumina]

In imp: Yikes, that's lavender! Hm. I don't dislike lavender, but I'm not in love with it as a perfume scent. Still, it may be one of those blends that will smell totally different on the skin than in the imp?

 

On skin: Peppery lavender on initial application, then the scent played dead for 5mins After that, the rose came out to play and I began to get whiffs. A rose background, plus orchid, maybe – I'm getting a slight hint of hothouse? My nose interprets certain musks as powder, and that’s what happens with the white musk in here. I get no sign of frankincense, which is a pity because it's one of my favourite notes.

 

Unfortunately for me, my skin makes this blend smell like rose-scented powder/soap. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful, top quality rose powder/soap, and it’s not the least bit artificial-smelling. It's very feminine, but in a way that is elegant woman-y rather than girly. (If someone gave me a soap that smelled like this I'd love it to bits!) Nonetheless, powdery soap isn’t something I especially wish to wear as a skin perfume. It seems this won’t be a problem, since after another 5mins, it’s mostly faded away!

 

Comments: I can see why people love this, and I do find it very likeable - but it just isn't for me. I think the lavender and the musk are what's making me find it soapy. As a general remark: this was my second rose blend from Bpal, and I've been very impressed with the quality of the rose note. I've tested much more expensive scents from other companies that have used poorer quality rose. So I'm sad that this particular blend didn't work for me but I expect to remain a fan of Bpal roses in general.

 

Throw: 2.9 / 5

Wear length: 2.0 / 5

Overall score: 2.8 / 5

Bottle? Nope. I'll make sure the imp finds a good home