Morgause

[Ajila]

Earth sorceress and mother of Mordred, she is, in essence, the harbinger of King Arthur's doom and the downfall of Camelot. She is a sister, or sister-self, to Morgan Le Fay. A bouquet of five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses.

In the bottle - fruit and jasmine
Wet on me - soft and fruity - very round and smooth
Dry on me - a soft powdery floral, the violet is evident, but the incense isn't. On the whole it's a bit too girly for me. Edited September 30, 2007 by Shollin

[grrrlennyl]

at first: this is a dark, rich, indigo-colored scent.

on: sweet, watery flowers.

half an hour later: more fruity, with some lovely, dark incense and powdery violets. a dark, but not foreboding, scent.

1.5 hours later: soft and violety, but sweet and incensy, too.

overall: very lovely. this is heavy, though, so i don't think i'll be wearing it during warmer weather.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Lily-like florals, violets, and more florals.

 

On, wet: Something a little like roses -- odd, since it doesn't seem like there's any rose in the blend. Dusky and rich, with an absolutely insane throw.

 

Drydown: Purply, slightly fruity florals. A little spicy too, with a slightly green note thrown in.

 

Super-crazy-feminine perfume. I like it, though; it's more "womanly" than "girly". I'll be hanging on to the imp, definitely.

[feline.by.design]

Morgause smelled beautiful applied wet to my skin. It was a gorgeous melage of violets and sweet blooms (jasmine? honeysuckle?), akin to walking through a strongly fragrant garden in the middle of the night, beneath a full moon and sorrowful stars.

 

As the scent dries, Margause goes lightly powdery, as if the garden had lost all life and became ghostly. I'm taking it the violet is coming to the foreground, however the other florals aren't far, bringing a certain sweetness to the normally aloof violet. The sweetness could also be attributed to the unnamed fruit in the fragrance, which doesn't smell like pears or anything citrus to me. Yep, that's a help now, isn't it? It ain't tomato, either!

 

Ahem, back to the review. There's a lot of power in just a wee dab of this scent, so I would be careful applying this one. With about ten or fifteen minutes of wear, there seems to be some herbs in the garden. An herbal note tinged with whispers of magic seems to flood the fragrance without overpowering the other notes. There's quite a lot going on in Morgause at this point, making it hard to distinguish notes seperately, but overall the scent is lovely, a fantastic represenation of female power without the brashness I was expection originally from the name.

 

The Lab has been generous in including this as a freebie imp for me. It's wonderful to wear on occasions where I need a more feminine scent, yet I don't want to be "girly." The scent is, as hangingfire mentioned, "womanly," but unlike some scents like Vechernyaya and Versailles, which are a bit too mature or out-of-character for me, Morgause still maintains a dignified, mature persona without being too unattainable.

 

The violets do bring out a bit of floral powder, but as with Numb, this seems to add a bit of freshness to the scent, unlike some powdery connotations some other florals can bring that don't always agree with me. I think if you liked Numb, and would like something similar that has more pronounced florals, then give Morgause a try.

 

-doreen

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: Very very violet...with a slight touch of the purple fruits. This is a very purple scent.

 

Wet: clean florals come out almost immediately. If I put my nose right up to my skin I can smell the fruits, but it's very faint. It's lost a lot of it's purple-ness.

 

Dry: It goes rather soapy and clean on me, and I get that generic clean-floral scent that I don't like. There seem to be a million different flowers that my skin does that to.

[theseagrows]

oooh i like this one a lot. it's a floral with a bit of smokiness to it. it kind of reminds me of bordello minus the wine with a splash of midnight. the violet isnt very strong- i think i mostly smell the night blooming flowers and incense.

 

this is a very pretty and lovely blend.

[Meg]

In the bottle: jasmine mixed with something like wine or some other fruity alcohol.

 

Wet: all violets, with hints of incense and the slightest fruity scent sometimes peaking through.

 

Drydown: the fruity scent develops as the violet fades slightly into the background (I'm glad - I dislike violet in perfumes). Another flowery scent comes through, much subtler, must be jasmine. It's strongly mixed with a smell of plums and perhaps wine, to counterbalance the sweetness of the flowers. You can't smell the incense directly, but it remains in the form of a slightly smoky undertone.

 

Overall: This is truly a purple perfume, it's very sophisticated and well-balanced. Various scents slip to the forefront at different times, all of them evoking pictures of royalty and femininity. Clearly a perfume for special occasions, and I can see Morgause wearing it and just feeling queenly (she's always been more about power than witchcraft to me - Mists of Avalon talking, here). It's not really "me", but it's a perfect addition to a collection of medieval scents.

[sookster]

wow......i get total and complete florals out of this one....strong as well.....none of the

incense ever comes through at all.....just lots of florals that i have a hard time distinguishing...

but it is kind of pretty......intense though.....and interesting.....

[mockturtle]

Dark and floral at first sniff, getting the violet and more -- almost like there's a little bit of marigold? I don't think those are night-blooming, so who knows what it really is. Something of a musky exotic floral, too. Makes me think of the night-blooming cereus at my friend's house in North Carolina this summer! Sigh, so pretty.

 

Dry, it has a heavy exotic floral scent on me. I can't smell the violet anymore. This would be great for someone who wants to smell like rainforest blossoms, but it's not for me. Even if it does remind me of the cereus, it's just too heavy for my taste right now.

[maewitch]

This is mostly jasmine and ylang-ylang on me. It reminds quite strongly of the smell of a Lush store. There is something just barely perceptible as fruit in this - some sweetness that is pitched a little lower than the ylang-ylang (which tends to hit me 'high' in the nose, an irritating quality).

 

It's not wowing me over. For some reason I was expecting something like Tintagel, only more feminine. It's a pleasant but not particularly evocative floral.

[Kittyflop]

Morgause is a fruity floral on my skin. I think I'm getting jasmine pretty strongly, sweet. It definitely does invoke the aura of 'purple'. Not getting any of the incense, though, which I'd hoped for to bring this to earth.

 

My skin is just eating it up, though. It may be the extremely dry weather, I'll try again when I'm feeling more balanced.

[jazlyn]

Morgause is a lovely scent... just like the description. Flowers, incense and fruit.. purple! As it dries it becomes a little powdery/clean-smelling though... Like other people said before me, I think this scent is something to wear on special occasions: going to see an opera, eating dinner at a fancy restaurant, or whenever you want to feel extra feminine/powerful (oozes importance, but isn't too "old").

[Caletara]

This scent loves me! And I love Morgause.

 

In the bottle: it smells very violet with hints of fruit but not that much incense.

 

On wet: It gets very floral with a hint of musk an incense. I get violet, and another floral scent I cant place. Theres no fruit scent at all.

 

Drydown: When it dries, the floral eases off a lot and gets very fruity.I can practically smell the velvet, and darkness. Its very much not a 'light' floral, but has a dangerous quality too it--like the venus fly trap. Seems to smell great until the fly gets to close.

 

This is definatly one I'll save, and get a big bottle of. The scent didnt change drastically on me from bottle to drydown, but the layers just fluctuated perfectly. Brilliant! Its very feminine, but more sophisticated and sexual than girly.

[dreago]

In the bottle: Whew! A strong, dark scent lives in this honey colored oil. The first thing that rushes towards me is a strong, almost chemically scent. Like scented toner or astringent. And then towards the end of the sniff, I get the plum.

 

On the wrist: This is very perfumey. I could see it being sold in a department store. It is definitely a grown up scent for fancy restaurants and evenings at the Opera. The incense and the night blooming flowers meld beautifully. This reminds me of Stilla's new scent, Midnight Bloom, except this has incense for a bite and not fig.

The Dry Down: I'm tempted to remark that the plum seems superfluous. It doesn't detract but doesn't add anything to it either. Maybe Beth added it because this is Morgause and not her "evil" sister Morgan Le Fey? I think I would prefer it without. However, this might be my own skin chemistry at play. My skin always amps up sweet scents, hence I avoid anything that is predominantly sweet. This is a gorgeous bouquet of a scent. The violets are subtle but pervasive. Just lovely. My office mate has detected a hint of smoke or ash in the scent too.

 

Final Verdict: The scent is fading! A couple hours later and Morgause has all but disappeared! I have to bury my nose into my forearm to get at the scent. It's so sad. She leaves a regal and sophisticated impression on the senses. However, one cannot get too close to her for too long; all I was left with was a trail of ash, incense and regret.

[Heretic]

In the vial: Slightly fruity floral.

 

On my wrist, wet: A floral with a bit of spice. The floral note reminds me of roses with a bit of an edge. The spiciness keeps this from becoming too sweet.

 

After 20 minutes: The violet has really bloomed and although I detest foody/fruity smells, I'm becoming rather fond of BPALs plum notes like the one I believe is accompanying the violet here. The scent is just a touch sweet, right now, but I keep sniffing my wrist to catch the whisper of incense underneath all the dark, purply goodness on the surface.

 

After an hour: Once the sweetness dissipates, Morgause matures into a regal, subdued violet with a deep purple incense. This is a gorgeous, sophisticated fragrance. It is undeniably feminine, but it also conveys strength and experience. This is a scent for a woman who is in control of her destiny and is full of confidence without arrogance. It is noticeable without being gaudy, colorful without being garish. It's a scent to wear with a feminine power suit and it goes on my list of 5 ml bottles to order.

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: It comes across as very clean to me, the lily holding its head up high among the other scents.

 

Wet On My Flesh: Once I get it on, the lily pulls back just enough to give some of the fruit room to maneuver.

 

Drying Down: It's beginning to sweeten, enrichening as it stays on my skin longer. I believe the roses are coming forth now.

 

Hour To Integrate: Becoming light and powdery, Morgause has morphed into something my brother called "Old lady smell". Phoo on him, for I like it.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: If I keep keeping imps like I'm keeping the keepers, I'll have nothing to swap!

Edited February 18, 2006 by Mistress Tera

[strawberry_star]

Night blooming flowers? Jasmine? That could be why it didn't work for me. It was pure floral and not lovely florals which I do come across some floral combinations that work on me from time to time. This was not one of them. There was way too many flowers that were not liking me too well.

[Imptress]

This was lovely-- I got lots of rich flowers with just enough fruit to keep the flowers in control. I didn't get any incense at all. As nice as this was, it reminded me so much of Venice that I don't see myself getting a bottle of this when I already have one of Venice. Next time I try this I'll put Morgause on one hand and Venice on the other so I can compare them side by side. Beautiful, though... I really love the flower and fruit interplay!

[Missmoonlight]

old flowers. This is an old lady's floral perfume that remained untouched for 80 years, then discovered again in an old abandoned home. It was a light floral scent in 1920, but the alcohol disappeared and the floral notes became heavy. This is Morgause now, heavy floral...Not for me, I have already traded it!

[arabella]

First Impression: A musky, creamy floral.

 

Dried down to: A gorgeous, sophisticated floral.

 

Additional comments: Another one where the notes are so well balanced that I can't specifically pinpoint any one in particular. The purple fruits and incenses are present as "secret ingredients" - I certainly am not aware of them at all. The only note close to being readily identifiable is the violet. To me, this is the scent background of a Harlequin romance set in the South.

 

Lasted: Several hours, but was faint after the first hour.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[ariansdreams]

First Sniff (in the imp): It is very sweet and very green at the same time. It reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on it….I also smell white flowers of some sort. Is that jasmine, perhaps?

 

Wet: It gets greener and less sweet when I put it on my skin. I am also starting to get a slightly spicy note, which is perhaps the “medieval incense”. It also strikes me as a “young” scent, which I definitely wasn’t expecting. It’s also starting to smell more purple and regal.

 

Dry: Oh wow. This is truly amazing. I don’t think this smell is a “me” scent, but it’s so complex and astounding. How can a perfume oil smell like “purple”? I dunno, but I’m impressed. I had a friend at one time who adored the color purple and would adore this scent. I think I’m really starting to appreciate BPAL’s scents as experiences, and not just mere smells.

 

Overall: This is one you have to smell just for the experience of smelling it. This was part of my second imp order, which was much more varied than my first (my first being lots of amber and honey notes), and I’m just starting to understand the depth of Beth’s talent. Although I probably won’t wear this scent often, I will definitely be keeping my imp!

[PirateMaggie]

Wet, this is a lovely dusky purple, like dew on violets with a hint of grape and plum. Unfortunately, as it dries it turns into a dusty, powdery, musty smell, the very definition of "old lady perfume." The hunt for the perfect purple scent continues.

[ajcj213499]

I’m really amazed that this one worked on me. It’s a great blend of dark fruits and a touch of incense, and the fruits amazingly don’t smell like generic shower gel on me (my skin chemistry is so strange). Very nice!

[PixieSkull]

Imp: Very similar to Black Pearl with the cream soda scent. There are sweet, juicy berries as well.

Wet: This is a sweet and darkly fruity Black Pearl without the coconut.

Dry: This was the most berry I've had in a scent yet and I do think I like it. Purple fruits, yes. Medieval incenses, beautifully yes.

 

Category: Berry/Dark floral

Rating: 4/5; Beautiful mix, embodies Morgause very well.

Overall: This scent reminds me of fog and the dark times and the darkness that is Morgause. Very well done. I was surprised at the violet staying largely in the background and just complimenting the other scents. Very adult and mature scent.

[draconix]

In the bottle: A mish-mash of flowers... but it's not overwhelming. It's actually quite a bit lighter that I thought it would be.

 

On my skin: Wet, soapy-sweet. Not looking good here. Dry... yeah. Same. Sweet, soapy, alcoholy (not the fun kind of alcohol) and a bit floral.

 

Final Thoughts: This was a frimp, and not one that I picked out as one I wanted to try, so I'm not too down about it not working.