Antique Lace

[em_h]

Nostalgia encapsulated. A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes.

In the vial, this is sweet and creamy and lovely, as it is for the first few seconds on my skin -- then it vanishes. It is almost instantly undetectable. I was afraid this might happen.

If I wait it out, though, I get increasingly distinct wafts of sugary creamy vanilla, and something a bit musky or musty. Very nice, very evocative of the name; also very delicate, sometimes barely noticeable even up close, but so pretty. And, though faint, it does last quite a while. The later dry-down reminds me of vanilla-scented nougat.

Given the faintness, I'd probably tend to put this on fairly heavily, so I can see getting a bottle for that reason, though I'm trying to be very restrained in my bottle orders.

(I should note, however, that my husband specifically said that he preferred Desdemona, which I was wearing the day before. He seems not to like vanilla in general, which is too bad because I like it a lot.) Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[nancybridget]

Very pretty vanilla scent. Description says flowers, but to me, I'm detecting vanillas.

 

Reminds me a lot of Victoria's Secret Vanilla Lace, which is a nice mellow vanilla. Nothing too foody.

 

Overall, I'd love a bottle.

[theshapeshifter]

After all the excitement over Antique Lace's resurrection, I was delighted to get a frimp of it in my latest order.

 

In the imp: Um... nothing. I was worried this was going to fall into my 'olfactory blind spot' like Snow White did.

 

Wet on skin: Okay, here it is! It starts out as a lovely creamy vanilla, quite similar to the Body Shop's 'original' vanilla (the good one they used to sell years ago), which was a pleasant surprise.

 

Drydown: As it dries down, it becomes muskier and more 'perfumey' on me. It's quite nice, but probably a like rather than a love at this point.

[neuilly]

My first review! I have a feeling I'm going to be awful at this but here it goes...

 

In the bottle: I get vanilla and waves of something that smells vaguely of incense? Or alternatively wax. Wasn't expecting that. Not at all like anyone elses descriptions and I sort of question whether it's labelled right. I'm sure it is though. My nose must just be weird. There is something sweet in there though I can't identify it.

 

Wet: Wow, much more floral when I put it on, and I do get that whole sense of "long-faded perfume" that's in the description. Still something that smells like a wax candle to me...although no more incense smell. It actually vaguely reminds me of how my Barbie dolls used to smell. So bizarre. While typing this I keep getting wafts of it although frequently is just smells like pure vanilla.

 

Dry: The wax bit is pretty much gone, had this been the original smell I would never have noticed it. The vanilla is very warm. I still think I smell like a Barbie.

 

 

Overall: I really wanted to love this. Everyone seems to adore it but alas it doesn't like me. It's 100% Barbie smell to me. And while as a child I adored the scent of Barbie (which does actually smell pretty good and not at all like plastic, I never actually wanted to smell like one. I'm afraid I'm going to have to trade out this imp. Actually, it started turning a bit into baby powder by the end as well.

 

I do have to say that this was a lot more complicated of a scent than I was expecting. Before it dried (and blended), I kept getting several different scents and impressions...I don't know what that means or what significance it has but I wanted to say that

[saralaughs]

My first review!! Go easy on me.

 

In the bottle: I get sweet, sweet vanilla cream. Lovely and strong and ripe. Yes. Ripe.

 

Wet: Still getting the sweet vanilla cream

 

Drydown: It's going musky, old and deep vanilla. I love the morph.

 

It lasts on me for a good 3 or 4 hours but it's so strong as to put anyone else off. The throw is minimal but even with just dabs on the wrists I get waffs up to my nose, reminding me it's there.

 

Overall, my first Bpal imp (a frimp at that!) was my first Bpal love as well. I have a bottle on the way.

Edited May 1, 2006 by saralaughs

[Miss Lynx]

I'd been wanting to try this one for a while, and got my chance at the most recent Toronto Meet'n'Sniff.

 

On first contact, I liked it quite a lot. It was a very gentle, soft scent, mostly vanilla with a soft overlay of flowers, but not too sweet - very evocative of its name. Kind of like a toned-down, creamier Euphrosyne. And for a change my skin did not amp the florals particularly - they stayed nicely in balance with the other notes.

 

But my skin did, alas, resort to one of its other tricks: turning vanilla into Play-Doh. The scent was fine for about half an hour, and then the Play-Doh kicked in. *sigh* Oh well.

 

Grade: B-

[lysistrata]

In the vial: Sugary rose.

 

On me, wet: A nice soft floral with a little vanilla. Not too floral, not too sweet, and subtle.

 

On me, dry: Perfumey sweet vanilla rose. Subtle, feminine, beautiful, and irresistible.

 

Verdict: A friend was smelling the Monster Baits, then tried Antique Lace and said, "Ooh, I like this one!" Something about it just speaks to you instantly. This one goes on the Must-Get-Big-Bottle list.

 

Edit: This has become my favorite scent, along with Velvet/Bliss and Morocco. Completely delicious.

Edited May 12, 2006 by Lysistrata

[Christine Daae]

In the bottle: Soapy vanilla.

 

Wet: Still a bit soapy, but definitely more vanilla.

 

Drydown: This gets warmer and vanilla-y-er as it dries. I can still smell the flowers...it's such an odd, pretty, "white" combination.

 

While wearing: This is very lovely. This is the second that I've tried today that's made me wish I had held off making an order yesterday (the other was Fae). This is very warm and nostalgic and still a little soapy (I imagine that there must be lily in here somewhere), but not in an unpleasant way. Pretty. <3

[kunoichi]

Ooh, so yum! This is a most yummy vanilla scent that is so yummy and sweet and delicious on my skin. It smells wonderful on the vial, and it also smells wonderful on my skin! It doesn't turn all pink musk stick on me, like Snake Oil and O, so it's a heavenly one for me. Not floral, just divine on me. Sweet and creamy and now a favourite! Simply gorgeous!

[Chrysantza]

I swapped for an imp of this, because I wanted to try one of the Scents Everyone Squees Over.

 

Alas, while this is a lovely creamy vanilla in the imp, on me it smells like "fresh scent" deodorant and baby powder.

 

Off to the swaps.

[gwyllgi]

The first time I smelled this, it made me think of the gingerbread house of Hansel and Gretel, if the gingerbread had been a sugar cookie and the witch had been everyone's stereotypical baking grandmother. It was warm and sweet and beautifully laden with vanilla, and I absolutely loved it.

 

I tried it again tonight, and I get the smell of baby powder and, as Chrysantza did, deodorant. I suspect that this is one of those scents that will vary widely throughout the course of the month, which is rather depressing as it smells the worst when I could use it the most.

 

I'll be keeping the imp around to try in a while again. If I can capture my initial sense of home again, this will definitely be worth a big bottle.

[ajcj213499]

Antique Lace was a light powdery vanilla on me- It's pretty, but kind of "meh" on me. I wore this once when picking a friend up and she said it smelled like sunscreen. Hmmmmm.....

[bifemmefatale]

Creamy, marshmallowy vanilla with a hint of the linen in my beloved White Rabbit. Absolutely gorgeous, and if Underpants were't my favorite vanilla, this would be. It's very similar without the caramelized sugar and saffron notes in Underpants.

[RavenVelith]

Bottle: Whoooooa. o.o; sweet. A lot sweeter than I expected. The perfumes mentioned kinda...give me nostalgia. I can smell it. I don't remember who's perfume it reminds me of...but it reminds me of something.

 

Wet: This is so LIGHT. I have to squash my nose against my hand to smell it! I don't smell any florals really. Maybe the flowers really did die. Oh well! They were replaced by a light vanilla it smells like.

 

Dry: WOOOOW! This is NICE! Really light, airy, and sweet. I think I'll share this one with my sister. ::.giggles.::

[Pachelbel]

This was another frimp from jj_j

 

I was really surprised when I read the description...I might have bought it just because I have a soft spot for literal antique lace, but I don't like florals and linen has to be mixed with tea, a la White Rabbit.

 

I get vanilla, and maybe a little bit of sugar, in the bottle. But once it's dry I get faint flowers--maybe the flower vanilla comes from? But it stays very pretty and "white", a little faint touch of age in it. Absolutely beautiful.

[kakiphony]

I tried this last night. It was the first I tried for the general catalog circular swap.

 

In the imp:

Vanilla, but a less high and sweet vanilla than some. It doesn't have that extract edge to it. But it is also not buttery vanilla like Underpants. There's something dry underneath.

 

Wet:

Vanilla with the slightest hint of dry sandalwood. It's already a bit powdery.

 

Early Dry Down:

Dusty vanilla. Vanilla scented powder that has been sitting in a cedar chest for 50 years. The boy likes it, I'm less convinced.

 

Late Dry Down:

The dusty/dry/powdery note is very dominant on my skin. It's a little sweet, but mostly dusty. Nice, but not a "wow!" scent on me.

[joiedecombat]

Vanilla! It's a sweet, soft, mellow vanilla which does give me an impression of antique linens, gone soft and off-white with time and use. ...Or possibly toasted marshmallow. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind a little less sweet vanilla in this and a little more of the linen, but it is a nice, full, creamy vanilla scent.

[yellowrose]

Finally ... after all the squee-ege and hype, I finally try Antique Lace thanks to syrenemyst.

 

Expectation: vanilla heaven.

 

In summary: Well, drats. I wanted and expected to like this, but it has that annoying and bewildering plastic note on me that just saddens and nauseates me. Not sure what it is about some vanilla notes that do this when others do not. It's immediately and persistently plastic, requiring a good scrub.

 

Off to swaps.

[damuddymeg]

in the imp: This is light and sweet, but not overpowering. It smells of clean linen and vanilla.

 

Wet: This goes through an unfortunate stage of smelling like cheap shampoo. Thankfully, this does not stick around long.

 

Dry: Once it's dry, this a light scent with a fair amount of throw--a feat in and of itself. It stays a lightly sweet blend of clean, crisp linen and white vanilla. Really quite lovely and feminine without being cloying or sugary.

[Gale]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this because Antique Lace is one of my favorites.

 

Wet or dry, after one minute or 12 hours, it is the same sweet, slightly musky vanilla. It is beautiful and I find it very comforting and nostalgic. It's one of those blends that makes me smile every time I smell it.

 

Speaking of nostalgia, I remember opeing my first imp of Antique Lace. I nearly melted into a puddle--in fact, i dropped the imp, but quickly wiped up the oil with a kleenex and kept that for sniffing until my 5 ml arrived! LOVE.

[this machine]

Wow, this reminds me so much of all those vanilla-based perfumes that got really popular when i was in junior high and high school. It evokes pure teenage perfume for me. It's been five minutes and i can't take it, i must wash. It's just the exact opposite of what i want in a perfume. Sorry antique lace! I feel bad for hating any of you bpal scents, but alas, it does happen.

[filigree_shadow]

This oil doesn't seem to smell as good on me as what many other people describe in their reviews. It's kind of a stale perfumey scent. Milky and vaguely floral. It does smell white, but it doesn't smell fresh to me.

[portalkat]

This smells to me just like the name. I can envision an old trunk being opened and an antique bed jacket being pulled out. The lace around the cuffs and collar have traces of old perfume.

 

WET - I could really smell the vanilla with a hint of musky rose in the background.

 

DRY - It still pretty much smells the same, but there is a bit more of an underlying fabric smell. The whole effect is very soft and pretty. The florals smell very old-fashioned to me, but the vanilla gives it a bit of a contemporary twist.

 

This lasts forever on me. I put it on about an hour before I went to bed and I've already taken a shower this morning and I can still smell it on my wrist. The throw is incredible and I can still smell it wafting around me. It was so strong that it pretty much covered up the Machu Picchu which I had on my other wrist.

 

This is not really my type of scent at all, but I find it so intriguing and pretty that I'm thinking about buying a bottle.

 

I must add that it smells just like my favorite yo-yo that I had as a kid and I really liked the smell of that toy!

[kourika]

In the imp, Antique Lace barely had any scent at all, which made me wonder if I'd gotten a mistake frimp from the Lab. When I dabbed it on, a soft, gentle odor became evident though.

 

Overall, Antique Lace smells sweet to me although a male friend said it was very floral.

 

It's a nice scent, and I'll continue to use the imp, but I doubt I'd get a big bottle of it. It's just not me enough that I'd wear it on a regular basis.

[edenssixthday]

Antique Lace - Sniffed wet in the bottle, Antique Lace didn't really impress me. But the moment it touched my skin, WOWEE ZOWEE is all I can say! This is a stunningly gorgeous scent! Gorgeous enough that I tracked down a full bottle. It's not only a scent I love on myself, but I think I'd love it on my husband, as well. On my skin, it's very much a creamy golden vanilla -- reminds me to no end of Hanae Mori. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. As soon as I realized how much I love it, I slathered it all over my wrists, neck, chest, and hair. While it has excellent throw when freshly applied, once it's dried down, it sticks close to my skin and the staying power is so poor that I have to reapply every 45 minutes or so.