Marie

[neuilly]

A blend of sinuous violet and elegant tea rose: the chosen scent of France’s Demigoddess of Debauch: Marie Antoinette.

 

 

Pretty much as described: violet and tea rose. The two are pretty evenly matched and don't morph at all. It's a nice, "Aristocratic" scent. For some reason I think it feels more british too me than marie antoinette should be wearing but it's a lovely scent none the less. I'm simply not that kind of girl though. I can see this fitting a lot of people to a T though.

[mountainwitch]

A friend who ordered a bunch of imps had this one picked out for me as a "floral person." Roses (are red) and violets (are blue):what could be more simple and straightforward than that?

 

While I did catch the sweetness of rose briefly, for some reason this one turned into a bitter combination for me. I don't know if there's something else here that isn't listed, or if there are some rose blends used here that my chemistry just doesn't like. I suspect it's the latter, given that Lucy's Kiss and Wicked also turn strange and weirdly bitter when they hit my skin, and rose is the only thing that these three--which end up smelling strangely similar on me--have in common.

[fairy]

In the bottle it smells really nice. A soft and clean scent. I am bad at picking out notes but I did catch rose, which I am a fan of.

 

It was soft enough to wear to sleep. The only problem was I had really bad nightmares last night, which could have nothing to do with the scent, but I thought I would mention it. I dreamed I was dying and couldn't breath.

 

I still enjoyed this scent a lot. Next time, I'll wear it during the daytime

[Voleuse]

On first sniff, this is a sweet and delicate rose, but after a moment, I can smell the coolness of the violet. The violet, actually, seems to be intensifying the sweetness of the rose.

 

After a while, the rose is actually overwhelmed by the violet--I can still smell it, but it's pale in the background. This is a twilight scent, cool and dark blue to my nose. It's seductive, but also a little solemn. Lovely.

[noumenon]

This is one of the first scents that I've tried, and definitely the first with violet as the dominant note. Unfortunately violet is overused in commercial products, so when I put this on, I got an unpleasant scent association with that scratchy, green Lava soap, drying down to smell like Phisoderm or Pert shampoo.

 

So it didn't work for me, but a reviewer on another thread introduced the idea that scents in each catalog category have a common theme running through them. For Diabolus, I imagine the theme must be scents that compel rather than attract, dominate rather than seduce, and offer no soothing to the one who has been trapped in the wearer's clutches. So these contain scents that people recognize, but without characteristic sweetness. They're familiar, but harsh. People who love violets might really find Marie fascinating.

Edited July 26, 2006 by Noumenon

[Cicely]

Violets, violets, violets - how I love them!

 

Marie is my all-time favorite BPAL, and it's turned into my signature scent. Fancy and feminine, but not without some sex appeal. It takes my two most beloved notes - rose and violet - and combines them perfectly.

[edenssixthday]

Marie - Rose and Violet are two of my favorite florals. I was certain this would be a nice scent, but all I can smell is the faint, dry scent of tea rose and no violet whatsoever. This scent is very blasé compared to many of BPALs other rose and violet scents. It's common and unworthy of bearing the great Marie Antoinette's name. It sticks close to the skin, has moderate staying power, and generally leaves very little impression.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: tea rose

 

Wet: tea rose

 

Dry: this scent reminds me of my Grandmother's perfume. Marie is a pretty scent for those who enjoy rose perfume.

[Eris]

Yes, definitely kind of an elegant, old-fashioned perfume. I can handle rose pretty well, but my chemistry is very picky about violet--which is sad because I love it! And alas, no matter how many I try, BPAL's violet just doesn't want to play nicely with me. I should give up searching...but I just can't...

[strangemusic]

Sweet, winy, just-blown tea roses, so much so that I'm getting a bit of that drunken feeling; the top of my head is ever so gently trying to separate from the rest of my cranium (think of the two parts of the Enterprise, and you'll know what I mean.) My old friend violet is there too, but much more muted than she was in Sybaris-- this time, she's peeping out from under the skirts of the tea roses... that is, when she's not otherwise occupied under there, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

 

Deliciously female, and quite licentious, this scent. While wet, the velveted, microsuede tea rose overskirt whips around, revealing little flashes of violet tulle; dry, the tea roses mature a little, gain some resonance, depth, and a hint of spice, while the violet lazily gyrates at the omphalos of it all. The throw of Marie is maddening-- now you smell her, now you don't; she's there, yet dancing on the horizon. Truly, a will-o-the-wisp, the kind of scent that causes double-backs, no matter how foolish.

 

C&P from my LJ

Edited August 20, 2006 by strangemusic

[The_Merf]

In the imp: All tea rose, baby. I sniffed this next to my imp of London and while this one is indeed duskier, it's hard to tell without something else for comparison.

 

Wet: The violet comes on stronger than I thought it would, but this is still clearly dominated by the tea rose.

 

Drydown and wear: I agree with what many above me have said about the scent--the violet and tea rose operate on separate tracks. It also strikes me as a British scent and very aristocratic.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Rose with the underlying perfumy darkness of violet.

 

Wet: Tea rose, a bit green, that becomes richer and richer, and sweeter from the violet.

 

Drydown: It's mainly tea rose, but it becomes rather perfumy and rich with the dark sweetness of violet. After a while it's really very sickly sweet and the violet under the rose reminds me of some classical women's perfumes.

 

Overall: It's a haughty, highly elegant and expensive-smelling blend, that I associate with older women, because friends of my mother or teachers smelled like this, when I was a kid. I'd always imagined Marie Antoinette wearing something lighter and more playful, because this is heavy and nearly somber. And it's very invasive, which is why I will be saying bye-bye to it.

[margravine]

The tea rose scent came through strongest for me. Very old fashioned and regal. I have no doubt that Marie Antoinette would have loved it. After a while it mysteriously transformed into something very like Anais Anais (which I believe is rose and lily,) so if you love that scent you'll do well with this.

[TrueStar]

In the imp, I smell a stronger rose than I do violet.

 

After putting it on, the violet came out more and it almost went...soapy? After a time, the two seemed to balance out into a mature floral scent.

 

It's nice and I'll keep the imp, but I don't see myself going back for more.

[supremegoddessofall]

Amazing - a violet scent that doesn't amp pure violet on me. The violet and the rose are fighting each other, and I'm honestly not sure who's winning. It's a head on battle with a lot of carnage, and I think my nose is a casualty of war. Not a good combination for me.

[brownbear]

In the vial this one reminds me very strongly of something from when I was a kid. Which must mean there is violet in it. For some reason violet reminds me of something from childhood that I can't place. On my skin though it changes into mostly a soft floral without the violet. It's mostly dusty rose. I wish it stayed like it smells in the imp. My skin just always goes for the rose.

[Orodemniades]

It's rose! Rosey rose! A medium high rose, possibly a tea rose but the violet may be bringing the highness down.

 

The throw is amazing, if not necessarily long lasting...although I say that and it's been at least three hours since I dabbed it on my hand and I'm still getting the occasional waft of scent and think, hey, that smells great! Before realizing it's moi. Hee!

 

Unlike Rose Red, which is Mature, Velvet Rouge Noir Rose, Marie is more...well, blue. Like a violet. Or twilight, midsummer.

 

Yeah, gonna need a few bottles of this one...

 

Oro

[Loligo]

Rose and violet are both problematic on me, so put them together and wow, you get a particularly cheap and nasty bathroom deodorant spray! In the drydown, I can get hints of the warm, rich floral this is supposed to be, but I have to sort of smell around this weird, bitter, sour note that predominates.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: I smell rose tempered by a sweet darkness that must be the violet.

 

Wet: This is a heady floral. The rose and violet face off in what smells like even measures to me.

 

Drying down: This reminds me of an elegant woman. It is also a dark scent. Now that I can single out the violet a little better, I can see why it is in a number of dark blends.

 

Dry: Amazingly, the rose is not overpowering as it can be on me. What Maiden does with rose and carnation, Marie does with rose and violet. Where Maiden is drop-dead sexy and feminine on me, Marie is the woman who's jaded to the point of callousness.

 

Later: Though the rose is well balanced in this blend, it is still more floral overall than those I gravitate towards. Occasions I would be inclined to wear this, I am more likely to put on Zorya for her watchful elegance.

[Luhtarian]

I can't really weigh in on this one because the rose turns to pure soap. Oh well. Try it if rose DOESN'T do that to you.

[Eemia]

This is my first post, so I thought I would review the very first fragrance I ever purchased from BPAL...

 

This was in the first pack of imps I purchased two months ago and I bought a full size after wearing if for only a day. I have never tried a violet fragrance before, but I love roses. This is the perfect blend of both on me, with the violet being slightly stronger than the rose. So completely feminine without being stuffy or prim. I am an extremely shy person and I always feel more confident and alluring when I wear this.

 

Even after several hours Marie still smells exactly as it does when wet on my skin. If anything it only becomes better. I am in love with this one!

[Druby]

in the imp the tea rose is very overpowering, but when on skin the violet and tea rose work well together, nice floraly blend. They don't seem to try to out do each other, they are on the same level. I like this scent.

[filigree_shadow]

I get mostly tea rose at first, but it smells funny for some reason. Like that sort of sour scent you get when the wine has gone off. Kind of acidic. Usually neither violet nor tea rose is objectionable to me -- they're not my favorite notes but I don't hate them either. However, together on my skin they smell... well, I hate to say this, but it smells kind of like hair spray. Apparently this combination is not working nearly as well for me as it did for Marie.

[nancybridget]

What a sweet, almost cloying, violet and tea rose. I can detect each scent independently, however the rose is more prominent. I would make this one a staple or anything, but it was pretty to play with. If I ever decide to go as Marie Antoinette for Halloween, I'd rock this out.

[QueenFae]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet; this was one of my first BPAL loves. This is my favorite general catalogue floral blend by far. It is a PERFECT tea rose blend; strong, feminine, exquisitely perfumey. I'm usually not a fan of violet, but it really compliments the rose note perfectly in this blend. This is very bright, happy, and elegant. It has a lot of throw and lasting power for a floral, which is what initially attracted me to it. This was one of my first 5 ml purchases, and an instant BPAL classic. Beautiful!!