Santa Eularia Des Riu

[savage_rose]

Piquant citrus tempered by jasmine, soft Mediterranean herbs, lavender and orange blossom.

 

All I can smell is lavender and citrus, and something herbal that tickles my nose. It's pleasant enough, but nothing special.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: strong lemon with an herb edge, like lemon verbena, but less sweet.

 

wet on skin: same.

 

dry down: same!

 

in all: pretty good throw, this lemony scent would do well for those extra hot summer days when you sweat just by thinking about it. light, refreshing, not too sweet.

 

 

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

A bright burst of citrus!

 

First on:

Herbal and citrusy, very fresh and ”sunny” as a scent.

 

Dry:

It's really citrusy and upbeat, with a herbal touch to it, making it almost... foody.

 

Finally:

Nice to try, but citrus isn't really my thing.

[Reaver]

Another boring floraly citrus. This time with jasmine. Whoop.

 

Why, every time I grab out two imps to road-test, do I pull out at LEAST one boring fruit-tinged floral? I've come to the conclusion it's because I've found the ONE that works on me (Schroedingers Cat) and now they all want the attention that one gets. But they shan't get it. Ever.

 

This one is faint, and smells quite grape-fruity. Definitly jasmine. I don't get any lavender or blossom or herbs. Just a fairly simple grapefruit and jasmine.

 

Conclusion: Into the 'swap' box.

2/10 (Blah-froral)

[ErinZ]

Wet in imp:

lemony lavender

 

Wet on skin:

herbal lemon

 

Drydown:

Smelling a bit like lemon Pledge and a cologne my grandma used to keep around to use as bug repellant while camping (I liked the smell of that repellant as a kid, but I'm not so sure I want to smell like it now - ooh… although, if it works as a repellant, it's one I'd gladly wear instead of the normal ones). -fades to a sweet, soft lemon with a hint of mint

 

Final impression:

I basically like it, and it brings back great memories, but I don't want to smell like it.

[kittycatpurr]

In the imp: Love it in the imp -- lavender and citrus are great favorites. Now to find out if jasmine works.

Wet: The jasmine has a sour smell. The lemon and the jasmine together are very attractive. Good thing I like lemondrops.

Drydown: Lemon and jasmine are gone. Dusty dried-out herbs are showing up. Smells like a ten-year old bottle of oregano.

Dry: Disappears completely for one hour. Gone baby gone. And then the jasmine is back, mostly ammonia.

[marared]

I listed this as an alternate, something I always do just in case something wasn't available in the first six scents I'd listed, and the lab kindly included it as a freebie. Yay!

 

Right out of the imp, there's a big lemony whack that's almost like an all-purpose kitchen cleanser, but it morphs almost right away, and I can smell the orange blossom trying to push its way to the forefront. Lavender and the other herbs have no chance against these two battling it out for dominance.

 

Hm. It's starting to trigger a headache. Time to go wash it off.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: ... citrus. Ick. I'm not sure about this one - it's not something I ever would have picked for myself, and I'm pretty convinced I won't like it. But hey - try anything once.

 

In the imp: Citrus! Very citrus. Herby. Hmmm... maybe some lavender? I can just about pick up on the orange blossom. Hmm, not initially unpleasant, although I'm dreading what it might do on my skin...

 

On the wrist, wet: Oranges, lemons and limes. Oh... joy. This is being held just off going horridly sharp on me, but I'm not really a citruses person. There's a hint of floral in there, an almost-herbal touch... hmm, this is actually not unpleasant. It's behaving itself, it's certainly sunny... I still think the citrus might be a little too much for me, but I'll see what it does.

 

Twenty minutes later: Herbal, yes. Even almost floral. Unfortunately - it's a whole damn whack of sweet citrus. It actually smells quite nice but... I don't like citrus. REALLY don't like citrus. I'm really not sure on this one.

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp, just long enough to see what a full day's wear makes me think of it.

 

Tl;Dr: Warm, slightly sharp herbs and orange blossom drenched in citrus.

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Pale, cool, almost green-yellow oil. Woohoo, oranges and fresh, mouthwatering green herbs.

 

Wet: Heavy, almost overpowering fake citrus aroma like that from hard candies, gumdrops, or artificial citrus jello. Very off-putting.

 

After a few minutes on skin: A yellow-orange smelling scent. Citrus aroma dying down a bit to more manageable levels, starting to smell some nice, clean herbs coming through. A few faint florals too, just enough to season the blend without taking over and making it overbearing. Some lavender and something else, like a hint of jasmine tea, which I've always enjoyed drinking, even though I was unsure about in a perfume. Has that sort of citrus-herbal freshness I enjoyed in Villain.

 

After first hour: I really enjoy this, so of course this would be fading fast. Citrus and really pleasant herbs, rich, rounded and pungent, not at all foody, but clean and cool and tangy and refreshing. A little bit like Envy now, with just a hint more sweetness.

 

After two and a half hours: Tangy fresh, slightly sweet herbal with faint hints of floral, I think I smell a bit of basil and oregano, but not enough to make me feel like a spaghetti sauce. The citrus really brings it all together, and with the floral and herbs gives a pretty scent without being overwhelmingly, cloyingly feminine. I think this could smell pleasant on a man as well.

 

After 5 hours: Faint fresh, tangy citrus herbal.

 

Final Verdict: I like this quite a bit, so of course it doesn't last very long, but that just means I'll have to bring the imp along and reapply. One for the top ten, definitely.

[innocent]

This is overwhemlingly citrus on my skin. Wet, there's something odd under the lemon, almost minty (the "herbs?") it's not quite unpleasant but not pleasant either. This softens a bit on the drydown, gets a touch creamy, and the strange off note fades... but doesn't entirely vanish. I like citrus scents, but this one is not for me - thus keeping up my streak of bad luck with the Wanderlust category!

[kawaiiferreto]

Wet: ....Soap? Nice soap maybe, but still soap.

 

Dry: Oh good. The soapy scent is gone. On me this is mostly jasmine. In fact, I think it is actually ALL jasmine. However, it IS jasmine that's behaving, which never ever used to happen for me. This proves that my skin and my nose both like jasmine now, but since this is so flat/single note I'll have to look for a signature jasmine scent elsewhere.

 

Verdict, not bad, but not good either.

[rayvn1]

This is an odd one. When first applied there was a strong smell of limes or some kind of citrus (not like the sweet dose of lemon in Namaste so I'm guessing lime). Just two minutes later the citrus is gone to be replaced by....sage and oregano! Huh. I don't get any of the jasmine others have mentioned. It smells just like I'm cooking a Mediterranean dinner and garnished myself

 

I actually did want more of a flower scent so in the end I dabbed just a bit of New Orleans on over it. Mwahahaha BPAL grudge match - crazy strong jasmine/honeysuckle vs. crazy strong sage/oregano! And the winner is.... mmmmm these two actually work better together with my chemistry than separate. The strong notes balance each other.

 

My Verdict: Hey, some days I DO want to smell like a Mediterranean kitchen

[maika]

In the imp, citrus with a soft herbal undertone

 

Wet, straight out sweet citrus. More like a mandarin then anything else

 

Dry, a little hint of jasmine and herb has appeared...but it's too citrus still for it to be totally successful for me. On the plus side, I think this is the only jasmine containing fragrance that I've tried recently that hasn't left me with amped to the extreme jasmine overpowering everything else.

[ouch!]

This is citrus/lavender when wet. I'm gonna say it's Verbena that Im smelling but for the first time it's a nice Verbena. It usually smells like rotted fruit & mud on me. I think the herbs are making it much nicer.

 

So...Verbena/Lavender with some herbs to start. The description says Piquant and it's right. This is a very pungent/sharmp citrussy smell at first.

 

The drydown reminds of the dry stage of Knucklebones...it's almost like that Masculine Fourgere kind of feel. Must be the herbs and lavender without the citrus getting in the way. It's still there but it's now blended in with the rest and not so sneeze inducing.

I don't understand why I cannot smell the Jasmine at all....that's a bit weird!

 

It's unusual to me, and I think it's verging on being a medicinal/detergent smelling slightly when it's dry. But...I still like it somewhat and thank the lab for this as a Frimp. I never would have picked this out myself.

Edited September 24, 2008 by ouch!

[Iceblink]

Odd. I get a lovely fresh, sweet citrus/orange blossom when this is wet but the drydown is almost pure herbs. Smells like oregano and thyme! Great for cooking but I don't want to smell of them.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Lemon and lavender

 

On Application

Wow very lemony - more the zest than lemon juice

 

Dry Down

The jasmine and lavender help to round out the lemon and give it a little more sweetness. Dires down to the smell of Bryll Cream and greasy hair.

 

Rating (0-5)

1.5

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: Citrus and bitter herbs. I get some lavender, but strangely, it really is just a bit. Lavender usually overpowers everything, but not here. Citrus is dominant.

 

Wet: All lemon. As if I squeezed lemon juice on my wrist. Very fresh, crisp, tart. Strong smell. But no other noes, just lemon.

 

Dry: Still lemon. I like it! It almost smells like lemon pine-sol, but isn't quite there yet. Fresh squeezed lemon is all I get.

 

Overall: I was expecting something a lot more complicated. And I was expecting a lot more lavender. But I like it a lot! I will definitely use my imp. I love the smell of fresh lemons. And amazing throw and lasts forever!

[meatcake]

This is the first BPAL scent that I violently disagreed with. In the imp it smells fairly pleasant and herbal but once the oil hit my skin, it smelled like lemon furniture polish. Definitely not for me.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Citrusy jasmine and orange blossoms, with a cool touch of lavender lurking in the background. It's a very bright, breezy, lighthearted scent—mounds of soft white blossoms with a potent citrus kick to take the sweet edge off the florals. Summer in a bottle.

On, wet: Heady orange blossoms, with strong lemon and somewhat softer lavender keeping it from achieving true sweetness. Jasmine is very light and in the background. I get a sense of very fresh green herbs as well, like they've just been crushed underfoot.

On, dry: Oh, love! Did I say that this was like Summer? Forget that. Once the heavenly jasmine and thyme come out to play, this smells like Easter to me, all white and yellow with a touch of green. It's loads of clean white flowers, while the citrus has backed off so that it's adding just the right amount of sunshine and brightness, holding those flowers in check. Underneath it all is a green, grassy herbal base that comes from lavender and the finest thyme note I've ever smelled..

Later: The thyme and lavender stay the longest, with a light, lingering scent of the pure white flowers. The citrus is mostly just a memory now, but this is still very nice. This is such a great lavender note, not at all harsh or sharp.

Overall: This was a frimp from the lab, and it exceeded every expectation I had for it. The citrus is a bit strong to start, but once that jasmine blooms, everything comes into balance perfectly and it's the nest best thing to a vacation on a sun-soaked island in Spain. The scent is light and clean, tart-sweet and joyful. Brilliant throw, too—not so much as to be obnoxious, but enough to trail a bit of paradise with you wherever you go. (I've had a number of compliments today!) I've never been to Santa Eularia Des Riu, but if it's anything like this, I want to go to there.

 

 

[cinnamonster]

Having read others reviews of this I can only presume a)my skin is totally weird, and even wish it smelt like Lemon pledge on me, instead of the nice clementiney citrus burning straight off into "eau de dusty bayleaf and six year old black peppercorns". This, on me is AWFUL.

 

I smell no jasmine at all.

[mhickle]

When it hits my skin, this is very lemony - sweet lemon and not much else. But as it dries, it becomes sharply herbal, with a little bitterness. I kept thinking it smelled very familiar, and then it hit me - this smells nearly exactly like Calliope on me. Which is neat, because I love the 3 Muses I have, and of course they've been discontinued for a little while now. So, yay, replacement for Calliope!

[Saya]

Putrid lemony jasmine.

 

YUCK!

 

Rating (1-5) - 1

[anna1850]

Reasonably pleasant but lemon always makes it smell of cleaning products. There's a sort of mixture of different smells underneath but the lemon's taken over unfortunately.

 

2.5/5 Not my type of thing.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's citrus, lavender, and orange.

 

Wet on the skin, it's citrus, orange, and herbs. As it dries, the citrus and orange are still the most dominant notes, but I now smell the lavender again...and something sharp. It might be the jasmine, which can be overpowering on my skin.

 

I can't decide if I like this or not. If it weren't for the sharp jasmine note, it would be a definite winner, but with it in there and amping more and more on dry down, I don't think this will be a keeper after all.

[liquidtrance]

Weird pine sol and.. Something scent. Almost woody.. Slightly smooth. A little husky, though. Artificial.. Plasticish.. Orange hand cleaner and… I can't name it. Fake wood? Can't smell the jasmine, no distinguishable herbs per say. Is the lavender throwing the odd twist? Also not distinguishable. Very strange scent. It wants to be smooth, but has such an awkward back note. Drying down to an even weirder scent. No more orangey fakeish citrus. Just... odd. Orange blossom seems to behave weird on me, could that be it?