Santa Eularia Des Riu

[Eros]

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

 

In the imp, strong, spicy jasmine. Same on skin with a hint of fresh citrus. For the few seconds the citrus was present, this one reminded me a bit of Origins Ginger Essence. But as with all jasmine blends, the jasmine overwhelmed everything else, unfortunately. Also brought on a major bout of sneezing. Never got any of the Mediterranean herbs However, if jasmine works for you, you should definitely give this one a try.

[zankoku_zen]

In the Bottle: Citrusy and orange. I smell a tinge of lavender

On Skin: Clean, citrusy. I smell the lavender. It's a very clean scent. It makes me think of Baby Johnson's cologne. It evokes images of purity and innocence. I get a tiny tinge of herbalness now.

 

On Drydown: I get more of the floral and herbal part of the scent. There is something that smells slightly masculine on me, like a hint of musk.

 

Verdict: This is great, clean, breezy scent. I'm not sure I adore it despite my love for citrus. Hmmm...

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Bright, orangey and herbal. Lovely.

 

On

I would never have thought it smelled like this. It's a real orangey/lemony and a bit herbal , it's so bright and cheerful. It's somewhat similar to Cheshire Cat. You know those blends that are just a pleasure to review, this is one of those. I would have said it is grapfruit had I not known that Beth can't get grapefruit.

 

30 minutes

It stays as refreshingly citrus as it was wet. Good staying power for a citrus.

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

citrus/herby

 

Summary

A full on orange/lemon/grapfruit smell with little herbies underneath. I don't smell the lavender per se, just general herbies. It must be blended well or there's not a lot.

 

Purchase again?

Yes, absolutely. A 5ml.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[sarahjay]

the jasmine is strong in this one for me - but I like jasmine, so that's ok. the jasmine/citrus blend is soft and lovely to me actually, with the herbs in the background. it's making me think of chiroptera - with the jasmine replacing the lemonbalm. this DOES smell mediterranean to me - lovely

 

I like this a lot and would think of getting 5ms sometime.

[Muppetk]

A big thank you to the lab folk for this lovely frimp. At least, I don't *think* I ordered it. I might have.

 

Okay, this is throwing my nose for a loop. Wet it keeps reminding me of Florida water, but less sweet & slightly more perfume. And differently spicey. I think it's the orange blossom + spices. I keep sniffing and my brain keeps screaming FLORIDA WATER but my nose keeps going, "ummm, no."

 

Dry it's very similar, but the more "perfumey" note has faded. Nifty.

 

An hour later it's mostly gone. Just a light powder with a hint of spice. Kind of like the Carnation SN drydown, but not -- maybe a smidge of lavendar? It's exactly like something else though... wish I could remember what.

 

Overall: kind of cool.

[olympia301]

 

The start is citrus and orange blossom with jasmine nodding under the mix. Given a few seconds I say "neroli" (that is the orange blossom scent) and jasmine starts to appear and take her place center stage. I suspect there is a nice shot of white musk under it all to keep it on your skin. Santa Eularia is a jasmine lover's dream, this is creamy dreamy stuff. If florals are your pet, Santa Eularia could be what you have been searching for.

 

It dries down gracefully and I would have to say that the dry stage rivals any jasmine scent that I have ever smelled, it knits with your skin. All white flowers and lemon, this is beautiful summer perfume. It lasts and is unbelievably cheery.

 

Am I going to keep it? I don't know. It really doesn't fit my personality, but it's so damned beautiful in a frilly empty-headed but overwhelmingly passionate way. I think that if florals cloy on you, pass Santa Eularia by. If you can live in a bed of jasmine, roll in neroli and rub the nubby skin of lemons on yourself in the sun, yes by all means this is you. If you want to have a fling with a man you just met, under a crescent moon, on a silvered beach, come to a crashing crescendo, then pick up your fabulously expensive sandals and sway off to another conquest, by all means Santa Eularia is your kind of place to sojourn.

[PurringPulsar]

Santa Eularia Des Riu

 

In the imp: lavender, orange blossom and citrus.

Wet on skin: still lavender, citrus (possibly lemon and/or orange) and orange blossom. This is a lovely scent that reminds me of the Mediterranean.

Dry on skin: there's something in here reminiscent of Lush's Therapy and something from L'Occitane-it's the lavender and orange/orange blossom. This is a nice soft floral scent, slightly herbal with a nice sharp citrus tang-piquant is the right word. No jasmine yet, but the orange blossom is very strong. It reminds me of cologne.

After a while: still citrus and orange blossom, but I think the jasmine is just coming out, adding a smooth light white scent, like freshly bloomed jasmine flowers. Something about this scent reminds me of freshly washed sheets drying in the sun. I must be lucky that not only does jasmine smell nice on me, it doesn't amp up on my skin either!

Verdict: this is a lovely, light, fresh scent of tangy citrus fruits and soft flowers-lavender and orange blossom, with hints of jasmine peeking out in the drydown. It has a cologne-like quality and is a carefree and breezy, sunny and smiley scent. This is a perfect perfume for summer, especially if I go on holiday to the Med.

[darkling]

I hereby acknowledge jasmine as another of my archnemeses.

 

The citrus and herbs that produced the effect of luch, tropical blooms were utterly destroyed by the jasmine that created a sickly sweet and rancid undertone to the scent. I am also holding it resposible for the scent of plastic that permeated Santa Eularia Des Riu.

 

I am not ordering any more scents with jasmine no matter how appealing the other ingredients.

[Celogrl]

I love jasmine and was appreciative of the frimp, but surprised that it does not work for me. It's just very clashing on my skin. The jasmine is tempered by something I can't put my finger on. It is pretty, but not meshing with my chemistry. *sigh* I got no herbs from it, and got a bit of citrus. Oh, I wished it would be for me, but alas, it's not. Off to the swap pile.

[Imbrium]

This is a very interesting scent. I've never tried one that progressed quite like Santa Eularia Des Riu.

 

In the bottle, I smell predominately sharp lavender and citrus.

 

Immediately on, this turns very strange. It still smells a bit of citrus, but with an odor that I can only liken to burning tires. Yick.

 

However! I persevered, mostly because I was immediately distracted by checking the mail and then promptly forgetting that I was trying on perfume.

 

Now, much later, this is beautiful! It's light citrus with sweet jasmine, and surprisingly, it smells lovely on me - I of the "I don't do strong florals."

 

Overall - while I'm certainly not rushing out to try every jasmine or magnolia blend that I've held off from trying (hey, I know my skin chemistry), Santa Eularia is proof that somewhere, somehow, Beth's jasmine will smell lovely on you, too.

[wolfie13]

In the bottle and for about 15 minutes I really like this - I get mostly lavender and orange blossom - bright, summery.

 

Then the jasmine and herbs kick in and the whole thing flip-flops. If these two had remained supporting players I would love this. But when they step to the forefront on me, I lose my taste for it.

 

That said, this is an eminently more wearble jasmine scent for me than any I have tried so far. It's an almost - but -not -quite.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Lemon oil.

 

Second Impression: If there is not vetiver in this blend, something in it is a vetiver mimic. Citrus, jasmine and a vetiver-like scent that is hating my skin.

 

Final Analysis: I took a gamble on some notes I love, but it did not pay off for me this time. Can't win them all. Shame.

[tinyvulture]

I wasn’t familiar with this locale. I found that it’s on the Spanish island of Ibiza. It smells like what I’d expect a Mediterranean beach might smell like, and I like it. I would not have thought there was any jasmine in this. I don’t smell it all, and that’s a good thing. I don’t smell the lavender, either. I get an extremely soapy, clean scent, with mild citrus and floral notes. It’s breezy and has a cooling effect on my senses when worn on a hot day like today.

[QueenFae]

This is really a very lovely blend. It's soft and delicate. I can smell the lavender and jasmine, but there's something else there, somewhat herby and spicey. I guess this would be the soft Mediterranean herbs. I am also detecting a bit of orange now that I've applied a little more. I like soft blends like this, but they just never last too long on me. This might be nice for bed time.

[arabella]

First Impression: Jasmine.

 

Dries down to: Lemony jasmine, with a hint of something green. Lavender popped its head in and promptly disappeared. I had hoped the jasmine would be reined in by the citrus in this one but, instead, citrus took a bribe and now they've decided to share equal billing. Than, "soapy" joined the party. Finally, lavender came back with the herbs and it settled into a summery floral blend - kind of a Youki-Hi Lite (for those who are Lushies).

 

Additional Comments: I know better than to expect much from any blend with jasmine in it, but I have been pleasantly surprised in the past, so I thought I'd take a chance. It took a while, but eventually settled down to a scent I could live with but, for me, it's not worth the wait.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[Northernminx]

Sharp and tangy citrus, mostly orange, while this is wet. I was afraid the citrus was going to take over but it quickly morphed into a soft layering of lavender and jasmine. Floral but not cloying, this was soothing and sultry and lovely.

[joseybird]

Sharp citrus and jasmine, spiced up with herbs and tinged with lavender.

 

In a few minutes, the scent dries down to a lovely, clean lavender-jasmine. I never expexted to like this, but it's actually really nice and clean!

[Lilithlefay]

In the imp: strong citrus and jasmine,

Wet on the skin: Very jasmine with citrus, orangey. Very bright and crisp.

Drydown: the citrus comes out stronger on me as this dries down. I have to keep myself from washing this one off because I am not a fan of very citrusy fragrances and this is definately citrusy. I don't get any spice or herbs, just jasmine and citrus. The lavender starts showing up after a while too and that closes the deal for me. Not my type of scent.

[Little Bird]

Jasmine is always insanely strong on my skin. Orange blossom always has an odd burnt sort of smell to it. This smells like strong burnt jasmine with an herbal undertone. Very odd and not good at all. It's sickening on me.

 

On my mother, however, this smells heavenly. Sparkling citrus held down by soft pretty florals and comforting lavendar. I envy her skin chemistry.

[zombie_striptease]

Since Santa Eularia is the first BPAL scent that even remotely worked on me, I suppose it deserves a review.

 

In the imp: Sharp, concentrated, nose-biting jasmine perfume. Since I kind of hate jasmine, I actually lost my resolve to test it out once I opened the imp. It was basically:

 

*Opens the imp* "Ackk! Jasmine! *cough*"

 

Then, "Oh crap, I spilled some on my finger!"

 

Then, resigned, "Ah, well, guess I'd better try it then." *smears oily fingertip on forearm*

 

I sat and was surly for a bit, trying not to breathe through my nose too much. After a minute or so, I couldn't hold back the perverse impulse to sniff...

 

Wet on: Still some sharp jasmine, but morphing quickly into something much softer. Huh. Wasn't expecting that.

 

Dry down: I... almost can't smell the jasmine anymore. Maybe my nose is just numbed from that first application, but for once, my skin actually seems to have improved a scent. I'm not sure what happened, but it's mellowed into something soft and vaguely sweet; sort of a white chewed gum scent, oddly enough. I don't smell the citrus I was hoping for, but there's a slightly green herby sweetness (and maybe just a whisper of musk?) that evokes thoughts of warm breezes and sunkissed fields. This is much nicer than I was expecting.

 

Two hours or so later: It's faded quite a bit, enough that I have to practically bury my nose in my flesh to get a good whiff. It's still doing it's nice soft sweet thing, though I realize I can smell the jasmine again. It's a subtler and more pleasant jasmine than I've ever experienced before, though, so it's quite tolerable and doesn't take away from the general scent too much. I imagine anyone who actually likes jasmine would find the blend flawless.

 

Conclusion: Far nicer than my first whiff had me expecting, and very educational to try, but still basically not me. Like I said, the jasmine is tolerable, but "tolerable" isn't really the first word I want describing my perfume, you know? Still, I'm glad to know there are scents out there that aren't horribly corrupted by my skin, and very glad to finally have the opportunity to appreciate how beautifully blended Beth's scents are when not confronted by any sort of allergy/conflict. It really is a beautiful scent... for someone else. My imp has been swapped, and I'm sure it'll find a good home.

[LiberAmoris]

Santa Eularia Des Riu is very reminiscent of holidays to me, beaches and sunshine and cocktails and flowers tucked behind ears. It starts out as mostly lavender and orange blossom, with a milky green note that orange blossom always has when first applied to my skin. Ten minutes later it's predominantly jasmine and mellow lavender, with the citrus working to take the edge off the sweet florals.

 

I enjoy jasmine in most blends, and this one reminded me a lot of both Sophia and Twilight, with an orange blossom twist. I think this would make a fairly nice sleeping blend because the lavender is so relaxing.

[Ishtar]

Being originally from the Mediterranean, I was very much looking forward to trying Santa Eularia: Herbs! Jasmine! Lavender! Orange blossom! Woohoo!

 

Alas, Santa Eularia turned to soap as soon as it touched my skin.

 

And stayed that way.

 

Soap, soap, soap. At least I smelled really clean! But not exactly what I am looking for in a perfume... *le sigh*

[leahcat]

Santa Eularia Des Riu

 

In the bottle: bright soapy barely sweet semi spice.

Wet: floral – and while I love jasmine and lavender... not together! Oh well. Floral double punch, a bit like some lady’s soap set. Bare touch of herbs in there, the orange blossom/sweet is gone now.

Drying/3 mins: oh lookit! The orange is back, to my delight. The herbal is almost gone but the florals have taken more of a backseat now. This is rather nice, the sort I’d like a satchel of for the underwear drawer, you know?

Dry/16 mins: very soft, still floral, the orange is more gone now ah well.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - this smells remarkably like Catherine in the bottle. Rosemary must be one of the Mediterranean herbs, because its that combination of rosemary and orange blossom that I smell.

 

Dry - as it dries it quickly softens up. It's very orange; a combination of the citrus and orange blossom I presume. After awhile the jasmine comes out, but it's very soft. This is a soft, pretty, slightly sweet blend, that I like much better than Catherine. Still, it's not quite for me.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2

[crystaljapan]

In the bottle: Smells like Jean Nate... my mother used to BATHE in that stuff

 

On me, wet: Still smells like Jean Nate

 

On me, dry: Smells like Jean Nate. Needed to wash it off PRONTO.

 

swapped this faster than you can say "Jean Nate"