Edith Cushing

[ShowOrchid]

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind: pearlescent vanilla musk with white sandalwood, grey amber, white patchouli, ambrette seed, and oudh.

 

I don't want to be the first one! But here goes. In my quest to have my pairings (OLLA Adam/Eve, now this), I knew I had to nab her immediately. And she did not disappoint.

 

She's complex and feminine. The vanilla musk and the sandalwood hit me first and then the amber and white patchouli. She's beautiful and her staying power is incredible: nearly a full 24 hours!

 

Get her, you won't regret it. If this or Thomas doesn't sell out first, I'll be surprised! One of my faves.

[Violaine]

This is going to win some lovers and haters, I'd wager, but... Edith, to me, is SERIOUSLY reminiscent of B&BW's Warm Vanilla Sugar. Just without the chemical garbage and a little more grown up. And to me, that is a very, very good thing.

[Atrous]

For me this is Oudh overlaid with Vanilla Musk. I'm not smelling the other notes but they are there adding layers and complexity. Although, after a few hours I am getting a hint of sandalwood.

Lovely and feminine with incredible staying power.

Edith is a winner

[Aviatrix]

The vanilla musk is strong in this scent! I am not getting any patchouli, but that's fine with me

There is also a little bit of sandalwood and oudh in the background, but not very strong.

It is a really soft and fuzzy scent and perfect for a young Victorian woman like Edith.

 

I bought a bottle on a whim, but I am so glad I did.

[OctoberGwen]

This is really, really pretty - it's just not for me. I realized almost immediately that the vanilla musk was what made Ava too cloyingly sweet on me, and so of course the same thing happens with Edith despite the addition of all those lovely, drier grey/white/woodsy notes. I tend to amp vanilla and anything vaguely sugary to the point of nausea.

 

I'm sure Edith will have legions of fans, though, because she really is lovely.

[doomsday_disco]

In the bottle: When this arrived, I was mainly getting the vanilla musk and sandalwood. After it has had a day to settle, I'm getting mostly vanilla musk and grey amber, and it's the same grey amber found in Lyonesse.

 

Wet: Vanilla musk, white sandalwood, and grey amber are the notes that jump out to my nose. I'm getting more of the grey amber note on my skin than the sandalwood. I can't detect the white patchouli or ambrette seed during this phase. The oudh note is lingering in the background, allowing the pale resins to shine with the lovely vanilla musk note.

 

Dry: The vanilla musk and pale resins (though primarily grey amber) reign for a while, and I can't help but thinking of an even more perfume-y Lyonesse (minus the floral notes and with vanilla musk instead of Lyonesse's golden vanilla note). It threatened to go powdery on me at one point, but then the oudh asserts its presence and deepens the scent, and I'm somewhat reminded of Some Strangeness in the Proportion during its later stages (minus the pink pepper and with a different vanilla note). On my wrists, the vanilla musk is far more prominent. In the crooks of my elbows, I get a lot more of the resins (especially the oudh). I prefer the scent I'm getting from my wrists, and I like this stage of the scent the most. I can't stop sniffing my wrists!

 

Verdict: This one is a keeper! It's a bit perfumier than I expected it to be, and I don't like it as much as the scents I've compared it to (at the moment), but I'm sure it will age marvelously.

[Dark Alice]

This vanilla is akin to the vanilla in Signor Dildo. The florals make my nose itch and eyes water. Edith has just got to go. She is giving me a headache.

[whoahorsey]

I may be dating myself by making this comparison, but do any of you remember the 80s/90s perfume Skin Musk? My older sister wore it and I would frequently sneak into her room to douse myself in it as a child, until she would yell at me for using all her perfume. ha ha I had completely forgotten this memory until I tried Edith Cushing today. Holy wow, this is like an updated, more subtle and nuanced Skin Musk, and I LOVE IT. The vanilla musk was a perfect choice for Edith. To me, it smells like sun-warmed hair and skin, just a little sweaty but not dirty -- a sexuality that is budding but not yet bloomed. It is gorgeous. I am ordering a second bottle immediately. I think this one will be a popular one.

 

My only complaint is that I'm not getting much throw. I probably look insane because I keep sniffing my wrists and elbows. ha ha But it has nice staying power, and when I was in a hot kitchen cooking breakfast, the scent really warmed on my skin and I kept getting delicious whiffs as I moved about the room.

 

Definitely a keeper.

[Hystrixia]

In the Bottle: Smooth and saccharine vanilla with rich grey amber and a slight nuttiness that might be from the ambrette seed. It reminds me of cup of brandied eggnog with freshly grated nutmeg on top and a slight perfumey quality hiding in the background. I can already tell this is capable of being a great winter scent.

Top Notes: Freshly applied, she’s very sweet and warm in a girlish way. The vanilla musk, white sandalwood, and the gray amber are dominant. Occasionally the white patchouli makes a very quick appearance before darting into the background. It comes off a bit coquettish and dreamy, like a young woman smiling and batting her lashes at her the object of her affections.

Middle Notes: Over an hour has passed and Edith has matured into an absolutely stunning fragrance. It’s gone from an almost innocent scent that a young lady might wear to something beautiful and refined with a touch of sensuality. The sweet vanilla musk remains the dominant note along with the gray amber but now there is a lovely leathery or suede quality added thanks to the introduction of the oudh and ambrette seed. I cannot stop sniffing my wrist!

Base Notes: The vanilla has died down but the sweetness remains with the warm and slightly powdery combination grey amber, oudh, and white patchouli. It hugs close to the skin in a comforting way.

Overall Impression: I’m floored. Beth did a fabulous job of conveying Edith’s personality in this particular blend. Much like in the film, she starts out a bit on the childish side before maturing into a heady, complex fragrance. She’s every bit gentle, sweet, warm, and dreamy like the character she is based off of. Initially, I was a bit worried that the vanilla in this would make the scent cloying but the addition of the resin and animalic notes really make this fragrance shine. Her scent colors are a golden buff, shimmery ecru, and a tawny brown; similar to her character palette in the film.

In terms of sillage and longevity, Edith is the weakest of the three Crimson Peak blends I currently have (Thomas being the longest lasting and Lucille, without a doubt, having the strongest throw). However, that is not a problem for me in the slightest as she is so pleasant to wear. Wearing this scent feels like receiving a beaming smile and warm, welcoming embrace. I love it! She’ll make for a perfect winter scent, especially with the holidays coming up.

Final Verdict: MOST DEFINITELY a keeper. I will have to order another bottle before she’s all gone. Get her while she lasts, especially if you enjoy vanilla or wood fragrances!

Edited December 8, 2015 by Hystrixia

[lady_pandora]

When i first opened the bottle, the first thing I thought of was Mini Magdalene, because like Mini Mag, Edith is all sweet syrupy vanilla in the bottle, like huffing the bottle of vanilla extract. On my skin, it turns quickly to vanilla/light musk and doesn't really morph a lot, though I pick up a little more sandalwood as the hours go on. But mostly vanilla/musk. It's like a smoother version of every vanilla musk perfume I wore in the 90s, which actually is perfect for the vibe, because Edith feels very innocent and nostalgic to me, and as golden as the light Del Toro lights her in. I wish I got a little more sandalwood, or any oudh at all, but this may come with age. I like this now, and hope to love it more in a year or so, therefore it's a keeper.

[gentle-twig]

In the bottle this smells strangely buttery. I'm thinking it might be the vanilla interacting with the amber? Wet I'm getting the vanilla musk with something a little dryer in the background. I'm thinking it's the sandalwood.

As it dries, the amber and vanilla are dominant with a brightness from something... maybe the oudh?

Soft, pretty, with just enough of a kick to keep things interesting.

I'm getting the same vanilla musk/oudh moment as Atrous.

[Little Bird]

I am not enjoying the vanilla musk in Edith. It smells like the salty, melted butter in microwave popcorn and a sharp, dry, clean white musk that gives me a headache. I wound up scrubbing this one off after 3 hours of wear. Very strange and unpleasant on my skin.

[absinthetics]

This is a very strange scent. It is bright and shiny, it's like a buttery, vanilla champagne. I imagine this will age very well.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet, this is a gorgeous, almost foodie, gourmand vanilla.

 

It's beautiful, but there is something faintly sour underneath...the ambrette maybe? Barely noticeable and quickly fading.

 

The foodiness quickly fades, and this become a much more perfumey vanilla. It's lovely still. The musk is just peeking out. Wow. This is a real stunner. One of the most perfect vanilla's I have had the pleasure of smelling. I have struggled to find a BPAL vanilla that worked for me, and I think I may finally have it! It's sweet, yet elegant. Charming and a little sophisticated. Instant love.

[Deliciousness]

Edith Cushing is a beautiful blend. When first applied, it's a bit perfume-y and reminiscent of Ava (from OLLA). It'a a bit cool feeling, possibly due to the of the ambrette seed?

After dry down, the musk becomes the dominating force in this blend. It's a very warm scent, without too much patchouli or oudh - which I think just play back-up to this gorgeous vanilla musk. Edith ends up as a warm, musk blend with a nearly food-y vanilla edge.

[PrinceofcatS]

Strong vanilla, almost an edible vanilla, that leaned a touch powdery at first, and thankfully didn't tip over the edge into baby powder like I feared it might. Underneath was something that smelled almost like dusty, preventing it from actually being very food-y.

 

As it dried the sandalwood and amber came out quite a bit more, and the oudh started to show up, but very lightly, but vanilla was always a dominant note. Eventually it was just a bit of amber and the darker oudh vying with vanilla, and by now it's faded into vanilla and amber with just a little shadow.

 

It developed a lot, from a light, rather cloying sweetness into a stronger and darker blend, but the sweet strong vanilla note was always there. I find this very fitting for Edith and for the upcoming long winter nights. It just has that sort of feel to it.

 

I've been really impressed with the CP scents! I regret not managing to get a couple of the ones that sold out, but I'm impatient to get more of them before they all disappear. They've all had a lot more complexity and beauty than I was expecting, and only one of them was disappointing on me.

[annemathematics]

I tried the prototype of this at loved to death. it was a soft and elegant vanilla musk with gentle sandalwood. very light and pretty and wearable and delicate.

 

the bottle that I received is quite different. not sure if it's due to changes in formula from prototype to final, batch variations or just a quirk of my bottle being fresh? in the bottle it's very heavy buttery caramel vanilla. when it dries down, the overt syrupy caramel fades and a sweet, rich sandalwood (reminding me of that in dr alan mcmichael) comes forward. the loud foodie aspects of the wet stage fade away and this is nice and wearable and huffable, but it smells very contemporary, while the previous version smelled vintage/classic/old fashioned/mysterious. I'll jump at the chance to get a bottle of the prototype. there was something subtle and unique about it that's been lost. I do like this very much however. sweet rich vanilla sandalwood scent lovers, rejoice!

 

eta, my bottle has since aged into something much less foodie and is now closer to the prototype. huzzah! beautiful, gentle, feminine vanilla-focused scent.

Edited October 30, 2016 by annemathematics

[Musamea]

In the bottle: a rich, almost buttery vanilla musk; somewhat cloying and a bit commercial

Wet: super strong vanilla musk with a smidge of grey amber

Dry: The sandalwood comes forward more and more as the scent dries, tempering the heady sweetness of the vanilla musk; about an hour into wear, this is the most delicious and perfect blend of vanilla musk and warm sandalwood that keeps enticing my nose back to my wrist. I'm really loving the eventual drydown of Edith, but I'm not sure I like the wet stages enough to hang onto my bottle, especially when there are so many other Lab scents that are more sandalwood forward. I'll hang onto her for now and see if aging smooths out the vanilla a bit.

[princessbeena]

Very sweet and almost buttery vanilla (which I love)-as it dries the sandalwood comes out and cuts the sweet vanilla a bit-I adore this scent-glad I bought 2 bottles and am seriously considering a 3rd

[theseagrows]

this starts off with something nutty, maybe the ambrette seed? next i get that lovely vanilla musk with some oudh and hints of sandalwood and amber. i'm not really getting much patchouli, but i am not sure i'm that familiar with white patchouli. after being on the skin about 5-10 minutes i get something a bit smoky and it's nice, like soft smoky oudh-y vanilla. after that it's just a soft cuddly vanilla-oudh. it's very subtle on me, so i think i'd have to slather this one on.

[shibagast]

I was really unsure sniffing this from the bottle, but I love this so much! Wet, it smelled like sandalwood, but as it dried, the vanilla came out subtly. It's a very warm, sweet scent; if I were to attach a color to it, it's a lovely golden amber.

[Arachnae]

When I first saw the notes for Edith, I was intrigued by the grey amber and the white patchouli, yet I was entirely sure that she was going to be wayyyyy too light for me so I initially passed on her. Then when I saw she was popular and going pretty fast I suddenly started regretting my decision, so I threw caution to the wind and got her. I did like her character so I was interested to see how the Lab would interpret her via scent!

 

Upon sniffing her in the bottle however, I started to think I had made a mistake and that I should've trusted my initial thoughts on her.. Pure baby powder. Baby powder with a hint of vanilla. Not bad or offensive, just not me. I thought, okay maybe I need to let her settle a bit and skin test her before I condemn her completely, though in all my excitement for the other CP scents I got, she was the last one I skin tested.

 

On the skin, I was immediately relieved to find that that dreaded baby powder doesn't put in an appearance at all. Instead I get a lovely soft, sweet, warm musk. The sandalwood and amber keeps the vanilla musk from going too sickly sweet, though occasionally I do get a whiff of butter which seems to come and go, I have no idea where it's coming from! The combination of the vanilla musk and the ambrette seed maybe? It doesn't last for too long though, and the sweetness from the vanilla musk fades away slowly. I don't get any of the white patchouli at any stage which I'm sad about as I am a patch lover and it was one of the notes I was most excited about, find out how white patchouli differs from the usual stuff. Though it's possible that it's just so different from the patch that I know and love that I'm just not picking it up.

 

To me, the end result is a skin smell, like a very natural musk. It stays very close to the skin, I don't smell it unless I bring my wrist right up to my nose. I think it suits Edith's character perfectly, quiet, natural, and unassuming. I actually think this would be perfect for someone who doesn't typically like to wear perfume. I'm so surprised by how much I like this, given that it's very light and innocent! So yes, I will be keeping my bottle (even though I am more of a Lucille! ).

[rosedamask]

In the bottle: Thick, buttery vanilla - very rich and sweet, like something you could eat up with a spoon.

 

Wet: The sweetness of the vanilla is still there, but as notes like the grey amber and white patchouli come to cut through it, it becomes a much more distinctly Edith scent - the vanilla's thick like her yellow satin skirts, now, rather than like a creme brulee, and there are the most gorgeous wispy hints of something strange and unearthly hovering just over it.

 

Dry: As things balance out between the vanilla musk and the other notes, I keep thinking of Edith in her park outfit with the gauzy white blouse and the seance hands belt and the signature gold skirts that I started to be reminded of during the drydown - it's a warm, solid kind of perfume, but also one that has a hint of hazy otherworldliness about it, which is entirely perfect as an evocation of its namesake. It's a little bit more understated than Lucille (or maybe I was just less heavy-handed this time), but it definitely has lasting power, and I could even smell it lingering in the air whenever I came back into a room I'd been in a few minutes before. Edith is definitely a keeper, and I'm SO looking forward to wearing this more throughout the winter. (I'm also really curious as to how this one would layer with Lucille, which is also quite golden/ambery on my skin. I might have to try that soon.)

[Lorelai1945]

This is truly gorgeous. In the bottle, it is very sweet and girly- it smells like pink and vanilla, and it's "cool" if that makes any sense. When I first put it on my skin, it blooms into this amazingly complex mixture of feminine musky, sweet, non-foody vanilla. Like, my holy grail vanilla. Probably due to my skin chemistry, it unfortunately doesn't stay that sweet on my skin, but it dries to a soft, sensual, spicy feminine musk scent that reminds me a LOT of Morocco. It clings to the skin and is very sex-ay. Just beautiful.

[sqwook]

Yes, this definitely has the aura of a super-popular-bpal-vanilla! This reminds me quite a bit of Morocco, so if you're fan then definitely check this out. Skin-close, warm, and lovely.