Séance

[undream]

A mysterious, enigmatic blend of dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel.

wet, this is very sharp and green, something with an herbal bite! it's interesting and very intriguing, and i was curious as to what it might become once on my skin, but alas. although i love rose, this one just became a plain (but potent!) baby powder on me.

maybe it will find its love in its next home!

[Arin]

Wet, this is freshly cut dewy rose and... mint? Huh? Is my nose broken?

However, the strange mint candy note fades quickly, leaving a powdery sweet rose scent. This is very subtle and feminine, with no throw whatsoever. I have to dig my nose into my arm to smell this, and after an hour it's completely gone.

Nice, but no bottle purchase.

[lunareclipse]

This is a very nostalgic, melancholy scent: dried, dusty roses and old, splintery wood. It's like finding a decades-old wooden box full of love letters scented with rose eau-de-toilette in an attic; there's a memory of sweetness and love, overshadowed by the sorrow of age and loss. There's something ineffably Victorian cult-of-mourning about the scent. I'll keep the imp but never get a bottle: I'm glad to have this occasionally, but I'm seldom in the mood for rose perfumes.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Rose and wood varnish.

 

Wet: Rose and pink sweets.

 

Dry: Roses and old wooden furniture polished to a shine.

 

A while later: Roses. Layered roses and lillies. A hint of wood. This smells like an old Victorian parlour filled with bouquets of roses and lillies that have been sitting in sunbeams. AMAZING.

[Venneh]

In the imp, this is herbal wood, and really very sharp on me. It's making me a bit nervous, so I'm going to be applying lightly. On my skin, it's a really sharp green and wood note. And if anything, this is confirming my skin chemistry; this may be the single worst BPAL on me to date. Can't get this off quick enough.

Edited December 29, 2009 by Venneh

[PeshaRocha]

Wet: rosewood, greenery, rose

 

Dry: dusty rose, very strong

 

I love this wet! But when it dries on me, the rose amps and amps, keeps getting stonger for at least an hour and drowns out the rosewood. I never smelled the hazel at all. It's a dark, dusty rose that's quite pretty and has a lot of throw, but that's not what I wanted from this.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Pesha Rocha

[cleske]

Pretty rosewood with a bit of sharpness during the wet/dry-down stages that I think comes from the leaf, but it's a good sharpness. It gives the scent some bite for a while before it dries, and then it morphs a little and I get a little something a bit more ... traditionally woody than rosewood (I know, that's the most crap description ever, but I know what I mean!) which I think is my nose trying to interpret the hazel. Sadly, it doesn't really have a great wear length on me, although I do enjoy it when it's there. The sharpness in the blend actually reminds me a little of the Peacock Queen, but instead of being a fresh rose it's tied to the softer, antique rosewood, which really works for the concept. One to try if you can't really wear straight-up rose, as I'm finding with a lot of rosewood scents.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Charlene

[Phantasmagoria]

In the imp: This smells green and very refreshing, yet haunting

 

Wet on skin: Same as in the imp

 

Dry on skin: I'm getting a bare hint of something rosy. I'm not getting any hazelnut, though.

 

 

 

I like this one. It makes me think of sitting outside, alone, when everyone else is inside doing their own thing. I do this from time to time. I'll be sitting there among the greenery with the sunlight streaming through the leaves, thinking of someone I knew several years ago. I think of things I did with this person, to the point that I wonder, did that really happen? It's a strange, surreal feeling. Not unpleasant, though

 

I want a 5mL of this one.

[hellomoonglow]

HI I'M POWDERY ROSE AND I'M ON YOUR WRIST AND I'M GOING TO BE HERE FOR A LOOOOOONG TIME. LET ME SETTLE IN AND REALLY GET IN TO YOUR SKIN AND OOOO! LOOK! NOW I'M ON YOUR PJ SHIRT CUFF! HOPEFULLY I WON'T FADE SO I CAN GET ON YOUR PILLOWCASE, TOO! THEN YOU CAN SMELL ME FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK!

 

Did I mention I've already tried washing it off?

 

First impression in the imp reminded me of camp. Musty & watery.

 

Def not a keeper.

[aquazoo]

Fruity and dusty. It's a soft fruity scent with a little bit of dirt in the background. It could be the wood that does that.

 

[lavender84]

Wet this smells pretty green, minutes later, the rose comes out to play but she's a gentle lady with some smoky sexiness. Warm hazel or rosewood maybe?

 

But this fades pretty quickly on me, an hour or so and it's almost gone.

Edited March 7, 2010 by ScentedDreams

[milo]

At first this is a fresh green floral, it smells kind of lily-like, actually. There's also a nice fresh citrussy vibe as well. As it dries, it becomes powdery and rosey and the citrus disappears. Not bad, but I wish it stayed the way it was fresh.

[Saya]

I think something may be wrong with my skin chemistry lately. Maybe it's the change in my eating habits or the new exercise routine, but damn, rose scents are actually working on me.

 

This is a very subdued rose which is balanced out nicely by the wood and green notes. It's light, pretty, and lasts for quite awhile. Not a super strong throw, which is nice because I'm one of those people who doesn't want people to smell my perfume (unless you're right next to me).

 

I'll keep this imp around. I don't think I'll spring for a bottle, but I may use up the imp if my skin chemistry doesn't go back to turing rose into a note of doom.

[sparkleyturtle]

I am in the rose boat. Lots of rose wet, dry, aged and spilled on the floor (damn). It isn't bad. It is nice and feminine without being overly rosey, although it does remind me a lot of wandering through the rose area of the botanical gardens. I think that is the addition of the wood.

 

Nice, but a lot of rose.

[angelicruin]

I get roses and sharp mint on my skin. It's an odd combination, but strangely appealing on my skin. Still don't believe this is something I would reach for very often.

[FathomBelow]

Got my two rose-and-incense themed imp sets in the mail today. After I finished performing a highly enthusiastic and equally highly unskilled celebratory jig around the house, I broke open the first imp, which happened to be Seance.

 

In the imp: Rose, with flashes and glimmers of woodiness alternating with sweetness, from the rosewood and hazel maybe.

Wet on skin: Very pure rose, rather dry and a touch green (but not too much, i.e. less than The Rose). Reminds me very much of London at this point.

As it dries: The rose becomes sweet and mellow as the hazel comes to the fore.

Dry on skin: My God. This is transcendently lovely. The rose and the hazel are both distinct presences, with the lovely dry rose twirling about over the warm, sweet base of the hazel, like a classical ballerina on a sunlit stage (heh, you know it's good when I get all poetical). Seriously, this is absolutely gorgeous. Yes, it's mysterious; yes, it's enigmatic. But not in a dark, deserted house in a thunderstorm kind of way. It's more like a sinister music box, exquisitely gilded and enameled, or a shaft of sunlight falling on a cursed chest long forgotten in a dusty attic. If you've ever read Bram Stoker's Dracula, this would be the scent of those three beautiful vampire sisters living in the Count's castle.

 

Conclusion: I must get a bottle. I think anyone would at least like this scent, as long as they didn't hate rose on principle or have wonky skin chemistry. Hope the rest of my imps are just as successful!

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial - Roses with sharp greenness and a murky undertone.

On the skin - Sharp green thorns.

Dry - Fades to a still-green red rose. And very rapidly, too. At the very end, there’s a woody scent.

[Suu4LC]

Gah, for some reason when I first sniff this it's like a get a nosefull of rubbing alcohol O_o Very sharp. Not sure what note is giving me that impression. I do get a bit of rose underneath it, but I can't get over the rubbing alcohol smell. How bizarre.

 

Thankfully, this second this is on my skin that harsh rubbing alcohol smell goes away completely. This ends up smelling like soft rose and...apple blossom on my skin? WTF is with my nose. Either way, this is absolutely lovely on my skin-a soft, fluttery rose scent-not too strong or sour.

 

On full drydown this ended up being a pleasant, sweet soft pinkish rose scent. Seriously, the minute it was on my skin the rubbing alcohol scent went away. This probably isn't my favorite rose bpal, but it is super pretty and nice.

[cherrycherry]

I've been to lots of séances and though I can't say any of them had a smell - this makes me think of them almost immediately. Why is that? It's so evocative. It smells, to me at least, like spookiness in a bottle. When I sniff it wet from the vial, it does make me feel spooky. It also makes me feel nostalgic and a touch melancholy. I adore the roses and the hazel, they are soft and lingering. Haunting?

 

More of this. Lots more

[tkannon]

Makes my nose itch and eyes water slightly. The same sort of reaction I have in a dusty attic filled with books. I agree with people who say this is a sad scent. It faded quickly on me and I think I am ok with that.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Hazelnuts, for real. Rich with a bit of a pleasant bite.

 

Wet: ROSE! And such a true one, like a rose that's wet after a spring rain in a garden. Really lovely. I've found a lot of other rose notes in BPAL to be too weighed down by other florals or "darkened" by herbal notes, but this is a very welcome change.

 

Dry: I was beginning to think the only rose I would like was the unusual, sort of musky rose from Othello (though that was mixed with too many icky sweet notes), but this rocks it. I'm not even a fan of florals regularly, but I just love how real this smells. And yes, there are hints of woodiness that make this feel like an old forest church with a bouquet of fresh roses in it. Fantastic.

 

Overall: I really want to layer this with something warmly sweet, like tonka, because it lost a lot of the nutty hazel on drydown. It's still vaguely creamy, but I wouldn't complain if it was even milkier. Either way I'm eager to explore the possibilities because the rose is just bloody awesome. A win!

[Honey]

This scent is rather lovely and really fits to its name..

 

 

Imp: Dusty, tart and wooden. Like an old chest that hasn't been opened for half a century. There is also a very sweet and fruity note underneath. Like.. dried plums or cherries. And dried rose petals rather than rose leaf. Very Victorian. Lovey, decay and memories.

 

Wet: Very boozy, sharp, tart and sweet. A bit like a crowded flower shop and old ladies' soap.

 

Dry: Floral and fruity, a bit soapy. Still tart and sweet but not as heavy as when wet. Lovely but a bit too mature and too rosey for me.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Rose. Love it already.

 

On me, wet: Rose, rosewood & hazel

 

On me, drydown: Beautifully balanced blend of rose, rosewood, and hazel, all equally prominent.

 

On me, after several hours: The scent remains remarkably consistent over time, leaning only slightly toward woodiness as it fades out.

 

Gorgeous and elegant, one of my all-time favorite perfumes from anyone! I've already ordered a big bottle.

 

My rating: 5

[stellamaris]

Rose of the most gorgeous variety, maybe a tea rose, as I get a slightly sharp tinge, with something fresh and green. Full of win. This one moves to the top of the list.

[aleciarivas]

Wow when I first put this on all I smelled was ROSE ROSE ROSE- as in, in your FACE rose. On drydown I get a faint hint of something woody behind it, but really this stays an overblown, overripe rose. Since rose is NOT one of my favorite scents, this is not a good thing. The throw is pretty good too, which again is not such a good thing since I'm not fond of rose LOL.