Séance

[nineveh]

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

Huh. This smells just like Nemesis on me, without the initial evergreen note of cypress when it's first wet. This isn't bad, as I liked Nemesis enough to buy a bottle, but it's strange since they don't have any of the same notes.

On careful sniffing, Séance is slightly woodier and warmer than Nemesis. Nemesis is longer lasting, however, so I'm glad I got the bottle of that.

After a while, it gets warmer and darker, closer to what I imagined it would be like in the first place. It's very faint though, and close to gone. Maybe it would work as something to slather, or a nice room scent.

[scourgeotheseas]

Seance - a lab freebie! Thanks!

 

In the bottle: Whoa! Delicious roses. I hope this smells as good on as it does in the bottle.

 

On me: I love roses. Why haven't I tried this before? It is gorgeous! A true rose note, reminiscent of Rose Red with less greenery. I'm in love!

 

Drydown: This one has mellowed into a slightly powdery, warm rose scent. Very old-fashioned and completely lovely, I feel quite regal wearing it. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a lot of staying power, fading to nothing in less than an hour.

 

Another gorgeous scent from the Lab!

Edited May 31, 2005 by scourgeotheseas

[evil_laugher]

Starts out very wet and green, with a little bit of the wood, but mostly the leaf. After reapplying, it seemed like the dry, mysterious description given of it. At this point, it's left a dry, antique wood scent on my clothing, which fits more with the "seance" mood. It's different, and nice.

[joseybird]

Yeap, this is the Rose Red rose note! less green, but with something herbal in it...I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison, but as of now it looks like Seance would make a wonderful replacement for Rose Red

[QueenFae]

One of the loveliest rose blends yet! Smells like perfect, dew drenched pink roses on me. There is the slightest hint of the hazel undertone, but it's barely noticeable. It conjours images of haunted funeral homes, antique tableclothes, and roses on coffins. The first time I sniffed this imp, I just kind of nodded and put it aside. But now, the more I smell it, the more enticing it becomes....

[misfitroxy]

The oil starts out both rose-y and clean smelling, almost just the slightest bit aquatic and even soapy. Definitely light and somehow ethereal, which suits the name in full.

 

After settling on my skin, the rose really springs forward. It’s more of a bouquet smell to me, like the rush of fragrance emitted after taking the plastic off from around an arrangement.

 

It’s a very different rose than I’m accustomed to in BPAL’s blends. I guess this is mostly due to the sharpness of the note(s) as opposed to the softer, more easily blend-able roses I’ve enjoyed in the past.

 

It deepens with time, perhaps as the hazel and rosewood set in. This has a sweetening effect on the fragrance and brings to mind elegant rose dusting powders or something equally heady that you wouldn’t want to go overboard with for fear of causing a sensory deluge.

 

There’s something classic about Séance. It’s a jumble of time periods for me, spanning back to Victoriana and on through to the 1940s and 50s. While it wouldn’t be the first fragrance I’d pick out for myself, I love rose too much to let this one go. It’s nice for those times when more quirky or complex fragrances won’t do the trick and you simply want to smell good.

 

I'd say this has a decent amount of throw to it. It's really wafting out from my wrist. I think it would be nice to add to one's hair or clothing to leave a scent impression in your wake (so long as you're not surrounded by allergy sufferers that is!). Overall, it's very clean and pleasant. Color me all shades of pleased.

[sookster]

phenomenal...

warm throw of roses....omg,this smells like my grandma's house used to..i am so not kidding........earthy........not sweet, full blooming roses but roses that might be about to "pop" when ready.......slightly moth bally-ish....but not really

ultra unique..........heaven.....another big bottle order.......positively amazing......

[Reinier]

This oil is amazing... in the bottle it smells very sharp and I almost set it aside to try for another day. I'm glad I didn't Once it hits my skin and dries its a perfect blend of herbs, woods and rose... On me the herbs are the dominant note with the roses and woods in the background just complimenting it perfectly. This is a very comforting scent to me... it makes me think of my Mother (who is an herbalist) sifting through her herbs and making teas I *LOVE* this

[madelf]

This is a dry, warm, woody rose scent. It is surprisingly light, and blended into my skin after about ten minutes leaving just a pleasant warm rosewood scent lingering. It was very nice, but didn't last long enough for me to want a big bottle.

[olympia301]

This is a real sleeper...no one talks about it but it is wonderful. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and Beth has performed alchemy again.

 

Roses, this is a very rosy blend. At first I thought, "ho hum...does it measure up to London (my all time favorite rose blend)?" It is as nice as London but different. For one thing there are obviously more things in here than just rose, I smell lemongrass but dealt out with such a deft hand that you don't say "lemongrass!!!" it just adds enough background to the roses to make them shine. I don't smell "hazel" like hazel nuts, but when I take my had away from my face, the same phenomenon hits me that happens in House of Night...the third heartbreakingly beautiful smell comes out of no where and just makes you say "what was that?" Like a ghost brushing by you at a seance.

 

This is great stuff, off the the favorites list with it! I will order 5ml toot sweet. I love this, a frimp from the Lab.

[AliBabble]

whilst sniffing the imp i really didn't know what to make of this one. but wearing it is a completely different experience; actually, it reminds me of wandering through an old greenhouse at first. mossy, damp, and full of ferns and exotic plants. it's surprising and nice. pretty quickly though, the greenery fades, and at the end of the greenhouse corridor, a big ghostly rose appears, just hovering there, like a mirage. it's quite pleasant. kinda like that lotion, "rose milk," my granny used to use. i like it - it's pleasant, and not at all overbearing.

[Scylla]

I have tried many, many BPAL perfume oil blends with rose in them, including Rose Red and 2, 5 and 7 and none of them has worked with my chemistry. Until now, that is!

 

Seance is a blend that I never would have tried on my own, since I avoid rose notes like the plague! But the Lab included an imp in my Carnaval Noir order and I first tried it today.

 

It smells liked dried rose petals, rosewood and damp, forest greens. It is all at once comforting, earthy and warm and slightly dusty and otherworldly.

 

ETA: My three year old son came into the room just now and said, "Mommy! You smell like flowers! PRETTY flowers. PINK flowers!"

 

That just about says it all!

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: I was expecting a clean, powdery rose scent but what I got was much softer and sweeter. I can definitely smell the dried rose and tearose.

 

Wet: It smells just like tea rose--both the bloom and the green of the leaves. Amazing. How does Beth do this???

 

Dry: Shit. I totally went powdery on me. Dammit. I think that I would like to make soap out of this though.

[aedes]

This, this is an amazing scent. It's a front-runner for signature right now, I must say. And it's one of the first BPALs I've smelled where I actually agree with the other reviews! Yay! My nose isn't broken!

 

In the bottle and wet, it's quite a sharp, light olive green scent. Smells like dried sage and the hazel gives it this spooky, chilly note. Sort of gave that chill up my spine like I had seen a ghost. It's a fun smell, though I had my doubts that it would be wearable.

 

But on, oh my goodness, the warmth, the soft woods. I don't really smell roses as roses, but I think I can sense them softening the woods and dry smells. And I don't have to wait for hours to get it! It happened in under 10 minutes! The crisp, slightly antiseptic of the hazel and the snap of the dried leaves is still there, but as a faint top note. Just enough to give the scent some pick-up.

 

What a masterful blend. It's comforting and soft, without feeling sleepy, clean without smelling sharp. Like playing a lively game of Scrabble in flannel pjs with a close sister, it's relaxing but active. I just hope it lasts, and that the guy likes it!

 

Edit: After about 30 minutes, the roses really came out for me. I can really sense the base, middle, and top notes perfume places like to go on about. I like it! The roses are GOOD roses. Smells classic, but unique!

Edited September 10, 2005 by aedes

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: A lush, wet garden with hundreds of roses, backed by other less prominent flowers. This is not the dry, dusty scent I was expecting. It already has a bit of Play-Doh smell to it, which is strange, because I usually don't get that from rose.

 

Wet: The Play-Doh disappears and Seance becomes total rose. Wet, lush, deep red rose, with something spicy backing it up. It's actually very nice, nicer than roses usually smell to me.

 

Dry: The sweet and spicy is gone, and has been replaced with the scent I should realize I get with every single rose note known to man... soap.

 

An hour later: Still rose, and still soap, but more of a floral-scented shampoo than anything else.

 

Overall: It's a better rose blend than many I've tried, but doesn't convince me that roses are any better for me than I'd previously thought. I'm very disappointed that this was not at all what I had expected.

[aessedai]

This is an antique rose scent that gives me comfort and a warm feeling. I have a hard time finding rose scents that arent overbearing or haunting. This one is great!

[Cedar]

Roses are the only floral I can stand, so I'm always on the search for a nice rose scent. I loved Rose Red, but Moon Rose and Two, Five, & Seven were a failure, so when I got a frimp of Seance I figured I'd give it a shot.

 

In the bottle: Love! It has the same rose family scent that Rose Red does: It's sharper, less sweet, but unlike Rose Red, there are definite wood undertones in this one. It's got the same sort of scent to it that my mother-in-law's rosary does.

 

Wet: A really nice blend of rose and wood, with a very mild spiciness. Or that could be the pumpkin body spray I'm already wearing. Oops. Still, love.

 

Drying: Still lots of rose, but it doesn't whack you across the nose the way Rose Red does. The wood tempers it a little.

 

Dry: The balance between the rose (about 60%) and the wood (maybe 40%) is great. This is definitely my backup for when my Rose Red runs out.

[faerywolfe]

In the bottle: Scary as hell! My first thought was 'this smells like a ghost'. Smells of dust and dead roses and has a hollow echoing note that I can't place. Very sweet.

 

Wet: Strong dry roses, slightly herby and powdery, smells bleak and gray, a very morose scent.

Warming up now - it smells like an ancient wedding dress stored in a cedar chest.

Deeper now and smelling slightly of clover and withering mums. (My mom says it smells like a funeral arrangement.) Smells of regret and old sorrow.

Getting even sweeter and more powdery - the roses are taking over the castle, and boy do they ever hate me!

An interesting note: on my wrist this smells like it should, but the drop I spilt on my fingers smells identical to fingernail polish remover.

 

Drydown: Haunting and barely woodsy with those ever-present dying roses. Reminds me of a very stern grandmother.

 

Final thought: Too damn scary to wear comfortably! I don't actively dislike Seance, but it's not for me. I'll probably give this imp to my mom - it smells benign and beautiful on her. Also, this stuff is strong! A drop or two will last stongly for hours.

[Sistinas]

a review of Seance

 

Vial ~ Dry indeed!! Rosewood and scent of rose stems come to mind as I smell

this scent.

 

Wet ~ It is more musty and dry on skin with very faint traces of rose. I

think that I would consider this more of woodsy scent than a floral.

 

Drying ~ Still dry, but the scent of rose comes out a bit more, but I don't

think this an overly rose scent, which is rather nice. Beth creates some

wonderful rose scents, that I truly love, but it this is a nice change of

pace.

 

Dry ~ Definitely more rosey now, but the musty undertone still exists. nThis

scent is not mild at all either. It certainly does bring to mind the idea of being in a room belonging to a

psychic about ready to perform a seance..

 

Fade ~ Good throw and strong scent, Seance is very nice, tho I have never

been able to pick out the hazel.

 

Final thoughts ~ Seance is a very pretty and not overly done scent. It has

lasting power and makes me feel pretty as well. On a scale of 1 to 5, I

give it a 4.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Sistinas

[Janie]

The initial stage of this is very dusty and dry. It conjures up visions of an old attic with motes of dust falling through shafts of filtered sunlight.

 

On wearing the rose note becomes stronger, with the dusty note as an undertone. I still haven't found the hazel.

 

Not a lot of throw, reasonable lasting power.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Green rose and dusty, rich woods

Wet: Same, but the rose has become a very sweet rose.

Dry: Mellows out to a warm wooded rose scent

Overall: On it's own, it's not intensely attractive but it blends well with Hymn so I'm keeping it around for that purpose.

[Rhowan]

I got this in the mail today from a swap. After I had made the swap I had become accutely aware of having allergic reactions to many ingredients including sandalwood. I was worried about trying this thinking the rosewood would be the same. Read on....

 

*sniff test* Old, old, house smell with a touch of dried flower.

 

*swipe on the wrist* I close my eyes and I am in a dilapidated old house. I am in the "parlor" where antique chairs have been gathered around a table for a seance that never took place. This room smells of sweet wood and of dried crushed roses given to a lover long ago dead.

The smell of the peeling wallpaper, dust and spiderwebs, overpowers the roses.

 

*Dry* Oh! the sun is starting to warm up the room and it bring all the scents out to mingle together in the sunbeams floating in the slants of light coming through the windows.

 

This scent is superb! Everything just mingles and warms on the skin and makes an incredible antique dried rose boquet. Just lovely!

 

This one is going to end up being a 5ml.

[sh1mm3r]

I ordered an imp of this when someone recommended it when I was looking for an "autumn leaves" scent. On me, I don't get roses like most people do, but dusty, leafy goodness. I was surprised because I didn't expect to like it, but it is perfect for the weather right now!

[Little Bird]

This one confuses me... it doesn't smell dry, dusty, or woodsy as the description would suggest. I thought that perhaps my imp of it was mislabeled, but I've since tested out 2 different Seance imps and they smelled the same on me.

 

Fresh, wet rose. It goes a bit soapy on me too, so the overall impression is of a blooming clean rose. It is also a bit sugary sweet in the background.

 

The drydown does get a bit drier and more powdery. It actually smells very much like the rose dusting powder that my grandmother used to wear. Still no woods though... and it isn't something that I would call a dry scent.

[tinyvulture]

Dried roses and wood. At first there’s a hint of juicy apple, but it quickly fades and the scent becomes extremely dry and dusty. It reminds me of an abandoned old haunted house, but the hazelnut adds warmth. I like it a lot.