Belle Époque

[gchris]

"The Pretty Era", France’s Golden Time: an age of beauty, innovation and peace in France that lasted from the 19th Century through the first World War and gave birth to the cabaret, the cancan, and the cinema as well as the Impressionist and Art Nouveau movements. Sweet opium, Lily of the Valley, vanilla, mandarin and red sandalwood.

Soft. Smells old.
Like an old piece of linen from my Grandmother that has the faintest hint of perfume.
Powdery on me.

[thelaurenator]

This smelled nothing like the scent description on me-- just a bright, white floral that went sour on my skin.

[lilirose]

In the imp- Weird. I don’t smell anything at all.

 

On skin, wet: still don’t smell much. Maybe very, very faint flowers and a tiny bit of musk? Almost totally imperceptible and certainly the faintest BPAL I’ve ever tried.

 

Drydown- still incredibly faint. Can just barely make out the sandalwood, and I think I'm picking up a faint note that is also in TKO- maybe that's the opium? Am very, very puzzled as any scent with vanilla usually amps beyond all reason on my skin.

 

Verdict- it might be nice enough, but it seems to be in one of my olfactory “blind spots”, so this one’s a no-go for me.

[AEris]

Hmmmm... The opium is light and airy, the sandalwood is gentle, and the florals are high-pitched and powdery. I feel like I can smell spicy carnation, although this might just be my untrained nose.

 

It does have an overall old-ladyish, headachey feel.

 

I can't pick out mandarin or vanilla.

 

Opium is a hit-or-miss note on me, and I tend to like the black opium resin as opposed to the opium floral notes. This scent isn't hitting me in the love spot.

 

Not for me!

 

2.2 out of 5

[MissEyre]

This is a very heady and strong scent on me, but in the best way. It really smells wonderful but it's difficult to extract each individual scent, which i guess is good. This scent keep reminding me of someone or something and i can't think of what it is. Overall it's a very rich beautiful scent, almost reminiscent of older perfumes from like the fifties and forties. Very nice

[smokey188]

in bottle: sweet and a little bit floral

on skin: this smells a little bit like cheshire cat to me sweet mandarin vanilla and opium are the dominant notes. I like this but probably not enough to get a big bottle.

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: sharp lily of the valley, mandarin

 

Wet: lily, spicy sandalwood emerges

 

Dry: As it dries it becomes mostly lilies with sandalwood. Vanilla gives the lily some earthiness. The opium is there too. The vanilla remains subdued and thankfully doesn't amp on my skin. The edginess of the lily has softened. For a while, there is a touch of powder, but the resiny opium gives it a hint of decadance. The mandarin is faint.

 

This is the kind of scent that can be enjoyed "close"...gently subtle, sophisticated with a hypnotic edge. Lasted for hours.

[crebbsgirl]

In the bottle I'm struck by how floral this is. For only having one floral note, it seems to be dominating the rest of the blend. I'm a little frightened. Once on, however, the opium blends with the lily of the valley and deepens it. The red sandalwood and vanilla are hanging out in the background, so that you really have to search them out, but they add a smooth lightness to the blend. I can't detect the mandarin on me at all. It's a really beautiful scent.

[auburnette]

BELLE EPOQUE

 

In the bottle: This reminds me of an orangey version of Guerlain's Shalimar. The mandarin is lovely and fresh and juicy smelling, but blends perfectly with the other notes.

 

Wet, on skin: Lovely, the vanilla introduces itself and starts to mellow. The sandalwood is becoming more pungent but not overpoweringly so. Lovely.

 

This smells like afternoon tea in the parlour with miniature macaroons and pastries, the mingled scent of perfumes, decadence.

 

Unfortunately as it dries down on me the mandarin sharpens and the opium asserts its presence. Still lovely, but not quite as soft as it was in the bottle, which is a shame because it was to die for in the bottle. That represents faded glamour quite well though, as it transitions from lush fullness to something slightly sharper. I'd wear it in a scent locket if I had one, though I spilt some as I was applying this and it seems to have gone the same way as it has on my skin.

 

I wish the vanilla was just a touch stronger; it might come out as the scent develops further on my skin. There's something a little synthetic in how the notes blend without that roundness. Still a very lovely scent though.

 

I tried layering with a little of L'Occitane's single note vanilla eau de toilette and this works well if the vanilla is underneath.

 

I have a feeling that the throw is actually much softer than what I smell when I put my hand to my wrist, but I can't tell without verifying this with someone!

 

I'll keep this and try it again, probably will normally layer with extra vanilla.

 

ETA: After wearing this with vanilla for a day I think I may well end up getting a bottle

[NeuroticaGirl]

This is a more traditional scent. It has a citrus note a lot like mouse's tale but it feels more adult to me. I agree with most of the positive reviews so far. However, this scent is just too light for me and the opium adds a sting that I don't care for. Close but not a keeper.

[kjirstiben]

Going on, this scent was spicy, like cloves or cinnamon, almost. But once it was on me, it smelled... soapy? Not badly so, but herbal, mild, slightly citrusy (that would be the mandarin). It really did remind me of a high-end cleanser or shampoo.

 

After an hour, it's very light, still has a certain soapiness again, not badly so, and it's a very refreshing, clean scent.

 

Later, I can definitely smell the sandalwood, and I think it's the Lily of the Valley that's giving me the "soapy" impression. I never really did smell the vanilla at all.

 

This is a subtle, lightweight, sophisticated scent. I will like it for those days when something sharper is not working for me. Quite appealing, actually!

[milo]

I really thought there was incense in this, must be the opium. I really like this, it is quite reminiscent of Midnight on the Midway. Lily of the Valley is one floral I quite like, and the drydown of this is amazing with a bit of vanilla rounding everything out. I really think this would be a summer scent for me, and feels odd to be wearing this when there is two feet of snow outside. Definite future bottle purchase for sure.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Mmmmm...this smells quite perfume-y, and yet, I ain't mad at it! The red sandalwood is adding a beautiful and nearly indiscernible depth. The color of this blend is red and gold! Gilded. This is a pretty, classy fragrance for a fancy night out on the town. I get vanilla, some soft, slightly powdery florals, and an undercurrent of citrusy red sandalwood. Now that it's drying it's reminding me strongly of a gorgeous, smoky incense. I love this one!

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Lilly cologne?

 

Wet: Opium smoke. That must have been the cologne-y edge. This femmed out out considerably on the trip to my skin. No flowers yet, but the opium and sandelwood are having a grand ol' time

 

Drydown: Pretty soft for a sandalwood scent. Mostly the opium and sandalwood. Not getting much from the other notes. A little flat on me

[reina]

Whoa, nelly! this starts off with a KICK.

the flowers are really strong and grow smokier in time. eventually the drydown is the opium smoke, bittersweet and dark. I'm not sure I detect the lily anymore - it was tres forte in the beginning! I was sure there's myrrh in there but no, it's the opium.

 

This is a real grown-up scent. I don't know if it's me, but I'll certainly give it a couple more tries. this is for a woman who wears her hair and dresses black and tight, and seems to have been born wearing deadly burgundy lipstick. A real femme fatale.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Light yellow oil. Mandarin, vanilla, and warm sandalwood. Light and creamy. Reminds me vaguely of creamsicles, though not as sweet. Very light lily of the valley.

 

Wet: More floral, sweeter, with a powdery edge. Much more vanilla. There is a dustiness that I always get from opium. Also vaguely mentholic.

 

Dry: Lily of the valley rapidly amping, and this is going increasingly powdery-soapy. Mandarin fading.

 

Summary: Warm, dry, dusty, sweet, creamy, floral and soapy vanilla-powder. Rather mild and inoffensive, but not my thing. Lower throw.

[magikalbrownies]

slightly spicey --HEY SANDALWOOD...

 

i think in this instance, the sandalwood sort of mellows out the overabundance of floral cause BOY can i smell the lilly. smelling the mandarin as soon as its applied and i smell slightly like bath and body works scents...

 

overall: like it...i do ... even if its turning slightly powdery on me. on the wishlist of gc's.

[Veronica]

This is a warm scent, I definitely feel it matching the description, I can picture it on a flirty 20s flapper. The sandalwood comes out on this, as does the mandarin in a slightly orange scent. Pretty, but underwhelming. My skin seems to be eating this up though, so I may have to try a second swatch test.

[bubblefish]

I'm not a fan of this one. It's too much floral. I can't get any of the vanilla or opium out of it.

[wintersmelody]

I've heard so many good things about this blend and was so excited to get an imp! It was faint in the imp and when applied I couldn't even smell it after the first 2 minutes. Oh well, on to stronger and better things!

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Mandarin, vanilla and faint sandalwood...oh mama, this is delicioso...

 

Wet on skin: The lily has joined the other notes, and if this dries down as a lovely melange of mandarin/vanilla sandalwood/floral then I will have to spring for a bottle.

 

Dry on skin: Nope, the mandarin has disappeared and the whole scent has turned to faint floral powder. Oh, the humanity. Does opium go powdery? None of the other notes in the blend have ever done this on me.

[anna1850]

Quite nice but a bit manly.

 

2.5/5 I'd probably wear this if I were a guy but it's not girly so I won't be wearing it.

[donnatron]

Imp: Candied mandarin and a twist of opium.

 

Wet: Super, sticky sweet vanilla and madarin.

 

Dry: Gentle, soft mandarin and vanilla over opium. It's a less complex Kubla Khan but with the way my skin amps vanilla and smber it smells a lot like KK. It's pretty, though. While KK has a sort of hard, masculine edge contributed by some of the ingredients this is a more yielding and delicate scent. It's definitely the type of scent that invites others to lean in and smell you.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: Pretty and fun. It smells a whole lot better than that era literally did and that's pretty awesome. Due to my KK bottle I don't need a bottle of this but we'll see what happens when I'm out of KK.

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, lily and vanilla. Very little scent inside the imp though.

 

Wet on the skin, vanilla and sandalwood. As it dries, vanilla, mandarin, and soft lily.

[Suu4LC]

Oh-pretty! Soft vanilla mandarin in the imp, with an undertone of sandalwood! The opium and lily are soft and barely there.

 

The opium comes out a lot more on my skin. All of the notes really pop out once this is on my skin, in a way it definitely didn't in the imp. There's also something about this blend that reminds me of the scent I get when I open my box with all my bpal Kind of an amalgamation of different bpals...familiar yet unique. Then sometimes when I sniff it, a different part of the blend will pop out at me-sometimes vanilla, sometimes mandarin, sometimes opium, sometimes sandalwood...ahhh!

 

On absolute full drydown, this is a soft vanilla sandalwood scent. This isn't a scent I would need to buy, but I do think there is something special about this one and I am very glad I tested it!