Belle Époque

[melrose]

“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.

At first, soft and lovely - the reference to White Linen made me go ''Yep, that's it.'' Dries down to soft spices and florals - man, this is great.

An hour later, it's gone bye-bye. No staying power on me.

[Skyablaze]

In the bottle - Mandarin and lily. No vanilla. Le sigh.

 

Wet - Liquorice. Bugger. Opium, why must you hate me so? Still no vanilla.

 

Dry - I don't think that elusive vanilla will be coming out to play. On the plus, the opium has settled down, giving this scent a rather cloudy feeling in general, yet strangely chaotic. A cloud of opium and lily of the valley (two of my not-so-favourite notes ) with sharp stabs of mandarin poking through. Belle Epoque smells vaguely like how a drunk hedgehog that accidently got between Jackson Pollock and a canvas might look. A rather bizarre work of abstract art.

 

While certainly unique, this is just too off the wall for me. That, and the fact the opium is dissolving into liquorice again...

Edited November 27, 2005 by Skyablaze

[volant]

This seems like a scent for someone older than myself, like my coworkers might ask if their mothers had been around if I wore it into the office. I think I'll see if my own mom likes it when she comes to visit. Here's the breakdown:

 

Overall - classical perfume, powerful scent magnitude, powdery neroli undertone, strongest note is sandalwood

Wearing it dry - I've always shied away from what I think of as typical "perfumey" scents, but I wanted to try this and made myself wear it awhile. It's strong enough to waft around me, but not so much that I consider it "loud", and unfortunately there are no big surprises in the scent itself. Although I still feel it's not for me, I respect the scent for distinguishing itself nicely with sandalwood. It makes me think of my grandmother's bedroom, tastefully decked with lace and linen, and antique sandalwood chests lurking beneath every quilt.

The boy - After wearing it a bit I gave my wrist to my boyfriend for assessment. He too thinks of his grandmother, and we agree that the potential mental scarring from olfactory confusion of me and her means I should probably wash it off.

[Chrysantza]

I got this in an imp swap.

 

A beautiful, sweet, light fruity/floral with a rather delicate, old-fashioned feel to it. Unfortunately, this has little throw and no staying power on me. If I keep it I will have to layer it with white musk or something similar to keep it from going *poof* in fifteen minutes.

 

This would be lovely on someone who isn't a "scent eater" and wants a light, sweet scent.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: This is actually sharp--the pretty era with an edge. I don't know the dominant scent, which makes me believe it is mandarin, as I haven't tried anything with that note before.

 

Wet: This is extremely sharp--the mandarin and the lillies are prominent.

 

Dry-down and wear: This loses a bit of the edge on dry-down, but to my surprise, the vanilla and red sandalwood are absent. This remains lillies and mandarin all the way--I think I can catch a bit of the opium in the background on some test sniffs. It smells like nice soap--I don't mean that as an insult at all. It's not for me, but I have a feeling that many people will like this.

[Sycorax]

Mmm. In the bottle this smells wonderful. It's a light floral, with just a little bite. It reminds me of a toned-down version of Lady of Shallot - probably because they both have lily in common.

 

During drydown, and dry, the mandarin and opium begin to mix it up with the lilly. I'll echo everyone else in the thread by saying that I don't really detect any vanilla note at all.

 

I wouldn't wear this as an everyday scent. That said, I think that a person could make some very classy lotion, soap, or bath salts with this. Belle Epoque is sold, old-fashioned, and glamorous. It makes me think of champagne at art showings, and hotels on the Champs Elysees. I think that Beth did a great job of capturing the mood of her muse with this one.

 

Perhaps that's reason enough to keep it around, : ).

[LadyKalessia]

In the bottle I get a lot of sweet vanilla and flowers, with maybe a tinge of sharp mandarin biting through.

 

On my skin it goes very, VERY green, with something sharp and not altogether pleasant cutting through. The lily of the valley takes a backseat, and the opium and sandalwood are in front. The vanilla has disappeared entirely, hang it all. The mandarin never made an appearance out of the bottle, either.

On the dry down, the lily of the valley is just barely there hanging on around the edges, with the opium and sandalwood still having it out. It's a nice subtle scent for all that, once it's dried down a bit, still a bit biting to my nose... and almost gone after half an hour! That's disappointing.

 

An hour later, it's just a whiff of a memory, and starting to go sour on me like an old grandma scent. Washing it off now.

 

What I find amusing about this is that the description fails to mention that the Belle Époque was also called "The Gilded Age" by many, because the gilt and glitz of high society was covering up the hard lives of the poor and working classes post-Industrial Revolution. Mark Twain wrote a whole lot about it, but the overall impression I get is of flowers and light cloaking a sort of sordid decay. Which is pretty much where I stand on this one: the flowers are nice, but it's a little too dark for me in the end.

 

Edited to fix my silly italic tags.

Edited February 2, 2006 by Shollin

[SeaMonkey]

I'm getting sort of a boozy note from this, but when it dries, its a beautiful mix of lily and sandalwood with a touch of vanilla and opium. Maybe its the mandarin that is giving it the boozy note, but its boozy without making me smell like I spilled a drink on me. Very pretty

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Lily of the Valley!

 

In the imp: Sweet mandarin and vanilla. So far, so good!

 

On skin, wet: Oh, this is lovely! Mandarin, vanilla, a bit of sandalwood, and just a bit of Lily of the Valley.

 

On skin, dry: Still beautiful. But there's a problem: as this dries, the Lily of the Valley takes over, and becomes a very strong, very floral scent. Strong florals usually give me a headache, and Belle Epoque is no exception.

 

Conclusion: It's very pretty, but obviously, a girl that gets migraine headaches doesn't want to wear a perfume that triggers a headache.

[terrierhead]

For me, the opium predominates in Belle Epoque, with the lilies wafting in and out. BE had fantastic staying power, although it turns a touch powdery (the lilies, maybe?) after several hours. Overall, a fantastic blend!

[AlaskaSnows]

Incense, opium, sandalwood. Rich, warm, and utterly gorgeous. SEXY!!! OMG this is incredible. Big bottle time all the way!

[Diva Urd]

In the bottle, it did smell slightly vanilla-ish, and I caught the lily as well.

 

On me, it turned into powder - not cheap, run off the mill baby powder, but scented body powder. I could not distinguish any of the ingredients anymore once I wore it - they all blended together completely to form the scent of Belle Epoque.

 

I will use up the imp (sometimes I feel like dabbing it on), but I'm usually not a huge fan of body powders because of the - you guessed it - powder smell that seems to be ever-present, no matter how strongly scented the powder is. It also doesn't stick around on my skin for too long.

Edited February 14, 2006 by Diva Urd

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: light, fresh citrus.

 

On my skin, initial: Mmm! Lovely lime (I think this is actually mandarin, but it smells like freshly squeezed limes to me!) and a little sweetness. Maybe the opium?

 

Drydown: pure lime still, with really impressive staying power.

 

I LOVE this scent! So fresh and eye-opening. A bottle will probably have to be ordered very soon.

[PirateMaggie]

Another frimp from the Lab. I'd been meaning to try this, since all the notes work on me individually. Together, this could have been custom-blended to work with my chemistry.

 

This scent is warm and very, very light, It reminds me very much of an extremely light and less floral version of Rapture. The vanilla and mandarin are both sweet without being cloying and are not at all overpowering while the lily of the valley is cool and whisper-soft. The sandalwood makes this a warm, golden "second skin" scent. At first I thought it faded incredibly quickly--gone within the hour--but later it seemed to reawaken and I began getting wafts of it. This is a scent I'll be putting in my hair and in my lingerie drawer. Because it's so light, it could be worn to the office or school, but it has a breathy, sensual quality that makes it perfect for an elegant evening out, preferably one which involves being close to someone special.

[BrightRedScream]

I boldy bought a large bottle of this after reading everyone's reviews of it - and I am not sad that I did!

 

In the bottle: Woah, very strong - the opium and sandalwood notes just fly out and I find myself wondering if I made a good choice with this impulsive fragrence purchase.

After a second sniff, I get a very very slight sweetness - floral though - so the lilly is coming through?? I also get a very very slight wiff of the mandarin that lingers in my nostrils after I smell it.

 

Wet on the skin: The sandalwood comes out a lot stronger, but the vanilla's sweetness really tones it down..it is unfortunate that I can't pick up more of the vanilla though. The lilly of the valley is also a little more intense now, but not unpleasant - I actually find that I'm enjoying that mixed with the sandlewood.

 

Dry down: The mandarin has shown up VERY slightly to give this a very light citrus feel to it, but I do find that the sandalwood, opium and lily of the valley dominate.

 

I really REALLY enjoy wearing this fragrence!!!

I think it's beautiful and warm and reminds me of spring time.

I just want to cover myself in it.

I am sad that there's not a ton of vanilla sweetness to this - but honestly, I don't know if I'd really WANT that sweetness with this blend. as I enjoy it as it is.

 

I find that is has medium throw - not a lot - but I do notice it all day as I wear it - and my mum and nan commented on it after I had it on for about an hour.

I think it has great lasting power as well This is going to be a staple BPAL for me!!!

[angharad]

Wow -- this arrived as a frimp, and I expected to find mention of mint in the description after I smelled it. To me it's very minty, but it mellows out a bit after drydown. There's still a hint of something sharper, possibly the mandarin, but mainly I get vanilla mint. While wearing this I walked into a shop that burns opium-scented incense, which almost perfectly matched the perfume. Since my guy loves that shop, he kept sniffing at me whenever I wore it, but...it's not really my style. Belle Epoque is pretty, just not for me.

[Jettcat]

Another case of falling in love with a frimp.

I decided to wear it around instead of testing it lightly. It road tested well, my skin loves these oils and tends to gobble them up. This wears well and I keep getting whiffs of the warm sweet smell thru out the day.

 

When I got home, the wheels started clicking and I reapplied it layered with Cobra Lily

It turned into a lovely fruit tea smell and I wanted to eat my own wrist.

I'm new to layered scents but this just pushed Belle Epoque from an imp want to need a bottle!

[draconix]

In the bottle: Sandalwood and vanilla. It's... sweet. A little candy-like, but not a bright, colorful, "pop in your mouth on a summer day" kind of candy. More of a wintery, warm kind of candy that's only good when you're sitting in front of a fire (BPAL is making me all poetical...). But there's somethiing strong on top of that.

 

On my skin: Wet, it's slightly sadalwoody and mostly... something else. I don't know what though. I'm not really liking it though. Dry, I've got a light floral backed with sandalwood and vanilla.

 

Final Thoughts: I'm noticing that a lot of the lighter, softer scents just go to soap on me. And this is no exception... but it's also not as bad as some of the others. I'll put it with the other maybes and retest in a few days.

[Nekomata]

Smells like a classic perfume in the imp. It dries sweet and fruity with hints of vanilla. Very yummy!

[Naamah_Darling]

This is supposed to be one of the Lab classics. I don't know if I can wear it, though . . . the lily of the valley, the mandarin . . . this could go soapy.

 

Sweet and bright in the bottle, I detect the mandarin as a tart note that isn't overwhelmingly citrusy, and the lily is a fresh floral floating on top of everything. This is a light, liquid scent, with a zest to it, like champagne. I can smell the incense, but it's not very forward.

 

On . . . oh, wow. Wow. Very old-fashioned and traditional, but very refined and elegant, too. Beautiful and poised, rather than grandmotherly. A brilliant gold and white scent. There's incense here, but it's not smoky or resinous, it's just a pure perfume scent. That familiar note must be the opium. It smells deliciously like the perfume racks at my local new age bookstore: a heady blend of many perfumes all mixed into one. I don't smell the vanilla at all.

 

Once it dries, the vanilla's there as a smooth note twined up with the opium and, faintly, the sandalwood. The mandarin has quieted a little, and the lily is still just shy and pretty off in the background.

 

This isn't sinful enough for me to call it decadent, it's just rich. This perfume smells expensive and reeks (if you'll pardon the phrase) of good taste. They don't share many notes, but something in this really reminds me strongly of Snake Charmer, only this is much smoother and silkier.

[juniperus]

Bottle: the lily and vanilla are most immediate. sweet, but not in a way that immediately makes my head ache (which is a positive, let me tell you!). I don't know what opium smells like, but there is another floral note here that I'll assume is that.

Wet: the sandalwood steps up to equal placement - very nice.

Dry: the sandalwood and vanilla are dominant, but not terribly so. I like sandalwood, and normally am not fond of vanilla (although that could be the nasty fakey vanillas that are out there, this is warm and comforting).

Later: finally hints of the mandarin, but the layers remain balanced and interact beautifully together...not a very long-lasting scent, but delicate and lovely.

[nerdcraft]

preconceived notions: The description makes me think of women in white dresses, cafes, red velvet curtains, wealthy people with lots of leisure time.

 

in the imp: An interesting floral with resin-y or wood tones? There's something behind the floral that I can't pick out. It's a deeper, more powdery floral, rather than a bright floral.

wet: For a split second after I put in on, it reminds me of the smell of old historical houses (uh...which is weird), the smell of aged wood and flowers, but that's gone pretty soon. Very, very faint.

dry: This is very nice. After an hour or so, all I get on me is the resin of the opium, which I kind of love. It's so dark and soporific. I put this on before going to campus to work on various school things, which was not good as it made me feel sort of drowsy and languid. A little faint though.

 

season: fall/winter

office-friendly? Not so much. Coworkers may suspect opium-use.

 

 

overall: An interesting scent, sophisticated and complex. The opium is the dominant scent on me, with bits of powdery Lily of the Valley coming through at times. I don't really get any vanilla or sandalwood. Would be nice for those evenings when I have nothing to do but lounge around in my best clothes, drink expensive liquors and look beautiful. Because I have those evenings all the time.

[opaleyes]

Initially it's all opium and sandalwood with a touch of lily. I was worried it wouldn't be right for me. Within 30 minutes of having it on though the mandarin and vanilla came out. This is lovely!

 

After about 4 hours it's a VERY light (as in I have to huff my wrists) generic sort of perfume smell. I wish scents didn't fade so much on me!

 

Definitely a keeper.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sharp musk, bitter and a bit like the Jean Nate perfume my mom used to wear. When first on it smells just like Jean Nate still- bright, crisp, yellow, floral. It's hard for me to pick out notes. This doesn't really change much on me but does soften after a couple of hours. This is faint on me and not very long lasting.

[gwyllgi]

Every time I sniff this, I get something different. The first sniff is red sandalwood. The next is mandarin laced with opium. The next is pure lily of the valley. They never quite seem to merge, but they flirt together shameless.

 

On my skin, it stays so beautifully round that I can't stop sniffing. It's like walking in to some posh club, smelling the perfumes of the stylish ladies occupying it as you pass through. They aren't the same, but they merge so beautifully that it seems almost dreamy.

 

I'm gradually learning that opium and mandarin are two of my favorite notes, and the sandalwood accentuating them here make this one a definite keeper.