Belle Époque

[asciident]

"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.

Wet: Creamy opium, and vaguely sweet florals.

First on: Sweet, but not foody, creamy opium. Vague florals. I know what's in it, but it's not really hitting me unambiguously.

Dry: Settled down to opium mingling with sandalwood, a vague sweet floral drifting in and out. Definitely a keeper. I'm a twinge disappointed that I can't smell any mandarin or even citrus here; I'm afraid it's being rather drowned by the opium and vanilla. But the rest makes up for it, certainly. A decent throw, but light enough that it's not overpowering (opium can be very heady, but it's not here). Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[Doomramen]

This was a frimp sent with a gift to my girlfriend, but I've fallen in love with it, so I've been wearing it alot.

 

Preconceptions:

This was one I'd been curious about, but hadn't made my first order cut.

I hadn't tried BPAL when I considered this. I thought I'd like opium and mandarin. I figured the vanilla would be faint enough to be acceptable. I thought I wouldn't like sandalwood (wrong). I feared all flowers but orchid. (lily of the valley seems to be an acceptable flower)

 

I can't pick out notes, except for the occasional "hey, incense." I can tell that they are all there, though, and each plays a part.

OMG this is perfect. lovely. gorgeous.

It is being excited, and feeling clean, and springtime, and open windows, and being in love. Running for no reason. Wearing skirts that flare out when you spin around. I'm thinking of getting a big bottle.

[Tess]

For some reason, I have the vague feeling that Lily of the Valley is a floral I can wear. Granted, it's a white floral, which helps, but something about it just strikes a chord in me...

 

In the vial - Ooooooh, vanilla and mandarin are at the front with sandalwood backing them. YUM.

 

Wet - Opium just popped right out in this one.

 

Drying - The lily is coming out strongly, with the vanilla mandarin fading to the background and the sandalwood barely there at all. The strongest notes now are the lily and the opium by far, but despite that, it's smooth and just the tiniest bit tropical. I'm really digging this.

 

Dry (1 hour) - The lily went all soapy and the mandarin is gone. So what I'm left with is a floral soap with vanilla opium and a touch of sandalwood. Blarg.

 

Overall - It's okay. Pretty and all. I just wish it didn't soap out on me. At least it didn't go "OMG floral!"

[Rchll]

Bottle: pretty, sweet, and there is a hint of some spice (opium or sandalwood most likely since I am still slow about picking out individual notes). I can’t smell vanilla or mandarin.

 

Self wet: soft orange and soft flowers, with a slight powdery tinge. Spice disappeared.

 

Later: powdered vanilla orange. Citrus I am beginning to think likes my skin. There is something else I can’t place, probably the sandalwood in the background that makes it not quite too powdery.

 

Late later: well, it lasted almost all through work and you could smell it even when not next to skin (I did put a lot on though). It was about nine hours before I got home and its now down right next to skin. David (a coworker I shoved my wrist in front of) said vanilla immediately, then he thought of lilies too. I thought powdery orange and flowers every time I smelled it.

 

Overall: a wonderful "good girl" scent for when out with folks or fiance's boss. I'm not normally into sweet girly scents but this one is really nice without being too painfully sweet on me. I might even wear pink with it.

[jarvenpa]

You mean I never reviewed Belle Epoque?? My loss of BPAL virginity fragrance? Sent to me lo many months ago...way before I joined the forum..by urbanruralferal who thought it had some similarity to my bookstore ambience.

 

Which worried me, let me tell you, because there are days the store smells of blessed kittycats.

 

But I think she was thinking more of nag champa, old books, and bouquets of random flowers. Because that is kind of what Belle Epoque smells like..a touch of dry orange peel, a burst of flowers (lilies?) some underlying vanilla-ish goodness, and poetry.

 

I bought a 10ml of this, when such things were possible. I then spilled about half of it on my desk (no,not on purpose). I don't often wear it these days, but..you never forget your first.

 

It combines freshness and seduction. Now, who can beat that? Dalliance in the library stacks. That sort of thing.

[isabella]

very light florally vanilla sandalwoody goodness....it is very pretty

[ralenth]

Bottle: At first sniff, a bit heady. Opium comes to the fore, with sandalwood and lily in the background.

 

Wet: Initially, the lily was overpowering. I felt like a little girl dabbling in my mother's cheap perfume for play time.

 

Dry: Over time, the notes blended into a decadent mix that was much more satisfying. Opium and lily were most prevalent with hints of sandalwood. I never sensed the mandarin, which was a bit disappointing.

 

BE seems to have quite a bit of staying power on my skin (eight hours and still going strong). I definitely will be coming back to this one.

Edited April 23, 2007 by ralenth

[storme]

In the imp: oooh, opium-ish sandalwood with a citric bite behind it. Spicy-feeling.

 

On me, wet: powdery sandalwood with a warm vanilla behind it and only a hint of citrus.

 

On me, dry: hmm, this is a big weird messy non-worker. Smells like there's jasmine lurking in here, but mostly it's opium soap.

 

Verdict: Alas, apparently not one I can wear.

[cchampio]

When I started researching what BPAL scents to order, I immediately picked out Belle Epoque because of the Lily of the Valley note. She didn't let me down!

 

In the imp and wet, I get something that reminds me of candy, maybe the vanilla. Ordinarily it's not my favorite, but here it's nice.

 

The dry scent is more developed, especially over the course of the day. I'm getting my beloved lily of the valley with notes that compliment it and mkae it more sophisticated. My hubby immediately picked up the sandalwood. He says the scent makes him think of a peaceful temple. I can't disagree.

 

I would be happy to smell like this every day. Of course, I can't because I'm coming to love too many scents and couldn't settle for one. Belle Epoque goes on the 5 ml list!

Edited May 18, 2007 by XeiaLuv

[Mimicake]

A lovely fresh floral with a powdery sandalwood song. It feels very formal to me for some reason, as if I'd need to reserve it for a great romantic occasion. I like it!

[PersephonesChild]

This is the first BPAL item I've tried. Mmm...

 

In the vial, I smell sandalwood, which is wonderful. I had a girlfriend once who used to put a sandalwood spray in her hair-- it smelled lovely. I immediately thought of her.

 

Wet on me, the sandalwood is strengthened and sweetened by the vanilla, which comes out very prominently. I think the opium also adds to it...

 

It dries down very lightly. I'm so happy to not have been over-whelmed by floral!

 

Dry, I smell a lot of vanilla- very sweet, with a thicker, more syrupy and sensual note, which I attribute to the sandalwood/opium.

 

Overall, I find it smells very white/gold and innocent-- it reminds me of lacy, maybe tulle. I'd like to wear lace gloves while I have it on!

 

 

On a side note... I've never been much of a perfume person, but the BPAL descriptions enchanted me, and on a whim, I ordered a bunch. Then, before they arrived, an aunt of mine gave me some kind of standard perfume which I absolutely hated. It made me so nervous that I just didn't like perfume in general, and that I wouldn't like my BPAL orders either. This is the first scent I've tried, and I'm so relieved! Even though it's one of the more conventional scents that I ordered, I like it so much better than practically any other kind of perfume I've come in contact with before. This appears to have been a good gamble!

Edited May 21, 2007 by PersephonesChild

[modernsaints]

Sweetly powdered sandalwood. Rather lovely, but ultimately not for me; I'm picky about my sandalwoods, and I have yet to find the BPAL blend that makes it sing on me. This one has probably gotten closest, though!

[CrazyPretzel]

Looking at the notes in this (vanilla? opium? mandarin? lily of the valley?) I don't understand how it could have *not* worked on me, so I'm blaming the sandalwood. lol.

 

It was divine in the imp -- slightly citrussy vanilla with a very sweet floral touch, but on me it turned into dusty wood. Fortunately there are lots of other blends to get my vanilla fix from.

[funkmoppet]

"Pretty" is definitely what this blend is.

 

The sweet mandarin is a little stronger than I'd like, but the opium and lily don't let it get too dominant. As it dries down, the sandalwood pushes through and warms it all up - at this stage I like it very much.

 

It's been on my skin now for a while, and it's faded off into a powdery floral with a linger whiff of the sandalwood and vanilla.

 

Still very pretty, but I'm not sure I'd wear this often, as I have other florals I prefer. I'll keep the imp, let it age, and see how I feel about it when summer hits and I fancy getting my girly on. But for now, it's a bit "meh".

[Bagfish]

Belle Epoque is mainly lilly of the valley and opium on me. It is also very slightly ozoney/acquatic too which is rather odd. As it dries down, the sandalwood starts to emerge, but I don't get much mandarin, just a slight citrus note coming through. I get no vanilla at all, although it could be the vanilla that mellows down the high acquatic note, but never comes to the fore.

 

Belle Epoque is OK, but I'm not sure it's a keeper. Needs to be tested a second time.

[303marlena]

This is another OMG blend. I go kookoo for anything with vanilla and sandalwood. The mandarin is a great touch which balances out the sweetness of the other two. I don;t know what opium smells like , as others on the thread have mentioned, but I definety identify the swooning feeling I get from wafting the scent of the perfume. The smell of the lily of the valley takes a little longer coming out but it complements the blend beautifully. I get a nostalgic feeling with the scent, which I also feel is feminine and romantic.

 

Normally, I am more into the herbals and incense smells, but this floral is a real beauty.

 

[Sistinas]

a review of Belle Epoque

 

Vial ~ A sweet fragrance comprised with a few notes that I can pick out: Opium, lily of the valley, a touch of vanilla and sandalwood. I am very curious how this will act out on my skin, I am hoping for more opium and less vanilla, fortunately the scent is not cloying to begin with so I am hopeful that this will remain a favorite.

 

Wet ~ On my skin the sweetness has disappeared already, no traces of the vanilla are around. I can maybe pick out mandarin and opium, the fragrance has taken on a tartness, not in a citrus way, that is very appealing.

 

Drying ~ the lily of the valley has come out more and the scent has become a sweet but not as it was originally in the imp. The mandarin and the opium are still present and I can still not pick up any traces of the vanilla or sandalwood.

 

Dry ~ It has been over forty minutes since I put Belle Epoque on my writsts and the scent is still going strong. The sandalwood is coming out and the scent seems to wither from either slightly sweet to somewhat tart on occaision as if it cannot make up it's mind.

 

Fade ~ An hour and half has gone by and Belle Epoque is starting to fade out. I am left with soft sweet traces of the scent. The sandalwood is the most lingering note of all for me, the opium comes in a very close second. This would make for a lovely nighttime evening scent, it is very evocative and sexy to me, I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

 

Final thoughts ~ This is not a heavy scent as I might have thought it might have been. It is actually doing quite well considering it is midsummer in Las Vegas. I would have never have picked this scent for a summer scent but why not? Of course I am inside with air conditioning. I think I mentioned earlier that I think that this scent would work better for evenings, at least for me, I find it alluring and sexy, something to wear on a date. I will definitely need a bigger bottle of this. On a scale of 1 to 5 -> 5

[maproot]

In the vial it is sweet smelling ladyness or something:I imagine walking down a street with a parasol feeling feminine.On me-I even slather,and I'm outside and wondering where it has gone. It seems to have disappeared, so despite the luscious in the bottle scent, it doesnt seem to linger on me enough.Hopefully it will linger on someone else>

[willowtreeling]

on me, this smells like generic department store perfume which makes me sad. I don't get anything from it at all:( I wish I did because I like the idea of this perfume and have heard such great things.

[evilbee]

What an interesting scent!!! The vanilla is smooth and velvety in it's creaminess, with just a hint of smoky sweet swirled through, which must be the opium. A little later the sandalwood blooms through, but not the usual fuzzy sandalwood that I get but like an ultra-glossed and oiled wood. This is a VERY close skin scent which only smells like a HINT of toasted vanilla six inches from my wrist... and I SLATHERED this on.

 

Poop, and I love it so close to my skin. I guess it will just be a personal scent that will make people wonder why that strange girl has her nose buried in her wrist so much...

[Iceblink]

I was a little bored last week and decided to read through the GC to see if there were any hidden gems I'd missed on my first big imp-sampling spree and this was one of the ones that popped out at me. And OMG why did I never notice it before? The vanilla/sandalwood combo is a favorite of mine (I love The Mouse's Long and Sad Tale), and it's beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful here! There's the merest hint of lily of the valley, which is about as much of that as I can take, and I can detect the mandarin too, but it's not too citrusy. This is very "perfumey" but in a good way, and very elegant. Tres belle indeed!

[Trish]

In the imp: Mandarin, vanilla and sandlwood. But mainly creamy mandarin, which makes me a bit wary. Citrus can go sour on me, but I'm hoping that the vanilla and sandalwood - both very stable notes on me - will keep it in check.

 

Wet: Oh wow. This is lovely! Soft sweet creamy floral and mandarin grounded by vanilla and sandalwood.

 

Drydown: Lily of the Valley - and in bucketfulls! There's still some mandarin but everything else has been drowned out.

 

Dry: Strong mandarin and lily, with just a touch of opium. There's not a sniff of vanilla or sandalwood at all! It also has mega throw. I'll wait and see if it subdues a bit, but at this stage it is not for me. It's not bad, just not me at all.

 

Couple of hours later: Nope, it hasn't changed at all. This is going to be one with very good lasting power, seeing it has barely started to fade at all.

[cinderfallen]

It was a miasma of lily and high citrus before it calmed down to the heady opium and sandalwood, sweetened by the vanilla and brightened by the light touch of citrus and lily. I think I detect minute traces of the same vanilla used in Antique Lace. It reminds me of a very light version of Red Lantern, one I could wear. I like that the lily is a very light touch in this blend--though who knows if I'll still like this time next week when my body chemistry might turn on me regarding the death lily.

 

ETA: I grew to absolutely adore this. I bought a bottle which is superficially very different from the imp I had. My imp was a lot of lily and opium, a little piercing at first, but dried down really nicely, with an emphasis on bold lily. <3 the opium bouquet in this. The bottle is very soft and pretty in comparison: it reminds me of orange creamsicle on first application, drying down to the familiar, but gentler opium/lily/sandalwood/touch of citrus concoction I love.

Edited February 10, 2008 by cinderfallen

[ForeverSweet]

In the Imp: This is warm and heady. All Lily and sandalwood, its almost intoxicating and I can catch the hint of opium. I don't get much vanilla or mandarin - no touches of citrus yet. Just very warm, dreamy, almost suffocatingly sweet and warm scent. Delicious!

 

On wet: This brings out the citrus like crazy! Its all citrus and sandalwood and maybe a bit of lily. It almost goes on a bit sour because of the citrus paired with the sandalwood. Citrus is usually wonderful on me - but not so much this time, thus far.

 

Dry down: The citrus is slowly is starting to fade on me, but the scent left behind really doesn't work so far. It may be the red sandalwood that isn't working with my chemistry. I still cant detect any vanilla. Its just sandalwood and lily, but not in a good way.

 

Dry: This improves a lot once it warms up and dries down. I can finally smell a bit of the vanilla and more of the opium. A really lovely, heady scent. My family thought it smelled a bit like incense, which was probably just the sandalwood. Now its very soft. It's really quite feminine and alluring. All mandarin and vanilla and lily. Wonderful.

 

 

This is fairly long lasting. It's been a bit over an hour and it still hasn't faded away. I can really trace the vanilla and opium and lilies. This dries down to be a really nice scent on me. I just wish it wasn't so awful in the beginning!

 

This isn't one of my favorites. I was scared at first I would have to get rid of it, I really wanted to like it based on is description and what I smelled in the bottle. I may need to try this again in order to decide if I LOVE it. I definitely reccomend it to those whose chemistry really works with it, however. I'll probably just keep this as an imp and use it when I need a little change.

[Emera]

A dusty, pale-gold scent – like pale, antique wood with gilded edges. This was largely sandalwood with a little bright mandarin to it, with a sweet mustiness underneath that I imagine is the opium. I was disappointed by the lack of vanilla, as I’m quite a vanilla fan, but as usual for me, the sandalwood won out over everything else. In about two hours it was pure sandalwood. Overall, dry, light, and sharply sweet, but not my sort of scent.