Sophia

[Caitfish]

The Gnostic goddess of Wisdom. A solemn, deeply profound draught of lavender, soft musks, star jasmine, black rose, delphinium, and gentle spice.

In the Bottle:
Dominant notes: Lavender right away, I don't know if it's the star jasmine or delphinium, but something makes this seem fairly tart! No spices or rose yet, and lots of musk softening all of the flowers, though it isn't "woah musk."
Impressions: a much stronger blend than I was expecting, floral with a bit of tart - we'll call that Sophia's incisiveness. Soft, graceful, and surprisingly dark. Reminds me a bit of Black Dahlia.

Initial On:
Dominant notes: The musks warm up and become more apparent right away. The tartness described earlier remains. Still overwhelmingly lavender, and there may be a bit of rose poking out. No spices as of yet.
Impressions: From darkness in the bottle, this emerges as a very fresh kind of musky scent, like a softly perfumed musk soap. It's strong and has good throw - those wary of strong florals should avoid it, if the description wasn't enough to make you do that already. Those who adore darker florals should bathe in it.

After a While:
Persistent notes: The undefined tartness, Lavender, musk, and finally a *very tiny* bit of something that might be called spice. My skin usually takes anything that could concievably be construed as a spice and turns it into spice hell, so it's saying something that this is very subtle. It probably won't be apparent on most people.
Notes that fade: It's pretty consistent. After the initial warming of the musks, the blend stays balanced as described above.

Overall Impressions:
This is a very lovely floral. I love the mysterious tart - this reminds me of the function of the lush magnolias in Black Dahlia, if not the scent. If you love lavender, the musk does wonderful things to warm it up and bring it out. Overall, this is a lovely floral, but not different or evocative enough to warrant a big bottle purchase from me (I already have piles of florals.) It's a beautiful imp that will be treasured, however.

ETA: Damn, there are those spices. Troops of them, as usual. So, if you were in this for the spices, go right ahead. They just take a while to make an appearance. Freaking Aries blood.

[silverangel]

Oh this is beautiful. A soft, delicate scent. I mostly get the floral notes, backed by the musk with the spices dancing along everything, caressing it down. Any tartness I had (since caitfish mentions it) fades after a minute or two and it's just lovely after that. It's soft and floral and man am I in love with soft and white musks lately.

[JazzieCazzie]

Oh my lordy lord lord!!!!!!!!! Just when I think, Beth, that you can not top yourself, you go and make something like Sophia (already penciled in for a 10 ML bottle on my Jan/Feb order) ...

 

I will preface this by saying I was in a shite mood tonight ... working hard (which actually isn't a bad thing because I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job, but as a result my back is killing me because I got so entrenched in what I was doing I forgot to get up and walk around every half hour like I am supposed to), coming down with killer cold from outer space a day before the holidays, going through some bad news and tough times at home, just majorly stressed out.

 

Had three untested imps left and though I was trying to extend the pleasure/anticipation until my wayward 10/30 package came, I gave in and tried Sophia in hopes of cheering myself up.

 

Mission accomplished beyond belief.

 

IN THE BOTTLE: Deliciously clean and spicy. Lavender at its yummiest with a hint of other sexy scents hiding behind it and peeking out ...

 

Applied liberally to wrists and crooks of arms ...

 

WET: Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I can't even begin to describe the goodness. The lavender blends in immediately with an array of other wonderful notes. None of them jump out and grab me as individuals, rather they are the perfect choral blend ... there is something unbelievably familiar and wonderful that I can't put my finger on but will I sound like an idiot if I say it somehow makes me want to cry (in a good way)?

 

DRYDOWN: I've heard people talk about a scent "throwing" and I'm not sure exactly what it means but my guess is that it's when you just keep getting these whiffs that float up to you ... is that close? If so, this is continually throwing this amazing scent up to me that is so evocative of wonderful beautiful yet hidden memories. Not quite powdery, not quite spicy, not quite sweet. ...

ETA: I just figured out what the hidden scent reminds me of ... suntan lotion! Coppertone 4 ... and I mean that in the best possible way. It's always been one of my favorite smells and one that I could never quite recreate.

 

This is truly one of the most perfect scents ever.

 

Thank you so much.

 

REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013:

 

Am working on a trip down sensory memory lane, among other things, as I revisit and re-review, or try for the first time, every bottle and imp in my collection ... the plan is to finally have one comprehensive swap list AND one wishlist. As I read over all my old content, to be sure I wasn't creating any new posts in review threads I'd already posted in, I found a few old reviews of scents that, just based on what I'd written, I HAD to try to find and, happily, was able to snag an imp of Sophia from a wonderful forumite. SO this comes from that imp, the date of which I don't know.

 

IN THE IMP: Spicy lavender is predominant with other floral notes gathering behind it.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm ... with just an imp, couldn't slather as I would have liked.

 

WET: OMGOMGOMG still so divine ... I am a huge lavender fan, but I not only love it as a single note, I especially love it when Beth blends it with other notes like a supreme artist at work. All of the various flowers listed make themselves known but without any of them overpowering another. Perfect chorus. There's also a slight medicinal note which I love ... it could actually be the lavender itself. Not sure. ... And yes, I DO get the Coppertone 4 lotion smell and still love it. Makes note to self: do some Googling to see what exactly that smell is because it is so unique to my nose.

 

DRYDOWN: At first, the jasmine really amps as it starts to dry down but overall, on final drydown, it's the rose which tends to last the longest. Not to a dealbreaker degree by any means, however.

 

OVERALL: I really love this scent. I think it would be a brilliant bath oil. I'm really sorry it's no longer in the GC because I would definitely buy a few imps worth.

 

On a scale of 1-5, I'd give it a 5 when wet and a 4 when dry so I'll even it out to a 4.5

Edited April 11, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Kaowolfie]

This smells so pretty in the vial -- a soft floral with a hint of spice, the kind of smell I would expect of a goddess of wisdom.

 

Unfortunately, on me, it smells like some sort of inexpensive air freshener mixed with baby powder. :/ I had about thirty seconds of a lovely, gently spicy jasmine, but that appears to have vanished completely. I think the powder killed it.

 

Oh, well. :/

[jj_j]

First on, Sophia is a gentle mix of lavender and delphinium. Sweet, but not in an artificial candy way, and soft, it still has plenty of throw.

 

I wondered what the difference in jasmine and star jasmine was, but couldn't find anything. Something is different, though, because this is a much softer, kinder jasmine than the heady white floral that jasmine usually is to my nose.

 

After a few minutes, the spices start to come to the front. The lavender doesn't disappear, but it fades into the background where it becomes a part of the supporting cast. An interesting twist for lavender, which is usually more vibrant than most other notes in a scent, and thus the most obvious. The spices and musk combine beautifully to give Sophia a depth it didn't have in the first few minutes; the lavender and delphinium were very much "top" notes, and these move it to middle ground.

 

The musk and spice note, complemented by the florals, stays in the forefront for the considerable wear of this scent; good staying power. Beth calls this a solemn scent, and it is, but not as a matter of sadness. Think of a brilliant woman who looks like a Victoria's Secret model but doesn't know it, immersed in a book and oblivious to the admiring glances coming her way.

 

My first sniff out of the bottle made me think "good girl," but this lovely scent is a surprisingly sensual one; don't let the first couple of minutes fool you. Definitely headed for my purchase list.

[FireInCairo]

Sophia is a very herbaly scent. It's very fresh. The lavender truly comes through in this scent. I find it to be a bit heady- so wear this oil sparingly. It's rather therapuetic with all of the lavender.......

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab!

 

First sniff:

 

Lavender, jasmine and spice jump out at me immediately, followed by musk and rose. I'm really not sure if I love this scent or hate it right at the moment; it could go either way quite easily since the spices and musk appeal to me while the lavender and rose are among the notes I don't generally care for.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Lavender is the strongest note now, but it's not as astringent as it normally is - the spice and musk appear to be softening it quite a bit. I was really worried about the lavender in this, but if it stays like this, I don't mind it at all. This wavers between being herbal, floral and spicy/musky and I'm still not sure whether I like this or not.

 

Dry down:

 

The lavender has returned in full force, along with hte rose and I don't particularly like the result. The two parts I do like - the musk and the spices - have receded so far into the background that I barely smell them at all anymore. I really don't think this is me, as much as I love spice and musk together.

 

The bottom line:

 

Nice but definitely not me. I don't generally do florals, especially lavender, so Sophia isn't quite up my alley. I think she's going to have to find a new home.

[Astarte]

Sophia is a very weird scent, not a combination of notes most people would think of, firstly when first put on, the lavender and star jasmine produced a very bitter nose clenching scent. After a minute when all components had settled though, the musk and rose settled in creating a divine floral scent. The delphium stay at the top to tone down the lavender and rose somewhat to blend all items together masterfully.

 

This scent is pure genius, though a little too heady from the lavender for me.

[phaedrine]

Oh, the love....

 

Sophia is very, very similar to one of my favorite blends, Gaueko.

 

In the bottle, Sophia doesn't smell as in-your-face lavender as some of the other lavender blends do, mainly it's a sweet floral.

 

On the skin, once it starts to dry, the lavender really makes itself known.

 

While Gaueko is lavender softened by sandalwood, Sophia is lavender softened by the musk and spice.

 

I'm going to have to do a side-by-side comparison to see what any more definite differences are.

 

Overall, Sophia is a lovely, soft, strong lavender scent, and I've already gone and bought a 5ml from a forumite. Love love love!

[cookie]

Wow, this is very delicate and soft. I put some on, then put more on straight away as I couldn't smell much.

 

At first this is sheer lavender.

 

After a couple of minutes the flowers start coming out. Every whiff I take is a different floral - mostly rose, but jasmine every now and then.

 

Dry down is a little sweeter than before. I really like this, but I think I'm wearing it just for myself. I really have to push my nose up against my wrist to smell Sophia. But she is lovely!

[Red_Hot_Mama]

Lavender is NOT a favorite perfume of mine but I respect it's theraputic properties. Jasmine IS a favorite & my daughter is named "Sofia": so this was a no brainer for me.

 

The lavender is the first note & by far the most prominent. The jasmine does make an appearance but for a die hard jasmine freak like me, I would have like a bit less lavender & a bit more jasmine.

 

The black rose makes itself know on the drydown & it, along with the soft musks & spice give Sophia some "staying power".

 

I'm not sure what delphinium smells like & can't really pick it out. My chemistry tends to amplify jasmine, in any form.

 

Ultimately, I would use this theraputically rather than as a perfume.

 

Edited to add that my daughter has confiscated my Imp of Sophia. She says I can "borrow it sometime". Needless to say, I just purchased a 5ml for her so I can get my Imp back.

This is an excellent blend to use with children. IMO Sofie is 7 & I've used lavender essential oil on her since she was an infant.

Edited January 28, 2005 by Red_Hot_Mama

[rhubarbbear]

lavender is at the forefront of this one! lavender, softend by star jasmine. to me, this is a very grown-up perfume, but not in any negative way...its grown up in the way of a woman who knows herself, is confident, yet relaxed and easy going. kind of outdoorsy!

 

i love lavender

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Lavender and spices.

 

Second Impression: This is a lovely scent that I would enjoy if not for the potent headache-inducing lavender. Very rarely will I get a headache from one of Beth's scents, but unfortunately this is one of those times.

 

Final Analysis: The star jasmine note is gorgeous in this. It lingers after I washed it off. I'm sorry that this one didn't work. Quite.

[Witch's Dagger]

Sophia

 

(note: I wrote this before reading any other reviews or even the site description)

 

Freebie from the lab

 

Preconceived notions: none

 

In the vial: It seems to be a clear, aquatic, citrusy floral.

 

On me:

At first: Wow - bright citrusy florals... I think I’m smelling a few petals in a huge bowl of orange juice.

 

In a few minutes: It becomes a very powdery orange, and I still am not getting much else - I can sense that there *are* flowers in the background, but they aren’t coming out much. Some sweetness is entering the picture, which does help make it less powdery, but it’s still predominantly orange.

 

In half an hour: gone.

 

Overall: Not for me. Oranges are fine, but this is only orange, and it disappears in half an hour.

 

--------

Added while pasting this into the post: Lavender? (sniffs it again)... No, I'm still getting orange. Weird. I'd love it if I had lavender.

[isyche]

Oh, nice! It smelled just like lavender in the vial, but on my hand I'm getting a sweet light floral that I'm guessing is star jasmine/ delphinium. It's not like the usual jasmine note which tends to take over blends on me - this one is delicate and subtle, and with the lavender, it's a bit tart. I thought it was apple blossom at first. Later on, there's a little spice, and as it dries the rose comes out, so it ends up as spicy rose.

 

Sophia's lovely, fresh, and almost smells like a younger sister of Phantom Queen on me, which I wasn't expecting. It's quite an innocent smell at first, and it makes me think of childlike spiritual wisdom rather than old-books wisdom. The drydown is more grown-up, but still pretty.

[helarctos]

Delectable, well-balanced, complex. I'm not sure I can separate one note from another in my mind, the blend is so perfect. A spicy floral, but the spices aren't overly warm.

 

It smells somewhat like The Hermit to me, but with an added feminine je ne sais quoi. Appropriate for the feminine personification of Wisdom. I need a big bottle of this one.

[pekeana]

Sophia is light and soft, slightly bitter but very sweet, and incredibly complex for a floral.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I like the way the jasmine tries to beat everything else into submission behind it.

 

Other than that, I love it -- which is scary, since I'm not fond of florals that much.

[shelldoo]

in the vial and wet yowza, that is lavander

 

as it dried the florals came out. not distinguishable florals for me, but a boquet of florals and a spice background that i love, i def smell some cinnamon

 

i didn't like the wet version but the dry is very nice

[feline.by.design]

Sophia! Why have I never noticed you in the catalogues before?!

 

I think this was an free imp (frimp?) from the wonderful Lab, and I am so glad they decided to include this with the order. I don't think I ordered it, but if I did, I can't recall (I had a weird ordering-amnesia with this past order, sorry).

 

Sophia is *beautiful* and I am wholly enamoured!

 

Right away, the lavender is the center stage note when wet, but it doesn't take long for the other notes to push past lavender's sharp cool. Jasmine is noticable after about a minute on my skin (love! love!). It's not as strong as some of the other oils with jasmine I've tried. For those of you who may be familiar with Oneiroi, picture Oneiroi Lite. Sophia is soft, and the jasmine in the blend is toned down by the other elements in the fragrance. The black rose is barely noticable, acting more as a grounding note that helps soften the spices. The black rose is the note which probably would have steered me away from this oil as I'm not a fan of roses. In this case, it works extremely well. Sophia is so gentle and feminine. This is now easily one of my favourite florals ever.

 

I'm so glad I'm trying this on before I go to bed. Sophia is a perfect oil to use as a relaxation and sleep aid. I'll be dousing myself with a few more swipes of the wand before tucking myself in.

 

Even though my heart is elated with this discovery of gorgeousness, I can't help but feel a bit dismayed that I can't stick to my plan of trimming down my BPAL bottles now. There's now a little demon inside me that's tugging at my wallet, going "We must buy more!!" Oh deary me, I must repeat to myself "No more BPAL, I need tuition money."

 

But I'm weak. So very weak...

 

-doreen

Edited March 14, 2005 by feline.by.design

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soapy and rose scented.

 

On Skin: Pretty but a bit soapy for me. I also am not fond of rose scents… this reminds me of an older woman and the musk makes it a bit dusty like an attic. I like the spice because it makes it not as feminine as most rose scents…. I think it’s a scent I’d like on someone else, but not me.

[LiberAmoris]

Sophia is a surprise favorite for me. It’s hard to describe, but on me it’s a complicated, refined lavender. It’s herbal and floral and unbelievably comforting and soft. I’ve been wearing this one to bed and it’s the most amazing way to drift off to sleep…

 

I cannot put into words how much I love Sophia. Elegant, refined and therapeutic---with the radiance of wisdom and clarity of vision. This blend to me is an embodiment of the Middle English word gentilesse.

[pkwench]

Sniff: Very floral with a dark heart and something faintly powdery.

 

On: It's darkened even more so that it's a musky, powdery floral. There is something ... not really spicy about it, more like the impression of spice-if that makes sense.

 

After 10: Okay, it's a fey scent, this one. I can't quite pin anything down now. It's soft, it's floral, it's a bit murky and musky. And, yes, now there's a wisp of spice.

 

Impressions: Like I said, I have trouble isolating anything in this blend, but there's a weird, murky note riding on top. I don't know if it's the spice combined with the musk or one of the florals. I can't really tell what it is. It's not all together unpleasing, but I smell it and seem to go "wha?"

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle warm flowers..... mmmm delphinum, musk and spice.......

 

Wet Musky, warm........ somewhat spicey.... I am trying so hard to find the florals but alas, they are nowhere to be found.........there is a scent I am trying to place, and I can't it is so familiar, and for the life of me, I haven't a clue......

 

Drydown Oooooh oooh, I just got a hint of the rose. Barely. But it's there. The scent is really fading.....

 

Two Hours Later It settled back to musk, skin, and delphinum........ hmmmm...... kinda blah now.....

 

Verdict Was really hoping to like this one. It was just, ehhhhh.

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle, Sophia smells floraly with a hint of green in the background.

 

When wet, I initially smell the lavendar, but it's very gentle, not nearly as strong as it usually is in a blend. Behind it I can detect the musk and other subtle blooms. And can I say that lavendar and musk go so well together!?

 

As it dries, I begin to detect some of the other flowers in there while the lavendar is happy to blend into the background. Sophia never really turns spicey on me. I think the spice simply keeps it from getting too floraly. It seems to have the same tone and texture that Morgause does, but Sophia is a much more sublte musky/floral blend. And it has a touch of leafiness to it that makes it very pleasant and wonderful.

 

Overall, Sophia is light, doesn't have much throw, and disappears rather quickly...but it does smell wonderful while it lasts.

[thesibylqueen]

I wanted this imp because I *love* love *love* lavender. Sadly (and yet, happily) I couldn't smell any lavender. What I do get, however, is a deep, warm musk with a hint of spicy floral. It is wonderful--I feel so sexy wearing it.

 

An unexpected surprise--I definitely want a 5 mL of this!