Nefertiti

[Caitfish]

“The Beautiful One Is Come”. Egyptian iris and olibanum with red and white sandalwood, soft myrrh and a breath of North African herbs.

Disclaimer: I don't think from the start that this will be my kind of scent, I'm not a big fan of sandalwood or myrrh. I'll try to make my review fair and objective, but take it with a grain of salt!

In the Bottle:
Dominant Notes: Surprisingly difficult to distinguish any notes but Iris at this point.
Initial Impressions: This is a surprise, I thought that the sandalwood would make this very dry, but in the bottle it smells lush - almost wet! Also, very floral. I'm sure I'm about to be slayed by Sandalwood and Spices, as my Ares blood almost always makes sure! Here goes!

Initial On:
Dominant notes: Iris still. A lush, white floral. A bit of sandalwood and myrrh rising.
Impression: This is becoming dry, from being so wet. The sandalwood is sucking up the extra moisture without killing the beautiful Iris at the center. I can definately smell herbs now. I have Sophia on my other wrist, which is only very slightly spicy, and Nefertiti makes her smell so spicy in comparison! This is... fertile. That's the only way to put it.

After a While:
Persistent notes: all of the above, they seem to be balanced very well.
Staying Power: Not exceptional, fades after about an hour or so, of course I applied this very sparingly.

Overall Impressions:
This is evocative exactly of a very lush oasis in the middle of a scorched desert. I usually hate using flowery metaphors to describe these things, but that's it! The herbs make this ever so slightly green, the Iris is ABSOLUTELY lush, and the myrrh and sandalwood create a halo of dry warmth around the whole thing without crushing any of it. This actually kind of reminds me of Dragon's Tears in a way. It's lovely, but I'm really not a fan of Sandalwood. If you are, you'll worship it. Edited September 16, 2007 by Shollin

[Nepthys]

This was one of my most highly-anticipated scents, partly because of the name and partly because of my beloved sandalwood. I am pleased to report that Nefertiti is as beautiful as its name. It begins on me as a cool and peaceful green, with the iris and the sandalwood coming together in tranquility. Then slowly it turns warmer and more myrrh-y and feminine, but without losing that serenity at the core. This is the scent of a strong, self-possessed woman, and suggests a calm nobility befitting a queen. So far of all the BPAL I've tried, this strikes the absolute perfect balance between sandalwood and green/floral notes - it's genius.

Edited December 25, 2004 by Nepthys

[VorpalBunny]

Now, I am a huge sandalwood fan, but this doesn't come across as sandalwood at all to me. It is herbal and floral. That said, it is one of the most lovely scents, and so indescribably unique. It is light and slightly sweet and floral and sexy all at once. It makes me feel strong and powerful and sexy. It is one of the lighter Love Potions, but beautiful nonetheless. I definitely need to order more of this.

[shadow]

All I can say about this is it's absolutely lovely. Sensual, feminine, beautiful, graceful, perfectly blended. It's wonderful and I love it. No one note seems to stand out to me. It's warm but doesn't go dry or hot. It's sweet but not cloying in any way. It's soft but has presence.

[FireInCairo]

This blend just emits a regal feeling. The name truly suits it. I think that the earthiness is quite nice too. It's earthy/floral- but not too heady. It's definately safe for day time wear. I think this is very woman;y/feminine. Very clean too...

[pekeana]

It should be said that sandalwood and I usually don't get along very well... as evidenced in this blend.

 

At first, I get a lot of Nefertiti's bright, brilliant happy greenness, all herbal and clean and brilliant... And if it had stayed that way, it would be wonderful! But, alas, my skin amps the hell out of the sandalwood, and I can almost swear that there's a touch of patchouli in here somewhere, too, because I can smell something similar to patchouli around the edges of the sandalwood, and it's been making me gag for the last hour and a half since it dried down completely.

 

I love the early stages, but the drydown is just totally not me.

[Astarte]

Nefertiti appealed to me greatly because of the name alone Its not what you would expect for a sandalwood scent. It actually became much sweeter by the time the blend had settled on me. I didnt catch much of the Iris scent but the sandalwood and spices together are delish.

 

[darkling]

In the bottle: It smells a bit spicy and nutty.

 

On my wrist: It smells like very faint, dry almonds with a hint of myrrh underneath. It is a very wispy scent and I have to strain to distinguish the notes.

 

Drydown: This is a very gentle, warm sandalwood. I tend to dislike sandalwood with a passion but this is different from any sandalwood that I have ever encountered. There is still a thread of spice and myrrh mingling with the light sandalwood.

 

Nefertiti is a dry and gentle scent that only lingered for a couple of hours. It is very beautiful but it is just not to my tastes.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: All myrrh.

 

Second Impression: I was expecing a bronze goddess sort of scent, but this is very green. The myrrh takes over though, on my skin it's like vetiver jr. and that's not good.

 

Final Analysis: After upwards of 350 scents, I'm still learning what works on my skin and what doesn't. BPAL has been quite a journey. Nefertiti is going to the swap pile.

[phaedrine]

A google search tells me olibanum is frakensince, so that with myrrh, sandalwood and herbs gives a really wonderful, soft, warm blend. It rounds out and grounds the iris from being too floral, but the iris keeps the others from being too heavy.

 

The first impressions are of egpyitan ritual incense and gold, which fades down to filmy linen.

 

Sadly, within an hour, my skin eats every last drop of this. Beautiful, but not for me!

[darkitysnark]

Nefertiti

 

A swap that I almost put back up in the swap pile because of my first reaction, but now.... now...

 

In the bottle:

Light and spicy. I don't see any nuts (almond or otherwise) listed in the notes, but I'm getting a definite nut vibe. That just sounded unbelievably crass and kinky right there.

 

Wet:

It must be the lily, but without reading the description again I'm getting nothing but jasmine, jasmine, jasmine.

 

Dry down:

Still jasmilicous. I've got a like/loathe thing going with jasmine, so I'm feeling a bit meh at this point.

 

Later:

Having applied my rose hand lotion, I've had to take a sniffing break (rose + jasmine = Nyx) but now.

 

Wow.

 

Spices and warmth and I keep imagining the kind of heat that comes up off my skin when I've been in the sun in the middle of a sultry summer. Sort of that clean-sweaty spicey gold-toned yum.

 

Strangely, I'm only getting this on my left wrist. My right wrist is more of a green spice. There's a slight tang that doesn't seem to be on my left. Weird.

 

This warrants at least one more try (sans rose hand lotion) just for this very nummy stage. It's the non-nutty, more floral equivalent to Queen of Sheba (which I adore).

 

Edited to add a fanatic OMG! I have a total girl crush on this oil right now. I'm about six hours in and I smell delicious!

Edited February 10, 2005 by darkitysnark

[arachne]

Lalalala. This is so purrrrrty. Like I'm skipping gayly through a field of flowers. On me, this scent is pure Iris and Olibanum. I don't get much of the sandalwoon and that's okay. Not that I don't like sandalwood, but the foral experience is such a nice change from my adored dark, musky, woody, incensy oils. I put just a dab on this morning for a test drive and it's gorgeous. I love the name, I love the fragrance and I love the fact that I'll be getting a larger bottle of this soon!

[Splendid Molerat]

Nefertiti is beautiful and serene. It's one of those fragrances that gets shuffled to the back if you're sampling several at once, and tends to reward single-minded attention.

 

The iris is heady and light, almost aquatic. The resins and spice are dry and airy. The beauty here is of someone who requires distance, and not of someone who can be touched.

[VelvetSky]

Nefertiti is all about sandalwood, iris and crushed mint on my skin. An herbal undertone in a fragrance usually gives it a cool character, but Nefertiti is a sun-scorched scent to me.

 

This is an extremely dry fragrance; when I smell it on my wrist, it's giving me visions of dry red bricks baking in the sun for some odd reason.

 

I can detect the myrrh in the basenote, but there is no sweetness here at all.

 

Nefertiti is a very interesting scent...aloof and queenly and very no-nonsense. I'm not sure I know quite what to make of it, so I'll just say that this blend is very Egyptian.

[Guest ExquisiteSiren]

When I first smelled this imp...I thought ick...floral.

 

Wet - lush green fresh...very clean

 

Dries down- to a softer smoother floral, I am imagining a crisp white dress.

 

Smells a bit dusty...but fresh????

Very beautiful...but I can't see myself wearing this as it is...so i contemplate what to do with the rest of the imp.

 

And it hits me.....I empty a bottle of demeter poison ivy (ick) and pour the rest of the imp in the clean bottle with water.

 

And I spray it all over my bed sheets and pillow.

 

Voila, egyptian cotten. A bed fit for a queen. Even dituted...I can spray it on my body and avoid the musky old lady smell.....

 

I am strangly attracted to my bed. I want to entertain in my bed. Serve bloody tea and lay there all day...lounging in luxury. I feel soooo regal.

 

I will keep buying imps to make my magic bed potion spray

Edited March 11, 2005 by ExquisiteSiren

[sarahjay]

this is just lovely and much fresher than I thought it would be, must be the iris. I love sandalwood, I love myrrh, I love the touch of herbs, this blend did not disappoint.

 

I've ordered 5ml today

 

I'm really enjoying the egyptian blends - cairo, khephra, ahathoor, bastet (a bit almondy actually, but settles nicely). nefertiti is a lovely addition to these blends.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: A warm green, lush floral. I can't pick out any of the individual notes.

Wearing: Oh, yum. The green florals are enveloped in a warm golden haze. I still can't pick out any individual notes, which surprises me. Usually myrrh and amber develop beautifully on me, and this is beatiful, but the notes are just a golden haze. This wears off too quickly for my taste.

Final Impressions: This is gorgeous. It is warm, lush, green, and golden.

[tinyvulture]

sandalwood and florals definitely. but i'm also smelling stuff that i don't think is really there, like coconut at first, and lemon later on. i think this is perfect for a really sophisticated, classy, elegant kind of woman. that's not me, but it's still a nice scent.

[ShadowAngel]

Nefertiti is very aptly named becauase it makes me feel beautiful.

 

This is a lovely scent. The sandalwood and myrrh make it incensey, but the herbs and iris lighten it up to make it perfect.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I was gifted with two imps of this on the same day by emunymph and the BPAL powers that be (read: lagniappe)...it must be a sign!

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I'm a bit worried about the iris in this since florals aren't really my thing, but the rest of the notes are right up my alley.

 

First sniff:

 

Sweeter and much less intense in the resin department than I was expecting. I think it must be the iris I'm smelling that's throwing me off. Underneath the sweetness there's a hint of herbs and a bit of incense, but it's nowher near as intense as I'd hoped for.

 

Wet on skin:

 

That's better. On my skin, the iris mellows quite a bit and lets the herbs and sandalwood through. This (once again) reminds me of another BPAL scent, but I can't place it. Anubis, maybe? I honestly can't remember, but it's familiar.

 

Dry down:

 

Resin and herbs but with a sort of waxy floral to it. This is actually quite nice, in spite of the florals. It has three of my favorite resins in it and the herbs give it a nice depth that sets it apart from my other BPAL resin blends.

 

The bottom line:

 

Better than I'd expected although not as strong in the sandalwood department as I'd hoped for. I really like the dry down on this one, though, once the iris mellows out.

[jj_j]

I love iris, so I was excited about trying Nefertiti. The Egyptian Iris that Beth uses here is very different than the Florentine Iris I love so, and took me by surprise - it has a very liquid feel to it, and it's beautiful.

 

I don't get much of the frankincense or myrrh mentioned in other reviews, and Nefertiti keeps her cool and watery green characteristics on my skin. In a hard-to-describe way, this is floral without being floral; it's like a lush little water garden tucked away where you'd least expect it.

 

I love the aquatic feel of this scent - it's like Prague in that you feel the water without actually smelling aquatics. I'm definitely ordering a bottle of this, as the sandalwoods never come out, let alone take over, as is their usual habit when meeting up with my skin.

 

Truly beautiful, cool and refreshing, and a wonderful summer scent!

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle Nefertiti smells a bit green and herbal.

 

Wet, the spices really pop right along with the iris. It sort of smell like a cardamom or another foody spice similar to the ones in Silk Road. It's actually a neat combination with the iris.

 

As it dries, Nefertiti turns a bit perfumey soap on me. The sandalwood is starting to show it's head just a tad. It lends more to the earthy feel than actually smelling like sandalwood. This one is weird because for 10 minutes it will be soapy, and then the spices will kick in and create a really nice musky floral...and then it will swtich and do it all over again.

 

I really do like Nefertiti but am still debating if it is something I would personally wear. It smells exotic and beautiful. It's the type of floral I like because it's surrounded by really great complimentary notes like the spices.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Exotic.

 

In the imp/bottle:Sandalwood and myrrh. Herbal and very dry.

 

On skin, wet: Not quite as spicy as I'd predicted. Soft and green and earthy.

 

On skin, dry: A cool, woodsy herbaly floral kind of thing. Still much dry; almost dusty.

 

Conclusion: I know I've smelled this someplace before. I think I may have an incense that smells similar to this. It's a very exotic scent, and I think this would be great for using in sachets, though it's not something I think I could see myself wearing.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Aredhel

[PurringPulsar]

Nefertiti

 

In the imp: a light, fresh floral with green herbs. This is a green scent, like the smell of a florist. Very nice.

Wet on skin: the iris gives this a lovely lightness, and there's still that green herbal smell, I think I can smell something underneath, maybe the myrrh and sandalwood. This seems like a perfect smell for summer.

Dry on skin: this is lovely! Sweet and green, with, to me, a hint of cut grass. The herbs fade away over time, but this is no bad thing. The sandalwood adds its hint of distinctive warmth, whilst the iris (which becomes more dominant as I sniff) gives it a cool, fresh, sweet, almost watery or airy aroma. If I was to give this an Egyptian analogy, this could be the scent of a fresh breeze blowing over the Nile, cooling the warm air. It's funny how BPAL scents seem to put such images in my head…

After a while: this still retains it's cool, light floral-aquatic/airy smell, I can't really make out the resins but I think I can just make out the sandalwood in the background, adding just a hint of warm exotic woody-ness.

Verdict: magnificent. This is a perfect, light, calming and clean summer scent, like a breath of fresh air, and another one of those Egyptian scents that I have fallen in love with-I've been very lucky with them, I think! Definitely one to consider getting a bottle of.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - imp received in a swap.

 

Preconceived notions - I love all things Egyptian and am making my way through all of Beth's Egyptian scents. So far I have loved them all!

 

Wet - a soft, light floral.

 

Dry - At first I get iris and olibanum (which I looked up and it's a resin that is similar to frankincense). I don't get either sandalwood or myrrh, which would really help ground this fragrance. This is a beautiful scent, lush and tranquil, but it is simply too light for my tastes. It also fades on me relatively quickly.

 

I will try this one again, because if I get the sandalwood and myrrh this would be the perfect scent! As it is, I will hang on to the imp for those days I am in the mood for something soft, but I won't be moving up to a bottle.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.