Verdandi

[raisin]

Deep herbs and apple with black amber.

 

I think this is close to what I wanted Unicorn to smell like. I'm getting the herbs loud and clear, with the apple to give it some sweetness without overdoing it. (I may need to make a point of trying more of the apple scents... this is lovely.) The amber comes through, but only after everything else has settled down.

It's a wonderful fragrance. I like that it makes me feel feminine without feeling girly, if that makes sense, and that it blends the fruit and herb and amber together in such a fresh way, without being something I could say was definitively warm or cool or fruity or green. It's really delightful to wear, and I can see myself doing that often, especially with summer coming up.

[impolight]

:::VERDANDI:::

 

The Apple is quite noticeable the instant that it is exposed to the air, but what comes as a surprise from Verdandi is a nutty quality.

This could come from the "deep herbs", but it is seriously filling up the air with something that is very much like Pecans.

The Amber curbs the Apple peel just enough to where, if you weren't looking for it, you may well not recognise that there is actually any apple in this...

This is very... Leafy.

Skin says: Rocket-rapid morphing magic!

For a split second, everything disappears but the now heavily salted nuts... Bar food.

In the next instant the Amber leaps to the surface with a flamboyant, "Tada!" before plummeting back down into anonymity.

When the Apple makes another go, it resembles something more along the lines of Cantaloupe... Topped with salted nuts.

Verdandi may not be a first pick, but it is certainly... Interesting.

Worth a look.

Foody intrigue for Her.

Furtive glances of mistrust for Him.

3.3 out of 5.

[damonkitty]

I really love this one. I get a sweet, spicy apple blend. I got the fresh apples right away with a touch of spice. I am not sure if it is cinnamon, but it has a spicy note to it. I wrote A+ next to it after testing so I think I will have to get a full bottle of this one .

[mxtine]

This was sent to me by a kind member from the Orphanage/Karma Swap thread. Initially, I was turned off by the intense apple smell from the bottle (because who can forget B&BW's Country Apple Invasion of America years ago?), and it smelled a little musty, so I let it sit for a few days until I was feeling adventurous. Today was that day--on my skin, the apple is sweet and fresh, but only lasts for about 10-15 minutes. After the dry-down, I smell the black amber (which I love) and a faint fruitiness. It fades pretty quickly on my skin, but it's definitely a keeper.

Edited July 24, 2010 by mxtine

[SophieCedar]

Wet: not sure what's in "deep herbs" but it's there. Nothing really sharp, astringent, or notable. Maybe chamomile is in the mix? Strong apple and a touch of fig. I think the fig is apple and black amber mixing. Nice and dark but a bit confusing.

 

Drydown: wine-like chamomile note keeps appearing? the apple and herbs are steady. amber blossoms slightly to make this a more rounded smell. Very nice but not bottle inducing.

[Tiada]

This smelled SO good until my skin ate it all after maybe 2 hours.

 

I was sniffling my arms the whole way into work. Definitely herb-y, with the apple singing loud and clear. Sweet apple, not tangy. Like a really ripe Golden Delicious. I guess the depth of the scent was the amber doing its thing. Very very good all around, my only complaint being that it didn't last long. The plus side is I can try out another scent when I get home!

[grrrlennyl]

Verdandi

 

On: A dark apple scent.

1.5 hours in: A very nice, dark, sweet apple scent.

3 hours in: Sweeter, but still mostly apple, with a bit of amber.

10.5 hours in: Very light, but still a sweet apple scent.

Overall: Apple scents aren't really a priority for me, so Snow, Glass, Apples is enough for me.

[meredevachon]

Frimp from the Lab

 

In the imp: Faint apple.

 

Wet: Apple, not too tart, not too sweet. Getting some of the herbs, fresh and green against the apple.

 

Dry down: The amber comes out, makes the scent warmer, rounder, golden. It stays close to the skin, and I could like this.

 

Dry: My grandma used to dry apple slices, then use them later to make apple turnovers. This smells a lot like the dried apples, but with the amber keeping it from smelling straight foodie.

 

Overall: Verdandi is nice. It didn't wow me, but I liked it well enough. The biggest problem is less than two hours later, it was completely gone. Even with my nose up against the test spot, I couldn't smell it at all. I have plenty of other bpal I like more, so I'm passing this one on to a friend who wants to try it.

[Gateau]

In the imp -- herby apple shampoo. Pretty.

 

Wet -- not much throw. This is primarily apple, mixed with some grassy herbs. The apple is more red than the green apple I tend to get in other apple blends, such as Delirium. It may not be quite as red and juicy as the apple in Shango.

 

Dry -- This is warm, herby apple, like a late summer orchard. The amber isn't it's own note, but warms it all up and adds sunshine. Could be nice on a country weekend in the fall.

 

Later -- This has gotten increasingly potpourri-like and less pleasant to wear. I think it would make a nice room scent, but it smells like a Yankee Candle now.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): I get ripe, green apples, a bit of bubblegum (not sure where that is coming from), and just the faintest aspect of herbiness. It’s a bright and pretty scent in the imp.

 

Wet:Ripe while still firm apple, slightly herby, like rosemary, and just a hint of overt sweetness like amber. I fear it could go a little chemically on my as there is just a tinge of it now, it the apple certainly is interesting.

 

Dry: Faintly apple and a sweet herbiness. Very pretty in terms of a spring scent.

[Lady Midnight]

In the bottle it has a mild and generic but not unpleasant perfume smell. On me, it smells like watermelon. It's not a bad scent at all, but I'd rather not smell like a watermelon.

[angelamaria]

In bottle: apple with amber, rather creamy. This is a somewhat "grown-up" apple.

 

Wet on skin: apple, herbs, and amber. Going on, it's almost sharp, with a touch of dark bitterness? There's an interesting, almost peppery texture which I'm owing to the mix of herbs. This smooths out while it dries.

 

Dry: definitely apple--a beautiful, crisp apple, surprisingly bright without tipping over to a "young" sort of apple. There is a deep, almost boozy note that I can't quite put my finger on, I suppose that's the black amber, as it does get more prominent the longer it stays on my skin, edging a bit ahead of the apple.

 

Verdict: this used to be one of my keeper blends, but eventually I decided I had to let it go. It's a wonderful apple blend, but not really "me".

[asciident]

Wet: Apple with some depth to it.

 

First on: Very herby apples, with just a little sweetness to them.

 

Dry: The herbs have relaxed into the background, and the amber has come out. It’s like apple amber.

 

 

[elinox]

First Sniff: A fresh, juicy apple. A bit on the candied side though.

 

Wet: Something perfumey came through and it was pure yuck. The apple is still there, but really faint now.

 

Dry: As it dried, it stayed light but the initial perfume grossness faded. Now it reminds me of fruit ready to be picked in springtime. Once it dried completely (which is about 15 minutes for me) there was some apple still there but it mostly turned into a deeper berry smell; Frumious Bandersnatch’s little, timid cousin.

 

My Reaction: The deeper smell is interesting, but not what I was expecting. I had hoped to amp the apple in this one, but either I’m still not slathering on enough or most BPAL scents just don’t like my skin chemistry. There is also no throw with this and it’s fading on my wrists already. It had potential though!

 

Rating 1-5: 2

[Xue_Bai]

Freebie from the Post.

 

Imp: ...pink bubble gum? It's really sweet...

 

Wet: Still bubble gum but melon flavored, with some spiciness below. Kinda weird right now.

 

Dry: Yes, yes, and yes. It's a dark, really spiced hot apple cider...crisp and lightly sweet, spicy and warm. The spices come across as having a bunch of cinnamon. There's nice sense of something darker underneath that must be the amber.

 

Later: The spice has died a bit, and the apples are no longer quite as fresh. The amber's also much more present now. There's a slightly floral scent to it, making it overall smell like spiced apple blossoms with a creamy, musty sensibility.

 

Initially the throw is quite large, though after a few hours it settles closer to the skin. I had already decided I liked Eve as a spring and summer apple, but this is the perfect fall and start of winter apple. Jumped towards the top of my list for full bottles.

 

Something about it makes me want to layer it with Snake Oil...will report later in the correct thread about the layering...

[milo]

Lovely apple and amber. I'm not that fond of apple in bpal, but I LOVE the amber note. The tart apple is giving a different dimension to the apple. It is slightly spicy apple. The amber is more in the background, but I still like this. It smells like fall to me. I'll probably use the imp.

[heyjjudette]

I think I'm liking this! The herbs hit me first. A witch shop comes to mind, or a cottage deep in the woods. It quickly turns to apples on me with a faint hint of amber. And now the herbs again mingling with the apple as its drying down.

 

An hour later: full blown apple cider! This has turned very spicy. Beautiful. Total autumn scent

Edited October 16, 2013 by heyjjudette

[Magycmyste]

This is the first of the Norns that I'm trying, and I'm excited. Admittedly, I don't know much about the Norns beyond Ah! Megamisama, but still.

 

In the imp: Herbs with a hint of juicy apple.

 

Wet on skin: Same as above. Actually, on second thought, I don't think that's the herbs, I think that's the black amber I'm getting with a splash of apple and just a touch of the herbs. I'm hoping it doesn't change much on drydown. It's beautiful and I love it. There is something about the black amber that brings the Skyfall theme into my head. It's deep, it's sexy, it's sultry, but the apple freshens it up and brightens it. I could see that note going beautifully with roses, and taking it a whole other direction.

 

Dried down: It's more apply now, like the apple and the amber have blended together to to form one uniform note. This is a little less sexy and more "lady going out for a formal evening in a dazzling gown." The sexy's still there, but it's almost ethereal.

 

Throw: This has a little bit of throw to it, though I'm not exactly sure how much I actually got on my wrists (I think the oil level in the imp was about half). The throw is kind of faint but hints of apple.

 

Verdict: **** 1/* Frankly, I think this may be one of my favorite GC fruit scents, and may very well become my go-to apply scent. I think a bottle of this is definitely in order when I start ordering more GC scents from the lab.

[Pumpkinn]

Verdandi smells like dried spiced apples. Like the sort of home-freshener people whip out in the fall, although it gets brighter and less stuffy as it wears. Eventually, I get the bubblegum others have mentioned.

 

This isn’t an unpleasant fragrance, despite being one of the stronger BPAL scents I’ve tried so far. It’s a little too synthetic for me, though. But it might be worth a try for those who do enjoy those types of fall scents.

[Aviatrix]

This is a ripe, deep apple scent on me, with a slight bit of shadow from the amber. It's rather faint once it hits my skin and it doesn't last very long. While it's there, however, it's really pretty.

It's well suited for an overcast autumn day, I think!

[Veronica]

Spiced apple cider over a warm, slightly smoky base. Almost foody. Not sure if I would wear this.

[Nicnivin]

I would have loved this scent when I was a teenager, but at just shy of 40, it's too young for me.

Apple dominates over all the other notes, and reminds me of a green apple shampoo that I swore by when I was in my mid teens. It's crisp and sweet, evocative of bright summer days, but it's light fruitiness just doesn't suit me at all.

[Soupy Twist]

You remember Salon Selectives, which had that distinctive artificial but pleasant apple-blossom scent? Pretty much that. A light apple in the bottle. Goes on as an apple blossom with touches of vanilla. This becomes that Salon Selectives apple, starts to deepen a little with the amber, and ends as a slightly-too-sweet fruity floral.

[h_yeti]

In the imp: Smells almost like rockmelon to me which seems really weird! It's very sweet, fruity and lolly-ish... Not sure about this one..

 

Wet: The lolly aspect seems to be calming down a lot thankfully! It's starting to smell a bit more complex. A bit like apple herbal tea actually.

 

Dry: Mmmm I like this one a lot! Definitely not lollies anymore, phew. Now it's been on for a while all I smell is sweet, slightly fruity, soft amber. I was worried the amber might go soapy on me but it hasn't yay. I can't smell the herbs all that much (probably just my inexperienced nose!) but I like the amber so much I don't miss them.

 

This perfume makes me think of sitting in the sun, eating a ripe red apple and drinking a cup of sweet herbal tea. It's very cosy and comforting

[Myrrha]

I grabbed this at random to test and had no idea what was in it. My first reaction was that it smelled really good, kind of tart or even bitter apple with something dark in the background.

 

now that I've looked at the notes I really like the "black amber" in this scent. It actually smells like the amber in Tenochtitlan but not so sweet. The herbs are dark and slinky at first.

 

After about fifteen minutes the spices become more apparent. I do like cinnamon-y scents and this seems balanced. It is mostly apple-tinged amber now with spices. I will test this further but it seems like a fabulous scent for fall and I'm pretty sure I will want more of this.

 

Edit: Once it dries it is really more of an amber scent than an apple scent. Amber fans should definitely try this.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Myrrha