The Empress

[brownbear]

This one didn't start out as roses straight away. It was clear and green at first. Very clean. Maybe something like aloe. Then on my skin the roses amped up. It is very pretty and nice. I like this one a lot.

[juniperus]

Heady floral through and through. Lovely roses and...some other floral I'm not quite identifying.

[angharad]

I can't really define any note in this blend. It doesn't really smell floral to me. It's a bit sweet, but mainly...regal. Maybe it's just the name getting into my head, but whenever I sniff the Empress, all I can think of is how very regal it smells. It lasts for several hours with average throw.

[gloom bear]

I can smell the rose base, but it has a darker smell to it. Smells like an older lady rose scent-and not in a good way. This isn't the rose scent I was looking for. It's got a rose scent but a lot of other scents too, to the point where I don't like it anymore.

Edited June 21, 2006 by gloom & doom bear

[ViolentKitten]

In the Imp: A pretty, soft pink rose with some body! I might like this one.

 

On: Mmm, yes, this is lovely. Roses. Beautiful roses with a hint of something fruity and something just a touch dry, like carnation. A little musk or maybe some amber too. This is not a deep rose to me, it’s light...ethereal. And pale pink. As soon as I smell it, it’s the colour I see. Whenever I wear lighter pinks, I want to wear The Empress.

 

Such a pretty rose, and though I wouldn’t wear it a lot, The Empress does hit my mmm button. It reminds me too, of a very, very soft Spellbound (the first rose I ever truly fell for) but without the heavy incense.

 

Sillage is light, but just far enough from the skin to attract someone nearby. The man smelt it and I was surprised when he became instantly enamored, just like I did!

Edited August 15, 2006 by ViolentKitten

[edenssixthday]

The Empress – This is an incredibly banal rose. There’s nothing novel or special about it in the least. It smells like every other rose scent out there. I’m really disappointed, considering how lovely BPAL rose notes usually are. This oil stays really close to my skin and has moderate staying power. I don’t really have any interest in wearing it again.

[cranberry]

In the imp: roses.

 

On the skin: soft roses (i.e. not strong, assertive roses such as in Rose Red). There’s a slightly powdery aspect to this scent. And it has a sweetness similar to that in Bearded Lady (which also has roses). It’s pretty but not a “knock-your-socks-off” type of rose scent. But it is a clear, sweet, soft rose. After it’s been on a while, I’m getting something underneath that I can’t identify, but it smells almost succulent to me.

 

Overall: this is really pretty, I more like it the longer it wears. However, I really feel that Rose Red is the ultimate rose scent and I don’t think this tops it. It’s quite lovely though.

[sofaking6]

I got The Empress as a gift, and it's got me scrambling to try other BPAL rose blends. I see that I prefer my rose as straight-up as I can get it.

 

This is a very soft rose, but hovering over the rose is something bright - I think maybe lemon or lime? It doesn't detract from the rose note but rather keeps the whole blend from seeming muted or boring. I definitely keep going back to my wrist.

 

I'm not a good judge of rose (yet), but The Empress had me at hello.

 

Today I have this on one wrist and Black Lily on the other, it's a nice, nice day!

[supremegoddessofall]

Sharp lavender with possibly some vetiver behind it. I think I get a whiff of my nemesis neroli, too. There's also something that reminds me of a trip to the salon - a chemically kind of scent like hair dye or perm or something.

[fiddledragon]

In the imp: Rose. Rose often doesn't work on me, but this smells very similar to Rose Cross, so I have hopes.

 

On me: The rose is going a little sour but not awfully so. There's something green and sweet and almost citrus in there as well. Maybe a dab of resin or wood? The whole scent is very faint, though it may come out more on places other than my wrists.

 

Rose Cross is still my #1 Ritual Rose Scent, but if this were stronger, it might make good competition.

[filigree_shadow]

A very pretty rose scent. Not heady roses, just lovely roses, kind of like a pink rose. Sweet. As it dries it kind of gets that sharp scent that roses sometimes do, though.

[tziporra]

Well, I'm not going to add anything here on the first impression, since this is all rose.

 

But -- W-O-W, the drydown for me is a riot of wild rose with that sexy smutty undertone of burning wood. Grrrrr.......

 

On one hand it reminds me of a sandalwood rose oil blend that an old friend used to wear constantly, except this one smells good on me. And on the other hand, this is a more fiery, scalding rose.

 

I totally get the mother energy here, for me this smells a lot like giving birth. All feminine power and primal forces.

 

Sadly, I didn't get the energy "zing" here that I've experienced with other PBALs that I've liked, otherwise this would be perfect for me. I know, I want it all.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

[The_Merf]

I was really on the fence about Tarot: The Empress, but I eventually decided to put it up for swap because the rose (which strikes me as white/tea) is a bit too strong for my nose. However, there seem to be many other florals in here--perhaps gardenia or lily? This is a very proper feminine blend and seems to speak to the Venusian/beauty/balance side of The Empress (then again, this card is identified with Venus, so that makes a lot of sense). I would like to have seen some stronger notes emerge, but the florals here have good throw.

[stellans]

I really like rose blends, so much so that I consider a rose scent my signature. Mr. Stellans once brought me a tiny little bottle of Joy he bought overseas, and I thought that was my favorite ultimate rose scent. Beth and BPAL have changed my mind. Beth creates such complex and differing rose blends that one wants to collect them all. I missed on getting RoseRed, and so far have been unsuccessful at even scoring an imp anywhere, but I am loving the other rose scents, like Venus and The Empress.

 

Where Venus reminds me of red roses and love, The Empress is more pink roses, with maybe a few yellow roses thrown in for good measure. There's also not much 'green' to this rose blend, unlike Venus, where I can almost smell the thorns!

 

Anyway, to the rest of the review:

 

In the imp: roses, but soft and gentle roses, nothing roaring up into your nose.

Wet on skin: still soft, but commanding a bit more attention now, with a very slight woody note.

Dry: Dry down leaves a very subtle rose scent, with an almost imperceptible woody scent, like a little dried leaf or stem was caught in the petals when infused.

Verdict: This is a very good rose scent for every day; one wouldn't grow tired of it, as might be the case with a stronger rose blend, such as Venus. I am declaring this my 'signature scent,' because I love roses more than any other scent and would choose to wear this every day if I didn't have so many imps to try.

Edited May 2, 2008 by stellans

[theseagrows]

i think this is roses and rosewood...like others have said. rosewood has a tendency to go sour on me, so i am not liking this one much. i liked it at first when i got more of a creamy rose scent, but now it's turned to sour rose. off to the swap pile!

[purplemoonshoes]

In the imp: Fresh roses with an undercurrent I can't quite...something fruity

Wet: That mystery note comes out for a minute, then settles down

Drydown: This is a nice round rose, maybe dried roses? It's a little spicy.

Later: My skin absorbs this really, really quick.

 

I wanted this because a friend gave out Tarot cards once that fit everyone's personality, and he gave me the Empress. I absorb this so fast, maybe I have a special connection with it.

[GypsyRoseRed]

This is actually a wearable rose.. as in, a rose scent that I could wear if roses were actually my thing. Maybe it's because most rose blends hate me, but I've decided that they're so not me. Still, this one is slightly sweet and ever so vaguely fruity somehow.. I find myself wanting to own this, even though I'll never wear it because it's so pretty.

[moon_lemming]

SHOCKINGLY, I get rose out of The Empress. It's a round rose scent, like others have mentioned, with something anchoring it and keeping it from going into blowsy annoying FLORAL FLORAL EVERYWHERE rose. Something a little fruity, but faint enough that it's hard for me to identify.

 

I really wanted to love this one so that I'd have an excuse to get the bottle (ha) but I just don't wear rose scents often enough to justify a 10ml.

[Chrysantza]

This is very, VERY rose to me. Not a green rose like Rose Red but with more of an earthy, almost herbal undertone. As it dries down I think I detect a musk or resin undertone. I got this mostly for ritual/meditative use but I really like the way it smells.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Roses, wonderful roses! This is like damask roses plus the "jammy" note I first picked up on in Two, Five, and Seven, which is also in Parlement of Foules and Marguerite.

 

Wet: The light sweetness of it warms up and darkens into something much richer and less like sunshine. This is a deep red Old Rose with a lot of petals, in full bloom.

 

Twenty minutes: Yup, definitely red Old Rose. Wow!

 

Three hours: There's definitely resin in this, I think amber from the sweetness of it. It's just the faintest bit powdery now, but an hour ago it was amazing.

 

Keeper. Wish I had the opportunity to buy a huge bottle of this one, because I would in a heartbeat.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Light golden-beige oil. Bright flowers (sour roses) and various wood notes. A bit heady, quite sour overall. Bay leaf? A heavy, slightly bitter note, maybe myrrh.

 

Wet: Sweeter, a little smoky, still very astringently sour.The floral is that sharp, slightly powdery, rose. The same rose from The Miller's Daughter, original Libra and original Virgo.

 

Dry: That wood in the imp is dry and dusty now, though not warm. There's a curious coolness to this scent, almost mentholic (the bay?). The rose is a little less sour now, more like wild roses but not nearly as nice.

 

Later: There's the powdery velvet that's the trademark of certain violet notes - this gives me a vague Marie vibe, though the rose and violet notes are not the same. The myrrh is less bitter on my skin.

 

Summary: Goes to dry, floral, woody powder, with a sour, herbal edge. If the rose weren't quite so strong, I'd almost call this masculine, because it's so astringent. Strong throw and longevity.

[zankoku_zen]

I definitely get a sour, astringent Rose. The rose is, I think, similar to the one in The Miller's Daughter and some of the original Celestials. It has a warmer base, possibly myrrh.

 

I agree with the comment of 'old rose'.

[ami226]

Rose. A lovely rose. Maybe with something else a bit soapy. Not for me.