Brisingamen

[Meg]

The amber necklace of Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love, Sex, Attraction and Fruitfulness. Her magnificent necklace was bough from four Dwarves [Alfrik, Berling, Dvalin and Grer] at the price of four nights of her passion. When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.

 

In the bottle: Myrtle, slightly fruity, and something that smells a bit spicy, possibly the carnation.

 

Wet: Amber, very thick. Then slightly tart myrtle appears. I'd swear there's myrrh in here, too (is there a typo in the description?).

 

Drydown: Ooh, this gets creamy from carnation, with some apple blossom balanced out by myrtle, it's a little bit fruity and slightly bitter and herby at the same time. It's quite sweet, but also mysterious and a bit incensy. I don't really get the amber that much, it's probably what gives the blend its roundness.

 

Overall: A very beautiful blend, which reminds me of Sardinia (myrtle is their favourite plant for flavouring things), and has a very outdoorsy feel as well as a sensual warmth, and mystery from the resins. It does tend to get more and more bitter on me, though...

Edited January 12, 2007 by Meg

[myoubi]

I had a good feeling about this blend, and it paid off. My skin amps powder like nothing else (except vanilla), but this turns into a lovely silvery gently-sweet powder with an underlying carnation kick. I'm surprised that I like the carnation in this because usually carnation makes me cringe and reach for the soap...

 

This is lovely. Although there are blends I like more, I could wear this every day for the rest of my life and not complain too much a big bottle is necessaary.

[filigree_shadow]

Hmmm. I don't think myrtle likes me. I usually love ambers, but I'm not feeling the love here. This smells like kind of a bitter powder on me. There's something a little bit sharp about it, too. No, this definitely isn't going to work for me. But luckily there are plenty of other amber blends I like!

[zankoku_zen]

Normally, amber and I get along. This one however smells like a fruity-floral powder. I can detect a bit of honey but I do get a sentiment of silky and feminine.

 

This is pretty and yet doesn't play too well on my skin chemistry. Nuts.

[Keslynn]

In the bottle, it was a rich watery floral (maybe the myrtle?) with a powdery undertone. A mature smell.

 

On my skin, it went straight to perfumy powder, and it was strong. Unfortunately for me, this one has killer curveball throw.

 

I didn't like it, but I figured I'd stick it out to see if the scent would change any. After hours and hours (I fell asleep with it on), it mellowed somewhat. The powdery component was less prominent but it was still not enough to redeem it. The rich floral note I smelled in the bottle never really came out on my skin.

 

Verdict: Old lady perfume. I don't think I'll be trying this one again.

[dart]

Another hit for me. I'm knew to this and never would have guessed but it seems amber is my best friend.

 

I can smell a bit of the carnation I think, just a touch of spiciness coming through a very warm, golden base.

 

This is not a strong oil, not sharp but on me, rather soft, deep, rich. It does take about 15 minutes on me to fully develope -- but when it does! A total winner.

[eanewsom]

Wow, this is lovely! It doesn't grab your attention so much as lure you in until you've fallen hopelessly in its thrall. I find it more sensual than sexy- I've been wearing it to bed and it's well suited both to cozy, sweet dreams, and to other bed-y activities. Soft but rich, lightly powdery but not too much. I don't really notice other notes besides the amber, but at the same time it's definitely complex enough that they are making their presences known and appreciated!

[ngakmafaery]

I wanted to like this, but...the end result for me was that it smelled very like new age stores that sell heavy cheap amber perfume, and it did nothing for me...no gold necklaces, no notion of love, no reason to hang out with the four adoring dwarves...*shrug*...

[Lari]

When I applied this my thought process for the first minute went something like this:

 

"Strange, because the amber isn't really doing much on me wet. There's floral, and there's green-ness, and WOAH the amber just jumped out. And now it's pretty much a universe of amber."

 

If I could freeze this at the point where the amber just starts peeking out, I think I would really fall in love with it. It's very warm, and while it gets a little bit powdery it's not the sort of overwhelming Powder Puff that some oils turn me into. Not bad, but not something I'd want to run out and buy a full-sized bottle of.

[Sashan]

I am so disappointed. This was amazing for about 15 mins before it turned to powder.

 

At first it was all amber and apple blossom with a hint of spice from the carnation. An absolutely stunning, golden scent. It's quite light and not as strong as many bpal scents. Perfect for a warm summers day.

 

Once dried it turned to a sweet baby powder on me. It's not an offensive powdery scent. It's quite clean and fresh but not really how I wish to smell.

[yakavenger]

My very first review! I got this as an imp from a swap with darkophelia. O was just not... me, being too dark. Brisingamen seems to be a lovely amber scent, though. About 12 hours after applying it, it's still faintly there on my wrist.

 

My husband walked through the door last night and said, "Oo! You got new BPAL-- I can smell it, and I like it!" (He has very little sense of smell, so the fact that he could sniff this one is also good.) Since it's now Valentine's Day, hopefully that means good things today

 

It's very mellow, starting out being mostly amber and sweet on my wrist. Some time later, it gains a faint spicy floral (likely the carnation) while still being 'warm'. This is a sort of amber that is not heavy but more faintly woody and green on the drydown-- my two favorite types of scent.

Edited February 14, 2007 by yakavenger

[hepkitten]

This is so, so amazing in the bottle. But my BPAL amber curse is multiplied by five with this one...I smell like five kinds of gross sweat when I wear it. (Dangit!)

[moon_lemming]

Amber always turns to powder on me. Which would be good except powdery scents don't really work for me.

 

Why, then, would I try a blend with not one amber note, but FIVE AMBERS? Good question. I guess I thought the carnation, which I love, would balance it out.

 

Unfortunately, I can't even find the carnation amidst the powdery fog surrounding my wrist. The florals probably don't help much. Oh well, it was an interesting experiment.

[lanablade]

In the imp: Perfume? It must be the flowers, but it just smells like Perfume .

 

Wet: Ambery flowers? Flowery Ambers? And more of that Perfume .

 

Dry: Still flowers.

 

My nose is awful at picking out individual flowers, mostly because I just don't like floral perfumes. This is very light and sweet and pretty and reminds me a bit of a dusting (talc/afterbath/whatever) powder that I've smelled before. However, it's really just not for me.

[Jilara]

Interesting. The first time I tried this, it was light amber all the way through, with a touch of something powdery as it dried down. However, something has shifted, and it's very different today.

 

Wet, it's apple blossom with a backnote of carnation, and the vaguest hint of amber.

Drying down, it holds the floral notes in front, but the amber amps up and starts to make it less floral.

Dry, the amber is foremost, a front resin note, with background support mostly from the apple blossom. I can only find the carnation if I look for it. A male friend saw me sniffing my wrist as I met up with him for lunch, grinned, and asked which new perfume I was trying today. He checked it out and said it was amber with a back note of something that reminded him of fir boughs, not floral at all. Hmm, maybe Freya remembers that she lives in the far North, and her necklace ought to reflect that. I couldn't get the fir quality he was scenting, though.

 

It's good on me today, but then, both amber and apple blossom usually tend to do well on me. But I'm not sure I'd get a bottle, as that amber/powder thing it did on first application might come back, and that version just doesn't excite me.

[jasmine]

Highly perfumey when first applied. A bit woody, a bit floral... no fruitiness. Warm and dusky and sensual.

 

Shortly afterward, layers of resin take over. The smell lightens a bit simultaneously. Definitely a powdery amber. Mutes down to be very, very amber, and I can’t detect anything else.

 

Now, instead of being sensual, it’s completely powder. Within fifteen minutes, Brisingamen has gone to sort of the same outdoorsy tenor that the Lion has, but with no spice to make it interesting. Such a pity.

[Extispex]

In the bottle, very amber.

 

The same on my skin, very sweet but not cloying. A soft heady amber, golden and glittering. The other notes don't assert themselves individually, but blend in such a way that they gently mutate the amber into a sensual delight.

 

On dry-down, this one goes a bit powdery on me, but I notice the powder only if I sniff close to my skin. The throw on this is still all golden and sweet.

 

I can't say I'd wear this often enough to warrent a big bottle, but I'm keeping the imp for those special occasions.

[twistygirl]

This is one sexy mo-fo of a scent.

 

I am a sucker for anything amber - so needless to say, five ambers made me squee when I read the description. Admittedly, the apple blossom and carnation had me worried at first, as I tend to shy away from anything overly floral, but the addition of these two notes really add to the complexity and deliciousness of the overall scent. I smell just a *hint* of floral, and those notes really make this more than just a purely amber smell. It has good lasting power and I find it to be rather strong, yet it doesn't have a tremendous amount of throw. Completely gorgeous.

[bulletslc]

Amber adores me and I adore it! I knew I would love this one. What I didn't anticipate was how strong the carnation would come through!

 

Wow! It makes for very spicey amber! Loving it even more! Will probably have to get a big bottle down the road (after I get over the stress of four big bottles already on their way... )

 

Sniffs wrist again...yup still spicey, still amber! Love it! Hmmm....my cleavage is amping apple blossom....weird how different body locations bring out different notes. Actually this reminds me very much of a perfume my mother's best friend always wears that I've loved for years...! I'll have to find out what its called.

 

[destructivedelight]

I was very excited by the description of this product. I love apple scents and I love to wear gold; I thought this would be a smell I would want to devour.

 

Wet: In the imp I, I smell something floral and slightly alcoholic--maybe the myrtle?--which makes the perfume sweet and woodsy.

 

Dry: As the perfume breathes, the woodsy smell disappears. Amber moves to the fore, with slight apple blossom undertones. The smell is warm, smooth and golden. After about 30 minutes, the amber turned to baby powder--kind of a sticky sweet smell that made me kind of nauseous.

 

Once again, I am left seeking a warm perfume that works well on my skin.

[fiddledragon]

Wet, this is a very soapy floral, with a hint of resin behind it. As it dries, it becomes a little warmer and a little less soapy, but the amber never really takes off. *sad puppy face* Amber can sometimes be like that on me. And I guess I should put apple blossom on the "risky florals" list. This would be amazing on someone who can either wear apple blossom better or enjoy smelling soapy.

[phedre]

In vial: myrtle and amber, lovely florals.

 

Wet: Pretty! Creamy myrtle and bright florals. The amber in this is just perfect.

 

Drydown: Carnation is finally starting to peek out. It matches perfectly with the myrtle, one of my favourite green plants.

 

I'll need to try this once more to decide if it's a keeper or not.

[CrazyPretzel]

Wet: Strong amber with something that I assume is apple blossom: a floral, almost pollen-y smell that's very sexy in an organic birds-and-bees sort of way. Totally love it!

 

Drydown: Still predominantly amber with spicy carnation lurking just behind it. Sadly the apple blossom (or whatever that sweet sexy note at the beginning was) faded quickly on me.

 

End of the day: Amber and carnation. A reasonably long-lasting, ladylike but sexy perfume.

 

I'll have to go looking for more scents with apple blossom in!

[rockchickie]

I have tried this scent 3 times and I'm still unsure of what to think. I either like it or I'm indifferent to it.

 

On dry skin: My skin soaks up most of it and I'm left with mostly apples. It's such an interesting mix and I prefer this to the lotioned one. It's yummy and warm but doesn't last long at all. It's soft, demure but sophisticated.

 

Lotioned skin: The rest of it sticks around and the myrtle takes center stage. It's much more in your face. Spicier. Like the incense they were burning at the Islamic market the other day (I should've asked what it was, oh well).

[alliekat13]

Very spicy and sweet, it reminds me of bath and body works sensual amber fragrance.

Later: old lady spoilt perfume smell.

Verdict: not for me as I do not want to smell like an old lady. Oh yeah and it lasts and lasts and I can not wash it off. ew.