Unseelie

[LiberAmoris]

The wicked, malicious dark side of the Court of Faerie, Unseelie literally translates to ‘Unholy’. The Unseelie Court is ruled by Titania’s corrupted twin sister, the Queen of Air and Darkness. The Court rides the nighttime winds spreading chaos and miscief; woe be to any mortal that crosses its path. A misty, otherworldly scent laced with ethereal florals, crushed herbs and soft, dew-covered grasses.

Unseelie is a big mystery to me. I read through all the dissonant reviews right after I'd spilled half of an imp on myself in an attempt to put on just a drop or two (talk about having enough for a test subject!).

At first it smelled like a charming mix of Snake Oil and sasparilla. With a touch of maple syrup.

Now it's mellowed (if that's even possible given the fact that I have half an imp on my person) to a salty, grassy floral bubbling up through a thick layer of molasses and caramel. Could this be the same oil that has been described by others above?

It's definitely musky and powdery, as others have noted. But there's a salty wood note and a fae floral as well that tricks the nose. It's a stumper of an oil blend. I might have to wear this one a few more times just to see if I can make any headway with it. It's so delightfully perplexing that I'm not even sure if I *like* it or not. It seems somehow outside that kind of thinking. Unseelie seems like she doesn't give a damn whether I like her or not.

It's cool.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Pleasant little floral, quite sweet but tempered by herbs. No hint of grassiness at all.

 

On me: There's the grass. This is a very green floral, the flowers (I keep thinking rose and jasmine, but I'm sure it's more complicated than that) are kept interesting and fresh by the herbs. There's a familiarity to the scent but at the same time, it seems very ethereal and mysterious. It keeps changing on me...it's starting to smell a bit musky now.

...oh, and here comes the powder.

The scent is pleasant enough but the different stages make it difficult for me to like it, as I like it in the middle of the dry but not at the end or while it's wet.

[tempete]

Unseelie is very green on me when wet, with a tiny hint of florals lurking in the background. From this promising start, it unfortunately morphs into Love's Baby Soft on me. A more sophisticated version, to be sure, but not what I want to smell like.

[Azrhiaz]

This is the second BPAL that's made me think of Estee Lauder Youth Dew-- the other one slips my mind at the moment, but I should go back and look at my reviews, so I can figure out which notes I'm really not liking here. This, too, smells very like Youth Dew to me, which I really hate. I smell like old lady, and what's more, this one is giving me a splitting headache, just as Youth Dew does.

 

And, stupid me, I tried it on while my class is finishing a video, and I can't leave the room to wash it off for another twenty minutes. That'll teach me to try on perfume at the beginning of the period.

[sihaya09]

There is nothing wicked about this scent. In fact, on first sniff, all I smelled was soap! On my skin, this turned into a mixture of baby powder and soft aquatic notes, with maybe some light greenery winding through all the pale wetness. It's not a very "me" scent, and not a strong one at all. I liked it, but not enough to wear it very often.

[Unseelie]

7:32pm wet - powdery, flowery, very light & very powdery. At this point i'm worried - will this cause the dreaded "goes to baby powder on me" syndrome? what could cause that - thoughts derail from trying to figure out what's in the smell to wondering about hormone spazzing.

 

7:53 dry - still powdery. very powdery, but not baby powder, the florals are teasing, light and definitely there. e likes it. wait, what did you say? e likes it. @_@ okay, WOW. this is a guy who wore straight patchouli when i met him, and has since migrated to bay rum; strong spice fan. hmm.

 

11:00pm - it’s still there! flowery and light, and it's kind of soothing. i keep thinking powder and keep being pleased that it's not baby-powder; but the powder theme won't leave my mind.

 

Next Morning - woke up to reapply same for layer and was sniffing myself all day at work testing the strength. for a light scent, it seems to really stay! i put it in elbows and at wrists, rubbing occasionally to friction warm the scent. i smell powdery flowers, it's not baby powder, it's different, better, quite nice.

 

Probably not a big bottle scent for me, but i'll want to keep an imp on hand for the right - good girl type - occasions.

Edited November 21, 2004 by Unseelie

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: A wet almost minty floral that brings to mind hidden, shadowy glens full of rain and creatures scurrying through the undergrowth. I can't pick out a single note, but it has the same bright crispness that I can detect in Shattered. There is an almost cloying sweet scent underneath it all, like gum drops or something simlarily innocuous.

 

Wet: Mint gum drops on me with a touch of herbs and water underneath. This scent screams green to me as it makes me envision leaves heavy with rain and a coating of sugar.

 

Dry down: That mint cirspness dies out a little leaving the barest breath of the green floral sugar behind. It's a very light fragrance that still manages to maintain a fairly good hold on my skin. So many of my scents have rose in them that I find myself searching for that familar trace and not finding it. It's refreshing and yet disturbing at the same time. I still canoot discern any of the possible notes that might be in this. It still reminds me of darkened glens coated in sugar.

 

Dry: Fairly green floral. Like some wildflowers you'd find hidden in the shadow of a glen. There's a touch of powder to it by now and both the sugar and the floral fade over time leaving something of a light herbal.

 

After a few hours: Fades completely away after about six hours or so. Which isn't bad.

 

All in all, I like this scent. I don't think I'd buy a bigger bottle or wear it often, but I am glad that I bought the imp off the forum, and I will use it

[Splendid Molerat]

Unseelie has a very light warmth on the skin -- if you could make a shawl of spider silk, it would be that kind of feeling.

 

The combination of notes reminds me of Emeraude; there's plenty more depth to Unseelie, but they both give the impression of a pale green cloud of pollen.

 

And I've always liked a bit of pollen on a spring day.

[quinkel]

Unseelie was "love at first sniff"

 

Instantly it reminds me of some Lush bath ballistics (fairy jasmine) and Alkmaar soap and Silky underwear dusting powder.

 

Yes, it's powdery scent but thats someting I dearly love! There is also Lilac somewhere underneath and a tiny hint of Jasmine perhaps. It's warm and sexy as hell. Stays very true on my skin, same as in the bottle.

 

I am greatful I could swap for a 10ml because this is my new #1

 

Of and btw, for those who are crying over discontinued Bruja, try this, you might love it.

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle Honeysuckle, gardenia, poppy, musk, and jasmine.....

 

Wet Reminds me of Chanel no 5. The jasmine in this smells just like the one in Chanel. It is really strong on me right now..... It smells kinda generic.

 

Drydown What the hell? It now smells like Youth Dew. Damnit, now I smell like my mom. lol.

 

Two Hours Later It's gotten a lot better. The smell warmed up and got spicer, but faded so it wasn't so overpowering. It's a very confident, sophisiticated air around me. All I can really smell is jasmine and musk.....

 

Verdict Ehh..... it's alright. I dunno..... probably trade it. It's not really me....

Edited December 12, 2004 by etherealchild

[Cedar]

Unseelie is Chanel No. 5 on me, all the way. And I love it. It's powdery, a little floral, a little herbal, but really more than anything else it's bringing up childhood memories of playing with my grandmother's Chanel No. 5 powder. There's a jasmine scent, too, and that's probably the strongest after the powder.

 

I mixed it into a perfume spray and it's lasting quite a long time, so yay for that. And Mr. Cedar likes it

[surf-tormented]

Unseelie drifts on my skin from an almost rubbery Band-Aid smell to a nice almost Avon type perfume. Something I would expect to find in a bottle shaped like a butterfly. Brings up memories of childhood and happiness in me.

 

It really isn't anything I could do without. The notes aren't really seperate from each other, so I can't pick out any one that I would say is a standout.

 

It's warm and soft. Smells like honey and powder on me. I can't smell any grasses or strong floral. Just warm honey and powdery petals.

[Macha]

On my very first forum trade, I was fortunate enough to gain a number of rare or discontinued imps from ivyandpeonies, and one of them was Unseelie.

 

Wet, in bottle: Eh. This smells....generic. Nothing special. Nothing even particularly noteworthy. Perfume without any of the specifics of spicy or sweet, herb or aquatic. Almost ineffable. What is this? How do I even begin to describe it? It doesn't smell bad. It smells good. But I don't have the vocabulary to describe what I'm smelling, other than to say "it smells like perfume." I put this in the back of the drawer and it is one of the very last ones that I try.

 

Wet, on skin: There a bit of floral, but it's still extremely hard to pin down exactly what I'm smelling. Ethereal florals indeed. No joke there. If there is anything sinister to this scent, it's its steadfast refusal to be identified, labeled or categorized, rather like the Unseelie themselves. This perfume is well named, that's for certain.

 

Dry, on skin: Whoa. I begin to understand. This scent intensifies as it dries and turns to the most delightful powder. Not baby powder, but a very adult, beautiful powder. It is floral, but not; herbal, but not; aquatic, but not; sweet, but not. It's strong, but not so strong that it intrudes on conscious thought. Unseelie is subtle, enduring and mysterious. This is the most subtle of seductions, the most quiet of enchantments. It entices, not through come-hither glances and a swaying of hips, but in soft whispers at the edge of hearing.

 

Conclusion: I understand why wails of anguish were heard when Beth announced this scent's discontinuance. This is truly a lovely scent, and I will hoard the imp like the precious thing it is.

[orangepaas]

It's powdery to me, but reminds me of Hamadryad without the cinnamon.

[Andromedii]

I just got 2 imps of Unseelie in an eBay win and I'm going to hoard them like crazy because I love love love them so. I can't understand why this scent was discontinued, because it's flippin' gorgeous!

 

I don't have it with me, but I'd gladly take more if anyone is willing to sell or swap theirs. I'd give Unseelie a loving home.

[Sheila]

RIP, my darling Unseelie. I'll cherish the 5 imps I've managed to horde.

 

Unseelie is indeed powdery, as many reviewers have commented. It's very otherworldly and ethereal. It is so well-blended on me that I can't recognize any single note. It's a flowery, herby, posh, powdery cloud that really lasts--and throws--on me.

[helarctos]

I received an imp of Unseelie as an extra from the Lab in an order after Unseelie had been discontinued. I'm glad I got a chance to sniff it, but I'm not upset to lose the chance to order it, either.

 

It is the only BPAL scent I've tried that smelled much like a commercial perfume to me. An earlier poster mentioned she thought it smelled like Youth Dew, and I agree -- I once had a bottle of VERY well-aged Youth Dew, and Unseelie straight out of the imp smells much like that did, although Unseelie mellows better.

 

Doesn't have much staying power, either. After three hours it is mostly gone.

[shelldoo]

hmmmm very powdery very floral, thsi reminds me of a grand old lady, in a victorian parlor.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

Unseelie will most likely be a love it or hate it scent for me, I think. The herbs and grasses are right up my alley, but florals aren't normally my thing. I'm curious to see if this will work, but I've got a feeling that it won't, which is fine, actually, since I can't get it anymore.

 

First sniff:

 

Unseelie reminds me vaguely of chewing blades of the long grass that surrounded the summer camp I went to when I was little. It's slightly bitter and astringent green tinged with parched yellow. I think I was expecting something softer and more mellow, but Unseelie is downright sharp.

 

Wet on skin:

 

It's toning down a little now, becoming more dusty and less astringent, but it's still sharper than I imagined it would be. I think I was expecting a soft summer day and got witch hazel or something very similar in feel and in scent. This is actually pretty weird, since it's so far off from what I'd imagined.

 

Dry down:

 

Unseelie is drier and very powdery now, but it's still too sharp for me, I think. Something about it just isn't setting well with me, but I can't put my finger on it except to say it makes me want to shy away from it.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm glad I got to try this, but it just isn't me. That's a good thing, though, because I hate to end up loving something and never be able to get it again.

[Galena]

I should have known better than to swap for a discon, shouldn't I?

 

dear Gods it's beautiful.

 

and now I'm sad.

[Spastik_Kitty]

This was not what I was expecting or hoping for.

 

First sniff: Powdery and perfumey

 

After a while: This reminds me of a Chanel perfume, not sure which one because I'm not a fan of any of them and avoid them like the plague. It's very warm and powdery and comes across on my skin very perfumey.

 

Off to the swap pile

[rainbow]

In bottle and wet on skin- wow, heavy and powdery. Absolutely not what I was expecting. There's a very heavy tang to this.

 

Wearing- I'm getting no green from this at all. It's heavy, deep, and dark- dark browns and blacks. I get some slight hints of florals, but mostly it's just oppressive, heavy, musky powder.

 

Final reaction- I just can't wear this. It's too "old" for me. Musk and powder aren't good on me. I wish I got the grass and green garden scent others seem to get, but alas, no.

[cormeretrix]

this one was floral, but deep, in the imp. not quite musky, but dark. also, for some reason, it made me think of spearmint chewing gum. yes, i'm odd.

 

of course, about 2 minutes after i put it on, i was gasping for breath.

 

so i'm afraid that it had to go bye bye to a new home.

[anmorata]

Unseelie:

 

At first, Unseelie went on quite floral.. but after a bit of time, the smell of it turned into a faint resin scent, resembling amber. Very odd. Not a scent I'm fond of at all, actually, so I passed this one on.

[Chas]

Anmorata passed this imp on to me, and I'm in love. I'm not good at identifying notes, but it's fresh and a little musty all at once. It reminds me of digging in my garden first thing in the morning. On my skin it was powdery overlayed with spice. On me it's gorgeous and mysterious, and definitely makes me a feel a bit wicked. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for someone looking to dispose of a larger bottle, and recomendations for a similar scent.