Maiden

[voorishsign]

A gentle vision of purity, goodness and virtue: white tea, carnation and Damask Rose.

Frimp from the lab - oh dear, rose and carnation, if ever two notes never worked on me . . . although, this is a lie, Damascus rose occasionally works, and it's in here - so why not try it?

In the imp: rose, lots of rose.

On wet: well-behaved rose and carnations.

Drydown: much of the same, but deepened. This is a pure, uncomplicated, beautiful scent, perfectly befitting a tea party or stroll through the gardens. Not my kind of thing, but pretty.

[Acushla]

Out of the vial: very fresh white floral; I'm not only getting the cool white blooms but the just-cut green stems as well. Normally I get knocked in the face sniffing straight out of the imp, but not so with Maiden.

 

Upon application: Rose is my notorious enemy but I think the Carnation is balancing it out because it's not overwhelming everything else like usual. I'm not getting the "clovey"

Carnation note that many people have commented on and that I disliked so much in Queen Gertrude. My skin seems to amp citrus scents and the white tea is having a field day, standing strong in the background to give it a little citrusy kick. Definitely a very "young" scent without being juvenile.

 

Overall I LOVE Maiden and I think it's perfect for an everyday scent. It's a pity that the throw is so light, though, and my skin seems to have eaten it after about an hour or so. It's definitely worth slathering on multiple times though, and I may have to get a bottle of this.

[khazakant]

Damn, well. I have one of those chemistries that gives an instant sex change to any feminine scent I put on (which is great because I can pick up anything in the catalog instead of hovering around the men's/gender neutral scent rec thread ) but here it got a touch ridiculous.

 

By Maiden, you mean blood-covered, naked, screaming, Tyrfing-wielding Viking maiden, right? Because that's what it does on me. My skin also amps carnation. Cool. It deepened into something like "cloves, cinnamon, and a pine forest" to quote my brother. And yes, it is ultra-masculine. It's almost the cologne I've been looking for all my life. Only something in it is turning into a citronella candle on me. Possibly the rose. So I sicced the tiniest layer of Satyr on it, which ate most of the citronella and turned it into cloves, cinnamon, pine forest, and animal musk with a sharp, green core. I smell like a lycanthropic barbarian king, which is something like the exact opposite of a maiden. It's like a meanier, spicier Fenris Wolf.

 

Weirdest damn way any BPAL has gone on my skin. I don't expect anyone else to have the same result, but I thought it was funny enough that I'm sharing.

[Ashenrook]

In the Bottle

It's sweet, but not overpoweringly so. I smell the tea and some sort of floral action brewing back there, namely involving the rose.

 

On Skin: Wet

Instantly carnation! It's gentle, sweet, and just a little bit of spice. The backing of this is re-enforced by the tea, making this quite the lovely little scent.

On Skin: Dry

The rose starts to manifest more at this point, but while it is more noticeable than the carnation at this point it doesn't overwhelm it like rose tends to do. The white tea note remains a constant presence, barely shifting.

 

Afternotes

Both the rose and carnation drop to the background, sweetening the everpresent white tea with richness and spice.

 

 

Verdict

On an American scholastic grading scale of A to F, A being best, I would give this an A.

 

I am a tremendous lover of floral scents – especially if it has rose in it. However, thanks to scents like Maiden, I am beginning to fall deeper in love with carnation. It's just a wonderful little thing that adds a little bit of spice to a blend without having to run to the actual spice rack. This very well might be a 5ML for me eventually.

[plainjean]

In imp: Herbal, slightly rosy

 

On skin, wet: Hello, carnation!

 

On skin, drying: Soft, slightly powdery rose with carnation. Oh dear..it's turned to baby powder. Major baby powder.

 

On skin, completely dry: It's turned back to being a bit rosy, albeit a very powdery rose. I really am not getting any white tea, though. It does have a teensy bit of spiciness to it, which I assume is due to the carnation. The spiciness of the carnation does sort of stick in my nose and my throat and bothers my eyes a bit. So that's kind of unpleasant. I get the same effect whenever sniffing real carnations, so I think I just have issues with carnations, ha.

 

Overall thoughts: It really doesn't have any throw at all..which I don't really mind. Honestly, I just don't think Maiden is my style. It also doesn't last too terribly long on me, either. I'm sure I know someone who will absolutely love it, though!

[zagadka]

This was a freebie in my order and I hadn't ever read the description, so I'm quite proud of myself for picking out these notes!

 

Upon first wet whiff, it was carnation, baby's breath, a touch of lemon and white rose...very soft and ethereal. My mother is a florist and this reminded me of all the times I sat with her at work while I was sick or off from school, it smell like a cooler full of white flowers.

 

Right away, it turned into a giant rose bouquet. All of the subtle notes were gone and it was nothing but huge, giant, overwhelming roses. Ick. I cannot do large, sharp floral scents- they give me an instant migraine. I tried to wash it off but I can still smell it! ARGH!

 

On someone else, maybe but this one just isn't for me. It'll go to my BFF who never buys herself anything nice + smelly

[Incendiare]

In the vial, Maiden smells like a slightly sweet but spicy rose. Freshly applied to my skin, it's a different story. The rose intensifies, the tea comes forth, and the carnation moves to the back of the row. The carnation gradually steps forward as Maiden dries, but the rose still remains strong on my skin.

 

I love florals and florals love me, so I'll most definitely use up my imp, but not sure if I'd buy a bottle of this.

 

Back to add more. After an hour, the carnation has taken the lead. It definitely seems more balanced now. Love this!

Edited October 1, 2010 by Incendiare

[Aisha]

In the imp: Dainty - very floral. I mostly smell the carnation & rose, but there's a little greenery in there, too.

 

Wet: The tea has joined the party, and there's a faint citrusy note as well. Lemon?

 

Dry: Mostly rose.

 

The verdict: Cute, but not really "me." I like florals as a gentle background to other things--and they're the star of the show in this one.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): Heavy Damask Rose just comes through like a sledgehammer - thick and heavy.

 

On me: Carnation comes through, carried on a much lighter and softer rose - then turns powdery on me. A shame since I quite liked its first notes after it was applied to skin.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: the white tea is slightly sour, but the carnations make it greener. it's not particularly like roses (at least not a traditional rose). it's a little girlish, almost innocent.

 

On my skin: the white tea turns powdery and a little like candy. still greenish, like the stems of roses rather than the petals. it gets greener as it wears on, and turns slightly powdery. I adore the green, but it's only that dried phase that I love. the sweetness, I could do without.

 

Last thoughts: I like the tea well enough, but I think the rose and carnations combine to make it too sweet. not a fan of the candy-like aspects of this scent.

[Ella LaRose]

I got this one because of my love of lush's poison, and I can tell you it is almost an exact match on my skin! It isn't as strong in the spicy carnation as lush, but it matches the smell on my skin exactly, seeings how on my skin the lush carnation fades. This is a very watery flower scent, very light and femanine, like walking through a flower garden at the edge of a pond. just lovely!

 

edited to add. My first reveiw was of the imp, then I ordered a bottle from another forum member and WOW!! Now it is perfect, strong and spicy in the carnation, strong throw, even after it dries, it gets softer but still, the dominate smell is the carnation. I am so happy I took a chance and got the bottle of this, what a good scent!

Edited April 30, 2011 by Ella LaRose

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Clear, colorless oil, as pure as spring water. The scent is sweet and floral. It doesn't smell like roses. But the carnations I've had never had much fragrance at all, so I can't really say with certainty that it smells like carnations. White tea also has a very delicate scent, so I can't pick that out either. Whatever it is that I am smelling, it is very lovely.

 

On me, wet: Pretty much the same as in the imp, but there's also a touch of fruitiness, which doesn't make sense. It must be something my skin is doing to the oils. The same thing happened yesterday with another blend that didn't have any fruit essences in it.

 

On me, just dried: The scent is quite consistent, but already there's a lot less throw.

 

After about 20 minutes: now I'm picking up something that smells rather like vanilla. WTF? I think I *may* be able to detect some white tea now, too.

 

After 45 minutes: A powdery, but pleasant, light floral scent.

 

After about 1 1/2 hours: The sweetness has died out as drydown progressed. And by now, the scent itself is pretty much gone, leaving just a faint whiff of something that smells vaguely like old paper. I'll need to reapply this often, or wear it in a perfume locket.

 

Verdict: I was particularly interested in the rose and white tea, but this is mostly carnation. I never got any hint of rose at all. And the white tea was so short-lived and faint that it might have just been me trying too hard to smell it. Nevertheless, this is a very pretty scent and is exactly as described. It would be a lovely choice for a young girl. (Which won't stop grandmotherly me from wearing it, too.)

 

My rating: 4 stars

 

 

(Later ETA - I tried it again, over two years later and from another batch, and I still get the fruit, which smells like a citrus, perhaps grapefruit. It was initially the dominant scent in the blend, but quickly faded to let the lovely florals take over.)

Edited November 11, 2013 by Ghost of a Rose

[calivianya]

Oh my, this is really surprising! I received Maiden as a frimp from the Lab. It is exactly as it has been described - tea, rose, and carnation, innocent and sweet. This is such a beautiful, pretty scent. I'm tempted to keep it, but I don't really wear this kind of scent and I know it won't get much, if any, use from me.

[impolight]

::: MAIDEN :::

 

This one promises prettiness. The Lab’s version of White Tea is consistently guilty of transfixing the hapless snout, so the goodness will be abundant. The concern with the Rose is only that it results, consistently, in smelling like grandma. Grandma is very much beloved, but the desire to leave the insinuation of doilies and little glass jars filled with hard candies in your wake hasn’t fully developed here. Carnations work well for Him or Her, but as this one has been dubbed, “Maiden” the guess is that this will be a frill-ride through a stuffy, pink abusement park.

From the Imp: How very strange. The Carnation is conspicuous and very realistic; there is, even, the greens of stem and leaf that you can pick up from a one of those black buckets hoisted out of a refrigerated room at the florist’s. That’s not the strange part. The strange part is the Apples. True, no mention was made in the notes listed, but here they are; shining, sparkling, encrusted in pink sugar, and draped in candyfloss. Still no temptation to wear this one, at this stage, but different than what was expected. What an intriguing room fragrance this would make.

On the Skin: Again with the weird. This would be a very close floral relative of The Sea Foams Milk from Märchen. Thankfully, it’s the Carnation that really pops in Maiden. It is wonderfully spicy and floral; very reminiscent of the real deal.

If Maiden were to smell like it does after it has been applied to the skin, it would be an awesome room fragrance. While the candy thingy is pretty darned interesting, it would be more of a gift idea for somebody that’s enamored of the pink sparklies.

Maiden is a pretty good fragrance for Her.

[whitsunweddings]

This was so odd on me.

 

In the bottle: Very sweet, more fruity than floral. If anything, it reminded me of watermelon candy.

 

Wet: Butter! You know when you're baking, and you have to cream butter and sugar? Kind of like that.

 

Dry: That weird sweet butter (which isn't unpleasant, just unexpected), with rose talcum powder underneath. I can't decide if I like it or not. I'll give it to a friend who really likes rose, and see how it works on her.

[Gateau]

This one morphs on me.

 

Wet, it's wafting a candied fruity sweetness that seems to be the white tea. Below that is a sweet rose.

 

Dry, the mossy undertone of the damask rose comes out, and it mingles with that dry spiciness of the carnation. The sweetness and fruitiness is gone, and the mossy, spicy floral combination is what I don't like in florals.

 

If it had stayed the way it smelled to me in the wet phase I would love it.

[Floria]

It's a BPAL rose blend that works on me! Possibly because it's mostly carnation. It's delicately beautiful, damp, and springlike in the imp, but loses some of that dewy quality on my skin and gets spicier. However, I didn't encounter the harshness I sometimes get with BPAL roses, and I am fond of dianthus, so I'm happy.

[bellumed]

It’s official: I amp rose. That would explain why the supposedly gentle Maiden exploded with rose as soon as it touched my skin. Luckily, the rose settles back as the oil dries and lets out the scent of noticeably watery tea and carnation. This scent reminds me quite of bit of Alice (for obvious reasons), but I strongly prefer it over Alice. I’ll have to keep this around.

Edited June 28, 2012 by bellumed

[stellamaris]

WTFaerie, where did this come from? Why haven't I heard about this before? This! This is so sparkly and bright, so long lasting and heavenly, the dry down so carnation and perfection. Oh my. Another Big Bottle for me...

[chicorymist]

Got this as a frimp from the lab! In theory, I should really like Maiden - I love tea and roses - but together in a pale floral? This is probably going to be way too feminine for me.

 

Wet: Yep. This is all white flowers and... citrus?

 

Dry: This smells gorgeous - I'm getting white roses and spicy carnation, maybe a little tea in the background - but sadly, it's not me.

 

Gave it to my mom, who loves delicate feminine florals, and she loved this. It lasted about 3-4 hours on her. This was a great surprise holiday gift! Thanks lab.

 

Edit: After a couple hours this turned to soap on me anyway. It's better on Mom.

 

2.5/5

Edited December 31, 2012 by chicorymist

[yakiguri]

I'm starting to think that Damask rose is a bad rose for my skin, as it's quite high pitched in Maiden and it's making me sneezy. Ah well, can't win them all.

[Atrous]

I was scared to try this when I first got a frimp from the lab. It's been sitting in a box for awhile until I decided to brave it. Florals in general - Carnation especially - go rancid or way too strong on me.

Well, Maiden is different.

 

In the bottle: Beautiful lush roses. Then again they usually smell nice until they meet my skin.

 

Wet: I get more lovely roses and a bit of tea.

 

Dry: As this started to dry the carnations came out and threatened to spoil everything. I started getting that same sharp, racid ickiness that I usually get from carnations. After a half hour though, carnations fall far into the background. What's left is a wonderful rose scent that doesn't go wonky.

This scent is really pretty.

[Lani]

I got this as a frimp, and I'm glad I did, because it's something I probably wouldn't have tried on myself. Like others have said, this is a farily simple, very well-balanced scent. On me the rose is what's most easily detected, but it's a soft, sweet rose, not overpowering, and not lusty. There's a bit of spiciness in the background, and it doesn't ever go powdery or soapy, which happens to me sometime with rose and floral scents. The scent basically maintains the same level on me all throughout wearing it--it doesn't evolve significantly from application to drydown, which is a nice contrast to the other scent I recently tried (Bluebeard, which started off AWFUL and then got very nice but took like 3 hours to get there). This is a great spring or fall scent -- sweet, crisp, and soft.

[ajcj213499]

To me this smells exactly like a mix between Empyreal Mist and Rose Red. A nice, springy scent, and a noteworthy floral since it doesn't seem to go powdery or soapy.

[Aviatrix]

This one somehow reminds me of Alice's tea party; a very girlish and young and innocent scent that would go well with fine porcelain teacups and tea-stained white lace.

 

It's a well-blended mix of tea and carnation, with a hint of rose thrown in. The carnation remains the strongest note throughout.

 

I quite like this, but I already have other girly scents in my collection, so I don't need a full bottle just now. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys sweet and pure and pretty scents, or who is a fan of carnation.

 

It's very pretty overall.