Paris

[tinyvulture]

Sensual, decadent, and enigmatic. Lavender, softly underscored by lotus and spice.

lotus is a note that’s grown on me. sometimes it’s cloying and bubblegummy, but at other times it can be sparkling and beautiful. because it’s so sweet and fruity, i never would have thought it would make a good combination with soothing lavender. but it does. when freshly applied, this smells sort of medicinal, which i don’t like so much. but after it dries, the lavender and lotus balance each other perfectly and the astringent note fades out. it’s a little soapy, but not in a bad way. it reminds me of a high-end, fancy french soap. a worldly, sophisticated scent.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): There is something highbrow about this scent, that speaks of sophistication and classic charm. Nothing old-ladyish about the lavender here at all and the spice is not heavy at all.

 

On facial cotton (dry): Make no mistake, the lotus and spice are not about to play second fiddle. The scent has completely metamorphosed into a demanding scent, threatening to overthrow the old world charm.

 

On me: Lavendar and spice have overthrown the rebellion, materialising as a medium strength scent with a medicore throw. However if you're looking to only wear the scent for yourself, this delightful bouquet promises to seduce the senses.

[Iceblink]

I amp lotus like crazy so my hopes for Paris were not high. It's all sharp lavender when wet, then the spiciness comes through (this stage was really nice) and then OMG HERE COMES THE LOTUS!! It's actually working okay in this blend though and not giving me a total lotus attack like with, say, Forbidden Fruit. This is more of that sweet candylike lotus I got from Kurukulla. But I wish that lavender-and-spice stage had lasted longer!

[snapeophilex]

Another amazing morpher!

 

In the imp: mmm...lavender. Not really much else so far.

 

Wet: Eek! What a strange medicinal smell. It almost makes my nose feel warm when I snort my wrist

 

Dry: the lavender has left the building. Truly. All I get now is a sweet, nearly-cloying floral (smart money's on the Lotus, no?) and an underlying sharp spiciness. It's very soothing and while it's not my type of scent, I think I'll refresh my lavender potpourri with it--and I'll bet that will be gorgeous!

[suki]

in the imp: lavender. but not just medicinal lavender. this is sweet, and yes, it reminds me of paris in a wistful sort of way.

 

wet on skin: a combination of the sort of refined sugar candy that adults like and kids do not- sweet without being overpowering- and a lovely floral french lavender. it makes me think of a Provence-based syrup that the upper classes would pour on their morning fruit.

 

dry down: more of the same, with the lavender showing itself just a teensy bit more.

 

in all: floral without being cloying; sugary without being food-like. simply lovely!

 

 

[Northernskygal]

Funny thing about Paris.. I know I have worn it, several times before.. just never to review and.. I never really liked it.. I kept wearing it though.. mostly, I think, because I tend to forget what I have tried.. until I put it on again. This time.. wow.. I don't know if my nose has changed or if the oil has aged or what but.. this is so tremendously lovely.. I just.. I wonder what was wrong with me before. I am not going to lie.. I tend to avoid lavender, as it tends to go really sharp on me.. or really.. generic on me. This blend.. it just.. lush. It hints at spiciness without being foody, the lotus makes it a bit unusual and this is.. just the most.. refined lavender I have ever smelled. This is wonderful, regal.. calming (I'll bet it would make a great blend to wear to bed.. as it is comforting and pretty).. this is worthy of a big bottle.

[steelgossamer]

Hmmm, this was a frimp, and I generally don't like lavender but gave it a whirl on a whim.

 

In the bottle: Yup, that's lavender all right.

Wet: Still very lavender, pretty strong, but not overbearing

Drydown: Ah, there's the lotus. Still heavy on the lavender, but with some softer undertones coming through.

 

Decent throw, but it doesn't last very long on me- a couple of hours and then it's very faded.

 

I will have to try this again before I decide one way or the other. I'm just not sure if I'll be compelled to wear it very often, but I'll put it in the "to try again" pile.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

My parents are going to Paris this autumn--I am of course jealous, but also happy for them; they've never been and they have a such a wonderful, romantic relationship that I know they'll have a great time. Thus, I tracked down an imp of Paris to give my mom; in the past I've given her Venice and other imps relating to places they were traveling, and she loves having themed imps for vacations. To be honest, the notes worry me now that I look at them--I don't much like lotus. Well, here goes.

 

Oh gods, blech! This is just revolting on me--I have the sharp, medicinal edge that lavender can have fighting with the icky-sweet bubblegum of lotus. Well, I have Versailles and Bon Vivant for Mom as well in case this is as bad on her as on me, but I'm really disappointed. I would have thought Paris would be roses and champagne, or something very highbrow and Chanel No. 5-ish. I'm mystified.

[laforetnoire]

I am a big fan of lavender, therefore my review is biaised! I love this scent and it reminds me of my trip to Bleu Lavande in Fitch Bay!

 

In the bottle, Paris is sugar and lavender. When applied, the lavender becomes stronger and the lotus makes it appearance. I think there is a great balance between those two notes, one isn't stronger than the other.

 

Although the lavender is not too strong, I wound not recommend it for someone who as a phobia of it!

[bryghtrose]

The lavender and the lotus throw so much, and they give me a headache

[enderfem]

Imp: oooh. This is an excellent lavender scent with a hint of spice. Beautiful.

 

Wet: Less spice, more lotus and a ton of lavender. Soothing, but I'm hoping it develops a bit more.

 

Drydown: The lotus becomes more prominant and adds a nice sweetness, with the lavender as a base and a little spice thrown in. Oh, this is gorgeous!

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: help help it's beating me with the lavender stick. Lavender's one of my favorite scents, but seriously, this is BIG even just in the imp.

 

On me, wet: there's nothing soft about this once it hits my skin. It's all in your face lavender and lotus, both fighting for attention.

 

On me, dry: after about an hour, it mellows out and I finally get a little bit of the spice through all that lavender and lotus. At this stage, it's actually quite pleasant.

 

Throw and duration: throw starts out OMG WHAT HAVE YOU DONE levels of strong and ends up about average strong. I can't say much about duration because after a few hours, the harrowing memory of the initial smell of it made me wash it off.

 

Overall: for me, this is a strong reminder that just because a BPAL scent is made up of notes that you absolutely love, that doesn't mean it's going to work for you. I love lavender, lotus, and spice. I hate Paris. It makes me miserable. That's not really fair... I don't hate the whole scent. Once it dries and mellows out, it's really rather nice. But that first hour is hell. I thought I was going to vomit from how strong it smelled on me. Y-i-k-e-s.

 

I'm happy to see that lots of people have had good luck with Paris, as I love the idea of it and I do like the dry down, but... this imp is going to the swaps for sure.

[donnatron]

Imp: From the ephemeral Jenesis. Sweet lavender. I can catch a hint of the lotus and it is so sweet that I wonder if I can substitute this for my beloved (and depleated) Twilight.

 

Wet: Lavender! Heady, thick, heavy lavender. It's a sharp, gentlemanly lavender. It smells nice, but not as relaxing as I thought it would. One of the few lavender scents that doesn't have my eyelids immediately drooping and visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.

 

Dry: I forgot I was wearing this, to be honest. Not because I stopped smelling it, but just because I got distracted and then a few hours passed. Then I leaned over to pick up an errant book from beside my heat vent and this intoxicating spicy... pink scent wafted up. I sniffed again and it was gone. I sniffed my wrist and I smelled Midnight Kiss. I was incredibly confused. Then I remembered that I had applied Paris to the top of my hand hours ago. This is a gorgeous scent. The lotus is sweet and borderline bubblegummy, but it's also reminiscent of... fairy resin or some other cutesy name I could give a sweet, gummy, "pink" smell. The lavender is more grounding than dominating. Overall it's just a really well blended and beautiful scent.

 

Throw: Best if stuck in front of a heat vent, apparently.

 

Overall: I was nervous to try this because I'm not really taken with Lotus and I don't have nice memories of Paris. But it's a beautiful, feminine, intriguing scent and it lives up to the Paris mystique. A possible new love.

[DARKBEAUTY28]

I really like how this smells when I put my nose up to my wrist. It's like an airy lavender scent that really smells PURPLE. Then as I move my wrist from my nose I get the spiciness. The spiciness is a little unsettling for me. Okay, I just smelled my wrist again and the spiciness seems to be disappearing. Might be a keeper after all.

[dansemacabre]

This smelled awful in the imp. But I always try a scent on my skin before deciding whether or not I like it. Wet, it was a faint hint of powdery lavender. It has almost a sickly sweet scent it (something I normally do not have an aversion to because I love gourmand scents). It's almost a bit herbal on my skin as it begins to dry down. The lavender is still working and it really takes over in this fragrance. I love the smell of lavender, but I am not sure what is lingering behind the lavender. It's something almost septic. After a complete dry down I am really surprised at much I actually like this. The bottom line? Always try a scent before you dismiss it. If I smelled this without trying this would have instantly gone in the trash. But the dry down is very simple. The lavender has dried down a lot. It's faintly there, the lotus gives it a sweet dry down but at the end, it's almost spicy. . I'd like to age my imp a bit to see if this grows more complex or deepens a bit. I may consider purchasing a full bottle in the future.

Edited April 29, 2008 by dansemacabre

[savage_rose]

This is only a little more complex than a lavender SN. I can sense a hint of sweetness, I'm guessing that's the lotus. It's okay, but not really my kind of lavender.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, I get the herbalness of lavender and the clean scent of lotus.

 

On my skin, it's spicy, with the lotus underneath.

 

When it dries, the spices and the lavender are not mixing well - this one's not for me.

[voodoocatwoman]

I find that Paris screams LAVENDER!!!! Since I am quite fond of lavender, this is not necessarily a bad thing. I could have sworn (before reading the description) that I smelled bergamot in there too. I suppose it just either the lotus or the spices playing with my nose. It was not terribly long lasting on me, which is sad...

[thelaurenator]

Wow, I love this one! My boyfriend isn't too fond of it, though.

 

In the bottle: straight up lavender and spices. Yummo.

 

On the skin, wet: LAVENDER, spicy and sweet.

 

Dry: Watery, sweet lotus, spices, and a hint of lavender. Since I love lotus, this is great for me. I just wish there was a smidgeon more lavender on the drydown! I'm glad I gave this one a shot, though. It's a very pretty, watery scent.

[porcelina]

the bubble gummy sweetness of lotus covers up the screeching horror that lavender usually becomes on my skin and the spice rounds it out nicely. paris is bearable, but not something i'll wear.

[forspecial_plate]

I think this is an older imp. I keep getting frimps of this, Paris is stalking me! For some reason I kept thinking this was a rose scent. Anyway.....

 

This is nice, I don't pick up lavender, but I can smell the lotus and spices. I don't know why but this scent reminds me of crayons. It's a nice scent, nothing bad about it, just not overwhelming me. I'm giving some short reviews these days, for imps that have been hanging around and I need to decide what to do with them. This one I think I shall swap.

[zankoku_zen]

This. so. doesn't. work.

 

The bubblegum of the lotus kills the lavender. So it's this weird spicy bubblegum with lavender pieces in it.

 

Phew.

[gingiemay]

Wet in imp - Lavender for sure, lotus is the 2nd note with a tiny bit of spice.

 

Wet on skin - Less lavender than I was hoping and more lotus.

 

Dry on skin - Very light lavender, but mostly lotus. Pass for me.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Spicy lavender with an undercurrent of lotus.

 

Immediately on skin: This scent smells exactly like you would guess from the description: spicy lavender and lotus. The lavender is very herbal and dry, and the lotus lends its odd, sharp bubblegum fruitiness. The spices permeate the whole blend, giving it an almost peppery feel. This is a tangy blend, but not very sweet. It has more of an herbal feel going on.

 

After a little while: The lavender in this fades a bit, and the lotus seems to bloom a bit more. This isn’t a sweet lotus scent… it’s quiet and a bit herbal from the lavender. The spice adds a nice warmth now, and that peppery feel I got at first has faded.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a very nice warm, slightly herbal lotus scent. It’s a lotus scent for those people who are afraid of it being too sweet; the lavender does a great job of subduing it and giving it a nice quiet feel. The spice in this is warm and lovely, calming from a pepperiness at first. Very pretty, and well blended as well.

[Suu4LC]

I am very much looking forward to trying this blend. I am a big lavender fan, but have found bpal lavender blends hit or miss. I was actually wearing my beloved Yvaine earlier today, which is the blend by which I judge all other lavender blends

 

This is a very strong herbal lavender in the imp...not as smooth as I would have hoped. I'm not sure I'm diggin the combo of lavender and lotus. I could definitely sniff the spice in there-curious to see how strongly that will come out on my skin.

 

Ack, yeah, on my skin the lotus gives this a strong sour note. Yuck! Very very sour and funky. Don't like this at all.

 

After letting this settle in hopes the lotus would chill out, it is gone! Completely disappeared! I guess I should be thankful it had no staying power because I was not a fan of this blend at all. I'll stick with my Yvaine!!!