Paris

[tragedy]

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

Theres something about bpals lavender that really disagrees with me... At first in this thats all I smelled, sharp herbal lavender, there was something in the background I kept trying to huff that semmed promising...
And there it is! The lotus breaks out and blooms over the lavender making this quite a nice blend. Lotus + Lavender is nice.
I thought I was going to hate it in the beginning! Edited July 14, 2009 by Shollin

[milo]

What a lovely, spicy lavender this one is! I haven't peaked, but it is kind of a sweet, clovey or cinnamon with lavender. This ranks right up there with TKO in fave lavender blends. This is gorgeous, and I think I'm going to hunt a bottle down!

[ephemera]

This smelled like a very odd combination of cheap bubblegum and some sort of sweet floral. I got no lavendar from this at all, and actually had to wash it off post-haste.

[Aldercy]

I thought I was taking leave of my senses when I smelled bubblegum in here. Is that a lotus phenomenon? I guess I haven't tried enough lotus blends to know. It actually smells exactly like that new 5 gum-- the pink "sour to sweet" kind.

 

So, yes, it's sharp, slightly bitter bubblegum with ground spices. It's really fun and perky, and I like it, but I think I could stand to see it go.

[caffinatedangel]

Whoa.

 

In the imp this is exactly as described. Lavender, spiced. (No idea what lotus smells like, though o_o) Wet on skin? bubblegum. Seriously. Juicy, sweet, and a little tangy. Lavender is still there, but it sort of gets lost in the odd combo.

 

In my brain, I say "Hey, LOTUS!" and I feel like this bubblegumy scent could easily be lotus, someplace. But, it sort of smells like bubblegum, and pork chops (that would be the herbal element, Im sure. Like pork chop spices. rosemary? basil? Unno.)

 

It's very strange. Very strange indeed.

[femmefatale]

This smells like someone who is chewing a fruity bubblegum while wearing lavender oil. Then sadly it morphs into one of those lavender scented natural cleaning products.

 

Boo.

[tajana]

I usually love lavender, lotus is great in moderation, and spices are great! So, when I slathered on some Paris I had high expectations. When first applied, I get herbal, clean-smelling lavender. Within moments, the lotus amps up and mixes with the lavender. It has a slightly aquatic, genuinely pretty aspect, but it's so strong that it colors the whole scent with bubblegum. A shame! There's just a faint hint of spices here, I think nutmeg. After a few hours all I can sense is a bit of bubblegum lotus dusted with nutmeg. It also has a powdery quality. As usual with very lotus-heavy scents, I still find it oddly appealing... despite or because of... its bubblegumminess. Still, though, I'll be reasonable and pass my imp on to a new home.

[lmfaith]

I am a lavender person, and I couldn't smell lavender hardly at all. Smells like the spices on me . . . cloves, maybe? Not what I was looking for, but I'm getting used to it.

 

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Slightly spicy lavender

On Application

Sour lavender

 

Dry Down

Basically just sour lavender all of the time.

 

Rating (0-5)

1

 

[heathercaley]

Finally! A lavender I can wear and love!! Usually lavender goes all wonky on me. I love lavender, but usually it doesn't love me. Also, lotus can sometimes become a sickly sweet bubble gum. This is a wonderful exception! There's no hint of sickly bubblegum, and no hint of manly lavender. It's a perfect combination of the two and I am in teh love!! Soft, sweet, a touch spicy, with a hint of the lavender that I've always wanted to love.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: sugared lavender

 

Wet on Skin: lavender, less sweet than in the imp

 

While Drying: a softer lavender than some of the other blends I have tried; no spice yet, but I think I can sense what must be the lotus; The Boy says: "it has a very nice high note, and a very nice low note - together they are interesting!"

After a Little While: low throw; fairly delicate, not much spice coming through - I wonder if that aspect will amplify with age?

Later: not very long lasting; fairly demure

Final Thoughts: Another entry in my Quest for the Perfect Lavender... This one is not bad, but is lacking a little omph. I wonder if aging will amplify the spice? I think I'll put this one away and try it again in a few months.

Paris earns a 3.5/5... maybe a 4/5 on my skin.

[DeltaCat]

This lavender goes all wonky on my skin. The lotus I think is the culprit...This is way too sweet on my skin.

[Venneh]

Lavender in the imp, lotus on my skin. Hrm. We'll see how this goes. Lavender fights with lotus, and wins. Bah.

Edited February 25, 2010 by Venneh

[kunoichi]

In the vial, this is a very sweet, high and cold lavender scent; the coolness of this scent makes me think of winter. Yet there is a dramatic change as soon as it hits my skin - sweet bubblegum starts to waft up to my nose! I put it on just before bording a tram, and during the journey I kept smelling fresh, juicy bubblegum; it was me! It is only when I sniff my wrist that I can smell a spice-ladened lavender which overwhelms the lotus - which is quite odd, since I can distinctly smell a pure bubblegum-like lotus scent when not sniffling my wrist. I'm not sure how it does it, but it's a great paradox! After a few hours, all that remains is the lovely, soft and cool, yet now almost plastic-like, bubblegum sweetness of the lotus.

 

[fairnymph]

Extremely pale yellow oil, virtually colourless. Sweet, fruity LAVENDER. It's a rather medicinal lavender, not the more floral lavender of say, Yvaine, and the lotus is not the typical pink bubblegum note but more of a berryish fruit, though still very sweet - but tempered here by the lavender. Not getting any spice.

 

More lavender, more mentholic and sharp - definitely medicinal, and a little soapy. It reminds me of the lavender note in Temple of Dreams - I'm pretty damn sure it's the same. The lotus is stronger too, and more bubblegummy now - a weird clash with this particular lavender note, especially. I feel like I get spice now, but I can't say what - I just get a feeling of heat that wasn't there in the imp.

 

Ughh, this is getting more and more revolting in a chaotic way by the moment. Lavender, still medicinal, going intensely soapy; lotus going to straight cloying sweet pink bubblegum, and I think the spice is that nasty sharp sort of clove that amps like crazy on me. So this is very intense over all with very intense throw and totally jumbled, completely disharmony. Oh, and it's still not even dry and it's doing all this intense nasty morphing!

 

In the end this blend does coalesce more, and become tolerable - in that I'm not restraining myself from scrubbing it off - but it's still very soapy lavender and too-sweet pink bubblegum with too-sharp clove and thus all things I dislike, mixed together. I am sad that poor Paris gets this scent to represent her; that city deserves better! Strong throw, but it does fade somewhat.

 

[SophieCedar]

Mmmm sugared lavender.

 

Makes me think of lavender cakes and frosting. As with all lavender, it bursts on the skin when first wet and fades quickly, this time behind a sugary spicy veil.

[tailoredshirt]

In the bottle: I love lavender, and this smells fantastic in the bottle. Definitely lavender (a bit sharp, but I like it like that) and a bit of spice.

 

Wet: It took me a minute before I realized that this smells exactly like Garden Ridge Pottery, the warehouse/craft supply store. Floral and spicy, like someone hung a cinnamon wreath in the floral department. I can't quite get over the association, but it smells delicious. I seriously wish this was a room spray.

 

Dry: After about 30 minutes to an hour, the lavender fades so that I mostly smell the cinnamon and spice, with enough floral lingering to keep it from smelling like candy. A couple of hours later, it's still there, but faint. I will need to reapply often, I think.

 

Overall: I really love this. I might smell like potpourri, but I don't care. I think I'm getting a bottle.

 

ETA: After reapplying this, the spicy lavender came out again and was fantastic, but the sticky sweetness from the lotus turns to bubblegum on my skin and really ruins the spicy floral. Eventually the lotus started making me nauseous. I really do think I would like it as a room spray, but I couldn't smell like this every day.

Edited April 23, 2010 by tailoredshirt

[imaginaryheroes]

Paris was one of my first scents, so my love for it is a bit biased. It's a spicy lavender that holds its scent really, really well on my skin! Nothing too sour, nothing too spicy, just perfect. I love the balance. And I love dabbing more on my skin every 2.4 seconds so it never goes away :x

[Dharklady]

In bottle: A soft floral lavender.

Wet: The lavender is nice with toning from the lotus.

Dry: Apparently the lotus is coming out to play. Again, it’s a nice scent but not the lavender I am looking for.

Notes: A pretty floral lavender but not really my cup of tea.

 

[raisin]

I didn't think there was much of any way this could go wrong, but I didn't end up getting any lavender at all, just the bubblegum other people have mentioned. How unfortunate!

[sunlitgarden]

Paris

 

Bubblegummy lotus with a bit of spice... cinnamon? I don't smell lavender. Not my favorite, it goes a bit sickly sweet and weird, like a craft store candle gone wrong. Not what would make me think of Paris, at all.

[Lydialove]

I love lavender, so I was happy to get a big old whiff of it straight from the imp as well as something very bright and fruity. As soon as I applied it to my skin, the lavender disappeared. Initially the spice played peek-a-boo without ever fully stepping to the foreground and then faded away entirely. The disappearance of the lavender and spice would have been disappointing if that fruity sweetness weren't so... captivating.

 

I can see how this becomes bubblegum for many folks, but so far lotus is a lovely fruity and creamy floral on me. It is pink, as I saw someone's review describe it. In Paris nearly every building is made of sandstone in every shade of cream. If you go to the Eiffel Tower at sun down(and why wouldn't you?) and look down upon the beautiful city, it glows in shades of sunset. Orange and pink light on a sea of cream. That's what I'll think of when I wear Paris.

[Tiada]

I have a cold, and VERY limited sense of smell, so I relied on others to tell me what Paris smelled like today.

 

Imp: I had opened the imp and made my notes when I was healthy. Very helpful! I smelled a sharp lavender with sweetness behind it (lotus I guess?). No spice at all though.

 

Wet: Hubby says I smell like a Chai tea latte - so the spices must have been dominant when wet.

 

Dry: I was told by 3 various co-workers that I smelled like raspberry. I have NO idea where that came from. Everyone said I smelled delightful, but I don't know where they were getting raspberry from?! Knowing the reviews had mentioned bubblegum, I asked if they were smelling fruity gum, but they each said no, it was distinctly fruity/raspberry. Co-workers are crazy?

[TheFrenchWaffle]

I'm not getting a strong lavender scent (which was what I was really hoping for) nor am I getting that bubblegum that some people seem to be getting. On me it's sweet but not candy sweet.

In the imp: A soft lavender is the first thing that jumps out at me with other scents under it.

Wet: Lavender with a sweetness behind it

Dry: Bye bye lavender, wish you could have stayed longer. thanks, though for introducing me to you friend, lotus, they seem really sweet. A few more minutes go by. One poster mentioned that came off as smelling like chai tea, I think that's what I am getting too. Not a bad scent, lovely actually, but not quite what I was expecting.

 

Final: I do like this scent, although I really wish the lavender could have been more prominent. I defiantly want to keep this imp around. I'm not sure if I would spring for a whole bottle yet, but time will always tell.

[achromance]

In the vial: Seductive florals. It's quite intense, and I'm allured by it even if I'm not typically a floral person. There's also a steamy quality to the scent

 

On my wrist: The spices are coming through, and they are gorgeous! The scent is feminine, but with a kick. I would even call it sexy. It's delicious; I want to eat my wrist. This is how I like my spices. Paris somehow manages to be steamy and dry at the same time. I love it so far.

 

After a few hours: I can still pick up all the notes I could before. This scent stays strong and beautiful. This scent was really a surprise favourite; I didn't expect to love it like I did.