Paris

[lookingglass]

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

Almost fruity sweet (lotus? I thought you were so delicate...), with the unmistakeable and overpowering lavander scent: BLAST!!!!

The spice is tingling my nose.

It dries out to an odd sweetness...I have no point of reference here.

Me no likey. Edited December 9, 2005 by Shollin

[BlueStar]

Oddly enough Paris smells like lavender and bubblegum. It is a perfect scent for little girls. Not a sexy cutting edge woman but a little girl.

 

It reminds me of a Monet painting, watery and pretty.

 

My wifeand I took one sniffof this and gave it to the 5 year old. Not because it is childish but because it is inherently innocent.

Edited December 13, 2005 by BlueStar

[Abbie]

I am a po' grad student now, and have not been able to purchase any of the preciousss for some time. I missed bpal, and wished I could buy some more... and then realized I HADN'T EVEN TRIED about half of my last order.

 

Yeah... ChemE grad students. We're smart.

 

Okay, in the imp: Weird. There's definitely an astringent scent which must be lavender, but I wouldn't have known that without looking at the other reviews. It's sort of... exotic and spicy and the damn cat won't get off the keyboard and I keep having to backspace over his typos. Ahem. Somehow I have the fear: a lot of these spicy scents are evil on me. But let's see.

 

First on: No throw at all, but a very intriguing scent. I think it's really sensuous. Sort of expensive clothing-store in the Garment District kind of scent: a mix of sachet, lavender, chai tea, smoke, and other women's perfume.

 

Dry: Nice! Still no throw but plenty of endurance. And I'd swear I'm picking up a hint of mint.

 

Overall: This one is a keeper. MINE MINE MINE!

[laochodia]

Why did I wait so long to try this? Am I insane?

wet- SPICE. Both offputting and addictive. Goooood.

dry- Lighter spice, with a hint of lavender and a nice deep base of lotus. If this was a tea, I would never drink anything else. In fact, this makes me want to blend a tea that would taste the way this smells.

Amazing. Absolutely Amazing.

[coulrophobe]

When I first tried Paris last summer... well, I hated it. The herbal-lotus smell made me smell like I was slowly decaying on a hot day - a heavy, putrid smell.

 

Today, when I realized I hadn't reviewed it yet, I gave it a second chance, and it wasn't so bad.

 

Maybe my nose has grown to appreciate lotus more. I'm probably never going to be a huge fan of lavender, but maybe I'm a bit more tolerant. Or maybe my chemistry was just off that day.

 

Regardless, it's not so bad on me now. The initial wet stage is still a little jarring, but it's mostly the lavender's harshness mixed with the gummy lotus. I'm not about to scurry over to my paypal account to buy a big bottle, but I'm also not repulsed by Paris anymore!

[valentina]

In the imp, Paris smelled heavily of lotus, with a lavender background. 'Tis cool, I thought, I like lavender, I like lotus. Once it hit my skin, it was still strongly lotus, with the lavender note still in the background. And somewhere in there, something almost clove-like. After about 5 minutes, it was amping up in a most alarming way... it really didn't smell nice at all on me. My body chem can make some floral scents start to smell like old, stale water in a vase of cut flowers. Ugh. This amazed me, because I like lavender, lotus and spices, but the combo in Paris didn't work for me. I think I may have to re-think lotus as a note that works on me -- it does in certain blends, such as Blood Lotus, but without a lot of deep, rich scents in the blend, it takes over in a rather unpleasant manner.

 

I was so sure that Paris would work, that it just proves to me that I need to sample my way through the entire BPAL oeuvre, since everything that I want to try, because I think it will be perfect, doesn't work, and things I tried for the hell of it or received as frimps, are always the ones I love. Go figure. I'm sure Paris is very gorgeous and exotic on a lot of people, I'm just not one of 'em.

 

 

valentina

[Celogrl]

Ah, Paris- what a big surprise you have turned out to be! Sweet spice with lotus, lots of lotus, makes this a pleasant change of pace for me. I am finding out that I do like lotus quite a bit. This Paris has a lot of throw and a good deal of last. This imp is a keeper.

[PirateMaggie]

In the bottle, I smelled the lotus more than the lavender, along with something else that I can't quite place. It's cool and sweet (but not cloying). It reminds me of a Monet painting--light, soft, a bit dreamy. Maybe I'm just associating this lovely light lotus with his famous water lilies.

 

Upon application, I felt that tingle on my skin, proving that there is indeed real lavender in it. And what lavender it is! Crisp and fresh, kept from being astringent by the sweeter lotus. The lavender and lotus are a brilliant combination: the lavender keeps the lotus from going sticky-sweet, and the lotus keeps the lavender from smelling medicinal. Combined, they make a light, airy smell that brings to mind walks along the Seine during spring and lily ponds with lavender growing alongside.

 

Like its city namesake, Paris has a lot more going on beneath the surface than is initially evident. The city of Paris has wide boulevards and beautiful architecture, but it also has winding back alleys and mews, tiny gardens and parks hidden amidst the maze, and of course the catacombs. Paris the scent too has a great deal going on beneath the lotus and lavender. Upon the dry-down, the scent warms a bit the spices come out, though it still seems cool--but not in an ice-queen way; more like a refreshing breeze on a warm day. Occasionally, I get a whiff of something that smells like toasted hazelnut. On the next whiff, the florals, and on the next whiff, a bit of spice. Wearing this perfume is like taking a meandering walk on a nice day, not having any destination in mind.

 

I wore this to a work party this evening, and people kept complimenting my perfume. It's fairly light, so the throw isn't huge, but it works. It has that "come closer" quality, but not in an overt way like my beloved Hell's Belle. Because the florals in this are so refreshing, this would be completely appropriate to wear to class or work, but the spice-and-hazelnut quality would also work well in the evening.

 

This is definitely a big bottle scent. If the Impressionists made perfumes instead of paintings, this is what they's have smelled like. If Paris in the City of Light, this perfume is olfactory lucidity. It's almost too beautiful to be believed.

[jazlyn]

Paris is mostly lavender and lotus (kind of sweet) with a touch of spice. Immediately after putting this on, I thought of Psyche (another lavender scent), but I think Paris is more soft/light and sweet whereas Psyche is a headier and more floral. Perhaps it’s because of its name, but I can see nice, expensive shops (hahaha), couples holding hands, the Eiffel Tower… tourists hahha. Oh wait, what happened?! Everything is a lot fainter now; the lavender is nearly gone and the lotus and spice are more noticeable… And a little later, this smells like… cardboard boxes (yeah, they have a smell!)! ::sigh:: I like so many scents initially!

[bellis]

ACK LOTUS!

 

Wow. It really takes over this blend on me. Wet, I get gorgeous lavender and spiciness, but when it dries it's all lotus. Oh well. I'll continue looking for my ideal lavender scent.

[storme]

In the bottle: oooh, very complex. Florals and spiciness.

 

On my skin: A bit cloying at first. Dries to a soft, light floral, without much spiciness or any real hint of decadence. Pleasant enough, but nothing special enough to keep around.

[The_Merf]

**Repost of missing review**

 

In the imp: Is there lotus in here, or does someone have bubblegum?

 

Wet: Seriously, there might just be a hint of lotus in this oil.

 

Drydown and wear: I will say that after about 45 minutes, the other notes in this blend (the spices--I just can't detect the lavender) do start to come out, and it is quite nice. However, by the time this happens, the throw has declined considerably. If your skin can tame lotus, give this one a try.

[poppycocteau]

Paris smells very happy, sweet and pretty in the vial. I like the lavender a lot, but it seems to fade very quickly leaving too much lotus. I learned something new trying this out... the scent of warm lotus on my skin makes me a bit nauseous. One for lotus fans but not for me!

[Bagfish]

Paris didn't love me and I certainly didn't love Paris

 

Wet in the imp the oil smelled of lavender which I liked, but within about a minute of putting Paris on my wrist, I began to smell what seemed to me to be like really bad breath, like when someone has halitosis I can only assume that this is what lotus does on my skin, not having tried a fragrance with lotus in before.

 

Note to self: avoid lotus oils if I don't want to smell of bad breath. It is SO not the way I want to smell.

[MistressTera]

I've made the mistake of trying on two lavenders at once: This, and Villian. This'll be interesting.

 

Fresh From The Imp: Very lavender.

 

Wet On My Flesh: And we've lost the lavender; I've heard that sniffing a bunch of the same thing will make the main scent go away, and cause secondary scents to come up. There's a hint of what must be lotus.

 

Drying Down: Umm... It's reminding me of something, but I can't put my finger on it.

 

Hour To Integrate: Scented votive candles. That's what it reminds me of. Some weird spicy floral candle.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: *Not* a keeper.

[brownbear]

Before I read the description I would have said it's pear with cinnamon spice. Now I realize that the pear fruit smell must have been the lotus. Somehow I didn't even get the lavender until after I read it. The lavender didn't really stand out on my skin though.

[blu°]

I tried Paris half-heartedly last night and was hit with surprise.

I really hadn't thought I'd like this, and was only testing it because.... because I hadn't yet, and I chose the time because I expected to hate it and wouldn't want to meet upon people while confirming my expectations testing it.

 

However, turns out it is just lovely. I later slathered before actually going to sleep and woke up covered in a glorious soft spicy sugary sexy scent cloud this morning.

 

At first it is a bit adstringent, and piercingly sharp, but then mellows out pretty fast. The lotus does remind of bubblegum a little, but it's a perception-associations issue and it isn't too hard for me to turn that off.

 

Paris is slightly sweet, hazy, sparkling, veiled, spicy, very elegant and quite sensual IMHO. I'll yet have to wear it outside to see how people react on it, but I swear it is dead sexy on me.

 

I usually don't like spicy scents too much, neither pure lavender, neither lotus, but somehow Paris maintains a balance in between all of these components that makes me appreciate every single one in its own beauty. The combination also really seems to work well with my skin.

 

So, if you think you hate lotus, don't like spicy scents much and are wary about strong lavendar, you should still give Paris a chance. I'm still perplexed by how this is soo much better than I had thought it would be.

[lysistrata]

In the vial: Mm, nice gentle lavender.

 

On me, wet: Ack, nasty, oversweet, bubblegummy lavender. Cloyingly sweet. Bleah.

 

On me, dry: Not getting any nicer. Lotus and lavender seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practice, each brings out the worst in the other. Sweet and herby in the most suffocating way. Ever drink Irn Bru?

 

Verdict: No, thanks. I hope the real Paris doesn't smell this nasty.

[nerdcraft]

in the vial:

So pretty! Or, um, tres jolie! haha too bad I don't speak French at all. I was expecting this to be a little heavy, but it smells very pretty and softly floral. The dominant note is definitely the lavender, although I can smell the ultra-candy lotus underneath.

wet:

Just beautiful - a sophisticated but still pretty floral with a slightly herbal edge from the lavender. For a second there, I got a very candy-sweet note from the lotus, but thankfully that has gone away.

dry:

The herbally-spice notes are more evident now, and it smells a little "vintage", like a fashionable Parisian woman might have worn in the 1920's.

 

season: Any.

office-friendly? Yes, definitely. A sophisticated scent.

 

overall: I didn't expect to like this so much! I'll be wearing this a lot, I think.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a sweet lavender blend.

on: sweet lotus and a bit of lavender.

1 hour later: spicy lotus.

2 hours later: a very like, powdery lotus.

5 hours later: a very light lotus.

overall: this was an interesting lotus blend, but not something i could see myself grabbing often.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Fresh lavender!

 

On me: This is the purest lavender BPAL scent that I've tried so far. It smells absolutely divine. I can barely smell anything else in this blend other than lavender - maybe a bit of spice, but just barely.

 

Verdict: I adore lavender - I adore this. Keeper!

 

Rating: 4/5

[dragonryder]

Don't smell the lotus as much as the lavender. Lavendar and spice after wear, unique, not floral, not spicy, but a great blend of both.

[Spring Snow]

Mmmm what a delicious, well rounded scent! I was expecting all lavender, but the lotus gives Paris a delectible fruity note that makes it very mellow and pleasing. What a great scent to wear on a hot sticky day such as this one!

[edenssixthday]

Paris - wet in the bottle, this smells like pure lavender. I don't care for most of BPAL's lavender oils, but I wanted to try Paris because it's one of my favorite European cities. As the oil dries down, the lavender fades, and is completely gone after about 7-10 minutes at the point of complete dry-down. I was really surprised by the scents that I began to pick up from my arm after this dry-down point. What is that? Incense? No, wait... clove? No. Maybe it's... nutmeg? Yeah, I think it's nutmeg! No, now it smells like incense again! I have no idea what "spice" is in this, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a drop of incense, nutmeg and clove in it. This blend is actually not reminiscent of Paris in the least prior to dry-down, but as soon as I pick up that warm incense scent combined with the lovely, soft and sweet lotus, I'm immediately whisked to a memory of first stepping into Notre Dame Cathedral, and I couldn't get that image out of my mind. This is also a good scent for work, as it stays very, very close to my skin, but if anyone got close enough to smell me, I think they'd probably just say I smell "pretty". Initially, when I first smelled the lavender, I thought this was going in the swap pile, but I think I might keep it after all. At least for a while until I am 100% certain that I want to give it up.

[juniperus]

Bottle: the lavender is sharp, the lotus sweet. a nasal conundrum.

Wet: same, even sharper, maybe. dizzying headachey..the lotus, perhaps.

Dry: h.e.a.d.a.c.h.e. big time.

Later: had to wash, couldn't take it anymore. *insert expletive here*