Zorya

[rayvn1]

Spices of the Orient mingle with crystalline musk, midnight flowers and cereus, jasmine, primrose and vesper iris.

Flowers, flowers, flowers. Very pretty with a hint of musk. Too much floral for my use, but floral lovers should be in heaven

Edit to add scent description. Edited March 29, 2009 by rayvn1

[Lamia]

Strong sweet floral, with a reminder of the brutal aggressively sweet perfumes my grandfather used to bring back from Moscow when I was very young.

 

Zorya, however, has a refinement that those other scents did not. There is an elegance to this, a restraint that says "Yes, feminine" without punching you repeatedly in the sinuses.

 

 

[donnatron]

Imp: Nothing, really. A bit of a soft, white floral scent.

 

Wet: Yargh. One of those midnight flowers is probably moonflower. Moonflower kind of smells like unscented deodorant on my skin as does white musk. I smell like a Lady Speed Stick.

 

Dry: Lady Speed Stick with a faint hint of jasmine. It's actually kind of... refreshing? It hasn't been unbearably hot here lately but I can see putting this on if it was pushing into the mid thirties again and I wasn't feeling mint. It gets less aggressively deordorant-y the longer it sits on my skin but never really loses that weirdness.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: May use up the imp but am not particularly enamoured of smelling strong enough for a man but made for a woman.

[Diva Urd]

I had pretty high hopes for this, as I absolutely adore "Vechernyaya" from the Zorya blends.

 

In the imp, this smelled like a relatively nondescript cool floral with herbs that smell almost medicinal.

 

On me, this turned into... "Midnight"'s colder, lighter and more sour little sister. The "midnight flowers" in this must have quite a few notes in common with the florals of "Midnight". It doesn't seem to have a lot of staying power, despite the musk.

 

Since "Midnight" already does a better and longer-lasting "Zorya" impression on me, I think I'll stick with that and trade this lady for something else.

[HKB]

I finally had the "baby powder" experience with this one. I don't know if it's the combination of all the florals or one floral in particular that does it but after a few minutes it really does smell just like baby powder and nothing else.

[puddingirl]

Frimp. From the description I imagine that this will be another floral soap scent on me. In the imp I can smell florals and a hint of pee which I know is jasmine (it doesn't always smell like this to me though, just in certain combinations). I'm not sure that I want to put it on, but I'll be brave. When on it smells like a floral soap, not a solid soap but a liquid soap for some reason! The jasmine has turned nice and soft on my skin like it tends to do. Once dry it smells like a vain attempt at putting strong floral soap in a pee filled toilet cubicle. What is wrong with my skin!?

 

Verdict: just don't.

 

 

 

ETA: eeek it won't come off and I smell of wee!

Edited August 11, 2009 by puddingirl

[milo]

Very sweet floral with almost something "bitter" here, like ambergris. Maybe it's the musk. I also thought there was peach here, it's almost a sickly sweet peach scent to me, with the awful ambergris vibe. Off to swaps.

[voodoocatwoman]

Pretty Zorya... starts off screaming jasmine but after drydown, the jasmine calms down and a spicy musk comes out. I love jasmine but this is a bit much. If you can get past the initial stage, Zorya is quite beautiful.

[Xylis]

imp:

 

jasmine. that's the first thing that greets me. but this isn't the headache-inducing variety that i'm all too familiar with. there is a certain delicate quality to it, which is very quiet: a single white flower blooming amidst the velvet darkness.

 

wet on skin:

 

the jasmine is more rounded now. what i'm finding strange is the fact that i seem to be getting a clear single jasmine note rather than the blend of flowers that was listed in the description. i like it though, this is a night blooming flower, understated and crystalline.

 

drydown:

 

i like how floral this scent is without coming across as being too "polished". there is a bit of musk in the background which is grounding the jasmine and i'm picking up just a bit of moonflower. it's not a very strong scent at all, in fact, i find it very muted and subtle on my skin. there's a certain intimacy that i'm getting in that it floats up softly and with soft, feathery fingers lures you closer to the skin. this is the smell of a night in a garden of white, silvery flowers under a midnight sky speckled lightly with stars. very pretty.

 

verdict

 

i got this as a frimp from the lovely femme_fatale (sabrina) and i'm so glad that she sent it because i wouldn't have picked this one out on my own. i'm not exactly a jasmine-lover, but this imp, i'm definitely keeping and using.

 

 

[puck_nc]

Origin: Frimp from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I think I avoided this one when I first made my Giant List of BPAL to Try because I'd had bad experiences with musk. Now I know that "crystalline" musk might be one I can wear without it amping on me.

 

In the Vial: Bright, glassy, cool florals. Definitely a scent that evokes the night.

 

Wet: The jasmine is strong, but not overwhelming among the other florals. The musk is an undertone at this point.

 

Drydown: The florals recede and the musk comes out, but they stay nicely balanced. The Oriental spices are a dusting in the background. It strikes me as a cool, sophisticated scent.

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp and we'll see if there's a bottle in the future.

Edited July 27, 2011 by puck_nc

[Venneh]

In the frimp, I get a sharp sort of floral scent. On me, Zorya is that same short of sharp, vague floral scent initially, but it quickly fades away, which makes me think that there's a cousin of lavender in this somewhere.

[MinxyMinou]

I may need a bottle of this. Out of the imp it's very, very jasmine and remains that way on application. The musk and spices come out on drydown. I'm really loving this one. The jasmine isn't so much of an artificial jasmine oil scent as a jasmine on the bush on a late spring night scent. Yum. There is also a very clean dewy acquatic quality to this scent so I think the description "crystaline" is apt.

 

Not getting much staying power off this.. (I think this is just me. I have dry skin that seems to love to nom up oils at light speed)..BUT it's so damn pretty I'm quite sure I'm going to need it.

[odalisque]

This is very pretty, although it's not the kind of perfume I'd wear. It shares the sunny jasmine that's in Eos, so if you liked that, then check this one out, and vice versa. The musk is not at all sharp.

 

It reminds me of lotion, which Juliet also did yesterday, so I'm going to guess it's a combination of the white musk and floral (although the two don't seem to share any floral notes).

 

After it warms up a bit on my skin something faint and warmer emerges that might be the spices of the Orient. I agree with the last reviewer that there's definitely a delicate aquatic quality to this as well, but if you love the floral and musk notes listed, don't be afraid of the aquatic -- I'm a veteran aquatic-hater and this is very subtle and gentle on me.

[KesHiro]

Frimp in one of my orders.

 

This is, by far, one of the strangest experiences I've had while testing a BPAL oil.

 

In the imp, I smell clean, soapy flowers. It isn't an unpleasant odor; in fact it's quite pretty, but it's one I tend to associate with bath products rather than perfume. Wet, the soapy flowers remain but the musk starts to emerge and beat down the soapy note. It stays like this until the very end of the drydown, where I get spicy florals with some musk. I really like this stage because it smells like nothing I've encountered before. It's as if someone put a fragrant bouquet of cool, night blooming flowers right next to a bundle of incense. Dry, the soap note emerges once again, although it isn't that strong and I detect it only if I stick my nose right up against the skin.

 

I really like this scent but I keep thinking of it as soap, and not something I would wear as a perfume. I plan on adding the oil to unscented lotion as it has such a clean, pleasant scent but I will not be adding Zorya to my bottle list.

[whisperstilled]

I picked this one up solely due to my American Gods love. Sweet and floral with a little bite, but pretty mellow. On skin it's much spicier. I can definitely smell the jasmine, which I didn't get at all in the bottle. It smells like midnight in a garden--appropriate. It goes very jasmine after a while--it seems I amp the stuff, and while I like it, I'm not into the fact that it overpowers everything else. Into the swaps!

[angelicruin]

This is musky jasmine on my skin. I don't really pick up on the rose, iris, or other florals. Sadly, smells like cat pee on me.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: a bit alcoholy/perfumey, some questionable flowers

 

Wet on Skin: a bit powdery, jasmine is definitely present (jasmine is generally not my friend)

 

While Drying: heady, bordering on cloying; just floral, no spices detectable at this point

 

After a Little While: something is turning a bit sour; smells like a bad floral air freshener trying to cover up nasty bathroom smells

 

Later: the nasty bathroom smell is calming down a bit, but I'm starting to develop a headache… this has got to go. I got side-tracked on my way to wash this off… a faint spice note comes in at the end, but now it smells like someone ran out of the floral air freshener and started using a spicy one on top of the lingering floral scent... while chewing bubblegum (?!)

 

Final Thoughts: this is an old imp, so lab-fresh might be better, but there are several hundred other things I would rather test

Zorya earns a 1/5 on my skin.

[aquazoo]

This has some heavy exotic blooms in it. Beautiful blend, with the musk hanging underneath.

 

[Tenshi]

Zorya is super feminine and super floral!

I can't pick out specific notes but it seems to be very well balanced. It's actually quite beautiful. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a floral person. I think if I met a woman wearing this, I would find her quite attractive. It just doesn't mesh with who I am. Nice for a floral, definitely.

I think people who like floral scents will really love this.

 

Edit:

 

It smells like a doctor's office. It may just be me.

Edited March 21, 2010 by Tenshi

[impolight]

:::ZORYA:::

 

The Imp was popped open to unleash a colossal blast of florals... Zorya does not muck about!

The Lab's notes got left at home with the computer for the day and, without them, discernment is futile...

Whatever is in Zorya is potent and assertive. Even released by atomizer, this would be insane!

Ok, ok... Looking at the notes there is...Jasmine!

This Jasmine has the subtlety of a ball-peen hammer used for a root canal.

Primrose is also rabid, taking a holiday from Her stint as a paint thinner/engine degreaser to bolster the scent that is Zorya.

Cereus is a newfound favourite, but is readily and lustily overwhelmed by the other florals and "Spices" in this particular formula.

On the skin, this, somehow, amps.

Eyes water.

Sinuses crinkle.

Tooth enamel peels away...

Perhaps it's the body chemistry, but Zorya has won out here.

This should have been tested in microlitres.

That being said, this is sweet & floral, but a mite overbearing in this case.

A 3 out of 5.

[Saya]

This is too floral for my taste. The jasmine and primrose are overwhelming. Pass on this.

[mari4212]

In the imp: Light, sweet, a mix of flowers with something underneath.

 

On me: Ugh, Jasmine. I was hoping that the jasmine wouldn't pop underneath the other florals and the musk. Unfortunately, jasmine loves me as much as I hate it, and it takes over completely. I scrubbed this one off.

 

Swaps, definitely.

[LadyMedb]

Zorya is lovely night-blooming flowers which start out strong and humid like Midnight, then settle down as the jasmine comes out. It's all beautifully balanced and contained by the musk, which keeps it close to the skin. I don't find this soapy, like most blends of its kind, and I don't find it at all loud. It's a beautiful, understated, joyous white blend, and I love it.

Edited May 18, 2010 by LadyMedb

[moon_lemming]

I can barely smell anything in the imp, just a very, very, very light sweet floral.

 

Then I dab it on and I smell jasmine and THE END. Sorry, Zorya, you never really had a chance with that list of floral horrors. It's not as bad as it could be but I can't take even the light-to-medium dose of jasmine in this one.

[damonkitty]

Here is a blend that taught me what Jasmine smelled like (since I wrote down lily of the valley on my notes ). Not a favorite of mine since florals are hard for me to wear and this screams FLORAL. It is sweet, feminine, and girly though. It has a very strong throw.