Bearded Lady

[wickedgoddess]

A seductive and flowing exaltation of femininity: Turkish rose, stargazer lily, violet, honeysuckle, amber, star jasmine and vanilla.

Preconceived Notions - I am not much of a bottle sniffer; I prefer to try oils on my skin then sniff them in the bottle. However, this is one of those rare blends that I bought based on how it smelled in the bottle. I really waffled on whether I wanted this or not because it sounded lovely, but way too floral. But one sniff and I was sold.

Wet honeysuckle and vanilla seem to be the prominent notes here.

Dry - all I still get is honeysuckle and vanilla, and a trace of jasmine. This is very nice! The rose, violet and amber never show themselves, and I honestly am not sure what lily smells like. This is a sweet, feminine floral that never becomes overwhelmingly floral. It's almost innocent.

I like this one quite a bit, but Snake Charmer has become my vanilla scent du jour, and I haven't decided if I will be keeping this one as well.

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.5. Edited September 13, 2007 by Shollin

[ipb]

for a one-liner review: bearded lady reminds me of antique lace without the linen, only better. me likee

[blood*rose*flowers]

In the Bottle: I get the floral of the rose and lily and maybe a smidge of vanilla. It is a very clean light floral scent.

 

On wet: A vanilla tinged floral no particular floral is really coming to the fore ground though nice and light. Here comes that Lily again and possibly some amber to blend with the vanilla.

 

Drydown: The florals are becoming more focused I am seeing the lily, honeysuckle and possible jasmine while the amber is definetly there, as is the vanilla.

 

Overall: This is a wonderfully balanced oil with many levels.

[Carly]

In the bottle: Oh my! Like QuantumSpice said, it's smelling like Antique Lace but a little lighter!

 

Wet: This is wonderful. Sugary, lightly sweet, good throw at this stage. Mmm...

 

Drydown: Gets better and better, still smells great 3 hrs. later! Florals are coming out a little bit more now.

 

Final thoughts: An absolute must have for people who miss Antique Lace. It's definitely not exact, but really I like it just as much. Will order another bottle for sure!

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Um, from the ingredients it shouldn't, but this smells like "Noir-Lite" mixed with "Himerus" to me.

 

*has the post office just forwards her paychecks to bpal*

 

On

Turning vanillery now and the stargazer lily scent is coming out more, the stargazer lily is knocking my socks off in the usual manner. There's something almost incensey in here that surely isn't listed in the ingredients so it must be my skin. Maybe I need to stop smoking.

 

30 minutes

Again, it's just getting sucked into my skin like a sponge. It's still jasmine-y, vanilla foody like, and not as sweet.

 

Throw:

a wee bit more than average

 

Scent category:

Floral/Foody

 

Summary

It's floral jasmine, sweet, but fresh at the same time with a little bit of a deeper woodsy or incensey note (on me) and a goodly drop of fresh vanilla, and maybe add a drop of fresh cream. Yum. Maybe the incensey smell is the amber (which I usually love).

 

Purchase again?

Possibly...I need to smell this one more. I mean it's not like as good as Midway or Kunstkammer or anything crazy like that but it's good.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

3.5 it could be a 3.5 or a 4. I'm going to compare it to my other jasmine faves in a minute; Salome, etc and edit this post later today.

[puck_nc]

This was the only one of the Carnaval Noir scents that I thought I'd like based on the description. This was my first bottle purchase from the Lab.

 

In the bottle: dark and richly floral, just hinting at an aftershave I remember my dad wearing when I was a child. I think the vanilla is behind the flowers, organizing and arranging them like the teacher behind the curtain as the kids' overexuberance onstage gets the better of them.

 

Wet: I think it's the jasmine, but something is adding a green tinge to the luscious burgundy and tawny. Port! I'm reminded of the sweet deep flavor of port, without the alcohol!

 

Drydown: The vanilla comes out and takes command of the performance, tamping it down and bringing it all together.

 

Verdict: The husband LOVES it. I love it. I'm going to have to decide when I can wear it besides date nights/evenings out. It feels too luscious for wearing to work at this point.

 

Damn. I'm going to have to buy a couple more bottles of this. Thank goodness CN got extended a month! Brava, Beth!

[Northernminx]

Absolutely gorgeous. Subtle and feminine and soft, and so lovely even my perfume-hating father loved this one. The honeysuckle and rose are the strongest in the bottle and in the first hour, but this is never ever cloying or strong and wears very close to the skin. A touch of jasmine comes in as this dries down with vanilla rising p in beautiful creamy goodness at the end.

 

I completely and utterly adore this.

[Lorencita]

This is incredible! This and Freak show are my favs of the CN collection that I got. I will definately get a couple more bottles of this one. This is so ultra femenine, I love the way this smells so damn smooth. Beth is really a genius at making oils. I like flowery scents, but I think if someone wasnt too into flowers, they could still enjoy this. The vanilla & amber give this blend a smooth finish... I just love it. Period.

[LiberAmoris]

Past the Tattooed Man, the World’s Shortest Couple, and the Alligator Boy, there is a placard for the Bearded Lady. The shill takes your coin and you step into the tent already crowded with people, pushing forward towards the dais upon which an impeccably dressed woman sits, placid and calm. Her petticoats and boots are fresh, as if she were carried here. Her bonnet is tied tight underneath the chin, behind a full untrimmed beard. Her eyes are vivid and bright, and a spot of high color is on her cheek…

 

Bearded Lady is unbridled femininity, another well-blended floral in which no one note (on my skin, at least) takes over. If I had to order the prominence, slight as it might be, the honeysuckle would be first, followed by a layer of the star jasmine and vanilla, then the rose, lily and violet, with the amber as a base. It’s lovely.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Powdery and potent.

 

Second Impression: I can see the comparisons to Antique Lace but for only about a minute, because once the violets bloom, that's it. The vanilla can't hold it's own with these super-powdery violets and the other heady blooms. Very unlike in scent and feeling to the violets in Veil. This is a very heady, even headache-y blend, which drove me to a fit of sneezes. After I washed it off, the vanilla-violet with a trace of amber scent is still clinging to my skin.

 

Final Analysis: Very pretty, strong, with lots of throw and staying power, Bearded Lady is just too much scent for me.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Vanilla and jasmine with the rose pretty strong in the background. So far this smells very nice. I was very tempted by this one s I'm glad I have an imp to try before buying a bottle. It might end up being a little too floral perfume for me, though.

 

Wet: Vanilla and jasmine at first. And then...hmmm, what's that note. I'm not as big a fan of the Turkish rose as I am of the other roses that Beth uses. The Turkish one just seems to be a little more incensey than the others. And there's that slightly sour lily note my skin always gets. But the amber is what really concerns me. I have a slight problem with amber on occasion but the vanilla and the florals in this seem to be taming it down.

 

Dry down: Vanilla and amber with that sourish lily smell in the background. This blend isn't what I had hoped, but it's also not abd so far. I don't seem to be allergic to it and it is rather pretty. I'm just not sure if this is anything I'd ever end up wearing, you know. I've been looking for a nice vanilla blend for awhile now and simply cannot seem to find one that I really like for me. This just seems to be a little too conventional perfume smell for me, though. And the combination of the lily and the Turkish rose don't do much for me. This kinda smells like one of the Rose Petal Place dolls I had, but I can't remember which one. Kinda generic, though. Which is probably my skin murdering lily. It always does.

 

Dry: And now there's more rose. It's like rose and amber and smelling it is burning the back of my throat, which is never a good sign. It's not that this isn't rpetty. It's just not me. I'm glad I got a sample of it to try, though. Oh well. I'll keep looking for a good vanilla and hopefully find this a happier home.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: so beautiful and womanly. a bit sweeet, from the vanilla, with a bouquet of soft flowers underneath. wonderful.

on: a wonderful floral. i can pick out the lily and violet.

half an hour later: so beautiful. i don't know what else to say, really.

1 hour later: this is sweeter now. i love this!!!

2 hours later: much sweeter. lots of vanilla, with some flowers in the background.

overall: i'm so glad i bought a bottle of this. this is my new "i feel pretty" blend.

[Blood onmy hands]

So far the Carnaval Noir scents have been pretty hit (Midway) or miss (Bed of Nails) on me. Bearded Lady, sadly, is another miss. My skin really amps up the florals in this and drowns out all of the vanilla and amber.

 

I was hopeful for the first five minutes of wearing this. I smelled vanilla and golden amber, with a few sweet blooms in the background (mostly the honeysuckle, and I actually like honeysuckle). Then the jasmine and rose started to come through and overpower everything else. They are very smoky/almost incensey florals, and they are giving me a headache.

 

I had to wash this off after a little over an hour. I'm not sure if the lovely vanilla and amber would have reappeared. I just can't wait over an hour and battle off a floral induced migraine for the hope that a fragrance will turn good, lol.

[Sistinas]

a review of Bearded Lady

 

Vial ~ In the bottle it is this wonderful blend of rose, jasmine and lily.

I am always amazed at how much I am able to fall in love with a floral,

before BPAL I never really cared from them.

 

Wet ~ powerdery but very floral, I think I have lost the rose and am just

able to pick up the lily and the jasmine.

 

Drying ~ fresh and floral now, not as powerdery as I had picked up before,

this scent is so feminine, just as described.

 

Dry ~ The scent has stayed true to it's drying phase.

 

Final thoughts ~ As much as I am learning to love florals, this almost seems

too floral for me. But I will keep my bottle for a few more tries to really

decide if it really is for me. I would love to give it a try on a night out.

On a scale of 1 to 5 I would give it a 4.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Sistinas

[urraca]

My first bottle and my first LE --- woo hoo!

 

In the vial I smell...nothing. It really has no odour at all beyond a faint alcohol scent. It blooms swiftly on skin though into a lovely, sweet, powdery (in the best way) floral. Jasmine is the first flower to peek out and rose takes a turn too but mostly it is so well blended that no one flower stands out, although the floral scent subtly shifts throughout the drydown of this beautiful scent. The vanilla and amber are subtle too, and they do not dominate the flowers.

 

It is softly sweet, maybe a little like a marshmallow wrapped in a stick of bubblegum, the kind you get in a pack of baseball cards, not the juicy sweet kind. And the label is beautiful too!

[violetblue]

I was very lucky to get this bottle in a swap...I find it extremely feminine and lovely! On I get light florals, a bit powdery, but not overwhelmingly so at all. I agree with grrrlyennl about it making you feel pretty! I think it would be a great day fragrance. I am so glad I got this one!

[arabella]

First Impression: OMGWTFBBQ !! - This has to be the most amazing floral I've ever smelled, it was "love at first sniff".

 

Dries down to: Doesn't change much on my skin - I absolutely love this oil. I can't pick out any specific note, they're blended together so well. It's floral without being "over the top" about it. It makes me feel sexy, feminine, classy and smart all at the same time.

 

Additional Comments: I had mixed feelings about trying this one - the lily, jasmine and rose are usually "no-nos" on me, while my skin loves amber, violets and vanilla. I'm so glad I was able to get an imp of this to try (Thank you OriginalWacky ); I'm ordering a bottle or two before CN disappears.

 

Lasted: Three to four hours.

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Flowery powder.

 

In the imp/bottle: Roses and violet.

 

On skin, wet: Roses, roses roses! Rose atop a faint violet, and just a breath of vanilla.

 

On skin, dry: This turns into a heavy floral-powder on me. No trace of the vanilla, just roses, violet and star jasmine.

 

Conclusion: I didn't get anything remotely like Antique Lace. This is all heavy florals and trampled vanilla. I'm glad I got to try a decant before the Moon, so I know not to order it!

Edited December 18, 2005 by Aredhel

[shelldoo]

in the vial: extremely feminine, fresh flowers.

 

 

wet , i get the rose, jasmine, violet, and vanilla

 

dry: this is very very floral. i was scared a bit of the jasmine. as jasmine usually goes way way wrong on me, but this behaves, possibly due to the vanilla. i am getting a bit of honeysuckle rose, hint of violet and a generous helping of vanilla

 

final thought, generally i am not one for straight florals. they just r not me, i am a incensey wino, w/ a dash of fig and possibly a flower thrown in for good measure as long as it isn't jasmine. but bearded lady won me over, must be her good looks, cause i am very superficial no really it is soft, feminine, and summery. if you love florals, you are gonna wanna take her for a spin

Edited August 19, 2005 by shelldoo

[lorajc]

This did not work on my skin at all. The Violet & Jasmine amped up and I only got a hint of vanilla. I would have liked it if it would have been the other way around on me. This does (once again) really evoke the Bearded Lady image for some reason. Beth did so well interpretting this series.

[harlequin]

In the Bottle: Almost exactly what one would expect from the description. Recognizable vanilla mixed with delightful florals.

 

Wet on Skin: It doesn’t change much from what it smells like in the bottle. Still gorgeous. I’m thinking this one will definitely be a duplicate bottle.

 

Dry on Skin: Eventually the Vanilla fades leaving behind all the florals.. but not in a bad way. There's a hint of sweetness, but not overly so. It’s definitely a feminine scent, but the florals aren’t headachy for me in the slightest. Very lovely.

[yeahbutnobut]

Bearded Lady

 

In the imp: a soft floral scent. I think it's rose and lily.

Wet on skin: mmm, a lovely, sweet soft, fresh floral scent. Rose, crisp lily, and honeysuckle.

Dry on skin: oh, this is lovely. The rose in here is quite tart-or is that the lily? There's one floral scent in here that lends an interesting tangy aspect to this scent. There's a soft jasmine-honeysuckle background to this scent as well. It's a gorgeous bouquet of fresh, dewy flowers-this is what the smells like. Very flowery, but not old fashioned, this is a fresh, crisp scent.

After a while: is that honey I smell here? I smell something here that reminds me of honey. Maybe it's honeysuckle? Or the tangy rose? I can't really smell the vanilla here, and the tart floral is taking over the blend. It's not bad, but I'm still hoping it softens and sweetens out a bit.

After about 30-40 minutes, it changes to a lily-rose scent. Very nice, and oh so feminine. it's also not as tart and tangy as before, the floral scent is more defined, more clear cut.

After about an hour, dried rose petals and a bit of violet, lily and jasmine. This scent is one of those that goes through stages, it changes and morphs over time. I'm surprised that I'm not getting strong vanilla from this though, it's a barely there note in this blend.

After an hour and a half, it becomes a violet-lily-honeysuckle scent, with a tiny, tiny hint of vanilla coming out.

After a few hours, the scent becomes a soft, sweet, ambery floral.

Verdict: this is a fresh, crisp floral, quite tangy, but with a smooth background. Moist, tart rose petals and lilies with a soft backing of jasmine. It's not a one-dimensional floral scent, it has many facets. It's an interesting scent, like a big bouquet of flowers. It has a similar floral vibe to Ace of Hearts, but is quite different. It also morphs and changes through different stages of floral. It's a lovely floral scent, though I'm not sure if I'd get a bottle yet. But I'm definitely keeping the imp.

Edited August 24, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[coulrophobe]

In the bottle, I smell light clean florals; no one note is sticking out. I'm hoping this will be a blend where the rose sits back and behaves, rather than running rampant like it usually does on my skin.

 

On: Definitely heavier than I thought it would be; the light, clean, almost white floralness is gone, and instead it's more like a posh commercial perfume - very well blended, sweet and sophisticated. Bearded Lady is very feminine and refined; this is a scent I'd wear to a nice dinner, or a date at the opera or symphony.

 

The comparisons to Antique Lace completely baffle me (on me, AL is all vanilla-musk, with the only hint of floral being a light sweetness in the background), but this is a very nice floral scent.

[mmcfa2]

A lightly vanilla floral where the jasmine is barely present and the other flowers dance nicely with each other. It is soft and fresh and feminine and SOOO not me It's a fabulous girly scent, but I'm not about girly. This vaguely reminds me of dove soap if dove added vanilla. I'm a bold in your face hot house floral girl, or spice and heat. This one is neither and was an impulse buy Off to swaps!

[Belladonnastrap]

First Snif

Adrienne Vallentti used to make this wonderful vanilla musk perfume that I LOVED as a kid and this totally reminds me of it. It smells a lot like Antique Lace as well, minus the old linen aspect of it. A very warm and sensual blend.

 

Wet

Linking it to Antique Lace was totally true because that's all I get from it wet...Antique Lace with a bit of kick. It's REALLY beautiful.

 

Drydown

Oh. Oh. The rose and lily have mated with the jasmine to make a OMGWTFBBQ divinely beautiful scent. It's a warm amber purple rose. It's super-fantastic. And it LASTS! I smelt it 6 hours after I put it on!

 

Aftermath

This. Is. SUPERB. I'm really torn as to if I need another bottle or not!