Goneril

[NoirRosaleen]

White geranium, calla lily, cedarwood and black orchid. A gentle floral bouquet masks a sinister and black-hearted core.

Well, I like calla liily, so I thought I*d try this...

In the bottle: ...pickles?

On my wrist: Again with the pickles, although there*s some cedar too. The pickles are in the back, but just them being there at all is a bit jarring. After awhile the florals join the pickles in the back, with the cedar staying firmly in the front seat. This does something weird to my nose...I smell my wrist, and right after I take my nose away the inside of my nose feels oddly dry. The cedar is softening up now, getting a bit brighter, and the pickles have disappeared...but they took the flowers with them. Overall, I think this is going away...I can*t stand that weird dry-nose thing it*s doing to me. I*ll leave it on for today, but this is NOT a keeper.

[AnnetteL]

Goneril goes through three distinct stages on me within the first hour.

 

First it is almost pure wood - cedar is there, but it seems more complex than just that, I'm pretty sure I smell sandalwood too.

 

Then in the second stage it becomes quite green and the geranium emerges. This was an extra from the lab, but I had been curious about this scent before precisely because of that geranium, which is quite an unusual note.

 

Then the third stage is just soap, which usually means it would be white florals on anyone else's skin I was getting quite fond of it until that point, but unfortunately I just can't deal with that soapiness.

[oatmealneko]

In the bottle: florals with the cedarwood undertone, but sharp to my nose.

 

Wearing it was a different story. For the first half hour, I could smell the flowers with the sharp scent of cedarwood, but after awhile the cedarwood started to slowly die out. After an hour, the cedarwood completely disappeared, & I think it was the black orchid that started coming in strong. Very strong, almost overwhelming to my nose. Two hours later, I noticed the orchid was slowly mellowing out.

 

Definitely has lasting power.

 

I bought a 5 mL of this, it's wonderful, but complex, needs a few tries to get it, works for me, even though I normally despise florals - should give it a try anyway.

Edited July 5, 2005 by oatmealneko

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Cedar and deep, dark florals. *faint*

 

On Me: Oh! Oh! I think I found my signature scent! White floral, innocence, and yet, at the base is the black orchid and cedar, earthy and sinister. This is simply gorgeous, sophisticated, and sexy! This really pegs this character very well! I think I'm in love.

 

I definately have to get a big bottle of this, and soon!

[Gin]

Goneril starts out as sharp and green and a little soapy. It dries down into an almost-pure cedarwood scent. The florals are there, but faintly.

[ianastar]

To me this smelled like soap. Like a big ole chunk of Irish Spring.

 

Im putting it up for swaps.

[shelldoo]

eee gads i am reminded i am not a florally gal

 

wet it was overwhelmingly spring flowers

 

dry went very very soapy like a milled florally soap.

 

swaps

[TrinitySydney]

Well, I don't know what orchid smells like exactly, but I can definitely smell the cedar and the cala. And what is this? Do I smell rose? I'm sure of it, even though the description says nothing about it. The dry down doesn't seem to change much from the initial application, which is pretty good.

Wow. This would be a great one to drop in the tub if I really need to relax. I like it a lot.

[HappyLoveJoy]

Goneril- I love the cedarwood in this. This is floral with attitude and even though it's not listed as such, I think it could be worn well by both genders. This gets pleasantly soft while retaining the woodsiness. Very nice.

[surf-tormented]

Interesting floral with a cedarwood base. It is my next favorite Illryia oil after Lear, which is also a cedar based oil. Flowers are too strong, cedarwood isn't either, they blend together quite well.

 

If I didn't just buy a bottle of Lear, I would buy this.

 

ADDED April 5:

 

A complex floral with sandalwood. I like it. I don't like floral normally, so I would say this is a floral with a difference and if you normally don't like florals, you will like this one. Very strong unlike a lot of the more docile Illyria women oils.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

First sniff:

 

Hmm, interesting...Goneril seems to be equal parts of cedar and flowers and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I love cedar to the point of obsession but flowers and I don't generally get along, so I'm up in the air about this one right at the moment.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Pretty much the same as in the imp. The only floral I recognize is the geranium because we used to have pots of them all over our front porch when I was growing up and I would pluck the petals to use to draw on the steps with. It's not an overpoweringly floral blend, but I'm not sure if the flowers are really subtle enough for me to be able to really wear this.

 

Dry down:

 

I wanted to like this because of my love for cedar, but Goneril and I just aren't getting along. Somehow the geranium just isn't appealing to my nose. At all. I don't know what it is about it but I just can't quite make myself like it, unfortunately.

 

The bottom line:

 

Another potentially great blend ruined by flowers. Goneril is going to be finding a new home.

[Faerykin]

Goneril

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): There is something all too familiar about this floral. It is light and bright with a definite “darkness” in the center. The familiar note is defiantly a part of brightness – I just cannot think of what it is … but, I like it.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): It’s the lily! One of my co-workers, who happens to be quite garden savvy, came down and commented, “Something smells nice.” When I asked her if it was me, she confirmed by saying it smells like lilies.

 

I agree, it is quite nice. I told her I was willing the warmer weather and sunshine of spring to come back.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): This remains its wonderful lily self. I can’t really detect anything else – as the lily is quite potent. Long-lasting, as it is still present as I leave for work. A definite spring or summer scent.

[Julilla Regina]

I'm not having luck with Goneril. I think my skin really amplifies the geranium. It's sharp and green to my nose, and the cedar didn't come out, which makes me so very very sad. Two hours later, still geranium.

 

Waaah!!! I want someone else's skin chemistry!

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Orchid, lilly, and a hint of cedar

 

First on: Uh oh. I think this mix is turning to rot on me like Blood Rose did.

 

Drydown: It actually turned into a nice blend, with mostly cedar showing at the end. It almost had a powder type scent to it, but it wasn't baby powdery. If that makes sense.

 

I like it, but it's not an everyday scent.

[quikslvr]

Scent I can't place. Daffodil-y? springy, certainly. Too floral for me, I think. Work-apropos. Goes lovely cedar later, but that floral stage nixes it for me.

[zankoku_zen]

In the Bottle: Smells very strong as a floral and avery sharp. It makes me take a step back.

 

On Skin: It smells very sharp and very green, almost like crushed lilies and its almost overpowering. After a while, the sharpness is still there although it seems to be calming down more as time passes by or I'm getting used to it.

On Drydown: I can smell the cedar now, peeking through. Still floral but there is an intensity there, like something lurking.

Verdict: I like the scent enough to keep the imp. It intrigues me. It plots, if that makes sense. I like it because it makes me think 'complex' and 'conniving'. It's not an easy scent to live with, so I don't think I will order more. But good in small quantities.

 

ETA: I got another imp of this after I swapped my original one away. In this one there is an almost patchouli like smell that overtakes the lily in the drydown. It must have been a combination of the cedar and perhaps the black orchid.

Edited July 13, 2007 by zankoku_zen

[mmcfa2]

This one starts out bright and clean ( lilly and geranium for sure) with slight cedar woody bits. But as it dries an unsettling scent arrives, almost animalistic although no notes as such are listed, must be the black orchid?. As a first try? meh~ I'll give it a second go though

[Galen]

This starts out very woody on me, softened slightly by florals. Depending on my skin chemistry on any particular day this then dries down in one of two ways: it either stays rather woody (on a "bad" day) or, on a good day like today, mellows out into a beautiful creamy floral that is softly grounded rather than overwhelmingly sweet. I suspect it's the orchids and the geraniums playing nicely together with the woody notes, but I can't identify which flower it actually is...

 

Overall - changeable, and sometimes heart-breakingly beautiful, at other times nothing special.

[olympia301]

Not a bad scent but the individual components are overwhelmed by geranium. Geranium is one of the most powerful ingredients you can use in any blend, I know this I used it a lot in my aromatherapy and in lots of household tasks where I want to leave behind a powerful lasting natural scent (try putting it in the vacuum cleaner bag). It lasts like mad, too. Here is absolutely takes over, like Goneril tried to take over Lear's life. The other parts try to get attention, but alas, it is in vein. Trying to combine it with cedar was a great idea, but geranium eats cedar alive and then starts looking around for other victims.

Edited July 31, 2005 by olympia301

[Carolyn]

Love love love this one and have ordered a big bottle. Alas, I think it's perfect for summer, but by the time I get it....

 

Oh well.

 

On me this smells clean without being a dryer sheet kind of clean. (I'm not fond of that dryer sheet smell.) I would have thought there was citrus and musk in there, since that's what's coming to mind when I wear it. That and cedar.

 

Interestingly enough, this seems like an everyday, jeans and a t-shirt kind of smell. Something I'd splash on before I go to the beach. I don't get that grand, big night out thing from it at all.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Strange, somewhat rotting like smell ?

 

On me:

I did not like this at first. At first, it smelled like rotten fruit or something, it was an odd, indescribable smell that made me cringe. After about 15 minutes though, this settles into a very dark floral. Not dark like violet is dark - dark like florals with malicious intent. Somewhat coying and sweet, and tinged with a striking fruitiness. These are exotic, beautiful flowers, dripping with poison. There is a slighty powdery smell underneath this that gives this a real feminine boost to top it off.

 

Final note:

I went from hating this to loving it. I might even need a bottle. It smells exotic and somewhat tropical, yet dangerous. What an intriguing blend!

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I got this as a gift in a swap.

 

In the imp, it's light clean florals grounded by a mildly dry woody scent. The white cedarwood I guess.

 

As soon as it touches my skin it's as if someone hit a soap switch. I smell clean and pretty. Clean, pretty, and soapy.

 

As it dries, the soap fades a little, and the clean florals that I smelled in the imp are more apparent, but the soap background is nagging me.

 

The verdict: I didn't expect to like this at all, since I'm not very fond of florals, but aside from whatever it was that turned to ivory soap on me, this was a very clean, and lovely blend. Maybe I won't be so quick to pass on florals.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was surprised that I actually like Goneril. I hate lilies and they often come on very strong on me. When first applied, this is mostly cedar. A lovely herbal and dry woods smell.

 

Then some floral starts to come out, but I'm actually enjoying it. It is the same floral that I loved in Phantom Queen. I've come to the conclusion that I absolutely love black orchid. It doesn't go perfumey on me at all. It smells very rich and dark, makes me think of rich dark purples. The combination of the floral and cedar is interesting.

 

I don't love this enough to get a full bottle as I don't often reach for cedar blends, but I will definitely be keeping and enjoying my imp.

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: Dark, wicked floral. It's a wet, steamy greenhouse. Flowers amidst a backdrop of thick green ferns with droplets of water trickling from their tips.

 

Wet: It loses a bit of strength on my skin, but the utter atmosphere of a greenhouse is still there. This scent is so genuinely wet that I can almost feel my hair frizzing up from the humidity of it. This is an absolutely gorgeous floral!

 

Dry: It's completely changed, and I am not happy about that. All that's left of that wet, steamy greenhouse is a bouquet of freshly picked flowers. A different flower has rushed to the surface, though again, I have no idea which one. The scent in general is a bit sweeter, but with a bit of tang at the same time. The cedar is starting to peek out, very shyly, and is stealing that wetness away.

 

An hour later: Where did that lucious greenhouse go? Oh, how I miss it so. That sweet tang has been amped up, and I'm sensing the tiniest bit of rose in there, too.

 

Overall: I'm not sure if I'd ever wear this as perfume, but I'll definitely be keeping it just to sniff from time to time. If I figure out how to turn it into a room scent, that's where Goneril's fate will lie.

Edited August 27, 2005 by decemberine

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: very green and a little bit woodsy. The florals are extremely light and ephemeral--you have to try hard to catch them. They come out more if you give the bottle a good roll before you open it.

 

Wet: woah...antiseptic...lemon scented soft scrub. My skin does this to some note that I can't quite figure out yet.

 

Dry: straight-up cleaning products with a base note of chlorine. It did not wash off.