Versailles

[readiness]

Grand, courtly and robust: a glittering, golden scent that would do Louis XIV proud. Gilded red and gold citrus with amber, ruby roses, jasmine and orris.

In the Bottle: yuck... yuck! I think I've discovered that I don't react well at all to Jasmine. Way too flowery

on me: the staying power is amazing. it lived through various washings.

I'm glad this works on others but for me... Edited February 21, 2007 by Shollin

[filigree_shadow]

I sorta like whatever citrus is in this -- it smells mostly like grapefruit to me. But unfortunately I don't like the florals. They're too strong, and something in this is a powder culprit. This smells like a sour floral on my skin. So, no Versailles for me.

[fridythirteen]

I got this for my birthday from my awesome MIL. I didn't remember putting it on my wishlist, and jasmine and I are usually not friends, so I was a little wary of trying it, especially given the reviews here. Well, I guess I'm in the minority, but I find Versailles to be really distinctive and sexy in a very grown-up way. I can't really pick out the individual notes in this one --- there is a sugared citrus overtone that I quite like, the jasmine is playing nicely with the others (for once!) and there is something indescribably regal about this blend. There's a little sourness under the sweetness of the florals (probably the citrus again) that makes this a complex, almost aperatif-like blend. I've surprised myself by turning this into my go-to, everyday scent. It makes me feel strong and in-control.

[destructivedelight]

Wet: In the bottle, this scent is warm, sweet and golden, with strong amber and jasmine presences. I'm not usually one for sweet scents, but I was excited by the distinct presence of the citrus, which adds a subtle tart quality.

 

On me: The citrus disappears as the scent dries, leaving a sticky sweet smell. I love jasmine by itself, but combined with amber, became just too syrupy for my taste.

 

I wish I could like this scent. I love Versailles and the court of Louis XIV, and I wanted very badly to love this smell. But the golden grandeur of the bottle disappears quickly with wear, leaving a faded syrup smell.

 

It is a very strong scent--it stayed on my skin after 9 hours of wear!

[naeelah]

This scent positively glows. What a wonderful realization of the concept! The notes say "gilded" and boy, is that right.

 

For me, it's difficult to pick out the individual notes in this. The citrus is apparent, but it's a warm, honey-like citrus. Not so bright or zesty. Mostly I get citrus with warm amber, and just a touch of the floral, like a bouquet of flowers wafting nearby. Despite the floral notes, I definitely can't call this a floral fragrance. The floral notes balance the fruit and resinous notes perfectly, creating a fragrance that is neither floral nor fruity. It's just... gold. To me it feels very carefree and elegant.

 

This is a really gorgeous fragrance and I love it. Unfortunately, on my skin, it fades incredibly quickly. After 30 minutes it's hardly noticeable and turns very baby powder-ish (perhaps because I amp the amber like crazy). A pity, because this is one I would want to buy.

 

I'll keep the imp and revisit it another season. Sometimes my skin chemistry reacts differently.

[le fey]

After lurking and quietly testing imps for a million years, I figured it was time to start posting.

 

So, today, I decided to analyse my 10 month old imp of Versailles.

 

What I'm hoping for: something lush and glittering, suitable for a French ballroom.

 

In the bottle: Juicy orange and lemon, with a whiff of jasmine and roses. I don't sense a ballroom, but rather a picnic of fresh citrus while sitting in the garden on a summer's day.

 

Wet: much more tart scented - lots of jasmine now, with the citrus stepping back. I've lost the roses entirely. I'm not sure what amber or orris smell like, but there's something going on here I can't identify. I hope it mellows out - this has an almost medicinal tone to it right now.

 

Dry (15 min):

It's settled down now to a fresh herbal scent - jasmine still at the front, but under control now. Whiff of roses in the background, and the citrus is now wafting from a distant orchard. Oddly, there's a faint hint of black pepper happening. This smells like a summer morning, but still far more pastoral than glittering. Breakfast in the garden as the sun warms up the day.

 

Later (45 min):

Fading quickly - warm creamy roses and (hello again!) orange, with just the barest whiff of jasmine. Is that warm cream scent the amber? I like this a lot now - it's a sophisticated yet delicate scent, very feminine without being 'girly'. This is for a woman who is *civilized* when she conducts her affairs. I hope it stays at this level for awhile before disappearing. This is subtle enough to wear regularly just as is in right now.

 

Wind Down (2 hours):

Still there, but it's jasmine scented baby powder at this point and there's that hint of pepper again. Not bad, but not particularly interesting, either. For some reason, this is reminding me of Charlie Perfume, but since it's been at least 20 years since I smelled that, I could be way off. Again, not bad, but not what I was hoping it would do either. (No wait! Someone said it early - Love's Baby Soft is what this has turned into!)

 

Verdict:

There's nothing about this I dislike, and for a brief, shining moment, I adored it. I'll keep the imp as a summery daytime scent but it's not one of my favorites. At 3 hours, the baby powder is still lingering and while mature feminine is good, grandma feminine is not. This may work better if I refresh it every hour or so, to keep it at that good stage a bit longer.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[captainoats]

In the imp: Roses and a little bit of jasmine. I hope the amber and roses don't go powdery on me, but I'm sure they will.

 

Wet: Pale roses and something lightly bitter, like a very pale amber - to me, this is very light yellow in color, not dark red at all. The citrus is probably adding to the light feeling of this as well.

 

Drying: A light citrus (probably lemon) with a bit of powdery rose. It's not sour, but there's something bitter about it, underneath the main scents.

 

Final Verdict: It smells (like many rose blends on me) like a very nicely scneted baby powder. Darnit. Swap pile.

[kwsix]

In the imp, I smell a creamy citrus with some light florals. There's definite potential here.

 

Wet on my skin, it smells exactly like it did in the imp. It's light and airy, and definitely feminine. But sadly, as it starts to dry, it goes all powdery and soapy. It isn't bad, but it's too vague for my liking. My skin ate it all up, and there's nothing left but an indistinct smell that could be soap, deodorant, or a generic lightly scented skin cream. Not unpleasant, but nothing to get excited about either. Maybe it would work better for me in a scent locket.

Edited June 7, 2007 by evilmistressoftoast

[Tal Shachar]

I get very little morphing with this one -- amber, jasmine, and citrus in about that order, which is OK by me. Elegant and courtly, as others have said, but interesting: the smell of genuine good breeding, not mannered or affected. Rich, gold, too juicy from the jasmine and fruit to turn dry with the amber.

 

Love love love. Ordering a bottle now.

[naiade]

Mmmm.

 

Versailles is sparkling and silky, but it has a lovely deepness to it as well. I thought it'd be rather too sweet (not a big fruit fan in general) but I was very much pleasantly surprised. It's plush and warm and luxurious, iced with the smalled breath of cooler airiness. In short, it reminds me perfectly of a French courtier. It was a freebie in my last order and it turned out to be my favorite.

 

I definately need a big bottle of this beauty.

[Skirt]

This really does smell like I imagine Versailles would smell! It's so warm and sweet and romantic. I don't LOVE it, but I do really like it.

[JenM]

Just a quick note: I sniffed the Versailles, which in the imp smelled to me of ORANGE!!!!!!!! and not much else, and then later accidentally layered it over Seraphim. THe resuly was pretty divine for a good while.

[modillian]

I went to Versailles castle just recently, so I was excited about trying this oil. Soon after arriving at Versailles, however, I quickly tired of the overblown, gaudy construction and decoration. The palace is sickeningly decadent for my tastes, but amazing and admirable, a symbol of its time.

 

This oil Versailles is a complete success at capturing the place. My skin has the same reaction as I had to the real palace: overwhelmed and far too decadent! The oil is a mishmash of syrupy sweet perfumey florals, the amber choking me in a fog. It brings to mind a red velvet couch in which overperfumed, overpowdered yet dirty French aristocrats sat to gossip about nothing important. I am similarly amazed at the scope of this oil, as I was at the palace, and I wholeheartedly cannot wear it myself. I hope this style suits others more than me!

[ClareN]

I picked up jasmine, rose and citrus straight away without rereading the description, so I guess my nose is getting better at identifying notes. There's a lot of citrus in the topnotes, but that fades away pretty fast and soon, like everything with jasmine, Versailles turns into all-jasmine-all-the-time on me. A bit of powdery rose, too, but not the kind of rose I prefer. This is one of the better jasmine blends I've tried, I do like the citrus and amber, but if you can't wear jasmine this still isn't wearable.

 

Surprisingly, the jasmine actually backs off in the drydown, which is a sweet powdery amber-rose on me...still not something that I'd be drawn to wear again, though.

 

I happened to test Guerlain's Jardins de Bagatelle (jasmine-rose-neroli) at the drugstore today, then put on Versailles when I got home, to find that the two are actually somewhat similar (in the initial stages). So if you like that Guerlain, try Versailles!

Edited September 4, 2007 by ClareN

[hkhm]

imp: a blast of jasmine and amber. i'm not sure this is going to go well on me...

 

wet: ick. i smell like the purfume section at fred meyer. none of the notes are blending, it's a jarring mish-mash of over-loud fragrances.

 

dry: well, the scent finally blended and gave a warm, soft jasmine scent that i liked a bit. this blend is fine it's just not for me. oh well... i'll see if aging it a bit helps...

[Brianne]

Oh rose You are too strong and headache inducing on me. I get a little jasmine in there too, which combines to something awful on me. I get a tiny little bit of citrus and something powdery as well, but mostly that rose and jasmine are just overwhelming on me. I could see how this would smell very mature and sort of regal and pretty on someone else though!

[taramarie]

Versailles started out smelling like sugared violets (hello, Faith!) and had it stayed that way, I would've been in love. Unfortunately, it turned to violet-scented babypowder. Dry, the rose started to come through, but it turned to floral soap. Goodbye, Versailles.

[alicia_stardust]

VERSAILLES

 

This is a very pretty perfume: it is bright, uplifting, feminine, warm. It starts out with a strongly glowing orange/red scent that is both resinous and citrus. That aspect lingers but it is also joined by a sensual jamine and gentle, barely-there rose. This has a very romantic feeling to it and it reminds me of The Haunted Palace but with more jasmine.

[monsteralice]

Rose was the most prominent note for me, but there are other flowers there as well. It is definitely a pretty scent, prettier than I associate with 18th C. Versailles. It conjures up more of a Victorian pastoral than Marie Antoinette pretending to be a shepherdess.

 

It only lasted for a few hours before I had to reapply, even though I had it in a scent locket as well as on my skin.

 

I like it well enough to keep the imp, but I won't be buying a bottle.

[sassycheesehead]

Versailles certainly lives up to its description: sparkling citrus announces the presence of majestic red roses in all their splendor. Amber underpins this heady entrance with softness that evokes velvet, brocade, and powdered wigs. The pomp and circumstance lasts for about half an hour before taking a turn toward aristocratic aloofness. The fragrances turns from warm to cool as the orris makes its presence known, giving a haughty bite to the soft amber/jasmine softness. Versailles smells very luxe -- like it should cost many times more than its $15 price tag -- but I personally find it a little too formal for everyday wear. It would be perfect, however, for a black-tie affair or special night on the town.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Versailles is a lab frimp that I never would have selected, due to the jasmine. However, on me the prominent notes are rose and orange blossom (or so I thought--I guess it's various citrus notes). Very pretty. And then on the drydown the jasmine sticks its tongue out at me. Another perfectly good blend ruined. I wish there was a "jasmine optional" feature on about a gazillion Lab blends. Sigh.

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: grapefruit, rose, amber

 

On Wet: amber, grapefruit, orris, rose, jasmine

 

On Dry: sugared grapefruit, rose and amber

 

Final Impression: Again, I'm shocked that the jasmine didn't take over. The predominate floral note was rose in this. Really lovely. A softer, warmer Delirium.

 

Rating (on a scale from 1-5): 4

[Miladygrey]

In the bottle and wet, it's all flowers and a little citrus. I am cautiously hopeful.

 

As it dries, I get roses. Then more roses. Then Attack of the Mutant Red Roses of Death. I <I>like</I> red roses, but not in this vast amount. It's drowning me.

 

After several hours, the rose dies down and the jasmine comes out a little. But those several hours are rather a long wait. This one's going in the swap pile, with a small sigh of regret.

[ShadowsDance]

This one goes sour a few moments after being applied. Ick, nope, not at all for me I guess. I need to wash this off, it's making my stomach churn.

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: smells like rosewater flavored Turkish delight to me. Almost too sweet for me. Nice citrus notes peeking out here, but they smell secondary to the rose on me.

 

Wet on me: Some of the sweetness goes away when it hits me, which i'm happy for. The rose note is still very strong, but it's sort of a playful rose to my nose. More of roses on a bush in a garden than three dozen roses delivered to your door, if you know what i mean. The citrus is nice and juicy, but not overwhelming. I think i get some orris, but the jasmine is (happily, for me) not coming out of this thing at all.

 

Dry on me: This smells almost edible on me. The only word i can think of to describe the combination of the rose and the citrus is juicy. Deliciously juicy. Very similar to the wet smell.

 

Throw and duration: good throw on this. My husband can smell it about a foot away, but not several feet away. This is one of the longer lasting scents on me. I'm not sure on exact hours, but every time that i've applied it in the morning, i've still been able to smell it the next morning. So... yeah... awesome duration for me.

 

Overall: i really adore this scent. Sweet, playful, kinda flirty, kinda giggly, sophisticated but in a careless way. It's hands down the most consistent BPAL scent i've tried so far: it smells almost identical in the imp, wet, or dry. Neat.