Pride

[blackrayne]

PRIDE

 

From the Seven Deadly Sins collection...

 

Vanity in extremis. The scent of rabid hauteur: Moroccan rose and narcissus.

 

Pride...first impressions include feelings of strength, independence, and, of course, pride.

 

*edited to add the official BPAL description*

[jj_j]

I like the Moroccan rose Beth's using - it's lush and with an unusual sort of clarity that doesn't get lost in the blends. In Pride, the narcissus combines with it to make a unified, expensive, I-am-better-than-you-everyday-sorts kind of scent.

 

I walk with my head up and my hips swinging anyhow, so it might be a little over the top if I went with my reaction of throwing my chin up a bit higher and swaying some more. It's what I would want to do, though. <grin>

 

Pride's a straightforward but really beautiful rosy scent, and because it's uncommon and has such strength of character, I'll be ordering this one.

 

Updated 3/21/04 - Was headed out the door this afternoon - stepped into my bedroom and put some of this on while the fella was in the other part of the house gathering stuff up. We got into the car, rolled the windows down to enjoy the sunny spring afternoon, and he started pointing out all the Bradford pear trees in bloom and talking about how good spring and flower gardens and greenery smell to him. I didn't think anything of it until about two minutes later, when he looked at me kind of funny and said, "I don't think Bradford pear trees smell that good. I think you must have put on some perfume." A quick sniff-test confirmed I was the smell-good!

Edited March 22, 2004 by jj_j

[roisnoir]

In the bottle: Ohhh. Narcissus. I haven't smelled one of those in forever. We had them in the garden at the house I grew up in. Not smelling the rose at all.

 

On: There's that rose. It's peeking out slightly, though I'm still more aware of the narcissus.

 

Drying: Wow. I don't know about vanity, but this is definately making me want to hold my head high.

 

Dry: A perfect blending of rose and narcissus. I love this. It feels a little too rich for a day-to-day scent, but would be perfect for going out for a nice evening.

 

Verdict: I don't know if I'm getting a large bottle, but I'll definately use up the sample.

[friendthegirl]

At first, I thought it smelled wonderful, that great rose smell. But after just a few seconds, it's starting to smell like a grill to me.

 

In conclusion, this smelled just like a grill and I had to wash it off. Blech. ((

Edited June 10, 2004 by friendthegirl

[Ishtar]

On me, Pride is a fairly straightforward rose scent with an underlying tanginess, almost a saltiness to it. After a few minutes, it reminded me of the rose scented bath salts we used to keep in a jar by the bathtub when I was little.

 

Once it started drying down, it went through a stage during which I thought it was going to turn to powdery, but never quite did. After drydown, I was left with a pleasant if somewhat simple rose scent.

 

I will definitely give it another try, since I suspect I was having a bad chemistry day when I wore it.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a completely over-the-top, in-your-face floral. i like it.

on: still a brilliant floral. almost blindingly so. this may be a bit too much of a floral for me.

2 hours later: well, i wore this to an interview, and it did make me feel pretty confident. now, it's turned sweet (such is my skin), but in an almost fruity way. it's very nice.

3 hours later: this is still sweet, but lovely. it's much softer than the initial floral, which is good.

4 hours later: it's much lighter and still sweet. i keep thinking it's about to get powdery, but it doesn't.

overall: this is definitely a good one when i need to feel confident in myself. it's a good interview perfume, but i need to make sure i don't overdo it. i'm still not sure i'll be getting a bottle, but i'll probably try to always have an imp on hand.

[Donnababe]

First Sniff

 

Sharp narcissus.

 

Drydown

 

Very strong this one. Still quite sharp but heady wafts of the rose soften it a little.

 

After a While

 

Sweet rose. Good staying power.

 

Final Verdict

 

A little too haughty and prim for me.

[tart]

Pride actually made me laugh a little, it really does smell so stuck up. The narcissus and rose are overwhelming, but not in a bad way. I could see this (or smell this?) on a confident woman wearing a black dress. Good if you love floral bouquet scents.

[reina]

hmmmm... interesting.

I got this thanks to Merveilleuse (thank you!)

First of all, let it be noted, it's strong. can get slightly overbearing during the first minutes, but as with all BPAL scents, patience is a virtue.

15 minutes into wearing:

well, I never knew that Pride smelled like baby soap. In Israel there's a baby soap called Kamil Blue, and this smells pretty similar. I think it's the combination of the Narcissus in this, because I know that Rose on it's own doesn't smell like that on me.

So it's baby soap for grown-ups.

 

one hour into wearing this (as I'm writing now): a more sophisticated floral is starting to seep out behind the baby soap. I'm getting into the shower in an hour, and I'll see how this develops.

 

I think I'll be wearing this to salsa tonight, as Pride is the main feeling I have now. I got accepted to a salsa instructors course, and I'm feeling just grand.

 

overall, not bad at all, it's a keeper.

[diabolique]

i'm going to be honest. i have no idea why i ordered this one. i love the smell of roses, but i think it's one of those things my skin amplifies. smelling the bottle, this one made me sick. i don't think it smells bad in the least, but that's just what florals (i gag when i even say that word) do to me, especially ones that doesn't have very many ingredients.

 

my other rose scent, harlot, smells beautiful, but i think that's because it has so many layers. this one is just so straight forward on me. i actually think it smells really good, but i can't get over that fear of florals. every time i say the word floral, it envokes images of this horrid "potpourri" spray that was in a cheap white bottle we had when i was a lot younger.

 

talk about being scarred. off to swap with you, vice. i hope you can find a loving home. -sniff-

[pekeana]

I had issues with Pride in the vial -- because of the immediate smack in the face that is rose. And when I put it on, all I could smell was rose. Then my head started to throb and my arm developed a red welt. I'm not sure if it was the rose or the narcissus that did that, but man -- it burned.

[silverangel]

At first this is ALL Narcissus on me. It's sharp and strong but on drydown becomes much softer, more rose and more subtle. It gets a little too subtle for me so this is one that I need to reslather (and I am not a slathering kind of girl) after a couple hours to make it strong enough. I like this, but I don't know how often I'll wear it as it's so soft and almost powdery (not that I mind that) it almost disappears after a couple hours.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Lovely ebonykawai threw this in with a swap!

 

First Impression: Oh, lush roses!

 

Second Impression: Another nice rose blend, but I much prefer Persephone. The rose notes are very similar but the narcissus just doesn't seem to work on my skin.

 

Final Analysis: A lovely rose blend that unfortunately doesn't like me.

[leslie260]

This is my favorite rose scent that BPAL makes. It smells so much like pure roses that I find myself sniffing my wrist constantly when I wear it. My husband doesn't care for it and says it makes him sneeze. Whatever. I wear it anyway...

[FireInCairo]

Pride is lovely. This is not a weak rose..or a sad rose..this is rose that it conceited and haughty. I love the boldness of this scent. It seems to go nicely with the color red..with red lipstick....it stays true to its purpose too. It stays on for hours........

[Caitfish]

In the bottle:

Dominant notes: Rose and something that makes this incredibly sharp, I suppose that must be the narcissus.

Impressions: As I said, this is definitely rose, but much sharper. It smells almost like an astringent floral soap in the bottle.

 

Initial On:

Dominant notes: The same.

Impressions: This is surprisingly VERY strong. Usually rose scents are very soft and light, but this is extremely strong, has a *lot* of throw.

 

After a while: Persistent notes: The same.

Notes that fade: None.

Staying power? Incredible. This seems to get on everything I touch. I wore it for six hours, and then went to bed. When I woke up in the morning, I could smell it on my pillow as if it had spilled there - like an entire imp.

 

Summary: This is a very appropriately named and described blend. It is "rabid" as the name describes, and wants absolutely to be noticed. Won't sit in the background or blend in with you in anyway. If you want to stand out and don't mind smelling like one helluva rose, this is for you. To be honest, I really like the way this one operates - so strong and in your face. But it's a bit astringent somehow, and it makes it difficult to enjoy. I feel very soapy.

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle Musky rose. It's a haughty, fleshy floral. YUM.

 

Wet It's gotten spicier now. The narccicus is making it's presence known. Wow. It's really musky, but in a really really good way.

 

Drydown The rose and the narccicus have come to terms with one another, and are now balancing. It has a very confident, haughty tone. It's good if you feel like the world is against you, because this scent makes you think "I am freakin' fabulous, and better then everyone. They just aren't worth my time." Maybe a good one to get over rejection with?

 

Two Hours Later Much the same, but slightly softer, and slightly more of a focus on the rose. It's a lovely fragrance, but the emotional implications are overpowering. So unless you want to embody Pride, it may not be for you.

 

Verdict I like it, and it's a keeper, but I won't wear it often. only when I am in the mood..... or NEED to be in the mood. lol.

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Pride is a VERY rosey scent with just a hint of the narcissus.

 

On Me: BPAL is the only place that seems to get rose right for me. Most of the time its totally overpowering or smells way too old for my tastes. In fact, my first words when trying BPAL oils for the first times was, "No Florals, and NO ROSE!" Ha! They proved me wrong again.

 

This is a medium rose, not too light but not too strong either, with the barest of hints of the narcissus in the background. Most of the time with a rose scent I get the impression of being very girly and innocent, but not this time. This time its something that makes you want to stick out your chest, stick up your nose, and parade around the mall. Its a sophisticated scent, or at least that's what "it" would tell you. Its a highly feminine scent that reminds me of my husband's step-mother, and that's almost not fair to the imp. It's looking down your nose at something beneath you. Its sniffing when you hear them speak like you think that their words smell horrible. Its the flipping of the hair and the rolling of the eyes that you do when you think that someone lesser than you is trying to speak to you.

 

Yup. Its my step-mom-in-law all right.

 

Unfortunetly, the scent does start to fade quickly. I do like the scent, its very nice. I don't think I want to be reminded of that woman every time I put it on though. I think I'll use up the imp, but I don't think I'll be buying a bigger bottle. Not unless I can get a different impression of it.

[Northernminx]

Prim, proper, and haughty. Lots of rose in the bottle, this is a formal, almost stiff rose scent. I didn't get much narcissus, mostly just rose but it's a rose that refuses to be ignored for as long as this scent remains. Very much a nice and neatly tucked in, proper feminine scent that leaves no room for anything else.

 

This didn't last terribly long on me despite it's backbone. I am also apparantly rather allergic to narcissus as I keep sneezing. Hrm...off to swaps with ye.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Aye chiwawa! That's rose! Yes, it is extremely rosey and extremely strong. It's practically screaming. I know the narcissus is there because this isn't straight rose...but jeez.

 

Wearing: OK. I put one little swipe on my arm and I'm encompassed by this cloud of super sharp rose. Talk about heady, I think it's actually making me high. There's also something here making the scent incredibly dry, but it doesn't smell like narcissus. If this were a color, it would be bright, bright red. Nay, it would be red and shiny. I like red and shiny, I just don't want to smell like it! Rose can be nice, but this is just a wee bit much on me. I think I'm going to have to prematurely wash it off.

 

Overall: Um. Wow. Yeah, this conjures images of a flamboyant old woman in a gaudy sequined dress, huge gold jewelry, and shiny red stiletto heels. If you've ever seen the Tex Avery cartoon with the sexy Red Riding Hood, this is her grandmother. Yes, flamboyant would be the best word. It is so not me, and will go to someone who doesn't mind so much of an attention-getting scent. I'll stick to London if I want rose.

Edited January 17, 2005 by voodoobaby

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: This is the most stuck up scent I've ever smelled. The rose and narcissus are equally prominent in the bottle.

Wearing: ROSE!! It's my chemistry. his ain't nothin' but a rose thang.

Final Impressions: I just can't wear rose, but if I could, this would be the one I would choose. I like Pride's confidence, and yes, the haughtiness speaks to me too.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I *love* this! I bought it to wear when I defend my dissertation, but couldn't resist trying it out. The narcissus came on very strong, a slightly acrid herbal note. It smelt of paper-whites, which I think *are* a kind of narcissus, or at any rate the only version of the flower I have encountered in person. The rose--and of course I am a rose fiend--was more of a determined undernote, but it finally came out more fully after about an hour; now the notes are balanced.

 

Pride is not as strong as I expected--I find myself wanting to touch it up already. But I love it and could see this being a bottle at some point; it's almost like a Voodoo blend, the way it perks up the self-esteem. A great one for when you need to be reminded of your own fabulosity.

[vitawash24]

Okay. Clearly, I cannot wear rose. Because honestly, this smelled horrid on me. I wish I understood the whole "pretty rose" concept because currently, it's totally lost on me.

 

This does have some serious staying power, because I took a shower and the scent was still there afterwards.

[shelldoo]

in the vial:

rose

 

wet narcissus

 

dry; this becomes a wrestling match between the rose and narcissus, w/ a musk (white musk i believe) referee

 

beautiful, sophisticated, summery, strong, def will use the imp

[Sheila]

On me, Pride is all roses. It's a very lovely, old-fashioned, "true" rose scent. I can't smell the narcissus. This scent really captures a feeling of confidence.

 

 

ETA: Oh, and this was a giftimp from the lab. Thanks much--glad I got to try it.

Edited September 30, 2005 by Shollin