Maenad

[sookster]

Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.

straight sniff from imp is smoky, strawberry incense...

once on it mellow a bit and the poppy comes through and something like a
sweet wine....

after 30 minutes or so, it has softened up considerably...a bit powdery...pretty!

quite different and lovely and i am glad a lovely forumite frimped me with this

[LiberAmoris]

Maenad goes on with a burst of orange blossom and then a tumble of other, seemingly discordant notes---the strawberry, carnation, black poppy, and hibiscus. It's like a messy chord some kid plays on a piano---their fingers have good form but they're not on the right notes.

 

Then it starts to calm down and things begin to stratify a bit. It smells like this strawberry tobacco I had at a hookah bar once. Sweet, but smoky. There's something almost candied here, or like a liquor. It's quite nice. It reminds me a bit of a darker Bon Vivant.

 

A really unusual and interesting blend. I'm really glad I got to try it.

[Naamah_Darling]

I fail to see how something this sweet in the bottle could possibly be meant to embody the concept of "Maenad." This is berry-sweet and floral, with a hint of pepper. And I already know that it's going to smell really bad on me. I'm betting . . . dirty makeup sponges and bubble gum.

 

And I'm right. Dirty makeup sponges and bubble gum.

 

It goes on as a dark, raspy floral with a sweet note that heads the throw. This smells like nothing so much as some sort of bath product – bubble gum flavored bubble bath, maybe. With just a faint husky undertone of that unwashed old-makeup smell.

 

If this is the smell of maenads, these maenads live in a trailer park and think that glossy, pink polyvinyl is haute couture, and they are carrying the severed head of Elvis. Bwaaack!

 

It settles a bit after about half an hour, and it isn't quite so rancid, but it's still very slick and fake smelling, and very syrupy. I almost like it, but it's just a little too-too.

 

Charitably, I'll say it might be a good scent for those who like very sweet, candylike, artificial scents ramped up with florals. A better bet would still be Bordello.

 

I have never before called a BPAL scent a miss, but this completely shied the mark for me – there is no evocation of the feral deadliness for which the bassarids were justly feared, no hint of wine, no hint of wilderness.

[Tess]

Now, this sounds a whole lot sweeter than I normally wear, but I do like orange blossom and carnation (two of the very few florals I can stand). Strawberry has potential, if it's low on the sugar content.

 

In the vial - I'm getting VERY little strawberry and lots of hibiscus. Almost candy-like sweet, too.

 

Wet - Strawberry gum that's been chewed for awhile.

 

Drying - It's old strawberry candy sitting on a candy dish under a vase of freshly cut hibiscus and orange blossoms. The florals aren't exactly what I'd call "strong," but they're prominent.

 

Dry (1 hour) - Wow, this really does calm down into strawberry incense. A very, very faint one at that.

 

Overall - I never really thought this would work for me, but I can see it being very nice on someone else.

[supremegoddessofall]

Strawberry in a hint of florals. My skin is eating this quickly, so I'll need a retest. Has a childlike quality to it that I like, though.

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: Fruit and something dangerous (carnation and poppy?)

 

wet: Something rotten and plastic-y.

 

dry:PUHHHHLASTIC *runs away to scrubbbbbb!!!* EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

[swilde]

This is super sweet. If I breathe deeply enough from my wrist, I can smell black poppy. Mostly though I'm reminded of Jailbait.

[Musamea]

In the imp and wet: Strawberry to the extreme, indeed! I get a teeeeny tiny bit of the carnation's spiciness, but that's it, in terms of other notes.

 

dry: Strawberry, strawberry, strawberry. Cute, but a little too young and flighty for me.

[klavierbarrette]

opened this and got some on my finger already

 

in the bottle its 'hello poppy'. that's also how it is on my finger atm. i don't know...opium, poppies, they love me. LOVE me. something sweeter comes out a minute later but im not sure what it is...no wait it's the strawberry! <3 but.....then it goes away. now i'm left with orange poppy.

 

it's alright. a layering scent.

[monsteralice]

Wet: Sweet and flowery, with a hint of something sharper, but unidentifiable.

 

Dry: Strawberry backed up with flowers. A very nice scent.

 

Finish: Stayed the same for hours. By the 9-hour mark most of the strawberry was gone, but the flowers were still there.

 

Duration/Throw: Good throw, still getting occasional wafts 3 hours after application. It was strong a few inches from the wrist at the 3-hour mark, faded gradually during the 6 to 9-hour period.

 

I like Maenad more than I expected from the description (but it didn't make me feel like I should run wild ripping men's heads off.) It's in the running for the big bottle purchase.

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

Whew! That's strong. Poppy, and something cloyingly sweet. I think I can get the strawberry and orange.

 

Wet:

Confusing. More strawberry than in the bottle. Poppy, and a little bit of floral. Sweet... but confusing.

 

Dry down:

Sweet. Strawberry, orange blossom, poppy, carnation. If the hibiscus is there, I'm having trouble separating it because I'm not very familiar with it.

Final thoughts:

Very yummy, but possibly also very young. I'm going to reserve judgment on this for awhile.

[eanewsom]

I was nervous when I smelled the bottle and it just smelled like strawberry gum. Still, I figured, lots of things smell very different on, so I gave it a try. This smelled exactly the same on as it did in the bottle - fake, rubbery, over-sweet gum. Off to the swaps.

[Esatres]

In the imp: Sharp, sharp strawberry. Sharp, sharp...bitterness. Pretty disgusting.

 

Wet: Sharp strawberry. Bitter. Not pleasant.

 

Dry: Strawberry incense with a vengeance. Bitterness mostly disappeared, and definitely not me.

 

Conclusion: It really smells a lot better on the skin than in the imp, so you may want to give it a shot, even if the imp scent is off-putting.

[filigree_shadow]

In the imp, the oil smells kinda bad. On, however, the strawberry blossoms. The floral notes behind it make it smell like a whole strawberry field rather than just the fruit. When it's drying the strawberry gives up a little makes way for more florals, which are dark and a bit acrid. Reminiscent of incense. The whole scent becomes sweeter as it dries. The strawberry in this is not juicy, it's kind of powdery, oddly enough.

 

I'm an extremely hard sell on strawberry scents, but I like this one a lot more than others. I think it's because it's distorted just enough here that if I didn't know there was strawberry in this I don't think I would have been able to name the note. I think this would make a good summertime scent.

[goth_huntress]

I hated this one - sorry

[lapillus]

In bottle: sour green – it must be the orange and the hibiscus. I’m not getting any strawberry.

 

Wet: some floral sweetness shows up on top and the sweetness of the strawberry.

 

Dry: the sour is almost completely gone

 

Later: loses the sour becomes wet green airy florals. Lasts about five hours.

 

Summary: Much nicer on wearing than I expected initially. Will enjoy it but probably not order a big bottle as there are other green scents I like better.

[euterpe414]

The description of this one sounded lovely, the notes seemed good with my track history, but on me this was a complete distaster! In the imp I smelled strawberry incense, but on my skin I got burnt plastic and strawberries! No good, no good!

 

Usually poppy works on me but in this case I think it is running amok. Ah well, off to find this one a better home.

[Iceblink]

This smells really green on me, with just a little fruitiness. Almost like really unripe fruit. It's not horrible, but it's not great, either. I think carnation just doesn't work on me in any form.

[alliekat13]

Mayhem is right....when I opened my imp of this it was complete anarchy in there. It smelled like strawberry nail polish remover, it was so strong and hideous that I was unsure is I should try it on or not. But when I did, the nail polish remover remained and I had to go scrub it off because I could not tolerate it. Sigh.

[little_galaxie]

Like paperdoll said, a very chaotic scent. Unfortunately, the notes all muddle together in this one and I end up with one syrupy sweet mess on my skin, akin to Akuma. Not for me.

[taramarie]

On me, Maenad is the scent of warm, spicy strawberry jam. I'm definitely getting a big bottle of this.

[n1k1ta]

There is a coconut note in Maenad. Which makes the perfume very tropical with the poppy and hibiscus. The orange blossom and strawberry are a natural sweet and never sloppy saccharine.

 

I was concerned about the carnation. I don't really like carnations, honestly. I never picked up on them though, so I'm relieved.

 

I received compliments on this perfume all day too. Men wanted to smell me and women wanted to know what I was wearing. I think Maenad is a success!

[oreibasia]

I really love this one. I was hoping I would.

 

In the vial it smelled sharp and woodsy. After applying it, it smells exotically fruity and flowery in addition to the woodsy aroma. I love this scent. I want to bathe in it. I'll definitely be buying a full bottle at some point. Someone described it as "strawberry incense." My brain went "YES!" But it's very, very good incense.

[Mimicake]

I really wanted to make friends with Maenad. The wild chaotic scent that everyone described seemed interesting to me, and I love strawberry. Sadly, it turned to plastic strawberry incense on my skin.

[KassiK]

Now this is a great scent.

 

In the imp: a NICE strawberry fruit smoothy without being chaotic.

 

Wet on skin: Strawberry and orange dominate, while the florals remain in the background.

 

Dry on skin: florals are coming out, but my skin is still bringing out more of the fruits, which I prefer to florals. It's also a bit, but not too much, haughty in a way. I feel grown up when I wear it. There's also something bubbly about it like champagne.

 

While I do like this scent a lot, it won't turn into a big bottle purchase, but it'll be nice to have a good fruity + womanly blend for special occasions around in an imp.