Nocturne

[Mountaingrrl00]

An olfactory serenede. A somber, contemplative scent -- dreamy and subdued. Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose.

I'm not usually crazy about florals, but Nocturne is a definite exception. These are three of my very favorite floral notes, blended to perfection. Bitter violet, creamy tuberose, and airy lilac balance each other so beautifully. I love this violet most of all. I love this to wear on a rainy day or to bed. There's something earthy here too, as well as the wistfulness many have mentioned. For a scent with just three notes I can identify, this has a lot of depth. Yet it's not heavy. It's just right, and among my favorites of about 100 BPALs I've tried so far.

[filigree_shadow]

Something is wrong with my Nocturne imp. I think it's sick.

 

I opened the imp and all I could smell was alcohol. Rubbing alcohol. In addition, the level is way below the label. It came straight from the Lab this way.

 

I braved the alcohol whiffiness and put a tiny drop on my hand, and all I could smell was very faint lilac.

 

ETA: After about 15 minutes the lilac really came out and is truly beautiful. Definitely worth getting another imp and trying again.

 

ETA again: With my very next order after this review, the Lab sent me a frimp of Nocturne! This one is overflowingly full and smells wonderful! Lovely lilac.

Edited April 12, 2006 by filigree_shadow

[Brianne]

In the vial:

soft lilac

 

On me:

I certainly had no expectations for this because it's a floral and I don't care for them. On the other hand, it has lilac in it and I love lilac. So it was a toss up.

 

As it turns out though, I totally love this. It's such a beautiful lilac scent, it's fresh and airy and light. The violet and rose are really muted in this, they're more like a tiny complimenting scent to the lilac. The lilac is front and center here and it's just so pretty!

 

Final note:

SUCH a pretty scent, it's perfect for spring!

[TheStormCellar]

This was not one that I ordered, but a free imp they threw in. Given that this is a floral scent, and I don't usually wear florals at all, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this came down. It started with heavy lilac wafting through the air, but not overpowering. It was like sticking your nose into a lilac bouquet. And dried down to a lovely scent, much like standing near a beautiful flower garden with lilac bushes nearby. Once it dried down, it was very light and subtle, and not cloying in the least. I will definitely wear this one again. A fabulous blooming spring scent for me. I should note that I absolutely love lilacs. There is a lilac bush right below the balcony of our apartment, and when it is in bloom, I love to go outside and just sit there reveling in the scent, and Nocturne reminded me of that soft subtle "you can only catch it if the wind blows in the right direction" kind of scent. And it had some great lasting power, because I put it on in the morning on Friday, and my roommate commented on it when I got home from work.

[eclecticaurora]

In the imp and on me: Lilacs! It's like Beth bottled the lilac tree that my parents had at their house when I was growing up. I remember hiding out under that tree and pulling the flowers loose from their branches and sucking the nectar from the base of the flower. Mmmm...this perfume smells like that nectar tasted. Delicious!

[Ryokumuji]

Sadly, Nocturne and I don't seem to get along.

 

I loooove lilacs so much. When I was young, there was a lilac bush in front of the apartment building I used to live in, and my grandmother would always cut off a few and place them in a vase in our apartment.

 

It smelled pleasant in the imp but when I put this on my skin it went... bleeeeeeeeeeh. I can't even really describe the smell, I can smell a little of the lilac, but it reminds of candy. Those little tablet powdery type candies that I used to get on Halloween all the time that I hated.

 

Maybe it's the violet?

[kunoichi]

I don't know what it is, but Nocturne and I don't like each other. There's something about it that just smells awful to my nose, which makes me sad because the description was enchanting! It doesn't smell any better when I wear it. I couldn't smell anything floral at all.

 

Sorry, I wanted so much to like it, but I couldn't.

[brownbear]

So pretty! It makes me feel girly. Mmm a nice, light, sort of sweet floral. Very nice.

[edenssixthday]

Nocturne - Instant violets! Wow, this is just gorgeous! Sooo pretty! It’s bright, purple, fresh-cut violets laying on a bed of soft, purple, fresh-cut lilacs. Oh, this is just too pretty for words. I can’t wait to wear it again and if it’s this nice the second time around, I’m buying a bottle! If I had to pick only one floral to smell the rest of my life, I’d be torn between violets and lilacs, so this is a scent that makes me really, really happy!

[walkingundine]

Origin: An order I placed a long time ago.

 

Why I waited forever to try it: I am afraid of florals. I am a bit of a tomboy, you see.

 

In the imp: This is strange. Normally wet-smelling things have that 'dryer sheets' note to them. This does not. It smells like a cold puddle on the lawn, around late April / early May... With huge white and purple flowers.

 

On skin: For some reason I expected it to turn to soap, like roses would. It stayed fairly true. The violet note is very prominent, but now and again I get hints of lilac (which actually smells of lilac instead of turning vile the way lilac sometimes does on skin). I'm thinking that the peculiar lushness would probably be because of the tuberose.

 

Throw: Moderate. I would not wear it much in the summer, though, for fear of attracting bees. Is that paranoid? I know if I were a bee I'd be all about the Nocturne.

 

In sum: I think I'll use up the imp and just be quietly alarmed that I appear to have turned into a girl.

[catrinella]

Imp: Warm violets.

 

Wet: Violet but with a dusky undertone, like rained-on violets and damp earth.

 

Drydown: Lilac blending in and a faint hint of the tuberose. This is insanely feminine without being girly. I think I'm in love. (Oh no, toward the end of the drydown it's started to go a bit soapy.)

 

1 hour: The soapy seems to have stabilized into a warm violet smell again. Even the little whiffs of soap aren't that bothersome; I had some lovely violet/lilac soap many years ago that smelled like this. It's fading fast, though.

 

3 hours: No idea. I went to bed with Nocturne on, sniffed my wrist, and was out like a light.

 

ETA: The next morning, so 8+ hours - it's turned into a second-skin scent for me, warm violets with a hint of something damp, and something spicy that may just be my skin chemistry.

 

Verdict: Lovely scent that doesn't have a lot of staying power (see ETA - it is very faint but still present, so not suitable if you want others to actually smell Nocturne). I'll use it as a night-time scent and may still buy a bigger bottle. It's a very calm and balancing scent to me, not particularly somber but not at all bubbly or outgoing.

Edited June 27, 2006 by Catrinella

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Dreamy, soft florals. Hint of spice.

 

On me: Very floral. It's pretty, but not unique enough for me.

 

Verdict: Off to the swap/sell pile.

 

Rating: 2/5

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Beautiful, airy, white and clean.

 

Wet: It smells of magnolias and clean laundry to me (or maybe that's because I'm doing laundry right now?). Must be the combination of violets and tuberose that smell like that to my nose.

 

Dry: The lilac comes out, but seems a bit, I don't know, musty? I don't tend to like lilac anyhow so it's most likely just a personal preferrance thing. Lilacs always smell "grandmothery" or like an over perfumed bathroom to me.

 

Throw: Eh, not so much with the great amounts of throw.

 

Overall: I think this scent might be lovely, all floral and clean smelling, if made into a room spray or such. Maybe a mixture with alcohol to spray on your pillow - make for some sweet dreams? I just don't like this as a perfume on me.

 

[juniperus]

Bottle: thick nectar, mainly the tuberose and lilac. not heady sweet, but opaque

Wet: lilac edging forward - like standing with my face buried in a lilac bush, an old-fashioned variety, at full bloom

Dry: the tuberose and lilac give this an air of eau d'old lady, but the violet saves it for me, so far although it is on the heady-side.

Later: faded fast, but a nice violet overall. maybe not my favorite violet...the scent of quietude.

[eml298]

This is my first review, so of course I am anxious about it. I don't have the nose to pick out specific scents as many of you do, but here goes...

 

In the vial, this scent neither wooed me nor bothered me. It was simply there.

 

Once I put it on, it reminded me of two scenarios:

 

1) an industrial-type kitchen. Not one at a restaurant, but at someone's home. Their decor is cold and austere.

 

2) When I was a kid, we used to go this this place in the mountains referred to as "Slippery Rock". It was basically a natural waterslide. A waterfall fell over large rocks, and people slid down it. There were trees and flowers surrounding the area, but the large rocks were the predominant geography.

 

So, this scent is simply cool and earthy to me.

 

Once it dried, a bit more of the floral sweetness surfaced, though it is not the typical floral I think of (I am not a floral girl). This sweetness simply prevents the fragrance from being totally cool. It gives it the slightest hint of warmth, but not much at all.

 

I like Nocturne. It would be right for a solemn, pensive day for me.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

This is baby powder, on me.

No lovely tuberrose or lilac ever show up.

It smells lovely in the bottle. Like the way I imagine a victorian garden might smell.

[steffanina]

Nocturne-

 

In Bottle: Lilac! Not sure if I can distinguish the violet, but intense lilac.

 

Wet: Yes, there's violet and lilac both. I'm feeling like a Gibson Girl in a pompadour walking sedately through a garden. Yes, and if that's the tuberose I'm smelling...yes it is! The tuberose is quite strong now.

 

Dry: This fades fairly quickly, with almost no residue after an hour. It was nice and floral at first but that limits the scent's use for me. Pity.

 

Overall: I like, but not a lot of staying power. Will try again.

[charmingdetails]

This was the blend I was most looking forward to from my very first BPAL order, and it is indeed what I was hoping for-- soft, deep, rich violet. It's a very cool, quiet floral... contemplative, as the official description says. After putting it on for the first time, I wanted to just sit and breathe it in for a while- not do anything else, just live in this scent. It lasts for about four hours on me, and fades to a pretty, cool scent that makes me feel at peace. It's lovely.

[Eunice]

I thought the rose was my favorite flower in these oils but violet is pushing its way to be front runner. Nocturne smells like purple and green. All violet and lilac and tuberose. There's no denying the notes in this.

[myoubi]

IN VIAL: sweet floral. delicate, with lots of violet.

 

WET: has a little more spunk. the violet makes room for something that must be the tuberose. Hints of something softer underneath.f

 

DRYING: tuberose is drifting away; the lilac is coming out a -lot- more. surprisingly, I'm losing the violet.

 

DRY: pleasant, soft lilac scent, not obnoxiously floral. the violet is there, but lilac is the topnote.

 

 

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: sweet, soft, delicate floral. Nice to smell, but I don't like soft scents and I'm not a florals gal. Will pass this on to someone who will love it better.

[lilfaerywingz]

bottle:slightly sweet zuccini.

 

Wet: violet

 

dry:veggie violet

 

Sounds weird, but I the overpowering violet that I love so much makes this one a keeper

[steffanina]

Nocturne-

 

In Bottle: The sort of violet scent I love.

 

Wet: Strongly violet, but there's this quick sharp recurrence of something unpleasant. Something...rotting. Like the flowers that smell like rotten meat to attract insects.

 

Dry: I wish I liked this one better. That rotting scent goes away but what's left isn't as pretty as it might be. Kind of powdery-off-sharp.

 

Overall: Doesn't work for me.

[Monster]

Nocturne is a floral scent that's great for people who usually hate floral scents (like me)

 

I actually purchased a 5ml of this without first trying an imp of it. I knew, right off the bat that I was going to like it because lilacs and violets are some of my favorite floral scents and the two of them combine...ohhh! Gorgeous!

 

Nocturne is heavy on the violets. It's the very first note I pick out when I sniff it out of the bottle. On my second and third sniff I can smell a rosey note.

 

Wet on my skin the violets bloom even more and the roses burst out, but only for a moment. As this dries down it turns into a rich, dark and lovley purple scent....ALL violets and lilacs. This is the scent of early spring. Fresh cut lilacs, wet from cool sunshower.

Beautiful! There is nothing artificial or perfumy smelling about this blend. It's as if you're shoving your face directly into some dewy violets or a wild bush of lilacs.

 

Again, I'm NOT a floral scent type of person, but I'm so so happy I purchased a 5ml of this. I'll wear it during the winter when the darkness starts to get to me. It's the type of scent that'll give you hope for spring. And when spring finally arrives, I'll smother myself in this and celebrate the sunlight

 

Amazing job, Labbies!

Edited October 20, 2006 by CourtneyLynne

[klavierbarrette]

imp: green o_O

skin: phew, it's just the violet. violets smell a little green on me. i dunno why.....

 

it's alright...nothing special.

[Briar]

Scent: Nocturne

Bottle: On the breath in, I think moonflower and jasmine. On the breath out I get...marshmallows. O.o This is a highly floral and slightly sweet scent. But it's not a "sunny" floral. Not meant to be, obviously, but it does achieve some impression of gentle night.

Wet: Very gentle greenish florals. I know this flower - my mother grew it in her garden - but I don't know what it is. There's an undercurrent of maybe violet here.

After a While: Violently violet. Lots of violet. Maybe even vaguely sickeningly so. This scent has a heck of a radius, too. My whole car smells of violets.

Before It's Dead: It's nearly dead now, and still a greeny, floral violet, but faint. It had complexity at first, and then it didn't - it was all one note towards the back end.