Berenice

[absinthetics]

A cerebral scent, dry, and white. This is a perfume of thought, not heart, and of unforeseen pain and sudden obsession, touched with uncertain twilight and ambiguous horror. Stargazer lily, white musk, clear aloe, blonde amber and winding-cloth linen.

This is a white scent that leans towards medicinal... but not as sharp as some professed, in my opinion. The aloe calmed it down and makes it.. refreshing. It's almost aquatic as far as how refreshing it is. It reminds me a little bit of Beatrice.

[edenssixthday]

Berenice - Sniffed wet in the bottle, it smelled kind of boring and plain -- a "white" sort of scent. But as soon as it touched my skin, I fell, and I fell hard. I am in love with this fragrance! If you have ever smelled Thierry Mugler's Angel Le Lys (from the Garden of the Stars line), then you will have a really good idea of what Berenice smells like -- except Berenice is better! Similar to the way The Haunted Palace was my favorite from the DIMV line, I think Berenice may very well become my favorite from the Maelstrom line. This is a simply exquisite blend. It is sweetly floral, and has a very crystalline quality that I'm guessing comes from the aloe or the white musk. This scent is simply divine and I wish I had a multitude of bottles! It has really amazing throw, so definitely go light on it when applying! The staying power is excellent, as well.

[mirutai]

Berenice is very white, very ethereal, and very peculiar. The linen comes through very strongly to me, giving a dry, soft feel... yet alongside is the slightly medicinal, green scent of aloe. The aloe gives a slick oily wetness quite at odds to the winding-sheet linen - very, very odd. This may just be my individual perception of aloe, as smelling the scent of aloe makes me _feel_ the peculiar soapy texture of aloe gel on my fingertips (one of my very few cross-sense associations). I don't get the lily or musk conciously, though I suspect that they are there in the background contributing to the "white" impression.

 

It's a haunting, weird scent. I can't say that I'm immediately smitten with it, but I don't dislike it either. I am confused by Berenice!

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Aloe and lilly

 

First on: Dryer sheets

 

After a bit: This is a blend of BBW's Cotton Blossom and Demeter's Laundromat on me. VERY clean.

 

A bit more: The lilly is coming back a bit, but this is Dirty's sister for sure. Fresh, clean, slightly sweet and bright white in colour.

 

I love love love this and am glad I have a 5ml, but I should have gotten more.

[Orodemniades]

I have a caps problem, just so y'all know and don't freak about my punctuation.

 

that said, on me berenice pretty much remains the same throughout, wet and dry. it's a powdery sweet scent, one that reminds me of 19thC fin de siecle ladies with gibson girl hair, all in white, mourning the loss of their One True Love. there's something in here that i really don't like, it's a bit buttery, and very floral...not sure if it's the lily or something else. I want to like it, but so far it's just kind of 'eh'.

 

Oro

[TechnoKittn]

This smells exactly like a pure, alcoholess version of Bath & Bodyworks Green Clover & Aloe line. Now, I don't mean that as an insult to BPAL...in fact, it makes me very very happy, because it was one of my favorite scents B&B has ever put out and is very hard to find. I have spent the last month during their semi-annual sale scouring every store for some, and its the one they never have. So, I am very happy to have something that smells almost exactly the same...but better!

 

All I get is aloe from this, maybe a teensy bit of linen, but thats fine with me. I don't get any Antique Lace...in fact on me there is absolutely nothing similar between the 2. And while House of Mirrors seemed very orange/amber colored to me, this is all green. A cool, clean, watery aloe scent. I love it! But unfortunatly its pretty faint on and fades in record time. Guess this will be a slatherer...but that may be a problem because I ordered the entire Maelstrom line together just before it went down, so had no time to buy backups of the ones I liked

[purrbox]

hmm. i never would have tried this one, but it was a frimp, and i didn't expect to like it.

 

it is rather nice, however. at first anyway.

 

i get mostly lilly, but there is a clean linen scent there too. but it's not overpowering or anything. i don't find this particularly "aquatic" like a lot of people have mentioned. it's pleasant, and soft.

 

unfortunately, when it's been on for about 45 minutes or so, it does something weird and incensey on me, and i don't care for it near as much as when it's first applied. i don't know what it is about my chemistry that is turning so many bpal scents to generic incense lately, but i've got to say, it's driving me mad. just this past week this has happened with the great sword of war, mi-go brain canister, sundew, phantom, nemesis, and most upsettingly, devil's night. and now berenice. all of these, when dry for an hour or so, are completely interchangeable on me. which is just bizarre considering there isn't any real similiarity between those scents!

 

i wish this one stayed true to what it's like when first applied, and first dry, because the lilly and linen scent is really nice.

 

ETA: i noticed a few people mentioned it had a vague hair spray note- and now that i think about it, i agree that on me, it does. (before it does the incense thing.) it's not unpleasant though, in fact, it's kind of 8th grade nostalgic. the note reminds me a little bit of stardust, but not as strong.

Edited July 19, 2006 by purrbox

[Ryvre]

In the imp: Aloe! And a bit of lily.

 

Wet: Light floral over an aloe base. Smells kind on like a sunburn lotion I used last summer.

 

Dry: Very light floral.

 

It faded super fast and had almost no throw.

[fairy]

This one is VERY light, almost not there. It's got some appeal...it's clean smelling. But I would prefer a little more of a punch. This would be good to wear if you don't like overpowering scents. It's clean and refreshing.

[storme]

In the imp: very light, very airy, very aquatic, very... masculine, actually. smells like aftershave.

 

On me, wet: aloe, and dryer sheets, and lily. It's maybe not quite as masculine as in the imp, but a bit hairspray-ish.

 

On me, dry: lily and aloe and hairspray and light airy dryer-sheet scent. It's actually a bit antiseptic - it smells clean and sterile and brittle.

 

Verdict: unsettling. Not one I forsee myself ever wantitng to wear, though it's not actually offensive. Swap pile, though, I think.

[buzz23666]

in the bottle I kinda freaked out since it smelled like my grandmother's bedroom - and that's not a good thing since the woman was a bit of a freak. I know that isn't too nice to say about one's departed g-ma but this was not a nice woman.

 

Thank goodness this went on completely different. Someone before mentioned drier sheets - wow - right on the mark there.

 

But dry this one is amazing. I was worried that the lily was going to be too powerful - as stargazers kind of take over a room when they are freshly cut. But these play nice with all of the other notes. Strange that I can smell them all.

 

This smells like spring - when the first flowers are beginning to bloom through the remaining snow.

 

Love it. Now I just need to find someone willing to let one of their bottles of this go.......

[heartbreakangel]

This is another one of those "I had such hope" scents, though for an entirely different reason than usual. It did something funky where it made my skin dry out. Strange.

 

Wet: All I could smell in the bottle were hints of musk and amber. It stayed this way until drydown, which was when that dried out skin issue started up.

 

Dry: Lily, musk, and clean cotton sheets. Definitely not a combination I mind smelling on any given day. Every so often, the lily did come up and slap me in the face, but inevitably, it wound up taking a back seat to the musk.

 

Very pleasant scent all across. Just wish it didn't do weird things on my person.

[sofiaviolet]

Very clean. I smell aloe and lily. Very pretty and delicate. Almost like glass. I shall treasure my imp but I don't think I'll wear it too often.

[jessamynit]

This is beautiful - like soft, feminine, sad skin. It really does capture sort of a lonely, longing feeling.

Very nice. I feel like it could be someone's natural skin smell! I could almost see wearing it everyday, but I think from time to time will suffice for me.

[azhure]

In the vial: Hmm, very commercial perfume. I don't get any of the notes at all.

 

Wet: Whoah - still that overpowering commercial perfume scent.

 

Drydown: You guessed it. None of the notes come out at all here for me, my skin turning them into a heady commercial perfume scent.

[nancybridget]

Berenice is clean and fresh, like a newly tumbled load of laundry. It's not my kind of scent, but it's quite nice for what it is.

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Clean, pure, slightly sweet. Rather like a calm clear night, with moonflowers and water nearby.

 

Wet: Very sharp and clean, yet with a background of warmth. The stargazer lily is very strong up front, but soon wears down a bit so it is managable. The aloe makes for a slightly aquatic sense.

 

Dry: The lily dries off for the most part and all that's left is the musk, light amber, and just a hint of light white floral. It's very light and nice.

 

Throw: At first there is quite a bit of throw, but it dies off pretty quickly.

 

Overall: I like this, but it doesn't seem all that unique a scent, I get a sense of it being a lot like a handful of other scents (both BPAL and other companies). The other major drawback for me is that this blend is rather short lived. It totally disappears after only a few hours.

 

Rating: +

[steffanina]

Berenice-

 

In Bottle: A little aquatic, a little clean.

 

Wet: An aquatic-type floral. Sharp and clean, definitely.

 

Dry: Wow, I really like the dry-down on this! It isn't overpowering; it's a clean gentle aquatic smell. One of my favorite aquatics already!

 

Overall: Really nice!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i can't believe i haven't reviewed this! i wear it at least once a week. [=

 

i will say this, the scent changed quickly from when i first got it... the first couple of months i had it, i LOVED it. it was lily and musk and linen with .... something else that made it fabulous.

 

then, suddenly, it changed.... to a scented-dusting-powder (the kind that comes in a pink, purple, blue or yellow container, with a clear lid... usually a gold band around it. really cheap, can find it in most mass market type stores). not baby powdery, really, but powdery. and somehow reminds me of Love's Baby Soft.

[supremegoddessofall]

This almost has a citrus effect on me, but there is no citrus note listed. Slightly floral, but not really, and I'm not getting amber or linen at all. Not really for me.

[metaldog32]

Berenice

 

I bought this outright because of it being touted as a "dry and cerebral" scent..that intrigued me..a scent devoid of emotionality...but based on thought. I like dry and cerebral..both qualities that I have always found fascinating because they are somewhat lacking in my emotional make-up..gah..to covet what you don't have...hahahahahahaha...

 

Anyway..the mental picture that Beth conjured up with her description was just too good to pass up..so here I am..wearing it for three days and this is what I a came up with:

 

Initial sniff from bottle:Something a bit smooth..yes..I get a very "white" feeling while sniffing..but I also get a tinge of something citrus in the tail end..it's not bracing or overt..but it is there. I wouldn't think it was the lily or the aloe or the linen..so is my nose wonky??? It's a very smooth almost glass like floral..with...a coolness..not so much coolness in the way of mint..but the aloe..it's..giving it a cool feeling. Very polished..I like it. I also think the white musk has something to do with this whole vibe..for some reason..I kind of see a slight resemblance to Black Opal but the latter is a bit sweeter from the bottle..they both kind of emanate this "cool" vibe..I don't know how else to put it.

 

Applied wet on skin:Floral..gotta be the lily..with that faint citrus note there again..and now I get the blonde amber..it's subtle but has presence..it's what gives it a bit of roundness..it's as if this has no seams you know??? The notes..they run together so smoothly...it's not in your face..a very understated but not invisible fragrance. Polished....best way I can put it.

 

This is a great work/office fragrance...when you want to wear fragrance but don't want your fragrance to waft around others to the point of distraction. It's perfect for you to enjoy the cloud..and maybe someone else..

 

Five to ten minutes on skin: It's the lily..softened by the amber and aloe..and the linen emerges on the tail end. To me this is a great atypical soft floral..I do like the "white-ness" of it..while still emanating that cerebral quality..it's a floral that doesn't shout with love or pain...it just..contemplates..dispassionately.

 

Half an hour to an hour: Blonde amber and lily..it's a nice duo..along with the white musk..mmmmm...this really does remind me of Black Opal...just a bit of a different variation..

 

It's not a messy or loud or brash floral...it's self-contained...it hovers close to my skin..I like the way the fragrance translates on and around me..it's soft but not invisible..it's almost a bit clinical in feeling..but I think the amber/aloe/linen really kind of make it work...it has a sweetness to it that is very nice.

 

Drydown: Almost kind of like a vanilla..soft...a bit dry..

 

I have never tried Antique Lace but if this smells anything like that I am sure I will love it.

 

Bottom Line: Bereniceis a perfect fragrance for the office. Smart, unassuming and not at ALL interested in how you are feeling. It's all about the process see??? Emotions are just messy and irrational..the beauty is in the logic and the flow of logic. This fragrance makes the cerebral glamorous..and I love it for that very reason.

[Elemcee]

Berenice is clean and fresh, creamy, clean and fresh again, and musky, in that order.

 

It's certainly melancholy, although not really emotional. Berenice is cold and hard, and you can see that there is something bubbling under the surface, but she refuses to let it come to the top. She dresses impeccably, although plainly and has very pale Victorian English skin.

[zankoku_zen]

I got a bottle cap to test from nineveh!

 

It smells very lily, clean and yet, musky which I think is the amber.

 

I pressed the bottle cap to my skin and it's very faint. But what I got was linen and the warm glow of amber.

 

It's a white floral... but there was something almost slightly standoffish about this. This isn't some girl that is sighing forlornly or dreaming about love. It's very self-containted.

 

I don't know. I like this scent and yet I don't. It's warm and yet the vibe is more stand-offish than welcoming. If Berenice were a girl, I wouldn't know what to make of her. She would be the girl that was perfectly nice and proper but that didn't want further intimacies and I would never be able to figure out what it is that she was really thinking.

[baranoouji]

At first: Lily + fabric softener (must be "winding cloth linen") makes me feel as if it is washing day. I have to wash clothes! I have to be brisk and useful! I feel like I'm at Target! WHITE LINENS TALLYHO!

 

Later on: The laundry day smell finally dies down. I smell the white musk (Berenice doesn't talk about the delights of the flesh, but she thinks about it when alone.), the clear aloe (Slippery and green -- just try to get Berenice in a private conversation.), and the amber (Powdery and crystalline -- Berenice is terribly smart after all.).

 

Do you know who would wear this perfume? Lady Thomasina Coverly, from Arcadia, scribbling at her iterated equations and waiting for a kiss that would never come.

 

I like this perfume a great deal, but when I wear it, I feel like I'm 14 again -- smart, hard, and lost.

[filigree_shadow]

Berenice was the only "pretty" scent in the Maelström series, and it is indeed quite pretty. When it's wet it's a little too green for me, but when it's dry it's a great clean-smelling softly floral scent. The lily doesn't overpower it, and I think the aloe and linen combined make it smell kind of like clean laundry. It also went through a stage where it seemed like it was trying to be creamy, but that could be the Birthday Cake tart I'm smelling from the other room. Hee.

 

I bought a bottle of Berenice when Maelström was up, but I swapped it because I thought it was too green. I still had a decant though, and when I tried it on today I was kind of surprised to find out that it seems to have mellowed a bit. It seems like it's less lily and more aloe than I remember.

 

I like it, but this isn't the kind of scent I'd wear often enough to have a bottle of it. I hope that bottle I bought is somewhere getting lots of love now.