Le Serpent Qui Danse

[Leopard403]

A sinister, darkly seductive scent inspired by poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Violet entwined with vanilla and gardenia.

So many violet blends become sickeningly sweet on me, which makes me awfully sad. Luckily, the vanilla seems to really ground the floral notes here and this turns very clear and cold on my skin. It is such an interesting scent, and such a sneaky one: When I smell it, I feel as if I have just taken a nasal decongestant. (I know, I know: WEIRD!) But truly, I smell that creamy floral and rather than lingering in my nose it seems as if the scent goes straight into my brain in a whiff of cold air.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: ... that poem scares me.

 

Other than that - gardenia and vanilla = win. Violets... well, I can live with violets. I think.

 

In the imp: Violets and gardenia... delicious.

 

On the wrist, wet: More violet, less gardenia... I now smell like those purple violet sweets with a hint of something plasticy.

 

Twenty minutes later: This is an odd little scent - one moment it's pure gardenia, the next dusty, sharp violet. I enjoy the scent, but I don't think I'll be wearing it often.

 

Verdict: Keeper, but no bottle

 

Tl;Dr: A sweet, creamy even blend of gardenia and violet.

[djsiberia]

violets are pretty dominate while the gardenia makes a small appearance to round out everything. the vanilla makes this a bit sweet but not sickly sweet...over all this is a lovely scent and i might order a bottle

[mawaridi]

Huh. My experience of Le Serpent seems fairly different to everyone else's. Well, in some ways. For one thing, on me this scent is a MAJOR morpher. When first applied it is pure violet, sweet floral goodness. Violet is one of the few florals I like because it is not powdery (on me). It seems like a pretty straightforward scent, but that's ok, I bought it for the violets after all. Good throw; my mum told me I smelled good when I was across the room from her, which is an effect I normally only get with alcoholised eau de parfum - go lab!

 

I sort of forgot I was wearing perfume, as you do, but after a couple of hours I started to smell something familiar. Was someone in my class wearing Alice? No, a quick sniff of my wrist uncovered that it was me I was smelling. The violet had completely disappeared leaving me with...carnation? Well, it's the smell I've always associated with BPAL's carnation note, being the dominant spicy floral I get from Alice. Le Serpent is supposed to have gardenia in it, but this was like no gardenia I've ever smelled. Luckily, I love carnation, and Alice is one of my favourite BPAL oils, so it's nice to find something similar!

 

Now, at the end of the day, a good twelve hours since I first applied, I smell like warm, musky vanilla which is delicious (and I'm astonished that the scent is still so powerful after so long). So, as I say, quite a morpher - all the phases of this scent were very, very different - but I really liked them all. Might have to try this a couple more times before I commit to a bottle, but it's definitely an interesting scent-wearing experience!

[alyelle]

I just received my sample of this, and adore it. I'll probably end up buying two full size ones so i don't run out anytime soon.

 

In the bottle: my initial thoughts were "My God, this is sweet". So sweet it was nearly overpowering. Very very violet. I recommend not smelling the fragrance from the botte for too long, as it gave me a bit of a headache.

 

Wet: Still quite violety but the sickly sweet part died down as soon as it touched my skin.

 

Dry (after about 10min): It soon combined to a delicate, almost creamy, floral; the vanilla starts to come through the violet nearly immediately after it dries. After 10-15 mins the gardenia came into play as well.

 

Dry (after 5-6hrs): Honestly lovely. By now the violet had died right back to a hint of fragrance, but the vanilla and gardenia were still strong enough to make heads turn and ask me what i was wearing. Having worn violet-based scents before, i was quite surprised - most of them don't have much life after 4 hours.

 

Before bed: I'd had this on for well over 12 hours by this stage, and the final result was just as good as the initial. The fragrances combine to a wonderfully delicate balance, creamy and soft, which made me think of spring and marshmallows. Overall a gorgeous perfume, one that i'd recommend to anyone who likes violet, vanilla or other "romantic-girly" scents.

[Emera]

All I got was violet and plasticky vanilla. Strangely metallic in feel. Not cooperative with me, clearly!

[crebbsgirl]

I received this as a sniffie in a swap and there was actually just enough in there for one application, so I greedily tried it on. I have trouble with violet scents because they are usually just too sharp on my skin. The vanilla in this blend really mellows it out. Wet, this is very very sharply violet, but it softens up on the drydown and becomes really quite beautiful. I can just barely detect the gardenia. The vanilla adds a sweetness that seems to temper the sharpness of the violet nicely. Overall, I really enjoy this and I think I will get a full imp before I decide whether it's a big bottle purchase for me.

[NixieCakes]

Weird. All 3 of these scents are usually fantastic for me. But....altogether, I smell of violet soap. Nice violet soap, but still soap.

[femmefatale]

Wet: VIOLETS!!!

 

Drying: Still VIOLETS with a touch of gardenia. No sign of the vanilla.

 

Drying down further: Oh hello. There's the vanilla. And it's the sharp plastic vanilla I keep hearing about.

 

I think I need to wash this off, so I'm not sure how much more it will morph. I think it might be pleasant as a hair scent, or a bath scent, but definitely not a skin scent for me.

 

And it's driving me up the wall because it reminds me so much of something and I can't place it.

[LadyLuckless]

Mmm, beautiful creamy vanilla and sweet violets. This could be a great substitute for Faith when I run out of it!

[butcherbaby]

errr, um...violets. vanilla violets. very sweet and perfumey on the skin. powdery but not in a bad way- this is the expensive fine-milled perfumed powder that a well to do sexually adventerous damsel of another decade would douse herself in after the bath, before an evening of flirting, drinking, and dancing. this is pretty, but it confirms my conclusion that i am not a big fan of violets. not enough gardenia in it to make a difference.

violet lovers will adore this, i think, but while it's lovely, it's just not for me.

[isisonearth]

Imp: Oh my...beautiful violet with a touch of vanilla. What a pretty and unexpected combination.

 

Wet: Much more of a creamy vanilla scent. The violet is just a dew scented whisper.

 

Dry: This is just so light and pretty. The violet delicately tickles the back of my nose once in a while. Otherwise it remains a soft, milky vanilla. Very close to the skin.

 

Overall: I was just going to test imps this morning but I think I have found what I will be wearing for the day. Too pretty to pass up.

[kjirstiben]

It must be the violet that smells so much like melons or some other, similar, juicy fruit--this goes on smelling slightly bitter, slightly sour, but in a good way (I know, sounds weird, but it's a nice bitter/sour/juicy fruit smell).

 

During the drydown, it starts to sweeten up, and I can definitely start to make out the violet and the gardenia in here.

 

After a couple hours, the vanilla emerges. At this point I'm afraid that it's the vanilla that doesn't work quite right on my skin--I've been having hit-or-miss experiences with vanilla lately. However, it sweetens the violet nicely.

 

Gardenia never comes out recognizably in this scent--it blends with the violet into an unusual floral.

 

Over time, the vanilla in this scent starts to take over. It turns into a very foody, very strong vanilla on me--vanilla with a teensy bit of violet behind it. Quite nice, and slightly unexpected after the first stages of this scent.

 

Recaplet: Deep dark floral that sweetens into nearly pure vanilla-violet.

My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.)

Color Impression: Lavender and cream.

[moggie23x]

In the bottle - it smells very floral - the violet comes through very strongly.

 

Wet - the floral, violet essence is still very prominent. Gorgeous.

 

Dry down - the vanilla and gardenia become more prominent as i wear it. To me, this feels like a floral perfume version of Creamed Earl Grey Tea - the vanilla lends a creamy, soft feel to the floral scent that makes it just wonderful.

 

4.5/5 for me. As i try more bpal scents, i am starting to realize that i love violet and vanilla - putting them both together is genius.

[pinkstardust420]

Hmm.

 

I was hoping this would be a sweet floral. But....very strong floral initially. Definitely the violet coming through right now.

 

A while later, the gardenia comes out more...with a bit of sweetness from the vanilla. But not much. Meh. A bit too strong for my taste.

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: violet

 

Wet: violet and vanilla, and maybe something else that keeps it from being sweet. It's almost medicinal, but I think violet is usually somewhat medicinal to me. There's something nice about the mystery notes and the way they blend with the violet. It's complex but well balanced.

 

Drydown: Almost candy-like if you like your candy violet flavored. I never got to try Faith, but I imagine this is somewhat similar. Anyone who loves violet should at least try this. It's violet through and through.

[obsidienne]

Funny that I still have no idea what real violet smells like. I do know what gardenia smells like, however. This starts off soapy-peppery gardenia with very subtle vanilla and a sweet floral, which must be violet since it couldn't be anything else.

 

It takes a while, but eventually the soapy-gardenia wears off and I am left with a light, warm, sweet vanilla-floral. Very lovely, but simple as well.

[awesomeoverlord]

Mmmm...I think this may be the BPAL violet I've been looking for! I don't get the gardenia, which is a huge relief as gardenia tends to overpower everything else in my experience and it's not really my favorite floral. The vanilla is there in a fuzzy sweet kind of way, but it behaves, tempering the violet just slightly. This is what I was hoping Faith would be before she went plasticky sweet on me. Very very nice. Dark, but innocent.

[sadtomato]

this is sickeningly sweet on me.

the violet and vanilla meld together into something like a super-sweet violet candy.

gack.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: A high, soft, slightly Victorian floral, but one with a definite dark twist. Violet is the first scent that hits me, but it really is entwined with the gardenia, as the description says, blended so well that they sort of melt into one another. The gardenia is sweet and light, and the violet is adding that touch of darkness—a little bit like the violet in Bluebeard. Vanilla is much fainter than the flowers, just sort of rounding out the trio. This isn't a sugary violet but a spicy one, and there's a faint grassiness here that could almost make me think that vetiver is involved.

On, wet: Vanilla gardenias, fresh and fragrant, shadowed with the darker violet. This is headier now, very sweet and gardenia-centric. Still, the violet adds some chill and an unsettling aspect. Super powerful throw, so don't slather this one!

On, dry: Basically unchanged, with the gardenia and violet still strong and sweet, bordering on the edge of too sweet. (And I write this as one who likes sweetness!) The vanilla is still almost an afterthought to the blended gardenia/violet, though I wish it weren't; it might provide some much-needed balance and sensuality. As it is, the sweetness here seems very one-dimensional, just sort of high and shallow and aloof.

Later: Finally, this is becoming the scent that I hoped it would be! Hours after first applying this, the vanilla is warming up and balancing the high sweetness of the florals, making this a much rounder, fuller, warmer scent. Very well blended, elegant floral.

Overall: I wanted to love this one, and when the vanilla got going, it was so close to my hopes… but two hours is a long time to wait for the perfume to reach its potential, and in the meantime, it's just a bit thin, sharp and one-dimensional for my tastes. It's reminiscent of Veil, which also didn't wow me. If the vanilla were stronger and more assertive, I think it would tie things together and be both better balanced and more to my taste, but as it is… not really my thing. However, I'm holding out hope that I can make it work by layering it with a stronger vanilla scent. If not, I'm sure I can pass this imp on to somebody who will love it more than I do.

 

 

[cinnamonster]

HOLY PARMA VIOLETS, wow! I love this, but it dries really fast into something else, the gardenia keeps coming out, and it's really reminding me of Follow Me Boy after the obnoxiously strong jasmine dies down (and I say obnoxious with admiration not scorn, I like my scents STRONG at the moment!). Is there Gardenia in FMB? I don't know but this is like a Violet Me Boy.

 

I had to do a comparison with Faith and found that by comparison Faith is a sugary girly violet and this is a mature, woman's violet. No messing with a woman who wears this! Power Violet!

 

It's a keeper. I'd get a bottle of this.

[symphonyinsilence]

Violet, gardenia and vanilla. Three of my favourite notes. I only wish this concoction didn't smell of candy on me. The drydown was more caramel than vanilla, I thought. So I was watching re-runs of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and don't ask me why, but I thought this blend would suit Buffy/SMG more. *lol* I was just hoping it would be a little darker, given the name. But it's a little girly for my liking.

[Ashleytree]

Le Serpent Qui Danse:

 

In the Imp: Floral, but a dark floral.

 

Wet on skin: The floral scent comes out even stronger... followed by a noticeable violet note. I can't pick out the Gardenia at all.

 

On the dry down: the violet note morphs into baby powder/ parma violets. Actually, it's just too powdery. I really should just learn that my skin doesn't like violet.

 

1 hour later: The powderiness has mellowed out, but it's still there in the background, and as the dominant scent in the throw. Also, a warm sandalwoody note has emerged, with something slightly floral about it, although I still can't smell the gardenia at all.

 

Not sure if this is a scent for me - I'm trying to avoid too powdery of a smell, but I'm glad it was sent my way as a frimp! It's good to try new things. Will probably be trading it out.

[HKB]

All I smell is gardenia, which I recognize in Has No Hanna and French Love. This settles it, I hate gardenia.

[ianastar]

Very violety at first. As it dries down you smell more of the vanilla. All three scents come together quite beautifully. I love the sweetness of the vanilla and the violet, but the gardenia lends a soft powdery night to the overall fragrance.