Lorelei

[blaqpearl]

A tragic heroine from German lore. In despair over a faithless lover, she threw herself into the Rhine. In death, she has become a siren that haunts that river to this day, luring sailors to their doom. Neroli, sandalwood, ylang ylang.

This is very lovely. I love all the notes in this blend. In the bottle all I could really smell was a soft floral. On my skin all I can smell is the ylang ylang. I wish the sandalwood would have played its part. I may put this up for swap since it is so girly and frilly.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This smells sultry, and heady.

 

Just On: It's quite heady, and maybe a touch musky.

 

An hour or two later: Pretty heady, smoother now.

 

Around 6 hours: Neroli or musk. Not sure which.

 

12 hours: Aha, neroli.

 

Overall: Okay, I like this, but I'm not so sure that it's what I was hoping for out of this scent.

 

After reading other reviews: Strangely enough, though I tend to love all three (neroli, sandalwood, and ylangylang) in blends, in this one they just don't work with my skin. I wanted to love this one oh so much for personal reasons (anybody who wants to know those personal reasons feel free to ask, but I won't post it on the boards), and instead wound up with just an "I like it okay" shrugging my shoulders feeling. I'm quite happy to have tried it, and it's a lovely scent, just not on me.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Ylang Ylang and neroli, with a hint of woodsiness (is that a word?)

 

First on: The neroli comes out with a bang. I'm not a huge fan of neroli, but if it calms down a bit I think the sandalwood might temper it down to my liking. Ylang ylang is in the background, hiding from the neroli.

 

Drydown:Everything blends together so well in this. It's a fruity start with floral undertones, and a bit of smokeyness from the sandalwood. Definitely an innocent scent, yet it has a hint of sadness to it in it's depth. I like it.

[loveandprozak]

Wet: Strong sandalwood with floral components lurking in the background. There's something slightly sharp in this stage. It smells fairly woody.

 

10 minutes: Little change. Sandalwood continues to be the dominant note. I realize that this smells somewhat like Keiko Mecheri's Bois de Santal.

 

15 - 20 minutes: Whoa. Total change. The sandalwood backs off and in its place there's a juiciness and delicacy to the scent. No longer is the woody note dominating the show, but instead it's become a sheer scent, adding depth to the florals. I think there may also be a fruit note in here, but it plays a very minor role -- perhaps peach?

 

30 minutes - Drydown: Such a lovely scent. Unfortunately, it does stay very close to my skin. If I'm close enough, though, it's amazing how the florals and sandalwood melt together to create such a smooth, supple, and warm scent.

 

Overall, I love Loralei. I've sought out several sadness, particularly aquatic sadness, themed scents from BPAL and have yet to find one I was happy with. Many were fairly disappointing, such as Lady of Shallot. This makes up for it -- wistful, sweet yet adult, summery in the Indian summer last-rays-of-golden-light sense. I wish this had a bit more throw on me, but it definitely earns a place in my favorites and big bottle wishlist.

[Blood onmy hands]

Loralei was a very mediocre blend on me. It makes me sad because everyone else seems to have described it as beautiful and dreamy. On me it just smells like a light aquatic and candied orange peels. In the drydown I get a dry woodsy smell, and then it is gone. All gone within 15 minutes. This one wasn't a winner with my skin chemistry.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Strong, strong sandalwood, with a sharp bit of neroli. It is a sad scent, melancholy.

 

On me: Sandalwood, ylang ylang, neroli. The notes all blend together quite well; it is a sad and lonely but pleasing fragrance. It is a fleeting, dreamlike scent that turns your head tho' you don't know why. Yet it is also simple and direct.

[swordlily]

I can't even begin to describe how beautiful this fragrance is. I'm a fan of sweet, warm floral smells and when I smelled this I think I had a nosegasm. I can't wait to get myself a big bottle or two of this. I do believe I've found my signature smell.

 

In the vial I get mostly sweet sandlewood with a bit of sourness in the background. When I put it on it turned abosutely lovely, all yummy sweet ylang ylang and sandlewood. The florals make it pretty and feminine, and the sandlewood gives it warmth and complexity.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Had to try this--my mom's nickname for me is Laurelei, as a pun on Loralei; besides, Sirens! How can a Pisces-mermaid resist?

 

Loralei is very soft on me, predominantly ylang with a faint orange-blossom touch that must be the neroli. Slightly aquatic undertones. Pretty but so wispy and watery that I don't really see myself wearing it much. Oh well, I'm glad I tried it; now off to swap with someone who'll wear it more.

[Orodemniades]

Smells just like lotion...Neutrogena or Keri (how very) or something...just keeps on getting more lotion-y with each passing moment.

 

Nope, not for me.

 

Oro

[coulrophobe]

Preconceived notions: I want to love this one, not only for the mythology behind it, but because it's one of my favorite Pogues songs!

 

In the imp: A somewhat damp floral, not too sweet.

 

On: The sandalwood takes over, making it a dry, sweet incense smell instead of the damp floral I smelled in the vial. The neroli provides a bit of sharpness to it. I'm finding it pleasant, but just not very distinctive on my skin. Like others, I'm finding this one "lovely, but not for me."

[Freyja Lux]

Meh. Reminds me of mall perfume or soap, very floral and invasive to the nose. Ylang ylang is one of those florals I can't wear, like jasmine which smells very similar to me. This smells generic and commercial, probably because I've been forever ruined by the Macy's makeup and perfume department, and associate these types of florals with terrible women with bad taste. I use to run through that department with my nose plugged, not hiding my disgust one bit. Chanel, Elizabeth Arden, Clinque? Bleck! Loralei isn't that wretched, of course. Nonetheless I can't wear it.

[quikslvr]

Neroli first. Soft neroli, though. The scent as a whole isn't very powerful. It's sweet, but not overly floral. I'm really impressed by this balance. It's lovely. The sandalwood comes out as it dries and rather spoils the balance for me. I liked it more when the sandalwood wasn't quite as loud. But then, my skin likes to amp sandalwood, so I'd blame that. It's a pity, this one.

[niter]

Imp

My first impression is a soft, refined scent. It is more an elegant femininity than a "save me" girlness. The ylang ylang is blending with the sandalwood into a deep, rich base and the neroli is adding a twinkle.

 

Wet

The mixture on my skin is not as I expected. The ylang ylang is stronger than thought it would be initially. Nothing bad, just suprising! As the sandalwood presses forward, the two blend into a note that has the headyness of a rose note but without the rose scent. This is quite pretty

 

Dry

As this scent mellows, the neorlie comes forward and fills my nose with a bright prettiness. It dives back under the sandalwood/ylang ylang to surface again in cycles. Lovely.

 

After a few hours, this still persists, soft and pretty.

[yeahbutnobut]

Loralei

 

In the imp: tangy and moist orange blossom with a strong sandalwood background.

Wet on skin: this is really nice…the neroli and sandalwood really complement each other well.

Dry: this is a lovely scent. Tangy, lightly floral neroli with dewy and headier ylang on top of a good solid base of sandalwood, which is good and strong in this-it’s a dry, warm and very lightly ‘spicy’ variety of sandalwood. The notes in here are very well balanced and they complement each other nicely. I like this a lot.

After a while: holy moly…this smells gorgeous now. It’s a bit fainter and has the potential to evaporate to nothingness, but now the neroli, ylang and sandalwood have fused to create a wonderful scent-warm, smooth, lightly floral, gentle and ever so delightful. Sometimes neroli/orange blossom can amp up on my skin and/or become quite sharp and tangy, but not in here. In here it smoothes out so nicely, giving a soft cologne effect.

Verdict: I was surprised at how nice this was. At first the neroli and sandalwood stand out, but they are distinct…and the floral notes have ‘moistness’ to it contrasting with the dry wood scent. But upon drydown the notes all bond together to create a delightful scent, very well blended and balanced, warm and soothing, and gentle too, a real ‘close to the skin’ scent, light and perfect for everyday wear. I like this a lot but I have a feeling it is fading pretty fast so I’m not sure if I’ll get more.

[sookster]

wet in vial...mustard, lettuce and capers...ohmy!!!

upon application it is still the same way.....how odd....

after 5 minutes it warms up .... i do get the sandalwood

and ylang ylang but i just can't knock that weird capery

kind of note....just not my cup of tea....

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: interesting...it smells a little green and a little bit like fresh wood shavings??? It's not bad, just not what I expected out of the sandalwood

 

Wet: oh wow, I don't think i like neroli. It smells very pungent; like oak and it turns sour on me

 

Dry: VERY sour. yuck. I don't know what happened!

[SeaMonkey]

primarily Neroli and sandalwood.

 

It dries to a nice perfumy womanly scent

[tinyvulture]

a summery, aquatic floral scent. light and pretty. at first it has a slightly bitter edge (not in a bad way, i’m just not sure how else to describe it), perhaps from the neroli.

 

15 minutes later i can barely smell anything. fast-fading, this one.

[Chrysantza]

This was a frimp from the Lab, and it just happened to be on my wishlist of scents to try! Yay Labbies!

 

Wet: Tangy woodsy/greenish floral.

 

Dries down to: Sweet, creamy, sparkly and feminine white floral with a definite sandalwood base. All three elements - neroli, ylang-ylang and sandalwood - balance each other perfectly.

 

Verdict: I think I want a bottle of this! Once spring arrives and warm weather hits I like switching from my spice and incense perfumes to florals and this is like Katharina, a feminine and sparkly-sweet scent perfect for springtime.

 

I think this also might be nice layered over more resiny/woody scents to add a more girlie or floral touch.

[empi girl]

Very sweet, feminine, a definite resemblance to Lolita, but this is more mature and knowing. Lolita didn't work for me, nothing offensive, but too sweet.

 

The orange note comes through clearly, with sandalwood and ylang-ylang providing body underneath. This is really a pretty scent, very heady, but I think it is too sweet for me.

 

edited because I couldn't spell!

Edited January 11, 2006 by empi girl

[rhubarbbear]

ok, so in theory, this should be one of my favorite blends EVER. i love all the notes, esp sandalwood

 

reality, however, is somewhat less cool (drated skin!). loralei smells like...oh, kind of like a burning orange orchard. it's very sharp, rather masculine and sadly, the sandalwood never comes out at all

 

of course, it lasts forever...in the immortal words of the young mc: "the ones you like only seem to hate you, and the ones you hate only seem to date you".

[Miss Lynx]

I tried this, for some reason, despite the fact that it contains ylang ylang, which is normally my arch-nemesis.

 

Thankfully the ylang ylang is not too strong in this one, but strangely, neither is anything else. This scent is so soft as to be barely there at all. What I can smell of it is fairly nice, but I have to have my nose pressed right to my wrist to smell it all. It's like my skin ate it.

 

Oh well.

 

Grade: C

[Rheliwen]

As I was testing my frimps from my last order, I swiped this and tossed it into the swap pile. Over the course of the evening I'd catch a beautiful whiff of something. My nose keep being drawn to the spot where I dabbed on Loralei.

 

It smells a little dusty, a bit tropical. I'm reminded of hawaiian ginger and gardenia a little bit...but so much more subdued and less cloying. It must be the neroli that I am seriously loving in this. It's expertly blended. The sandalwood is keeping this on the ground but does come out in the latter drydown phases, and ylang ylang is very faint.

 

I really really like this and I didn't think I would at all. Go figure. Don't judge it in the 1st 30 seconds or you will be missing out.

Edited February 15, 2006 by Rheliwen

[AlaskaSnows]

Citrus, water, light floral... light and pretty and feminine. A bit musky. Very nice, a keeper.

[jarvenpa]

omigod, this is beautiful.

 

I got Loralei as a frimp from the ever so generous lab (oh, thank you).

 

Didn't look to see what was really in it before trying it (I probably should, because then I'd know what I was supposed to be smelling, but it kind of feels like reading the end of a mystery story. Cheating.).

 

So, first whiff: water. More specifically, the ocean on a summer day when the rain is falling ever so lightly. I love the ocean, but don't think aquatics are my thing. Think "well, this probably won't work, but, okay, let's try".

 

Dab it on both wrists with a few strokes of the wand. Yes, the ocean, a lovely day, a slight note of--white flowers? and wood. I think, cedar, a bit sour, but nice.

 

And then it went to spice and flowers and loveliness. I think "gardenia? but not too heavy". It stays with the lovely flowers. Yes, I am in love.

 

I thought, by the way, that I hated ylang-ylang. I do love sandalwood and neroli.

 

Lasted pretty well too. My budget is gonna be wrecked on the shores of this, because I'm going to need a large bottle.