Danube

[fairnymph]

Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes.

In the bottle: A slightly sharp, green-fresh floral - presumably bellflower - over much fainter, mildly spicy-woody rhododendron. A bit grassy. Definitely cool and aquatic.

Wet: Creamy-spicy carnation, green-fresh bellflower, fainter almost tulip-like, smooth rhododendron. A tiny bit soapy, as it typical for me with aquatics. Clean and heavily floral. Pale blue in feel. Some light lilac here too, maybe?

Dry: Slow drying oil. It's a little herbal-woodsy, but still mostly florals with a touch of soap. The cool watery feel reminds of the 'lunar oils' note in lunacy blends. Slightly feminine, but a man could possibly pull it off.

Later: There briefly emerges a hint of sour-sharp citrus zest, maybe white grapefruit? It reminds me a bit of Szepaponny. It's become more heavily floral; not like gardenia or jasmine, but like wildflowers. As a result, it's deeper.

Summary: Bright and creamy carnation provides a bit of a kick, bellflower is heady and wild-sharp, the rhododendron soft, smooth, and herbal-woody. The latter two florals provide depth, while an aquatic note provides a slightly soapy clean feeling and an amazing coolness that's truly blue and watery. Decent throw and lasting power.

It's a bit too sharp and heady for me, as well as sort of generically perfumey-floral, but truly evocative. Edited June 26, 2008 by Shollin
fixed BPAL tags

[Rouge]

I don't have much luck with aquatic blends. They generally start off beautifully and sour after half an hour or so until I'm forced to wash them off.

 

In the vial - A wet, very flowery scent. There's a note almost like gardenia, but sightly less sweet. At first testing, the blend seems full, ripe and dewy.

 

Wet on the skin - This seems very feminine; it's gracious, light and not too sweet - I think I can smell a very faint citrus note somewhere in the background. This is a cool and fresh scent for summer afternoons.

 

Next stages - Oh dear. The curse of the slowly-souring aquatic notes strikes again.

 

Dry down - This is going to be lovely for somebody... but not me.

 

Similar scents - Yemaya

[eatingthesea]

i already knew i liked danube, but now i think i love it. last night i tested about 13 different imps and this morning, danube was the only one still going strong -- and i mean strong. it reminds me a lot of my beloved y'ha-nthlei in its aquatic-ness but whereas the latter is more like a non-floral, creamy, deep green aquatic, danube is a floral, very deep blue and clear aquatic. i get the freesia note someone else here mentioned, but not the also-mentioned tulip. i really have no clue what rhododendron and bellflower smell like but if this is what they are like, i must have more of 'em. it is a very cool scent as well, and therefore refreshing. it's slather-worthy for the sweltering hot weather i expect will hang over LA this summer. for me, this scent is definitely bottle-worthy. can't wait to make it be friends with fellow fave aquatic bottles, y'ha and thalassa

[marared]

When a friend of mine brought me her box of BPAL a couple of years ago so that I could sniff its contents (evil enabler that she is), Danube was one of my favorite scents. It was apparently somewhat aged, though, because when I bought a 5ml that arrived in the end of February, I was ... not nearly as impressed. I'm not sure just what turned me off - I was afraid that aquatic scents just didn't work with my skin chemistry.

 

However, after letting it sit for almost four months, the bottle has improved to the wonderful cool flowery scent that I loved in the imp, and most importantly, it smells good on ME. This is the only aquatic that has shown any promise so far.

[Tal Shachar]

I don't know what rhododendron or bellflower smell like, but apparently the answer is "delicate, understated florals." This started out as a gentle aquatic that I really enjoyed, but on the drydown it seemed to...dry up. The impression of water goes away in favour of some odd note that I can't describe--almost scorched. Either that or something's cooking around here somewhere and Danube has just faded so much that that's all I'm picking up. Anything is possible.

 

Obviously one expects delicate scents not to last, but I liked this one and am somewhat disappointed.

[lilirose]

In the imp: light aquatic

 

On skin, wet: Smells like a greenhouse. Generic flower/vegetation with strong, humid aquatic.

 

Drydown: Dark green, yet feminine, aquatic. Very nice.

 

Fades rather quickly, but extremely pleasant regardless. The imp's a keeper, for sure.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Fruity florals and sweet, cool water.

 

Immediately on skin: The floral notes are the stars of this blend; they’re fruity, sweet, and very fragrant. Oh, wait… after just a moment on my skin an underlying smoky flowery note comes out and joins the fruity sweetness. In the background swirls the cool water. It’s fresh and clean… a sparkling silver immaculately kept pond scent.

 

After a little while: As I wear this, it gets more floral and less aquatic. It’s a perfume-y scent on me; it’s a nice mix between sweet, bright florals and something a bit cooler and smokier.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a very pretty and smooth floral blend. The way the rhododendron and bellflower mix creates this sweet and slightly fruity but almost cool and smoky perfume scent. The aquatic notes are evident at first, but fade to the background as I wear this. It’s pretty and cool with a distinct deep flowery feel to it.

[Iceblink]

Danube immediately makes me think of sitting on a riverbank surrounded by flowers. It's so delicate! The aquatic part of it is balanced by the florals so nicely. Reminds me a bit of a more watery Prague--it's got that fresh, springlike quality about it like Prague does. Very nice.

[hkhm]

imp: all aquatic.

 

wet: very sweet quatic but no florals. as aquatics go though, it's very nice.

 

dry: this reminds me a bit of the drydown for 51, it's that super-sweet aquatic that almost smells like delicate fruit.

[Saya]

In the Imp This is a crisp grapefruit and clean floral scent. It’s very fresh and bright.

 

On My Skin

Wow! This is really beautiful, the citrus and the floral scents balance each other in a way where each of them is noticeable without being overwhelming. This is a very clean scent.

 

After a Bit

This has gone a bit soapy on my skin. I really liked how this started out but now it smells like generic soap or deodorant.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent - 3 Throw - 2.5 Longevity – 2.5

Overall (not an average) – 2.8

 

Final thoughts

I’d like to retest this one because I really liked it in the initial stages, maybe I’ll put it in a scent locket and see what I can do with it.

[Ceri]

In the vial: A bright, fresh, aquatic. Smells like my dad's car perfume. :/

 

Wet: Citrus and floral appears but there's still this hint of aquatic in the background. Nice.

 

Drydown: Light floral with a bit of ozone/aquatic. Slightly soapy. Oh no.

 

Overall: Why do all aquatics go soapy on me! Will definitely give it another go.

[batsy]

In the vial: Green, gigantic Rhododendrons in the sun. Basically my parents' yard.

 

On the skin: Serious floral. While that's fine, I'm just not into florals. It's also definitely an aquatic floral; all flowers wet from dew or a spring rain. Can't say I'm familiar with bellflowers, so I'm guessing that's what that note is. Pretty, but too wet and flowery for my tastes.

[milo]

This to me, is a very fresh fruity green floral to me. The floral is almost candy-like in it's sweetness, and now that I know there is an aquatic note, I can smell it. Quite nice, especially with the subdued aquatic, (they almost never work on me) but not really my style. Smells kind of like this expensive department store perfume, but I can't remember the name.

[staciaseaman]

This is one of my favorite scents. Very aquatic with just a touch of floral, light and fresh. I prefer aquatics and this is perfect for me!

 

Also, it layers very well with Water Blossom Ivy from Bath and Body Works.

[JLostein]

Danube was one of the imps I was most impatient for, and boy, does it deserve it!

 

In imp and wet: Oooh... SPARKLY! This is both calming and revitalizing to me at once. I definitely associate it with the colours blue and green swirled together.

 

Drying on skin... definitely can smell the floral notes coming out to play, there's a lovely balance between light fresh flowers and beautiful blue waters. I see a beautiful deep blue pool surrounded by beautiful white flowers in a peaceful wood... I think I'm in love

 

Dry, the flowers are coming to the front more than the water now, very soft and sweet. Like they're actually growing out of the water.

 

I think I've just gone to Heaven.

 

ETA: My scent locket arrived today and Danube gets first honours as it looks like it's going to top the favourites list! And wow, does the grapefruit smell come out to play or what! It's even more lovely than before, mingling very nicely with the fresh blue water smell. Oh Lord, now I need a big bottle. Or ten.

Edited June 19, 2009 by JLostein

[Suu4LC]

In the imp this is a soapy, aquatic floral. Meh.

 

Guh, salty soapy aquatic floral on my skin. Had to add the salty part in there. Bleh. On full drydown it loses a bit of the soapiness, but is still far into the salty aquatic (slightly floral) category, which just isn't my thing.

[Lyrical]

 

In vial: very realistic garden flowers, although I couldn't say what they are.

 

Wet on skin: dark blue flowers, somewhat watery.

 

Dry on skin: as flowers go, it's not bad, but still way too flowery for me!

[Lamia]

I thought for a little while that there was amber in here, because it smelled briefly like saliva, but apparently not.

 

This smells like old lady perfume - soft and floral, even in the bottle. Trade bag.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Reminds me of a very expensive, high-end shampoo... blue-green marine notes, like bath salts or shower gel, and a sweet but indistinguishable floral. There's something almost candy sugary about this, but it's deepened by the smooth aquatic (which, I might add, is not salty but rather fresh, which is a bit of a nice change.)

 

Wet: Honeysuckle! Or melon. That's what this smells like on me, but with a darker edge. I definitely get the aquatics very strongly, and, while I'm not usually thrilled by aquatics, they're pretty nice. Still a strong soapy/perfumey edge, but it's not horrible or enough to make it unpleasant. Kind of Bath and Bodyworks though. My nose is running too... I think there's something in this that's triggering my allergies; the first BPAL to do that, actually. Pretty strong as well.

 

Dry: The florals die back to leave generic aquatic bath products with a hint of sweet honeysuckle-type flowers. Eh.

[thewondersmith]

Though I'm not a fan of aquatics, Danube's pretty nice! Smells a lot like the Lynx body shower my kid brother owns, which is kinda funny, but it brings back nice memories. It's not really for me (I'm a big foody gal) but I think he might like it so I'm going to pass it on and see what he thinks.

[tartchef]

By all rights, this should be Tartchef's Bane - florals AND aquatics? But damn, it's beautiful! Sweet & cool & juicy & lovely... I get the citrusy, salty element of the aquatics, instead of the usual Man-fume/mayo explosion, and yet again, I am floored by Beth's more obscure botanical notes - bell flowers, aka campanula/harebells, are some of my favorite flowers, and here they are, beautiful & periwinkle blue & delicate. The rhodies are perfect, too - they grow in abundance in the Appalachians, where I did a lot of backpacking when I was younger...

 

Again, this is a delicate balance, and I suspect a slight chemistry or weather shift will shove Danube into soapy mayonnaise, but for now I will sniff deeply & enjoy it...

 

A side note: if you liked Fairy Market, but found it a bit too sugary/muddy/vague, Danube would definitely be worth trying...

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Sweet blue florals and fresh water (as opposed to a salty aquatic note)

 

Wet on skin: Gah. Something's going soapy.

 

Dry on skin: I don't know if it's the aquatics or the florals, but this blend has turned--and remained--exceedingly soapy.

 

[anna1850]

The florals are nice at first but there's something that smells like old sleeping bags.

 

2/5 Shame about that funny note.

[bubblefish]

Oh my, this is such a lovely scent. It's this great blend of flowery water, like fresh petals floating on a crystal blue river.

[Eucatastrophe]

On me this is either a very floral aquatic or a very aquatic floral. Florals have a tendency to overwhelm me, but the dreamy aquatic notes in this seem to balance everything out (so far). It's a very clean smell, relaxing and gorgeous.

 

Unless the florals sneak up and bash me on the head, this is probably a keeper.

 

ETA: Drat. As soon as I finished typing that I was hit in the face by a wave of florals. They seem to have beaten the aquatics into submission and now I'm kind of surrounded by a floral air freshener scent.

Edited July 12, 2009 by Eucatastrophe