Danube

[frecklestars]

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

In the bottle: it's thick and not sweet, with the richness of lilacs. it's less aquatic in the bottle than it is on my skin. not a traditional floral scent.

On my skin: it turns more aquatic on my skin, with the lilacs overshadowing the edges of the river. it's fast-flowing and dark, but it's not sweet or delicate florals. dries to lilacs, deep and rich and a little mournful.

Last thoughts: quite mysterious; it reminds me of the poem "The Lady of Shallot", with a barge floating slowly down the river and a heap of funeral flowers. it makes me want to let the water rock me to sleep!

[angelamaria]

In imp: very blue and aquatic, cool deep water indeed. My first thought was that it's fairly gender-neutral to my nose, even with the flower notes. I think it's the blueness.

 

Wet, on skin: still very clean, slightly musky on me. The watery notes are still very present, reminding me of days on the beach in the summer, and times right out of a refreshing cold shower. The flower notes are there but not cloying, just giving it a bit more sweetness than what I smelled in the bottle, not so gender-neutral now, but it still makes me think of a boy's cologne at times.

 

Dry: it's a sweeter and tarter Ulalume for me, definitely less ethereal, more "present". The clean and watery scents are still there, but with fuller flower notes. I was thinking I'd definitely go for this if I was looking for a more "modern" Ulalume sort of vibe, but in two hours, it was almost all gone.

 

Verdict: I was initially thinking this was promising, but because it felt similar to Ulalume for me save for the "modernness" but without the longevity and throw I'd expect from a "modern" Ulalume, I'll pass.

[Ryokumuji]

Frimp from the lab... This is super SWEET. Doesn't seem aquatic to me at all, just has a super funky, gross, sweet floral scent. Gotta wash this off.

[lauramars]

This was a gift from the lab - very nice! Unfortunately I can't stand it at all.

 

In the bottle - EUGH! Cloying, headachey flowers. No water at all, or if it was there it was adding to the problem. My nose is not that sophisticated, but I did not like this at all. I still put it on in the hopes it would change on my skin.

 

Wet - OH my. This was very bad. I don't know what that smell is, but it somehow reminded me of a "behind the bleachers" smell. Sticky spilled soda cracker jack vomit flowers. Am I crazy? I must be crazy. Whatever, I washed this off immediately. I have no idea what the scent would have been like dry, because I wore it for less than 10 minutes. I can still feel it in my nose.

 

<frantically sniffs Sea of Glass to calm down>

[KatharinaNordh]

It smells like cloudberries

 

I shit you not, it smells Exactly like cloudberries - wet, dry, in imp - all over the place!

 

The most delicious little berry in the world, holder of my childhood memories, the most expensive damn jam you Can get - it is fabulous.

 

Sure, it is very sweet, but in a Good way.

 

I have no words, just amazing - Bottle!

 

[boomtownrat]

I don't know if this is a lab imp or a decant because I got it in a pack of Wanderlust imps from an eBay seller.

 

My family and I made many trips to the North Carolina mountains when I was growing up and there were always plenty of rhododendron bushes lining the twisty roads. Even though it's called Danube, it's more like French Broad for me.

 

Florals and aquatic notes aren't usually my thing anymore because they're the most likely to trigger head pain or a full-blown migraine, but I can do them sometimes. I've tested Danube once before and I decided to wear it again today because my mom just passed away and I wanted a scent that reminded me of happy times with her.

 

When I first put on Danube, I get mostly rhododendron and bellflower with very little watery scent. After about half an hour the water is becoming slightly more pronounced. It smells pretty true to the imp when it's still wet and in the beginning of the drying stage. I can't say how strong the throw is because my DH is the only one I can ask at the moment and he has bad sinus congestion. My migraine brain is most likely to object to floral and aquatic notes, so I can't put on much. It could turn very perfumey if I put on too much, but it's pretty in small doses.

[strahlend]

After finding this imp hiding out in a box under my bed I've tested it out a few times during the last couple days.

 

In the imp it seems sort of perfumy, the kind of white floral I usually associate with perfumes where you get the alcohol blast when you put it on. What makes this interesting is that in addition to this there's also an unusual sweetness to it that reminds me of dried fruit.

 

On my skin (without looking at notes or reviews) I smell a floral but it's mixed with what smells like fresh tobacco, like when a fresh pack of cigarettes is opened, it's totally different than most scents associated with tobacco products, kind of fresh and sweet but earthy, sort of like raisins or maybe figs. I also feel like I'm smelling some kind of resin, I'm not sure which one. Flower, figs, fresh tobacco, and resin... that pretty accurately describes what I smell. It smells exotic somehow, sort of mysterious but not in a dark shadowy way, more like an oasis.

 

It reminds me of what the main character in the Tom Robbins book Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates would smell like when he's out in the desert. This scent couldn't describe Switters or that atmosphere any better, it fits perfectly. Perhaps the name predisposed me to thinking of the book, but it's a strong match regardless.

[girbot]

I just got an imp of this earlier in June and was sorry to see it on the list of newly discontinued scents. I got the distinct impression of florals and water opening the imp. My first try of it left me smelling like sunscreen and caramel. I was in love. The smell of sunscreen always screams summer to me.

 

I went to put it on for the second time today to fit the beautiful summer day. It stayed on my skin longer and stronger this time. Unfortunately the sunscreen had started to smell like plastic to me. Its kind of like a lotion smell for me now. I guess I don't have to be sorry about not being able to get a bottle of it now, but it was really nice when I first got it. I'll try it again later to see if I can get that original smell back. Hopefully I just contaminated it this time with hand soap or something.

[PixieSkull]

Wet - I can smell wet flowers with a clear lilac note. On my skin, it starts to morph into a banana-like sweetness with a little bit of a dry and dark note very faint.

 

Drydown - A damp floral scent heavy with dewy and damp notes over a faint murky base.

 

Dry - This reminds me of Sea of Glass, without a heavy lilac note. Would love this as a linen spray/fabric softener. It's a bit deeper on the bottom, though, and very lovely to me. The throw is good but the longevity requires reapplication every 8 hours.

 

I will be able to use this imp up for sure.

[Aviatrix]

In the vial this is fairly sharp, but it mellows out as soon as I put it on my skin.

 

This is a pretty floral aquatic. The florals are calm and well-behaved. I can't quite make out that it's rhododendron and bellflower, but I like the scent.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long on me.

 

I'm glad I got to try it, and I will most likely keep my imp, but I won't be hunting down any more.

[sprout]

Initial impression: expecting an aquatic with floral component based on notes

In vitro: aqueous accord, smells like artificial cucumber or melon (my nose's interpretation you see) plus a hint of ozone, white floral?

Wet on wrist: More aquatic note, intensifying (cucumberish, melonish, like body wash or shampoo) plus a floral of some sort

Drying: It goes high pitched on me, headache inducing floral, like Hyacinth, which is in the same species as Bluebells per Wikipedia...

Dry down: Tons of throw, unfortunately, almost all floral note now, which I am guessing is the Bluebell. On my skin, this is cloying and slightly sweet, reminiscent of early summer blooms

 

Final thoughts: I wanted to love it, but it just did not work on me. For a floral to work it must have some better grounding notes (like sandalwood, moss, or resin) or a spice, like ginger, to temper the sweet of the floral notes. Unfortunately, this smell just evoked the impression of generic floral type body wash scents and was too headache inducing. I must chalk up Bluebell to a note that may be incompatible with my skin chemistry. Well, it is probably for the best, as this has been discontinued, so it is one less rare for me to have to hunt down.

 

(For the record, I am not a floral hater, I do like jasmine, lily, some rose blends, and I love carnation, peonies and orchid generally. Violet is my favorite, and I am fond of daisies, dandelions, daffodils, and, evidently, lilac, wisteria and others. But this floral was not for me. I like some aquatics, but I tend to gravitate towards more foody, resinous, or wood based blends. I am always on the hunt for some nice florals to wear in the Spring, on very hot days, or when I feel like being girly, but this was not the one.) I would consider this as a nice room or bathwater scent, it if hadn't given me a headache, as it did, then I must allow this discontinued precious to be swapped to someone who will love it...

Edited January 13, 2015 by sprout

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Wet cardboard. And soap. Ugh. These florals are not good on me.

 

 

Dry: Somewhat nondescript floral, similar to lily, but a bit sweeter. OK, but it's not wowing me.

[achildoftime]

I feel like I smell gardenia more than anything else, even though it's not listed. It's light, pretty, and very spring-like. It's not terribly unique, but it's a nice inoffensive floral. It feels kind of pink to me and is a touch watery. I like it well enough, but doesn't stand out to my nose.