Lyonesse

[Suu4LC]

Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.

In the imp this is buttery vanilla with a hint of aquatics. Very lovely, though I'm not sure how some of the notes will work on my skin (I'm lookin at you sandalwood and sea moss!)

Ah, this is a lovely golden vanilla! The floral notes and sandalwood give it a unique earthy edge that keep it from being too foody foody (I already have lots of foody vanilla blends that I like). This is excellent! I need to see how it dries down though, because sandalwood has the tendency to swallow all other notes on my skin.

Yep, this is absolutely lovely! Finally, a blend with sandalwood in it that I can wear! Gorgeous golden sandalwoody vanilla. Will need to grab a bottle of this one day! Edited June 24, 2008 by Suu4LC

[cinderfallen]

I can't get past the buttery vanilla at first. It has the same intense foodiness as Eat Me, with the robust earthiness of vegetation and what smells like patchouli (not the hippy kind, but that distinct note that gives perfume that earthy body). It's smoothed out by the lily as a sweet after-scent. It's initially a very earthy-gourmand, which is a bit odd, the grittiness I'm going to attribute to the ambergris and sea moss, though I'm not sure what it is. As the scent wears on, the butteriness death dies down enough for more of the lily to take over, and it's a much smoother, sweeter scent overall, grounded in a light resins. There's a nice uplifting note in this that refreshes the scent, a little green.

 

In the middle phase, it turns creamy, sweet earthy scent, with notes of vanilla, patchouli, and lily. Reminds me a bit of Mara Fox's Love Potion Black.

 

On complete drydown, the scent blossoms up on the higher registers to something brighter, more floral and sweet. Subtle resins dirties up the lower registers, but it's not nearly as earthy or intense as it once was. It actually turns very pretty and wearable. It's no longer a novelty scent but a perfume.

 

It goes through a huge change from in the imp to on my skin. If I do try this again, I'll need to remember to not directly sniff for a couple minutes. Buttery foody death. Gag.

Edited July 5, 2008 by cinderfallen

[Stephanie]

At first, when I smell this straight from the bottle, it seems like a very complex, richly textured men's cologne. I mean it's beautiful but it seems kinda manly.

 

But when I have it on, it morphs into something gorgeous!! Spice, woods, sweetness, bitterness, vanilla---sooo yummy!! It smells so multi-dimensional. It's hard to describe--but you have to try it! I know this sounds corny and cliche, but it's like a mysterious place, full of hidden wonders. Like an island at dusk riddled with caves and seawater with a mysterious bonfire in the distance.

 

You have to try it this!! It's best on the skin.

[greenranger]

In imp, sweet something...

 

On me, wet, even sweeter. Vanilla? Vanilla floral, with...something ...musky or aquatic? This is...very interesting and nice.

 

Part of the reason I got this was to test whether ambergris was making another scent I thought I'd like vanish. This one is starting out fairly strong, though...Oops, may have spoken too soon, the entire scent is fadingrapidlydowntoavery faint floral scent.

 

Hm. Well. It's still a nice scent, but, now it is a very very very faint one.

 

Drat.

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: vanilla, sandalwood and musk

 

Wet on skin: foamy ambergis with watery sea moss and lily

 

Dry: the tangy amber and vanilla rise beautifully with the musk, very exotic

 

Impression: like being on a sea sprayed cliff looking out over endless blue ocean

 

 

 

This is a very enjoyable scent...sometimes vanilla gets in the way and becomes too much like a sugar cookie on me. Fortunately, that doesn't happen here. The blend stays clean and well balanced.

 

The mossiness and ambergris are lingering more than the first time I wore this. The stargazer lily is barely there. Still as lovely as the first wear.

 

[Astarial]

In the imp, this smelled like toasted marshmallow.. kind of weird. o.O

 

When it was wet on my skin, it had a little of the toasted marshmallow, plus some toasted almond and honeyed milk. NO idea where that was coming from.

 

When it was drying, some florals came out for a while, but didn't stay very long.

 

It mostly smelled like vanilla and honey and milk on me, after the initial changes. Not complaining - it was a nice, light, absolutely lovely scent... just not what I was expecting. Definitely a keeper, though.

[Iceblink]

Now this is a winner. When wet Lyonesse smells just like the word "golden"...all vanilla and sandalwood and musk--it's delicious! As it dries a tangy saltiness comes out (ambergris?) that makes me think of saltwater taffy. It's warm and lush and light; some vanilla blends can be really overpowering but this isn't. I'm so glad I tried it--it's beautiful!

[kawaiiferreto]

I tried this once when I first started BPAL-ing, thought it was meh, and then swapped it away and forgot about it. I recently acquired some more, and seeing as my tastes had changes I decided to give it another go.

 

This one is pretty bizarre on my skin. Wet it's creamy vanilla and an almost smoky smell. As it dries it's smelling more and more cloyingly sweet, buttery and salty to me . . . I don't really smell sandalwood at all, which is sad because I love me some sandalwood. Unfortunately, this one is not for me.

[iiinterstate]

WOW.

 

When first applied, this actually reminded me a lot of the lab's rice milk note, but it quickly became something a lot more golden. I definitely get the vanilla and musks here, and they aren't overpowered by the lily like I feared. I can't pick up any sandalwood at all. Everything is perfectly blended... it smells almost buttery.

 

I really don't know how to describe this aside of feminine, golden, and lovely. Bottleworthy without a doubt. I'm sure this is even better aged.

[anardana]

Yum!! I love this one. Floral haters, do not fear. Aquatic haters, do not fear. This all vanilla on me- but not cloying at all (antique lace, I'm looking at you..). Very romantic. This is similar to Haloes, but I like this better.

[Deyja7]

As someone else said, this is like a more subtle Eat Me. It's not as musky on my skin as in the vial, but i'm not complaining! I'm not too familiar with a few of the note's.. like the ambergis and sea moss but i suspect they, along with the lily keep this from being too heavy. I'm quite suprised that the lily stayed in the background. On the dry down, i'm getting more of the aquatic notes.

Verdict: This didn't stay around long enough for me to either like or dislike it.

Edited September 20, 2008 by Deyja

[crebbsgirl]

I will admit that I was quite frightened to try this because the last scent I wore that had ambergris in it induced such a nauseous reaction. (I think it was Masquerade). As for Lyonesse, I was pleasantly surprised. Wet, this is very vanilla musk with lily overtones. Floral, but warm and creamy. As it dries, more herbal notes come out. Still sweet, but not as much as it was when wet. Overall, I really, really enjoy this blend. I'm very glad I tried it.

[kjirstiben]

Lyonesse is... delightful. I think I've found a new addition to my top 5 list.

 

Upon first application, I could smell a vanilla-resin combination, and as it dried down initially, there was an earthy, patchouli-esque note that flared for a couple minutes then faded.

 

After a few hours, there is a cloud of smooth, almost buttery vanilla that I catch a whiff of now and then, but when I put my nose close to my wrists it's a resiny, powdery vanilla-amber.

 

Normally, I tend to amp vanilla to the high heavens (which means I end up smelling like frosting), but this scent has a certain salty tang that I'm reading as "buttery". I suspect it may be the ambergris.

 

It's not a heavy scent at all--it teases your senses at the edge of perception. Just the right amount of scent to enjoy without knocking yourself--or anyone in close proximity--out.

[gchris]

In Vial: Yummy sweet cookies and alcohol?

 

Wet: Carmel. Kind of foody with a light scent of perfume that keeps it from being overly so.

 

Dry: There is something about this that is so appealing to me. Something familiar that I cannot place, but I know I want more.

[EauQue]

Well it's been on me 30 minutes and it's almost undetectable now. All I've got left is warm vanilla and the slightest hint of amber. Not a "wearing" fragrance for me, HOWEVER this is a DEFINITE "into the bath-water" scent. This will make a GREAT bubble bath scent!!!

 

(ps - another good one? Surprise - OLD SCRATCH)

[hellomoonglow]

Lyonesse is just so so so GOOD! Mild and weak perfume florals. Vanilla, like cooking vanilla, which is a weird scent to find in a BPAL oil. I need a bottle of this and it WILL go on my next order!

[jewelbug]

Imp: A very sharp (and not appealing to me) floral over a gentle resiny vanilla.

 

Wet: Powdery vanilla, slightly spicey, with a tart, sharp floral.

 

Dry: Sweet, powdery, golden, resinous (light resins) vanilla. Its creamy, soft, and gilded, with a sligth sharpness in counterpoint. I like the drydown quite a bit. The late dry is a goden vanilla musk, soft, powdery and feminine. Its fairly light, but lasts 15ish hours on me.

 

Overall: I would probably want a bottle of this, except that DH couldn't smell it!!! I put it under his nose, and he literally said he smelled nothing. I smelled a wonderful blend and his receptors couldn't even pick it up. Since I wear perfume in part for him, I don't think this one's worth me getting more of. Sad.

[ouch!]

This is absolutely gorgeous!! It's been a while since I've smelled a blend that's been a "Put it on the bottle list" blend, so I'm happy!

 

This is defiantely vanilla, it's a foody vanilla on me though at first, kinda like a golden vanilla cake with some amber there too. I love it!!! I really wanna slather this one.

 

It turns much more musky and vanillary as it dries and the amber comes out a bit more. I can't smell any kind of Sea Moss, floral and the like. It's just quite a simple blend that is swoonworthy.

 

This is gonna be a 5ml for sure. Where has it been all my life???

[Dark Alice]

At first this goes on sickeningly sweet.... and I love the Lab's vanilla note....As it dries, it becomes more sophisticated, lighter in fact. I think the amber is truly coming out in this scent. Drydown....its is absolutely lovely lightly sweet, with a hint of womanly perfume.....I now have to own a bottle of this.....

[femmefatale]

In the imp it smelled a bit like my mil's bathroom. I almost put it in the swap pile right then. I'm glad I didn't.

 

Wet, it's mostly vanilla, but then the sandalwood and amber come out. The amber goes slightly powdery, but in a nice way. I can also smell the orris, but luckily it doesn't drown everything else out like it tends to do, and just a hint of the lily.

 

On me this really isn't what I would classify as an aquatic, but it's not a floral either. It's a very pretty, feminine scent and I'm so glad I didn't judge it on first sniff. I am most definitely keep the imp and might get a bottle.

Edited November 25, 2008 by Femme_Fatale

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: A baked-goods kind of vanilla note dominates other notes I can't make out.

 

Wet: Right now it smells like white cake.

 

Twenty minutes: Although the dominant note is still white vanilla cake, it's much more complex now. It kind of reminds me of Peitho, with the lily and vanilla and musk. I expected this to have a darker note from the ambergris and moss, but I'm not getting it.

 

One hour: White cake with musk in the background. The floral is calmer too. I'm afraid this isn't going to work on me; it's trending foody.

 

Two hours: Cake, but complex. I like it, but not on me.

 

The "golden vanilla" note has consistently failed on my skin. The sandalwood, orris, and ambergris in this one didn't even show up to the party until four hours in, and they didn't have much of an effect.

[Andrea912]

Imp: golden vanilla and musk, though the musk is subtle and I don't know if it's gilded; I dont detect the sandalwood or amber or moss...

 

Wet: ummm...creamy, buttery, golden; I normally detest musk, amber, and sandalwood, but again, the musk here is nice and subtle, kind of gold like the vanilla; I think the amber is playing off that well; no sandalwood or orris or moss...

 

Dry: really quite beautiful; since Im not a fan of musk/sandalwood/amber, I was obvious hesitant to try this; however, it's golden and warm and sensous...give it a try

Edited December 18, 2008 by Andrea912

[modillian]

In bottle: Ooooh, this is interesting. A buttery sweet smell, maybe honey? With some nose-tingling spices. My interest is piqued.

 

Wet on skin: oh yum. More honeyed gentle spices, reminding me of the buttered pralines that went sadly wrong in Gluttony. There's something dark weighing this down and making it stable. A mead-y scent, maybe? But without the alcoholic notes. I haven't tried anything quite like it.

 

Drying: Hmmm, interesting! Getting drier and clearer. This is remind me of buttered toast for some reason. Ooh yes, spices coming out, making it quite different. The dark spiced not (amber? But amber like I've never experienced it!) is coming to the forefront. *looks at notes* Oh yum, ambergris! Yes, the spiced ambergris is very light here, and the grey amber is indeed what I detected before. The vanilla and musk makes the honeyed note. I can't detect any lily or orris, and I don't know what emeli or sea moss smells like. The sea notes make it weird enough that it's unsettling as it wears on, but it's still ultrasmooth and nummy. After six hours I get some of the musk-worry with it being too sweet.

 

This remains a light, pleasant, unobtrusive blend to wear when I want to feel "finished" in an outfit with perfume, but not to make people double-take with sniffing. It's almost a skin-scent. I can't believe a musk actuall works on me! I don't think I'll use more than an imp, but I remain impressed with the ingenuity here.

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: pungent amber and incense

 

Wet: sandalwood, musk, and amber, a beautiful perfumey perfume.

 

Drydown: Sweet but classy, golden and warm, resinous but not powdery, Niiiiiice! Like what conventional perfumers would call an 'oriental' Hello, I think I love you Lyonesse! I need a bottle of this, stat! It reminds me of Glowing Vulva, but without the teak, and something is similar to Inez. OMG I am huffing my arm right now. YUM! This is reminding me of long ago when I used to wear Dior Addict, Samsara, or Givency Indecence. It's not like any of those exactly, but very much in the same mood.

 

Can I really have found my GC signature scent? Maybe. Bottle!

[thelaurenator]

Someone very generously frimped me Lyonesse, because it was recommended to me here as being similar to L'Estate. Unfortunately, something about this blend makes me very ill. All I can smell when it hits my skin is curdled amber and slimy aquatics.

 

Oh well.