Lyonesse

[ClareN]

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

So I'm one of the only ones who doesn't like this very much.

Sniffed in the imp: Vanilla and caramel. Very foody.

Wet stage: A mildly sweet, fresh, vanilla-amber scent.

Drying: Straight away the "fresh" component of this scent turns itself way up, until this is more of an aquatic foody scent than just a foody scent. I guess that's the ambergris and sea moss, although I'm not adept at identifying those notes. Unlike most vanilla/amber scents, which have a golden feel, this one turns out to be a very pale blue.

Later drydown: Definitely aquatic, although the vanilla is still there; it's taking on a fabric softener/detergent/aftershave feel. Not for me, although it is an interesting blend.

[Eucatastrophe]

My first, and so far true, bpal love. I don't get a floral scent from this at all, which is good. I get a warm golden vanilla with some mysterious notes coming through (I wish I was better at picking them out and identifying them). It doesn't change much on drydown. Definitely a golden scent.

 

I couldn't stop smelling my wrists and my brain would go MMMMMmmmm every time a wisp would waft up to my nose.

[meredevachon]

I'm hoping my sniffer is just having an off day, because Lyonesse is nothing like I thought it would be.

 

In the imp: Butter. Movie theatre popcorn butter to be exact. Not quite what I had in mind, you know?

 

Wet: The buttery note is still there, but sweeter now. If I try really hard, I can just make out a hint of vanilla.

 

Dry: It's hard to pick out individual notes now; it just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. Kind of like the super-sugary frosting on grocery store cakes.

 

I'm going to hold on this for now, try it again in a week or two to see if my chemistry's just wonky today. If that doesn't work then maybe see how it does if I age it for a few months. And in the meantime, I can bask in my beloved Mouse's Long & Sad Tale with the warm, golden vanilla-amber blend I love so much.

[swilde]

From the imp and on: hazelnut. Too syrupy to be vanilla-musk, and it stays the same during the drydown. I'm guessing that's what amber, musk and vanilla do when they get together.

 

No sea moss on me, though, and that's what intrigued me about the description. Boo.

[taramarie]

On me, Lyonesse is warm vanilla sugar. It starts out really strong then gets lighter as it dries. I like this a lot and I'll consider a bottle.

[greywind]

This one is difficult to describe. Since I like everything after the lily in the description I was willing to take the risk and try it.

 

In the imp: unpromising, floral and sweet.

 

On wet: much nicer -- smooth and complex, not smelling of any one thing in particular, but very nice.

 

Drying: *Amazing*. Absolutely gorgeous. I can pick out the amber, sandalwood, musk, and green notes, and they're breathtaking in this combination. Not floral, not foody, not overyly sweet.

 

Dry: The crashing disappointment. What was incredibly lovely on me gradually, inexorably turns to the scent of candy floss. Warm, sticky candy floss -- and it stays that way.

 

If only I could keep the middle portion of the scent drydown I would praise this to the skies. As it is, it's sadly not for me.

[ophidiae]

IN THE BOTTLE: Strong, buttery vanilla.

 

WET ON SKIN: Mostly vanilla and amber at this stage and it's, mmmm. Just lovely.

 

DRYDOWN: The vanilla softens, and the orris and musk make an appearance. A few minutes later, the aquatics come out, softening the vanilla even further.

 

DRY: It's hard to distinguish the individual notes, it all blends so seamlessly. Lord, this smells good.

 

OVERALL. Warm, golden, rich. This is going on the Must Have list for a full bottle.

[Lyrical]

I was really looking forward to trying this one, since it combines a lot of the notes I thought I liked best. However, this was my first BPAL order and I'm still learning.

 

In the vial: "golden vanilla" sums it up perfectly.

 

Wet on skin: syrupy vanilla. It smells like a vanilla flavour meal replacement drink!

 

Dry on skin: still thick vanilla with something vaguely floral in the background and another note I don't like - could that be the ambergris? This is a huge disappointment!

[Dinerdulcinea]

Interesting!

 

imp: a bright clean scent---slightly green and a little oceanic.

 

wet: uh oh...on first application, the greenness comes to the fore, then within seconds Lyonesse heads straight for "laundry detergent/dryer sheet"

 

Nah.

[akiko]

I got this as a frimp in my first order.

 

Imp: cake. Sweet, vanilla, white cake.

 

Wet: vanilla, something dark, and flowers coming up. I'm nervous, because I don't like florals, and my skin amps them like mad.

 

Dry: Ooh, nice. It blends well, and the flowers aren't screaming at me. It smells like vanilla, amber, and musk, with just the hint of flowers. No sea moss, which is OK because I don't like aquatics, either.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Took me a sec to figure out where this was in the catalog--I thought it was an archaic spelling of Lioness, and hence might belong with The Lion? It's a strange blend--a beautiful vanilla-honey-cake topnote, which I really like, floats over a rather murky sort of base; it must be the ambergris, which is a note that tends to be bad on me. Yeah, I just don't think this is the one for me.

[persephanise]

One of the first imps I ever ordered was "Eat Me", because I so wanted to smell like cake. Unfortunately, "Eat Me" was a resounding disappointment: too sweet, too burnt sugar. I was sorely disappointed.

 

I almost didn't order Lyonesse because I have sworn off musk scents. But so many people recommended it to me I gave it a try.

 

And....the musk makes it yucky.

 

I love cake and vanilla scents. But the musk in this destroys the fragrance for me. I smell like a guy. Ugh

 

(On the other thand, the cakey notes in Lyonesse are really really nice. It's only the musk that kills this for me.)

Edited January 26, 2008 by Persephanise

[suki]

in the imp: movie popcorn butter and vanilla frosting. i'm in LOVE

 

wet on skin: there's a sugary/incense note that actually immediately reminds me of The Crumpet Rebellion. in other words- YUMMY

 

dry down: i don't get *any* of the aquatic notes, which i'm thankful for, since those tend to go wonky on me. instead i'm just getting this beautiful vanilla cake with a hint of something mysterious underneith.

 

in all: the mystery elements temper the foody aspects. there's still enough foody for me to adore it, bit i think for those less inclined toward food smells, this might be a good middle ground.

 

 

[joseybird]

This is gorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgeous!!

 

This is a beautiful ambery vanilla with a very subtle earthiness underlying the sandalwood note. The lily adds a touch of sweetnes, but it's otherwise in the background.

 

Gorgeous. I need a bottle.

[MaeKitty]

In the bottle: Butterscotch? O_o

On Me: Oh my god, I love this. It's so yummy! The vanilla glows golden. The warm scents just mingle and dance on the skin. The florals bring life to this, and give it more dimension. So lovely! This is an instant favourite. I will need a 5ml

[aestien]

Bottle: buttery vanilla

Wet: vanilla, amber, sweet and creamy with a hint of musk and sandalwood

Dry: I think I can detect the Orris as well, the lily is just a hint

 

I love the delicious vanilla, amber, orris blend, there is a slightly nutty undertone, and I can smell the sandalwood and a little of the musk, the lily is just the right floral balance to the warm base. The sandalwood threatened to go powdery but never did, adding a nice wood note.

[fireflower]

Ohhhhh, this is yummy. It's creamy, golden, delicious vanilla. I wouldn't say it's foody, because there's definitely something underneath it - possibly the amber or the musk - keeping me from wanting to lick my arm, but this is quite heavenly and yummy. Going on the top 10, I think. Getting a bottle.

[ryokokoro]

In the bottle, it's a very rich vanilla and on the skin it also smells rich and mostly vanilla, almost caramel-like after-scent.

 

As it settles and dries, it changes almost instantly to a light, sweet vanilla musk. I can smell a slight hint of sandalwood in the background. I can almost smell a bit of floral too. My skin eats this one up though and what's left after an hour is a faint, sweet smell that I can't make out. I was pretty bummed as I'd hoped it'd be this rich, musky vanilla. Pleasant but not bottle material for me.

Edited March 23, 2008 by firewoman

[djsiberia]

vanilla and amber...it's certainly sweet, but not quite as sweet as O, i think i prefer lyonesse more than O because it doesn't get sickly sweet. i can smell the florals very lightly and the ambergris isn't over powering. sea moss is bearly there. it's a very delicate scent perfect for summer.

[enderfem]

Imp: Musk, ambergris, and a little sandalwood and vanilla.

 

Wet: More of the vanilla. This is pretty.

 

Drydown: Warm vanilla. Very nice, but not as complex as I would like.

[Ishtar]

For the first hour or so, Lyonesse is predominantly aquatic with a healthy dose of vanilla on me. Unusual, appealing and a little strange...

 

Even though there is no saltiness to it, Lyonesse is definitely a marine scent. We are not talking pond or river here; this aquatic is all about the ocean.

In spite of the strong shot of vanilla, there is nothing gourmand about this blend. In fact, the vanilla here reminds me of Tombstone- dry, thin, almost desolate. Because of the stark contrast between this dryness and the marine notes, it almost feels like the vanilla does not belong here and indeed, it never really mingles with the other components.

What a paradoxical, yet beautiful blend!

 

It dries down to a gorgeous unisex vanilla scent, with something animalistic lurking in the background. It is both warm and cool, both mysterious and comforting.

In spite of its apparent contradictions, Lyonesse is lovely and a definite keeper!

[Scanmike]

I was looking for a perfect amber, but this wasn't it. Nothing special. Very sweet and not complex. It almost had a pina colada smell to it on me. Never changed from wet to dry. I liked The Lion much better. It's just a matter of chemistry as I am finding out.

[ElinaMakropulos]

All I could smell was buttered popcorn, in the imp and on me

[alexandra]

I find it hard to review my favourite BPALs, it is like trying to say why I adore my husband: 'well, he is intelligent and witty and kind and talented, and, and, and' but it gets nowhere near the centre of the bond between us. So it is for me and Lyonesse.

 

Yes, I love vanilla and amber and elemi but it is more than that. It is sweet and comforting yet powerful and sexy. It is the richest Cornish vanilla ice cream topped with toffee sauce. It is cake smashed by a picnic sex sesh. It has a throw that floors gentlemen and ladies alike (in a good way).

 

Most of all, like my husband, it is so very me. I cannot be without it. :D

[theauth]

Mmm...in the Imp and wet it smelled like vanilla and buttered popcorn. Kind of like buttery popcorn with a sugary scent, but not caramel.

 

It's luminescent, round smell to me. Not "bright," but colorful. I'm not sure how to describe it.

 

Dry it's still smelling like buttered popcorn, not as much vanilla. I applied at about 3pm and haven't reapplied but now the scent is pretty subtle. This is the first perfume, however, that my mom mentioned she smelled. She knew I was getting samples in the mail (she doesn't know how many!!). It's got to have a lot of throw though because she wouldn't have picked up on it otherwise.