Pontarlier

[jewelbug]

The legendary birthplace of the Green Fairy. Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe.

Imp: Lots of lilac, something a bit fruity, and a fuminess.

Wet: Wow, tons of lilac. Really pretty indeed! Lilacs are my mom's fave flower, so it reminds me of her. At the

Drying: Lilac, lilac, lilac. At the end I get a wee huff of the absinthe, I think.

Dry: As this dries, the lilac backs off and the rose starts to amp. This finishes as a subtle green rose blend.

Overall: I LOVED the lilac at the start, but even if it stayed that the whole time, its just a scent I'd wear--I'm not into the florals so much. I think I'll pass this along. Edited September 28, 2007 by Shollin

[Delirium1009]

This is very crisp at first… I can smell the lilac, rose, and lavender all milling around.

 

The lilac seems to grow in strength as I wear this… and the other florals fade to just a touch of rose. This would be a great scent for the beginning of spring when I’m craving the smell of blossoms, but it’s a little strong on me right now.

[puck_nc]

Origin: imp from the Bag of Joy at the Maryland Swim & Sniff

 

Initial Thoughts: I literally picked it for the name alone...a name I had absolutely no memory of despite over two years of BPAL fandom.

 

In the Bottle: Overwhelmingly herbs and grasses

 

Wet: Lavender and fern. Incredibly herby.

 

Drydown: The lilac comes out to play, but so does the absinthe, making the entire thing oddly boozy.

 

Verdict: Off to the swap/sale pile.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: oohhh, cool green ferns.

 

Wet on me: green ferns and sugar. I love green sugary scents -- this one reminds me a little of Gennivre.

 

After five minutes: A touch of cool green lavender, not at all bitter, and some sweet lilac. Still with the ferns -- this is much more of a herbal/green blend on me than a floral one, at least so far. Cool and misty and suggests faeries to me much more than Fae does, though I do like Fae.

 

Drydown: Lilac with green notes that remind me of Allison Gross (hooray!). I'm glad I wound up with two imps of this.

 

If you like this one, try Dian's Bud from the Rappaccini's Garden section.

 

ETA: After an hour this seemed to take on a slightly stale, dead-flowers smell that worried me, but now it's back to strong lilac and a touch of sharp greenery.

Edited August 28, 2007 by Baitu

[MaidenGenevive]

Pontarlier

 

I applied before reading the description, and my first thought was, "Lilac? There has got to be lilac in this." It really smelled right-on to me, which is hard to do; most lilac perfumes don't smell a thing like lilac. As it dries, the other florals mingle, but it's a nice, quiet, delicate combination. This is the first floral that didn't make me crinkle my nose and think, "Ugh, old lady perfume." I was hoping that I would find a floral that would work for me, and not give me a raging migraine - happily, I think this just might be it!

 

This is late Spring, early summer (that's when lilacs are in bloom, after all) and very feminine.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, my kitty, Jasper, loves BPAL, but this seems to be his favorite so far. He was very eager to smell my wrist and was acting very eager and cute over the smell.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

4 / 5 : I still am hesitant about florals, but this one really impressed me.

Edited September 5, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[maryamblue]

This arrived as a frimp. I probably wouldn't have tried it (I couldn't immediately place the name: "Pontarlier? What?") otherwise, but aha, behold the wisdom of the Lab in picking frimps.

 

My first impression: heavy crisp lavender, and the green-fern scent of Caliban (which is one I'm very fond of, and almost surprisingly so). the scent is old-fashioned, kind of formal, and slightly masculine. Well, I *like* it. I put it on before getting dressed, and felt like I just had to put on the crisp white men's wear tailored shirt just to match the feel of this scent...

 

After a while it becomes more feminine, and quite rosy. Not obnoxiously so, more like dried roses. This scent really seems very charmingly archaic to me (hmm, maybe I need a different style of shirt now...something with lace and poofy sleeves?) I don't really get the absinthe, and the ferns retreat into the background -- there, but underfoot.

 

It is both floral and sharp, which is charming. There is something slightly eldritch and archaic and Green Fairy to it, and it's very dignified, for lack of a better word. I like this a lot. Good call on the frimp, y'all at the Lab!

 

EDIT: And now...I finally smell the lilac. Funny how this one changes!

Edited September 18, 2007 by maryamblue

[metaldog32]

My sister bought this 5ml for me because of two things:

 

Lilac and absinthe.

 

She knows my favorite flower is lilac and that for a really long time I have always loved the color green. Absinthe, fairy, ferns..all green. So..this is how this bottle came into my possession last year..and has stayed unopened or un-tried until now. No..it’s not that is is unloved..I just have more fragrance then I know what to do with..it takes a while for me to get through a chunk of it at a time.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Smells green..definitely getting the ferns..and maybe a tiny undercurrent of the lavender. This isn’t usually my cup of tea..but I will forge on.

 

Applied wet on skin: Fern, fern, FERN..and then right behind it for a quick second it’s blackcurrant..and then it’s kind of just a rush of jumbling notes..the flash of lilac and rose and sugar..but then..we are back to fern and maybe the rose. I don’t get the absinthe..but to be honest I have no idea what that is supposed to smell like.

 

Couple of minutes on skin:Still the fern..with the rose. ..and a trace of sweetness on the end. I don’t know if I am getting the blackcurrant and lavender..but the whole effect is just very green and a tad herbal. Pleasant enough..but it’s not bowling me over.

 

Ten minutes later:Still the ferns..but the rose is a bit more in the mix..although the sum of this is still very green and kind of close to the skin..not much wafting going on. It’s nice..but again..am not ga-ga over it.

 

Hour later: Faint ferns and floral..with a wisp of sweetness.

 

Lasting power: 3+ hours with throw soft to almost average

 

Bottom Line: Pontarlier is nice..but I just can’t see myself wearing this very often..if at all. The fern and overall “green” slant of this is evocative..but it’s not something that really holds my interest or translates into something stellar on my skin. Think my 5ml should go to someone who can really make this fragrance sing.

[Jia_Mekare]

In the imp: Are you SURE there's no patchouli in this? It smells...Well, like Patchouli.

 

On my skin wet: Well, no patchouli, so thats something. Smells like ferns, with maybe some florals in the background.

 

Dry: Just...ferns.

 

Nothing exceptional. Not bad, but not exceptional on me.

[cranberry]

In the imp: green, slightly bitter

 

On the skin: herbs, greenery and lilac. Yup, this is lilac all right. It’s light, fresh, clean and reminds me of summer sitting under the lilac bush. After it’s been on a while the rose comes out a bit and blends so nicely with the lilac. Pretty!

[hkhm]

imp: lilac with some rose and a wee bit of lavender.

 

wet: this smells dark and green with lots of soft florals hiding about. i wonder if it's the fern that smells so green?

 

dry: this is one of the rare rose scents that does not go soapy on me. the lilac comes through most strongly and stays pleasant throughout.

[Indefatigable]

In the vial: roses.

 

On me: er, roses! Not powder! Huh. Maybe the lilac too.

 

Drying down: lilac and baby powder. Aah well. Got my hopes up, that one. Into the swap it goes.

[Shollin]

First sniff: This scent makes me think of falling into the spiky center of a giant red poppy – a heady floral with a sharp edge to it.

 

Wearing: Much cooler and greener on me. It’s still quite floral, but the mood has changed completely.

[tziporra]

Hee hee hee.... I am so fickle. I just wrote a review of an oil grousing that my skin amped single notes and I couldn't stand it, and now I'm going to write a review complaining that no note distinguished itself. But I'm getting ahead of myself....

 

 

In the imp: Lovely lilac. Delicious. I'm originally from the "lilac city" and have a definite thing for lilacs. My generous neighbors know of my obsession and load me up late april with bounty from their bushes.

 

Drydown: Nondescript floral. Not getting the lovely lilac note, or any note really. It just smells like "floral perfume" on me. One thing I'm learning is that I want a distinguished scent, something that makes me sniff and sniff again. Sigh. This is not it. I love flowers and big floral scents, so I'll just keep searching.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

[megank4]

This is from the original imp pack I ordered.

I don't really get anything distinctive from this. It is just a mishmash of something. If I read the notes and concentrate, I think I can smell some lavender and rose.

Smells rather dusty-powdery-old ladyish.

2.5

[tinyvulture]

i love the green, bitter herbal scent of the ferns. it’s almost medicinal, the way it clears your passages when you inhale. it smells so clean. the rose and lavender in the background are a bit soapy, but that doesn’t bother me. they enhance the fern nicely. i’m not sure what absinthe smells like. there’s a light dusting of sugar, but it’s not too sweet or cloying. this seems like a great unisex scent. it’s not too floral or too herbal; it’s just right.

[laforetnoire]

In the bottles, I get a mix of different herbs but I can't tell what are those notes. (The ferns probably)

When applied, lilac immediately appears and the ferns note is somewhat 'more clear now'.

Later, the lavender and the rose peeks out, but it's so subtile.

 

I love this scent!

[grashopper8]

I smell soft, powdery lilac with a hint of fresh wild greenery at the beginning (I'm assuming that's the fern note). As it dries down, it becomes a soft, single-note lilac on me. It's very feminine with my chemistry, not a masculine lilac like His Station and Four Aces. I like this enough to keep the imp, but I don't see myself craving it often enough to warrant a 5mL. If you're searching for a pretty spring lilac scent, don't miss out on this one!!

 

4.2 out of 5

[eloiseattheplaza]

Wet: This surprised me. Very green, herbal, hints of the floral and berry notes, but mostly a herbal and almost dusty scent. Not really sweet or alcoholic at all. From the description, I thought I'd probably like the idea, but not want to reach for it often--but it's lovely.

 

Drydown: A soapy something emerges, but not in a bad way. It's a complex but clean scent. I still like it--I'd like to try layering it with a rose, maybe London.

 

Dry: A skin scent, clean and understated but still complex. The rose and lavender have disappeared. I'd wear this to work.

 

Pontarlier reminds me a little of Glasgow, with the breezy open-air feeling. I am surprised that one I thought of as more of a novelty scent is so beautiful. I can see this growing on me and becoming a future bottle.

[suki]

in the imp: a mix of floral and 'green' smells, but nothing that stands out separately.

 

wet on skin: the lilac comes forward substantially, the 'green' scent a soft back note.

 

dry down: the lilac becomes stronger, more cloying, the other notes all but disappear.

 

in all: i need my floral notes to be subtle, or mixed with something non-floral. i find this blend too sharp and too sweet for my tastes. but someone who loves lilac as a note will likely fall in love with this blend.

[bryghtrose]

Dark, earthy, sugary floral. I don't care for it.

[Ishtar]

I ordered Pontarlier as an homage to my late father, who was born a few kilometres away from that city.

 

Even though I like all the individual notes listed, I am not particularly drawn to fresh, green perfumes so I really ordered this for the name alone. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that not only do I genuinely like this scent, it is also very fitting for the city it represents.

 

Pontarlier and its region, Franche-Comte, are not places that tourists visit when they go to France. There is little to see there, other than the Peugeot museum and factories. People from Franche-Comte have a reputation for being hard-working, reliable and a little taciturn. Winters can be harsh and it is not uncommon for smaller hamlets in the countryside to be snowed in, virtually cut off from the rest of the country, for extended periods of time.

 

And then... then spring begins and it is as if the entire region is in bloom. The gently rolling hills, the meadows, the woods, everything is covered in blossoms and new vegetation. Crocus, irises, daffodils, narcissus, poppies, ferns... all manners of wildflowers, all shades of green soften the landscape and put a smile on everyone's face. Pontarlier smells like that very first day when the flowers bloom: green, crisp, airy. There is nothing flashy about this scent, just the promise of spring and the anticipation of the nice days to come. It is simple, humble and full of hope.

 

I will cherish this scent and I know that my dad would have loved it too. He would have been very happy that someone could understand the beauty of his birthplace so well.

Rest in peace, dad. I miss you and I love you.

[savage_rose]

Very light florals with a hint of green...it almost smells like moonflower to me, although that's not one of the notes listed. Very pretty.

[lmaunu]

Source: Frimp from the Lab

 

This is definitely an herbal, "green" scent, and the lilac is the note that dominates on my skin. It seems to have light throw and average wear length; I applied it four hours ago and am still catching faint whiffs of it.

 

While I like this scent, there are other herbal scents that I prefer, so I don't think I'd order a bottle.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Rose, lavender, and sweet-sharp greenery, tinged with absinthe. A very astringent, strong green scent.

 

Wet: More floral, and more greenery - much more airy. More lavender, and still lots of bitter greenery. The blackcurrant note here is the unpleasant urine-y variant. I'd almost swear there is jasmine in this. The ferns smell very sappy, that crushed new greenery smell.

 

Dry: Sharp greenery and public restrooms cleaned with a harsh chemically soap solution. The throw is very strong & very nauseating. Sink. Gah, it won't wash off!

 

Edited August 11, 2009 by fairnymph

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: Lilac with a strong herbal-lemony background.

 

On me: The lilac comes out beautifully, tempered and made interesting by the green, herbal smell and a subtle hint of lemon. This might well be the first blend containing a noticeable lemony note that doesn't go bad on me!

 

It stays a fresh, springy and green lilac all the way to the finish. Being a huge fan of lilac, I adore this!

 

Oh yeah, that one is going to go on the big bottle list!