Pontarlier

[superpopkid]

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

I was excited to try this, as I have been trying to find my perfect lilac. Wet, it went on cologne-y, in a funky-dirty way, but fortunately that burned off within minutes and Pontarlier became The World's Most Innocent Smelling Lilac Floral. I think I understand now what people mean when they say a fragrance goes "soapy." Or maybe this what is meant by powdery? It doesn't smell bad, at all, but like a fresh, lilac-scented guest soap. Something about it strikes me as very young, but young as imagined by Norman Rockwell. Pure and sweet in an almost over-the-top way.

Note wise, I can tell there's more going on than just lilac, but lilac is all I can pick out in this soft, sweet, soapy floral. (I'm kind of amazed the roses didn't amp.) Nothing sharp or headachy. This had a good throw and it's still noticeable after 7+ hours. Overall, this scent is pleasant but feels a little misplaced on my skin. I think it would be great for someone who wants to smell sweet and freshly-scrubbed. Edited November 16, 2009 by VitaminA

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Grass with a sharp bitter edge. Something is causing a bite.

 

Wet: Grassy. Sweet. LILAC. I can smell LILAC!

 

Dry: Ferns and Lilac. And something herbal... complex, yet light and refreshing.

 

A while later: Sweet and herbal. With ferns and a slightly more floral lilac. Lovely!

[donnatron]

Imp: Ferns. Endless green ferns. And some sugar... okay.

 

Wet: Ferns love my skin like nobody's business. This is all ferns.

 

Dry: Ferns still dominate. This dries down to a pleasant green fern scent with a hint of lilacs, rose and sugar. This is only when I'm sniffing up close and concentrating on the scent. Otherwise it is all ferns all the time. My skin has gone mad with power and love for ferns.

 

Throw: Moderate.

 

Overall: My skin is really into ferns. There is also something odd and nostalgic about this scent. I'm catching hints of the throw and although I can't think of a memory this evokes, it makes me feel a little ashamed. I have no idea how or why it's doing that but this is bizarre! I've never had an emotional reaction to a scent I was just testing out new. How strange.

[SophieCedar]

WoW! This is a great one!

 

I can smell the anise-ishness of the absinthe and the ferns with black currant in imp. I can tell this will be an impressive morpher.

 

Wet: opens and swirls..ferns, light lilac, currant, absinthe. very green and then starts to burst with affects of body heat.

 

Drydown: mostly lilacs and currants with a bit of green fern. Lavender is more noticable here. Slight sweetnes. very very nice!!

[starfish327]

in the imp and wet: ...grass clippings? (looks at note list). okay so i guess i'm getting the fern?

 

dry: grass clippings with lavendar and lilac and something...else. i almost think it's the sugar going strange on me- it smells like latex at first and then something that smells like plastic sugar, like a doll that's supposed to smell like sugar.

 

off to the swap box/imp orphanage. this is just...wrong. i like the upper notes. if i could keep the lawn smell i'd actually like it, it reminds me of summer and is just strange enough to want to wear it. but that weird cast off note from strawberry shortcake is too much for me to take.

[Brianne]

This goes on very green but also with a strong punch of rose. After a few minutes it's definitely softer than it starts, but it's also still quite predominantly rose with a very fern-y background and a tiny bit of powdery herbal-ness from the lavender.

[FathomBelow]

A freebie from the lab -

In the bottle: Nutty and not sweet at all, unusually.

Wet on skin: Really strong, sharp, green ferns with a bit of something in the background that makes this smell like the soap in some fancy hotels.

As it dries: The sharp ferns fade a little, thankfully, as too much green makes my stomach turn. The ferns are still too prominent for my taste, however.

After it dries: The rose and lavender enter as background notes to the fern; both are very faint although the lavender is stronger than the rose (lavender does tend to amp on my skin). The rose, indeed, is so faint I might be imagining it.

 

Final opinion: Eh, I don't get along with scents this sharp. The end stage is not intolerable as most scents this green are for me. I'd never wear it, so it's going to my giveaway pile.

[pteron]

This was a generous frimp from the lab.

 

Wet, my initial impression is green aquatics. Very cool and moist. As it dries, the ferns become dominant with just a hint of lilac, but there's something else in here that reminds me of expensive bath soap in a good way. Forty minutes in, Pontarlier settles into a clean green scent that's almost all fern on me. There's still a lingering soapiness that's nevertheless not unpleasant, but I get very little of the florals.

 

In the end, I like Pontarlier much more than I expected. It's a calming and relaxing scent that has me picturing a lily pad-covered pond surrounded by ferns. Out of curiousity, I tried Pontarlier out as a sleeping scent and I had a similar reaction to what I experienced with Somnus. This isn't a scent I'd use during the day, but one for relaxing in the evening.

[impolight]

:::PONTARLIER:::

 

The description for Pontarlier has long held a(n) (un)healthy dose of fascination...

The birthplace of the Green Fairy?

Come, now!

All of the notes give off promise, and a rapturous sense of well being based on that mindset of intoxication that intimates euphoria, intensity, excitement, inspiration, and making a miracle out of the mundane.

The (Bat's Day) Frimp, uncapped: Oh, how the heartbeat flutters! Good grief, the impulse is to... Skip???

Completely, utterly starstruck. Twitterpated. Flabbergasted. Bowled-the-frick-over!

High hopes have resided for this formula since it's notes were browsed, well over a year ago!

This blew the grandest of delusions right out of the water!

The notes in Pontarlier blend seamlessly together, yet are all distinct at the same time.

Though it's not the most assertive of components, the Swiss Fern made the biggest impression... Were the outdoors always so refreshing!

The Absinthe and the Lavender conspire to bolster the electricity and pep that makes one wish to stand up and take notice.

The Black Currant and the Gallic Rose in this provide the fantasy element in Pontarlier, creating an almost psychadelic aura that glows from everything, all the way to the smallest pebble hitherto unseen in a very picturesque woodland.

The Lab's Lilac is a sorcery of a scent, regardless of what it's included in, and the larger than life wonder that is Pontarlier is no exception.

From the Skin: The Lavender, Lilac, and Rose REALLY roar at this phase! This is a floral avalanche that the Lavender Fougere and the Lilac accomplishes without being overwhelmingly feminine.

After a moment, the greenery inherent in both the Absinthe and the Ferns comes back with a vengeance; tempering the blooms with what is an almost supernaturally green incandescence.

Well, hello, Sugar! At first, this note was thought to be an allegorical reference to the sweetness of the blooms, but, lo and behold, there indeed is sugar!This is the glass, ornamented sugar bowl from childhood at grandmas... Leaning over for a surreptitious whiff of the stuff before spooning mountains of the stuff over the top of otherwise perfectly healthy oatmeal.

Given some time to develop and ripen under the influence of body chemistry, the most prominent notes of Pontarlier are the Fern, Lilac and Lavender.

Spectrally, Pontarlier is a dizzying array of purples set against a backdrop of enchanted greenery bejeweled with dewdrops.

Pontarlier would work wonderfully for Him or Her.

On her, one could practically watch as her ears became pointed and she sprouted wings fresh from the chrysalis.

On Him, there is mischeivous, elven grinning and the disturbing quality of laughing at the tree's jokes.

Pontarlier is not to be underestimated! 2 of the 5mL bottles of this should have been picked up! Shucks!

Here is another reason to fatten the next order...

Pure bliss.

5.5 out of 5!

[Dharklady]

In bottle: A soft sugared, floral blend.

Wet: I get a lot of rose and absinthe with a touch of the lilac and lavender- but not nearly enough!

Dry: Still no fruit, mostly a sugary rose with some high clean notes and just a trace of the two florals I wanted to pop.

Notes: Pretty, but not enough of the notes I like best popped to make it a scent for me.

 

[raisin]

Very nice, springlike floral. Mostly green and lilac, with just the faintest hint of rose. I wish I got more lavender, but at least I don't get much sugar. If anything, there's kind of a nice, earthy bitterness to this one.

 

I'd say this is the lilac blend I was hoping to find. I'm not sure I'll use enough of it to warrant a 5ml, but this is very nice.

[sirensea]

This one goes through an unfortunate 'urine' stage on my skin. Once that fades, though, I'm left with a pleasant floral that is surprisingly masculine.

[mhickle]

So before trying this, the rose was making me kind of nervous. But I thought to myself, "Must try everything I get!"

 

In the imp, it's light and floral--very unassuming. Wet on my skin it's still quite light, and the rose isn't rearing its ugly head at me (mind you, rose is lovely on other people, but on me usually a big fail).

 

I think I'm getting a little of the absinthe as it begins to dry. Mostly still a green-tinged floral, though, and a little headache inducing, despite being so light. I think I just can't do most florals. This one will be going into the swap/give away pile!

[reynardine]

Got this one as a frimp.

 

In the imp, I was mainly getting a green scent (ferns). Once on, the lavender came out to play. It dried down to a light, pleasant scent, rather like a stream running through a meadow. As someone else commented, I may try this one as a sleep scent and see how it does.

[MirasolAbeille]

Love the mix of lilac and lavender in this -- a combination I don't believe I've seen anywhere else -- and the pleasantly sharp astringency of the diedown -- the lilac lingers on me and beneath it the crisply green smell of the ferns and what I suppose might be the absinthe, though I don't get a strongly anise scent from this at all. Will definitely keep and enjoy the imp; the jury is out on whether this will be a 5ml purchase.

[Altaira]

Spring floral, fresh and masculine. Kind of an 'Irish Spring soap' scent.

[Incendiare]

In the imp, this smells very sharp and herbal, but it blossoms beautifully on my skin. The lilac and rose come out. Normally, I don't like lilac, but the combining it with rose and lavender seems to spruce things up a bit. The sugar is only a pinch of sugar, enough to prevent the florals from becoming too heady. On drydown, it smells like a freshly sweet, airy floral. Not bottle-worthy but glad I got this as a frimp.

[Lethran]

In bottle: A lovely light floral scent, fairly androgynous as florals go, with lilac and lavender dominant, with the ferns and absinthe granting it a pale green edge that plays very well with the dominant florals. It’s a little bit wicked. The rose and black currant are understated, joining with the sugar to smooth things out. Wet: The blackcurrent and rose are stronger on the skin and it edges the whole blend towards the feminine. It’s quite lovely, layered and nuanced. Dry: Comepletely different. Apparently fern has the most staying power, with a bit of black current giving it a gentle fruity touch. The florals fade back to the point of being a gentle kiss. Nice. Very nice.

[sparkleyturtle]

Really liking this scent. I am getting the lilac, lavender with a touch of rose. It is a little soapy, but I think I will take it if it comes with the other notes as well. the green is a nice touch. Kind of like taking a walk through a garden.

[Gateau]

In the imp -- fern, lavender, anise. Color impression is green with a touch of purple.

 

Wet -- It's very green plus lilac sweetness. The lavender and anise add something aromatic and bitter.

 

Dry -- This reminds me of some kind of fancy lotion from the 70s. Maybe I smelled it at someone's house. It's the fern, I think, giving me this impression. Not bad, it's sort of creamy, green, and herbal but I think I would like it better as a lotion or soap. The more the rose comes out the more it turns to soap/lotion on my skin.

[Lyanna]

I absolutely need a bottle of this - it's a gorgeous smell.

 

From the get-go there is ferns, herbs, absinthe, flowers and a sprinkling of sugar on me, and the smell only deepens and blends the longer I wear it. The stingyness of the herbs and ferns recedes a little, leaving me with a wonderful fresh, sweet and clean smell that I just love wafting around me all day. Which it actually does! Good throw, longlasting, lovely!

[rhubarb3point14]

This was very green and aquatic when it was wet, and a little tart. Then, much to my surprise, when it dried on my skin, it was an absolute dead ringer for a floral-scented French soap my Nana used to use. It stayed that way over time, too: Nana's soap.

 

Because of the way it has reacted with my skin, I can't smell any of the notes except for lilac and rose, and both of them are the "perfume" type, not the smell of the fresh flowers.

 

This brings back wonderful memories, but I'm not sure if nostalgia is a good enough reason to go around smelling like a bar of soap, albeit a very high-quality one.

 

ETA: After the fact, I figured out what happened to me here. Several days later I tried The Witch's Garden and was startled to find that it smelled very similar to Pontarlier on me. After pondering for a moment, I realized the one thing the two fragrances had in common was wormwood, the main component of absinthe. So apparently, I amp wormwood, and on me it smells soapy (although not unpleasantly so).

Edited November 20, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Lavender and citrus-infused absinthe.

 

Drydown: Lilac joins the lavender and the combination turns slightly powdery. A touch of herbs are there as well.

 

Dry: All the notes blend together to create a light, sweet, fresh, herbal floral. The only note I can pick out is the rose, which isn't dominate but isn't blending like the rest are either.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Lavender, lilac, something fresh and green (fern, I would think)?

 

On skin, wet: Lavender & green ferns.

 

On skin, dry: Same as wet, but a touch soapy (probably the lilac).

 

After an hour: Never gets past the soapy phase, unfortunately. Another one that didn't work out at all like I hoped.

[Eschezhivet]

Slightly grassy and sorrelly at first, but quickly turns into... honeysuckle. Again. I have no idea why everything is turning out so sweet!