Queen Gertrude

[puck_nc]

Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium.

I ordered an imp of this from the Lab, as I am a big fan of wisteria.

In the bottle: blue and purple suggesting nighttime. I get the violet and delphinium first, then the wisteria.

Wet: As usual, the violet must do its thing with me and go through a nasty acrid stage.

Drydown: Finally the violet calms down and the wisteria comes forth to blend into a softly sweet and dusky floral.

Verdict: It doesn't remind me of its namesake, but once the drydown happens this is a lovely scent. I'll definitely use the imp, and pick up more from time to time.

[tinyvulture]

weird. this immediately reminded me of when i spent a week in vancouver. see, the scent of my hotel room created a very strong scent memory. it was a combination of whatever lotions and soaps i was using at the time, and the cleaning products the maid used. and queen gertrude smells almost exactly the same.

 

it is floral, yet slightly fruity. clean (almost soapy), not powdery. definitely violet. i’m not sure what wisteria and chrysanthemum smell like. i’m keeping it just for the memory it evokes of my vacation.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: This was a sweet floral (I think that's the wisteria) with a biting floral underneath. For the record, I'm bad at identifying floral notes, so apologies!

 

Wet: This is a green fresh floral with a slight bitterness. I think it's either the violet or mum standing out the most, but it's very "perfumey".

 

Drying: a dry, bitter, but green floral. Have you ever tasted the milk from a dandelion stalk? That kind of bitter. But very interesting, cuz there is also something reminiscent of a minty coolness (is that what delphinium smells like?)

 

30 min: very strong. From a distance it smells like sweet wisteria. Up close its is more bitter and perfumey and has that cold edge. This is the final phase for me, though it does mellow to get a bit less bitter and cold.

 

Overall: Well, I know I'm not a floral gal, but I had to try it. Very interesting how its sweet but also bitter and cold feeling. Successful blend, but not for me. A floral lover who likes "kick" would love this, I think.

[Blood onmy hands]

Queen Gertrude is a very dark and cold scent on me. Violets usually give me the impression of a cold floral, and this is mostly violets to begin with and then all violets in the drydown. At first I smell a dark greenery that reminds me of English Ivy with bruised violets lingering in the background. After about 5 minutes it is all violets. Lots of throw and very strong. They smell like loud angry violets, with a slight soapy edge after a while.

 

Another perfume where the violets completely took over. They are strong little flowers.

[brownbear]

When I first opened the imp it smelled very green to me. A cool, wet, juicy, green. Just about everyone on here has mentioned violet, but for me there is only the tiniest tinge of violet. This is a cool, clean floral to me. It fades way too fast on my skin though.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Violet.

 

Dry: A core of violet ringed by a scent of gentle lavender colored flowers that settle the violet wonderfully.

 

VERY nice, and a big bottle buy!

[herongale]

preconceived notion: Most of the scents in the Shakespeare line don't particularly appeal to me, including onces that belong to characters I enjoy (such as Ophelia). I don't know why; maybe it's just my ancient and inexplicable aversion to Elizabethean era ideas. And no, I'm not a big fan of Queen Gertrude either (except in her ability to annoy Hamlet, who I feel is a pretentious self-serving git). But no matter! I wanted to try this scent very badly.

 

in the bottle: ooh, so sweet and pretty. But it also gives me an almost instant headache. WHY?

 

wet: Arel was right... this is kind of like a rose, despite all descriptors to the contray... a wet, luscious yellow rose. Fortunately, I don't get so much of a headache when it is actually on my skin. Although this scent is richly floral and delicate, it is also quite assertive. I can't say that I am able to pick out the individual notes... and I certainly don't pick up the violet. Whatever spicy thing that Chrysanthemum does in Maiden is simply not coming out here, and instead I get a scent that reminds me oddly of Seraphim, except stripped of all the Aveda notes. It's simple and elegant, bold and yet classic. Pretty isn't the word for it... it's impressive.

 

drydown: soft, drifting... a Secret Garden in a bottle. These are protected flowers that grow robustly in an enclosed space, cut off from wind and harsh weather and given plenty of access to sunlight. There is something British (but thankfully, not Elizabethean) in this, a formal reserved quality that reminds me of my grandmother (who was not British but who grew up in a British territory).

 

verdict: yes. I like this a lot, and will use the imp up, despite the pouncing headache.

 

post-conceived notion: I am not as good at picking out individual floral notes as I'd like to be. This must be remedied somehow.

[feline.by.design]

Wow. How lovely.

 

Queen Gertrude was a swap for my imp of Venom, and I am quite pleased with the result. The fragrance is light and unassuming, very clean and soft. The violet is the predominant note, and although the scent itself seems watery, there is no aquatic note to speak of (yes!). I like the delphinium note as well, having experienced it in Sophia, which I now have a big bottle of.

 

I think Queen Gertrude would make a great night-night scent. This is not a fragrance if you are trying to make a strong impression. It would be ideal for a traditional office-wear scent, or if you're trying to wear something sweet and innocent to cover up your natural naughty temperment. This is a very light purple scent, definitely gentle and not overpowering, which is fantastic for me living with a man who has allergies and sinus sensitivites. I have to give him some reprieve from my stronger fragrances.

 

I shall be putting Queen Gertie on my big bottle list. Along with making a fantastic fragrance for my skin, it would be awesome to make into a linen spray. I want my pillows to smell like Queen Gert! It's great.

 

-doreen

[shayelea]

In the bottle: Mm, yes, violets. And sweet florals.

 

Wet: So far, still violets and sweet florals. Not powdery yet, but well, give it time. I have smelled this or something very like this before - I can't tell if it's another perfume, or just something from my environment like so many others. Oh! Lemonade! Why does this smell like lemonade? Actually, it's like lemonade without the lemons, if that makes sense. Sugary and tangy, and then there are still the spring florals.

 

Drydown: Unfortunately, while I still think it's lovely and the actual scent is pretty true to what I described above, it has developed a hint of powderiness, and along with that, the ability to prick my allergies something fierce. Meh. It's too bad, I was really liking this, unexpected though it was.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Pale and watery florals, with splash of green leaves.

 

On me: As with most of the other reviewers, violet is the most prominent note for me. This is a light, watery violet, though - not the heavy or powder violet scent I've gotten in other blends. I'm finding it delicate and feminine, a little cool - a great scent for springtime. This would be one I'd recommend for a little girl's scent - it's light, fresh, and quietly girlish to my nose. It's not very "me," but I do find it quite pretty.

[sarahj]

Queen Gertrude

 

in vial: why do I always smell bananas in violet blends?

 

wet: sweet violet

 

dry: powdery violets

 

verdict: not for me...off to swaps

[AngellicMystique]

For some reason smells like straight up wine on me, which is wrong in so many ways…

[Silverstrike]

After applying, my first impression was: "Hmm, a BPAL floral I can wear!". Most (like say, Eos and Euphrosyne) don't agree with me, some I can appreciate but not necessarily wear (say, Rose Red). But this is different. Upon looking it up (because I tried this out before looking up the description) and reading what it was, "Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium," I thought--no wonder. Violet. I can wear violet. I don't know about the other stuff. It's a soft floral, with a bit of fuzziness (like pollen?) but without being overwhelming (as Eos and Euphrosyne were for me). Seems to fade quickly and then change to. . . something that is almost soapy and almost reminds me of the way I smelled after swim practice, but not so blatantly chlorine. And I have to say, not unpleasant. I rather like this, but I'm not sure I need a big bottle.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of violet and cold, crisp flowers.

on: soapy flowers. this is a very cold scent.

half an hour later: pretty flowers. i can't really pick any notes out.

2 hours later: just generally floral.

overall: this isn't very interesting on me.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

It's got that floral + burnt sugar vibe going on that I associate with violets

 

On me:

Someone must have been on a violet kick because this is like the 4th or 5th frimp in my last order that had violets in it hehe! I feel like I'm getting to try all the violet scents at once.

 

At first, this is straight up violets. As violets tend to overpower other notes, I wasn't really surprised by that. But as it dries, it becomes more green and white in my mind. It's violets, but violets surrounded by greenery and white floral bushes. I do not know how to identify delphinium or wisteria, so it could be either of those accounting for the "white" floral smell. It is VERY floral.

 

Final note:

Not for me, this is very VERY floral.

[sh1mm3r]

This was one of the first oils I ever got, back in 2004, but that was before I knew the forums existed. I kept this around for the scent memory despite how horrid violet turns on me. It reminds me of England, where wisteria grows everywhere. But this one is just not great on me. So sad.

 

My husband declared it an "old lady scent" when I put it on.

[elphaba]

My first thought on trying Queen Gertrude was, "Woah, floral!" The initial effect of it was so heady that I scampered off to check out the notes, sure that jasmine would be in the list. As it turned out, it wasn't, but there were more than enough other flowers to make up for it.

 

I was actually surprised to see violet as the main note, because it didn't really come across as the familiar smell of violets I know from so many other blends. I will say that the drydown smelled very blue and the initial headiness gave way to an aloof, sophisticated, womanly blend.

 

After about 7 hours, it's almost gone. I don't miss it, really, but I liked it while it was there.

[strawberry_star]

Gertie and I aren't liking one another too much. Violets usually smell okay on me, so there's another floral or blend of which in this that my chemistry isn't agreeing with. It's all floral, very powdery and much like an old lady. Bleh. I wish I could say more about it, but that's really about it.

[yeahbutnobut]

Queen Gertrude

 

In the imp: wisteria and a watery, greenish floral that may be chrysanthemum, but I’m not certain.

Wet on skin: wisteria and a sharp greenish floral scent which reminds me of florists-yup, I think it’s chrysanthemum…or is it delphinium?

Dry: as soon as the scent dries, the violet pops up, makes itself known, along with the wisteria. There’s also that fresh, dewy, greenish floral note which adds a sharp bite to the scent. It’s a moist floral, I’m always amazed at how a lot of BPAL florals smell so fresh and dewy, this is one of them.

After a while: hey, this is softening up! The violet and wisteria are smoothing out the sharp, wet chrysanthemum and delphinium notes, adding a soft, powdery ‘purpleness’ to the scent but with the sharper floral notes still sticking around. I like this scent now.

Over time, one of the floral notes in here develops a sweetness reminiscent of ripe fruit, with the violet and wisteria covering the scent in a gentle dusting of dusky purple. The scent no longer has the sharpness of the wet stage…I think it’s growing on me!

And then the scent settles nicely. It’s not too sweet now, just a lovely wisteria-violet scent with a hint of fruity floral to it.

Verdict: this is another pleasant violet scent. At first I wasn’t sure, as there was a floral note there that I feared would either go the sharp or the soapy route, but the violet and wisteria prevented that from happening. When wet/just dry, it was the scent of violet, wisteria and a biting, yet watery and fresh floral that may be chrysanthemum. But then the violet and wisteria joined forces to calm this floral note down and after the scent had undergone a fruity stage, the drydown is a pleasant dusky sweet violet scent which is very enjoyable. Not one for a bottle, but I’ll keep the imp of this, as I like it.

[arabella]

First Impression: A sharp floral - violets and some others.

 

Dries down to: No discernible change.

 

Additional Comments: This is a battle-ready floral blend - very aggressive - a masculine floral, if you will. I love violets (when I'm in the mood for them) and wisteria but don't care at all for chrysanthemums and I'm not familiar with delphinium as a scent. The mums kill it for me so I think I'll stick with Ultraviolet for my violet fix.

 

Lasted: About three hours.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[cassie]

I was a wee bit leary of trying this scent at first, since the only other BPAL scent I've tried that had violets as a note was Utrennyaya, which ended up turning into super-powerful, overpowering violets, reminding me of my grandmother's perfume. Luckily, Queen Gertrude was completely the opposite--the violets didn't really come out until dry-down, and it mingled with the delphinium and chrysanthemum. I really liked the results, and this perfume makes me feel like a powerful woman--the scents are feminine, but not the wispy, fading into the background feminine. This was more of a kick-butt businesswoman feminine--I could definitley see myself wearing this with a crisp business suit on days I have meetings and the such, or on days when I just need to project a little more power than I normally do. I will probably even consider getting a 5 mL of this (which I rarely do with GC scents).

[niter]

Imp

The violet and the chrysanthemum are the most potent scents I can pick out from the imp.

 

Wet

I am a big fan of the violet blends, but this one is a very heady violet. Still, it is pretty. I hope it softens a bit to permit the other floral notes to develop.

 

Dry

How strange! For all the throw this had wet, I would have thought it would have lasted. This was gone within 30 minutes and only left a very soft velvet touch behind.

[em_h]

Fresh, spring-time floral, with a little spiciness (chrysanthemum?). Reasonably good throw. Later on, though, it does develop that chlorine-y character that violets seem to have on my skin, so in the end this one didn't work out very well.

[filigree_shadow]

Queen Gertrude reminds me of Libertine... and they have nothing in common except violet. I would be happier if my skin didn't amp the violets so much. I like the scent, but all of the ones with violets end up smelling about the same on me.

 

This one is kind of a watery violet but there's a sharpness to it from the wisteria (luckily I was able to zero in on what wisteria smells like after trying Les Fleurs du Mal). A very purple scent.

 

I like it, but unfortunately the hubby thinks anything with violets smells like old ladies. So I won't be able to keep this one.

[Nekomata]

Another recent frimp. A bit to floral for me, and not in the right ways. I'm thinking I'm sensitive to wisteria, because I like violets but can't really smell them in this blend.

Very light scent, probably good for those who like florals.