Wilhelmina Murray

[azhure]

Tea rose, white sandalwood and a flurry of pale, virginal blossoms, smeared with a smoky, blood-soiled blend of myrrh, hyacinth, Daemonorops resin, dark musk and blackcurrant.

In the bottle: Mainly white florals.

Wet: Yep, there's the florals again. I can't actually pick out individual notes here at all. Beth is a crafty one. Sadly, after about thirty minutes of florals, the scent seems to vanish completely.

Drydown: Somewhere after a few hours, the scent comes back. Completely changed - now I'm getting the resin and the myrrh. A very soft skin scent, but a lovely one.

[QueenFae]

This is a very pale, white, creepingly feminine floral blend. The tea rose is the most noticable floral, but I can also detect some white blossoms, like lily or magnolia in the background. There is a softly smoky note floating in the background, very resinous and sexy and reminescent of a "head shop" incense note. It makes the blend very unique as far as floral blends go. It also gives Wilhelmina a bit of an "evil" feel. On the dry down, it actually becomes more of a resinous/smoky blend instead of floral. This is a nice one, I'm not sure if I'll keep my bottle, but lovely just the same.

[indicolite]

At first she was hyacinth...hyacinth, hyacinth, hyacinth, praise be to the lab for my favourite flower.

 

Now she is white sandalwood with perhaps a hint of myrrh.

 

Still, I may need to stop up on my Mina.

[yeahbutnobut]

Wilhelmina Murray

 

In the imp: a soft, sweet, floral scent with a hint of lilac-possibly dragon’s blood?

Wet on skin: lilac and soft white flowers, and a hint of rose.

Dry: now I smell blackcurrant, and a sweeter, deeper, musky scent begins to filter through the gentle floral fragrance, and the sharpness of tea rose becomes apparent. This is a really beautiful scent, I must say. The lilac note is still prominent, maybe it’s the dragon’s blood or maybe even one of the ‘virginal blossoms’. I also smell sweet nectar-y white flowers, maybe tuberose or frangipani could be among those? Underneath I smell fruity currant and hints of musk and myrrh, and dry sandalwood.

After a while: far from the wrist, the scent of lilac-like dragon’s blood wafts, it’s a dry, almost bitter lilac, with a hint of dry red rose. But close two the wrist, the scent is so gorgeous-a soft white flower, pure and sweet, white and luminous. It reminds me of the luminous floral side of Fallen, but also reminds me of a note from Stardust and Khajuraho, and I’m certain that there’s tuberose in here now. Underneath I smell what could be musk. It’s almost like this scent has a split personality.

And then I realise that what I was smelling which I thought was lilac is actually hyacinth! How could I be so dense…well, both are purple spring flowers. I can really smell the hyacinth now among the sweet white flowers, and it’s beautiful.

The soft virginal whiteness does fade, leaving hyacinth and sharp rose with bitter dragon’s blood.

Verdict: another fascinating fragrance from the Order of the Dragon, this scent seems to have many facets-a soft, sweet, spring-like floral scent of sweet and heady flowers, delicate, innocent, glowing petals covered in nectar and hyacinth blooms. There’s a darkness here though, a hint of sweet dark musk, a sharp touch of crisp rose, fruity currants and the bite of dragon’s blood. It’s a gorgeous fragrance, very feminine, innocence with a sinister shadowy aspect. I adore the soft virginal blooms aspect of the scent and the hyacinth note that I get for about 2 hours, this does fade away though. I love this scent and I’m glad I have a bottle, but it’s not as amazingly wonderful as Lucy Westenra so one bottle will be fine.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes, one bottle.

If you like this, try: Lucy Westenra, Lilith, Phantom, Pontarlier, Fallen, Ladon

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: floral, but I can't really say what flowers are there. Rose for sure, but other things as well.

 

On my skin: it's complex, I have troubles identifying the notes or even describing what I smell. Rose, then something smoky… Not as heavy as I thought it would be. Lilac maybe, somewhere in the background.

 

After a couple of hours: it gets a little soapy… not horrible, but a faint smell of rose soap is definitely there.

 

Verdict: It's a very pretty floral, but not right for me.

[portalkat]

Some of my favorite things are in this little bottle - the sweet rose that reminds me of the rose in Parlement of Foules, wood and resin notes and currant. It's much darker and complex than P of F, but since I have a tendency to layer incense blends with P of F, this blend is absolutely perfect for me. This is beautiful and I'll be needing a backup bottle.

[LiberAmoris]

I absolutely love Wilhelmina Murray. It's like the most heavenly and rounded tea rose on me, with subtle flashes of darkness and coy, sensual underpinnings. No one note stands out to me, but as it wafts about, I can catch strains of the dark musk, blackcurrant, myrrh and hyacinth. The dragon’s blood is very faint, serving to muddy up the blossoms a bit and add that ‘blood’ sensibility to the blend.

 

This doesn’t last very long on me, but I’m happy to reapply through the day with something this lovely.

[mmcfa2]

This is wonderful! It starts one a nondescript mild floral . But minutes into wearing it begins to warm and becomes a beautiful resinous scent that wears like satin! not bright, not powdery, nothing but golden warmth that is soothing but not at all heavy.

 

edit to add: I can still smell this 12 hours later! Now it is all hyacinth, which is unexpected as I think of resins lasting, not flowers!

Edited November 14, 2006 by mmcfa2

[moon_lemming]

This smells divine at first, a sweet but musky blackcurrant with a helping of tea rose. Sadly, after about five minutes the hyacinth takes over, as it is wont to do on my skin, and game over: it's in Detergent Land now, and it's never goin' back.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i'm not quite sure what happens when a virgin blossoms, but i was a little afraid of some notes in this blend anyway...

on first sniff, i get the tea rose and sandalwood and white blossoms, with just the eensiest bit of a dark musk note.

on second sniff, it smells like the ocean. not watery/clean/aquatic, but salty and dirty - the real ocean (i *hate* the ocean)

it also reminds me very much of another BPAL from earlier this year - it may be the PoF others have mentioned, but i don't feel like digging out the bottle to do a sniff test right now.

i wore this blend tonight while doing some bookshelf re-arranging in the library, sniffing it from time to time and... it just isn't me. not at all.

 

final thought: smells like Herr Drosselmeyer's wife.

[cranberry]

Once applied, this is a soft, pretty floral. It has a deep feel to it that is slightly spicy and husky. The rose is soft and pretty, and the resins and musk add an appealing depth to this scent. I’m liking this a lot but I don’t need another floral. But this is very well done and those that don’t like many florals may very well like this one.

[slave1]

WILHELMINA MURRAY

 

In Bottle: Soft resins

 

On Skin: This has to be one of the most delicate scents I’ve ever smelled. Very sweet and girly. The Daemonorops resin and myrrh are strongest, sweet and sticky followed by the deep dark musk. For such a delicate scent the dark notes seem odd but they really are tame in this scent. The tea rose is usually very sour on me but here the other notes really sweeten it. The blossoms are soft too and I think I smell a little heliotrope in there. The blackcurrant seems to be the faintest note, I don’t really get a fruity or berry note from this blend at all… just a hint of pinkness. The throw is very, very light and it fades after about a half hour on me.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is a sweet, dewy floral blend, like spring time flowers. When first on it's a powdery and dewy floral, maybe lilac. After a couple of minutes it gets softer and rounder. This doesn't change too much on me. It's very feminine and soft. I was hoping the resins and musk would be stronger on me but they're not. Although this is nice, it's not amazing on me so I'll pass it on to a better home.

[LadyMedb]

I bought Mina because I thought she'd be exactly the sort of thing I'd like. Well, she is, down to the subtle feminine softness that can easily go to work and the sexiness that is great for at home. She's gorgeous sweet roses, a sugary hyacinth that I hoped would work on me for White Moon and finally does here, and, of course, my beloved incense, with just a drop of currant wine.

 

Her only downside is she takes a lot to show up, and fades kind of quickly, so I have to keep slathering her on. This can be annoying. I feel bad I didn't get a second bottle because of this, but I like her ladylike subtlety and her strong incensy core. Great blend - all iron fists and velvet gloves.

 

ETA - bought that second bottle and am now happily slathering away. I love this one.

Edited January 14, 2007 by LadyMedb

[juniperus]

Bottle: a light floral, more rose than anything else, but still not all rose

Wet: the hyacinth is coming out on it's own, now, and the myrrh.

Dry: the florals are growing heady, and nothing yet of the muck or blackcurrant...if I work at it I can discern the sandalwood crouched fearfully behind the aggressive floral cacaphony.

Later: I admit I was a little concerned as tea rose isn't known for it's fondness for my skin, but the currant and musk and the resins were calling my name. the florals are still amping, but what lies behind is lovely..unfortunately, it's eau d'biddy right now. I don't know if this will back down eventually, but this phase is ugh enough that I don't know that I'd be willing to wait that long even if it did. Alas, major alas.

[ariansdreams]

Wilhemina Murray:

 

First Sniff: A resinous floral. Nice.

 

Wet On Skin: There is something sharp in all of the Order of the Dragon scents that I’ve noticed. I don’t know if there is a note that is actually there, or if it is just my imagination. Anyway, I smell it in this too. I really love the combination of resins and florals. Usually, floral scents are too strong for me, but this is really nice and balanced. I smell rose right away, along with myrrh. Those notes are really fighting it out right now on my skin.

 

Dry: I am in love with this scent. If I hold my nose up to my arm and breathe in, I get a glorious cacophony of aroma entering my nose. This is a great skin scent. It is complex, but calming. I wish I had gotten a bottle instead of a decant, but to be honest, I probably have too many bottles as it is!

[girl_android]

Where would I be without decant circles? I'd probably either be extremely broke, or extremely frustrated at reading about so many lovely smellies that I'd drive myself to broke-ness... Mina came to me in a group of decants. I'm not sure what it was that drew me to pick her out, but she is quite lovely now that I have met her.

 

In the imp, Wilhelmina Murray is a soft delicate floral. No sharp edges about her, she's all about the soft focus. I can detect the rose, and something kind of fruity - I figure that's the blackcurrant and daemonorops resin are what's making me think this.

 

Wet on skin, Miss Murray packs a fair punch. There's a bunch of white flowers front and centre, along with the sandalwood.

 

Once dry, the white flowery bit (pale virginal blossoms?) calm down a bit. What I'm figuring is the musk, is rounding out the base. There's the slightest hint of the daemonorops resin, but nothing more to suggest blackcurrant.

 

I really quite like this blend, but I've learnt that a little goes quite a long way - too much and I'll put everyone around me in a headache haze brought on by scent overload. Just a touch, and I'll keep me happy. This imp will more than do me for quite a while!

[White Falcon]

The first ever BPAL scent I have experienced. If I could put another name to it, I would call it "Summer Smoke". It went on floral, but changed to an amber floral and then to something warm, powdery and the floral still there, but faded.

It reminded me of aged rose potpourri. Beautiful

[emzebel]

Sweet florals with an undercurrent of fruit. This is a very sweet blend on my skin - I don't get much sandalwood or resin, but the fruit is enough to tame the florals and make it interesting to me...I'll have to try this a few times, I think, before I decide whether it has a permenant hime with me.

[Naamah_Darling]

Daemonorops, if you're taking perfume dork notes, is one of the genus of plants that produces dragon's blood resin. It's a member of the rattan family, and blah blah blah. So, basically: a slightly different sort of dragon's blood.

 

This is pale and floral in the bottle, almost anemic, with the rose a cool and distant second to varied small flowers. The musk isn't all that present.

 

On, it's more subtle, a slightly soapy floral with strong undercurrents of incense. The musk comes out at once, but it's low and very dark. It's not a soft, boozy musk, it's a very understated note. Primarily, this is sandalwood, flowers, and ritual incense. It has a sour, almost sickly undertone to it, but is still very beautiful.

 

As it settles, it changes a lot, to a strongly incense inflected floral with no one note dominating. It is ultra-feminine, and definitely one to try for those who like white florals. Very ladylike and demure, a little brittle, and just a bit soiled. The incense provides just the faintest hope of redemption.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: all i'm getting is sandalwood and a bit of myrrh.

on: a powdery, floral scent.

2 hours later: incense with flowers.

4.5 hours later: very soft and powdery. a bit floral, but with some sweetness.

7.5 hours later: a slightly sweet, powdery blend.

overall: this is just ok. not my sort of scent.

[Pesha]

In the bottle: I seriously bought a bottle of this blindly because I went "ooh! Flowers and sandalwood and OotD! YAY!" I've never been happier to receive a bottle of anything in all my life. Wow. I don't have words. It smells very dark in the bottle. There's the press of the florals then there's the presence of a very white musk scent and it's just a lovely sort of feminine smell.

 

Wet on my skin: Very floral and light. I didn't get a very strong impression of anything beyond a rose scent with just a bit of waxy flower there. There's not a lot of sandalwood there when it's wet. I wasn't too impressed at that point, but I still thought it was nice. I like very feminine scents.

 

Dry for a bit over an hour: It's turned to the dark side apparently because the musk is a lot more prevalent and I can easily pick out the sandalwood now. There's only the barest hint of flowers that seem more like the dead, dried sort than the live, blooming kind. It's still light and has very light throw on me, but it has an almost menacing air to it nonetheless. It's like the smell that I would expect from the woman who betrays her own good sense to fall in love/thrall with a vampire king. It reminds me very much of the '94 Dracula film Mina. I really got a lot of visuals out of it from that version of the story.

 

I really really love this. I only wish I had another bottle.

[lapillus]

In bottle: Citrus moderated by florals

 

Wet: Light florals on top of musk and woods, oh and there’s the myrrh, drying everything out.

 

Dry: The myrrh recedes a bit and everything balances out.

 

Later: stays much the same, decent lasting power (6 hours or so).

 

Summary: Pleasant. Will keep for the moment, but won’t worry about tracking down a bottle.

[lightgatherer]

Starts off as a not-nauseating floral with a dominant rose note. I've not been a fan of florals lately, but this isn't a gross department store perfume floral. As it wears on it starts turning into something much yummier. I think I'm getting the currant because I definitely smell fruit. After a while I start getting port from this. The rose has held through all this time, but it's hanging in the background a bit. It smells like I'm drinking a sweet, dark port with a vase of roses on the table and perhaps a very subtle musk incense burning in the next room. This is a gorgeous, incredibly well-blended scent, but I'm not sure it's quite me. For a floral and fruity incense, I like All Souls better. I'm torn between passing Miss Mina on to someone who will love her like she deserves, keeping the bottle to see how it ages, or just keeping the bottle in case I become friendlier towards florals again.

[TheIceMaiden]

Wilhelmina Murray starts out a soft, delicate, mostly rose floral. As it dries, the hyacinth appears first, then the blackcurrant, and finally a touch of the myrrh and daemonorops under the hyacinth and blackcurrant. Mina feels like two different perfumes in one - the soft, innocent floral and then the darker finish. I think it suits Bram Stoker's character. This is a gorgeous scent and I'm glad I have it - although I wonder why I didn't order it last autumn!