Lilium Inter Spinas

[sookster]

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste.

He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love.

Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love.

His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.

I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.

The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart. Behold, he stands behind our wall! He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice.

My beloved spoke, and said to me, "Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

For, behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away."

My dove in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding places of the mountainside, Let me see your face. Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom.

My beloved is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.

Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart on the mountains of Bether.

Hibiscus syriacus, white sandalwood, lily of the valley, apple blossom, and green fig.

straight sniff from imp is fruity; slightly green...

once applied the fig and apple blossom come parading through...quite strong...

while this is really different it just isn't that fantastic with my chemistry...it is lacking somehow...or maybe it just turns me off cuz of the white sandalwood...i am not sure what it is with me and the white sandalwood but it seems to wreak havoc with me...kinda like jasmine does....just overbearing....

[Heavenlyrabbit]

There's a hint of sunny days here. Outdoors through fields and orchards.

 

Perhaps some boozy swoon over lighter florals with the satisfaction of some fruit notes.

 

Gauzy dresses, straw hats, a picnic for two out of sight.

 

Somewhat casual and freespirited- this is another keeper.

[jewelbug]

Preconceived notions: I don't wear florals often. But I'll order anything with fig just to try it. Which means I'm obviously hoping for lots of fig.

 

Imp: a very sweet floral (lily, i'm guessing mostly) and a sharper sandalwoody note. I can't really smell anything else (and I couldn't pick out hibiscus if it punched me in the face, anyway). But no fig yet.

 

Wet: the sweet floral is far less now and it seems sharper. Still quite floral with sandalwood.

 

Drying: Its actually more sharp than I expected...bitter in a "green" way. So, there IS a greeness to this scent, but not one that brings to mind my beloved fig. Oddly, its bitter and sweet at the same time. I don't know how to describe it well, apparently. I do get hints of fig, but they go just as quickly as they come.

 

Late drydown (5ish hrs): The bitterness is gone, and now this is a sweet almost creamy floral. Very pretty, and almost honey sweet. It lasts well past the 5 hr mark, so definitely one that I could apply once and keep going all day.

 

Overall: This is very pretty, especially later into the drydown. I think that floral people will love it. I was personally hoping for more fig. I smelled it a few times in and out, but it was fleeting, and I need wham-in-your-face-fig.

[filigree_shadow]

This is very floral to my nose, and that green fig sure is green. It's doing a very sweet powdery thing that I don't care for very much. Just... whew, too sweet. I'm not sure what's making it so sweet, usually only frankincense does that on me.

 

This isn't going to work for me, but florals usually don't.

[Blood onmy hands]

As far as florals go, Lilium Inter Spinas is not as bad as I thought it would be. Mostly it is a honeyed-sweet apple blossom and lashings of creamy lily. Definitely a bright, spring bouquet. After a half hour or so, what I'm guessing is the green fig (but it doesn't smell like fig to me, really) comes out to play. It's a very dark, bitter green underneath the sweet florals.

 

After an hour or two, this starts to go a bit powdery on me and fading into a rather boring, sweet floral. I actually kind of like it during the first hour though. It's not a scent that I'd find myself wearing a lot, just because it takes a very remarkable floral to catch and hold my interest, but this one is rather pretty and not suffocatingly perfumey on me.

[edenssixthday]

Lilium Inter Spinas - A lily among thorns, indeed. This is incredibly beautiful. I usually can't wear apple, as it goes rancid on me from the get-go, so I am stunned at how beautiful this blend works on my skin. The dominant notes are the lily of the valley and the white sandalwood, although the fig adds a meaty sweetness to the blend and the apple brightens it up, without being overwhelming, and hibiscus adds a touch of sensuality that I wasn't expecting from this fruity-floral blend. The sandalwood lends the blend a sense of exotic depth, which it would undoubtedly be lacking if the blend consisted of just the fruit and floral notes in it. Something in it also gives it the slightest hint of a powdery touch. How perfect that this scent was inspired by a series of passages from the Song of Solomon -- it's an incredibly femine, exotic, and highly sensual scent. It's definitely not your typical floral blend. I can totally see this being worn by one of King Solomon's beautiful, foreign concubines. This scent sticks close to my skin, which I don't usually like, but this one is so sultry and sexy that it seems like it should only be smelled by someone who is intimately close to one's body. The staying power is about average. I love it. I really, really love this one.

[jj_j]

My body chemistry changed this into something completely different from everyone else. No obvious fig, no obvious florals; nothing from the description, actually.

 

I started out with a gently fruity lily in the vial, but as soon as I put it on, I had gorgeous, soft clean soap. If you know Creative Scentualizations' Perfect Veil, then you'll know Lilium ... except Lilium's much, much better. This radiated off of me in lightly sweetened waves of cleanliness and sunshine - like laundry just off the line.

 

I'm not a fan of soapy or "clean" scents - they don't do much for me, and if I wanted them, I'd grab a bar of Dove and lather up. Even though Lilium Inter Spinas wasn't at all what I'd expected it to be, I adore it. I'll be wearing this often!

[LiberAmoris]

The Song of Solomon is one of my favorite poems, so I have been waiting with bated breath for Lilium Inter Spinas. I was hoping for a lily blend that would love my skin, and I think this might work!

 

I can smell all the notes here, but mostly the lily of the valley and green fig. The overall effect on my skin is of a very exotic, erotic lily of the valley, cross laced with the other florals, supported by the white sandalwood, and saturated with the apple blossom, which lifts this and gives it a poignancy that I always get out of that note.

 

It's lovely and kind of sad and full of the kind of transience that I always get out of the poem. Very well done.

[jasmine]

My first impression: it’s a woody, green scent. The florals sway out from between the wood after a moment, but which floral I’m picking up, I can’t say -- it’s simply a bouquet.

 

It’s worth mentioning that, wet, this scent is very clean without being soapy in the slightest. It strikes me as unusual and appealing for its unusualness. Like Aeval, this strikes me firmly as “a scent that should be somebody’s signature scent”; unlike Aeval, I feel that I could wear this scent, though I don’t see it as my own signature.

 

As time passes and the scent dries down, the flowers become less prominent and the woodiness returns. I like it in both aspects. I’m pretty sure that the primary floral I detect now is the lily-of-the-valley. It’s a graceful, unobtrusive scent. I find myself thinking of deer wandering quietly through the forest (though that probably has more to do with the Lab’s description than anything else.) This is becoming subtle on my skin, but I don’t mind; there is something indefinably lovely about it, although it wouldn’t be a first recommendation from me to a new BPAL user.

 

After more time, it goes back to being clean and then straightaway starts being soapy. (That hardly seems fair when I was so very enamored of this scent!) I can’t pick out the wood any more at all, and the florals are just coasting atop a bar of Dove. Reapplication to avoid this stage will plainly be necessary if I want to wear this scent. How disappointing.

[slave1]

LILIUM INTER SPINAS

 

In Bottle: Apple floral

 

On Skin: A soft apple blossom, slightly tart… with crisp florals clean and bright. The fig is tart as well, not sweet and deep like I’m used to. The florals are very sharp, a bit soapy. The sandalwood gives a gorgeous woody depth that helps mellow some of the strong floral notes. I get a very green and white tone from this, very feminine and elegant. I could see myself wearing this with wispy white linen, very refreshing and clean on a hot day. While it is very pretty, it is a bit too sour for my taste, and the florals are very strong. It is extremely perfumey and a bit overwhelming at first. It’s throw is strong but the scent fades and becomes lighter after about a half hour. It has a moderate wearlength.

[beetiger]

Lilium Inter Spinas:

In the bottle: Slightly honeyed floral with a bit a of a viney note. Pretty.

On the skin. Instant soap. Granted, lovely high end perfumed soap, and if I smelled like this after washing with a designer soap I might not be displeased. But the primary note is in fact, soap. Swap.

[yeahbutnobut]

Lilium Inter Spinas

 

In the imp: crisp green apple…in here the blossom smells like the fruit, and it’s gorgeous.

Wet on skin: crisp apple blossom over lily of the valley and green fig skin.

Dry: this is so pretty! It is a little soapy but this is one of the few soapy scents I like-it’s clean and dewy and fresh. I smell the dry, pale, almost green scent of white sandalwood, soft apple blossom, a tart fig note and lily of the valley. I’m not familiar with hibiscus so I’m not sure if I smell it here. But this is an innocent, white and green springtime blossom scent. I picture a young maiden running through fields in spring, a shy girl with child-like features, and curious, doe-like eyes.

After a while: sometimes I have problems with lily of the valley turning to all-out green soap on me but not here. This is a very pretty smooth floral scent which has a cleanness to it, a purity. The sandalwood provides a nice pale soft base for the flowers to rest and the fig isn’t as sharp as I expected. It’s very delicate and gentle but it has amazing throw. The LotV and sandalwood get stronger at times but I also get another floral note which may be hibiscus. I don’t smell the fig as much now.

What I really like about this scent is that it doesn’t turn sharply acrid green or wilted like some white lily/LotV/white floral scents can-it fades away gracefully, a soft rounded white flower and greenish sandalwood scent lingering and staying true on my skin until the end.

Verdict: normally I don’t like soapy scents, and lily of the valley is hit and miss-but this is surprisingly beautiful on me. It has a soapiness that I quite enjoy, it’s clean and pure and gentle. And the floral notes in here are so well blended that nothing seems to go off or funny on my skin. It starts off with apple blossom, moves into fig and then lily and sandalwood, I think the hibiscus holds it all together and makes the scent more rounded. There’s a lovely innocent feel to this scent, almost vulnerable, like a fresh spring flower, dewy and fragile, or a blushing young girl surrounded by blossoms, the scent is very tender and moving, I think. It is such a springtime scent and as such, I wear this scent much more by then. But it’s probably one of my favourite LotV scents so far.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I’ll keep the imp for spring.

If you like this, try: The Penitent Magdalene, Endymion, Phantom Queen, Eden, Empyreal Mist

[maijasu]

I'm not getting any apple from this, and it's making me sad.

 

Instead, this is a soft, slightly green floral on my skin. It's nice enough, but doesn't wow me like so many BPAL scents do. I'll be swapping away my imp.

[glass_cat]

By now, I guess I know my BPAL personality pretty well, because I knew I would love this scent the minute I read the description. (I also knew I just had to have it because Lilium Inter Spinas was my working title for my NaNoWriMo novel last month as well.) I guess what I'm getting at is that I bottled this one right away without hesitation. No regrets about that whatsoever either.

 

This is an incredible scent. It feels delicate and beautiful because of the lilies, but the fig and sandalwood make it unusual, a little exotic and... a tiny bit sad even. Yes, this is the scent of a melancholy beauty. I think that describes it wonderfully. No wonder I like this so much. That's definitely the way I like to think of myself within the confines of my own mind. My boyfriend liked this one a lot as well. He picked me up after work to go get something to eat and remarked on how great I smelled the minute I got in the car.

 

Lilium Inter Spinas smells the way I wanted Eden to smell. Eden was fine, but I just kept wishing it didn't have the dratted coconut in it... and maybe had an apple note instead. This smells exactly like I imagined Eden would with apple instead of coconut to me. Perfection! Straight into my top five this one went.

Edited December 12, 2006 by glass_cat

[Alchemy21599]

I adore the poem, so I had to try an imp of this blend.

 

In the imp: green, floral and something sweet. Perhaps the green fig?

 

Wet: Lilly of the Valley.

 

Dry: This may as well be a Lilly of the Valley SN on me.

[supremegoddessofall]

Very pretty! The florals are definitely dominant over the fruits here - I'm really not getting fig, and the apple is barely there. Mostly this is hibiscus. It smells very clean and homey, almost like drier sheets. I suppose a lot of people will say "soap," but this is a soap I definitely don't mind smelling like!

[Voleuse]

This is very perfumey to my nose--the lily, I think, is what does it. There's a hint of sandalwood behind it, but it's mostly lily. My chemistry, I think, does not like this blend--the floral notes turn waxy on me, so I get something like fancy soap instead of the lovely bouquet others have described. Alas!

[emzebel]

Sweet lilies with a touch of fruitiness. This is a very pretty blend, feminine and floral with very little "bite". Not something that I will wear every day, but definitely something I think I will get some use out of in the warmer months.

[Lari]

Mostly lily with the green-ness and a touch of sandalwood underneeth. There's some apple-y scent in there but thankfully it's not amping up on me… just kind of lurking in the background. It's definitely a quite sweet scent.

 

As it dries, though, something starts turning into baby powder. Within half an hour, it's entirely powder.

 

I'd like to try this one again in a scent locket... but in a few months, because it is DEFINITELY not a midwinter scent.

[alliekat13]

In the imp this is very strong and floral, it smells like some sort of expensive lotion, but very powdery. I think that's the lily of the valley. On my skin it gets extemely floral, with a hint of fruit (apple blossom). Unfortunately the fig note does not come out at all on me, I can't really tell apart the hibiscus syriacus from the other florals, and everything just blends together to become a strong powdery floral on me, smelling very generic and old ladyish. The throw is amazing, and it stays for a long time. Too bad I smell like an old lady's bathroom. Not for me!!

[juniperus]

Bottle: blooming..and the green fig, I can really pick that one out

Wet: the apple blossom is easier to separate from the general blooming-ness now..and that fig is fascinating - I have never smelled it before, but I'm sure that's what this is.

Dry: wow. something here really, really doesn't like me. I don't know if it's the green fig with the amping lily, or if the hibiscus despises me...but it's...sweet and sour and sharp and wrong.

Later: good news: it's fading pretty quickly. that's all the good news I can offer, sadly.

[mimulus]

.

Edited August 28, 2016 by mimulus

[Koumori]

Once again, a nice name, well-written description, and literary associations make me forget certain things. Namely, that I hate the smell of lilies. There isn't a lot more for me to say about this one. It's mostly lily, with the other notes all playing distant backing roles. I love this poem, but I.. man, I don't like lily. What was I thinking?

[QueenFae]

This is very soft and clean, almost a bit soapy on me. It's a muted floral blend, and the lily is definitely the top note on me. I can definitely smell the green fig right behind the lily of the valley, and it gives the blend a geenish, almost herbal tone. The white sandalwood comes out a lot more an the dry down, and the tone of the whole thing shifts to much more woodsy. This is a very soft blend with weak throw.

 

This is quite unique, and while it's not really my type of thing, it's very pretty.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sharp apple blossom and a hint of lily.

on: apple-y and floral. very pretty.

1.5 hours later: a sweet, slightly fruity floral.

6.5 hours later: a fresh, slightly fruity springtime floral. very pretty.

8 hours later: a bit powdery, but mostly a slightly fruity floral.

overall: this is really nice. usually anything with the word "blossom" in it goes sharp and soapy on me, but this didn't. this will be a nice, light scent for the spring.