Desdemona

[Femke]

Category

Illyria

 

Innocent, soft and pure: sweet pea, carnation and water lily.

 

At first sniff:

 

Very innocent, but in a different way than Ophelia. It's less 'grown-up', more vunerable. It's very light and slightly floral. I associate it with a nice summer day, with a slight breeze and sunny, not too hot. Very nice scent.

[fuschienne]

Sweet, watery green scent... It seems almost as if it's mourning, if you pardon my insanity... A sad, fresh, gorgeous scent, lingers for ages. I might even consider a bottle of this.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: A beautiful watery floral - color association is pale, wet, pink.

 

Wearing: I love both carnation and sweet pea, so I was very excited about this one and it does not disappoint! It is lovely - softly spicy with a fresh green background and sweet undertones. It stays fairly true from bottle to skin - unfortunately it fades fairly quickly.

 

Final Impressions: This is gorgeous! A beautiful light scent - I can see myself wearing this often during the summer.

[Pandorra]

Desdemona

 

Initial:

Gorgeous wet. Carnation and floral. Feminine. It reminds me of my childhood, I’m not sure why. There’s something intriguing underneath this floral though, like a slinky pink slip underneath the utterly feminine and innocent cotton white sundress.

 

During:

I can’t stop sniffing my wrist. It is still making me think of when I was young. In my bedroom and the window is open and it’s a sunny spring day outside and my pink and lavender curtains are fluttering in the breeze. It’s quiet, and I am looking forward to the simple lunch my mum will have for my soon. Potion lovers should like this. I can’t believe how wonderfully this will boost my Potion. I am not usually into pure florals, but this is simply beautiful.

 

Final:

lovely, soft, and feminine. I smell carnation, but it’s not totally predominant. It’s balanced with other things. Very feminine, young, spring like. I want to be in a garden holding a basket of flowers on a beautiful spring day. The scent was quite lasting which is surprising for me. Nothing lasts on me. I applied it this morning at 8:00, and its already 2:00 and the scent has finally diminished. It goes great with Potion lotion. I will buy a regular sized bottle of this.

 

Added:

I don't sense the watery smell that others have, but maybe I don't know what a watery smell smells like.

[malanna]

The first time I wore it, I didn't like it. It smelled like clean laundry, with fabric softener. Too clean--pleasant, but not comforting, nor something I'd like to smell like. The second time was the same, but the fourth hour, it lost that sharp, clean edge and I was starting to like it. Innocent, but clean. Now, my third time, it starts smelling pleasant after half an hour. It makes me think of a mother and her little girl, dressed in white, floaty clothes, walking through a green field, with flowers.

[Fulltiltredhead]

"It reminds me of my childhood, I’m not sure why. There’s something intriguing underneath this floral though, like a slinky pink slip underneath the utterly feminine and innocent cotton white sundress. "

 

There's something candylike about this - it reminds me somehow of lollipops, the kind the doctor would give you.

 

I didn't like it at all at first, but I've had it on maybe 2 hours now and I'm liking it more and more.

 

I do see the laundry soap association.

 

I won't be buying the big bottle, but I'll enjoy this imp.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Pink carnations floating in a pond.

 

Second Impression: I love carnations and sweet pea and the blend is wonderful. This is soft, innocent, pink and drenched.

 

Final Analysis: Though soft, Desdemona has oomph and throw. Another beauty. I could wear this all summer.

[VelvetSky]

Wow, this is a truly gorgeous floral. Think drenched blossoms after a rainstorm.

The sweet pea really rules this fragrance to me, at least until the drydown is complete. The carnation at the base is fresh and green. I'm not picking up the water lily as a separate note, but I'm sure that's where the overall 'wetness' of this scent is coming from.

 

When it first came out of the vial, I was afraid that it would turn powdery on me, but nope...not a hint of dryness here.

 

This is virginal, pure, clean. If Spring were a scent, this would be it. So pretty.

 

Velvet

[Becky]

I just got this one in a swap and I love it! its the perfect blend of the carnation (like Maiden) and the clean (like Juliet). I do get a bit of the watery smell, kind of like smelling the laundry being done, crisp and clean and wet. but there is also the carnation that throws a bit of spice around in there. I was trying to decide if I was going to get a bit bottle of either Maiden or Juliet, but now I think it will be Desdemona! its the best of both! and so far its had great staying power!

[heartbeast]

I think this is my favorite BPAL scent thus far. A lush, wet, light (in color not weight, this is slightly heavy in weight but not at all dark) floral with a lot of emotional content, for me. I don't get innocent, virginal purity from this; I get innocent as in "not guilty", and pure not as in virginal, but as in pure, true love. This is a woman with a sexuality, but it's a romantic sexuality totally wrapped up in the one man she is in love with. This isn't Desdemona at the beginning, this is the whole play. There is a deep sorrow in this scent, but it isn't because she's been killed, or even because her beloved thinks her false--it's because her beloved is in pain. Even with this sadness, there is no darkness to the scent.

 

The spiciness of the carnation speaks eloquently to Desdemona's adventuresome streak; that she fell in love with him for his tales of derring-do, that she was excited to go be with him when he went to war again, that he called her his "little warrior".

 

This is a pale, young, passionate woman truly, deeply in love with a man she can no longer touch, and she aches that she cannot ease his pain.

[Mitzy]

oh, wet this is so beautiful... a light, breezy floral scent...

 

unfortunately when dry, it smells like a public bathroom freshener. Like when you are on a road trip and stop at a random gas station, the bathroom is *almost* clean but to help the illusion they added a scent - this is that scent.

 

I really wanted this to work for me, but I cant feel good wearing something that smells of eau de bathroom. drat!

[Ctrlfreak]

In the bottle, this is an incredibly liquid floral, early summer morning when the sun is just getting hot but the dew hasn't burned off yet. Incredibly soft and sweet.

 

The initial notes are soapy; this makes me think of clean cotton sheets, wet, freshly put on the line to dry. Or ironing an old white linen shirt of mine that I always used to boil wash and then press when it was wet. I seem to continually get a scent of rising moisture.

 

More on this when it has been on for a few hours. Can't help thinking that applying a single drop of Gluttony with this would make it into breakfast espresso and almond pastries on a patio ringed with flowers.

 

ETA: Never did get any carnation out of this, maybe next time. I was hoping for some of Potion's spicyness.

Edited July 21, 2004 by Ctrlfreak

[Northernminx]

A lighter scented floral, pink blossoms and wetness. Light perhaps, but still strong and a lot of staying power. There's something very refreshing and pretty about this but I don't see myself wearing it often because it REALLY hangs in there so off to the swaps

[Lux667]

*le sigh*

 

I really was hopeful for this one when I got my swap in the mail today but alas, it smells like Night Blooming Jasmine on me.

 

For some people, this is an excellent thing but I can't stand the smell and I keep smelling it on me....

 

Another one for the swap pile.

 

Poop.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: beautiful. a soft, watery floral. i think i really like lily.

on: fabulous. like tushnamatay (a powdery, bright white floral), but sweeter. this is so beautiful.

4.5 hours later: the carnation is more pronounced now, but with sweet pea peeking through and the lily enveloping them both. i really like this a lot.

10 hours later: still strong. in fact, it seems even stronger than when i put it on. a great oil!

overall: well, i may just have to grab a 5ml of this once i use up my imp. it is just too beautiful.

[omly]

Oh my, Desdemona is incredibly soft and feminine. It is all baby pastels, soft mint green, powder pink and soft yellow. It has beautiful soft, dew laden edges and lasts a really long time. It is still wafting after 8 hours. I wasn't really that fond of Maiden but in Desdemona I have found a carnation scent that I could love.

[isyche]

On me, Desdemona is a watery white floral that reminds me right away of a milder Szepasszony or Lady of Shalott - perhaps this is the water lily? It dries down to light carnation. It's a very soft, girly, nice scent, but doesn't do much to distinguish itself, so I'll probably swap it.

Edited November 17, 2004 by isyche

[NoirRosaleen]

Heartbeast has the character desc. of this scent dead on. Desi is very much blue-green, pale, watery, sad scent...cool and floral, and yielding in a sense of "whatever I can do to help my lord," with the helplessness of knowing that whatever is wrong she can*t help because he won*t let her. I like it, but it*s just too...sorrowing for me. The characterization is so dead on that I think I*d start feeling like her. Assuming I ever land the part, however, I*ll immediately trade for an imp of it to help me get into character...

[feline.by.design]

In the bottle, the wetness made me think of the BPAL Hurricane. I thought I smelled vetiver in the bottle and when the oil was wet. Alas, no.

 

Once the oil started drying on my skin, Desdemona turned very soapy. Really nice-smelling soap, but still, soap. It's not overly strong, it's nice really, but it's not what I was looking for.

 

It took the oil at least an hour for what I perceive the carnation to poke through. The fragrance is faint, kind of like scented skin. I like the end result, however I don't think Desdemona is right for me, so I'll be passing the imp on to someone else who may appreciate it more. I am tempted to keep the imp to use it as a home fragrance, as I think it would be fabulous as a clean scent to counteract the icky boy smell eminating from the two guys I live with, though.

 

-doreen

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Light floral that has a breath of spice to it. Unfortunately, it also has a slight soap smell to it.

 

Wet: It loses most of the soap scent once it goes on and ups the spice a little. I think it's the carnation that's spicy. It's generally a nice floral. Seems very pink to me, though, and I wish it was a little more sweet than spicy. (ETA: I just put some on my right wrist and it smells much sweeter there. My skin is so weird. It still isn't really a "me" scent, though.)

 

Dry down: Spicy floral. Apparently, my skin doesn't want to eat the carnation. There's a slight breath of the scent I associate with sweet pea, thanks to some liquid soap I have, but the predominant note (I think) is the carnation as I'm not exactly sure what water lilies smell like. The spice seems a little heavy for the character of Desdemona, so I'm going to blame the power of it on my skin. Bad skin.

 

Dry: Is it possible for it to be spicy and powdery at the same time? That soap idea is becoming prominent again but it may just be my internal assocation with the sweet pea to the liquid soap I have at home. I wish this was a little lighter, a litter sweeter and a little more watery on me. It's a pretty fragrance, but it just isn't me, especially not the way my skin is choosing to present it. I'll probably give this another wear a little later on just to be sure, but this is probably going in my swap section.

[rhubarbbear]

this was a generous freebie from the lab, and i'm so pleased they included it!

 

desdemona has a light, floral scent, but in a clean, breezy way. i don't normally care for scents that are ALL flower, but i really like this one! i don't get any of carnation's spiciness, but maybe i will in the future

 

for me this scent evokes springtime, when its warm and sunny and the trees are in bloom. the whole world is new again, and you can hear people singing out their windows as you walk to school. it is very feminine.

 

lovely!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Light, sweet floral. It's almost watery (which is the reaction I nearly always get to Sweet Pea) and reminds me a bit of fresh pink watermelon - when it's just ripe and still crispy to bite.

 

On me: Very watery. Lilies are quite strong, I haven't picked up on ANY of the spicier carnation notes. (Darn!) In the bottle it was quite pretty but something doesn't translate on my skin; the crispness of the fragrance is gone.

[Ailgwyn]

In the bottle:

It smells very much like melon, like a cantaloupe mixed with a watermelon. My first impression is that it reminds me of babies, of young girls. It's the kind of perfume a little girl gets to wear and is all excited about. Very fresh and very clean, like soap. Very innocent.

 

On me:

It smells much the same, except for a slight baby powder-esque tinge that turns me off, as it screams "little girl" at me. I'm not liking baby powder much nowadays. It's not sensual enough for me, and on days I want to smell innocent, I don't want to add "little girl" to the equation; enough people think I'm a little girl as it is. o_O

 

It's pretty. It's a nice sweet floral scent. It just isn't me. So it will be swapped.

[diabolique]

the combination of notes in this reminds me of soaping yourself up in a shower. i love carnation, but, obviously, the aquatic "water lily" note ruins this for me.

[fairywingmaker]

I wish I could bring the sweet pea and carnation out more. The water lily seems to take this over and drown it on my skin. I'm going to try this one again, cause the carnation is teasing me, and I want it to work! But I think this one may end up in the swap pile