The Unicorn

[magpiedee]

A misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs.

Dear holy horned horse, this one is a keeper!

I will be singing hosannas all day to the lab for sending me a freebie imp of this one. It is so sweet and low and deep, like touching the bottom of the swimming pool. Translucent blues and ripples and much needed coolness. If this is the linden of which everyone is speaking on the forum, then I love linden!

To me, this is not the scent of the burly ol' English unicorn in Alice. This is the scent of the real unicorn, the Last Unicorn, Amalthea, Legend, everything. It's sometime past midnight, the forest is quiet but for scuffling things. Everything is dark, lit only by the full moon, and the shadows are deepest indigo. The branches of a willow part, and the unicorn comes to drink, so milk-white that 'tis almost bluish, like the whites of a baby's eyes. The pool is deep, the edges laced with moss. Even the frogs are silent, and the fish are entranced. Sweet water, ripples, moonlight, opals, moonstones, light breezes, refreshment, longing, yearning, purity, immortality, sweetness, youth, light, beauty. Elusive, but still there, like someone waiting in a shadow for the moon to pass behind a cloud.

I can't give you ingredients, but I can give you the picture. I love this one. I adore it. I would wait by the pool all night for it.

[blackrayne]

So soft and gentle... sweet and innocent... bewitching too.

 

Very light floral, almost green (but not in the grassy green way, more like the herbal way). This sent is so soft and delicate that it almost twinkles.

[TygherRayn]

In the bottle: Crisp. Not-quite-but-almost lemony. Like bright sunshine trickling through a canopy of leaves high above a clearing, where the Unicorn resides peacefully. I imagine walking into the clearing wearing a flowing white dress, holding out my hand in breathless hope that he won't shy away from me. This is green and buttercup yellow and soft white flower petals dancing in the air. It's sweet and floral and innocent .. and I can't pick a single note out, and don't want to try. It's just lovely, just as it is.

 

Wet: It warms just a little .. the sun hitting my face as I approach the handsome beast. It's such a light, crisp floral .. but it's not too flowery, if that makes sense. There's also something somewhat fruity .. like orange .. but not the smell of a fresh squeezed orange. More like what I imagine orange blossoms smell like. This is delicate .. but speaks of power more than strength.

 

Wearing: This fades a bit after wearing it .. and granted, it's on my right wrist, which tends to fade more (but I bet my mousepad smells good!). But that's okay. I've just now read magpie's review .. and I wholly agree. This is the scent of the stream where Jack takes Lily to see the unicorns. The magickal wonder in her eyes when the beautiful equines first appeared .. the breathless hesitation as she reached out towards them. This smell captures that moment . and I'm all goose-bumpy as I remember that.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Very sharp, very cold.

 

Second Impression: This smells cold and watery...deep puddles after a long icy rain.

Final Analysis: It's taken me 146 scents to truly know what I don't like, and this I don't. Sorry Beth and Dee

 

I'm much better with the sweet and the warm.

[Lexy]

Very light, floral scent. This doesn't smell like Sprite, but it kind of has that kind of feel. A clear, light, bright scent. It *almost* smells like a grocery store brand hand lotion, but is just a touch more interesting. This is very understated, not assertive, but definitely not something you've ever smelled before.

 

I wore it all day and could still catch a wiff at 9pm. It's not terribly floral, so even if you don't like florals, try this!

[Donnababe]

First Sniff

 

Herbs (menthol?), a general floral and just a hint of lime.

 

 

Drydown

 

The linden is a little more prominent now and it's sharper now. The floral notes add sweetness. I get the impression this one will fade fast on me.

 

After a While

 

As I feared this has faded far too quickly for me. Just before it disappeared completely however the scent changed a little. The sharpness gave way to a sweeter linden note which was pleasantly surrounded by a gorgeous appley fragrance.

 

 

Final Verdict

 

I absolutely adore this. Regardless of the sharp citrus stage it's very calming on me. Although it doesn't last anywhere near long enough on my skin I am seriously considering a big bottle, perhaps even a 10ml! Glorious.

 

[friendthegirl]

This had a sweet, fruity smell on me, which I didn't particularly like. Unfortunately, I wore it to bed, so that's all I smelled.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Just got my imp in a swap today. Actual transcript of me talking to the fiance' while opening:

 

1. sniffing closed imp--Oo, I think I like this. Very soft and floral. Luminous.

2. opening imp--Oooo! This is good, this is good!

3. after dabbing some on--OMG, I f'cking LOVE this!!! This one will be a big bottle!

 

I am very much a white florals person but don't want them too sweet or too...prim, if that makes sense. No old-lady stuff. This is divine--mystical, ethereal. My only complaint is that it fades very fast...like silver mist on a hot summer day. It's now my official Lucky Fragrance for Magickal Days.

 

[isyche]

This sounded great to me and I was really looking forward to trying it, but something in it goes all sickly sweet on me - I think it's the fruity smell others have noticed. I like the herbs and other things I can smell in it, but the sweetness takes over after a couple of seconds and they're gone. :sigh: Oh well.

[MissAnthropy]

Short and sweet review:

 

SO SO SO glad I got a 5ml of this scent!!!! It's SPARKLES, if that makes any sense. It sparkles, and glows... and when I'm wearing it, I feel beautiful. I've never smelled linden blossoms - so I'm not sure what's making this scent so perfect on me, but of all the scents I own, this one is pure magic in a bottle!

 

 

 

 

-Leslie

[astrid]

Being the horse owner that I am, I was expecting something earthier and, well, more horse-like, but it is a lovely scent and reminds me a bit of the sweetness in Lady Macbeth.

[Dolly Dimple]

Ah alas, my messed-up body chemistry made this smell exactly like the gel air freshener we have in the bathroom - it's a pleasant enough smell, but not for my skin.

[Mitzy]

the Unicorn is incredible, and its scents like these that put me in complete awe of Beth's talent.

 

To me this smells like fairy dust, like the place in the woods that is secluded and secret and magical... It makes me think of little girls who believe in unicorns; it is the essence of innocence.

 

a sniff from the imp is not enough, I have to apply it. it smells sweet and light, and slightly of melons, it is fresh and simply wonderful. dont ask me to identify the notes, I cant. it is just gorgeous.

 

the only downside is that it fades so fast...

[miss apple]

First impression of this - very sweet, somewhat floral but for some reason it smells like pears to me. Really sweet, sticky pears. When first applied, the scent doesn't change much and I'm not sure I like smelling like pears. Three hours later I can't detect any of the scent on left my wrists and the other places I've dabbed the oil now remind me of apple juice Not for me I think ::adds to swap pile::

[Tesseljoan]

Very sweet, green, juicy and flowery at the same time. This one doesn't change much from the initial wet phase. I like it, but have to tqake it easy with applying as it gave me a headache when liberally applied to neck and hair.

[ylangylang]

smells like a unicorn took a pee in some tall fresh grass.

not bad!

[Belladonnastrap]

Thanks to swapping I've gotten a decanted imp of The Unicorn and I'm glad I did

 

First sniff

Wow this is very sweet and a bit heady as well. I've never smelled Linden Blossoms before but I assume the heady bit are the herbs. It's very different from anything I've smelt from BPAL so far.

 

When wet

Absolutely lovely! Very sweet and almost ethereal I want to say. I have to concentrate to really pick up the different notes but when I do it's very ethereal and very much on the edge of my scent vision if that makes any sort of sense?

 

Drydown

Very much like the Unicorn itself this scent turned extremely elusive and faint on me. It doesn't last very long alas () but the nature of it pretty much stayed the same as when it was wet...except maybe a fruiter.

 

 

Aftermath

I'm so happy I recieved this in a swap ( fairywingmaker) as it's a scent I had been wanting to try for ages. I'll be buying a bottle of it but further down the line as it's not a MUST GET for me. My only real issue with it is that I wish it stayed on longer!

[pkwench]

Vial: Something candied and sweet. Rather syrupy, really.

 

Wet: Very syrupy now, but with a strange whiff of ozone.

 

After 10: It's cooler now, still sweet, but in a light, playful, and floral sort of way. It's getting a tad faint already though.

 

After 20/30: It's very light now, but soft, fruity, and with a pale floral that's really quite lovely. I could 5ml this and be very happy!

[amaltheagray]

i had very high hopes for this scent and i think it's lived up to them. i was particularly looking for something to wear to bed, something that would help me sleep and put me in a different mindset.

 

other people have done a fantastic job of describing the images this scent evokes. it has this deep yet light forest feel. like sunlight shinging through thin new leaves in spring. it smells like spring and stillness and small movements in a glade somewhere. unicorn indeed. it fades quickly so i slathered it on quite liberally before going to bed. it sweetened overnight and in the morning smelled almost fruity and not quite as delicate. probably mixed up with my sweat as i was sleeping.

 

i'm very curious to try mixing this with blue lilac. it's a mentally thematic idea more than an olfactory one, but i hope it works. ("the unicorn lived in a lilac wood and she lived all alone...") there is certainly a big bottle of this in my future.

 

a.

[sh1mm3r]

In the bottle: Bright and cheery floral.

Wet: A meadow on a summer day, with very little breeze.

Dry: Bunches of herbs mixed with dried flowers.

 

This is a strange scent, it varies what it smells like on different days. The first time I wore it, it was the lovely herb-bunch smell mixed with greens. Yesterday it was a room air freshener smell (a little stale) that I wasn't as fond of. Who knows what it will be tomorrow!

 

I really like the scents (like this one) that are more fresh than sweet.

[pekeana]

Hmm, in the vial, it's very floral and sweet -- almost fruity. What fruit, I can't tell you, but I get a fruity sweet from it.

 

On me, it immediately goes bright green and screams "smell the floral", but then quickly relaxes and fades into something soft and soothing.

 

It vanishes very quickly, but I'll be keeping it because it's very nice after the five minute floral head-rush.

[renaissancerouge]

The Unicorn is sweet, white, and clean. It reminds me a bit of Titania, but with something herby and green to cut the syrup. I think this is the judicious splash of linden, which is just perfect for conjuring arboreal splendor and delicate, transient horned horses. I wish there were more oils featuring linden. I used to get it from Mountain Rose herbs to make face washes and stuff, but I liked it better for the sweet, mild scent than any cosmetic properties. The only thing that would keep me from buying a bigger bottle is the need to reapply so often, as this is so light and fresh.

[Longstofly]

Hmm, this is a very different scent than I thought it would be. I mostly smell the floral notes on me and I have no idea about individual notes.

 

I only put a small dot on but it is amazingly strong smelling which is odd to me considering how light everyone else found it to be. It might even be a little too strong smelling.

 

Sadly enough I cannot smell even a hint of the herbal notes. I think if I could it would help to balance out the floral scent in this.

 

In a way, it also reminds me of the smell of fresh laundry blowing in the breeze on a warm summer day.

Edited September 23, 2004 by Longstofly

[Merteuil]

This one has worked amazingly for me. I'd put it as #1 on my list so far. It's fresh and floral and slightly sweet (but not saccharine) on my skin, and I just feel good when I wear it to work. Clean, energetic, professional but feminine.

 

I don't like it fresh from the tube -- it's too medicinal, almost menthol-ish on me. But after 10 minutes it's perfect. I can't pick out the notes very well, but there's a soft rosemary note, and like someone else said, a clean laundry scent.

[malanna]

This is a fruity berry scent, with lots of strawberries. At first, there is a tad bit of an astringent tone, but it fades, leaving a beautiful scent--berries, with a hint of lush, green grass.