Hope

[wikkidraven]

Simplicity and innocence, gleefully despoiled! Sugared rose.

out of the bottle--wow! sugary rose, just what i was hoping for...please don't dry down into old lady rose...PLEASE don't dry down into old lady rose!

dry--old lady rose. like those bath cubes wrapped in tissue paper. damn. Edited February 28, 2007 by Shollin

[TheIceMaiden]

Hope is the sweetest rose ever sprinkled with sugar. It stays that way on my skin from beginning to end. This is one of my favourite rose scents I've tried thusfar. Sadly, Hope didn't last very long. I guess that means I'll have to buy a bottle so I can slather away!

[dawna]

In the vial: The sweetest most pure rose scent. Absolutely stunning.

 

On the skin: The rose and the sugar note blend so gorgeously on the skin. The sugared note tames any strong edge that rose tends to bring forth. This is simply one of the prettiest rose scents I've smelled yet.

 

On drydown: If I had to describe this scent, I would say it is the most crystalline pink rose dipped in the finest sugar you ever did taste. It is pure, light, wonderful.. it is hope and love.

[sarada]

My relationship with florals is a complex one. I love rose, but I don't always like it in perfumes unless there is something wood, resin or musky backing it up -- or it is such a perfect pure rose that nothing detracts from it.

 

This is one of the most sweet, wine-like roses from BPAL, and a rose that I'd compare to Parlement of Foules actually. The sweetness folds into the rose perfectly, and seems a part of its natural sweetness. Not syrupy or vanilla, but also not a crystalline powdered sugar. Just a real lovely natural sweetness that helps to give the rose a lot more throw and staying power.

 

I put it behind my ear, so it catches on my hair and wafts around me. I think it would be lovely in a locket as well.

 

I'm wearing her sister on my other side and together it's a perfect duet. The sugaring in this one is slightly different than the one in Faith. The rose takes center stage.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

My plan is to try Faith on one wrist and Hope on the other, then layer, since they should be inseparable! Faith is quite lovely, but Hope is the one I'm really looking forward to, since I ADORE Beth's roses.

 

I am not disappointed! Beautiful, fresh rose single-note on first application, and then suddenly that luscious vanilla-cream scent from Faith. Sugary and gorgeous, like a rose version of Pink Sugar. I love Hope!

 

Now for layering: together, the Twins smell better than either alone, which I'm sure is the intent. I get a mental image of a light fluffy cupcake decorated with big, luscious candied roses and violets. I might go for just slightly more Hope than Faith, but I definitely like wearing them together.

[cranberry]

I have a love hate relationship with rose. I adore the flowers, I love seeing them in the wild, yet I rarely like them in perfume. I find that they need to be either strong, pure, fresh rose (Rose Red) or have something else going on – mixed with spice, or resin and wood.

 

Hope to me seems more along the lines of London than Rose Red, which is too bad as I didn’t care for London at all. I’m not getting much sugar here, nor any other notes (and not the luscious vanilla musk that I got from Faith). No, this is just pure rose, more like a tea rose than anything. As far as the rose that goes bad on me goes, this is among the better, but it’s still not the rose that I adore.

[phedre]

In bottle: Whoa. Overblown roses! Big, heady garden roses lazing in the sun, with just a touch of sugary sweetness underneath.

 

Wet: Pure rose, even the touch of sugar has disappeared. It's so rosy, it's giving my sinuses trouble!

 

Drydown: the sugar's not reappearing. I expected it to be more like faith, but it's a completely different kind of sweetness. It reminds me of the rose in Persephone. It's nice! Not as nice as Peacock Queen, but definitely a keeper.

 

This scent has a ton of throw and staying power; it's much more aggressive than Faith.

 

Layering Hope & Faith is really worth it. They smell twice as lovely when they're together!

[Tesseljoan]

I'm not a big rose fan, but I jumped on a decant for this all the same.

 

It is a gentle sugared rose. It's nto something I would wear, but it is a beautifully done scent. It's very pretty, and while I haven't been succesful in enabling my friends to BPAL, I think this one just might be succesful.

[glass_cat]

I'm one of those people that tries to avoid ordering too many LEs. I'm so afraid I'm going to fall madly in love with something, run out, and be stuck pining for it forever more. However, if I stumble across one that I just can't handle skipping, I'll make an exception. How could I not make an exception when I read the descriptions for Hope and Faith?? Sugared rose and sugared violet? It's like my wildest BPAL dream come true.

 

I decided to try Hope first, and let me tell you. I cannot stop huffing my wrist. I've been doing it all damn day. I probably look like I have some kind of weird muscular tic that I can't control. This is probably the most beautiful BPAL rose scent I've ever smelled, and I've certainly tried my share and loved more than a few of them by now. It's exactly what I was hoping for.

 

Hope is so simple, but so beautiful and perfect in that simplicity. The rose note is lush and tart, and it is blended with this beautiful, creamy vanilla note that just turns it positively heavenly. I don't know if I want to sniff my wrist or devour it... maybe both! It also stays very true and wears for a long time. It's feminine and delicate, yet comforting and inviting at the same time and in equal parts. Overall Hope is a real winner that I would best describe as a foody floral... right in the same family as Antique Lace for me. It's perfect for any occasion and any season. If Hope's sister smells anywhere near this good, I can see where I'm going to have to stock up on back-ups for when the Carnival moves on.

Edited March 9, 2007 by glass_cat

[yeahbutnobut]

Hope

 

In the bottle: ohh, this reminds me of Possets Silver Roses, which I love. It's a gentle rose backed up with sugar and maybe vanilla.

Wet on skin: the rose sharpens as soon as it hits skin, so this is sharper than SR now.

Dry on skin: mmm, so beautiful. This is very different to SR now, which is a good thing. This is a sharp tea rose dusted in soft sweet sugar. I get a hint of something vanilla like underneath but it's mainly dry rose petals mixed with white sugar for now. This reminds me strongly of Kurukulla in that it smells of sweetness and sharp roses.

After a while: now this softens so nicely. The rose's sharpness has settled a little and a gentle vanilla sugar starts to show itself. Now this starts to resemble Possets Frou Frou/Silver Roses a bit more, but it also smells a little bit like sugared Rose Red and Bearded Lady. This is gorgeous now. it becomes more and more like Bearded Lady over time, the scent of soft powdery icing sugar dusted over dry rose petals, and a subtle hint of vanilla. It also reminds me of rosy Antique Lace/Black Opal…I'm sure there's a white musk component to this.

Verdict: I've tried a lot of 'sugared roses' scents and this is one of my favourites. It bears a few passing similarities to versions by Possets, Mara Fox and others, but it is also distinctly different and has that special 'Beth touch' to it. This is a beautiful fragrance where thorny tea rose contrasts with a delightful dusting of vanilla sugar. The rose here is surprisingly sharp, it's got real bite to it (makes me wonder-shouldn't Hope be the one baring her fangs in the picture?) I love the sugar in both twins, it's not the heavy caramel or brown sugar, it is actually very similar to the 'sugar' in the Lick It scents, except with flowers taking the place of the mint. Hope seems to me like the more confident twin, her rose note is gutsy and strong and tart, almost overtaking the sugar when wet. But at drydown, the powdered sugar comes out, sweetly infused with vanilla and with what seems like a little bit of white musk to round it off. This scent also seems like a great substitute for Bearded Lady, there's that same powdery soft rose aspect to it after a few hours. She is my favourite of the twins and I love this interpretation of the sugared rose theme as done by Beth. Gorgeous and feminine, a perfect contrast of sweetness and crisp sharp floral. I think I'll need more!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes! It's one of my new favourite BPAL roses. One to stockpile.

If you like this, try: Kurukulla, Two Five and Seven, London, Rose Red, Lucy's Kiss, Bearded Lady, Black Opal, Lick It (Again)

[maijasu]

Alas, this is one of the BPAL roses that I cannot wear. Sugared rose on me, apparently, equals sugared soap.

[jessiesquash]

This is a sweet rose but it doesn't set my stomach churning like Two Five and Seven did. It's delicate and soft, just the kind of scent you'd wear on a hot summer day. A nice counterpoint to the edgier rose in Peacock Queen. It fades pretty quickly on my wrist but the throw is good and it's so worth a bit of extra slathering. I think Hope is now my summer rose!

 

ETA: Nope I take that back. It's so sweet it makes my head twinge and my stomach roll. Why can't Hope & Faith be delicious on me like it is on you lucky people?! All I get is rose and violet as interpreted by artificial flavor and high fructose corn syrup. *pouts*

Edited March 22, 2007 by Jessie

[oakmoss]

I really can't review these separately -- and who could separate the twins, anyway? One is the most delicious rose, the other the most delicious violet. A dab of Hope on one wrist, then Faith on the other, caress them gently together, and inhale -- ahhhhhh..... sublime. The combination is swooningly beautiful, and every time I try it, I'm enchanted anew. If you love florals, you must get this set.

[em_h]

I just got a partial of this, not much more than a sniffie, so my review may not be a bit glancing. But this really does seem to be just about the softest and prettiest rose scent ever. It's sort of a lovely white gown, flowing hair, candlelight type of scent (making it possibly quite inappropriate for me, but I can still enjoy it).

 

It does seem quite faint, though; the amount that I got was barely enough for me to be able to smell it, when I put it on. To wear it on any kind of regular basis I'd have to use a lot. And since I can't wear violet at all, I'm not sure where that leaves me ...

[mooncityminx]

Aaaaah! I just got her in the mail and she smells exactly like my Rose Petal doll I had when I was a kid. I used to sniff that doll all the time! Hell, if I still had that doll and she still smelled, I would still be sniffing her.

 

This website has a picture :

http://home.comcast.net/~mjm1977/rose_petal.htm

 

I never ever thought I would actually find anything that really smells like her. I tried when I was a teenager, but all the rose perfumes I found smelled soapy or not sweet enough.

 

The smell is a strong rose, not at all soapy, and sweet vanilla perfectly merged together.

 

Now I want more of this! What will I do?

[storme]

In the imp: rose creme centers. Yum.

 

On me, wet: sugary creamy rose, very sweet and toothsome.

 

On me, dry: augh, this has become too sweet. it's like rose sugar, not sugared rose - it has a sort of fizzy dustiness to the sweetness.

 

Verdict: Alas, I wanted crystallised roses, but my skin amped the sugar way too much.

[myoubi]

Preconceptions: Rose doesn't often jive with me -- whether it's lush (like Rose Red/Peacock Queen) or soft and florally, it usually just smells like old lady. That said, I loooooove the scent of rosehip tea, and I wanted Hope to fill that scent niche.

 

It doesn't smell precisely like rosehip tea, but it goes one better: it smells like sweet rose candy, beautiful and fresh. It's (much) sweeter and prettier than I usually like in fragrances, but it doesn't go old-lady at all! It stays true to the description -- simple and innocent -- and dries down, after hours and hours, to the most subtle feminine perfume. So sad, because her sister turned to instant play-doh on my skin. I /will/ find a way to secure a 5mL...

[Taniwha]

I've tried many, many of Beth's rose scents, with varying degrees of success. In Hope I have found a truly beautiful, soul soothing rose, and I'm so happy. It's just pure rose goodness. Well, with teeth.

 

I haven't tried mixing Hope and Faith together yet, but I imagine it will be divine.

[nikkoblue]

sugar. roses. sugar and roses. I'm amping the sugar on this one, instead of the rose (weeha!). However, due to my deep love of Faith, I probably will not be wearing this one so much......

 

Very very pretty, and if you're not a huge fan of rose this still might just work for you.

[evilbee]

This is very pretty and feminine. It's a bit powdery, but reminds me a lot of Alice and Regan, both of which I love. Yes, powdery, sugary, pretty pink roses. A little while later, it develops a deepness that makes me think of sexy, smooth skin draped in silk - some kind of musk, I assume. An absolute winner!

[Browneyes]

Imp: sugary rose, I think this is the same kind of almost juicy and yet realistic red rose note that's in Zombi and Rose Red.

Wet: this becomes much more soft and powdery on application. But it's still that same rose... and I think I prefer the rose in Harlot of all the BPAL roses I've tried thus far. (maybe it's just because I had a very bad reaction to Zombi, it really creeped me out with the grave dirt note and so I might just be having associations to that rose note, because of Zombi) The oil dries very slowly and is quite faint at this point.

Dry: Beautiful and gaining in strength... It makes me think of a rose-bud tea (basically pure rose-buds) that an ex once brought back from Hong Kong. The powdery sugar is a nice addition, and makes me like it more - but choosing between the twins I must say I prefer Faith.

 

Edit. Ok after a few months I tried this on again (actually it was in anticipation of Rose Moon since alot of Will-Call reviewers were comparing the two) and I must say that now... I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. I have been using it very often, enough to soon run out of my imp, enough to contemplate a bottle purchase, enough to say that I actually might be preferring this one after all! It is just lovely. So feminine, rosey, sweet, aaahhh

/end gushing

Edited June 4, 2007 by Browneyes

[hackess]

I love rose scents, but I feared Hope would be too girly because of the sugar.

 

Wow, was I wrong.

 

It's a much softer rose than in Rose Red or Peacock Queen. It's not sour like in Zombi. It's more the subtle rose in Whip, the sweet rose in Persephone and Wanda. The sugar makes it foody, like I've slathered myself in pink frosting. Sadly, my skin eats it much quicker than it does the heady rose scents I horde.

 

Still, I ADORE this. I have to get a bottle.

[LiberAmoris]

Mmmm, roses and cream! Like Faith, Hope merges a floral with the yummy creaminess of Antique Lace, and it's a combination that's just beautiful. This is the kind of blend that I find myself turning to when I want something simple and unabashedly floral. There's no beating around the (rose) bush here, this is straight up rosy bliss!

[girl_android]

Hope and Faith came to me as decants, they might have to come live with me as bottles before they disappear for good!

 

In the imp, Hope is all sugar and roses, or maybe crystallised rose petals.

 

Wet on skin, it's also a little creamy amongst all that rose and sweetness. I'm such a sucker for sweet scents lately!

 

Once dry, there's a hint of powderiness mingling about, but it's still all roses and sweetness. Not one that I could really slather on as it does have a bit of throw on me, and I don't want to be drowning anyone else in a giant cloud of pink! and roses! (I think the unicorn skin is getting to me ... help, it's April 2 here, and has been for more than 15 hours!), but definitely one I've appreciated having an imp around.

[ariansdreams]

This is so lovely. I said that in my review of Faith, too, but it is also true of Hope.

 

First Sniff: Mmm...roses. And sugar. The sugar in this reminds me of the sugar in MB: Underpants, which I adore and covet. So I think I'll like this.

 

Wet: The reason I love the scent of roses is because it manages to be so sweet and innocent yet incredibly sensual at the same time. I'm sure that's why most people like them. Well, the sugar really pushes this scent over the edge into the sensual side of things.

 

Dry:I feel like...feminine distilled. It seems redundant to discuss the notes of this scent (roses, sugar...what else is there to say?), but I must state: This is awesome. So is her sister, Faith. I will definitely be ordering more, so I never, ever run out of this twosome.

 

As a side note: I wore Hope last night when I was out with my guy...and he couldn't keep his hands off of me. Be careful with this one!