Abhisarika

[maribouquet]

She boldly goes forth to meet her lover, heedless of propriety, intoxicated by love, and radiant with youthful, innocent passion: Damascus rose, African orchid, cream accord, and Kashmir musk.

Classic and womanly - first the orchid, and a rose background. The musk emerges after a little while. I think I smell some green in the rose. Nice; reminds me of my mother's toilette.

[pinkstardust420]

Oh, I just love this. A beautiful, sexy, classy scent. I definitely smell the gorgeous orchid over the rose, which is good, and that added sweetness and softness of the Kashmir Musk & Cream come out more and more as the dry down evolves. Just a beautiful scent. Not spicy at all. This smells like a really expensive perfume, and a great perfume to wear on a night on the town. A+

[Electric Maenad]

I've had this since last spring, and haven't worn it since August when I took it to an outdoor music festival. Obviously, this was totally the wrong setting for a scent like this, but even when I initially tested it in March 2007, I wasn't particularly impressed with it, because it didn't seem to last very long and it had very little throw. It just came across as a rather nondescript floral, so I filed it in the bottom of my perfume box and forgot about it. After over a year of aging though, and worn indoors, this is a fantastically sexy scent. I wore it when my husband and I went out for dinner on Valentine's Day (first outing without the baby) and it made me feel more feminine than I have in months. It's a beautifully well-blended fragrance, although I can't really pick out any of the individual notes (even the rose, which usually beats the bejeezus out of everything else in most perfumes I've tried). It's super rich and creamy and yet delicate at the same time. My only problem now is finding excuses to wear it, because it's definitely *not* an every-day sort of scent.

 

And my husband likes it too. A *lot*.

 

[Edit] Tragically, I simply don't have many occasions to wear this, so I've got it up for swap. I'd like to note that this is the *only* BPAL rose scent I've tried to date that doesn't go soapy and nasty on me, so if you have a problem with rose scents generally, this might work on you.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Electric Maenad

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Nearly colourless extremely pale yellow oil. Rose and orchid. Floral, somewhat heady, a bit sweet and soapy.

 

Wet: The rose is fresh, bright and gorgeous. The soapiness has already amped: there are definitely other florals. The orchid here is rich but not overwhelming - reminds me of the orchid in Blue Moon. While there is a certain creaminess, I don't get actual CREAM.

 

Dry: That rose amps and amps as usual on me, almost becoming SN as it is wont to do. But the cream is emerging distinctly now - this is my first cream note and it's pretty amazing! It's rich and well, creamy, without the sour note that milk has on my skin, and without being foody. It's almost like a type of musk.

 

Later: Rose and that soapy white high white floral (gardenia? some type of lily?) are on par now; the white floral has become a bit less soapy, but headier. The cream lies very faintly underneath, close the skin. And finally a bit of deep, sexy, but womanly musk.

 

Summary: This softens into a balanced blend of rose, white florals, gentle orchid, pure delicious cream, and rich, sexy musk. The white floral loses most of its soapy edge, but is still a bit too high pitched for me. I do love the musk, orchid, and cream notes, and always rose. Pleasant, well crafted, and perfectly fitting, but not one I'll hang onto. Decent throw but fades quite quickly.

[tinyvulture]

thanks to bpal, i’ve learned that i love florals combined with cream or sugar. here, the soft rose and orchid are nicely enhanced and smoothed out by plenty of sweet cream, and the gentle musk is just the icing on the cake that brings it all together and makes it ever so warm and fuzzy. it does seem youthful and innocent – it’s very feminine and pretty, but it’s understated, not trying to be sexy. i think it’s charming.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Fresh, soft, airy and slightly powdery flowers.

 

Wearing: Ooh, yay! I always forget how much I like orchid on my skin until it gets there. It’s gone from airy-powdery floral to fruity-creamy floral. The rose is still trying to assert its powdery self, but the other notes are keeping it in check.

[asciident]

Wet: Sweet and fruity!

 

First on: Melds on my skin into a sort of indefinable sweet scent.

 

Dry: It's just a little too nondescript sweetness; there's nothing here making it special for me.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a sweet, fruity blend and I have to say that despite it containing rose, I really get the orchid in this one.

 

It's sweeter, fruitier and flirtier than say, Shadow Witch Orchid. More playful.

 

Orchid fans, take note.

[stellans]

I’m not big on cream notes (Chaste Moon is one of the few exceptions), but in this blend the cream accord doesn’t slap me in the face like, say, Milk Moon does. Instead, it provides a smooth base from which the rose and orchid can play nicely with the musk, all to make me feel cherished and loved. Nothing strident, nothing forceful...just soft and gentle loveliness. Absolutely perfect for a slow, lazy Sunday with Mr. Stellans...

Edited December 5, 2010 by stellans

[waternight]

I've had this and loved this for a while, and I love to wear it, so I figured I should get around to doing an actual review...

 

In the bottle: Sharp floral - orchid - with a tangy musk.

Wet/Drydown: Musk blossoms immediately - a heady sweet musk that's quite lovely. Rose is the dominant floral now, blending with the orchid, but the florals aren't overwhelming. A touch of cream, but again, not overpowering, just helping the musk smooth out what otherwise could be very sharp florals. Mainly an exotic musk scent with heady flowers underneath. After a bit the scent softens, and the notes kind of melt together a bit more. This scent is utterly feminine, in a very womanly, sensual way. An erotic scent.

Dry: Smooth creamy musk with a lacy edge of floral sharpness. Utterly delicious.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Soft orchid touched with rose. Bit of muskiness.

 

Wet: The rose sours a little and this smells like a pure orchid/rose blend.

 

Dry: This is pretty. A soft musk supporting rose and orchid smoothed out by the cream. Smells very classical and expensive. Something I'd wear to work but not necessarily on a date. I don't find it sultry or sensual--more a little cold and reserved. This scent is judging you.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: I like it and wear it pretty often. A surprise coup from a MnS swap!

[Vega]

Sniffed: Rose sweetened with cream.

 

On skin: Rose is one of my favourite notes, so I'm delighted that the rose is prominent. The clear, sweet florals (rose and a distinctly non-rose floral that must be orchid - which I can actually distinguish for the first time!) float over deep, rich musk touched with milky cream. The florals remain consistent while the musk and cream morph occasionally, but it's largely a constant scent. Full-bodied, sensual yet innocent and romantic. Othello is very similar -- both are rose/musk/spice blends -- but Abhisarika is a little more complex, more creamy-sweet and not as deeply musky.

 

Verdict: I love the many permutations of rose-dominant blends available at BPAL. Out of those, Abhisarika is a winner: a beautiful and evocative blend, rose-dominant but also showcasing the other notes. Between this and Othello, I may have all the rose/spices/musk blends that I need!

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I'm not sure what Kashmir musk smells like, but I really enjoy the rest of the notes here, so this should be fun!

 

Wet: Creamy orchid and only a slight tinge of rose. This is lovely.

 

Dry down: This turned a little plasticky and musty smelling, which I'm assuming is from the cream. I've never had a BPAL scent with cream turn to plastic on me, so I'm a little worried.

 

Dry: The plastic note disappears, leaving just beautiful orchid and cream.

 

Final thoughts: I'll have to retest to see exactly how long the plastic stage lasts, but it wasn't too unbearable.

 

Verdict: This one's a keeper, but I'll be content with my imp I think. No need to track down a bottle.

 

ETA that after realizing that the plastic stage was a hormonal issue and not a component issue, I burned through my decant in a matter of weeks and upgraded to a big bottle

Edited August 12, 2012 by Alethia

[elka_knits]

A surprising love. I have been wearing my florals lately to combat the Missouri rains that pass as winter blahs. Seriously, to digress, I expect glistening snow not muck Christmas week.

 

In the bottle~ very floral, maybe even too floral. Orchid and roses with orchid being stronger than the rose

Wet~ rose amps up

A bit later~ lovely cream and musk very very faint floral that warms it all up and lightens up the scent. This is not the sour milky cream or vanilla sugar cream but a rich heady cream

 

BPAL has turned me into a floral lover over the years. I don't know why I didn't trust that evolution enough to try this one before. My bottle is direct from lab to me many years ago. Curious to know what The Flame thinks of this one when he gets home tonight. Although.... I believe it will need to be reapplied. The staying power is not very long or perhaps that is because I am used to more in your face spicy scents. As The Flame likes to say about my favorite most worn stuff: dangerous This one is more discreet and ultra feminine

[jizatt]

gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. I was mostly afraid of the rose, but also afraid that I would get all floral with no cream and musk (a combo I simply couldnt pass up without trying!)

 

I think the strongest note I have here is orchid. I dont smell a strong rose at all, and it must be very well blended with the orchid, because I can't pick it out at all. I think its helping to sweeten and girly up this blend though. The cream blends in with the floral to my nose, perhaps helping it not to screech floral as some can for me. The musk is tamer than I had hoped for, (I thought kasmir would be more exotic, but maybe its more of the cashmeran type musks and I just hadnt pronounced it in my head correctly? hehe), but very feminine. This is very femme and elegant, a bit brighter than I had expected, but very very pretty. Keeper!

 

overall - super femme floral musk with a creamy touch

 

eta: the longer this dries, the more of that bright edge its losing and the musk comes out more strongly

Edited December 24, 2011 by CaudaPavonis

[Molls]

I was really hoping to get more rose from this, but it's mostly orchid on me... the notes sounded like pure win

[yakiguri]

When I first heard of Abhisarika it sounded like pure win...and then I saw the rose. I love roses, and use rosewater constantly, but for some reason I amp BPAL's rose note crazy strong. After reading so many reviews on this blend actually being orchid-dominant I just had to give it a try, even if the rose utterly ruined it...

 

...I'm glad to see it doesn't. The orchid is definitely right at the forefront with its tropical wetness (yay!), but rose is still there, lingering in the background and giving occasional soft puffs of its stronger floral notes. Maybe it's the soft, languid bed of cream and musk the florals reside in, but for once rose isn't competing with and shunting aside the other notes. I also thought that Kashmir musk would've been a bit deeper, but I'm fine with it being the "clean" kind, like a softer Egyptian musk. I don't get much of the cream note but I'm perfectly fine with that as too much of a cream note can make me nauseous.

 

My only gripes are that Abhisarika does veer close to soapiness as it dries, and has very little throw. The staying power could be better as well. Even so, it's an expensive kind of soapiness, like having just bathed with ludicrously expensive French soap. I usually love my thick and heady leathers but in California's triple-digit heat sometimes you just want something light and clean. Abhisarika definitely fulfills that need, and I'm glad to have a bottle. I agree that if you love orchid, you should grab a bottle ASAP.

[Sidhechaos]

Just got this in the mailed today, happy birthday to me! It isn't really really lovely. Apparently Damascus rose is not one of the rose fragrances that I amp out of control, it is here in the perfume that very well behaved. The orchid gives a faint almost spicy flower scent, kind of like carnation does but different of course, and I have always loved Kashmir musk I would've never thought of putting a creamy note and with all of these but it is incredibly lovely. Beth you are truly a genius!

[lunaticana]

This is a scent made for me

I love all the notes in it!!!

Super simmerisch orchid but also rose

And a combination of cream accord with musk is just THE BEST