Love-In-Idleness

[Ah Xia]

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before, milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.

A very sweet, beautiful springy floral, like a lovely garden all in bloom. For some reason I think of bluebells when I smell it. I think I detect a bit of rose, a bit of lily, a bit of muguet, a bit of lilac, but it's very well blended and very very sweet. Rose sometimes doesn't work on me but this may be more of a tearose note.

A definite keeper and one for the floral lovers out there.

Similar scents: Asphodel, Melancholia, Black Lily

ETA: On the drydown, this has really come into its own...it's almost creamy and has a really depth to it, with a very decent throw. Edited September 15, 2007 by Shollin

[Keslynn]

In the imp, LII is a soft floral that doesn't kick you in the head. There's also a soapy kind of edge to it.

 

On my skin, this scent is so soft. I have to really sniff to get anything. It's been so long since I've smelled a pansy, but I'm pretty sure this is the scent. It's gentle but upbeat. As it wears, the scent actually gets a good deal stronger, though it remains a soft feminine scent. The mental image I get is of a young Victorian lady holding her baby in an early summer garden. Beautiful and gentle and maybe a little untouchable.

 

Verdict: Soft and gentle is so not me, but this is very pretty. A Victorian scent. I like it!

[shelldoo]

in the vial:light, sweet floral

 

wet: very light, fresh boquet of flowers,

 

as it dries not typical spring floral type boquet, more like a soft fresh boquet of wild flowers, yes victorian definitely springs to mind. soft, close to the skin. this is very feminine, almost fragile, reminds me a bit of flowers being crushed under foot. did i say soft?

Edited June 25, 2007 by shelldoo

[edenssixthday]

Love In Idleness - Once again, I had no clue what this flower is, so I had to look it up. It's a pansy! I love pansies! Sadly, I had no idea what they smelled like, so I'd have never known if I hadn't looked it up. (So glad I did!) Anyway, I always wondered why some people would refer to a wimpy guy as a "pansy" when pansies are actually such tough and hardy little flowers. Anyway, like the spirit of the flower, the scent in this perfume oil is beautiful, strong, and positively delightful. There's nothing timid or wimpy about it. I wish I could describe it better, but it really doesn't smell much like any of the florals I'm familiar with. It's probably not something that floral-haters would find appealing, but floral lovers should all try this one out. It's quite stunning.

[slave1]

LOVE-IN-IDLENESS

 

In Bottle: Sweet but also menthol

 

On Skin: Beautiful! I get a sweet almost like dragon’s blood (but not quite) note here. They a slightly sour rose and a menthol like herbal note. Very feminine to the extreme, dainty and pretty. If you love florals try this one out since it is quite unique and unlike any other floral I’ve reviewed. As the scent develops more, the menthol note diminishes and it becomes a perfect blossom. Quite nice and something I’d love to spray my bed sheets with when I want to feel extra girly and flowery. Light throw and average wearlength.

[bombus]

Love it! Its it really fresh clean floral. A bit like a sweet pea, sweet and summery. This is going on my wishlist.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: ouch, that scares me off. It's very perfumey. Blooming flowers.

 

On my skin: big yellow stain... erm, I mean... quite special. Still floral, but not cloying anymore, and there's a bit of a herbal note as well.

 

After a while: it stays very heavy... heavy old woman's flowers (probably pensies). I don't like it at all.

 

Verdict: get if off of me!!

[The_Merf]

In the imp: This is very creamy and I'm not picking up on any rose at all. This strikes me as all lilies.

 

Wet: Yes, this is very lily-like and creamy.

 

Drydown and wear: This basically smells like a slightly creamier version of Asphodel, as the same classical floral note emerges in this blend as well. I prefer the crisper floral of Asphodel--just a little bit--to this one, which is very pretty. Because of that, I think I'll swap the imp.

[euterpe414]

Man, there are a lot of flowers shoved into this tiny bottle! The only one I can pick out specifically is lilac, and perhaps a little sweet pea. This is very delicate and sweet, and a touch on the clean side (but not at all soapy). I imagine if I put too much of this on I might get a headache, but a little dab goes a long way, and it lasts and lasts.

 

This is a very very girly perfume, not for those who are afraid of lace and frilly dresses Very beautiful and a great addition to the GC

[taramarie]

I understand that the name Love-In-Idleness refers to the pansy, but this smells like an assorted bouquet of just-picked flowers. It's a very yellow and green scent. On me, it's almost a dead ringer for Poisson d'Avril, which I love. I'll definitely put a bottle of this on my wishlist.

[supremegoddessofall]

Strongly chemical with a bit of powder base. Reminds me of some cleaning chemical they used when I was in India. Sort of smells like mothballs or a chemistry scent. Surprisingly, this isn't unpleasant, but it's still not for me.

[filigree_shadow]

This smells extremely familiar to me, but I have no idea what it reminds me of. I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue.

 

It reminds me of lilacs more than a little, but more like lilac perfume rather than the actual flower. It's turning kind of powdery on my skin, which isn't a good thing. It mostly smells like a floral-scented dusting powder to me.

 

I'm uber-picky about florals and this one doesn't make the cut for me. It's really unusual, though, and I'm glad I tried it.

[Blood onmy hands]

Nondescript, sharp floral that's reminiscent of soap and hairspray. Sharp, dry, musky, white tuberose and orchid type of feel.
White, sour, sharp, perfumey/musky floral...

Edited June 6, 2016 by Little Bird

[harmonyfb]

You know, I'm not a floral-type person, but this is just flat out pretty. It's light, not overwhelming. Sticks fairly close to the skin, instead of enveloping me in a toxic flower cloud. The notes seem familiar, but I can't pinpoint which flowers I'm smelling. Nice. I think I'll keep the imp for my 'girly' days.

[bryghtrose]

I love this floral. It's a sweet, high, late spring garden floral. It has both flowers and green notes. It reminds me a bit of jasmine sambac--how that is a more complex, richer, greener jasmine than plain jasmine. This is a complex, rich floral boquet, that still retinns the greenery and earthiness of growing things. I love it.

[zankoku_zen]

This is such a sweet (without being sweet), soft, pretty floral. I think this would be a great scent for a beginner BPAL or a young girl. This is a fresh wildflower sort of floral, innocent but at the same time, on the verge of something else.

 

This smells like the first time you fell in love, or thought you were in love. The quiet, secret dreaming you do within yourself, spinning these glorious and light daydreams about your future possible happiness. It's not giddy but it isn't serious either.

 

Very lovely.

[QueenFae]

This is lovely, sweet, feminine, and all around uplifting. A rich, soft, heady floral scent, which mainly smells of lilies to me. Not just any lily, this smells like the real deal, the expensive, exotic bouquets your husband can never quite afford. This is very, very womanly and sexy, and would probably drive a number of men wild.

 

I like this very much, i think it's quite gorgeous!

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: A very sweet, powdery floral that makes me think of powdered sugar.

 

Wet on me: Lotus, is that you? Maybe not. I can smell lilac and, oddly enough, paper.

 

After a few minutes: Tiny white flowers, strongly scented. Lily of the valley. Very sweet. There's little bit of a synthetic note to this that I don't like -- reminds me of violets, which sometimes smell like paint to me.

 

Drydown: Lotus and violets. On the whole maybe not for me...

[storme]

In the imp: hmm, a sweet, slightly creamy floral.

 

On me, wet: Slightly lily-ish and with a weird, powdery store-perume note hanging around.

 

On me, dry: s soft, sweet creamy almost-lily-ish note. But fading very fast.

 

Verdict: Rather pretty, if a bit gentle and faint for my taste.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

A very sweet, light floral, sort of like honeysuckle but with a little more depth to it.

 

Wet:

Still very reminiscent of honeysuckle to me.

 

Dry:

This doesn't change much at all from imp to drydown on me. It's a bit more sweet and floral than I would normally prefer, but I like it. I have put it aside to try again at some later time.

Edited September 25, 2007 by n3m3sis42

[Lunaratu]

This smells a lot like roses on my skin which amps and smells extremely floral on me. A bit too much for me but on some people this is probably extremely lovely.

Rating: 3/5

[fireflower]

In the imp: Very strong floral. I'm recalling the scent of my grandmother's bathroom. Oh no. =\

 

First applied: Very strong florals. I can't detect any flower in particular, and I've never smelled a pansy before so I don't have anything to go by. =\ I swear I can smell rose, though, and lilies. It also reminds me of the cotton blossom candles we have at work. It really just smells like a huge flower garden in the summer. Like the breeze in the garden is carrying it all to my nose.

 

Drydown: Powdery, and still reminds me of my grandmother's bathroom.

 

Verdict: Those who appreciate floral scents will adore this, I think, but it's not for me. 5/10

[Lethran]

Very light floral, neither interesting, nor distinguished, but generally inoffensive.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

Very light floral, neither interesting, nor distinguished, but generally inoffensive.

 

not to borrow someone else's review, but that's dead-on as far as i'm concerned.

 

on me, this keeps varying between powdery-violet-chemical and earth-rich-Death-Cap-Asphodel

one sniff i'll think i like it. second sniff it smells like cheap dusting powder.

 

i honestly never realised pansies *had* a smell...

[theseagrows]

i am not sure what floral this is at all. it's a sweet floral but there is an aquatic edge that burns my sinuses...it reminds me of a perfume i've smelled before but i can't place it. the slight ozone/aquatic part of the scent is working for me so i will have to swap it.