Selkie

[fatalbellydance]

The chill waters of the Orkney coast, tea-leaved willow, honey-touched Grass-of-Parnassus, sea aster, and Scottish Primrose.

In the vial:The scent of a seals skin lying on a warm bit of washed up wood with some honeysuckle sticking out of it. Yum! If it stays this warm i won't have to worry about it being too aquatic for me.

Wet: The honeysuckle everyone else is getting comes out right away, with a bit of aquatic tang in the background and something else warming it up a bit. Honestly it smells kinda soapy, like a really good soap, but soap none-the-less.

Dry: Dove soap, while I do like the smell of Dove, I don't really want to waste a perfectly good vial when someone else will be really really happy with it. I may try it one more time to be sure, but it's probably being swapped. Edited December 10, 2007 by Shollin

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is very melon/cucumber/fresh ocean mist

once applied this turns extremely complex with the honey coming forefront...

then hayoogely floral; but white florals which are all good...everything is

blended to perfection with this scent...

excellent throw; this is quite a beauty!

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Soft honey

 

On me:

I'm having a hard time getting ahold of the notes in this one. It's got a sort of herbal quality to it, but with a soft honey note and a sort of aquatic note also. It's a strange combo - not in a bad way, it just makes it difficult for me to determine whether or not I like this.

 

After a while, I do get a soft melon - but it's very soft and quite secondary to the aqautic note. In the end, the honey note pretty well disappears and it's mostly aqautic in the drydown.

 

Final note:

This is one of those rare scents where I just cannot decide if I like it or not. It's a nice aquatic, and the soft melon note is nice also.

[wichapi]

Ohhhh rats. I suppose that back-splash of salt is necessary to the theme, but maaaaan does it ever spoil the overall silkiness of this otherwise fabulous blend. I get the sea-greens and melon-like aromas with a touch of the primrose underscored with sweet honey... but the salt is so heavy it completely overpowers everything else like a rip-tide, nearly to the point of making me gag. Off it goes.

[yeahbutnobut]

Selkie

 

In the imp: a fresh, effervescent aquatic with a watery floral note.

Wet on skin: salty water-almost bordering on soapy but not quite-with fruity tart flowers.

Dry on skin: this is very pretty! Like most of the sea scents, it does have a hint of laundry to it, similar to Dirty etc. I can smell the honeyed grass here though, with something almost tea like to it (tea leaved willow?) combined with the honey, it almost reminds me of Gennivre. There are also some sharp white flowers here-can't say what but they bring to mind flowers blooming on a cliff overlooking the sea, a cold breeze blowing on the coast, the smell of salt in the air. The marine note this has is very cold.

After a while: what the? This is turning very fruity now. It now reminds me of the apple/pear notes I get in things like Dirty, Sundew, Empyreal Mist, and Thunderbird, crisp and sharp but almost teetering on the brink of becoming overripe, though there's a cool watery aspect reminding me of cucumber. It also reminds me of Szespasszony (or however it's spelled) but with a salty aspect instead of an earthy one. There's still that 'clean laundry in the sea breeze' scent to it.

After a while, I get a distinctive 'dried sea grass' scent to this. It reminds me of the beach I used to go to as a child, where there were lots of sand dunes covered in tough spiky grass. This smells just like that grass, only with that fresh fruity-ozone note splashing over it like storm waves.

Then the scent turns to sharp fruity soap. I smell a 'green stems' note but then there's an odd note which reminds me of plum blossom (which sometimes turns to overripe fruit on me) and detergent.

It turns very sharp and sour after a few hours, and I'm not keen on that stage. The sourness dominates until it fades.

Verdict: like most marine aquatic scents, this is another one that turns into clean laundry on me. It's quite pleasant for some time, actually. It's a fresh clean floral, cool and salty and breezy, a mix of sea spray and white crisp flowers, and a momentary hint of honeyed grass. This does turn to something very fruity, like apples/pears with almost cloying blossoms. I must say, despite the soapy-fruity scent that my skin is warping this fragrance into, it really does evoke the atmosphere of a Scottish beach, cold sea breezes, wild waves, chilly waters, hardy beach grasses and a hint of flowers on the coast. It's not bad, and the beach grass note is very accurate at one point, but I'm not keen on the drydown at all-it goes very sour and a little too detergent like on me…but I was expecting that. not a favourite, but very pretty and evocative, especially for the first hour or two of wear.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I like it but there are other sea scents I prefer-and it turns soapy-so maybe not.

If you like this, try: Dirty, Sea of Glass, Sundew, Thalassa, Szespasszony, Empyreal Mist, Gennivre, One to Tie Two to Win

[Emera]

In the imp: Can't make anything of it here. Sort of a dark-brown murk, with little whiffs blowing out of it at random - like honey, which was nice.

 

On my skin: A creamy, light floral, a bit like white ginger - golden, warm, and sweet.

 

Later: Still largely creamy floral (a bit too sweet at times), but occasionally it separates itself out into perfect, crystalline notes of honey and sweet dried grass, like a late-summer landscape. It's very golden and wistful, not at all grey, as I thought it would be from the description. Lovely.

 

Edit: Massive edit as my second try was much more successful than the first.

Edited August 19, 2007 by Emera

[parasolfringe]

This is beautiful!

When I first tried it, it was very aquatic, chilly salt water at the forefront.

Now maybe it's aged? Or something? Because I'm getting the sweet, cool melon that others have written about.

There's definitely a melony feel to it, perfect for summer, cool and backed by an evocative aquatic and probably a tinge of honey.

I wore this to go boating and it was just lovely!

My mother says this smells like Ralph Lauren's Lauren...I don't know, since I've never smelled it, but there you go.

I slathered and it's a bit light for my taste but I can't think of a better perfume to wear in the summer. It makes me feel like I'm running along the coast in a flowing white linen dress, breeze whipping through my hair as the ocean laps at my feet.

Edited July 11, 2007 by parasolfringe

[emzebel]

Hot damn! This is exactly what I was hoping it would be - an aquatic I can wear!

 

Selkie is gorgeous - whispy, airy, but not necessarily light. She is a misty ocean breeze forshadowing a storm, sweetened by the fruity sweet grasses, a swirl of fresh honey, light wildflowers she whips up along the way. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

[n0thing]

Decant arrived today, and sadly it's directly off to swaps!

 

On initial opening - Really pretty, pale, 'fresh seaside air' aquatic - oooh, promising!

 

On me - Gradually turned into the smell of a grandma's bathroom ..just the exact clone of all blue/oceanus toilet cleaner-esque fragrances. Poop..i'll stick with Jolly Roger!

[monkey1123]

Yowza, this is pretty. Very soft and wearable. I'm so glad I have a bottle!

[laliloo]

Hee! Love your Goth Detectives icon Monkey!

 

Selkie is lovely. Some days there's just no other option for me but to wear Selkie. I smell cucumber but I think this is probably better described as melon, as other people have said. I see this scent as a light, wafting green colour - the image I get in my head when I smell it is of a deep rock pool, black rugged rocks, deep green water, with the seaweed that looks like mermaid's hair swaying in the depths. It's hard for me to separate out the different notes as this image is so vivid in my mind, that I can't break the scent down into constituent parts!

 

I do find that the scent changes very little after drying and lasts ages. It's also got a stronger throw than most of the other scents that I love. This is one of my top 5. And some days it definitely takes the number 1 slot. I think it's probably a summer scent though - I think it may slip down the list a little as autumn and winter move in.

[medvssa]

In the imp it is sweet fresh grass.

 

On, too. Ohhh, lovely! This is so amazing! grass, more grass! a touch of sweet, greenery, sea spray, fresh wind, a and a little bit of flowers. It is the perfume for a fairy. Amazing, outstanding. If only I could find a bottle...

[Paige]

In the decant, it smells like the ocean with a dash of melon and a drop sea breeze on the side.

 

Dry, it still smells like the ocean (not too strong) with a twist of zestiness (citrus).

 

After a while, the melon smell arises and takes over. The ocean scent is still there but faint on me. Sigh, my skin amps up melon... makes me nauseous

 

I will give it a try again tomorrow to see.... I really want to love Selkie!!! *determined* But right now, it's not agreeing with me.

[batsy]

In the vial: Honey and tea, in an chilly aquatic sense. It smells awesome and I can't describe it, really.

 

On the skin: I'm guessing that's the primrose. It's like this sweet little scent, very very aquatic, that charms the pants off me. Plus the whole Selkie deal which endears it more. I wish it lasted longer; the throw on me is very minimal and I'd have to bathe in it to make it last all day. But anyway, one of the very few aquatics I love/can wear!

[storme]

In the bottle: aquatics and honey and lots of florals.

 

On me, wet: very light clear aquatics and honey - very clear and bright and sweet.

 

On me, dry: hmm, there's a sharp fruity edge to this - which is a bit unpleasant against that powdery-honeyed floral.

 

Verdict: Yeah, that honey-powder isn't nice with the fruits on my skin. Hrm, guess I didn't need a bottle. Oh well.

[tartchef]

Oh oh oh... Selkie is absolutely gorgeous, so much so that I don't want to look directly at it in case I spook it & it runs away... I have a notoriously bad relationship with aquatics, and wishlisted an imp of Selkie out of some kind of perverse curiosity. The reviews made is sound so lovely, I had to give it a shot.

 

So, SO glad I did. Selkie is beautiful & fresh, without smacking me over the head with a box of rain-scent dryer sheets... Wet, it's very literally honey diluted in cold seawater - sweet but in no way cloying, just clear & fresh & lovely. As it dries, I get the melon & honeysuckle other reviewers noted, but again, overwashed by clearest, coldest water... almost snowmelt. It's standing in a high cliff meadow, overlooking the sea - the wildflowers are huddled low to the ground, the grass is vibrating in the chill wind, and the sun is just beginning to filter through the last grey clouds of winter. Freshly washed sheets are on the line, snapping in the breeze. Your nose is cold, but the sun is faintly warm on your cheeks. You bend down & brush your hand over the wet grass & creeping herbs & tiny flowers, releasing a waft of scent that is borne away on the wind...

 

Selkie is stunning and absolutely evocative... I want to close my eyes & be there.

Edited October 8, 2007 by tartchef

[hellomoonglow]

Mmmmmmm......Selkie!

I love this!

Got it in a swap here on the forum, and it just arrived today.

I had forgotten what the primary ingredients were in here. I definetly smell the primrose primarily, which is wonderful! In the bottle it reminded me of my childhood. I don't know what that is, but I from time to time have that memory/scent from BPAL oils. Maybe something my Mom or G'ma wore, I don't know. Wet it smelled like deodorant, but in a good way. Not your average pitt spray! Dry down it smells like the roses mingled with something else, maybe something green. I saw sea aster as an ingredient, that may be what it is. Overall I love this and am SO glad I got it!

[tikiera]

In the imp I smell a floral I don't know - maybe the aster? and the smell of water.

 

I don't really know how to describe this one - it seems to become a part of me - I smell like spring water, and rushes and pond blooming plants - but ME. It's a very cool, very aquatic smell, but spring water not river or ocean.

[wikkidraven]

this is probably just my weird nose, but selkie reminded me right off of a margarita. i could taste the salt when i put my nose to my hand. it was the oddest sensation ever.

 

that said, i'm starting to scare myself liking scents that are so far out of my voodoo queen/snake charmer-esque comfort zone. tamamo no mae was a stunner, and selkie, which i probably won't break it out until the weather gets warmer, is also beautiful in her own way.

 

after a long dry spell of nothing working on me, i'm happy to have found some new smellies.

[Miss Lynx]

I really, really wanted to love this, because -- well, it's called Selkie! I have a major liking for seals and selkies, as is probably evident from my forum userpic. But aquatic scents rarely work well on me, and it's also got floral notes, which my skin likes to amp to all hell. So I couldn't resist ordering it, but admittedly there was a certain level of apprehension.

 

My first reaction when I initially tried it was that it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected -- it's a fairly light scent, and not overwhelmingly sweet. You can certainly pick up the florals pretty strongly, but they're not at the rise-up-and-kill-you level. However, it's still a much more conventionally perfumey sort of scent than I'd normaly ever wear.

 

It's also really not what I'd associate with selkies -- it really needs to haave some animal musk for that. It's too... clean this way. I have been up close to seals (again, see userpic). They do not smell like perfume. They smell kind of wet and fishy and musky and, well, animalistic. If you wanted an authentic selkie scent, it'd be kind of like wet dog mixed with fish, though I expect that wouldn't be a big seller. But still... it'd be more evocative for me if it had a strong musk note, and a little more darkness, and was maybe a bit more woody and less floral.

 

As it stands... it's not completely unpleasant, but it's really not me. And I have to decide whether it's really worth keeping just for the fact that it says Selkie on it, which have of me says it is (just because OMG Selkies) and half of me says "Are you kidding? With the amount of BPAL you already have? Away with it already!"

 

*sigh*

 

Grade: C

[suki]

i have already promised this one to my boyfriend and now i'm sorry i did!

 

in the bottle: lovely! the aquatic element in there, but not overpowering. i smell cucumber, sea grass and a bit of orange citrus under it all.

 

in the dry down: the honey sukcle is there and the cucumber comes out more strongly.

 

an hour later: more subtle mixing now, a return of the watery element and a tinge of ozone with an afterthought of honey. i swoon from it all!

 

 

i might have to steal this back from boyfriend afterall...

[Mamacat]

When I sniff this in the vial it smells very aquatic, fresh and kind of sweet.

On my skin it's more sweet. I can smell the honey and it doesn't go soapy the way most aquatics and florals do on me.

 

Oh it's really beautiful and unique. I know I'll use up this decant and probably wish that I had more.

[Delirium1009]

Selkie is the quintessential mermaid-sunning-on-the-coast scent. It's crisp and almost salty, with a fresh aquatic feel and soft bright florals that just mesh perfectly with the salty sea air. It's sweet, but not overly so. Most of the listed plant notes in this are a mystery to me alone, though there is a hint of the primrose. In actuality, this is one of those blends from bpal that are so well blended, you can't really separate the notes; you just have to sniff it and take it all in together.

 

This is the blend that started my bpal love, and is a very happy scent. It's especially nice in warmer weather and always lasts a good long time on me, though it seems to sit closer to the skin.

[rconklin]

My first reaction, upon smelling Selkie, was one of sheer rapture. This smell stirred something deep within me--it is an achingly beautiful scent. Ephemeral, luscious, soft, and complex. It is subtle and sensuous--the scent of an impossible love. In the bottle, I smell a salt spray, but once it is applied to my skin it begins to morph into something...so unique.

 

The floral note is not flowery, if that makes any sense...It is a gentle, demure flower. Flowers growing in the crevices of sea-carved rocks of the Scottish coast. The honey note from the grass is what pulls this all together for me (I'm discovering more and more that I like honey notes in my scents)...The lightness of that scent draws the crispness of the ozone and the sea into a harmonious balance with the flowers.

 

The colors it evokes in my mind are a soft purple, the color of the asters, or the sea creaturs that live in the tidepools; the cold gray of the rocks and the sky on stormy days; a golden glow of sunny days and the light reflecting off of droplets of water; and the deep, churning green-blue of the sea.

 

I cannot get enough of this.

[LupaWulf]

When I first sniffed the bottle, I was entirely enraptured! It smelled cool, wet, sweet and fresh! It was so sweet and lovely I could hardly believe it.

After applying it, I still enjoyed the scent, but more of a floral smell became prevolant.

 

Hours after, the sweet and refreshingly cool notes are gone. I smell like I have a boquet of rather strong and floral-y smelling flowers somehow hidden on my person. I'm not as happy about this as I thought. I was hoping for something more refreshing smelling at least, or that it would stay exactly as it smells wet (like the origional Blue Moon, but more wet and not as sweet).

 

This will be another I shall have to try in a scent locket or my hair.