The Queen's Salon

[filigree_shadow]

I've been putting off writing a review of this because I can't tell what's in it. Some other reviewers mention an aquatic note, and I can't smell that. Some also mention specific flowers, and I can't tell which floral notes specifically are in this. Nothing really stands out.

 

It reminds me of Queen of Spades (although it's not as sweet as QoS) and Frumious Bandersnatch, which makes me think there's some plum in it. It also has a very velvety floral feel, which makes me think of roses. But I can't really discern a true rose scent in it. It has a little bit of spiciness -- not like cinnamon, just a mild kick -- and that makes me think of carnation. Underneath that, there's a musk. I have no idea what kind of musk, but I know it doesn't smell like red musk or white musk.

 

It's quite light on me, not overwhelming at all. The floral notes aren't heady or cloying, just pretty. All in all, it seems like a gently floral musky plum scent. It's really lovely.

[wren08]

I thought I had already reviewed The Queen's Salon!

 

This is beautiful... it is more traditionally perfume-y than other bpals I have sniffed but Beth in her genius makes it work. There is something that is effervescent, like champagne, that makes me think of the very best of the old french perfumes and the light, white roses. The most amazing thing is that the effervesence lasts... it doesn't fade of in the dry down. I don't get any aquatic notes which is a good thing since they go right off on me.

 

This is a light scent but very lasting. I can still smell it after several hours and most bpals disappear much faster than that on me, especially the light ones.

 

The Queen's Salon made it to my top 10 in record-breaking time!

[CiCi]

The Queen's Salon is a mixture of spice, musk, and florals with a touch of rose that I can definitely smell but it doesn't overwhelm. While it is a light scent, it's staying power is long. It really does last all day. It somehow reminds me of days gone by, of tea parties at 3:00 with long flowing dresses and gloves, and ladies with hats. It is an elegant scent and one of my favorites. Beth has done it again!

[Blood onmy hands]

I was excited to get this because some people have mentioned that it smelled rose-like to them. This is an awful, headache inducing floral on me though . It has a smell of sharp flowers and heavy musk with a drydown of heavy, dirty powder on my skin. The Queen's Salon is another floral blend that makes me think of the cheap drugstore perfume that I try to stay far away from.

[black*cat]

Once again I got to test this thanks to GypsyRedRose!

 

In the imp it reminds me of a rose perfume my grandma used to wear, wet on my skin I get alot of floral with a slight powdery note, dry it's all rose & powdery ozone, which is giving me a headache.

 

Not a blend for me.

[savage_rose]

Yay GypsyRedRose and her sniffy circle!

 

In the imp: Lovely, lovely floral perfume. Clear and sweet but not cloying.

 

Wet: Gorgeous flowers, and this absolutely delicious, intoxicating wine smell. Oh my GOD, this scent is amazing. Heady. Its sultry whispers tell you to leave your life behind and become a fabulous old-timey lounge singer wearing vintage dresses, a flower tucked behind your ear. You can't sing? Well, do it anyway. This scent CANNOT be bothered about such petty details. It's too busy looking exotic and holding that long stick thingie that Edwardian women smoked from.

 

Dry: It fades a bit, and becomes a little more powdery. And it starts to smell like...desert rose? Dry, dusty rose. Not nearly as gorgeous as it is wet, but it still smells so beautiful. Oh, Queen's Salon, I hoped we would not hit it off like this. You're very rare, and I'm very not rich. Oh, oh, oh.

 

This is sooo beautiful. If there was a full-bodied rose wine, this would be what it would smell like.

[Tulliver]

I have no idea what's in this. None whatsoever. Florals? Definitely. Spices? I'm almost certain. Fruits? Definitely maybe if you're looking at the berries/plums types of fruit. Aquatics? I have no idea what they're even supposed to smell like, but okay. I can see where it comes in, I think. Musk? Possibly, but I'm more inclined towards a light vanilla, I think.

 

Basically, I have no idea. But this blend as a whole just mixes perfectly and smells absolutely gorgeous on me. The throw is more than adequate, and it lasts. Oh MY, it lasts. I could still smell it eight hours later, which delights me beyond words. It's all pinks and whites in my head, which is perfect in relation to the story of the dancing lady. It also has darker red/purple elements too, though, which makes it such an opulant lush experience. I love it. I can say nothing negative about it whatsoever.

 

I took a chance and got a bottle of this when I had the opportunity. I thought that, even if it didn't like me I'd easily be able to swap it for something else.

 

Needless to say I'm keeping the bottle. *snuggles it*

[slave1]

THE QUEEN'S SALON

 

In Bottle: Sweet soft spicy floral

 

On Skin: I love it at once… it totally has the same tone and feel as Queen of Spades one of my alltime favorite scents. I smell florals… I’m thinking a sweet red rose (just slightly sharp), carnation (I smell that spice it has) and maybe gardenia because of the creamy note it becomes on me. I also smell plum which almost always works on me and a gorgeous musk that provides a somewhat feral note as it develops. I love that is has a light spice and velvety feel. The scent is dark, but more like a dark red or purple that is seductively dark, not scary dark. Very elegant, very in control, very woman hear me roar. I want a gallon of it. Average throw and short to average wearlength.

Edited November 13, 2007 by slave1

[Lunaratu]

Thanks to GypsyRoseRed for the imp!

 

When wet this is all lovely warm florals—very high-crust Victorian lady florals. The rose is turning a little sharp on me as it’s drying down but I’m really hoping that is just a phase because there are so many other notes in this that usually love me. Sadly that sharpness stays after it dries and even goes a tiny bit soapy. So it’s just a rather abrasive rose and some other florals scent on my skin. It’s sad that it doesn’t work but also very lucky because I don’t know what I would have done if I had fallen in love with this.

Rating: 2/5

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very perfume-y musky floral.

 

Immediately on skin: This is hard to figure out… but it’s definitely floral. I think I’m getting lily and jasmine, and possibly a small bit of smoky opium. It’s slightly sweet, but not overly so. It’s a haunting smoky floral.

 

After a few minutes: WOW, strong floral. This has quite a throw! It’s very bright and filled with fragrant flowers. I know I’m getting lily, though what kind I’m not sure, and jasmine. I’m still getting an opium type note; it’s smoky and a little bitter.

 

Overall Impressions: On me, this is nothing special. It’s very strong with a strong haughty floral feel to it, and some individual flowers peek through: lily, jasmine, and maybe even some gardenia. There’s a light musk underneath the flowers, and a very slight sweetness to the blend. To my nose, though, it is very strong and a bit sharp. If you like the more perfume-y floral scents, this one might be for you.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Queen's Salon

 

In the decant: a sleek, soft, sweet, sophisticated floral. There's an almost honeyed nectar to the scent. I think it's a kind of lily.

Wet on skin: now I can smell rose! And maybe a soft musk, or amber, or vanilla…maybe even gardenia (the good kind that doesn’t turn to nastiness on my skin).

Dry on skin: this is gorgeous! This reminds me strongly of the Haunted Palace, which I love-it's that same decadent floral with sweet opulent base notes. I smell red roses here, maybe a bit of orange or a citrus note-not the blood orange of HP but maybe a softer orange-some creamy gardenia and possibly lily as well. Maybe even night blooming jasmine, magnolia or tuberose-there's a heady sweet white floral to this. I'm sure there's amber here because I get a sweet golden undertone to it all. I also think there may be vanilla and/or musk.

After a while: the scent now becomes more faded and dusty in feel. It's not as rich and full bodied/fruity as HP now, I still smell roses, white flowers and amber perfume, but this now has a scent to it reminiscent of antique cloth. It's almost like silk, in fact, but it's dusty and it's a cloth that has absorbed the scent of fragrant woods, flowers, spices and perfumes. I definitely get a 'boudoir' scent to this, but this is an old boudoir which still remains the same way after many decades, all the perfumes and cosmetics and dressing tables covered in dust, nostalgic, and definitely ghostly. However this doesn't smell stuffy or frumpy at all. This is a really lovely 'old fashioned' scent. I think there's a hint of chrysanthemum here…it does smell a little bit like Chrysanthemum Moon but without the incense, opium, or that 'potpourri' note.

Then the scent becomes even sweeter and more floral, and now it reminds me of a much more full bodied version of Schaflende Baigneuse. I'm pretty sure there's skin musk in this scent-it has that powdery, pale tone to it. Maybe there's honeysuckle and honey here? I still smell red rose and amber and rich floral notes as well as that 'antique cloth' but the florals are more defined now. After a few hours, an intriguing papery note comes out, or maybe it's a woodsy note? It reminds me of old paper though, and seems to fit in nicely with the dusty, haunting, old tone this scent has.

Verdict: damn, another rarity that I'm in love with. I was hoping this would smell like Lydia (which was soapy on me) simply because it's so hard to find, but no! The queen has to smell good enough to lust for more! This is a beautiful, sophisticated and wistful blend, starting off with an almost Haunted Palace-like mix of amber, rose, musk and a citrus note, maybe some soft white florals. Gorgeous and glamorous, a feminine and classy scent which speaks of luxury. The scent then turns a little dusty (that's a good thing) and there's a scent of old fabric to it, like curtains and bed covers and evening dresses all covered with a tinge of that lovely rose-amber perfume and dust. It's a faded and antique scent that seems to evoke the memory of a boudoir of a rich, smart, classy lady, and her perfumes and powders and vases of flowers. This is a wonderful and womanly scent and I wish I could get more. I'm glad it smells similar to the Haunted Palace because I have quite a nice stash of that scent, but I love the Queen's Salon enough to crave more of it (hopefully without trading my organs!)

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes-and I want more! I fear being involved in Ebay wars for this…

[greymatter]

I was frimped this in a recent purchase from ivyandpeony (she is SUCH a doll!). Anyway, just based on the description, I wasn't all that interested, but since she was so generous, I had to try it, right?

 

O.M.G. *dies*

 

This dries down to the most gorgeous, soft, musky sweetness ever. It's amazing! And here I thought I was a Door 13 girl. . . ^_~

 

I get nothing aquatic in this. Just soft, sweet, not overtly floral goodness. <3!

[seadragon]

I definitely get carnation from this, on first sniff it has that same slightly green/spicy smell that carnation gets as it ages. Definitely a musk in the background, and a fruity scent that after reading the other reviews, I would agree is probably plum. I don't get any aquatics at all though. It's pretty, but thankfully I don't need to hunt down more!

[tziporra]

Oh wow.....

 

 

I was lucky enough to get a 5ml of The Queen's Salon in a swap, and I am still congratulating myself on my good fortune.

 

I've worn it every single day since I opened my package, and then I spend the moments before bedtime sniffing my clothes full of Queen's Salon scent.

 

My once completely full bottle is now shoulder high, drifting to top of label.

 

But maybe I should give specifics.....

 

The first few moments are all clamouring flowers of the super-sweet variety -- but I couldn't tell you a specific note for sure. Almost immediately a strong sharp note emerges: I want to say Lavender, but I'm not seeing that guess in anyone else's review. It takes about 15-20 minutes of drydown to lose the sharpness.

 

Then The Queen's Salon is heaven... very sophisticated rose (the first rose in the history of BPAL which doesn't go cheap rosewater on me, but actually smells of fresh velvety petals) over what I read as smoky opium -- but others are variously pinning as vanilla or musk. Plus all those other myriad notes that just blend into the most sophisticated regal amazing scent.

 

I agree about the luxurious fabric impressions that have been variously mentioned -- this is the scent of couture clothing laid over the back of a chair after being worn to dinner by the most glamourous woman you know. Her perfume and the faintest hint of smoke waft off of the plum-colored silk gown....

 

Totally love.

 

Tzi

[theseagrows]

i have no idea what notes are in this. it's a sweet musky aquatic floral. the floral reminds me of orchid or something like that, but i don't think it's quite orchid. it's very 'perfumy', and the throw is strong and there is an aquaticness that stands out a lot. the musk is more subtle. this is too aquatic for my tastes, but i am really glad i got to try this!

[Shollin]

First sniff: A riot of sweet, powdery flowers – rose, violet, jasmine. I suspect this will not go well for me.

 

Wearing: Sweet and floral and very perfumey. It isn’t powdery, which surprises me, but it’s sweet enough to give me a bit of a headache.

[beachbabealways]

I have no clue what is in this.

 

Sniffing the bottle: It smells really good.

I'd say spicy/floral ... in a way it reminds me of Bearded Lady & Gypsy Queen

 

On me: It doesn't work so well. Dang skin chemistery.

 

How very sad!

[fairnymph]

Fresh, green, rosy floral. It reminds me of expensive perfume, generally.

 

Less green, sweeter (purple fruit?), rosier. Deep sexy musk and maybe something with warmth, a light amber? There is heady floral, quite possibly a touch of jasmine, maybe gardenia? Something white. Definitely regal and velvety as others have said. I'm getting a hint of spice, which I suspect is carnation.

 

Powdery drydown, violet perhaps. Still some gardenia and a LOT of musk, and perhaps some amber. The rose goes increasingly to soap, but until then this blend isn't bad for a powdery floral.

[countessmouse]

So, so glad I managed to snag a bottle of this one! Light, white florals with a hint of spice and musk. I'm not getting the aquatic note that others are, but who cares?!

 

This scent is beautiful and has an excellent throw.