Venice

[jj_j]

A complex, voluptuous scent that captures the robust beauty of the Italian Renaissance: lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, heady jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf.

When we discussed this one on MUA, there were all sorts of interesting comments. One of the best was "Can a scent be red? An incredibly red jasmine that captures what I imagine Renaissance Venice would have been - bold, bright, voluptuous, and lush."

I'm not a jasmine fan, but this isn't the headache-inducing type; it's very clear and rich. Others smelled violet plum, then waterlily, sandalwood, orris root, and other florals coming through. As a huge lemon fan, I'd be thrilled with just a bit more lemon and red currant to tarten things up, but the scent is a keeper as-is.

Ultra-feminine, but don't confuse that with "girlie." This is wealthy, soft-skinned, full-bosomed Renaissance woman with rings on her fingers and a cup of wine in her hand.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Very complex and beautiful. I smell flowers, I smell fruit, I smell spice. It makes me visual the ports of Venice and how they received luxuries to sell from the the four corners of the world.

 

After Wearing It:

Wow a floral I actually *adore*. The scent is predominantly floral, but with some fruity and headier notes deepening and thickening the smell until it's fully three-dimensional. I smell jasmine and what I imagine to be the violet plum the most on the first sniff, then with the waterlily, sandalwood and a chorus of other floral notes coming to join the play. Definitely a keeper!

 

Final Thoughts:

I like this enough that I'm glad I took the risk to buy a 5 ml bottle of it without trying it first. It's not my usual style, but somehow it really works anyway. It'll be nice to have some more variety in my fragrance rotation.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Old Venice is so lush and heady I didn’t want to stop inhaling the first time I sniffed the vial. It’s like rolling around in a huge pile of sun-warmed flowers, burrowing into the riotous colours.

 

Wearing: I tried this on just a bit after I posted the initial review because I couldn't stand not to, and I reaffirm my original opinion. Burrowing in flowers, bathing in flowers, sleeping in flowers. Enormous lush wild Mediterranean blooms like a flamenco dancer would wear in her hair, not sweetie-girlie florist flowers. Sunkissed and bright and soft and decadent. I love the feel of this one.

[viciousviolet]

Unbelivably vibrant, lush and sensual. Vermillion brocade and burgundy crushed velvet made into a perfume. The scent wafting off of the skin of one of DaVinci's models. Deep and bold enough to be womanly, but with notes bright enough to keep it lively and exciting. This is one of my favorite perfumes by far!

[Gothabillywench]

My mother swooped on this being Venetian herself & We adore it. Fresh and floral with a herby depth. Makes me think of a Venetian coutesan during the Renaissance when it was an independant state, full of colour & intrigue. It really captured the city at that time, powerfull, influential yet with a big sense of fun & excitment, and maybe just a little hot-headed!

[Damask Rose]

It's a really heavy fruity scent, with a hint of heavy floral scents and lemon. Really complex and smells delicious.

 

It smells a bit strong on me though as I accidentally spilled the whole vial on me when I was trying it!! Oops! What a waste. Think I will definitely buy a bottle of this though. It's one of my favourites so far.

[Pookymum]

The only actual scent I can pick out of this is the rose which is surprising considering the amount of different scents in there. It’s mainly a very intense flowery smell with a slight fruity undertone. Extremely feminine, ladylike not girly. Not old fashioned as in a grandma scent but more olden days. I like this one very much. Definitely a keeper and I will probably order a 5ml of it in the future.

[lucytalk]

I love this, though I can't detect any single notes in here. I'm glad I can't smell rose as I'm not a fan of rose blends. It's just lush, bright flowers to me, not fruity at all and it doesn't change on my skin from that. It's pretty long lasting on me, I put a tiny dab on one wrist to go to work (not supposed to wear perfume) and I could still detect it slightly at the end of the day. This is my favourite BPAL oil so far, I'm so glad I got a 5ml.

[sarabeegee]

I just received my bottle of Old Venice, having taken a chance and ordered it without smelling it first.

 

The other reviews were right on the money: this is such a complex "red" scent, floral without being too girlie, with definite fruit and green notes. I LOVE it! This is now one of my favorite BPAL perfumes.

[Belladonnastrap]

 

 

This scent invokes images of Venice in the time of Dangerous Beauty (for those of you who have seen this film and if you haven't YOU MUST. So great). If I had to pick a color this would be red trimmed with gilded gold. Floral and fruity, mysterious and playful this scent has it all. So delicious and ...well SEDUCTIVE. Very very very highly recommended and I am getting a 5ml of this ASAP.

[malanna]

It was a robust floral, but it overwhelmed in the imp and on my skin. In my head, it seems like a rich sort of scent, like someone said, a very heavy velvet. It just wasn't me, though. More for an older woman (like someone said, the Renaissance woman with rings on her hands).

[Scylla]

This one was VERY flowery and a little too overpowering for me. On drydown it smelled like "old lady perfume" on me, so I will be swapping this along with some others in a few days.

[TygherRayn]

I was really looking forward to this scent, and wasn't really disappointed with it, I'm glad to report. Wet, I don't really smell the rose. It smells like I imagine the courtesans of Venice did .. or would, had they had the delightful oils of BPAL to choose from!

 

As it dries it becomes more rose, and heavier. Like velvet would, it if had a scent. Its sweet, but not cloying, and a very 'warm' smell, as Jason put it. I tried it again today, and I am definitely smelling the fruitiness people have talked about, not so much of the rose, which is nice.

 

It's not something I would wear for spring though. This is a late summer-fall scent. But definitely a keeper.

[Lady_Ell]

This was a bit too strong for me, and I only put on a drop. It was very floral, and very sweet. Kind of like fresh flowers crushed in corn syrup. It was nice enough, but scent-wise it kind of non-descript because there are so many ingredients in it that I couldn't really pick out anything that really stood out and made me say "OH!". I'm not a big floral person, so I think that is why this wasn't really hitting me. It's bold and in-your-face, but I'm not. I think I will swap this - I probably won't be in the mood to wear it much.

[Ms. MSGirl]

This is yet another absolute favorite from Beth -- it's beautiful!! Something, maybe the plum or the currant or the jasmine, reminds me of the perfume I LOVE, Kitsune-tsuki, it's just sweet in that juicy, fruity-and-floral kind of way. It's more grown up and sophisticated by far than Kitsune-tsuki, though, I definitely second the lush, mature, red bloom image that others are getting from this. It is, in a phrase I've heard people use to describe other BPAL scents but which sticks the most to this one in my opinion, "what department store perfumes TRY to smell like and fail miserably!" Someone who wears designer perfumes would be an instant BPAL convert if she tried this most of all. It smells _expenisve_ in a classy, classic way, without being weird or fussy or powdery at all, just RED and juicy. I adore this one!!!!!

 

Edited to add: the drydown on this one is something absolutely exquisite on me, I only wish that I knew what it was!!!! I don't know anything really about how to pick out the different notes of the "purple" florals -- jasmine, violet, lilac, orris/iris, etc. I think it is one of those. But whatever it is, I want a bottle! Can anyone help me?? Is that jasmine? or violet? ?? I don't *think* it's rose...

 

It's wonderful, though!!

Edited April 23, 2004 by Ms. MSGirl

[Joey]

A very clean floral scent. I'm not sure about this one. I don't think I will buy another one of these.

[Dispatcherbert]

This came as an "extra" Imp's Ear thrown in by Beth. I think the other posters have pretty much hit on it. At first I thought it'd be too "floral" but it dried down to a nice warm sun-drenched summer-type scent. Another keeper!

[sirensongsouth]

In the imp this is a big red floral, but applied to me its a light summer floral. Its definately floral but its not a big lush red scent on, its more of a sparkly bright floral.

[Ishtar]

Wow. This is absolutely beautiful.

 

I am a huge fan of jasmine and red currant, so no wonder I like this so much.

 

This is definitely a womanly scent, incredibly refined and elegant. You can tell it is quite complex and layered, yet it is so well balanced that it feels effortless (as opposed to those "designer" scents that scream "Smell how complex I am, I have 99 different ingredients" and are nothing but cacophonic)

 

This scent actually reminds me of Florence more than Venice. I associate Florence with art, architecture and refinement, whereas Venice to me has a slight connotation of gloom and decay... there is none of that in this bright, uplifting scent.

 

 

I have not worn it yet, so I will edit this review later.

[Pandorra]

OLD VENICE

 

Initial: Mmmm. Pretty. Complicated.. I can’t pick anything in particular out. Floral? Clean? Sexy? Berries?

Duration: It changes. Sometimes I catch, floral, sometimes fruit, sometimes spice. Its busy with a lot going on. Like the hustle and bustle of an old city, and a beautiful, brunette woman making her way through the dust and noise and commotion, yet the flowers in her hair never wilt and the glow of her skin never fades.

Final: It’s a busy scent. Not relaxing, but vibrant. It might be too much for me when I need to relax or rest, or focus. But its wonderful for a busy, lush day at a fair, at a gathering of good friends. This is taking life full on in all its glory. You will exude a strong fresh sexiness that will be hard to resist. Feminine, but a bold feminine that's not afraid to laugh out loud and finish the bottle of wine!

[Ina Garten Davita]

Initial Impression: Reminded me instantly of my dear friend Tracy.

 

Second Impression: This is a complex and sophisticate scent. It reminds me of a department store perfume only done better, done right. It smells juicy, red, spicy and flowery.

 

Final Analysis: I wanted to adore this one on me and although Old Venice is lovely, it is just not for me. It's getting placed in a handmade card with the description and a graphic from the BPAL website and given to Tracy this weekend.

She's going to love it.

[Northernminx]

Sadness does not describe my dissapointment on this one, as I adore this scent, absolutely and utterly adore it - and it was quite literally undetectable on me after an hour. I am praying that with extra application that will be fixed or that my chemistry is just wierd this week. I will try it again this weekend.

 

One of those "picked it up for a character" purchases. The venetian cortesan concept for LARP was screaming that I must buy this. So I bought it. She was right. (damned writer's syndrome where the character just keep blabbing and blabbing...)

 

A rich, floral scent, vibrant and not too feminine. The fruity smell kicks the flowers into another gear and all I can picture is red and gold and velvet. Lady like, but a lady who knows what she wants. There is nothing meek and mild about this one.

 

In the bottle: strongly floral

 

in application: slides right into this gorgeous, rich, golden hot floral scent. Predominantly roses at first but there is a definite almost fruity wine undertone to it.

 

Wearability: Where'd it go? I was so dissapointed this one fell off me so quickly. Will try a more liberal application and if that works, a definite keeper.

[savage_carrot]

This was a very nice fruity/flowery mix....It started out very complex...couldn't pick anything out, and during the middle started sorting itself out into two different notes which were very nicely blended together....at the end it stayed that way...didn't turn powdery...It doesn't have much staying power though that could just me be...As an added observation, I don't really know what the oils in this are, but I swear I could detect the smell of the venician canals, a watery note. Don't know what causes this, but my feeling while wearing it was of walking by watery canals in bright sunlight. I liked it a lot.

[Reinaluna]

Old Venice to me is an antiqueish sweet floral. It has a very nice kick to it. A keeper for me.

[lorajc]

I got this scent because it was highly recommended to me on a thread by several people. When I first put it on, it was a little bold with the jasmine and red currant being predominant, after about an hour, the dry down was mild red currant and orris. I love orris. This started out bold but became very mellow on me. I wore it on a hot humid day and it was perfect for the weather.