Epitaph

[skepticism]

Roses and funeral lilies perceived, faintly, through an indistinct, ghostly mist.

Vial: Sweet floral, all rose and no lily.

Wet: Powdery and sweet floral, again. Ugh, it's way too sweet for my nose.

Dry: All powder, all rose.

This scent really disappointed me. Maybe it's a little too simple? It reminds me of Rose Cross. Not something I'd wear, really.

[jade_starlight]

This was a frimp from the lab, as I almost never order scents with rose since they almost always turn into generic, old lady rose-scented soap. Since I had this one I went ahead and tried it, and yep. Generic, old lady rose-scented soap.

[Iceblink]

Not much rose in this on me; it's mostly lilies and something that smells very clean and white. Maybe that's the mist. It's nice and inoffensive, like a fresh load of laundry.

[zankoku_zen]

This one was a very aggressive rose/lily blend. I really like lilies but I don't like roses.

It's a very white floral, pretty, somber scent.

 

ETA: Rosy carnations, creamy lilies.... wait, is this a more lily version of Morocco? I am very confused by this!

Edited November 17, 2014 by zankoku_zen

[rayvn1]

I also am pretty rose-less with this one, which is fine (although BPAL has some of the only rose scents I've ever enjoyed!) - I get soft, white lilies. Insanely comforting. I love this and will have to track down some more of it Great bedtime scent if I'm just in the mood to sleep.

[ljaylh]

Got this as a lab frimp!

 

I almost didn't try it, because.. roses.. nuh uh, not for me.

 

But I gave it a shot. When it first goes on, it had a strong baby shampoo-like smell to me, but then the rose came out. I'd say this is a dark pink rose.. not quite the lush red rose type of smell. More a powdery rose.

 

However, as is always the case for me, all I end up getting is rose. A nice sweet and feminine rose, yes, but.. just rose.

 

 

 

[Dymphna]

In the imp: This was a frimp in my last Lab order. Unfortunately, it had leaked. When I opened the box, I was surrounded by a beautiful rose scent. I quickly wrapped the imp in a Starbucks napkin and put it back in the box with the other frimps while I checked out the bottles I'd ordered. Just now, I decided to give it a try, but when I unwrapped it I saw that the imp hadn't just leaked, it actually cracked. All but the tiniest bit has soaked into the napkin, which smells impossibly better than when I first sniffed the leaky imp. It's the richest, most velvety rose scent I've ever smelled. And it's gone. (Well, that napkin is going in my underwear drawer, anyway!)

 

Wet: Rose doesn't tend to do well on my skin anyway, but I had to try this. (It was on my wishlist anyway for the lily.) OMG! It WORKS! I smell so damn good. It's that same rich, velvety rose scent that the napkin smells like. For the tiniest moment, I smell a sweet, fresh lily note, but then it's gone and it's all rose, all the time. It reminds me of the rose from Alice, but minus the carnation and milk and honey. Just sweet, heady rose. And it's not turning to soap or pickles or anything. *weeps with joy*

 

Dry: I don't know, I took a look at the other reviews and nearly all of them seem to say that this is heavy on the lily and easy on the rose, but to me this is almost pure rose. It's almost creamy, like burying your nose in one of those enormous, showy crimson roses that are so scented that you can almost taste them, and they block out all other scents for a moment. I love this. I do wonder whether this smells so good because it was exposed to at least some air due to the vial being cracked, because I did catch a whiff coming from the box every now and then over the past few days and it didn't smell like this at first. It was a much thinner, brighter rose. I'd have said light pink, white, or even yellow. Now, it's deepest red, rich and intense. Spectacularly beautiful.

 

How much do I love this scent? So much that, after doing this review last night, I threw another imp in with my Smoky Moon order to replace the broken frimp. I was seriously, seriously tempted to order a bottle, but I need to test it some more to see how much I like it. For once, my skin's tendency to amp rose has not been foiled by its tendency to turn it into soap. Oh, happy day!

[Monster]

Looks like the Lab is priming a lot of Epitaphs latley! I got this as a freebie with a recent order as well

 

In the imp: Powdery florals.

 

Wet: Baby powder (which may account for the "mist" note) with a bouquet of flowers in the background. The lily and the rose are mixing together in a way where I can't really pick out each one individualy...so I guess the description is spot on, huh? Beth never ceases to amaze me!

 

Dry: This is pretty much the same dry. The strong baby powder smell settles down a bit and blends nicely with the floral notes.

 

Verdict: Epitaph is a perfect, BPAL work of art. It's a really pretty, femenine perfume...great for floral lovers or those of you who like delicate scents. This one isn't for me, but I certainly can appreciate it. This smells just as described.

 

ETA - This vaugly reminds me of Lilith Victoria. This is a more floral, lighter version but has that same, sweet powder feel to it. I actually think I'm starting to really enjoy the way this smells on me. *sniff* Hmmm

Edited June 11, 2009 by Monster

[aquazoo]

Pretty, but cloying. Very distinctive lilies.

[Venneh]

Got this as a frimp in my last order, and seeing as Voodoo didn't work out earlier today, going to try this instead.

 

In the imp, I get a distinct floral scent, really beautiful, kind of powderish. Wet on my skin, I get florals a bit more, with a distant hint of a mistish/powderish sort of scent. Kind of reminiscent of Marquise for me, at this stage.

 

EDIT: Dries down to a mix of florals (I think I get a bit more of the lilies on this) and a misty sort of scent in the background. It's a nice scent, but I don't think I'm going to need any more than the imp I already have.

Edited September 20, 2009 by Venneh

[hkhm]

imp: this is a lighter and fainter version of numb to my nose. where numb was sharp, almost soapish, violet/lily, this is hazy and soft.

 

wet: yep, this smells just like numb on my skin. just softer. very faint lily, perhaps a touch of rose since it has a soapiness to it.

 

dry: once dry, this is incredibly pretty. the soapiness has vanished, the florals are soft and translucent. this scent sticks close to the skin and has a very intimate feel. i may have to test it again to decide if i need a bottle. regardless, it's lovely.

[muteddragon]

Light. Ghostly. Roses, faint. Clean... but smells elderly too. (Gosh, was that offensive?)

[voodoocatwoman]

This is a soft floral. Not overly sweet or cloying. Not pungent or too green. Just a nice basic unobtrusively pleasant floral.

[ralenth]

Imp: Heavily floral, funeral.

 

Wet: Strongly baby powder.

 

Drydown: Sharp green and baby powder. As it dries, it becomes more etheral, but it doesn't agree with my skin.

 

Dry: Soft powdery floral. On my skin, it's a bit like my grandmother's dusting powder.

 

Overall: With two of my nemeses, roses and lilies, it's not surprising this didn't work for me.

[Caerphilly]

The notes and description just sound beautiful to me! I really hope this works.

 

In the imp: lathered soap. I love love love roses and love lilies. But some lilies turn to soap on me. In this case, the lilies are so soapy, they over power all of the notes before it even touches my skin! Ugh...why!

 

Wet: Actually smells better on my skin. Still soapy, but not overly lathered. Smells of old lady perfume. Really strong, slightly watery. I'm getting a bit of rose somewhere under the soap.

 

Dry: Light white and pink roses floating on soapy water. soapy irish spring water.

 

Overall: I had high, high expectations for this scent. I thought I would live it, with the roses and the lilies and the mist. I should know by know that the Ars Moriendi scents (with lilies) are all soapy to me. I don't love it, but don't hate it either. It's strange, as most florals smells pretty and sweet and feminine in the bottle/imp and then turn to soap on the dry down. This scent was the opposite, starting as heavy soap and changing to a light floral with minimal soap. Very strange and interesting scent!

[Dharklady]

In bottle: A light, floral scent underneath a storm front of rain. It brings to mind an early morning shower in a blossoming flower garden filled with pink and white flowers.

 

Wet: It’s a soft floral smell on me. While I don’t normally like floral scents, the rose and lily combination under the sharper rain smell isn’t causing the normal “omg fake flower perfume” reaction I’ve had to most commercial perfumes. It sort of reminds me of going to church when I was younger and the combination of perfumes that the women used to wear.

 

Dry: I feel like I’ve just taken a shower using high quality flower scented soap. But I don’t hate it, I think due to the fact that the rain overtones keep the rose and lily in check. It actually smells a bit powdery dry.

 

Notes: At no point did I get a funeral vibe from it all, though while wet it did make me think of church. Not really my preference for scents with the floral coming to the fore on me.

 

[Lethran]

In bottle: A pleasant sharpness over a floral haze. The elements are well balanced, and the lilies are lovely. I will not skin test as there is no point with the rose.

[whisperstilled]

Rose and lily, what more is there to say? The 'mist' quality gives it a little something extra, but the roses predominate and give it a baby-powder quality I don't like in my florals. Not offensive, not for me.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Whisperstilled

[mxtine]

Rose and lily soap. It's interesting how it smells somber though.

[Suu4LC]

I get mostly a hazy lily scent. Didn't really notice the rose in the imp, though it usually pops out on my skin.

 

Ok, on my skin this is a soft rose/lily scent. Hmm..this kind of floral might be a bit old-ladyish. Though it doesn't go stinky or cloying-just soft and sweet and somewhat ethereal.

 

Honestly, on drydown this is sort of a generic light floral. It's just sort of meh. Nothing really distinguishable about it. It's pleasant and the rose did not go sour on me, I just would never see myself reaching for this when there are so many other unique bpal blends.

[SophieCedar]

It's funny.. I've tested this 3 times with the intention of reviewing it.. but forgot. It's really light and relaxing so it tends to make me space out.

 

Wet: White rose and funeral lilies with a foggy mist wet note. Strange that it's simultaneously direct and atmospheric. The rose keeps a bit of awareness/directness, lily a bittersweet floral adding a bit of drama, and the mist makes everything hazy and surreal.

Drydown: same!

[StrangeSniffer]

In Imp: No mistaking this smell, definetly roses and lily.

 

Wet: Rose is very strong, with a hint of lily in the background, and the smell of what I might imagine mist floating above the wet grass of a graveyard to smell like. Strangely enough, this reminds me of something from my childhood. My mother is a florist and when we used to vist her when we were younger, the store smelled almost exactly like this. It makes me wonder if i'm recalling the smell of the flowers from the funeral arrangements...

 

Dry: The mist has disappeared, and the lily is struggling to come through. It seems that this scent is one that is easily overpowered due to the amping power my skin gives to roses.

 

Overall: A pleasant scent, but not one that i'd wear very often.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Extremely strong white floral.

 

Wet: Huge overkill on the lily. Powerful, overwhelming, cloying lily. Do not detect much rose at all, and what I do detect only adds to the insane amount of sweetness.

 

Dry: Guh, I think the dry stage has just made this even more heady. Not fond of this at all.

 

Overall: You'd better ADORE lily and not mind it going uber sweet and powdery on you.

[milo]

Strong rose at first, then more heady lilies as it dries. This ends up to be an equal amount of slightly powdery lilies and roses. Not really my thing, but I do find lilies are much better than jasmine as a heady floral.

[undream]

i love rose & i love lily, and this is a beautiful blend of both. strong, lush and heady. i'm only about 20 minutes in, but i suspect this one will be a keeper. love.