Parsifal

[GypsyRoseRed]

 

Paperwhite narcissus, petitgrain, rosemary, cyclamen, and ozone accord.

 

This is one of those quintessential clean scents, and while I'm not a lover of those I can still appreciate this and what makes it work. To my nose, most clean perfumes are usually either white florals (which are great on other people, but not me) or dryer sheets/potpourri. This is neither. It's slightly floral, slightly herbal but thirty minutes into the drydown it smells like a bar of expensive French soap I once had, and it's refreshingly clean without falling into any particular category. It's like a good old fashioned dose of soap and water. I don't think I'll wear this often at all, but I'll be keeping a little bit of it for when the mood hits me.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is a super clean, very ozone blend...

 

once applied the narcissus amps up to a heady and expensive woman's perfume...

the rosemary balances this out nicely...a very slight bitter note...almost dandelion

(problee the petitgrain) makes this completely wearable for me...

 

i am loving it!

[ifinena]

This is a clean, ozon-y scent.

I don't know the individual notes, but I would say that this is a scent one can wear during warm/hot weather. A bit floral, a bit soapy -like you just washed your hands.

 

While I do love clean scents, I had to swap this away for other external reasons.

points: 3/5

[stutefish]

For the first few moments of being on my skin, Parsifal smelled pleasantly petitgrainy, almost bergamot-y. After an hour or so, the heady white narcissus showed up and gave the petitgrain the big smackdown. On the right person, narcissus is probably kind of spectacular. Narcissus on me demands designer clothes, a Mercedes S-Class and a night out doing something more sophisticated than watching old Twilight Zone episodes while drinking lambrusco out of a juice glass. A juice glass with a pig on it going "oink."

 

Perhaps someday I'll be refined enough to wear Parsifal! Or ah, perhaps not.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very herbal and floral with a bit of ozone.

 

Immediately on skin: This is very floral, in a cool, white way. The narcissus smells very fresh and spring-like, and there’s also a lot of ozone, a tough of herbs, and a hint of citrus. This scent is very bright and clean.

 

After a few minutes: This smells like a bouquet of white and yellow spring flowers. It’s very strong, but it smells fresh and bright. The herbal note I was getting retreated a bit, and the white flowers and ozone are the main notes now. It’s very “clean” smelling.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a very fresh, bright floral fragrance. I picture the flowers in this to be white, with a few yellow blooms scattered throughout. The ozone is strong, but pairs nicely with the floral notes. It’s rather strong and seems to have good throw. If you enjoy clean floral blends, try this one.

[The_Witching_Hour]

This really is all clean, fresh, sun-drenched flowers fragrance right from the imp and down to the last 8 hours. It never changes which is a pleasant surprise for me as I have skin chemistry that changes the smallest of notes (one would think) in most blends.

 

I don't personally seek out the 'clean, just washed the sheets and they're hanging out on the line in back' scent but for those that search something as unique and 'clear'....this is the blend you are after!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

oh this is SO gorgeous!

i took one sniff from the decant and had to slather myself silly.

i'm so, so very glad Beth has made another blend that's in the genre of Archangel Winter / The Evening Star / House of Mirrors / Spirits of the Dead... all these gorgeous crystalline scents - no odd fruits or incenses or things i can't identify.

some days i feel *simple* or want to smell uncomplicated...

and this is so fabulous!

 

i can't define any of the notes in this, and it is doing that almost-headachey thing that ozone sometimes does, but it is so pretty i'll deal with it.

[olympia301]

This one is like what citrus smells like in heaven. All of the good and heady parts with none of the woofy parts. Really really beautiful.

[Rhowan]

This one is like what citrus smells like in heaven. All of the good and heady parts with none of the woofy parts. Really really beautiful.

 

 

There is really nothing more I can add to Oly's statement other than another couple of "really"s to her "really, really beautiful" statement. Oh! and.... I REALLY REALLY NEED TO BUY THIS!

[alicia_stardust]

The fragrance of Parsifal so closely matches the feeling I get from the painting that it astounds me. While this isn't "my" kind of scent, it's still a perfect execution of concept.

 

This smells like a high-pitched ozone scent. It is very clean and almost sharp. Blinding white. The narcissus gives this an edge that reminds me of expensive perfume. The only other note I am able to pick out of this is the rosemary. It remains subtle and only makes an appearance after a while. At that point Parsifal starts to take on an almost-masculine edge to it.

 

I think fans of cool, clean, ozone fragrances will be impressed with the beauty and uniqueness of this.

[MaidMirawyn]

I'm a total newcomer to this, and Parsifal is my first purchase. Well, the first one in my hands; I went to Whole Foods and bought it while I wait for other scents to arrive.

 

So, be kind. My nose isn't really trained yet.

 

In the bottle, it's a bit sharp, but totally in a good way. Very much a clean scent, with a touch of floral undertones. I don't know what is what, but I enjoyed it enough to try on my wrist.

 

On me:

The fragrance blended and mellowed almost immediately. The floral comes out some, and the sharpness is toned down. Maybe it's just me, but it also has a very subtle foody touch, almost vanilla, but not quite. To me, it isn't floral, it isn't herbal, it isn't food. It's too blended for any one category. But it's wonderful, and my husband loves it to.

 

It's been about an hour and a half, but so far no significant change. It's a touch more mellow, but that's it.

[dorothy humbird]

With the first few strokes of the decant wand on my skin, I didn't think Parsifal was going to win me over.

 

"Oh, ho, hum, another clean floral," I thought. I could smell the ozone notes, sharp and incisive, and I wasn't expecting to like where it was going.

 

But lo! This scent has gumption. There is a depth provided by some of the notes (perhaps rosemary?) that smooths the edges. I honestly didn't realize there was anything citrusy about this scent until I read Oly's review upthread, and then looked up the notes again to figure out what exactly "petitgrain" is. For anyone else who's confused/curious:

 

Petitgrain is one of the three oils obtained from the orange tree; the others are Neroli from the flowers and Orange from the fruit. Petitgrain oil was once extracted from the green unripe oranges when they were still the size of cherries, hence the name Petitgrain or 'little grains".

 

This is both a testament to how well this scent is blended, and my poor nose's inferior sniffin' skills. It really isn't a HELLO I'M CITRUS sort of blend, because the intermingling of notes is so complete. I'll definitely keep Parsifal around for the upcoming spring months, or whenever I want to smell clean when I can't take a shower.

[Tulliver]

This is incredibly beautiful in the bottle. So clean and bright and slightly sharp but not quite. It's hard to explain. Definite florals here, with ozone (I think I'm beginning to recognise ozone now). It's not a warm scent in the bottle at all.

 

Wet on the skin: Oooh, there's a spiciness on the skin that's not in the bottle, and the petitgrain comes through fairly soon afterwards. Oh wow... this is lovely. Still not a warm scent, perhaps surprisingly - it's more whites and pale greens - but it's absolutely lovely, and far stronger than I'd have thought from the bottle.

 

Dry: This is utterly gorgeous. I'm not sure I feel worthy of it. It's been mentioned that this is a RICH woman's scent and I can see what was meant. The throw is very good - the scent is almost divine. I love the narcissus, and the rosemary is JUST there, but the main note on me is the petitgrain. Not that it smells of orange because it doesn't - but there's a definitely "green" orange thing going on here.

 

Once it's had a while to play it does die back a little but it's still more than noticeable. The florals are very similar (to me) to the florals in Kataniya, the Clockwork Woman. Obviously, this doesn't have the metallic note, but it's lovely. Totally lovely.

 

This is a stunning blend. Breathtakingly beautiful and I'm SO glad I got it. I will be wanting back-up bottles of this. Wagner referred to his Parsifal as "a Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage" rather than an opera, and there is something so inherently... sacred, for want of a better word... in this blend. It may seem a little un-Wagnerish, since he's referred to in my family at least as a "crash, bang, wallop merchant" (not in ANY sort of derogatory way, I assure you), but this is FAR more subtle than that. This is noble and aristocratic. *sniffs hand again* Dear God... this is stunning.

Edited December 14, 2007 by Tulliver

[SarahScent44]

In the imp: wow - light - not like floaty-light, like shining light; the orange-y petitgrain over the paperwhite & cyclamen.

 

Immediately on my skin, it mellows way out and damps way down - I get just a hint of ozone, but it's barely present.

 

When it dries, it is gone, baby, gone - so sad, because I really loved it in the imp.

[slave1]

PARSIFAL

In Bottle: Light white floral

 

On Skin: This is a beautiful clean white floral. If you are a fan of scents that are very clearly defined “perfumes” you should love this one. It is perfumey, very white in tone. Totally floral and totally feminine. It has a gorgeous soft feel, nothing glaring or too bright. While it does have a clean ozone note, it isn’t soapy or sharp at all. The narcissus is so pretty, and the other notes are in perfect harmony with it. No contrasts or obviously different levels here, it is even and very well blended. If you like florals but nothing overwhelming, this is a great scent for you. Very spring like and alive. Medium throw and wearlength.

[zankoku_zen]

I like this --- but I do have a weakness for clean florals and I'm not opposed to ozone at all. Very crystalline and pure, and yes citrus ozone heaven (I didn't want to copy Oly's words)

 

This is very much, in my mind, like Tempest or HoM, but less edgy than Tempest. Kinder. Softer. So if you wanted to like Tempest, I would give Parsifal a whirl.

[mollyxus]

Parsifal is in my Top 5, so I will now gush

 

I adore this blend. It is my special occasions perfume and the one I reach for when I want to feel elegant.

 

In the bottle, it is sharp and sweet and clean. I am unable to pick out any individual notes, but the overall scent is lovely.

 

On my skin, I can smell the ozone (I really amp ozone), yet the blend remains, well, blended. It does not morph at all and 12 hours later (!), I still smell it.

 

Parsifal is the reason I am slightly obsessed with ozone. Since I found it, I have purchased 2 other floral ozone blends and several others that have ozone as a note. None come close to the awesomeness of Parsifal, though.

[yeahbutnobut]

Parsifal

 

In the imp: mainstream cologne! This is very perfumey indeed…

Wet on skin: this still smells like generic perfume, but now with a citrus zing.

Dry: whoa this so sharp, it’s almost like there’s a hint of alcohol to it! The ozone is dominant, it’s a brash, harsh, sharp and perfumey ozone, thankfully not electric, but a bit soapy. I also smell a citrus note, I’m guessing that’s the petitgrain. I also smell hints of narcissus underneath this overpowering ozone, but no rosemary. I have no idea what cyclamen smells like. But this reminds me of a mainstream perfume I smelt once…this is a lot more like designer perfume than BPAL tends to be-even more so than the other ‘perfumey’ BPALs!

After a while: that sharp, piercing scent does die down and the scent actually becomes a lot more pleasant. Something about it reminds me of Amsterdam, that same grassy-watery scent, but with narcissus instead of tulip. This floral note is deep and rich and a little bit like opium, actually, on me at least. It still smells like fresh ozonic perfume, but it’s not as unpleasant as before.

Verdict: I’m not keen on this at all, especially the first hour of wear. I don’t mind the ‘perfumey’ BPALs, in fact, I love quite a lot of them (51 and Archangel Winter come to mind) but this one is much too brash, too piercing, reminiscent of those perfume smells that makes me wince whenever I step into a department store. It feels like it’s drilling through my nose, and I fear that it will give me a headache. Yup, the ozone here is of the bad variety, and the petitgrain makes this smell even more like cologne. It does calm a bit at the end, when it smells more like a cool narcissus scent with a touch of something fresh and crisp. But I really can’t stand the sharp, perfumey scent I get from this overall…I feel like the only one here who doesn’t like this one, sadly…

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No.

If you like this, try: Lightning, Dirty, Archangel Winter, Tempest, Privilege, Amsterdam

[writergal969]

In the bottle: herbal, floral soft with a bit of a fresh ozone tone to it. It reminds me of the botanical gardens I visited as a child!

 

Wet: Still floral but much more herbal now and with the zing of ozone. I like that its herbal but not earthy, its floral but not overpowering or sweet.

 

Dry: mmm...still has a great throw but it feels 'soft'. It's not too intense, but I definitely can smell all the components of the blend. It stuck along all day, even though it did mellow out towards bedtime. It makes me feel fresh and very sophisticated. I think that this one makes me think of taking an elegant stroll through the park on the first warm day of spring when its mainly foliage with a few early bloomers here and there.

 

This is a 5 out of 5 in my book! I cannot wait to finally get my hands on a 5ml bottle!

 

6-12- And I have a 5ml...and have determined I need at least TWO more...when I die, slather me in Parsifal so I can stroll on into the afterlife in style.

Edited June 12, 2008 by writergal969

[Blood onmy hands]

I was excited to try this, since it has such lovely reviews, but Parsifal and I don't really get along. I don't get the 'citrus heaven' that others have mentioned. This goes on smelling like a sharp, white floral perfume and then morphs a bit into something like soapy dryer sheets and perfume on my skin. It's too sharp and too soapy-clean for my tastes...

[edenssixthday]

Parsifal – This blend is quite heavy on the ozone. It’s incredibly clean and clear, like strong ozone scents, reminding me of thunderstorms. The narcissus gives it a bit of a high-class feel to it and the rosemary brings it back down to the ground. I most definitely understand the inspiration behind this one and it’s a perfect representation of the artwork that inspired the scent. On me, the throw is light and the staying power is quite poor.

[copyshopclerk]

In the decant: Ozone - yay!

 

On: Very "white" - almost snowy but without the chill. I smell ozone & petitgrain, which is the note in Tangle reconditioner from B Never that I absolutely love - curse them for not making it anymore! Parsifal is very clean & refreshingly pretty on me, but it's gender neutral and would be very sexy on a guy.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Green, planty, astringent. Clean and masculine.

 

Wet: Much the same; maybe a little sharper. Some ozone, too. The astringent green note must be the rosemary, but it doesn't register as such to me.

 

Dry: Faint sort of dry white floral notes have emerged. The sharp plantiness is milder, revealing more ozone. It's still very clean and fresh without being soapy.

 

Summary: Clean, masculine dry white floral with ozone and herbal notes. Strong throw and lasting power.

 

Good for men, not for me.

[cranberry]

On the skin, this is light and fresh, smelling of ozone and glass.

 

After it’s been on a minute or so, the ozone and glass back off and there’s a sweetness here, perhaps honey but florals too. It reminds me very much of how I remember House of Mirrors. Unfortunately I got rid of that one a long time ago so I can’t compare. This is a very pretty scent. I’m not sure I know what narcissus smells like, but if I had to describe the florals here, I would say a refined tropical flower, maybe cream colored and small in stature. In sum, this is quite a pretty scent, light and so bright. It’s not really my style and I would never wear something like this, but I’m glad to have tried it.

[inurbanus]

Parsifal is absolutely gorgeous in the bottle -- the ozone is so thick and lush that I felt like I was standing outside, watching a thunderstorm approach. I've never smelled this type of ozone in a BPAL blend before. Usually, ozone smells fruity to me, but this is almost salty. It hangs in thick clouds over the rosemary, producing a wet garden effect that is very refreshing. I see that a lot of other reviewers commented on the floral component of this, which I can't smell well. The flowers hide in the background, giving off a little bit of sweetness that adds more depth to the blend.

 

Parsifal is the second Salon I've tried, and I'm just amazed at how well the art is captured by the scent. I don't know if this scent is more masculine than what I usually go for, but it definitely is gender neutral. Even if you don't like clean scents, I think Parsifal is worth a try. It's just amazing, really.

 

4.5/5