Katharina

[slave1]

A strong, willful blend with a soft, utterly lovely soul: white musk with a trickle of bright, sharp apricot and orange blossom.

In Bottle: Apricot soda

On Skin: I love this! I usally like apricot more than peach because it’s softer and more innocent. This fragrance is fun in that it is so juciy and drinkable! It seriously smells like an apricot soda. It’s not syrupy sickly sweet like Depraved, it’s a lot lighter and mellow. The orange offers a very subtle citrus note and the musk is light and offers a velver base for the fruits to lie on unbruised. This is a feminine scent that is innocent and cheerful. Not too girly and not overwhelming either. It’s throw is medium but sadly it’s soaks into my skin right away and lasts only about 10 minutes. Darn it! Edited February 16, 2006 by Shollin

[Scarlettfish]

This is a happy, bubbly, daytime scent. Really cheerful, somehow. The strongest note I get in this blend is apricot. It's not too sweet, however, which is often my problem with fruity blends, and it has a certain tartness to it which I am enjoying. The white musk and orange blossom are in the background for me, although the white musk does become stronger upon drydown. Overall, a really fun, girly fruity blend that is suitable for everyday wear.

[arabella]

First Impression: Vanilla, Grapefruit peel, flowers.

 

Dries down to: A light, sparkly scent - perfect for spring - like candied grapefruit peel and tiny flowers.

 

Additional Comments: Well, I missed the mark completely here. The combination of apricot and orange blossom is what I'm getting as grapefruit - and I'm definitely getting pink grapefruit plus the pithy part of the peel - and the musk is so soft that it feels like vanilla. Another winner. I like the slightly bitter edge to it which keeps it from being too "girly".

 

Lasted: Overnight - although, by then, it was almost all flowers.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[sarada]

I get this one confused with Catherine a lot, not too surprisingly. The name, not the scent...since they are nothing alike!

 

This is a very clear, peach-colored scent in my mind. It also makes me think of opening up a box of some sort of peach flavored tea. Just a hint of that dusty musty smell you get from tea dust, with a slightly floral peachy scent.

 

On my skin it's a lovely peachy glow (apricot, I know, but it smells like peach to me). I love how white musk plays with these orangey peachy scents. It is a bit like something like Fae or Titania in that respect but the apricot is just a bit juicier and not as .....fuzzy.

 

Really lovely glistening peach tea-like scent. I like how the white musks helps it last a little longer. I wouldn't wear it very often because it still isn't strong enough for me (I prefer incense and resin scents) but I got a really strong craving for it last night for no apparent reason so I'd like to keep some of this on hand.

[Miss Lynx]

Mmmm, nice. But then, with those notes, how could it not be? It's fairly reminiscent of Kuang Shi, with overtones of Aglaea and Imp, all of which I like. I am starting to realize that BPAL's peach and apricot are nearly always quite nice on me, even though they're notes I never would have chosen originally. Orange blossom is one of the few florals that works really well on my skin, probably because it smells more fruity than floral on me. And white musk makes a nice base for nearly anything, smoothing and mellowing the other notes.

 

The overall effect is sweet and heady but a bit ethereal at the same time. And like most of the scents I just compared it to, it smells like it would make an excellent mood-lifter for grey days. Definitely a keeper.

 

Though the more I sniff it, the more I think it is so much like Kuang Shi that when big bottle time comes around, I don't think there's any point to having both. I'll just have to decide which of the two I like better. Right now, it's a hard call...

 

Grade: A-

[mandragora]

In the imp: Smells like cutting up an apricot. Strong, sharp and juicy

 

Wet on me: The orange blossom comes out and blends well with the sharp smelling apricot. Ummm, very yummy smelling. I want to lick my wrist .

 

Drydown: Still very fruity smelling, the light musk rounding out the scent. Prevents it from becoming cloying. This is a happy smelling, perfect for picnic in the orchard summer/fall scent.

 

Verdict: Yummy, fruity goodness. Another keeper.

Edited February 21, 2006 by mandragora

[Thursdae]

It didn’t break my heart when Katharina didn't work on me. It starts with an appealing apricot note that lasts about an hour. Nice, but not dislodging March Hare or Tamora from my list of peachy loves. Then my skin morphs Katharina into something less appealing, a bit funky, even. The same thing happened with Psyche, and I blamed the frankincense, but that's not an element listed as part of Katharina. It could be a particular musk that is giving me trouble. Some lingering musks work well for me, as with Embalming Fluid and Lick It. Katharina's musk, if that's what it is, makes me smell like I skipped my morning shower.

[judas_kiss]

I had very high hopes for Katharina when I put her on my wish list. Unfortunately, we were not compatable. The apricot started out too strong and the orange blossom went too-too sweet. It's a wonderful scent, but it is just far to sweet for my nose. I love orange blossom and I love apricot, but the two together are too much for me because my chemistry amps both.

[gingersnapp]

Without knowing what the notes in the blend were, my nose detected the citrus immediately. At first I was positive it was orange, but then it shifted to an apple smell, and now that I see there is apricot and orange blossom in this, it makes sense to me. The white musk is more of an afterthought, or what is really holding the soft fruit and floral together.

 

Very delicate and feminine, with a playful side.

[seamor]

Wet: Ahhhh.... beautiful, fresh, juicy peaches!

 

40 minutes later: Still peachy! Yaaay! (I know this is supposed to be apricot, but I am smelling peaches. They're lovely. I'm happy.)

 

1 hour: Softening to a mild, warm peach with a floral overtone.

 

2 hours: Absolutely luscious. Only lasts a couple of hours, but well worth reapplying. Yum!

 

ADDED 3/14/08:

 

I don't get strong or willful from this scent at all. Instead, I get a delicate, glistening, very light, fresh peach (so light it's almost pear) which slowly swells into a riper, sweeter, juicier peach, then gradually adds a bit of unidentifiable spice. Spicy peach. Very lovely. But, of course, it doesn't stay long on me.

 

Beth's peach scents are pure bliss. Unfortunately, except for Marquise de Merteuil, they just don't seem to stay with me. Waaah! But thank goodness for MdM!

[kayte]

I got this as a frimp from a friend. Mmm.

 

In the imp - Apricot!

 

Wet - Apricot!! ...and orange blossom.

 

Dry - Apricot!!! ...and musk.

 

And you know what, I love when things are exactly as advertised.

 

I smell like a sunbeam.

 

Precisely! I love this perfume! It's so fruity and springlike and APRICOT. It also reminds me of a peach body spray I had in high school. I'm only 23, but it makes me feel a little younger and more energetic and just super happy. It's a soft, fruity apricot musk that stuck around for a few hours.

 

I would bathe in this. I would make all my sheets smell like it. I would roll in a field of it. It's the first perfume to make me say that I definitely need more. Squee

 

I have more scents to try, but I don't care, I'm wearing Katharina again tomorrow.

[Caltha]

Katharina

I get canned peaches in syrup with vanilla sauce. Yup. Kinda cosy, a little tropical, a little plastic.

[jarvenpa]

Just rec'd this as part of a many imp order (I am having fun, I am).

 

Although I usually don't check the actual notes before reviewing, in this case I remembered the notes that are in Katharina, a scent ordered more for its name than for the scent-notes (though I couldn't possibly go wrong with apricot, orange blossom, and musk)

 

So, slathered some on: Peaches!! Fresh, dripping, juicy, sticky peaches!! My mouth is watering, my body is expecting summer right now.

 

This is not a bad thing, since the rainy, gloomy weather has had me down. Sunlight may not have arrived outside, but golly my wrists are smelling like summer.

 

Quickly it changes to fresh peach pie. I bake a peach pie with cream and a little brown sugar and nutmeg in the height of summer, when peaches are around. The scent is very much my peach pie.

 

Do I want to smell like peach pie? Hmmm.

 

Doesn't last long, settles into a pretty floral-more-than-fruit scent. After a couple hours I sniff my wrists and catch a faint odor of cat pee, but it is very faint, and the flowers and ghost of peach blend in a nice fashion.

 

It is a very sweet and happy scent, wonderful for summer, good for rainy days when you think summer will never happen.

 

Lovely.

[feline.by.design]

Oh god, apricot. This won't be pretty...

 

Nope. Definitely not.

 

Katharina was a freebie from the Lab, and I (eventually) test everything that is sent to me, whether the notes sound good or not. Katharina is no exception to my testing forays, despite the presence of the dreaded apricot.

 

I can see someone else loving this, but not me. I generally dislike anything peach or apricot scented, and this smells very much like apricots, all right. It's fruity, and I'm sure it's nice, but I just can't deal with the smell of apricots. It's like rotting fruit to me.

 

Bleh.

 

-doreen

[klio]

Quick sniffy impressions:

 

A bite into a fresh, crisp apricot. Reminiscent of Thaleia, but tougher; less crunchy, a little bit riper. Strong and willful, as described.

[aedes]

Warm, sweet. Ripe, soft apricots on a warm, hazy day. My boyfriend loves it on me, though I don't know if I can really handle such a fruity smelling blend. If you like Ava Luxe's Viva, you really should try this.

[strawberry_star]

It smells oddly enough like the love child of Fae and Tamora, BUT Fae and Tamora are peach and this is apricot. That's the main difference. It smells just as beautiful as the 2 peach favorites of mine, but the apricot is a nice change from the peach.

 

It replaced Depraved as my favorite apricot scent. I love it.

[zankoku_zen]

Thanks to jewelbug for this.

 

In the imp: fruity apricot soda.

 

On Skin: Full on peach smell. Actually, I can't tell the difference between peach and apricots. Maybe I'm not talented like that.

 

After about twenty minutes, I get a hint of citrus. However, it still smells very reminiscent to Fae.

 

I like Fae... but this is slightly different. A tad more floral and less spicy and heavy. I would say Aglaea is also close in the light floral + peach smell but Aglaea has a more "bubbly champagne" vibe to it.

 

I'm glad I got to try it but it really does smell to me like a peared-down version of Fae. I have to say it does last quite a while. Like over six - seven hours... and I only DABBED a tiny bit on.

[miss_rynn]

Imp sniff: APRICOT! Orange Blossom. whitemusk. In that order. It is a rather nice scent, if you are into the whole fruit thing, but for me it is a little too much like bathing in apricot jam.

 

First on the skin: Indeed, I was hoping for the fruit-smell to die down a little… but it just doesn't happen. While the apricot smell is very true, I don't really want ot smell like a jam jar. The white musk is hardly detectable.

 

A bit later: Much the same. It is a very nice fruit smell, but too heavy for me, I think. The apricot is too sweet and too true for me to really carry it off.

[Ryvre]

In the imp: Fruity. Very womanly.

 

On my skin: My skin and apricot do not get along. This was a frimp from the lab, otherwise I never would have tried it. The apricot gets heavy and sickly sweet. Like syrup in canned fruit. Ick.

[kakiphony]

Application point:

Right elbow.

 

Wet:

Apricot. Very sweet, but a bit Jolly Rancher-like.

 

Early Dry Down:

Apricot. That's all. I seem to really be amping it.

 

Late Dry Down:

I'm really disappointed in this one because I adore orange blossom and was hoping it would show up strongly in this blend. Unfortunately, all I get is apricots. It's a very sweet, candy-like scent and is juicy and young. I can see this one as a young, shiny haired cheerleader. It's nice, but not for me.

[tinyvulture]

when i first applied this, i thought there was lotus in it because it has that strong fruity, kool-aid scent. as it dried, the scent sharpened and i realized it was apricot. very juicy and sweet! the white musk and orange blossom add to the warmth, sweetness and fruitiness of this scent. it is pleasant, but not for me – i prefer the darker notes of Depraved.

[falcon in the dive]

I don't know if this would work well in winter, but it's a gorgeous fall scent. The orange on me is tart but the apricot is sweet and feminine. I feel bold and wry. It's what Wilde for women would be.

 

O woman and her barbed tongue!

 

I might not buy it, but I am keeping my sample.

[juniperus]

Bottle: apricot and the musk - but definitely fresh apricots, juicy!

Wet: same, but the apricot has nearly taken over the musk..

Dry: hm. still all apricot all the time.

Later: still only the apricot - which does not appear to be the best note for me as now it's less fresh and more...overripe and rotting in the back of the fridge. darn.

[filigree_shadow]

Katharina is a very bright, very springtime scent. There is something in it that reminds me of popsicle sticks. You know that woody flavor combined with the last drops of fruit-flavored popsicle left on the stick. It's very soft though, it doesn't have strong throw.