Gwyneth

[Nimthiriel]

Rose otto, tonka, orchid, Calla lily, skin musk, coconut, and Spanish sage.

Initial impression:
This is heavy on the lilies! Orchid and rose is also very strong in the bottle (this is just a sniffie). No tonka or precious coconut, sadly.

Finally:
Maybe I shouldn't try this one out, given that I didn't like it at first sniff... Too floral!

[theseagrows]

this is all rose, skin musk, and coconut on my skin, after about half an hour. prior to that it's mostly coconut, sage and orchid or calla lily...something floral, but not as rosy. the rose doesn't come out until later. this reminds me of a rosy version of tarot: the star instead of a lime one. very light, springlike and pretty. i will probably keep my imp but not get a bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Ah, this is a weird rosey coconut. Roses, coconuts and some herbs. It's like the smell of a really pretty girl wearing a bikini on a hot summer beach.

 

So, yeah, totally not me. Curse you coconut!

[grashopper8]

Hmmmm....I actually like the fact that this is a soapy rose. One of the other notes in here (the sage, maybe?) has a soil/dirt quality that I'm not really into, though.

 

The tonka is a nice touch, smooth like vanilla but not as sweet or foody.

 

The musk also softens the otherwise biting rose.

 

I like this, but I prefer Libra (my only 5mL rose BPAL).

 

3.6 out of 5

[Moryssa]

I preface this with the following: I like florals. I like rose sometimes, but it can get REALLY overpowering REALLY quickly. I also don't mind the "soap" smell, because it just smells clean to me.

 

Initially: Rose. Like, OMGRose!!! Like, "Someone please cut off my arms at the elbow so that I don't have to smell this any more" Rose.

 

10 Minutes later: Huh. It's not quite so cloying any more. It smells more like the decorative rose-scented soaps that my aunt used to give all the girl-children for Christmas. It's calmer, with a soapiness that I assume comes from the lily.

 

10 minutes after that: Ok, there's still rose there, but the skin musk is coming up to play... I don't smell any of the other notes enough to pick them out, but the whole thing is now a musky, soapy, mild rose and quite lovely. As someone else said-- like you just had some fun in the rose garden, and then did a quick clean-up to make yourself presentable to mom.

 

Overall, I love this one after it's dried down... I'm just not sure I can stand the complete overpowering nature of the rose in the first 15 minutes or so. 'Cause it's *bad*. I'm definitely keeping the imp, though.

 

--M

[innocent]

I loves me some rose, and I loves me some Gwyneth even more. First on this is a lush, rich rose, still wet with dew. There's a sweetness to it that reminds me of honey, though there's no honey listed. I suspect what I'm smelling is the tonka - it makes the rose almost edible. Once the rose begins to calm I can smell the skin musk (which whispers dirty things to me whenever I wear it) and the slightest hint of coconut (just enough, because more than a little tends to go to plastic on me). I'm not really picking up on the sage or the other florals - I'm glad the lily isn't making this soapy on me.

 

I really like this one, it and Ashlultum are probably my favorites of the Grindhouse ladies.

[voodoocatwoman]

This is rose from start to finish. That is all.

[yeahbutnobut]

Gwyneth

 

In the imp: rose and orchid. Very, very similar to Magdalene.

Wet on skin: I smell warm green sage now, and a touch of lily and sweet musk.

Dry on skin: this is very pretty and it reminds me of the Atrocious Attic. The rose and lily combo remind me of that. The lily isn’t a sharp soapy one for now. The orchid is very strong, a white fresh orchid as opposed to a sweeter black orchid. I can’t smell coconut or tonka yet but I do smell the skin musk and the greenness of sage. This is a feminine and rich floral scent-for now it is behaving and I hope the orchid doesn’t turn weird on me.

After a while: thankfully the orchid and lily are not turning weird on me. the scent is still pleasant, though not as rose-rich or complex as before…it’s a bit flat and sharp, but not bad. I do wish it was sweeter though. I am not getting any coconut or tonka here, not even that much musk, just the floral notes. It reminds me of the Heroine scent, Ahbisharika (I spelt that wrong, I know) but not as musky. Eventually though the orchid turns sharp and soapy and the scent fades away too fast by then.

Verdict: this is pretty, but it didn’t wow me in the way other rose scents can. I think it’s because the drydown went all soapy and bland and I wasn’t so keen on it. but the wet stage is very pleasant. It’s a sweet rose-lily with a lot of orchid, a womanly scent, a full bodied floral. if it had stayed like that, it would have been nice. But sadly this stage is short-lived, and the orchid isn’t the one that likes my skin, but one that turns bad on me after a while. Nice, but not a favourite.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No.

If you like this, try: Magdalene, Atrocious Attic, Gemini 07, Oberon, Abisharika

[waternight]

In the bottle: Rose with the other florals and tonka underneath. Vaguely soapy.

Wet: Rose and lily, both equally dominant. A bit of dry sage - getting the coconut too, but it's dry coconut meat, not juicy or tropical. Tonka warms it up a bit and cuts the florals... ooo... now skin musk show up and is gorgeous - it adds a touch of honey-sweetness. This is light and floral with a touch of light musk. Gorgeous.

Dry: This settles into a lovely musky rose, light and sweet. I love it!

[writergal969]

Egh! Egh! Get it off!

 

Rose and sage and orchid are ruining my coconut, lily, tonka experience! I hate how rose turns to acid on me!

 

But seriously, I'm gagging when I breathe it in. Battery acid. EGH!

[Schmoozy]

Gwyneth is soft, muted and very lovely. Coconut, tonka, skin mush with a hint of sage.

As it dries, rose otto, calla lily and orchids mingle softly together and combined with tonka and coconut, make for a beautiful combination. As it dries further, the rose otto really begins to stand out from the other florals and together with the musk become a bit too sweet and cloying. I really love a good rose, but I dislike rose and musk, because it just becomes a bit too much for my sniffer to handle. Unfortunately this really is predominantly rose, and I am sad that tonka, coconut, sage and the other florals literally disappear.

[ami226]

Bottle: Pretty floral with something sweetish in the background. Lovely!

 

On skin: Ick!! I know coconut is usually a deal breaker on me, but I just had to try this one. I can still smell a bit of the nice floral, but now it is being overcome by an almost burnt coconut smell. Where did it come from all of a sudden??

 

Later: Ooooh! Now the coconut is gone and this smells wonderful!! I can definitely smell something roseish and I am definitely getting the orchid and lily (my favs)

 

Darn, I don't think I can get through the burnt coconut stage.... I think this one is going to have to go to a better home!

[Dark Alice]

Orchid and Lily....and definitely Rose Otto. The rose is amped the orchid and lily are now gone. Not a fan...I thought I would like it with coconut....but the coconut has not shown up at all.

[rayvn1]

I recently swapped for a bottle of this and I'm so glad I did! I haven't got along well with many of the Grindhouse ladies, but the creamy darkness of Gwyneth is wonderful! The rose otto is in the foreground with a thick, sweet coconut smell in the background. Really nice!

[awesomeoverlord]

This is all sweet florals on me -- mostly rose, I'd say -- while the tonka, coconut, sage & co are nowhere to be seen. It's lovely and complex, but definitely not what I was expecting. I little too much on the side of generic floral perfume for my tastes.

[GardenCat]

This starts pretty rosy on me, but then the lily & skin musk (becoming one of my favorite notes these days!) dial down the rose & make it a very springy scent. I used Lush's Ghost in my hair & instinctively reached for Gwyn this morning - without even realizing the lily is what made me do it! Great spring scent!

[CynicalPink]

I love florals, but I've never really tried skin musk. Let's see.

 

Imp: Coconut, rose and sage. Awesome combination

 

Wet: Coconut, rose and sage. Sweet and smooth. Kind of a "white and pink" feel to it.

 

Drydown: A creamy pink rose.

 

Overall: While it's not as complex as I'd expected, I'm pretty fond of this one. Springtime seems like the perfect time to have this on bottle audition

[cinnamonster]

I was gifted a decant of this and upon smelling it I had to go and look up the notes again, as it seemed to fit more with Marcilla as I applied and got....PEACH! Very very weird since I turn everything(almost) with rose in into single note rose (and thus ruin it).

 

I get the idea of rose in it, but it's very behind the peach who is cuddled up next to coconut.

 

It's totally different than the notes suggest, but I actually do rather like it, it's a sunny daytime-y holiday smell.

[milo]

Hmm, I could have sworn this was a tea blend. It smells very much like Embalming Fluid with floral. After awhile the rose comes out, but it is not going all haywire sour on me, which a lot of rose blends do. This is quite nice, but I have a couple of tea scents already that I like better. That being said, this blend, (like all the Grindhouse ladies), is extremely well blended. If you like a musky/tea/rose blend, this one is for you.

[Andrea912]

The tonka, sage, coconut, and skin musk drew me in; unfortunately, I'm amping only the floral notes, and especially the rose otto, which makes me sad.

 

And, an extra note: all of the Grindhouse Ladies so far (except Agrat, which I love ) fade to nothingness within the hour on me...frustrating!

[NoinHime]

In the bottle: Everything sort of hits me at once except the coconut and vanilla which I did not smell AT ALL through this whole experience. Since I'm not a foody person this is not a bad thing for me.

 

Dry: Grassy Floral. Mostly I'm smelling the rose here but it's not overpowering at all. The grassy smell must be the sage.

 

Overall i like this one. It feels to me more like a springtime scent.

[angelicruin]

Roses, lily and skin musk. A faint whiff of coconut. Rose amps as it dries on my skin.

[ravenscanary]

Source: Bottle, purchased from the lab about 18 months ago.

 

In the bottle: Creamy rose, with a spicy vanilla undertone from the Tonka.

 

Wet: Oh, HI THERE coconut. As soon as this hit my skin the musky, coconut notes came out prominently. This is the same creamy rose, but I was reminded forcibly of simmering coconut milk on the stove being infused with spices when I make Thai food. This is not a foody blend, per se, the rose is still very prominent, but the creamy coconut and the spice from the tonka make a really fascinating blend. Lovely.

 

Drydown: This fades after some hours back to, basically, a lighter version of what I smelled in the bottle. The herbal/spicy coconut has died down, and we're back to a creamy rose.

 

Notes: Moderate throw, moderate-to-long wear length. I really like this, and regret that it took me so long to test. I bought the whole set of Grindhouse Ladies but had put Gywneth in the back of my box, since I'm not a huge fan of rose scents generally, but this is complex and creamy enough that I think it might be a nice summer scent for me.

[kikithepirate]

I absolutely love rose blends, but Gwyneth manages to stand out among the pack of rose-scented oils that I own (and believe me, I own quite a few). Where Hope, Katrina van Tassel and White Rose are all sweet, this is much more creamy. The spice is blended near-perfectly, so that you can't actually catch it upon first whiff, but only as the scent dies down in your nose. The rose doesn't dominate the scent as much as it does in some others, but it is certainly still a major character... if this were the cast of Lost, the rose would be Jack: arguably the lead in an ensemble cast. This is an absolutely gorgeous oil that stands out as unique among my rose collection.

[crebbsgirl]

Wet, this is a BLAST of rose! Whew! It settles after a bit, and the other flowers come out, with just a hint of sage and musk. Predominantly on my skin, this is mainly rose. After a bit it goes a little soapy. It's very fresh and pretty though.