Viola

[mawaridi]

Gentle tea rose, lilac, Calla Lily, and Somalian Rose layered over golden Peruvian amber, Spanish moss, red sandalwood, rosewood, and myrrh, with the lightest touch of Mandarin.

Nothing but tea rose. A tea rose which - though I hate to say it - reminds me of a smoother version of those cheap single-note oils you can buy at craft shops and markets. Not a nasty smell, at all, but just ROSE straight up and very strong. I was frimped this one (due to my previous experiences with rose I probably wouldn't have ordered it myself!) and while I was wary of the rose I was hoping for a bit more complexity what with the wood and mandarin and amber and sandalwood, all scents I usually adore! But no, my skin and my nose have an Issue with rose, so it's just...rose rose rosy rose ROSE.

A bit disappointing for me, but probably lovely if you're into rose

[suki]

in the imp: very sweet floral- lots of rose, but it's not the only note.

 

wet on skin: same- with a touch of the citrus coming through.

 

dry down: the mandarin is not enough to save this cloying blend on my skin.

 

in all: if heavy, sweet florals are your things, give this a whirl- you'll probably adore it. for me however, it's off to the swaps!

 

 

 

 

[tinyvulture]

a strong, sharp floral perfume with bold rose and lily notes. there’s also an unusually sweet amber note. that’s the only thing i can pick out besides the flowers. this is not a floral for the faint of heart… or for those who dislike lily, like myself. this one goes into the swap pile.

[stillalive]

Aquatic florals. I am in love. Going into my top 20 if not my top 10. It's a grown up version of the aquatic florals I loved as a little girl when my grandma bought me body sprays. There's also a hint of spiciness. I'm intrigued and utterly in love. The other reviews do not do it justice.

[Magpie]

I've been looking forward to this one for a while. I love Viola as a character and when I played her in an amateur production, I just kept on finding new things to love, so I hope the lab have not done her justice exactly but at least made a scent that likes me (though of course the lab always make beautiful scents!)

 

In imp: Roses, carnation and lilies. A lovely floral blend.

 

On: ooh, this is like The Lady of Shallott meets Her Voice. So, two of my favourite floral blends in one! The sandalwood and spices haven't really come out yet.

It's gone more creamy after about a few minutes, and closer to the skin, which is nice as I don't like it when florals go "Hi there!" to everyone in a five-mile radius.

May I note that, for once, a rose scent has not gone to candied roses on me. This is landmark and something I was terrified would happen with Viola, as I really want this to work. Mostly, all I can smell is rose and lily, but there is a sort of non-floral sweetness underneath that might be the myrrh or the mandarin. Actually, this just keeps getting creamier. Mmmmm. I am soooo pleased this works well on me.

Luckily it isn't causing a headache either, but only time will tell on that one. Lovely!

 

Over the course of a day: Yum yum yum. Srsly. Creamy, spicy rosy sweetness that sticks close to me but I occasionally get delicious whiffs of. The rose stays beautiful and the scent is just lovely. It doesn't have much throw and fades after a decent period of time, but is yummy in the extreme. I did end up the day with a headache, but I think that was unconnected to the scent. I would probably say that I’d imagine Viola as a bit spicier, possibly even a bit fruitier too (maybe some peach?) but this is gorgeous and I shall be wearing often.

[voodoocatwoman]

I found that Viola is mostly roses on me. I detected lilac while it was wet but that faded pretty quickly. What I was left with was rose and sandalwood.

 

I rather like it.

[MCS4096]

In the Imp: At initial sniff it is definitely "rose," but upon further investigation involving deep sniffing techniques I can pretty much make out each note. My favorite part is the mandarin, which adds a really lovely freshness.. it's like the rose is freshly picked and still has dew on it.

 

Wet: The amber and myrrh really start to come out. I'm also getting a lot more lilac and lily. It's a moist and spicy rose.. like an aquatic version of some of the lab's "rose incense" blends. The moss adds a nice deepness.. but many of these nuances are lost in the throw, which is still mostly rose.

 

Dry: This is definitely a wonderful rose blend.. I find the throw to be fairly classic, but up close it's rather exotic. Ultimately I get mostly roses, resins and mosses. I wish the mandarin was a bit more present.. that would really make it special to me, but as such this is still something I could see myself wearing when I'm feeling especially feminine.

[babyduo]

I have no idea why but after about 5 hours this morphed into something like 'O'.

[LizzyLies]

I'm getting rose and lilies. Wait, more rose than lily. Lilac is nowhere to be found and now I think the wood is starting to help balance out the rose--that isn't overly cloying on me, nor is it what I call 'screaming rose,' but it's unmistakably rose. Ahah! Lilac has appeared and tried to make peace with the other scents in this blend, does it work? Somewhat. Rose has conquered all, but it's a more complex rose because of it.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

I love rose. I really can wear rose essential oil as perfume and be stoked about it...Though I'm not getting the full complexity of this blend, and am picking up mostly rose, it still feels too floral to me somehow which must be the calla lily and lilac. It's very pretty, but I'm not blown away...I wish the woods and myrrh were more prominent.

Edited February 26, 2009 by TheOneTheyCallLuna

[anna1850]

Nice if slightly soapy floral.

 

Not particularly strong smelling but reasonably pleasant.

 

3/5 It's alright but not anything to write home about.

[Tess]

In the bottle - The rose and lily give this a very perfume smell, but the amber and other warm notes give it a hint of depth.

 

Wet - Very, very perfume smelling.

 

Drying - Ack, there comes the lilac! The lily and rose are bodily holding it back, but the amber is making the heavy floral (VERY HEAVY) powder out to some extent. I can get just a touch of sandalwood in the background, but the mandarin and the myrrh aren't present yet at all. This is truly a powerful floral. The rose isn't as weighted as the lily and the lilac in this.

 

Dry (2 hours) - Mmm, amber. But all that's left is dusty amber and rose. Which part of me is very glad for...

 

Overall - I'm sure this is a lovely and complex scent on other skin. But the floral notes just get amped like no one's business.

[PiraticalFrogg]

Viola is one of my favorite Shakespeare characters, so I figured I would try an imp.

 

In the bottle: A bit more floral than I'm used to, but not overwhelming. A nice light scent, and work-appropriate.

 

Wearing: Morphs almost immediately to smell like powder. Disappointing!

 

Verdict: I'll have to get a scent locket to wear this one.

[milo]

This at first smells like a mixture of violets and roses. It quickly dries down to a powdery, slightly sour rose. Not a rose fan, (especially sour ones!), so this one is off to swaps.

[ami226]

In the imp: nice sweet lilac and florals

 

On the skin: Whoa, there is lots of soapiness here! It is so strong and almost hurts my nose....

 

Overall: Not a scent for me.

[rayvn1]

Lots of sweet, sparkling tea rose and lilac here Very sweet and refreshing like walking through a blossoming garden on a summer morning. Just lovely!

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Soft pink roses and sweet lilacs, with a hint of spirited citrus from the mandarin and maybe just the tiniest sharpness from the moss. Still, this is mostly rose and lilac, and they're very lovely and fresh here, like they've just been cut from the garden and plunked in an elegant vase. I'm sure all those other notes are in there somewhere, but they're not obvious in the imp. This really captures the dreamy fragrance of just-bloomed lilacs!

On, wet: Garden-fresh lilacs and roses, with a distinctly crisp, green quality from the moss. The calla lily is beginning to come out as well, musky and very fresh. The whole perfume has a very lightly aquatic, fresh, dewy feel to it, which contributes to the feeling that this is a lighter garden scent, rather than a heavy floral perfume.

On, dry: Lilac and slightly fruity calla lily, with a very little bit of rose. It's less fresh and green now, more soft and sweet, with a subtly woody undercurrent and warmth and richness from the resins. Still, lilac is definitely the star of this show, and although the list of notes is a long one, must of these are very subtle, so there's nothing muddled about this. This smells like early summer out in the garden. It's elegant and feminine, but not at all stuffy.

Later: Amber, sandalwood, rosewood and lilacs. It's sweeter now, woodier and less floral, although there's still the distinctive smell of lilacs. Very pretty.

Overall: I think I was expecting something more complex from Viola, based on that long list of notes, but I can't say that I'm disappointed. It's warm, vibrant and feminine without being particularly prissy or heavy. The lilac note is the big diva here, and it's beautiful, very true to life, just the way I remember the lilacs in my mother's garden. It gets more interesting in extreme dry down, though, because then the woods and resins get to come out, and they really play very well together. I'll definitely keep the imp, since I'm always in the market for a pretty lilac scent, and I'm hoping that some aging will strengthen the woods and resins and add more complexity. If that happens, it will take Viola from "nice and pretty" territory to a certified knockout.

 

 

[Monster]

In the imp: A watery bouquet

 

Wet: Rose paired with moss making it smell like a "sharp" rose. Lots of floral notes going on here! I'm not detecting any saldalwood, myrrh or amber at all. This is allll flowers on me (slightly aquatic smelling)

 

Dry: This is almost ALL rose on me as this dries. Just rose and moss. In the final drydown stage I'm sniffing a bit of lilac. This ends up as an expensive smelling soap scent on my skin.

 

Overall: I can appreciate this one but it's not for me.

[undream]

viola is a very strong floral, mostly a beautiful rose and heady lily on me. as it dries, something powdery comes out, a shimmery blanket which sweetens everything up and tempers the sharp, full scent of the lily a bit. god, this is lovely.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Creamy floral with a slight bit of something orangey in the background

On: Quiet, creamy, rose-heavy floral with a little mandarin zest.

Later: Flowery powder, similar to "Ouija" on me, but with less freshness. Gone after about four hours. I actually kinda like it, but not enough to get more.

[aquazoo]

Soft and pretty. I can smell the amber, but it's not overly spicy. Settles down into a light rose.

 

[London]

Imp: wet flowers, strong ones.

 

Wet: Crazy rose, not 'rose red' rose though.

 

Dry: As it dried the rose morphed into lilly. It's pretty, but a bit of a strong one me. Reminds me of when I used to buy my grandmother lillies..and I'd stick my nose in the whole vase of flowers to smell them.

 

Rosewood and I normally don't get along,but I couldn't even tell it was there in this oil.

[HamletsKeeper]

Well it looks like BPALs tea rose might be a rose I can wear. I'm just not sure I like it. It smells quite perfumey and powdery to me and I can only smell it when it's wafting off my skin not close up. But I'm a bit tempted to try London now. Typically the calla lily here is quite strong as it tends to amp on my skin but it's not overtaking the blend as it has in other blends. Oh wait a minute I might be the rosewood, not the tea rose that I'm smelling here. Either way it's quite nice although I'm not in love. The woods, amber and myrhh here aren't strong they just provide a good foundation for the scent. It's dominantly floral and how your skin handles the rose, lily and lilac will really determine whether this scent is good on you or not.

 

For the most part I find it to be a strong and sophisticated floral perfume, although a little old fashioned in style. This one could go to pure powder though on the wrong skin. Overall it's a very pretty blend and style-wise reminds me of Estee Lauder's Pretty although it smells considerably better than that perfume. Just big blooms floral style. I think if you are new to BPAL and are looking for a classic floral then Viola would hit the mark for you and be a good intro. I'm not inspired to buy a bottle though.

Edited November 28, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[Stormslegacy]

Disclaimer: Was afraid to see amber in the notes, in a lot of blends I amp it to cheap-sugary-frosting-of-doom. I also amp sandlewood, though to less of my disgust. It's usually jsut a dry, woodsy scent.

 

In the imp: Complicated and a little soapy

 

Wet: Gentle, soft tea rose. I'm getting a hint of other things, particularly the mandarin.

 

Drydown: Soft. Getting the lillies now too. Much warmer than Helena though it shares a similar vibe. I think it's the sandlewood warming it up and giving it a slightly woodsy vibe. The lily is also kept from becoming soapy. There's a slight spice to it that's rather nice.

 

Dry: Sandlewood with warm, buttery white florals in the background.

 

Conclusion; This is a little generic but a nice soft feminine blend. I can see using this in a lotion.

[voorishsign]

A soft, elegant floral. The roses are on the forefront, but it's all very well blended. I think the rosewood and sandalwood are particularly a good choice, they ground the scent so it's not an overwhelming floral. Warm, friendly and kind.