New Orleans

[Lady Jane Grey]

Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.

First sniff: Kind of a sour flower sent. Hard to place but I know I have smelled it before...maybe in a doctors office or something.

Wet: sweet and soft. I like so far...much beterthen DR. Office

Dry: Mmmm I like where this went. very nice...like a warm sothern night. I like alot.

[binkyboots]

my first wanderlust scent...

 

unfortunately all I smell on me is jasmine, strong, headache inducing jasmine.

 

I've sat with it for a couple of hours now, just because my first impression often changes from loathe it to love it (like it did with scarecrow) but nope, definately not for me.

 

*looks at the growing swap pile*

 

hmm.. must swear off florals

[Lucretia]

I've tried this one twice now. First time it was too strong. I love jasmine, but not on me apparently.

I tried it again yesterday and the best was to decribe what it reminded me of would be a bowl of soap and rice. I would say this was due to the fact that it was really hot and humid out that day. Either way I just can't seem to get this one to work with my chemistry.

[Electra]

This one is horrible on me. HORRIBLE. I can't even give a good description of what it smells like, as I had to scrub it off just about immediately.

 

Perhaps jasmine just doesn't work with my skin chemistry, because I know that honeysuckle is usually lovely on me.

[Northernminx]

It took two tries for this to do anything other than be VERY VERY Jasmine on me. A second wearing, however, dried this down to a spicey, sweet floral, some citrus and spice definite beneath the jasmine. Heavy and very very present, this isn't a floral for the weak of heart because it pretty much knocks your socks off. A keeper for me at least in imp form for the nights I feel like being so decadant I just can't help myself.

[Splendid Molerat]

This is a really sultry and laid-back fragrance.

 

There's a lot of overripe honeysuckle and jasmine, and some deep, earthy spices. I'm also getting an elusive smoky note, like coal cinders from a steam engine. The lemon cools down the blend, so it isn't overpowering for me.

 

I think I'll be getting more of this one.

[miss apple]

Old New Orleans

 

In the vial, it's a very strong floral but I can't pick out any individual notes. Once on, the jasmine and honeysuckle become prominent and develop into a wonderful floral creaminess. The lemon is there but it's very faint and I can't smell anything spicy. This is a voluptuous scent, bold and sultry. Something you would wear when you want to be seductive. A bottle of this is on order

[isyche]

Soap and rice! Yes. I knew this smelled familiar on me, but I couldn't figure out what it reminded me of.

 

It's floral in the vial, but once it touches my skin it becomes... cooked rice! (Jasmine rice?) How weird.

Edited September 27, 2004 by isyche

[malanna]

I expected this to be a hothouse floral, like Old Paris. There's the lavender (maybe?), with some large blooms, but in an hour or two, it fades out to a warm floral (warm, not hothouse). I just sniffed it, and it made me think of the flowers that grows in along a low brick wall in an alleyway, in a hot, muggy city. It also makes me think of lotus, although I don't think there's lotus in this, in how it seems a bit watery, yet sweet. I think I can smell the jasmine, and maybe it's the honeysuckle that's giving Old New Orleans the warmth and sweetness.

[Faerykin]

Old New Orleans

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): This goes on just like a cross between Bayou and Machu Picchu – big, wet, sweet, rainforest blossoms. After about 10 minutes or so and underlying spiciness comes forth. Very nice combination.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): This mellows out a bit. It remains sweet and wet, while the underlying spiciness takes a back seat.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): Certainly long-lasting and it also maintains its potency – hardly fading at all. This is a scent of spring and summer. This is a scent of a garden of bountiful blooms heavy after the rain, warming in the sun – with just a hint of spice. An aquatic scent that (like almost every other BPAL aquatic scent I have tried) I shall definitely have to keep around.

[TroubleDoll]

Old New Orleans is one of my favorites because it captures Southern humidity and florals perfectly. The main floral I smell is honeysuckle, hot, ripe, falling-off-the-branch honeysuckle mixed with spice.

[stardreamer]

I was afraid this one was going to turn out to have been a mistake, and I was right. WAY too floral for me, and far too much of it is the honeysuckle, which I like only at very mild concentrations. (As in, a fence-line of it about a quarter-mile away is lovely; a fence-line across the back yard is overwhelming.) Now, 15 hours after application, it's finally down to a more-or-less pleasant level. R.'s comment: "I chopped down a whole hedge that smelled like that once -- and dug out the roots!" *Sigh* Much as I loved my last visit to New Orleans, this one's got to go. Oh, well.

[dreamwalkblue]

I get incredibly dense florals with big droopy petals...mixed with spice and soap. I think that it's the spice that gives this a hint of the "decay"....and I can't decide how I feel about it. On the one hand I like it because it makes this blend unique....but on the other hand, it's a little bit off-putting to smell this note of rot. I'll have to wear it a few more times to make up my mind.

[phoefromelsewhere]

This was heavenly after the Venus and Erato disasters (my skin hates soft rose).

 

In the bottle: Jasmine, honeysuckle, something spicy like burning pine and lilies? YUM!

 

Wet: Oh. My. God. I am in love. I smell honeysuckle, jasmine, a slightly rotten, spicy note. Cinnamon? I don’t know but it’s divine. And here’s the lemon. Unless this turns to vinegar on me in the next few hours, I am so buying a bigger bottle. I love this, it’s decadent and lazy, sweet and the vague smell of decay just adds to it. I could bathe in this stuff.

 

Drydown: I’ve never been to New Orleans but this is certainly how I imagine it would smell. All southern flowers (which I love) in the humid air, lemons and spice. It makes me want to sit on the veranda in a rocking chair with a fan in one hand and a mint julep in the other, and just watch the world go by.

 

Later: Somehow it’s gone all nice and clean smelling (the honeysuckle?) but it still smells like decay so I don’t get that at all. It’s very floral and sweet, slightly powdery but in the best sense. For a few minutes there was an after note that burned my nose, like rubbing alcohol. But that’s gone now and it’s just fresh and soft and a wee bit like this gardenia soap I once had. Not a huge fan of gardenia but I’m still in love.

[SoapyRN]

I thought that I would be able to wear jasmine. I adore the smell of the flowers. I will drink any tea that contains jasmine. This was just to strong for me. Too much of a cloyish blossom. I imgaine a very large, fully ripe jasmine being run up and down my body. Rubbed more like it, with lots of friction.

If you like this in your perfume, you will have found heaven. I think it is too much for me.

[alston78]

In the imp: Flowers! Two favorites, actually- neither jasmine nor honeysuckle sticks out very much at first sniff. I do catch a hint of the lemon underneath, though.

 

On my wrist: This is unusual, and I wouldn't wear it all the time, but I like it very much. The honeysuckle is very strong on me- the jasmine is present as well, and I think is what causes the scent to go soapy at first, but only for about 5 minutes. After that the blend becomes sweeter and I get intense honeysuckle, which lasts for about 6 hours on me. After about an hour I get a hint of something spicy, but it's unusually gentle under the honeysuckle.

 

I've never been to New Orleans, but I can verify that this is the scent of dying honeysuckle on a humid summer night. The hint of decay in the blend is amazing- I've never smelled anything that captured the slight sadness and beauty and heaviness in this way. As I said, I'm not sure I'd wear it all the time- but I will definitely keep an imp around.

[Julilla Regina]

This is uber-floral, so floral phobics, this scent is probably not for you. However for me, mmmm. This is a honeysuckle/jasmine wonderland. If anyone has ever been near a honeysuckle or jasmine bush in bloom at night, you can imagine. It is very full and strong and absolutely beautiful.

 

I put some in the cleavage area, and while I'm getting a lot of mileage out of it, it might be just a tad too strong. Next time I will apply a little lower and it should be perfect! I can't say enough good things about it. It's very haunted New Orleans. Lovely!

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: New Orleans is really nice and spicy with a hint of citrus. Mmm...

 

On Me: Magnolias, honeysuckle, and some more slight florals on a hot and muggy, swampy afternoon in the Bayou. I think there's a slight cinnamon scent here as well, but very light and gentle. This is delicious, and a big bottle will be had as soon as I'm done coveting the imp that I have! Yummy!

[ashtonrose]

Smells French. Deep and smokey. I can't detect any single notes with this one, but it's the total opposite of clean and fresh. This is definitely a scent to wear when the humidity is high. The moistness of the air will bring Old New Orleans to it's peak.

[Ishtar]

I got an imp of New Orleans months ago with my first order and I ended up swapping it without even trying it properly. So when I showed up again with my last order, I thought that the least I could do was to try it by itself, not slathered on with a dozen other scents like the first time around.

 

Jasmine and honeysuckle are definitely the most prominent notes, so much so that they are a little overpowering. At least now I can recognize individual notes, as opposed to the bunch of undetermined blooms that overwhelmed me a few months ago.

The lemon and spices do what they can to cut through the floral mass, but the jasmine and honeysuckle have a firm hold on the blend and no intention to let go of it.

 

As a bold floral, New Orleans reminds me of Venice, but while the many notes in Venice are precisely juxtaposed to give it its trademark complexity, in New Orleans everything is blurry, resulting in (at least for my taste) less elegance and clarity.

Nice but not exactly my taste. This will get swapped again, but at least I know that this time I gave it a fair chance.

[rhubarbbear]

this is a very lush, humid scent. it isn't a light floral! i do find that the spices and lemon take the edge off the heaviness of the jasmine and honeysuckle, even though i don't find my nose picking them out individually. i like to wear new orleans in muggy or rainy weather- when its dry and sunny out it just doesn't feel right to me. it is a strong scent- a little dab goes a ways on me!

[luxuria]

I have a hard time picking out individual flowers, though I'm getting better..so I'm probably not the best to review this. But whatever

 

It smells humid and heavy, but not tropical, and ever-so-slightly spicy. I can almost see NOLA in my head just smelling it. The floral smell gets lighter and a bit sweeter as time goes on.

 

Another nice floral from BPAL. While this isn't my favorite category of scents, they're all very pretty and well done. This is a special one because of the strong associated image, though.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: This strikes me as mostly honeysuckle. I can't smell the jasmine right off, but I can tell it's there because the honeysuckle doesn't smell purely yellow.

 

Wearing: Beautiful! The jasmine pushes itself to the foreground, but the honeysuckle is trailing right behind. I smell no lemon, and maybe just a hint of spice, but not much.

 

Later: OK, this is weird. When I put my nose to my arm, I can't smell it, but I can smell it perfectly hovering about me. The jasmine and honeysuckle are staying the same, but the spice comes out every now and then. It smells kind of hot, like cinnamon, or maybe even nutmeg. My nose memory is tricking me into thinking I smell tea as well, but that's only because most of the tea I drink is some form of jasmine tea.

 

Final verdict: This is not a floral for the weak! This is definitely a damp, humid, bold floral. It would be a perfect late spring/early summer scent, so maybe I'll save wearing it for the warmer weather when it feels more natural.

 

Edit: I put this on one night when my boyfriend and I were going out, and when he smelled me he commented on how great I smelled. This is someone who cowers in fear at BPAL, so that's really saying something!

Edited February 24, 2005 by voodoobaby

[phaedrine]

This is dead on New Mexico in the spring. Some of the first things to bloom are always honeysuckle and spanish broom, and this smells like a heady mix of the two.

 

I don't get decay or hothouse blooms or humidity...but probably because I am stuck on a dry, cool spring morning, the sun warm on my face and the smell of spring drifting on the breeze.

 

It's so perfect. I can't wait for spring. Heck, I don't need spring. New Orleans is 100% spring in a bottle!

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Jasmine!

 

After 10 minutes- Beth hit the nail on the head with this one. This is what New Orleans smells like at night...if you were standing right in front of a Garden District house covered in jasmine and honeysuckle. This is old and musty yet sweet and floral. I am not really detecting any lemon or spice, unless that is what is giving the slight 'decay' smell.

 

After 30 minutes -This one is nice because it smells like fresh flowers instead of a chemical floral perfume like most jasmine scents do. It's very pretty but I just can't wear florals. I think I will send this one to my Mom who loves jasmine scents.