Pontia

[herkissofshame]

Of the sea.
Bergamot and French lavender.

Am I really the first? Ooh!

When I sniffed this straight out of the bottle, it hit me over the head with BIG BOLD SMELLY LAVENDER. This ain't no twinkly fae TKO lavender, this is LAVENDER, medicinal and swarthy. I was just a little scared. I'm a lavender lover, but this smelled like Somnus-style take-no-prisoners lavender. I put some on and prayed for a skin transformation, or, if I may put on my Shakespeare hat, a sea-change.

And what a sea-change it was. Within moments, the OMFGLAVENDER began to back down, and in its place rose a slowly blooming citrus scent. You know that sweet, immediate scent you get when someone near you peels back the skin of an orange? It's that scent, slow to show at first but once it takes root, it becomes an airy and crystalline blend, fresh and breezy. Pontia is never sweet, so those looking for a sugary lavender blend might want to look elsewhere, but it's not bitter thanks to the presence of that juicy bergamot.

It reminds me a little of Yvaine, but where Yvaine was a cold, twinkling lavender, this is a warm one, bringing visions of walking in the late afternoon sunshine on a small-town beach in France. Its delight left quickly, nay it was gone completely in a matter of three hours, so I'd advise slathering. It's simple, gorgeous, and evocative.

[Mordath]

Pontia is fabulous, like the richest, most elegant Earl Gray with a heavy dose of lavender. This is just as described - bergamot and lavender, true lavender and nothing sugary at all - but while it's simple, what it does it does very, very well. Deep, elegant, soothing and sophisticated. I'll be hoarding this one.

[laslibres]

Whoooo boy, that lavender sure does smack you in the face when you open the bottle, I agree. Fortunately I really like lavender, and this really smells like the actual flowers, with a sort of fuzzy and green feel like a real flower.

 

It gets much lighter on my skin, and as it settles the bergamot starts to come in, very green and citrusy. It's like drinking earl gray in a field of lavender - lovely. Very soothing, too.

 

Edit: Oh nooo! It's gone within the hour unless I put on prodigious amounts. I think it'll get tried in the scent locket or directly on my clothes next.

Edited February 3, 2009 by laslibres

[greenranger]

I was looking forward to this, as I am a lavender fan and I also love bergamot.

 

I do love the scent, and the heady rich lavender is great...except that the whole thing doesn't even last an hour on me. Drat!

 

It starts of wonderful powerful lavender, and then fades to a lavender/bergamot scent that is a bit more aproachable...and then, on me, it fades completely.

[eanewsom]

My very favorite tea is lavender Earl Grey, so I had high hopes for Pontia. It starts out super-strong, in your face pure lavender. After about half an hour, that calmed down some and the bergamot made an appearance to balance things out, and it smelled exactly like that tea! Mmmm! ...but then in another fifteen minutes it was nearly gone. I'll have to try it in a locket- if the bergamot comes out and the whole scent stays around, I'll be getting a bottle, but if the bergamot doesn't make an appearance, I won't be getting any Pontia. *fingers crossed*

[FallDaze]

In the imp-> Wow...this is not plain ol' lavender, this is LAVENDER! surrounded by blinky lights and jazz hands. Once I get past that initial lavender part, I get a rather tart and earthy vibe.

 

wet-> A very strong lavender. The bergamot makes an appearance, but it's clear which note is wielding the whip here.

 

After a while-> Wow...after about 2 hours this is gone. I can't even tell where I tested this! Talk about a wham, bam, thank you ma'am scent.

[Ravenclaw79]

Herbal. Very, very herbal. I get no bergamot at all. Bummer.

[zankoku_zen]

This is a very salty, aquatic kind of lavender. I wish bergamot was more of a presence, but it's not.

 

It's a pretty lavender, but nothing special in my mind.

[savage_rose]

Holy crap, this is like a lavender single note! This is a bullying lavender, the kind that skipped a few grades and is twice as big as the other kids...and with the bergamot, it's just that much more intense, and just try to hang onto your lunch money. I mean WHOA. I love lavender, but this is just SO LAVENDER. It's so LAVENDER this review should be in all caps.

[Brianne]

POW!

Lavender!

BAM!

Bergamot!

 

And that's it in a nutshell - it is what it says it is!

[Leopard403]

GET IT OFF!

This lavender is beating me to DEATH.

I love bergamot, and I wanted soft lavender and gorgeous bergamot, but all I get is ZOMG LAVENDER.

[AlarmAgent]

In Bottle - Lavender, if you can imagine such a thing.

Wet on Skin, First Applied - Lavender.

 

Dry, on Skin - Do you like lavender? Then you'll love Pontia. The bergamot as far as I can tell might just be cutting some freshness into the lavender, but there is absolutely no mistaking this for anything but a very gorgeous lavender. I used to hate the note, but BPAL must use a different sort of oil than the other, more readily available lavender products on the market. This lavender is no where near medical or 'old fashioned', it is sort of big, actually. Well, I can't describe it properly; big doesn't seem to be the right way. It is deep, and tranquil--and very warm. Herbal, but not necessarily clinical-feeling to me. I probably won't get a bottle of this, just because as much as I like the lavender I've experienced in other BPAL blends (Lilith Victoria was one of my first bottles, and still remains a massive favorite) I don't really see the need to have a full 5ml of pretty much single-note lavender. I will, however, milk my decant for all it is worth. Layering, sleep-assistance, general lazy wear...Will be loved, will be missed.

Edited June 4, 2009 by AlarmAgent

[papermaker]

In decant: whoa there lavender it is strong

Wet: the lavendar has bent the bergamot over and told it who is boss...

Dry: It is a brighter lavender. The bergamot finally made its presence known by taking away some of the heaviness of the lavender.

Nice but not an all the time deal. I will keep my decant.

[amanderinorange]

I have to agree with what the other reviewers have said, this is LAVENDER!

 

In the bottle: LAVENDER with a hint of bergamot.

 

On me: LAVENDER with a hint of bergamot.

 

Yep, that's pretty much it. Luckily, I really like lavender. Also this scent really clears my sinuses.

 

ETA: I used this in my oil burner and had a really strange reaction to it where I actually felt cold. I chalked it up to weirdness and tried it again just to be sure. Sure enough after about ten minutes, I felt cold. Odd.

Edited March 6, 2009 by amanderinorange

[blktauna]

Earl Grey tea meets Yardley's olde English Lavender soap.

Absolutely delicious and I may need another bottle.

[hepkitten]

I get a very strong, very herbal lavender, with only the faintest undertone of citrus. The citrus does seem to be coming out more as it dries, but lavender is still center stage.

[CynicalPink]

Disclaimer: I am a lavender evangelist, so this is a biased review

 

Imp: Dr. Bronner's lavender liquid soap. Mmmmm...

 

Wet: Same as above. Anyone who uses that soap will know what I'm talking about. It's very clean feeling and definitely LAVENDER in ALLCAPS

 

Drydown: Still LAVENDER with an eensy weensy bit of bergamont. Personally, I love it

 

Overall: I love it but, as stated in the disclaimer, I'm really biased. Seriously, if you're on the fence about this one, ask yourself "Would I wear a lavender single note?" If the answer is yes, this will be better than that. If you're "meh" about lavender, seriously don't count on the bergamont to save it for you.

 

With Age: It's been over a year now, and it's still very strong lavender. The bergamont is slightly more noticeable in the wet stage than before, but this blend still has a tendency to fade after about 2 hours. Age hasn't given it much more staying power

Edited May 10, 2010 by CynicalPink

[WidgetAlley]

Bottle: Lavender! Gee, who'da thunk it? It's a really strong, really bitter, REALLY herbal lavender, too, biting and fresh and pleasant. No bergamot. Just, y'know, ALL LAVENDER ALL THE TIME.

 

Wet: Lavender! The second it hits my skin it takes on a weird, smoky, almost mesquite quality, kinda like barbeque. Disturbing. After a second it dies down to mostly herbal lavender again, but there's still a hint of charcoal. Bizarre. After a moment the bergamot rears its head, calming and taming and making quite pretty. After a minute it really does start to smell like Earl Grey. Not terribly strong, though, and I think this one is going to do a vanishing act.

 

Dry: Just a very faint bergamot with hints of lavender now. I thought I would really like smelling like Earl Grey but it turns out I'm just not that crazy about it.

[Schmoozy]

Two of my favorite notes. Lavender and bergamot. Simple. Effective. And oh so beautiful.

This is a stunning combination and I will require bottles, being the lavender lover I am.

[Blood onmy hands]

I usually enjoy lavender and dislike bergamot, so this scent could go either way on me.

 

In the bottle and on me, this is just gorgeous. It smells *exactly* like LUSH's Dreamtime bath melt on me at first. It's a milky, creamy, sweet, cool, herbal lavender. It's so soothing, smooth, and lovely. In the drydown, the bergamot adds a sour touch, but it's still mostly a beautiful lavender.

 

I only applied a small amount of this to my wrist and it has insanely strong throw and staying power. I think that my decant will be enough, and I'll save this one for nights when I'm having trouble sleeping.

[scarletgenesis]

Beautiful and calming, which is really what I need right now.

 

Gorgeous lavender stands out but the bergemot is there...and I might even detect something very crisp like mint.

 

This is herbal and beautiful and will require at least another bottle. I don't think I've smelled another BPAL like it (except TKO, which is softer and which I only wear at bedtime).

 

I have some scents that are my confidence and power scents. Others are my sexy scents. Pontia just became my calming scent. Wonderful job, bpal!

[angelicruin]

Straight up lavender on me.

[Pottersville]

I love, love, love lavender and adore bergamot, so I was biased toward loving Pontia. And I do love her, really I do! But I can't smell any bergamot at all. Not a whiff, not one jot. And Pontia has the distinction of being the most fleeting BPAL scent I've ever tried. I slathered from the decant THREE TIMES yesterday (did I mention I love lavender and bergamot?!) and could have slathered several more times. She .... was ... just ... gone. Definitely not a bottle purchase for me.

[MisterShrapnel]

Pontia's extremely simple in scent, but the lavender is beauutiful (if you like lavender). It's the classy and expensive kind.

Not unique enough for me to get a bottle... which makes me sad, since the picture for this one is one of my favorites from the Aphrodites, as is the name/inspiration--I love the ocean (absolutely cannot live too far away from it) and the story of Venus' emergence from the sea is one of my favorite parts about her! I'll enjoy my decant though. :nod:

 

[vitawash24]

This is the first BPAL lavender scent I've tried where the lavender scent hasn't disappeared almost instantly for me. It's gorgeous, the lavender blending into a fresh, green scent. It's an energizing scent for me - cool, calm clarity. Gorgeous.