Zephyr

[wldhrsjen3]

A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.

From the description, I expected something with a little more citrus tang. In the bottle, however, all I smell are white florals and musk. It is clean and white and feminine - sort of a department store fragrance.

On my skin: the musk and sandalwood overwhelm any lemon citrus note, granting depth and emphasis to the florals. The vanilla adds a faint but pleasing sweetness. If I was the sort to like musky floral perfumes, this would be lovely. It's a very fresh, innocent blend.

After several hours, the musk and florals have faded and left a cool, creamy vanilla behind. Like licking an icecream cone on a sunny day in the middle of a flower garden, with gentle breezes stirring the flowers. Lovely, but not quite for me.

[topazphoenix]

Citrusy light florals, like fresh laundry.

[rayvn1]

Gentle and barely there sweet floral blend. Very commercial perfume-y on me. It is a little puff of scent surrounding my arm and is sooooo not me I think this would be lovely on the right person though - heck, it's lovely on me, just not something I'd wear.

[ralenth]

Wet: Sharp, and citrusy.

Drydown: Gentle puffs of baby powder mellow out my skin's reaction to lemon.

 

Dry: Still soft and powdery, but wrapped in a light musk with teensy peeps from the citrus gallery.

 

Overall: Minimal throw for me. Very soft and summery. It puts me in mind of cotton sheets drying in the early morning summer sun. It's pleasant, but I don't know that I would reach for it.

[voorishsign]

"Where hast thou wandered, gentle gale, to find

The perfumes thou dost bring?"

- William Cullen Bryant

 

Got this as a frimp - it's too light and breezy to suit me, but what it does, it does amazingly well. I've never smelled anything quite so . . . fresh, beautiful, well-blended, refreshing, soft, it's the rare floral that doesn't give me a headache.

 

Zephyr is a brisk wind in a wide field full of wildflowers. Absolutely masterfully done.

Edited September 27, 2009 by voorishsign

[biocarolyn]

I was really interested to try this, and I was surprised that I liked it. It has a lot in common with Fae, I think. The white musk and light floral is the same but obviously this is lemon, where Fae is Peach. It is a very soft lemon, not a bright citrus tang. Definitely not wood polish lemon at all. It's gentle, and while it doesn't shout, it does hang out forever. This is literally the only BPAL I've ever tried that lasted 12+ hours on my skin.

[Graphica]

in the bottle: Perfume. This is the first BPAL scent I've smelled that immediately put me in mind of traditional perfume. Feminine. Floral. Strong sandalwood, but without the sense of dryness I usually get. I definitely smell lemon verbena and a strong but light musky component. Bergamot -- one of my favorite scents. I'm a bit put off by the overall perfume-y-ness of it, but I'll give it a go.

 

on wet: Immediately, the sandalwood and musk are dominant; all the other scents drop away completely.

 

drydown: Sandalwood and vanilla. A really nice vanilla. I don't know if this is a special type of vanilla or if it's just being affected by the surrounding components, but it's a dry, non-sweet vanilla which I like very much. Oddly, the sandalwood is already not as strong, which is counter to my past experiences with sandalwood (where it usually becomes the dominant -- if not only -- component throughout the scent life of the oil or perfume). No hint of bergamot left.

 

one hour later: Okay, still a perfume-y perfume, but not offensive. I'm getting a whiff now of the neroli (one of the few floral scents in real life that doesn't give me a headache). Also, this is the first one I've tried that has throw. That sort of makes me want to wash my wrists, but I'll tough it out.

 

end of day: Light floral.

 

compared to official description: Simplistically, the throw on this one does make me think of breezes, especially the type that waft the warm scent of Philadelphus blossoms across the yard (nice match to the description since, for us, Philadelphus blooms in late spring, so ... spring breezes). If "white scent" is supposed to mean light and non-heady, again accurate. I would've thought that sandalwood would immediately make a scent not light, but I see that it's described as "white sandalwood." I'm not sure what that means, but it's clearly a completely different scent than the one I'm used to.

 

notes: Lagniappe. Not one I would have thought to try because of the floral component. I'm glad the lab throws these in because I do allow myself to be dissuaded by a description. This forces me to take a chance, for better or worse.

 

It's a very pretty but light floral. Very much a perfume. I can see the appeal if you like this sort of thing. Overall, it isn't me. It leaves me feeling fragile and withdrawn -- not sensations that I enjoy.

Edited October 3, 2009 by Graphica

[animalcule]

Hmm. I was expecting to like this more, as I like pretty much all florals, citrus, and vanilla.

 

On it's too much MUSK with a little bit of verbena, and I guess that's the sandalwood that makes it 'dry'. It's a very warm scent. It reminds me a great deal of the Chanel Gardenia my mom gave me for Christmas years ago, but better.. still not good enough compared to the other BPALs I like. Won't be wearing it again.

[London]

imp: Lemony sorbet

 

Wet: Lemon peel, and something green

 

Dry: Sweet Verbena..with a hint sunblock. Maybe I'll add this one to my sunblock..it'd smell awesome. ^^

[Venneh]

I think this is an aged imp, as I don't recognize the label (more of the abstracted phoenix, and the phoenix is in the center with the lab's name and the web address on the bottom). In the imp, I'm getting musk and florals, which may mean the lemon has aged out, and if that's the case, oh god, yes, please let that be the case. On my skin, this is mostly musk, nothing else. Hrm. We'll see what this does, but I don't think this is going to be a bottle; maybe I'll keep the imp. Softens down to a powdery musk, not really my thing. Swaps/sales.

Edited January 10, 2010 by Venneh

[MCS4096]

Very powdery and ambery (makes me sneeze at first), bright sandalwood and musk.. very light hint of white florals.

 

This is a fairly simple, comforting scent.. as such it's right up my alley and Ive been planning to get a bottle for awhile

[girasol]

Zephyr... it's very nice, but a bit so what if you get what I mean. I agree with those that have said it's like a traditional perfume - puts me in mind of White Linen or something like that. I don't mind it, it's fresh and florally, but I think the imp will be enough.

[Phades]

In the imp: clean, coming close to being cleaning-products smelling, but not there yet.

 

On the skin: much less of a cleaning-products vibe, the crisp "whiteness" definitely comes across more than the citrus. Smells fresh, faintly moist - but in the manner of dew, not humidity, if that makes any sense. It's a cool, self-contained moisture, not a hanging, pervasive moisture. It makes me think of a cool breeze on a warm day, one that raises goosebumps but they vanish momentarily under the gentle warmth of the sun.

 

I can't detect the vanilla at all, though it is becoming sweeter as time goes on.

 

1/2 hour later: Hmm... now completely dry it smells a bit like laundry-clean - not the smell of actual clean laundry, but the smell of laundry products, dryer sheets in particular maybe? Too bad, I think this one is not the clean scent for me.

Edited February 14, 2010 by Phades

[angelicruin]

I'm getting a distinct fabric softener scent with this blend. It's definitely a fresh scent and very pleasant to smell, but it reminds me too much of laundry for me to wear it as a perfume.

[ami226]

 

Very light and ethereal. I can definitely smell lemon. Not lemon pledge, but actual lemon fruit. I can also smell a slight hint of florals and a sweetness that I think is the neroli and vanilla. The ethereal part must be the musk. Not one of my favorites.

[sunlitgarden]

I really like this! I am amazed by how many different layers it has.

In the bottle/wet: A bright and refreshing mix of citrus and florals. I really like the combination, the citrus and florals balance out well on my skin.

Dry: After about 30 minutes or so, the sandalwood comes out more, along with vanilla. As more time passes the vanilla stands out more and more.

 

I bought a bottle of this and it's a keeper.

[Schmoozy]

 

A beautiful citrussy white floral with dry, dusty sandalwood, creamy vanilla and hints of musk. The vanilla and musk soften the sandalwood so it is just this wisp of sweet woods, and it blends so well with the lemon verbena, neroli and bergamot. It is a perfect spring scent. Light, crisp, woodsy yet sweet with just the right amount of florals. I love how it sticks close to the skin.

[Saya]

I really like this scent. It starts off lemon with a touch a sandalwood, very fresh and very clean. After a bit a hint of vanilla starts to give the blend a little bit of depth. It's definitely something I'd wear during the summer time. I'll be keeping the imp and will spring for a bottle once it's empty.

[waternight]

In the imp: Musk! Lovely, light China musk and white musk, which are my favorite musks. Maybe a tiiiiiiny drop of vanilla. No lemon to speak of, nor neroli, which I'm hoping will be a trend, as neroli tends to ruin blends for me.

 

Wet/Drydown: Very light. Very similar to how it smelled in the imp, with just a touch more powdery vanilla. Ahhh the powder is most likely coming from the sandalwood. I still get absolutely no lemon from this at all. After a few minutes, something a bit more robust and spicier starts to amp, which I think is the bergamot. It blooms briefly, then settles back down.

 

Dry: Light musk, slightly powdery, slightly vanilla-y, slightly sandalwoody. Pleasant, but probably not something I'll reach for much.

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Light yellow oil. Sweet, citrusy, herbal floral.

 

Wet: Clean ozony amber, herbs, citrus. Smells like a combination of Villain and Saint-Germain.

 

Dry: Very citrusy, and amber/incensy, with the soft powdery aroma of white musk.

 

After a few minutes: VANILLA! Some understated florals and musk, the citrus has fallen back quite a bit.

 

After first hour: I'm getting a hint of plastic from the combination of vanilla and white musk, but it isn't overpowering and there are still pleasant elements to the blend like the sweetness of citrus.

 

After two and a half hours: Plastic is gone, it has turned into a soft, sweet, citrusy, powdery musky amber and vanilla scent. Quite pleasant, but I think Villain does the citrus better for me.

 

After 5 hours: Sandalwood and vanilla, that's it.

 

Final verdict: It's quite pretty, but I have other scents that I like better. Time to pay it forward.

 

[milo]

This blend really reminds me of Beanman and Beanwoman. I get coconutty floral here, from wet to dry, though it reminds me more of Beanman and Beanwoman more when wet than dry. It ends up being kind of sweet,summery, fresh, suntan lotion, though the coconut vibe is disappearing. Maybe it's the sandalwood? Whatever the case, this is quite nice, and I'll add it to my summer imps.

[Ryokumuji]

White musk, sandalwood, and vanilla! Those are the notes that jump out at me on my initial sniff. It's sweet and pleasant and it DOES remind me of Queen Mab, although it's definitely different. The florals come out more on the dry down and the lemon peeks up just a bit. I MUST have a bottle of this. Like, right now. RIGHT NOW.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Beautiful. I have no idea why it's taken me so long to try this one, because it's right up my alley! 'Gentle' is a good description; it's a white/pale yellow sort of scent, with the zing of fresh citrus (mainly lemon) offset by the sweeter florals and musks. It's not unlike a softer, more nuanced Lolita.

On, wet: More from the vanilla and musks, but the citrus elements are still hanging around, giving everything a bright, springy feel and keeping it from getting too sweet. The florals aren't overpowering at all, and the combination of them with the vanilla makes me think of heliotrope. It's well-blended and very gentle, fresh and clean and a bit shimmery, in the way white musk scents often are.

On, dry: Less citrus overall, although I still get some of the neroli. The sandalwood is slightly more prominent; it's still very subtle for me, as white sandalwood usually is, but I can sense it there, adding to the blend. Other than that, there's not much change, aside from being slightly sweeter and more melded. This is not a scent that morphs, but it's so pretty that I honestly am not disappointed by that. *g* Nice throw without being heavy or overpowering.

Later: Vanilla, sandalwood, musks, and a whisper of the florals. This is the sweetest it's been, but it certainly isn't too sweet. It's just… quietly lovely, if very close to the skin. Exactly the sort of scent you'd like somebody to lean in and sniff.

Overall: Gorgeous. This doesn't really smell the same as Dia (it shares very few notes with it), but something in the character of this scent reminds me of Dia—a luminous, smooth, gossamer white floral. It's very feminine, and I think it's classic enough to be worn even in very conservative settings. Where Lolita comes across as a girl trying a bit too hard to be a woman—brasher, sharper, more in-your-face—Zephyr strikes me as the kind of woman Lolita aspires to be: effortlessly elegant and refined, confident enough not to scream when she knows that a whisper can be just as powerful. It's a lovely perfume, and definitely going into my rotation once the weather warms up.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: extremely strong sandalwood! I hate sandalwood, so this is not a good sign. all I can find is musk and sandalwood, neither of which endear themselves to me on my skin. I don't catch any of the other supposed complexities this one contains. it's strong and a little like eucalyptus-mint. no sweetness as far as I can tell.

 

On my skin: more sandalwood-eucalyptus-mint ickiness. incredibly strong. not gentle or light in any way, just strong strong strong! it makes my nose crinkle and my eyes water a bit.

 

Last thoughts: icky strong. I can't handle it, had to wash it off.

[rhetoricians]

Ozone, soft flowers, and a hint of powder. What a lovely scent - I completely agree with the above poster who suggested it's the smell of a nice day being pushed out by a storm. It smells amazing, and is strong with a decent throw without being overpowering. If it stays this nice a couple of hours from now, I might just have to add it to my bottle wishlist. Mmmm - I want to roll my clean laundry in this smell and roll in it!