The Ghosts of the Arroyo Seco Bridge

[edenssixthday]

The Ghosts of the Arroyo Seco Bridge - I think this may be my favorite of the C15 exclusives. I don't know what I expected, but I think I expected something a little more spectral and cement-like, since it's named after this famous California "Suicide Bridge." But it's a pretty, bright floral, possibly lilies, (although lilies don't usually work on me, so I can't imagine that's what it actually is), fresh greenery that reminds me of the iceplant that grows along many hillsides in California to mitigate mudslides, and there is a slight spectral quality about this blend, but it's not ethereal, if that makes any sense. It's ghost-like, but like a ghost you can almost touch, as opposed to a ghost you only see out of the corner of your eye, but which has faded into the most by the time you look at the exact spot where you thought you saw it. I really love this blend. Floral haters probably won't like it, but it's one of the prettier florals I've encountered in a very long while. The throw is really strong, especially when first applied, and the scent lasts and lasts.

[SmileCat]

Holy sh!t, iceplants and wet cement! I know this smell, it smells like California coastal breezes, minus the saltiness. But on my skin it goes warmer and slightly sweeter as almost all blends do and then it starts to smell like something entirely different. I'm not sure what, but it makes me that it becomes unrecognizable from the oh so familiar scent in the bottle.

 

ETA: Oh wait, there's that coastal iceplant smell again. It's back, but it's not as cool and clear as it is in the bottle. On the other hand, it isn't as nose-tingly.

Edited July 20, 2009 by SmileCat

[suki]

in the bottle: ok. weird. i get the "wet cement" thing that's been mentioned, but there's something else in there too. something that reminds me of olde time gentlemen's cologne.

 

wet on skin: this stuff has incredible throw, straight from the get-go, i just wanna say that now. the oil at this stage has become a dead ringer for clairol herbalessence shampoo, but the 1970's variety. people of a certain age will know what that means, but for the rest, it's a very herbal-y shampoo.

 

dry down: yup. herbal shampoo.

 

in all: do not be distressed by my review. aquatics and herbal-based scents frequently become soap on me. if this has not been a problem for you in the past, this will likely be the BPAL of your dreams.

[Ondine]

Floral, but with an aquatic/water type note lurking lightly underneath it, and I can't do water notes. Very fresh feeling and befitting a bridge setting.

[The_Witching_Hour]

(no scent description given)

 

The Ghosts of the Arroyo Seco Bridge - This is hauntingly beautiful. It is ethereal; evoking images of fallen wisteria petals slowly decaying on the banks of the river. A subtle aquatic, a slightly "green" beginning with warm floral overtones - the body of this fragrance is wisteria. The other notes are just nuances that disappear as the fragrance wears down to a dry stage.

Edited August 22, 2009 by The_Witching_Hour

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Herbal, aquatic, some floral.

 

Wet: Not a lot of change here, as I can only say that it's a light and lovely blend of some herbs, some flowers, and some waters. It is a little sweeter than in the bottle, though.

 

The dry-down: The herbs are something sweet, maybe a faint hint of mint. The florals could be calla lily and some roses, the sort of thing one might throw off a bridge. (And yes, I'm thinking of an old song from the '70s. *grins*) The aquatics could be that mixture that one gets when the tide comes in on a wide, lazy river.

 

This is very evocative of the the ghosts in the title, faint, fleeting, here then gone. I put this on earlier this evening, but within a couple of hours it was indeed all gone away. And I slathered too, due to spilling a couple of drops of the precious. A very light and delicate scent, with just a small throw. I like it, but this is something I might wear more in the springtime.

[femmefatale]

Ok, so I know it's best to let perfumes sit for a day or so after being mailed, but I just couldn't wait.

 

I would like to first say that I am not a floral lover, unless it's in a blend with dirt or snake oil. Almost all florals go soapy or stale on me.

 

That's why I am so surprised at how lovely this is! I'm not sure exactly what flowers are in this, but they are slightly sweet, slightly green and just fresh and beautiful. There is a very short (like 2 minute) stage where there is a slight hint of soap (to me, dh said I was nuts ). There seems to be a hint of an aquatic note to this, but it's different from other aquatics (and believe me, I've tried a LOT). It doesn't turn to air freshener (like pretty much all aquatics do). It's very interesting and hard to describe. Perhaps it's the wet cement that others are getting, though I don't really think of "cement" when I smell it. There definitely is something here though that keeps it from being a "floral" scent and turns it into something unique and different, but very wearable.

There is something about this blend that makes me think of hot afternoons. I'm not sure why, but I think of standing on a bridge on a hot summer afternoon, with my sundress clinging to me, wanting to dip my feet in the cool water.

 

It's quite beautiful and I'm so happy a kind and wonderful soul swapped me this bottle. I her (and the oil!).

[angelicruin]

In the bottle, aquatic florals, just a little sharp.

 

On my skin, this is spicy green floral and salt water. I'm also getting something like the mint I sniffed in B340. I'm really not getting anything that reminds me of cement, but I'm really not sure what wet cement smells like anyway, so maybe it's there and I just don't recognize it.

 

As it dries, I get a bit of earth mixed in with the floral and aquatic notes. And it's turning slightly sweet on my skin, which is odd.

 

 

[Seismogenic]

Out of all the places described by the four Convergence XV oils, I'm pretty sure this is the closest to me, mileage-wise. I've certainly spent a decent amount of time in Pasadena, and while I haven't seen this particular bridge, I'm still really wondering if the overall scent of this oil will be oddly familiar. Not that I've run into ghosts or anything, but, you know, plants! And, uh, freeways. Yeah.

 

In the bottle: Sharp, cool, and planty. I can't quite figure at this point whether the balance of plants is skewed more toward flowers or more toward the green parts of the plants. It's a bit aquatic back there, too.

 

Wet on skin: Lots and lots of plants, with a balance definitely more in favor of leaves, though there are some flowers in there. I can't tell what kind. I couldn't tell you what the leaves are, either, but they're sharp, and they do smell quite familiar. There's still some fresh water back there, but not enough to push this into "Hi! I'm aquatic!" territory.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry isn't much of a change from wet. It's still a dense combination of sharp oh-so-familiar leaves and softer flowers, with some water behind them. I do, however, think I'm starting to get a bit of something that explains why other people have had thoughts of wet concrete. I don't know if I would have noticed it on my own at this point, but it makes sense, given the rest of the review thread. At one hour in, the concrete note is more prominent than it was before, though it's still overgrown by plenty of greenery. I'm not getting so much of flowers anymore, just those familiar green plants. I get less of an impression of actual water now, but the greenery and the concrete still register as damp to me.

 

Five hours later: Predominantly wet concrete, with a hint of ozone. The greenery is still back there if I sniff really hard, but it's not particularly obvious otherwise.

 

End of the day: Ozone.

 

Overall: This scent gives me a detailed mental picture of a setting that is probably an exaggeration on the actual Arroyo Seco bridge (I've never been there specifically!), but could find its place nicely in a sort of Victorian ghost story derived from the actual history. There is thick dense greenery - lots of deciduous leaves, but also those iceplants everyone else in the review keeps bringing up (I looked them up - they're everywhere, and when I sniffed one on campus, it was indeed the familiar smell). The green is punctuated by small white flowers, the petals of which fall down an indistinct length. The green practically forms a tunnel or cave around a concrete bridge (looked up the actual bridge - it is indeed concrete!), but the ends of the bridge don't seem to particularly go anywhere. Everything is damp and dripping, as if it has recently rained, or as if fog has just cleared enough to reveal the scene. The ghosts that might be flitting about in this scene are sort of wistful melancholy ghosts, rather than malevolent horror story types that possess people. This is perhaps one of the strongest specific mental pictures I've gotten from a BPAL. I suspect that, judging from the concrete and the iceplant, this is another scent that is completely dead on in the depiction of its locale. Also, the overall temperature of the scent is quite cool, so I definitely see myself reaching for it on hot days. So far, the Convergence scents are two for two on awesome in my book! I'm looking all the more forward to the other two now.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Slightly soapy cologne. Rather masculine, a little sharp, though it's not overly strong.

 

Wet: More herbal, more soapy, and almost...minty? It smells quite green to me. Slightly bitter edge.

 

Dry: Herbal soap.

 

 

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Aquatic, ozone, and herbal. Of this year's four Convergence scents, I like this one best in the bottle.

 

Wet: Herbal and with a floral note that's almost honey-sweet. It is airier than I tend to like, but it's very pleasant, stimulating as well as reassuring.

 

One hour: There is a delicious green herbal note in this that I really like. It smells sappy and sharp, like something green in the full sun. It's a little reminiscent of Queen Anne's Lace, with that slightly bitter but very green bite only more floral. I like this very much and may have to keep it.

 

Two hours: Alas, somewhat diminished in intensity now although still true to that one herbal note that I like so much. I have not decided yet whether I should keep it.

 

Six hours: The herbal note I like so much stayed true but fell off considerably over the course of the day.

 

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle and on my skin, this is pretty much just a soapy-fresh aquatic with hints of a green, sweet floral (reminds me of lily) and something herbal. It’s a cool scent on my skin for the first 15 minutes or so, which makes me think of mint without smelling outright minty. As this dries down, it smells like a fancy, green, herbal soap & a spritz of sharp floral perfume. It seems sort of mellow, light, and soft, and then every once in a while I smell a bite of sharpness.

 

All in all, this isn't a favorite for me, but I don't tend to like aquatics or herbal smells. At least it's not strong enough on me to give me a headache or anything.

[stellans]

I think this is my favorite of all the Convergence blends. I love a well-blended floral scent, and this one with it's slight fresh water note is wonderful. I could have sworn I smelled lilacs, but I have it on very good authority (Beth, via someone who talked to her) that the upper floral note is wisteria. There is also definitely green in this blend, though it's not strong - the florals are definitely the stars of this blend, and that's fine with me. I will say I was sort of hoping for a wet rock or cement note (like the one in Singing Moon). I don't know what it is about that note, but I really like it. 4 of 5 stars for this blend.

Edited September 18, 2010 by stellans

[Lamia]

Very floral. Pity I can't pick up the wet cement note, I LOVE the way city cement smells after a hard summer rain.

[Suu4LC]

In the bottle, this is really pretty..a light floral, with a touch of greenery and maybe even a touch of cement.

 

Ok, very interesting on my skin. Kind of hard to describe. Definitely a touch aquatic, a touch green, and quite a bit floral. Maybe even some citrussy something in there? This is very complex.

 

It pretty much stays the same on drydown-no real morphing. It's a little weird super up close, but from far away, it really is quite lovely. A soft, non salty, fresh aquatic floral, with a touch of greens and cement.

[claudia6913]

Smells summery and aquatic in the imp.

 

I'm getting soap. Very nice, probably expesive soap, but soap nonetheless. Summery green wetness is what I'm visualizing. But it keeps veering back to soap. Hmm.

[Dark Alice]

As the previous reviewer stated...

 

Aquatic in the imp.

 

Drydown: High class, expensive soap. *sigh*

[zankoku_zen]

On wet, it actually makes me think of lilies. As it dries, it goes to soap.... and then I recognize the floral as WISTERIA.

 

And now, that's all I get. Wisteria. Possibly wisteria soap.

 

Ah yes, you evil fiend you.

 

ETA: BTW, GIANT throw. And GIANT wear length. Did I mention GIANT? And if you haven't guessed, wisteria and I are not friends.

Edited September 10, 2009 by zankoku_zen

[milo]

A frimp from a very generous forumite!! Thanks so much!! This kind of reminds me of June Gloom 09. It's got that 'wet', tropical floral feel, mainly gardenia. Though I can appreciate the blend, it is not really me. Aquatics and tropicals mostly don't work on me, and it does go a touch powdery. This definitely does capture the mood, though.

[moon_lemming]

Yep, I get "aquatic floral" from this like almost every other reviewer, heh. On me, it's nothing but floral, though, and I do not like it, thankfully (because that means I don't need to hunt down a bottle!). It's a white floral. I actually thought it was jasmine for a little while, but it's not sharp enough for that, and I think it's most likely that the flowers I'm smelling are lilies, based on other reviews. Those tie with gardenia for the dubious honor of being the second worst florals on my skin. It could be a floral I just don't recognize -- I don't really trust my flowery-note-picking skills too much -- but whatever it is, it eats any other notes that might be in the blend.

Edited September 30, 2009 by karen

[filigree_shadow]

This is very floral on me, but light. It's unusual because although I pick up on that aquatic scent that other people have talked about, the floral part of it actually smells like dry flowers, not wet ones. Some sort of pretty purple flower.

[jizatt]

I get a gorgeous grassy aquatic from this =) I can maybe smell lily, some clean floral, but a definite dry grassy note as well. I can see this being a foggy scent, because its not ocean to me. This goes up there with my favorite aquatics, and is a definite bottle-keeper for me!

[poisondove]

I bought this for the promises of wet cement. Being originally from rain starved LA, growing up I always knew when rain was near.

You could smell it emenating for the cement. And once it was a little wet, it smelling like heaven. Now I am across the ocean, and

in this waterworld, no one gets the smell of wet cement. Actually, thinking on it is making me a bit homesick.

 

Imp: Aquatic + herby

 

Skin: Cool breeze but with an herbal smell. Is this iceplants? I am not so sure, but its been a while so maybe I am forgetting.

 

Dry down: Its part nostalgia, and home; and I am sorry to say part bathroom air freshener.

 

 

Its funny b/c where I have bf point out the negatives (like bathroom airfreshner), I see it too in this one.

And it kind of is. No wet cement, even tho its longevity led me to test it all afternoon. Still there is something.

Something that reminds me of home.

[January Garnet]

I got this as a frimp. Thanks Lanas!

 

In the Imp:Wild lavender and possibly rosemary. It makes me think of headlights on a highway at night.

 

Wet: Lavender and rosemary with some other herbs. I'm loving it.

 

Dry: The same as before, but with a little floral note that could be lily.

 

I love this one. I'll be buying a big bottle of it from the sales thread eventually.

[The Poison Queen]

How have I not reviewed this scent before!

 

In the Bottle: Herby aquatic with a splash of florals.

 

Wet: Wet cement and aquatic florals with a sharp, green herbal edge. I don't get the huge throw with this on my skin like other folks did, but it's definitely noticeable.

 

Dry: a pleasant aquatic and white flowers (I suspect star jasmine is one of them) with a hint of cement. Lovely! Still strong, but not with a huge throw. I am glad I have several bottles!