Ariadne Brunnell

[Heavenlyrabbit]

ARIADNE BRUNNELL
(The Vampire Maid, Hume Nisbet)
This contact seemed also to have affected her as it did me; a clear flush, like a white flame, lighted up her face, so that it glowed as if an alabaster lamp had been lit; her black eyes became softer and more humid as our glances crossed, and her scarlet lips grew moist. She was a living woman now, while before she had seemed half a corpse.

She permitted her white slender hand to remain in mine longer than most people do at an introduction, and then she slowly withdrew it, still regarding me with steadfast eyes for a second or two afterwards.

Fathomless velvety eyes these were, yet before they were shifted from mine they appeared to have absorbed all my willpower and made me her abject slave. They looked like deep dark pools of clear water, yet they filled me with fire and deprived me of strength. I sank into my chair almost as languidly as I had risen from my bed that morning.

Yet I made a good breakfast, and although she hardly tasted anything, this strange girl rose much refreshed and with a slight glow of colour on her cheeks, which improved her so greatly that she appeared younger and almost beautiful.

I had come here seeking solitude, but since I had seen Ariadne it seemed as if I had come for her only. She was not very lively; indeed, thinking back, I cannot recall any spontaneous remark of hers; she answered my questions by monosyllables and left me to lead in words; yet she was insinuating and appeared to lead my thoughts in her direction and speak to me with her eyes. I cannot describe her minutely, I only know that from the first glance and touch she gave me I was bewitched and could think of nothing else.

It was a rapid, distracting, and devouring infatuation that possessed me; all day long I followed her about like a dog, every night I dreamed of that white glowing face, those steadfast black eyes, those moist scarlet lips, and each morning I rose more languid than I had been the day before. Sometimes I dreamt that she was kissing me with those red lips, while I shivered at the contact of her silky black tresses as they covered my throat; sometimes that we were floating in the air, her arms about me and her long hair enveloping us both like an inky cloud, while I lay supine and helpless.

Poppy flowers, peat, sphagnum moss, gardenia, and white water lily.

Gardenia given depth by the Poppy and a light hearted sweetness from Water Lily. There's the merest hint of some earthy notes.

I adore this, it is really a beautiful, very classy floral. Not over done. This might work for people who've not had much success with Florals.

This seems like a cousin of I Died For Beauty.

After testing again last night & this morning: Last night, the mossy elements came out much more and this verged on being close to unisex. This morning, I got a whisper of something that put "powder" into my head but before I could decide my attention was drawn to how thin a scent this is.

This seems like a rather prim, pallid Victorian vampire. After reading a synopsis of the story and the excerpt, I'd say it's a good evocation of Ariadne Brunnell

[topazphoenix]

I like the way the other notes balance the gardenia in this. I'm not a fan of strong gardenia because it's too powdery and cloying or something, but the other light florals and the light greenery make this quite ethereal, wistful, and beautiful. It's like being stranded in a forest with rays of light falling through the trees every once in a while. I think this one is a keeper...

 

edit: Oh crap! This is turning out to be death by gardenia after all.

Edited August 30, 2009 by AmandaKay

[angelicruin]

This is a light, sweet floral fragrance with just a touch of earth mixed in. Lily is the strongest floral note I pick out on my skin.

 

Very delicate on my skin and mild throw.

 

I love my decant, but will probably not pursue a bottle of this.

[jizatt]

I didn't like this wet, and kept sniffing thinking there was something I didn't like (something almost sour in there, thought maybe one of the florals...). Now that its been dry a couple of hours, I do like it quite a bit =) I think its the moss and peat that I'm liking right now, the florals have almost totally receded. I prefer to like all the stages though, so this won't be a bottle purchase for me.

 

eta: the long dry down - ADORE. why can't I like the wet stage better?? its very sweet and earthy now. I know the poppy is something I like in this part, so maybe the poppy/moss combo..

Edited September 22, 2009 by CaudaPavonis

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this smells like a very white, sharp, perfumey-musky floral.

 

On my skin, this becomes less sharp and more sweet and mellow. Much to my surprise, I actually like this scent a lot. As it dries down, it turns earthy and the floral smells creamy and pretty. It's like I pulled up a handful of lilies and there's black dirt and shreds of moss clinging to them. I love gardenia when it's creamy and sweet smelling, and I'm definitely getting that gardenia here. The sharp poppy seems to be staying away.

 

Ariadne Brunnell is like being in a quiet, deathly still graveyard just as the sun goes down, sitting on a gravestone with that bunch of just-pulled white flowers. Creamy, quiet, earthy, sweet, and beautiful.

 

The poppy and water lily almost scared me away from this blend, but this is gorgeous. The touch of earth makes this very wearable for me. Ariadne Brunnell is similar in feel to The Premature Burial, but this has less of an earthy note over time and a creamy, sweet lily/gardenia instead of orchid.

 

I'm definitely keeping my bottle of this one. It's just beautiful

[Xanon]

I had hopped that the peat and sphagnum moss would keep this a little greener. But I too fell to the Death by Gardenia. Perhaps it was the sweet of the water lily and the gardenia in combination that did me in. It started with hopeful moments where the poppy and moss were showing their heads, and then they got a slap upside the head and forced to submit to the overly flowery gardenia and lily.

 

So sad. Imp to the swap pile.

[Lyrical]

In imp: sweet, earthy, and not quite flowers but vegetation.

 

Wet on skin: poppy, flowers and moss, blending pleasantly together.

 

Dry on skin: I can smell the peat now. It has a GC feel to it - maybe that's the poppy, which is still prominent. This is nice and very wearable, although it doesn't excite me. The far drydown is too masculine for me.

[edenssixthday]

Ariadne Brunnell - I didn't have high hopes for this due to the gardenia in it, but on my skin, I can barely smell the gardenia. It's actually a subtle scent on me, full of lightly-scented lilies backed up with the slightest wet heaviness of moss. It's got a bit of a powdery and soapy undertone to it, however.

[samhainschimera]

My sniffer isn't very refined yet, but this was absolutely horrible on me. I'm not sure if it was one note or the combination but it went to pure ol' lady stench that was way too strong. I tested it while at work and had to go to the restroom and scrub it off. The gardenia wasn't very strong (and I like gardenia) so I think it was possibly the poppy that was overwhelming. I'll be swapping this one fo' sho'.

[ami226]

I definitely agree that there is a similarity here to I Died for Beauty (which I love). I get a lot of gardenia from this one.

 

Dry down is all lily!

 

It is a very pleasant floral.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Catseyes

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: Sweet water lily and some peat and moss.

 

Wet: The sharpness of the gardenia is overtaking this scent.

 

The dry-down: That sharp stage passed away and it would seem that all the notes have combined into a faint sweet and slightly herbal scent. However, I'm not sure what poppy flowers smell like, so they weren't taken into consideration.

 

I like this perfume oil--it's a pale sweetish floral/herbal scent that will be lovely for next spring.

[Myrrha]

I hated this one when I first put it on. It seemed overly sharp and masculine but at the same time perfumy.

 

After about fifteen minutes though it became really lovely. BPAL is like that sometimes.

 

Dry, I could smell poppy and lily adding up to something floral but not typically floral. It is cool and a little sweet. The moss and earth notes give it depth. There is a bitterness here as well, I think it is the poppy. I wonder why it doesn't smell like gardenia to me?

 

After a time it is mostly an earth scent with bitter flowers. It is elegant but I don't think it is for me.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2009 by Myrrha

[aquazoo]

Starts with hairspray... Stays hairspray. Whatever is in here, it's not working on me. Too much sharp-smelling stuff.

 

[voodoocatwoman]

Huh. I thought this had some rose in it. I suppose what I am getting is the lily. It's an OK scent but not anything swoon-worthy. It reminds me of a dusting powder I got into at my grandmother's house once.

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, so this is a white perfumey floral. On me, it's like a battle of gardenias and lilies, and the gardenia goes evil --- with a hint of wet wool and the overall impression is yes, hairspray.

 

Pass.

[Schmoozy]

 

Wispy & aquatic. Soft, sweet florals, with a touch of moss and peat to ground the sweetness. It's earthy, yet feminine, and doesn't last very long with skin chemistry.

[fairnymph]

Light amber oil. Sweet, green, floral - and a tad spicy from the poppies. I definitely get the mossy notes and a touch of freshwater aquatic, and the water lily is quite sweet, almost like a nice lotus note (not the bubblegum sort). Gardenia is strongly present.

 

Earthier - the peat is really emerging but in a lovely way, it has sort of woody and smoky and earthy notes but all are light and grounding, not 'dirty' or too strong. The moss is quite green and I get a sappy sort of green note from somwhere, possibly the poppies, which are spicier and a touch dusty. The gardenia is the sharp sort and I fear that it will amp epically. Still sweet in an almost-fruity or juicy way.

 

Gardenia amping as suspected, and it's going that piercing way that gives me dreadful headaches. I'm off to the sink because gardenia headaches stick around if I don't nip them in the bud. Crazy strong throw and how much do you want to bet this won't wash off? Yeah, this would have ridiculous longevity, too.

 

[rayvn1]

This was a surprise hit for me out of all the vamps I love poppy in other oils and the dusty sweetness of the poppy flowers is lovely. Throw in the fantastic earthy and sweet grass smell of the peat and I'm hooked! It's true love for me and Ms. Ariadne.

[Invidiana]

Nice, another creepy floral! If sphagnum moss and peat sound scary to you, believe me, it just adds an eerie earthiness to this blend and by no means makes it end up smelling like a swamp. The earthy notes actually make it sexier, something of a white floral haze shrouding a murky, moss-covered graveyard. This ghostly and mysterious scent brings to mind spirits materializing in the mist. Anyone who's sworn off florals obviously hasn't given the ones in the Literary Vampire Series a try!

Edited November 8, 2009 by Invidiana

[theseagrows]

this scent smells very white and dry on my skin. i think my skin tends to amp poppy, and it is no different here. there is something almost powdery about this-no doubt the combination of poppy and lily. i was hoping for an amping of moss and gardenia, but unfortunately, i can't really smell them at all, except in the vial. however, after settling this scent is kind of nice-it's just too poppy-heavy at first. i may have to re-try this.

Edited January 14, 2010 by theseagrows

[SophieCedar]

Any mixture of soft earth and flower does wonders on my skin. I love this one. Sweet rounded and creamy white. the Poppy is a nice top note and the gardenia doesn't overpower any other elements. Surprised I can actually differentiate all the notes considering the headiness and a couple similarities!

[countessmouse]

Sweet, earthy lily and aquatics with a subdued gardenia tone. My only complaint is that it is so very, very light that it's not going to stay around long.

[thestrangeheart]

When I first got my decant of this, it was very gardenia-heavy— kind of a typical BPAL gardenia on me, and I had Swan Maiden for that. Didn't give me that lovely peat smell that I'd been hoping for (I have childhood memories of loving that smell). But now? Aged? Oh my, this is gorgeous. It's deep and earthy in just the right way, not dirt but earth, the smell of sunwarmed ground. The gardenia is lighter than before, and just adds a touch of sweetness and blends perfectly with the water lily and poppy. The florals are almost creamy, but not overly sweet.

 

Great throw and lasts a long time, too. I had to track down a bottle.

[sunlitgarden]

I received a decant of this as a frimp in a swap package. In the imp, it's a mix of florals and the "earthy" notes of peat and sphagnum moss. The overall impression is clean, kind of soapy.

 

On my skin, it's much the same. The gardenia is behaving, mostly, but the overall impression I'm getting is still mainly soap. It's pretty, but not really my style.

[sth0]

Wet, this is way more subtle of a fragrance. Languid and floral, the peat and moss notes remind me of humidity (a connection in my memory) and the wet gardenia hints at that stereotypical Southern scent.

 

As it dries, the gardenia appears. This gardenia is powdery and like neroli. Very much like it but without the sweet citrus tang. The lilies are a soft edge but do nothing to blunt the overpowering gardenia. Poppy blends into the gardenia note like a fraternal twin sister; just different enough but complimentary. I might try this in a scent locket but it seems that the gardenia is very amped on my skin. I feel like a Southern vampire prostitute