Vasilissa

[ophidiae]

VASILISSA
"Take it, then," the Tsar said, "and bid her do it for me." The old woman brought the linen home and told Vasilissa the Tsar's command: "Well I knew that the work would needs be done by my own hands," said Vasilissa, and, locking herself in her own room, began to make the shirts. So fast and well did she work that soon a dozen were ready. Then the old woman carried them to the Tsar, while Vasilissa washed her face, dressed her hair, put on her best gown and sat down at the window to see what would happen. And presently a servant in the livery of the Palace came to the house and entering, said: "The Tsar, our lord, desires himself to see the clever needlewoman who has made his shirts and to reward her with his own hands."

Vasilissa rose and went at once to the Palace, and as soon as the Tsar saw her, he fell in love with her with all his soul. He took her by her white hand and made her sit beside him. "Beautiful maiden," he said, "never will I part from thee and thou shalt be my wife."

So the Tsar and Vasilissa the Beautiful were married, and her father returned from the far-distant Tsardom, and he and the old woman lived always with her in the splendid Palace, in all joy and contentment. And as for the little wooden doll, she carried it about with her in her pocket all her life long.

She herself had cheeks like blood and milk and grew every day more and more beautiful: creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine.

Wow, can't believe I'm the first one to review this.

In the bottle: A sweet, powdery amber that reminds me a lot of Bastet.

Wet on skin: Again, very similar to Bastet. Amber is the strongest note, but the musk is there beneath, along with a faint hint of jasmine. The musk really does give it a creamy quality but without any of the sourness I usually get from cream-like notes.

Drydown: Amber and musk are still the main notes, but now the sandalwood and myrrh are coming out to play. I can smell the jasmine more now. Combined with the resins, it reminds me of a softer version of Uruk, which is a personal favorite of mine.

Dry: Amber, soft and somewhat powdery, along with jasmine and sandalwood. It's a very fresh scent, feminine without being girlie, and sweet without being cloying.

[hlemonds]

Hmm....Initially this smells almost identical to Mlle. Lilith on me, so i think my skin must amp the pink musk note. I am hoping that with a few days rest this might gain a bit of "definition" so to speak. As of now it dries down to a vaguely pink and creamy scent with a light sweetness and a slightly tart powderyness. These descriptions probably make very little sense, but they're the best terms i can think of to describe what my uneducated nose is picking up. I'm hoping that perhaps with some age i'll be able to get a better sense of the notes working together to create a whole, rather than just vague pink powder.

 

Hopefully i'll be able to revisit this one over time and find it improved. It has some elements in common with The Girl, which is a tremendous favorite of mine, so i'm unwilling to give up on Vasilissa without some more time and effort first.

[Aldercy]

I too immediately thought of Mlle. Lilith, though I don't find Vasilissa as sweet (the former reminded me of Smarties).

 

Jasmine, amber and pink musk with the parched dryness that all sandalwood (except red) seems to lend to a scent the moment it touches my skin. I keep experimenting, but I just don't like that almost sandpapery texture to a scent. Kind of falls flat for me.

 

Vasilissa is certainly wearable, but it's just not as special as I'd hoped.

[saralaughs]

I dunno but I really like this. It is a pretty scent. And I mean pretty, as in girlie pretty.

 

First applied, there is a sweetness that comes with the musks and it definitely screams pink to me. Shortly it starts to get a bit sharp and dry (sandalwood and jasmine I suppose) but after a few it deepens a bit with the warmth of amber and the sharpness smooths out. I'm left with a very pretty, pink musky warmth. The sweetness is still there. It also has a bit of that "powdery" quality that comes with perfume but I believe that to be the musk and jasmine on me.

 

This brings to mind a 16 year old on the verge of womanhood...finding her way. Beautiful. Innocent yet mysterious.

[greenranger]

On wet, very sweet, and very girly.

 

I'm hoping a bit of aging will bring the musks and resins forward more.

 

Actually, even the first few minutes bring the musks and resins forward more.

 

In our neighboorhood, people plant star jasmine, and I like it...in the neighbors yards. It gets a little powerful if it is right under your own window. I do like the smell, though. Neither this nor The Girl really captured that scent. This isn't really there yet. I'll try it again after a while.

[Eutectic]

This is a sweet scent that is almost foody but it blends with the musk and jasmine to keep it from being too much like cake.

 

In the bottle it was a bit much, very sweet and I wasn't sure about this (not a foody lover) but it did calm down once on the skin. Wet it was still very foody but had a peek into the musks and jasmine as the oil was drying. Dry all of the notes blend together so it does still have some sweetness but the musks, jasmine, and woody notes ballance it so you don't go into a blood sugar attack. Still a very girly oil and I would think foody lovers would adore it. The jasmine is not too much in the front and does not amp up too loudly. A very subtle and wonderful blend of these notes!

[midnight_aeval]

When I opened the vial, Vasilissa screams "PALE". It reminds my of another new scent in the BPAL catalogue - Liz. It's got this sweet, syrupy quality to it that makes me weary of wearing Liz. It is good in small doses, but I wasn't able to wear Liz all day because it's just soooo overpowering. Vasilissa is a total girly scent, no doubts about that!

 

Not detecting Jasmine... it is a bit dry (sandalwood and myrrh?). Kinda on the fence about it.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Midnight Aeval

[crebbsgirl]

Ok, it's not often I refer to a perfume as girlish, but I have to say that this one is exactly that. And as I am not a fan of girlish scents, imagine my surprise when I LOVED it! (You're talking to the woman who prefers things of a dark and dangerous nature scent-wise). This is very fluffy and light, but something prevents it from becoming an eleventeen-year-old's perfume. The jasmine is very subdued and adds just a hint of flowers. I'm getting something that hints of fruit, without being actually fruity, and I think that may be the pink musk. It's just wonderful!

[obsidienne]

This scent is so pink!

 

It starts off floral and quite musky, with little shimmering spots (amber?). Then it dries down to a sort of pretty, girlish pink scent, pink musk over the white amber and light sandalwood (very very light, both of them). I'm not registering the myrrh and the jasmine is very subtle to me. This is really nice but needs further testing, perhaps on a day where I am not wearing Mme. Moriarty, which is a tough act to follow.

[Dark Alice]

This is a pretty pink, creamy musk. It reminds of me of a picture of a Matryoshka. There are hints of fruit in this which my skin eats. Light florals with hints of fruit and pink musk. Quite lovely....but it has little staying power.

[gingiemay]

This is a pretty, creamy, pink/skin musk that is feminine and sweet. It turns a bit coconut on me, but the dreaded sandalwood and star jasmine don't turn soapy or to cat pee. Overall I'd say this is a very girly scent but is just not for me. I didn't get as much skin musk as I'd prefer; it comes out more pink.

[filigree_shadow]

This is my favorite scent of Marchen so far. It's all soft and pink and lovely. It reminds me of Velvet Unicorn, which is also a recent favorite of mine, but more sophisticated. I generally can't tolerate jasmine, and I can't pick it up at all in this.

 

I can't imagine this scent being objectionable to anyone. It's sweet and soft and feminine, and I think it's absolutely beautiful. My husband really likes it, too. I've used up half my imp already, and I'm going to add a bottle of this to my next order.

[ljaylh]

 

I put this on my wishlist because I'm determined to try BPALs that don't necessarily appeal to me.. in the interests of expanding my horizons and all that.. but really, this had a high scary quotient.. skin musk, pink musk, white amber, and ICK star jasmine - it all sound just a bit too girly la la for me.

 

So.. consider my horizons officially expanded. This is absolutely gorgeous! Had I not read the notes, I would have said Vasilissa has orange blossom in it - I'm getting a lovely waxy almost orange from it, but I suspect that's the pink musk blending with the sandalwood. Jasmine in any form usually turns immediately into baby poo on my skin, but all it's doing here is adding a sweet top note - I do know it's there, and I would probably prefer it not to be, but it's not overpowering at all.

 

It's very feminine and pretty, the creaminess is just gorgeous. It has a similar feel to The Girl, I think. If you're reading these reviews and still having trouble making up your mind about Vasilissa - I'd say definitely give it a try, you may be as pleasantly surprised as I am.

 

Thanks to nrl1978 for the frimp of this!!

 

 

 

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Soft and pinkly sweet

On Application

Sweet and soft musk with sandalwood

 

Dry Down

Gorgeous sweet and creamy. Almost becomes smoky on the drydown. Love it.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

 

[TheIceMaiden]

This is so pretty! Vasilissa is sweet musk, dusty sandalwood, and soft white amber. The myrrh and jasmine are very subdued and well-behaved. This has pretty good throw and staying power as well!

 

 

Edited April 13, 2010 by TheIceMaiden

[LiLyLuShFireSnaKE]

First off I hate jasmine. I almost did not order this, boy Im glad i did! Jasmine who? Vasilissa is on my top ten favourites of all time. It IS very girly, but in sweet sandalwood way that also reminds me very much of White Rose from the Unity Set. The myrrh adds the same creamy richness. My skin amps myrrh, loves pink scents, and eats up creamy blends! This scent makes me feel like a princess

 

I don't get The Girl resemblance, but can see the Velvet Unicorn one. I was also very weary of the skin musk, sometimes that particular musk is too much and can aggravate my sinuses. Not at all here, very subtle, just gives this girly blend some sexiness.

 

I love this story, my mother being from eastern Europe, and my husband from Lithuania, it has a nostalgic attachment. I was originally excited about Little Wooden Doll. Vasilissa, The Black rider, and Red Rider blow dolly away. A dab of dolly with Vasillisa is not a bad thing however.

 

TOTAL LOVE

Edited November 16, 2009 by LiLyLuShFireSnaKE

[Scarah]

I have no idea what this smells like, except that I like it.

 

It's sweet but not cloyingly so. It very much has that "my skin only sweeter and prettier" thing going on.

 

I can see the comparisons to The Girl. But I would agree that Vasilissa is evocative of The Girl in certain ways, not an exact knockoff. The Girl has got a weird edge to it, for which I think the birch is at least partially responsible. There is a smell there that, as Dethklok would say while eating maced turkey, smells "kinda sting-y."

 

Vasilissa is like The Girl in some ways, except there's no edge. She's friendliness and sweetness and light.

 

My only criticism would be the amount of throw and staying power. This just soaks in to me and becomes one with me. But I have also heard that the things that work best on us can tend to be that way, so maybe that's why.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a rosey, floral amber. It's pretty, in very girly way. The amber turns to powder on me. And this must have jasmine, because the florals turn a little sharp.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: Anything with star jasmine will make me pause and take a closer look. I can usually handle skin musk without amping it and I hope pink musk is the same. The myrrh makes me pause, as does the white amber; I'm not sure I can get away with the lighter side of the amber spectrum the way I can with musk.

 

In the Vial: Very pink and sweet. Girly without being candy-ish. I find it hard to believe there's so much myrrh and amber and musk in it, since I associate those notes with darker scents.

 

Wet: Myrrh, sandalwood, musk, amber. All the ampers are amping, even though it's a lighter, more feminine amping. I can't find a trace of my beloved star jasmine.

 

Drydown: Gets a little deeper, more womanly than before.

 

Verdict: A lovely scent for those who enjoy musk and myrrh and sandalwood. But not what I was hoping for.

[Xanon]

I am really surprised at how much I like this scent. It was something that I decided to try because I like the story and I was putting together an imp pack of thing that were different then I normally go for.

 

In the imp: Pink and sweet. I can smell the myrrh and star jasmine mixing with the pink musk and amber.

 

Wet: more skin musk playing with the other notes making this creamier. It's like a light pink and cram scent. Gosh she's pretty.

 

Dry: pink cream, sandalwood and amber with hints of jasmine and myrrh. Everything is present and mixed well. I am very happy with this and will definitely bet getting a bottle of this. Love that it's GC too!

[Halloqueen2]

This is something that I wouldn't usually try...I'm a resin, incense, musk type of gal, and skin musk doesen't usually do it for me, but this scent is gorgeous. I don't ever pick up individual notes, so I don't get any jasmine, but the skin musks are strong enough to come through nicely. It manages to be delicate without being wimpy, if that makes sense. I agree with the person who noticed a resemblance to The Girl. That one, too, isn't something I'd usually wear, but ordered it on a whim and it turned in to a two bottle order. This is really a nice scent, and I'd recommend it even it you don't usually wear lighter scents or anything floral.

[Kimbernunk]

To start off, white sandalwood and skin musk are two of my favorite of favoritest notes.

Jasmine is number three on my dealbreakers list, behind ylang ylang and moonflower. Jasmine pretty much always turns on me.

 

I'm in dead shock. Because there is jasmine - like, really, jasmine - in this BUT IT DOESN'T SMELL LIKE SOAP AND OLD LADIES. So score a billion to the skin musk and white sandalwood for yet again keeping bad flowers at bay (see: Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills for the skin musk/white sandalwood combo that makes the rose really pretty and not like soap and old ladies). Anyway, this is my first experience with pink musk as a specifically listed note, and I have to say that it really does smell pink at first, a soft pink. Anyway, it all blends and settles after about an hour and it's a soft musk, softly-woodsy and slightly warm floral scent. The myrrh doesn't show up specifically - it's either barely there or just magnificently blended in. Anyway, this is loverly if more feminine than I usually wear, and I could see it going the way of a bottle if I end up reaching for the imp often enough.

 

The skin musk/white sandalwood combo is so swoonworthy I think it could be combined with pickles and cat pee and still be wearable.

 

Also also, this has lasted me for something like 9 hours and I can still smell it just a little. But I didn't slather. It's not a strong scent, it's just there and lovely and wonderful.

 

[psykhe]

in the imp: fresh cotton candy. some coconut. a breeze of sweet air.

 

wet: dewy. it feels as if the jasmine is imparting a sense of freshness? a sharpness that cuts through for just a moment.

 

drydown: comforting. creamy. the wetness is completely gone and you're left w/ a soft fluffy blanket.

 

verdict: wow. i spent a good five minutes just sniffing the applicator, swooshing it in air. this was definitely the most intriguing of the imps i chose. it smelled warm, sweet, yet clean. this was disconcerting because when think warm and sweet, i immediately progress to "sticky". definitely getting a resemblance from Eos-- Vasilissa is pink as Eos is yellow. Vasilissa seems foody, though. like caramel, but not cloyingly so. in addition, this has extreme staying power as i still smelled it on myself clear into the next morning. (except by then it faded to some generic "sensual vanilla" scent-- reminiscent of Victoria's Secret body sprays...) Vasilissa also smells like a luxe version of Hanae Mori Butterfly (HMB). opulent because, as im sniffing both wrists (Vasilissa on left, HMB on right), HMB smells cheap and watery (think CK1). perhaps because HMB is actually a berry medley with a hint of almond?

 

Vasilissa smells creamy, spicy, sweet, and a touch buttery while remaining delicate.

 

 

[Iceblink]

This is beautiful. Amber and soft musks, and it's quite sweet, but I smell the myrrh in the background giving this a heavier edge. So far the jasmine isn't killing everything else here and I'm hoping it'll stay so nicely behaved. The sandalwood becomes more prominent as it dries. Really gorgeous and doesn't smell like anything else I've tried--I passed on The Girl. I'll try this again once the imp has aged a bit.

[Schmoozy]

 

Oh wow. Creamy, pink, woodsy and very delicate. Sandalwood, amber and soft musks combine together to create this sweet, soft woody floral blend. I love this.