Queen Mab

[ipb]

Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.

i like it, it's a soft floral (i can smell rose and jasmine and something else) with a hint of sandalwood. it's definitely an everyday, going to work/class/interview kind of scent.

ADDED Feb. 10:

so i wore it today as my period decide to flood open and what not and today was rather than the strong sandalwood weak flower was FLOWERS with a wiff of sandalwood

goooorgeous!

[allamanda]

From Bewitching Brews

 

Not very strong when wet. Very understated and slightly sweet. Very, very nice but way too complicated for my nose to break down the individual scents at the moment. Still very slightly wet, so may change as it matures. Lovely smell and I still can't isolate any individual smells. This is so nice, but seems to fade on my skin or maybe it is my sense of smell, not sure. Once completely dry I could just detect the sandalwood, I will have to try again.

 

wow totally different when more applied. I can even smell orange this time. Beautiful

 

It is several weeks since I wrote the above and Queen Mab has really grown on me. Very close behind my favourite (Snake Oil), this is totally addictive and I get withdrawal symptoms if I don't wear it for a couple of days.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Elizabeth was right about this one being complex. Smells dark, a full-bodied floral oriental. I can definitely smell the jasmin and the sandalwood.

 

After Wearing It:

I'm not sure what I was smelling here, but this fragrance smelled vaguely fruity. Not in a sweet, juicy way, but in a dark tart sort of way. Very hard to describe. It's dark and complex, mysterious and veiled. Heady without being too much and flowery without being too much so. Faelike in a malicious mischief sort of way. Whimsical yet deep and knowledgeable.

 

Final Thoughts:

I liked this, but it faded a bit too quickly for my liking. I like strong perfumes and this one was a bit too wispy towards the end for me.

[catiebloo]

This is just lovely! And so true to it's description! At first sniff it's quite light...to be honest i first thought it smelled a bit like air freshner! But i went back to it and had another sniff and it is indeed shadowy Light, but with something lingering around the corner that you can't quite put your finger on. It's flowery, but not in the sense that you would imagine....it's "Black" flowery if you know what i mean, dark and mysterious. If i take a deep sniff i'm sure i can smell something hot and aniseed like.....makes me want to lick my wrist This a very intreguing (sp?) scent, i keep going back to sniff it. Will definatly be getting a bigger bottle!

[blackrayne]

Lightly floral, with a sweetness similar to that of honey. I don't know what it is in this blend that makes it this sweet, but I *love* it.

[Damask Rose]

I tried Queen Mab today for the first time and I love it! It was actually a free sample from Elizabeth that I didn't order and I'm so glad she gave it to me as I probably wouldn't have picked it out on my own.

 

As ereyone else has said, it has a very dark, heavy floral smell, but with a lot of sweetness. I've been wearing it all day now and all that is really left is the sweetness and it still smells great.

 

I'll definitely be getting a full bottle of this!

[lorajc]

I just tried this one this morning and have to agree it is a lovely scent. I also like my scents pretty strong and this one is about in the medium range so far...but I have a feeling it's going to fade a lot more, as I've only had it on for an hour or so. I agree that without knowing what notes are in it, it smells floral/sandalwood with a berryish smell in the background. I can smell the sandalwood, but wouldn't say it's heavy on the sandalwood. I think it is pretty evenly balanced with the floral. After looking to see what the individual notes are in this, I can detect the jasmine and sandalwood, but I have never really had the chance to smell black orchid, osmanthus, or even somalian rose and chinese musk on their own for that matter, so I'm not surprised that I can't break it down. It is a darker floral woody scent and I agree it is shadowy. I like this a lot. I'll have to see how it continues to wear on me, but so far another nice fragrance by Elizabeth.

[Sierona]

I love this scent! Queen Mab is very difficult to describe or at least how it ends up smelling on me... i agree this is a wonderful complex oil, a mixed light floral with sandlewood to deepen the scent perfectly. I feel mischievous and naughty while wearing this... Definately buying a big bottle of this!

[divajen]

Oh wow! This one is just delicious! It's pretty and floral and the Sandalwood is just perfect in here. This may be another one that I get a bottle of! I can't stop sniffing this one, it's like heaven to me.

 

Jenny

[jj_j]

Aside from the layer upon layer of beautifully balanced florals, I keep thinking I smell dried grass. Sort of a clover hay that's been in the barn all winter kind of grass, if that makes sense - it's barely there, like it was full of fragrance all summer and finally faded out after fall and winter. Whatever that note is, it, along with sandalwood, makes a perfect base for the light florals of this scent, and it really sets Queen Mab apart from the other light florals Beth creates.

[antimony]

I'm not usually one for florals, but I liked this one. I might even wear it on days when I feel particularly girly.

 

This is a beautiful, complex, feminine scent. I had a hard time picking out individual notes. To me, it smelled like what department store perfumes *try* to smell like and fail.

[Polexia]

Lovely scent in the bottle and then immediately on...only decription that immediately comes to mind is Purple. Yes, this smells purple. HOWEVER, I have tried to wear this on two seperate occasions and have found that it gives me a terrible case of anxiety which someone explained to me as possible past life caused.

[twistygirl]

Aaah, this is quite lovely and soft on me... definitely appropriate for daytime or hot-weather wear. It is softly floral with a hint of a dark mysterious underside... there's something almost-but-not-quite-green on me, I can't pick out any of the individual scents, but they're a divine blend.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: This is a gorgeous, complex, light floral. I really can't pick out any individual notes it is so perfectly blended.

 

Wearing: Very light, and fairly true to the scent in the bottle. I will try putting more on to see if that makes it last longer/smell stronger. Beautiful.

 

Final Impressions: This is just so pretty! While it is MUCH lighter than what I am accustomed to wearing, I can still see myself ordering a bigger bottle, just because of its versatility. I would not hesitate to wear this perfume anywhere - a job interview, visiting a sick friend, etc.

Edited February 27, 2004 by paperdoll

[plumlicorice]

Lovely scent in the bottle and then immediately on...only decription that immediately comes to mind is Purple.  Yes, this smells purple.

it absolutely does smell purple! now i don't feel so crazy for thinking that, since someone else picked up on it too.

queen mab reminds me of a smooth and dark elixer when i first apply it (i can't pick out any specific notes at first), not overwhelmingly feminine but gorgeous all the same. it's sort of otherworldly, majestic. exotic? what stands out the most on my skin is the jasmine, which is lovely. since it was my first 5ml bottle from BPAL, i wear this quite a bit but i'm still not sure exactly what i think of it. very complex...

i would wear this when i got tired of my usual favored candy-ish/fruity/sweet scents, as it's more sophisticated.

 

 

 

 

 

j'm sort of lousy at writing these things, aren't i?

[sirensongsouth]

I must be in the minority for not immediately falling in love with this. For me, wet it smelled like berry sweet-tarts with a touch of floral, when I first applied it smelt strongly of sweet-tart tangy berries with florals wafting around the edges. Dry it loses the berries and the tart tangy scents and becomes a soft sandalwood-floral. I like the dry-down quite a bit although I am very partial to anything with sandalwood in it. I am not too sure about the stages before dry-down and I will have to sample this again before I make up my mind.

[Becky]

I've been wearing this for just about 4 hours now and I love it! when I first sniffed it I though it smelled quite darkly floral. there was also a bit of a floral deoderant smell there. that quickly faded when I put it on though and now its a deep dark soft floral scent. I love it. I really didn't expect to like this as much as I do. its so different from what I usually like. I never thought I would say this, but I need a bigger bottle of Queen Mab!

[Batgirl]

Ugh, I hate to be the lone dissenter here but I really can't stand this scent. I'm sitting here suffering through it right now. I'm sure this is a body chemistry thing, but on me Queen Mab instantly went sour. I think that may be the sandalwood, but on me this isn't a delicate scent, it's quite sharp. Even better, I think I'm allergic to it as I now feel I have to sneeze constantly.

 

I hope this fades soon.

[Ms. MSGirl]

This is maybe the one I love the most of all so far. Out of the vial it is sweet, juicy, almost almondy, so full of berries and ripe.

 

On my wrist it stays like that for a bit, but then gradually the flowers and something warm I think must be the sandalwood develop out of it -- this is the first scent that I have loved both the wet stage AND the drydown, and not wanted to get through one or prevent the other. It is complex and beautiful enough that both stages have their great points. This is what I was hoping for when I started trying to get BPAL scents -- sweet and juicy and fresh, it nonetheless is so much *more* than that underneath. So complex and strong, compared to the adolescent girly fruity body sprays I had been wearing. But the one is not in the least sharp on me.

 

I love it and just wish I could get it to last longer on me -- my skin just eats up scents, it seems the ones I love the most just disappear faster.

[Pandorra]

QUEEN MAB

Initial: Fruity???

 

During: A fruitiness but it seems to turn powdery and musty and dark within minutes. Okay, reapply. Berries? I don’t do well with berries. Dusty sweet. Powdery sweet dark floral. Definitely not me. A little old ladyish and stale. Something heavy and musty in there.

 

Final: Ah, okay, I have read the description. sandalwood. I don’t do to well with that. I really don’t know what any of those other scents smell so I would not be able to pick them out. But it IS a complex scent. It is a little musky and dusty for me. And maybe its not mixing with my chemistry. I smell a lot of sandalwood. This ones not for me. This is a swap.

 

I agree with the other descriptions of dark, mysterious, heady floral.

[malanna]

Fruity, with a dark floral poking out. I really liked this one. It's not loud or aggressive. It's there, waiting for you to take notice of it, and when you do, you're drawn in and completely hooked. It's light, yet the dark floral makes it seem not so light. When I wear it, I just keep on wanting more, like I want to consume it, but when I put on a lot (I mean, a lot), it doesn't work so well, which makes sense, because I was just swiping with my wand, left and right .

Edited April 16, 2004 by malanna

[xoe]

I really love this one. It actually made me feel strong and confident and feminine.

 

** ETA -- Finally almost 3 years later, I got a bottle of Queen Mab. She's just as beautiful as I remember. And still makes me feel strong and confident and feminine. My new everyday scent.

Edited February 22, 2007 by xoe

[quinkel]

Lovely, soft! Has a good staying power

 

It reminds me a little of my other favorite scents High John and Come to me

 

Like other stated before, it´s too well blended to pick a single not.

 

This is a bottle in a next order! Can imagine this on a summerevening

[skg]

Initial impression in the bottle was a green floral soapy scent.

Very fresh without being too harshly green or acidic.

 

Wet it was a dark floral that sweetens slightly over dry down.

 

Reminds me of spring blooms wafting on a warm twilight breeze.

 

It's a nice light girly carefree scent.

 

Not something I would have picked (as it was a sample) but I am glad I got to try it.

[Northernminx]

One of those ones I didn't plan on ordering but hey... at six am on my second day of teaching I was in no shape to READ the label this morning. Luckily I did not grab snake oil (hard enough time peeling the 18 year old wrestler off the ceiling without inciting THAT)

 

Okay. Floral in the tube says my sleep fogged brain.

 

Dab dab dab.

 

I just found my new favorite floral for a while. My department head stopped me to ask what I was wearing today. Something sort of dark and fruity (I'm thinking persimmon even though I have no idea what a persimmon smells like. It's just the name popping in my head.) with an overtone of floral and something a little honeyish mixed in.

 

Staying power was not so great today but I think that's because I lost my sense of smell when my allergies kicked in and spent most of my day lugging books around as I cleaned my desk. I suspect that was more my intense bout of activity than the perfume

 

A definite "buying a bottle"