La Belle Dame Sans Merci

[undream]

the first descriptive word to come to mind when i put this on is "reedy," in the sense that it is, at first, very green and somewhat aquatic. a very herbal feel with a slightly clean, soapy note (lily, i suspect). after some while, it softens up, sweetens, becomes a more feminine scent with a slightly powdery note which i am now assuming is rose (i could not identify it last night when i tried this, and i love rose!). all of this remains layered over the initial green scent, rounding out to a beautiful end result. i don't get a distant, cold feeling from this at all; it's just a beautiful, feminine perfume, and one which lasts! i can still smell it on my skin this afternoon. love.

[Ishtar]

La Belle Dame started off very green, clean, and soapy on my skin. Now I get what people mean when they specifically compare certain blends to shampoo - this is exactly what it reminds me of.

 

After 15 minutes or so, the intense soapiness calmed down, giving way to haughty florals floating on an aquatic background. It is not a "cold" scent per se, but it does a wonderful job of capturing the feel of absolute emotional detachment.

 

After complete drydown, the rose takes centre stage and eventually overpowers the other florals, as the greenness returns to the fore. Sadly, this is a scent that doesn't really bloom on my skin - it must be absolutely beautiful on someone with the right chemistry, though.

[lizabelle]

Wow, I had no idea this was discontinued! And for such a long time, too. It just makes me extra glad I got to try it. There's definitely orange blossom in here--it's the same soft soapiness from Les Infortunes de la Vertu and Catherine. I'm finding that BPAL's orange blossom behaves on my skin in a way that it doesn't in alcohol-based stuff, which makes me very happy. I don't have to be nearly as cautious with white florals! The rose comes in gradually and is also pretty soapy. There's some spice here but since the sample is so old now it's mellow and soft. I like this blend but I prefer the other two orange blossoms I mentioned.

[Lucchesa]

I wonder how literal Beth got with this one. I know she usually uses a great deal of poetic license, but there is definitely rose in here, and I'm thinking lily too, and an aquatic note -- anguish moist and fever dew? Could the green note everyone mentions be a sedge of some sort?

 

I was hoping a scent "rife with mystery and foreboding" would be a little darker, not a pale aquatic floral with the rose a little sharp, but it works with the poem. Perfectly, in fact. A previous reviewer thought it was close to the Waterhouse, but I think it captures the feel of the Dicksee study: