Time Does Not Bring Relief

[cfrancesca]

TIME DOES NOT BRING RELIEF
Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide.
There are a hundred places where I fear
To go - so with his memory they brim.
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, 'There is no memory of him here!'
And so stand stricken, so remembering him.

(Edna St Vincent Millay)
Remembrance: Parma violet and leather accord with beeswax, Egyptian musk, orange blossom, white tea, lavender, myrrh, and copal.

I find this one a very complex scent. It starts out as fresh white tea, Parma violets, lavender, orange blossom (which keeps threatening to amp but thankfully stays soft) with a backdrop of Egyptian Musk and beeswax. The other notes are also there, but remain well-blended and don't stick out on me but give it more complexity. I was hoping for more leather but I'm hardly getting any.

Once dry, the Egyptian Musk starts amping, and the violets turn slightly powdery and vanillaic (similar to violet pastilles), the tea gets a little sharp (this usually happens with tea-blends on my skin),I get a bit more lavender and orange blossom and now I get hint of leather but it's still very soft.

[hlemonds]

I like this one very much! The warm beeswax and soft Egyptian Musk combine to form a base that reminds me of Lights of Mens' Lives. The violet is very strong upon initial application, but smoothes out and blends into the beeswax/musk once dry. I think I can detect a hint of the copal giving this a nice resinous feel, but I'm not able to pick out any of the other notes independently. I think this will make a really great spring blend, it has a nice fresh feel, and the floral is soft enough once dry that I find it quite enjoyable.

[edenssixthday]

Time Does Not Bring Relief - This opens up with a hint of Egyptian musk along with tons of violet, and orange blossom. And then it turns to powder, powder, and more powder. None of the other notes ever the first chance with all that powder, not even my long-time nemesis, lavender. Rather, the powdery musk, powdery violet, and powdery orange blossom turn on the powder power and blow everything else away. Huge disappointment, as I was really excited for another rare Egyptian musk blend.

[Dark Alice]

I was so excited to try this...and alas...it is NOT GOOD ON ME! This smells like fresh hot pepper juice. My grandmother cans peppers in the summer and this smells exactly like it when wet. Dry: It smells like fresh pepper juice and orange blossom. This has got to go! STOP THE PRESSES: ETA: This has dried down to the most gorgeous parmaviolet scent! This stays...just in partial form.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Dark Alice

[countessmouse]

Very strong Egyptian musk and white tea at first - very different. Then other notes start appearing and it changes to a slight cologne scent on me. Shortly afterward, violet takes over and it goes all sweet and powdery. Meh. Not for me.

[calivianya]

Wow, this scent sure does smell different on everyone.

 

While wet, this scent is very reminiscent of cologne with violets. It even smelled like alcohol. I started to turn my nose up at it, but within five minutes the violet cologne smell totally disappeared and left behind the white tea, beeswax, lavender, and leather. It smells very similar to Ü with added lavender on my skin right now. I LOVE this stage. This may be a bottle purchase.

 

Edit: I think I spoke too soon. I did think this had settled, but the violet made one last return and brought this scent into the realm of powder. Nevermind.

Edited February 22, 2011 by calivianya

[Lycanthrope]

On me behaves a lot like Emathides, which was also a violet-containing scent that didn't turn into violet on me. Mostly caramel.

 

This one dries down foody waxy, like sweet resins. I don't get much parma violet

[dragonrain]

This was all powder and violet for me, even in the imp. None of the other notes surfaced and it faded very quickly. I passed this one on to my sister, who loves it.

[Blood onmy hands]

All of the notes in this sound good to me (leather, violet, and beeswax especially sounded like a kickass girl fragrance), but the scent is a powdery failure on me. It goes so powdery that I was wondering if there was amber or an actual baby powder note in there that I missed, but I guess the violet and Egyptian musk are probably the culprits.

 

First on, the mixture of violet and beeswax is actually a bit cloying on me, like violet candies and honey-vanilla scented yankee candle. Then, as it dries down, I get tons of baby powder, a bit of sweet myrrh, and a hint of violet candies. I'm really disappointed that I can't pick out the leather at all. Time Does Not Bring Relief is sadly just too powdery and cloying on my skin... fades really quickly, too.

[meaganola]

I hate leather, beeswax has been known to make me want to barf, lavender has a tendency to amp and go *way* too sharp, and the less said about myrrh, the better. It should be something I try once and then spend the rest of the day tossing down Tylenol. And yet this is quite possibly my favorite of the Lupes and a strong contender for top ten. It goes all candied violet with a soft background of lavender. I'm a bit nervous that it will age into something unwearable, but I'll never know unless I keep it around, so it stays for now. There's something about it that reminds me of Lilith Victoria, although I can't quite put my finger on what that something is.

[Imbrium]

If there is one note that typically makes me run screaming from a blend, it's...well, okay, actually, it's vetiver, which isn't anywhere near this blend. But if there's a second note that does that thing, it's violet. Usually, it goes all powdery and gives me a headache.

 

But, here's the catch: I really, really, really love Edna St. Vincent Millay, and have since I was, I think, 16. I have part of one of her sonnets tattooed on my back.

 

So, basically, I had to try this.

 

The reviews really had me worried, because of that whole aforementioned violet, running, screaming thing. But I'm happy to say that "Time Does Not Bring Relief" doesn't actually go too powdery-violet-y on me. The violet is definitely prominent when it's wet, but something in the blend--the resins, I think, or possibly the musk--keeps it the violet from overpowering me, even in the early stages. Dry, while there's certainly still a strong floral element to the scent, the scent is really more about the notes that I'd hoped would balance out the violet: resin, musk, beeswax and leather.

 

I can't see myself reaching for this too frequently, I have to admit, but it is pretty. And more importantly, I think it really is evocative of the poem, and of Edna St. Vincent Millay's oeuvre in general. Even if it had turned into Super Violet Explosion, I'd keep it just for the inspiration that led to its creation; as it is, I'm certainly hanging on to the bottle.

[Aldercy]

In the decant, I mostly got sweet screaming violet from Time Does Not Bring Relief, but it really develops on the skin. I'm getting a lot of natural, rustic beeswax and smooth Egyptian musk with a hint of flower-sprinkled resins. The leather is almost absent to my nose. It turns out to be very pretty, but mild and subtle. Nothing about it is in-your-face or powerful.

 

It reminds me a little of a warmer, more down-to-earth version of Giant Vulva with the beeswax, musk, copal and light blossoms in common.

[Invidiana]

Rather than being a painfully dry heartbreak blend like Agony of Loss, this is really soothing. The leather is not manly man leather at all but a really soft worn-in leather that settles comfortably into the background and allows the other elements to come forth. There is definitely a dominant violet element here, plus a good dose of lavender behind it, and those two combined give it a really dreamy and wistful feel. There is something vanillic in the drydown; I'm not sure if it's the beeswax or the resins; my skin does amp the honey aspect of beeswax and copal tends to have a vanilla-like tinge on me as well. The Egyptian musk come out at the end of the drydown and envelops the whole cent in a veil of warmth. This is beautiful and definitely one of those florals for the "nonfloral" people. If you think you're one like I did in a previous life, give this one a chance.

[theseagrows]

hrm, this is an interesting scent...and i know it smells very similar to a BPAL scent i've tried before, i just don't remember which one. maybe it's the beeswax? i tend to avoid the beeswax/candle scents, but this one has a lot of notes i like, so i decided i couldn't pass it up. i think this is mostly beeswax, violet and myrrh on me. it's VERY powdery. i am assuming parma violet is even more powdery than regular violet (if there's a difference)? or perhaps the beeswax exacerbates the powderiness. i normally don't mind powdery violet, but this is SO powdery, that i'm not sure i'll be able to wear it.

Edited March 15, 2011 by theseagrows

[Voleuse]

On first application, I get a strong whiff of violets, but the violets quickly give way to beeswax, with an underlying breath of orange blossom. This settles quietly on my skin, beeswax and the halo of a light musk in the end. The florals are a lovely, indistinct muddle, and the leather accord lends the musk the slightest hint of masculinity. It isn't powdery at all on me.

 

This is a soft, old-fashioned but sensual scent.

[SophieCedar]

This is an unexpected love.

 

Wet: I was initially afraid of this one, having 2 dreaded essences: violet and white tea. Not to fear! this is wonderful! Apparently, parma violet is much sweeter and warmer than whatever other type the lab usually uses. Sweet egytian musk, beeswax, parma violet and leather with orange blossom and copal. I can smell the white tea however it just gives a fresh touch and heightened awareness. Lovely warm sweet scent.

 

Drydown: same! Gets even more warmer and lovelier!

[milo]

Very ambery and musky with a touch of heady floral, but only a touch. This is very reminiscent of Trinket to me, one of my faves, but with the added floral content. Very relaxing, warm, lovely blend, but I do hope the floral tones down just a bit with some aging in it. Win!!

[Stephanielynn]

I really love this! I get sweet violet, beeswax and soft-to-the-touch leather in the bottle and on my skin. The other notes stay hidden, which is fine with me, it's pretty perfect as is! Gorgeous hazy purple leather. Very beautiful, comforting and soothing.

[zankoku_zen]

For me, this is a sharp almost salty floral. I get lavender, orange blossom and violet. Powdery violet.

 

Yup. Definitely not for me.

[puddingirl]

I am recovering from a cold so my nose may not be up to scratch. I adore violets, I also like leather and myrrh and lavender so this was a must try. Having just tested an imp with my first try of orange blossom I now know that I amp this note, so it may be a problem for me. In the imp I smell lavender, beeswax and orange blossom, oh dear, and a hint of soap. On and wet I smell a shampoo smell, nooo! What is causing this? Where is the violet or the leather? I amp leather but it seems as though floral notes out amp that, and florals just turn to soap on me. I can smell violets from far away but not up close. I wonder what this will dry into. The orange blossom is making more of an appearance as it dries and is cutting through the soap smell. Currently it seems as though the orange is out amping the violet. I think I have found my new amp note of doom. I would never have though it would have been orange blossom!, it sounds so dainty! I'm afraid that this is all a bit of a mess of my skin so it's off to the swap pile.

[Viridian]

This one is wonderfully balanced on me. I already knew I could wear violet, tea, lavender, and myrrh well. Musks can be nice or horrible, and I wasn't sure about leather but wanted to try something from the lab that had it in there, so this blend's notes called out to me immediately.

 

At first there was something a little sharp and unpleasant to it, but ten minutes in and it faded to something soft and not overly sweet, but still a little floral and very soothing. I keep sniffing my wrist repeatedly and can't pick out one note. Occasionally I'll get a hint of the violet on its own, and a little of the musk, but on the whole I can't pinpoint any one note strongly at all.

[dappled]

This smells like skin that was washed with violet scented soap. Not soapy but rather a faint lingering perfume mixed with the natural smell of skin.

[OctoberGwen]

I don't get powder from this at all, it's just a gorgeous, smooth, complex blend. I adore the inspiration for the scent and happily, I adore the scent as well.

[crebbsgirl]

Sweet violets and creamy beeswax. The tea goes a little soapy on my skin. I don't get much leather here. This is a very soft and gentle scent, and it almost has a bit of a retro vibe to it.

[ami226]

In the bottle: This one smells very white/clean. Like a white tea plus lavender. That's all I can smell as far as I can tell!