Lola

[absinthetics]

LOLA
Lola Montez was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert to a British soldier and an Irish beauty in Grange, County Sligo, Ireland. When she was just a toddler, the family followed her father's regiment to India. He died from cholera shortly after their arrival, and her mother married another British officer. Montez, then called Eliza, was sent back to England for schooling, and there she blossomed into a willful and wild little girl with a reputation for mischief. At 16, Eliza eloped with a British officer and moved to Calcutta. They separated five years later, whereupon she took up the name Lola Montez and embarked on a career as a dancer. Unfortunately, dancing was not her strong suit. However, she gathered friends and lovers in her travels, and gained both popularity and notoriety because of her extraordinary exotic beauty, tempestuous charm, and fearsome temper. During this time, she took on the mantle of courtesan, and cultivated relationships with artists, aristocrats, and politicians, enmeshing herself in Europe's fashionable Bohemian literary circles. Lola was no shrinking violet: she would crack unwelcome suitors across the face with her whip, and once fired her pistol at a disappointing lover, sending him fleeing down the street with his pants around his ankles. When her lover, Franz Liszt, grew exhausted by her passion and fury, she smashed their hotel room to pieces. Lola Montez was very, very Rock Star. In 1846, she became the mistress of Ludwig I of Bavaria and was made Countess of Landsfield in 1847. She wielded a tremendous amount of power behind the throne, until Ludwig abdicated in 1848. In 1851, Lola moved to the United States, where she reinvented herself once again and became an actress. Some years later, she moved to Australia and resumed work as a dancer, entertaining Gold Rush miners. After trotting the globe her whole life, she ultimately settled down in New York, where she spent her final days doing charitable rescue work for underprivileged women.

Pomegranate, red carnation, pimento berry, red plum, patchouli, heather, tuberose, thyme-moss, foxglove, Easter lily, Scottish moss, Tunisian jasmine, and Indonesian clove.

In the bottle Lola is a sweet floral. I'm not a jasmine fan so I took the risk on her for that but the jasmine is very soft and in the background. As is the clove, which I would have liked to have more of. But that's just me!

On the skin Lola is long lasting and even sweeter. The plum and pomegranate accentuate the florals in a way I personally really like, like in Snow White and other juicy florals. The unassuming herbs, lily, moss and thyme make this a timeless floral... but she is not common or subtle in any way. As time passes, the fruits start coming out and she's a bit of a morpher. I look forward to seeing exactly how she ends.

[Venneh]

In the bottle, I'm getting pomegranate and higher-pitched florals. On my skin, pomegranate quickly getting drowned out by the tuberose/lily/berry/jasmine combination, very high-pitched floral for me. Not quite my thing.

[Dharklady]

This opens up with a huge blast of florals. I want to say it’s the Easter lily that smells hauntingly familiar. The scent has a grounded deep red base thanks to the plum, berry, and pom. The heather, moss, and patchouli also work hard to balance the lily and jasmine. As it warms up this become fruity and spicier thanks to the clove and carnation. It’s still a floral, but it’s my kind of floral- where the flowers don’t steal the show and simply add to the complexity of the piece. Lola is busy, but well blended and beautiful. Sadly Lola is a fast fader, but her lingering trace is a spicy and delicious skin scent.

[filigree_shadow]

Although pomegranate usually doesn't get along with me very well, I wanted to try this one anyway because with that many varied notes, you never know how something's going to turn out until you try it.

 

Sadly for me, the pom is pretty strong in this one. The jasmine was strong at first but it backed off a little and the other floral notes came through. I can smell a wee bit of moss too.

 

If you like a kind of herby/mossy floral scent with a pretty strong pomegranate overtone, give this one a try! I definitely don't object to it, it's just not my kind of scent personally.

[Mimosatique]

This is a gather of the red fruits with their juiciest flesh meat parts delight. Pimento berry takes a centre stage with an almost lychee-like sharp

tang in combination with tartness of red plum skins. Later it morphs into a round, softer fruity-floral that is distinctively carnation. One can hardly

detect the earthiness of patchouli, although i suspect it is there that is why the fruits(pomegrante in particular) did not turn sour(or super sweet) on me.

 

During dry down thyme and moss give an over all light-hearted and spring-y aura. I am not sure what foxglove smells like, sadly. Time to take a trip to the Botanical

Garden!

[zankoku_zen]

UFFF. This is so good.

 

Okay, so typically anything with pomegranate, tuberose, pimiento berry or jasmine is a no no. Lola, in fact, was one scent I expect dismal things from. And what a shocker, she is utterly lovely, and quite takes my mind off the disastrous Virginia.

 

Not this time. So for me this is lush, sweet florals. It ends up smelling like the more floral, red aspects of Fire Pig. Heady plum blossoms, lily and a touch of green. And yes, a slightly clean edge. I can see people associating this with a shampoo, but you know what, its the sort of floral shampoo smell that I can totally dig. Hell, if my hair smelled like this all the time, I'd stockpile the shampoo.

 

Fruity, floral, clean.

[leezer]

Lola started out as a bright and very sweet berry on me, reminiscent of Candy Moon. Luckily, after sitting for a while, the overpowering sweet fuit faded into something with a light floral and plenty of herbs. Reminds me almost of a light Host of the Air, but more floral and slightly sweet.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Apple!? There's no apple listed, but I get crisp apple, freshly cut and juicy. It must be the pomegranate and plum.

 

Wet: There's still a strong apple scent. Very sweet and fruity. I can't pick out individual flowers, but there's definitely an overall garden haze

 

Dry: After a few hours, the apple fades away. I'm left with a pleasantly musky powder, just a hint of wet earth and herbs. I was afraid this would turn plastic and overtly sweet, the way the lab's pomegranate note often does on me. But the other elements have tamed the pom and aside from that opening blast, this is a very lovely scent, understated and soft.

[surf-tormented]

in the bottle: Smells very old timey to me, like a perfume my grandmother would wear, not in a bad way, just more "classic".

 

On skin, wet: This smells like a mix of plum and pomegranate, powdery floral and spices.

 

On skin, drying: The powdery floral comes out more, jasmine, rose and a tiny bit of lily in the back. It does have a Host of the Air vibe to it, but this is a bit more complex than that. Hostess of the Air? I get a lot of clove and patchouli in this towards the end of its run. It get the "shampoo" scent another reviewer said. It smells like a classy shampoo and old fashioned as well.

 

Overall: It fades fast on me, to quick to keep. Plus the fruit notes get weird on my skin at times, not sure what it is.

[yeahbutnobut]

Lola

 

In the imp: HERBAL ESSENCES!!! No, really. This smells like the shampoo. Oh, yes, yes, yes, and all that…but I actually really like the smell of Herbal Essences.

Wet on skin: this sharpens a little as the floral notes come out but I don’t seem to get ‘evil jasmine’ or ‘soapy lily’ yet.

Dry on skin: it’s sharp, but it’s more like the sharpness of plum skin or pomegranate juice than floral notes behaving badly. Actually, this is really nice. The blend of pomegranate, berry and jasmine reminds me primarily of Daiyu, which is a good thing because I do love that scent. The jasmine here is, like in Daiyu, really nice and smells like proper jasmine, not floral poison, I think the tuberose adds oomph to it as well. The pimento here smells less like salty chillies and smells like acai here, sweet and red with a hint of apple, however it does smell a little spicier here. Maybe the carnation contributes to this. The herbs, mosses and garden flowers add a hint of pleasant sun warmed greenery, and the plum smells rich and sweet-not like the plum in Snake Charmer, it’s more like Sugar Moon 2011.

After a while: this gets better-the notes become more balanced with the moss, jasmine, plum and pomegranate merging nicely…and the clove comes out. I love what the clove does to this-it adds a warm, dark, sweet and sensual undertone. It seems to bind all the notes together. After many hours of wear, I’m left with a sexy blend of clove and carnation.

Verdict: whilst this is incredibly different to the Lola Montez bath oil prototype that was out a long time ago, this is so beautiful. This one took me by surprise-I saw all the floral notes and though ‘no way will this work’. How wrong I was. I think Lola may be my favourite courtesan scent. This scent is very multifaceted with fruit, flowers, greens and spices, but also very coherent-the notes are balanced and play well with each other, and the jasmine in here is the nicest I’ve smelt in a while. A complex and fascinating scent that’s fitting for the complex and fascinating woman it is inspired by. Not to mention that now I have the Kinks song in my head. L-O-L-A Lola, la la la la Lola…

Is it a keeper? yes, I need a bottle!

If you like this, try: Veronica, Daiyu, Sugar Moon 2011, Mme Lilith Fortune Teller

[pinkgyrl]

This is a pale "red" scent on me in terms of color - it's one of those scents that has a million notes blended seamlessly but where it's hard to smell and then pick out individual notes. It's definitely a floral-based scent - but, unlike most florals, it doesn't immediately make me recoil.

 

It's sexy and heady - I get the spice from the carnation and the reddish fruit notes from the plum, pomegranate, and berry - it's an exotic scent, and I can definitely picture myself wearing this on a hot summer night.

 

This does subtly remind me of a much lighter version of Crypt Queen and Lucy, Kissed - without as much of a red feel - and more herbal than both of these scents.

 

Very complex and sophisticated

Edited April 17, 2011 by GirlinDenial

[edenssixthday]

Lola - This goes on as a bright pomegranate/plum/patchouli scent. As it warms up, the florals come out a bit more, and sadly, the Easter lily tries really hard to ruin this scent for me. I'm just not a fan of most lily notes. Aside from that, it's super pretty and reminds me of a deeper, darker Crypt Queen. After dry-down, it's mostly a subtle mossy carnation scent, as all the fruit notes have dissippated. It's incredibly complex and very well-blended. If it weren't for that stanky lily, I'd probably want a bottle.

[Dark Alice]

Fruity Floral Jasmine Ass.

[milo]

Pomegranate and jasmine, basically. I don't get anything else here. Not my thing, but the pomegranate is not going dusty, and the jasmine is not going powdery on me, kind of rare. In spite of not liking this, I do agree that this is well blended, the jasmine and fruits are pretty balanced. I wish some of the other notes would come through, but oh well.

[Voleuse]

This is a super-bright floral on first application, with a sharp green edge to it. In a moment, though, it softens a bit, letting the non-floral notes start to creep in. The florals are predominant, but I start to catch hints of clove, which lends a nice smokiness to the blend. In the end, the florals fade into the nicely complex background, and I get a sweet, faintly-smoky halo over moss and a spill of red fruits, long faded under the sun.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: A very well-blended scent.

 

Wet: The red carnation, heather, clove, and red plum are coming out to play.

 

The dry-down: Pom with hints of patchouli and moss. And sprinkles of the carnation in its peppery form overall. I was a bit surprised by this, as I expected it to be stronger and richer on me; but instead it is somewhat light. Might trying combining this with a red musk and old leathr scent to see what happens.

[Blood onmy hands]

Lola has a ton of notes in it that don't usually work out well for me. I don't really enjoy pomegranate, plum, tuberose, or jasmine. But this somehow smells like pure awesome on my skin.

 

Somehow, the notes here combine to smell like delicious apple sauce (like juicy, tart, crisp, sweet fruitiness - yum) with hints of juicy, rich floral that reminds me of orchid and blends like Phantom Queen. It smells very womanly and sexy, but playful, and makes me think of hot summer nights. A very rich perfume with great throw and staying power <3.

 

I'm so surprised that this works on me. It's really amazing, even with all of those notes that are usually doomed on my skin. My husband smelled this on me and said, "Wow. That smells sexy. I love it." I need backup bottles of Lola.

[porcelina]

in the bottle: FRUIT and dried flowers (kind of like potpourri).

 

on the skin, the flowers turn fresh and vibrant. this has a strong throw, and i can smell it over all of the other bpals i am testing right now, even when i'm trying not to. the plum and pomegranate are lovely, bright and juicy, but the tuberose and lily are just too strong and this quickly passes into GIANT FLOWERY BOUQUET perfume territory for me. it's not even that i don't like it- it's kind of nice. i just don't think i could ever, ever see myself wearing lola.

[lauriebeth]

I'm SO glad I got a chance to try this out. Lola Montez has always intrigued me and I was really interested to see what Beth has matched up to her, scent-wise.

 

 

In the bottle: Very, very appley. How odd, I could have sworn there was no apple listed. This smells like a really juicy green cooking apple that's just been put from the tree.

 

 

On, wet. Right, the jasmine here is definitely coming out. This has absolutely no hint of clove so far, which is such a shame as that's my favorite note. It's gone from very girly and sweet to a little more subtle and sexy. mmm.

 

On, dry. Oh, this is quite nice. I'm not quite sold on the apple which my skin seems to amp like it's going out of fashion, but it's toned down and smells quite delicate and fragile on my skin. Possibly a keeper- I won't be wearing this in place of my Marie/Ophelia though.

[The Planet Queen]

I bought this bottle off of eBay from BPAL /TP. I had not smelled it prior. I basically picked it because of the oils listed and the amazing story about the woman that inspired it.In the bottle: heavy, fruity, with a bit of spice.Wet: it's pomegranate is a dominate scent but I also smell something similar to apples. I then start to smell the jasmine and clove.Dry: beautiful , spicy but not overpowering. I love it.I will be looking for another bottle.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A faint green floral

 

Wet on me - The lily and jasmine really come out on my skin

 

Dry on me - A crisp bright floral, they settle down a little, but the jasmine and lily still dominate

 

Overall - Unfortunately I amp both lily and jasmine and neither does anything for me

[lunaticana]

Red plum galore on my skin!

Also the lily and jasmine are very prominent.

Offcorse the Luna LOVESSS it

I've tried all of the Courtesans and together with Celeste and Kitty this os one of my favorites

[d0gbones]

In the imp: sweet and fresh, the thyme gives it a shower gel edge.

Wet: Something almost bitter and woody. The clove and moss perhaps?

Dry: I'm pretty much just getting the pomegranate and patchouli now, it's not how I expected it to turn out at all, especially as so many notes make this one up. Really nice, and an impressive blend.

[savage_rose]

Lola seems like it would be a strange combination, but these notes together form a compelling floral. Adult, elegant, composed...really beautiful and womanly.