The Doom of Beauty

[Lycanthrope]

Choice soul, in whom, as in a glass, we see,
Mirrored in thy pure form and delicate,
What beauties heaven and nature can create,
The paragon of all their works to be!
Fair soul, in whom love, pity, piety,
Have found a home, as from thy outward state
We clearly read, and are so rare and great
That they adorn none other like to thee!
Love takes me captive; beauty binds my soul;
Pity and mercy with their gentle eyes
Wake in my heart a hope that cannot cheat.
What law, what destiny, what fell control,
What cruelty, or late or soon, denies
That death should spare perfection so complete?

- Michelangelo Buonarroti

An opulent, bittersweet Renaissance-inspired fragrance: Hungary water, parma violets, and roseated oil.

Totally not what I was expecting! The overall effect is a very herbal, slightly floral (but mostly green, herby herbs) aroma. The violet is not strong at all, but does lend a subtle powderiness to the overall blend. Goes on sharp, with a strong almost oregano-like note, with lavender, reminds me of... herbes de Provence? Drydown is again herbal, without much in terms of flowers or petals.

From wikipedia:
"The oldest surviving recipes call for distilling fresh rosemary (and possibly thyme) with strong brandy, while later formulations contain lavender, mint, sage, marjoram, costus, orange blossom and lemon."

Oh, no wonder! Tons of rosemary here.

This reminds me of the now discontinued LUSH 13 Soap: Unlucky for Dirt.

[suki]

In The Bottle: Yes, very green and herby. There *is* a cologne-y aspect, but it's not overbearing or cloying.

 

Wet On Skin: This is much lighter and fresh-smelling than I anticipated. So far it actually seem like it would suit well for the very, very beginnings of springtime, when the ground is still hard and the wet damp chill is still very much present but the sun shines brightly and the first crocuses are pushing through the ground. It's shaping up to be *that* kind of scent.

 

Dry Down: Huh. THIS is interesting. A citrus note has emerged, which actually adds a really nice balance with all the fresh herbs. Odd, but appealing!

 

In All: Light throw, I stand by my original assessment that this is a scent best used in the very beginning of Spring. I think it's a rather good genderless fragrance, and I can easily see both dapper gents and elegant ladies wearing this for a brisk Sunday outing or taking tea with some fascinating acquaintances. Personally, I don't think I'll wear it often, but it fills a particular gap and when I want it, I think I shall be very glad indeed to have it on hand.

 

ETA: A half hour later and this scent has both sweetened a bit and softened. All the things I said before remain true, but there's an interesting sub text to this scent that has now showed itself- it reminds me, strangely and distinctly, of this deodorant my boyfriend wore in 9th grade, called Tussy. I don't even know if it exists anymore, but it too had this soft, sweet unisex vibe to it, and I loved it then, and I like DOB in the same way. Just needed to add that...

Edited February 5, 2012 by VioletChaos

[Heavenlyrabbit]

This is a beautiful, deceptively simple floral with a very brief, sharp bite to it. Evokes the name perfectly.

 

There is something that makes me think citrus and lavender. But I don't think either is actually in here. I don't know. But this ends up fascinating me.

 

There's more going on here then meets the nose.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Heavenlyrabbit

[Eemia]

This one really surprised me. It's much more complex than I would have thought. During the wear length it seems to unfold and reveal new notes in a beautiful way. At first it was a fresh and bright citrus with a sparkling lightness. Invigorating in a way. It wasn't sharp at all or too simple. There was an undercurrent of floral but it only really came into its own later on. I couldn't pick out the violet on its own, or a specifically rose note. The whole of it just becomes softer, smoother, with the addition of a dusky quality that leans into subtle incense territory. And it still carries the remnants of citrus.

 

This fragrance feels delicate and quiet. Even with the citrus and the overall light smell it doesn't disappear quickly on me. Everything about it is lovely.

[Iceblink]

ROSEMARY! When fresh this is crazy herbal and overpowering...and the dominant note is rosemary. I get a Catherine vibe from this, most definitely. On the drydown I'm still primarily smelling herbs here...maybe a slight floral touch but that's about it for the violets. It has great staying power but the herbs are just too much for me.

[OctoberGwen]

This smells of my mother's herb gardens in summer. It is not sharp green, it's more of a light gold with flecks of green. It has great depth; I have to think that Beth's Hungary water recipe is of the more complex variety because I also get the citrus underneath, which makes me think 'lemon' (or lemon verbena.)

 

I agree with the Catherine vibe, but Doom has more complexity and depth, and better staying power.

 

A beautiful scent for spring or summer, or for evoking the warm months in the dark depths of winter. I will be buying a bottle. The scent memories this evokes for me are incredibly poignant and intense.

 

 

ETA: I should add that Doom of Beauty seems to be aging well for a floral/herbal; I detect no negative changes or decrease in complexity so far. It is also extremely long-lasting - another huge plus for me.

Edited January 20, 2013 by OctoberGwen

[Mountaingrrl00]

Opulent and fresh at the same time. The Hungary Water is spot-on, and the floral notes are so delicate and romantic. I love it, and only wish it laster longer on my skin.

[Incendiare]

My nose interprets this very differently in the vial. It's fresh, but almost sharp and candy-like at the very beginning. It really takes a turn once applied to my skin, though. It immediately turns herbal with that fresh, aquatic note remaining in the background. The so-called candy impression I got in the vial has completely vanished, and the longer this sits on my skin, as usual for a rose amper, the rosier this becomes. The rose at least brings some fresh citrus along with it so it doesn't get too overwhelmingly floral and stays on the fresh, clean side. It's actually a beautiful blend but I can't see myself ever using a bottle of this.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: Sweet juicy citrus oil and water.

 

Drydown: Still citrusy with the barest hints of parma violet. This is so interesting. This the first bpal citrus that has stayed on my skin. And it's causing a headache. This has got to go.

[theseagrows]

wow, this is an odd scent. it does smell very old to me. it's an herbal-citrus scent with maybe a hint of violet to sweeten it up? it smells like something chemical, almost paint-like or turpentine ish? (yet not as strong.) it's got an aquatic thing going on too. this scent is so odd, and is not working with my skin chemistry at all. i cannot see wearing it, but i am glad i got to try it.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Violets and spices.

 

Wet: Still spicy violets, with a fresh aquatic feel.

 

The dry-down: The pretty violets have been overwhelmed by lavender, rosemary, and some citrus notes. Yet another scent locket. I was so hopeful about the violets.

[karykeion]

Decanted by lanas! This looked so interesting, especially the Hungary water. I'd never heard of that before.

 

In the decant: This smells important. It smells like a powerful lady in a very expensive, intricate dress who prizes her femininity and makes influence her sword and shield. I would not want this perfume to be angry with me.

 

On me, wet: Oh, herbs! It's so much less scary than in the decant. It's very citrusy and rosemary-ish and floral. I'm not sure it's really me, but I like it. There's something kind of soft about it that's almost soapy, but doesn't quite get into that territory. I'm also starting to be able to smell the roseated oil now, and the blend is basically herbs, citrus, and rose, all of which blended together have a nice springy, juicy feel to them. I like it more as it dries, I think, because the herbs come out more instead of the citrus and I don't like citrus very much.

 

On me, dry: A very pretty herbal scent, like Envy, but I like this more. It's lost a little of its feel as a perfume worn by gorgeous woman who's here to kick ass and do important things, but in place of that impression I'm getting a delicious, juicy spring herb garden that I think would be really great to wear in a certain context, even if I'm not really sure what that context is. This is definitely getting a full test run.

[milo]

Not sure what Hungary Water is, but I'm getting something lemony fresh with a touch of spice. I like this, it kind of reminds me of Ring of Roses buttercream that Lush used to make. Maybe they still do? Kind of lemony with a touch of rose, I like this, but I have fresh scents I like better.

[zankoku_zen]

Doom of Beauty starts off as lavender, violets, and a hint of citrus and dries down on me to a sage, rosemary, hint of roses blend.

 

Herbal, rose, garden.

[Blood onmy hands]

Sour lemon with dry, green herbs, powdery violet and a hint of bright rose. Dries down to something like a sour, herby lemongrass with perfumey rose. I thought that The Doom of Beauty sounded potentially pretty, but the sharp/sour qualities in this one give me a headache.

[suki]

This is for the 2015 version. I just re-read my old review, so I'm curious to see how it compares!

 

In The Bottle: I'm getting a LOT of citrus in this year's version, with a little rosemary tossed in almost as an afterthought.

 

Wet On Skin: Wow. This is really pretty. Whereas the version from 3 years ago was herbal and green-y, this is far more fruity. It reminds me a little of a delicious snack I learned about several years ago, which is basically fresh orange slices with olive oil and seat salt sprinkles over the top. The citrus definitely has the strongest presence, but this isn't foodie or childlike. This is a rather adult interpretation. I hope it stays this way!

 

Dry Down: A beautiful, slightly bitter orange, with some depth. I get no violet or anything else. It's not at all like King Mandarin. This is it's own, beautiful thing.

 

In All: Low to medium throw with a strong citrus presence- this is perfect for welcoming the sun back after a long, cold winter!

[Lunasariel]

In the bottle: A cleansing, herbal-citrus scent. There's definitely a touch of sweetness, but the sharp herbs are so distracting I can't tell whether it's foody, floral, or both. (Based on the notes, I would say floral, but my nose can't tell.)

 

Wet: Citrus is definitely the main player here - both the herbs and the sweetness take a huge step back. However, this isn't just citrus. It's complicated by something way deep down at the base, something lovely that I can't quite put my finger on. (Violets, perhaps? Something that cuts the sharpness of the citrus, anyway.) Both here and ITI, it reminds me definitely of some sort of candy I used to have as a child. (EDIT: Thanks to the boyfriend, I finally put my finger on it: it smells like Otter Pops!!)

 

Dry: The sugary sweetness has dried down, and the herbal notes have moved up to about equal to the citrus. Now, it has a slightly odd, astringent, even medical aspect to it that isn't entirely unpleasant.

[Aviatrix]

This is a review of the 2015 version!

 

I didn't know what to expect from reading the notes, but a Rennaissance-inspired scent was definitely intriguing to me.

On me it's surprisingly fresh and almost citrusy! It doesn't actually morph much, so it retains that freshness throughout. There is something vaguely herbal, but at the same time not really "herby". Maybe sage? Or rosemary? Something like that.

I am sadly not getting any of the parma violets that I love dearly, so if violets are iffy for you, you might still like this!

 

Overall, it smells like a freshly picked bouquet of various wild flowers and herbs with an emphasis on something like melissa or some other citrusy herb. It feels fresh, light and springy; perfect for a warm day of spring or summer!

[izile]

when I put it on this morning, I was thinking it was kind of herbaceous rosewater, now that it's a few hours dry, it's soft and classic, definitely floral, but more of a violet-rose hybrid than just rose, it's soft, but there's something still "water" smelling, though I wouldn't call it aquatic, just makes it seem lighter. I don't get rosemary especially once it's dry, but it has a nice garden-y smell. Nice!

[filigree_shadow]

Had no idea what to expect from this scent. It smells like a herby lemon/citrus scent, but the herbs aren't harsh at all, they're super soft. Like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect from this, and I was surprised to like it as much as I do. It's unusual, definitely not overly floral or overly herby. It's soft and smells rather elegant to me, and I think that's the first time I've ever said that about a citrusy scent.

[Soupy Twist]

Slightly sweet lemon juice and tonic water, with a sprig of rosemary for garnish — a G&T with Hendricks. I'd probably drink this, but I don't want to smell like it.

[Lucchesa]

I'm a sucker for anything with the word "Renaissance" in the description, even though violets almost never work on me. Plus a Michelangelo poem? How could I not?! My imp doesn't specify the year which makes me suspect it was the first iteration.

 

Doom of Beauty goes on strong, with an almost astringent herbal quality that somehow reminds me of the Fernet Branca my grandmother used to give us kids to settle our stomachs. (I know, Fernet Branca became hip somewhere along the line, but in our family it was used as Pepto Bismol. Hey, rosemary IS for remembrance.) Any wimpy little violets that may be present have gotten totally swamped by the Renaissance knot garden of useful herbs. As it settles down, I get astringent rosemary, a little rosewater, a little citrus peel, and it just keeps getting softer and prettier with time. It is very unusual -- it doesn't make me think of any other BPAL. I am thrilled I found this on a swap partner's list when it wasn't on my radar at all. SUCH a keeper for me!