Psyche

[LiberAmoris]

The tale of Cupid and Psyche is both a perfect love story and an allegory for the soul's search to reunite with Deity. This is the scent of true love, your heart's deepest, purest desires. Bulgar rose, Chinese white musk, lavender, orchid and frankincense.

Psyche has a couple notes that are iffy on me: orchid and frankincense. But I love lavender and rose, so I wanted to give it a go. On, the lavender looms and blooms large, and I can smell a bit of rose. But the orchid lends an edge that makes me feel uneasy, and the frankincense makes the blend turn sour on my skin, as it is wont to do.

As much as I'd like to love Psyche, it just doesn't mesh with my chemistry. For a lavender/rose blend, I prefer Sophia.

[StrangeLove]

This smells to me, no matter what I do with it, of a White Castle burger soaked in cheap perfume with a sharp lashing of old-lady rose and put out on a porch in hot summer rain, only to be left to slowly melt into some disgusting pile of goo. The lavendar in this is unpleasant and lends it that White Castle/wet dog note and ups the amp of the rose. The musk makes it smell like something humid(the dog?!), reminds me of a girl in highschool who never bathed but constantly reapplied cheap white musk. The incense emphasizes this, badly. I don't smell orchid at all.

 

My skin is very tolerant of scents, and things seldom if ever turn unpleasant on me. I'm picky, but I've never had a BPAL scent that made me reel back in utter disgust like Psyche did. I've never really had a scent in such a small dose(a drop dabbed in the crook of my arm). As I type this, my head is THROBBING.

 

All I can say is WOW. I feel like I need to be shot and put out of my misery right now.

[Miss_Trisha]

Unfortunately, Psyche did what most musk scents did to me....turned to dust. Literally. The musk smells like dust. Like I just cleaned curtains or something.

 

I wish musk liked me better. I wanted this one to work so much.

[Cielamara]

Oh, Psyche. I have always loved the story of Cupid and Psyche; I've been obsessing for years over the statue of them--Canova, I think, was the artist. It's big, it's marble, it's in the Louvre, it's gorgeous. Anyway.

 

In the imp: I was initially not overly wowed by this. It was a nice blend. But not nice in that "That is niiiiiiiice" kind of way...nice as in insipid, bland...like tofu before you do funky things to it with seasonings. I smelled lavender and rose and that was it.

 

Wet: Lavender and rose. A generalized perfume blend that is sharp and floral on me. It's still not doing much for me, which is saddening as I really love Psyche...but also a relief, as I've already got a million fragrance I adore.

 

Settling: There's something a little softer there...perhaps the frankincense. I expected the frankincense to provide more oomph than it is, but...eh.

 

Dry: Did I even put perfume on that wrist? That was...okay, that was about three and a half hours ago, but still. Even the lightest perfume I own--which is Sudha Segara--has significantly more oomph than that. I can still smell Pele on the other wrist, and I put LESS of that than I did of Psyche! What the hell? I literally cannot smell even the slightest trace of the perfume. All I smell is the faint hint of laundry detergent from my nightgown. Jeez.

 

Well. Even if I weren't feeling completely and utterly meh about Psyche, that settles it, sadly.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: I smell grass and earth like you smell when you're really close to the ground. It's green and alive.

Wet: VERY soft scent! I got no rose from it at all really. Still the grass scent but a very damp grass. Something somewhat fruity or juicy floral underneath.

Dry: Sweet and bright floral. Still green but a very light green.

 

Overall: Grass/Sweet floral

Rating: 2/5; nothing really special

Overall: I think there may be something wrong with my sniffer and/or my hormones today because I didn't get much of anything out of this blend. So far, I think the blend is soft and sweet and maybe romantic. I should really try it again.

[BrightRedScream]

I got this as a frimp from the lab...

I am not a fan of heavy florals, nor am I a fan of frankenscence usually - but in the odd blend I can like it.

So I gave this a try anyway..can't be discriminating - sometimes you can be surprised

 

In the bottle...rose.

Lots and lots of rose with a smidge of lavender.

Not promising to be too good..but onto the skin it goes!

 

Rose at first...headachey...then the lavendar came out..then something a little softer..orchid maybe? Then..it hits after dry down - the frankenscence!

I just cannot deal with this one...it's very much not for me...pretty..but not me, and I can't handle the smell of it....the lavender and frankenscene combining just doesn't like me.

 

To the swap pile it goes!

[juniperus]

Bottle: heady floral, a sweetened lavender (perhaps the orchid there) plus rose.

Wet: very lavender, less of the rose, a hint of the darker resin underneath.

Dry: more of the frankincense, and the rose is making a slight comeback. little of the musk as yet.

Later: more of the musk, now, and all very balanced. pretty, a definite floral but it isn't cloying nor headshoppy. more spring than winter, I think, and I'll likely save it for an appropriate time of year.

[Voleuse]

Huh. I can't quite figure out how to describe this. The rose is balanced with the frankincense evenly, but the lavender keeps this from being a rose scent, to my nose. I don't smell the orchid at all, but there's a huskiness to the blend that reminds me of musk.

 

As it dries, the rose actually becomes less detectable to me. This is a beautiful and complicated blend. Coy, almost. It changes every time I sniff, but I'm compelled to keep trying.

[mirutai]

Softly sweet floral, very delicate and romantic. I get a light rose backed by the musk, with a hint of sweetness floating over the top that I think is the orchid. Very appropriate for the name.

 

It is also, sadly, completely gone in under two hours. Waaah!

 

UPDATE: Retried Psyche. This time I get a blast of pure lavender... and then nothing. At all. The scent is completely gone in under half an hour. Off to swaps with it!

Edited May 30, 2006 by mirutai

[dragonryder]

Another great rose scent. Can definitely smell the frankincense in this, but not overbearing the rose. Can't smell the lavender though......

[Meg]

In the bottle: Lavender and orchid, I think.

 

Wet: Lavender peeking out through musk.

 

Drydown: I still get mostly lavender and a slightly smoky scent of frankincense. Then the orchid comes out, it's a warm, rich and perfumy scent that I recognise from other blends. By that time, the lavender has mostly disappeared. It turns into a very soft, clean scent, with rose growing and melding with the other flowers.

 

Overall: It's a soft and flowery blend with just a hint of smoke. I think that the rose stands for Psyche's love and the lavender for her curiosity, with orchid being the sensual side. Yes, it represents Psyche very well, and it's a very pretty blend if you like flowers. It never goes wonky on me and it's quite multifaceted. Nice!

[gwyllgi]

The first time I tried this, I thought it was pretty, but nothing particularly distinctive. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking at the time, or if my chemistry has changed that much, but suddenly it's frankincense and musk and orchid, with a wee bit of rose (but no lavender that I can pick up). The frankincense was playing second fiddle the last time I tried it, if not planted in the last chair, but it's the first chair now, its strength carrying the other notes and transforming them into a lovely, melodic whole.

 

It never seems to go powdery on me, but instead stays rich and deep. Musky florals usually go musty on me, but this doesn't have even the faintest sign of mustiness. Because of the depth, it doesn't strike me as much of a summer scent - I think the humidity of the area would amp this up to an overwhelming level - but it's definitely something I'll pick up a big bottle of once the weather starts turning again.

[cranberry]

Tried via the General Catalog swap.

 

Wow – this is all florals. A light pretty floral scent. I can’t identify the flowers, maybe lily of the valley? It wears pretty well, doesn’t change a whole on me. There could be a touch of carnation (must be the lavender) with a touch of white musk underlying. I’m glad to have tried it but it’s not my style at all.

[BlueSakura]

First on: Wow, all I smell is green~ I was expecting this to be a floral, so as I'm not fond of green notes, this was an unpleasant surprise. I have a feeling that my skin chemistry may tend to amp up green notes.

 

Later: Thank goodness, the green has faded away. Now the florals are coming forward. It's a nice blend; the rose is there but not overpowering, and there are several other flowers which I can't identify. I think I can smell the lavender.

 

Verdict: The initial greenness of this scent put me off of it. It's nice, but not for me.

[Elrianra]

Lavender, orchid and musk in a heady blend similar to a few vodkas I've encountered comes pouring out of this bottle the moment I pop off the lid. On my skin, the frankincense and musk make a spicy base that the orchid is prominent over. Dry this is a faded musk with roses and orchids, the lavender supports the other florals gently while the frankincense is a blunt and direct base note - smoky and spicy. Once warmed, this becomes so soft and whimsical, a light rose and lavender blend over musk while the orchid and frankincense meld into a smooth soft base note. Yum.

[RavenVelith]

In the bottle: Lavender. Freaking, straight up lavender. That's it. That's all I smell. It hurts my brainz, it does. I thought lavender was supposed to help headaches! Oh well. On the skin it goes!

 

Wet: .... ::.dab dab.:: ....Frankincense! Wtf!? WHY DOES THAT ALWAYS COME OUT ON ME THE MOST!? I do not LIKE that note! I was hoping maybe the white musk would do something! Just. Lavender and Frankincense.

 

Dry: ...okay there we go. The party has ended and now people are sleeping. It's calmed down, and so have I. But it's not a me scent. Everything seems to be blended good.

 

Swappy swappy!

[edenssixthday]

Psyche is just pretty. Pure, simple, unadulterated pretty. It's very soft and sweet, and subtle. The moment I first applied it, all I could smell was lavender and something else that I'm now guessing is the rose note. The musk tones it down, and I don't smell the frankincense at all, which is wonderful because it's a scent I don't usually care for. As the oil began to dry down, it took on a slightly sour note for several minutes, but upon full drydown, the lavender disappeared, and the orchid note was evident, and the fragrance became beautifully soft, sweet, and subtle. This scent stays very close to my skin, has absolutely no throw, and in fact, even when I have my nose pressed against my arm, I can still barely smell it. I just smell sweet and soft and pretty. This is a perfect scent for work because I can't imagine it would offend anyone. If others could smell it, I think it would just smell naturally pretty, like a walk through a summer garden, and not at all like someone just doused herself in perfume. This blend was a lovely surprise, as I was a bit leery of the frankincense in it, based on just reading the description. I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave it a try.

[tidesong]

In the Bottle: Rose, white pepper, and a touch of incense. Underlying scent of lavender, at the very end.

 

On Application: Lavender, mostly, with a little of the pepper overtones I smelled in the bottle. Faintest touch of incense, and even fainter rose. After about 5 minutes, the rose is taking over with a vengeance. I'm hoping the musk and frankincense will keep it from turning cloying.

 

On Drydown: Oh good, it didn't turn cloying! This reminds me a lot of Sophia, actually. It's not as spicy, and a lot more resiny, and I like it. It's a very soft rose, with a touch of other gentle florals, without being heady. The frankincense is present, but not overpowering.

 

Comments: I'm pleasantly surprised by this. I'll have to compare it next to Sophia!

 

Verdict: Keep. It might replace Sophia as my rose blend!

[The_Merf]

In the imp: At first, this smells nice and light, but there is a soapy edge to it.

 

Wet: This goes soapy very quickly.

 

Drydown and wear: This remains soapy, and that means, alas, I shall have to swap. I fear the white musk is the culprit--there aren't enough strong notes to drown it out.

 

EDITED TO ADD: After about forty minutes, I was sniffing around my arm checking out other scents, and I picked up on some frankincense, and I had no idea where it was coming from...I finally figured out that it was the last phase of this scent.

Edited July 13, 2006 by The_Merf

[m13]

All rose on me, as usual with any blend containing rose (rose loves me, I don't love rose.) This was a much-appreciated frimp from the lab, and if I did love rose I expect I'd love this. But this will be sent to a loving home where will be appreciated and enjoyed.

[Nekomata]

This is mostly dry, dusty lavender in the bottle and on my skin. There's a slight hint of other notes but none of them come through for me. While I <3 lavender I don't think this is interesting enough to have more than an imp of.

[dierne]

In the imp - Smells heavy. Woody chemically. Maybe my nose is having an off day?

 

Wet on skin - lighter. Much lighter. Where did everything go? There might a wisp of musk there somewhere, possibly faint floral too ...

 

Dry on skin - The wood has developed into full blown lavender. It's quite a pleasant lavender but that's pretty much all I'm getting.

 

Later - The rose is peeking out from behind the lavender, there's a musky sweetness in there as well now. I think this is a keeper.

[fairy]

As a huge rose fan I was sad this didn't work for me. Im not sure which part of the ingredients made it go sour on my skin and it smells a little off. Not a favorite of mine

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Such a romantic story--Love and the Soul. Psyche was a generous frimp with my CD decants, and one I've always meant to get around to testing properly (as she's a rose scent). However, I don't really smell much rose--I smell a soft, comforting blend of lavender and white musk. Not as *passionate* a scent as I would expect for Psyche; pretty, but a touch weak--reminds me of the mild lavender soaps my grandmother always used to have. Just not very "me". Oh well.

[portalkat]

I love so may notes in this, especially the frankincense combined with the florals, but the lavender is so much stronger than the orchid and the rose that I basically smell lavender, musk and frankincense. Too bad, because the description sounded so promising. In fact, the lavender with the frankincense is making me rather queasy. Maybe it's just my system right now, but I need to wash this off. I'll try it some other time.