The Lady of Shalott

[Miss Lynx]

The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger.

Got this as a frimp with my last order. The florals in the description scared me a little, but with musk and ginger it seemed like it might have potential. Plus, muguet at least (a.k.a. lily of the valley) seems to be one of those few florals that doesn't amp too much on my skin.

On, it's definitely floral, but not too scary. It's actually a very light, soft scent, not overpowering at all. The musk does soften the florals, and the ginger is just a faint presence, but also acts to tone down the sweetness just a touch.

The throw is minimal -- it's really more of a skin-scent that you have to get up close to notice. And it doesn't seem to want to last very long. What there is of it is pleasant enough, but there's not much there.

Grade: B-

[Kimbernunk]

In bottle: Definitely a watery scent, and a rather sad one at that. Really gorgeous.

 

Wet: It almost immediately opens up into what smells like really deep blue flowers. As it starts to dry, the floral subsides a bit and I start smelling the water again.

 

Dry: It’s like sitting by a mountain lake in early spring with some early iris peaking through, late in the evening. There’s a bit of dark floral peaking through that blends gloriously with the watery scent. Complex and melancholy.

It's like lakewater reflecting the sky in late sunset.

 

Overall: Definitely a keeper – most likely a full bottle. This is just achingly beautiful. Wow.

[Elizabethm]

I recieved Lady of Shalott as a frimp in a recent order. It's so lovely. It reminds me alot of Pele (and Child perfume) but with a more watery feel to it.

 

When I first applied it smelt strongly of greens. Then fairly quickly the beautiful scent of gardenia embraced in water blossoms and toss in a little wistfulness. To me this is a very clean scent. (I love white florals)

 

I had to reapply after an hour. For some reason barely ANY of these oils last for longer then an hour or two tops on me.

 

Might be lovely in a scent locket.

[MaidenGenevive]

The Lady of Shalott

 

A bright, clear, aquatic floral. Dry, this is cold and regal. This feels sophisticated and classy, while also haughty and self-assured. As it wears, for some reason it really reminds me of drier sheets, which is kind of weird.

 

[3 - Like] Lovely, but not me.

[hkhm]

imp: kind of a spicy, tangy, watery gardenia.

 

wet: it's gardenia and some other florals, perhaps lilac or jasmine. very sweet and aquatic.

 

dry: this dries to a lovely sweet, soft floral with just a bare hint of the aquatic note. this feels shimmery and clean.

[The_Merf]

This is definitely an aquatic, but it's a light and clear aquatic--more a river instead of a deep, dark, salty sea or a still lake. I like this type of aquatic, and I like this scent a lot. It reminds me of a lighter version of my favorite aquatic scent of all time, Danube. The florals here are much less prominent and the general aquatic note is more prominent on me. As the scent dries down, the muget (and probably some other florals that others have mentioned) become dominant. I very much like this scent and the category that it fits into.

[Ravenclaw79]

Ooh, pretty...

 

Imp: Dishsoap.

Wet: Soft, powdery floral, a little sweet

Drying: Y'know, I'm not one to fawn over florals, but this one is really nice. It's flowery, but a little sweet and not old-lady-ish at all -- I'd actually call it a younger floral. I dunno if I'll get a bottle, but I'll definitely keep the imp.

[lilirose]

This is just so beautiful. It's a green, bright, clear, slightly musky floral aquatic. It captures the sadness, the wistfulness, the poignancy of its namesake, as well as the passion and love and the distance she was forced to keep from the world.

 

Definitely one of Beth's masterpieces. My only complaint is that I wish it had a bit more throw.

[grashopper8]

the aquatics keep the flowers from being too twee.

 

Haha I had to quote that because not only is it true, it's hilarious - I've never had a word for when florals go high-pitched, and now I have it and I may recycle it : -)

 

In the imp, Lady of Shalott is more aquatic than I expected, and once it hits my skin, the fresh gardenia and gentle musk round it out a little. The ginger is there in the background adding a little extra sumfin-sumfin.

This is a prime example of Beth's crazy ability to perfectly balance notes in her blends. It's not too floral (twee!), not too aquatic (zing!), not too green (for my taste, I should say)....It's fresh but not in the icky way department store 'fumes try to be.

 

This is such a pretty, clean scent, and I love all the notes in it so it's no surprise. I love how it's complex yet pleasant and friendly as well. Very nice, I will wear this when I want something happy and bright (even though that's not what this scent was trying to evoke, it makes-a-me smile!)

 

4.4 out of 5

[mhickle]

Normally, I steer clear of florals, but The Lady of Shalott has been a pleasant surprise. In the imp, I smell the ginger and sweetness, and on my skin it dries down to a green, watery, beautiful blend. The flowers don't scream out, and it ends up an unusual, feminine scent. I think I will wear this in the springtime. I do wish it lasted longer, though, and that it had more throw. If I ever get a perfume locket, I will have to experiment!

[lisawoj]

Nice, if you like florals. Very smooth, no one note seems to scream out at me, everything just mixes together. Soft and aquatic, fairly low-key.

[MaeKitty]

In the Bottle: A light floral, very aquatic, a little tart

On me: Strangely, I have a scent/memory association with this one, relating to Sailor Moon. Wierd O_o Anyway, the description of this scent suits it perfectly, and I don't think I could describe it any better. It's very pretty. I do get a tiny bit of fruit out of this one. Maybe like a peach or mango.

[gchris]

In Vial: strong florals with tangyness

 

Wet: Fruity, like pear, mixed with floral

 

Drydown: Very strong, high pitched floral. The fruit is long gone. This is sort of an in-your-face floral, if there is such a thing.

[oravannahka]

I just ordered, so I thought I'd go back and try some of the old ones while I wait (it always feels so much longer than it is!).

 

Lady of Shalott has been sitting in my imp box for a while now, so it smelled a bit differently than I remembered.

 

imp: strong, sweet florals with an aquatic edge that keeps me sniffing. Completely perfect blend with all sorts of depth that had me sniffing forever before I finally put it on.

wet: still amazing. Florals are definitely still present, but less so than before. A sweet sort of musk is rising to the surface.

dry: so, so faint. I love the smell, so I'm trying to resist the urge to slather more on.

45 minutes: GONE.

 

This blend is particularly tragic for me. It's romantic, sad, sweet yet fresh, and what I want to smell like all the time. I don't mind that the throw is poor for me (you have to be right next to me and sniffing for it). Unfortunately, even when I dispense massive amounts of it onto my skin, it's gone within the hour.

 

I'll keep the imp, but this is not a bottle for me.

 

Smell: 5/5

Staying Power: 0/5

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: pretty watery floral. A little reedy. Nicely evocative.

 

On me, wet: smells very much like Veil, to my surprise. The only note they have in common is the gardenia, and I never ever smell that in Veil, so I don't know why these smell so much alike. Anyway, Veil's one of my favorites, so I like this too. It's got a very clean watery scent to it. Sweet but not too sweet. I get just a little bit of the musk-- enough so that I know it's there, but not so much that it smells icky.

 

On me, dry: once this dries, it smells nothing at all like Veil on me. Now it's all gardenia all the time. It's a really gentle, dusty gardenia. Sorta forlorn smelling.

 

Throw and duration: not a whole lot of throw. The strong part of the scent is the wet phase for me, and the drydown scent takes over within about 20 minutes. After that, it lingers for a long time, but it's really, really subtle.

 

Overall: Not bad. Reminds me of a shallower Veil. While it's in the imp and wet on me, it's nicely evocative of the Lady of Shallott; drydown just doesn't do anything for me though. The nothing-but-gardenia smell is dull and boring and I got tired of it really quickly.

 

I'll probably swap the imp, though, because I expect people who have skin that doesn't turn this into gardenia frenzy will probably like it more.

[matokie]

Like many others I picked this for the name alone, having spent years of my childhood obsessed with Arthurian legend, not to mention Anne Shirley's unfortunate attempt at a reenactment in L.M. Montgomery's book. The Lady starts out pretty soapy on me, thanks to the gardenia, but I'm also responding favorably to the musk. It becomes less cloying in the drydown, and the watery notes really come to the front. It's a sweet and wistful scent, but I don't think I need to seek out more of it.

[fairnymph]

Light gold oil. Lots of gardenia - the sort of sour-sharp kind, that's very strong and bullies, other strong/heady/traditionally perfumey white florals, a 'rain' sort of aquatic note, and what I think is white musk And yes, the lovely ginger, but it's overwhelmed by the florals.

 

There is a nice tart freshness to this, possibly citrusy. The aquatic note is also a little soapy, though. I get more of the refreshing ginger, but also more of the gardenia, which is definitely the main player here. The muguet is really strong as well, and it's sort of rooty and sweet in sickly way - it reminds me of lotus root a bit. The white musk is a bit TOO bright and generic, cheap-preteen-perfumish. This is very jumbled, not blended well at all.

 

Slow to dry. The aquatic note has amped a lot, almost to be on par with the gardenia, which is still that unpleasant sour sort. Unfortunately I don't like this type of aquatic, either - it reminds me of cheap Rain-scented incense or fragrance oil - definitely artificial/fake with an almost plastic quality, and the white musk is similarly cheap seeming so together it's a double whammy. The ginger has amped and is a bit spicy, quite invigorating, but totally overwhelmed. And the citrus note is that rotten 'evil grapefruit' note from R'lyeh.

 

This has improved a bit - the notes have blended somewhat, so it's less chaotic, and that ginger note has really amped. So has the musk, which now smells like white musk and something else - an amber? I get a definite sense of amber-y warmth. I also get an odd nuttiness - like there's chestnut in this - yes, it's even oddly foody. So now this reminds me a little of Wiley's Swamp a tad. But this is way more 'generic cheap drugstore perfume', and way more floral obviously. I get lots of rootiness from the amped muguet, and the gardenia and rainy aquatic remain very strong. Intense throw overall.

 

A few hours later this is slightly sweet-nutty (almost a grainy note, the way that say, Leanan Sidhe is) and musky gardenia SOAP with fresh, bright ginger. It's mostly floral powdery soap from a distance but when I sniff more closely I can still pick out all the notes. It's an odd blend but it does coalesce more over time, if never completely harmonizing. Better than the earlier stages indicated, for sure, but still not my style. Strong throw but it fades somewhat before holding.

Edited March 3, 2010 by fairnymph

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very cold and musky but sweet, with a bit of gardenia.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a mix of blue, cool florals, a watery green note, and very cold musk. It’s floral and aquatic, but very smooth and calming.

 

After a little while: The gardenia has come back out, but it’s very well blended with the other notes. The notes all swirling together create a wet, cool gardenia blend with a light crispness from the ginger. This is just wonderfully blended and all the notes work together nicely. There’s something almost unisex about this, but the gardenia makes it a bit more feminine.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a nice blue gardenia blend that manages to be wet without being too aquatic. It’s crystallized and clear for sure… not murky and swampy. This is lightly watery, and very refreshing too. It’s a nice floral scent that doesn’t smell too girly, but has a very clean feel.

[whiffenpoof]

In the imp - this must be what the Garden of Paradise smells like - Florals, running water.

 

Wet: Almost all gardenia

Dry down: Still gardenias

Later: Ah, there's the muguet and water again, w/gardenia wanting to jump out and mug someone

 

Very nice - will keep the imp and ponder a bottle.

[fireflower]

This goes on subdued, muted florals. Once it's dried, a sort of peppery/spicy note comes to fore, which I think is the ginger. It's very odd, because on my skin it's like mixing my mom's prettiest, most feminine perfume with just a dash of my dad's Old Spice. I agree that there's something sort of unisex about this. It's nice, but not making me yearn for a bottle, so I think I'll pass the imp on.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Something quite sharp and chemical a bit like Bonjela

 

Wet on me – There is still a slight air of Bonjela, but now it’s greener and softened by lilies

 

Dry on me – A myriad of soft sweet florals with a sprinkling of crystallised ginger on top

 

Overall – A pleasant, if slightly faint floral, not really me

[trollgirl]

In the imp: Ooh, gardenia! Beautiful, beautiful gardenia. There is also some bitterness here, is that the ginger? It seems to pull the floral down, making it heavier.

 

Wet: This is a deep and complex floral. It's not light at all, there's so much weight to it. It's so hard to describe. Beyond the gardenia, I can't tell what I'm smelling at all. It smells a little aquatic, but earthy at the same time, like a still, shallow pond, dark, just a little muddy, with flowers around it. Haunting.

 

Dry: I'm not sure what I'm smelling here but it comes across as a woody, earthy scent to me. Is it musk? Is it ginger? I don't know, but it's very nice. No throw, however, and I have to put my nose to my wrist to smell it. The flowers are almost gone. It's like someone dried all the blossoms and put them in a lovely carved wooden box.

 

Overall: I expected this to be a really light creamy floral, with its description of white blossoms and aquatic notes, but it turned out completely different. One me, there's nothing about this scent that's "clear" or "bright". It's very warm, very dark, and very... quiet. A grave, beautiful scent. I love it.

 

Bottle in my next order, for sure.

Edited June 17, 2008 by trollgirl

[isisonearth]

In the imp I get mostly a bright lily-of-the-valley scent.

 

When applied those aquatic notes peer out among the blooms. It is a faint calm water though...a garden pool. The sweet heady gardenia shines among the lilies. It has a cool gentle feel.

 

As it dries down the aquatic notes intensify and the warmth from the ginger develops. I almost feel like there is just a touch of ozone at the edge of my senses. It does really begin to remind me of the stillness before a storm.

 

Overall I usually prefer something a bit stronger. The throw is very gentle on this one. Pretty though.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Cool floral and almost a plummy note

 

On Application

Smooth floral. Not to sharp.

 

Dry Down

Beautiful translucent aquatic floral. There is an earthiness and warmth to this, courtesy of the ginger and musk, I assume. I love this but it seems to fade quickly.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

[Anthemyst]

Very name-appropriate. I wish it were a bit stronger on me, but it's lovely and wistful. The ginger shows up on me after it dries, which is nice. Wet, I mostly get the aquatic notes, the florals are more subtle.