Queen of Diamonds

[Diana]

A glittering icicle of a woman, regal, proud and cold: shimmering white grapefruit, pale flowers and lemon bark with orchid, rose and a dash of mandarin.

In the bottle, and wet it is overwhelmingly floral. I do detect a slight citrus note, but it's very subtle to my nose.

As this dries, this does me no favours. The florals are really too perfumey and cloying for my tastes. I'm not getting any citrus notes anymore, and no apparent rose. It's all very reminiscent of the drydown of Black Pearl, which went totally Iris on me in a really not-so-good way. I'm thinking there's Iris in here as a "pale flower" along with the Orchid.

It is not really all that strong, but this is really not my cup of tea. So sad, I had really hoped for a more citrusy blend.

Wah.

[rhubarbbear]

to me, queen of diamonds is a very sophisticated, grown up scent. i find the florals to be the dominant notes, but they are lovely! its cool, its a bit hard, a bit like a skyscraper, actually... this probably won't be an everyday perfume for me, but it is certainly one i'll enjoy wearing! and i can think of several occasions where the queen would strike just the right mood....

[ashtonrose]

Thank you to SoapyRN! She sent this to me as a Christmas present and it has quickly become one of my favorites. It is very strong in the bottle and when I first put it on. Then it dries to this lovely floral scent. I'm guessing as others it is the orchid. I don't remember ever smelling the actual flower, but if this is it I'm in love. This is the scent I put into my secret compartment necklace and I have gotten several good comments. Although, I have learned not to put on too much. That can give me a headache. Long lasting this will be!

[paperdoll]

Initail Sniff: All kinds of grapefruit-y goodness! The Queen reminds me a bit of Shattered, but she is infinitely more feminine and refined. I can smell the orchid amongst a background of those pale florals that so often dislike my skin.

Wearing: The grapefruit is sharp at first, but then mellows into the floral background beautifully. What a lovely balance between floral and bitter fruit! This lasts all day long, too.

Final Impressions: Lovely! I am actually surprised this worked so well on me! I ordered it rather on a whim, not really expecting much from it. I am happily surprised.

[goddessrobyn]

I LOVE grapefruit so I thought I'd love this... but No... it smells really... uck! on me... dead flowers is the only description that comes to mind...

 

Smells exactly like it does in the bottle but MUCH stronger... gives me a headache...

 

will swap when I have regular internet access again...

 

was nice to try though...

[EvilKitten]

in the bottle - Definitely grapefruit and mandarin. It is not quite citrusy but that is the scent that really hits me first. Though it is very complex smelling, the other scents are in the background - just enough to make you go "hmm"

 

on me - the lemon bark is coming out - and it's kinda pushing everything else out of the way. What was citrusy in the bottle is now very lemony on me, as most scents that contain lemon are. I am sad because it such a beautiful and complex scent in the bottle

[anshara]

In the imp: Grapefruit with a midground of Orchid in a base of Mandarin and Lemon Bark.... Much citrus.

 

On me swiped on fingers wet: Well this queen loves her Grapefruits, and her grapefruits love me

 

Drydown: 5 minutes:This is interesting because this scent throws, and the scent that's thrown is pale floral, and Orchid, but, close to my skin it's all grapefruit and lemon bark..... I have wierd chemistry.

 

Ten minutes: Ok, the Orchid is in a fight to the death with the lemon bark and grapefruit. This queen must like her blood sports. Oh my word the Orchid is winning! Talk about David and Goliath! ETA: Strike that, I think they're shaking hands and making peace....

 

Final thoughts: Honestly, I don't know yet, must give Her Majesty a fair chance to have her say.... ETA: She's eloquent, and I love her....

 

ETA: OK I love this scent, really love it... I don't know what the hell was wrong with me this morning, but I love the citrusy floral drydown of this, even though the citrus was a bit sharp in the wet stage.... Pain does strange things to me, and I think I couldn't properly smell the blend this morning, because I wrote this review first thing in the morning, and I had worn sugar skull to bed.... My nose was cloudy...... I'm going to make this imp last as long as possible.

[Longstofly]

Oh ick. The desciption of this scent sounded lovely but on me it turns into some sort of awful super strong commercial perfume that I hate (reminds me of Sunflowers).

 

Oh well. Into the swap pile it goes.

[AlectoNox]

I don't normally like florals too much, but this was a perfect balance of everything. It smelled like...well, snow, but not like Ice Queen, she was pure snow to me. This smells like fresh snow dusted over the skin of a beautiful woman who is holding a bouquet of small white flowers. Maybe a few of those flowers were lemon blossoms, but not too many. All in all it was just perfect, and I haven't been this obsessed over a fragrance since Blue Moon came out.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Meep? Vaguely Lemon Pledge-like...blended with Ralph Lauren's Blue. It's quite watery to my nose.

 

On me: Very crisp and watery. The grapefruit's very mellow and soft, quite lovely. Florals are starting to blossom in - it's like they've been picked up by the wind and the scent is blowing by. It's very similar to commercial perfumes, and doesn't stand out enough for me to keep it. It just isn't exciting enough, I suppose.

[rainbow]

In the bottle- acquatic floral with grapefruit.

 

Wearing- Really nice floral, like a lily with some musk. It's fresh and springy, and the darkness that was making me think musk lifts and disappears pretty quickly. The floral becomes lighter and more acquatic as I'm wearing it. I'm thrilled to have this for spring.

 

Others have mentioned that this smells a bit like department store perfumes and I get that too- it's got the multi-floral, expensive vibe.

 

I enjoyed this very much, I'm glad to have my bottle.

[Shollin]

Thanks to magikfanfic for the decant!

 

First sniff: Very, very light. It hints at grapefruit and sea air, but if I try to concentrate on it directly it almost disappears – the way a faint star vanishes if you look straight at it. There’s something dark underneath, too.

 

Wearing: Ah, definite grapefruit. Very chilly and fresh. It’s a lot stronger on me than it was in the vial, and I’m getting a lovely citrus aura.

[autumnviolet]

Wet: mmmm. sharp aquatics (icicles!) and woodsy herbal with a definite spring floral. A walk in the winter woods with a sharp tang in the wind...and the discovery of new hyacinths in the snowdrifts.

fresh and dry: this scent held very well for me. I could still smell ice, woods and florals.

4 hours later: great, great soft floral with an edge.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In The Bottle: A very cool toned citrus floral with a hint of wood.

 

First on:The floral end stands out a bit more on my skin than the citrus. A very fresh cool breeze feeling to this. Certain aspects of it reminds me of The Body Shop's Snow home oil.

 

After a few seconds: The grapefruit has become more noticable. This scent remains cool and fresh but holds a soft quality to it.

 

After a few minutes: This scent is staying pretty much the same on me. A cool watery floral with equal notes of crisp citrus and warm wood. I really like the balance here.

 

After an hour: It now is a bit warmer on me, with a slight hint of white musk it would seem.

 

I absolutely adore this scent. It reminds me of winter's first snow fall. Innocent, pure, clean, invigorating and holds memories of comfort snuggled under a warm blanket with a good book.

 

If anyone has any of this they want to get rid of, please contact me and we can make arrangements.

Edited February 27, 2005 by Spastik_Kitty

[starrykitten]

Very light, very white, very citrusy. Not dry like bone but crystalline lemon and grapefruit, like an ice cube frozen with a splash of lemonade.

[strippedhalo]

This is the most "perfumey" of all the BPAL scents I've tried so far. I'm not a perfume expert by any means, so I can't identify exactly which perfume or brand or anything, but this smells almost exactly like a popular perfume worn by professional women. The difference is that while that perfume would cause me to have an allergic reaction in the form of either hives or a headache, Queen of Diamonds doesn't seem to give me any allergic trauma, which is nice.

 

The scent itself, unfortunately, is just too strong a floral for me. I can catch a hint of the grapefruit, but not enough to make it work for me.

Edited April 8, 2005 by strippedhalo

[LiberAmoris]

The Queen of Diamonds, in my house, did not get a lot of wear in the wintertime, maybe because I was so overwhelmed with all the amazing Yule blends that Beth released. But now that the thaw seems to have finally taken hold, and spring is definitely here, I find myself really loving this blend.

 

And it seems perfect for this weather---on me it’s a cascade of light flowers with very subtle white grapefruit and a dusky underpinning of some kind of wood---white sandalwood or the barest hint of cedar. All of the supporting notes---the lemon bark, orchid, rose, and mandarin---are detectable but expertly blended.

 

The Queen of Diamonds is very classy, regal, and upstanding. She’s perfect to wear to work or anyplace I want to give off a pulled-together, professional vibe. As close to a ‘classic’ perfume as I have experienced yet with Beth’s blends. And I love to wear the Queen with her mate the King---they layer so well together!

[alston78]

In the bottle: Queen of Diamonds smells like a light floral with creamy tones and some grapefruit in the background. Lovely!

 

On me: Oh, how I wish it still smelled like it did in the bottle. On my skin, QoD smells like I got thrown into the dryer with a "Spring Breeze" Bounce sheet and and a "Nantucket" Yankee Candle. She's cold, sharp, and downright stuck-up! She won't go away, either- this scent is going to last a while, I can tell. The grapefruit is all gone and although something is fighting the florals, it's not winning.

Oddly enough, if I sniff my sweater sleeve instead of my skin I do smell a lovely floral-citrus smell- just what I would want the Queen to be, and what I suspect she is on other people.

 

I'll be passing this along.

[blaqpearl]

I really love the crispness of this scent. It must be the grapefruit, which I adore. Underneath the citrus the florals are blooming. Awesome stuff.

I really need to get my hands a bottle of this.

[anmorata]

Queen of Diamonds:

 

Wet: .. very soft floral.

Drydown: still, very soft, super-soft floral. Where is this scent hiding? This must be a very timid queen.

Long-term wear: I only have an imp of this, and I doubt I'd wear it often for as soft of a scent as it is on my skin.

[eadavenp]

Wet, i get straight white grapefruit. It almost makes me wrinkle my nose bc it is so sour citrussy. On the skin, it has that grapefruit quality, but with a bit of an edge that gives the scent "sparkle" almost like the fizziness in bon vivant.

 

I love how this dries to a floral and citrus combo. I like it a lot, and i'll definitely be using up my bottle! I also love the label, it looks awesome.

[feline.by.design]

The Queen of Diamonds is definitely more floral than citrus to me. It's a very feminine floral that isn't over-the-top, yet still manages to be complex. The flowers are gentle yet strong and assertive. It's quite interesting.

 

Imagine a garden where all the flowers are made of diamonds. That's kind of what the QoD is like. It manages to stay on long during my trial wear, so it has a lot of throw. QoD definitely doesn't succumb to the curse of the citrus, meaning it doesn't disappear after fifteen minutes or so.

 

I like this, however I just don't see myself wearing this particular floral combination over more simple picks. I'm not too heavily into the floral camp, anyway, as I prefer a bit of "green" intermingled with the flowers. So, in the end, it's not quite for me, but maybe it will be right for someone else. I can imagine this being on someone who is intelligent and refined, well-dressed and well-mannered.

 

I'm rockin' it at about one out of four.

 

-doreen

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soap

 

On Skin: Very soapy clean scent. Very aquatic and fresh. This is so elegant and pretty but maybe a bit too ozoney for me. The floral stands out and I don’t smell the grapefruit at all. So pretty and I can imagine it mostly on a woman but would love to see what it would do with a man’s chemistry as well.

[QueenFae]

An extremely floral blend, very perfumey, like a heady, soft, mature woman's perfume. This reminds me a lot of a perfume my mother use to wear. It's very classic. I smell the fruitiness when I first open the bottle, but on the dry down all that shows is a strong floral. I like this one very much, I am glad I was able to snag a bottle!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Green, fresh, and a little bit foody.

 

Just On: A little stronger green, and fruity.

 

An hour or two later: This gets sweeter with time.

 

Around 6 hours: It's mostly faded into a sweet skin scent.

 

12 hours: It's all gone now.

 

Overall: I like this one. It is certainly similar to KoD, but sweeter.

 

After reading other reviews: I didn't get a lot of flowers out of this one at all. I like the way it fades down on me.