Sophia

[gangstaknitta]

The Gnostic goddess of Wisdom. A solemn, deeply profound draught of lavender, soft musks, star jasmine, black rose, delphinium, and gentle spice.

In bottle: Rose and Jasmine, a touch of musk and the undercurrent of spice...not bad

Wet: the lavendar has come out more, mingling with the other florals. The musk is far less pronounced on my skin.

Dry: not one of my favorites, but I like it. It's very light and a little sweet, but not too sweet. It has a long staying power without being overwhelming.

[Julilla Regina]

I wish there was more lavendar whisking it's way up to my nose. In the imp, this is an enchanting and exotic floral. A blend of flowers I can't really put my finger on. There is some scent, a floral which seems a little dark. Maybe delphinium? It's not super sweet or high like a rose or a jasmine, really. It's underneath and not as bright. Unfortunately all that is left on me now is a slightly floral musk. It's good, but not as good on me as it is on others.

[Phaedra]

When first applied this smells slightly like bubblegum with something like patchouli in the background. It develops into plum with a powdery note. This is nice but fades too quickly on me. I was hoping it would work better for me as one of my grandmothers is named Sophia. Oh well, off to swaps.

[Dark Seraphim]

This is the first scent that I actively dislike.

 

Bottle: When I smelt it, I had to turn away. I thought it would choke me. Yikes. I thought it smelt rotten orange peels, but I guess rotten flowers works just as well.

 

Worn: Didn't work to well here either.

 

I really wanted to like this one since Sophia is beautiful name, but I just don't. First imp in the swap/sell pile. 1/10

[QueenFae]

The lavender is definitely the top note in this blend. It gives Sophia that "sharpness" that always characterizes lavender blends for me. The jasmine and rose kind of fade into the background . Sophia is light, feminine and clings very close to the skin. I like this blend, but I'll probably just keep it to wear to sleep, because lavender makes me sooooo sleepy.

[pensive]

Imp: ooo pretty lavender..

On me: Yo whazzup lavender? And what is that funkified smell in the back?

Drydown: The funk has faded.

Verdict: lavender seems to knock my butt out - this or I'm too tired too often lately

 

It's a meh, I think. Don't hate it but don't actively like either. : needed!

Edited July 14, 2005 by pensive

[yeahbutnobut]

Sophia

 

In the imp: lavender and soft florals. Lovely.

Wet on skin: mmm, I can smell the lavender here, plus something slightly spicy. There are also some lovely sweet florals, like rose and jasmine, coming through.

Dry on skin: oh wow. This is a beautiful, soothing blend of flowers warmed up nicely by a lovely spice note. The lavender doesn't overpower here; it's nicely balanced and well mixed with the other flowers. It has a mature air to it, dignified and mysterious, it fits the image of a goddess of infinite wisdom.

After a while: whoa, I feel soothed, even quite sleepy. This lavender is pretty powerful even though it's not a prominent note now, I think this will be a nice bedtime scent. And the jasmine in this is lovely, so sweet and light, dancing on the top of the scent with the spices (and what lovely spices-is there cinnamon here?), with the lavender and a bit of musk at the bottom, and a nice crisp rose note in between.

After 45 minutes, now the lavender's faded, and the rose and jasmine are there-and they smell sublime, almost luminous.

Verdict: this is truly magnificent. This is a soft, yet potent floral scent with a very nice lavender note, with rose and jasmine, and some soft spices. This scent has a very calming, gentle feel to it, and yet it feels profound and mysterious. This will be lovely to wear to sleep, thanks to the lavender, but the other flowers make this even more interesting. This scent is very feminine, yet with a grown up and wise feel to it. The florals are well balanced and they all work together to create a soothing, magnificent scent.

Edited July 21, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Lavender and a lovely light floral that I suspect to be the delphinium, because I would recognize if it was jasmine or rose. There is the star jasmine, too, light and lingering in the back. Something about the fragrance hangs at the back of my nose and makes me think "stink."

On me: Nothing about this scent really excites me. It's lavender, and some other florals, spicier than normal for the 'gentle spices' in the blend. It's musky and reminds me a bit of Bath & Body Work's Moonlight Path, albeit brighter and more brilliantly blended. But lavender and rose with musk? Moonlight Path all the way, and I've never cared for that scent. So off to swap with Sophia!

[Northernminx]

Soft and feminine, I was surprised that this was as light as it turned out to be. Jasmine and light musk were the predominant notes in this, not really spicey though there is an underlay of spice if you sniff real close. Overall this stayed very soft and close to my skin. Pretty but not really catching my attention too much.

[Aurelius]

In the vial: Strong floral. Very, very strong. Maybe a hint of something citrusy, and something vaguely spicy.

 

Wet: Lemon verbena? It's not in the description, but I think I smell it. There's something sweet yet tangy.

 

Drying/Dry: Huh. This isn't as strong as I thought. It's very nice, but florals aren't my thing. Off to swap with someone who enjoys florals more than I do.

[pixievix]

In the bottle, this came off to me as a warm, golden floral--I really want to say diasies. I could see it being a blend of chamomile, jasmine, & a teensy bit of lavender. Also spice & baby powder.

 

Wet on my skin, the baby powder rises up along with rose & more girly florals, & resinous something, like myrrh--just for a bit.

 

As it settles down, I get lots of dark evergreen (I guess this is how this one's lavender comes out on me), spice, berries, a little of a dryer herbiness, golden floral, and an undertone of baby powder. It's very Christmasy on me, while still being sweet & feminine.

 

I'm not generally into sweet/feminine fragrances, but at the same time, I'm going to hold onto it for the holidays. It's worth noting that I got this because a friend of mine ordered it & hated how it smelled on her--her skin turns it into a sickly sweet, cloying floral. It's nice on me, though.

[Blood onmy hands]

The lavender here never stood a chance against the musk and florals. Not on my skin.

 

First on, this is all powdery rose and light musk. Then the jasmine completely takes over and that's all I can smell for hours until this fades.

 

I think that jasmine might actually be pretty if it were ever light on me, and I could actually smell other notes with it. It just never seems to work out that with my skin chemistry. It gets very strong and smoky. Overpowering jasmine.

[carolinachiquita]

This is a really soft musky fragrance with something quite sweet behind it (The Star Jasmine or Delphinium?) I can't smell the rose or lavender yet. This is really really nice - if it lasts and doesn't morph into something else or fade quickly (like every oil I seem to love!!) then I want a bottle of this!

[donsixgun]

Stunk. Just plain stunk. Something in it makes me nauseated.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Primarily floral, with a little kick of spices in the background.

 

Wearing: The musk comes out immediately, and the scent goes warm and furry. The florals are still there, underneath, but the aura is musk and spice. I'm liking this one.

[girlmadasbirds]

whoa... this is total old lady perfume on me. no no no.

[coulrophobe]

I already know that lavender, jasmine and rose usually spell disaster for me... so why am I trying something with all three? Heh... guess I'm more of an optimist than I like to admit.

 

In the imp, and for the first minute or two on my skin, all I can smell is the sharp, harsh scent of lavender. Then the musk starts to soften it up a bit... but there's a vaguely putrid note in the background... yep, that's what jasmine does on my skin. But that goes away after a few more minutes - and once again, it's a lavender blend, but a softer one, thanks to the musk. There's also something that smells a bit lemony, but perhaps my nose is playing tricks on me.

 

All in all, not nearly the disaster I thought it would be. Sophia isn't one that really works for me, but for something that contains three of my nemisis-notes - not too bad!

[cupide430]

This was very sharp lavender with a hint of weird heady floral on me at first. As it dried a bit of sweetness has come out along with a hint of an almost violet-y floral. It definitely is redeeming itself in drydown as the beginning notes of this were just too much (too brash, too sharp, too lavender) on me. The drydown is definitely bearable though this isn't quite the blend for me.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is a soft lavender, and a hint of musk. I can smell the other floral notes in the blend, but I'm not able to discern them individually. The overall blend is just barely spicy, and quite calming. This is a faint and pretty scent, but I don't think it's for me.

[zenvodunista]

well blended and pretty, but it doesn't knock my socks off.

 

n.

[aedes]

This is a very pretty, subtle, and serious scent. I think it perfectly captures a shy, sweet, nerdy girl who really should speak up more because she has a lot of good things to say. There are lots of girls I've known in my life that I wish I could give this scent to.

 

Starts off lavender, definitely, which kind of turned my nose. Smelled slightly medicinal and unattractive. I nearly chucked it into the swap pile when I smelled it again and these beautifully sweet, spicy, and feminine notes wafted up. I actually smell something like honey with light spices. I don't smell the rose or jasmine individually, which is good for the concept of the scent, I think. There's no prima donna here other than the initial lavender rush.

 

Just goes to show that first impressions can be deceiving.

[Chrysantza]

Another swapped-for imp:

 

In the bottle: Spicy lavender and rose-petal sachet

 

On me: Gorgeous spicy floral, heavy on the lavender. This makes me think of the "back to the land" sort of woman who quilts, makes her own jam, and of course her own sachets! A sweet, wholesome floral ideal for daytime.

 

Verdict: I love the imp and might get a bottle of this for warm-weather wear.

Edited January 31, 2006 by Chrysantza

[shirasade]

My very first review... uh oh, I hope I'm doing this right!

 

In the imp: Fresh floral with lovely dark undertones. Like wild flowers growing over ancient ruins. I like it a lot!

 

Wet: Very sharp, with the lavender coming out in full force. I keep catching whiffs of jasmine. When I ask my brother (the 'nose' in the family) what he smells, his answer is "soap". Not very nice at all.

 

Dry: Darker, warmer, with soft jasmine and after a while an interesting lemony undertone. Interesting change with time, but sadly it becomes very weak as soon as the sharp tang is gone. After about one hour all that seems left is a vaguely grandmotherly smell of lavender soap.

 

Overall impression: I really expected to love this, because it was so beautiful when I first smelled it from the imp. But the 'nice' stage of the smell is much too short and overpowered first by the sharp tang and then by the powdery soap. Pity! It did give me nice, warm dreams, though.

Edited February 1, 2006 by Evamaria

[Sheila]

On me, this is feminine, gentle, soft lavender. I don't get any of the other notes.

It's not the fake lavender most places produce, though. Beth's lavender smells really sharp and herbal--just like the plant.

However, lavender isn't really my thing, so off to swaps.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of lavender and flowers.

on: lavender and jasmine. a bit sweet.

half an hour later: lots of jasmine, musk, and rose, with a few other flowers. very pretty.

1 hour later: this has gone really, really soapy on me.

3 hours later: still soapy.

overall: unfortunately, this just went way too soapy on me.