The Apothecary

[DARKBEAUTY28]

Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig.

What I get from this scent is Sunflowers! Mainly that is what I smell when I have this on and strangely that isn't even one of the notes! It's lovely and bright.

[KaliVerra]

This was one of my very very first impers waaaaaay back when... all tarted up and sexy... sigh!

 

Lemony and herbaly and just fresh... but with a chilly kind of undercurrent (for me, anyhow)

 

One of my sniffs I go to for BPAL flashback jollies, but not everyday wear - but I'd cry if it weren't available in the catalog for restock

[ClareN]

I love the note listing and really wanted to like The Apothecary. In fact, when I was new to BPAL, it was one that I knew I'd love. Turns out I don't care for it - BPAL is full of surprises like that.

 

I find it to be a somewhat soapy lemon scent when first applied; as it dries, I can pick up the tea note from Dorian, but it's drowned out by the lemon and herbs.

 

Later in the drydown, it becomes more of a salty/fresh/herbal lemon, with a moss note standing out. I think it's the same "sea moss" note I know and love in Banded Sea Snake. Unfortunately, it still lacks the richness of Banded Sea Snake or Dorian. It feels too thin and high-pitched, like it needs something darker to ground it. I never picked up ginger or fig at all.

 

I almost wish Beth would revisit these notes and make the scent I pictured this would be! But there's plenty of other BPAL out there.

Edited January 31, 2008 by ClareN

[windbourne]

To me, this smells like an herbalist's shop -- you walk in the door and your nose is assailed by a cacophony of mixed dried herbs and growing plants, with just a touch of dirt and dust, and even though the windows are kind of grimy, the sunlight still glows through.

 

Wet, it smelled very strongly of musty tea and sage or thyme with a bright lemony kick. As it dried it turned soapy for a moment or two, then the tea made a hostile takeover, and finally the ginger burst out to dance with the tea. It got a little bit sweeter as it progressed, but never really went beyond a mild green-and-yellow, generally gender-neutral aroma.

 

On my skin, it's very light and fades very quickly. My skin devours light scents for breakfast, however, so I wouldn't put stock in that. Since it has very little throw, I might wear this at work. Nice, but not one I'll seek out once my imp is gone.

 

ETA: After wearing it for several hours, the tiny remnants of scent have turned vaguely spicy and amber-ish. Buh? 0_o;

Edited February 21, 2008 by windbourne

[Aldercy]

Rah, internet ate my post! Okay...

 

I was in love with the description of Apothecary, and I'm not entirely disappointed, but it's not the signature "me" scent I hoped it would be either.

 

In the vial and wet it smelled organic and also somewhat floral (not generally my thing), but it was pleasant. Now that it's been awhile I'm absolutely getting the tea: almost like "Huh, did I leave a box of Earl Grey open and lying about somewhere in the vicinity?" I really, really love that aspect of it and it's mostly what keeps me entertained by this scent. But I'm also sensing the lemon and soap that people have mentioned, and though that smells a little less authentic or rustic than I would like in a scent like this (almost too "new" or "air-freshener-ish") it's not offensive. Quite fresh and wholesome, but I think I might have been hoping this oil would smell a little more... mysterious?

 

3.5 or 4 out of 5. I'll use it up, but it's not the most likely candidate for a 5 ml.

[ranyart]

In the imp: grass and a light green herbal smell. I know there are multiple notes swimming around here, but I'm not sure what exactly I'm smelling. The impression is that of walking into a cool greenhouse or smelling your hands after gardening all morning.

 

On skin: tea and green grass/mossy scent. Nothing really changed from the initial application to the drydown; this stayed "grassy" without much in terms of individual notes to pick out. I really wish I could smell the fig or ginger; I thought those notes would really make this blend work for me.

 

 

This didn't last long at all, sadly, and never developed more than "green" on me. I liked it but it doesn't seem to be the best fit for me. I'm definitely going to keep trying until my imp is gone, because the scent is lovely in the bottle and I'm determined to find a green and grassy scent that works well on my skin.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is tea - very clean - with a hint of grass.

 

On my skin, it's still very tea- and grass-prominent - almost something lemony here as well.

 

When it dries, the herbal notes are the most prominent thing now; just barely any tea scent left. I loved the wet phase, but the dry phase is too subtle for me.

[Argentwolf]

In the imp, it smells very strongly of tea and ginger, with some sugar thrown in.

 

As it goes on, a more herbal sort of tone comes through. As it dries, though, I smell the tea/ginger again.

 

It's a lovely smell -- I really like the smell of tea. Unfortunately, this scent is so light and fleeting that it will not work for long on me.

[suki]

in the imp: sweet, and very green. like being in a summer garden after a rain. No ozone.

 

wet on skin: i can smell the tea, and a trace of lemon. it's very soft, very gentle.

 

dry down: it's reverted to a very green smelling mix, and i can no longer pick out separate notes.

 

in all: although not for me personally, i can see those who love soft green 'garden' type scents would *adore* this.

[Ginspu]

I smell the fig, and something green. I like it, kind of light, maybe, but right up my alley. Incidentially, this was a big hit with my 6-year-old and 4-year old nieces. If only their mommy would let me get them some!

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: moss.

 

On me, wet: iced tea. Yes, definitely iced tea, not hot tea. Lemony iced tea. There's something sinister and herbal lurking underneath... maybe the moss?

 

On me, dry: Same as wet, but with a little less of the iced tea and a little more of the herbs.

 

Throw and duration: medium throw, shortish duration. I got about 4 hours out of this.

 

Overall: Smells yummy to me. I can't shake the connection with iced tea though, which is confusing, and makes this smell like summertime instead of an apothecary's shop to me. Oh well. Still smells nice!

 

Don't need a 5mL of this, though, and might swap my imp-- I'm just not sure when I'd actively want to smell like iced tea and sinister herbs.

[maribouquet]

This is nice - fresh and grounded at the same time. I get mostly moss and herbs at first but the drydown is lemony with a bit of fig.

[gchris]

in vial:very herbal

 

wet: sharp but not bad. herbal and mossy. this is getting darker as it dries. Now it is turning sweet and nicer. I really like this.

 

later: This has gotten stronger. It remains herbal. I'm not sure where the sweetness comes from, it does not smell like a floral or fruity sweet. I may have to get a bottle of this one.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh ginger, tea, grass, moss. Green, herbal and refreshing.

 

Wet: Very similar, maybe a touch floral, and a bit soapy. Fairly heady, actually. The spicy ginger makes my nose tingle.

 

Dry: Ginger, tea, soapy mosses. Not getting any fig. The grass notes are gone,and this is sharper and less fresh.

 

Summary: The oakmoss amps and a hint of fruity fig emerges. It's still a touch soapy, but never overwhelmingly. This reminds me a fair deal of Ebisu, but with a sharp ginger note. If I didn't like Ebisu more, I'd get a bottle of this.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Tea and herbs

 

Wet: Very green and herbally, kind of medicinal. I was hoping for more ginger and fig, but I'm not really getting any.

 

Drydown: Sharp, soapy and herbally. Really not my kind of scent.

2.0 outta 5

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Green tea and lemon. First impression was that it reminded of Embalming Fluid, except much more green and herbal. And not as light. There's a hint of ginger, too.

 

WET: The lemon is gone. Woah, very green and herbal. And kind of spicy.

 

DRY: Stays the same. Very light. Nice, and different from what I usually wear, but not in a bad way. It DOES smell like an apothecary!

[Ms Density]

I bought a bottle of The Apothecary last year after trying out an imp of it. It reminds me of my local herb/spice shop that also sells a variety of loose leaf teas. The teas are located near the entrance, so when I walk in that’s the first thing I smell. Each large apothecary jar of tea has a small covered cup in front of it so you can sniff the varieties available. There are certain teas I have to sniff every time I go there even if I already have some at home or don’t plan to buy any that day: Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, Green tea with wild cherry, Casablanca with its cornflower petals and dried apples and strawberries, Russian Earl Grey… From there I move on to consider which herbs to buy: lavender, calendula… I absolutely love visiting this shop, and The Apothecary embodies that experience for me. It’s drying herbs and cool tea on a warm day, and the moss and grass lends to it a balmy garden air. It’s my black-tea-hair-tinting bath scent; my farmer’s market breakfast scent. If I had a porch, it would be my reading on the porch scent.

[inurbanus]

Oh wow. I really was not expecting this level of awesome from The Apothecary. For some reason, I thought I was going to get something deep, herbal, and heavy, but this is light and almost sparkling.

 

The note I recognized instantly was the tea leaf, and while I'm not really a tea expert, it seems like green tea to me. It's soapy, but in a way I can only describe as playful. Combined with the grass and the ginger, it reminds me a lot of blowing soap bubbles outside when I was younger, with the sun warming the grass and the bubbles popping and getting soap on everything. I can smell something smooth in the background that's binding the scent together -- could this be the fig? Overall, I get a very laid-back laid-back impression from this one -- it seems to me to be something to wear while bumming around the house.

 

I was immediately struck by how similar this is to Mag Mell, so if you love that one like I do, you must check The Apothecary out. Also, Embalming Fluid has the same "vibe" as this, and I think the two would layer really well together.

 

4.5/5

[djsiberia]

this one is very interesting and hard to describe.

 

it's herbal, powdery, sharp, and green.

 

i'm not sure how else to describe it.

 

it's not bad and it's not good....and i think i'll pass on a bottle.

[Wwindy]

I saw several recommendations for this one over in the "what to wear when it's blazing hot" thread, so I figured I might as well try the frimp I had floating around.

 

This blend is indeed very pleasant, and very clean. I get mostly tea and greenness -- there was a hint of ginger on initial application, but it didn't really stick around.

 

Unfortunately, my skin seems to eat these kinds of scents for... well, for high tea, I guess (except without the scones and clotted cream and jam and all that good stuff!). There's not much of what I would consider "perfume" going on at this point; the effect is more reminiscent of having used a nicely scented but unfamiliar hotel soap.

 

I might go for the Apothecary if I had an interview or something business-related on a hot day, but it's probably not something I would choose for my own aesthetic pleasure.

[savage_rose]

It's a clean, sweet smell in the imp. On, it morphs into a more herbal scent...I smell like an herb shop! Green tea, a hint of ginger, and something that smells a bit like really nice herbal soap. I like it!

[ouch!]

When this is wet, it's mainly ginger/lemony. But it's a herbal ginger/lemon. It's very fresh and very bright and very like alot of other blends I've tried that have ginger in them..

 

The drydown is where the magic happens with this one..once the ginger has calmed down a bit. It's a lovely very fresh herby mix. I can't smell the grass and I think the moss is just mixed up in there with herbs that I'm getting!!

I'd like to know the exact herbs that are in here...at a guess I'm saying rosemary???? And there's a plant I used to smell when playing as a kid that was kind of lemony..green leaves with red edges! God knows what it's called. But that's what I can get!!

 

I think if this blend had wood in it, maybe a light wood it would have invoked being in an apothecary so much more. But that's not to say I'm dissapointed!! I still really like it on the whole.

 

Not a 5ml for me though!!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Tea (yay tea) and moss

 

On Application

Tea with quite strong ginger and some aromatic herbs. What I thought intially smelled like Shanghai has become more potent.

 

Dry Down

The grass and the mosses add an earthy "liveness" to this. The tea stays strong on the initial drydown. Not exactly fresh, more freshness with a deeper earthy undertone. I like very much, especially when it tones down.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

[theal8r]

I'm beginning to suspect that tea and I do not get along.

 

In the imp: herby. Green and sharp, but not noxiously so.

 

Wet: very green, but with a soapy overtone. Soap like.... public restroom soap-smell.

 

Drydown: This has a lot of stay-power. 8 hours later and I can still pick it up very lightly on my wrists. This late in the game it is BEAUTIFUL. I wish I could find something that smelled like this ALL the time: herbal, light with some slight earthiness to keep it (no pun) grounded -- not really GREEN, but green. Sadly, it took most of the day to get to this point -- mostly it just smell of soap.

Edited July 16, 2008 by theal8r

[hkhm]

imp: a very dusty moss and herb scent.

 

wet: this gets sweet and grassy when i apply it and i can catch a hint of the ginger as well.

 

dry: this just goes sweeter and sweeter as it dries. very fresh grass and ginger with tea in the background.