Eidolon

[clephan]

A curious word, meaning both a phantom or apparition and the image of an ideal. A complex, unearthly scent: Himalayan cedarwood, Italian bergamot, verbena and sage.

On opening the bottle, this smells stronly of verbena: this grows prolifically in my back garden, so the scent immediately made me think of over-hot summer days outside gardening, verbena being crushed underfoot.

On first wearing the scent, the strong fresh lemon scent is there, and this is an immensely uplifting and energising scent. It's certainly a good morning perfume.

As it dries, it starts to smell like herbs growing next to fast flowing water. It makes me think of space, solitude and quiet. The sage is noticeable as time goes on, but this one doesn't so much deepen as gently sustain the same scent over a long period of time.

I haven't tried it is a room scent, but I think it would make an excellent one for dispelling sleepiness and encouraging alertness.

There are also special reasons why this scent is so special to me.

[blackrayne]

As soon as I opened the bottle I was consumed by a refreshing lemony scent. I instantly felt my mood uplift a bit, and smiled for the first time in many hours.

 

I like this scent on my skin...it is energizing, uplifting and invigorating. I think I'll keep this one handy for days when I feel a little blah.

[ipb]

initial reaction: very lemony and happy

 

can't wait to try it

[jj_j]

Lemony verbena, and the initial happy tone of the scent have all been described to a "T" - nothing to add there.

 

There's a pale grapefruit-like tang underneath this, and more like sniffing the grapefruit through the rind ... bergamot, maybe? It's sweetly pungent, and more of a citrus smell than the green sweet lemon of the verbena. Sage softens and cools the final moments of Eidolon's dry-down, and it, too, is very muted.

 

I end up with pastel yellow-orange and pale lime sherbert green in my nose, and I have to get very close and inhale deeply to get it. My skin sucked this one right up, but it's a deceptively straightforward scent that's lovely to behold.

[Shollin]

First sniff: A ghostly lemon, very soft and light with no hint of sharpness, and something green drifting around the edges – it might be the evergreen juniper-scent from Oberon.

 

Wearing: Immediately there’s something here besides lemon, a faint note of green spice, and the lemon has firmed up quite a bit. Eidolon is a more definite scent than my old lemon standby Phantasm. It went soapy on me quickly, and disappeared within a couple of hours.

 

I'll try it again before swapping, just to see if my skin gets over this annoying phase where it makes everything soapy...

[Laivine]

I think my review is closer to Blackrayne's. I really like Eidolon on my skin. It leaves a great herbally, natural lemon scent that is softly invigorating. Nothing puckery or lemon pledge-y about it. It's one that I don't remember to wear a lot but when I do, I'm always wowed.

[Ishtar]

In the vial, it was a soft, almost creamy lemony/green kind of scent. Quite nice and intriguing.

 

As soon as I put it on, it became strongly herbal rather than lemony. After a couple of hours, it turned soapy and almost masculine (probably from the cedarwood).

 

I tried it twice now, and it still doesn't agree with my chemistry, so I am afraid this is a swap. Shame because the initial smell was so nice.

[ninglor]

Bright and clear, piney. It smells on my skin exactly as it smells in the bottle, only softened somewhat, and it has amazing staying power. The bergamot makes a cameo after drying. Also glad that I chose this in 5ml.

[Faerykin]

Out of the Bottle: An amalgamation of very potent, earthy scents. When asked what he thought, my husband shrugged and said, “Eh … you smell like my grandmother.”

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): Thank the Gods this toned down quite a bit. I can still smell strong, earthy scents, but they aren’t half as potent as fresh out of the bottle. The verbena is the most prominent here (though I don’t detect any of the lemon others have previously mentioned), with the others mingling just behind.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): Definitely herbal and earthy. I’m still noticing the verbena as the most prominent scent, followed quickly by the sage. It is almost like standing in the herbal room at a new-age store – the smell of a mixture of freshly dried and crushed herbs, or a Native American smudging.

 

Funny, I can’t seem to smell it on my skin. It is a scent that permeates the air around me. I can smell it a little on the collar of my shirt, but nothing on my wrists … interesting.

 

Throughout the Day (10am on): Wow, this really dissipated quickly. I still catch a faint whiff of herbs here or there, but nothing like the initial potency of the liquid form. If I choose to keep this one, I’ll have to remember to reapply frequently. This is a scent for nature meditation. It is a very outdoorsy, attune-with-nature type of scent. Mayhaps something to wear to an outdoor renaissance festival, earth festival or other such outdoor function.

[TheDarkMother]

In the bottle, Eidolon is a light lemon fragrance with a strong sage overtone, something that makes my mouth pucker just slightly. It reminds me of eating lemon rind when I was younger and in Germany. The lemon trees there were EXTREMELY sour, but I usually ate them anyway. There could be a tinge of grapefruit in there somewhere, but I think that's just the sour tinge of the lemon and sage.

 

On my skin, the verbena takes on a heavy jolly rancher smell again, which is what I've noticed that happens when I wear something with verbena in it. The sage note is completely gone, and all that I can smell is lemon candy.

 

After a while, there is another scent here, like a soft minty smell. That quickly dissolves and it insteads ends up smelling like lemon Pledge. Fun:) There seems to be a lot of scents ending up with that lemony smell on me. I like it, though.

[Donnababe]

First Sniff

 

Sage and lemon.

 

Drydown

 

Whilst I'm not too keen on the bitter sage, I love the Lemon Tea aroma this has. It's great for a sunny day like today.

 

After a While

 

Very much the same and a lovely 'Boiled sweet' lemon-ness but this fades far too quickly.

 

Final Verdict

 

Very nice, I'll certainly use the imp but probably won't get a bigger size.

[LiberAmoris]

I was very excited about Eidolon, as it is one of my favorite words.

 

It started off with a strong blast of lemon which within minutes had softened to include the wood notes. It then moved into a surprisingly lovely candle-like scent, by which I mean it actually smelled like hot wax and flame. The smell was so picturesque that my mind actually conjured up the image of writing by candlelight.

 

Eidolon disappeared quickly on my skin, and I’m not sure I would purchase another imp of it, but I will use up the imp I’ve got.

[glampyre]

verrrry lemony.

 

I don't smell any of the woody notes, but my skin somehow dissipates any and all wood-smells.

 

It *is* very energizing, and I will finish this imp in my oil burner.

 

ETA:

 

After about 30 minutes, the verbena has calmed down and I *do* smell the wood and herb. I also smell something like cocoa butter, and definitely understand the candlewax scent referred to in an earlier review.

 

This is quite nice, but not on my "Must have big bottle" list. There are other woodsy BPAL perfumes that suit me better.

Edited August 26, 2004 by glampyre

[darkitysnark]

In the bottle:

It's a big green fist full of crushed woody herbs rolling up into my sinuses... that's the last time I sniff in a hurry in the morning!

 

Just on:

The lemon tones take a back seat to an incredible, full mouth herbal.

 

First 1/2 hour (drive to work):

I don't know how else to describe this, but the car is filled with the scent of used incense sticks. Not the actual incense, but the skinny wooden sticks upon which the resin is applied. It's a charred wood smell that reminds me of my grandmother's little shrine in Hong Kong at which we used to offer sticks of incense and little oranges. I can almost feel the frail, bendy sticks between my fingers as we kowtow.

 

Hours later:

If feels like my aura has been imbued. I can smell the lemon more prominently now, and it feels like my body heat is radiating the stuff. The wood went away (pity) and there is now an earthy undertone (the sage?).

 

This one is growing on me after that herb-slap from my initial snort. Gotta pace myself better. This feels like a more androgynous scent for everyday use.

Edited September 3, 2004 by darkitysnark

[patashoqua]

Eidolon is a near miss for me. I love all of the separate notes, and it smells great on me for a little while, but it fades to something utterly uninteresting.

 

In the bottle: my first impression is "sharp". I can smell the cedar and the bergamot most strongly, with only the faintest lemony hint of the verbena.

 

Wet: the verbena/lemon scent comes through more strongly, but the sharpness of the cedar and bergamot balance its sweetness.

 

Dry-down: alas, after no more than half an hour, it has become a powdery and faintly sweet lemon soap smell. Not offensive, but I don't much care for it.

 

Like Envy, this one frustrates me. It smells so good in the bottle and when freshly applied, but it fades into blahness even more quickly than Envy. As with Envy, though, I will use Eidolon for aromatherapy, as both seem to perk me up and clear my mind when I've a headache.

Edited September 15, 2004 by patashoqua

[georgiamagnolia]

I am utterly in love with this scent. It is clear and crisp in the bottle and is a long-lasting scent that doesn't get muddy and lost on my skin. The littlest bit of spice to the scent keeps it interesting on my skin. I love that it is not overwhelmingly citris, but is light and refreshing without being loud. I wasn't expecting this to be my favourite right off the bat, and was pleasantly surprised.

[omly]

Eidolon was one of those scents that grew on me. I like lemon verbana a lot, but when I first put this on the cedar edge was a little off putting. There was also an herbal edge that seemed a little bit harsh at first. But as I wore it that herbalness filled out and softened a little bit. Although I wasn't sure if I liked it at first I found that I kept reaching to wear this one again. I will be sad to see this one go.

[sarahmarie]

A few seconds after I put this on, it smells very strongly (and nicely) of lemon verbena. Then the cedar shows up, and it makes me think of a creamy or buttery lemon. I guess it also makes me visualize a lemon on a very smooth wooden table, or a lemon made out of smooth wood...one way or another, the cedar makes the lemon very smooth on me, and it's nice. I love lemon verbena, and I forget how refreshing it smells until I put this on.

 

This isn't my favorite scent ever, but I will still be sad to see it go.

[Azrhiaz]

YACK. I smell exactly like lemon pledge. I've never been able to wear lemon anything (citron is fine, orange is fine, grapefruit is heaven, lime is...eh, but lemon? So wrong on me.). This is no exception. I'd sort of hoped the verbena would be okay. I have a verbena soap that I really like, but as perfume it still just doesn't work for me.

 

Not going to miss this one, newp.

[glasshouse]

Smells like fresh crushed lemon verbena or scented geranium on application. Matures into a lightly woody scent (cedar?), as though the focus shifts from the leaves to stem of the herb. The fading scent is truly evocative of the name.

I'm relieved that this isn't being discontinued.

Edited November 5, 2004 by glasshouse

[surf-tormented]

This oil smelled of very strong bergamot when first put on. In fact, that was all I could smell until 15 minutes it mellowed to a woodsy spicy light scent. It reminded me of the notes left by Nephilim, even though they don't share any notes, which is strange.

 

The notes at the end were good, but it was a little too late for me. It faded quickly too. If I wanted a bergamot buzz, I could just use a bergamot oil, which I have, though I don't wear it since I moved to San Diego, for a good reason.

 

I tend to avoid these type of oils as well as Earl Grey tea because I have fair skin and in San Diego. I have heard bergamot oil can make you skin super sun sensitive. Try saying that three times fast.

 

So this one will probably be traded and put in the category of Hemlock, another oil that mainly smelled of a single note (bayberry) which I already have.

Edited November 12, 2004 by Madame Nyx

[grrrlennyl]

eidolon

 

at first: i smell mostly cedar, which is never good. the lab included this as a freebie, and i wouldn't have bought it for myself because of the woods.

on: i can smell the verbene, and bunch of other things. i can smell the cedarwood, too, which is never a good sign.

1 hour later: pickles.

2 hours later: woods are bad on me, and that is all that i smell.

3 hours later: not as offensive as it was, but...still not good.

overall: woods and i just don't get along. i'll be getting rid of this one.

[Splendid Molerat]

Dabbed Eidolon on Mr. S.M. -- gingersnaps and hot lemon tea!

 

After a while the scent unfolds, and there are slim stands of cedar trees, and wild herbs throwing off fragrance in bright white sunshine.

 

It has a dreamy, reserved quality, like looking through lightly frosted glass.

[with coffee spoons]

Huh. I wanted this because I adore the smell of cedar, but I don't get any distinct note in this, and certainly no cedar. It's spicy and masculine, cologne like, except in a good way. This is very strong on me-- a dab was wafting like nobody's business-- I was embarassed and kept my hand in my pocket until I got the chance to wash a bit of it off, to tone it down. This is very unusual for me, as the oils almost always stay very close to my skin. As time progresses, I realize what this reminds me of. A particular kind of soap. Green, or maybe blue. I used it once at somebody's house. And then it hits me-- Irish Spring soap. I think that's it. I mean, a nuanced and wonderful version of the scent, of course-- it's Beth we're talking about . It's not the soapiness, but the spiciness is very similar, according to my olfactory memory. I was young when I used it, but I'm pretty sure I'm remembering it correctly. In any event, it's really odd that I'm getting this spicy cologne scent from the oil-- given the notes it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Too masculine for me, but it's nice enough, could work on the right person.

 

ADDED Nov. 27:

 

Well, rather than editing my previous post, I'm going to add another review, because another imp I have of this is completely different, a realization that I just came to a minute ago. The imp of Eidolon I tried in my previous review is dark in color and tarted, and as I said, it doesn't work at all on me. I received another imp of this, a newer one, which I initially couldn't find when I was looking for it today because I was expecting it to be the same color as my other imp. IT's a very pale yellow color, whereas my other imp is the color of Snake Oil. It smells entirely different as well-- the new imp smells of lemon verbena underpinned with a slight greeness and possibly a touch of cedar. It smells good, much more like I had anticipated that Eidelon would smell. Now I'm sad that it has been discontinued, especially since I've already agreed to trade this imp. Oh well. It can go back on my wishlist, as it would be a nice bright summer scent. Wow. I just can't get over how different this smells when aged. I really want to know what is in this blend which ages so completely into a cologne/soap smell.

[helarctos]

So. So. Lemony.

 

It smells like lemon Trix cereal on me. Not what I was expecting from the name of the scent. It took a while to be able to smell the cedar, but the lemon remains overpowering.

 

ETA: I have now learned that the Lab's verbena invariably turns to an artificial-lemon scent on me. It's just the curse of my skin chemistry.

Edited March 7, 2005 by helarctos