Numb

[metaldog32]

Numb.....

... a singularly chilly, delectably ice-rimmed perfume. Revel in the gelid polar frostiness that is Numb, and forget about the heat for a moment.

 

I remember when I saw it...during the summer..it was a total impulse buy..and how could I resist??? Something to take our minds off of the heat...and since I happen to love the winter...my mind fantasized about what it would smell like...

 

Then I started reading the reviews..and well..got a bit worried. Violets??? Hmm.... ...violets and me have a very shaky record. Most of the time they end up really sweet and really powdery. But no matter..I was willing to delve in. Today is the day when Numb gets to strut her stuff.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Man..this smells like old fashioned perfume!! Talk about "throwback"..I am immediately reminded of when I was a little girl and I used to smell adult fragrance...this sort of smells like those 70's perfumes...strong and very well...strong. I...I don't know how else to put it.

 

Funny...but when I smell this..I kind of think this is what air conditioning would smell like...I know..this makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever..yes..I agree..but it's what comes to mind. The kind of cold that is artificial and well....not enjoyable. At all. See...I don't like air conditioning..I don't like artificial cold..it gives me a headache and it sometimes makes me nauseous...the first whiff of Numb kind of immediately puts me at arms length and makes me wary...no better way for me to put it.

 

Applied wet on skin: VIOLET...and it's coming on STRONG.

.It's like heavy violet perfume..all powdery and austere..and just...unapproachable. All I get is powder and violets and that's it..no citrus, no nothing..and this is very apparent on me. It sort of has that baby powder smell with the violets...

 

Couple of minutes on skin: Same notes...still roaring on...

 

Drydown: Violets and baby powder...

 

Bottom Line:Numb is nothing that I would have ever gravitated to had I known the notes. It is however a very evocative fragrance..and this in itself makes me happy that I own the 5ml. Is this something I would ever reach for??? Ummm...not really..unless as merebrillante stated, I wanted to wear something that would repress my desire to have sex...LOL... THAT was classic!!! Seriously though... Numb is the type of scent that I could certainly think of wearing to work if I just wanted to be left alone...it is as seamonkey stated haughty, distant, and cold..not in a minty way...just very unapproachable and well...severe... ...it's a severe floral...perfect for the days when you want people to just f*ck off and keep their distance. It's actually giving me a slight headache...so I think I will try to wash it off now...

Edited December 23, 2005 by Shollin

[Sheila]

I think this smells like a Lush shop--pretty and floral, with that Lush intermingling smell (that I can't really describe!). It's mostly violets, and it gets soft and powdery, which is fine by me because I love powdery scents. It's strong and long-lasting, too. Very pretty.

[bibliophile]

I really, really like Numb, which is not surprising since Beth's violet is probably my favorite BPAL floral note, and since I am a big fan of clean-and-fluffy scents. I get a cool powdery scent immediately upon application; after a few moments, I'm left with a lovely blend of sweet powder and soft violets with a dash of clean laundry. I wore this out to a restaurant the other night and the server said I smelled "intoxicating" -- so I guess that Numb is a "sexy grandmother" scent on me

[Shollin]

First sniff: Dark blue… baby powder. Mrf.

 

Wearing: Yes indeedy, this is vicious violet vengeance, and my skin just doesn’t do violets. It fades really fast, too.

[madelf]

I ordered a bottle from the Lab this summer, took one sniff of it and put it away in my BPAL box. It leapt out at me for a test today, so I gave it a chance.

 

On a positive note - it does smell very clean, like fresh sheets just out of the dryer or a bathroom right after a long shower - soap, lotion, dryer sheets...things that I associate with cleaning.

 

Now the bad side - Numb smells exactly like Oil of Olay on me. It's too strong to be powdery, and all I get is Oil of Olay face lotion. It's not horrible, but it reminds me so strongly of that lotion that I can't really enjoy it as a perfume nor do I think I could tolerate it as a room scent.

 

I really tried to give Numb a chance, but it is just not for me.

[smallvoice]

In the bottle: It smells refreshing. Just... clean.

 

On me: Clean. But... sorta like I've just been tumble dried on low... I get the smell of dryer sheets from this one, as a few others remarked. I haven't made up my mind about it, but I'm not ready to give up on it just yet. I'm going to have to wear it again, at least once.

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: Whoa….Irish Spring soap?? This smells like my husband right out of the shower.

 

Wet: Still clean man. I like the consistency and I might even hunt a bottle down for the hubby.

 

Drydown: SevenSins is my hero. She gave me this in a very weird purchase and now…I’m in heaven. It dried down soft and clean. It’s the perfect alternative to Dirty for a man.

[alicia_stardust]

Numb is a very cool, frosty scent. I didn't expect it to be quite so minty and that threw me off for a bit.

 

Wearing: after I applied this the minty part softened up and sort of left. Then I got a sweet, cool, violet scent with a very soft and feminine feel to it. I was surprised again. I actually quite like this despite its bad rap in general.

 

After a while: faded in a couple of hours to nothing.

 

It was nice while it lasted but it didn't "grab" my attention like some scents do. I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars, which means I may keep an imp but it can definitely get swapped if I need to clear out some space.

[Naamah_Darling]

I will now be calling this the "cheese shop" scent, because it's so CLEAN.

 

In the bottle, this is sharply blue-purple floral and very perfume-y. I know to expect violets because of what I've been told, but this is a blasting, freezerburned, artificial floral sort of smell, and I can't make heads or tails of it. It's very heady and nasal and . . . sterile.

 

So I put it on. Oh, dear, dear, dear. No, smell, don't do that. Please don't . . . NO, SMELL, THAT'S A BAD SMELL!!!

 

Close in it's a bright, soapy floral. It's very artificial, which is interesting. And it's all about the violets.

 

And me and violets, we don't agree. We had a bad run in over Nocturne, and ever since then, we haven't seen eye to eye. It seems to think I need to clean up my act and smell like my grandmother's bathroom.

 

The raft of scent drifting out from my rigidly extended wrists is where this perfume really shines. Wet, the waft smells like . . . err . . . umm . . . please forgive me, but it smells like a jumbo box of deodorant tampons. Which, you know, is exactly the sort of image that makes me sit up and say "HEY, I know! Let's get SEXY!"

 

It moves in and out of this aggressively chemical/flower smell for me, which I think is not the perfume shifting, but is my nose getting used to and then un-used to the violet smell. This is one perfume that is long-wearing and does not change much as it dries down, since the different notes decline steadily and simultaneously.

 

After three washes, it has faded. Now it smells like babies. Clean, powdered, soapy babies. This is a more pleasant odor than the laser-guided tampon smell, but I would rather smell like tampons than like babies.

 

I realize this has been a very unflattering review, for which I apologize. I actually very much like the smell in the bottle, and I'd like it on someone else just fine, but I don't think I can wear it because my skin turns anything with violets in it to cheap soap and baby powder. It breaks my heart, but I'll be going back to Zombi just to get the taste out of my mouth. Rub some funk on it!

[crazyredhead17]

Numb was in my second BPAL order. I was hoping for something cool and minty (I refuse to read reviews on a scent that's pending so I won't worry about it working or not until it's here and staring at me).

 

Disreguard my putting off on reviewing this for so long. I'm behind

 

In the bottle, it's overwhelmingly purple flowers (apparently that's the violet). No coolness to it, just loads and loads of purple flowers.

 

On me, it's floral scented soap, and it kills my allergies. Fortunately, the scent barely lingers before it's gone, and I can't say that I mind.

 

*adds one to the swap pile*

[kaelei]

From reading reviews on both forum and lj community, I seem to be one of the rare people whose chemistry work wonderfully with Numb.

It is my signarature scent that I wear almost everyday.

 

It is very chilly, but not like subzero-y minus 100 degrees chilly. My impression of it will be an early winter morning with frosts gently kissing on the leaves.

 

On me, it is very strong violet. And it stays on for nearly 4-5 hours easily. It does not morph into anything at all - it just stays as violets on my skin.

[Meg]

In the bottle: a slightly lemony and very sweet powder. Smells like some kind of weird candy.

 

Wet: It's rather faint on the skin, with hints of citrus, and an evergrowing scent of violets. There's quite an acidy touch, a bit like sherbet lemon.

 

Drydown: Powdery lemon with a background note of violet. It smells... well, neither nasty nor pleasant. Actually it reminds me a bit of soap, it smells very clean.

 

Overall: Well, it's rather refreshing, but mostly it's just lemony-violet soapy powder. I understand why many people were disappointed, it's not particularly fascinating or complex. Actually, I find it amusing in a bubbly sort of way. I'm sure it'll have its fans too, but I'm not really a candy or a violet person myself.

[jakey]

Numb

 

First Sniff:

Kind of old-lady perfumey. Sorry for not being more articulate.

 

Wet:

A bit lemony now, and floral.

 

Drying:

Oh dude… I don’t know what is in this but I like it. I like it a LOT. It’s very refreshing.

 

After a Few Hours:

Ok, now I understand the violet. Reminds me of Lush’s Gratuitous Violets at this stage, which is one of my faves. Definitely a sweet, chilly violet. Yummy.

 

Overall Impressions:

More please! Definitely completely different on drydown than in the bottle.

 

Rating:

8/10

[LittleGreyKitten]

I get bathroom cleaner. It's like a cheap industrial strength cleaner, generic brand. It is incredibly strong- I tested it amongst an armful of others, and as I moved around my apartment I kept getting whiffs of Numb, Numb and more Numb.

 

I liked the name. I liked the idea. An imp was worth a try. But no, it's not a happy thing on me. I really don't get violets, at all, just a hint of dryer sheet on top of a squeaky clean bathroom. Mrr. No.

[themerrybaker]

Got this in a swap via the adoptive mother of my unwanted poppet.

 

Numb is an aquatic scent on me. It has good throw and is well blended - violets are not overpowering- maybe there is a bit of sandalwood helping to keep things from flying away. I also like the lotionesque drydown, it makes me feel that the oil has blended with my skin. This is one I could wear every day.

 

 

I don’t understand the negative fuss about this one, but Stardust got the same pan and the two scents are marginally similar.

[storme]

In the bottle: high-pitched, bittersweet, soapy floral. The first time I sniffed this I assumed the soapiness I smelled was actually the soap from the shower I'd had beforehand, as it is *that* similar.

 

On me, wet: Soapy. Floral sharp/sweet soap. Not dissimilar to the smell of Imperial Leather soap. It gives me an impression of coldness somehow, but mostly it's just the smell of soap on a cold day

 

When dried: Uh, yeah, still soap. This ain't changing, it's just fading a bit.

 

Verdict: At least I smell clean, I suppose. This is making me reconsider having called any other scent soapy, it is so soapy. Not a keeper.

[Abbie]

In the bottle: Refreshing violet scent... a nice man's aftershave. A silky sort of smoothness, where I can't really pick out any notes. I'm not getting any kind of mint at all.

 

First on: A babypowder scent comes forward, which surprises me, as I typically only get that with roses and lilies. Still the zingy satiny stuff I got to begin with, overall.

 

Dry: This is a strong scent with a lot of endurance and throw. It drew more comment than any other fragrance that I've worn to the office... In future I'll turn down the amount. This is probably a keeper, although I didn't need a whole bottle.

[janelle_hell]

This smells like Parma Violet soap! Which isn't a bad thing!

 

i know that the name of it was meant to invoke an icy type of 'numb' associated with a chilly relief from a summer heatwave. But,to me,it evokes the type of 'numb' that comes after some horrid life-changing event,and you've got to 'take a Valium and lie down'

 

This is my official 'Don't Expect Me To Get Out Of Bed,i'll Be Out For The Next 18 Hours Or So' scent.

[Celestyna]

I'd like to rename this White Linen Deodorent - Powder Fresh Scent.

 

Smells sort of like White Linen but with a bit of a soapy undertone. Very strong scent, didn't fade away for about 6 hours on me. My skin reeealy likes to accentuate soapy scents so that's about all that stayed on me. There's a sort of metalic edge/kick to the end of the scent. Definately deodorant. Not my bag.

[filigree_shadow]

This scent reminds me of my grandmother -- it seems like she used a powder that smelled like this. And that's a good thing, because my grandmother was a classic admired matriarch. There's something elegant about this scent to me. Refined. And a little untouchable -- it has a cool veneer rather than a warm heart.

 

It's definitely powdery and floral, and I have to put my nose right next to my wrist to smell it. It smells clean to me, and just a little bit haughty. I like the scent but I'm having trouble picturing when I'd want to wear it. Maybe some day this summer when it's blisteringly hot I'll have another go of it.

[Aurelius]

First cold.

Then icy.

Then metallic.

From metallic to ozone-y.

Back and forth until...

powdery.

 

Interesting, but a little too ozone-y for me. Brrrrr!

[kraken]

I just got this off of an eBay purchase and decided to try it today since we're having a warm spring streak. I read previous reviews and thought I'd give it a shot since I love violets.

 

In the bottle: Whoa! After-shower floral powder, Powder, POWDER! Hmmm, not too sure about this...

 

Wet: Ew, still powdery. Kinda flowery, but in that indistinct sort of way.

 

Several minutes dry: Oh! That smells kinda nice. Wierd, very much "cool"--how'd that happen, I don't get any mint notes out of it? Still powdery when I put my nose right on my wrist. I like the distant whiffs I'm getting better than the close up scent.

 

Several hours dry: The close up sniff has calmed down a bit and I'm really liking the gentle florals that are coming out. It's not as strong as a single note violet perfume I have, but I do like the overall effect. It's very dignified, something I'd wear to formal tea or a dinner party.

 

The scent seems to fade quickly with my chemistry, which is a shame since it takes a while for it to get to a point that I like. Definitely a keeper for me though.

[juniperus]

Bottle: very light floral, violets

Wet: a sort of aquatic, ozone-y floral

Dry: as usual, the aquatic is hitting my sinuses hard. it's lovely, maybe this phase will pass...

Later: not passing - this hurts.

 

so sad.

 

[edited to add: I really wanted this to work. so when I saw a bottle up I bought again as I'm stubborn. Aquatics usually don't like me, but I love violets...and praise be to all of the purplepeopleeaters it seems to work, today at least.)

Edited August 30, 2006 by Juniperus Intrepidus

[ethermaiden]

Huh. This is an odd one. Not something I'd have considered a perfume possibility really. In the bottle it smells like nothing. A little like the smell of the air from a compressed air canister.

 

Applied, it smells like something I know... definitely soapy... Dove! Dove sensitive skin formula bar soap. That's what this is! It's very faint once it dries, but it's still Dove. No violets, gardenia, or anything else anyone has mentioned in this, not even the baby powder.

 

Now, I use Dove soap, and I like it, and there are days when I want to smell clean and fresh like that. I don't know if I need a whole big bottle of the scent of Dove though. This one might just be moving along, despite the fact that I just got it. We'll see.

[Eunice]

I get a bit of violet in this but overall this is a clean soap scent with a hint of violet. And I love it!