Baneberry

[ianastar]

A poisonous fruit-bearing member of the buttercup family. The scent, like the plant, is dark green, herbal, and plump with bulging black fruit.

Out of the vial and wet on the skin this remeinds me of a berry scented laundry detergent. It was very clean smelling, with the underlying notes of berry. On the drydown it became a very incensey note, where you sense the berry still, but the green comes in making it more earthy smelling. Final drydown and thoughts is that it like a big, squishy berry covered in dirt and attached to a green, woodsy vine.

[boomtownrat]

This was a frimp I got from the Lab.

 

In the imp it smells like I've stuck my face up close to a berry bush and inhaled. Wet on my skin it's more like berry-scented bubble bath. As it dries, Baneberry starts to smell purple and juicy. I'm not getting much of an herbal scent from it, but there's a hint of greenery. After a couple of hours the scent morphs into something vaguely like a berry-herbal soap. After four hours it's still going, although it's beginning to fade. For some reason it reminds me strongly of my middle brother's first wife.

 

Baneberry is a subtle scent on me and it doesn't trigger any head pain. My DH has a poor sense of smell, so his opinion of the throw might not be the same as many other people's, but he didn't seem to notice it until I was standing right next to him asking what he thought of it.

 

It feels like I'm wearing a pretty outfit that was tailored for someone with a different body shape, in a colour that doesn't flatter my skin tone. Baneberry isn't "me" at all, but it would be pleasant on someone else. In fact, I can think of a friend who might like it. The friend I have in mind is an Aquarius and so is my ex-SIL whom it reminds me of - make of that what you will.

Edited November 20, 2011 by boomtownrat

[KatharinaNordh]

Squee

 

Happy, bouncy, lively and spontaneous - this Does come off more like a shampoo on me - one I would Love to have. And maybe matching shower-gel.

 

However, it feels almost childish, which is someting my general personality gives off far too much all by itself, so I sadly won't be wearing it.

 

I love it, but on me it sends signals I'm not a fan of (that I am a happy, over-the-top airhead, basically)

[Suu4LC]

In the imp this is almost sickly sweet. Sticky sappy sweet. Very strong. Definitely get some greens in there as well. Yes-this is a very sweet, almost golden, sappy green fruity scent. This is a fun spring-type scent. Quite strong. A bit hard to describe accurately. I am actually enjoying it more than I thought I would. It's super duper sweet, but not candy sweet. Sappy sweet, if that makes any sense. I can also definitely see why herbal is in the description. The herbal note helps cut that sweetness. This really is a very well put together blend. Everything goes together just right.

 

This didn't last too long on me. Not overly short, maybe a few hours or so, before turning to soft sweet powder. Would definitely be one I would need to reapply. While I definitely enjoyed testing this blend and liked it more than I thought I would, I can't see picking up a bottle simply because my wishlist is too long and I need to REALLY love a blend to splurge on a bottle. But this was a fun, unique blend! Really goes to show Beth's neverending creativity and talent.

[romarin]

Goes on green with an undertone of bittersweet fruit (very nice), but the berry comes forward pretty quickly until it's a bit like a spiced, thoroughly candied cranberry. I think I'd like to eat a candy that tastes like that, but as a scent it just sits on me.

[GoddesShel]

Oh.... oh, YUM! This is what I wanted Midwinter's Eve to be!!

 

Bittersweet, tangy fruit, wet, but dries down a little bit sweeter with some "green" behind it. Oh, yes, I like this A LOT!

I can see this being a go-to late summer/early autumn scent for me.

 

I think I need a bottle.

[lavenderfrost]

In The Imp: Almost like taking my fav aquatic blends and throwing some berries in. Interesting.

 

Immediate Application: Sort of...clean berries? Berry shampoo? IDK. It's weird, but I kinda dig it. The clean herbal-y almost-aquatic notes balance out the berry and keep it from going all GAH! FOODY! on me.

 

30-45 Minutes Later: ...aaaand now it's a sweeter version of Irish Spring soap. This isn't a bad thing, but I'm not in love with it.

 

Verdict: This is a frimp I wouldn't have ordered for myself. It's nice and I'll use it occasionally, but it's not on the 5ml wish list.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright yellow. The fragrance is just as described, herbal and fruity. Also very sweet. And there are fabric softeners or dryer sheets in here as well (which I actually rather like.)

 

On me, wet: On my skin there is a LOT more berry - blackberry. The overall impression is very strong and sweet. Also very fruity, but the dryer sheets keep it from being overly foody, which to me is a good thing. Still, it's really too strong and sweet for me. I think it would be great for a little girl. It smells just like a little girl, all grape jelly and clean clothes still warm from the dryer.

 

After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same, except that the dryer sheets are now about equal in strength to the berries.

 

After 20 minutes: Still much the same, but going a little plastic. Red fruits - and apparently black ones as well? - always do that on my skin. That makes it smell even more little-girly; like a Strawberry Shortcake doll.

 

After 1 hour: Very little change - the dryer sheets may be starting to overtake the blackberries.

 

After 1 1/2 hours: Now mostly dryer sheets, which I prefer to the berries. It's very fresh and clean, with just a bit of a fruity/plastic undertone. There was a hint of a warm incense note, but it didn't last long in any significant strength.

 

After 2 hours: A faint scent of dryer sheets, with perhaps an even fainter wisp of incense.

 

After 3 hours: Up close (the way I've been testing it), I detect just a trace of herbs and incense. But when I stop smelling my wrist, I notice that I'm sitting in a cloud of grapes and blackberries. A bit of oil must have rubbed off on my clothes.

 

 

Verdict: On me, this fragrance stays quite consistent, just with a slightly different emphasis as time passes. I'll keep my imp for variety, but it's not really me and I won't wear it often. If I get any duplicate frimps of this, I'll give them to my 9-year-old granddaughter. I think she'd really love it.

 

My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5, round to 3

 

Later edited to add:

In 2018 I tried an imp from a batch that was made in approximately 2014. I noticed a few slight differences, perhaps due to the batch, age of imp, or changes in my skin chemistry.

- When the berry note was dominant, it reminded me of Smarties candies. One of the very few kids' candies that I ever liked!

- I noticed the florals more, rather than dryer sheets

- I think the "incense" note might be sandalwood. It also lingered as a faint powdery incense note, the last thing I could smell right at the end. I get this effect often with BPAL oils that contain sandalwood.

- I gave it a higher rating, 4 stars.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Ghost of a Rose

[Mechanical Death]

Mmmm berries.

 

In the vial it smells like a mixture of ripe juicy sugared berries. It also has a slightly clean smell to it-- that must the the herbal quality the plant has. It reminds me a bit or berry scented body wash or laundry detergent, which is in no way a bad thing. It's refreshing and clean and happy.

 

On my skin it turns completely into berry soap-- for a second I thought there was some other flower in here like fresia or gardenia making it extra soapy. soap soap soap. It smells almost exactly like Dove's pomegranate bar soap on my skin. Not unpleasant, but not what I want to smell like in a perfume.

 

But, I loved it in the vial; a truly lovely berry scent. Not candy sweet, not too tart, relaxing and clean. So I decided to try it in my oil burner. Oh, Heaven. Our bedroom smells so wonderful!!

 

I may need to buy a bottle of this simple so I can have some for the oil burner. It's the perfect scent for our room

[Wren12]

Im totally in love with this!

 

In bottle...lush berries, black, tart and sweet in equal proportions.

 

On wet...the berries remain true, rounded out by slight green chlorophyll-y vines.

 

On dry...the berries are a perfect mixture of tart and sweet, grounded by the green note in the background. The scent is reminiscent of a dark berry, slightly foreboding, but delicious to taste. The throw is amazing and I am in love.

 

This is so a bottle order!

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): The berry aspect is sharp but enticing, but there is a green quality that reads as slightly aquatic...and makes me afraid to skin test it.

 

Wet: More aquatic berry with a slight powdery undertone.

 

Dry: The berry aspect becomes overtly powdery, but there is still that wild, green, possible-poisonous berry scent that is characteristic of baneberry.

[Alainn]

This was a frimp from a recent lab order.

 

In the imp: Sweet berries with a slightly herby background.

 

Wet, on skin: Sweet berry candy, with an incense-y kick. The herbal note is still there, but it's not very prominent in the wet stage.

 

Dry: Yep, berry sweettarts. Berries rarely translate well on my skin, and this is no exception, unfortunately. It's really, overly sweet and artificial-smelling (I amp sweet notes like crazy though), still with a breath of incense behind it to make it a little more interesting. It actually smells almost exactly like the scent that wafts out at me when I open my perfume box: sweet + green + incense. Very much generic BPAL, to my nose. It probably smells great on someone, but it isn't me.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Alainn

[stillalive]

This is very hard to notice on me. I get almost an aquatic (rainy?) scent from it and really have to search for the berry in it. It's almost like sniffing rainwater that's had some leaves and ripe berries sitting it.

[yewberry]

In the vial, it's slightly green, berry-ish, soapy.

 

On me it's like cheap truck stop soap. Bleh.

[scarywhitegirl]

A friend of mine just gifted me with a box of imps that he had lying around. This one was the second one I tried, and I'm in love with it. It reminds me of an incense that I used to buy in high school/college that I think was called Bayberry. I keep sniffing my wrists, because already (2 hours later) it's faded down pretty far, but I may just need to use a bit more the next time I put it on!

[theredkilt]

I can finally discern the elements in this scent: red musk (gives off a shampoo vibe) and ripe table grapes. I like it a lot, but my imp will suffice

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Green and sweet, slightly herbal. Juniper, maybe?

 

Drydown: A soft, gummy fruit, like plum. As it dries it becomes stickier, sweeter. The greenery fades out as the sweetness amps up. It smells like gummy bears and blackberry jam.

 

Dru: The fruit softens again, becoming more bearable, and a touch of watery greens can be detected once again. It smells peaceful, like a berry bush and lush plant-life at the edge of a pond.

 

 

 

6 out of 10 bones

[Veronica]

Pretty, deep velvety berry scent but not for me.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Fruity

Wet: Blackcurrant air freshener. Seriously, exactly like a forest fruits room diffuser I use to have.

Dry: Uh-oh. Still blackcurrant air freshener.

 

This one is strong. Not overpowering, but strong and it lasts a good while. And I can't disassociate it from air fresheners (no idea what's causing that) no matter how hard I try, so this is one for the oil burner.

[Atrous]

Starts out with berries sharp and green, juicy and sweet.

If it stayed this way it would be a great scent but, unfortunately, on the drydown it goes into soapy air freshener territory.

[freyasfae]

In the bottle, this is all green and dark berries, but it immediately goes more berry and less green on my skin, which is what usually happens with berries. It could be a note my skin amps. Because of this ampage, I have to be very careful with berries and dark fruits, but the dark herbal-y green in Baneberry prevents this from becoming an overwhelming sweet dark berry scent on me.

[Cali]

Lots 'n lots of sweet berries in the imp, running around in some idyllic countryside with berry bushes sprouting everywhere. On my skin it quickly morphs to something warmer, darker and more herbal.

I'm gonna hold on to this imp for a little while because my first thought was a big "YES", but now that my skin is doing strange things to it, let's see how I feel about it later.

[PersimmonSeeds]

I got this as a frimp from a seller on the bpalmarketplace livejournal!

 

Liked the name of this one so I tried it out immediately.

 

For starters, it has been a pretty uneventful day at work, so very little has been done to test the durability of this.

 

It is quite nice! Very fresh and clean sort of berry scent.

If I'm being completely honest, this smells exactly like my Sun Plus Oxi laundry detergent.

Not a bad thing at all if you like fresh and very mildly powdery/herbal, fruity clean scents!

I find this extremely pleasant and satisfying to the senses. It feels like something I wouldn't mind wearing to bed or even as an everyday perfume.

I have a feeling this would be amazing layered with another oil with a lot of green in it or a dirt note (maybe yorick or zombie)

Something that caught me off guard was the silage. I smelled it as soon as I opened the imp and actually got a few comments on it from coworkers.

 

The dry down is just like really nice, pricy dryer sheets. Some whiffs actually have a quality that reminds me of a bowl of really dark berries. Freshly picked and washed.

 

I am really shocked this didn't turn into a horrible, soapy, in-your-face green scent with just a little bit of berry in the background (I'm looking at you, Rosalind...).

This is almost comforting, and so very pleasant.

 

The herbal quality doesn't stick around for the dry down on me, but it gives the whole thing an earthy and delicious quality. It prevents it from going too sweet or fruity.

 

The detergent comparison may be off putting to some but I mean it in the best way. This is a very true, juicy (but not overly sweet or loud) berry blend! It just comes off so clean on me, my detergent(which also has a sort of a berry/linen smell to it) was the only thing I could think to compare it to lol

At no point is this synthetic or soapy!

 

Silage is quite amazing!

 

Longevity is nearly a solid 4 hours on me but I swear it smelled even better after a second application!

 

I absolutely have to have a bottle(or 3) of this.

Edited April 26, 2016 by PersimmonSeeds

[joopjoop]

This was a frimp (thanks lab!).

 

Starts out as a strong but pleasant berry-scented shampoo scent and dries down to something slightly greener and more interesting (but still very berry intensive). I like it because unlike some of the other berry scents I've tried, it doesn't go sickly sweet or fake smelling on me - it is just a very nice gentle berry and greenery scent. I agree that it smells very clean and fresh.

 

But that said, I don't find Baneberry particularly compelling one way or another. It's just sort of 'there' on my skin (it is also rather faint). I'm going to hold on to the imp for now and maybe try some in my hair and see whether that works for me, but there are so many other scents I like better that I doubt this one is a keeper for me.

Edited May 22, 2016 by joopjoop

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Sweeter and fruitier than I imagined!

 

 

Dry: Dark sweet fruit, with hints of soapiness from something. Nice, but not something I can see wearing.