Maenad

[Koumori]

Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.

This scent did not work for me. I don't like very strong florals, and I don't like sweet scents, and this one is both. I received it as a sample, and my policy is to always try a scent on even if I don't care for it in the vial - I've been pleasantly surprised that way. Unfortunately, this was the first scent I've felt the need to wash off. It is *very* sweet, like melted candy. Definitely not me, but it might make a good clubbing scent for someone else.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: I did not like the scent of this in the bottle. It is a weird, corrupt strawberry in a crazy patchwork flower field. Very strange and twisted - and unpleasant.

 

Wearing: A very chaotic scent when wet, it quickly dies down to a bright berry tempered by the florals. Even though it is much sweeter than scents I normally prefer, I ended up really liking it, and it lasted all day long.

 

Final Impressions: This scent is fun and girly, with just a hint of twisted evil underneath. I may order a bigger bottle of this.

[Pandorra]

My first impression was bubble gum. But then I realized I was smelling berries. Berries and flowers.

 

 

Incredibly sweet. I have no idea why, I kept envisioning little girls. Imaginary tea at a tea party.

 

If you like sweet scents, I would imagine you would love this. It was incredibly sweet with the berries and a sweet floral underneath. I couldn't pick out the carnation, which is a shame as I love carnation and am a huge Potion fan. (Desdemona is the closest to Potion and better, if you ask me)

 

I certainly didn't hate it, and I enjoyed it yesterday while I wore it. I suppose its a nice sunny Sunday scent. But it's too sweet and pink and shiny for me to wear regularly.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

A manic, musky berry. Very sweet and bursting with frenetic energy. Could definitely rip a man to pieces. ^^

 

After Wearing It:

On my wrist, this was a bright, juicy, sparkling strawberry scent. It smelled very natural, no traces of artificial bubble-yum sweetness that I could detect. There seemed to be a trace of lemon here, though it's not listed in the description, because the scent reminded me of strawberry lemonade. The impression this scent gives is very young and energetic, summery.

 

Unfortunately, as nice as this scent was, both times I tried it, it wore off in about an hour. I was left with no time to get a real feel for it, become exposed to the less prominent notes inside it, or fall in love with it. It was a very fleeting affair that almost left me baffled when it passed.

 

Final Thoughts:

The description for this oil really sounded divine, and I'm totally disappointed that this didn't work out for me! It hardly stuck around long enough for me to decide whether or not I liked it!

[Becky]

Unfortunately, as nice as this scent was, both times I tried it, it wore off in about an hour.  I was left with no time to get a real feel for it, become exposed to the less prominent notes inside it, or fall in love with it.  It was a very fleeting affair that almost left me baffled when it passed.

this is exactly how I felt about Maenad. it disappeared so quickly I was not able to get a good feel of it. In the bottle though, I though it smelled weird, almost vegetabley. kinda like celery. as it dried on it got a bit sweeter and I was starting to like it, but then it faded away and I could hardly smell it at all after about 2 hours.

I was really expecting to love this because of the description and the reviews. I love sweet candy like scents. perhaps its the florals in there that don't agree with me. I'll give it another try and see if it lasts longer or changes at all.

[Scylla]

Got this in a swap today and tried it immediately, of course!

 

In the vial--smelled like strawberries, neroli and incense.

 

Wet--smelled like strawberry incense and banana peels.

 

On drydown--smelled like strawberry incense

 

After wearing an hour or so, it still smells like strawberry incense. The smell lasts a LONG time on me. I can put it on in the morning and STILL smell it on my wrists or behind my ears before I go to bed.

 

Edited to say: Tried this again today, and liked it much better this time. It still smells like strawberry incense, but the black poppy, neroli and hibiscus have decided to pop out. Very nice!

Edited May 18, 2004 by Scylla

[lucymoonstar]

Initially wet I could smell the strawberry but it smelled kind of bitter. Just minutes as it went into my skin it smelled FABULOUS - like spicy orange/strawberry and a little flowery. Upon dry-down I can smell what seems to be incensey/spicy/fruit with just a hint of floral - I'm guessing the bit of spice comes from the carnation and I am guessing the other floral fragrance I am smelling is the poppy and hibuscus.

 

I have found another favorite!! I will be getting a big bottle of this one.

[eleventhousand]

This is one I would never have wanted if it weren't for the reviews...I usually am not a fan of fruity scents.

 

The strawberry in this one is smoldering stick of strawberry incense, and I smell something darkly musky among the poppies as well. I love it! Thank goodness for the reviews!

[renaissancerouge]

Maenad was the first imp's ear I chose, and it was right on the mark as far as my expectations.

 

In the bottle, I smelled dark strawberry, with some green craziness going on, too.

 

When I wear it though, it becomes all candy apple and sugar sweetness, with a hint of rose and pomegranate to my nose.

 

Maenad lasts twelve hours and then some on me...it's really thick and humid here, so I think I'll wait till autumn to enjoy it again. It's crazy and feral and makes me want to run into the woods and participate in a little bit of sparagmos. Ok, the figurative kind.

[ismene]

At first this smelled a bit sour to me, but it dramatically improved once it dried down. It's sweet & fruity, but that sweetness is tempered with a bit of spice, probably from the poppy. Very lush and decadent, but it makes me want to lounge about, not rip things apart!

[Lexy]

I love this. I cannot get enough of it. I want shampoo and conditioner and soap and candles and... everything that smells just like this. I would love laundry detergent that smells like this too. I want to just bath in this stuff.

 

I have no idea what it smells like, but I don't care. It's bright and pretty and just lovely. a little berry, a little floral. Just wonderful.

 

I wish it lasted a little bit longer (about 4 hours on my skin, longer in my hair) but I'll be buying a LOT of this!

[Shollin]

First sniff: It’s very buoyant and fruity, but there’s something holding it back – this isn’t nearly as red as I expected. Compared with something like Bordello, Maenad is downright timid. I think, though, that I’m having the same problem identifying REAL strawberry scent as I always have with REAL cinnamon scent – I’m so used to the crappy syrupy too-sweet fake strawberry scent in everything that I don’t recognise real strawberries when I smell them. This is much closer to the scent of an actual strawberry, the subtle fresh sweetness of the white part inside when you cut it open.

 

Wearing: Wow! Maenad hits my skin and EXPLODES into strawberries. It’s a lot girlier than I expected – I was looking for blood-red and found pink and fluffy.

[TygherRayn]

Very sweet and green. Brings to mind the sticky insides of a honeysuckle flower, and the pollen that gets everywhere when I have cut lilies in the house.

 

When I first put it on, it turns very, very sweet. Almost fruity, it's so sweet. It's very nice though, a pretty floral that's not so light that I fear it will vanish on me, as some do.

 

After a while this softens, but it's a very wafty scent .. I can smell it every time I move ... and it's only on one wrist at the moment! But I like this one too. Similar I think to Titiana, but not as bright or pretty. There's a hidden darkness to this one, something to be wary of. The scent, though, is a definite keeper.

[diabolique]

this smells very orange-red to me. i didn't enjoy the way maenad smelled in the bottle. when it hit my nose, it was obtrusively sharp and it reminded me of vegetables because there's definitely a hint of greenness.

 

maenad retained the smell from the vial on my skin for about 20 minutes. i forgot all about it, and i smelled something really good. when i realized it was maenad, i flipped. this did almost a complete 180. it's very sweet now. i can smell the orange blossom, a hint of strawberries, and an underlying note of hibiscus. if i smell it long enough, i get that leafy, green smell again.

 

this one definitely surprised me. i like it.

[Effluvia]

This makes me think of Go Go from Kill Bill. It's Gothic Lolita and completely criminally insane. It smells like childlike Japanese candy, but vaguely sexual and EVIL in the most attractive, sexy villainess way. It's got pigtails and a samurai sword. I think she's a pyro.

 

I dig.

[Surreal]

First Impression: strawberries and florals.

 

Drydown: very sexy. The strawberry warmed up and the flowers are more pronounced. What a lovely scent.

 

I loved this one. It reminds me of sultry summer nights. This is definitely a keeper.

[grrrlennyl]

maenad

 

at first: this reminds me of depraved a little bit; i really think i like it at first, but then there is something that is very uncomfortable underneath. it's a fruity kind of sweet, with a spiciness that just makes it seem "wrong". this will be an interesting scent to try out.

on: very fruity. i can't pick out the fruits, but that's all i smell.

half an hour later: not so good. this smells like one of those alcohol-laden body sprays from bath and body works or target right now.

4 hours later: much lighter, but still fruity. i'm glad this is closer to the initial smell than the one a little after that. i really like it.

overall: this is a great fruity scent. it's chaotic, but not distractingly so. i probably won't get a big bottle, but i'll definitely enjoy using my imp.

[inkstone]

In the bottle

Feral insanity! It's a crazy blend of strawberries, carnation and poppy. To be honest, it's very sharp and off-putting. I'm a little scared to put it on. I don't like the way this smells at all in the bottle.

 

Wet

Dammit, I never realized how much my whacked-out skin amplifies carnation. It's a strange, sharp-smelling spicy strawberry scent. Truthfully, it reminds me of spicy strawberry-flavored bubblegum. It still holds echoes of what it smelled like in the bottle, so I'm still a little unsure about this.

 

Drydown

Oh, but it becomes sweet berries tempered with the florals here. I'm guessing that's the hibiscus and poppy at work. Slightly sexual, vaguely evil, and definitely crazy. I agree with Effluvia -- this is gothic lolita at its finest. It's become softer in this stage; it lightly wafts from my skin, but since it's lost that scary, green edge, it's very pleasant!

 

Final Thoughts

I love it! I didn't think I would due to my initial impression, but wow! I'm feeling slightly sick and was very tired when I dabbed this on my wrists, but now I'm full of chaotic, crazy energy. I feel ready to attack the world and shred it to pieces. This is probably more appropriate for the warmer seasons, but I like the wild energy it gives me. It vaguely reminds me of the chaos I feel when a new story idea has seized and eaten my brain. It has that same feel. This is a scent I'd wear when I need to bolster my confidence and energy reserves to attack a fiction project. I am so glad I have a bottle of this!

[Northernminx]

Strawberries and fruity in the bottle, this stayed very sweet going on. Very sweet. Strawberries are nice but for some reason always are very candy-like to me and I dislike smelling like hard candy. So lots of sticky strawberries but a dark floral edge under it - poppy perhaps? There is something unusual under all that strawberry sweetness but this just isn't me. Off to swaps with ye!

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Maenad is a dark poppy scent with a light fruity smell beneath it. Very nice!

 

On Me: A very dry oil to rub together, Maenad is more of a poppy/carnation floral than strawberries on me. This isn't very fruity at all, and the carnation is really the most powerful smell there. This is actually really gorgeous on me, very feminine and fun, with a hint of seduction in the background. This is actually a very spirit-lifting oil! Very, very nice! A big bottle will be had!

[surf-tormented]

Maenad fades quickly on me, from a quick but interesting fruit combo scent to a grape Kool-Aid artificial scent. This is the same thing that happened to me with Midwinter's Eve and Lady MacBeth, but I didn't expect it with this one, since the notes are quite different than those two.

 

But, grapes speak to me of Maenad more than the notes chosen for the oil do. They were followers of Dionysus, after all. This doesn't give me any sense of frenzy. It smells like a child's perfume and a timid one at that.

 

Disappointing. I wanted something that rages and tears flesh, something that throws Orpheus' head into the river!

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: A very strong sweet medicinal scent

 

First on: The medicinal scent is combined with lush strawberry and incense

 

After an hour: Strawberry incense is all I can really say to describe it.

 

If you're into sweet incense scents than this would probably be for you. It's not for me.

[shelldoo]

strawberry, carnation ,and a hint of drak poppy, it has an herbal tinge but that just adds to the mystery that ia maenad, this one is playful, fun, and sweet i am enjoying it greatly

[anmorata]

Maenad:

Wet: The site description of this could not be more spot-on. Very deranged strawberry, but as SherikingViolet mentioned, it's a very natural strawberry. Hints of poppy peek in, too.

Drydown: Strawberry.. incense? It's slightly smoky yet fruity. Very bizarre.

Longterm wear: This scent is just a little too fruity for me, but it's nice. Sadly, it's not for me.

[Mayfair]

Ooh I love Maenad! I got a bottle of this in a swap without having sniffed it first and I'm so glad I did.

 

It starts out very green and doesn't smell too strongly of strawberries. More like the green strawberry stems or the tiny white strawberry blossoms.

 

After a few minutes it sweetens up nicely, though it never turns sickly sweet. It's juicy and fruity and girly and bubbly, but there is a naughty core to it. It has a dark and slightly bitter base, which I'm assuming is the black poppy.

 

This is a Lolita fragrance I think. It seems girly and innocent, but there is a very sexy and almost sophisticated base note.