Clio

[stardreamer]

Her scent is the warm, dry parchment of scrolls, lavender for critical thought and analysis, the solidity of heavy woods, ornery patchouli and glib benzoin, and superstar-splashed orange and amber.

In the imp and fresh on, this is quite unpleasant -- the top note is a dirty-green smell that made me think of aging cucumbers. After 20 minutes or so, whatever is doing that (I suspect the orange/lavender combination) fades and the amber and woods come up. Then it's quite nice, but it doesn't seem to have a lot of staying power; after 5 hours it was nearly gone, which is very unusual for woody scents and patchouli on me. Between the nasty opening, the short scent life, and the fact that the pleasant part isn't very different from several things I already have, this is definitely a swap.

[rayvn1]

After a green and woody wet stage this turns into the most perfect patchouli I have ever gotten out of a bpal. Smells like head shop incense. Awesome. I will be hoarding this puppy!!

[elinox]

First Sniff: Something tangy, almost dusty-like. It reminds me a bit like the “leather” in Jolly Roger.

 

Wet: More leathery smell, but dusty tomes are coming through now. It reminds me more of a perfumed old book that you might find in your grandmother's llibrary rather than just old paper though.

 

Dry: The scent is definitely reminiscent of a dusty library, although one owned by a grandmother. As it continued to dry down, the tanginess of the first sniff fades away to something softer and much more pleasant, albeit a bit too flowery to my nose. I never did get the orange smell that others have described, but it does smell like an old library, even though it’s a library of a flowery grandma!

 

My Reaction: I like it, it’s something definitely different than the Deep Ones and Loup Garou which I love! It does remind me of old books, but with a hint of flowers which I could have done without.

 

Rating 1-5: 3

[juniperus]

Bottle: sharp lavender, orange, and woods. the smell of a used bookstore filled with very old, forgotten books.

Wet: hints of the amber behind the lavender. ever smelled very old vellum...? this is something between that and very old, yellowed paper...

Dry: the patchouli has awoken and warmed - this is fantastic, a hippy-antique-y used book shop, you know - the kind with the fat tortoiseshell that has it's basket in a sunny corner...?

Later: this is evocative and fabulous - I have found another keeper, definitely!

[donnatron]

Bottle: Dusty oranges and patchouli.

 

Wet: The dustiness prevails and I can smell little bit of the orange and lavender underneath. The patchouli persists. It smells a lot like Masquerade but less sensual. Like an antisocial Masquerade?

 

Dry: Okay. Still, this reminds me of Masquerade, but it sufficiently distinguishes itself from the latter to explain why I still have stashes of both on hand. This is the clean, bright, daytime version of Masquerade. It is a beautiful bright orange/lavender scent lifted by the benzoin and then grounded by a patchouli/parchment combo that is decently sexy but not UNSPEAKABLY DIRTY as most patchouli blends go on me (in a good way). It's interesting and unusual without smelling too headshoppy.

 

Throw: Hooboy. This one be strong.

 

Overall: I like Clio but always think of it as "Masqueerade but less so." Either way, I've hung onto the bottle this long and will wear it until the last drops run dry. It's a perfect blend for being a little rough around the edges and unusual without getting almost aggressive in choice. However, it is a VERY, VERY strong blend and will require a dab hand for polite quarters.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Sharp, alcoholic, woody, herbal. Lots of dusty musk and bitter orange underneath. Interesting but not very appealing.

 

Wet: Scorched lavender, woods, dust, heavy patchouli and incense. Something a little salty, maybe myrrh for the parchment. It's quite masculine, and I'm not getting sweetness from the benzoin, orange, or amber. After a while, it settles down to a incense-y patch with a heavy, dusty air of citrus. The throw is pretty strong, too!

 

Dry: The same, with a bit more orange and amber to sweeten it. This is nice, but not outstanding on me.

[Aviatrix]

This is indeed very bookish on me. Scrolls and dusty paper with a teensy bit of orange in the background, just enough to sweeten it up a bit.

It reminds me of The Lurid Library, but with less smokiness.

[freyasfae]

In the bottle, it just smells perfumey. I am starting to notice this trend on these imps that appear to be fairly older, but I don't know how old they are. Lavender comes through a bit more on the drydown, and the general dryness of parchment. Overall, I would call this a perfume-y lavender.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Woody, herbal patchouli.

 

Dry: Whatever the "dry parchment" consists of, they really nailed it in this scent. Dry parchment, some woods, and a splash of lavender and orange. It's comforting in the way that an old library would be comforting.

 

If you're into "book" scents, this is worth tracking down an imp of.