Frumious Bandersnatch

[Alchemy21599]

Bandersnatch musk, redolent of spicy carnations, wild plums and chrysanthemum.

In the vial: clover honey with a touch of cinnamon.

Wet: same as in the vial.

Dry: Wow, this is really lovely! This imp has been in my "to review" stash for quite some time and I've been afraid to wear it since I couldn't imagine what Bandersnatch musk smelled like. As it turns out Bandersnatch musk is indeed a very nice scent! I shall enjoy my imp and I may need a 5 ml

[Briar]

Scent: Frumious Bandersnatch

Bottle: Fruit...wood. Like orange tree wood or something. I almost want to say there's something weird, like teak, in it.

Wet: Uh-oh. Anubis alert. Something that smells like old potpourri here. Where'd that nice fruit scent go? The exhale on this one isn't quite so bad, but the inhale...that's Anubis. >.>

After a While: I really don't know what makes that "bad potpourri" smell - I don't know what the scent is. But it's the scent of walking into a chintzy, cheap, made-in-China pseudo-Victorian-safari doodads and paintings store. (i.e. A Kirkland's if anyone's been in the one at Dulles Town Center.) It must be a certain note, though, because now several scents I've tried have it, and it's a note that hates me.

Before It's Dead: Please, please die. Please?

[sh1mm3r]

I picked up a frimp of this at the Atlanta Meet n' Sniff. At first, it's all sticky plums, like the overripe ones left under the tree. But then the carnation blends in and adds some spice.

 

I don't normally wear anything with flowers. And this is fruitier than my normal scent, but... I like it. I feel like I wore the wrong clothes with it (come on, I can't be the only person matching clothes to my oils!)

[theseagrows]

i love carnation scents and this one worked nicely on my skin at first. i love all the notes except for plum which often turns into a scented-doll scent, and it sort of does it in this one. there is an added spiciness from the carnation which tempers it some, but i wish this didnt have plum, all the other notes together sound like a dream.

Edited November 17, 2006 by theseagrows

[lepetitmonstre]

i love this scent! it's sweet and cute and...ah i just love it. i usually don't like floral scents but i love the smell of carnations (they smell like candy to me, so they arent that floral to me haha) so i thought i'd try this. such a great combination of the plum and the carnation. the chrysanthemum comes through after it's been on my skin for a while but it's not overwhelming. an excellent balance. its very nice, i know i'll be ordering a full bottle!

Edited November 22, 2006 by lepetitmonstre

[darksybarite]

BOOOOOO!!!

 

 

I was so excited about this scent! We were going to be soulmates and have lots of little scent-babies together... but it was not to be.

 

In the bottle: mmmMMmm, sweet and spicy!

 

As soon as it touched my skin, it morphed into Xmas potpourri... the kind you find stuffed in a corner at the craft store in April, and it's all dead inside >

 

I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now...

[phedre]

I was excited by this one, with its carnations and plums, as carnation is one of my favourite scents. It should have been lovely!

 

Ah how my chemistry loves to play with me. My skin ate all the florals and left me with a sticky sweet plum smell that reminded me of nothing so much as jolly rancher candy. To the swap pile it goes!

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

Sweet floral with just a slight touch of crisp watery plum.

 

Wet:

Wow, this is really good. Spiced plum and floral. Very sweet and utterly delicious. It's not too fruity at all - it reminds me of the idea of "sugarplums."

 

Dry down:

Still sugarplum goodness, but it might be turning a little bit plastic on me. Florals in the background.

 

Final thoughts:

I think I really, really, really like this. At least, I LOVE the wet stages. The dry stages seem just a little iffy on my chemistry... I'll definitely try it later for a final verdict.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Pickles? No really, smells like pickles to me.

 

On me:

Thank goodness it doesn't smell like pickles ON me. The spice is rather evident immediately - I think there must be cinnamon in this it smells like cinnamon to me mixed with carnations. Then, just as I'm pondering the presence of cinnamon, I get warm plums right up front. The effect is that the scent becomes very holiday like in my opinion - spiced plums with the carnations only vaguely coming into play I think.

 

I can totally understand why people fell in love with this, it's just delicious, and being that it's around the holidays right now I find myself wanting to sniff this all the time! Makes me think of Christmas candles or something

 

Final note:

Love this a lot - it's perfectly warm and spicey with just a touch of fruit and a hint at a floral that doesn't really smell that floral at all!

[euterpe414]

I thought that I reveiwed this already, but guess not!

 

This scent took a while to grow on me, mainly because when I got an imp of this months ago and i sniffed it I smelled that "craft store" smell- not a good thing. But, being the plum and spice lover that I am, I simply had to give it a go anyway.

 

This one really becomes more complex on the skin (so don't be afraid of that initial craft store blast!). The carnation and plum are dominating, with some very slight muskiness and something that smells gingery in the background (chrysanthemum?). This is a glorious scent, indeed! I also agree with other reviewers that it is a bit Christmas-y, or wintery- I can't see wearing this one in the heat of summer.

 

My only complaint about this one is that it doesn't last very long and I have to reapply often. If you like Bathsheeba, 'Mum moon or Nahemoth, this is right up your alley. Very nice!

[juniperus]

Bottle: funky, spicy florals. Brillig!

Wet: even spicier, and the fruity plum beneath is a fascinating counterbalance.

Dry: spicy, still, but not foody. the movement between the fruit, musk, and florals is a complex dance in my nose...very active scent..like those paintings you have to see on the overhead in art history 101 at 8AM with the instructor going on and on about now the color moves the eye...this is a scent like those paintings. And I know that probable makes no sense to read, sorry.

Later: I'm both gyre-ing and gimble-ing. this is sweeter than I usually wear, but I'm liking it nonetheless. I may not wear it often, but I gotta keep it.

[Baudelaire]

Oh I really wanted to love this one, it seemed to have all the right componants, but actually on my skin ... not so much. *sigh* Allas it morphed itself into some horrible potpourri. What happened???

 

On to the next!

[monsteralice]

Wet: Sweet and fruity with a sharp edge.

 

Dry: Plum, a little smoky, some floral and some spice. The spice is probably the carnations.

 

Finish: Soft, spicy musk. I wish it kept the plum!

 

Duration: Good for at least 3 hours.

 

This might be a swap. Depends on whether I can think of an occasion where the plum can show off. I like it, but I'm not sure it's one I'll be reaching for often.

[Lit Chick]

Sigh.

It is craft-store candle on me too. I don't often compare BPAL to potporri, but this sadly is.

 

That said, it would make an excellent room scent, if I cannot find someone else to love it.

[whimsitini]

The plums leap out the second I open the imp.

 

On the skin wet: I'm getting plum but more of the spiciness of the chrysanthemum. The carnation is probably there too, but I have a difficult time telling them apart. The chrysanthemum in Mum Moon and the carnation in Alice smell pretty much alike to me

 

Dry down: Plums receding a tad more. Florals are stronger and then everything fades away.

[bellis]

Wet: PLUM.

 

Dry: Spicy plum. And I am SO okay with that. This is more a dry plum than a juicy one, and the spiciness is gorgeous: fresh and herby rather than pot-pourri.

 

I like this a lot. This could definitely end up being a big bottle purchase.

[little_galaxie]

Yuck. Carnation. The same thing that ruined Alice completely for me.

[Bagfish]

Frumious Bandersnatch was very dryly spicy on me when first applied which really threw me. As it dries down, the hot dry scent mellows out as the plum appears. Unfortunately, the plum is more of the "home fragrance" or candle scent type rather than juicy real live plum otherwise I think this would have been a winner as Mums and Carnations play well together on my skin.

 

May give this another go as I have been getting interesting wafts whilst wearing it, it just smells overly "candle" when huffed.

[wikkidraven]

warm and spicy, just how i like it. i'm surprised by how much i like this one, though i can see where the 'craft store' comments come in...it DOES smell like you've just walked into the potpourri section of hobby lobby. *but* it's pleasant on my skin. i don't know how often i'll be wearing it, but i do enjoy this blend.

[zankoku_zen]

This was spicy plum with a warm musky base and yes, I could get hints of carnation now and again.

 

It was warm and pleasant... if a bit like potpourri.

 

Verdict: If this is what frumious bandersnatchii smell like, I'm going to keep them as pets! It does make me wonder what non-frumious bandersnatchii smell like... Overall, it was a warm, golden sort of scent with snatches of plums and carnation, which made me think that this tricksy fellow has been out in the garden in the sun. Very nice, indeed.

[nancybridget]

If you're a carnation lover, this blend is for you. I tend to be on the fence with carnation, so....

 

I can't decide.

 

It's spicy and reminds me a bit of some of the Asian moons - maybe the chrysanthemum. Either way, I think I love/hate this one.

[brit_brat100]

Imp: Fruity, and very plum. Not quite sweet, maybe over ripe.

 

Wet: Carnation, spice, and plum. Yum, but not in the foody way.

 

Dry: Spiced honey/spice plums.

 

Final Thoughts: I can't decide on this one...it's good, but...I don't know. I like carnations, unlike most other flowers. I'll keep the imp and try it again later. Maybe it'l grow on me.

[Iceblink]

This must be the only carnation blend that's not a giant rampaging orgy of carnation on me. Instead, it's a spicy plum that reminds me of fruit compote. As it dries, the spiciness disappears and I'm left with...plum. A nice plum, but it's a little too Yankee Candle to wear as a perfume. As a room scent, though...most definitely!

[Katiedid717]

I just got this one in the mail today. I like it, it's kind of perky and fun. However, right now, it smells like potpourri and gumdrops. Could just be that I put on too much, or perhaps I'm not wearing it in the right circumstances. In any case, I still love the scent. I'll find SOME way to wear it!

[rivki8699]

In the imp it smells very sweet and fruity.

 

Wet it smells very spicy. Mmm, lovely spicy. Almost baking spicy, but without that BPAL foody note that makes me ill.

 

Dry it smells fruity with just a hint of the spice. It's very light, I can barely smell it after a few hours.

 

It's great, a fun, sweet scent. I just wish the spiciness stuck around for longer. I wonder if using a scent locket would retain the spiciness, although the spice doesn't come out till it hits my skin. Hmmm, I must think on this.