Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

[sarada]

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

 

This was very faint in the imp...almost didn't notice it. Who's that little mousy in the corner? Oh don't mind him, he won't be any trouble.

 

This went on very light, with the sweet pea at the forefront, and I thought it was very much similar to the other sweet pea blends in the catalogue, though I haven't kept any...it's a unique and pleasant fragrance even if it's not my typical type of scent.

 

But then it goes NUTS on me and becomes incredibly strong and wafts up in the air around me. It's still soft and mournful, sweet pea is still strong, but it gets an almost incensy quality to it. Call me crazy but for a moment here it makes me think of nag champa. I think that it's the sandalwood coming to life on my skin, along with the sweetness of amber and vanilla.

 

Although I'm still not a sweet pea wearer in a big way, this is really surprising and a nice, unique little blend. I have a feeling that people passing by me when I'm wearing this might identify it as incense or nag champa because that's what my skin does to everything. I don't know if other people would amp that quality quite as much as I do.

[cuervosueno]

Sometimes I am such an idiot.

 

the Mouse's long sad tale is a case in point.

 

I got my Dragon Moon order, and frankly, was not taken with anything in the order, which included a number of the new Mad Tea Party scents. It was my least favorite BPAL order. Everything seemed vaguely sweet/gourmand, but nothing stood out to my nose, except for the intense kumquat of tweedledee, which I enjoyed.

 

I sniffed Mouse's tale with little interest. In fact, I put on my swap list pretty quickly, and it went almost immediately.

 

Of course, by this time, I'd put a dab on to write the review......got distracted with swapping/sales/email in general.

 

And kept thinking, what is that lovely smell? Of course we already have heard this story from another reviewer.

 

It starts out pretty strongly vanilla for me, but there are other vanilla scents I like more: like the rediscovered dragon's milk, and of course, dorian. And its sweet, but not distinctive. So I gave up on Mouse's Tale too fast. Because once it dries it is gorgeous...and I can see the comparison to Black Opal--this is what I wanted Black Opal to be.

 

Once dried, this has a lovely vanilla note tempered by something else, perhaps the sweet pea. In any case it is soft, feminine, slightly powdery, and yes, Sarada, I can see why you compare it to Nag Champa. From a distance, it is like that.

 

I really like it now, and am sorry I sold my imp...but hey, I can always get another!

[Tournesol Noir]

If this scent were a book, it would be Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter.

 

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale starts out mostly vanilla and sweet pea, then ends up almost exactly like Antique Lace on me, except deeper, more sophisticated, resiny and with an elusive bit of musk that makes it a lot more feral than an innocent vanilla-and-sweet-pea combo has any right to be. Basically an Antique Lace for the philosopher.

 

Wearing it kind of makes me feel like a Catholic schoolgirl on the cusp of womanhood, dressed in plaid and dutifully reading Aquinas during the day, but with just the hint of a few dark secrets. This is a far cry from the heady spice scents I usually favour, but it's so beautiful and evocative and perfectly balanced! How can I resist?

 

Big bottle going in next order for sure.

 

[GypsyRoseRed]

I'm so glad that I bought this unsniffed! Usually, I'm on the losing end of those gambles, but this time it definitely paid off. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale[/b] is really pretty and very wearable on me with a surprising amount of staying power. I don't get much vanilla from it to be honest, and overall, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it's still beautiful. I was expecting something richer and creamier along similar lines to Pink Sugar. Instead, the florals are the strongest here for me, but it's sweet pea.. a little stronger and sweeter than actual sweet peas, but I adore it all the same. It's ultimately girly without being a dry or over the top floral (which is usually my downfall with a lot of the BPAL florals). I love it!

Edited July 4, 2006 by GypsyRoseRed

[moon_lemming]

Um. YES. What a gorgeous scent.

 

In the imp, Mouse's Tale is a little bit of floral goodness and a lot of creaminess.

 

On me, it's freaking perfection; the sweet pea is there, but not too strong, the ambers behave themselves, and the sandalwood is quiet but there, just the way I like it. And oh, this vanilla. Everything combines to make this gorgeous creamy vanilla floral and wow, I need a bottle of this.

[redlisse]

I couldn't tell you why, but this reminds me rather strongly of Monster Bait: Underpants. Maybe it's the vanilla and sandalwood, I dunno, but it is a very good reminder.

 

I'm so happy that I love the Mouse's Story, for personal reasons entirely unrelated to the oil itself. Not that the oil itself is anything to sneeze at - it is, in a word, gorgeous. The amber goes just a bit powdery on me, but not in a bad way (which is saying something, as I generally hate powder) - it's just enough to fool my brain into thinking that there is something fuzzy and soft here, and several times I caught myself actually petting my wrist on reflex. The vanilla is sweet and soft; the amber is touchable and warm; the sweetpea and sandalwood respectively soften and ground it.

 

So it smells fuzzy, like a mouse; and if it is a story, it is a long, rambling story by a small girl with enormous sad eyes who is convinced her world is ending because her blanket is in the washing machine. In other words, not terribly sad at all, but very adorable and cuddly in the extreme. I am a fan.

[crescentwench]

This is creamy vanilla with a hint of powdery floral. It's very faint on, i have to inhale my wrist to smell it, but it'd be a lovely spray or in a scent locket, or even in conditioner. I'll probably be getting more of it.

[bookishgrrl]

My long and (not so) sad tale:

 

I ordered Mouse's Long and Sad Tale when I saw the MTP update, it sounded heavenly! However, while waiting for my order to come in, I tested two imps heavy on sweet pea that smelled absolutely dreadful to me (Aeval and Juliet). Because of that I was filled with sadness, assured that I'd hate MLST when it finally arrived. Sweet pea? No thanks!

 

When the order arrived I set it aside. After sniffing everything else I reluctantly cracked it open and braced myself for the horror...

 

it smelled soft, sweet... almost candy-like!

 

I dabbed some on and it was the sweetest smell. Vanilla, but not heavy vanilla. The 'candy' smell I'm getting from somewhere. A light, sweet barely floral. Sweetpea... who knows? I can't figure out what the f&*# sweetpea smells like (or it's in here just a trace, or it's a different source/batch). All I know is that this has become my go-to sunny-day-in-a-skirt scent.

 

More, please!

[muselette]

I'm very jealous of everyone else in this thread. On me, the Mouse is pure baby powder.

 

When it's just applied, I get a bit more nuance. The sweet woodiness of the sandalwood is more apparent, and there's a creamy floral in there as well. (At this point, the Mouse is very reminiscent of a spray-on conditioner I personally scented with vanilla, violet, and vetiver, which I loved.) Unfortunately, upon drydown the vanilla gets powdery and it's all downhill from there.

[edenssixthday]

The Mouse’s Long and Sad Tale - Oh wow, this is gorgeous: it is an incredible blend of vanilla and amber. I don’t detect either the sweet pea or the sandalwood in this, which is strange since sandalwood usually goes full-volume on my skin. It is a very warm oil and not something I would wear on a hot summer day. To me, it’s more of an autumn scent, or something I’d wear during the cold winter months to keep me warm. I’m going to hang on to it and try it again next fall. Both the throw and the staying power seem about average on me.

[Rhowan]

In the imp and wet on my skin, I get the vanilla, amber and something that almost smells lemony - at least it has a sharp quality to the note. I can't figure out what it is?

 

Drying down and the sweet pea has blended with the sandalwood to give this a sweet yet solid base with the vanilla and amber taking center stage!

 

Completely dried down, it is the same as the initial drydown yet there is a hint of a "candle" smell. Like this would be a great candle scent and not a perfume. Hmmm.

 

Conclusion? I am going to have to test this again in the near f uture. I am wondering if my nose is off or something. Certainly not the complete drydown I thought it would be. Light throw, light wear. I will post back on take 2.

[Gin]

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

 

I think this scent is brilliant. I love vanilla, love sweet pea, and the amber and sandalwood give it depth.

[maewitch]

Wet, this is the sweetest fluffiest candied-vanilla scent, somewhat reminiscent if those pink marshmallows you get at the grocery.

 

As it dries, the amber and sandalwood give this confectioner's delight something of a backbone. This is a little girl scent, sweetness and light and golden curls, with leather boots hiding out somewhere beneath the frills.

[SoapyRN]

maewitch said what I was thinking. I am glad that the sweet pea is not too strong on this. It seems to be a balance of O and Antique Lace. I had not developed my BPAL nose when I ordered O three years ago. This is a great vanilla and amber blend. So very happy a 5ml is coming.

[Copia]

In the imp, the vanilla smelled amazing. But when I put it on, I didn't get any vanilla at all, only a vague, sweet floral. When it dried down to the same plastic weirdness that Smut gives me, this Mouse made me very sad indeed.

[joseybird]

This is the blanket that the baby marshamallows sleep in.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Imp bought from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: Antique Lace and Bearded Lady are two of my absolute favorites, so any vanilla blend that doesn't have a deal-breaker is a must. And I enjoy the sweet pea in Juliet.

 

In the Bottle: At first it's a spicy and very sweet vanilla, then I get an impression of fruitiness that I think is the sweet pea playing games. My next sniff it gets more floral and I can detect some sandalwood in the background.

 

Wet: Very nice. I can actually get impressions of all the listed notes (which usually doesn't happen to me if there's more than two notes). The vanilla is the strongest, followed by the sandalwood with touches of amber and floral. These ambers must be the good kinds...some ambers act like musk on my skin and overwhelm the rest.

 

Drydown: Hey, where'd it go? For a short time it is as if the fragrance vanished into thin air. Then gradually the scent came back, but stayed very subdued. What stays is very vanilla.

 

Verdict: I'm going to have to compare this wrist-to-wrist with Antique Lace. My impression is that they're very similar, and if they're too similar then I'm only keeping one of them. Plus I've noticed that my nose has stuffed up since putting this on. Hmm.

Edited July 15, 2006 by puck_nc

[melange]

Imp: vanilla, amber and... is that the sweet pea, being sweet? Please tell me it will behave!

 

Wet: oh, there's my sandalwood.

 

Drydown: it seems light, even though it isn't really, because the deep notes aren't very deep: light, but not airy.

 

Worn: the Tale stays near my skin yet doesn't cling to it, much like long gauzy sleeves. I'm now smelling the sweet pea again, but it's manageable, and I'm trying hard not to associate it with plastic. In general, the whole blend smells good, soft and unassuming... and hard to pin down.

 

Thoughts: Hurray! Sweet pea is officially a "questionable" note instead of an "avoid at all costs" note on my skin. I'd hoped it could be, which is why I risked the imp, but it's nice to have confirmation. As a whole, the Tale remains soft and fairly neutral on me, perhaps too neutral/muffling for me to want to wear often, but I'll have to give it a few more tries to find out.

[emzebel]

Right out of the imp, I really really like this. But then again, I really like vanilla, so that makes sense. I also like sweet amber and am defeloping a fondness for white florals, so I had hight hopes for this.

 

Unfortunately, there is something, maybe the sweet pea, maybe the particular vanilla, wno can know for sure, that reminds me a lot of Snow White on my skin, which alas is not a good thing for me, as it tends toward the overwhelming and sort of...overcooked.

 

Ah well. The beauty of BPAL is that I already have a home in mind for the imp, and there are a multitude of other scents to fulfill my vanilla desires.

[Celogrl]

This is lovely. It's very subtle, faint and it's presence does not shout, but creeps up s-l-o-w-l-y on you. It's a quiet little mix of (on me, at least) amber and vanilla predominantly. It doesn't have staying power on me, but no prob- I'll slather

[Melantha]

Wow.

 

I knew I would like this, because all the notes are favorites for me, but I was still blown away when I smelled and tested it.

 

The vanilla is a strong base that the other notes play off of. At first the sweet pea is very strong, but after an hour or so it backs off, and the ambers come out to play; another half hour, and there's the sandalwood. The notes dance around one another, and I love having this scent waft around me.

 

I'll be getting a 10ml before they go poof! This is hitting my Top Ten!

[ginevra]

Normally I'm not artsy and emotional when reviewing. But Mouse is different.

 

When I opened the bottle, I immediately felt wistful. Interesting.

 

It's a wonderful vanilla. Reminiscent of Antique Lace, but the blend of ambers and the sweet pea - charming comes to mind. Yes. It's a charming, sweet, wistful scent. Turning a bit powdery, I've had it on for about 15 minutes - but it's apleasant powder, not at all generic. A wonderful blend of notes.

 

mmmmm - in short, lovely.

 

 

ETA - The more I wear this, the more Mouse's reminds me of Bearded Lady - the floral note in Mouse's is more subdued though.

 

Also, on me this has a pretty good throw - the guy at the post office noticed and complimented me on my fragrance.

Edited July 24, 2006 by ginevra

[aidenraine]

Wet on my skin there is a strong element that reminds me of church incense. It's smokey, like the end of an incense burn.. or the way incense mingles with charcoal.

 

That edge is layered with a sweet vanilla that makes this delicious. It's also almost a touch salty on my skin, but, er.. not in a weird way, if that's possible.

 

Wet, there's also a slightly soapy note on my skin.

 

After about thirty minutes this has settled into that very smokey vanilla-on-fire. The smell of ashes remains a part of this and it seems to have decent throw.

[Tesseljoan]

On my skin, this is another dead ringer for Antique Lace (the other one was Black Opal), which goes to show that on my skin broods odd chemicals.

The mouse's long sad tale is slightly different though. I smell more vanilla, and the powder note is much less sharp. Got me an unsolicited compliment from my bf, while he hates AL (go figure!).

[Chouchen]

I had a feeling I would like this, amber and vanilla are rapidly becoming favourite notes. The addition of Sweet pea, which I am wary of, and Sandalwood, about which I'm neutral, just don't adequately explain why this is so stunning. It's warm, radiant and sweet without being sickly, very creamy and there's something rather delicate about it, threaded through the richness. After an hour things are less intense, the scent has thinned out a bit, the vanilla has calmed down and has assumed a more supportive role, but then it keeps changing, each note taking turns to speak up. Even having ordered a 5ml unsniffed, my first reaction to smelling it on my wrist was "I must get a 10ml before they go." Which makes no sense as it's GC and I have yet to finish a 5ml of anything yet! If this is what a victimised mouse smells like I'm starting a campaign to persecute the poor little creatures immediately!