Shoggoth

[Teaker]

An amorphous, radiant, incandescent scent. Ever changing, protoplasmic and primordial: white amber, green coconut meat, iris, palmarosa, Chinese peony, lime, water lily, snowdrop, muguet, lemongrass, osmanthus, wisteria, glassy musk, and hinoki.

 

Strong, mouth-watering, edible lime. Very sweet too, like a lime candy. Or lime Kool-Aid, but made with hardly any water so it is very very concentrated. This is a STRONG scent! The coconut smells really fresh and pulpy. I don't really pick up any florals because the lime and lemongrass is so strong in this. I know that I amp lemongrass though, so that might just be me.

I wanted to love this, and I do when it's wet. But when it dries there's smoething really off-putting about it. It's just TOO MUCH. I don't know what the issue is, but there's too much lime or too much sweetness... it's just overpowering and I don't like it. It should be bright and refreshing and tropical, but instead it's cloying and I can't bear to wear it for long. I won't be keeping my imp. But I think this could be a fabulous scent for the right person.

[radioaction]

Wet, it's just LEMONGRASS. A few minutes later, the lemongrass has calmed down and light florals come out with a touch of coconut sweetness. I also start to detect some lime lingering in the background. It seems to smell slightly different with each nose-tickling sniff, with different notes standing out. It feels very effervescent.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: There's so much in here that it's hard to pick it all out - it all blends together really nicely to create an uplifting citrusy-floral scent.

Wet on skin: The lime & lemongrass are dominating on my skin with a really nice musky-floral background. If it stays like this, I think this would be a good perfume for those days when it's really hard to wake up, because this is very bright & energising!

Dry on skin: Musky citrus-floral! Really pretty! More subtle than before, but still very uplifting & energising!

After a few hours: Faded & more musky, but still nice!

Verdict: Light, pretty & cheery! Perfect for days when I need a bit of a boost first thing in the morning, but don't want something too overpowering!

[BuxomM]

osmanthus & lemongrass. has a very light throw and doesn't last long.

[wheresyourshoe]

Finally, a dupe for my lovely and lost Miskatonic Yule oil, The Smiling Servitors Holiday Hits. It was my favorite BPAL ever, and as luck would have it, the only one I've ever lost. On the review page, people kept comparing it to Shoggoth, and I'm so glad. I can hardly remember my Smiling Servitors now, but this scent went for me very much like the other reviewers here noted: at first, it was straight-up lime and lemongrass with just a hint of very, very green coconut meat. Then the coconut meat ripens and becomes more creamy, communes with the amber, and the lemongrass and lime fades to the background (citrus does this on me). What's left is an exotic blend that clings close to my skin consisting of things I can't identify, so I assume that they are muguet and hinoki. The florals in this blend made a short appearance in the middle of its life-span but they are truly well-blended and I couldn't parse out a single note. I can't imagine what season this is suited to, but it is just so me that it doesn't matter. Perhaps somewhere deep inside my inner self lies an incandescent monster sipping a margarita at a picnic at all times.

[Veronica]

I get COCONUT and a few other notes but mostly COCONUT. the other notes are lime, some kind of salty breeze--a very sunny, tropical, beach-y scent on me.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: LIME.

 

Wet on my skin: Beautifully sweet key lime and flowers!

 

Dry: This has the same lime note as my beloved Whitechapel, and I had a feeling it would work on me since my skin apparently loves lime florals. My instincts were right, and this scent is absolutely delicious on me. It's a brilliant green and yellow scent, with some white sparkles. Mostly lime and purple-white flowers, with evident notes of wisteria and iris if you try to pick them apart. The coconut meat is beneath the rest and isn't so much creamy as it is almost sharp. After a while, the lime fades somewhat, and it becomes a pleasantly warm floral musk, close to the skin. One of my favourites from BPAL so far! I accidentally ordered 2 big bottles of this the other day, but that's okay since I think I'll be going through a LOT of this stuff this summer.

[SimplySyra]

Imp: Incandescent is right. Out of the bottle this is straight up garish. STRONG lemongrass and lime.

Wet: Mostly a super sweet almost candied lemongrass. Lime is there but it's overwhelmed by this lemongrass bonanza. It reminds me strongly of Lush's Avobath.

Dry: Phew. Things are starting to calm down. This still basically the sweet lemongrass story, but at least it's not blaring in my face anymore.There's a tiny bit of clear musk and what I think might be florals starting to go ominously soapy underneath all the lemony freshness. I really can't detect any coconut although a lot of people are.

Verdict: I wanted to love this but it's just too much. All I get is sickly sweet lemongrass and soapy florals. A shame. I bet if it had worked, it'd be an amazingly refreshing summer scent.

[LizziesLuck]

I really like Shoggoth, and am considering getting a bottle for summer. This is the closest I have found to a "coconut lime" type fragrance from BPAL since Tarot: The Star. The lime is more prominent than the coconut, but I do still think this is a lovely fresh summer scent.

[Soupy Twist]

A smooth gradient from lime rind to lemongrass. Very realistic, very Thai. And as all BPAL citrus on me, very gone in 15 minutes.

[joopjoop]

In the imp: lime & lemongrass - could this be the biting citrus blend I've been searching for?

 

wet: now the coconut is coming through, along with some delicate florals - but still a lot of delicious lime

 

dry: the green coconut is the constant, and the citrus remains. The flowers - particularly the Chinese peony - soften things up.

 

verdict: LOVE ! It is not the bitter zingy citrus blend I'd hoped for (the search continues) but this is BEAUTIFUL! Ordered a bottle today.

Edited February 4, 2016 by joopjoop

[Kay Torres]

In the imp: Citrus and coconut, but a green sort of coconut - more fleshy than creamy, if that makes sense.

 

Wet: LIME!! Loud and in your face lime at first, then I can pick up the lemongrass. It's really, really quite loudly citrus on me at first. This phase lasts about half an hour or so, but again, citrus and I have a thing. I love citrus, but it does like to announce itself to all and sundry when I wear it.

 

Dry: A vaguely citrus, sweet, musky floral. I'm not doing this justice, because it's much, much prettier than I can possibly describe. Let me say this, I woke up this morning and really wished that I could just go back to sleep. Since that wasn't a possibility, I put Shoggoth on instead. It's the adjectives bright, perky, and happy all bottled up. Shoggoth is on my GC full bottle list.

 

*12 hours later and the citrus is gone and I'm left with a warm, soft, sugary scent that sits thisfreakingclose to the skin. The man LOVES it right now and says it smells like candy.

Edited May 3, 2016 by SunsetKay

[Casablanca]

On the wand: Mostly lime and lemon. Behind that, a strange calico pattern of florals, coconut, and a little musk. This is all over the place. Some of the florals are putting me off -- maybe the mix of iris, palmarosa, and something I don't know.

Wet on skin: Coconut-heavy, garish and biting yellow-green citrus on a weird floral and slightly musky backdrop. Lots of lime and lemongrass. The coconut is chunky, pulpy and white-watery rather than smooth, creamy and soothing. This is closer to the real coconut off the tree that a driver gave me in Costa Rica: filled with hard coconut meat, some coconutty water, and flecks of dirt. The blend is tropical and strong like whoa.

Dry: Lemongrass pulls ahead in the screaming race for attention as this dries, but the whole is settling down. And then something turns off and sour on my skin.

Pass.

[Coldfire]

Imp: kinda aquatic, lime, white flower-ish,
Wet on Me: faint soapy traces, aquatic, starting to get heady
Drying Down: ooo the water lilly is rising to the surface. Everythign is getting headier now. And almost a sour note to this.
Dry: This is really not for me.

[WinterSong]

This was a frimp from the lab!

In the imp, I smell lemongrass.

Wet: The lemongrass starts to mellow out, and the lime starts to amp out. After a few minutes, it goes a little sour, but thankfully, it doesn't remain this way for long.

Drying out: The coconut starts to appear. The lime is still quite strong. I'm not really getting any of the other notes here.

Dry: The musk has made an appearance, but this is mostly coconut lime on me. It's quite nice, and I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't often have much luck with citrus blends but this one works. I think this will be a great, summery scent. I don't think I need a bottle, but I will love and cherish my imp.

[freyasfae]

Oy, that is some citrus. Wet this is just lime and lemongrass on me. It dies down a bit, but is still just overwhelming citrus on me. There's some traces of other stuff, but it is faint.

[lizabelle]

I had to try this one because of the interesting notes (green coconut!), but once it's on my skin this gets kind of strange. It's muddled and I can't really pick out notes--unfortunately I can't say that's a good thing this time, because there's a weird fuzzy, almost mildewy kind of tone to it. It's not quite floral, not quite fruity, not quite aquatic, not quite traditional perfume/cologne. It's familiar in a way but I can't place it. I think it might be reminding me of something I smelled on some guy who left a bad impression on me. I'll pass!

[Lucchesa]

In the imp, this smells to me exactly like a gin and tonic. Which is a happy smell, but not necessarily what I want to smell like. But I know better than to trust the imp smell. There are too many notes here for me to pick out once it hits my skin, but I get the lime and lemon verbena and the coconut as well. Lemon verbena starts to take over but it's very changeable. But in a pleasant way -- I don't perceive it as muddled or muddy. Still, it fades very quickly on me. When I find myself reapplying it in 10 minutes, I know it won't be for me.

 

Ok, I went back to my imp tonight after the word Shoggoth came up in dinner conversation with my teenaged boys. ("Why is anybody making Lovecraft-themed perfumes?" one of them asked when I brought out the imp, sparking an interesting discussion.) I applied more this time, and it is lasting much better. And I like it better now that I have learned more about Shoggoth and read the whole description, not just the notes. So it is saved from the swaps pile.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Lucchesa

[agirlnamedfury]

Bright coconut! Lighter and fresher than the usual suntan lotion coconut scent. Totally not what I expected from the name, I actually like this a lot!

[HeidiSaysStuff]

Is there some rose in the florals of Shoggoth? It smells like candied lemon peel and rose Turkish delight. There's another floral with a green, powdery edge to it just slightly stronger than the musk note, which ... is that supposed to be what coconut smells like? That does not smell like coconut to me. It smells like how sunflower petals taste.

 

It's a very sweet smell on me, which is nice but unexpected for a Lovecraft scent. It doesn't smell like creeping horrors at all!

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I'm getting the coconut, flowers, citrus, and the glassy musk.

 

Wet: A citrusy, musky light floral scent. I can pick out the lemongrass, lime, coconut, but I can't pick out which florals I'm getting. I'm smelling more of the coconut, citrus, and musk than anything else, though.

 

Dry: The citrus has weakened significantly, and now it's mostly the glassy musk and white florals with some coconut and a bit of lemongrass.

 

Verdict: I wasn't sure how this one would go with so many notes in it. I don't think the citrus/musk/floral combo is really my cup of tea, but I'm glad I got a chance to try it.

[achildoftime]

Beautiful, bright citrus floral. I get a nice helping of lime but I can tell there are other citrus notes at work. It's a nice gentle floral that lets the other notes shine, too. There's some light musk and coconut, too.

 

I think that this is blended so well that the whole is much stronger than the sum of its parts. While I do think it's useful to pick apart what notes I'm getting for review, it really wears best when enjoying it as a whole. There are no notes that jump out and are particularly distinct when just enjoying it. I just think it's very cohesive and just creates something uniquely pretty.

[cassiejaynebunk]

at first, like someone else said above, this smells like straight lemon pledge. as it dried down, i could smell a little creaminess, possibly from the coconut and the amber. but it is primarily citrusy and floral, and fades in like ten minutes on my skin.

[goblingrin]

In the imp it smells very lemon and a touch floral. When I first apply it, it turns straight to dish soap or some similar cleaning product scent. After a while the cleaning product scent calms and the scent becomes nice and fruity, with just a touch of that cleaning product still there... The sweet fruity scent is so nice but I'm not sure about partially smelling like I've spilt soap on me.

[Juliamon]

In the imp: Sweet sugared lime

 

Wet: Lime lime lime lime lime lime. A hint of lemongrass, a hint of musk. Manages to avoid smelling like cleaning product to me.

 

Dry: Lime, white amber, a bit of coconut, musk, indistinct faint florals. Not nearly enough florals to put me off, and I pretty notoriously dislike florals in general. They are irritating my sinuses a bit though. The coconut comes out more over time, but never to sunscreen levels.

 

Obnoxious throw when wet, but very much a skin scent after 10 minutes. Combine that with the sinus irritation and, despite liking the scent, I don't think this is a keeper for me. I'll probably give it a couple more tries before adding it to swaps though, I really do want it to work. Might be good in a lotion.