Undertow

[helarctos]

The Dark Side of Water: clean and purifying, yet menacing -- lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. A scent dragged up from the depths to the Stygian shore.

Mint and juniper dominate. Strongly herbal -- aggressively fresh. Puts me more in mind of a bath blend for sufferers from chest congestion than of a menacing ocean. I didn't catch the lotus at all, which is odd because I love lotus.

[empi girl]

I loved the smell of this in the bottle, fresh, invigorating juniper and mint. On my skin, the juniper and mint play around for a few minutes, which is lovely, and then they fade off into a very sweet, waxy, cloying smell that really doesn't sit well with me. I think it is the lotus, and I do not think we get along very well!

 

Swapped it away to a hopefully happier home.

[cormeretrix]

i had to try this one because it said "mint". and i am a sucker for anything minty.

 

however, i did not count upon the combined efforts of lotus and juniper. it's sharp, but it's struggling to be floral at the same time. it's almost painful to my nose, and it makes me feel kinda sick.

 

i'm afraid that this one went into the swap pile.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Tart juniper berries with a hint of bubble gum

 

After 15 minutes- Hmmm, I feel the mint in this one but I don't smell it. It is all juniper and lotus on me. Oh wait...the mint just came through. Now it is minty fresh fruity bubblegum. Much better!

 

Summery- If you like smelling like minty bubblegum you will love this one.

[quimerula]

The lovely Jezebel873 added this one in my swaps parcel (thank you very much).

 

I can't pick up a note without the others, it all comes out mixed. The fruity touch of the lotus is there, and also the mint and the juniper.

 

It's light and fresh, not quite the dark side of water in me...

[Phaedra]

At first this smells sweet and a bit sour. There's also some hint of a wood or resin. Very quickly a mint and eucalyptus scent comes through. After reading the description I see that it's actually juniper. This is a freshwater scent and not an ocean scent. It turns sweet and floral on me. I was expecting this to be a much darker saltwater scent. It's okay but not for me.

[theshapeshifter]

In the imp: Minty and dark.

 

Initial application: Wow, definitely more than a 'hint' of mint! Great scent for applying first thing on a sleepy morning; it was instantly invigorating.

 

After a few minutes: The mint's definitely in the foreground, but now I'm getting the evergreen smell in there a little, and there's a definite watery quality. I can see where this is going with the 'undertow' concept.

 

After about an hour: Wow. There's still a bit of mint-tea-ness to it, but it's really blending well on the drydown, into something deep and green and undeniably watery. It's either a rainy wind through an Alpine forest, or standing in wet trampled greenery by the ocean. Very atmospheric.

 

 

This was a generous lagniappe from the Lab, and I probably wouldn't have chosen a mint scent on my own, but I'm loving this so far! It's decidedly different from the warm, heady scents I often go for, but perfect when I need a change.

[pensive]

After my near disaster with Bon Vivant, I was really wondering.

Imp sniff: Minty

Wet: Still minty. Creme de Menthe on some parts, Woodsy on others.

Drydown: Nice. I'm not sure what I smell like though.

Lasting on me: Slightly less than Lightning. S'ok. I would rollerball this and graciously apply as needed.

Color impression: Dark green.

Thoughts: Pond in the middle of a dark forest on a mountain. Very, very calming for me.

Verdict: 510ml would be pretty nice.

Edited May 1, 2005 by pensive

[darkitysnark]

Undertow

 

In the bottle:

Fruit and... fruit? I'm not getting any sharp juniper or cool mint at all... just a sort of tart green fruit. Someone else mentioned green apples, and this is the closest to what I'm getting.

 

Wet/drydown:

The fruit is still tart, but also very, very sweet now. Like green apple candy.

 

Later:

It's only been about 1.5 hours, so I'll need to update with notes on how long this will last... but I seem to have settled into a green apple bubblegum (thanks to the lotus).

 

As I've stated before, time and time again, lotus and I aren't in a happy place together.

 

I will digress a bit to say even though I seem to be getting a lot of misses lately, I'm thrilled to pieces that there is this much variety in Beth's oeuvre that I can satisfy my latent mad scientist skillz by testing out the viability of certain specific notes on my flesh in all these infinite combinations. So even when it's a "boo" it's a "yay"!

[aritei]

I think it was the lotus that ruined it for me. Something about my skin makes even that lovely note turn overly sweet. I would have loved a minty scent though!

[yeahbutnobut]

Undertow

 

In the imp: yummy sweet mint! Like minty chewing gum…

Wet on skin: minty, but I'm sure I can smell the juniper, this gives it a darker feel.

Dry on skin: mint, mint and more mint! This is very fresh, quite sweet, like a Polo mint or chewing gum, but the juniper's there deepening the scent, whilst the lotus sweetens it that bit more. But it's the mint that really dominates here. I keep thinking I should use this as breath freshener!

After a while: this is developing a watery note-at first it is reminiscent of an outdoor pool, but this then becomes more and more like the sea. This is not a tropical beach smell, this is more like the Atlantic in full force, a wind whipped sea-it's cold. There's also the juniper giving it a pine-like smell, and I think lotus adds lightness to it. but the image now provoked by this is a deep, cold sea, like the Arctic ocean, blocked off by ice sheets, with pine forests on it's shores, maybe icebergs and glaciers or mountain streams…the image of ice cold water, fresh or salty, is evoked by this.

After about an hour, the freshwater associations are gone-this smells salty now. i thought the lotus would 'bloom' on my skin like it normally does, but no...I get this incredible marine scent like sea spray splashing my face.

Verdict: at first this one is just like mint chewing gum or mint sweets. The mint also has a fresh effect, and is clearing to the nose and head. The juniper and lotus make it more interesting though, and eventually it really does develop an aquatic smell, first like a fresh dip in a pool, then maturing to the seashore on a rainy day, then to the cold depths of the ocean. Very interesting, and much more than just the plain mint Polo scent I had before! I think this scent would be good in the heat of summer, when I need to feel and smell cool.

Edited May 13, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[springsea]

This was a freebie with my last order and I'm so glad, cause I probably wouldn't have chosen it myself and I love it!

 

I can't keep sniffing my wrists.

It started off very berry on me, but not too sweet like Bewitched. (I'm glad to know I like juniper.)

It didn't take long to dry down and for the berry to be balanced with a minty aquatic note.

I'm still unsure about mint, but what it does in this blend is amazing.

 

After reading the description when I smell this I think of deep/still pools in streams. The best and most dangerous part of wading.

[cosmic]

I'm really pleased I purchased an imp of this, I liked it almost immediately!

 

First Impressions: Minty! Then pine and juniper. Just breath-taking.

 

Once on the skin: It loses that initial mint hit (shame) but takes on a sweet, almost coconutty smell IMO. Smells so good I want to lick my arm! I also detect something like eucalyptus, minty and deep. The juniper has almost gone now, too.

 

Lovely, lovely scent. Brilliant for balmy summer days to keep you cool, or frosty, bright, winter mornings to perk you up!

[northatlantic]

In the vial: a strong, sharp smell; the juniper is the first thing that hits my nose and then the mint. Can't smell lotus at all; it's a very cold smell but clean, promise is definitely there.

 

Wet: MINT! leaps out, it's all I can smell at first.

 

Dry: The MINT recedes a little, but that's not a good thing. Apparently, juniper goes REALLY sour on my skin, alcoholic even, it smells like trying to cover up stale gin with mint mouthwash. ~cry~ dammit! I really wanted to like this!

 

Note: I gave it to a friend at work, on her dry it smells yummy, like Christmas trees and just a hint of mint. Alas, body chemistry. ~sniff~

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: As on the website, it does come out all lotus & juniper, with just a hint of mint. I don't think I like it, but I attempt with all things, so here we go.

 

First on: Bubblegum pine tree. It's sickeningly sweet with juniper making it more sickly. After a few minutes the mint comes out and tempers things with that damn lotus, and it actually turns into a pretty nice blend.

 

Drydown: I look down and see a blue & purple painful bruise right where I put Undertow, that I swear wasn't there 30 minutes ago. It's in the shape of the little dip stick swiper. Ok, that freaks me out a bit. The lotus has once again come back, and takes it's place as the most prominant scent. The juniper and the mint seem to have gotten freaked out at the bruise and committed mutiny, because they're gone. It's not a bad scent, but it's a bit too sweet for me. Lotus jsut isnt' my thing.

[walkingundine]

Undertow was the first thing I ever got from the lab. It was not the kind of impression I'd hoped for.

 

In the bottle: Holy Juniper, batman! Cold, minty juniper!

Wet: The juniper continues. There's no stopping it! It has some kind of mutant staying power, most likely lent to it by the trace lotus I can almost sorta kinda smell through the cold minty juniper!

Drydown: This was my first scent-induced migraine. I'd recommend it to juniper lovers or pretty much anyone who likes an aquatic scent that kicks the wearer in the pants.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Is that a minty thing going on here? Maybe it's pennyroyal? It's sweeter than I expected.

 

Just On: Yeah, it smells minty, and watery (hmm, guess that would be aquatic). There's also an undercurrent of murkiness.

 

An hour or two later: Mint and slightly murky water. This is pretty neat. The sweetness has faded.

 

Around 6 hours: Wow, this is water that isn't stagnant, but has been standing a bit. It's not necessarily murky, but there is a hint of that in it. I could stand near the pond at my grandpa's farm, and it would smell a LOT like this.

 

12 hours: The last vestiges of that water.

 

Overall: I do like this scent. I can't get over how Beth creates these scents that smell JUST like something in my life, and so dead on. How does she bottle something like the smell of not stagnant but still and almost murky pond water?

 

After reading other reviews: I didn't get a lot of juniper, which is probably good, as it isn't one of my favorite scents. I did get the mint at first, and I certainly got the 'mud', as the water scent I had was muddy, a bit.

[nineveh]

This is heavy on the mint and juniper for me. It starts out very strong and somewhat bitter on my skin.

 

After a while, it calms down somewhat and becomes sweeter, but an odd waxy note emerges too.

 

Overall, it's too intense for me. I was hoping for the creamy mint that another review mentioned.

 

If a strong, invigorating mint blend sounds right to you, perhaps Undertow will be your thing.

[emz83]

A very clear aquatic pine and mint smell, much like a bracing wind. Has a really long throw, and totally wakes one up.

[olympia301]

 

Mint, mint and juniper, mint and juniper and aquatic, mint and juniper and aquatic and volatile herbs. Very cold, actually chilling and in a scary way. This is a great summertime scent if you like to sleep out on the sleeping porch and love to get unnerved by the sounds outside at night. This is an intense one, and not a perfume for the unadventursome. I would give it a hearty recommend for its unique properties and bracing-ness. I am very glad I tried it but am not a hearty enough soul to love it.

Edited June 19, 2005 by olympia301

[fathom]

In the imp: Mint, but a round mint, not a sharp mint. Mint julep, not Altoids.

Wet on the skin: Very watery and clear sea green. Its mintiness is not the scent of candy mint to me. It's the scent of the mint plant, perhaps after a heavy rain has loosened the soil it grows in.

This scent seems to sharpen my focus and draw me to attention, somehow. To me it is a good scent for a summer day, but not a sensual, sexy, weekend sort of summer day. A long summer day where you have to keep your shit together and negotiate your way through some treacherous shoals.

[gangstaknitta]

In Bottle: I can smell all of the notes individually. I have never worn anything with mint in it. It smells interesting...the sweetness of the lotus tones down the mint and juniper. I really like juniper--it's a sweet herbal.

 

Wet: The mint note comes out very strong. It smells a little like sweet mint candy. The juniper is very faint.

 

Dry: This scent was very light. The juniper and lotus come out more and the mint fades into the background. I really like this, but it's too light and I'm not sure about the mint on me. I think it would be a really good room fragrance, though.

[scourgeotheseas]

Undertow

 

In the bottle: Mint and lotus, with a hint of juniper. Not particularly pleasant.

 

On me: The lotus comes out first, and doesn't seem to agree with my skin. Underneath that, though, is a really lovely mint.

 

Drydown: As the lotus fades, so does the unpleasantness. The mint comes out very strongly, but weirdly I don't smell any juniper at all. This is "warmer" mint scent than I expected, and I wonder if that is due to the underpinning of lotus.

 

Upon further drydown: Ah, there's the juniper. Now it's minty woods, instead of minty bubblegum.

 

While I really like the mint notes, the rest of this one is not for me.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Lotus and juniper, it SCREAMS it and is dizzying

 

On me:

Penance likened this to toilet bowl cleaner, and I'm inclined to agree. Wet on my skin it's so overpowering it's nauseating. The lotus adds a weird note to this that really doesn't agree with me (I'm thinking I should avoid lotus after the lotus blends I've tried). I get mint after a minute, but it's very faint and the lotus is really winning out. This continues to smell an awful lot like toilet bowl cleaner until about 5 minutes in when - it just goes away. I don't mean the cleaner smell, I mean the whole scent. It disappears completely on me. There's just...nothing. It's so strange, because it's so strong at first, and I've applied it several times now and it just keeps disappearing in a few minutes. Even if I DID like this, it doesn't seem to want to stay.

 

Final note:

I really really don't like this, but I seem to be in the minority. I suspect that lotus doesn't really like me, and that could be the problem.

[slugbait]

Initially mint and a bit pine. Maybe that’s juniper? Mint usually does some wacky stuff with my skin, so we’ll see.. After the dry down, reminds me of the yellow “vanilla” cough medicine my mom would give me when I was a kid. I would run from her, cry, and refuse to take it. I feel the same way about this. Swap pile!