Severin

[Rewth]

... Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather.

at first the lemon scent of the earl grey is very prominent, with black tea being the base scent. The leather comes very quickly up to run neck and neck with the teas. This is good stuff. On later dry down the leather is fairly dominant, but the tea is still there and quite notable. unfortuantely this is a rather short lived scent. roughly 90 minutes after application it is almost undetectable. considering it's mellow beginning i wasn't really surprised.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Lemon and black tea, yum!

 

Wet: The lemon smell turns out to be the bergamot of Earl Grey, and I get leather, wonderful leather.

 

Drydown: I smell leather, tea, bergamot and a hint of lemon. It's delicious, it smells bitter, clean and overall absolutely fabulous. There's a touch of fruit, I'm still thinking lemon, but it's extremely discreet.

 

Overall: Very evocative - a bit broody and intellectual, a perfect blend for a man, but also wearable by a woman without seeming too masculine. It keeps varying from pure tea to lemon fruit to leather, and it's really great. So, what's wrong with it? No staying power. It dies in less than 30 minutes, nearly completely disappears, and it's tragic! I may try to layer it with Embalming Fluid to see if I can get it to hold longer.

[yeahbutnobut]

Severin

 

In the imp: sharp, almost perfume-y and citrus-y tea.

Wet on skin: now the leather comes out with the fresh tea and bergamot scent on top.

Dry on skin: mmm, not bad! This smells almost like manly cologne spritzed all over a leather jacket. And this jacket and cologne belong to a very hot young guy. Quite a sexy combination! The scent is masculine yet youthful and fresh, and also quite sophisticated. The tea and earl grey/bergamot are nice and tangy, and the leather is deep and rich and wonderful as usual.

After a while: now this also reminds me of something…I think it also smells like new car seat leather? Yeah, something about this reminds me of cars or transport of some sort. Probably a memory of scents of leather and fresh perfume in a car or train/plane? It makes me think of travelling. Yeah, the more I smell this, the more it reminds me of being in someone's car. Freshly cleaned, perfumed pleasantly, and of course with leather seats. I can't work out whether it's a good memory or a bad one (ie one of those journeys where I ended up being car-sick!) but it really does remind me of cars!

Over time, this becomes pretty much all leather. Not as intense as De Sade, it's a softer leather with just a tinge of fresh tea. I don't have the car association as much now, since this now smells similar to other lovely leather blends. It then gradually becomes a soft leather single note. Very nice.

Verdict: this is a very nice leather scent, which is both deep and fresh at the same time. The tea and bergamot notes add a hint of youthful cologne to the scent, almost like a man's perfume sprayed on a leather jacket. But there's a point in the scent that reminds me of that new car smell-a new or just-cleaned car with leather seats, and it reminds me of a journey in such a car, but I'm not sure if the memory is a good one. (Most of my memories of strong smelling cars are of the journeys where I've felt a bit sick and the scent of the car-however pleasant-aggravates the nausea.) That's the only thing that bugs me about this scent. but after a while, it returns to a soft leather scent, almost like a softer, gentler De Sade, a leather single note which smells comforting to me. Not a favourite for reasons already listed, but I do like it.

To sum it up in a smiley:

Edited April 19, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Abbie]

In the bottle: A strong, sweet, lemon tea. I would not have said Earl Grey, but I do see what she meant. Not a hint of leather to be found.

 

First on: Pure lemonage. You have to really get your nose up to your wrist and snort to detect anything else.

 

Dry: And it's gone. That was a fast fade.

 

Overall: I love citrus, so I'll keep this one. Might not be for everybody, though.

[lizardling]

I got my latest order from the Lab, and after sniffing the double imp pack order plus several of the frimps (Thank you, Labbies!), Severin was the first one I tried on. Given how well Villain worked on me (harshly elegant aftershave), I figured I'd give it a whirl as the descriptions seemed in the same ballpark to me.

 

In the bottle, I smelled the bergamot and leather, pretty much.

 

Waiting for it to dry down on the back of my hand, I went to heat up some pizza for dinner as I was about to starve.

 

Then I sat down with hot perfect pizza, and sniffed myself.

 

Oh. My. God.

 

I'm going cross-eyed just sniffing myself. Cross-eyed. And the pizza is cooling here. Severin is just *too* gorgeous to sniff at for more than a few seconds, what with the bergamot and teas combining and the leather grounding it all. The result is this lovely, lovely, silky smooth scent with a debauched undertone.

 

Babies, this is going on the BIG bottle list. All within the first five minutes of having it on, too. I didn't even know I had a holy grail until I HAD it. And now I am just going to sprawl limply here, sniffing my hand every ten seconds.

[lysistrata]

In the vial: Fresh lemon juice.

 

On me, wet: Lemon lemon lemon, but with a little darkening behind it.

 

On me, dry: The lemon note has settled down to a very light lemon freshness with a light leathery/smoky undertone. It's refreshing and completely wonderful.

 

Verdict: Ever since I sneaked sprays of Love's Fresh Lemon off my mom's vanity, I've looked and looked for a really good lemon perfume scent. This beats anything I've ever found. This is my long-sought lemon perfume. I need more of this.

[cupide430]

Strong citrussy tea at first. Very nice and fresh, though a touch too much on the citrus edge for me. As it dries, it fades quickly. Now it is a faint leather with a gentle tea note. Nice, but too much leather for me.

[Eunice]

Rubbing alcohol in the bottle. This actually burns my eyes when I take the cap off the imp. I have to put it on my skin to smell anything other than rubbing alcohol. Now I can smell the bergamot in the Earl Grey. This is all about the citrus and tea notes for me. I'd love to know why it smells so painful in the bottle and so nice on my skin.

[miss_rynn]

I really, *really* wanted to like this, and to a certain extent I did...

 

In the imp, it was lovely. Bergamont with black, dry tea in the background and the hint of leather behind that. Very refreshing; the bergamont wasn't as spikey as I've smelt in other fragrances.

 

First on the skin: Wow - very unusual! Not quite like earl grey tea - more like bergamont sitting right next to dry tea. The leather is just at the edges - it is an accent, rather than the whole point of the scent. Very nice, quite intrigueing.

 

Unfortunately, though, I seem to amp leather like nothing else. It swiftly morphs into a very strong leather scent on me. Which is fine, but I was hoping for the tea and bergamont to hang around longer.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet and woody, a bit masculine. When first on it's leather mixed with citrus notes. After a couple of minutes a woody note comes through. So far this one is very masculine. After a couple of hours it softens quite a bit. This would be a great scent for men or anyone who likes leather notes. It's just too masculine for me.

[PixieSkull]

Imp: Chlorinated pool. Strong lemon without all the yellow, can tell where the leather note is, hiding behind the lemon. I can smell grease and gas like in a truck garage, very nice.

Wet: More pleasant than chlorine. Lemon again, turning into Lemon Pledge but morphing to something more subtle like lemonade. Umm, leather? Where'd you go?

Dry: And it's gone. Entirely gone not even 10 minutes later. Checked back with my arm and wow. Smells very faintly of man, straightup sweaty man but in that sexy way. If it amps up this on the SO, it's completely his.

 

Category: Manly

Rating: 2/5; not strong enough, no staying power

Overall: I'm not going to wear it as it did nothing on my skin, barely even showed up. Someone else can try it, I'll give it to the boy for fun.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Hot, bergamot-rubbed leather.

 

In the imp: Lemon and alcohol. I was actually worried for a moment that something had "happened" to the imp, but since several others mention it, it must be fine. Fine but weird.

 

On skin, wet: Lemon, tea and a bit of leather. It's a strange combination, sweet and citrusy and warm and deep all at once.

 

On skin, dry: Yick, the bad things my skin does to leather sometimes. A freshly-cut bergamot rubbed on hot leather does not a good smell make, unfortunately. Oddly cold and hot, sharp and smooth. It also makes me sneeze (strong lemon/bergamot tends to do that).

 

Conclusion/Notes: Just not for me. Leather usually bombs and the Earl Grey is just too lemony/begamot-y.

[kourika]

I find it highly amusing that while most people who know me in real life consider me a "dominant" personality, Wanda smells horrific on my skin while Severin, one of BPAL's scents of submission, loves my chemistry. It's a crisp, clean scent that has a lemony herb smell that makes me think of soft spring days and fresh laundry drying on a clothesline. I'm debating whether or not I want a large bottle though because Severin isn't a scent that I'd wear on a regular basis simply because I prefer perfumes that last a bit longer. My skin sucks up the oils, and I'm left with a hint of sunshiney lemon and leather wafting across my wrists and cleavage. It's a lovely, light scent though for days when you're looking for a perfume that's subtle rather than in your face.

[Nekomata]

A perfect frimp!

Wet: Lemons and tea, very much and iced tea scent.

Dry: It dries to bergamot and lemons;very fresh and light. There's a light hint of leather, like others have mentioned, but it's completely in the background.

Throw:Not so good. Probably works well in a locket.

 

I'll need to think on this one.

[Naamah_Darling]

Okay. For those of you, like me, who have languished in ignorance about what Earl Gray tea is all about, let me bring you up-to-date. It's a black tea flavored with oil of bergamot, a type of sour orange.

 

In the bottle this is spare and icily citric, like raw lemon rinds, with an underscore of leather that promises heat to come. To judge from past experience, the tea won't be detectable until it's warm.

 

On, it becomes instantly masculine, a roomy, well-spaced and simple blend comprised of equal parts leather and bergamot, with an astringent undercurrent of tea. There's a note in the throw that's almost floral or fruity, a little zing of angelic sweetness. It's a very clean, businesslike blend with just a whiff of the animal and just a dash of kindness. It's charismatic, refined, just a little reserved, and very, very sexy.

 

On me, it wears down quickly and will need frequent reapplication. Sort of fitting – in the novel, Severin's a passionate guy, but ultimately gutless.

 

A woman could wear this easily, but I think it will only reach its full flowering on a man. I'll recommend it, but I'll also recommend reading the book. Both are pretty stupefyingly sexy.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

tea, almost smells citrusy

 

wet:

light scent - tea/herbal, I swear I smell lemon of some sort…

 

dry:

same really - very light, fresh scent! l

 

overall:

ove it!

 

rating: 8/10

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Sweetness and leather.

 

On me: That same leathery sweetness. This smells really good. But sadly it fades within ten minutes.

 

Verdict: Off to the swap/sale pile.

 

Rating: 2/5

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Ooh, this is really quite lovely. Citrusy tea. Definitely getting the Earl Grey in this...

 

On my skin: Hmm, I've turned into a lemon cream pie. My, that was unexpected. Pleasant though.

 

On Eric's skin: OH! That's... ahem... more what I was.... with the Earl Grey and the leather... and the... excuse me, I have to go.... I just remembered I err... left the gas on....

 

Definitely a sexy smell. On me, it's very much a lemon dessert, but on the boy, well. Let's just say it's a very sexy smell.

[edenssixthday]

Severin is one of the very few tea blends that I really like. In the vial, it smells warm and golden, almost like amber, but as soon as it touches my skin, it’s obviously tea-based. Earl Gray is my all-time favorite tea blend, so I was disappointed that I don’t smell Earl Gray in this blend, like I’m supposed to. It just smells dark and warm. The leather note doesn’t kick in until a good hour after I apply this blend. Then it slowly begins to creep into the forefront of the blend. The dark tea scent makes the leather smell well-worn and comfortable. There are no pretenses about it. It’s not dark and menacing at all like the leather of De Sade. Rather, it’s like putting on an old pair of gloves or slippers that you’ve had for years and which mean “comfort” to you. I’m surprised this is in the “Love Potions” catalogue, as to me, it’s warm and comforting, but not sexy or romantic. I would love to have my husband smell like this, but I don’t see my engines getting all revved up over him smelling like this. I can see us snuggling on the sofa in front of a movie and occasionally getting a whiff of him smelling warm and comforting and secure if he were wearing this. I do like this and while it’s not going to be used by me as a “love potion,” I have a distinct feeling that it’s going to become my “comfort” scent of choice for quite some time to come. It’s just sooo nice!

[catrinella]

Imp: Citrus and tea.

 

Wet: Very, very lemon. Almost verging on furniture polish but not quite.

 

Drydown: The lemon remains strong for about 20 minutes, then the tea shows up.

 

1 hour: Some warm brown suede has appeared (not harsh black leather), and the bergamot/lemon has dissipated a bit. This is lovely but it's starting to fade already.

 

3 hours: Gone. Sigh.

 

Verdict: Keeper, but a fast fader. I like this well enough to put up with the reapplication, though the initial burst of nearly-chemical lemon is a bit much. It's fresh and cool, as opposed to the warm tea of Dorian.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

impsniff: Lemon Pledge.

 

on me: my hands after using Lemon Pledge.

 

i can tell that there are other notes in this blend... i can sort of *feel* them...

but i don't smell anything but lemon, and bergamot smells really nothing like lemon

 

(to me, bergamot essential oil has always smelled like a freshly opened box of Trix cereal)

 

i've spent half an hour sniffing and thinking, and now i can't smell it at all -- it faded THAT fast, i think that's a record!

 

hm, rather disappointing, that. especially considering that most of the, erm, S&M types i've known have had more than their share of stamina.

 

or maybe Wanda just wore him out? dunno. i'll hafta try this on the boi, though.

Edited July 20, 2006 by TrailerTrashPrincess

[elfmaiden]

Imp: Very fresh, citrus and a white sorta smell.

 

On my skin: I didn't realize the Earl Grey would smell so citrusy. It was an unexpected and LOVELY suprised. On my skin the citrus is still strong, but the leather warms up in the background and helps to round things out.

 

Dry: I agree this doesn't have much staying power. Although it's hot here and really any oil has been trouble keeping around with all the dampness. It's a warmed citrus and still very fresh and clean. It isn't what I expected from the notes at all, and I am in love!

 

 

Jenn

[storme]

In the imp: weak bergamot-and-tea scent under lemons.

 

On me, wet: lightly citric tea and and bergamot, with a soapy leather beneath it.

 

On me, dry: There's very little lemon in this, on my skin, and not even much tea anymore. It's almost entirely very slightly sharp leather.

 

Verdict: Bah. I'd heard such awesome things about this, and I even quite like leathery scents, but alas, Severin is just not for me.

[Dinerdulcinea]

I smell Bergamot very strongly in the imp---which is great cuz I LOVE Bergamot (Earl Grey Tea smell).

 

After a bit, the leather starts in...red and warm at first, then (as the bergamot fades away) a warm brown. Sadly though, by the time I got to this stage, it is almost completely gone.

 

Summary:

Although I like it, I would really have to dump it on...because, on me, it has no throw at all after about 20 minutes.

 

Too bad, too, cuz I like it...staying power aside.

 

Hubby tried it too and...

basically, the same thing. Nice though!

[flyingpizza]

Ooh, I was so excited to try this scent, and I received it as a frimp in my most recent order! Psychic Beth strikes again! All of the notes in this are favorites: tea, bergamot, leather, mmm...

 

The Bergamot rose above all else on first sniff and application. I barely smelled the leather and the black tea was more of an inferred scent. Sadly, this dissipated so quickly and only left behind a slight, gentle, indiscernible but nice scent. If the leather and/or tea had been stronger, I think this would have been tethered more. Sigh. I’m going to keep it around to see if slathering will up the staying power, but I sort of doubt it. *sniff*