Mr. Ibis

[Magpie]

Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood.

Hmm, in the imp this is incredibly light, a barely-there breath of gentle flowers on a fresh, clean breeze. I got a vaguely baby-lotion-like connotation, but it gets less so while on. Weirdly enough, the main note I get is an unidentified fresh floral, but the description doesn't really have much in the way of the usual suspects for the sort of impression I'm getting.

On, it stays at the same lightness. It has little to no throw, so it's the sort of scent I'd wear if I wanted to smell nice but not be obviously wearing 'perfume!!!!' Very close to the skin, lovely and sweet and clean, this is a beautiful-smelling perfume that hasn't morphed much at all on me, except that the delicate floral (which is very gender-neutral for a floral) has softened to allow vanilla and light musk. I certainly don't get any sense of 'green' from it. What does strike me is its extraordinary gentleness. It smells comfortable and kind but somehow dispassionate, pretty much perfect for the characterisation of this funeral director. Where Mr. Jacquel is businesslike and slightly dangerous, Mr. Ibis is quiet, with melancholy, sympathetic eyes.

Normally I amp sandalwood until I can't smell anything else, so I avoid any scent with it in the description like the plague. I decided to try this one, though, and I can't really smell sandalwood at all, which is a point in Mr. Ibis' favour for me.

Overall: gentle and comforting, muted sweetness, very pleasant, clean and fresh as a smell, but it is very subtle and will probably not have much throw. I love it, overall, but it might not be for everyone.

[nekogrrl]

Based on the scent description, this was the Gaiman scent I /really/ wanted to like. It didn't like me back though..

 

I pop open the imp, and take a deep whiff, ready for the vanilla-y goodness sure to follow. What do I get?

 

Nothing.

 

As in literally nothing. I look confused, and sniff again. Nothing.

 

I put it on, and literally cannot smell a thing.

 

I'm so disappointed.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Musky – it brings to mind a pale yellow colour, like, well, papyrus.

 

First on:

The slightest touch of musk and aloe. Fresh, light.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's a glorious musk, with hints of aloe and resin. Mm, me likes! It gets sort of creamier after a while.

 

Finally:

Hanging on to this one for the moment... Might swap it later on, though. I'm on the fence!

[milo]

This is really light, but musky. I get a touch of citrus, too. Very nice, but it only last 10 minutes at the most and then my skin eats it up like candy.

[ClareN]

Tested from a near-empty bottle.

 

Clean aquatic with light musk. It does have a hint of the "clean linen" note, like Dirty, but it's much quieter and muskier than Dirty. I get no vanilla and some very light sandalwood, but mostly it's, well, clean aquatic with light musk. This is not the type of scent I wear at all, ever, and it's hurting my sinuses a bit, but I liked it more than most aquatics and I do think it's a good one if you like that scent category.

[prettybird]

In the imp: ...Oh my. This is a refreshing change after smelling a whole ton of really heavy scents. It almost smells like white chocolate, for some reason.

 

On skin: Mmm. It's a little soapy, but in a good way. The musk is a nice undertone, which is good, because musk rarely works on me. It is quite masculine, but not too much for me to wear it (and I like the masculine ones anyway). It's so clean and light, but complex at the same time.

 

So, long story short, DO WANT.

[gchris]

Oh So lovely! Smells like fresh linens hanging on the clothesline in the sun. This is pure happiness in a bottle!

[heathercaley]

Wow! Very clean!! It's got the depth of Egyptian Musk, but before it can go deeper, it's snapped to attention by aloe which makes it watery and fresh. I do detect a wittle bittle bit of vanilla, but not enough to make me go crazy. I must say I was excited with the idea of vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, and sandalwood, but the aloe dominates just a tad too much.

 

It's very refreshing, and I can see myself wearing this after a spa day. I'm happy with my decant, and probably won't buy a bottle. It's very very nice, just a little too fresh for me.

[rayvn1]

This one is as intriguing as his partner Mr. Jacquel. Ibis is very dry and papery but sweeet in a masculine-y kind of way. I get alot of the papyrus and aloe listed in the notes. I don't get any of the vanilla but that's fine with me So clean and gentlemanly. It may be faint but it's lasting a long time. It does capture his calm character and I'm so happy to have another Gaiman fragrance from one of my all time favorite books.

[ephemera]

I like this scent. I like the lightness, the creaminess the fact that it's barely-there... the problem is that it's so barely-there that 10 minutes after I apply it I'm sniffing at my wrists quizzically wondering if I dreamed putting it on. I burn through scents in an hour or two anyway, almost all the time, but this is a record for my skin. I'm so tempted to buy a bottle of this because it smells good on, but wonder if I'd be wasting my money. Alternatively, I could then slather it on...

 

Will have to mull on this one. End result: lovely, creamy, musky, sexy scent with no throw and no staying power.

[asciident]

Wet: Sharp and soapy. Boo.

 

First on: Unchanged. I fear I'll be scrubbing this one off.

 

Dry: Same, but powdery, sigh.

[Andrea912]

Fresh; musk, vanilla, and papyrus are present

[angelicdemise]

I like it but it's too light and fades too fast! I'm hoping that if I let my decant age for awhile that might help it. It reminds me of a lighter version of Dream of the Fisherman's Wife.I like it but it's too light and fades too fast! I'm hoping that if I let my decant age for awhile that might help it. It reminds me of a lighter version of Dream of the Fisherman's Wife.

 

ETA: By "too light" I mean the throw is too light.

Edited May 31, 2009 by angelicdemise

[amanderinorange]

I actually really like this one, but on the hubby rather than myself.

 

In the imp: a nice musky, but oddly clean scent.

 

On him: it stays on him the way it smells in the imp and is a nice surprise to smell when I hug him. Actually, it makes me bury my nose into his neck and not let go.

 

Overall: I really like this scent on him and will definitely have to get him a bottle.

 

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Extremely pale yellow, nearly colourless oil. Clean, soft, radiant. I get a sense of glowing white purity, with gentle sweetness. A linen-esque note (but lighter) that recalls Berenice slightly, aloe, a creamy sandalwood, vanilla flower, rich musks. Delicious!

 

Wet: A little soapy, and almost a little cologney - actually, it reminds me a little of Buck Moon, which I have on my other arm right now - maybe a shared musk? I get a soft sandalwood, and something that makes me think of amber, a little powdery - it reminds me more of Berenice on my skin.

 

Dry: Smells like baby shampoo - Johnson's No More Tears - but only mildly. The musks haven't really amped on me, but they, the sandalwood and the sweetness of the vanilla flower keep this interesting for me, though it's still a little - bland? generic? It reminds me of a Berenice/Wensleydale cross.

 

Later: I really want to love it, but I just can't find it very noteworthy.

 

Summary: Mild, sweetly musky, lineny-soap with sandalwood and vanilla tones. It smells expensive and soothy, but it's so nondescript, and the soapiness (which really verges on powder, and makes me strongly suspect amber) makes this not quite wearable. Decent throw & good longevity.

[crebbsgirl]

This was a slightly floral vanilla mingled with light musk. The aloe added a bit of green to the blend, and the white sandalwood really added some depth. This was pretty light, but it definitely held a masculine edge. A little clean smelling, but not in a soapy way. I liked this, but it wasn't spectacular on my skin.

[topazphoenix]

Wooo, I can smell the aloe. Clean, the good kind of linen, soapy. I agree with the person who said it smells like baby shampoo. And for some reason I'm associating it with Sea of Glass even though I'm sure they couldn't have been that similar.

[Gin]

Oh my, Mr. Ibis! This is lovely and light--vanilla musk and aloe. It's a nice, clean, soothing scent.

[devilot]

Mr. Ibis

 

In the Bottle: Light, so light. And clean. I'm not sure how aloe ferox differs from aloe, but this sure smells like aloe gel/ extract.

 

Wet: Still so light! Barest hint of vanilla, I guess that's why it's the vanilla flower as opposed to straight up vanilla. And looooads of aloe. Er, interesting. *blinks*

 

Drydown: Now something that smoothes it all over, it's a combination of musk + white sandalwood (starting to recognize this from Bony Moon and Smoky Moon); but neither of those two notes stand out.

 

Verdict: I thought these notes would spell amazing true love, but alas, it's just too damned light! I need scents that are a bit more noticeable than this. It's lovely, when I can smell it.

[femmefatale]

This is a very pretty, light, clean scent. Much different than I expected, but still pretty. It's somewhat dry and dusty, with a touch of sweetness.

It's not really something I would wear very often since it's a bit more perfumey than I generally like, but I'm still glad I got to try it.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: Very light, slightly floral, fresh

 

Wet on Skin: Too floral... soapy *sigh*

 

While Drying: Makes my nose burn

 

After a Little While: Very potent on me

 

Later: Softens after a few hours, and I get occasional whiffs of the things that make me like it in the imp, but probably not enough to wait through hours of not great phases.

 

Final Thoughts: This one was disappointing. I have two friends who got to this imp before I did, and it was lovely on both of them. Fortunately, one of them plans to buy a bottle, so I will be able to enjoy it from time to time, just not on my skin.

Mr. Ibis earns a 2/5

[distracts]

In decant: Aloe, sandalwood, a little bit of vanilla flower.

 

Wet: Aloe! For the first few minutes I smell nothing but aloe.

 

Drydown: The vanilla flower comes out to play, so it's a lovely vanilla aloe mix. Close up it smells primarily of aloe, and in a soapy way at that, but when I'm not trying to smell it I get some vanilla and light musk too. As it gets drier, the musk is more evident. I'm not getting much sandalwood yet, which is good because I don't get along with sandalwood that well.

 

Completely dry: Faint and lovely, with more sandalwood.

 

I like this but it doesn't seem to last terribly long on me. I guess I'll have to try it a few more times before determining if I want a bottle.

[Venneh]

In the decant, this is a very, very light scent; I think I can catch musk in there, maybe sandalwood? Either way, definitely light and beautiful. On my skin, it comes out a bit more, a musky scent with a slight edge from the sandalwood; it's threatening to go a bit cologne-y on me, so we'll see what it does. Sadly it stays musk for a brief time before fading to nothing. Not for me, sadly. Swaps/sales.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Venneh

[sarajane]

Mmmm, I don't get an papyrus or aloe out of this at all. It's all musky vanilla sandalwoody goodness on my skin. It's not cologney or soapy on me, unlike some other reviews. This is one of my favorite blends.

[Evilynn]

In the vial: very, very faint aloe and vanilla

on the skin: Still very, very faint light musk and vanilla

drydown: I get the barest hint of vanilla flower and something that almost smells like linen, but I take it it's the aloe in combination with the papyrus. This really just vanished on my skin.