The Dodo

[dreadeddragon]

Red musk, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood.

In the bottle: Sweet & spicy, with a hint of floral. Almost medicinal.

First on: Now it's all sugar & spice. It does remind me of something from LUSH, but not Spank me with Saplings. It's a light potpourri, or something sweet, like Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Buns ice cream.

Drydown: I can barely smell it on my skin, about an hour & a half later. What I do smell is the same as before, just incredibly diluted. Shame, it's so lovely.

Overall: I'll definitely use the imp, but it doesn't last long enough to warrant the whole bottle.

[taramarie]

While The Dodo smelled like yummy fruit on me, it also irritated my skin, so I'll have to pass this on to someone else.

[theseagrows]

the dodo is a fruity-citrussy musk on me. i can barely make out the cassia. the red musk, lemon and mango are most prominent on my skin. i think the agarwood makes a faint appearance. this is nice, but not amazing with my skin chemistry so i will probably swap it.

[greymatter]

This is definitely interesting. I hated it when I sniffed the imp - but you can never tell just from a sniff test, can you? Nope. So I dabbed it on.

 

Wet, all I get is cassia. Then a bit of wood pops up. It reminds me of those cinnamon flavored toothpicks everybody chewed on constantly when I was a kid. (Like I'm so old now? o_0) Anyway, that's what I get.

 

As it dries, though, a bit of the fruit pops out. The lemon gives it a tart edge that cuts through the cassia and the mango sweetens it some. I can't say that it's a favorite, but it's DEFINITELY interesting. I think it's worth trying if only to sniff it as it morphs. It's a circus for your nose! (Now that it's totally dry, the waft is all sweet and lemon while the up-close is still woody cassia. . . )

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: cinnamon, sugar, and fruit

 

On Wet: sugar, musk, sandalwood, hint of cassia, mango and lemon

 

On Dry: same notes, blended and a lot more faded

 

Final Impression: Really love this, but it faded so much.

 

Rating (on a scale from 1-5): 3.5

[akiko]

My skin chemistry must really like this, because I'm not having the fading problem others seem to be.

 

Imp: It's got the same fruity-musk smell as War, so I'm thinking that it's the red musk. It's also got a fizzy smell.

 

Wet: Still fruity-musk, but also with something straight-up sweet (sugar?)

 

Dry: It's still the same fruity-musk as War, but the spice under it is different; I think it's the cassia. Probably the fruits and sandalwood are blended under there, too.

[joseybird]

This smells like a tart, cinnamony Corazon, so lovers of that lon DC'd scent, take note!

 

Juicy, lemon-tart mango over a bed of soft, subdued red musk and a touch of cinnamon. There's there barest hint of woodiness here, which keeps the blend from being too fruity. I recognize a sweetish note that must be sugar cane, since I remember it from Shango, but it's difficult to describe.

[alaitallon]

Honestly not sure what to make of this one. It smells cinnamony and spicy to me and I unfortunately can't really catch any of the lemon peel or mango in it. And judging from the other reviews after the fact, I'm not the only one that itched because I put it on. I have enough allergies as it is, so I'm definitely not going to want to wear something that adds to them. The scent is decent enough, but I'm . . . just not feeling it. I'm sorry, Dodo, but you're better off extinct for me.

 

Rating: 4/10

[donnatron]

Imp: Red Hots and lemon zest. Potential but also sort of terrifying.

 

Wet: Imitation cinammon leaf.

 

Dry: There's the fruit! This dries down lovely and sweet and alost resin-y. I don't smell many of the individual notes, but there's an overall impression of candied fruit and spice. It's a very sexy, mature scent.

 

Throw: Good throw for the first few hours. Even later in the day there's a lean-in quality to it.

 

Overall: I'm surprised at how much I like this. I didn't think I'd care for it, but now I want to just slather myself in it and call my guy to come over. This makes me feel exceedingly womanly and sexy.

[suki]

in the imp: sweet, spicy- but not at all foodie. it reminds me a lot of the Yule incense the magick shop near me sells. nice.

 

wet on skin: the same. i can smell the cassia, but i can't really pick out any other notes.

 

dry down: the cassia becomes stronger- it's definitely the same spice note in Underbed. this has a sexiness to it too, just like Underbed, but i think i prefer it personally with cocoa.

 

in all: a Sexy Woman kind of scent, i'd wear this out dancing, or to a romantic dinner- if i didn't have so many other oils to consider!

 

ADDED Nov. 23:

 

in the imp: the sweet spice of cassia mixed with an undercurrent of something fruity that i can't quite name.

 

wet on skin: same. it reminds me of this yule-time incense i pick up at my local magick shop, which is pretty nice.

 

dry down: same.

 

in all: i consider this a "holiday" blend. something i would wear heavily between thanksgiving and the new year and prolly not very much during the rest of the year. certainly a festive and fun GC alternative for the holidays, though!

 

 

[manusdei]

i love how the lab always frimps me mad tea party scents, since i want to try (and own) all of them eventually.

 

cassia! i love cassia. at first it is a tiny bit strong and almost medicinal, but admittedly i tend to like scents like that (and it does calm way down.) underneath it is juicy mango and lemon, sweet sugar cane, with just a touch of the red musk and woods. i'm glad i didn't get a reaction because i like this. it's unique and fun. and delicious.

Edited March 8, 2008 by manusdei

[Rovylern]

This was the All-Cassia-Channel on my skin. I like cassia, so that didn't bother me, but I wish I could have gotten some other notes from it. I didn't get to give it a fair trial, though, because I started to get burning, itching welts after only a few minutes. I tested it on the back of my hand, which is one of my least reactive zones, so this is definitely a no-go for me.

[maribouquet]

First on, this is really fun; I can smell the mango, sandalwood, lemon and musk and then the spicy hot cassia. I like it, but then my skin does something funky and it's just a murky mess - I'm tempted to blame the red musk, but it might be the sugar cane that's doing this one in for me. Or perhaps just the overall combo.

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: hi, would you like some cinnamon? Because I have some cinnamon for you.

 

On me, wet: more of the same. Cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon, with a side of sandalwood. (My husband says, "We should be at an Indian import store, looking at expensive silks and anise seed pods.)

 

On me, dry: whooooa! Bouncy red musk fun time! Basically everything else has disappeared. I don't know when the red musk has ever smelled so... red... on me before. It's great! I actually really like it! I'm a biiiiiiiiig musk hater, so the discovery that I not only tolerate but out and out LIKE red musk is a major step for me. Neat!

 

Throw and duration: throw starts out well above average-- my husband can smell me from several feet away. This is more than I really like to do in public, as I worry about stinking out people on the bus and people with allergies. But it mellows down over time. Duration's good but not great. I get maybe 5 hours out of this.

 

Overall: The cinnamon stage at the start sort of throws me, sort of the same way the melon stage at the beginning of Earth Rat does. I don't think I'm willing to wait an hour for a scent to be wearable when there are so many that are yummy right out of the bottle. I'll probably keep my imp for now, but really, I'll just be looking for another yummy red musk to fill this niche.

[savage_rose]

Red hots! From the moment this touched my skin, that's all I can smell...sugar and cinnamon. This is not something I'd want to smell like often, but it's not bad.

[sparkybish]

In the imp it smelled like fruity, spicy, and something else. I wasn't very hopeful. I put it on a few minutes before my shower in case it went bad, but it did some interesting things on my skin. First, I never got the super cinnamon that everyone else seemed to. It was all fruity and juicy on me, with a hint of something manly under it. I was thinking it was leather, but I think it's a combo of the cassia and woods. I really like it and my hand now smells sexay to me. I will definitely give this one a another try on the wrists tomorrow.

[Lunasbaby]

It arrived as a frimp and thank the lab for it because ive found my first love.

 

Lemon Peel and Sugar Cane....YUM really does smell like the juice, ill buy it over and over again . Doesnt last forever unfortunately....say about an hour or two on my skin, so every smear of the wand is precious.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Red musk, like whoa!

 

Wet: This is very bitter, possibly the agarwood. I really thought it would be sweet, which is disappointing.

 

Drydown: I'd really hoped the lemon, sugar and sandalwood would come out, instead I'm getting red musk and agarwood.

2.5 outta 5

[charshark]

In the imp: Spicy sort of like Dr. Pepper, but with cinnamon.

 

Wet: I can smell the red musk and the sugar cane with a hint of mango.

 

Dry: The mango faded into more of a lemony scent and I can smell woodsy scents that are more fruity than earthy.

 

Overall: I was hoping to smell more mango, but it's an all right scent. It's not on my top 10 list, though.

[miri]

This almost smells like Red Hots wet on skin, dying down to a cinnamon biscuit. It's a pretty good comfort smell, in a hot, foody, sort of way

[inurbanus]

In the imp, this smelled like Big Red gum (which I happen to like the smell of), but as soon as I put it on it blossomed into tangy fruit sprinkled with spice. I'm happy to say that the red musk behaved itself. (I can't detect it anywhere in this.)

 

I've been looking for some good spicy scents, and this one definitely qualifies. The cassia is very noticeable, and I wouldn't attempt this one if you have sensitive skin. What I really like about this, though, is the way the mango and the cassia interact with each other -- they come together and form something very vibrant and rich. This reminds me of a pomander -- I could easily see this perfuming someone's house. I know I've said it elsewhere, but I'm really starting to believe that the best scents for me are the ones that keep it simple. While spicy fruit might not seem very groundbreaking, the masterful way this is blended ensures its ability to surprise.

 

4/5

[Katherynne]

I am so surprised by how much I like this

It's so smooth and fruity on my skin, with no cinnamony smell. It's mainly citrus and sugar, with a touch of medicine underneath. It fades so FAST though -- this is probably the fastest fade of any BPAL except The Unicorn. I'm disappointed because I really like how it smells on me, even if it is maybe a touch too sweet.

 

I'll enjoy my imp, but it's definitely not a bottle scent. Really nice for summer, though!

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Ah, the Dodo. Living in Oxford, I get enough Alice in Wonderland every week of the summer to last a normal person their lifetime, and am on reasonably good terms with what remains of the original Oxford Dodo, being that I visit it every few months or so. So I have a soft spot in my heart for this particular blend even before I've thought about it.

 

This was on my wishlist, but way down the priorities as a 'heh, this might be fun sometime'. Nothing was jumping out at me until I noticed the mango. Lemon peel is making me a bit tentative, as that tends to amp very sharp on me, but I've been looking for something else with sugar cane and - momma - mango. I love the smell of mango and I'm really hoping it's prominent in this.

 

In the imp: Wow, this is... quite indescribable, but I'll try. It's sweet-ish, but mango and sugar cane juice sweet not sugar sweet. It's fresh, but not heavy on the citrus - it's not fruity but it has a hint of fruit - specifically the mango. It's got what can only be the musk, cassia, sandalwood and agarwood grounding it without making it heavy, musky, musty, woody OR dry. It's really complex and strange and perplexing and wonderful and MAN, I hope I like it on my skin because I'm about ready to keep it based on the imp sniff alone.

 

On the wrist, wet: Mostly, it's that weird not-quite-spice-not-quite-wood-not-quite-musk mix that I'm REALLY liking. This is seeming very appropriate to the character, y'know! Oh man, I love this. Love it love it love it. The lemon peel isn't amping like crazy yet, which is a real plus - wish I was getting a bit more of the mango, that's my only problem with it.

 

Twenty minutes later: Oh god. Oh god. Oh. God.

 

MORE mango! Okay, it's a little sharper now from the lemon peel, but that in no way detracts from this scent. It's discreet but bubbly, not in-your-face but it's got great throw - this is an awesomely happy scent, ranking right up there alongside Shango as something I want to slather myself in and then kick down doors. This. Is. Amazing.

 

Verdict: GIVE ME A BOTTLE. RIGHT NOW.

 

Tl;Dr: Bright, happy mango with sweet fresh sugar cane juice, held in check by playful cassia and agarwood. OMG WOW.

[Brianne]

Oh cassia, you hate me so Always so overwhelming on me! I get red musk also (which is usually also very dominant on me, but in this blend the cassia is winning) and mango. It's an unusual combination - certainly appropriate for The Dodo, and if it weren't for the cassia being the strongest note on me, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more! Mango + red musk is lovely and interesting!

[Indigo78]

This imp caught my eye several times over the last month or so, and I even took it with me on vacation hoping that I'd "get around to it". I had sniffed the vial a number of times, and always caught the Mango first - never any sign of spices. I didn't read the notes list before applying/reviewing, so I really did not know what to expect.

 

Wet, it is lush, vibrant Mango. A few seconds later the warmth of my skin lifts the Cassia stright up to front and center. It is still very sweet with a hint of tartness, but the spice is doing its best to derail those notes. (I should really clarify that I have an aversion to Cinnamon and its cousins as skin scents - so you may want to take this review with a behemoth grain of salt).The drydown is vaugely smoky and potpourri-ish at first. There's faint waxyness, and I don't know if that is because I usually associate cinnamony scents with "room scents", or what. The Pepper and Lemon Rind enter the picture here, and it really does seem as though Cassia might settle down. Alas, she seems aware of my dislike and continues to steal the stage halfheartedly until the blend all but disappears. In spite of all the Cassia drama, I am undecided about this one. Part of me enjoys waiting through the various stages - liek I said, it never smells unpleasant. I just don't know about this one as an everyday scent.

Edited July 13, 2008 by Indig0