The Dodo

[fairestrocza]

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

In the Imp: Cassia! … and something that is reading as flat - maybe the sandalwood?

Wet on Skin: cassia, but it is definitely being tempered by something; I feel a bit of the cassia burn, but no welts (yet)

While Drying: cassia and … I think it is the agarwood that is coming through… and just a touch of sugar cane. It is a bit more sweet and fruity in the elbows than it is on the wrists. I get a bit of the red musk if I wave my arms around, but not when I sniff my skin.

After a Little While: The cassia is starting to integrate into the other notes. The red musk and sugar cane are helping to sweeten and tame the cassia. My elbows are getting blotchy - I definitely need to be careful where I apply this blend. I prefer the wafting scent to the skin scent. Weird - the skin-close scent is going almost aquatic. Not great. The scent from a few inches away is nice (mainly the cassia/sugar/musk combo), but the rash is increasing. If I am going to battle a rash to wear a sweet cassia blend, I'll go for Egg Moon over this one in a heartbeat.

Later: After an hour or two, the throw decreases significantly. The skin scent is now just a little off - more potpourri than perfume now. (Interesting correlation - the throw is strong while the rash is prominent… as the welts started to fade, so did the scent).

Final Thoughts: Nice in theory, not so nice in reality. The scent isn't terrible, but there is nothing here that is outstanding enough to make me willing to put up with the skin reaction (and general reaction - I got a bit congested and woozy after wearing this).
The Dodo earns a 3/5 for scent, 2.5/5 if you include the skin reaction, on my skin. Edited September 13, 2010 by Rocza

[starfish327]

the dodo starts out as the lovely, head shop-y patchuli like blend on my skin and then settles into a sweet red musky scent. i like both stages extremely well, though i think i'm going to try to layer this with the caterpillar to see if i can hold onto the heavy incense quality that i get when this is wet.

[mxtine]

Smells like Tiger Balm in the imp. On my skin...cloves? It's cassia, which smells like woody cinnamon to me and I amp cinnamon. That's all I can smell, and I smell like craft store and plastic. Where's the red musk? Mango?

 

How funny, I wore MB: Underbed again to re-test and the cassia was so perfect with chocolate and coconut, but cassia in this blend doesn't work with me.

[lahdeedah]

This will be a short review, because this one could practically be single note cassia on my skin. Wet I could smell a hint of red musk, and thought that drying would bring that and some of the other players out from behind. But no. It's all about cassia. The other notes have been stomped to death and are now ghostly vestiges of themselves sadly eating cassia's dust. Luckily I don't get welts from cinnammon or cassia, so no big loss.

[Sabir]

The Dodo is amazing! So far I'm impressed. It starts out pretty strong wet but it's fading slowly over the day. As it fades it kind of turns into a sweet, musky sandalwood.

 

I can tell the red musk is there, but the other elements compliment it and make it something much more complex and interesting. It's faded quite a bit though, and I'd say it's a much stronger note while wet. The sandalwood and agarwood are really grounding. I love the Lab's white sandalwood note, and The Dodo doesn't disappoint. I think it comes out a lot more as it dries. The citrus, fruit, sugar/spice elements add a lightness to the scent. They sort of make it feel a bit playful and oddball (which I'd expect from the Mad Tea Party line).

 

The Dodo has a quirky personality but I think it's fantastic!

[ferocissima]

This is a strange blend.

 

Wet: I love lemon and foody spice notes, and enjoyed the first few seconds of intense cinnamon, which was the only thing I could smell. After a few seconds, a lovely hint of that sugar cane and white sandalwood, two of my favorite BPAL notes, beautifully matched with the cinnamon. An interesting and playful blend. But wait.. oh no, the scent shifts on my skin and I've spent 10 minutes smelling like wet porch furniture and potpourri.

 

Dry: As this dries, the red musk comes out with the agarwood. This has a lot of throw, and weirdly smells quite nice as throw but badly on my skin, where it gets sharp and the mango smells plasticky. Time to wash this off.

Edited February 19, 2011 by ferocissima

[grrrlennyl]

On: Lots and lots of red musk and cassia. Very spicy.

2 hours in: Lots and lots of spicy cassia and some red musk, both notes that don't tend to work for me.

Overall: This didn't make much of an impression on me, which is probably a good thing, since both cassia and red musk tend to smell weird on me.

Edited June 28, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[melrose]

Hello, cassia, my new-found friend - where have you been all my life?

 

I'm in love with this scent - I get a little of the red musk, but the main scent has to be cassia - it loves my skin and I love it!

 

Also, very good lasting power.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: CASSIA, shouted from the rooftops.

Wet: Cassia, thrashingly violent and bitter. Feel the burn. After just a moment, the sugar cane begins to tame it down and I get something like those cinnamon honey sticks I used to love as a kid. A bit of lemon zest is curling round the edge, it's quite nice actually (citrus usually goes wrong on me).

Dry: Actually quite pleasant at this point. My skin is not having an adverse reaction like it does with cinnamon, so I am quite pleased. But what's this? Where did the cassia go? Literally, mid-sniff it was gone. I was quite stunned, considering how overbearing it was at first - for it to ratchet down about seventy notches in half a second like that is a little crazy. But then, we are referring to a Dodo here. I can plainly discern the agarwood and red musk now, it is spicy and clean.

 

Verdict: The first time I smelled this blend back in the spring, I was quite new to BPAL and The Dodo scared the daylights out of me! I did not skin test it then, my heart was too fearstruck. Now that I am more experienced, and know to try EVERYTHING, no matter how awful I think it will be, I gave it a chance. And wow. I genuinely like it! I also learned through this test that cassia may be a good alternative to cinnamon for me, since I can't wear really spicy blends like Bengal without getting red blotches.

[OctoberGwen]

I like and have good experiences with many of the notes here (except for agarwood, which I wouldn't know if it, well, punched me in the nose), so I had high hopes for The Dodo.

 

Unfortunately, on my skin it smells like a restroom in a gas station.

[WidgetAlley]

The Dodo!

 

Imp: Deliciously spicy cassia, sexy red musk, sandalwood, and the faint sweetness of sugarcane and just a drop of fruity mango. Yum yum.

 

Wet: Fruity red musk, soft dry sandalwood, and cassia. Although I can't identify sugarcane or mango specifically in this instance, the whole thing is sweet, spicy, and a little sexy in a tropical/sultry way. I wish the lemon peel would come out a little more but I'm sure it's in there somewhere.

 

Dry: A lightly-spiced fruit and musk blend that comes off as a much gentler, summerier and more versatile version of Mme. Moriarty, Blood Moon, Red Phoenix or any other fruit/red musk blend. I really love it! The toned-down feel makes it appropriate for more situations while still being full of spiced musk and yummy sugar. I'm going to see how much I wear it but this may be a bottle purchase for me.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Cassia, spiced and grainy and bold.

 

On skin: Well, this is a letdown. All I smell is cassia (a variant of cinnamon). Maybe there's a breath of sandalwood, but there's no musk, no fruit -- only cinnamon in all its spicy glory. Not much else I can say!

 

Verdict: Since cinnamon tends to drown out all the other notes in a blend, I shouldn't have been so surprised by what The Dodo became. But it doesn't stop me from feeling rather disappointed that a blend with so many notes could only muster up a single note on my skin. And it's not even my favourite. Pass.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Woodiness (not distinct enough to tell if it's sandalwood, agarwood or cassia) and lemon peel, maybe a touch of sweet musk.

 

On skin, wet: Mostly the woody note, and just a hint of lemon peel.

 

On skin, dry: Where did you go, perfume? I can sort of smell a faint remnant of the woodiness, but only with my nose right against my skin.

 

After an hour: I think maybe the woodiness was in fact both cassia AND either the sandalwood or agarwood, and the whateverwood has since disappeared entirely, because now when I put my nose against my skin I can definitely smell cassia. It's SO faint, though.

Edited March 31, 2012 by lohengrin

[velvet]

red musk and wood. tickles the back of my throat. i think the mango is making it smell medicinal. the wet stage started ok. now its just.. bleah. now im getting a headshoppy vibe. which is better, but still headache inducing. i need to wash it off....

[milo]

Lots of red musk and fruits, a combination that is not my favourite. This kind of reminds me of Hollywood Babylon, only with mango instead of strawberry. This dries down to a dusty red musk. Not for me.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Spicy musk with a splash of lemon juice.

 

Drydown: Subdued red musk, sandalwood, and cassia mainly. It sounds like it would belong in the angry-spicy category but there’s a bit of a lemony tropical vibe in there too brightening it up. It smells half like a new age shop and half like a scented candle store when its summer candles are on display.

 

Dry: Cinnamon tea over a base of surprisingly soft red musk. Becomes softer and less spicy over time.

 

 

 

This one really surprised me! I wasn't sure what to expect from this grouping of notes, but for some reason I thought it would either be more fruity or the red musk would amp like crazy and ruin it. Instead, I got a lovely spicy woody familiar-ish scent made unique and intriguing by the slightest hint of tart juice. This is the first blend I've come across that I can say I really enjoy the red musk in. Well done.

 

9 out of 10 bones

Edited November 5, 2013 by BoneBone24

[dreamingjune]

This is just such an interesting blend. In the imp I am picking up mostly woods and a bit of musk. However, on the skin this is a lovely blast of cassia and mango with a hint of red musk. It is mostly a fresh and sweet blend, with just enough of the spice and musk to keep it grounded. Eventually the mango chills out a little bit and I am left with more of a clean wood blend with still a touch of sweetness, spice, and musk. Not an everyday scent for me, but this is really one of the most unique bpal blends I have experienced.

[tziporra]

This was a frimp from the lab. Because I know that none of the Mad Tea Party scents have ever worked on me, and therefore none ever ever will.

 

Especially this one! Red Musk?!? Isn't that the note that ruins all those really popular bpals for me (Smut, Lips Full of Lust and Laughter, I am looking at you)? And sugar! I can't wear sugar!

 

So goodness knows what possessed me to try this.

 

Wet, it is a dead on ringer for the spicy linament smell of the treatment rooms in an acupuncture clinic I used to work in. I think it is the lemon and cassia that are combining to evoke that scent memory for me. I look back on that time with fond regret, so the association is lovely and bittersweet.

 

Then the mango comes out. And I must amp mango, because while I'm not seeing a lot of other MANGO comments in this review section, this is now like some kind of trail mix with cinnamon spiced nuts, mango and citrus (sandalwood is contributing the nuttiness, but it's not going peanut butter on me). Although I don't associate mango with cooked fruit, the warm spiciness of this definitely doesn't read as fresh mango.

 

The musk is well behaved, never veering into plastic doll territory, just adding to the overall warm deliciousness of the blend. And I can't detect the sugar as a separate note at all. Dry, it still has the medicinal edge I am reading as citrusy, but much softer and it blends nicely with the rest of the scents.

 

I am the type who wants my fruit scents to read as _really_ perfumey (and it helps if I also want to eat my arm), and this isn't. On my skin it stays nicely away from screaming headshop, but it is definitely in that direction. In other words, I think this is a lovely scent, and I'm happy to find a one in this line that isn't just washitoffrightnowplease, but I'm probably not going to need a bottle.

 

So glad I tried it though, I may have to explore MOAR mango!!

 

Tzi

Edited March 28, 2013 by tziporra

[ajansuz]

This was a lab frimp. It was both intriguing and frustrating.

 

In the imp was the promise of cassia and strong wood with the problematic touch of lemon. Lemon scents rarely work well on me. I always wind up smelling like a love child of Dawn dish detergent and Lemon Pledge. Nonetheless, I'm committed to trying every BPAL that comes my way, so I put it on.

 

Wet it hurt and stung. My skin at the crook of my arms had an adverse reaction to the cassia and made two big welts. Yet the scent virtually disappeared. Literally within a minute of putting this on, it was completely gone. Nothing at my wrists, nothing at my arms except the uncomfortable burning.

 

I can't tell you what it smelled like when dry. My skin ate it whole and got indigestion. Clearly not a blend for me.

[Teaker]

This is my favorite of all of the Mad Tea Party scents I've tried. I find most of them a bit too weird for everyday wear- fun to sniff, but not to go out in public with. But the Dodo is really quite nice!

When I first put it on it's heavy on the red musk and spice- it's actually very reminiscent of Snake Oil, but much gentler.

When it dries it reminds me of apple cinnamon tea- a light, fruity sweetness with a touch of warm spice. The red musk gives it a bit of "oomph" but it's just a warm, sweet skin smell.

It had decent throw for a couple hours before I could only smell it by pressing my nose to skin. But this is a really nice fall scent that I wouldn't mind re-applying throughout the day.

[Deliciousness]

I find this blend is extremely variable and changing. It's constantly morphing into something slightly different than it was when you last smelled it.

 

The Dodo starts off very cinnamon-y. It's like I have a single note of Red-Hots on my skin - but without any skin burn.

 

After a few minutes, I find the cinnamon dies down and the red musk comes forward. Then, after a little more time, the lemon starts to come out, along with the other fruits. I find that this is almost like apple/orange blossom. It has characteristics of the fruit, but without being too fruity, it's very much a sweet juicy floral. Weird right? But it smells divine!

 

After a few more minutes, the fruitiness subsides a bit and starts to mingles with the slightly cinnamon spiced red musk. This may not sound like the best description, but it really does smell quite nice. The ending of this fragrance is a lightly spiced, musk-y citrus. For some reason, this blend is reminiscent of Coral Snake at the very end of wear (prior to fading away). I'm not too sure what components are making me think of the similarities, perhaps the red musk and lemon peel combo?

 

While I do enjoy The Dodo, he's very fickle and ever changing. By the time The Dodo decides on his scent personality, he starts to fade away. I do think this is a fun little scent, but it's not on my bottle list, as I already have a bottle of Coral Snake, which smells similar to my nose.

[ResinManiac]

I've found what makes red musk wearable, sweetness, tons and tons of sweetness! The Dodo has banished all my red musk fears and taught me something in the process. Oh and it's nice and fruity too.

[theredkilt]

I don'ty know why but the Dodo ends up smelling like Imp or Depraved on my skin, and there's no peach note listed.

[Veronica]

Smells like a red hot candy on me--spicy and sugary. Gross.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Musky wood.

 

Wet on my skin: This does not start off very good on my skin, despite having several notes that normally work well on me. Musty, musky, and oddly like cinnamon bark.

 

Dry: It had potential, and it's not awful, but it's not really something I think I will wear. I like most of the notes in this individually, but they're just not working well in combination on my skin. I think it might be the mango that's taking this from spicy-musky to musty-sweet, and it just isn't doing it for me. I can detect all of the notes, and the agarwood, sandalwood, and red musk give this a very nice base. The cassia is, I think, what's giving it the decidedly cinnamony quality. Overall, it smells like dusty potpourri on me. Not unpleasant, but not something I will wear again.