The Dodo

[sunny_atlantis]

THE DODO

 

‘In that case,’ said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, ‘I move that the meeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies —’

 

‘Speak English!’ said the Eaglet. ‘I don’t know the meaning of half those long words, and, what’s more, I don’t believe you do either!’ And the Eaglet bent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds tittered audibly.

 

‘What I was going to say,’ said the Dodo in an offended tone, ‘was, that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.’

 

‘What is a Caucus-race?’ said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.

 

‘Why,’ said the Dodo, ‘the best way to explain it is to do it.’ (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)

 

First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, (‘the exact shape doesn’t matter,’ it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no ‘One, two, three, and away,’ but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out ‘The race is over!’ and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, ‘But who has won?’

 

This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, ‘everybody has won, and all must have prizes.’

 

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

 

I had some pretty high expectations for this one, with the sugar cane, lemon peel, and mango, but the cassia is really overpowering.

 

Wet: cinnamon scented plastic, although I can smell a hint of the lemon

 

Dry: Red Hots candy, and it's making a big itchy, red spot on my arm where I tested it.

 

This one is definitely going into the sell pile, and I'm going into the bathroom to wash my arm off.

[loverstreet]

In the Bottle: Basically musk

 

Wet: The Dodo started off with a bit of a muted brown, medicinal smell - lots of musk and some cassia.

 

Dry: See, here's the ingenuity of Beth and the Lab. Sniffing the wrist, its all musk and cassia, but when I wave my hands around (constantly, because that's how I express myself), I get a beautiful whiff of lemon. Never got mango or sandlewood, but the lemon grounded by cinnimony musk lasted several hours. For me, this is a perfect sitting-around-the-house-in-my-pj's-cause-its-spring-break scent.

[edenssixthday]

The Dodo – This scent is really spicy and bitter. The cassia is the strongest note, with a red musk, mango, and woody base. I don’t find it pleasant at all, but I rarely like cassia. After about 10 minutes on my skin, the cassia starts to burn and turn my skin red, even though I applied it just to the back of my hand, where I don’t usually have reactions to oils. I’m afraid based on that alone, I can’t wear it. The throw is strong and I can’t say much about the wear length since I had to wash it off due to the burning.

[Iceblink]

I had to run water over my hand immediately after applying this due to the itching. At that point it was an all-out cassia fest. I didn't wash it off completely, and after a bit I started to get hints of lemon and sandalwood along with the cassia. But the itching is going to keep me from wearing this, unfortunately.

[Medici]

In the imp: Predominantly red musk, dry sandalwood and cassia.

 

Wet: Red musk, slightly spiced, with a touch of lemon. There's something very dry in this blend, which by my assumption is probably the sandalwood, and there's also a little wee something that smells like paste... the sort that kids eat behind their teacher's back the minute attention's directed elsewhere... Not that I'd know anything about that.

 

Drydown: Cassia and red musk, mostly. The red musk in this blend is hogging all the limelight of my precious and elusive mango, though there is a very very very slight hint of that lovely tropical fruit way in the background (wrapped in with the paste.)

 

Verdict: Eh. Not for me, I don't think. Too much paste makes Medici crazy.

[forspecial_plate]

I like The Dodo. For me the cassia dominates for a while, but in the throw I can smell tartness and fruit from the lemon peel and maybe mango. It's true...it smells different up close. The fruit/tartness disappears up close but comes out in the throw, but so faint it's really a teasing note far in the background. After a long while, it balances out and I think some of the other notes are coming out, but nothing that I can really pick out as one particular note. I never did pick up on the red musk or woods. Cassia smells a little dusty to me and it's not one of my favorite notes. However, this is an interesting scent.

[filigree_shadow]

At the very first, all I could smell was cassia. Then it smelled strangely like a mixture of cassia and red licorice. Almost medicinal. It seems like some of the notes in there are fighting to get out, but I don't think anything's going to be able to conquer that cassia. Under the cassia, it smells strange and discordant. I think the combination of red musk and lemon peel is odd, and not in a good way.

 

Don't think this one's going to work for me.

[slave1]

THE DODO

 

In Bottle: Extreme cassia

 

On Skin: Spicy hot cassia… wow. This will open your eyes and even makes my nose burn. Ick, this is a scent I hate right away (sorry Beth!!!). I have never liked cassia and here I know why. It’s just too darn spicy. In this scent it is so overwhelming I can’t even smell the other notes. If I inhale over and over again searching… I do smell something slightly sour, the lemon peel and a something a bit woody… the sandalwood and agarwood. But that’s it. I smell no fruit, no musk and nothing sweet. I need to wash this one off, it doesn’t like me at all. Super strong throw and unsure of wearlength since I’m washing it off.

[xoe]

WOW!!

At first sniff on my wrist, the Dodo is all Cassia... and I'm a bit wary. But within a few minutes it turns into something warm and rich. This is the most expensive-smelling divine aroma I have tried in quite some time. I really wasn't expecting it to be this good. WOW!!

[tindome]

This is a wonderful brown scent with the perfect amont of spice. The cassia didn't amp too much and while I didn't detect the fruit outright there was something adding a little lightness to that kept this from being overwhelmingly heavy. As it dried it reminded me vaugely of rootbeer, go figure.

I little masculine but I like masculine scents.

My intial thought was big bottle, but the scent ended up fading pretty quickly so I might wait and see if I can't get it to last longer if I apply more.

[kmasden]

I really need to figure out more about red musk. I've had the lab's red musk on its own and can really recognize it in general and love it, but i think the cassia isn't doing it for me for some reason. I love cinnamon in general but probably don't understand the difference between cinnamon and cassia because i keep ordering cassia stuff and although i think they are great, they don't work well on me.

 

The dodo to me is like a muted red phoenix/spanked type of blend with a bit o' lemon. Sooo, i say for those who really loved Red Phoenix or Spanked, definately try this one out....also for those that like those blends but maybe found them a bit overpowering, i think this is a muted, cleaner version. It's yum, but not for me this time around!

[supremegoddessofall]

Very spicy! I'm getting more red musk and agarwood than anything else. Very nice. Not really getting the lemon or mango at all.

[maijasu]

Umm, where are the fruit and spice? On my skin, this is very woodsy, with maybe a hint of musk. I actually like cassia, but I'm not getting any here. Something about this just doesn't smell right on me. Swap!

[Blood onmy hands]

I actually love cassia, but sometimes I wish it would stay out of blends. I like it in small doses in foodie blends like Monster Bait: Underbed, but it seems to eat more delicate notes. Delicate notes such as, for example, fruits and woods, lol.

 

I would have loved a blend of tropical mango, sugar, and white sandalwood. The Dodo is just really loud cassia on me though. Actually, the cassia here is strangely bitter and sharp on me, and it's usually sweeter, slightly woodsy, and more pleasant. It's so strong that it gave me a headache when I was testing it, and my wrists got a bit red and itchy.

 

After an hour, I can just pick out hints of a juicy, refreshing mango underneath the crazy cassia. It teases me. It's depressing that the mango never really has a chance to come out in full force. The cassia just smothers it.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: oh my god, it's horrible... red musk and cassia... and leather, and something woody. EEk you should add patchouli and you'd be sure I'd throw up.

 

On my skin: leather and cassia. Lots of leather, some cassia and a hint of sugar cane. I don't like it and the cassia feels uncomfortable on my skin.

 

After a couple of hour: still red musk and the occasional cassia. I don't like it at all. I never had any mango from this... mango would have made the whole experience so much better

 

Verdict: not even trying the imp a second time.

Edited March 27, 2007 by Emma2403

[QueenFae]

Whoa!! Hot spicy cinnamon scent! I could have sworn there was leather in this; it smells just like a cinnamon saddle on me. I guess its the musk I'm noticing; it's very dark and swarthy. The cassia is there in the undertones but it's a note I have to search for.

 

All in all: way too cinnamon for me; I'm usually not big on the hot red scents. But; this is a surprisingly strong and long lasting scent, which I'm sure many will appreciate.

[LiberAmoris]

The Dodo is a much stronger blend at first than I anticipated---loads of red musk and cassia make it feel heavier at first sniff than it ends up at the drydown. As it dries, I catch hints of the lemon, sugar and mango. They definitely temper the blend a bit and make it lighter and sweeter and more free-spirited.

 

I like the way the red musk is backlit here by the other notes, but I don't think this is the best red musk blend for my chemistry. I think it might be the mango that's the culprit---I love the taste of mango but the note has never worked quite right on my skin. But I'm awfully glad to have tried The Dodo, and know just the person to pass my imp on to!

[tamburlaine]

This is a strangely discordant blend that on me smells exactly like new leather or new car smell. Whaaaat?

 

In the bottle: Plasticky cassia with that indescribable musky blend of red musk and sandalwood and a brief whiff of sweetness.

 

On my skin: New car smell + woodsy spice. Very odd. I'm not a big fan, but, granted, my chemistry is a fickle friend of sandalwood's. Eliminate the sandalwood and the red musk takes center stage with the cassia, which on me dries down to a relatively tame and pleasant cinnamon duplicate. Also, I get the mango. Fruity notes always find me. No lemon peel, though, which is too bad, since I think it's fun to mix spice and citrus. After 10 minutes this blend is very nice, but the cassia drowns out a lot of the other notes.

Edited April 4, 2007 by Shollin

[little_galaxie]

This starts out like EGHM on me - yeasty and bubbly, but then turns into pure cassia. I like cassia well enough, so this is a "meh" kind of scent for me.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Dodo

 

In the imp: mmm, cassia! I generally love cassia and don't get burnt by it. This smells like fizzy cassia and lemon, and reminds me of spicy Coca-Cola.

Wet on skin: lemon, cassia and gorgeous ripe mango!

Dry on skin: I like this a lot! It is spicy Corazon/Tweedledum, as I expected. There's a little hint of lemon to it which is light but adds a nice bright tartness. The cassia and mango are the strongest notes, and there's a nice dry woodsy backing to the scent. It reminds me of Taniniver and Al Shairan a little as well, this cassia isn't as foody as Monster Bait Underbed, but more like a dry cinnamon. The mango adds a welcome feeling of juiciness though, sweetened with sugar cane.

After a while: the lemon is gone and the cassia has toned down, and now the mango rules the scent. Sweet and soft and sunny, very juicy, with that extra sweetness provided by the sugar cane. I still smell the woodsy, dry background as well, almost like dry woodsy incense. I don't smell as much of the red musk as I hoped, but it does seem to be there, adding it's depth to the scent, and it does enhance the spice, woods and mixes nicely with the mango (just like in Corazon). It does remind me of Al Shairan with mango instead of peach-there's that 'dry, arid cinnamon scent with a juicy sweet fruit note and something incense like at the back' thing going on.

The scent becomes a redder, drier, spicy version of Kuang Shi over time, a smooth musky mango with a hint of cassia and woods at the back.

The end drydown of this scent is a lovely dry mango incense scent…like mango and woods burning in an incense stick.

Verdict: this is a very unusual but nice scent. the contradiction between fruity fresh sweetness and dry spicy woods is pleasant and fun. At first it is all about cassia and mango, a spiced mango scent. it did remind me slightly of Corazon but without as much musky depth. The musk in here is a little fainter than I hoped. The cassia is a dry, dusty one like in Tanin'iver, it's not as nice as the one in Saw Scaled Viper or Underbed. Eventually the spice merges with the woods and the scent is juicy golden mango on top of dry exotic woods. This is very similar to Al Shairan in fact, but I prefer AS because of it's other spices and incense. For some reason, this isn't grabbing me as much as I hoped. In theory, I adore all the notes here but the scent isn't wowing me as much as I expected. I'm not saying that it is mediocre as this is a fun scent, light hearted but with a dry incense scent to it. But it doesn't have the depth and layers I was expecting and I don't think that mango and cassia sit right together in here. And I wanted more red musk…it's not bad though but I'm not in love.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I like it but prefer other similar scents.

If you like this, try: Tweedledum, Tanin'iver, Kuang Shi, Al Shairan, Monster Bait Underbed

[empi girl]

Wet, I get cassia (which I like), with a hint of the red musk in the back, and perhaps some agarwood.

 

As it dries, the cassia develops for a bit, the musk recedes, and a slightly soapy scent emerges. Not Ivory soap, but the smell of posh soaps. Still, it is soap. The cassia does fade, and the red musk emerges. I love red musk, and this becomes almost a single note on me, except for the lingering soap in the background.

 

Not a keeper, alas.

[ilona]

Yeah, when this is wet, it's almost offensive. A very strong cinnamony plastic.

 

But wait! If you wait a little bit the plastic goes away, and turns a little more earthy and incensy. I never get any sugar or mango - this is not a sweet or fruity blend AT ALL. It's spicy and warm with just a hint of musk.

 

Not a fave, but I'll pull it out every now and again.

[euterpe414]

I have had very good luck with The Dodo I get mainly cassia and mango, and actually have a hard time detecting the lemon, musk and sugar. The mango adds a nice depth and sweetness the the dry cassia. This reminds me most of a dried fruit salad that I make occasionally that is seasoned with lots of dry spices. I really enjoy wearing The Dodo. It definitely lifts my spirits and manages to be springy without being a light and airy scent. It has a medium amount of throw and wears well for around three hours or so. It even withstood me going to the gym for one of those hours, which is a good test, I think.

 

If you like spicy, woodsy + fruit, then you will most likely enjoy The Dodo. It's not my favorite of the Tea Party (it's hard to compete with Alice, The Lion and Eat Me...) but it's a great scent nonetheless.

[cabinwench]

The Dodo:

 

In the bottle: woodsy, spicy, no fruit

 

Wet on skin, amply applied: I've walked into an old-timey shoe repair shop: leather, shoe polish, old wood, mysterious oils. A bit of soap. Leftover cinnamon buns behind the counter.

 

Initially, no fruit.

 

This is not...uninteresting, but so far, not a scent I'd want to wear, not one I'm racing to wash off.

 

We'll see what some more morphing brings.

[moon_lemming]

In the imp, The Dodo is almost ... disturbing. Which is appropriate, since the actual character makes me feel the same way. It's a weird combo of musk and lemon and woods with a cassia kick.

 

On me, it's a lot less complex. Red musk and my skin only rarely work well together. In this case, it's a no go. All I can smell is red musk and cassia. I like cassia very much, but the combination just isn't doing it for me. About ten minutes into testing, a little lemon comes out, but the result is an even stranger scent. Plus the cassia is making my wrist itch. That doesn't really bother me usually, but it kind of tips the scale into "pass" territory.

 

I guess The Dodo and I were not meant to be together. I've had so much luck with the other new scents in this category that it's all good.