Herbert West

[salamandrina]

Of Herbert West, who was my friend in college and in after life, I can speak only with extreme terror. This terror is not due altogether to the sinister manner of his recent disappearance, but was engendered by the whole nature of his life-work, and first gained its acute form more than seventeen years ago, when we were in the third year of our course at the Miskatonic University Medical School in Arkham. While he was with me, the wonder and diabolism of his experiments fascinated me utterly, and I was his closest companion. Now that he is gone and the spell is broken, the actual fear is greater. Memories and possibilities are ever more hideous than realities.

Aftershave, embalming fluid, and splatterings from a panoply of reanimation reagents.

Wow. Am I the first?

Caveat - this was purchased for my husband, and tried on his skin.

Drew's not a prettystink boy. He'll let me scnet him once in a while, especially if I fawn over him, but this made him talk about how good he smelled. He asked for this, because Herbert West is his favorite Lovecraft character, and he just had him written into the second volume of the manga he's working on.

It's a very clean, slightly lemony tea scent. It's cool and masculine, but not overbearing and not cologne-y in the slightest. There's nothing chemically about it, either. Just clean manly goodness.

I might have to get him a bottle of his own...or maybe they'll make some soap - because that would be lovely.

[edenssixthday]

Herbert West- Hmm. This is kind of boring on me. When first applied, it’s bright and smells like lemon verbena and maybe a hint of green (?) tea. As it dries down, it becomes very soft and reminds me of a gentleman’s cologne (wait…maybe that’s part of the scent description? Oh, yes, there it is – not exactly cologne, but “aftershave”!) It’s definitely not something I will find myself wearing again, but I imagine this would be a really nice, every day sort of scent for the average guy. It’s very gentlemanly.

[little_galaxie]

I kinda bought an imp of this out of sheer curiosity, because the description fascinated and frightened me at the same time. Well, there's nothing frightening about this at all, it's a lovely lemon-aloe scent, a bit more sharp than Embalming Fluid was but that's the one it bears the most resemblance to. I'm glad I got to try it, but I won't be buying a big bottle of this.

[forspecial_plate]

I don't have Embalming Fluid any more, so I can't compare side by side. From memory, Herbert West is very similar but has a darker, murky side. There's something a little more husky about this, that reminds me of the deep aquatic of Cthulhu, just a little bit. I could be imagining this, but I seem to be smelling a faint rubbery note, like the seaweed component in Cthulhu. But yeah, like everyone else said, it's a lemony scent with maybe some tea, and I swear there's just a hint of mint in here. Cool and refreshing with a bit of a dark side.

 

I really like it and I keep taking deep sniffs of my wrists....I would probably prefer this to Embalming Fluid or F5, even though they are a lot alike. (F5 is brighter and more cheerful than this) I could see myself switching my F5 for this.

[slave1]

HERBERT WEST

 

In Bottle: Embalming fluid

 

On Skin: This smells like Beth’s Embalming Fluid scent to me right away. Very bright and green with a splash of lemon tea. There is a masculine cologne scent as well and makes the scent a little softer and not as sharp. But still, it’s not my thing… a bit too soapy and masculine for my tastes. It has a very green/yellow tone in feel. Clean and fresh. It also has a very light throw. All in all I’d say it’s a more masculine version of Embalming Fluid. Light throw and short wearlength.

[filigree_shadow]

Smells like lemon, tea, and... um, aftershave. Hee. It really does smell like Embalming Fluid and aftershave. It smells more complex -- maybe there's some sort of wood note in there? It's not as bright as Embalming Fluid, it's a little less intense. I like Embalming Fluid, but I like this one a little bit better.

[supremegoddessofall]

Eww. Not me at all. This is men's aftershave mixed with toothpaste.

[Blood onmy hands]

Herbert West smells just like Embalming Fluid in the imp and on my skin. It has the same smooth coolness from the green tea and the same sweet, crisp lemon.

 

The only difference that I can tell is that this one goes soapy in the drydown from the aftershave and this fades a lot faster than Embalming Fluid. After 15 minutes, I'm left with a bland, light, soap smell on my hands, like I just washed them.

 

I'm pretty meh about this soapy version of Embalming Fluid. The original lasted longer and didn't go soapy on my skin, so I think I'll stick with that one.

[harmonyfb]

Lemon-fresh, with a very masculine musk beneath it. The musk was a little too, well, musky, on me, though I loved sniffing my arm and thinking of what it would smell like on on my husband.

 

After a few hours, it died down to a very sweet lemon. I'm hoping that it'll smell delish on the man, since he's a chemist, and therefore needs a Mad Scientist scent.

 

Verdict: This smells quite like a sweeter, yet more masculine 'Embalming Fluid'.

[Seanan]

This smells like embalming fluid. Literally -- I did some internship work with corpses, and this smells like freshly washed, embalmed corpses.

 

It worries me that I like it this much.

 

Sweet and crisp, like lemon and tea and embalming fluid and comfortable funeral homes just before the dead rise up and eat your brains. I am very pleased indeed.

[PilotKitten]

The crisp, refreshing lemon and pretty white musk of Embalming Fluid is definitely present in Herbert West. The ‘aftershave’ part of this eats the other notes on my skin though. I’m left with a light, masculine soapiness that only lasts for about a half hour.

[LiberAmoris]

Herbert West is like Embalming Fluid after a good hot shower and a shave. I think I'm smelling green tea, citrus, white musk, a smidge of bay rum (?) and a white floral? These are just guesses, but the overall impression is that this smells like a man just out of the shower, standing at the basin shaving. It's pretty yummy, but not something for me. Another score for one of the liberated, perfume-wearin' men in my life.

[Rainclaw]

This is beautiful.. Out of the bottle it smells almost medicinal but once on the skin the sharpness mellows. It still smells mildly medicinal but shifts towards a scent that reminds me oddly enough of my neighbor's hedges... still marvelous.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Embalming Fluid.

 

On the wrist: Embalming Fluid +1.

 

Drydown: Embalming fluid, but mellower, with an aftershave note.

 

Overall: I really enjoy this one, but I think I will finish off my imp of Embalming Fluid and swap this. When my Embalming Fluid is gone, I will replace it with this.

[theseagrows]

this is similar to embalming fluid but with a little something added...musk perhaps? which adds a slight warmth that embalming fluid does not have. i like this one but don't love it.

[Jia_Mekare]

I got this as a frimp in my last order, and the best way I can describe it is:

 

I SMELL LIKE A BOY! A slightly lemony boy, but a boy nonetheless. The aftershave/cologne scent is predominant on me, with a slight hint of citrus.

 

And even though I am a feminine girl who likes skirts and all, I love smelling like a boy!

 

Definite five ml.

[zephyloquy]

Got this as a frimp from the lab. I have come to the realization that citrus tends to smell rather nice on me, and this is no exception. The harshness of the citrus becomes sweeter on my skin and releases a pleasant aroma. I can pick up a bit of the aftershave note that is a bit masculine on me. Perhaps Embalming Fluid would be more appropriate on me? I smeared a bit on DH and I have to say it smelled divine on him. A lovely masculine citrus with a hint of musk. He liked it as well, and he usually is not a fan of scents in general.

[Melle Mel]

I got this as a frimp, and apparently the lab knows what I want more than I do! It reminds me of F5, which I LOVE, but when it dries it's different. I get that rubbery smell that someone had mentioned. It's almost like a pencil eraser.

 

I do love this scent though and I'm pretty sure that I need a bottle! Hm. I wonder what it would smell like on the boy...

[grrrlennyl]

at first: straight-up alcohol with something a bit citrussy and men's cologne.

on: slightly sour, slightly salty, and completely odd.

1 hour later: i wonder if that odd note i'm getting is part of the "aftershave". there's a hint of sweetness to this now, which i wasn't expecting, but it's mostly rather astringent.

5 hours later: aftershave.

6.5 hours later: a faint, fresh, masculine scent.

overall: this is a really interesting scent, but it isn't something i would reach for.

[Lunaratu]

The clean quality of Embalming Fluid made masculine somehow—like into aftershave or some such—that’s my first impression when I sniff this little guy on my wrist. As it dries a wood note comes out in the background but it is still predominantly a masculine Embalming Fluid. I can’t really describe it any more precisely than that. It actually reminds me a tiny bit of Spider in its clean masculine quality. However, I do not do masculine scents since I am very much into the feminine ones, lol. Not for me.

Rating: 2/5

[Lethran]

Oddly floral. A muskier version of embalming fluid, I think. I really like this one. Pleasantly restful after a series of ones I needed to bathe after applying because they stunk too much. It does smell like aftershave and embalming fluid, which for me is a plus. Sexy in a geeky way. It is one of my all time favorites.

[Reaver]

Like 'sggster' above, I was hoping for a lot more from 'Herbert West', especially with the 'aftershave' part of the mix.

 

I got this because of the name. Herbert West is a nasty little worm, blond and striking but rotten to the core. I was expecting Embalming Fluid with a dark, maybe salty dry down.

 

Nope.

 

It's really quite sweet and it's definitely got the embalming fluid tendencies - tea and lemon - but it's not as sparky fresh. It's infact, quite disappointingly flat. It only lasts for about an hour on my skin and even then, you have to sniff hard to get a whiff of it after ten minutes. I prefer my scents to be noticable (at least to myself) because what's the point in wearing them?

 

That said, it's a great pick-me-up scent and makes a fantastic early morning wake up call if you dot it on your temples after a shower. It's close enough to smell, and it lasts a little longer but as long as you don't clash it horribly with a longer lasting scent for the daytime, it's delicious.

 

I'm keeping the imp purely for the hangover cure aspect that I've discovered, maybe even buy a bottle but it's not in the 'next order list' for sure.

 

NB. Had it for four months now and it doesn't get worse, or better with age.

 

ETA: 3.5/5 - It's cute and fresh and smells like green tea but it's short lived. And it's not Herbert West to me.

Edited October 27, 2007 by Reaver

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is clean, and light - there's something lightly lemony there.

 

Wet, this actually smells like the Lab's Embalming Fluid - not at all what I expected! But I love it!

 

Dry, this is subtle and lemon-y - to me, it's just like Embalming Fluid. I will use this, but I don't need to get more.

[aquazoo]

It’s very soft. Mostly aftershave, and I’m not getting anything creepy from it. Yet. And the aftershave part of it is nice, not bad at all.

[Suu4LC]

This is all lemon and aftershave in the imp. A bit cologne-y, I have the feeling this would be better on my boyfriend than on me, but I have to try everything at least once!

 

I lose a bit of the lemon once this hits my skin, but it's a very pleasant slightly citrus aftershave kind of scent. Clean and fresh! Definitely taking this to test out on my boyfriend! I can't wait to smell this on him!

 

Edited to add: Tried this on the bf and it was wonderful! Clean fresh citrus aftershave. I bought him a bottle

Edited May 22, 2008 by Suu4LC