Croquet

[Magycmyste]

We have some trouble managing our flamingos, too. Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk.

 

In the imp: Bubblegum sweet and fruity, but with a weird edge - I think from the sage and patchouli. It gives it a tinge of rubbing alcohol

Wet on skin: Still fruity bubblegum.

Dried down: grapefruit and lime close to the skin, but sage and patchouli scent the air a bit.

Throw: Only a little bit, the herbally sage with a whiff of patchouli. It's pretty, though.

Verdict: *** I don't dislike this scent, but it's a little too disjointed for my tastes. I think I'll pass on this one.

[lunabee34]

My daughter smells: candy, lime, roses, sage, grapefruit; she really like this

 

My husband smells: no. Just no. (which ultimately rules the day in the house as I don’t want to make him sick)

 

I smell: candy in the imp; then as I put it on, I smell roses, grape chewing gum, lime, and grapefruit. It smells like some perfume I’ve smelled before, and it dries sweet. Something about it is off-putting to me. This goes off to swaps.

[Teaker]

Kind of light and clean smelling. It has a warmth to it which surprised me, it must be the sage/bergamot/musk. It doesn't really scream of citrus, they are just the top notes overlaying this warm base. It's very soapy and I couldn't figure out why until I noticed there was rose in here. Rose turns to soap on me without fail. But this is such a beautiful soap smell that I almost don't mind! The musk gives it just a touch of a manly edge, so it basically smells like clean sexy man! If the lab is taking votes for new scents to make into soaps, I vote for Croquet! I'd buy a few bars.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: PINK! Pink citrus, pink fruit, pink floral & pink musk held together with a little sage, woods & patchouli (which also all smell a little "pink"). I usually can't stand patchouli (I don't like it & it doesn't like me either), but it seems quite nice in here! It smells chaotic, but in a fun way - very much appropriate for a game of croquet in Wonderland!

Wet on skin: Mostly pink citrus & nectarine with a little bit of sagey, woody musk & only the *tiniest* dab of patchouli. A very light & bright feeling smell, but grounded slightly by the musk, patchouli & sage.

Dry on skin: The patchouli is a little stronger, but still not enough to be concerning. The main note I'm getting now is NECTARINE! The other notes have mostly faded into the background, but the musk, sage & patchouli are just strong enough to keep it smelling like a sweet perfume, instead of just a fresh nectarine. So yummy!

After a few hours: Sweet, musky nectarine, with a mild pink citrusy edge & a very faint hint of woody patchouli.

Verdict: This starts off completely bright & crazy, then fades to an almost-sane, sweet & fruity musk. Odd & certainly not an everyday perfume for me, but I like it!

[batsy]

In the vial: Fruity! Bright, bubbling fruity not 'fruit punch'. Very much nectarine and lime.

 

On the skin: Still fruit-filled but on the dry down the rose came out to play. Fully dry I got the musk and a bit of bergamot; I don't really smell any patchouli in this. It's a funny, bright scent that makes you feel cheerful.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Bright, sweet, cheerful citrus. Not bubblegum or candy - nothing artificial-smelling here. Just a nice pick-me-up for a gray, gloomy day, with maybe a subtle floral undertone. If the patch, sage, and musk are evident at this stage, my nose isn't sophisticated enough to distinguish them.

 

Wet: WHY have I been having such terrible luck with such promising blends lately??? My very first thought upon application was of this Bath & Body Works Mandarin Orange body lotion/body wash/hand soap set I bought in like 2003 and kept for waaaaaay too long. So soap, but sweet-citrus-scented soap. The real problem here is, it's the kind of soap I can taste in the back of my throat, which bumps an otherwise "hmm, that's kinda unfortunate" scent into "blech!" territory.

 

Dry: The "blech!" factor decreases as the musk and sandalwood move forward, resulting in a kind of intriguing citrus-oriental. Still strong hints of soap, but now it's at least really nice soap. I don't think I'll go for a bottle of this, but the citrus-oriental is interesting, so I might hunt around for a similar concept that works better with my weird skin chemistry.

[Jeni Mullen]

In the imp: Sagey and fruity clean, like how kitchen cleaners without lemon strive to be

Wet on wrist: Still kitchen cleaner, but not astringent. It doesn't hurt my nose at all, but it has an underlying CLEAN scent.

15 minutes later: This reminds me a lot of when I first open the dishwater after I've run it. It's a warm, clean scent. Not getting the creaminess others have gotten.

 

Verdict: This stuff fades fast on me. It's been 20 minutes and my nose has to hit my wrist to write the last part of this review. I actually really like this. It's clean, skin musky, and fruity and seems like it would be great for outdoor, summery stuff but it just fades to nothing on me (like Mouse's Sad and Long Tale or Feeding the Dead does). Shame.

[Rouge]

LUSH. As in, the shop. At first sniff, this smells exactly like passing like a Lush store, but this is no bad thing.

 

Applied to the skin, it's a good deal more fruity and sweet, and in fact reminds me of theTiki scents from a few years back. This blend seems to morph a lot in its early stages, and the creamy, musky undertone is quick to make its presence felt.

 

Overall, a lovely, positive, cheerful, summery blend for garden parties and afternoons in the park.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Bubble gum?

 

Wet on my skin: BRIGHT, effervescent, pink-green-orange LIIIIME grapefruit FLOWERS fruit SPARKLES LIIIIIME rose. It's like a Lisa Frank painting exploded in my brain. (synaesthesia is great sometimes)

 

Dry: Either my skin chemistry is unusual right now, or BPAL knew something I didn't, because this is the second scent tonight that shouldn't have worked on me but does. It's the first grapefruit scent I've tried that hasn't made me smell like dirty cleaning wipes, and I thiiiink that's due to the lime and nectarine offsetting the bitterness of the grapefruit. Or maybe it's the patchouli, which is one of the best notes on my skin and tends to turn things from just-okay to pure awesome on me. This smells like drinking a fruity summery drink while sitting on a porch near the edge of a forest, with a faint whiff of blooming roses carried on the breeze. There's the musk, sage, and patchouli closer to the skin, but the (fairly light) throw is sweet fruits and roses. Thankfully, it settles down quite a bit from the wet stage, because I'm not sure my brain could handle more than a few minutes of the colour-scent combinations there.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Soapy, herbal, and not nearly as sweet or fruity as I thought it would be. Not bubblegum at all.

 

 

Dry: I'm getting mostly wild rose from this, which turns immediately soapy on me. Grapefruit is always iffy on me, and in this it's sharp and bitter and not good. Oh well, can't win them all!

[Veronica]

Ultra sweet lemonade. Not for me, pure sugar and lemon.

[Christina Huizar]

Bubblegum and fruity body lotion from Bath & Body Works. :-) But in the nicest possible way. This is a light, playful, innocent perfume. Would even be great for a child or teen. The fruit is dominant on my skin, but I get some floral too. Very nice! I prefer more sultry scents, so I probably won't be wearing this regularly, but it does smell lovely.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: There is a blast of lime, followed by a bit of rose and sage, and then the musk. But mostly, I smell the pink lime note.

 

Wet: Lime, grapefruit, and rose are the most prominent notes, but it isn't long before the nectarine emerges. I can also smell the sage in the background, which is giving this a clean, spa-like vibe. I can smell the musk, too. Alas, the citrus and nectarine notes are being overtaken by these notes, so that it smells very clean on my skin, and rather (well, I hate to say this term)... soapy. Wahh! I wanted lime and grapefruit! They haven't gone away, but they have been beaten to the background, so that I can only smell them if I stick my nose to my wrist. Otherwise, it's Soapville, Soapkania, and it's starting to give me a headache.

 

Dry: The lime gained strength again, but that sharp soapiness is still really strong, making it like a citrus soap on me, with more soap than citrus.

 

Verdict: Damn you, skin chemistry. These notes clash on my skin. I'll be keeping my imp (because I do that with all things Mad Tea Party), but I can't see myself trying this again in the future, unless I decide to put it in a scent locket (or my skin chemistry drastically changes).

Edited March 22, 2016 by dementia_divine

[freyasfae]

Oh, this one was a pleasant surprise! While I have overall liked the Mad Tea Party collection, I have found them to be a bit too wispy for my tastes, but this has fun pink citruses combined with such a unique combination of things that ground the scent. I think this one will be another to revist in summer.

[RobberBaroness]

In the bottle: Oo, fresh fruit! A little like Alice, but more outdoorsy. I'm a sucker for pink grapefruit, and that's what I'm getting now.

 

Dry: Banana. It's the weirdest thing, but this whole scent has turned to powdery banana. It's almost a candy smell, with some hints of musk. The longer I wear it, the less I like it.

[joopjoop]

I love this one in the imp and wet on the skin - a blast of lime and grapefruit with something just a tiny bit herbal and musky in the background.

 

Sadly, within about 15 minutes, this becomes pink soap on me. Expensive pink soap that reminds me of a nice hotel in Miami Beach and vacation, but soap nonetheless.

 

*Sigh* I really wanted to love this one. Oh well, the search for the perfect grapefruit continues.

[Naomi Kelsey]

Oh god I knew I would love this! A blast of sweet citrus with a pink flavor. It dries down to a creamy sugar with a pink edge that I just love! All the Mad Tea Party scent have been a yes for me. This has a slight High Strung Daisies feel to it, but softer and more creamy.

[whitewhale]

I'm not generally a citrus fan, but something made me want to try this and I'm so glad I do. The citrus is there, but it's tempered out by the more perfume-y elements — and yes, this is a VERY perfume-y blend in the best way possible. There's a sophisticated edge to this with the rose and sage, but the lime and grapefruit keep it extremely fun. It doesn't morph much between wet and dry but stays consistent, with certain elements occasionally peeking out over the others every once in a while but never overshadowing them. This is definitely going to be a full bottle for me.

[Casablanca]

Pink, citrusy, and floral. Very flamingo.

The lime, grapefruit, and nectarine open as expected, but on my skin the rose appears immediately with them, adding a floral fullness. The little bit of sage adds interest. After a few minutes, I smell some lightly bitter bergamot and the start of a cozy, fuzzy musk. Over time the musk grows, standing in stark opposition to the spring energy of the citrus, not blending, but making contrast. I don't smell patchouli when this is wet, but once it has dried, I get a light, earthy dusting of it, not bothersome at all.

Very nice. A win for me.

[roseus]

This started off so sweet it gave me a headache, and ended as very sugared lime-grapefruit combo, with some nectarine. It smells like a generic body spray meant for teens on me. I was so looking forward to this, as I love citrus notes. But I prefer them crisp and zingy. There was no zing here for me unfortunately.

[Coldfire]

Imp: light, happy, clean, citrus-y with a powdery under note
Wet on Me: clean. light white floral, bubbly sparkling happy citrus with no charpness
Drying Down: the citrus is fading to a heady white floral. Kind of swirling under my nose remind me who is in control of my scent experience.
Dry: this is a powder-y tropical floral scent. it kinda reminds me of that old old Avon scent White Hawaiian Ginger.

[achildoftime]

First applied it's all pink, fruity gum. Not bubblegum, but a fruit gum for sure. It's as if the scent is super excited to be out and about and is so happy it just can't help it. After about 10 minutes of unbridled joy, it calms down into a perky, but wearable, pink grapefruit. There is a touch of beramot and nectarine, but it's mostly pink grapefruit. I much prefer it now that it's come down off the sugar high. It gets much more interesting the longer it wears. The musk comes out a bit and the nectarine comes forward more. I really do enjoy this sent, and it is worth sitting through that initial blast of sweetness to me.

[Teamama]

Croquet is magic. Alice probably drank something that smells like this in between swipes at her hedgehog.

 

On my skin, the notes that tumble around like happy puppies in the bottle take turns in the spotlight. At first the musk, bergamot, sage & fruit dominate. Over the next hour, the citrus, bergamot & sage recede. The rose comes forward, the musk softens & lets the patchouli emerge just a little. The nectarine is a major player all throughout. Medium-low throw, super long wear length.

[gloame]

So uplifting! This is a wonderfully whimsical scent. I love it for spring and early summer. Just the sort of scent to wear to get you out of those spring cold snap-blues. Fresh, clean, citrus, bright. Very bright!

 

Where I'd wear this: Early spring, when I'm ready for my first brunch Mimosa

[lady_pandora]

Croquet starts out with a light, cheerful mix of citrus, which then gives way to a "clean" rose note in the throw, while on my skin it smells a little...burnt somehow? It's very faint on me. In any case, once the rose came out, it reminded me a lot of the rose in Fresh and Blooming as a Rose, so I dabbed some of that on my other arm for an impromptu deathmatch. Fresh and Blooming has a lot more throw on me, and the skin scent is nicer, so I think, alas, Croquet will get swapped, but it would be a nice, fresh scent for summer.