Croquet

[Ina Garten Davita]

'Get to your places!' shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder, and people began running about in all directions, tumbling up against each other; however, they got settled down in a minute or two, and the game began. Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life; it was all ridges and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double themselves up and to stand on their hands and feet, to make the arches.

 

The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she had got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it would twist itself round and look up in her face, with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing: and when she had got its head down, and was going to begin again, it was very provoking to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself, and was in the act of crawling away: besides all this, there was generally a ridge or furrow in the way wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to, and, as the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up and walking off to other parts of the ground, Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed.

 

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

 

 

OMG! I totally forgot that I ordered this but I'm overjoyed that I did. I need a bottle of this STAT. I feared that Croquet was going to be a scary fruit scent, but instead it's creamy, citrus-y, warm yet refreshing, sweet and uplifting.

 

The pink lime and pink grapefruit burst forth, kicking the senses into high gear. Sweet bits of nectarine start to peek out lending a creaminess to the citrus burst. The gorgeous sage note from Morella that I adore comes to warm this scent. The undercurrents of patchouli and musk ground this scent from being too bright.

 

I can't stop sniffing my arm and my face looks like this ~~~~>

 

The. Perfect. Spring. Scent.

 

P.S. Please forgive the over use of emoticons, I'm just that flipping happy about this scent.

[edenssixthday]

Croquet - I love this scent! It’s sweet, pink, and juicy. The nectarine, lime and grapefruit are the strongest notes. The patchouli isn’t scary patchouli at all – it just serves to deepen the scent a bit, making it rich and bringing it down to earth. I can barely smell the other notes. This is a really beautiful, sweet and juicy springtime scent. It fades on my skin really quickly, but hopefully it’ll wear gorgeously in a scent locket. While it lasts, the throw is moderate.

[AliBabble]

this is such a happy, fun energetic scent. it's softly fruity and tangy, but not at all overly-citrussy or sharp. the other notes - the rose, sage and bergamot - add interest and balance, so this is not an "all-fruit" blend, at all. it's somewhat herbal too. the patchouli is very soft and subtle, and the musk just lends a sweet haze to the whole thing. i almost wish the initial pink grapefruit and lime tang stuck around longer. they are prominent at first, but soon recede into the overall scent. i end up with something vaguely sweet, but less distinct. still, this is a nice, light, carefree scent, that would be fantastic on a summer morning..

Edited March 17, 2007 by AliBabble

[little_galaxie]

Mmm, this is *such* a lovely scent, and it seems kind of, well, schizophrenic. But I mean that in the best possible way. On one hand you have the mouthwatering citrus fruits, which are bright and sweet, but then that neon-ness fades into the wild rose and woodsy sageness. The musk isn't ornery at all - in fact, I can barely smell it! (I've always though "Ornery Hedgehog Musk" should be an enraged critter forum scent on its own).

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

mmm grapefruit!

 

On me:

Words that come to mind: energetic, uplifting, fun, clean, bright. This is not as fruity as I had imagined it would be, and yet it's everything else I thought it would be. It's very bright and crisp with a slight woody undertone (not woody as in cedar, but I should say woodsy, rather). The lime and grapefruit are very dominant and yet it doesn't become too citrusy here - the nectarine sweetens and smooths this out a little. And the other notes help deepen and "mature" it - it's very clean and nice and complex at the same time.

 

Final note:

Glad I got a bottle of this! I would have loved for that lime to be even stronger, but even without it being super strong, it's such a nice blend!

[Iceblink]

Oh wow. I smell the lime and grapefruit and nectarine! This is so refreshing and citrusy, but not citrusy in an air-freshener way. I assume that's the other notes at work, especially the musk. I can definitely see me reaching for this on a hot, muggy day. A winner!

[Medici]

In the imp: !!!!!! !!!!! !!!! It's a citrus explosion of fizzy pink goodness!

 

Wet: Grapefruit, lime, sweet florals, bergamot... it smells like Barbados... it smells like a cabinet of candy... it smells like... it smells like... *glitches* Damn, this is *really* good.

 

Drydown: It's sweet and fizzy and bubbly but in a non-obnoxious, non-cloying way. The lime and grapefruit are almost lemonade-like without the pucker. It fresh and sweet and very fun, and youthful but not juvenile. Very much a pick-me-up-scent.

 

5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve. Big Bottle, here I come! (Doh. If there were still 10mls in manufacture... I would so be all over one of Croquet. It's really that good.)

Edited March 20, 2007 by Medici

[theseagrows]

this has the ubiquitous mad party feel/scent to it. it's crisp, tart and citrussy with an underlying sweetness. thankfully, i dont smell the patchouli at all! it's very much a light springtime scent, very youthful. something in it sort of turns on me...probably the sage, which will do that at times. i may keep my imp though.

[bristlecone]

I smell lots of lime and grapefruit at first, then a bit of the rose, then something that reminds me of one of the base notes in Peony Moon. (Musk, maybe? I think it was also in my Chaos Theory- while I'm not sure what it is, the scent is distinctive.) This could have been very run-of-the-mill and ordinary ("pink" fruity-floral scents are all the rage in commercial perfumes, after all), but it's not. I think it's my favorite out of my recent order. I only wish it had a tad more throw.

[cecelle]

In the imp - I was hoping for a lot of lime, and I can smell a fair amount of it. Yummy. A warm, fresh citrus.

 

On me: Heartbreak. Sadly, this on me has no staying power whatsoever. The lime and grapefruit disappear within five minutes, leaving a fairly non-descript musky/woody scent that is only detectable if I have my nose against my skin. I had such high hopes for this, but sadly, my body chemistry seems to destroy all that I like while it is in the imp. Sigh.

[filigree_shadow]

Happy and cheerful! This is a great good-mood scent. The grapefruit seems to be most prominent, and I can't seem to pick out any of the other notes until it's dry. Well, even when it's dry I can't pick out notes, but it does smell like something other than just grapefruit. It just gets prettier when it's dry. It has a lovely woodiness.

 

This is the kind of scent I feel like I could wear anywhere and never have to worry about possibly offending anyone -- I feel the same way about Cheshire Cat, and this one belongs in that category too.

 

I think Croquet is a big winner.

[emzebel]

To my nose, both in the bottle and on my skin, Croquet is very rich and spicy, dominated by musk and woody patchouli and bergamont and sage, with a hint of rose - the citrus melange does peek out, but mostly to lighten and brighten, but not as a dominant presense here. I cannot smell specific fruits at all, to be honest - just a nice, fresh overtone.

 

I like this a lot.

[slave1]

CROQUET

 

In Bottle: Fruity florals

 

On Skin: This is so pretty! Delicate and happy, pure spring joy! It is very yummy too… almost like a candy. The lime and grapefruit are tart and give a wonderful zing, and the nectarine is also tart but more juicy and full on fruity. While the fruits are tart, they are also sweet… like a sweetart candy… I love that combination of sweet & sour. The patchouli is very tame and just gives a wonderful woody background note, and the musk is to die for. Soft, velvety and and perfect. The sage and rose are slightly sharp, but the musk and patchouli’s darker feel help even them out. I don’t really smell the bergamot though, which is ok since it usually doesn’t work on me. I also feel like I smell just a slight hint of coconut.. not sure why… I want to make a spray of this, it smells so refreshing and perfect for a spring day playing croquet! Light throw and short wearlength.

[xoe]

AT first I thought this was going to be light and airy. But the patchouli and musk, though subtle really add depth. And the musk stuck around on me for hours and hours.

[supremegoddessofall]

Not as fruity as I was expecting, although the fruit is definitely there. This is a bright scent that is very well blended - every time I sniff my wrist I get something a little different. This is a young woman's scent. I get all of the notes, at different times. Not very musky.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: very fruity. Lime and bergamot jump to my nose first. Sniffing a little more, I get grapefruit! Very pink grapefruit!

 

On my skin: it gets warmer, citrus cream or anything. It's a feel good, energetic scent.

 

After a couple of hours: in the drydown phase, I get lime and grapefruit, plus some sweet delicate rose. Not cloying.

 

Verdict: I don't need one more citrussy scent but if I did, I'd go for Croquet for sure.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the imp this is a burst of fruity citrus scents all mingled together. On my skin, the citrus quickly becomes the clean, dryer sheet reminiscent variety. It's breezy and slightly soapy with that fakely citrus edge. It gets slightly floral on me after a while (breezy floral-citrus dryer sheets), but I never really get the patchouli or musk that other people have mentioned.

 

Croquet is underwhelming and soapy on me

Edited March 27, 2007 by Blood onmy hands

[euterpe414]

I agree that this one feels very much like a Mad Tea Party scent. What exactly that means, I don't know.

 

All of the notes in this are very blended to together to create a fruity-citrus melange when wet on th skin. However, like the previous reviewer, it goes soapy on me after a while. Bah. I have no idea what could be doing this- maybe sage, but usually sage works on me. Anyhow- it turns soapy and fades quickly.

 

I really like the way Croquet smells in the bottle, though, so I am going to keep this for use in my scent locket, where hopefully it won't resemble a dryer sheet!

 

ETA- Today (one day later...) I decided to try Croquet in the locket as a last effort and it is fabulous! It doesn't go soapy at all and retains it's lovely tart-fruit-salad-ness. The sage also adds a great 'edge' to it and I can definitely smell it better in the locket. Definite keeper If this blend goes awry on you, try it in a scent locket because it most likely will work much better there.

Edited March 28, 2007 by euterpe414

[QueenFae]

This is immediately bright, citrusey, uplifting and green. This is a very happy scent . The pink grapefruit and the lime is definitely on top, with the rose close behind. There is an effervescent, white, bubbly undertone of something I can only describe as lightness. I can't smell much of the patchouli, but there is a certain earthy feel to the bottom of this scent.

 

This is very fun and lovely.

[sarada]

I've had this for a week and have been at a loss for how to describe it! I ordered a bottle unsniffed because I love love LOVE sage, and patchouli, and I also like many citrusy fruits. The words "pink lime" are so evocative to me I could scream. I also love flamingoes, going back to an old childhood fixation I had on them, and Alice in Wonderland as well.

 

I thought this might resemble some of the recent Agony/Ecstasy blends with its unusual combination of patcholi, herbs and fruit, as that seems to be a theme that ran through the Inquisition last time.

 

It's definitely got the feel of a Mad Tea Party scent though, most resembling Cheshire Cat because of the grapefruit. There's so much more to this, though -- the soft musk really reminds me of Buck Moon, for example. That soft, musky scent touched with herbs, is oddly comforting, while the bright citrus notes are stimulating and joyful.

 

When I put this on today my DH remarked on my extreme fruitiness and wanted to know what it was. He was also perplexed and fascinated by the idea of "pink lime" and quizzed me about it for some time until I said "Google it!" and had to leave for work.

 

At any rate, this is a spring scent if ever there was a spring scent. Just enough of that soft musky warmth to brace you against the occasional chill breeze and to make the scent last on fickle skin...a squirt of exotic fruit that dances playfully in the warming air...the crush of herbs and faint earthiness to put you in the mind of gardening and frolicking on the lawn. I'm really glad I got a bottle of this, I needed another solid spring scent that sticks to my skin! (Also lovely in the locket, by the way, though it doesn't morph quite as much in there)

[ilona]

This is a near perfect scent. Just the right blend of fruity and floral, and clean enough to border on soapy.

 

It starts out citrusy - I can pick out the grapefruit distinctly. As it dries the musks mellow it out and it turns a little herbal (clean). This actually reminds me of summer more than spring, I'm not sure why. It's gorgeous and uplifting. Love it!

[moon_lemming]

SPOILER ALERT! I love this scent so much I've already ordered a bottle of it.

 

It's even more gorgeous in the imp than I thought it would be -- it's like an explosion of sweet pink citrus tempered by a teensy bit of pink florals.

 

On me, it turns a little bit detergenty at first (that's how my skin interacts with florals, usually), but it soon settles down into a lovely soft pink floral that I think will be perfect for spring. It's sort of similar to the floral in Mouse's etc etc Tale.

 

The best part is that there's about one week out of the month where, if I wear it, I can also smell the pink citrus on my skin. That's probably the time I'll where it the most, honestly. The citrus cuts the floral perfectly.

[damuddymeg]

At first I thought either my nose or my skin had broken. Where was the fruit?? That was what I remembered the notes having... *scratches head, confused*

 

What this becomes is a soft green scent, all sage and musk, clean and slightly sweet. There is a hint of floral, but no citrus or patchouli or overt rose ever manifests for me. Not what I expected, but a gorgeous clean scent all the same.

[storme]

In the imp: whoa, kind of a masculine citrusy musk. and my imp is really lospided at the base, wtf?

 

On me, wet: mm, pale citruses and musk, quite masculine and airy.

 

On me, dry: light airy citruses and musk, not at all bitter. This is a very well-blended scent, and it's hard to pick out any notes, really.

 

Verdict: Odd, but I think a bit too undistinctive for me to keep around. Though the lopsided imp base is curious enough for me to want to hang onto it.

[harmonyfb]

There was only the barest hint of citrus in the imp; on my skin, it went from a pale, slightly lime scent to a very generic perfume. I wasn't impressed.

 

On my teenager, it was crisp and feminine and very pleasant. Go figure.