Shattered

[GemmaCat]

A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms.

OMG, I LOVE this.

In the bottle it's sharp and cold, like frosted glass, or a frozen pond in winter.

On my skin it warms up slightly, releasing the most gentle creamy-mint smell. There's a white undertone; some kind of floral? But very faint. Really what I get from this is just that beautiful, delicate mint smell that makes me smile.

I'm so sad this is a discontinued scent, as I would love a bottle! Edited January 27, 2006 by Shollin

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I got this as a frimp from the lab. I didn't read the description until after I tried it since this was discontinued before I became a BPAL fan. That's a good thing, since otherwise the fact that this has lotus in it would have scared me away.

 

In the imp, I got a soft, sweet fruity-minty smell. I had just been clearing most of the imps I had away, but something made me set this aside. I love the smell of mint, but I've been finding that the mint notes in most things turn kind of odd and headache inducing on me. The fruitiness behind the mint made me want to try it anyway.

 

On my skin, the mint lends this a coolness, but a bright pink grapefruit scent comes out. One of the other reviewers likened the scent to Halls citrus vitamin C drops, and I agree, but it doesn't turn me off completely.

 

Just as I'm deciding that I don't really think I want to smell like vitamin C drops another scent peeks through. It reminds me of Bon Vivant. There's a fruity sweet sparkle to it that I get (and love!)from BV. It's similar to what I get on the drydown of BV, but isn't quite as over the top and sweet. The coolness of the mint, and the slight floral quality I'm picking up, makes this more ladylike. Bon Vivant is an exuberant brash party girl scent, sweet and fun and candy like. Shattered is still bright and sweet and sparkling, but cooler, more subdued. It's more elegant and ladylike. It's beautiful at this stage.

 

Much later, the pink grapefruity scent, and a lot of the sweetness has faded a bit, and I'm left with something cool, watery, and very delicate. It's light and fragile like spun glass, and gorgeous in the same way. That Bon Vivant champagne dry down is still with me too. I'm particularly enjoying this because at no stage is this overwhelming.

 

Even though it has similarities to my beloved BV, this is different enough for me to really enjoy it. I wear BV when I'm going out to dance and party and rock out with my friends. I'd wear Shattered when I'm going to more hmmm... adult parties. When I want to smell pretty and sparkling, but not so brash and outgoing. I'm very sad that this is discontinued, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it may come back some day.

[Skyablaze]

This is my all time favourite BPAL oil that I can wear anywhere and I'd been hoarding my imps of it since its discontinuation. I am understandable ecstatic about its resurrection.

 

The first time I tried this, the mint was very prominent and coupled with the slight sweetness in the scent, reminded me a lot of after dinner mint chocolates. After that first test though, I stopped hallucinating chocolate and Shattered had settled down with my skin chemistry as a pure, soft, sweet scent with a unique freshness from the mint. The background of the mint adds a depth and touch of sadness to what could have turned into something oversweet.

 

Apart from the obvious mint within the scent, it is excellently blended and distinct notes are very difficult to discern. On my skin it doesn't mutate much at all (apart from the one fluke appearance of the chocolate ) but stays soft, sweet and clear.

 

I really do love this scent!

[LittleGreyKitten]

Oh my GOD. This is amazing... I am in total love! The harmony of cool, crisp aromas in this blend rock my world. The mint... the grapefruit... the lotus! All so perfect together in balance. I will never again lament the lack of Queen of Diamonds in my world, as this is similar-but-better. Mint and grapefruit (BPAL style) are the most beautiful summer crisp cold scent ever. I will be drowning myself in the beauty that is Shattered on hot days, for sure.

 

5 out of 5, pleased with the impulse buy of a 5mL.

Edited May 23, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[filigree_shadow]

Mint. Mint that gives me a headache if my nose is too close to it. It smells cool, yes, and I'm sure this is great for some people... but I feel like it's boring into my sinuses like menthol. Not particularly pleasant. *gurgle* 'Fraid this one's for swaps.

 

ETA: After about 2 hours it smells like dryer sheets. An improvement over the menthol-mint thing, but still not my cup-o-tea.

Edited May 23, 2006 by filigree_shadow

[Lycanthrope]

Holy frappin friggin frack.

 

I am a mint fiend. One of my favorite scents from Bath and Body Works was their original Aromatherapy 'Grapefruit Peppermint.' I used it a lot, although I found that their scent was imbalanced, heavy on the grapefruit, which gave me occasional headaches and was a bit cloying.

 

Hey, Shattered! It's cold, cold mint on my skin, and it reminds me of that initial delicious snap of citrus and mint together like the BBW version, but amazingly enough, although there's the tingle of grapefruit, it doesn't crescendo past the mint (if that makes any sense!) Instead, it stays very close to my skin as a very unobtrusive, cooling rind and mint blend. Over time, the citrus asserts itself but it's never overpowering.

 

Longterm drydown, it's a light citrus. Man, this is going to be PERFECT for summer wear and places I can't get away with musks or resins, my usual fare. I'm glad I risked a huge bottle.

 

Note - this is a very light fragrance. I do need to slather to get good mileage. The plus side is it is genuinely cooling. Minty!

[themerrybaker]

I pictured the carnival lemon-and-peppermint-stick thing, and apparently so did my skin, which sucked this baby up like the vortex of doom.

 

 

 

Before I blinked and missed it, there was some subtle lotus. I'm not sure the champagne notes ever made it to the surface.

 

 

 

Shattered is a beautiful scent, but needs to come in buckets because it throws like a t-ball pitcher.

[Rouge]

I'm incredibly pleased with this scent. It's clear and cold and glassy; in short, everything I was hoping R'lyeh was going to be and wasn't. That one unfortunately turned into rotten grapefruit and pond weed as soon as it touched my wrist.

 

In the bottle - Spearmint and grapefruit are the dominant notes. There's a mixture of sweetness and sharpness that I find very appealing.

 

Wet on the skin - More mint, partnering with something aquatic that I can't quite identify. It's a very clear and cold scent - literally, in fact - the mint has a genuine cooling effect on the skin.

 

Dry down - The grapefruit note is the first to vanish, leaving behind clear, green notes and understated florals that sweeten and warm considerably as time goes on.

 

My one disappointment with Shattered is that it doesn't have the dark edge that I'd expect from a scent inspired by heartbreak, so to me the concept and name of the perfume doesn't marry happily with the finished product. This doesn't, however, detract in any way from what's going to become a firm summer favourite.

 

I'll wear this scent when I need waking up! It's like a cool shower, a cold drink and a clean white top when it's sticky and humid outside.

Edited June 2, 2006 by Rouge

[populuxa]

When I open the bottle I am scared. It's stinky. The mint and the grapefruit are in fierce competition to see who can give me a headache first. They come to agreement and decide to play nicely. The notes all dance around: boozy, juicy pink grapefruit, fresh crushed mint, a splash of water, each taking a turn. Very fun. It's refreshingly bright and cooling.

[eviltemptressdq]

Shattered isn't going to get the fairest judgement from me today, as the imp spilled totally all over everything in shipping... so the smell is sort of on everything. But it isn't BAD! just everwhere. hehe.

 

I smell mint... and lotus, I think? lotus really stands out on my skin. I like it! and the hint of mint. Don't smell much else, though?

 

this smell didn't stick around very long on my skin (just on the packing supplies. hehe). I'll give it another go when I get my new one from the Lab (whenever they get to my 4/15 order. sigh)

 

[terrierhead]

Oh, do I adore Shattered. I got imps of three of the resurrected grapefruits in my last order, and Shattered was first on my list to try. To tell you how good they are, Shattered is my second favorite but I'm utterly in love with it. It's a creamy mint with a citrus edge and a slite floral tinge on me. Perfect for the muggy, hot weather we've got right now. I'm trying to restrain myself from buying a big bottle right this instant, but it's not easy.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I'm looking for a good summer grapefruit, now that they've returned, and Cheshire Cat wasn't it. I love the champagne note in Bon Vivant, so I'm hopeful here, but also wary of the lotus. Anyway, Shattered was on my wist list before it was discontinued, so I'm just pleased to finally try it!

 

On me: Whoa, much sweeter than I expected. Lotus always = bubblegum on me, and that's true here as well. The mint is nice, though--truly nose-tingling! Luckily, the lotus appears only in the topnote and then clears; champagne, grapefruit, and aquatics make for a great, cool drydown. I wish the lotus just wasn't in here at all, but everything else works so well that I'll use up the imp, though not get a bottle.

[edenssixthday]

Shattered (pre-discontinued version) - I was expecting Shattered to be a strongly aquatic scent based on what I’d heard about it. However, on my skin, it’s full of sweet, pink grapefruit, the tiniest hint of lotus, and a touch of mint. Sadly, the mint turns this scent into “cat pee” on me, the same way it does in Ultraviolet. If it weren’t for the mint, I think I would be absolutely crazy about this blend. Fortunately, that icky cat pee scent fades significantly after about 20 minutes, although there is still a cat pee after-scent. But when sniffed up close, the top notes are definitely pink grapefruit and something else that’s almost bubble-gum sweet. If it weren’t for that pesky mint, I’d definitely be enjoying it more. As it is, I’m not going to be able to wear this again. It was frimped to me, so I’ll frimp it off to someone else.

[mirutai]

True to its name, Shattered shattered the imp cap when I tried to remove it. Oh, the humanity! Happily, half the precious was able to be saved and decanted into another imp.

 

In the vial, Shattered is all sharp grapefruit and mint - quite piercing. Once on my skin, though, it unfurls into a clean, clear white scent. While wet, the lotus is very prominent, making the blend rather too sweet, but it quickly dies back when dry. I don't get the mint as strongly as some other people seem to have done - on me, white florals and aquatics dominate, although I can smell the mint giving a crisp, sharp edge. Cooling, refined, and excellent for summer!

 

The only problem is that one probably has to bathe in this to get measurable throw/staying power... but it's so good I might be tempted to a 10ml (making Shattered into a vodka spray might also work well). Though I'll have to wait until I've sampled the rest of the grapefruit blends for comparison!

[clovepod]

Wet, the mint comes forward, and it's the exact same mint as in Tulzcha. Yay! I am so happy to find this same mint in the general catalog, as Tulzcha is my all-time favorite hot weather scent. On me, the grapefruit is present, and adds extra refreshment, but is not the top note.

 

After much drying, this warms into a light skin scent, then disappears.

[moon_lemming]

In the bottle as well as on my skin, Shattered smells like lots of mint and a tiny bit of grapefruit, maybe floating in a crystal-clear lake. It's very pretty. I like Juke Joint better as far as mint blends go, but the chilly quality of this makes it stand out from the other grapefruit blends I've tried.

 

I'm not sure if I need a whole bottle; I'll have to see how often it pokes at my brain.

[m13]

Refreshing, icy, wonderful -- in the bottle and wet on my skin all I can come up with for a description is "a big patch of really pissed off mint."

 

Alas, after five minutes on my skin it is totally gone. I reapplied it again mostly for the rush (this really cools my skin) and just to see if a second layer would make it last a bit longer, but nope -- the mint screeches away happily on my skin for five minutes and then runs away. Oh, well. I'll try it in the oil burner. Into the hot, melted wax pool with you fickle mints!

[Rhowan]

In the imp and wet on my skin - WHOA! MINT! That is all. Sure cleared out my sinuses on that first inhale! wow!

 

Drying down and I am beggining to smell the grapefruit - just a tiny tiny amout but I think my nose hairs are totally singed off from the first sniff of the mint.

 

Completely dried down adn now it's not so bad! I am smelling grapefruit floating in a cold cold glass of champagne, a floral boquet of white flowers on the table wtih a sprig of mint on the plate - or something like that.

 

Conclusion: WOW! a little goes a long way but once you get past the initial - burn your nose passage with mint-phase, this is one beautiful scent. At complete dry down I had noticed that it had faded quite a bit. So, okay throw/short wear. I think I will stick with an imp and find out how much I use before ordering a bottle.

[olympia301]

 

Cool, grapefruity, and aquatic, Shattered is just right for summer. It almost makes you pucker with its tart notes. Its drydown is pretty suave, by that I mean it does slide into a somewhat perfumy drydown with is very much in keeping with the opening but less of a crescendo. So that makes Shattered very wearable. If you run into a muggy miserable day like today, Shattered will be your best friend, and a good one to switch between Embalming Fluid and Shattered so you would have some variety.

 

Edited because I kant spel and I just found my new Firefox spellcheck which made my review much less ignorant sounding. *snicker*

Edited July 13, 2006 by olympia301

[Celogrl]

My goodness, I had an instant visceral reaction upon applying this to my skin. It made me remember when I was a young hottie and I used to wear a perfume that was very similar to this. It also makes me think of winter and the cold, which I love! My 51 year old self will probably reach for this quite often, as it just makes me smile. It transports me way back Don't get me wrong, I love my life now, but it helps me remember who I was that went into making me who I am (make sense?). I love the mint and the feel of the cold, cold aquatic in Shattered. This is a perfect scent. Gorgeous stuff!

[smallvoice]

When I first found BPAL and was going through the mass of scents to see what I wanted on my wishlist, I found the description for Shattered, and was so very sad when I discovered that it was discontinued. All the notes sounded so gorgeous and the premise of the scent itself... pretty much stunning.

 

By the time the grapefruit scents were re-released, I was eager to try Shattered still, but I'd found so many others that kept popping up, demanding to be sniffed. I was recently, twice in rapid succession, frimp'ed Shattered, to my great joy!

 

Here's the breakdown: I love this scent. It is everything I hoped it would be, and more. The mint is lovely and chilling- definitely the dominant note for me- the aquatics are very... um, like crystal clear water (I found Sea of Glass to be really floral, so this was a relief- this is the aquatic scent I was hoping for with Sea of Glass), and everything else comes together beautifully. I love that the champagne note is so true- it's not boozy at all.

 

This was not the case with the first imp of Shattered. There was something sort of... sour, maybe? I'm wondering if it's an old one, rather than a recent one. I further think that mint may not age as well as some ingredients do, which makes me want to give Envy another try.

 

So, yeah. Much love for Shattered! When I do get around to getting a bottle (which may not be until next Spring, at this rate!) I'll have to be sure and use it up. I don't think that'll be a problem!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

as with many much-beloved BPAL scents that don't sound like my cuppa, i feel i ought to at least try them...

and that's how i wound up with an imp of Shattered. i do not know if it is from the first run or the second, although i doubt it much matters..

 

impsniff: i know there's more here than mint, but that's all my brain will register.

 

skinsniff, wet: the oil from grapefruit rind and peppermint oil

 

skinsniff, dry: peppermint and grapefruit oils and the waxy smell of Max Factor Pan-Cake makeup...or maybe its the Ultima II foundation smell mixed with the smell of Revlon lipstick. generic overscented cosmetic smells.

 

 

a footnote: i don't like mint, grapefruit or most aquatic notes... and i don't think i like BPAL lotus. so don't judge this scent by my review if you like mint and grapefruit.

[fairy]

Wrigley's Spearmint gum. That's what it smells like in the bottle. You want to drink it up When applied, it has a cool, minty freshness. I really liked this one a lot. A good scent to were when you need a pick me up.

[Voleuse]

Whoof. This is a cool citrus mint on first sniff, refreshing and faintly sweet. It doesn't morph at all on me, though after a while it begins to remind me of tea and bubblegum. The mint stays dominant overall. It's nice, but not something I'd wear as a scent.

[Alchemy21599]

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed b/c mint and grapefruit are two of my favorite notes.

 

In the bottle: grapefruit zest and mint. Very strong.

 

Wet: still strong grapefruit and mint.

 

Dry: after about half an hour the grapefruit and mint calm down and start to mingle with the other notes. Nice, but it didn't knock my socks off.