Hemlock

[PurpleHeather]

This infamous herb has a long, complex history: it has been used in spells of death and destruction, was a principal component in traditional witches' flying ointments, and was the poison used to put the philosopher Socrates to death. We have created a dark, profound herbal blend to personify and honor this wicked little plant.

N.B - really short wear length on this one, so I applied at about 8am & again at 10:30, and now at 1pm it's gone again, hence the notes about 1st/2nd applications. Slightly astringent.

In the bottle: Profoundly green, initially just pine, but with some lemon on second application.

Wet: Still very green, like walking through a pine forest, lemon is still noticeable. Has become less astringent, but is basically the same scent as in the bottle.

Later:After warming up there's a berrylike sweetness behind the greenery. One forum reviewer said this was like walking through a forest & coming across a clearing of flowers. For me it is similar, but like finding patches of strawberry bushes.

Lovely - if this was at all longer lasting it'd be worthy of an 8/9. makes a good change from what I seem to be loving at the moment, i.e. EGM, Velvet, Bastet, Tombstone, all very warm/sweet/spiced scents.

[modillian]

Oh, at first I do not like it. All menthol (eucalyptus?) with a little green herbs and lemon. Strong, very strong. Definitely a deadly scent, I can see it squirting ominously out of the stems, pressed gooey out of the leaves and roots. A vile, grimy ooze with a violent smell. But after five minutes the menthol melts into the green and lemon and is an absolutely delicious minty green candy that will kill me after sucking on it. I thought this would be a much dirtier scent, but as usual I've learned that an enticing, pretty thing that seduces into the abyss is a much craftier beast. The scents mellow and blend more, with shots of acidity, still strong with good throw on the skin, becoming more delectable by the second. Goodness gracious, what a great oil!

 

After twenty minutes, it's sweetened, lightened, lost most of the astringency, but is resolutely a deadly green/ginger. It is riding out on the radiating skin heat like the devil himself. One hell of an oil indeed! At one hour it's grown faint, though, and at three hours it has completely disappeared. I may need to see if it stays longer with more application. What a winner!

[JenM]

In the bottle: sharp evergreen that’s in your face!

 

On the wrist: still evergreen, but with a woody, almost smoky overtone. Fading fast.

 

After an hour: very faded, even with a reapplication. Gone from right wrist. Has turned…is feminine the right word? Soft. Not quite talc-y. I’d like to see if a man’s chemistry keeps it sharp.

 

After 2 hours: How in hell’s name do I describe it? Still evergreen-y, but with maybe a hint of sugar? As if cookies were made out of Christmas, or your winter jammies were packed away with a warm pine bough. Nostalgia is not a scent, or I would claim it’s evergreen and nostalgia. But I’d only wear once a year, and MUST NOT BE A PACK RAT, so one to swap.

 

I’ve read the other reviews, and I don’t get lemon or berries at all. Am I smelling wrong?

[ralenth]

Frimpage from the lab.

 

Wet: Sharp and astringent.

 

Drydown: Still astringent, but also a bit like fresh herbs from my garden.

 

Dry: Honestly, it smells like I crushed pine needles into an herb sachet and liberally doused it with lemon. It is oddly refreshing, if a bit medicinal. I think I might have to retest this one later on.

[MaidenGenevive]

Hemlock

 

In the bottle and when wet, it has a strong green smell that is delightful. It's herb-y, and a little sharp, as if there is some mint. As it dries, the mint note fades and becomes warm, almost subtly spicy. I can't help but think of Christmas when I breathe this scent deeply - it's like a warm house with a fresh Christmas tree. Or, like walking through a dense forest and smelling the trees as they brush against your coat. This also reminds me of fresh herbs, so fresh they are still sprouting from their warm soil - not yet cut.

 

This scent is natural and home-y. It's gender neutral. And, despite it reminding me of Christmas, it really could be any season - considering how it also feels like forest, or fresh herbs on a kitchen windowsill. Mmm. Love it, and I can't wait to test this one on my husband.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

5/4 : I actually didn't care too much for it in the bottle, it came off too minty. But applied, it was love. The only thing keeping it from being a 5 is the mint - which is, fortunately, very subtle. Although, despite my aversion to mint, it does work in this scent - minty like a candy cane or some sharp herbs.

Edited August 29, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[Morrea]

In the imp: rich evergreen, like a fresh Christmas tree

 

Wet on skin: still evergreen, with stong bayberry and hints of mint and lime

 

Dry down: mostly bayberry

 

I can't yet discern between evergreen notes, but I'm inclined to say this is fir or spruce, rather than pine. Between the evergreen and the bayberry, this comes across as very Christmassy. Growing up, we always had a live Xmas tree, and this brings back strong memories of freezing at the local nursery while we tried to find the perfect white pine. Frimpage from the lab, this isn't to my tastes, but I may wear it around Christmas for its nostalgia value.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Dirty sweat and pine. It's like Avowash but mintier! There's a sweetness to it that almost triggers my gag reflex.

 

First on: Almost the same, maybe a bit heavier on the pine. This would be great over the Avowash if you like that scent. I personally can't stand it and hope that sweetness mellows out.

 

Drydown: The sweetness has separated so it's not gag inducing, but it's definitely still the main point on this one. What smells like a mix of cedar & fir is going on in the back, to make an odd candy woods scent.

 

Overall: Just not for me. I can imagine it being heavenly on the right person.

[elphaba]

I was having a hard time getting a good feeling for Hemlock, so I put The Apothecary on one wrist and Hemlock on the other. If the Apothecary is a lovely Mediterranean herb garden near a citrus grove, on a sunny afternoon, then Hemlock might be that garden in the wee hours of the morning, when everything seems a bit darker and more sinister.

 

I honestly didn't expect to like this one as much as I do. Instead of the brighter herbs from Apothecary, this feels like someone cut into the woody part of an evergreen herb. As it dries down, it gets sweeter and sweeter and does a lovely job blending in with the scent of my skin. It doesn't last particularly long (maybe 4 hours) and the throw is minimal, but Hemlock is a great fall-winter herbal, when you want something a bit darker and with more body.

[bryghtrose]

I can't get over the lurid lime green jell-o coloring of this perfume. The scent is to be expected: pine. Thankfully, it's not pine-cleaner pine.

On my skin: Yep, pine.

4 hours (and one shower) later: Still pine.

[zankoku_zen]

At the beginning, it was very much evergreens with a hint of mint. In the wet stage, it started to turn sweeter though. Like a sweet minty Vick's.

 

Overall, it had a very Christmassy feel because of the evergreen/pine notes to it.

[hkhm]

imp: very green. there's a sort of eucalyptus pine scent here.

 

wet: there's a lemony, astringent note here along with the eucalyptus and pine.

 

dry: this dries to smelling like a very juicy herbaceous plant that one has split open the stems of for some medicinal use. unusual but pleasing.

[Allumina]

Almost, but not quite. Herbal but way too sweet. First all eucalyptus, then all pine sap, then some sort of sweet, resiny green thing with pine mixed in.

[Czarina]

This had a very nice pine and herbal scent on me, but only lasted about ten minutes. I have never had a scent disappear on me that fast. Sigh.

 

Love the color in the imp though. Pretty.

Edited November 18, 2007 by Czarina

[mhickle]

In the imp and upon first application, this is very medicinal. As it dries, though, it smells like Christmas trees! It gets a little sweeter, but is basically lovely piney goodness on me. I really like it!

 

Unfortunately, this does not last at all on me. I put it on before leaving for work, and now, just shy of 2.5 hours later, it's pretty much gone. Wish I'd brought the imp with me to reapply!

[Lethran]

Smells exactly like Christmas, as in stuck your nose right in a fresh wreath and sucked it up. Seriously, if you want to smell like an evergreen, this is the way to go.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Herbally and green

 

Wet: Very dark scent, very haunting.

 

Drydown: But also some pine and eucalyptus which is fairly comforting. It's kind of a contradition!

3.0 outta 5

[FandF]

Pine sap.

 

This one stays clean and clear on me and doesn't get very complex or muddy. It's stay bright and kind of boring with the green, pine sap smell. It's perfectly wearable for a pine scent and if you want a crisp scent that is not overpowering, this is a nice choice. And the color is pretty too.

[ranyart]

I was excited to get this as a frimp from the lab; when I started listing scents I wanted to try, I was very excited about piney ones, but haven't had the best track record with them so far so I haven't been following up on all the ones I'd initially wanted. Hemlock, though, works much better on me than scents like The Snow Storm, which was far too sharp for me.

 

In the imp, this smells mostly like reaching out and crushing needles in a holiday wreath. A very strong, pure fir scent. Wet, the fir smell is dominant but there's some lemon as well; I know some people get lemon joy/pine sol at this point, but it manages to be a great citrus and pine combination without smelling like cleaner at all. As it dries, I can smell just a bit of mint and some other "green," herbal scents I can't identify, but the lemon and fir/pine are the dominant notes even when the others come out.

 

I've worn this twice now, and I'm really loving it. The only problem I have is that it doesn't last too long on me - after about 4-5 hours I could barely smell it at all, which is a bit disappointing. If I need a scent just for the evening or on a day when I'm at home and can re-apply, this is an obvious choice, but I love being able to smell nice all day at work and Hemlock just doesn't last quite long enough. I may still buy a bottle, though, because this is an amazing blend on me.

 

Plus, the murky green oil is awesome!

[alaitallon]

When I first sniffed this in the imp, I really didn't think I would like it. It smelled a little TOO green for my tastes and I doubted I would wear it much, if at all. So I decided to "get it out of the way" and give it a real test during the weekend, in case I didn't like it, so I wouldn't have to let all my classmates endure it along with me.

 

HOWEVER, I was proven wrong. After wearing it, it actually really grew on me. Maybe my skin chemistry just works well with it, but I actually enjoy it now. The scent turns into something a bit like a mix of spices and pine. The sort of sharp, green scent I originally smelled is on top, but underlying it is a sweeter, tamer smell. It is admittedly very strong at first, but it seems to die down after a while and leave more of the sweeter scent. And upon reading some of the other reviews, I've identified the scent as a sort of lemony one! Unfortunately, the scent doesn't seem to be lasting very long on me, but your mileage may vary.

 

Rating: 8/10

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Sweet, and green: sugared lime and grassy scents, maybe some pine, possibly a few other things (lily? watercress?-- there's a very juicy moist smell to it, like freshly cut grass, but it's lighter and not quite as bitter).

 

On Me

Still sweet, still limey, but there's something else making its presence known: green tea, perhaps? This is both fresh and light and yet really quirky. I'm not really into "fresh breezy" type scents because they all tend to smell the same to me-- but the lime kick in this is gorgeous and gives it character.

 

After several hours, I can't smell anything, though. Which is a pity, but hey: it's one of those perfumes I can apply throughout the day.

[suki]

in the imp: like pine and pickles. seriously!

 

wet on skin: now it's become more of a pine/herbal shampoo blend.

 

dry down: it's become a lemon/herb mix

 

in all: well, i might use this is spell casting where hemlock plant is called for, but i can't really see wearing this as a fragrance. i'd consider using it as a room scent, however.

[enderfem]

Imp: Ugh. Vick's VapoRub.

 

Wet: Same. Not sure I can stand this enough for a drydown.

 

Drydown: Nope. Had to wash it off, but I'm pretty sure it would have stayed the same.

[savage_rose]

Remember the song about Comet, that camp song? Well, tweaked a bit it still fits...

 

"Hemlock, in the imp it's green

Hemlock, it smells like Listerene..."

 

I think it's an excellent execution of the idea, but I can't imagine every choosing to smell like this.

[crazyredhead17]

In the imp: Piney.

 

Wet: AAAAAAH! PINE!

 

And it spends the next few minutes making my eyes water despite the fact that I'm trying to keep my arm away from my face.

 

As it dries, there's a lemon-y scent. And then a few more minutes pass, and the pine/lemon are blending into an herbal-ness that would be really awesome if it didn't give me a headache.

 

Except there's an aftersniff of BO.

[DARKBEAUTY28]

On me, this scent is like taking a long deep breath of Pine Sol. Very sharp and bitter. But yeah, seriously Pine Sol.