Hemlock

[luxuria]

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.

In the imp..herbal strong pine and some candied citrus. Kinda reminds me of a manly version of my beloved Belladonna without the enduring traits.

On my skin...a breath of pine air freshener in a very, very, very VERY dusty attic. Ugh, this is gross, my skin totally mangled this one.

I'm definitely giving this one to my friend! I didn't like it too much in the imp but man, it was horrid on my skin.

[cormeretrix]

in the imp, it's green green GREEN. and sharp.

 

on, it's still green and sharp, but after a while, it's sweet, too. like green sugar. (yep, i'm a weirdo.)

 

i like it, it's a very clean scent, but it's just not me.

[Rosaleen Dhu]

Yep, green. Green with an icepick to my temple.

 

This is the first one I had to wash off because it started to give me a headache.

 

Far too sharp/ herbal for me.

[Phaedra]

This smells woodsy at first with a hint of cool menthol- almost like a breeze. There's also a bit of pine. This is a very light, crisp and clean herbal smell. I was expecting a deeper, darker wood smell. This one is nice but still not the perfect woodsy scent that I'm hunting for. I think some people would really like this in springtime and it would probably work well on men too.

Edited April 17, 2005 by Phaedra

[Eris]

Somehow I never reviewed this. Anyway, I detected a lot of the elements already described. For me, it was sort of like the medicinal smell of Laudanum combined with a green, herbal base. So, whowever made the Vicks comparison was pretty right-on. Unfortunately, it was all too sharp and strong for me. Not my thing. Off to swap.

[tinyvulture]

In the bottle it smells like pine or some kind of men’s aftershave. When I apply it, it’s invigorating and clean in a Noxema kind of way (I like how Noxema smells). Astringent herbs and a hint of sweet lemon. As it dries, it becomes less herbal and the lemony freshness intensifies. When I sniff my wrists, I feel energized.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Pungent, green, strong and I'm mostly getting a eucalyptus smell.

 

On me:

It's settled down quite a bit on my skin, but the smell is still very green and fresh. It smells like eucalyptus mostly, with touches of pine and a tiny tiny little hint of mint. As it is on me longer, there is something warm in the background that I can't identify, it's not a green smell, and it ends up making this less "fresh" smelling than I had hoped for.

 

Final note:

This smells a little more masculine/cologne-y to me than I imagined it would have. I think it would smell great on a guy, but it's definitely not for me, though I don't dislike it by any means. A nice scent either way

[girlmadasbirds]

on skin, wet: OMG, pine! super pine!

on drydown: the pine mellows and i get a fresh "green" scent. hmm. this is kinda nice, but just not me. i think it would smell good on a guy.

[darkling]

I was mesmerized by Hemlock because it is the only scent I have ever tried that is green. A bright, toxic green.

 

In the vial, I got the Vicks Vapo Rub.

 

On my skin, I got a bit of something herbal along with the continued Vicks Vapo Rub. This scent remained largely artifical on my skin. It smelled like something unnatural and manufactured.

 

Hemlock is not for me.

[Blood onmy hands]

For about a half hour on my skin, hemlock smells exactly like burning dried sage leaves. But I decided to wait out that bad smell in the hopes that it would change into something wonderful. It doesn't. Oddly, it morphs into a weird bubblegum scent on me. You know those long powdery strips of bubble tape that you get in those plastic tape measurer containers? That is exactly what hemlock smells like on me - powdery bubblegum with an extra dusting of baby powder. No thanks.

Edited June 2, 2010 by Little Bird

[joseybird]

Bayberry!! Yes...this smells like the YC Bayberry candle Hemlock has a gentle herbal sweetness to it; it's a LOT nicer and milder than Belladonna to my nose, and yet I can't imagine using this as a perfume. Rather, it would be a gorgeous room scent or even linen spray

[nineveh]

This is an unusual scent. I don't know what actual hemlock smells like, but this one starts off like a christmas tree. This smells like what I imagine the coniferous tree hemlock (tsuga) would smell like, not the poisonous herb hemlock (conium maculatum). It smells sticky and evergreen and slightly sugary.

 

After a while, it fades into a sort of herbal lemon candy, which is pleasant, but I don't think suits me as a perfume. It would probably make a wonderful holiday room scent, however. I'm glad that I was able to try this, thanks to a very generous swapper.

[olympia301]

 

Pine.

 

OK, there's a bit of wood in there but my original assessment still stands: pine.

 

Maybe there is some lemon lurking under the branches, or that might be a lime (I hope it is), but for the third time: pine.

 

I'm getting a bit of a florally type of smell hanging around in the background, like one of those "Little Trees" air fresheners, except this time it's the flower freshener hung up in the forest near the "Big Trees", and they smell like: pine.

 

I don't smell booze,

and I don't smell wine,

I smell one thing,

and that is pine!!!!

 

Which is fine..........if you like pine.

[FireInCairo]

This scent is very herbaly and green. I think that I sense a bit of lemon verbena here too. It is rather odd I must say. I definately brings the word "poison" to fruition. It is rather charming though. I enjoy wearing it out and about in the sunshine. It's cool and fresh. Reminds me of sunshine...

[Witch's Dagger]

Hemlock

 

This was a gift from Rheliwen. Thanks!

 

Preconceived notions: bright and poisonous

 

In the vial: Green and herbal - very nice!

 

On me:

Mistletoe with rosemary and/or eucalyptus - they’re nearly impossible for me to tell apart, but eucalyptus is slightly cooler and mintier, while rosemary is slightly warmer and spicier... I think this is rosemary.

 

In 5 minutes:

It’s already different. It’s much lighter. I think I’m getting some lemon, perhaps, with less mistletoe/pine and more rosemary/eucalyptus.

 

In 15 minutes:

Now I’m getting some white musk, along with the citrus and greenery. This is really sexy - what Ice Queen could have been if she hadn’t been so sweet.

 

In 30 minutes:

About the same, but it’s becoming very faint. I have been sweating, though, so maybe that’s why it’s fading so fast.

 

Overall:

I really like this, but I’m going to try it again to see if it really fades that fast. If it does, I may need to pass it on.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Water. Cool, crisp water.

 

Just On: Piney, but not pine. Evergreen something.

 

An hour or two later: Oh yes, this is evergreen. Not thinking pine though.

 

Around 6 hours: It's quite faded, but still an evergreen scent.

 

12 hours: Nothing left at this point.

 

Overall: This is a really interesting scent. At first, I could have sworn it was aquatic, but it was evergreen after it had time to be on my skin. It faded faster than many BPALs on me.

 

After reading other reviews: I didn't get any citrus, or Vick's Vapo Rub out of this at all. It stays very green all the short while it lasts on me.

[donsixgun]

Green! Astringent! It went on strong, and stayed that way for some time...as it dried, it got more herbal, and 'clean' smelling, and I did get a hint of what someone above called 'lime lollipops.' A good scent, but certainly not for me.

[eclecticaurora]

Hemlock to me smelled of pine needles and lemon verbena. Both on my skin and in the imp - I'm in love with the smell - if I could smell like this every day I would! In fact, I may have to...hmmm...Beautiful scent, especially if you like "green" ones!

[Ancientgirl]

Bottle: Green, green, very green. I can definitely see this as a gender neutral scent.

Just on: Piney, a little bit lemony, and slightly herbal. It starts out rather intense, but not too heady for summer time. The herbal quality reminds me of Ricola cough drops. but not in a bad way. Possibly it's the eucalyptus undertone someone mentioned. I have no clue what actual hemlock should smell like, but this seems to evoke the right image: it feels both organic and toxic.

One hour later: The scent morphed into a sweet, subtle, slightly lemony scent.

Two hours later: It's gone! At least I won't be anxious about over-applying it (as one of the allergy prone, I worry about that a lot).

A good scent, for when I'm in the mood.

Ancientgirl

[JazzieCazzie]

Ordered as an imp based on the notes. Happily, also received it as a frimp and as an extra in a swap so I am set for awhile.

 

BOTTLE: First of all, can I say how much I LOVE this color??? In the bottle, it smells, if there is such thing, like juicy grasses.

 

WET: It is so green and sweet and spicy! I can't stop sniffing my wrists.

 

DRYDOWN: I'm not quite sure how Beth does this, but she manages to make this juicy without being fruity. It's kind of mind boggling ... I guess it's like what wheatgrass juice or something would smell like ... it's fascinating and wonderful!

 

On a scale of 1-5, I give it a high 4. I probably wouldn't buy a big bottle but I wouldn't kick it out of bed either

[Cagedflame]

CagedFlame: Hemlock is a bright poisonous looking green. This ought to be interesting.

moukin: I'm curious about that one.

CagedFlame: Definitely pine. and other stuff I can't yet identify.

CagedFlame: Some sort of spice... and a berry?

moukin: nope....won't try it then.

moukin: pine somehow always smells like noxema!

CagedFlame: Something warm in it toning down the cold bite of the pine.

moukin: hmm...now that might be okay

CagedFlame: I'll sniff it again in a bit.

[...]

CagedFlame: Cedar?

moukin: ooh, cedar is good

CagedFlame: It's a little noxemaish, but there's something warm in there too that I can't place. Poss amber?

moukin: hrmm

CagedFlame: That'd be interesting, like all parts of a tree.

CagedFlame: Weird, I only get that slight noxema hint from one spot on my wrist, but i wiped it all the way across and shook it up before applying.

CagedFlame: After the drydown, Hemlock really does smell like woods with a hint of poison, with an occasional waft of berry (though maybe that's just my nearby berry iced tea ).

CagedFlame: And that bright green color just rocks

[Koumori]

In the bottle, I got hit with a very fresh green, almost medicinal scent with a strong pine resonance. On me, the medicinal quality disappeared and it quickly developed into a complex green with a suggestion of cool lime; shadows under tall trees. Dried down very soft and faint.

[madelf]

I suspect that somewhere in my problems with this oil is karma for killing yet another plant.

 

In the imp: Green, sharp, pungent herbs. It's very evocative of the lab's description!

 

On, it's a biting herbal blend, very fresh but a little medicinal on me. There's something piney in there, but forest pine, not cleaning fluid pine.

 

This was very strong, and lingered for a very long time. I eventually had to wash it off after twenty-six hours.

 

I couldn't enjoy this scent, since I felt like the spirit of my most recent dead plant was taunting me from beyond. However, my friend with the green thumb adored it and is giving it a good home.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - I got a frimp of this in both of my recent lab orders. Thinking the lab was trying to tell me something, I decided to move it to the top of my review pile.

 

Wet - very herbal: pine,eucalyptus, mint, possibly rosemary, and something sweet.

 

Dry - as it dries it becomes citrusy, probably lemon. The eucylyptus fades and it is a sweet lemony pine blend, with a touch of mint. Nice enough, but not really for me. However my son, age 8, loves this, and has claimed my imp for his own.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2 .

(although I need to note that my son said I can't possibly give this a rating lower than a 4.)

[sookster]

hemlock.....wow....i thought this would belong in a single note after applying it but it just gets better and better .... this would be a phenomenal winter scent ... sweet, medicinal, vapory....not for the faint of heart but i find this positively astounding.....

 

i get that comforting "vick's vap-o-rub" scent as well but not overbearing......

spice is there as well....

i get a tad of some other "green" that i can't quite pick up on.....not to worry though....

 

this is going to be on my next bpal order.....perfect for cold autumn days and blustery winter nights...positively divine...

 

 

thanks Beth!!!