Schrodinger's Cat

[steelgossamer]

A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.

I'm hoping that this one gets better with time. I was really excited about it and I'm hoping it's my body chemistry today or something.

in the bottle: sweet, sour, citrusy, nothing like anything else I've smelled before
wet: still sweet, a little citrusy, but kind of soapy.
drydown: uh-oh, really soapy and still sweet but almost sickeningly so

the scent is still going strong 5 hours later and all I can smell is soap. I'm going to give this another shot in a couple days and try it in my oil burner to see if it works there. I love fruity and sweet scents, so hopefully this one works out when I'm less hormone-y.

[sfsassy]

This scent is bright and clean. If you love citrus it's for you.

 

On the bonus side the bottle is soooo cute.

 

Sadly, my skin DRANK this up and it was way too light on me. So it was swapped.

I may try it again later, because sometimes a year down the road I will crave it.

[Miladygrey]

I described this scent to a friend as "neither one thing nor the other"--then paused and burst out laughing. It's apt enough, though. The citrus is the most obvious, especially the grapefruit, but it's somehow still sweet, probably due to the influence of chocolate. Lavender comes out with the drydown, but it's still mingled with the citrus, so it's not the old-lady scent that lavender often becomes on me. The scent as a whole is...clear. Sweet and crisp and clear. I really like it!

[starwild]

Bottle: Kinda like a bolder Cheshire Cat mixed with some Croquet.

 

Wet: OH GOD GETITOFF! It's body odor. Sweaty, disgusting body odor, possibly with cat pee. This doesn't have civet in it, I know, so I have no idea where this is coming from. I washed it off FAST.

 

Could be a hormone thing, but even if it is, I think I prefer Cheshire Cat anyway.

 

ETA: Okay, now it's just sharp grapefruit with a breath of something underneath that, when I amped it, stank to high heaven. It's tamed down quite a bit now that I'm at a different point hormonally. I think it's the combination of the mint and chocolate with the grapefruit that set it off. Not so bad now, but definitely prefer Cheshire Cat.

Edited February 15, 2008 by starwild

[galleywest]

Okay, my first review!

 

Schrodinger's Cat is the most surprising perfume. I didn't order it, it was a frimp. I highly doubt I would have ordered it. There is NO WAY those ingredients sound right for me.

 

Wet: Ugh. Ew. Hmmmm... Definitely grapefruit, but something pungent too. I think it's the reaction of the chocolate peppermint with the citrus.

 

Wet on skin: Grapefruit comes through sharply, as does the tangerine. VERY citrus.

 

Dry on skin: Lovely! It does smell grape-fruity, but not sharp. The pungent smell is gone, and something wonderful has happened with all the ingredients and my body chemistry. It smells light, exactly like what I imagine sugared grapefruit smells like. It's clean and crisp, citrusy but not overly so, with a touch of sweetness without being foody and a touch of perfuminess without being cloying.

 

I'm getting a big bottle of this and am so glad it was included in my order! It's my second-favorite scent so far, and the one I wear to feel sun-shiny and confident. It has great throw, too. Hours after I think it's gone I get a whiff of grapefruit again. This perfume likes me.

 

ETA: As time has gone on and I have gotten a big bottle of this, I like it even more. It's my "signature". I wore it today and was dancing around the house sniffing it. It's such a happy scent!

Edited April 11, 2008 by galleywest

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Tart lime and lavender (which as a combination is distinctly odd)

 

Wet on me – Lavender with sweet citrus lifting it a little

 

Dry on me – Lavender is the main note, initially the blend goes very powdery, but after a few hours it seems to regain a juicy freshness. Occasionally there are hints of the various citrus notes, but on the whole it’s lavender’s show.

 

Overall – I don’t really know what to make of this blend, but I only tend to wear lavender in sleep blends and I don’t think this one falls into that category so I don’t know when I would wear it

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Citrus! Lime and tangerine mostly.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very bright, tart citrus scent. I can smell the lime and tangerine, but there’s also some lingering lavender and the smooth feel that oakmoss gives on me when it’s in a blend.

 

After a little while: After only an hour or so, all that’s left on my skin is the smallest breath of oakmoss. Where did it go???

 

Overall Impressions: This is nice and citrusy at first, but I was hoping more complexity would come out when it dried. Instead, it almost completely disappeared. Too bad…

[tura]

Wee! My first review!

 

I received this as a frimp from another forum member. When I read the description, I didn't know what to think of it. Lavender is usually a nite-time scent for me, and I don't usually love citrus scents as much as I want to. But somehow, I think this will get a lot of wear.

 

In the bottle: Sharp sugar-ey citrus. Almost like country-time lemonade mix, with sugar added. And definitely some grapefruit in there.

 

Wet: Pretty straight-up citrus. I'm still not great at picking out individual notes yet, but this smells like citrus fruits, cut in half, and dipped in sugar sitting on a plate.

 

Dry: I love this! Definitely a springtime or summer scent, but its calmed down quite a bit, and I can definitely smell the lavender now, with wasps of citrus. Didn't get the mint at all, and I get what 'might' be chocolate, but only on occasion.

 

For me, this is a walking in the park, having a picnic, lounging around in nature on a summer day sort of scent.

[hkhm]

imp: citrus, lavender and mint. i can already tell i will be needing a whole bottle of this scent.

 

wet: this is all lime and mint on me, very green, light and pretty. also, this is a very clean scent.

 

dry: the lavender appears again, but it's light, like when the plant is first blooming, the citrus is nice and crisp while the mint is sweet.

 

[theseagrows]

this is an effervescent, bright, sweet citrus. i definitely smell the lime, grapefruit and tangerine. i can't really make out the other notes...it smells pretty straight up citrus on my skin. but it's sweet, not sour- a sugary citrus. it's nice but not really for me, and for some reason it gives me a bit of a headache.

Edited February 29, 2008 by theseagrows

[lostluckkitten]

In the imp, it smells like bubbly citrus with a kick of mint.

 

Wet on skin, wow I really like this. REALLY like it. It's sweetened effervescent citrus with a sprig of mint and… something else that's nice, maybe the lavender in it. It's so happy!

 

On the drydown, it's getting a bit more complex, I think I can smell the earthy oakmoss in the background. This is reminding me of the real mojitos I got in Cancun, with the beach right there next to me. It's very light, but man does it work on my skin. Love it.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Pure citrus for me: lime and grapefruit standing out here-- it's happy and "zingy" and rather cute.

 

On Me

All I'm getting is grapefruit for awhile, as it dries I'm getting something smelling vaguely of Windex, which bothers me.

 

A few hours in, it's back to the limey/grapefruity blend.

 

A few hours after that: it's STILL there, but has mellowed down to something entirely different. I'm still getting a slight citrus hint, but there's a warmth there that wasn't before-- not quite amber, definitely not floral-- I don't know what it is. It's an interesting, bizarre scent.

 

I'm suspecting it's going to smell different on me the next time I wear it: last time I noticed a minty vibe that wasn't really there this time.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, lively limey-citrus with some underlying spicy woods and a hint of something greeny-floral.

 

Wet: Much the same, but spicier. I think that's the chocolate mint - it's very nice and not too much, giving a fresh coolness in addition to the spice. I can tell there are multiple citruses but the lime dominates. Pleasantly, this is not a very sweet blend.

 

Dry: The tangerine and grapefruit emerge as the lime backs down a bit, and that greeny-floral note, which I think is in the geranium family, peeks out. The much beloved oakmoss is shining lightly through as well, providing a nice herbal-earthy foundation. This one's a wrist-sniffer for sure, and is delightfully balanced and intriguing.

 

Summary: Cool, complex, herbal-woody citrus. Bottle buy. After a few hours, the oakmoss takes over on me, but I love oakmoss, and I can smell hints of the other notes, so it's okay. In the extended dry down, it reminds me heavily of 51. It's as if both SC and 51 have the same base, but one has citrus-mint top notes and the other has floral-fruit. They are versions cut from the same cloth, just slightly different shades.

[bryghtrose]

I can definitely smell the lime and tangerine. When it dries, it ends up a powdery mint. Too foody for me.

[iiinterstate]

I don't know what on earth prompted me to order a 5ml of this. Upon reading the notes, my first thought was "ew, what a combination." I guess I couldn't resist something so odd, and to my surprise, the kitty is a masterpiece.

 

In the bottle: Tart "fizzy" citrus scent. I can pick up some of the oakmoss I think.

 

Wet: All grapefruit with a little bitterness. I like that! It makes for a more sophisticated scent in my opinion, and not at all like a B&BW scent I would have liked as a teenager.

 

Dry: Alternating all three citrus scents, and constantly changing. Right now it smells more lime, in the car on the way to work it was all tangerine. I can pick up the peppermint juuuust a little...it doesn't overpower the fruit at all. Every now and then I get a small whiff of chocolate, but it fits in there somehow. I can tell this is something I'll have to re-apply around lunchtime, but I don't mind! Definitely a scent that keeps my nose interested.

 

Verdict: Glad to have a whole bottle of this. I'll use it on days like today (gloomy, snowy, and gray all around) for when I need some kind of a sensory pick-me-up.

Edited March 10, 2008 by iiinterstate

[Jheya]

In the imp: Bright citrus which kind of puts me in mind of Sprite.

 

On skin: The citrus notes aren't so sharp once applied to skin. It's still distinctively citrus, but smoother fruity notes have bloomed beneath, helping to round out the scent.

 

~1 hour: Alas...soap.

 

It's a very pretty smelling soap smell, delicately fruity, but not just fruit... My nose is not good enough to identify the other notes beyond a soft, musky kind of scent.

 

It's lovely, and would be a keeper if not for the soapy association. I guess the cat grew tired of being shut in a box and went to have a bath instead...

 

After 2 hours only a hint of scent remained, and after 4 I can barely tell that I applied a scent at all. A short-ish wear-length, and probably not a keeper due to the soapy tone.

[lisawoj]

The citrus stands out for me in this one, but ultimately I think the notes don't mesh as well as I'd like. Not a blend for me.

[alsatia]

Expectations: Oof. This sounded interesting when I ordered it, but now that I've actually tried a variety of BPAL I have a bad, bad feeling about this. First there's the grapefruit that tends to go all Lemon Pledge on me, then lavender which usually reminds me of toilet paper holders, and peppermint which tends to tingle my skin in an unpleasant way. Plus, what the heck is zdravetz?

 

In vial: Minty citrus. Not too bad.

 

On skin, wet: I spoke too soon. Ew, I'm getting both the grapefruit and lavender problems (lavender more strongly so). I think the amount of peppermint in this is small enough to avoid the tingling though.

 

On skin, dry: After 5 minutes the grapefruit took over, but in another 5 it stepped aside for minty lime. If this continues to morph so much, it will be an excellent representation of that poor cat.

 

After time: It's only been about 15 minutes, so I don't know about long-term strength, but at this point there's great throw. I had my cheek resting on the hand that's near where I applied Midway, and smelled only Schrodinger's Cat. And 2 minutes later, there's less throw, and the scent is about half-fruity, half-floral. After only 20 minutes, the scent has faded considerably, and while still slightly sweet it's getting a more floral/mossy base.

 

Conclusion: I'm glad I tried this if only to learn that I was right about how fabulous lime and mint are together. As for Schrodinger's Cat itself, it hasn't smelled particularly bad other than that initial Pledge/toilet paper holder stage, but I really don't care much for scents that morph considerably. Good thing I already know where this one is headed now that I've rejected it.

[twilighteyes]

Frimped with this from the lab yesterday!!

 

Schrodinger's Cat has been a favorite theory for me since reading the Illuminati series in my teens. I'm one of those geeks that wears shirts that say things like "Schrodinger's Cat is Dead" on one side and "Schrodinger's Cat is not Dead" on the other. The most interesting thing about this model is that it changes if observed!! You wouldn't think observation would have any effect on particles. But anyway, one to the perfume.

 

In the imp, I'm getting the fruits -- lime, grapefruit, maybe some tangerine.

 

On my skin, the lavender immediately comes out for some fruity lavender.

 

As it dries, I'm still getting mostly lavender and fruit with a little bit of mint. This smells almost exactly like my Chaos Theory III bottle! Innnteresting.

 

Lovely and unusual.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Heh, smells like lemon fairy liquid to me.

 

First on:

Bright citrus in a weird combination with soothing lavender – how appropriate!

 

Dry:

After 10 mins, it's harder to define – all I can tell you is that it's calming and buzzing all at once!

 

Another half-hour later, it's faded a lot and gone soapy on me – aww.

 

Finally:

Fun to try! Passing it on to the boyfriend just for the name.

[goth_huntress]

Smelled like lemon Pledge. Yuck

[mooncityminx]

At first the mint/citrus pairing is really really wonderful. I mean, it is perfection, and then...

 

SOAP! Lot's and lots of soap

 

If only I could get the citrus/mint without soap. Cats clean themselves, you know? They don't need soap.

[donnatron]

Imp: This imp sent me into a frenzy about the spelling of Schrodinger (umlaut or no umlaut?) because I had just handed in a monstrous paper ABOUT the thought experiment peppered with umlauts. Luckily, it appears to just be a quirk of the lab and I am not going to be epically failed in my last undergraduate class. Anyway. In this imp this is bright citrus and lavender tempered by the oakmoss. I like the possibilities (hee! You see what I did there!).

 

Wet: The oakmoss dominates and I get some grapefruit in the background. I am not enthusiastic; oakmoss is not my friend.

 

Dry: The oakmoss settles down and I acquire this soft, citrus-lavender scent with a base of oakmoss and the teensiest hint of mint. There's no chocolate, so that note could just be an aspect of the lavender. This is actually a surprisingly refreshing and relaxing scent. I figured on it being a hyperactive scent, but it's sort of languid and sleepy. It smells kind of crisp and businesslike. I could see wearing this to work or to class.

 

Throw: The oakmoss throws quite a bit, mingling with the lavender and citrus nicely.

 

Overall: It's such a clever concept and I am a sucker for the physics-inspired scents. My final exam in the class I handed the paper in for is an oral defense of the paper, and I know what I'll be wearing to buffer me through it.

[savage_rose]

This is predominantly sweet citrus, but the lavender is astringent and who knows what that zdravetz is doing. Not a hint of chocolate, but the mint is a kick.

 

Medicinal candy, or Ricola cough drops. Almost really nice, but just kinda off. It's a shame .

[coldandsleepy]

Hum. I expected this one to morph all over the place on me, but it's about the same in the imp and on me wet or dry.

 

I definitely get the lime, the grapefruit, the tangerine, the lavender, and just a little bit of peppermint. It's got surprisingly little depth for something with so many notes in it. It smells kind of like candied dish soap.

 

Not thrilled with this. It's not even a particularly interesting smell to my nose. Sad.