Clémence

[rayvn1]

Patchouli, Kashmiri tea, cardamom, black pepper, carnation, and clove.

Clemence is a spicy, smoky cup of Lapsang Ouchong (sp?) tea for me. Smoky like a campfire roasting a handful of clove and cardamom spices in the embers. Awesome. Very brown with good color and staying power. Feels very exotic Keeeeeper!

Edit to add scent description Edited January 18, 2009 by rayvn1

[GeorgeJr]

So far , this is easily my favorite grind house lady . Just a superb blend of clove & smoky goodness . Really hits all the darker notes I love , patchouli , tea , pepper . It's a really lovely scent if you are into spicy but not sweet things . And I think I can safely say it's unisex too . This is making me want to either start baking or run to the bakery

[MisterShrapnel]

Oh hey, this is AWESOME! What took me so long to try this?! Dark smoky tea (uaagh ) and spicy black pepper/clove. My bottle is still quite fresh so it may change a little, but I really like this! Makes me think of White Rabbit, only Clémence is milk-free and kinda badass. Can't be sure yet, but this may be one of my favorites from the Carnaval! Definitely my kind of scent.

 

ETA hahahah that's three reviews in a row using the "yum" emoticon. Must be good stuff, eh?

Edited February 3, 2009 by MisterShrapnel

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Part cinnamon/Part toilet cleaner – very strange

 

Wet on me – A kind of spiced citrus tea; warm, but bright

 

Dry on me – Candied citrus fruits with warm spices

 

Overall – Lovely; not at all like the description (I’ve no idea where I’m getting citrus notes from), but lovely all the same

 

[tajana]

I thought this could be my signature scent. Tea, spices, and patchouli! But with such high expectations, of course Clémence let me down. She's not bad by any means, but it wasn't the orgasmic experience I was predicting from the listed notes. This is mostly black tea with a hint of citrus, like maybe the tea's got a bergamot element. There's nothing milky or creamy about this, so I don't think of chai. But there are certainly spices, they're just strangely demure... cloves, mainly, with a bit of crushed black pepper, soft carnation, a subtle dash of cardamom. The patchouli acts as a base, but doesn't really take charge. It's a simple scent, and the coolness of the tea balances the spices to make this an all-weather scent rather than one suited specifically to any one season. Nice, but I don't think I'll be needing more than my decant... not that the decant itself will last me for a particularly long time, as I need to slather this one a bit.

[hespera4523]

Got my decant of Clemence today in a lovely swap, from a lovely swapper.

 

"Ooooh," I squeal, and dive for the imp cap like I'm an alcoholic going off the wagon. "Come to me, spicy goodness!"

 

Open imp. Snif. Patchouli. Not just patchouli, but "My name is Pat-Chou-Li beeyotch! Recognize!" The olfactory equivalent of getting a big wet patchouli zerbert blown on your cheek.

 

Withholding judgement, I skin test. It remains the Extra Tasty Crispy Patchouli. Oddly, this smells dead on like the stuff I wore in high school, that I bought at the local headshop and thought was the be all and end all during my hippie/grungy/gothy period. The scent that covered...ahem...a multitude of sins. Nice for nostalgia, but I don't want to go out in public smelling like Woodstock.

 

So I'm testing another imp a few minutes later, and I keep getting a whiff of something strangely lovely. Mind you, I have about four scents on (my boyfriend has suggested using a pen to mark which perfume was where) so I had to do some checking. Not you...not you...jackpot! It is Clemence! The spicy goodness has finally come out to play! Is sharp and bitey and oh so good. It still has patchouli (Recognize!) but the richness of the cardamom and black pepper smooth out the rough edges and make it into something both classy and decadent. This is an attention getter, so take heed.

 

Hespy want bottle! Hespy want bottle now!

[Electrogirl]

Oh. My. God.

 

I bought a bottle on faith, and I'm so glad I did. Must buy backup before the Carnaval leaves town! Why did I have to fall in love with a LE scent...?

 

Wet: Patchouli. Not softly sensual patchouli, this is the olfactory equivalent of whips and leather. Whoa.

 

Dry: Ooooh. Spices and something a bit sweet- the tea perhaps, or maybe the carnation- have come out to soften and balance the patchouli. Yummy! Still a don't-mess-with-me scent, but less overtly aggressive than the wet phase.

 

Verdict: Love. Love love love.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Electrogirl

[hellomoonglow]

In a nursing home, in a patient's room, the smell of old Ben Gay. Maybe generic Ben Gay. If you've worked in healthcare, you know there's a slight difference! Pepper. Kind of reminds me of a box of Christmas ribbon candy - you know when you open the box and you get a full whiff of every flavor? That's what this smells like. Icky-wicky. Not for me.

[asciident]

Wet: Like bad oranges. Maybe the tea and cardamom?

 

First on: Patchouli and pepper.

 

Dry: Stinky yet nondescript. Bleh.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

What the...? This is AMAZING!! I thought it was gonna be all gross patchouli and bitterness from the reviews, but it's not...In fact, it's not harsh or sharp or even remotely dark. It's a smooth creamy chai tea latte with an undercurrent of carnations. I LOVE this, and need a bottle NOW!

 

[WidgetAlley]

Bottle: In the bottle, Clemence is kind of harsh-- she's dark, and smokey, and spiky, with definite overtones of wood and tea and exotic, fiery spice. She smells kinda like an import shop-- not a big, classy, commercial one, but a small, dark, basement import shop, with mysterious wooden masks and chests full of rare resins. I love the smell, but it's kind of an assault on the nose.

 

Wet: On, however, she is a different lady entirely. At first it's nothing but splintered shrapnel-ish black pepper, but after a few seconds the round, warm patchouli comes up to sweeten and soften it, the cardamom and tea emerge, and clarion clove and carnation cut through it all, making it smell like smooth, warm, well-polished wood, old books and spice tea. There's definitely a slightly dry, paperish quality, but it's merely an overtone, a suggestion, not enough to make your eyes water. I completely agree with whoever said Yogi Tea's Classic India Spice. Mmmmm.

 

Dry: Much the same, but if possible a little softer and creamier. Do you ever find one of those perfumes that is just so familiar to you, so much like you in some indefinable way, that you could wear them comfortably in any mood at any time for the rest of your life? Clemence is like that for me, she's the sweet spice and books scent I've been searching for since I got into BPAL. It's like curling up in a corner with a cup of strong tea and reading a book about the Silk Road. Wild and adventurous, but at the same time comforting and homey. Instant

Edited April 15, 2009 by WidgetAlley

[ShadowsDance]

The scent from the bottle has quite a throw, it's spicy patchouli, somewhat musky as well.

 

On my skin I get the scent of a lightly spiced tea from afar. When I smell my skin from closer it's very faded and powdery however. This isn't really working for me..

[pinkusmaximus]

When I first tried Clemence, she was way too heavy on the patchouli for my taste. However, there was something in the background of the scent that made me think I might feel differently once the bottle had aged a bit and the patchouli had mellowed out a little. I pulled the bottle out a few days ago and luckily, I was right! Aging has improved it considerably, on my skin at least.

 

The patchouli is still strong, but wearable for me, even though I amp patchouli like crazy. It's mellowed out and taken a bit of a back seat to the spicy tea notes, making the scent more of a blend than a patchouli scent with some spice in the background, as it was when I first tried it. I won't wear this every day--it's a special occasion scent and way too sexy for daily wear--and I'll have to be careful what time of the month I wear it, I think, since I extra-amp patchouli and musk during RMW. But it's worth keeping when I want something a little darker and spicier than my normal rotation.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

to begin: i hate black pepper. a single speck of it in any food is enough to keep me from eating it. so i've had this for awhile and just... never wanted to put it on my skin. still don't.

once upon a time someone sent me a bouquet of carnations and they smelled enough like black pepper that i couldn't stand to be in the same room with them.

but i love cloves and tea and i love patchouli. cardamom, well, i don't much care for it but when done right it can be ok.

 

but all i get out of this is pepper with pepper and some pepper. *so* very not for me.

[Poenari]

Other than Mme. Moriarty (which I cannot live without) I've puposely avoided trying any other CD scents because I feared getting hooked on more of them. I finally caved, and ordered some decants of a few that I just knew would work on me. Clemence was one of these, and my fears have been realized. She's fabulous!

 

At first application on my wrist, I am getting- not a smackdown, but definitely a detectable hint of patchouli, enough to say "oh hai, patchooli!" but then it is gone. This was immediately followed by the most beautiful spicy clove-y carnation I've smelled in years! This is the kind of carnation I remember from my childhood, when my dad would occasionally give my mom flowers. Carnations were always my favorite flower because of this- they were so spicy and warm smelling, but they just don't smell like that from the florist nowadays. This is a blended clove and carnation all swirled together and I just love it! After about 20 minutes, I get a woodsy teak note coming through, but maybe that's the cardamom and tea.

 

All in all, Clemence is a huge hit and I am now forced to order a bottle!

[Ondine]

I can't believe I haven't already posted a review for this scent. Hhm. Anyway, to me it smells exactly like LUSH's Potion scent. Carnation and spices. It's pretty, but since I have Potion already I don't need to grab a bottle of this.

[angelicruin]

On my skin, patchouli, carnations, and spice. Clove really comes out on the dry down and blends so beautifully with the carnation note.

[obsidienne]

Clemence was a total surprise hit for me. I expected it to be a lighter blend (the tea gave me this idea) with lots of spice, but instead it's this lush, thick and dark carnation/spice/resin blend. YUM. I will be getting 2 bottles of this lady.

 

BTW, in my nose, Clemence is a cousin of Ysabel (minus the rose). Hear that, fellow Ysabel fans?!!

[NoinHime]

Normally I love Carnation but the patchouli and spicy notes in this one are just enough to keep it from being a winner in my book. In the bottle almost all I could smell was the patchouli and spice. When it was wet on me for some odd reason it smelled like cinnamon and leather. As it has dried the patchouli has mostly vanished leaving the spices, pepper and carnation. I'm surprised that I actually like it given how much I hate patchouli but it's not one of my favorites.

[greenranger]

At first, it's all patchouli and pepper.

 

Drying, the tea comes out.

 

I suspect that the carnation and clove are hiding till it has aged just a bit. I put this on about three minutes after I retrieved the box from the mail, so there may be some temperature shock still. It's very promising so far, though.

[arsenicsauce]

wet- mmm, pure clove. Then... something kind of dusty? Almost pencil-shavings? Fortunately that only lasts for a second, and it resolves into a woody spice, like cinnamon bark sticks- in fact it smells just like spiced apple cider without the apple, a tiny bit sweet. It's gooood. I think the patchouli is to blame for the woody, earthen undertone that makes me think bark, and I'm not sure whether to hold the carnation or tea responsible for the sweet note, but it really works- clove is very sour on me usually, it needs something to balance it a little, but the musks in blends I've tried in the past made it too heavy. During drydown the other notes gradually fade, clove is the last to go. This is what I've been looking for in a spice scent, hands-down. It's a great autumn/winter, I'd say, especially for those who like their spices just a little foody but don't want to outright smell like cookies. Throw is low-medium, but it's not something I'd want to over-apply.

[irishelf]

Imp: Clooove, a touch of pepper, and maybe the carnation?

 

Wet: Clove still, but a bit sweeter. I smell cinnamon, oddly enough, though maybe I'm confusing it with cardamom. It's a very dark, spicy scent.

 

Drydown: It's official; I definitely amp clove, and it's giving me a headache. No good.

 

Dry: I left it on for a bit longer, just to see if it morphed, and lo and behold! The clove went away a bit, and I can smell more of the tea and carnation. I think this is still too dark for me, though.

[grnwoodtree]

Ahhh...simply bellisimo...beautiful...perfect little spicy scent that seems to balance perfectly on my skin...finally!!

 

I LOVE this scent...not too sweet, too spicy or too patchouli. It becomes a scent that blends in with my skin so that it seems like it belongs there naturally. Deliciousness, and simplicity in one!

 

(this kind of scent was a hard one to find - and was a frimp from another member on here...lucky me - I think I went through 3 dozen smells to find this.)

[Blithgunde]

Clemence is all lovely tea, carnations, and spices. My dear friend patchouli takes a supporting role (for once) and provides a base for fiery clove and carnation. I can also pick up the cardamon and pepper. It all combines to a delicious spiciness, sexy not foodie.

 

The scent reminds me of the first potpourri I ever bought for myself, when I was about ten. I find I often wear it during the evening and to bed to surround myself with warmth.

 

Yum! I'm in love with Clemence.

[Shollin]

First sniff: From the bottle I just get darkness. Earthy darkness.

 

Wearing: Oh hello spicy. But not burny-spicy, thankfully. I smell rather like the not-sweet version of chai.