Lightning

[steffanina]

Lightning-

Lightning slashing the midnight skies over the endless reaches of the ocean. The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain.

 

In Bottle: Strong and citrus-musky; a little like the insect repellent men's cologne scent I don' t like. Well, will try!

 

Wet: Still citrus-bright. Yes, it fits well with the name! So sharp and cruel, this scent, as if it couldn't care less about your needs. A slight nasty turn is coming on, though--dirty-diaper scent. More like...the sort of flowers that are keyed to attract carnivores, if you know what I'm talking about.

 

Dry: I like this best dry, though it's not a huge favorite. Sharp and very, very clean. I'm still going with "cruel" as the best descriptor.

 

Overall: Interesting but not something I'll wear frequently.

[Vampy]

Euuurgh, this one is the first one that I not only don't like, but violently don't like. In the bottle, it's not bad - I was thinking it might be a little overly floral for me, but it was very sharp and bright, with notes of ozone, appropriate to the name.

 

On me, though - extremely strong department store counter ladies' perfume, of the kind that makes me think of middle-aged to old ladies. Reminds me of the este lauder powder my mother always wears. And, like most comercial perfumes, it's giving me a headache. And I can't get it off!

 

Sob. Help me.

[stardreamer]

One of the most accurate descriptions I've run across. This is entirely aquatic, with an overtinge of the smell that comes off a van de Graaf generator (which isn't really ozone, but that's what we call it). I'm going to have to compare-and-contrast it with Tempest; I think it's a little sharper.

 

The staying power of this scent is awesome. I actually wore this yesterday, all day long, and could still catch traces of it when I got up this morning. For that alone, I think it's worth keeping, since I do like aquatic scents.

 

Oops. Re-reading that description has given me an earworm.

Lightning splits the midnight sky;

Cat and serpent locked in struggle

Come too near to where it lies,

Feeding on the lightning's fire...

- "Madcoil", words and music copyright by Julia Ecklar

[amberlox]

Mmm, I get pure citrusYUM! It is sweet and tangy with lots of ZANG! The ozone bites your senses sharply... in a good way. It's a bit heavy if you apply too much and can give you a headache... a tiny dab will do you.. It lasts a good while without fading... but fades beautifully, becoming softer.

 

my imp lid broke and i ended up accidently pouring this scent on myself. ACK! Headache-city! but um, lol, in moderation it is a keeper. Maybe not 5ml yummy but definitely good for an atmospheric scent.

 

it reminds me vaguely of a sharper meaner Thunderbird... but nothing could be as delicious and complex as Thunderbird.

[ctate]

In the imp: Oh nice, a clean bright ozone backed with some kind of very light aquatic floral, or maybe lilac -- softening and sweetening the ozone sharpness without being cloying. Hints of lemon around the edges, but not at all prominent.

 

On me, wet: The floral background thickens and comes forward. I was afraid it would become orchid-heavy, but it's veered off towards a clean rain-on-flowers sort of outdoorsy smell. Still ozone, of course.

 

On me, dry: Damn, damn, damn. The light pretty floral background has turned into fabric-softener dryer sheets. Really nice dryer sheets, but still. Crud. Off for swap.

[maiea]

Wet: smells so much like Sea of Glass to me. Nearly identical except Lightning has a sharper citrusy scent then Sea of Glass. So very wet, oceany, citrus smells for me.

 

Dry: much softer, the citrus has completely toned down and it smells just wet and oceany/marine notes to me.

 

verdict: not really for me. At first I was excited to find a more citrus Sea of Glass (my favourite bpal so far), but the citrus completely disappears, whereas in SoG, it stays. Weird.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

not to insult anyone, but this seems to be Thunderbird's ... slower, simpler cousin.

 

clean without being soapy or fabric softener-y, and yes - reminds me of the scents that go with a massive thunderstorm.

 

i just got this bottle in a swap - i'm thinking it is aged a bit because it has the cardboard-lined old-style caps. so i wonder how different it is from the fresh?

[Kitrona]

Wet, I smell the lightning storm. Dry on me, the floral comes out, but it's not an obnoxious floral, rather something exotic and wet with the rain. Storm-tossed bushes of some sort of flower, waving in the wind, illuminated by intermittent flashes of lightning... yeah, this is a keeper.

[supremegoddessofall]

Strong aquatics with a strong sharpness from the ozone. Slightly salty and reminds me of bath salts.

[Seelix]

In the Bottle

Sharp. I'm not getting an air freshener smell, but there is something oddly familiar about it. It's sharp, but interesting.

 

Wearing

Initially it was still the same odd, sharp scent as in the bottle. Not particularly ozone or rain, just sharp. Then it turned to a sharpness that reminds me of cilantro (not one of my favorite scents at the best of times) with an underlying sourness that is making my head hurt. Time to wash it off.

 

General Impression

Not for me. Something about it reacts with my body chemistry to make a thorougly unpleasant smell. It might make a good room freshener if properly diluted, but I think I'll probably send this one on to someone who would appreciate it more.

[talula_fairie]

This is a nice smell, but not for me. I think it would be delicious on a man, though.

 

ETA: I had my husband put this one the other day. I could smell him from across the room....and it wasn't pretty. This has to be one of the foulest smelling scents I've ever smelled (sorry!). Maybe it's his chemistry. It smells like Glade Rainforest room spray, or perhaps like cheap hairspray. BAD. So bad. AND strong. Even after he washed it off it smelled up the room for like two hours. I am pretty smell sensitive though. Eeek.

Edited December 12, 2006 by talula_fairie

[yeahbutnobut]

Lightning

 

In the imp: tangy ozone, salty, rainy, and almost grapefruit like.

Wet on skin: this smells like an aquatic, fresh, sporty cologne now.

Dry: once dry, this gains the ‘static-covered dryer sheets with photocopier air’ scent I got in Tempest now, only with a citrus-like spritz of fresh cologne to it, like those unisex citrus-aquatic sporty scents you get at department stores. It’s fresh and zingy, electric. It’s not too bad, it’s not as dry and ‘office ozone’ like on me as Tempest though, there’s definitely more rain and sea-spray to this, and it is cooler.

After a while: eventually this turns to pure dryer sheet and static electricity on me, with that whiff of photocopier. The sporty perfume lingers as well, but it’s less ‘wet’ now, it now resembles Tempest more, but with an added ‘mainstream perfume’ aspect. It’s not very nice now. It gets more and more like Tempest’s ozone over time, losing the citrus-cologne edge. And I really don’t like Tempest’s ozone. the electric, gritty, grey scent this has just becomes more and more grating at drydown.

Verdict: I knew I wouldn’t like this-hate thunderstorms, stormy ozone usually hates my skin. And guess what? It turned to the ‘electrified laundry by the photocopier’ scent I get from other stormy scents, only this time with a little hint of sporty eau de cologne added for a fresh zingy effect. That fresh cologne was nice when it lasted, despite it’s mainstream scent, but this faded to leave the nasty storm ozone on my skin. Oh well, I’m not disappointed, I knew this wouldn’t work. Bye bye Lightning, you weren’t striking enough for me (ha ha).

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No.

If you like this, try: Thunderbird, Lightning, Tempest, Pool of Tears, Sea of Glass

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

Rain, ozone, light florals, a touch of salt? Not overwhelmingly RAIN/WATER/STORM. Sweeter, more perfumey.

 

Wet:

I swear there's floral in here - I don't care what the notes say. Gardenia, maybe. It's absolutely the scent of wet flowers.

 

Dry down:

It's... gone! Well, okay, it's barely there, but only barely. Aquatic notes and florals, with a touch of salt.

 

Final thoughts:

It's nice - it's probably my favorite aquatic insofar as an aquatic that smells like water but doesn't smell like a candle. But it's incredibly light. I can barely tell that I'm wearing anything there at all. I like it, I just wish it had more throw.

[Lionesse]

I received an imp of Lightning in a mystery imp pack. I love Thunderstorms and lightning, and the smell that accompanies them, so I had high hopes for this imp.

 

First sniff from the bottle, I smelled rain, and ozone. On my skin, it didn't change. However, within 5 minutes after applying it, I was nauseated to the point that I had to go wash my wrists!

 

Very weird. This is the first (and I hope, LAST) scent that has had this effect on me.

 

Anyway, I will have to find it a new home =)

[MissMelysse]

I'm a beach-baby stuck far too many hours from the nearest ocean, so this was in my first ever order from BPAL, received yesterday, and I'm wearing it today even if it is a cold, grey winter day.

 

In the imp: Disappointment, it smelled like a floral/citrus department store perfume, with salt.

 

Wet on skin.: More tangy, less floral.

 

Dry, after about two hours: NOW I love it. It reminds me of the smell of skin after a day at the beach, when you come home tired and a litttle sweaty and you have that salty sandy sea-and-ski ocean tang on your skin. It reminds me of being at the beach with my mother as a little girl.

[KassiK]

In the bottle: An aquatic scent with a high pitched electric bite

 

Wet: Same as in bottle only with a slight plant-like scent, too (could be floral, could be herbal)

 

drydown: Very electric, salty aquatic and almost windy, too. I can't pick out a single note and I don't really want to. Definitely a keeper - I love aquatic scents.

[femmefatale]

(tried this on hubby)

 

Wet, a sweet aquatic with a hint of florals Not sharp like Tempest, this reminds me more of growing up in Fla. when we would get sun showers and the sweetness of the flowers would emerge. The air is fresh and moist and everything is damp and clean and all you want is to close your eyes and feel the light rain on your face.

I was actually expected something a bit darker or sharper, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to try it on myself as I think it would be better suited on me and the Tempest I tried is more for dh.

[nikkoblue]

got this as a frimp.

 

Wet: watery.....slightly musky and aquamarine, but no astringency, just clear.

 

On arm: oooo, pretty! It doesn't have that sharp note that a lot of aquatics have that remind me of aftershave. This smells like water with some sweetness, like the humidity in the air before a storm.

 

half hour: losing its sweetness a little bit and getting a little more of a dusty musk scent. It's still nice though.

 

I like this. I don't know it it's a full bottle purchase but I like my imp. I also like this better than Tempest, of off to swaps with my tempest 5 ml!

[girl_android]

In the imp, it's kind of ... air-freshenery in its rainforest incarnation, but with a salty bite, and a kind of ... musky base, and a bunch of light florals.

 

Wet on skin, it's slightly less... salty/bitey, but I'm still getting an overwhelming feeling of rainforest air freshener. I think that might be from the sweetness of the blend.

 

Once dry, there's actually a hint of citrus that peeps out amongst the ... tropical-ish feel I'm getting. There's definitely one note that my skin has taken and amplified til there's not much else around. It's one of the florals, it's definitely something I've smelled before, but my nose doesn't know how to tell me what it is.

 

I don't think this is for me, but I think on the right guy, it would be divine ... this sort of thing isn't something my DH would go for though, so it's off to the frimp pile ...

[Roses Ablaze]

Well, you know it's a bad sign when your skin turns things into soap and a particular imp starts out as soap. Dammit, and I had such high hopes for this one, because I love the feeling you get right before a storm. Oh well, maybe someone else won't be reminded of dish cleaner by it.

[lapillus]

In bottle: light gold oil, bright sharp citrus and florals

 

Wet: stays very similar to the bottle but blending into a single unified note. A real eye-opener :-)

 

Dry: still sharp ozone but florals have retreated and some bright light green herbals have shown up. I suspect that some folks would complain of it smelling a bit like bug spray, but to me it more nearly smells clean.

 

Later: at 4 hours it’s a fainter version of the initial drydown and had lost all bug spray overtones. Very nice. And the base of it still lingers even at 14 hours after a shower.

 

Summary: Excellent, lasting, light scent. It will certainly be in the running for a big bottle.

[brit_brat100]

Imp: Lemony fresh air.

 

Wet: A light air, flower thing…but not in a bad way…

 

Dry: Perfumed rain water, but also mildly soapy.

 

Final thoughts: When I started my BPAL experience with Thalssa and everyone said it was the best aquatic, I figured that I would like other scents in the same category, and so far they are all nice, but nice enough to keep. Perhaps I'm less aquatic than I think...

[metaldog32]

So..I received this little frimp from either the generous Labbies or a generous forumite..I can’t remember…mea culpa..but thank you either way!!!

 

I usually don’t mind ozone in fragrance..as it bodes well with my skin chemistry than does lemon..so I am hopeful that I will find Lightning a good fit..scent wise.

 

Initiall sniff from frimp: Ohhh..I like it so far. Yep..it’s got ozone..but it also has those marine notes that I am almost always a sucker for when it comes to summer fragrances. Some people find ozone to smell like detergent/dryer sheets..sometimes I find that appropro..but most of the time I just find it a very appealing note.

 

Applied wet on skin: Ozone leaps out with the marine notes..very clean smelling indeed..but not punching me in the face sharp. Yes..it’s got a bit of tang but in a very good way..I find this very pleasing. Reminds me of summer storms.

 

Ten minutes later:The ozone has softened up and it plays nicely with the marine notes..it’s a really nice aquatic actually. Softer in translation on me then Storm Moon. If you like aquatics you might find this up your alley. It’s not a dark scent on me..I enjoy it.

 

Twenty minutes later:Soft aquatic.

 

Drydown:Softened marine notes with a wisp of the ozone-like tang in the back.

 

Throw on me is soft to average with lasting power 3+hours.

 

Bottom Line: Lightning actually worked well on me but I am not too sure I would wear it as a fragrance. I think it would work well in a burner and as a shower gel so I am definitely keeping my imp. Maybe I would also consider using it to scent my body cream. A perfect choice for me in the summer months.

[brownbear]

It starts out smelling like a storm. It's wet, salty and airy. On my skin it gets a little bit soapy after a while. This seems pretty gender neutral. I liked it better in the imp than on my skin.

[twacorbies]

First time buyer, I loved this as soon as I opened the bottle. I thought it was very cold and fresh when I first put it on--rather like flushing your face with ice water--but in a good way.

 

Now I've been wearing it for a while it reminds me of Calgon's Morning Glory Bodyspray. Warmer, but still fresh.

 

I loved it so much I put on more--don't do that you'll give yourself a headache

 

~Amy