Embalming Fluid

[jj_j]

A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon.

White musk, green tea, aloe, and lemon complement each other in an absolutely sparkling, clean and lively scent that makes me want to find a really good homemade lemonade recipe.

It doesn't smell like lemonade, mind you, but is fresh and invigorating like a cold glass can be in the hottest part of the summer. Perfect for warm-weather wear or any time you need a perk-me-up! Edited September 12, 2007 by quantum spice

[viciousviolet]

Crisp, clean, fresh and invigorating! This perfume reminds me of the scent of every spa that I have had the pleasure of visiting. It is a bright, cooling scent that will be even more valuable to me once summertime rolls around.

[Sierona]

This is a strange scent... i like it tho. Light, clean, with a lil bite, i want to say tangy. I think of a light glowing green color when i smell this... Definately a cooling scent, no warmth to this at all. Oddly beautiful... seems like a great cleansing scent.

[antimony]

Quoting myself from when I first tried it:

 

This one smells lovely, citrusy, fresh, and works well with my skin.

 

I like this one in a similar way to the way I like O de Lancome. In fact, I bet the two would smell lovely together.

[byrdie]

This is one that I nearly confused with Juliet, but that I like a heck of a lot better. I originally considered ordering it, but left it out of my first order. It came anyway as a freebie!

 

wet ~ Citrusy, but warm, like a citrus-spice infusion.

 

drying ~ There's definitely a bite here, like lemon or orange peel. Light and summery while adult at the same time.

 

dry ~ What Lemon Pledge should smell like. For some reason this reminds me of my parents' house after we'd polished all the wood furniture, then opened the windows to release the fumes. The scent would stay, but it'd be lighter and clean. A sunny Summer day, but not a completely free one. One of work and chores, but also of simple pleasures.

 

Afterthoughts ~ This calms down nicely into a mild musk with hints of citrus. I think it'd be a good warm weather scent, or a nice for a pick-me-up on a dreary day when worn very lightly.

Edited February 17, 2004 by byrdie

[cj]

This is a sparkling light scent...to me it smells identical to Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea fragrance (as Im sure Lucytalk did tell me it would do ) -its very fresh and lemony and yes underneath it does have a hint of furniture polish as bizarre as it .. At some points it was faintly smokey too!! Quite complex for a scent that gives the impression its just light airy & fresh!!!

 

Claire xxx

[nenia]

the tea in this scent makes it so sweet that it makes me sick. i couldn't even get myself to try the scent on my skin, as i felt nauseous just from a whiff from the bottle ...

[JazzieCazzie]

This is the first one I've tried where I thought it smelled like something I would get at a department store cosmetic counter ... offhand I'm thinking it smells like Calyx by Prescriptives but I could be wrong ...

 

First sniff the tea is the primary note to my nose, but then it gets sharply sweet. I definitely get the "Lemon Pledge" feeling. It doesn't work for me at all but I could see why it would work well for others.

 

This will definitely go on my swap list ...

[sagitare]

Oooooh, this one I really like. In the vial I can smell the green tea/lemon scents. On my skin the tea smell is strongest at first, but it's quickly replaced by a beautiful lemon smell, with just a hint of musk. It dries down to a gorgeous soft, powdery scent that I just adore.

 

 

This is the first one I've tried where I thought it smelled like something I would get at a department store cosmetic counter...

 

That's an interesting comment because I was thinking the same thing - on the drydown it does morph, at one point, into something that smells like a cosmetic counter perfume in that it just seemed so familiar but I couldn't place it.

 

Anyway, it's a perfect summer blend, great for daily wear. I'll be buying a bottle of this one.

[Pandorra]

Lemon was all I could smell at first. And I don't care for that. But it mellowed out and became quite pleasant. I think crisp and I see/feel green. I immediately thought of this body spray I bought a while back called Green Tea. Its refreshing and I thought it would be great for a summer day.

 

I will definitely use up my Imp's Ear.

[Lady_Ell]

This wasn't sweet at all to me - just very fresh and lemony and clean. Kind of like a stronger version of Old Shanghai. It lasts for hours, and smells clean yet not soapy, fresh but not too astringent. It's a very bright yellow-green scent, kind of like how the light filters through green leaves on a humid day.

 

This is another absolute favorite.

 

Edited to add: this also smells great on my husband, and we are going to split a big bottle in our next order (or fight over it, since we live in different cities).

Edited April 13, 2004 by ladylatemar

[friendthegirl]

I love lemons and really anything that smells citrusy, so of course I love this.

 

It's perfect for a warm day, though it faded really fast on me, which was disappointing.

 

I could only smell the lemons and maybe a slight hint of musk after it had mostly faded.

[quinkel]

This one is good enough to drink, it´s like sweet lemon sherbet ice.

unfortunately it fades soo quick on my skin. I was planning to use this in summer but with the heat it will not stay on my skin.

[loulou]

This is a very clean scent - its great as it is the green tea seems to tone down the lemon so it is not too citrus-like.

[aileen]

Starts off fresh, sharp, and lemony, like Aqua Allegoria's Herba Fresca.

 

Then it softens and warms up; lemon with tea (and a hint of white flowers?).

 

So nice on a hot day, but fades relatively quickly. Almost gone two and a half hours after initial application.

[Morrighana]

In the bottle: This one smells like the best lemonade ever made...pure lemonny bite with just enough sweetness to keep it from being sour...yum. Just sniffing the imp made me crave lemonade all day.

 

Wet: Still very lemondade-y, but more complex. Spicier, even, but without any intrusive individual notes.

 

Dry: Embalming Fluid dries down in distinct stages on me; there is definately a point when the lemon just...disappears. It is replaced by a pure, clean scent that I didn't quite place until I got here to review: Chilled Green Tea. I say chilled because it is definately not the kind of green tea you drink in a restaurant, with food. This tea has been poured over ice and served to you in a tall, frosty glass. It is not a cold scent, though...it maintains a warm and inviting nature throughout.

 

Overall: I definately agree with those who stated that Embalming Fluid is the perfect scent for a summer's day. It is calm and clean, quenching your thirst and leaving you to lounge under a parasol on the lawn, just out of the reach of a hot, sticky sun.

 

Edited to add: Embalming Fluid also makes a great room scent, as it is pervasive without being overbearing, and it is such a cool, clean scent.

 

Also, this is the only BPAL blend that I find myself actually craving at the end of the day when I don't wear it. On particularily stressful workdays, I find myself catching imaginary whiffs of it as I walk through the halls, and when I get home one of the first things I do is sit down with my BPAL stash and spend a few moments just inhaling from my 10mL of this. It is so calming and centering, it melts away all of the negativity of the day and lets me enjoy my evening.

 

Beautiful.

Edited August 28, 2004 by Morrighana

[Vaniclion]

Embalming Fluid was one of the scents I chose purely on ya'lls recommendations, and THANKFULLY I did!

 

Out of the bottle, it's very potent. Very lemon.

 

After I put it on, it's a very clean almost soapy smell. It's very yellow, turning into green. I very much get the musky undertone with the tea and the lemon being the most vivid notes.

 

It's invigorating and yet calming at the same time. Fresh and clean, like... vacation. There we go! It smells like vacation!

 

I love it. Deffinitely a keeper for me, and light enough to be a daily scent I think.

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle- herby, clean, neither masculine nor feminine- or both. Pretty gentle.

 

On me: stayed the same most of the day, though it faded faster then some other scents. The best thing about this is that you can touch up and people around you are not going "alright, who opened up that bottle of perfume?" Makes me feel anointed.

 

On my husband: His skin chemistry gave it a more sexy masculine tone, but it also faded faster on him. He still this one alot.

 

We plan on getting a bigger bottle of this one.

[Vicious Mistress]

On my skin, this smells like GreenTeaTherapy body spray, but better because it has an extra touch of lemon that GTT doesn't have. I LOVE this! It doesn't change much from the imp, except that the lemon peeks out a bit more on my skin. Fresh, cool, clean.

 

Can anyone say 'big bottle'?

[with coffee spoons]

This initially goes on crisp, true lemon, exactly as if I had just squeezed a wedge into a glass of water. After a minute of this, the lemon tones down and the musk and very slight sweetness of the tea come out--unfortunately on me lemon and musk combine to make Lemon Pledge. There's a bit of a struggle between the clean lemon and the Pledge lemon, but after an hour, it is the dishsoap lemon that slips in and wins the day before fading out completely in a couple hours. My chemistry is quite strange--I take full responsibility for the unfortunate cleaner note! If it stayed true, it would be very invigorating, and crisp lemon just right for getting the day started on the right foot.

[allamanda]

Embalming Fluid

 

Sparkling lemon, crisp green tea this is so light and refreshing. I can just smell the musk which gives this scent a bit more backbone.

 

There was almost no change from first application to dry-down; I loved the way this smelt. A larger bottle is on the way.

Edited September 13, 2004 by allamanda

[TygherRayn]

Mmmm. I loved this. Of course, after my reaction to Old Shanghai, I was almost convinced that I would.

 

In the bottle, this is green. Actually, more of a yellowish-green. Which is a good thing. I'm fong of that color, it reminds me of beach grass and sour-cream and onion chips. (Don't ask, I'm wierd.)

 

On me? This one equaled Old Shanghai in the 'yum' factor. I can tell it's going to be a 'reapply in 4 hours' scent, but the lighter scents tend to be that way on me. Other than that, I like it. It's crisp. Like a cool summer morning, before the sun gets hot, and about a day after the grass has been mowed. It's not sharp though .. very smooth, and mellow. I'm pleased, and will likely get my own imp at least, if not a bottle.

[fallow deer]

I first tested this on what turned out to be a long, hot day of buses and teaching. Embalming Fluid remained a soft, centring presence throughout and helped me to stay calm and fresh with its wonderfully balanced blend of soft, muted lemon and refreshing tea. When I got home, I still felt 'new' and was ever so slightly slower to run a bath than usual!

 

 

-fallow deer

[supasonicsage]

I agree, this does smell just like Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea without any lemon at all for me.

 

I did like Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea at one time, but now it sort of brings back bad memories, so I can't really keep using this.

 

However, it is a really pretty, light summer scent with lots of green teaness and light florals to it. Had I no bad scent associations, I am sure that I would love this.

[hypothermya]

When I first discovered The Lab, I spent hours pouring over the descriptions and this was one of the first scents that caught my eye. But, since I had a limited number of imps that I could order, I decided to get Zombi instead of Embalming Fluid (this was a last minute choice, and I think that the name and the lemon were the culprits in changing my mind). But then I discovered this forum, and after reading all of the reviews, I decided that I really did want to smell this one after all. I love aloe, green tea, and I've got a particularly good chemistry for white musk. So, I arranged to get this in a swap. Thanks to ophelia for that.

 

In the Bottle

 

Wow. Smells like lemon skins when you stick them down the garbage disposal to keep the sink smelling clean. I'm not a fan of lemon cleaning products (I've got lavender/tea tree oil dish soap, and use simple green for every thing that I can), and this almost reminds me of that smell. The green tea makes it smell bitter (just like the really good green tea that my father brought back from China that I couldn't stand alone!). And there's a sort of heby/medicinal smell to it. Not sure I'm going to like this one at all.

 

Wearing It

 

When it first hits my skin, it turns really sweet like lemon sorbet or homemade lemonade when you've gotten to the last of the pitcher where all of the sugar has fallen down to. Then it gets a nice clean, wet smell (probably the aloe), and the sweetness dies down a bit (probably the green tea or musk making its presence known). Oh, yum! The lemon is still stronger than I'd like, but the rest of it smells delicious. I can only imagine how this would smell with lime in it!

 

After about 15 minutes or so, the lemon and all the rest of it have submitted to the white musk, and there's this really great clean musky scent (it's my skin chemistry, I'm sure) with a background of pure clean aloe, lemon, and tea. The tea is probably the least noticeable of all of the notes, both wet and dry.

 

The end result is that it reminds me a lot of my aikido dojo, walking into the bright open room and smelling a healthy sort of sweat but mixed in with the crisp breeze and freshly cleaned mats. Kind of a Zen feeling to it. I really like it.

 

Wow. I can see why everyone wants this to be one of the soaps that blackrayne and black phoenix come out with. I would love to be able to wake up to this scent every morning. As it is, I think this definitely goes onto the list of favorites, the list of 5ml bottles, and the list of wearing on a daily basis.