Embalming Fluid

[populuxa]

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

Wet this is very sharply lemon.
As it dries, the other notes tone down the lemon. Very bright, citrusy and refreshing. Just as invigorating as Jaberwocky but more feminine. Edited January 19, 2006 by Shollin

[terrierhead]

I love this to pieces in the imp. Unfortunately, I can't smell it on my skin at all. I used half the imp in a single day slathering away, trying to get some of that delicious clean, lemony scent to be perceptible. I'm saving the rest of the imp for warm weather - I figure the heat will imp this up. If so, it'll join my big bottle list.

[mandragora]

In the vial: Couldn't smell any distinct note, but smells bright and crispy.

 

Wet on me: Hello LEMON. Invigorating crisp, clean smell. Like a splash of lemonade on a hot summer day. Very refreshing. And my skin seems to amps it up (worried).

 

Drydown: Starting to smell green and oh dear, it morphs into that Lemon Pledge-ish smell :sigh:.

 

The verdict is up on this one. After all the recs and the great reviews, I so wanted to like this one. I'm not sure it's me though. Maybe it will soften up some more as it ages. I'll hang on to the imp just in case.

 

ETA: Mr. Mandrake seems to like the smell of this one on me. Go figure.

Edited January 26, 2006 by mandragora

[Ayln]

I love this scent. I can smell a little of the watery aloe, and a lot of the tea and lemon. It's fresh, invigorating, and I'm beating myself up for letting this one go! Oh well, there's always random draw in frimps...

[Sycorax]

This was an frimp from the very generous maewitch. I'd have never tried this otherwise, and that would have been a very sad thing, so. Thank you, maewitch!

 

Embalming Fluid is sweet and refreshing. It's true that it doesn't have a great deal of throw, but I'd say that the staying power itself isn't too atypical. I have to reapply once every 3-5 hours with pretty much any BPAL oil.

 

The tea and the lemon blend very well. More importantly, the lemon is nice and light. The other BPAL lemons I've tried have been bolder - which works when you're wearing an oil like Bess (one of my favorites), but would totally overpower the other notes in something like Embalming Fluid. When I smelled the imp I had visions of lemon pledge, but after I put some Embalming Fluid on those suspicions proved to be unfounded.

 

I'm really looking forward to trying some of BPAL's other tea scents, now! Embalming Fluid is like a tall, cool iced tea on a summer day.

Edited January 27, 2006 by Sycorax

[Sheila]

This is fabulous--the perfect fresh scent!

 

If you're looking for light and clean, you have to try this. At first, it's all lemon (and I've been totally craving lemon lately, so it's perfect). At drydown, the tea and musk come out, making this clean, light, fresh, and pure. (I know I keep repeating those adjectives, but they're really very fitting!) I got a bottle untried, and I'm so glad I did. This will be perfect for everyday office wear.

[Caltha]

Embalming Fluid

This is one of the fresh tea scents I adore, in the vein of Kumiho and Shanghai. Citrusy with perhaps a hint of jasmine. The only bad thing I can say about it is that the citrus might smell like a cleaning agent.

[smelly]

This is tea and lemon cupcakes, but not too sweet.

 

It's really nice but not very strong. Have to really load it on if I want to be able to smell it without mashing my nose into my arm. Seems to last OK though (mixed it with a little moisturizer to apply), haven't yet verified exactly how long.

 

My boyfriend just put it in his oil burner. He accidentally dumped most of the imp in there. I forgave him, as I am an adult.

 

Anyway, he likes it too.

[pranashakti]

Lemon Pledge. Oh wait, Lemon Pledge and plastic. Scratch that - Lemon Pledge scented candle... . I cannot smell anything else no matter how I try.

 

Lemon and I so often have this battle - the only citrus that's not amped like this for me is La Fee Verte. Bad lemon!!! Down!!! BAD!

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: light, fresh, and bubbly; like really well-made lemonade on a hot summer's day.

 

On my skin, initial: lemon! Lovely, fresh and sweet lemon actually! Just like lemonade again.

 

Drydown: the green tea scent starts to come out now and the lemon graciously fades into the background.

 

Overall: Bloody beautiful! It's scents like this that make all those hits and misses worthwhile. It smells exactly like a very expensive designer perfume I wore years ago, but which faded within five minutes. This lasts for about an hour, and is so invigorating. I'm going to have to order a bottle sometime soon. Perfect to wear at the gym or on days when you need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

[Wench457]

Embalming Fluid ITB: Very light and crisp, like lemon tea.

 

On: Definitely lemon tea. The musk starts to bloom. The aloe is also apparent in the sour green edge it gives. Lovely!

 

Dry: Clean and light, a very nice scent.

[jidabug]

Wet: Sweet iced tea with lots of lemon.

 

Dry: Still lemony tea, but there's a medicinal quality to it now, which I'm guessing is from the aloe. It's not bad, though.

 

Final: I like it well enough now in the middle of February, but this would probably be very refreshing on a hot day in the middle of August, so I'll retry it when the weather is more appropriate.

[Torrilin]

This scent reminds me of my mom. I react badly to a lot of mainstream perfumes, including mom's beloved Bluegrass, by Elizabeth Arden. Piercing headaches, no getting to hug my mom or even get close to her if she wore it. When mom realized how badly her signature scent affected me, she stopped wearing it except for going out, and she asked me to help her find a signature scent she could wear that wouldn't make me hurt. We tried a lot of different things, and eventually discovered that the tea scents that came out in the '90s didn't have stuff that gave me headaches. Mom settled on Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden, after trying about every tea scent on the market.

 

In the vial: lemon, green tea, and aloe (all familiar scents from the Great Scent Search or real life)

 

Just on: The Healing Garden Green Teatherapy, but with the Giant Vegetable Hammer softened into a hint of aloe. This was one of my favorite shower gels for a long time, but the vegetable note eventually made me give it up.

 

after an hour or so: Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. It's not exact, but does remind me strongly of mom . Lemony fresh green iced tea.

 

after several hours: Crabtree and Evelyn's Song de Chine. Black tea with a hint of lemon, blended into my skin.

 

The staying power is good, and the scent is yummy on me with or without body lotion. It's light enough that I can slather a bit.

 

Wearing Embalming Fluid is like getting a hug from my mom .

 

Kalli

[storme]

In the bottle: Oooh, this is sharp, but not so sharp I recoil. Lemony and light.

 

On me: this scent does not change much at all on me as it dries, and that's a good thing. It stays a delicate, subtle citrus, and doesn't tip over into floor-cleaner or air-freshener. Very light, very pleasant, and it'll probably be lovely in the heat of summer - my only real complaints are that it fades a little faster than I'd like, and it's such a light scent that a fair amount is needed so that I can smell it from further away than a millimetre from my wrist.

[LadyWilde]

Every so often I get lucky, and I order a scent that ends up smelling exactly the way I think it should. O, joyful day.

 

Embalming Fluid reminds me of a Lemon Tea scent The Body Shop used to carry (does carry?) but without the astringent, tannic note that always bugged me. The lemon is bright but not too sharp, perfect with the delicate freshness of the green tea. I don't think I've ever smelled an aloe scent before, but that must be the juicy, green note that I'm picking up on. I used to be afraid of musk of all types--particularly white musk, which always made me think of drugstore perfume--but the white musk in Embalming Fluid smoothes and grounds the blend perfectly.

 

I love this, and I'll probably get a big bottle for Spring. This is a very light and gentle scent that only lasts a few hours on me, but I don't mind reapplying.

[VenusFlyTrap]

Normally, white musk is wonderful but somehow the combination with lemon just gives me a headache.

 

Not for me.

Glad there are so many others to choose from!

[snidegrrl]

My first review!

 

I wanted to try some scents that have a "clean" feel to them, cold, watery, or icy. From the bottle, I got a nice whiff of each of the advertised scents. I couldn't make out the lemon in particular. But then, I put it on. HELLO! The lemon-drop quality of this one stayed prominent for quite a few hours. It was only around lunchtime that I found that the aloe had emerged. Now about 8 hours since application I have only the subtlest white musky residue left. This may be because I did not apply it very liberally. Despite the over-lemonyness, I did like this, but might not order a full bottle. The candyish nature is a turnoff.

[enigmania]

Wearing this is like having someone follow me around all day, periodically squeezing fresh lemons into hot cups of breakfast tea. It reminds me of tea parties with my mother's friends when I was little, feeling very grown up as I add lemon to my tea and a sudden rush of scent is carried up on the steam. It's not sweet, or artificial lemon.

 

When I've stayed out too late the night before, I put this on before work. It's bright yet soothing. I slather a little, and it sends wafts up to my nose all day.

[MissMorbus]

I really like this scent. Its very fresh and clean and tart, but it gives me a massive headache anytime I try to wear it. I think the culprit is the white musk. I have a 5ml that I have been trying to find other uses for, but even if I mix it in lotion so it isn't as strong I still get that damn headache. After about a year of trying, I think I am going to have to put my well aged bottle up for sale or swap. I really really wanted this one to work though.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: lemony freshness.

 

Wet: lemon and tea.

 

Dry: The lemon is still quite strong, but now there is a subtle musk scent that is helping to ground the lemon. I wish the tea note was stronger. Still, a very lovely scent. I rate it a 4/5.

[angstkitten]

Embalming Fluid

3/14/06

 

Wet: Like lemon tea. Mmm

Dry: Reminds me of CK1, still getting lemony light goodness.

Lasting: 2 hours so far… I will def try this again, it seems promising

Verdict: Out of the 12 imps I ordered for my first order, this is the ONLY ONE that I like. But I really really like it. A lot. Like I just want to smell myself all the time when I'm wearing this. The more I wear it, the more I love it.

[sarahj]

Embalming Fluid

 

in vial: green tea and lemon

 

wet: same

 

dry: strong musk and green tea

 

verdict: a nice, refreshing scent, but not one that I will wear often

[Verilita]

Embalming Fluid

 

In the vial: I can really smell the tea, and the lemon is light but refreshing.

 

Wet: slightly musky, the tea scent is stronger

 

Dry: strong musk, light tea and lemon. It's a very refreshing scent and reminds me of spring!

[Syzygy]

After several disappointing attempts with this scent--one of the most eagerly anticipated that I have tried--I am forced to admit defeat. Evidently, I am one of those unfortunates whose skin firmly believes that when life gives you lemons, you should turn them into Pledge.

 

If it were lime instead of lemon in here, I would be bathing in this stuff all summer long.

[ajcj213499]

Wow- I'm surprised how much I like this! It's a sweet light lemon scent that reminds me of a lemony angel food cake. I think I may need a bottle of this...