Embalming Fluid

[jakey]

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

This gave me a strong scent memory of picking raspberries and blackberries at our cottage in Muskoka when I was little. I don't know what the note is that's doing that...


I freaking love this. Still going strong a few hours later, and I kept catching soft whiffs while driving. Gorgeous!

I'm getting a big bottle!

[joiedecombat]

Embalming Fluid turned out to be the first BPAL scent that I absolutely fell in love with. It's bright and fresh and tangy but also sweet, and it puts me in mind of lemon sorbet with a whiff of something faintly exotic that helps smooth it out and keep it from being too sharp.

 

I first got my hands on an imp of this in August, a few days after Hurricane Katrina came through and wreaked havoc in my area with power outages and, in its aftermath, gasoline shortages. Which meant spending, no lie, three hours in line in my car for gas. In Mississippi. In August. I had to rush home and shower and get to work immediately afterwards, and Embalming Fluid was the perfect thing to put on - a great, refreshing summer scent to help perk me up after positively wilting in the heat and humidity.

[PixieSkull]

Imp: Fresh ice tea with lemon juice squirted in it. There's some sort of plant stalk sticking out of it like an umbrella in a tropical drink. Relaxing on my grandpa's porch, watching the sun set after playing in the garden.

Wet: The tea in this blend is VERY true to the scent of ice tea. I can definately feel the white musk but can't smell it outright. The aloe and tea are the strongest notes, they're very cool and really do smell like formaldehyde, without the gagging decay underneath.

Dry: The aloe dries down and is very soft. The tea and lemon are gone, the ice tea is done and the aloe has dried out. I can still taste the drink on my tongue and I can smell my own skin, the greenery and sweat are there.

 

Category: Clean/Crisp

Rating: 4/5; This is amazingly close to embalming fluid, without the decay and bile.

Overall: I like this blend a lot. It reminds me of Kumiho, but vaguely. Kumiho has a chilly overall feel like iced tea where Embalming Fluid has a feel of warm ice tea on a lukewarm or hot day. I don't think it will replace Kumiho on my list of favorites because I love the ginger tinge to Kumiho. Overall, a lovely and crisp scent. I think it would be perfect for spring and early summer.

[Cielamara]

When I first came to the Lab, the description of this sounded intriguing to me, but I wasn't quite sure I could see myself wearing a perfume with a name like Embalming Fluid.

 

Months later, I find myself telling Lady Ravenglass that I've never smelled it, and that I would, in fact, appreciate her throwing in an imp for me when she shipped out my package.

 

Before I even got the imp open I liked it. I sniffed the top of the little tape row on it, and I got a whiff of this clean, sparkling fragrance--sparkly much in the way that Titania is sparkly, but...a bit more sullen. Titania is pale blues and greens and sultry lavender with silver glitter. This is has that same green color, but with a yellowy cat's-eye color dominating it. It's rejuvenating.

 

Wet: Mmmm, tasty lemons and something a little sweeter. I think that's the green tea smell like what I loved in Empyreal Mist. There's something that almost reminds me of Sudha Segara, which is a good thing.

 

Settling: Mmmm, this is softening just a little. The lemon is still there, but it's warming with my skin and it reminds me deliciously of fresh-squeezed lemonade. I LOVE that stuff. This is fresh-squeezed lemonade, rubbing the glass against your forehead and cheeks, and letting a little bit drip down into your cleavage to cool your skin a little on one of those hot sultry summer evenings. The musk is blooming on my skin, like all of Beth's beautiful musks do, and while this is still cool, it's not quite so fragile anymore.

 

Drydown: Mostly musk and green tea are left. This is a lovely blend, it really is. It works with my chemistry, but still manages to be cool and gentle. I'm going to have to think on this one's future.

 

I guess one of the things that's making me scratch my head a bit is that I'm trying to figure out if this blend really registers as its concept in my head. With some of my other fragrances--they smell like their concept. They connote it so perfectly to me there's no question. But Embalming Fluid--I can see it, but I can't see it. Maybe I just need to spend some time contemplating embalming fluid in general.

Edited May 4, 2006 by Cielamara

[eviltemptressdq]

i'm obsessed with this. I totally doused myself in it yesterday! Green tea and lemon are what I smell... very crisp and fresh. This is like Calliope, minus the lavendar that I didn't like. PERFECT!

 

*must buy 5ml*

 

This scent also lasts FOREVER. Which is very very cool, especially for me as my skin soaks in stuff SO fast usually... woohoo!

 

Oh, and the best thing is I am just WAITING for the uptights at work to say "ooh, what is that lovely smell you have on?" so I can say "Embalming Fluid!"

 

 

 

5 out of 5 hands up and a spin around!

Edited May 6, 2006 by eviltemptressdq

[lysistrata]

At first, it's lemony, with a teensy bit of vanilla. Yum - delicious. But, alas, it quickly fades to almost nothing, except for maybe a tiny musk note.

 

Severin is a much longer-lasting lemon on me, although it eventually dries down to leather.

 

Also, The Apothecary in its early stages is very similar to EF.

[yeahbutnobut]

Embalming Fluid

 

In the imp: fresh green tea and lemon! Tangy and bright.

Wet on skin: green tea and lemon, very, very tangy indeed.

Dry on skin: now I get a hint of another green note, less tangy but still fresh, this might be the aloe. This is a very pleasant scent-it's a classic green tea and citrus scent, a refreshing and tart blend. it does remind me of other green tea non-BPAL perfumes but I think the aloe note is making this a bit different…yes, it's aloe alright, it smells so clear, green and cool!

After a while: the tea note mellows very nicely and the scent gets greener, probably thanks to the aloe. I get a little hint of musk, but it's so subtle-it's still tea dominated. It also smells like a tangier, less floral Berenice. Over time it gets more and more green and aloe-y, with musk grounding the scent nicely.

Verdict: this, of course, smells more lively than it's name implies! This is fresh, tart and light, a bright and tangy blend of tea and lemon at first, sunny and zingy. It's a scent that really wakes me up (not what you'd expect from a scent called Embalming Fluid! Though it does smell like Spirits of the Dead as well…) and it eventually dries down to a green and fresh aloe-musk scent, a bit like Berenice without the lily and linen. This is a really nice scent, uncomplicated and clean, and it's a good BPAL take on the classic fresh green tea theme. I do prefer some other tea, lemon and musk scents better but this is nice enough to keep the imp, it's a good everyday scent for summer.

Emoticon rating:

[gwyllgi]

I picked this one up on a whim; I like each of the notes but was angling toward heavier scents at the time, so this was thrown into my cart to round out a sextet of imps. The first time I tried it, it was okay but nothing spectacular; it struck me as the big brother of a linen scent. I tossed it in with the other imps, moving on to other things.

 

When I pulled it out again today, I wondered why I'd ever disregarded it. The white musk dominates on me, sharpening the green tea. Above all else, it reminds me of the white tea and ginger collection through Bath & Body Works (which I sadly had to abandon when I started reacting badly to something in the products), though less artificial-smelling. The lemon adds a tartness as it dries, but it never gets too sharp or cloying.

 

It is, indeed, the big brother of a linen scent, but it's the hot big brother you totally crush on. It's also perfectly cooling: it nearly screams for a white sundress, espadrilles, and a big, floppy hat.

[Eunice]

No mistaking this, this is all green tea and lemon for me. I adore Embalming Fluid! This is so crisp and refreshing. This is a scent to wear on the hottest summer day. Lovely cooling smell!

[Diana]

Wet: bright, happy lemon. It's so juicy and yummy and amazing. Love love love citrus. =)

 

Drydown: The lemon takes a while to fade, then it is replaced by a cool, clean scent—the aloe & tea and white musk form a nice scent. It's like freshly showered skin.

 

This is so nice and refreshing. I think this is going to go into heavy rotation along with Dorian & Numb this summer.

[bookishgrrl]

Very fresh... lemon and tea with the aloe adding astringency, almost to the point of medicinal. Stays true throughout, decent wear and throw.

[Meganaut]

I like both green tea and musk scents, so I have been looking forward to my imp of Embalming Fluid for some time. The lemon note is fresh without being either too sweet or too tart. It reminds me of LUSH's Lemslip. Enbalming Fluid does remind me of Green Tea Therapy as many others have stated. This has less of that nose-burning quality that I get after a while from Green Tea Therapy. I think the musk rounds out the scent, though it's not a strong presence here. This is a refreshing, cool scent that's excellent for hot, humid weather.

Unfortunately, Embaling Fluid fades like crazy on my skin. So it joins Absinthe and the Apothecary as light scents I adore, but have to re-apply every 2 hours or so.

I would purchase a big bottle of this.

-Karen

[elfmaiden]

Wow this one is really different from my other imps!

 

Straight from the imp it smells very strong and the lemon/tea mix is really out there in the front! On my skin it doesn't really change much, the musk comes out a teeny bit but I still get such a strong tea/lemon scent.

 

It's 11 now and I put it on around 8 and I can still smell it, which is good 'cause my skin eats up oil FAST. I was worried it would fade completely but every now and then I get alittle hint in the air around me.

 

Smell like I was expecting! So fresh and summery!

 

Jenn

[maijasu]

This one doesn't morph much from imp to wet on skin to dry. I smell a very realistic green tea scent with a hint of lemon. It's very refreshing and quite beautiful. Unfortunately, it lasted about half an hour on my skin. Too bad, as it would have been perfect for a long, hot Georgia summer. It sounds like other people have had better luck with its lasting power, so it's definitely a cooling summer scent worth checking out.

[lushiejane]

In bottle: Citrus and light tea, happy and bright.

 

On skin wet: Still bright and happy - a very wonderful light scent for the warmer months. Very pleasant and light. The scent is like in the bottle on my skin.

 

Drying on skin: It maintains itself nicely- the lightness and pleasant citrusy tea stays bright, and doesn't fade to any sort of fake fruit scent. It stays refreshing. As the scent follows me as I move it is nice to smell, and in no way overpowering. I really do like this one. Not "old lady" at all. Slightly gains complexity as it dries completely, yet stays nice. Not sweet, just light.

 

After some time: It fades as citrus scents do, and I guess as tea scents do. Reapplication during the day will be necessary- or an excuse to change scents later for after work. It is great to be able to wear "lighter" scents when in groups of people that cannot bear perfumes- yet still be able to wear a scent that is sophisticated. Yes, that's what I would say - it's sophisticated. A grown up light fragrance.

Love it!

LushieJane

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Ok, I finally broke down and ordered Embalming Fluid--it's about the only one of the "classic" BPALs that were in the catalog from the beginning and practically everyone has tried that I *haven't* tried. I've held out b/c the name just squicks me out in a way that "natural" death-related names do not. However, it's summer, it's hot, and the notes all sound great, esp. since I loved the combo. of aloe and white musk in Berenice.

 

On me: The green tea is so clear and refreshing, and it does have that lovely clean Berenice quality (in fact, it's a good one to order if you missed Berenice). Very soothing and pleasant, perfect for hot weather. Lightly sweetened iced tea with lemon, sipped on the porch with a cool breeze. Maybe I can get a bottle and re-label it "Summer Porch" or something pleasant like that.

[Rhowan]

I have just finished reviewing Phanasm which I find a bit similar in notes to this.

Where Phantasm is bright bright lemony yellow almost pure lemon juice, Embalming fluid is more sedate.

 

On me, I feel that Embalming Fluid is less lemony and more green tea. Pretty much all green tea and musk. Then, after a few minutes of wearing Embalming Fluid, it just up and almost disappears.

 

While I think that Embalming Fluid is nice, it isn't my thing. I think I will keep to Phantasm as it is the NEON version of Embalming Fluid to me.

[edenssixthday]

Embalming Fluid - I don't normally like tea scents, but Embalming Fluid is a gorgeous, light, crisp, clean scent. It makes me think of a warm spring afternoon spent meandering around the Huntington Botanical Gardens sipping on chilled green tea with a hint of lemon. It's a smooth and cool scent, and very light and fresh. I will be buying more of this before the warm springtime "wanna be outside" weather rolls around again. I think I'll wear it a lot this coming spring/summer.

[gloom bear]

With Embalming Fluid, I thought I had mistakenly put on Shanghai. But I checked the imp and sure enough, I did it right. They smell so similar going on, and even after drydown. It's a light lemony smell...not like candy, and not a pucker-face tart lemon either. More like a lemon soda smell. I really like both of them, and after some tough comparison, I think I like Shanghai just a hair better, but it doesn't last, whereas Embalming Fluid does. The only thing that gave me pause before buying a bottle of this is the name. It makes me think of a field trip to a morgue. It was actually a really interesting field trip, but man, the smell of formaldehyde is disgusting. But then I got over it after wearing it a few more times, and I ordered a 10 ml of it.

 

As a side note, I think it layers over The Dormouse nicely.

Edited July 26, 2006 by gloom & doom bear

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Oh dear God I'm going to have an insta-headache. I received this as a generous frimp (I'm blaming the bottle of Wilde I ordered for this), and chuckled, because it really is the last GC blend I would order of my own volition. However, another blend on that informal list was Dirty, and I really liked that, so I'm going to have to give this a go.

 

Yes...I'll give this a go when I can actually bear to put it on my skin. I have to psych myself up: "Come on self, you tried Grog, you didn't flinch from Ogun and you laughed in the face of scents like Djinn and Brimstone. You can do it! You can do it!"

 

Wet: I want my mommy!

 

Drydown and wear: Son of a gun, there's the slight pain in the head already. I'm going to have to take this off with nail polish remover. White musk is just the bane of my existence, which is a shame, because the lemon (which I like) tries its best here, but is overwhelmed, because the white musk gets stronger and stronger as this one dries. While I thank the Labbies as always for their generosity, I'm a-gonna have to swap this one (of course, it appears as though there will be no shortage of takers).

Edited June 29, 2006 by The_Merf

[m13]

Embalming Fluid really doesn't need another review -- we've obviously established that its a crisp, clean lemon/tea/sugar smell with just enough musk to round it out. And it's perfect to wear on a hot, muggy day when just getting dressed is enough to make you break out in a sweat. Beyond that, what really made me happy is that this didn't go to powder on me, my skin has been turning the most beautiful scents all icky baby-powdery lately but this stayed true and clean and lovely. And now, I will go back to sniffing my wrist

[MyKitchenSneezes]

From the description, I should have LOVED this one. When it was in the vial, I did. But when I put it on, it immediately turned into an overwhelming PERFUME. The kind I hate. The kind that makes me gag when I smell it. I couldn't make out the lemon at all. All I smelled was Bingo Night at the Ladies With Too Much Perfume On Legion Hall.

 

I was so disappointed.

[abbycomix]

Love at first sniff! It's similar to Shanghai, but I think with more tea. Great summer scent!

[nightbird]

I thought I'd love this one - it sounds so light and pretty. However, when I put it on, I smelled like Lemon Pledge. I'll give it a second try, but I'm sure I'll end up swapping this.

 

rating: 1/5

[Summerpixy]

I adore this scent, it's light and sweet and heavenly. I really should buy a bottle of this, it's too nice not to have in my collection once I run out of this imp.