Cheshire Cat

[Lunaratu]

Grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender

This is definitely sweet and fruity—very much the magenta and pink striped cat of the Disney version. I love the smell of the red currants however blending back and forth with a clean sweet scent. There is a tiny bit of very nice herbs in the background lending some foliage behind the cat. This dries down into a gorgeous darkly fruity skin scent. I definitely want to get my hands on more than a sniffie of this little guy.
Rating: 4/5

EDIT: added description Edited October 7, 2007 by Lunaratu

[megank4]

Received this imp from another member. I was interested in it because of the grapefruit note. All it makes me think of though are those “Chocolate oranges” that you can buy in the supermarket- the ones shaped like an orange that you break apart and then eat. Yum. Don’t smell grapefruit at all, though perhaps that is the “orange” to my nose. No idea why I get the scent of chocolate. Seems to last rather well on my skin, and is not morphing. Will most likely keep the imp but not buy a big bottle.

[LittleMissAspie]

Something has gone terribly wrong here. It's turned into bleach on my skin. Not just a soapy smell but an oh-god-I-breathed-in-from-the-bleach-bottle-and-now-my-lungs-are-burning type of bleach.

 

Very disappointing as I love fruity scents.

[YoakeNoKami]

Florals and ozone, this one turns a bit too "perfumey" on me. It's a bit citrus, too… but… the smell of it makes me thinks of this lotion my mom has--which has lavender and bergamot in it

[crazyredhead17]

In the imp, this is a bright, citrus-y scent.

 

Wet, it's really strong grapefruit.

 

As it dries, the grapefruit fades out fast, and the florals come out. I don't care for delphinium, I don't like chamomile (it can make me queasy) and the only blend I like lavender in is Somnus.. and I don't smell it for long in that blend. As a result, it kinda smells like that carpet powder stuff, which is fine for a carpet, but not for me.

[MaidenGenevive]

Cheshire Cat

 

In vial, sweet-tart grapefruit candy. On skin, bright, fresh; salivating. I was worried that lavender would drown out the others, but so far it's behaving. A sweet-tart floral that's layered and flirty. As it wears, the grapefruit mellows, the sweet-tartness becomes a smooth warm comfort. This is no longer flirty, it's more sensual. The Chesire Cat character is never what you expect. This is a fun string of notes to convey him.

 

[ 5 - Love ] Mad Tea Party has really impressed me, with Cheshire Cat, March Hare, The Dodo, and even The Caterpillar. I didn't care for White Rabbit or Drink Me, but they certainly weren't terrible. In all, it's been a fun little category full of win.

[hkhm]

imp: bright, crisp grapefruit.

 

wet: lavender and grapefruit, though the grapefruit is fading fast into the realm of vague citrus.

 

dry: lavender citrus. i wish the currant had come out at all, i think it might have been bottle-worthy if it had.

[porcelina]

this is a nice citrus blend. the grapefruit is sweetened by the red currant and it all sits atop a cloud of yummy musk- and amazingly, the lavender in cheshire cat hides very well and doesn't ever rear its ugly head!

[GingerGunlock]

So this morning, I thought "well, I just got my big bottle of Cheshire Cat, I'll use up this itty bitty amount left in the imp here."

 

There was not an itty bitty amount left in the imp

 

Since it's the first imp I've used up (!) and I've been swimming in it all day (and still love it), I suppose it's time to review. I'm very bad with picking out individual notes, but I can say pretty certainly that the grapefruit is nearly nonexistant on my skin, and what show I do have from it is just kind of a crispness added to the creamy-musky-tea thing I get going on, and the lavender seems to add some depth to it on me, making it a bouncy, lovely, kind of wonky scent. It stays for quite a long time in a very fresh and clean sort of way, and doesn't have a whole lot of throw for me. It's very multipurpose: a good mood scent, a need a pick-me-up scent, a going-to-bed-now scent, a relax and comfort me when I have a headache scent. <3

[fireflower]

Very sweet, fruity, and tart. I picture just about every flourescent color there is when I smell this as it's first applied. The grapefruit and currant completely take over in the wet stages. I can definitely see why this is the Cheshire Cat's scent..

 

On the drydown, however, it is completely different! The lavender, chamomile, and delphinium are the only notes I smell. No sign of the grapefruit or currants at all. Oddly, it reminds me of how Cottonmouth smells on its drydown.

 

I like this very much in its wet stages, though since it's a little tart I might have to mix it with something sweeter. It threatens to smell too tart and sharp to the point where "it smells like you forgot to wash soap off of yourself," as my mom said. But the stage where it's been on for about an hour smells like creamy oranges, and I like that stage. Now to find a way to preserve the creaminess...

[vegasblueblood]

On me, this is a fruity musk scent. I get a lot of the dark musk from it. My imp is nicely aged and maybe that's why I get more dark musk than fruit. I get a touch of the citrus-y grapefruit when it's still in the early stages but the red currant quickly becomes the more dominant fruit. I love all the Mad Tea party blends and this one is very evocative of the Cheshire Cat. Lovely!

[alicia_stardust]

Cheshire Cat is bright, colorful. The grapefruit sends a sharp and dominant fragrance out, but the musk and currant and chamomile make their own individual appearances. Even though this initially presents as a well-blended, singular fragrance I can pick it apart and I find that aside from the ever-present grapefruit, all the other notes sort of appear and disappear in a medley of fragrance... much the like Cheshire Cat himself would do.

[Lyrical]

In vial: sharp, yet smooth. I can smell grapefruit and lavender and a garden in summer.

 

Wet on skin: fresh and tart and very fruity!

 

Dry on skin: the sharp edge fades and it becomes sweeter and more floral, but a cosy herbaceous garden floral rather than romantic floral - like picking red currants in a well-kept garden on a summer day. It's a little bit soapy, but still nice. It becomes more herbal as the grapefruit fades. Like Croquet, this is a cheerful blend of citrus, herbs and flowers which you wouldn't expect to find together! After a few hours it ends up a pleasant mixture of redcurrant and herbs. It works and I will enjoy it, but I don't see a bottle in my future!

[vintagedlust]

This smells like Vampire Tears to me but "pinker" and a bit softer. I think that's the lavender and dark musk rounding it out. Overall I love it!

 

4/5

[Dracoo9]

I first tried this scent from an imp and was heavily on the fence about it. After holding on to it for about two months and trying it again my opinion of this cat was swayed easily and quickly to the LOVE side.

 

When I put it on I cant really smell the grapefruit but after a little while you can smell it was well as the lavender. The scent is sweet, but not to much- almost a vanilla sweetness. The only thing that made me sad about this scent was while all my other scents can last the whole day this one cant. But just before it fades away it has a sweet, almost foody scent for me which I find divine

[heathercaley]

Mmmm... Lavender Tea!! It's actually very calming. Reminds me of the spa!!! I get a bit of the citrus note grounded with the lavender and the tea aspect must be the chamomile. (did I spell that right? Probably not )

 

As it dries down I get more grapefruit. I love this!!! Lavender grapefruit Tea.. what a magic blend!!

 

 

 

 

10 minutes later - oh poo... It's pretty much faded to a super light grapefruit and I have to breathe really deep to smell it. Maybe I have to slather this baby.

Edited February 12, 2008 by Purrsnikety

[Lethran]

I was not sanguine going in as my skin is really amping dark musks lately. In bottle: Grapefruit concentrate. Wet: surprisingly compelling. The grapefruit sweetens on my skin and the musk gives it needed depth. The other element blend smoothly, creating a vaguely sweet but edgy effect. Dry: This rather won me over. It isn’t me by a long shot, but it could be really carefree in a sexy kind of way on the right woman. As it ages, the current comes out, creating womanly depths.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh and herbal; a little astringent and citrusy.

 

Wet: Lavender and chamomile reigning, with some white grapefruit behind. Not getting any red currant or musk. There is a sort of sweetish floral note, possibly the delphinium? It's sort of wild-flower like and pleasant.

 

Dry: Faint; mostly grapefruit, with a bit of chamomile and some musk now. The red currant has emerged, providing some juicy fruity depth.

 

Summary: A slatherer for sure - very low throw, and doesn't last too long. But I like the interplay of citrus, herbal, and floral notes over the juicy currant and sexy musk that come out in the end.

[Phoenixx]

In the imp: sweet citrus, I can smell the grapefruit but there is a lot of sweetness to balance it out. This is a clean fruity scent. First sniff is a real pick me up

 

On/dry down: Grapefruit with a floral sweetness, this is a light scent but powerful. I have to remember to apply sparingly. After a few min. the grapefruit mostly fades and I am left with a light floral. I didn’t get any of the lavender in this at all.

 

After a few hours the scent is very slight and had almost faded away. This one doesn’t stay on me too long. Overall this is a wonderful bright fragrance. Definitely a keeper!

[lefthandmade]

Lavender and citrus right away. It says grapefruit but i'm getting lemon.

 

Oh wait it calms down a little. Man what a weird scent.

Now it's smooth and a little fruity, sweet fruit.

 

Oh wait, it changed again, now it's bubblegum.

It keeps changing, it's impossible to pin it down!

 

In less than an hour it's *poof* gone.

[gchris]

In Vial: Citrus grapefruit with spicey red currant

 

On Skin: Mostly grapefruit. Now the currant and lavender are coming into play. It smells a bit like a fruit tea. Probably the fruit blended with chamomile and lavender.

 

 

Later: I like this it smells just like grapefruit tea. After it dries the grapefruit calms down and the other notes are more apparent. This becomes more and more herbal. The herbs really tone down the pungent citrus of the grapefruit. I love grapefruit scents and this is a new twist on the note and I really like it. If you like grapefruit or tea scents, try this one.

[suki]

in the imp: i don't know how to explain this, except to say that it smells like grapefruit jellybeans!

 

wet on skin: a slightly creamy quality enters the mix, and there's the slightest spicy undertone that must be the currant.

 

dry down: the currant makes a much stronger appearance, balancing the grapefruit nicely.

 

in all: this smells very much- VERY much- like the Lemon Merangue doll i had as a child back in the 80's. this is a good kid scent, and also for those looking for a soft but sweet food-and-floral combo.

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: graaaaaapefruit! Graaaaaapefruit! And the tiniest hint of incense akin to the incensey note in The Caterpillar. Very exciting!

 

On me, wet: grapefruit and... is that... could it be... currant? Yes! Delightful fruity grapefruit and currant. This is like a dream come true, the currant isn't even going grape-y and weird on me. This is definitely dominantly fruity, but the incensey floral notes are there in the background, adding a beautiful depth to this.

 

On me, dry: yessss! Just like wet! This smells so good! This smells so g-- wait. Where did it go? Cheshire Cat? Cheshire Caaaat?

 

Throw and duration: throw's great for the time that it lasts; however, this literally lasts about half an hour on me. It's the shortest lasting BPAL I've encountered to date which is absolutely maddening because it's damn near my favorite scent. Murphy's laws of BPAL, indeed.

 

Overall: Look, I've never felt like I wanted a scent locket before. Not at all. Haven't been very tempted even by the pretty ones in the trading post. But I need to smell like Cheshire Cat. I neeeed tooooooo. (I guess that's the cheshire craziness influencing me.) This is the most awesome smell. If only it would last.

 

Definitely keeping my imp.

[tartchef]

Ooof! Grapefruit & lavender, sharp little knives going stabbystabby at my nose! Thankfully, that calms down very quickly, the pithiness giving way to a rounder scent, a ruby red grapefruit dipped in lavender & vanilla sugar... the chamomile is lurking, adding a faintly herbal apple-ness. The currant is there, too, coming out more as it dries - red & tart & sticky like grenadine. By "dark musk", I'm thinking Beth means something closer to red musk than black - I'm getting none of the powder that black musk usually turns to on my skin - and it adds a deep, faintly incensey foundation that keeps Cheshire Cat from being nothing but fruit & herbal tea... I like this far more than I thought I would, not enough to warrant a bottle, but it's a lovely imp to have around for the warmer months.

[Ravenclaw79]

In the imp: Sweet, sugar-sweet... it almost smells like the midway at a fair, like maybe I'm standing next to the friend-dough booth, where they have those big vats of warm fruit filling if you want it. It's a fruity sweet, with a cherry-cola-ish undertone.

 

Wet: Cherry tobacco? It's a bit lighter and fruitier than that, but it reminds me of cherry pipe tobacco. There's a hint of soapiness, too, which is less good.

 

Drying: This is really smoky-sweet, but while that's usually kind of meh for me, this one's really fascinating. It smells a little like cherry tobacco, and it also smells a little like a Strawberry Shortcake doll, in an odd way. This might merit a second try.