Cheshire Cat

[VenusFlyTrap]

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

I absolutely adore this scent and it has nothing to do with the fact it was discontinued.

There is something soft yet sparkling about CC. Wearing it evokes feelings of happiness and calmness.

I love the components of grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender.

It is just about my number 1 most favorite BPAL of all time.

Hopefully, when the grapefruit harvest comes back to respectable levels, CC will return again.

[GypsyRoseRed]

This blend really fits it's name for me, because whenever I catch a whiff of it, it always manages to make me smile. The creamy grapefruitiness of it really works as a subtle pick-me-up as well as smelling delicious.

[klio]

CHESHIRE CAT (2006)

 

In the bottle: Stunningly sharp, clear, clean grapefruit, with perhaps a dash of lavender. The chamomile might be contributing to the bright fruity smell.

 

On, wet: Bright, sparkling grapefruit. Beautiful and pure.

 

On, dry: Gone. Not even the grin remains.

 

On, later: I was hoping the flowers might return, but after only a few minutes, nothing is left.

 

Maybe something to try in a scent locket, to see if that gives it some staying power.

[kiio]

At first, the Cat has a biting grapefruit note, almost too sharp. Then as it dried down, the grapefruit note mellow, and the whole thing disapeer within half an hour. May try mixing this with lotion to get a more lasting scent.

[Elrianra]

A faint musk bathes in floral and herbal notes. Red currant is denoted as being a rather sour to bitter red berry scent which I can detect faintly as it mingles with the mild pinkish citrus of the grapefruit. On my skin, the wet oil could very well be grapefruit juice; tangy and sweet with an underlying bitterness that I recognize as chamomile and the currant again while the musk lays smooth on my skin and the florals are pale and shy. As it dries, this goes citrus-floral and the musk disappears entirely! Suddenly I'm sitting in a sunny garden eating grapefruits, green and red is the colors this scent brings to mind - not the gawdy Christmas colors but a more orange-pink than red and the green is pale, almost white... like tainted lace. Warming, the musk slides gracefully into power, coiling around the fruit and floral in a deceptively shy and innocent manner. The chamomile is extremely soft in this but then again, I've never come across Roman chamomile before so I assume that it is a milder note than other variations. In the end, the chamomile and currant mingle at the top over a bed of musk covered citrus-florals; this is sweet and mildly playful but a lot less mischievous than I anticipated really.

[filigree_shadow]

I normally avoid anything with grapefruit or lavender, but I think Cheshire Cat is lovely. It's a little overwhelmingly grapefruity for the first couple of minutes, but then the chamomille kicks in and balances it out. It has just a hint of lavender, which is amazing since lavender usually amps to unreasonable levels on my skin. It smells smooth and bright, crisp and shiny. Playful. I would love to take a bath in this.

 

And this is the reason why I should always try a BPAL blend even if I don't think it'll work for me.

[themerrybaker]

Cheshire is nicely balanced, with the fruity currant and (very subtle) lavender keeping the chamomile and grapefruit from holding a pucker fest. This is so perfect for hot summer days.

 

 

 

And it has the word "Cat" on the label!!

[harmonyfb]

This went on so refreshing! Grapefruit, all tangy and happy! Sadly, that topnote lasted only a few minutes before it matured into a slightly spicy floral perfume. My husband liked it, but I thought it was a bit flowery for my tastes.

 

Too bad the grapefruit didn't last longer.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Musky lavender.

 

Preconceived notions: Well, the grapefruit, currant and chamomile sound lovely, but I'm not so sure about the dark musk or lavender.

 

In the imp: Citrus, musky... lavender. Damn.

 

On skin, wet: Bright, citrusy, slightly musky... lavender. Bloody hell, lavender. Lavender and I aren't on speaking terms; it does all sorts of strange, ass-y things when on my skin. It's also got a bit of a musty (musTy, not musKy) quality about it, care of the dark musk. The addition of the very breezy, cool grapefruit makes the whole scent fairly... odd.

 

On skin, dry: Sharp, citrusy lavender and the faintest hint of chamomile. I really do like the chamomile and grapefruit in this, and were it not for the lavender and musk, I'd be contemplating a bottle. As it is, it's too sharp, musky and, well, lavender-y.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Given the notes, I had a hunch it wasn't meant to be, but when it was resurrected, and I saw all the "Yay, I love Cheshire Cat!" I figured I'd give it a go. Turns out it's a definite no go.

[populuxa]

Wet - All pink grapefruit. As it dries, it stays very fruity, but the chamomille and musk start to take the stage. Like Shattered, the notes dance around, although I don't like the heavy incensy herbals with the grapefruit too much. It's complex and mischevous. A fun scent but not a fave [although I think this may be because chamomile does not jive with me very well]

[AliBabble]

out of the imp, this is sharp, wet grapefruit. astringent like something i'd put on my face, a bit like rosemary oil - oh i guess that's the lavendar and chamomile - so nice.

on my skin, it softens up, and sweetens up. gets gradually more candy-like:sugared grapefruit jelly-candies (like what you eat at passover). anyway, it just gets better - eventually becoming a soft, sweet musky grapefruit! this is when it reminds me of petting soft cat fur. me-oww!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I know it sounds crazy, but I really didn't get grapefruit from Cheshire Cat--although Brian says he can detect it. I got currants and lavender in about equal parts. Pleasant and mild, but not long lasting--it soon faded 'til all that was left was the grin, so to speak, of sweetish musk.

 

It's nice, but I didn't need a lavender scent--I have that covered with Somnus. I wanted it to be a fresh, crisp fruit blend for summer, and it just isn't--it's Arcana with currants. My skin must not amp grapefruit if there is anything else it can possibly amp.

[Miss Lynx]

Fruity and a little spicy, with a touch of floral sweetness and a dark undercurrent. It's a bit of a confusing, paradoxical scent (suitably enough given who it's named for), but in a good way.

 

It does get a little soapy on the drydown, but not in an unappealling way -- it smells more like some kind of nice aromatherapy bubble bath. It definitely has different layers that seem to shift and change, so that it's sometimes almost candy-sweet and other times darker, sometimes more floral and sometimes more herbal. Very hard to pin down, but always nice.

 

Not necessarily about to become a favourite, but definitely a keeper, because it's so unique.

 

Grade: B/B+

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

musk and citrus

 

wet:

grapefruit and musk, hint of floral/herbs

 

dry:

grapefruit, herbs, floral… really nice!

 

overall:

nice!

 

rating: 8/10

[Meg]

In the bottle: Grapefruit and floralsm very deep and a bit perfumy. It makes me think of purple - possibly because of the lavender.

 

Wet: Grapefruit, ooh, pretty! There's something sharp behind it, possibly the lavender.

 

Drydown: A citrusy, nearly lemony scent, rather tart over something deeper, certainly the musk. When most of the citrus lets up, I get to a hint of grapefruit, musk and florals - it's very smoothly blended though, hard to tell what's in this if you don't have the ingredient list. Ooh, chamomile comes up, soft and a bit bitter, a very nice touch!

 

Overall: A gorgeous blend! I'm so happy it was resurrected! It smells deep and soft, a bit thoughtful, a bit playful, and with a lovely deep musk. There's a depth in here (as in Baobhan Sith) that seems to make the blend more complex and perfumy than usual, in a very good way. This is going right with my favourites, it's beautiful!

[GemmaCat]

Darn, another one not working as I'd hoped.

 

I was hoping for grapefruit softened by chamomile and with a lavender drydown, but instead I get pure, strong, sharp grapefruit.

 

I like a grapefruit a lot, but it's too strong on its own as a perfume.

 

Off to the swap pile!

[furygrrl]

In the imp: Faint lavender, something herbal.

 

On wet: A jumble of notes swirl up - currants and grapefruit in the foreground, herbs and musk underneath.

 

Drydown: Mmm... Soft, sweet, candyliciousness. I seriously smell edible. It's like the currants and grapefruit have merged into some kind of pink Super Fruit, all glowing and gorgeous and glazed with sugar. The lavender, chamomile, and musk are bundled together just underneath - like a softly fragrant, herbal serving platter for all that yummy fruit.

 

Overall: Lovely and light, sweet without being overpowering, a beautiful, interesting skin scent, and yet another addition to my bottle wishlist. A strong 4.5/5.

[moon_lemming]

What a confusing kitty! My notes say that in the imp I smelled "sugared pink grapefruit and sweet pink florals" but there's nothing sweet and pink in the blend at all! I guess the currant blends with the grapefruit to make it seem sweeter than it is. It is a lovely blend; the only thing that stands out is the grapefruit, but it's obvious that there's so much more underneath it.

 

The drydown is basically the same as my initial sniff, just with a lot more sugar sprinkled over the grapefruit.

 

Cheshire Cat is so pretty -- the only reason I'm not pouncing on a bottle RIGHT NOW is that it's very, very light on me. I need to retry it and see if it's too light to wear or if it will work paired with a locket.

[abbycomix]

Like the Cheshire Cat, it's hard to describe and it disappears! It smells very nice, less grapefruity than I was expecting, but it just went away so quickly on me. I think I'll be swapping it.

[shirasade]

This combination was just too interesting to resist.

 

Imp: Strange first impression - very strong grapefruit, but then there's musk and lavendar at the same time.

 

Wet: A more general fruitiness appears, but it's still very citrusy. Also, the flowers come out more.

 

Dry: Dries into something more mellow. It's more difficult to distinguish single notes.

 

Overall: Definitely a crazy scent - fruit and flowers and spicy musk. There even seems to be a minty undertone. To me it smells like dusk, seeing the sun set over dancing water near an orchard. A pick-me-up scent - I like it much more than I first expected.

[edenssixthday]

Cheshire Cat - When I first encountered Cheshire Cat, it was during the era when it was discontinued. I fell so in love with it that I actually said I’d seriously consider turning in my entire BPAL addiction for a life-time supply of the then-sadly discontinued scent. As soon as it became available again, I bought a 10 ml bottle of it. (I know now that was a crazy person's idea. I've discoverd better BPAL since then.

 

It is so springtimey fresh and fruity. The red currant and chamomile are the strongest notes on me with the grapefruit lending a little sparkle to it. It reminds me a lot of what you’d get if you layered Bath and Body Work’s Grapefruit Jasmine with their Red Currant and Thyme Tea scents. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Unfortunately, the throw is really light and it disappears from my skin pretty quickly. Good thing I have a big bottle!

[Nekomata]

Oh, god, this is sooo good. The currant and grapefruit come out as the top notes with lavender lying in the background and the chamomile-musk combo makes a perfect base. This is very fruity and juicy and reminds me of herbal teas. A definate keeper!

[shellyshells]

Imp: Grapefruit, citrusy and fruity

 

On me: Yummy grapefruit at first, after awhile the musk and lavender is in the lead. Lasts all day on me

 

Overall: I love the citrusy fruity smell, it totally lifts my mood! The musk is nice but I much prefer the top notes. I give it a 7 or 8 out of 10

[columbus]

In the bottle: Citrusy and bright! The grapefruit is a delight.

 

Wet on the skin: Woah-man. This is the perfect fruity citrus. The grapefruit is not too sweet, but it's not too sour or dry either, thanks to the red currant, if I'm not mistaken. It's a sunny smell that makes me want to take a bite out of my wrist!

 

Drydown: The cat mellows out rather quickly. You can still catch the citrus, but the musk and lavender become more noticible. Still a pleasant smell, but much more subtle.

 

Overall: I am in love with the way this smells fresh out of the bottle... if only that lasted a bit longer! Also, as many other people have noted, the throw on this seems to be lacking, which makes me sad. If slathering rather than dabbing can get this scent to stay around longer, this guy might make it to my top ten!

 

 

9.5/10

[sofiaviolet]

I can smell loads of grapefruit, but not much else. On my skin, the grapefruit dies immediately, replaced by currant and musk. It's not a combination I much like. The sweetness plus musk doesn't do anything for me.