The Caterpillar

[requieminblack]

"Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver"

 

First sniff from the bottle- Wow, this smells great!

 

After 10 minutes- I am glad I gave this a try. Based on the description, this is something I would have avoided like the plague.

 

What I smell is something like the inside of a cedar chest that has been filled with nag champa and dried flowers. There is a hint of peppery spice in the background. Some have described this as smelling like a hippy shop but it smells more like a Buddhist temple to me.

 

After 30 minutes- I can't get over how wonderfully blended this is! I don't smell jasmine, patchouli or vetiver at all, which is a pleasant surprise. The 'incense' scent and the carnation are dominate.

 

Summery-This should be a lesson to me to never judge a scent by the description alone. The Caterpillar is fantastic!

[Witch's Dagger]

The Caterpillar

 

This was a freebie from the lab. Thanks!

 

Preconceived notions: From the reviews, I got - sweet, intoxicating, dark, heavy, complex, complicaated, florally, mossy, deep, and mysterious. Sounds very intriguing.

 

In the vial: Very herbal, in a pungent, biting way. Ylang ylang or jasmine. Interesting. Definitely complex. While I’m not getting a “mossy” scent, the color is definitely mossy green.

 

On me: Wow, this is very strong. I do tend to put a lot on, but I’m getting a headache from how strong this is. And I’m still getting that sharp jasmine. It is not jasmine alone, though - whatever else is in it is green - making this a very green jasmine, if that makes sense. And it wafts like there’s no tomorrow. Closer to the skin, it’s definitely more herbal. There, close up, I can smell the patchouli (vaguely), vetivert, and carnation. It’s definitely a spicy carnation and I’m wondering if the incense has something to do with that. And as I type this, the wafting scent is getting a little smokier, while the wrist scent is getting citrusy. Definitely complicated. I like it.

 

In a few more minutes: Wow, suddenly the incenses have really started to come out, along with the citrus, and the green jasmine is still there, hovering in the background. I like this stage even more than the last. I might need to get a bottle of this if it keeps being this unusual.

 

10 minutes: This is incredible. It somehow manages to be an herbal, citrus, smoky, fiery, floral scent. This is sort of what I imagined Tarot: The World smelling like, since a lot of the reviews said it smelled like everything. This smells like everything.

 

30 minutes: It hasn’t changed much. It’s still very complex, still very strong. I keep thinking I’m getting cedar in this. I’m hoping it’s not leftover from Damnation - though that was pretty weak when I put this on, and this is really strong. In any case, I didn’t mention it in my long thing, but all of that herbal, citrus, smoky, fiery, floralness is happening in a forest. A pine forest with cedars in it. Yeah, everything.

 

1 hour: It’s starting to get powdery, but the basic scent hasn’t changed. It’s still everything.

 

Overall: I love this. It’s amazingly complex. It’s definitely a dark scent, it’s definitely in the woods, and there are all these notes that are sort of all simultaneously present. I simply don’t have the words to describe it.

[tokyogirl]

In the bottle: Multiple herbs, mosses.. Incense, mm. I don't get as many florals as others have smelled, but I do smell carnation. Smells very dark, wet.. like a forest cave the morning after a rain. A song popped into my head immediately. "A E I O U~~.. U O I, E A~.." I smell tobacco smoke.. and for once, I like it.

 

On skin, wet: More incense, more carnation. No more smoke, and the mosses and herbs fall back a little. Still about the same; I like it a lot. Not as moist.

 

On skin, dry: Same as wet, but less.. wet-smelling.

 

3 hours later: I smell florals and ylang-ylang.

 

Overall: I loooved this, but it's not for me. I'm slathering it all over my friend Dale, though, and I'm getting him a 5mL no questions asked.

[mmcfa2]

Hobbit head shop! Someone refered to a scent this way and that is Exactly what this smells like to me.

 

Wet: I smell nag champa and green herbal notes

 

On, I get lots of Jasmine

 

Drydown: up come the other florals and I really get the spicy carnation AND whiffs of deeper things

 

Dry" Hobbit Headshop!!" I get patchouli and nag champa and I have no idea if nag champa is even really in the blend but it is really there to my nose

 

My kids gave it a thumbs up but I'm gonna have to try it a few times to be sure

 

Oh and i think the faint curry smell might be indian masala

 

Anyone wana swap a 5 ml for a tea scent? this is too sweet hippie head shop for me Darn and I have a couple of other heavy insence types on the way, I might have chosen poorly, I LOVE patchouli but this is too sweet. ?

 

ADDED Feb. 26:

 

second review.

 

note to self: do NOT try new scents when ovulating! Oaky I described it before as head shop and was afraid of it for work. Now I take that back!

 

Wet, Interlude by frances denny... I get the musk and something achingly sweet

 

drydown, out comes the insence but less cloying or heavy, reminds me of the meditation blend I used to wear.

 

i would almost swear there is a bit of dragon's blood in this!

 

This is truly a complex, grow on you scent. It's both confusing and comforting at the same time. I can smell the mosses on final drydown and I think they save it from being cloying.

Other related scents: Youth dew, Opium, but not as heavy as either. Maybe with perfumers alcohol it would be more like these. I love how thw green lifts it though, keeps it from being TOO dark or too incense. Something in it numbs my nose a bit if I inhale too closely.

 

This is overall dark, heady and mysterious, even with your wrist against your nose the scent morphs and changes for hours. Just, almost cloying, but then it pulls back and gives a cool green scent. Not too sweet, not too much but on the verge..

 

I really like it, in small doses it is amazing, but it IS strong, be sparing with application!!

 

I also like it as a non skin scent, it's really nice right out of the bottle, smells like a really great candle that way. It's a keeper, but not an everyday scent for me.

Edited February 24, 2005 by mmcfa2

[grrrlennyl]

at first: ridiculously heavy and decadent. a very lazy scent.

on: definitely incensy, but something else, too.

1 hour later: a soft incense scent.

4 hours later: very faint. this one really disappears quickly. what i can smell is ok, but not fantastic.

overall: this was a nice enough scent, but not something i'd probably wear often, if at all. i'm glad i tried it, though.

[starrykitten]

Hooray! I heart the Caterpillar. It smells almost exactly like Lush's Tramp to me, which I had been seeking for quite some time.

 

Actually, it smells bigger than Tramp, if that makes sense. It has more oomph and more green. The oakmoss and patchouli seem to be dominant, and this is one of the few jasmine scents where the jasmine doesn't take over entirely.

 

I'm in love.

[bellis]

So far I'm loving the Mad Tea Party Scents. In the bottle, The Caterpillar is all jasmine incense. On my skin it gets eathier and mossier, though the florals still stand out. This is very cozy, a definite keeper. I think I'm going to go take a nap now.

[e_miche]

Initially, I loved it. All incense and carnation on me- I too decided to snuggle down and take a nap ('course, me being sick could have contributed to that).

 

After a while, there was just something ...off. The incense got too strong, and the carnation started to smell as though they'd been left in the sun- It was incredibly disappointing because it started off so beautifully.

This is off to the swap pile.

[HappyLoveJoy]

The Caterpillar This one is everchanging and it just hit me that that's what caterpillars do. Just when I think this oil is dark and smoky it becomes softer and sweeter. I can't pick out the notes but to me it smells like a smoky-sweet floral. A beautiful butterfly marked with memories if it's earthbound beginnings.

[kythryne]

I'm not sure yet what to think of this one. I'm starting to suspect that my skin amplifies incense, because that was pretty much all I could smell once I put this on. In the bottle I could smell the moss and something very earthy and slightly spicy-floral, but on my skin? Insense.

 

I'm going to try this again a time or two, but I don't think it's quite right on me. I have a friend who will love it, though, and it would probably be a fabulous scent for an oil burner or candles...

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: I love carnation, so I had hoped it would be stronger. As it is, the jasmine mingles with vetiver, patchouli and moss to create something seductive and dark. It makes me crave a trip to the hookah bar downtown.

 

On me: The word for this fragrance is swirling. It is a cycle that changes from one moment to the next. One minute it's especially smoky, the next the strength of the florals makes me think of bouquets. It's psychodelic and colorful. Neroli bubbles up every once and a while, clear and strong, only to sink someplace deep and disappear.

[orangepaas]

I so wanted to love this. Instead I feel like an old lady (carnation anyone)--all those florals mixed together is almost giving me a headache I wonder if cedar is included in the heavy incense notes, either that or there must be some cedar left over in my skin from another day, because my skin drags the tiniest cedar out kicking and screaming and overruling any other lovelies that might be there.

 

I really need to get an oil burner so I can enjoy this somewhere else. Either that or it's going up for swaps.

[Janie]

Having tried this twice, the second time spilling half the imp on my jeans, I feel I can comment having worn this metaphorically and physically. I'm such a clot, I tell you.

 

I get the jasmine from the bottle, some carnation and not a lot more. I want the more, not just the big-ass flowers.

 

Going on wet, I get more flowers and not a lot of the base.

 

After about an hour, people were following the scent trail I left behind commenting on it. Positively!

 

The drydown gives me incense, a bit of patchouli, not much vetiver and no moss. Shame, because it's very nice as is, and I'd love more of the dark subterranean notes.

 

Seriously thinking of buying the big bottle. Lasts well, even if you don't spill most of it over you.

[shelldoo]

ahhh yes this one is a big bottle, on me it is vetiver chockin the smoke out of a carnation....a bit morbid but man is it nice

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

A freebie from the Lab...they keep sending me Tea Party scents; must think I need more madness in my life.

 

Brian remarked that this smells "fuzzy." Well, but caterpillars are, now aren't they? This came out softer on me than I expected--I thought, with all those strong notes, that it would be overwhelming, but it's soft and lazy instead, gently wafting close to my skin. I can detect the spicy carnation I like in Masquerade, over a soft bed of patchouli/incense. No jasmine, which is great, since jasmine doesn't like me. The iris is a nice touch. This is a bit like a more feminine, soft version of Coiled Serpant; definitely an oil I could wear to yoga. I should hang on to this just because it is so perfect for the funny little hippie town where I live. I feel so at home!

[Femke]

When I read the description I thought it was going to be too incensy for me. But when I sniffed it at a friend's house and tried some on my skin, it worked out beautifully. It's definitely the jasmine that lingers on my skin. A bit of rose in the background. On me, it's a slightly heavy, yet absolutely gorgeous scent.

[cuervosueno]

My new favorite!

I love incense scents, so i don't know why it took me so long to try this--I guess I was afraid of the florals. Finally swapped for an imp of it....and....

was concerned at first, because in the bottle I smell jasmine which I don't like--it smells like jasmine incense--ick!

but I tried it. At first I did get that jasmine incense note, with something green--probably vetiver which I like....I wasn't sure...

Then it blended so beautifully I couldn't believe it. I was left with a heady incense blend, spicey and sweet all at once....slightly green and dark too, if that makes any sense. I can smell the pachouli in it, which perhaps adds the slightly dark note. Yes, I smell something like a headshop when I wear it, like walking through a bead curtain into a place selling a jumble of incense, but somehow....I love it!

It is strong though.

Still, one of my all time faves. And of course I ordered a big bottle.

edited to add: yeah, really strong. Be careful about putting it on--I just put on a swipe or two and couple of times got that sniff sniff um...what are you wearing response.

Also, I thought this might amuse people: I accidently left an imp in my jeans pocket. Went through the wash AND the dryer.

Seems to be exactly the same. Guess at least this BPAL blend is quite hardy

Edited May 3, 2005 by cuervosueno

[oakmoss]

First sniff:

On opening the imp (and of course spilling it in the process) the main impression is of strong neroli, that swoony-sweet orange blossom scent of my wanton youth, ahhhhh… Very flowery, but not headache-inducing, even spilled over my fingers in a closed car.

 

Dry-down:

Neroli giving way to a more powdery floral scent, with a hint of something more peppery, like carnation. Less overwhelmingly sweet, more sophisticated. Warmer, spicier, darker…

 

An hour later, over lunch:

This scent does not go well with onion rings.

 

Two hours:

I like this, can’t stop smelling my skin, and the scent is different each time, less floral, more spice and incense. So happy I’ve decided to try perfumes again after so many years. Went back and read the description to see if my guesses were correct (this was a freebie imp) … yes, neroli, carnation and ….patchouli! That’s the dark warmth I’m smelling. Definitely something I could wear again.

Edited April 23, 2005 by oakmoss

[matilda]

Well, jasmine tends to be a party pooper for me but I had hoped that since there were so many other notes in this that it might not be a problem. Much to my dismay, in the vial all i could smell was strong jasmine and a hint of incense. Wet, the florals and incense notes came out as well, but it just seemed like there were a bunch of alpha-males competing for my nose's attention - a bit of a headache. After about an hour it faded into a soft, earthy scent, but the jasmine was still there to make me think 'old lady'. I had high hopes for the earthiness of the Caterpillar but sadly, it will be off to swaps.

[Muppetk]

First impression: mixed scent, something floral, something dark/warm, all squished by a pound of vertivert.

 

5 min later: A hint of baby powder is added to the mix, but still mostly vertiver. Vertiver is okay, but it seems to dominate and blends I try with it.

 

Later: This seems like it would be a good men's scent. It's still mostly vertiver, but also has that sharpness that I associate with men's aftershave.

 

Time to trade.

[aritei]

Lovely incense smell in the imp, but the vetivert goes sour on my skin.

[nineveh]

in vial: A strange, pungent, fungus odor comes out first. Could this be vetiver?

 

on: The fungus smell recedes somewhat. The scent doesn't change much from wet to dry. I can't pick out any notes, but my nose is severely untrained. I think I can sense florals beyond the earthiness.

 

I found this to be a slightly bitter but oddly edible-feeling scent. I can't say that it's pleasing exactly, but I also couldn't stop sniffing my wrist. I was expecting something incensy, but instead this scent seems to capture the Caterpillar's surroundings. It's dark, damp, and earthy, and smells brown and green to me. No big bottle for me, but it's interesting enough to make me keep my imp.

[Orodemniades]

Imp - lightly sweet, with a rank undertone that I suspect is the bergamot and vetiver. I can smell the carnation as well.

 

Wet - the same scent, strong yet lighter at the same time. I can really smell the carnation and iris blossom.

 

Drydown - more of the same, but the moss is coming through.

 

Overall - it's nice! The jasmine hasn't, amazingly enough, gone crazy on me, but I think there's just enough of it to turn this into something I wouldn't necessarily wear all that often. I'll keep the imp, but I won't be buying a bottle.

 

 

Oro

[Alice Aforethought]

The vetiver first off gives this one an unpleasant sourness, which is a shame as it does soon mellow to let the floral notes through. But there is a lovely slightly spicy warmth behind it, keeping it rounded and preventing it being sickly-sweet, or the jasmine being too overpowering. It is a comfortable mossy tree-stump hollow in early summer which is moist, not sopping wet leaving skirts trailing in disgust.

[isyche]

Soft jasmine, moss, carnation, incense, earth notes, complicated swirly smokiness...like a headshop in a forest. It makes me think “hippie, psychedelic.” The vetiver and jasmine aren't taking over like they usually do on me, which is nice.

 

This completely evokes the Caterpillar sitting on his mushroom smoking his hookah, and that's so cool, but it's not really my kind of scent to wear.