The Caterpillar

[cassandrakfreaq]

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.

wow this is everything I hoped it would be. such a sweet smoke. I can actually see the caterpillar in his glen reclining. its a lackadaisical scent. there is a lot going on in it but it all works so very well.

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Sharply incensey

 

Wet: Still incensey, quite sharp.

 

Later: Bah, I can't make out anything apart from incense, and sadly it's not good. I wanted to like this; a friend gave me the imp because it was on my wishlist

[funkmoppet]

Lab frimpage, and one I wouldn't have picked (especially since most of the MTP blends don't really appeal to me). Still - I'll try anything.

 

Starts off very nicely with smoky carnation and vetiver behaving itself nicely underneath. But uh...the incense isn't long on my skin before it kills everything by turning to doom-powder.

 

I scrubbed this off pretty quickly. I'd like to smell it on someone with resin-friendly skin though, as it was promising before the usual powder horror.

[Mimicake]

The jasmine drowns out every other note in this blend, thus making the Caterpillar crawl on my skin in a sickly manner. Go away you annoying jasmine-laden bug.

[Skirt]

This smell reminds me a bit of shopping for xmas trees, mossy and clean, sweet but with a punch. I can't stop smelling it. Definitely 5ML-worthy.

[KikuPeach]

In my excitement to get it open, I broke my frimp.

 

As a floralphobe, I didn't expect to like it, but as a Carroll aficionado, I needed to try it.

 

Imp: Huh. Doesn't smell floral. Dunno just what it smells, but I like it.

 

Wet: I can't pick out any note, but I accept that This love is one that may well consume my life. And I'm okay with that.

 

Dry: I thought it faded quickly, but date-dude could still smell it. And When I wrist-huff real hard, I can get a whiff. Very nice. Still so blended as to evade picking apart (at least by my novice-nose.)

 

I want a 5mL bottle! And I will try not to break it.

[hellomoonglow]

In Imp: Really strong, I’m having to force myself to swab this on.

Wet: Much better, and I get a little suntan lotion smell too, which is I love.

½ hr. Dry Down: New age shops…..patchouli…..this is a keeper! I need a bottle of this! Suntan lotion is all gone. This would be a great his/hers unisex scent.

[xleighx]

I got this as a frimp in my last order and never reviewed it. PATCHOULI DEATH. That is all.

[waternight]

In the imp: Incense! Yummy, head-shoppy incense. This is really mostly incense in the imp, but if I really whuff at it I can catch an undertone of jasmine. Yum.

Wet/Drydown: On me, it’s herbal incense, which surprises me because of all the floral notes in this one. Becoming more floral though – a dry floral. Jasmine… possibly some bergamot and neroli. Thankfully, the vetiver is thus far behaving. Mmm… this is a bouquet of dry, herbally floral notes wafting through fabulous incense. Absolutely intoxicating.

Dry: The florals sweeten up a bit and the dryness backs off. Dry, this is predominantly sweeter florals and less incense. It’s nice, but I wish it stayed in the heavy incense/dry florals stage.

[aquazoo]

Starts with spicy goodness! Warm, soft, baking. It's got a cinnamon feel to it. It fades nicely into a hippie incense shop.

[MaidenGenevive]

The Caterpillar

 

Ooh. What a lovely, complex floral with a faint touch of incense. Distinctly feminine.

 

It makes me feel as though I'm walking through a mature garden on a hot summer day - the sun lifting various flowers' scents into a bouquet that confuses the senses. The feel of incense adds to that confusion. It certainly does have a lazy feel to it, casual, comfortable and warm.

 

As it wears, it smells powdery; which makes me think of classy 1940's movie actresses in their powder-rooms.

 

Overall, this scent makes me feel uber-feminine and summer happy. I definitely will be wearing this again.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

4 : I do remember thinking it was a bit too floral, despite it leaving an overall positive impression. I think this is an Imp that I'll have to re-review another time.

Edited August 29, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: A deep heavy vetiver and incense scent.

 

Immediately on skin: The vetiver is very strong and I get a slight hint of jasmine. This is a very deep blend and the incense feel is very strong.

 

After a few minutes: This is definitely a deep floral. It almost reminds me of Niflheim, except with incense as opposed to murky aquatic notes. It has a little sweetness, but this blend is laced with heavy flowers, patchouli, and incense.

 

Later on: This has mellowed a bit and the vetiver has died down. I can sense the bergamot, but this scent is still a very hazy one. It’s very interesting, but not quite my cup of tea.

[daiconharuko]

If you've ever been to a new age shop and came out smelling like thick incense, then you also smelled like the Caterpillar! This is way groovy, but I don't think I'll get a bigger bottle. There is something in this that's making it smell a bit like kitty litter on me. I think it's the jasmine. I'm not hip to her jive. Bummer.

[jaeyne]

Kraken sent this as a freebie (thank you) thinking I might like it and was she ever right! Did she read my favorite scent notes ? Incense, neroli, right up my alley.

In the imp and wet I got floral, as it started to dry I got the incense. Close to the skin it smells clean, but wafting around me I catch the incense again. I used to work at a metaphysical bookstore where we burned incese almost non-stop and all the books had this delicious (to me) odor when you'd open them up. That's what I smell like.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: jasmine and carnation weighted down by incense and earthy notes.

 

Wet on me: grassy vetiver and neroli over moss. Both green and sweet.

 

After a few minutes: Strong jasmine and incense notes come out - very nag champa-like. There's some patchouli too but it's sweetened by the flowers and isn't too 'heavy' (i.e. 'dirty hippie' ). Ahhh... nose glued to wrist.

 

Drydown: Heady and sexy. The jasmine and carnation are strong over incense and patchouli.

 

 

Complex but playful. I like it a lot as it's both floral and mossy/earthy, two scent families which I love

[TereFaerie]

I really like The Caterpillar, but I'm not sure if I'm still smelling anything but incense. The floral notes fade fairly quickly, leaving behind a smoky (in a good way) residue.

 

If I try I can pick out a little jasmine and carnation for the first 15 minutes, but they blend into a flowery incense after a while. I still like it, but I'm looking for a less cloying and more jasminey woody scent.

 

*** out of 5 stars.

 

January 08

I like The Caterpillar more and more the more I wear it. It begins with a high, clear jasmine top note, which slowly fades to be consumed by the woody-incense of the base. It is just beautiful and one of my favorite florals.

 

Adding another star!

 

**** out of 5

Edited January 10, 2008 by TereFaerie

[Styx]

The Caterpillar (yellow oil)

 

Pfrimp (thank you!): head shop incense and jasmine.

 

Skin: While wet, its jasmine with a trace of floury incense in the edges. As it dries, its all jasmine and neroli on me! And it gets sweeter and more high pitched as time goes by. I get more floury too. The incense had disappeared during the middle stage, but at the very end, it made a comeback and I could smell it as aftertrace.

Who ever thought the caterpillar was such a feminine creature? Powerful stuff, however, and you could smell it as if you were tasting it through a hookah. Has to be applied lightly.

 

Heavy weight, body temperature, evening scent.

Edited October 2, 2007 by Styx

[Lunaratu]

This went on very strong, narcotic opium incense. This settles down a bit and then I can sense something like currants in the background. I can also smell the jasmine trying to pop its head out in there, adding a lush floral note to the whole. However, it also smells intensely soapy—not for me.

Rating: 2/5

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

This is a swirling, complex, incensy, super-heady fragrance and I LOVE IT! I can't really pick out any individual notes, just ...florals, incense, musk. Smells like an occult bookstore, and that is good news to me! Good throw, long lasting. I give it a 4.5 out of 5. I would get a big bottle of this, for sure!

[amyw]

I got this as a frimp, as it's not anything I'd try on my own. That's because jasmine becomes old lady soap on me and vetiver and I don't particularly get along either. My elbow smells like someone trying to wash away body odor with old lady soap. Gradually, the old lady soap will win because jasmine usually amps and takes over when it's in a blend, and that's what's happening now, even as I type. So at least the imaginary tiny sweaty person on my elbow is getting clean!

 

Edit: Hm, now the vetiver is back. I guess the tiny sweaty person went jogging? It morphs very quickly with the jasmine and the vetiver taking turns at the helm, or maybe it's just my nose. Interesting.

Edited November 23, 2007 by amyw

[Northernskygal]

I'm not gonna lie.. I am scerred of patchouli, mosses and vetiver... but I usually love carnation and iris so.. maybe.. In the imp it is a dark, sharp scent. It smells.. black.. you know? The bergamot and neroli take it this really.. piercing sort of direction, though the patchouli helps to keep that mellow. This smells like.. a head shop that has been melting crayons.. that has some fresh cut flowers in a vase near-by. The carnation is just.. drowned out by the jasmine in the blend, sadly. I really do get a melted wax smell from this.. I blame the vetiver lol This would be great maybe on a woodsy person.. it smells outdoorsy to me. It is maybe a bit to sharp for my liking.

[odalisque]

I love, love, love The Caterpillar. It's everything I hoped it would be.

 

In the imp, sweet thick incense.

 

On the skin, wet: more of the same ever so briefly before a burst of vivid but not sweet or cloying florals. Mostly I smell the iris, and can pick it out very clearly, which surprises me. I can even see the iris in my mind's eye: it's a glowing purple one, not pastel, clear and vivid but not eye-popping. That's the color of the floral notes in this blend.

 

Drying down: I keep wondering when I lit incense and didn't remember it. I totally understand the "hippie head shop" descriptions! I am not sure I want to smell like the incense I use to scent my house.

 

Happily, though, after about 10 minutes, it mutes down to something wonderful. Something with only the barest whisper of the "heavy incense" notes and a nice whiff of the same carnation that plays so well on me in Bathsheba. Or is there also musk in this? I always thought the Bathsheba wonderfulness was mostly the musk.

 

It's not spicy or musky or floral or woody or smoky enough to pick out any one facet, just distinctive and beautiful. It also has very nice throw.

 

ETA: Whee! one week later, I'm at a different point in my cycle, and The Caterpillar is all "Hello CARNATION!" I like this, too. What a changer.

Edited January 16, 2008 by odalisque

[Dracoo9]

I really wanted to like this, I really did but it smelt like plain tortilla chips in the imp and on me. I even told my boyfriend to smell it and he also said 'tortilla chips' X.x And though I usually smell the chip like scent on the underlying tone I still cant help but focus on it now that my mind has made the connection of scents.

 

Ah, the human mind what a tricksey devil!

[starwild]

Incense, flowers, and a tiny hint of smokiness. A very nice blend, but nothing that screams "BUY MORE OF ME" to my nose.

[Lavada]

Thank you to 13magpies for the impie!

 

From start to finish, this was smoky incense. It's nice, sure, but a little disappointing; I must have subconsciously bigging it up to be this wonderfully complex and darkly mercurial blend. It's surprisingly short-lived and very clingy to the skin as well.

 

How I envy those that can see (smell?) what the Caterpillar does...