Alice's Evidence

[zankoku_zen]

Containing nary a neutron of meaning: rum-quince-cassis with prune and a bit of black ginger.

This smells like Christmas plums if you ask me. Rollicking, cinnamon boozy plums. The kind that have been soaking in a punch bowl.

But it's so sugary sweet and oh so delectable, you don't mind.

Even if they might drive you a little mad. Edited December 7, 2009 by Shollin

[mamoyer]

I'm totally getting quince and sugarplums, and it's AWESOME. It also smells like pine to me, but it may be scent association, because Alice's Evidence smells like Christmas to me! (That is, Christmas quince pie and sugarplums and gingerbread). This will be a bottle purchase, since I'll likely be wearing a lot of this come winter.

[devilot]

In the Vial: boozy fruit, I want to say a purpley fig, but according to the lab notes, it's likely the quince-cassis and/ or prune my nose is detecting.

 

Wet: Whoa fruit! Whoa RUM! It settles into that super fruity rum for a minute or so and then shifts into super spicy mode (the black ginger, I guess) but it's almost minty given how spicy it smells.

 

Drydown: The fruit has come back a little, but it's still all spicy ginger on me. Ick.

 

Verdict: I'm so glad I got to try this blend, but it's really not for me. Off to the swaps ye' go!

[Megara]

I must preface this review by saying I'm really not one for "fall" scents. I really hate the fall, because it leads to a horrid midwest winter around here, and I DETEST winter. So anything that remotely reminds me of fall I tend to stay away from. BUT....

I really, really love this. It's the perfect Halloween scent that isn't LE.

I get fall apple which is funny, since there is no apple listed in the notes (must be the plums?), a little bit of somthing grounding in the background keeping it from being too fruity, and a bit of cinnamon clovey goodness. Perfectly balanced, wonderfully "fall".

I was really happy with the staying power of this one. The throw was just right.

Can I see myself wearing this in June? July? Not so much. I'm just not that kind of girl.

But come September, this one will be in heavy rotation.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Megara

[crebbsgirl]

Yup, this is a gingered fruity blend. Little spice, and dried fruits. Smells like a marmalade or compote for sure. It's definitely an autumn-feeling blend. Nice, but not really for me.

[Lyrical]

In the vial: warm and creamy and fruity and spicy and goooooooooood!

 

Wet on skin: spicy plum, slightly similar to Frumious Bandersnatch, but rounded out with other fruit. Quince is a type of apple, I believe, and this does smell apple-y. And the ginger is indeed black, adding a dark tang of spice to a mixed fruit jam type of scent.

 

Dry on skin: good throw on this one! It smells a lot like the sort of jam I make when we have lots of apples and plums from the garden, and I add some ginger and cinnamon. The fruit is a little sour on my skin, but that's probably chemistry - I make most fruit notes sour. There is even a hint of autumn leaves. This is really nice, but not as good as Samhain for a foody autumn scent, so I won't be getting a bottle.

[Aldercy]

Cinnamongingerplum!

 

Alice's Evidence is a very decadent, foody blend without being cakey, sugary, buttery, goopy, etc. It's a rare find that I think anti-foodies could really enjoy. I don't smell any rum, but most everything else is there. The fruit notes are rich and chewy-- not light or candylike-- and this is coming from someone whose skin doesn't play well with most fruit. The foundation of the scent is slightly gingerbready, but with a hint of smoked bark that keeps it from feeling too much like dessert.

 

There is a small twinge of waxy plastic, though, which makes me think this oil just needs to age a little bit.

[kohaisama]

Smells like a sucked on Hall's cough drop dipped in the ink of your ballpoint pen that just bled all over your fingers.

 

SERIOUS THROW

Edited October 29, 2009 by Gunny

[sarandipitee]

In the imp it smells very sharp, boozy and spicy. On my wrist it's all pot pourri and gives me a head ache. Thankfully it fades quickly. It's sad, I really enjoy spicy, boozy smells like Devil's Night, and I was hoping this would be a winner.

[tajana]

Wet: A tart fruity smell, mostly blackcurrants and plum. I'm guessing quince might be responsible for some of the fruitiness as well. This is pretty straightforward so far.

 

Dry: Continuing fruitiness, primarily prune/plum. The ginger is only a slight spicy quality lurking beneath the surface, and is only identifiable as "ginger" rather than "generic craft store spice" if I huff closely. Yeah, craft store candles aren't a good thing to think of when whiffing a perfume. After a while this reminds me of a particular plum spread I've eaten before, spiked with a bit of booze. Rather delicious and reminiscent of something you'd find filling a cookie or pastry. I didn't get any trace of booziness until at least thirty minutes after application. The throw in this is pretty strong.

 

Overall: Not too different from Frumious Bandersnatch. Unfortunately this reminds me first of cheap candles and then of jam. I'm not a big fan of straightforwardly fruity fragrances, so your mileage may vary.

[Argentwolf]

This smells like sweet, sticky, golden fruit preserves, seasoned with lots of ginger and perhaps a bit of cinnamon as well. Quite lovely! I think it lasted quite a while, as well.

[impolight]

 

IN THE IMP: Goodness! What IS THAT?

Sruce or Fir?

Pineapple? Plum? Pommegranite?

Something sweet... Raspberry? Marshmallow or Vanilla?

ON EPIDERMIS: Jeepers!!! Clove? Cassia? Cinnamon?

APPLE PIE!

This one is EXTREMELY yummy.

(In an impertinent and flouncy way)

A kiss from fiery-cinnamon lip-gloss.

Burgundy and Brazz.

Topaz and rich, red wood.

[kerikeri]

Bright fruit settling into a warm, spicy punch scent. I'm a huge fan of plum scents, and this is lovely and unique, more of a sticky gooey cooked plum than the fresh plum note I've smelled in other blends. Oddly, something in this is reminding me of honeydew melon-- I have no idea what quince is supposed to smell like, so perhaps it's that.

 

I love this. Sometimes fruit scents are too sugary-bright and sometimes spice scents are too overwhelmingly cinnamon-potpourri on me, but this is a perfect balance.

[aquazoo]

Spicy apples to start. Or whatever that fruit is, maybe it's the prune. This is a fruit essence, not overly sweet like candy, not wine, not as heavy as mulled cider. Instead, it's hitting that just-right part of the produce section where you can tell there is something ripe and waiting.

 

[Venneh]

In the imp, this is spicy, dark fruits, smells like something like I might drink at Christmas. On my skin, this is pretty much the same, and quite potentially a bottle. Remains the same throughout, going to give it a full skin test later to decide whether or not I want a bottle. On the second test, though, the darker fruits amp as a little watery and the spices aren't as strong on both wrists, sadly; this is gonna be a pass.

Edited February 8, 2010 by Venneh

[Geminirubyshoes]

oh RAWR! this is sooooooo good! THIS is what sugar plum fairies would smell like! perhaps quince and plum are of the same persuaion, I have never known prunes to smell this good. Spicy sweet fruit vapors emaniting from a pie just removed out of the oven...thats what this smells like on my wrists. I'm so happy right now!

[voorishsign]

I'm not a big fan of food scents but this one sounds delicious!

 

In the imp - Mmm, prunes and a tad bit of ginger. Tasty, tasty.

 

On wet - Plum pudding! Purest, loveliest plum pudding! Not overly sweet, either.

 

Drydown - is there cinnamon in this? Anyway, the ginger, which has a habit of going monster-gingerbread on me in other oils, remains subdued and polite in the background. I think I can also detected the slightest hint of mint, but that might be my nose fooling me.

 

While this hasn't converted me into the realm of foodies, this is a wonderful and tasty scent.

[milo]

YUM! Plums and spice! Yes, this is kind of like a pot-pourri blend, but a nice one at that, that I really don't mind smelling like. There is a bit of booze that comes out after a bit, a good thing, as I generally like boozy scents, it's mixing with the fruits and smells kind of like a winery, or fruit that has gone a bit fermented. It's not enough to bother me, though, and I really do like this. A not-quite-foody blend, with perfectly blended spice. WIN!

[ralenth]

In the bottle, Alice's Evidence is a beautiful spiced plummy scent. Unfortunately, it goes the way of Lambs-Wool on me: holiday potpourri. Off to the swaps.

[donnatron]

Imp: Sweet, dense BOOZY prunes. Actually very plummy but too sweet to be a true plum.

 

Wet: The spices amp up and I get a good hit of ginger over the prune. The sweetness actually tones down a bit and this gets more plummy.

 

Dry: Very similar to Frumious Bandersnatch although a lot spicier and a touch sweeter. Boozy plums as a base with a spicy kick from the cassia and ginger. I agree with other posters who think it smells like Christmas. It reminds me of winter scented candles and Crabtree and Evelyn's Noel line minus the pine.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: It's an interesting, evocative scent. I think it's a little outside my usual comfort zone but it's fun to try.

[claudia6913]

Huh - I really had completely forgotten what notes were in here, and had you asked me from first sniff, I would've said, why, there's carnation of course! Can't you smell the yummy spicyness eminating in a sweet floral cloud?

 

Really though, this is candied/sugared carnations. I love it. I assume the spice is the cassis? It's the same kind of "spice" (though it's much more predominant in Alice's Evidence) I get out of Autumn Coolness, and that's the only note they share.

 

It really is a sweet and lovely scent. Not too heavy, but not light either. It lets you know it's there and swirls around for a while before dying off without you realizing it's even gone. However it doesn't really leave. It's there, but only when it wants to be. I'm not sure I'm even describing it right. It's not like I'm catching wafts of it as I move, since the last time I'd caught a sniff was while I was sitting still and could've sworn it would've worn off by then. Yet when I put nose to wrist, I couldn't smell the scent.

 

I really enjoy almost all of the Mad Tea Party scents. However, I think Alice's Evidence will replace my Queen Alice (since amber and I don't play nice most of the time).

[edenssixthday]

Alice's Evidence - This is a spicy quince and prune scent. The prune is kind of plummy, but has more of a dried-fruit scent about it. It smells like a compote or a chutney. It definitely smells edible, but not in the typical foody kind of way. I really, really like this and in fact, I'm wondering if I should try to create a rum-quince-prune-ginger chutney at home.

[Schmoozy]

 

Love this blend. So simple, yet spicy, fruity and tart. I can see this getting a lot of wear int he fall. Edens sixth Day is correct. This does smell like a chutney.

[capncait]

I was frimped this, and it was an unexpected surprise (Thanks Quikslvr!

 

Something about the prunes with booze and spices and quince smells somewhat like spiced cider on my skin! I really liked the scent though, and only wished it lasted longer and had more throw. On me, there was no throw, and within an hour or two, it was completely gone.

[melrose]

I'm so glad I tried this in cool weather; I'm sure I wouldn't be nearly as enamored of it in the summer. A dead ringer for Christmas - I'm amazed at how one whiff evokes a startingly clear, bright, colorful memory of Christmas with my family as a little girl, and the happy, safe way I felt then. I think a bottle is in my future.