Whoso List To Hunt

[SophieCedar]

Sensual brown musk, rich amber, English rose, oak bark, and moss.

Wet: combination of english rose and suede-like brown leather with a touch of amber. The brown musk is amping it strangely. There's a sharp pungency about it.
Drydown: english rose goes powdery on me apparently. It's a warm, powdery, brown country rose smell with wafts of smooth suede now. Very romantic. Oddly enough, this is growing on me like grandma's worst cookie recipe. Something about it is simultaneously revolting and comforting to me.

[juniperus]

Bottle: rose and musk, lovely and warm

Wet: the rose really pops, the musk and amber are singular but complimentary of each other (like they're circling? I'm getting imagery here, not words)

Dry: the rose has mellowed some, but remains prominent... and the amber and musk seem to have merged together as warm bronze with the oak elements coloring its edges

Later: the rose is still really forward, almost drowning out the rest of the notes... very pretty and warm overall, but I'd really hoped for more of the musk and amber to stick around.

[grrrlennyl]

Whoso List to Hunt

 

On: Wood and warm musk.

1 hours in: Woody musk.

3 hours in: Very, very faint and woody.

Overall: Wood scents aren't my thing.

[Suu4LC]

In the imp this is soft brown musk and rose. A very pleasant, warm combination. Rose can be hit or miss on me, but this smells beautiful in the imp. Soft and delicate.

 

Oh, this is so pretty! Warm soft rose. The brown musk goes really freaking well with rose. I barely notice the bark and moss, but they are there and I think help keep the rose from going to strong or sour. Warm brown musk and soft pink rose.

 

This was very wearable and pleasant rose scent. The warm brown musk/bark/moss help it from being OMGROSE! I don't think I would need a full bottle of this but I would be all over a partial.

[JasminDreams2010]

I really, really wanted to like this one, I imagined it would smell soft and woodsy.

However, it was sharp and sour on me in the way that roses and musk together sometimes smell like B.O.

eww.

I can see this maybe being nice on someone with the right skin chemistry but was awful on me- swampy musk and mosses and stale rose.

[millarca]

ONOES!!! This started out delicious and deep, but within 2 or 3 minutes on my skin, I thought I smelled something burning. Nope. It was me. This turned into bad-electrical-fire-with-attendant-melting-rubber-cables on me. It started off so beautifully with the woods and the moss... I am quite sad.

Edited April 30, 2011 by millarca

[rhetoricians]

I really want to love this smell, but unfortunately the kryptonite power of rose strikes again! Alas, it just didn't work with my skin chemistry.

[Helas]

I'm not generally a fan of blends that feature rose as a prominent note. They tend to either go very sharp and sour on me, or else give off a soapy, old-fashioned, pot-pourri-like vibe that, while pleasant enough, is just not me. Whoso List to Hunt is a pleasant surprise. The rose is definitely the dominant element, but it is a very gentle, soft, fresh-smelling rose. The moss and the musk remind me of one of my favourite blends, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn; Whoso List to Hunt comes across as a more feminine version of that scent to me. The end result is a little old-fashioned, but in a good way. I get images of ivy-covered stone cottages and wild animals roaming through overgrown gardens. Earthy and delicate and very English.

 

Four out of five stars.

[melrose]

I've never had a BPAL that soaked into my skin so quickly. It lasts 5 minutes at most on my skin, although those 5 minutes are wonderful. The soft musk and amber, with just a hint of rose is gorgeous. Today I poured the rest of the imp on my skin (at least 1/3 of an imp). Nope, 5 minutes only.

[lunaticana]

musk, amber, rose.. it sounded very boring to me..

but surprisingly enough I like it it is warm and nice, def. a comforting scent I would say

[invisible iris]

In the imp: An interesting mossy and warm rose, you can tell there’s more than just rose going on here, like the musk and amber are ready to burst out and take control.

 

On skin: Rose with a sweet but organic brown woody resiny musky atmosphere around it. In this context, the amber and musk combination reads almost as caramel or treacle, but definitely as furry and warm.

 

Dry: Fresh, subdued rose juxtaposed with a cloud of brown foresty furry warmth. Not overly woody, but wood softly adds to the warm brown notes cushioning and contrasting with rose. It’s on the sweet side of floral/resin but not in an especially heady or headache-inducing way. I still get an odd almost treacle-like sweetness, which is probably coming from the somewhat unusual warm/cool combination of amber and rose. The brown musk does a good job of evoking the wild body-feel of the hind (I don’t detect a leather/suede note). When I sniff close to my wrist it smells ever so slightly musty, but further away the overall scent is much nicer.

 

Verdict: I usually dislike wearing rose, so I wasn't expecting to love Whoso List to Hunt. I don't love it, and I won't be getting a bottle. Still, this is probably the most pleasant rose and the most successful rose/resin blend that I’ve yet come across. It strikes me as a good rose scent for those who don’t often like rose.

[alyelle]

I really need to type up my reviews more often.

 

Imp: deep musty moss (promising!), a hint of rose

 

First on: alas, instant talcum powder. The moss is barely detectable. There's a vague floral note lurking somewhere but mostly - baby talc.

 

Drydown: After an hour, the powdery smell had settled, but was replaced with an amplified rose/musk combination that kept increasing in strength until I had to wash it off. If I sniffed and really concentrated I could smell a hint of mossy bark, but for the most part, all I got was a headache. This is the perfect reminder of why I rarely wear rose scents.

 

Overall: I love everything about it except how it smells on me. Into the gift/swap pile.

 

Stars: ★★

Edited February 4, 2014 by alyelle

[Maleficium]

Imp: rose, babypowder, and something that reminds me of leaves

 

wet on skin: Rose, babypowder. I am learning that my skin likes to turn wonderful musky notes into straight up babypowder! grrrrrrrr

 

A couple of minutes in the rose becomes really dominating in an unpleasant way.

 

On my skin it reminds me of ancient old ladies in even older lace wearing the strongest cheap rose perfume in the world. Shame, it smelled so wonderful in the imp!

[MagentaLuna]

What started out as spicy when wet is drying down into rose with a definite brown background. From arm's length away it's mostly rose, but upclose I can still smell a sort of spicy, pungent background. Overall it reminds me of an old farmhouse, though not in a bad way.

 

(edited for spelling!fail)

Edited August 23, 2011 by MagentaLuna

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I love the Lab's rose blends almost universally, but the amber in this has me a little apprehensive. Amber tends to go all powdery on my skin, so we'll see what happens.

 

Wet: Strong and lovely rose. At this point, it could be a rose single note.

 

Dry down: Still a rose single note, which smells lovely, but I'm missing the other notes.

 

Dry: Ah. The amber came out to play and turned a beautiful rose note into nothing but powder. Damn.

 

Verdict: I love the wet and dry down stages, but the powder in the final stage wrecks this one for me.

[hanabi]

When I put this on today it smelled glorious, like smelling a rose in a forest. But all the woodsy goodness was gone within five minutes and I'm left with a fuzzy warm musky rose scent. The rose isn't quite as strong and overpowering on me as it can be in other rose blends, but it's definitely there. It' ok, but I miss the way it started out! What it turns into on me just isn't worth a bottle purchase.

[bibzerneth]

Wwhoso List to Hunt does nothing for me, it went powdery on me before it even dried. The powder was pretty overwhelming but I could also smell some woods and resins, very similar to Haunted. Like Haunted it has strong throw and staying power.I

[curlsandpearls]

Bottle: Musky rose, which is surprising; I was expecting woods with a hint of rose rather than the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am rose that comes barreling out of the bottle.

 

Wet: Rose is coming out prominently, but there’s a warm, golden-brown smell underneath it—the musk and amber, presumably. I want the moss and oak and soft woodsy smell to come through, but the rose is a bit overpowering.

 

Dry: The rose is amping like no other. It’s got that musky warmth to it, but I can't identify any other notes, the rose is so strong.

 

Later: It’s dissolving into baby powder-rose. Man. I was hoping for another soft woods scent. Swap pile.

[jkfagtongpun]

After sending off my order I had second thoughts about Whoso, I didn't think I would like it. (My worst habit is second guessing myself.)

 

I was proven very wrong.

 

In the imp it's moss and oak bark.

 

On wet, it is almost chocolately. Moss and bark dominate but the amber and musk come through at this point.

 

Drydown, the barky moss combo is still central but the chocolateyness goes. The musk and amber become a bit of a shadow that is lifted by the rose ever so nicely. Which, in itself, is amazing as rose is usually too overpowering on me. Overall, I'd say this is a very warm, brown scent, great for fall/winter though I'm looking forward to trying it in summer, too.

 

I'm glad I second guessed after sending my order as this may well become a big bottle need!

[Poenari]

Started out promising, as a soft, dusty musk at first, but then the rose amps and turns it all soapy, as usual. Another scent with rose that just won't work for me, alas.

[Alaeidrel]

In the imp: woodsy and spicy, promising.

 

Wet: flowers?

 

Dry: endless baby powder with a weird hint of violet.

 

I was really hoping to love this one. :/ The baby powder is so strong I'm tasting it on top of the tea I'm drinking. Ick.

[lady_pandora]

I just had to try this, because Anne Boleyn. And the good news is, I really like it!

 

Whoso List to Hunt starts out in the initial stage as mostly wood and musk. It's pinging my memory centers and pinging them hard but I can't place what it reminds me of. There's an elusive hint of rose, too, and I agree with heavenlyrabbit that the way it hides in the back of the blend is really symbolic--there's a rose here, but you've got to get through this forbidden forest to find it. The overall impression is bold, unusual, assertive, and really, really lovely. It would make a good autumn scent. It fits Anne perfectly--I don't know what kind of perfume she really wore, but I like to think she'd have liked this. I read a novel once where she chose more animalic scents than the women around her, and while fictional, it's stuck with me.

 

It dries down to a slightly powdery amber-rose combination--I think the musk is still here, but it's quieter now. This dry stage is soft and subtle and would work well as an everyday scent because it's not overpowering in any way. It's very "classic perfume" and I can picture it in a tiny ornate glass bottle.

 

I give Whoso List to Hunt a 4/5 and I definitely think it's going to be a keeper for me. I really like this.

Edited December 20, 2012 by lady_pandora

[claudia6913]

Soft, fuzzy and warm. I can definitely smell a little of everything, but it's very well blended and just cozy.

[lookingglass]

This is an earthy, warm, sweet, yet "finished" ambery floral. I don't get any harsh or jarring notes. The light rose, amber, and musk seem all at once to be creamy and softly powdery, slightly darkened by oakmoss. It reminds me of how Burt's Bees Baby Lotion used to smell, before the dreaded reformulation, but for grown ups. It's so soft, yet rich, like brand new Uggs feel. She really smells like a forrest sodden Alice...

 

Totally dreamy...I am heartbroken to learn this scent will be discontinued.

Edited February 1, 2014 by lookingglass

[tinyvulture]

How I love a good oak scent! And the moss is clearly present as well, that same dank forest moss note as Nocnitsa. The gentle brown musk of woodland creatures and the mildest red rose (sweet/soapy) mean that this blend is a good deal sweeter and not as dark as the Twisted Oak Tree, another oaken favorite of mine.