Mad Hatter

[rusty]

A gentlemen's lavender-citron cologne unhinged by the feral pungence of black musk and a paroxysm of pennyroyal.

ooooh! starts out a perfect lavender-citrus-minty blend with a very attractive deeper, darker undertone. individual notes are clearly distinguishable but so well blended and complementary!

unfortunately the pennyroyal is gone within seconds....literally.....and I'm left with just black musk with a whiff of lavender. then, powder! which I feel a little "uhhhh" about. still nice, very masculine, I might grow to like it. maybe.

very little throw, and dries up like anything, though thats probably my normal/dry skin. hmmmm. Villian has lavender and citrus in it also, might try that next... Edited June 19, 2008 by Shollin

[savage_rose]

I'm so glad other people smelled the mint in this...I had to doublecheck the notes several times.

 

At any rate, it starts out smelling like Tokyo Stomp, and morphs into old car interiors. Chemicals and old vinyl...I'm blaming the musk on this one.

[charshark]

In the imp: Minty, but with a musky overtone.

 

Wet: Musky lavender with a citrus background to it. A twinge of pennyroyal.

 

Dry: Lavender is the main scent when it dries down with a bite of lemon. It has a deep earthy tone to it overall that I find sort of icky (on me anyways!).

 

Overall: It's not my thing. I tried it on my husband and it smelled a lot better on him than it did me. I think he has a new scent now, ha.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Charzie

[axzens]

Tried: 2008.05.21

 

In the bottle: Full-powered pennyroyal, with a slight musk scent.

Makes me think of: Very strong freshening mints.

 

Just applied: Still full powered pennyroyal, a bit musky, and a tiny lavender-citron scent.

Makes me think of: That dry mint toothpaste they use at the dentist's...

 

Drying: Cold pennyroyal that won't fade down, and the lavender-citron a bit stronger.

Makes me think of: Dentist. Definitely. Or maybe a freshly cleaned hospital...

 

Dried and fading: Pennyroyal got a bit warmer, lavender-citron mixed a bit, musk doesn't smell much anymore.

Makes me think of: I smell like I just spent the day in an hospital room...

 

Final impressions: I think this went very wrong on me... Definitely too cold and formal for my liking.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, it's minty - almost overwhelmingly so.

 

On my skin, it's still strongly minty - maybe a little herbal.

 

When it dries, the musk comes out much more, with just a hint of the lavender - very subtle, all the mint is gone. I was scared, but it's surprisingly low-key.

[Kabooki]

Wet: Holy wow peppermint! With a slight touch of lavender, but make no bones about it, this is like “I’m Peppermint pay attention to me!!”, this quickly turns into a Chocolate Mint cookie like scent, which would be nice if it wasn’t just so strong.

 

As it dries down it becomes an all out war between the lavender and the peppermint as to who will take control of the scent. Meanwhile deep down in the back of all of this I can smell what I can only describe as generic perfume just lying and waiting for its moment to shine.

 

This isn’t one for the faint of heart!

[Anita]

I. LOVE. THIS.

 

I was humming and hawing about trying it at all, it wasn't something that grabbed my attention in the imp. But I thought, what they hey, and dabbed a bit on my skin.

 

Holy crap.

 

I smell mint and chocolate and something totally sexy peeking around the edges- I have no idea what it is, it isn't lavendar.. or is it? lavendar morphing into something my nose cannot get enough of? Whatever the case may be- this is a decadent scent.

 

And this is why I should and will never judge a scent out of the bottle/imp again.

[Iceblink]

I'm getting a whiff of chocolate mint from this too. Huh? The black musk is gorgeous and rich. The other notes (lavender? citrus? really?) keep the musk from being too heavy...this is light and almost refreshing. Maybe it's the pennyroyal giving it that mintyness; I don't think I've tried anything else with pennyroyal in it and I'm not sure what it should smell like. I like this blend.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Lavender and mint with dry musk in the background.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very sweet lavender and mint combination, but there’s no harsh herbal quality or sharpness to the mint… it’s very cool and calming almost. However, there’s something in the background of this that smells a little dirty. It’s probably the black musk, but it smells a little “off.”

 

After a little while: The lavender has receded a bit and this scent is still very sweet and minty with a powdery/creamy quality to it. There’s still a hint of the lavender so it’s not just plain minty pennyroyal, and also some musk for the base. This is very well blended and that weird note I got at first has completely disappeared.

 

Overall Impressions: I was expecting Mad Hatter to be very harsh, but it is actually quite soothing. The lavender is soft, and the mint is smooth and slightly creamy. The black musk in the background is a little weird at first, but settles nicely. This is more of a unisex scent, though it is quite sweet on me, and is really nicely blended. The notes all work wonderfully together and create quite a whimsical scent.

[Schmoozy]

Lavender and Mint and dash of pennyroyal. Normally I am not a fan of pennyroyal, but I adore lavender and mint and they definitely overpower the pennyroyal. I say overpower, but in a good way. It is clear and crisp and unisex. I love wearing this to bed after an Ice Hotel bubble bath.

Very soothing and calming.

[klokwerk]

Another one from the set I got recently, and another that goes on my buy 5mL bottle list.

 

Smells strongly of mint at first but calms down as it dries. Don't quite feel the "unhinged" part as I'm wearing it, but could certainly accentuate a mad mind when I'm in the mood I'm sure.

[suki]

in the imp: the sweet mint of pennyroyal coupled with that lavender-citron cologne from the description. nice!

 

wet on skin: more of the same, with the pennyroyal becoming a bit more spicy at this stage.

 

dry down: same.

 

in all: with moderate throw and a finish that is very much like it's start, this oil is a little complex, gentle enough for daytime wear and without gender. however, being a bit mad myself, i'm not sure it really encapsulates it's namesake as much as i would like. Freakshow is more how i imagined Mad Hater to be. still, it's quite lovely, and worth a try.

 

 

 

[Coldfire]

Imp: Lavender…but I get mint?

Wet on Me: Lavender, musk, mint! I get mint out of this.

Drying Down: still that wee trace of mint, the musk has backed off

a bit the lavender is there. I kinda sorta get the masculine vibe…but

not a straight up masculine one.

Dry: sweet…like a sweet mint …the lavender is over the mint over the

sweet musk. Very nice. I could go “mad” for this one.

[rayvn1]

Woah! This is a strong one Smelled kind of like licorice gone bad at first. After drying it smells...fuzzy! I've never had a perfume smell fuzzy before. Purple fuzz with strong slashes of lavender, mint, citrus and something really snarly and herby that might be the pennyroyal. Powerful.

[marared]

This initially smells to me like those after-dinner mint candies that are very powdery on your tongue - it's a nice fresh pale mint, but not cold and biting. The herbal background gets stronger as it dries, and the black musk is marching in like Darth Vader looming over Princess Leia, and turns it into a bitter mint that ... isn't bad, but isn't a suitable perfume for moi.

[Reaver]

Medicinal smelling spearminty-Pennyroyal.

 

True to it's purpose, it reminds me of a back-street abortion. I really don't like this and I really wish I did because the Mad Hatter kicks ass. Oh well.

 

Lasts about ten minutes on my skin, musk and all. Really disappointed. Meh.

[Ceri]

In the vial: Sweet, lovely peppermint. Quite yummy.

 

Wet: Crisp mint and herbs. The sweetness totally disappears on my skin. ):

 

Dry: Powdery mint and herbs. This is what happens when the musk appears, everything turns powdery.

 

Overall: I like the scent, but the powdery finish (thanks to the musk) is holding me back from loving it. Will keep the imp!

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from the Lab. The black musk will not work on me, but hey, I will try anything once.

 

Imp: Mmmm! A delicious, cool peppermint with the sharp bite of pennyroyal. We used to put on my dog to repel fleas, I always liked the smell. There's a little bit of lavender in there, too. Gorgeous-- cool and bracing and almost a little sweet.

 

Wet: Sweet citrus and almost vanilla-ish lavender, with lovely mints and herbal pennyroyal. I definitely get the chocolate mint comparisons, it's just beautiful. The black musk is even behaving on me, which is a small miracle. The throw is a sweet vanilla, powdery musk with a hint of mint. Black musk will never be my favorite but it's not bad at all in here. For a mint blend, this is surprisingly warm and friendly and cuddly.

 

Dry: After a while, this takes on a slightly powdery edge from the musk, but overall it stays largely the same. I like this a surprising amount-- I am definitely going to keep my Imp and see how often I reach for it.

[catatonic1242]

In the imp: Lavender-citron cologne describes this perfectly.

 

On, wet: This makes me crinkle my nose, and I can't decide if that's good or bad. There's a touch of peppermint in this. It's fascinating.

 

On, dry: Still really weird. I wasn't expecting lavender to be masculine, no matter what the description said, but this really is. I think I'd like it on a guy, but not so much for me (and I like some of the more masculine scents).

[smokey188]

This is so Strange. When I first put it on it was all icy cold on my skin and minty/menthol smelling then it smelt overwhelmingly like pennyroyal and finally settled(if you can call it that) into a strange vanilla leather scent. I cannot honestly so whther or not i like it at this stage, it's definitely interesting and i don't hate it.

[harpie17]

This smells like Heath Ledger's Joker.

 

And thats the only way I know how to put it.

[Tess]

In the bottle - Minty pennyroyal, with some lovely dark musk in there and just a bit of that lavender cologne.

 

Wet - Oh, the musk is darkening even more on my skin.

 

Drying - There really is something unsettled about this scent. The musk is very much a dirty musk, unwashed, covered by the gentlemanly cologne and the pennyroyal. It -is- quite minty. An in your face type of madness, really, strapped under cultured clothing. I keep smelling myself, asking myself if I like it and I'm not sure. It's very interesting, but do I like it? Hrm.

 

Dry (2 hours) - The dirt of the musk is utterly gone and it's quite nice. Not dirty, not minty. Smooth and tasty. I do like pennyroyal a whole lot.

 

Overall - This is actually one I think I could really grow to like. I'll keep the imp around to continue trying until I make my final decision.

[Veronica]

This smells delicious on me! Complete musky lavender goodness! The lavender is sweet, almost sugary, but is tempered by the musk to create a beautiful blend. It's a pretty scent, and a little sophisticated sexy. Not a bottle scent, as I don't see myself wearing this often, but definitely ready to keep the imp! I see this as a very seductive first date scent or for days when I want to spice it up.

 

EDIT: On second test, has a very pretty lavender-musk drydown for me, but when ultimately try the pennyroyal--which smells slightly dank, like wet metal, comes to the foreground.

Edited February 9, 2015 by delighted

[Aldercy]

Oh hai toothpaste!

 

Pennyroyal doesn't seem to be the friendliest of mints on me, which sucks. I was hoping for spearmint/lavender/musk awesomosity from Mad Hatter, but I do not think it is to be. My left eye socket is threatening migraine... this may be one of the few BPALs that triggers a headache.

 

Definite toothpaste, very chalky with a baking soda streak. There's also a kind of powdered rubber gloves thing going on. Dentist's office in a bottle, so far.

 

But let's see... 20 minutes and Mad Hatter is decidedly smoother and sweeter. The mint is still pretty wacky, but it's a a bit silkier, perhaps even tempered by a little vanilla. No citrus, no lavender. The musk has made a shy appearance, but it's not the pungent dark musk I suspected. It's so gauzy and cloudy. Faint but intoxicating. The scent is still pretty medical though. Maybe now it belongs in a sexy dentist's office.

 

Oh, sadface. Mad Hatter rallies some toward the end, and I can recognize some of its merits, but I can't imagine this working on me. The off-putting introductory notes and the threat of headache are relegating this to the swap drawer.

[caffinatedangel]

oh.em.gee.

 

So I splash this on, and it instantly sells like Lick it Again. Which I had been wearing yesterday. So I go "oh no! it must have activated the oils from yesterday, even if I bathed and time passed ;_;" so I sit here wearing it, and then realize that... no. No, it just has a peppermint very similar to lick it again. But this has... more. This is lick it again with extras.

 

So I get to seriously sniffing. And ... this is my grandma Vena's house. She has this old late 1800s house, well kept, in a little "german" village in ohio. Every room was decked out with antiques. Upstairs she had this spare bedroom that was turned into a childrens room- all antiques. bed, desk, toys, armoir. It was insane. And it all had this... smell. This bright, fresh, sunlit sort of quirky dream of a scent. This is that smell, I swear. It's pepperminty, nostalgic yet not cause you were never there, but very real grounded dreams. Like, sometimes when you have dreams they feel very distant and surreal. Like they exist in another world. But this is a real dream. Where it feels fictional but no, here's the hard evidence that it did happen. A sort of surreal reaching through time and space to tap on the nose something you thought you never could know.

 

Interestingly, it also reminds me of my boyfriend.

 

The musk just adds to this for me. It's a blooming, almost juicy peppermint at first (Unno, "citron" maybe). With this musky dusty undercurrent, like getting into an old room and stirring everything up. But the longer it sits, the more the minty vibe mellows out and the musk blooms more. For me, it turns almost... creamy spicey leathery. But I've noticed my skin does that to lots of scents. (I love it, no complaints). It's truly unisex to me. But I feel like it would work amazingly on really well-kept/well-dressed guys, who are a little off in a quirky, cute way.

 

I love it. Bottle for the bf coming up.

Edited July 22, 2009 by CaffinatedAngel