Abedus Indentatus v5

[Penance]

Unreleased prototype, no notes or description given.

 

Origin:

 

5mL bought on Etsy.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Since there aren't any other reviews, I'm not sure what to expect from this. I bought it completely blind, but realized after I did that there was a good chance it was going to be at least somewhat aquatic since the toe biter (how could you not love a scent named after a bug called a "toe biter"?) lives in water. Now, I don't normally do aquatics, so that's not a promising idea. The only aquatic I genuinely like is Water of Notre Dame, although I can tolerate some others.

 

First sniff:

 

Hard to pin down. It's definitely aquatic, but also green and slightly sweet with a touch of something herbal. It's a tiny bit cologney, maybe.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Not quite as aquatic as in the bottle. I'm almost completely at a loss here. I couldn't tell you what notes I'm getting, just a vague description of the scent families involved. It's still a clean, green aquatic, slightly sweet the way that Water of Notre Dame is, but there's something here that's ringing bells in my brain but that I can't place. It's almost like a spice of some sort.

 

Dry down:

 

I wouldn't call this aquatic at all anymore, although I'm not sure what to call it. It reminds me a little bit of cologne or aftershave of some sort (although it's not classically cologney). It's kind of green, kind of sweet, kind of spicy and kind of herbal, all rolled into one. It's definitely not a bad scent, but it's very unique to my nose. It's still reminding me of something (some sort of green plant, I think plus a bit of something almost fennel-like), but not another BPAL scent, of that I'm certain. It smells like it would be at home in the Conjure Bag or maybe the TAL line.

 

The bottom line:

 

Definitely not my favorite prototype ever, but it's not bad once it dries down all the way. I'm almost definitely going to be keeping my bottle in spite of my attempts to force myself not to keep anything that I rarely wear and only keep for the name or bottle art.

[cfrancesca]

This has a strong medicinal, bitter herbal smell on my skin, I think it's one of the most bitter bpal's I've tried so far. In the background, I get some soft, boozey sweet fruits (maybe berries?) and soapy, watery florals.

[saralaughs]

I echo what CP said above me. Bitterly herbal with a drydown that is has a bit of a soapy, but pretty floral.

[Blood onmy hands]

I don't have much to say about this one, because it just turns to a soapy, harsh, sharp aquatic smell on me. It's not green, floral, or fruity on my skin, just chemical-y, unpleasant aquatic.

[zankoku_zen]

Aquatic, clean floral. There are definitely lilies in it. There is some herbal bitterness and dirt that comes out in the drydown.

 

It kinda does remind me to Water of Notre Dame.

[bookandbroom]

Sniffing this in the vial, I get a serious hint of pear - not what I expected! On, it's still pear and something sharper, not quite aquatic nor herbal, hard to pin down. It's a bright, crisp, hardly ripe pear, not the sweeter, juicier kind. Maybe a white floral in the background? It seems like I'm getting something completely different than the rest of you! There's a faint whiff of a kind of rich butteriness to it as it starts to settle, and a sort of misty watery aspect around the edges. It's really nice on me, but not my kind of scent - a little too springy and sweetly vibrant and shimmery green. I'd probably love it as a hand soap, but less so as a perfume.

[angelamaria]

I am confused with the blend. My first whiff, I immediately thought, milk?? but obviously no one else had the same thoughts Not so much aquatic, but definitely white, slightly floral, and a hint of bitterness. On me, it quickly turned into a dusty, herbal and slightly bitter white floral, which smooths out over time on my skin but never really goes away. It feels a little menacing, to be honest. Sort of brittle but menacing.