Whitechapel

[archaeopteryx]

A gentlemen's blend, possessed of dignity, charm and refinement, but in truth masking a corrupted, hideous, soulless core. White musk, lime, lilac and citron.

This is one of my favorite scents, and I never would have thought to try it if it hadn't been for getting it as a frimp with my last order. I ended up liking it more than one of the bottles I bought in the order and immediately had to get a bottle of my own.

Initial impression on sniffing it in the imp: Lime! It was like key lime pie in a bottle. Yum.

After putting it on, the lime was dominant, but then began to fade into a lovely lilac scent. I never would have guessed that lime and lilacs would go so well together, but then again, that's why I'm not in the perfume-making business. The scent of lilacs is also a dear one to me, because my grandmother had lilac bushes at her house and would always have some on her coffee table when they were in bloom. You could tell the instant you walked in that it was lilac season. So I'm sure that that's a main reason why I love this blend so much.

One application doesn't seem to last very long. If I go back and put on another application a little while after the first, it will linger much longer, so I usually put on a second layer about half an hour after the first.

Even though I know the description labels this as a masculine scent, I don't really find it to be. I don't know many guys who would wear the scent of lilacs, or maybe I just don't know the right guys. Either way, this is definitely in my top 5 BPAL scents, maybe even number 1 (it's between this and Black Phoenix). Edited July 16, 2008 by Shollin
fixed BPAL tags --Shollin

[clawsight]

Upon my first receiving this I blinked. This is the 3rd or 4th frimp out of the 12 I've gotten that's been a scent the lab describes as masculine. Do they think I'm a guy?. Oh well. I love frimps! And I can use these to enable my friends with a Y chromosome.

 

Oh well. On to the review!

 

In the imp: On first smell I can't tell why this would be particularly masculine. I snuff and snuff and all I get is citrus, though more of a lemon than a lime -- must be the citron I'm picking up. A shame, because I love lime. This kinda smells like Shoggoth minus the evil Iris though so might as well give it a go.

 

Wet: What's... this? Something is coming out past the citrus fest! Why, it's white musk! It's blending with the lilac and making a very... male scent. Huh. In other blends white musk has seemed very feminine to me, and who'da thunk that lilac flowers could make me think of menfolk?

 

Drydown: Musk and florals really amp, with a bit of stinging citrus underneath. This is really lovely. While, as a masculine blend, this doesn't inspire the same I'm too sexy for this shirt, so sexy it hurts vibes as Saint-Germain did for me they do have something in common -- perhaps it's the distinguished use of a floral? Hm? Who knows!

 

EDIT: I just pinned down what mental image this brings to my mind. It smells like a guy who you hug, and smell, and then can tell his heart is broken. I do not know how something can smell like male heartbreak, but this does. The way it interacts with my female brain is it makes me want to hug the sad puppy. Huh.

 

 

Verdict: Another I'm sending along to My Boy. Not one I'm deeply in love with, but it is a nice smell.

 

3.8 out of 5

Edited July 13, 2008 by clawsight

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: Fresh limes and lemons

 

Wet: I'd be lying if I told you anything else--still same! Where's the musk? Lilacs--MIA

 

Dry: Seriously--send in the purple! (taps foot) Nothing--not even a wisp of musk.

 

1/2 hr: the lemons and limes are cold and waxy now, still waiting for musk and lilacs

 

1 hr: this is sheer disappointment...the tangy lemons and limes have faded fast! A powdery residue of pale musk out of nowhere and no lilacs. The lilacs are as enigmatic as the Ripper himself.

 

 

 

Blame it on something...my chemistry. Just wanted more than I got with this!

 

 

[secretstars]

got this sample for my man. he is obsessed with the song 'Jack the Ripper' by Morrissey, so naturally, i HAD to get it for him. :-P

 

it smells exactly the same on both of us. in the bottle, it smells like LIMES LIMES LIMES to the point that we were frightened to put it on, saying, 'you know. i'm just not sure i wanna smell like limes.'

 

but we did put it on. and while wet, it smells like lilac. lilac is one of my favourite scents. but when it dries it is still lilac but it is indeed 'corrupted' by something, namely a musk, lmfao. but in a very, very good way!

 

you smell the citrus the whole time. sometimes, the lilac/lime scents are equal in power, which is very interesting, but mostly it's LILAC and then lime. and a teensy bit of musk.

 

this is totally an awesome scent and i don't honestly think most women would be inducing anyone to be like, OMG DOES THAT WOMAN SMELL LIKE A MAN?! if they wore it. but perhaps that is just my body chemistry! i think it's very sexy on my man though, but then again, i like feminine-ish things on boys. like lilac.

[Kabooki]

this smells of lemons, kitchen cleaner, with a touch of flowers and to top it off a dab of my husbands cologne...I’m actually surprised at how pleasant this is, is a very light bright scent, my only complaint that it seemed to fade really fast on me, if I bring my nose right down to my wrist and take a whiff I can definitely smell it, but its not something that has much throw…and by much I mean none at all.

[Iceblink]

Wet: all lime all the time!

Drying: the musky background comes out more and more and then the lilacs bloom and are lovely for a few minutes. Then they start going powdery. Oh lilac, why can't we get along?? This is light and refreshing and beautiful while it lasts, though.

[Allumina]

So I'm pretty sure I really like this one. At first it's a mix of citrus candy and men's cologne but then it morphs into a smell that smells to me like a sunny, deserted beach at mid day. Cool and citrusy. I slathered it the next time I tried it and the musk overpowered me, but in moderation it's really nice.

 

It's definitely got that expensive cologne feel, but doesn't have that blast of "men's cologne" that a lot of the masculine blends do.

[Coldfire]

Imp: Lilac first and the barest hint of citrus lurking underneath

Wet on Me: Now lime and citron over the lilac

Drying Down: I would not think this totally masculine,

but rather more unisex. Stong lime now, with the lilac undertones and

the barest of whispers of white musk coming out.

Dry: Lime and Lilac but good lilac. And balanced out by a

white musk that is not overpowering at all. This smells like hot sticky humid

Deep South in the spring. Really nice. I think it’s a keeper.

[rayvn1]

I have found a new BPAL love in Whitechapel It is seriously masculine on me and almost harsh to the point of uncomfortableness.

 

But that's kind of why I like it!

 

Starts out as lots of musk with a little lime and dries down to musk with lilac on my warmer body parts - musk and lime on my wrist points. I love it and have already reapplied once today, which I don't normally do since I'm in "try as much BPAL as humanly possible" mode. So this one is really special to me since it inspired a re-application. I'm hoping sweet husband won't be allergic to this one like he was to Knucklebones, but I have to cross my fingers in case it was the lime notes shared by those two.

 

I'll definitely need a bottle!!

[anastasia]

one of the reasons i wear fragrance on some days is that it will be the one true spot of "reality" for me within a day that belongs almost entirely to other people whom i do not give a fuck about. fridays are especially hard for me so i was looking for something to "power me through." sniffing the outsides of imps and frimps this said, "pick me, i am bright and friendly and i smell a little of absinthe. together, we can get some things done!" so i did.

and boy did we have a wonderful day.

 

so this fellow from whitechapel, he is jaunty. he is quick and smart. he wears white gloves and knows how to get things done. he is welcoming and friendly. he is a doctor who makes housecalls on the troubled female aristocracy and knows exactly what to say to humor them through their vapors and make them feel safe and flattered and really really comfortable and i don't know what he does with women of "the other sort."

i will definitely be making this a staple. it is not really absinth-ey but is friends with the absinthe drinkers. it is of that time period and the wrong time period for the song Mack the Knife by Bobby Darrin but it is that cheerful and REALLY makes me think of that song and every single lyric. it is oh so green but changes in depth and intensity throughout the day and in final drydown smells like a thin lime pie with maybe a breath of cucumber somewhere and a huge topping of meringue made of white musk and something unidentifiable and great which i believe must be lilac. I will never be afraid of lilac again.

[mochi227]

This was a frimp in my last order. When I first applied, I got Lemon Pledge, all the way. Others have written green Fruit Loops and that's appropriate too. Elsewhere, it may have been on the "lusty scents" thread, someone wrote "Whitechapel smells like sex," so I had high expectations.

 

Am I glad I waited for the dry down. On dry down, I think Whitechapel is a dead ringer for Serge Lutens' nasty, deliriously sexy, realistic human musk experiment that is the rare and expensive Muscs Kublai Khan. If anyone has experienced this fragrance, it is truly the scent of hot bodies, hair, a tinge of BO and genitalia. But it's done so expertly that it is not vulgar at all. It's just insanely, mouth-wateringly sexy and realistic.

 

I love the musk. This musk is just beautiful, sexy, warm, and carnal, but it must be the lilac and lime that give it that sweet, sexy edge. But not too sweet! If you can endure the 15 minute dry down from Lemon Pledge and Lime Fruit Loops to get to this gorgeous, sexy finish (seems my skin chemistry amped the citrus notes into artificial territory; others don't seem to have that problem) it is sooooo worth the ride. Gorgeous and absolutely not too masculine for a woman to wear. This will go on my 5ml list.

 

ETA: Wear length is regrettably short, maybe a few hours, at best. Throw at the wet stage is embarrasingly large; I swore I was perfuming my entire office. But once things die down, Whitechapel wears very close to the skin. I really wish it lasted longer! It might play better in warm or hot weather, so I will refrain from buying a bottle of this until I can test the remains of my imp in Spring.

Edited October 29, 2008 by RanaSavia

[AlarmAgent]

In Bottle - Limes, lemons, assorted citruses. Very, very fresh, and not cleaning supply style--much more candy type.

 

Wet on Skin, First Applied - Still citrus, pretty much Lemonheads exactly. It has that sort of soft, powdered lemon scent that Lemonheads do.

 

Dry, on Skin - Well, it's still candy citrus. If I take a deep sniff, I can sort of at the very tail-end of it pick out lilac. All in all though, it's a powdery citrus with just a wee hint of lilac and the slightest touch of musk. Definitely pleasant, and fitting for either sex. As a girl I didn't find it anywhere near too masculine to wear, and on a man I think it would just translate into 'clean', not necessarily fragrance. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to a man who was looking for cologne that was subtle and not in the slightest bit overpowering, as those can be hard to come by--especially in the commercial fragrance world.

[goblinshark]

mmm, lemony musk! this is soft and comforting.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Mouth-wateringly citrus, but balanced with something else I can't make out.

 

Wet: Yes, there's the citron. There's something warm that must be the musk, and something else I can't make out, but principally this smells like citron and lime peel.

 

Twenty minutes; Mostly citron, but there's an unsettling animalish scent that has to be the musk. It smells much more like a critter than most musks do on me -- not spicy-sweet ferret-y like Frumious Bandersnatch, but warm and fleshy and somehow not right.

 

One hour: Whatever that unusual note is, it's wrecking the citron for me. I could see how this might be agreeable on some other chemistry, but on mine it's definitely unsettling, almost like spoiling food. It kind of reminds me of the less savory aspects of the county fair.

 

Two hours: Trade pile.

 

I traded for this because I love the scent of citron. More recent experience with other blends suggests it's the white musk that wrecked this one for me. I'll have to get my citron fix elsewhere!

[voodoocatwoman]

Wet: Sweet lemon

 

Dry: Floral musk

 

this is lovely

[cosmoblue]

In Vial, Sweet Lemony meadow.

Wet, green jellybeans in a meadow.

Dry, lovely lilac with musk and the citrus settles down.

This is a very clean and fresh scent.

Edited December 18, 2008 by cosmoblue

[GeorgeJr]

I've had a frimp of this for months now . No idea why I've never tried it , so today I put some on before leaving for work . And I have to say it grew on me quite well as the day progressed . At first it had what I refer to as the labs classic cologne type of scent . Hard to describe in words , but if you've smelled this , Villain & a few others you probably know to what I refer . They usually have a citrus in there somewhere . Lemon , lime , maybe even sometimes a orange like note happening . However , much like my beloved Villain , Whitechapel has a lovely musk backing up the fruit in a wonderfully menacing way . I mean , it's not a dirty or frighteningly strong kind of note , but you will notice it . The other thing I really liked about this scent was while there is obvious citrus , it's not in your face screaming LEMONSLEMONSLEMONS at you . I have tried the occasional scent that was citrus based & had that happened in the past . So this was quite the pleasant surprise . Very nice indeed & I think when I can afford to go bottle shopping again that Whitechapel will be on my list for sure .

[stillalive]

It totally smells like the Major from Hellsing. Even moreso than I was expecting when I ordered it. Cold, a bit citrusy, with just a hint of burned rubber/oil. Similar to Villain to me, but I dunno, might just be the associations.

[awesomeoverlord]

Initially -- CRAZY!CITRUS -- I'm definitely getting the lime. Once it dries a bit, the other notes start to come out and blend rather nicely. I can separate the lilac rather distinctly. It's nice, though not really me, and then it's gone in a couple of hours.

Edited March 25, 2009 by awesomeoverlord

[Kimbernunk]

This was a disappointment.

 

Wet, it screams LIME!!!!!!!!!!!! at the top of its lungs. I love this. It's playful.

 

Unfortunately, it only does that for about ten minutes. Then the lime gets tired and goes *poof* and is replaced by a light lilac scent. The lilac is subdued and not in the mood for screaming. I imagine it's tired of having to listen to the LIME!!!!!!!!!!!! and is just in the mood to mellow out for a bit.

 

After 45 minutes, it's gone. It didn't even make it a full hour. Sadness.

[chrystanthem]

another one of my freebies

 

first sniff: clean, sof and light. I can smell lime and white, clear musk.

 

wet: lime/lemon. still clean and light. going slightly dishwasher.

 

dry: the clean/light feel disappeared entirely. Strong, sharp dishwasher. Gives me a headache.

 

final thoughts: hate it on, but might try as a room scent.

[Leopard403]

To me, this is identical to Lush's Avobath. A bright, sparkly, fun springtime scent!

[iiinterstate]

I almost didn't bother to test this one, because most imps that the lab labels "masculine" are too manly for me.

 

BUT NO.

 

Whitechapel is very lime and citron. I have yet to find a lime dominated scent with enough staying power to make me happy, and I am actually pretty shocked to find it here.

 

This blend reminds me of a good margarita with a hint of lilac. I really like it.

[alyssredfern]

The lab sent this as a free imp with my last order. I almost didn't try it because of the description and the smell of limes when I opened the bottle, but I am so very glad I did. Whitechapel was very citrus-y on my skin in the beginning but has morphed into a very warm floral on my skin. I kept putting my wrist in front of the air conditioning in my car today just to be able to smell it more. My new favorite - I'll definitely be buying a larger bottle.

[Banyangirl]

I love the lab's sense of things sometimes. This came as a frimp and I couldn't be happier about it. It's lime with just a hint of soapy lilac underneath and it mingles very well with the smell of my shaving cream. It's a very clean, happy, simple scent, and I love it! The one downside is that it doesn't seem to want to last very long, but that's all right. I don't mind re-applications of a perfume this awesome.