Saint-Germain

[PeshaRocha]

... He is a Hermetic Magician's hero for the ages, and his scent is an elegant, timeless, truly refined cologne, bold yet classic: gilded amber, hypnotic lavender, brash carnation and deep mosses.

Wow, this is an amazing scent!

It is comforting and yet provocative, like a warm, strong, intelligent man who also has a hidden undertow of wildness. Not earthy enough to be Heathcliff, more like Wesley Windham-Price after he was tricked into kidnapping baby Connor and got involved with Lila.

That said, I find it too masculine to wear myself, although I do wear some other men's scents. And unfortunately, my hubby refuses to wear scents at all. But if you wear masculine scents or have a honey who does, you have to try this!

[cupide430]

A quick flash of rich citrus at the beginning, this moves quickly to a deep masculine herbal scent. This is very much an herbal lavender on me with something deeper behind it. Definitely too masculine for me. I can see this being worn by a very well dressed, somewhat conservative and traditional man.

[malanna]

This starts out mostly mossy, with a hint of carnation. Later, amber and the carnation comes out a bit more, with lavender gilding Saint-Germain. This is a scent in the same vein as Wilde. It's an indoors scent, the type of scent a man with a study would wear. However, Wilde is more of an extroverted scent, a bit more playful. It does seem more wearable for women, because Saint-Germain has a certain sweetness to it.

[bexone]

I put this on and washed it back off pretty quickly -- I'll try it again at another point in my cycle, but as it stands it's absolutely not the thing. In the bottle and immediately wet, I got the gorgeous sharpness of the lavender and carnation, two florals my skin *loves.* But then as soon as it dried the mosses -- I've never, to my knowledge, tried a scent with mossy notes before this one -- shoved themselves to the front and hogged the spotlight. As my mom said when I waved my wrist at her, "It's not bad, but it's definitely wrong." It's a shame, too, because the other three notes are all gorgeous on me.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Sharp and clean smelling.

 

On: I'm getting a lot of lavender out of this one, which isn't a good thing for me. Lavender is harsh to my nose, and puts me on edge a bit - I've never understood why it's regarded as a soothing scent, unless it's mixed with something that tones it down a bit. But I digress.

 

As Saint-Germain dries down, it softens a little - it ends up rather soapy on my skin. It's not particularly masculine on me - just kind of clean.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: the lab tossed this in as an extra. it's very masculine, but nice. i can only pick out the lavender and mosses.

on: lavender and citrus. masculine, but not overwhelmingly so.

1 hour later: warmer and soft. still masculine.

2 hours later: warm. more mossy.

overall: this is nice, but not really something i'd wear.

[Inanna9]

I forgot to smell this in the vial before putting it on. Now I'm too lazy to back in my room and get it,so I'll just get to the application part:

 

Wet on my skin I'm getting the moss and carnation--a little spicy and fresh. Very nice. No lavender, but it's funny; on my wrist it smells of the previous description, but in the crook of my elbow there is an astringent lavender note--almost citrus. I love both versions.

 

This is too masculine for me to wear as perfume--but I'm sure my future boyfriend will like it very much when I give it to him for Christmas. </daydream>

Edited January 3, 2006 by Inanna9

[this machine]

This is one of the imps in my first lab order, which i just got last night (!!!). It was one i was most excited about from the description, and it smells wonderful in the bottle. The strangest thing though - when i put it on, it all but disappears in a matter of minutes. I've had it on for an hour now, and when i put my nose to my wrist i can smell it only very lightly (and it smells lovely - a bit of amber and faint carnation and maybe the moss are what i get right now), but i want it to be so much stronger! Not that i want overpowering by ANY means, but i feel like i'd have to reapply every hour or so to get more than the faintest whiff when i put my nose to my skin.

 

I'm hoping perhaps this is a temporary chemistry thing and in a week or two it'll stick around more.

[Mountaingrrl00]

This is yet another serendipitous frimp from my most recent lab order. The woods and mosses in here are just gorgeous, and beautifully blended with touches of savory herbs, warm citrus and bright lavender. I sometimes sort my imps into categories - woodsy, sweet, floral, etc. - and I really had to think with St. Germain, because no one element dominates. To me that's a refreshing quality. It's subtle and mature - a strong-silent-type scent. It does fade on me more quickly than I would like. I may try this one in a scent locket.

[seamor]

Wet: A bright, non-aggressive lemon/lavender, with something unidentifiable behind it – clears my sleepy head nicely.

 

Dry down: Soft incense on the wrists, with a sweet lavender throw. That’s wild - two completely different scents at the same time.

 

20 minutes later: I’m not noticing the lavender throw any more, but the incense on my wrists now has developed a lavender quality. Yummy! I'm not particularly noticing carnation or mosses, but I imagine they are part of that lovely incense effect - amber, carnation, and mosses beautifully blended.

 

1 hour later: Now I'm getting a slight incensey throw. Just the right amount. I really like this.

 

3 hours later: Seems to be fading a little, but a touch of lavender incense is still there. I hope it will stay, but if not, it’s well worth reapplying every now and then.

 

 

I am not experiencing this as a masculine scent, although it's certainly not feminine, either. It seems gender-neutral to me - focused on mind-and-spirit aspects, rather than sexuality. A good fragrance for work.

 

Yay, Beth! This is just lovely.

 

Update 02-08: St. Germain was one of the first BPAL scents I tried, and it's still a favorite. I'm not sure that what I smell when it's wet is actually lemon - it could be, or could be an intense edge of the wet lavender. I'm not sure I would call it "incensey" now, either. Maybe my nose has improved?!?

 

I still get ( and love) that remarkable lavender/amber combination, and now notice a slight dustiness to it that is definitely part of the attraction. I can now pick out the subtle dark green of moss adding depth and foundation, and I have found the carnation, too. It's not the sweet, in-your-face note of many carnation perfumes - this is much more like real carnations, a teasing hint of pink-and-green spiciness. It also stays with me a good while, which is not an easy thing with my scent-gobbling skin.

 

St. Germain is a perennial - a true classic.

Gentle, subtle, beautiful.

Couldn't ask for better.

 

Thanks again, Beth.

Edited February 23, 2008 by celtimor

[Torrilin]

On the creature:

 

Starts off sharp with lavender and a leathery feel (assuming leather is what was doing the odd stuff in Whip). Shifts immediately into a spicy sweet scent that seems to be mostly amber and carnation. Sadly, it makes him sneeze. A lot. I'll try it Monday when he's at work, because after it dries down *thoroughly* it stops making him sneeze and just smells yummy.

 

On me:

 

Dry spices and herbs. Distantly sweet, and almost powdery. Very much drier than the way it smells on Bill. I'll try it again, but this is feels greeny-sweet in a not very pleasant way. This was not as strong on me as most of the other oils I've tried are, but it still lasted around 8 hours and wafted a lot.

 

Second try: coated self in Aveeno lotion, and daubed this on cautiously. I got the glorious spicy sweet scent that the creature got *purrs*. It lasted all day and instead of drowning in scent the way I do if I apply without lotion, I got gentle wafts on occasion.

 

Verdict: The Lab's amber likes me, and I like it. It's a sweet scent I can wear. The Lab's carnation likes me even more, and I like it. The moss note *really* likes me, but I'm not a fan of it with amber and carnation. The lavender note runs away and hides, which makes me sad, coz I love lavender. So M. le Comte is a wash. He makes the creature sneeze, and we can't have sneezing creatures. They get cranky. He doesn't smell like lavender, which is what I wanted him for. However, he taught me a number of useful lessons and is an interesting fragrance on me. If it weren't for the sneezing, I'd probably buy a bottle. As it is, I'll try some other scents to see if I can get the good elements without the sneezes.

 

Kalli

[abitcoconuts]

Thanks so much lab for the frimp..lovin' you!

 

In the Vial: Very masculine and fresh. We'll see how this reacts with me...

 

On my skin: The mosses are coming out at me the most, and maybe the amber. I don't think I am proficient enough to distinguish yet between the various components. I do get a little bit of lavender though, and I agree with Torrilin on the leather. I see a study with shelves lined with books and a sexy, slightly off man swinging his pocketwatch. He knows he is sexy, yeah, he definitely does. The more I smell this the more I like it, even though I have never really wanted to wear anything masculine.

 

Conclusion: I could cry...my imp just spilled all over my desk...I am trying to make the most of it by slathering my wrists and neck with the spillage. Hmm...maybe I'll have to track down another imp!

[nancybridget]

Usually I'm not one for lavender blends, but Saint-Germain is all right. I love the mosses in this blend, and I believe I mistook them for anise at first. I was smelling black licorice all over the place! Saint-Germain does mellow down after a little while to delicious amber and fresh woodland mosses. I may have to invest in a bottle....

[emshort]

I hadn't previously tried any scents with amber in them, so I'm not sure I'm identifying the smell correctly, but I believe that's the main thing I'm smelling here, with only a light touch of the lavender identifiable.

 

I have to say, I really, really like the scent of this, which is subtle, delicious, and pretty consistent over several hours of wearing. The only problem is that it says MAN to me; I would find this a very attractive scent on a male friend, but on my own wrist it's a littttle bit confusing.

[em_h]

Okay, what is with my nose and peanut butter? Suddenly I'm getting peanut butter overtones everywhere.

 

Anyway, aside from that it's quite strong lavender; not getting much amber or carnation, though the amber is present enough to put a bit of a soft edge on the lavender. Later it turns more amber-and-moss (with a lingering mysterious hint of peanut butter, though this may be my own neurosis). It's very interesting and appealling, but it does seem quite masculine, and someone else might like it better.

[salamandrina]

I was hoping for more amber with this one, but instead I'm getting a herbal/lavendar sharpness with a hint of green.

 

It's truly lovely, and very masculine, and I'm going to have to swipe some on my husband. It's a little distracting - I keep looking for the ymmy smelling guy, but it's me.

 

My husband really liked it on me this morning, though. I think the bright freshness appealed.

[Spastik_Kitty]

The husband slopped this on today and I loved it on him, so I thought I'd review it on myself.

 

In the bottle: Ooh, mini-gasm here. Vetiver, amber and moss.

 

First on: Very heavy in the vetiver department (I know it's not listed, but I'd bet my life on it, or lemon) which I love, and amber, no moss but something that's appearing like white musk. This is very clean and fresh.

 

After a bit: The amber has gone now it's mostly a mossy tinted white musk. I have no idea where the carnation and lavender is, but that's quite alright, I don't like them anyways.

 

It's very different on me than it is on him, it's mostly warm mossy amber, very golden in colour on him, either way, it's the perfect "guy" scent next to Wilde.

[juniperus]

Bottle: sharp and green - lavender, the moss, and carnation.

Wet: heavy lavender and carnation, and then the moss. almost air-after-a-rain fresh, but not precisely aquatic. Hmm.

Dry: lavender and moss primarily. mellow. it's growing more masculine-smelling.

Later: Moss really starting to take over, and the sharpness of the carnation is neck-and-neck with the lavender. Definitely manly. I like it, I'll have to see if I can get Bri to wear it...

[nerdcraft]

in the vial:

Oh mmmmm...clean, crisp, masculine herbal/floral - lavender stands out the most.

 

wet:

At first, it just smells like that generic "man" scent of shaving cream and deoderant, but then it changes into a more complex and sophisticated scent. It still smells very clean to me, but that could be the associations I have with all men's grooming products smelling like a cheap version of this!

 

dry:

Has dried down into a traditional, but very appealing, masculine scent. The lavender has stepped aside, and the spice of the carnation is more evident. I also love the dark green of the moss. Oddly enough, I can't smell any amber. I never seem to be able to smell amber in a blend - it just gives all the other notes a nice warm background I guess, but I have no idea what amber smells like on its own! Anyway, this is indeed a "classic" blend - more conservative cologne-wearers would be fine with this.

[ladymissspyder]

In bottle: Green and intense, with a spicy finish.

 

Wet: It becomes a non-scent? How strange.

 

Dry: Oh, there it is. Not nearly as strong as in the bottle, and slightly.......itchy. I caught some lavender and oakmoss before washing it off.

[gwyllgi]

Initially, this is lavender - lots and lots of lavender, with maybe a hint of amber. It's sharp and sweet, almost citrus. It mellows fairly quickly; within 15 minutes, the mosses have come out, giving this a lovely forest scent. It's not woodsy, but it smells like deep, old woods.

 

This is a scent that makes me think of an older gentleman of leisure escaping the rush of the city for an extended trip to the lodge that's been in the family for decades, casually elegant even when on the hunt.

 

This is definitely a masculine scent; it's certainly wearable for women (I'd hope so, as I fully intend to wear this!) but it's inescapably masculine. It's comforting, as though you've borrowed a man's shirt and are smelling his cologne lingering in the fabric.

 

I don't think I'll ever upgrade my imp simply because I don't know that I'd use this anywhere other than on my skin. It's not something I generally like for a room scent or mixed into a sachet, sadly. Still, I'm definitely keeping the imp.

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, lavender and carnation over a bed of thick green mosses; very green and very pale. On me wet, a vague haze of amber gilded carnation with a dash of lavender and moss. Dry, the amber and lavender blend into a green honey, very sticky sweet. As it warms, the sticky wears off and leaves a pleasant golden blossoms blend that's at once mild and cheeky. It maintains a light and easy-going nature throughout it's life, gaining a mildly soapy nature just before final die-down.

[Caltha]

Saint-Germain

An intriguing scent, quite unlike anything else. It starts quite strong and herbal/spicy in a refreshing way, with perhaps a citrusy or minty touch. It dries warmer , more woody/spicy, and I get a sort of warm rubber note out of it, you know like screeching car tires. The funny thing is, I actually like it, I find it comforting and cosy and unique. Definitely a masculine scent too. My sister said "old lady perfume" but she says that about everything that's not fresh and green. I quite like it and will definitely keep the imp.

[kunoichi]

This is a scent that reminds me of men's cologne. It's bright and has a sharpness to it when I smell it from the vial - it's fresh and masculine. On my skin, a slightly burned scent comes through and it becomes darker than the smell from the vial; it's like a guy's cologne that has a burned smell underneath it all. After a few hours on my skin, it becomes softer and the burnt edge disappears, but it is still a scent that I associate with a man, so it's not really for me - I think it's very much a scent that would smell good on a man... It's almost like having an invisible man nearby, whenever I catch a whiff of the scent on myself. It is a classic cologne style scent!

[edenssixthday]

Saint Germain is a very brown and earthy scent. The carnation scent is very strong, as is the amber and the moss. Unfortunately, I don’t really care for most moss scents. This is a favorite of one of my friends, who is the one who gave this to me. I think I’ll pass it back to her so I know it goes to someone who loves it since I won’t be wearing it again. Light level of throw and poor staying power.