The Dormouse

[Barb25]

A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony.

The Dormouse wasn't on my wishlist, but was so highly recommended, I had to try it.

Damn, is it good! I really don't get any tea scent from it at all, just a nice, light, green, fruity scent, but not too light. Very pretty, and a great spring and summer scent.

Methinks I need a bottle of this...

[laochodia]

I got a little of this on my hand when sniffing the imp, and I cannot keep my hand away from my nose. This smells of an invigorating, clean tea with a hint of sugar- the kind of tea you would drink in the morning when a cup of coffee seems abhorrent. I wish I had tea that tasted the way this smelled....

[Hikaru]

On me Dormouse is citrusy and a bit floral.

You'd never know it's tea....LOL but I know. I really love tea based scents and this one is much sweeter than Neo-Tokyo, which I tend to wear when I want mental clarity. This one wakes me up too, but with softer edges. I got the 5 ml. and I'm so glad I did...I know I'll be using this one up!!

[Finny]

Light, fresh floral.

 

A light, sweet floral at first, then the teas start to appear. They are light and refreshing. This scent sparkles, like dew covered grass in the sunlight.

 

I like this, it is not going to replace Alice as my favorite light floral, but I'm keeping the imp.

[elphaba]

I bought a 5mL of this unsniffed on my first order. It was the tea that made me want it. I'm a tea junkie and was hoping for strong, pungent smell of green tea leaves. That's not at all what The Dormouse is and it's taken me some time to get over my disappointment.

 

The Dormouse is green tea with lemon and sugar, drunk out of china classes at a haphazardly-set table in the garden. For me, it's quite lemony at first. Perhaps whatever dormouse made my drink didn't like tea so much and added a lot of lemon and sugar to disguise the taste. It's not lemonade, though, because while I'm drinking the mixture, he's insistently pushing a bouquet of peonies under my nose and saying, "Smell this! Don't you like this? They smell nice, don't they?"

 

The wet phase is chaos.

 

Something strange happens after about fifteen minutes with this blend. It disappears. It's as if, fed up with the mad tea party, I yell, "Stop! Everyone, just stop!" and they do. It only lasts a few minutes and then the scent starts rising up again, but it's more subdued. There's still a bit of chaos there. It can't help it, but you can tell everyone is trying very hard to hold their cups correctly and put in the proper amount of lemon and sugar and leave the peonies in a basket on the table.

 

It's not what I expected, but I like it. It makes me feel alive, if just a wee bit exasperated.

[mmcfa2]

This is what I wish all my laundry smelled like! It's fresh and clean and sunshine without a hint of soap or powder! I can smell the teas most strongly but they are green and white teas, not black tea or even earl grey.The peony is exactly right as a whisper to warm them. I have a bit of kiehls conditioner that is VERY slightly fragranced. I think i might have to empty this inp into the container

 

as it dries the peony becomes more prominent and the tea softens but does not fade.

 

Sadly this scent fades on me, all the more reason to put it in my hair!!

[Orodemniades]

Snagged this from the Apothercary's Cat.

 

Imp: green!

 

Wet: green, very tea-like.

 

Drydown: Green and tea with a light floral over the top.

 

Overall: gone in 20 minutes! A nice scent, very light, something I'd give to someone I didn't know well, but not something I'd wear.

 

Oro

[Janie]

I don't get tea. I DO get bergamot, which is one of the ingredients of Earl Grey tea, but I don't get the tea leaf part of tea.

 

It's green, it's light, it's pretty and it lasts remarkably well for a light, green scent.

 

A lovely daytime scent, would be delightful in summer. I got a good 5 hours without having to reapply which I think is quite good for a scent of this lightness.

[ChupaChup]

Gin kindly gifted me with an imp of The Dormouse in a swap . Before I found BPAL, tea scents, specifically Bulgari White and Green tea perfumes, were among my very favorites. But after discovering BPAL, I became enamoured of the heavier, muskier, spicy or foody scents and never really bothered to explore the lighter tea blends. I'm so glad Gin sent me this or I never would have tried it and it's beautiful. I mostly get green and white tea, with some sugar and a tiny bit of lemon. The Earl Grey type of tea, with bergamot, never really shows up. After about an hour, I can pick out a floral note which must be peony, though I'm not familiar with it it's lovely. The scent doesn't last long but it's so pretty and refreshing I will gladly carry the imp around . Perfect blend for hot summer days, it's so breezy and cool.

[Ishtar]

In spite of my love of tea and of tea scents, I never got around to ordering The Dormouse before. Here I am trying it for the first time and wondering why I waited so long!

Right after applying, I do get some citrus/bergamot notes, but rather than Earl Grey, The Dormouse reminds me of bergamot-scented white tea. It does not have the astringence of black tea nor the fresh and slightly "roasted" note of green tea.

Compared to other blends like Old Shangai, this is not your zingy, crisp tea scent. This is on the gentle, cozy, comforting side. I think it will be lovely on a quiet rainy day

 

ETA nearly a decade later: well, if I ever needed proof that my skin chemistry has changed, this is it! I tried The Dormouse again, and it went straight to soap. Nothing but sharp, almost acrid, soap. Hrm. This is really interesting (if a bit unfortunate!).

Edited January 31, 2015 by Ishtar

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - Yum, tea!

 

Dry - this is already a keeper. The tea is quite prominent, but as it dries I am getting a floral scent; presumably the peony. A nice summery scent.

 

On the wickedgodess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I ordered this for sentimental reasons--"The Dormouse" is Brian's and my name for our tearoom. In our house. Long story. Anyway, the name makes me smile. But I also have a practical reason--a mad love of peony; I need to find a blend to satisfy that craving until Peony Moon next year.

 

This is super-pretty, and so wearable. Cool, sweet herbal iced tea. The tea is much stronger than the peony, so I'm still looking for a peony-predominant scent, but this is a lovely warm-weather scent. It's less *eccentric* than White Rabbit, and quite light; a good intro scent for people who don't wear perfume. Or a nice clean change of pace for those of us who most certainly *do*.

[cupide430]

The Dormouse

Starts off light and a bit fruity. It smells almost melon-y and has an ozone-y floral tinge to it. That must be the peony. It reminds me of Neo-Tokyo. It is definitely in that light Amsterdam/Neo Tokyo family but its the fruitier version of the three. And possibly the lightest. It has almost faded completely away now and I've been wearing it less than an hour. It is inoffensive and light, but not necessarily a keeper for me.

[Ajila]

Weirdly the thing that lasted longest about this for me was the reaction I had in my mouth, where I was left with the same taste I get if I leave the end of a cup of tea until it gets cold and then drink it too quickly, it was very strange. Actually on my skin this smelt of herby peonys and occassionally melons. It was sweet and pretty, but didn't last very long.

 

ETA It's possible that I was a little harsh on The Dormouse, but on reflection the perfume I was wearing when I found out my grandfather had died was never going to be a favourite.

Edited June 12, 2005 by Ajila

[iliadawry]

Bottle: Bright, green tea, a little herbal.

 

Wet: Peony comes out almost immediately -- obscuring the wonderful tea scents. Woe! I want to smell like I sleep in a teacup!

 

Drying: This one is growing on me, as the peony fades and the tea and herbs surface. It's still sweet and a bit floral, rather like the tea I get at the Indian restaurant when I go -- this is not a bad thing.

 

This one hovers on the border between staying and going, I think.

 

/ili

[voodoobaby]

In the vial: Green tea! A hint of floral and some deeper, less astringent tea lingers in the background.

 

Wearing: The green tea is still there, but the peony gets stronger. I don't usually like florals, but this is nice...probably because there's only one kind of floral here and it's backed by the tea. Nice, simple, and refreshing, in a kind of lazy way.

 

Later: Wow. Smells just like a glass of iced black tea, with sugar. I can even smell the ice. Very nice, indeed!

 

Overall: Doesn't last very long and isn't as strong as I'd like (as go most tea scents on me), but otherwise I really like it. Keeping the imp.

[quikslvr]

Finally a tea scent that at least kind of works for me. Reminds me of the Hesperides in its lightness and freshness. Very crisp and herb-y, sharp even, but not bad sharp. Very springy. Goes nice and subtle quickly, but I wonder if my skin isn't just swallowing scents today.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Tea!

 

In the imp/bottle: Tea, herbs, and peony.

 

On skin, wet: The dominant notes are most certainly the teas. After that, there's only the herbs.

 

On skin, dry: This is very, very faint after the first few minutes. It's still quite pleasant; it reminds me of White Rabbit, without the pepper. It even smells as if there's a milk note in it.

 

Conclusion: I like this one quite a bit, but it's gone in less than ten minutes. I would have to really slather this on to make it last more than an hour.

Edited December 26, 2005 by Aredhel

[bodegaselkie]

The Dormouse is lovely, very light and clean. I agree with those who have said it smells mostly like green tea and especially white tea. But it's that perfume-tea scent, more than the scent of tea in your teacup. As with others, it fades off very quickly. I applied this twice before I left the house today and it's very faint now, though I can still smell it at the site where it was applied.

 

The Dormouse is really nice, but not very "me." Oh well.

[zankoku_zen]

In the Bottle: It smells watermelony.

 

On Skin: It smells very fresh, but still like a watermelon. I think that's the peony. I can smell a bit of the tea.

 

On Drydown: I can't place what exactly it smells like. It doesn't smell like a watermelon anymore but it is a sweet floral. Very sweet.

 

On Verdict: I like it but I don't think I could wear it often. I would have to be in a particular mood to want to wear this. But its still a very lovely scent. I'll keep the imp.

[Falathwen]

A free gift imp which I had been wanting to try for a while. This blend is simple and lovely for summer. The tea makes this feel very clean and bright. The peony is amazingly true to life and gentles the scent. While it is not very strong, I keep catching a wisp of this scent as I move.

[emzebel]

I am not even sure how to express how much I really am loving the smell of this scent on my wrists.

 

Let's start with the fact that I usually like sweet, spicy darker scents. I am quite open about my floralphobia.

 

But sometimes our guts tell us to do things that seem not to make much sense, so my love of tea and like of herbs overcame my fear of the peony and I acquired an imp of this in a swap.

 

 

This is a truly dizzying scent to me. It makes me want to twirl around like a little girl. I love the way the tea (which I can smell, but faintly) plays off the swee green flowery herbs and the actual floral smell that doesn't smell "perfumey" to me.

 

There is a fruity edge that draws me in, but it really is the tea and peony that keeps me here. I almost certainly will need a bottle of this one...

[Elemcee]

I can definately smell green-tea here, as well as lemon and the floral of peony. This is very light, greeny spring smell. It's a Victorian tea-party, held in the garden because it's a lovely day. There are flowers and herbs in the garden and a selection of teas to choose from, with an option of lemon or milk.

There is a sense of chaos about this; the different notes keep flaring up. The people at the party are feeling a little giddy, even though they know they should be proper.

I like you very much, Mr Dormouse.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: very light and green, almost dandelion.

 

wet on skin: I'm not really getting a tea kind of scent out of this, it's largely herbal and floral to me. Extremely bright and sharp, like the milky sap that oozes from a dandelion when you snap its head off.

 

dry: didn't last for very long on me, but the summer weather tends to sap any scent from my skin. Still no tea, mostly green and herbal. A bit of lemon.

[ethermaiden]

Oh Doormouse... I wanted to love you! Doormouse being my favorite character in Alice, I really wanted to like this one. I fooled myself into thinking I would be ok with the peony.

 

You see, peonys, to me, smell like... perfume and plastic? They are much too heady to smell up-close or in any concentrated manner. A room with a bloom or two? That's fine, just let there be a draft please. Just once I wished that something was a bit more cloying, when it comes to flowers. Ah well.

 

Doormouse would be lovely, if it weren't for that peony in there.

 

I do get the green tea, and I like it, when the fan blows the peony off into the distance for a moment.