Mantis

[Nox Eterna]

Crushed herbs and sweet amber resin with a streak of patchouli, neroli and golden musk.

In the vial: A slice of frozen lemon crusted in sugar

Wet on: A glass of iced tea with lemon wedge, no amber no floral

Dry on: Light neroli and other citrus besides lemon, maybe grapefruit. The light
musk and a crisp herbal green are starting to emerge.

Overall: I didn't get any patchouli.This is a clean, crisp cooling blend perfect for
a hot July night. I really like this one, I see a big bottle in my future.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Pretty sweet, and a touch flowery.

 

Just On: Citurs, sweet and flowers.

 

An hour or two later: Hints of citrus and some flowers.

 

Around 6 hours: A touch of soapiness, mostly a bit of flowers.

 

12 hours: It's all gone.

 

Overall: I rather like it, but I'm not sure if it's enough to make the big bottle list.

 

After reading other reviews: I definitely got the citrus. This didn't last quite as long as some others on me.

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

How intriguing. This is a sweet, leafy cool green with light orange blossoms and a tiny astringent 'sting.'

Wet, on Skin:

Still citrusy, but the florals are rising up, a mix of waxy, citrus blossoms. The effect is of lime, lemon, orange orchards in bloom.

Drying Down:

It's going a touch musky, perhaps some amber now...

Dry on Skin:

This is a slightly gingery, lemon and orange blossom floral.

Over Time/Longterm:

A sunny scent, it settles down into a sharper tea with a touch of dry woods, but mostly a sugary neroli lemon overtone.

Final Verdict?

Nice and light, a bright fragrance, pleasant but slightly powdery.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Citrus and fresh green leaves.

 

Drying: Smells like a very fancy men's cologne full of citrus.

 

Dry: Gone. A close sniff of hand reveals something as if I brushed past a whole lemon and one of its leaves. Byebye Mantis! Where did you go? Possibly very fitting as I have seen many a beautiful green mantis among the leaves, to seconds later wondering "OK, where did that lil sucker go?".

 

Nice for a sprightly spring day if you slather and keep applying regularly, perhaps.

[sarahj]

Mantis

 

in vial: herbal and slightly medicinal, like herbal cough drops

 

wet: herbs and amber, less medicinal

 

dry: herbs, amber, and musk

 

verdict: nice, but not a favorite...will use the imp, but I don't need a big bottle

[Miss Lynx]

This was one of the scents I was originally going to put in my first Lab order back in June, but then I found the reviews and got scared off by the citrus element people were focussing on. However, once I got over being scared of fruity notes, I looked at the description again and realized it did sound really, really nice, and eventually I found someone selling some on Livejournal.

 

It smelled divine in the imp -- only slightly citrussy, with a nicely complex herbal/resinous based under that. When first applied to my skin, it was likewise lovely enough that I ended up putting on a fair bit of it, convinced I'd just found a new favourite.

 

And then -- voom! Away it went! In under ten minutes. By the end of 15, I could pick up a slight scent if I pressed my nose right into the crook of my arm, but it was literally no stronger than the remnants of the previous day's Delphi that I'd still been able to catch a whiff of the next morning.

 

I know I often comment on scents not lasting terribly long on me, but this was one of a very few that just fade freakishly fast, even by my standards. Thanatopsis and Silk Road are the only other two I can think of that disappear this fast. As in, better take a good sniff while it's still wet as that's likely the only chance you'll get.

 

Ah well. That very, very faint scent was left after 15 minutes did stick around for a while afterward, but only at a barely-perceptible level. So maybe it's not so much that it disappears as such, but fades down to a Sudha Segara level of extreme subtlety.

 

Mantis, I would have loved you if you'd stayed at a decent level of strength for any time at all. As it is...

 

Grade: Initial scent B+/A, staying power D, overall grade: B/B-

[LiberAmoris]

Mantis is a light herbal citrus --- the citrus oils evaporate quickly but while it lasts it's very nice. I wouldn't know there was patchouli in this blend if it wasn't listed. It dries down to a greenish amber, very much a second skin type of blend. It's very, very light. I detect a very slight cucumber note.

 

This is one that I like wearing on the days where I don't feel like wearing perfume. Mantis is so light it's almost like herbs on sweet spring air. Very refreshing.

[Freyja Lux]

Mantis smells herbal and citrus to me as well. A bit soapy, probably because the herbal scent reminds me of these soaps I had as a kid. Can't detect the amber or patchouli even. Meh, not a fan of this one.

[Undine]

When I put this on, something reminded me of Yggdrasil. It must have been the herbs. Then, WHAMMO! Lemon Pledge! After a few minutes the lemon backs off a little and I can still smell the Yggdrasil-y herbs. But there's still quite a lot of sweet lemon there. I can't pick out amber or patchouli. Funny, I thought neroli was orange blossom, but for me it's distinctly lemons and not oranges.

 

I like the green herbal part, and this is very light and fresh. But I'm not a big fan of lemon. Its throw is also pretty minimal on me, and the lemon sweetness is the only thing that really throws at all.

 

On my scale, a 2.5 out of 5.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Sharp and herbal, very green smelling... a bit sour. A scent that hollers, "WAKE UP!"

 

On: More citrusy - lemony to be precise. I don't play well with lemon most of the time, and this one's going a bit Pledge-like on me. I can sense the amber in the background, trying to fight its way through the lemon-herbal sharpness. Oddly, I can't smell patchouli at all - and while normally I'm not a patchouli sort of girl, I think I'd like Mantis more with a bit of an earthy note to cut the sharp citrus.

 

It's not quite so sharp and unsettling once it's dried down some, but I fear Mantis is still to lemony for my chemistry.

[bristlecone]

I'm surprised this fades so quickly on a lot of people, because it lasts forever on me. Straight out of the vial, it's very herbal, bright, and citrusy- I think I might be smelling lemongrass, but I'm not really sure. The citrus calms down after a bit and the resin, neroli, and musk come out and linger for hours (like many here, I'm not really smelling any patchouli). It's a very "golden" scent, good for fall but even better for spring/summer (or maybe I'm just associating it with that time of the year since that's when I got the imp). It's also very similar to Buck Moon to my nose. Not my favorite scent in my collection, but I enjoy it greatly.

[Thorne]

Very light citrusy amber - a little like a softer version of House of Mirrors. I can't decide if I like it or not, but I'm going to hang onto the imp to try again in a couple weeks.

[olympia301]

 

Real lemony at first rush, the kind of lemon which burns the inside of your nose and reminds me of the way that lemon sherbet used to taste when I was a kid. Almost hurts.

 

Then, alas, I start to think of lemon housecleaning products. There is a soapy edge to Mantis that some will find refreshing and uplifting and others will say "Pledge". Alas, I said "Pledge" and that was it.

 

Mantis fades fast on me, too. It is a summery blend, it will cool you off as quickly as a preying mantis' carapace, but it isn't me. My loss. It's not my skin chemistry, it's my mind that ruined Mantis for me.

[brownbear]

This smells juicy green to me. I think I smell something like cucumber or melon. It has a slight honey type note to me. I only get the slightest barely there hint of citrus. It's more like the flowers on the lemon tree than the actual lemons. It's very light. Unfortunately it didn't last all that long on me. I like it a lot.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was once attacked by a praying mantis. They scare the hell out of me. That said, lol...

 

First on, Mantis smells rather soapy. Like green, fresh herbs and soap. Overall it's a very clean scent. After a few minutes it begins to smell a bit citrusy.

 

Mantis lasts about three hours on my skin and never smells anything like what I expected it to. No amber or resin or any hint of patchouli. Just citrus dryer sheets.

 

I was really disappointed with this one.

[Orodemniades]

Wet, lemony herbal, smells like cleaning fluid.

 

Drydown: Very very lemony, medium sweet, reminds me of something I used to smell or eat, mm. Thankfully the cleaning fluid aspect of it has gone away.

 

It's okay. I'm pondering getting another imp, but I don't think I'll buy a bottle.

 

Oro

[Oio]

This was a frimp from the Lab, and thank you, thank you, thank you! Because this, ladies and jellyspoons, is what I was waiting for. This beats Othello for the number one spot on my "love it" list.

 

In the Imp: Strong! A beautiful herbal/green scent, with an amber base. The herbs have a subtle bitter edge to them, making them seem slightly dangerous...

 

Wet on my skin: OOOOH! I get a mental picture of succulent green growth crushed underfoot, a green flowing sort of scent. There's a little citrus bite, and a lovely soft amber and musk base.

 

Drydown: The green flowing scent fades slightly, as a glowing, warm, rich amber and musk scent develop. The earthy complexity of patchouli grounds this. The citrus pops up occasionally, keeping things lively. The herbs are still sweet and green. Picture a golden August day, around haying time...

 

Hours later, I can still get strong whiffs of the scent. My experience with BPAL so far has been that the scent fades in 2 hours. This is still going at an appreciable level 8 hours later.

 

Husbelf: "I LOVE THAT ONE!"

Me: "it's called Mantis."

Husbelf:"Like the bug?"

 

 

Bug me, Baby. Big Bottle. Right now.

[arabella]

First Impression: Definitely floral, but unfamiliar.

 

Dries down to: A simply lovely floral note with a touch of lemon.

 

Additional comments: I see there's no floral notes in this at all. Once again, I'm guessing the amber is what's making this absolutely gorgeous on me. I also think the herbs must be the "lemon" ones, like lemon basil, lemongrass, lemon thyme, etc. I can't detect the patchouli or musk at all, nor the neroli. Overall, this is lovely - it reminds me of lemon soda. This is what I imagine an outdoor wedding in June should smell like.

 

Lasted: About an hour.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Would be higher if it had any staying power.)

[Voleuse]

On first application, this actually reminds me of sweet grains and honey. I'm not sure where it comes from, but it very much smells like a breakfast table.

 

As it dries, it clarifies to a citrus-herbal smell, except smooth instead of sharp. It's fresh and clean and sunny. There's also a hint of spice that I really like. It's a nice blend, but very light on me.

[Naamah_Darling]

My god, this is so light it's barely even there! Faint green herbs, a very faintly citric (but not sharp) floral. Not foody or soapy in the least: just clean and soft and sunlit, like clean laundry left to dry outside near an herb garden, or the smell of just-cut verbena. If I wait and sniff patiently, way underneath there's a purr of something darker – just a whiff of the patchouli. On it goes.

 

Warm, the floral comes out, a scent like the white part of an orange rind, neither pulp nor peel. The herbal smell is still there: a clean, springtime-y smell like gentle sunshine and dappled shade. This is a smell I'd expect to find in a soap. In fact, the waft is quite soapy. But this isn't cheap soap – this is those tiny designer hand soaps they sell for $6 each at snotty upper-class bath boutiques.

 

As it dries, it smells more like a perfume as the citrus-fresh smell tones down a bit. The blend is thorough – it's very hard to pin down exact notes. I am getting just a whiff of something deliciously earthy and warm, though it's impossible to target any one scent. I pretty definitely smell the musk, and I think that fuzzy burr is patchouli, but it's not a red/black patchouli. It's very young and green.

 

Totally dry, there's some amber here, but it's very much an undertone, and not enough to warm this blend up or give it the fleshy base note that I love so much in amber perfumes. Most of this is very citric and sort of sharp. It gets stronger the longer it's on, and it's almost like I can taste the smell, now. With a smell that was a very "me" scent I'd like this effect, but though I like this smell, it doesn't really grab me as a "me" smell.

 

Overall, this is a simply delightful "clean" scent with just enough underpinning to keep it from wandering off into soapy territory. If you're a fan of light, clean, springtimey smells, this is a wonderful choice. It's not for me, so I'll swap it, but it is truly beautiful.

 

And, yes, gentlemen, this is a unisex scent. On a man I could see this being quite nice.

[Sycorax]

Herbal with a hint of citrus. This isn't a sugary fruity blend, though. Mantis is actually very restrained. I smell grapefruit, wildflowers, and clipped grass. There's a semi-bitter note in the background which gives the oil a little kick.

 

... honestly, I wish I had more to say! Usually I try to be more descriptive in my reviews. Mantis was slightly perplexing. It didn't smell unpleasant, but it wasn't the kind of quirky that appeals to me.

Edited February 14, 2006 by Sycorax

[septima_pica]

Wow! Freebie from Will Call. Never would've spotted this on my own, but so many thanks to the Lab! Definitely on my "top n" list.

 

It's a little like Lush's "Karma" soap, but with amber, and something else a bit sexier - maybe it's the musk? Delicious, in any case. A happy, strengthening sort of scent, which is just what I've been needing lately. I may need a bottle of this, too, if I make it to the Lunacy next month. Just beautiful.

 

Again, thanks so much to the Lab - I never would've thought to buy it! Not sure why it's a mantis, though...

[loves_requiem]

this is so unexpected...

 

except for Black Rose...none of the Rappaccinis Garden scents liked me. At all. In fact...when I recieved this as an extra in a swap here, I had thought it was a Wanderlust blend because of my Airforce friends are sometimes there on TDY.

 

So...i wouldnt have given it a chance otherwise....

 

Im glad I did.

 

This is soooo beautiful...vaguely citus...mildly herby and sweet...kinda like a musky/herbal honey. I bloody love this....perfect for spring and summer...but i wouldnt mind wearing it in the winter to remind me of warmer climates.

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from the Lab. I love herbal smells. Here's hoping the neroli doesn't screw it all up.

 

In the Imp: Neroli, maybe some orange, grapefruit, something a bit like basil, but not as sharp (moss?), vetiver, lemongrass or lemon, geranium, patchouli, grass, amber. No musk yet. Something in here is very familiar, and it's turning my stomach horribly: I think it's either the lemongrass or the geranium, as the essential oils of both make me feel sick. (Oddly enough, I think I remember that Beth mentioned the same thing happens to her.) It is a measure of my devotion to the Lab that I will test even those scents I know will make me nauseous. I shouldn't.... but I have to!

 

Wet: Lemongrass. Yep. And geranium. My two nemesis notes. There's definitely some vetiver in here, too, and something very green I don't know... like cooking herbs with the sharpness removed. I also get sweet amber, something like cut grass stems, and a little musk. I'm sure the patchouli is in there but I can't pick it out... nor is the neroli going wonky on me, which I appreciate. It is a bit like a very complex, expensive soap. Still, that lemongrass/geranium is making my bile rise. It's not that they smell unpleasant, exactly, more that they just trigger gag reflex for some reason.

 

Dry: This would be really nice if I didn't violently dislike two of the notes. It's too bad, because this has dried down to a very pretty citrus backed by golden amber, earthy patchouli, and fuzzy musk, with the more "herbal" scents swirling in and out occasionally and a throw of pretty, earthy, citrus-tinged vetiver. It's just a touch powdery, but in a good way, not an annoying baby-powder-esque one. It's surprisingly sweet, too, it almost reminds me of some sort of herbal-fruit gum. This will be great.... on someone else.

[Rhowan]

In the imp and fresh on my skin, I can barely smell this at first. I can catch a wiff of the neroli and that is it. So, I sit back and wait....

 

As Mantis dries down, the different notes start to appear, almost one by one...neroli, crushed herbs and resins - but still so faint, I can barely catch them.

 

It takes about 15 minutes for Mantis to really make itself known on my skin. It is a beautiful golden color. Warm, golden, resinous, with a hint of neroli - the crushed herbs are completely lost on me.

 

It takes about a half hour for the entire scent to be smellable to me. I don't know if it is my skin or me. I had written a review of this before the system went down and it was lost- I had put it in my undecided pile because this was wonderful but I couldn't decide to stay with the imp or go for the bottle. The first time, I was able to smell it a lot better. I think this is going to go back to the pile again for yet another retry. Who knows? They say third time's a charm!