Mantis

[tarotbydiana]

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

 

A warm day in early summer dressed in green and gold. I can see the praying mantis blending into the newly mown grass at the edge of an abundant herb garden. Mantis is the perfect accompaniment to reading a book in the park and feeling the fresh grass press against a bright cotton dress. The amber is more like a sunbeam than a sultry breath. The neroli, musk and patchouli are hidden like the earth beneath a vast stretch of lawn.

 

Beautiful. I see Mantis in my wooden chest of bottles.

Edited April 1, 2006 by tarotbydiana

[gingersnapp]

This is a straight up herbal blend. There is a bit of amber coming through making this warm like sunlight on an herb garden. I don't really get any of the patchouli or neroli. I might be confusing the golden musk with the amber, but one or the both of them are really making this a warm, golden, herbal scent.

[themerrybaker]

Not much more to add, but perhaps the herbs include chamomile along with lemon herbs.

 

 

 

The amber is a great idea for the blend: it gives me an impression of a very hot summer day with crushed chamomile and a little baby powder on the skin. Sounds like a winner to me.

[juniperus]

Bottle: a semi-sweet and also savory green with a hint of patchouli

Wet: both green and golden - the musk and amber barely there, the sweet of the neroli, herbiness without a certain note stepping forward yet

Dry: broadening. the golden deepens, and the green looses that sweet bit to come to a nice balance. the patchouli is a hint only (which pleases me, it can really take off on my skin).

Later: Lovely! Warm and round, subtle (but not anemic). Still green and gold, fresh and complex. Truly breathtaking on me, I'm in lurve.

[exilemoon5]

i've officially found my "summer" scent.

 

i got this imp from a friend who didn't like it and neglected to try it for a month or so, and just did today.

 

in the imp: a little chemically and minty? citrus

 

wet: grass! its very nice and a bit soapy,..but in a good way

 

dry: a wonderfully cool and crisp scent, lemongrass with a splash of mint...like sun shining on new green grass in the summer. LOVE. i might have to get a bottle eventually

[Sea Opal]

I got this one as a frimp from the Lab and I am now bowing to Beth for sending my perfect summer scent Mantis is a green citrus that has great staying power on my skin. The patchouli and musk keep it from turning into soap.

 

Now I shall get a BIG bottle because I my Mantis.

[karmageddon]

This is sharp in the imp--like fresh greenery. A peeled apart leaf displaying its mesophyll. But there is a warmth, there, as well. A peeled apart leaf in the summer sunshine. And a hint of something floral.

 

But the green note burns away on my skin, leaving a linger of the floral. It's a light floral and easily wearable, but alas, for me, easily forgettable as well. I wish it retained the first green note, and I imagine it would on some people.

[Eunice]

Mantis is very green with the crushed herbs and amber sweet. I really want to smell the patchouli! This smells more clean the longer I wear it. Citrus clean. I'm not getting any earthiness from the patchouli at all. Mantis is very light and refreshing. I can't decide if this goes on my large bottle list or not.

[ladymissspyder]

In bottle: light soapy citrus.

 

Wet: light herbal citrus. It's hard to even smell.

 

Top notes: soapy, in a lemon dish soap sort of way. Oddly enough, it's starting to develop some strength. It's not what I'd call a strong scent by any means, but I can smell it a couple of inches from my skin.

 

Middle/Base notes: a more lemony version of the dish soap.

 

Overall scent: It's a nice scent, but not me. If you like citruses and "fresh linen" scents, this could be for you.

[yeahbutnobut]

Mantis

 

In the imp: the tang of fresh cut herbs and neroli with amber sweetness.

Wet on skin: tangy green herbs, similar to the herbs in Verdandi and Buck Moon and a few others, with a soft amber-musk background, and a hint of something almost like perfume.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is pretty! I get a lovely sweet amber-musk-patchouli scent, almost like Imp's but without the peach scent, and with the sharp herbs and the tangy citrus-floral scent of neroli adding freshness and tartness to the scent. For some reason, the overall scent almost has a 'sugared lemon/orange' feel to it, a mix of citrus like sweetness and tartness which works very well, and the patchouli adds a lovely depth, a shadow to counteract a very bright scent. I'm also wondering if one of the 'crushed herbs' is tea…I know it's not technically a herb but I smell tea here, I think. Possibly lemony herbs as well. There's also something almost 'perfumey' about the scent-it's something that would work well as 'mainstream perfume', but that's a good thing-it's very well blended.

After a while: oh, wow. Musk and amber! the sharp herbs and neroli have retreated, and now the amber and musk, merged as one, become the starts of the scent. the scent is less sharp and less citrus like now, it's a lot smoother, warmer, a sun-warmed golden sweetness and softness, with a touch of something exotic to it, a little bit of patchouli in the background. Beautiful!

Verdict: this is a lovely scent! at first it's surprisingly citrus like, a blend of tangy orange like neroli with crisp green herbs, possibly some tea or lemon herbs in there, with the sweetness of amber softening it all. Though this is nice, the drydown is even more delightful…that's when the musk mixes with the amber and the citrus scent fades a bit, and the amber-musk scent dominates and makes for a wonderful scent, a scent that is sweet and downy-soft, golden and warm. This is beautifully well blended, so much so that it wouldn't smell out of place as a sophisticated commercial perfume, yet it still has that special BPAL feel to it. This is a very good everyday scent-it's both fresh and bright but with a soft sweet musky amber undertone to it. I may get a bottle some day.

Emoticon rating:

[tinyvulture]

from the start, the neroli is most dominant on my skin, and as i don’t care for its citrus scent, i will most likely be swapping this one. it’s also got a green/herbal thing going on. i can’t pick out the patchouli or amber like i was hoping for.

[edenssixthday]

Mantis is a lovely blend. When I first apply it, it’s reminds me of men’s cologne, but after it dries down, it’s light, herbal, musky, and has the tiniest hint of floral. It’s a warm scent and very comforting. It’s light and sticks close to my skin, but it’s absolutely gorgeous. This is one that I’d love to smell on my husband, as well. And I’m positively thrilled the patchouli doesn’t show up at all on me!

[theseagrows]

this smells very citrussy with touch of sweetness and the amber/musk is underlying. not sure what the sweetness is, but it gives it a bit of a perfumey scent. this is nice and pretty and delicate.

[Jerre]

Mantis:

 

Alluring: fresh-from-the-shower Man: completely clean and very masculine! I pick up men’s after shave/deodorant/cologne and even a bit of the soap he just used (this time, soap is a good thing!). Also slightly boozy: the faint smell of liquor on his breath, as if he just took a shot of whisky after brushing his teeth!

 

Summary: Careful! A smooth operator hides within this imp: could be irresistible to some!

 

 

 

Darkwriter

Edited August 11, 2006 by Shollin

[porcelain72]

Wow, the wonders of individual body chemistry. Reading the previous reviews Mantis seems to be interpreting itself in wildly different ways for everyone. As for me...

 

In bottle: men's cologne with just a touch of green behind it. I'm not getting anything particularly citrusy or sweet from it.

 

Initial application: Irish Spring soap, almost immediately. Not that there's anything wrong with Irish Spring, but given the description of this that's obviously not what I expected.

 

Drydown: still soapy, though it's smoothed out a bit. If this isn't noted as a gender-neutral scent, it should be, it's rather masculine on me. It's clean and pleasant, but not all that remarkable.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: This smells herbal with a golden base. Very nice.

 

Wet: The herbal scent dies down, and you're left with something very "golden." I haven't tried a lot of the other 'golden' scents (like Aureus), so I don't have a good basis for comparison. It's nice, but very faint.

 

Drydown and wear: This vanishes pretty quickly into my skin. The oil leaves a golden highlight, but I do wish it was stronger.

[indicolite]

Oh, why doesn't anyone rave about this one? The neroli is such a wonderful amp, but there is something there giving an interesting quality to the neroli.

 

On me, Mantis is incredibly fresh.

 

I may grow to like this one. A first surprise liked frimp.

[akw]

First out, pungent herbs, overpowering. Within seconds . . . really . . . seconds, the excessive pungency was gone and it was summer garden herbs, a touch of neroli with amber for underpinnings. The patchouli and musk, for me, just kept it from flying away. I couldn't really identify them as separate components.

 

Dry and for 30 minutes or so, like taking a nap outside on a summer day -- warm, golden, herbal, slightly floral, relaxing. Could almost hear distant buzzing of insects.

 

Unfortunately, for me, neroli doesn't work with my skin, and it eventually turned a little too sharp. The patchouli and musk probably kept that at bay for a good hour though. I might wear it occasionally anyway, because it's so beautiful that first hour.

[sofiaviolet]

Herbal and citrusy. This is really light on the patchouli, yay! However, the golden musk is kind of yucky on my skin. I wish it had worked out. I liked the other aspects of this!

[Alchemy21599]

In the imp: green and herbal.

 

Wet: green, herbal and a wee shot of amber. Very nice.

 

Dry: The longer that I wear Mantis the more masculine it smells. It is too masculine for me, but Mantis is a delightful scent.

[supremegoddessofall]

This is a very strange combination. My nemesis neroli is definitely in there, and this is moderately musky. Amber is the dominant note for me, and there's definitely both an herbal and a resinous feel here. Not getting patchouli, which is surprising. I like it better than I thought I would.

[slave1]

MANTIS

 

In Bottle: Resin and ozone

 

On Skin: What an interesting combination! I get an ozone feel from this right away, whicj I can’t really relate to any of the notes other than the herbs. They give a beautiful green feel with a slight soapy edge. The resin and musk are in the background but ground the scent with a sexy side. I really can’t smell the patchouli which is good for me since I’m not a patchouli fan. This scent is very soft and with the sweet gorgeous resinous notes and the clean herbal notes, the contrast that they create is quite unique. If you like ozone blends but they are usally too sharp on you, try this one since it has such a sweet soft side. It fades quickly but the echo that remains is quite nice. I’d love this on men or women, it’s quite unisex. Soft throw and average wearlength.

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: herbal, but also smells a little like cleaning solution...

 

wet: cleaning solution!!!

 

dry: OH DEAR! This is truly awful on me. It smells like rancid dryer sheets soaked in bathroom cleaning spray!

[phedre]

In a word: Fresh.

 

In the bottle, I got fresh herbal notes and a bit of ozone.

 

On my skin, it softened to a lovely fresh scent with just the right amount of patchouli to keep it anchored. I love the bright neroli notes (my favourite floral scent!), and the addition of deep myrrh & patchouli seals it for me. A keeper!

[talula_fairie]

Ok, so I expected to hate this after I sniffed it in the imp. I've had bad luck with neroli in the past, and it smelled very...manly in the bottle. It stayed true when I first but it on my skin. But oh, how it morphs!

 

On my skin, after a few minutes, it dries into a citrus-tinged sweet perfume. Very pretty and soft. This scent is creamy, feminine, and lovely on my skin. I don't really get much citrus in the drydown, oddly, but more of a vanilla-like floral (must be the amber and neroli). Fantastic! I definitely want a big bottle of this.

Edited December 14, 2006 by talula_fairie