Chiroptera

[bellis]

A bat-friendly bouquet! Evening primrose, night-scented stock, moonflower, night phlox, lemon balm, lavender, honeysuckle, sweet sage, salvia and thyme.

The absolutely wonderful lab threw this in with my last order, and I was surprised by how much I love it. The florals and the lemony, herby notes blend gorgeously both in the bottle and on my skin, this has definitely changed the least drying down of the oils I've tried so far. Oooh! If I order a bottle now, by the time I get it it might actually be warm outside, because it just doesn't quite seem right to wear this with snow outside.

Edited to add that I think I'll use up the imp before I buy a bottle, the inside of my elbow where I put this is feeling slightly sensitive and sting-y. I do hope I'm not allergic to something in this.

[laochodia]

I got this in a swap and i am SO HAPPY! This smells divine....on me, my skin manages to balance out all the notes so i smell like a warm summer night in a victorian garden.......this scent even manages to stand up to peppermint oil (long story). Truly a wonderful light but staying scent.

[surf-tormented]

Wow!

 

Lemon Pledge...kinda gross, but deadly strong.

 

Ooh, lemon and rose...

 

This isn't agree with me at all.

 

HELP!

[kythryne]

I got this in a swap last week, and just now got around to trying it on. It's beautiful, and I think I may have just found my second "big bottle" BPAL scent!

 

I love lavender, so I was quite curious to see what Beth's lavender would be like. It's a little hard to pick out in this blend, but it's there, clean and sharp and cool. The florals do a lovely job of softening it to a perfume rather than a medicinal/clean smell.

 

It smells very complex in the vial, but dried down to a soft herbal honeysuckle. I just reapplied a bit behind my ears and on my throat, and I can smell the herbs more strongly now -- I think the thyme is peeking out a bit. It's lovely, lovely, lovely. I'm about to walk over to the greenmarket to enjoy the sunshine and buy some plants for my apartment, and I can't think of a more perfect scent to be wearing right now.

 

I'm a little afraid my partner may be allergic to something in this one, but I'm hoping that won't be the case because I really do want to order a bottle of this.

 

EDIT: I still love it, it passed the allergy test (wooo!) and I have a big bottle on the way. I'm so sad it's being discontinued, but I use perfume so sparingly that a bottle should last me a long time.

Edited April 5, 2005 by kythryne

[Koumori]

Chiroptera was a pleasant surprise. I ordered it because I love bats and welcome every chance I can get to support BCI, but reading the description I thought "man, I'm gonna hate this scent" - since I don't like heavy florals. To my happy surprise, this isn't the sort of sweet heavy floral I was expecting, and has a nice lemony boost to it. Lasts all day on me, and does not develop any off tones like some BPAL oils do on me.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Lavender with a little bit of honeysuckle in the background, but it's the lavender that comes out the most. Again another blend I'm somewhat fearful of.

 

Wet: Lavender and honeysuckle, which is a really pretty blend. Well the throw is kicking in, and it's pure lemon balm. This one is kinda yummy, especially the lemon/floral throw. This is a very floral scent that has a bit of sweet and is night-blooming flowers, a garden drapped in moonlight.

 

Dry down: It's hard to pick out the individual scents in this blend because all the florals like to blend together into a very nice if somewhat heavy blend. Thankfully, the lavender is being kept in check and is not allowed to ruin this blend for me, either. The lemon soars out of the floral creating a nice balance that keeps this from tipping into floral hell, which it borders on a little. The throw has died down a little, though, but the blend is still nice. I think this is going to be my favorite of the Oblation scents. Hmmm...now this is becoming greener like the herbs are coming out rather than the florals. This may get iffy as herbs and I don't get along terribly well at all.

 

Dry: Still herbs with lemon and some floral in the background. I was hoping this would stay lemon floral but te herb with backing notes is also pretty. It has calmed down into a light, fresh fragance that is very calming rather than overpowering. It is also blended nicely so that no one note takes precedence over the others. This may hit big bottle list at some point.

[anmorata]

Chiroptera:

 

Wet: Whew! Perfume!

Drydown: It must be the lemon balm that I'm smelling.. somewhat citrus, somewhat floral.

Longterm wear: turned into all lavender and similar flowers. Actually made my nose clog up. :/

[LiberAmoris]

I am loving all the Oblation blends, and Chiroptera is no exception. This smells like lemon-lavender cake to me. Herbal, citrus, with a sweetness that is not at all cloying. I’m usually not the biggest fan of lemon in a blend, as it tends to overpower every other note, but here I really enjoy it.

 

It makes me feel like a little fruit bat!

 

I’m so sorry that it’s being discontinued, as this is one that I might like to replenish when I finish my bottle. But I will just have to use my bottle sparingly and enjoy every drop!

[inkstone]

Courtesy of the Oblation Caravan!

 

In the imp: Florals. Well, let's give this a go.

 

Wet: Shoot me. I should have checked the notes before I tried this on. Nightblooming flowers. The bane of my existence.

 

Drydown: Okay, I think for a moment that maybe this won't be so bad. It balances out with the other notes pretty well for about an hour or so.

 

Final thoughts: But in the end, the nightblooming flowers win. Boo! I washed this off before the nightblooming flowers could give me a headache.

[brownbat]

Smells light and kind of soapy. A little bit sweet (the honeysuckle?) Oooeee it makes me sneeze. After its mellowing out the soapiness is going away and it is becoming a light, sweet flowery bouquet with just a hint of soap.

[omly]

The first time I tried this I didn't like it. I said "the lavendar and the lemon are just too discordant!" Fortunately I tried it again. I don't know what was wrong with me the first time. I love this scent! It is clean and light, with just a hint of almost an herbal tea quality. This has become the scent I wear whenever I can't sleep. When I wear it I find my body just relaxes and the rest which had been eluding me sneaks back before I am even aware.

[helarctos]

As usual, lemon on me gets magnified to the 100th power. High strong florals + ultra-lemon = headachey me. It did make me think of the high-pitched chirping of bats, and the keenness of their sonar, however!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very nice. an interesting, dark floral.

on: very soft. bit lemony and mistly, with watery flowers.

half an hour later: mostly flowers.

1.5 hours later: a bit soapy, but still floral.

2 hours later: turning more herbal now.

overall: i like this at first, but i don't like how it develops on me.

[Lucretia]

Very clean lemon and bright florals. Started to go Pledge on me, but luckily it mellowed out into a nice bright lemon instead of the cleaner lemon I usually get.

 

It smells sort of like a lemon bar with flowers in it! Some thyme, but not nearl as much as Calliope had. I do like this quite a bit. It smells very bright and cheery to me. This would be a great spring scent, and I really like, but I doubt I'll get a bottle since it's an LE now. I would hate to find I truly love it and then not be able to get anymore.

[sarahmarie]

Wow...this is very pretty. It has a light flowerly scent with a slightly earthy, definitely spicier note - that's probably the sage and/or thyme. There's a lemony aspect too, and I think I can pick out the honeysuckle sometimes. This does smell very much like a garden on a warm night - again, a floral that surprised me quite a bit. I think I will use up the imp...and it's possible that this will warrant bottle status if it's still around next time I can afford some. Mmm. Even if you don't like florals, I say give this a shot. It's very light and not "perfumey" (I think the lemony note helps with that), and it has a nice grounding note with the sage and thyme.

[Jessica]

In the bottle it smelled very clean and fresh but very masculine as well.

 

On the skin : the 'men's colonge' smell dies down so I'm not smelling too boyish with this blend. The lemon came out for a bit, but then disappeared, bringing back the colonge smell.

 

The description named a lot of notes that I enjoy, but they must of not liked each other and/or me with Chiropetra. Oh well.

[gwynhwyfar]

This was one of the first things up BPAL's site where I read the listed notes, especially the flowers, and my toes curled in glee as I went 'must ... have ... perfume.'

 

My instincts were absolutely right on this. I got an imp from someone when it was announced that the Oblation were going away and between the day I tested it and the day the Oblations were discontinued, I ordered more bottles than I care to think about. I'm going to hoard this precious, even though this could easily become a signature scent for me.

 

There is nothing in this scent that I don't like. In the bottle, the lemon is a bit strong, but that fades almost immediately upon joining with my skin. From wet to dry-down to several hours later, the scent is true on my skin from what I get from the bottle, with the lemon toned down to a supporting character for the florals -- a beautiful herbal floral that to me smells like all I love about nights in the country. Because I fell into bed the first night I tested this, too tired to shower, I learned that the honeysuckle, oddly, lingers on my skin more than the other notes, so I woke to the lovely scent of honeysuckle and it took me awhile to work out why.

 

If this wasn't discontinued, this would be a regular in my oil box. Since it was discontinued, I'm going to cherish the imps I have and the bottles that I have on order.

[Northernminx]

This started off with that dreaded lemon over-power but quickly softened into a gentle, light floral. Lots of honesuckle in this for a bit, but in the end it just turns into baby powder and dissapears off my skin. I'm a bit dissapointed as I adored how feminie and light and clean this was in the bottle and at initial application. Alas my chemistry says otherwse.

[scourgeotheseas]

Chiroptera - From the Oblation Caravan circular swap.

 

In the bottle: Sweet, grassy lemon.

 

On me: Lemon is definitely the first note to jump out, but it's a grassy, greenish lemon to me. Gradually, other florals seep in - generally very light and not overpowering.

 

Drydown: This smells of lemon Pledge to me. I wish it were otherwise. Maybe it will change...

 

EDIT: It did. The lemon note finally faded and I was left with a light, slightly herbal floral. Very pretty, finally, but not worth the wait.

Edited May 19, 2005 by scourgeotheseas

[ohm]

This buy was sort of spur of the moment, because I thought it was being discontinued the next morning. Alas, it was not, but it was still bought! I was really excited about this scent, because someone had reviewed it beautifully.

 

Unfortunately, we are not meant to be. It's too lemony-herbally, like a tea I don't like (but can't remember the name.) It sort of cools down my nose, too, like Vicks VapoRub, but that might be a bit of imagination, because that tea does the same thing to my nose.

 

Weep I'm very sad about my bottle not working out.

[gingersnapp]

This is a sweet and spicy herbal blend. I get a lovely lavender kicked up a notch by the lemon balm and the sage. I was a bit nervous about this because me and purple flowers just haven't been getting along lately, but this is very lovely and I'm glad that I was able to order a bottle before it was discontinued.

[Shollin]

Thanks to blackrayne for the decant... and I LOVE the little bat label she put on it.

 

First sniff: Night flowers, yes… soft and gently sweet, just barely brushed by a breeze.

 

Wearing: Chiroptera is all flowers in the vial, but on my skin it’s soft lemon and green herbs, and there's a lovely roundness to it.

[joseybird]

I get sweet, delicate lemon and light, savory herbs from this. It smells herbal yet soft, and the flowers (indistinguishable to my nose) didn't go soapy on me If this was still available I'd proly buy a bottle.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - this smells very green and herbal.

 

Dry - I don't know what evening primrose, night-scented stock or moonflower smell like, but I can smell the honeysuckle. As it dries, the green herbal smells becomes lighter, sweeter. It's honeysuckle sweet and very nice.

 

This is another light floral, and while I like it more than I thought I would, I really don't need another light floral.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

[LunaSea]

Chiroptera is a lovely spring, early summer scent. The most prominent note for me is the lemon balm, with the lovely soft florals behind it. Very light and refreshing. I think I'm also getting a bit of the herbal notes too, because it really has a wonderful freshness to it. It is beautiful!

 

I got to try this scent courtesy of the Oblation Caravan, and I started to lament the fact that I won't be able to get a bottle of it now. But, after about an hour, the lemon and florals are gone and I'm left with an herbal, faintly medicinal smell. (Only when I put my nose to my skin - it isn't wafting around me or anthing like that.) I thought it might be because my poor nose is overloaded from sniffing all the goodies in the caravan, but after reading ohm's review about the "cooling nose" effect, I think I'm getting the same result.