Absinthe

[Fefferbella]

Fall under the spell of our Green Fairy! An intoxicating blend containing wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon.

Minty and fresh in the bottle with a hint of sweetness.

I was worried it would be all mint and I would smell like wintergreen all day, but it quickyl dries down to a much more sophisticated blend.

After 30 min. all that was left were notes of anise and cardamom with a touch of lemon zest.

Very nice

[SeaMonkey]

In the vial, its minty anise

 

On my skin, its the same. The mint/anise definately wakes me up and opens up my sinuses. This is a good scent for when I have a headache. It seems to just make it go away.........which is kind of funny because drinking it GIVES me a headache

[KieLocke]

This was a fairly simple scent for me. In the vial it was minty and herbal. Very pretty. On my skin the herbal fades and the anise (black licorice for me) comes out strongly.

 

Once it dries it's all anise with barely any mint.

 

I like it but I'm not in love with it. The herbal/minty beginning is my favorite part and that ends quickly.

[Stumbeline]

I got an imp of this a while ago, sniffed it, sneezed, and then ignored it for the better part of a couple months. I tried it tonight out of curiousity.

 

It is simple. Green and minty, then sweet anise. Not bad, but not really my thing. It may be in rotation in the warmer months though.

[wingedcorset]

In the vial this one seemed green and a little minty. On my skin, the anise popped up and came to the forefront. Which was weird. I adore anise and black licorice flavored things, but I never thought of wearing the scent. I think this is a scent that might get negative reactions from people, because anise is strongly disliked by SO many people.

 

On me, it doesn't matter, because it fades in about 30 minutes.

[ABrokenAngel]

Congradulations "Absinthe" you're my first BPAL allergy. I believe it was the wormwood but this caused my entire arm to break out in a 3 week long wicked case of hives. Yay me!

 

However, the scent? Spot on, Absinthe. My hubby loves the (legal totally the legal one) absinthe so he got this to hang in his car as a scent ball.

 

 

If you like absinthe, seriously this is 100% the exact smell.

[gingersnapp]

Never having partaken of the beverage of the same name, I can't confirm or deny the smell being exact. But I do know that I'm loving the aura of anise, mints, and wormwood dancing around me. This is a lovely scent. Very bewitching!

[sarahj]

Absinthe

 

received in a swap

 

in vial: mint and anise

 

wet: same

 

dry: very refreshing, but fades too quickly (in less than 2 hours)

 

verdict: I will keep the imp, but don't need a big bottle

[aedes]

This scent definitely comes in stages. At first I definitely get a green, herbal smell and mint mint mint, then the anise comes out after with a lot of throw.

 

Sambuca is probably my favorite liquor, however I think this makes me feel like I've been bathing in it. Since my coworkers know how much I love sambuca, I also don't want them to think that I've really hit the bottle. But this is spot-on for the concept! I think I just realized that I shouldn't be smelling like it.

[Rhowan]

*~*ABSINTHE*~*

 

I would not have ever gotten this for myself - it came as a frimp though, and I am happy it did!

 

 

In the bottle: All I can smell is very sweet mint. No anise, no wormwood...just sweet mint.

 

Wet: When I first applied this to my skin, I got mints but in the background I also got a quick smell of warm soil - it smelled like green mint over Zombie. Weird.

 

Dry down: The Zombie smell is very quick to go and as this dries down and mellows, the mint also takes a step back from being the prominent note. Everything is blended so wonderfully blende that I can't pick out just one note unless I close my eyes and really search for it. After about 15 minutes I am getting a light, very sweet minty/anise with a woodsy background. Very lovely.

 

Conclusion: This is a very nice scent and if you haven't tried it you definitely should. I am not a mint lover at all but this really suprised me!

[sookster]

slightly minty and wormwoody.....initially after application i get a distinct

whiff of an extremely clean laundry detergent or soap scent but this dissipates

quickly and then i am left with a spicy and sweet blend.....quite lovely....

i would think this might work wonderfully in the summertime months for me

so i will try this one again in the warmer months..........unique at the very least.....

[Orodemniades]

Anise-y! With a hint of mind. Reminds me of Xylocaine, sort of numbing...I'll have to try again to get more of a handle on it.

 

Oro

[PurringPulsar]

Absinthe

 

In the imp: eek, sharp booze! This is a ‘clear alcohol’ scent, amplified by anise, made colder by mint. I haven’t tried absinthe so I can’t say if it smells like the real thing.

Wet on skin: it now gets greener and more herbal, I get the lemon note.

Dry: it’s now the scent of herbal, slightly boozy lemon. It’s a cold, clear, and green scent. It’s not too bad now, the boozy aspect of the scent has toned down a bit, but is still there. The scent is very cool, like it’s been chilled…

After a while: the anise note is coming out more, making this smell a bit like liquorice. The herbal-lemon-booze scent still remains. The mint isn’t blatant in this, but it gives the scent a definite sense of coldness, and there’s something very fluid and translucent about the scent as well. I just wish I got cardamom from this though…

Verdict: I don’t know what absinthe really smells like but this scent is certainly boozy, clear, and cold…it’s herbal and lemony with a definite anise base. It smells green yet transparent at the same time, and I’m also surprised at how chilly it smells, and I think it’s from the mint-even though the mint isn’t that noticeable. I’m not sure if it’s a perfume I’d wear that often but it’s far more pleasant than I expected, and I think it would be quite nice in summer.

 

edit: it turns to soap on me after a few hours. Dang it.

Edited January 8, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Amberfishy]

Absinthe; in the bottle it reminds me of a eucalyptus and cedarwood essential oil I have. A little aniseedy, a little minty, but mostly I am smelling the wormwood here I think.

 

Wet on my skin, the green minty smell comes out more. It's fresh, I didn't find it boozy at all. It's a refreshing scent but perhaps a little too hygenic for my tastes, it's a cleansing smell but again because it reminds me of that essential oil I have which I burn with lemon to cleanse a room.

 

I spilled half an imp on my dresser and I expected it to pong of minty goodness for a long time but the scent fades FAST in a disappointing kind of way. Dry on my skin, there's just a faint soap smell, my body seems to assimilate this scent very quickly.

 

It's nice, refreshing and light, but I would have liked more of that minty goodness with a little more endurance.

[Voleuse]

I had no idea what Absinthe would smell like. On first application, I smell mint and lemon, and an odd herbal-boozy note I assume is the wormwood itself. As it dries, however, it becomes all lemon, sweet and a little dry. Huh.

 

After a while, the entire blend morphs into pure black licorice. And, um. I don't like licorice. Ah, well.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Wow, it smells ... like absinthe. The licorice-y note of anise and wormwood, the herbal qualities, the slightly tooth-aching sweetness. And a bit of lemon, which is surprising, but not bad.

 

On, wet: Oh dear me. My skin is amping the lemon something fierce, pushing it right out in front of the herbal notes. Now it reminds me more of Limoncello than absinthe.

 

Drydown: ...interesting. The lemon has calmed down a bit, and now it's more of a balanced lemon-herbal with a strong licorice/anise topnote (similar to the anise note in Kabuki or Kyoto). The lemon gives it a slightly antiseptic vibe, but on the whole I like it better now that it's dried a bit.

 

I think I like this. Will be keeping the imp, anyhow.

[alston78]

In the bottle: Sharp and minty. The anise is evident as well, and the overall impression is more herbal than sweet. I have no idea what real absinthe smells like, so I can't evaluate from that angle.

 

On my wrist - first sniffs: The anise comes out strongly, as do the mints and other herbs. There is a faint floral note in the background. Nice - I tend to like warmer scents but this is pleasant. This stage lasted about an hour.

 

Later: The scent faded after an hour - after that I smelled a green floral scent, if that makes any sense. The mint and anise smells were gone and a soft, slightly sweet floral smell remained.

[fiddlehead]

Ahh, now this is nice. I have never had Absinthe, only Pernod. So I don't know if it's an accurate rendition of the smell.

 

First on I get a strong hit of anise with a complicated mixture of lemon and herbs. I have a wormwood plant in my yard so I know what it smells like and I'm not getting much of that smell in this. What this smell reminds me strongly of is a shop that sells old-fashioned candy in one of those Gold Rush era tourist towns. Licorice, horehound drops, lemon drops. Or maybe the place down the street from there that sells Sasparilla. I feel like I'm *there*. Probably because I grew up in just such a place

 

This is a very evocative and comforting scent to me. Must try it on my husband.

[britton522]

I wanted this one because the name inspired visions of 19th century French cafes with fiery glasses of glowing green alcohol. Might have something to do with the Baudelaire and Rimbaud I was reading when I put it on my wishlist....

 

In imp: Herb-y, minty, a little bit of bathroom cleaner, little bit of chlorine, but intriguing.

 

Wet: This started out as a very, very green mint with anise.

 

Drydown: Not five minutes later, this has become Pine Sol with lemon. Hoping it dries to a more flat scent--it's just too bright right now.

 

Blech. This is just too much cleaner-filled for me. May not even let this stay on much longer. Might be a room scent.

[Alchemy21599]

I had to try absinthe just because it evokes notions of a by-gone era that fascinates me.

 

In the vial: minty, green herbal, anise and faintly floral.

 

Wet: Holy black licorice! Wow, that anise is popping! I love black licorice, but I don't want to wear it as perfume.

 

Dry: The minty and anise notes fuse nicely. There is a perkiness, too. Probably the lemon. After about an hour the mint and anise calm down and fuse with a lovely floral/herbal note, which I am guessing is the hyssop. This summer I am going to have to squish a combination of hyssop and artemesia (wormwood, which was distilled to make absinthe) between my fingers.

 

This may be a big bottle scent for me.

[jidabug]

Wet - Licorice! With a touch of citrus. I'm not a big fan of licorice, so we'll see.

Dry - Still getting licorice, but it seems to have combined with the other scents to smell like...dryer sheets. Weird.

Final - The dryer sheet scent is an odd occurrence, but not unpleasant. The underlying whiff of licorice, however, is.

[mandragora]

In the vial: Smells like black licorice. Anise?

 

Wet on me: It turned minty cold but still strong licorice note.

 

Drydown: Citrus comes out to play. The mint morphs into a gorgeously green and yellow scent. Very refreshing, but also very faint

 

Verdict: Quite nice but does not seem to have lasting power.

[bacca]

As green is absolutely my favourite colour, and "la fèe verte" the nickname my friends gave me, I had to try this.

I'm not particularly keen on green scents, as I'm already "phisically and mentally sharp", but I really had to try this.

 

In the bottle is... ewww, sanisbury's pine foam bath... awful

Then on my skin... uh?... something artificial, too minty and definitely too sweet

I was just joking with my disappointment, when it dried on

Oh la la

Dark green, round and, yes (thank god): bitter

Still, it's changing... more like it has two sides...

I love this

That's definitely not an everyday scent, but sure I'm longing to find some special occasion to put it on

Unfortunately, it doesn't last that long on my skin... and that's reeeeeeeeeally a pity

[jazlyn]

Absinthe is a light green scent on me... buds on trees and yellow green leaves unfurling, the scent of lemon drops and mints in the same container.--->The lemon and mint are most noticeable at first, but a little later I can smell more of the anise and the woody/mossy/herbal somethings. After a bit, all of the notes are kind of jumbled together into one very faint scent. This is kind of nice but, I don't think I'll be wearing it as a perfume.

[Magda]

In the bottle: fruity cough syrup

 

Wet on skin: sweet lemon anise

 

15 minutes: When I was little, my Great Aunt Anna used to make these little red hard candies from scratch. I thought they were called "Anna's candy" since she's the one who made them. I didn't know they were really anise candy. Regardless, I loved them. I was crazy for those little red squares and I'd suck on one after the other until my tongue hurt. Absinthe smells like those little candies tasted, sweet with the black licorice flavor of anise and just a hint of lemon.

 

30 minutes: The lemon/sugar/anise scent is starting to become underscored by dark herbs, slightly bitter. They're the kind of herbs you grow in a little hidden spot in your garden and gather by the light of the full moon.

 

1 hour: Fantastic, spicy anise, hint of dark herbs, with a touch of lemon and sugar to make it wearable.

 

Verdict: As much as I love the flavor of anise, I hadn't ever considered wearing it as a personal fragrance. I'm so glad I got this as a freebie from the lab because I never would have ordered it on my own and would have been missing out. This is going on the Big Bottle List.