House of Mirrors

[Little Bird]

Antique amber frames a series of distorted, eternally warping clear crystal and glass notes.

House of Mirrors was one of the CN blends that I was looking most forward to. I've never tried Sea of Glass, so I can't make any comparison there.

I don't smell any citrus or any amber here. Oddly, the first thing that I think of when I smell this is glass. It's not a lot of ozone or a lot of aquatic. It doesn't smell soapy. It doesn't smell like anything that I've ever tried before.

It's a soft clear note that reminds me of pressing my face up against the window after a cold rainstorm. A sort of cool, fresh feeling. Overall, House of Mirrors smells very pretty and clean. For me it's the most accurately named CN blend. It really conjures up the image of glass or mirrors in a pristine 'fun house'. Elusive and cool. I love this one.

[Wrenlet]

In the bottle: I can't even say.

 

On me, wet: It's. Light. Very light and "airy" and at first I don't seem to be getting any amber at all. On sniffing some more, something starts not quite agreeing with me: it doesn't make me sneeze. Quite. But almost.

 

Dry: ... okay, I think that's the amber. Still with the nose-wrinkling-not-quite-sneezes, though.

 

Alas, not a scent for me

[Em-]

This is really quite a pretty blend. The citrus and the amber save the aquatic for me, and make it a very complex, hard to describe blend. Crystal is quite apt, really.

 

This will not be an every day scent and an imp is just enough, I think, but I am really happy to have some of this to play around with.

[oatmealneko]

I got an impression of white florals during the wet stage... weird, because I was expecting an ozoney type of blend. The citrusy ozone didn't hit 'til House of Mirrors dried, but it doesn't have as much tang as Lightning's ozone. It's a light tangy ozone, but it could be mistaken for white florals as well. Crystalline scent, I think I'm keeping my imp.

[k00kaburra]

I was one of the lucky folk who rec'd a mislabeled bottle of Snake Charmer instead of House of Mirrors. My correct bottle has finally arrived and I must say, the new/real fragrance is lovely!

In bottle: Crystalline. It is very much like glass - slightly citrus, slightly floral, and slightly the scent of air - but crisp. Very, very crisp. There is something almost otherworldly about the shimmering blend - like it is a scent from the world beyond the mirror...if that makes any sense at all.

 

On me: It smells very familiar, like I've come across a similar blend before. It does remind me a bit of Thunderbird, but not so much because they smell alike, but because they both make me think of the sky. This is citrusy and a bit sweet, and beautiful, certainly beautiful! This is definitely a top-ten perfume for me!

[QueenFae]

This is a really unique ozoney, light scent. It's one of those smells that is really hard to describe, but it conjours images of the seaside shrouded in the perfumey twilight breezes. I generally don't go for these type scents, but this one is nice enough so I might keep it around for awhile and see if it grows on me.

[slugbait]

An imp from blood onmy hands. Thank you, dear!

 

Straight out of the imp this smells like sassafras with a tinge of citrus. On my skin this is a clear, glassy scent, I can barely detect this. As this dries, the amber warms this up. Dry, this picks up some ozone and is a bit strong. It is very masculine, something I didn't expect. It smells okay on me, but this would be dead sexy on a guy. I think I will be trying this one out on my fiance.

[laochodia]

This is the older brother of Thunderbird. Ozone and amber. Don't pick on Thunderbird or it will come over and Kick Your Ass. () No, really. This is amazingly light but pervasive. Truly amazing.

[turbojenn]

tes sent me this one, and wow...this is definitely high on my favorites list! As others have said, it smells like sharp, clean glass. More than that, I get the saltiness of the sea, the aquatic note....and 12 hours later, I can still smell its lovliness. There's a shy innocence about this one, its like the best smelling laundry, hung on a line in the sunshine on the sea shore. Beth is a magician indeed.

[Elanya]

Just glancing up quickly at other reviews, I will agree with the perceived similarities with Thunderbird. It has a smiliar aquatic/ozone aspect.

 

In the bottle, there is something fresh and floral, and almost soapy about this. It stays that way fresh, but the soapyness receeds fairly quickly and what is left is a very fresh, sharp glassy note. I'm sure I can smell ozone. As it dries, the amber comes out more, peeking out initially as a well concealed base note. About an hour or so in, it starts to get stronger as, as noted in the description, the glassy notes wavers and shimmers, capriciously changing its character as the amber warms around it.

 

Now, closer to two or three hours in, I can still smell the amber and the ozone, and the glass seems to have settled down, almost. It's less prominent, but the scent still isn't homogenized, and it wafts about playfully. It has a decent throw, and it fairly strong, considering I can still smell it easily, and just dabbed a bit on the back of my wrists.

 

I like it a lot rght now, but I usually have to wear a scent a few times before I can really pin down how much I like it I'm sure I'm keeping the bottle, at least.

[DarkMouse]

This is an ozone/ aquatic scent almost akin to Jolly Roger - with a hint of soapiness in the background ( thats the lab's amber going sideways on me again- why Beths amber hates me so, I'll never understand.) There's a definite "perfumey" quality to this .. but its an extremely upscale perfume, so no disrespect to the lab there.. Its what a really good perfume should smell like. I do get the "crystal" sensation and the idea of something shiny (like .. duh.. mirrors) . I like this.. but I don't think it'll get much wear.

[cuervosueno]

I didn't order this initially because I don't usually like crystaline scents, which this was described as, but early reviews convinced me I might like it so I ordered a bottle.

 

Alas, too light on the amber for me. it is lovely, and does start out slightly floral, slighty ozone, but it is hard to pick up individual notes. The amber is just not as strong and sweet as I would like.

 

Still, it is perfect for House of Mirrors, because the amber is there, but in a distorted reflection....a memory of amber, a reflection of amber rather than the sweet resin note itself....Well done, just not me.

Edited September 28, 2005 by cuervosueno

[zillah37]

I wanted to love this because I'm a *huge* fan of amber and clean scents, but this went very antiseptic on me just like Sea of Glass did. It smelled wonderful in the bottle, but once it hit my skin, it changed to antiseptic.

 

*sighs*

 

Off to the swap pile to find a woman (or man) of less discriminating tastes.

[Janie]

I ordered this when the first set of reviews came out - when it was all very confusing and some Snake Charmer went out disguised as HoM.

 

Light, aquatic, ozone scents are not my favourites. That said, this is nicer than some. I think the amber adds a lovely touch.

 

On me it is short-lived. It opens with a fanfare of citrus and clear notes and doesn't last much longer than initial drydown. Nice, but not my cuppa.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this comes out light, kind of citrus. A hint of florals, but nothing I can identify. Nothing very substantial at all, but I don't think I would expect less from something described as crystal and glass, right? It's pleasant and fresh. This definitely isn't one of the mix-up bottles of Snake Charmer. *g*

 

The florals become sharper after a bit, and the citrus fades. Still pretty, mellow, and clear. The scent doesn't really fade, as it wasn't very strong to begin with, though I didn't slather it on. There's a warm note that I'm fairly certain is amber, as well.

 

Over time, it becomes a little spicier, which I didn't expect. And musky--the teensiest bit masculine, but not overly so. I found it quite soothing, actually. This isn't something I'd wear as a perfume, specifically, but I wouldn't mind having it around.

[feline.by.design]

I was really looking forward to House of Mirrors, and I wasn't disappointed at all when I tested it. Light, unisex, crisp, a little cheeky--all that I was looking for.

 

House of Mirrors doesn't last as long as I'd like to to, which isn't surprising as it has citrus notes, but that would be my only complaint. This is a great scent for many purposes and moods. It's something I can throw on for work without smelling too obtrusive nor too generic, and I think it's a good fragrance for being around someone with allergies, like my boyfriend. Although he may complain when I go a bit overboard with some fragrances (which, with BPAL, a drop can sometimes be too much), but this one didn't elicit any grumbling from him.

 

I'm so glad the Lab released this scent, as although I'm very fond of my lemon citrus fragrances, it's nice to have something a little different. Granted, the citrus wasn't terribly noticable; it acted more as something that lightened up the main amber note, which was also fabulous.

 

All in all, House of Mirrors is lovely, and I enjoy my bottle tremendously.

 

-doreen

[mayhap]

House of Mirrors could not be any more perfectly named, because it works exactly like a funhouse mirror on me.

 

See, I included it in my order because I loved a few other scents with amber, and I'd never really tried an ozone scent before. The first time I put on House of Mirrors, I was a little disappointed: it seemed like this very harsh, strong scent with no amber to speak of! However, as I had the bottle, I figured that I'd give it the old college try.

 

Next thing I knew, people were crowding around me, telling me, "You smell sooooo good! And expensive! You smell really, really expensive!" (Yeah, I don't know what that means either, but I took it as a compliment. )

 

The clincher for me, though, was when I walked back to my desk where I had applied House of Mirrors and there was this wonderful, crystalline, sweetish-resiny to-die-for scent in the air. "Oh!" I thought, "So this is what everyone's been smelling on me!"

 

Accordingly, House of Mirrors: definitely a keeper for me. Even though I think I look kind of funny in those mirrors.

[AlaskaSnows]

I am not at all sure I have House of Mirrors, but I think I do because in the bottle this literally smells like broken glass. It's fascinating that an idea of broken glass can be translated that way!

 

Dry this is sweet with amber and spice and a peppery background. There is the slightest background of citrus. Very nice!

[emiweebee]

Oof. I really was hoping for loads of amber, but this amber is all...well, yes, glass. Clear and watery and...meh, I'm just not feeling this perfume. It smells a lot like "real" perfumes that have watery ad campaigns. Off to the swap pile.

[bristlecone]

I don't really get any citrus from this- I just smell ozone and amber. It's very linear compared to most BPAL scents, and doesn't morph as time passes. Someone above compared it to the smell of a rainstorm, and I agree with this assessment. A lovely scent with considerable throw and staying power. House of Mirrors is what I was hoping Storm Moon would be. I almost didn't order it, but I'm glad I listened to the little voice that said I needed it.

 

*edit* If I hold the bottle up to my nose and sniff hard, I do get a bit of citrus after all... something tangy, like grapefruit or tangerine. On my skin, however, it's just ozone and amber.

Edited October 22, 2005 by bristlecone

[melange]

Bottle: amber, but cool rather than warm.

 

Drydown: distance with warmth beneath.

 

Worn: glassy; very, very faintly floral; just enough amber to keep it on your side. This is your mirror.

 

Conclusion: this scent felt grounding and, at the same time, as if it were keeping a clear shield's distance between the wearer and those around.

[AutumnQueen]

I was expecting more amber with this one, but for some strange reason, I could smell something like gardenia in House of Mirrors. The amber was almost non-existant on my skin; the scent was very heavily aquatic with that odd bit of gardenia in there. I'm not a floral fan, so this one went straight into the swap pile for me.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Glassy.

 

Just On: Oh yes, this smells quite glassy.

 

An hour or two later: This is pretty light, glassy, and showing me a hint of powder. It's pretty interesting, and very evocative.

 

Around 6 hours: Okay, this is sort of powdery soap, which tells me ozone, with... amber?

 

12 hours: It's pretty much gone now.

 

Overall: I rather like it, though it isn't my favorite CN scent.

 

After reading other reviews: I'm really rather happy I waited to review this, as my order was one of the ones with the mixed up labels (and one that wasn't labeled at all!).

[Iona]

In the bottle this smells like yummy clean citrus, slightly perfumy, but in no way unpleasant. When first on that 'perfumy' note jumps to the front a little. After a moment it all calms down and blends smoothly into a pleasantly disorienting fragrance as the blend dries there is almost a smoky note that I can't identify, but it is familiar. As well as a slight plastic smell. Later on in the dry down this smells much more light and floral with that smoky note barely even there anymore.

 

Ten minutes later this is allllmost the rain scent I have been seeking, it is a little bit too sweet still, we'll see if that goes away later on but this is so pretty and wonderful as it is now. This was not at all what I expected, most of the ozone/aquatic scents I have tried have turned very unpleasant but this one is very sweet and gentle.

 

Twenty minutes later, a bit more grapefruit is coming back into play and this is just beautiful, the plastic/smoke is totally gone and this is just, wow.

 

Overall this scent is very clean, and just wonderful.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet and sour, citrus and like men’s cologne. A rain or ozone scent. When first on it’s light and clean citrus mixed with rain. After a couple of minutes it becomes slightly powdery and warm and smells like a commercial perfume. This softens to a nice floral blend. I’m not sure if I’ll keep this one. It’s more aquatic than I thought it would be. I expected it to be more warm and ambery.