House of Mirrors

[nevermore]

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

Not something I would normally try, but I figured, why not? House of Mirrors is clean, fresh, and almost aquatic - not something I normally wear. I was hoping that the amber would come out a bit more, but it never does. This perfume remains mostly true to the in-the-imp scent (clean/aquatic) which is abnormal for me. What surprises me most is that I enjoy wearing it. Not something I'd wear very often, but I like it enough to keep it around, at least for now.

[midnight_aeval]

Whew, too aquatic for me. I sold it before I could test it on DH, but I'm thinking I wouldn't have liked it on him so I made the right choice (god forbid he did like it and I would have to smell it on him! I'm so evil.)

 

Smelled too much like a cologne you could buy at a Department store, and he does have plenty of those anyways.

[lunareclipse]

In the bottle, it's sweet but clean.

 

On, it's very aquatic - almost an ocean note, lightened with delicate florals and a faint powdery amber. Light, crisp, clean and coool - a perfect icky-sticky-hot-summer-day scent.

[sofiaviolet]

Citrus overload! This is a fresh summery scent. After the inital burst of citrus, it fades very quickly. Very little throw.

[kunoichi]

This is a soft, piercing crystalline scent with perhaps a touch of a citrus edge to it. On my skin the citrus becomes more noticeable, and it still has that same crystal-like quality to it – very cool, hard yet it is a quiet scent and perhaps a little aquatic. This fades quietly, and doesn’t change very much as it fades.

[jessiesquash]

This was one of those last minute impulse buys where I had picked out the scents I was going to order and then I read the description again and realized that I HAD TO HAVE IT! I'm thrilled that I did because this is by far my favorite of the CN series and the only one that I really like on my skin. Initially it's pretty soft and I can definitely smell the aquatic notes and the citrus. As it wears, it does amazing shifts just like the light reflecting off of dozens of mirrors. It almost has a sweetness to it that blends perfectly with the aquatics. It's just one of those scents that mingles with my own chemistry to create the perfect scent. I can't stop smelling myself when I wear it and, while I may get weird looks, that is a very good sign!

[sarahj]

House of Mirrors (in a Snake Charmer bottle)

 

in bottle: very aquatic

 

wet: aquatic and some unidentifiable floral

 

dry: aquatic with a hint of amber...very perfumy

 

verdict: not for me...will probably swap

[fairy]

I knew I was going to like it, I just had no idea how much. This is one beautiful water-scent. I don't smell any amber but it doesn't matter because it doesn't need it. This is perfect the way it is

[Bagfish]

Very sharp, bright and ozoney on me. I was expecting amber to show through at some point and moderate the ozone, but House of Mirrors stayed clean, sharp, high and too "harsh chemical" for me to enjoy.

 

I have yet to have any luck with ozone scents - they all give me headaches; I wore this for an hour before succumbing and washing it off - during this time the scent didn't morph much at all.

 

Note to self - ozone just doesn't work on your skin

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i HATE amber. haaate. it is evil and always turns to baby powder on me.

 

so i didn't order this, first time around...thinking i'd be safe.

then, i got a decant.... and that was the beginning of the end.

this is so beautiful on me, it is like mirrors and water and all things bright, white, shiny and clear.

nigh on impossible for me to put into words, except for oh, yessss. please?

 

please, Sir, may i have another?

[Monster]

This is the only CN scent I wanted and didn't buy a bottle of. Thanks to a lovley ofrumite for decanting a bit for me

 

Out of the vial this is refreshing and balmy smelling. It reminds me of a neutral, soft smelling lotion my mother used to wear when I was a kid.

 

On my skin, wet I'm still smelling that soft, comforting lotion smell. The amber is very soft and sweet. it's a lot like the amber in The Lion, minus the spice.

 

As this dries something citrus begins to pop it's head out and it actually begins to become a lot stronger on the dry down. This is definitely shiny and bright smelling. It's fresh, clean, and non-abrasive. Beth definitely nailed the mirror quality about this. I feel like it's reflecting and slightly distorting my own skins natural scent.

 

This is really unique! I can definitely see why so many people love this one. I love love love amber, and I'm in LOVE with the way this smells on me. I'm just disappointed I didn't purchase a 5ml when the Carnival was in town.

[metaldog32]

House of Mirrors...how you did confuse me...

 

I bought this off an Ebay auction quite some time ago..and was eagerly anticipating wearing this blend..although I had passed up on it when it was live on the BPAL forum the whole idea of warped glass notes and amber intrigued me to no end. Beth's amber blends have been winners for me so far so this particular blend teased me until I gave in and managed to snag a bottle.

 

Today was the day.

 

I showered..I stood in my unmatching underwear. I cradled the bottle for one moment and then eagerly applied to my pulse points. Immediately...I became alarmed..WTF???? All of a sudden...I am enveloped in a cloud of...Sea of Glass...huh

 

I panicked..thinking somehow I had been duped on ebay...I mean..it smelled identical. The clear aquatic with a touch of citrus..I mean..it is a dead ringer. Kicking myself for being so stupid for trusting non bpal forum sellers..I chastised myself for not being more careful.

 

Until of course..I started reading the reviews. Apparently I have company..lots of people here liken this to the GC scent..I feel vindicated!!!

 

So..now that the panic has died down I put them both on and did the old sniff and compare.

 

Both of them smell identical in the bottle and applied wet on skin. Where House of Mirrors differs is that the amber does round out the bottom of the fragrance giving it a bit of sweetness. All in all it is a very clear and glass-like fragrance..perfect for summer and maybe winter..when it's all crystal icicles on the trees in the early morning..with the sun making everything looks so glittering.

[sterlingspider]

Wow, reading the rest of the reviews I'm wondering if I didn't get a grossly mislabled imp.

 

Wet: first reaction was "Honeysuckle?!?! UGH!" (I hate honeysuckle by the way)

 

On drydown: oriental floral soap with an undercurrent of powder. Incredibly sweet and cloying. I can smell the amber trying to come through, but I have to wash it off as it's giving me a headache.

 

3 hand washes later: this is why I don't wear anything even vaguely floral.

[damuddymeg]

I've had this bottle since the CN was revisited, but for whatever reason, I'd never tried it. I'm making my way through ALL of my stash to determine what stays and what goes, so...

 

In the bottle: This smells a lot like unisex cologne to me. Very heavy on the ozone and aquatics, along the lines of CKone and Cool Water. Hmmmph.

 

Wet: On, this is slick and crystalline, clear high citrus sharded with sharp ozone and gleaming aquatics.

 

Dry: The sharpness slowly, slowly dies back, the gleam becomes a glow, and it becomes increasingly more wearable as time goes on. This lasts forever (8 hours and still kicking), with an initially moderate throw becoming progressively lighter. It becomes this beautiful, gentle scent, vaguely floral, still aquatic and ozone-dominant, with a hint of citrus. I don't know that it will be a staple over the winter, but I think it will get it's fair share of skin-time come spring.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: very light. A little citrussy, a little hairspray.

 

On my skin: it's a very faint scent so far… the only thing I'm sure I recognize is lemon. It's also kinda aquatic, very bright and goes quite well with the idea of glass (if glass had a specific scent).

 

After a couple of hours: it gets soapy… and there's still this hint of hairspray, I don't really know what it is but I kinda like it because it's a scent associated to my mother doing her hair when I was a child.

 

Verdict: not exactly my thing, but quite lovable.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Aquatic men's cologne.

 

On me: Very pretty aquatic amber. Medium throw. Delicate.

[hackess]

Lucky enough to get a 5mL of this just the other week from happygophucky as it aggravates her asthma and she wanted a good home for it. It found one!

 

Bottle: Crystalline and a hint of citrus.

 

Wet & Dry: I initially feared the amber note, but it's gorgeous and soft. The crystal notes remind me of the ozone I love in Lightning. Drydown is quick, but I get wafts of it all day and don't feel the need to reapply.

[talula_fairie]

I left a review here thinking I had House of Mirrors instead of snake charmer. On further investigation, I think I really do have Snake Charmer.

Edited December 16, 2006 by talula_fairie

[moon_lemming]

House of Mirrors is pretty! It's a feminine perfume-y "white" floral -- though really it leans more toward aquatic than floral -- that reminds me a little bit of a drugstore perfume I used to wear when I was a teenager. In a good way!

 

I don't know that it's something I'd reach for crazy often, as I don't normally gravitate to the more perfume-y BPAL oils, but it's definitely bottle-worthy.

[impadua@aol.com]

Definitely not Snake Charmer.

 

If a scent could be called Dull and Boring, this is it. I smell, in the bottle, a faint musk, Very faint. And some off brand laundry detergent. I hate this. Sorry folks.

 

Off to the adoption pile you go.

 

 

[lapillus]

The amber never shows up on me but I get the glass in the sharp white floral. It’s very traditionally perfumey in scent and while I’m glad to have had a sniffie of it I don’t regret not having more.

[GoldenRubee]

This is very soft with some light florals and a touch of citrus with a pinch of amber thrown in. I thought it would be heavy but was delighted after the dry down period. I believe that it is gender neutral but I don't like to share so I guess I will be the only one wearing it! It is very nice!

[stardreamer]

I've been wearing this off and on ever since the hot weather started, and it's rapidly becoming one of my top summer scents. It's shimmery and aquatic -- the term "crystalline" really does seem appropriate. As it wears on, a light sweet undernote develops; that's probably the amber, which tends to go sweet on me. But the aquatic notes are still primary for as long as it lasts. Staying power is very good; after close to 13 hours, I can still catch whiffs of it as I move. Needless to say, this is not just a keeper but a favorite as well.

[mountainwitch]

I tried this shortly after Berenice, and at first it was so fresh and clean that I thought I was still sniffing Berenice. But House of Mirrors is something altogether more wonderful.

 

As it begins to dry, HoM has a sort of freshness I’ve come to associate with things like Sea of Glass—in fact, I'm pretty sure that to like one is to like the other, unless there's an amber issue. It's not really a lemon or grapefruit scent, but it has the same kind of crisp snap. It's difficult for me to to describe, but it's a truly lovely, clean scent. Under the glitter is a perfect amber that never turns powdery on me. I can wear this anywhere, and it still smells clean, classy, elegant. At night, in the morning—anytime, anywhere.

 

This is truly one of my perfect scents.

[maiea]

I got a 1/3 imp decant of this as a gift when I bought stuff from a sale post on this forum.

 

Well, I tried it and wow, I could swear this was Sea of Glass (one of my 2 most favourite bpal scents ever!!!). So I like it of course. lol.

 

However as House of Mirrors dries down, it changed from Sea of Glass. Whereas SoG remains cool and bright on me, HoM turns to a bit of a sweeter and warmer scent. Still very crisp and citrusy, but toned down by the very slight sweetness and warmth. Then finally, it turns a little bit soapy.

 

All in all, I do like HoM a lot, though seeing as it's a LE that's past, I doubt I'd be able to get my hands on more without paying a lot on ebay, but it's okay, I'm still more of a Sea of Glass person.