Maenad

[Kayah]

Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.

 

imp: bubble gum
.. does this have lotus? I identify bubble gum scent with lotus...

wet: sweet bubblegum

drydown: goes more sweet fruits than actual bubblegum but I still can't place what it smells like exactly

note comparison:
strawberry? maybe.. orange blossom? hmm yes orange blossoms are sweeter than the fruit, I can see it... the rest of the notes, however, don't even show up on my skin anywhere. MAYBE hibiscus.. but I don't get any poppy and no carnation to speak of either.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Carnation and a hint of something artifical, like plastic. BPAL's strawberry and I so rarely get along for this exact reason. x.x

 

On skin, wet: Carnation and another dark/heady sort of floral. The poppy maybe? Still that hint of plastic, but it's fading.

 

On skin, dry: The plastic is gone, but otherwise this is not a morphing scent on me--still heavy, dark florals.

 

After an hour: Same as the drydown. Not unpleasant, but not really for me.

[yakiguri]

On my skin, Maenad is SUPER-sweet tropical punch with strawberry and hibiscus front-and-center. There's an artificial undertone to it though that makes it less of an exotic mixed drink you buy on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean and more Kool-Aid with loads of sugar. Maybe something I'd drink, but don't exactly want to smell like.

[GoddesShel]

I received this as a frimp from a swap with a forumite.

 

In imp: Sweet but not bubblegummy or fake, slightly tropical

Wet on me: Here come the florals, still mixed with sweet fruit, though

Drying: It's a morpher on me. One whiff I'll get fruit, the next flowers. I like...

 

Yummm. I think I might need a bottle of this...

[Mechanical Death]

I received this imp with an order the other day-- I don't remember if it was from the lab directly or a generous extra from an ebay buy.

 

In the bottle it's very very sweet and medicinal. I've seen other posters describe it as melted candy-- I get melted lollipops or jolly ranchers. It's fairy accurate to the wet smell on the skin too. Very very sweet.

 

As it begins to dry it starts to mellow out, but it's still very sharp and sweet. Ripe strawberries being the most prominent note.

 

About 10 minutes later it blends a bit more, but it still smells a bit like strawberry bubblegum-- sugary, insanely sweet, much much smoother and creamier.

 

Under the sharp strawberry I smell the spicy creamy poppy and carnation which is just yum, and the flowery hibiscus-- the dry down is very nice and close to the skin. if the horrid bubblegum smell didn't hover around me in such a cloud I would find this a very nice and wearable addition to my collection. I would consider passing this along to my 16 year old sister to try out, but even she prefers more sophisticated scents. Perhaps it works for some, but the bubblegum strawberry kills it for me.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: My imp is certainly chaotic, considering it fractured into a billion pieces when I opened it for the first time! The smell inside is strong sweet strawberry and hibiscus tea.

 

Wet: Immediately calmer and less sweet. I get lotus and florals and strawberry, a big fruit-floral melange that's just sort of... present... without being all that interesting.

 

Dry: Weirdly, this fades super-fast on me to a faint memory of florals and strawberry. Pretty, but not remarkable.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): The strawberry is sickly sweet in that artificial way it can be, but the florals lend it some depth that makes me think it's worth a chance.

 

Wet: Sweet, overtly candy-like strawberry dominates above all, but the poppy and some orange seem to creep in after a couple seconds.

 

Dry: After 15 hours, There is only the faintest hint of strawberry and something faintly more dark.

[claudia6913]

This is not one I would choose from scent list alone, but as a frimp, I'll test anything at least once.

 

This is very sweet. Not so much foodie sweet, but floral/fruit sweet. It's actually kind of pretty, and the longer it sits the more the florals come out and the fruit sinks to the background.

 

Not something I'd reach for very often, but it has that sweet quality that I crave every once in a while.

[Eemia]

There's a juice box synthetic strawberry at first. Kind of has a scratchy feeling like eating or drinking something that itches the back of your throat afterwards. Then there's a meltdown of potpourri with a stale, dry spiciness, at which point I washed it off. I can't figure out what exactly is doing that on my skin but it's not the mysterious dark strawberry I was hoping for. I've tried imps of this off and on over the last couple years but I always get the same result.

[welcometothefamily]

In the Imp: Sweet strawberry bubblegum and nail polish.

 

Wet: Sweet, slightly overripe fruit with a floral undertone. I smell strawberry, and what must be the hibiscus since the floral isn't spicy like carnation. No orange blossom or black poppy.

 

Drydown: Hmm. I never get any orange blossom from this. The drydown is very similar to Mariposita except without the lavender: a sweet, powdery strawberry. It's kinda like a strawberry creme filling you'd find in biscuits or something. Or like fake strawberry icing in a 'bake your own cake' box thingy. Not unpleasant, just....yeah.

 

Verdict: One of the other reviewers said it was a Lolita fragrance, and I agree. It's not really me.

 

2.5/5

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Syrupy sweet strawberry. It’s like strawberry-flavored liquid medicine, rather than actual fruit.

 

Wet: That same sweet strawberry. I get a little spiciness from the carnation, but can’t really pick out the other notes.

 

I confess I’ve never smelled strawberry incense, which a lot of reviews compare this to, but there is an incense note to this that comes out as Maenad dries. I wonder if that could be the black poppy, which surprises me because I thought that note was what ruined Laudanum on my skin, and it’s fine here. The strawberry here is heavier and sweeter than the one in Bon Vivant.

 

Maenad fades quickly and wears close to the skin. I like it even though it’s super sweet and has a young vibe, and I want to test it again in warm weather, which I think will suit it better than a frigid day in January.

[Hystrixia]

"Was I born a cute, vindictive, little b***h or... did society make me that way? I go back and forth on that..."
- Hard Candy (2005)

In the Imp: A cloying strawberry bubblegum with an acerbic note.

Top Notes: Upon applying to the skin, the strawberry, orange blossom, and hibiscus jump out, soon followed by the bitter spiciness of the carnation. It's incredibly sweet, in a twisted way. Poisoned lollipops come to mind.

Middle Notes: The carnation and poppy are now front and center, with the strawberry and orange blossom still lurking around in the background. On my skin, it's morphed into a very dark and spicy fruity floral thanks to the fact my skin does well with opium/poppy based scents. I kind of like it.

Base Notes: Maenads finishes with a velvety strawberry opium note. It's warm, sweet, and soft on the skin.

Overall Impression: As many other reviewers have said, Maenad is very much a lolita perfume, though it's far from innocent and demure. Wearing it is akin to petting the belly of a fluffy kitten that happens to have quite a set of claws. The drydown was very quick on this one, but the longevity on my skin was quite impressive (it easily stuck around for over 8 hours). The colors I get from this scent are ruby red, a burnt orange, and coal black.

Final Verdict: Initially, Maenad was my least favorite of the Imps I had been testing... but somewhere along the way it wormed its way into my good graces. I don't think I'd buy a big bottle, but it certainly is a fun and demented fragrance I wouldn't mind wearing from time to time. If your skin does well with poppy/ opium notes and you can stick it out through the candy-coated fever dream in the beginning, you might find something in this.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Hystrixia

[Veronica]

Wet, this is super sweet strawberry, almost plastic-y, like a strawberry scratch n' sniff or a child's toy--same note a Strawberry Moon and Bat of Virtue. In the background, there is a pretty, sweet tropical floral, almost fruity--the orange blossom and the hibiscus. Normally, a scent like this would be overwhelming, but this is just perfectly sweet floral-y fruit. As it dries, the carnation comes out an adds a spicy note. Pretty, but not for me.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Bubblegum with something green underneath.

 

 

Dry: The orange blossom ruins this foe me. It's official folks, I don't like orange blossom. So sad! I adore carnation, but get none out of this blend. I just get orange blossom, which is quite sharp and bitter on me.

[spikyfairy]

In the imp: Strawberry sherbet!!

Wet on me: At first I can smell all the listed notes - this is twisted & divine.. Sweet but a bit spicy, lovely strawberry incense with an exotic touch from the poppy & hibiscus. Drove the fellow who was with me wild with desire..

 

Dry: The strawberry fades very fast & almost completely, on me. I am noticing I have this issue with a lot of fruit scents. It still smells lovely, but I feel it's gotten a little old-lady-ish (which is funny, because the first stage felt almost "too young" for me). Fellow still thinks it's super-sexy though. I do still like this, and I think it quite suits me, but I wish it kept a bit of the fruitiness..
Sometimes, I get a faint, faint return of the strawberry incense after an hour or so, but mostly it stays a slightly powdery-peppery hibiscus & poppy. I get no orange blossom here at all, which is fine by me. I am fussy about florals - they have to have some complexity or spiciness to them, so this combo is working for me, but I'm not sure I need to seek out more.

More suited to cooler weather, methinks, than the 40° C we've had here lately..

[Cali]

It smells like honey to me from the imp, very very sweet honey! On my skin, it kinda develops into the chaotic goodness as described, quite exactly. There's a lot in here that I like apart from a sharp note (not sure what it is) and something... almost sour??
That's probably my skin chemistry doing the work though. Not for me, appearantly, but it's a lovely sweet summer child-I mean scent.

[Scarlet Woodland]

Wow, okay really wishing I'd blind bottled this now.

 

The orange blossom, black poppy and hibiscus play quietly in the background; supporting the blend... the stars of the show are definitely the carnation and strawberry though. It's sweet, fruity, spicy, sexy and sticky.

 

This is the Carnation so many of us loved in Lush's Potion, with the soft sweetness of strawberry. I love this! Bottles will be hoarded

[WinterSong]

In the imp, this is a strong, sweet but slightly harsh scent. I honestly was not too sure what to expect with this one, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. This one is a morpher, and it's beautiful. It becomes a sweet floral strawberry once it dries. On me, it isn't a strong scent. It remains close to the skin for most of the day and vanishes after about 5 hours. It's really lovely though and I think I need a bottle or three.

[torikitty]

I can agree with sweet bubblegum. If you told me strawberry and orange blossom, I wouldn't haven't guessed. I also get honey, which I'm guessing is the orange blossom mixed with carnation. It's very pretty, VERY fruity. I would say it reminds me of "immature teenybopper" level-of-sweetness body spray. I even I like to wear those scents every once in a while. It's definitely a happy scent.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: I'm mainly getting strawberry and orange blossom.

 

Wet: The juicy strawberry note reigns, followed by the orange blossom. After a bit, the strawberry note starts to calm down, paving the way for the other floral notes to appear.

 

Dry: Even though the strawberry is softer, it's still the dominant note, followed by the orange blossom.

 

Verdict: Strawberry scents aren't really my jam, but this wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be with the strawberry and orange blossom combo!

[mishi-bear]

Maenad is very candy like. It reminds me a lot of Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo to be honest, but with extra strawberry. Strawberry is definitely the strongest note to Maenad, but below that there's definitely just a vague candy like almost powdery sweetness. Nothing especially feels floral about it.

 

Overall, I prefer Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo to this if I'm going to basically get the same scent out of it.

[achildoftime]

Super sweet strawberry candy with this one! Wow is it strong when first applied. I get a little hibiscus, too, but not too much.

 

Thankfully, the strawberry mellows out a ton after about 30 minutes. There is still a little strawberry left, but it is relaxed and does let the poppy and hibiscus show off a bit. The throw also reduced a bit with the strawberry quieting down, which is a fair trade-off for me. It's not my taste, but it's not bad either.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: STRONG, cloying, fruity sweetness - I agree with the bubblegum/candy mentioned above. It tastes like the neon pink gum I always begged for as a kid, but then tasted like talc and artificial sweeteners. Well, here goes nothing.

 

Wet: Hey, that's actually a lot better. It's softer and a lot less chemical-smelling, with a sort of omnidirectional floral element taking center stage. It's still rather sweet and "my mom finally let me pick something out at the scent aisle of the drugstore," but in a good way. It's still a very young, preteen/young teen scent, but this is a girl who's going to have amazing taste in a few years and is already developing it.

 

Dry: The orange blossom is more prominent, but there's still a lot of floral going on here. The strawberry is also still present, but much more in the background. While this scent still feels very young, it's no longer obnoxiously so. I can see myself wearing this on a carefree, picnic-in-the-park-and-ice-cream-after kind of day.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Sweet, juicy florals! The strawberry scent itself isn't actually coming through, though the sweetness and juiciness of it is. The carnation is the strongest floral note, by far,

 

Dry: Sweet carnation. I mean, it's not bad.. but I wanted more! No strawberry, no hibiscus? Thanks a lot, skin!

[spookyumbrella]

Like cutting strawberries while soothing incense burns in the next room - wonderful! This is equal parts relaxing and delicious!