Chimera

[Christine Daae]

The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal.

Two words for you: CINNAMON BUNS.

Chimera smells like sticky-sweet cinnamon buns on me, and I love it. I've been searching for a sweeter cinnamon scent than I've found, and it must be the honeysuckle in this that turns it into such sticky sweetness. I don't even really get any floral. I need more! <3 Edited September 13, 2007 by Christine Daae

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Foody, yet somehow a little floral as well.

 

Wet:

When I first put this on, it smells a lot like Alice to me. Which is not a problem, because I love Alice. After a few minutes, it's clear to me that it has a cinnamon note that Alice does not.

 

Dry:

Cinnamony baked goods. Yum!

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: cinnamon and honey

 

On Wet: feeling some heat from the cinnamon, myrrh, honey

 

On Dry: amping honey, cinnamon is still strong.

 

Final Impression: I smell like Red Hots. It's very strong.

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 3, nice but a little strong

[suileach]

Ooh. Lovely in the vial. When I first smelled it, I thought there was amber in it. Maybe it's the copal? At any rate, this is all bright, red cinnamon riding over a deep, sweet resin.

 

On me, that sweet, resinous something becomes much stronger and dukes it out with the cinnamon for dominance. The sweet, resinous something is winning the battle, making Chimera venture briefly into the category of sickly-sweet.

 

On drydown, it reminds me strongly of O in its wet stage - all thick honey and vanilla. In fact, if it weren't for the opening cinnamon note, I would swear that's what I'm actually wearing now. If this resists going powdery, it might replace O in my rotation.

[Northernskygal]

I thought Chimera would smell darker, like a deep blood burgandy red.. instead to me it smells like.. fire truck red, you know? I was honestly a lil afraid, as cinamon, despite my love of it, tends to try to eat my skin, leaving it all red and puffy and itchy and.. Chimera doesn't seem to do that though. This might be one of the few cinnamon scents I can wear!

It never really reaches a foody place, it is similar to a cinnabun and red hot candies but it never really crosses the line into foodyland. I think maybe the myrhh helps it hold onto an earthiness that is just lovely. This is a unique cinnamon, I love it and want to bathe in it a little bit..

[Elilara]

I love this! It's not at all what I was expecting though!

 

Wet: Cream, honey, sugar, tiny hint of spice,

 

As it dries down, the cinnamon comes out a little bit more, but to me it's mainly cream and honey, with a wee hint of nice floral (I realize the honey and the floral are both coming from the same thing- honeysuckle- but they express themselves separately to my nose, if that makes sense). Now after about an hour it's turning a bit darker as the myrrh comes out to play. I love this at every stage and it's one of the few foodies that doesn't overwhelm me.

 

Mrr! I think I just enabled a coworker by letting her try this on, too! WIN!

 

ETA: This has great staying power too. Usually I have to reapply most BPALs by lunch, but this one is still going strong. I get a big wiff of goodness every now and then.

Edited December 1, 2007 by Elilara

[RogueBelle]

This is absolutely my favourite scent -- I've been madly in love with it since first sniff. There's such an exotic temperament wrapped up in the spice -- I love the use of copal and myrrh, so unique! -- but the honeysuckle lends it a certain vitality that I find very appealing. It's a beautiful, complex blend which really handles the spicy-sweet contradiction well.

[hkhm]

imp: very light honeysuckle.

 

wet: odd. i'm not getting burnt pink by the cinnamon. in fact, all i'm smelling is a light, sweet honeysuckle scent.

 

dry: i can detect a bare hint of copal with the honeysuckle. this is far lighter and prettier than the description makes it sound.

[MaidMirawyn]

I doubt I would have chosen Chimera myself, but I received an imp with my decants. Granted, the Chimera was pretty awesome, and chimeras in general are fun, but "cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal" doesn't really sound like me! I don't even know what copal is...

 

Well, on to my second third full review ever.

 

In the imp, it's a sweet cinnamon, almost like a red hot but with a bit more depth. It reminds me of the Lip Venom my sister bought me last year... And I get the same thick, syrupy sort of feeling someone else mentioned, in a good way.

 

Wet, it's still sweet cinnamon, but it's less candy-like. Maybe that's the myrrh. (For all I know, it could be the copal. I'll have to look up "copal.")

 

Once dry, the cinnamon blends in with the rest of the notes. I don't really think "cinnamon" anymore. However, it's beautiful, warm, and rich, with a touch of fire.

 

I never really smell the honeysuckle, but I bet it's the bridge between the cinnamon and the resins. (See? I looked up copal.)

 

I love it, and I really want a bottle now! I can't stay away from the stuff. I wish I had waited to try it until I had tried Peacock Queen, Christmas Rose, and my other frimp.

 

The Lab is so full of enablers...especially the people who put the frimps in the boxes!

 

Edited to add: I know several people have mentioned how well Chimera lasts on them, but that's not the case for me. Of course, Parsifal didn't either, and Chimera does last longer than it. But so far only Mouse's Long and Sad Tale has lasted, and that was one I was trying to remove...

 

Edited again, months later: Well, it turns out Chimera wears much longer than I thought. My husband can always smell it even hours later. (I should have edited this earlier.)

Edited August 18, 2008 by MaidMirawyn

[Lyrical]

In the vial: sweet and spicy

 

Wet on skin: mmmmm, I can't pick out any particular notes, but it's sweet and rich. Wait a minute - now there is buttery cinnamon and vanilla.

 

Dry on skin: cinnamon cookie dough, yet still vaguely perfumy! I like this! At times it's almost toffee. It smells very yummy and not too strong, and even my daughter says it's nice (she usually says BPALs are "weird".

[kahmiel]

When i put this one on and tested it, it really really confused me. It *reminds* me of something, and I wonder momentarily if I already own it. I confirm that I dont, and it strikes me. It smells almost exactly like an amy brown perfume I used to wear, not my old favorite, but a roll on I used to wear (And still have, but have largely given up for my BPAL). It is sweet, and I enjoy the scent, It smells to me like Cinnamon cookies almost. A little creamy? Its almost too sweet for me, but there are occasions for a scent like this. And it will be worn accordingly. .

[NatCatz]

Its sweet creamy cinnamon with an edge of floral. I think its quite a girly scent. Its not one I'd wear every day, but I would wear it when I felt like being girly. Its a really lovely sent, and I'm glad I've found a scent that is girly but works with my skin chemistry, especially a floral that doesn't amp horribly on.

[jcdracon]

mmm, this is what Bengal should have been for me. All of the lovely sweet/spicy goodness with none of the nasty Skin musk afterscent.

 

10/10

[Chapanis]

Chimera

In the imp: sweet cinnamon

 

Wet on skin: sweet cinnamon with an almost doughy quality, like snicker doodle cookies.

 

Dry on skin: the sweetness mellows out a bit, still cinnamon and cookies. Very Yummy!

 

I love this one, I purchased a bottle. Pairs well with Snake Oil.

[scarletgenesis]

In imp: Chocolatey goodness! All I can smell is rich, mexican hot chocolate (so a hint of cinnamon?)

 

Wet, on application: still loads of cocoa and cinnamon and maybe a hint of honeysuckle?

 

Drydown: Oh yes! There's some lovely myrrh and honeysuckle now. I still get a mexican hot chocolate and caramel mixed in with it. This is LOVELY.

 

It's sexy, in a subtle kind of way. It's a woman with rich brown hair that she keeps up in a bun most of the time. But then, once a month, she goes to a latin dance club and pulls some unsuspecting stranger out onto the floor. There, she pulls the pins from her hair and lets it cascade down over her shoulders, releasing a wafting perfume that is at once predator and prey.

 

Does this make any sense? I am completely enamoured with this scent.

 

 

Edited to add: It's now late afternoon, about 4 hours after I applied this. I am having trouble smelling it now and cannot decide if it's because I have a cold, or because it fades quickly. I reapplied some a bit ago, b/c I loved sniffing my wrists. I hope it's just my stuffy head and not a trend, because I really want this to stay. I want to bathe in this stuff!

Edited January 3, 2008 by scarletgenesis

[willowtreeling]

I love this--it smells a bit like the dry down that i get from X (see signature!) I think it is the copal, which my skin must love. It also smells sweet but not in that buttercream foodie way...and teensy bit like apricots and playdough, in the best possible way. I am going to HAVE to place an order for this in big bottle form. This is mellow enough where I don't feel like I will overwhelm my students with my fragrance like snake oil or eat me or dragon's milk does.

[AEris]

Oh my goodness this is fantastic!

 

The combination of cinnamon and myrrh is just delicious! It smells like cinnamon buns or snickerdoodle cookies, yes, but it's a touch more mysterious than that...I never get honeysuckle out of it, but I don't care, whatever its purpose is in this scent, it's serving it well without being too forward. My decant may be well-aged, as well, and if this is the case perhaps the honeysuckle fades over time.

 

The sweet resins in this scent are just a hint woodsy (maybe the copal?), and as a whole this scent reminds me of that cult scent People of the Labyrinths Luctor et Emergo. Except that with POTL, I got wafts of Play-Doh and cherry, and Chimera does not do the Play-Doh thing at all Having said that, I bet that if Chimera was layered with a dark cherry, it would be even more fun!

 

And, having read some reviews, I might try this layered with Snake Oil today. I hope I can get to work without passing out from scentctasy...

 

I did not expect to like this blend, and I am more than pleasantly surprised....I will certainly hold on to my imp, and the possibility of a 5mL is looking good.

 

!!!! !!!!

 

5 out of 5

 

ETA: I've worn this 3 days in a row so far. I never do that with perfume, I have too many things I want to try and I like variety. Chimera is changing me.....It's like a cinnamony Snake Oil with crack in it. Easily in my top 3. True Love!!!!!!!!

Edited January 18, 2008 by AEris

[sadtomato]

all honeysuckle and sweetness in the bottle.

once i put it on and it dryed down a little, the cinnamon started to come out.

i love this combination!

sweet and spicey, sugary and fiery.

not at all subtle, but very, very warm and nice.

[lameir]

Chimera is a gorgeous, warm scent. In the bottle, it is oddly stale to my nose, with an almost sour tinge. As soon as it's applied to skin, however, the cinnamon comes out in full force -- sharply spicy and fairly sweet, but there's a smokiness there that prevents it from smelling like baked goods. My favourite stage is the one after: the cinnamon is still there, but mellowed, and there's honey. And not the kind of honey that goes sour on me like the one in O, but delicious, sweet, thick honey. Yay!

 

This easily lasts six hours on me, usually longer, and I have to apply it carefully because it can be overpowering in the beginning. Not an everyday scent for me, just because it's so strong, but whenever I do put it on, I really enjoy it.

 

(Word of caution: I'm not normally allergic to cinnamon, nor particularly sensitive in general, but when I accidentally got some Chimera near my mouth the other day (via neck and hands), it burrrned.)

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Cinnamon

 

Wet: Cinnamon that's very sweet. I know it's honeysuckle, but it smells like honey to my nose!

 

Drydown: The cinnamon gets less sweet and more spicy.

3.0 outta 5

[stardreamer]

In the bottle and fresh on: Amber! (That would be the copal, which is chemically similar to amber.) Sweetly spicy amber. The spicy is certainly the cinnamon, and the sweet probably the honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is usually much too strong a floral for me, but it's staying nicely tamed in this blend. I don't get any myrrh; it's probably just grounding the whole thing.

 

Drydown: Oh, this is nice. It's similar to The Lion, but significantly lighter. (Hmmm... the mythological chimera is part lion, isn't it? So that makes sense.) I could see wearing this for something like a job interview, when The Lion would be too strong. I'm still getting mostly amber/copal, and am surprised that the cinnamon isn't coming out more. Staying power is also excellent -- 10 hours, and it's still very noticeable on my wrists.

 

Bottom line: Definite keeper and probable favorite.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Chimera has the same thick and sweet resiny scent that I get from blends with amber. With the cinnamon it smells like gingerbread or cinnamon cookies.

Nice but too foody sweet for me. I kept sniffing my wrist when I tried it on and loved it but it just drives me crazy to smell like food in the long run, that is not me. Has tons of throw too, which is also like any good ambery scent.

[Suu4LC]

 

I love this blend. In the imp it's very strong cinnamon-both the sweet side of cinnamon and the fiery side of cinnamon.

 

On my skin it becomes a little more sweet and a little less fiery. Delicious, but not too foody! This, to me, is the definition of a warm scent and a perfect representation of cinnamon in perfume form. Lovely.

 

I bought a bottle for my mom when I went to my first will call and she told me that the first day she wore it to work, her coworkers kept commenting on how good she smelled! I will definitely be picking up a bottle of this for myself one day.

[stutefish]

To me, Chimera smells exactly the way Trader Joe's Old Fashioned Cinnamon Grahams taste. I know, because I'm wearing Chimera and just took a bite of TJOFCG and had this crazy synesthetic experience wherein I felt like I was eating my perfume -- surreal! Chimera smells delicious, but I haven't decided whether or not I want to smell like a cinnamon graham cracker.

[heathercaley]

This reminds me of a spicy "O" - honeyish amber but the cinnamon spices things up just a tad. This isn't the melt your skin off cinnamon.. it's a sweet cinnamon.

 

 

 

Lovely!!! I'll keep the imp, but I probably won't buy a bottle since I have "O" and "Bengal" and it's a love child between them.