Shadow

[ChupaChup]

A subtly menacing blend of lemon verbena, white sandalwood and cedar, dimmed by droplets of the darkest patchouli.

I got Shadow as a gift from the lab in my last order. I wouldn't have ordered it myself as the combination of white sandalwood and cedar sounded too dry for me, but this is actually very pretty. I love the lemon verbena and the idea of the sunnyness of it being required to cause a shadow . I only wish the patchouli had come to the party, I think it would have made the blend more interesting. Unfortunately, patchouli stayed home .

[synaesthesia]

I've had a gift imp of Shadow hanging around since last October that I hadn't yet tried! Last week I swiped it on and: oooh. It's perfect with my chemistry! The wood notes grow and go almost resinous, the lemon verbena provides a very subtle edge, the patchouli is spicy, and it all blends smoothly with nothing overpowering the others... It also seems to last a fair amount of time.

 

The scent itself is evocative to me of sultry summer nights, lusty looks, and breathy anticipation. And best of all: I feel damned attractive wearing it! I can't quite put my finger on it. And yet, I'm comfortable enough wearing this during the day at school. I really, really love this blend and wish I had tried it sooner.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Lemon and patchouli. Very, very definite lemon and patchouli.

 

Wearing: Lemon and patchouli. And the tiniest tingle of cedar – but for the most part, lemon and patchouli. I like patchouli almost everywhere I smell it, and this is the happy non-Pledgey lemon, so I’m enjoying this scent. Alas, over the course of the evening the cedar just took over, and cedar and I are not the best of friends.

[wolfie13]

In the bottle: Lemon verbena and not much else. (I love the smell of it though, so I'm not put off)

 

Upon application: Whoa - the verbena aspect is showing itself as sharp, strident lemon and is still overpowering everything. Not too excited about it at this point - it's lost the herbal/green edge it had in the bottle.

(I can totally see why many folks are mentioning Pledge.)

 

Initial panic subsides: About 20 minutes in, the lemon verbena turns back into it's imp smell and mellows out and the cedar and sandalwood come forward. There's not much patchouli to this on me - it's definitely just there in the background, lending a slightly warmer, richer quality to the other very dry, sharp notes.

 

Verdict: I like it. After about 1/2 an hour it ends up very well-balanced and blended on me. It's a great summer one - light and bright but still woody/earthy.

 

Final thought: (I bet a touch of vanilla added to this would be amazing - for all you layering/SN folks out there)

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smelled strongly of patchouli. Just a small squeeze of lemon in the background. I was hoping that this is what it would smell like on my skin (never works out that way, does it? lol).

 

On my skin, the combination of lemon, patchouli, and cedar smells very strongly of BBQ. I made the boy sniff my wrist and he seconded this notion by asking me if I was wearing something that was supposed to smell like mesquite...

 

I smell like chicken marinated in a lemon dressing and roasting over a campfire.

 

I don't like this as a fragrance, but I'm really hungry now...

[PhoenixAscending]

I received an imp of Shadow from the kind and generous t3andcrumpets. Little did she know how perfect it is for me.

 

In the imp: Something quite dark and a bit menacing.

 

Wet and dry on the skin: Oooo. This is smokey woody goodness with just a hint of dry grass and wildflowers in the background.

 

This scent really took me back to my childhood. Going up on a ranch, my family used a wood burning stove for heat in the winter. That, of course, meant that come late summer or early fall we had to cut wood. This ranch is on grassland pasture - there are very few trees for the cutting. Being industrious, hard-working folks we would cut old fence posts, torn down corral wood, any thing that couldn't be used to patch up existing buildings.

 

Shadow is exactly the scent of old cedar and pine posts going through the huge sawblade on a scorching hot August day. Just a tinge of dried grass and long gone wildflowers on the hot wind. The sweat and hard work of the whole family gathering warmth for the below zero winters. Ahhh... the memories.

 

I'll definitely be wearing this with love and rememberance.

[dcmo]

This isn't the type of scent I would normally pick. I've now received two gift imps of Shadow from the lab so someone is trying to tell me something Initially this is just lemon like most other posters mention. It's a very calming scent though, great for summer especially in a very humid climate. It gives me the scent of a cool breeze, sitting out on the cedar deck with a cold glass of lemonade. Not something I would have initially picked as I tend to go for the sweeter or spicier scents, but this is really nice.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: straight up hardcore sandalwood, with a tiny hint of lemon verbana keeping it from being too overpowering.

 

wet on skin: criminey, that's a lot of sandalwood. Not that I mind, I'm a big fan of the stuff. But, wow!

 

dry: the funny thing is, I never seem to notice patchouli when I'm wearing it. But then I show up somewhere and all of my friends are like, "wow, Magdalene smells like a freaking giant hippie!" and I wind up being confused because I'd forgotten that the blend I was wearing had patchouli in it. This is exactly what happened today.

 

This stuff lasts and lasts forever. With some pretty powerful waft, as well. I think I might buy a big bottle in one of my upcoming orders.

[DarkMouse]

In the Bottle: lemon verbena & cedar come out first in the bottle.. I smell the sandalwood in the background. I wouldn't know there was patchouli in this without reading the description.

On my Skin: The lemon verbena is really short lived on my skin, immediately it starts turning to sandalwood. I love sandalwood.. so this makes me very happy. I'm thinking maybe that the patchouli is the depth that I'm smelling in the background- the thickness that sandalwood usually doesn't have. Its a great 'woody' smell without being resin - it smells like sandalwood mala beads.

 

This scent reminds me of my mom's best friend T (a new agey, bohemian, gypsy type of woman) who used to wear sandalwood oil all the time. It was everywhere.. on her clothes, in her hair, on her accessories- and I loved that smell. You could "smell her" before you saw her.. She used to give me scarves of hers for birthdays and holidays, and they always had a musty (she lived in a tiny cabin on a farm) sandalwood scent.. I used to want to bottle that smell. Fortunately for me, Beth has managed to put that smell into Shadow.. and it makes me miss T very much.

 

in General: I love this scent.. especially the memories it brings back for me. It already fell into the top of my Top 10. I'm definitely buying a 5ml of this as soon as I possibly can.

[cupide430]

Shadow

 

Deep dank patchouli. Smells wet and earth and dark. There's something else in this, it's very deep and earthy but with a faint note of citrus-- I think it's lime. *reads description* Nope, that must be the lemon verbena. As it dries, the citrus note gets stronger and a woodsy note comes out as well. The patchouli is all but gone, leaving the woodsy notes and citrus notes which are very well blended together. After a while, the citrus note fades off as well, leaving the woodsy note.

[Northernminx]

Lemon verbena overpowered this on me. As much as I'd like to say more about it...verbena, more verbena, and even more verbena. Oh well

[sheepzeit]

This was a gift from the lab, and not one that made it to my original wishlist. However I think the Lab really scored one with me, as I think I love this one! I don't usually write reviews unless it's something that's really moved me, and this one has. I love woodsy, earthy scents and I thought this would be a little too musky and/or fruity but it's really like taking a walk through the woods right after a spring or summer rain. The lemon is only in the background like a ray of sunlight shattering into slivers in the moist, humid air.

 

Wow, I love this. I need to get a big bottle of this for sure in my next order. Thank you, Lab!

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Lemon Verbena, with an earthy twist

 

On me:

Like several other people who reviewed this, I was getting some very distinct "green foresty" vibes from this. That's not all I'm getting, but some of what I'm getting doesn't really go with what I imagined it would be from the notes listed. I swear I smell some eucalyptus. The lemon verbena pretty much disappears after about 10 seconds on my skin. Then, the cedar kicks in with a woodsy, gritty smell. No sandalwood for me, and the patchouli offers an earthy touch but - somehow comes off less like patchouli here and more like Oregeno...odd, but true. This smells like opening an old spice cabinet and having a big rush of dried herbs hit you full on. Like stuff you'd cook with (yet not foody, just spice/herbally). Which makes for one unusual scent.

 

Final note:

Definitely unique, but I don't personally find this to be very pleasant, due to the whole oregeno vibe.

 

EDIT: Every once in a while, I'll suddenly catch the barest hint of that lemony smell again. Which makes this totally kitchen like for me with the lemon + herbs lol.

Edited August 23, 2005 by Brianne

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Very patchouli, but with an astringent or medicinal undertone, possibly from the cedar.

 

Wet: The medicinal quality I sniffed in the bottle is even stronger on my wrist and reminds me of the highly toxic bug spray my mother used to spray us with as children. It's a bitter, medicinal, and very strong odor. Ick. I'm hoping it will turn into the usual spicy scent I get from patchouli on dry-down, with some woody undertones from the cedar. I swapped for this hoping it would make me smell like the inside of my cedar box after I've stored incense in it.

 

Dry down: Unfortunately, prolonged contact with my skin has not helped this one. It has stayed medicinal and unpleasant, and it makes me sneeze. After just under an hour, I couldn't take any more, and I went and washed my wrists in very hot water and sweet smelling soap.

 

After wash: This scent definitely has staying power. After washing with super hot water and Bath & Body Works Cucumber-Melon soap, I could still smell the oil. Thankfully, it had toned it down enough to be bearable. After the soap and water, all I was left with was a vague whiff of hippy patchouli. Later that night I also swam in a pool for about an hour and when I toweled off there was still a faint trace of the odor.

 

This as a rousing NOT! on me, which made me sad because I had such high hopes for it. I think it may be the combination of patchouli and cedar which doesn't work for me, because individually I like both scents just fine.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: it is simultaneously dark and light...the lemon verbena is the strongest, with a woodsy note underneath

 

Wet: ohhhhh...pine-sol

 

Dry: more pine-sol. Rats. I don't think lemon verbena and I will ever be friends.

[AngelFireHeart]

Shadow – Out of the bottle this is a very herby scent. Lavender, rosemary things like that. This scent is also green with cut grass. Once applied, the herby scent dries down into a slightly more floral scent, very soft & concealing. I can smell either Ylang Ylang or perhaps Sandalwood. This is a nice soft sensual scent for candle lit evening meals or walks in the gardens.

[Savannah]

I definitely get the "furniture polish" from this. Sharp lemon with wood and a dirty note that must be the patchouli. It's complex and evocative, but not something I want to go around smelling like. I'm passing it on to my lemon-loving friend!

 

This does not change on me much from the vial to the skin to the drydown, except that the wood comes out more.

[Orodemniades]

Wet: Lemony with bitter overtones...

 

Drydown: The same.

 

It's okay, but nothing I feel the need to keep.

 

Oro

[Freyja Lux]

Reminds me a lot of Umbra, but the lemon verbena distinguishes it. Cedar is something I don't like to wear as a perfume so be sure you enjoy wearing that smell. This is a very woody smell, a bit green, and lightly patchouli. Not a fan, really. More of a masculine scent as well.

[herongale]

preconceived notion: this was a lab freebie with my most recent received order. I remember looking at the description and grring over the patchouli, but otherwise I had no strong feelings about it one way or another.

 

in the imp: strong, implacable cedar. This smells like the inside of a hope chest or a certain kind of rustic cabin that people like to build on the Great Lakes. This is fresh-cut, unsanded wood boards ready for their day in the sun with Bob Vila... along with a faint whiff of lemon Pledge. Clean house ahoy.

 

wet: The patchouli and sandlewood come out strongly against the cedar, which still is the predominant note, and there's this really unexpected undercurrent of tobacco leaves crisped in a fire... pipe tobacco mind you, the good stuff. Longbottom Leaf. Yes, this is a totally hobbit-under-the-hill scent, perfect for a late, late winter day in one of the classier hobbit establishments, like Bag End. A cozy warren of perfect contentment and homeyness; reading books and singing songs and eating mushrooms and dreaming of far-off, unobtainable lands over the western sea. This is an adventures home in the depths of the forest, a safe place in the center of myth... a frontier home in the wilderness, surrounded by trees and kind animals, far from the center of the kingdom.

 

drydown: the cedar becomes more peppery and assertive, and then fades down over time into a really mellow, golden amber-tinged cologne. This is a remarkably soothing masculine scent. The patchouli is really behaving in this blend, supporting the wood notes and giving them a living green edge that is really complex and delightful.

 

verdict: I will totally use the imp, and when I'm done I'll decide if I need more.

 

post-conceived notion: So I don't hate patchouli ALL of the time. Also, I apparently have a warm affinity for hobbits. Who knew?

[coulrophobe]

Without looking at the description, my initial impression of this (both in the imp and on my skin) was lemon and dry woods. And from the description, I was pretty close - just lemon verbena rather than actual lemon.

 

I'm not smelling any of the patchouli - rather than any earthy notes, it smells quite clean and simple. On me, the lemon stays fresh, and doesn't turn "Pledge-y" at all. It fades eventually, leaving just a dry wood smell.

 

Shadow is a very pleasant scent, but it's not really me.

[olympia301]

 

This is another of Beth's first blends on the site (January 2004) and again it's a good scent for a more innocent time. Lemony, a bit floral for my taste, I don't get the patchouli but the sandalwood and lemon come out pretty strong. Again, I have to say that Shadow is what it is...a nice, basic scent which is at home in a coffee house and in 8:00 Poetry 102, but thinking about the scents that seem to have been on the trail at the time, Shadow is indestinct in comparison, without very much personality and overshadowed by the likes of Severin (if you are looking for Lemon), and Velvet (if you want to talk about sandalwood). So, I am happy I got to try this one but I will not add Shadow to my list of lovies, but I can say I tried it.

Edited December 13, 2005 by olympia301

[midnightmuse]

In the bottle, nothing but fresh herbal lemon. On my skin initially, nothing but lemon. But after half an hour, I was astonished to find it changed almost entirely to very dry, warm, lovely woods, with only a slight tang of the lemon verbena remaining; just right.

 

It strikes me as a mellow sunny daytime fragrance, not at all shadowy or ominous. In fact, it smells just a bit like a freshly sharpened pencil, calling to mind the old-fashioned bolted-to-the-wall pencil sharpeners of my elementary school.

 

This is one that's always better in reality than in my memory, which is a pleasant thing.

Edited December 23, 2005 by midnightmuse

[terrierhead]

In the bottle, this was lemony, woody goodness.

 

Wet, however, it turned to cedar wood - the smell of the wood shavings that people put in guinea pig cages. While I was trying this, my terrier rubbed up against me and bumped my hand, apparently intrigued by what I was doing. Some of the scent ended up on her by accident, but it was a happy accident. She got a tiny bit on, and it doesn't seem to be bothering her in the least. I don't think I can wear this (too woody), but it smells brilliant on the dog. On myself, I get pure cedar shavings, but the full nuance of the scent comes out on Taffy (my terrier) - true lemon verbena and sandalwood goodness, with a touch of cedar. I swear I don't mean this as any sort of insult to Beth or the lab. I wish this smelled half as good on me as it does on Taffy.

[Neely]

Frimp from the lab! Thanks labbies!

 

In the bottle: Dark and musty (I don't get woodsy at all) with lemon.

 

Wet: Dark musty lemon

 

Dry down: ACK! Lemon Pledge!

 

30 minutes: Lemon Pledge with a cumin(???) undertone. This bright and light, the opposite of a shadow. Nice play on the name versus the scent. Too bad it smells like Pledge on me.

 

Conclusion: It got more creamy and stopped smelling like Pledge. Instead I smell like.... a lemon cookie! I hate lemon. I don't even put it in my tea. The only lemon I have ever liked is lemondrops. I am hoping that this is not something my chemistry is going to do with everything with lemon (ie Dorian, and White Rabbit). This is a sparkling scent. This is an excellent oil if you love lemon and your chemistry amps that up like mine does.

 

Rating 1-5, I give it a 2.5 (due to my chemistry and aversion to lemon).

Edited January 9, 2006 by atropos