Usher

[edenssixthday]

This is Roderick Usher: a faded genteel light musk and fougere, heightened by hectic white mint, gleaming mandarin, ethereal tea leaf and gritty blackcurrant brushed by the scent of the tarn that surrounds the House, and the gloom and decay of the walls that hold him.

Usher - Sniffed wet in the bottle, I don't smell much. It smells kind of...well...empty, if that makes sense. I applied it, not having looked up the description, and my first reaction was "Oh, just another tea scent." Then I realized it's not just another tea scent: it's the prettiest BPAL tea scent I've tried. It's a lovely dark tea with cream and a slight touch of fruit. It's light and subtle. I don't care to wear tea scents on my skin, but when I walked back into the room in which I initially applied the oil on my skin, the scent had lingered in the room and smelled wonderful. I can definitely see using this as a room scent, but I just can't wear tea on my skin. As with all tea blends, it faded from my skin within 20 minutes, and was very, very faint prior to that with absolutely zero throw.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Hmm, mint with a bit of mildew?

 

First on: Anise and mildew

 

After a bit: Oh, this isn't bad, also another fresh scent, the musk and tea are making headway and the currant is sinking into the dermis giving it that "slightly sweetened skin" scent.

 

A bit more: This is very general neutral and smells very different on me than it does my husband. My keeps withs this odd, but not repulsive licorice layer, with the musk and tea coming up the front and the currant laying deep beneath.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is a clear and fresh citrus and musk blend that has undercurrents of mint in it. The astringency of the tea note is apparent even in the bottle. Quite pleasant and rather sweet.

 

On, it's interesting – the strong orange and mint blend with the musk to make a sort of men's-soapy smell, though it's not unpleasant at all. I quite like this. A very clean scent with not a lot of throw. I don't get gloom or decay from this at all, though there is a faintly overripe note hiding off in the background there, the currant, I assume.

 

As it dries it gets more and more aquatic. I'm not at all certain what I think of that, but the smell is really intriguing. It's extremely gender-neutral; at this point it conjures images of a tearoom overlooking a loch. It ends up aquatic and clean, with very little trace of the mint and mandarin; there's a little floral in there, but it's a cold, pale, wet floral. A rather chilly scent, sort of antiseptic and severe, but since it's not overwhelmingly strong it's pleasant in small doses.

 

It alarms me – it smells unlike what I usually wear, and so I keep catching whiffs of it and thinking there is someone in the room with me. There isn't, but my brain is totally fooled. This scent does have a presence.

 

Overall, very unusual and not for everyone, but Usher is a very nice blend that I would enthusiastically recommend for those who enjoy clean/aquatic scents.

[dawna]

In the vial: A very light, soft scent.. I can barely make out any notes but I do smell a faint minty/herby scent.

 

Wet on the skin: Its still light but the mint blossoms a bit and the tea comes out and blends nicely. It smells a lot like mint leaf though.

 

Dry: Its still faint with a distinct aquatic note popping through, the mint tea is still present though.

 

This is a very gender neutral scent to me, leaning more toward masculine. It is very nice though and the notes didn't go all weird on my skin so that is a huge plus.

[steffanina]

Usher-

 

In Bottle: Very faint citrus, the rest I can't pick out.

 

Wet: Orangey, a little spicy. Masculine notes, definitely. Oh! This one seems to be fading quite quickly!

 

Dry: Where did it go? We are talking TWO MINUTES!--Okay, I guess this one would be okay to use in quantity in order to get a little subtle scent. But I seem to have eaten it right up in a matter of minutes. I like the little residue-scent left. I think this one is more useful because of the fading, actually--otherwise it would be too strong for me.

 

Overall: I like, some.

[sofaking6]

Usher makes for a wonderful room scent. It's very cool and assertive. The mint comes through the strongest with the tea backing it up.

 

I thought Usher was so clean-smelling that I actually put a couple of drops of this in a bucket when I mopped the kitchen & bathroom floors...nice!

[sofiaviolet]

I smell grit and citrus. It works surprisingly well. Blackcurrant comes through very quickly. This smells like tea with fruit, aka delicious.

[supremegoddessofall]

Tried this at a meet and sniff. Green aqautics. It's okay, but definitely not me. I'm not getting anything more specific.

[Shollin]

First sniff: I first smelled Usher in an enormous jug when I visited the Lab back in February and dubbed it a Definite Guy Scent. In this much smaller quantity, it’s hard to get a handle on, but it reminds me of rain and grass.

 

Wearing: Mint! Soft white mint and watery green.

[Loligo]

I tried this on my husband, so I don't have a very detailed review. (He wouldn't sit still to let me smell his arm every two minutes ) Overall it was an austere and elegant cologne, simple and clean-smelling from a distance, but much more complex when you get close and really sniff.

[for_the_nonce]

Wet: clean, warm citrus. I don't get much of the notes besides mandarin.

Dry: I get a little more tea, but its still mostly citrus. It gets a bit soapy when it dries too.

 

This is a very clean, simple scent on me. However, its *very* nice and I could see wearing alot in summer. Its not masculine at all to me; I think a man or a woman could wear it. However, it doesn't have much thow and isn't long lasting, but citrus scents usually aren't on me. And by not long lasting, I mean its fading as I write this review. Hmm.. maybe if I slather?

 

I got a bottle of this for my father for Christmas, but I don't know if I can give it up, even with the low thow and quick fading.

[baranoouji]

On me, it is all soft mint and fruit. And I'm not a big fan of "fruit sweetness."

 

Nice enough, but not very distinguishing. Even if it is aloof, it is anonymously aloof.

 

I'll keep this, but only for those days when I am working hard to be inoffensive.

[Deiicide]

My fiancee has claimed this as his own and I don't blame him. It smells absolutely divine upon him. It's all dusty tea, in my own opinon. None of the trademark haughtiness of the citrus makes any kind of appearance, it is clearly trade marked by the tea and the dust that usher invokes. It lasts for a long time, but sticks close to the skin.

[hackess]

It's definitely a male scent to me - reminds me of my boyfiend's skin after he's just gotten out of the shower. I put a tiny bit on him to test it and it amp'd into Irish Spring - which he doesn't use. The aloe came way out, which wouldn't be so bad if the aloe didn't bring the white soap smell with it. He's since washed it off.

 

On me, it was clean and light, but lasted all of five minutes.

[forspecial_plate]

This is another one of those scents that after I tried it, I read the description, saw the notes, and thought 'All that is in this??' In other words, it's extremely well blended. I smell a subtle sweetness, recognize the fougere, and get little flashes of mint on top of it here and there. I smell hints of sweet citrus, too. It's very light on my skin and doesn't last a long time.....I really thought my sense of smell was back after a cold I had, but this scent made me wonder......starts to turn slightly powdery before fading away almost entirely.

 

It actually smells good, but I'm not big on the fougere scents for me personally. I would rather wear something like Dorian, Theodosius, or maybe F5. I'm glad I got to try this, though.

 

Edit: I keep reaching for this, so apparently I like it more than I first thought! I've been wearing it to work. It's nice, light and sweet, very subtle on my skin.

Edited July 31, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[filigree_shadow]

Usher smells like a light tea scent, to me. Clean and fresh. Just a wee bit of mint and a little bit of musk. This one has some green behind it that reminds me of aloe, even though that's not in the notes. It smells soft and innocent. It's quite lovely.

[Dymphna]

In the bottle: It does remind me of Dorian, as others have mentioned. That makes me happy, since that's the main reason I went looking for a bottle. It's different from Dorian in that there's a light mint and a sort of delicate, almost floral note, but I do definitely smell the similarity. The light musk sparkles beautifully in both, and the tea leaf that I love in Dorian is distinctly present. They're definitely brothers, Dorian being the younger and more effusive (and lusty) one, and Usher being the reserved, intellectual elder brother.

 

Wet: That same sweet, light, almost-floral scent. I'm going to guess that's the fougere. There's also something coming out that I didn't really detect in the bottle, something a bit more masculine. It's almost woodsy, almost spicy, but too light and faint to be either. It doesn't actually scream "men's cologne!" or anything, but it's got a sort of dryness to it that seems masculine to my nose. It's not masculine to the point that I can't wear it, though, for which I'm glad because this smells really nice. It's a very cool, reserved, aloof scent.

 

Dry: I think that not-quite-woodsy/not-quite-spicy scent is actually the blackcurrant. It's not juicy at all, but rather adds just a hint of a tangy bite. I think the mandarin is helping out in that respect, and if I sniff really closely I can catch a suggestion of it, but it's very faint. Once dry, this is mostly a salty aquatic and pale musk with a lingering waft of fougere. The mint is more a feeling of coolness by this point than an actual scent.

 

Note to locket wearers: The fruits are much more evident in my locket. On my skin, this is a cool, distant scent that reminds me of looking out the window on a rainy day. It fades quickly, though, leaving only a light hint of cool, pale musk--if that. In the locket, it's more aggressive, richer, and longer-lasting. I prefer the way it smells on my skin, though.

 

I really like this scent a lot. I find that the cool, aloof feeling it evokes really helps me to block out distractions when I'm writing. I also appreciate the fact that it's one of the few aquatic (well, it's partly aquatic) blends that I can wear. It smells more like saltwater than some of the actual saltwater blends, which all go depressingly "fresh!" on me. In Usher, the saltiness adds a tangy note that deepens the aquatic so that it actually smells like water on me instead of air freshener. Love it!

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Hmm, tough. A bit citrusy with a bit of mint peeking through, clean but not in an aquatic way. Clean like a freshly washed and perfumed man sort of clean. Like a very well groomed man has just walked into the room trailing an expensive and unisex sort of scent. Genteel is a good way to describe this and slightly intimidating, though I couldn't say why...

 

On the wrist: Very similar to in the imp, but the notes are even less distinguishable now... A sharpness is peeking through, but I couldn't say what note it is. Still very clean smelling. Anise??

 

Drydown: This has dried down to a very nice, very subtle bathroom product of some sort. I have to admit, I'm not all that in love with this. Swapped.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Slightly sweet, fresh, cologne-y. Nice light mint, some citrus.

 

Wet: Minty tea and musk, with lighter underlying citrus and fruit, and herbal notes. I love this! So fresh and clean and sexy. Usually I like more feminine stuff, but this is just pure YUM, like I've just hopped out of a shower and straight into a clean bed with a sexy man. That's what it totally evokes for me.

 

Dry: Okay, so it's pretty masculine. But I just love it anyway - delicious, sexy, clean and fresh. I'll pretend to be man! Or just imagine one is with me. In the end, this evens out to a really clean sexy tea-tinged musk - the musk amps and amps over time, or else seems to as the mint fades somewhat.

 

Summary: An OCD sexathon.

[indybear]

In the bottle: This smells mostly of mint, but with a hint of musk.

 

Wet: Musk and mint, with citrus in the background. Just a hint of tea is detectable.

 

Dry: The tea is coming on stronger, and the citrus is gone. I'm getting tea and musk with a touch of mint.

 

Later: A soft tea, slightly musky and with just a suggestion of mint. It doesn't have much throw.

 

All in all, this is a light, clean scent.

[ClareN]

This smells pale green and slightly aquatic, but interestingly complex. I picked up the mint straight away, although it's not a strong mint, and I think there may be some moss and ambergris in the "fougere" part, contributing to the aquatic feel. There's a slight hint of citrus and maaaybe blackcurrant, but I couldn't specifically pick out the musk or tea, which was what I wanted most. Still, I can tell there are other ingredients contributing to the overall scent, because there's something unique about it that I can't describe.

 

This is not for me, because fresh pale green scents aren't my thing, no matter how interesting.

[zankoku_zen]

This is definitely like fresh, aquatic manly cologne. It's got a fresh, bright ozone/watery quality to it, slightly floral with a hint of mint. As it dries however it goes as Irish Spring soap on me....

[rayvn1]

I can't say I get much out of this blend. It's light and sweet and plesant but... I can't really describe it or recognize the scent description in it. Pretty, but not really my thing. Mostly confusing.

[ralenth]

Source: eBay

 

Bottle: Delicate, aquatic, masculine. Think Cool Water goes Victorian.

 

Wet: Citrusy and aquatic. Very delicate, but genteel masculine.

 

Drydown: Irish Spring!

 

Dry: Still Irish Spring.

 

Overall: I need to figure out what note makes my skin scream Irish Spring. This will definitely be locket only. Sad.

 

 

[tragedy]

I thought Usher was going to be a masculine scent... however its gorgeous on me. I was applying and reapplying all night just to keep that wonderful smell going.

In the bottle: a watery tea, nothing phenomenal.

Wet on skin: A nice heavy tea, black tea with a touch of mint. Although I think the throw is mostly mint cause thats what my hubby picks up.

Drydown: Heres where the magic happens, tea, mint and yes... irish spring. But I rather like the scent of irish spring, and mixed with tea irish spring is just.. well .. gorgeous.

Throw: I get decent throw with this I think

Lasting Power: Its lasting pretty long on my skin, but I'm not quite sure as I kept reapplying just to get that lovely drydown again and again!