Frumious Bandersnatch

[provocateur]

Bandersnatch musk, redolent of spicy carnations, wild plums and chrysanthemum.

 

in bottle: carnations! plums! spicy goodness. A very delicate and sweet combination of florals

 

on skin, wet: somewhat hard candy-like, but there are the spicy plums.

 

on skin, dry: absolutely nothing - I got spicy plum, and 5 minutes later, absolutely nothing.

 

conclusion: disheartening. I love Beth's plum blends. This had such promise, and then it got zapped. I can't even rate it on a scale. It didn't last long enough to.

[gwyllgi]

Plum owns me. Carnation and plum together could all but sell me for parts.

 

I fell in love with the notes in Bathsheba, so it wasn't a far stretch for me to give Frumious Bandersnatch a try.

 

If Bathsheba is innocent and intimate carnation and plum, Frumious Bandersnatch is brazen and raunchy carnation and plum. You wouldn't think that chrysanthemum would have that particular effect, but it makes this so full-bodied that I want to cozy up to it and let it take me home.

 

This has stamina, too. My skin usually devours floral notes, but this is still full-bodied and spicy hours later. Of course, this means that I keep having to sniff it, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.

[desu]

In the imp: Sweet plum rounded out by the chrysanthemum and edged with carnation. This smells like so much fun!

 

On my skin: The carnation really heats up once on. As it gets spicier, it starts to remind me of potpourri. Not really digging this one as spicy isn't really my thing.

[ladymissspyder]

In bottle: candied plums. The ones you get in Chinese groceries.

 

Wet: craft store "sugarplum" potpourri. Which is probably spelled wrong, but you know what I mean.

 

Dry: Spicy plum. Very round and juicy. Now THIS is what I wanted Red Phoenix to smell like! (While being a perfectly lovely scent, Red Phoenix had too much cassia for me). And it's a GC! Joy!

 

Overall scent: AWESOME. That is all.

Edited May 20, 2006 by ladymissspyder

[puck_nc]

Origin: Imp purchased from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I love carnations. I love plum but hadn't found a plum scent among the BPAL yet that I adore.

 

In the Bottle: A bright, sweet plummy floral. Oh, this smells divine!

 

Wet: Heh, cinnamony flowers. Not what I was expecting, but rather good.

 

Drydown: OK, here we go! The plum comes out and deepens the whole thing, with that overlay of cinnamon floral to keep it all fresh and light. This smells like a pure joyous spring day to me.

 

Verdict: I have been reaching for this imp more than my beloved Bearded Lady in the last weeks as spring took hold. That's pretty hard to do. I see a 5ml in my future.

[Rheliwen]

Yup, spicey plums...Christmas candle type spicey plums.

 

As it dries it gets a little less candle-y. It's all plum, carnation and soft skin musk. A good fall scent for me.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - My first thought is bubble gum, but it's more fresh fruity and green than that.

Wet on me - Powdery, yet spicy florals. I smell like a Past Times Shop .

Dry on me - Dark and fruity and sweet and spicy. This is a very lush blend, but probably not me.

[sarahmarie]

Alas, FB didn't get along with my skin. It started out very nice in the vial - spicy and fruity and vaguely potpurri-ish but in a nice way. But on my skin, it dwindled quickly into a lackluster potpurri smell. Oh well, it was nice in the imp.

[septima_pica]

Oh man! Heh, it's just like those candles, you know? The kind that everyone has at Christmas, because they make the whole house smell amazing? Yeah, that's this. Cinnamon and clove and stewed prunes, plus a sharpness that must be the flowers. I didn't even ever think about the smell of chrysanthemums, but it's reminding me so much of all those little flower-shops in subway stations where they're always selling them...

 

Reminds me more of Carnal than anything else -- except more like a scented Christmas candle. I mean, I'm not sure I actually want to smell like this, but it's still pretty astonishingly evocative, and it's a really *good* candle.

[Malista]

Frumious Bandersnatch was a 5ml-unsniffed purchase, based solely on the notes. I never made a better impulse purchase in my life.

 

It doesn’t change on me – not so’s you’d notice, anyway – which is very rare, but in this case incredibly welcome.

 

What this smells like to and on me – it smells like the spiced plum juice I make when the plum tree goes nuts and I decide to make jelly. This is the scent of the juice with the spice bag in it, before I add the sugar, while the plums still smell fresh from the tree. It smells like June in my kitchen in a good plum year. Ergo, this is the scent of summer, to me.

 

I have no problem with smelling like fruit and clovey carnation goodness. I have a 10ml of Frumious Bandersnatch on order, because I will be making lotion, leave-in conditioner, and linen spray from this, as well as wearing it straight. I intend to live in Frumious Bandersnatch and Cheshire Cat this summer, and maybe through the autumn, as well. Well, I don’t have my Litha, yet, but that’s the current plan.

[Babylon]

For me, this smells like a craft shop at first, then calms after a couple hours into an autumn/Christmas scented candle. The dominant note through it all is clove. It's alright, but is something I'd rather have in the fall and winter.

[Honeywhip]

Oh purrrrr.....the deliciousness and dirtyness of the spicy plums cannot be adequately described. I want to saturate my hair in this stuff and bury my nose in my own neck. Deep, happy, big bottle lurve.

[harmonyfb]

On me? Smells like a candle shop.

 

Off to swap.

[damuddymeg]

in the bottle: pure plummy goodness. Sweet and juicy.

 

wet: The spiciness of the carnation begins to hop up and down. There are a few moments in here of Christmas candles and potpourri, but they fade fairly quickly.

 

dry: Spiced plum, a faint hint of floral, and a wisp of musk. I'd hoped this would be light enough to wear all summer, but alas, I don't think so. Still, come autumn, this will be getting a LOT of use!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: plum and flowers.

on: the carnations in this are very, very spicy on me. the plum is definitely there, too.

half an hour later: very, very spicy.

2 hours later: this is lasting pretty well, but it's still just spicy.

overall: i'm not sure what was up with the carnations in this, but their spicyness totally overwhelmed the blend.

[Nekomata]

All plums, spicy plumy plums. Both wet and dry this is a lovely fruity smell. Very lovely!

[eviltemptressdq]

I could be crazy, but to me this smells like Bazooka bubblegum or those really cheap round pink mints you get in the candy isle? BUT, I LOVE it!! I assume that that scent is the spice, mixed with the carnations... but I'm really not positive. I want to eat this one, which is never good... but Frumious will stay in my "super yummy BPAL" pile forever!

[Natch]

my very first bpal scent, and very first review!

 

in the bottle: so plumy, spicy and delightful.... I'm in love!

 

wet: I get a little bit of the candle shop/pouppori vibe from this too, but not in a terrible way, and it's not too overpowering. I definitely get a lot of spice, and a bit of plum underneath. There's probably something floral for me hiding in there too, but I just can't pick it out since the spices cover it up.

 

dry: it's faded a bit into a light, but nice sort of plum-pouppori/candle scent. It's a really good sort candle, but I'm not quite sure if it's a good enough candle to wear, haha. It's not really that spicy anymore and I can't pick out the individual notes.

 

overall impression: I wish it had stayed more plumy, like it was in the bottle, on me. It's still nice, but maybe a bit too much like a candle. I think I'll keep it for now and revisit it in the fall when smelling a tad like a candle might feel more appropriate.

 

After a few more tries This candle is definetley good enough to wear. I have fallen in love with it's plummy goodness and it is becoming one of my comfort scents. I have a 5ml on order and I can't wait. It's also granted me a "you smell good" or two

 

A+

Edited July 25, 2006 by Natch

[olympia301]

 

Not one plum do I get...not one! However, I do get heaps of ginger and honey and a lot of carnation here. They all perc along together with harmony and I find it a real treat. It is an earthy scent overall, I don't know how that happens, but I feel more like the ginger, honey, and carnation are laid out on a slab of slate in the sun. This is a very good GC substitute for Shub Niggaroth to my nose, and I would recommend it highly to anyone who fell in love with Shub. Very good for the spice love who doesn't want to go for the usual cinnamon and clove combinations. Very creative.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Hands down, the Best Name Ever. I would wear this just to tell people what I'm wearing, or whenever I happen to feel...frumious. (Can we PLEASE add "frumious" to the list of available "mood" options on here?)

 

And it smells great, too! Super-spicy carnation, spicier than in any blend I've encountered--much moreso than Alice, for example. Like carnation layered with Three Witches--it's that strong. The plum is faint but I can detect it. This is just a tiny bit craft-shop-candle in nature, but I still like it. It's almost pure, nose-tingling spice on me, which I did not expect. I will wear this to layer with my hoarded bottle of LUSH Potion to accentuate the carnation.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[hypatia]

I get plums (or plum jam, more like) with cinnamon and cloves from this. The drydown is less plum, more spices. I can't quite detect chrysanthemum, but I'll try again and see if it's anywhere in the mix.

 

I'm not really a fan of fruity scents, though, and this is a bit too plummy for my tastes. I like the spices, though, so I wish I were one of the people whose skin absorbs the plum and lets the other components come out!

[Scrangie]

Absolutely wonderful.

 

In the bottle it's a slightly fruity, slightly spicy scent that's surprisingly light, but not weak. Crisp, maybe.

 

It smells to me like a craft store. Really, like all the wreaths and brooms and dried flowers. I absolutely love that smell, so this is a good thing.

 

On my skin it stays pretty much the same as it does in the bottle, but it becomes a little richer. Woodsy somehow, with carnations and something just barely fruity.

[purplegirl]

FB is spicy - SPICY! - and super-rich!!

 

To me, FB is a pretty close blend to Carnivale, so it's good to know I've got a Carnivale-esque GC option!!

 

I can't get over how spicy it was - like I expected there to be cinnamon in there somewhere!! But it had great throw and it lasted for quite a while... Just a swipe on the ol' wrist and it was good to go for hours!!

[Diana]

Wet, this goes on smelling almost like Jailbait + a plum factory. The plum notes are less sweet than Bordello, and pretty similar to the notes in Red Phoenix, without the cinnamon.

 

Drydown: the bubblegum-sweetness evaporates, leaving more of just the plum scent. It's still sweet, but not as candy-sticky as it was when it was wet. This still reminds me a lot of Red Phoenix without the spicey cassia/cinnamon. The carnation is there, but just as a note I can recognize, and not really describe with any efficacy.

 

It's nice, but not so utterly different than many of the other plum scents I already own. Doesn't mean I will give up my 5mL, though!

[bicyclette]

This one reminds me of Carnivale, but it's the fruity top note I love in that blend coupled with a lovely spicy carnation base. I LOVE carnation, which was unexpected because it's about the blah-est flower I can think of. Who knew the hallmark of middle school Valentines Day could be so sexy? This blend is like Bathsheba's evil twin- whereas Bathsheba is a hint of plum and major carnation, FB is the exact opposite.

 

FB was an impulse purchase for me too, and I'm so glad it found its way into my shopping cart. I see a 10ml in my near future. Thank god this is GC!