Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

[claudia6913]

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

This is an aged bottle - new to me.

In the bottle: Sweet amber with a hint of florals.

Wet on skin: I can smell all the parts of this scent - it's very soft and sweet.

Drydown: The sweet pea comes out a bit more - and I have a tendency to amp it. However, it's not overpowering.

Dry: The sandalwood creates a wonderful base for the vanilla, amber, and sweet pea to rest upon.

Overall: This is a soft, sweet blend and I love it.

[melrose]

First on, wet: super-sweet candy. Uh-oh.

 

Drydown: Amber and vanilla fight valiantly to emerge, but the other notes put on the smackdown.

 

Not for me.

[Antoinette]

Soft, sweet. Can really pick out the sweet pea, which is lovely. The sandalwood creates a very smooth base.

 

Alas, sandalwood always makes me feel weird. Something about it turns me off. Otherwise, really lovely scent but just not for me.

[Shealynne]

I got this with the anticipation that the sandalwood was going to amp on me and I was going to smell like an cheap incense store. Much to my delight, it stayed light and creamy, and I could not stop smelling myself. The sweet pea was barely there, after the drydown, but it has a very short life on me.

[ianastar]

Vanilla and Sandalwood are two of my favorite notes, I love them in everything, and I especially love them together! This starts off very vanilla, but the dry down brings out the amber and sandalwood notes, so it gets a little heavier, a little darker. But then the sweet pea kind of softens the edges a bit.

 

Over all I absolutely ADORE this scent and need to get a bigger bottle. I would wear this all the time! Defintely going to be one of my new favorite scents, and it's not as foody as all the others I tend to wear the most, so it will be nice to have something different in the rotation.

[Incendiare]

In the imp, I detect soft amber and sweet pea. Very pleasant and inviting. Wet, I am definitely getting sweet pea as the top note. At this stage, I don't get any vanilla close up, but when I wave my hand in front of me, the sweetness from the vanilla pops out a bit. Still no sign of my beloved sandalwood, but I still like it at this stage. Dry, not too much has changed. I still get mostly sweet pea with a touch of amber in the background. I actually really like every single note that is in this blend, but a bit disappointed that the sandalwood never showed up and that the vanilla comes only in faint flashes. I can imagine that this one ages beautifully though. I am looking forward to trying this out more and seeing what happens.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

I think sweet pea's tart candylike quality = lemon to my nose, because this has the same lemony-vanilla musk that I adore in Dorian, Sybil, Lady Una and Joyful Moon. Strangely, I get fleeting wafts of MB: Underpants as well because of the vanilla and sandalwood notes...with the plus side of not going rancid like Underpants does with it's buttery cream note.

 

I'm looking forward to this aging. I want less of the sweet pea and more of the vanilla/amber/sandalwood notes.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Sweet, dry vanilla, mingled with a wetter, slightly green-floral that must be sweet pea.

 

On skin: Huh, this is nothing like Antique Lace. Vanilla and perhaps amber contribute a gentle, slightly dusty, sweet base, but the blend is dominated by a wet, heady green note that must be the sweet pea. The other notes morph in and out, but they never really overcome the juicy sweetness.

 

Verdict: What a letdown. I was looking forward to smelling a variant of Antique Lace, but Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is nothing but sweet pea with hints of the other notes. My reviews are usually more detailed than this, but this one skin test was so disappointing that I frimped my lab-fresh imp shortly after. Sigh.

[symbiosis]

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is one of my favorite BPAL scents thus far. It was also the first bottle I bought. This is the bottle that I carry in my purse, not caring if it gets scuffed up or how fast I use it because it's that worth it. This is my go-to fall and winter scent. (Whereas I would call Embalming Fluid my go-to spring/summer scent.)

 

This perfume, to me, is Christmas. It's the sharp, pungent scent of Christmas trees indoors, baking spices, chocolate (from the vanilla. Counterintuitive, huh?) and a slight warmth from the sandalwood/amber. I love it when I pull my scarves off the rack in my closet and they still smell like MLaST.

 

I think I love this scent so much because it's more difficult for me to pull the individual notes apart. Yes I get vanilla, but it's not a "wow, you smell like vanilla" kind of whiff. It smells like everything I listed above because of the unusual combination of food, flower, incense, and amber. I usually like to break scents down by note and talk about how they interact in my reviews, but this one my nose just takes in as a whole and I love it that way.

[calivianya]

I was excited to try this one for the amber/vanilla pairing that most people seem to love.

 

Wet on my skin, I could definitely smell the amber and vanilla, but the sweet pea was still very prominent. Drying down, the sweet pea was still one of the strongest notes. I never really got a hint of the sandalwood. I'm going to keep my imp for now and see if the sweet pea mellows over time and the sandalwood comes out more. If this happens, I think this scent may be absolutely wonderful for me.

[strahlend]

I really love this Mouse. Sweet-pea reminds me of my grandmother and it's a very happy, comforting scent. Combined with the vanilla and amber this is the olfactory equivalent of the softest, most wonderful, soothing, blanket in the world.

It also reminds me a lot of Morocco but in that blend the floral element is carnation instead of sweet-pea.

[cuppycake]

in the imp:

 

this surprises me, but i actually can't smell anything. either i need a new nose, or this blend is really really subtle in the bottle. i get the lightest vanilla-touched sandalwood. hmm.

 

sniffie meets skin:

 

i've been hunting and waiting for this blend for AGES, so i'm determined that this should work. hoho. but i'm still getting nothing.. hmph. maybe i need to wait for the oil to dry before the magic happens.

 

only it doesn't. possibly the strongest thing i can pick up is the white sandalwood.. unfortunately, sandalwood and i have never seen eye to eye. where's the vanilla and the sweet pea?!

 

*

 

i'm going to have to give this another try another day. there's something about my skin that is eating up this blend. sigh. still, it seems to work for everyone else, so at least there's the swap pile. poor mouse.

[Chanter]

I got this one as a frimp along with Baghdad, Morocco and Miskatonic University. My first frimp, ooh. Thank you, lab staff people.

 

In the imp: There isn't any in here, but the first thing I get is pineapple! There's also something pleasantly resiny and softly fruity in here - must be the sandalwood and vanilla. But pineapple? Hmm. I like it, though.

 

Wet on skin: Oop, yup, definitely pineapple! I hate to say it, but what this reminded me most of was marshmallow fluff fruit salad... you know, that fruit deli salad with pineapple pieces, marshmallows, two or three other fruits and possibly nuts of some kind? I don't mind the scent, but I did get a surprise when I realized just what I was smelling. I think it must be the sweet pea and vanilla doing most of it. Where the pineapple's coming from, I still don't know.

 

 

On drydown: This doesn't change much on me, other than to mellow quite a bit. I still like this one, but I was a little surprised overall. I'll be enjoying this imp; I can wear it to work as a pleasantly fruity scent and not attract a ton of attention, since it mellows on me.

[invisible iris]

In imp: Vanilla.

 

On skin: Vanilla, amber, sweet pea.

 

Dry: I love the way sandalwood always emerges in the drydown. The sweet pea makes it demure, but otherwise on me it's all sweet ambery vanilla with an underlying solidity from the sandalwood. It’s the sweetest amber blend I’ve yet tried. Almost girly, but the amber and sandalwood keep it “sad”, warm, and lightly powdery incensey. I quite like it, but I’m not sure I’d wear something this sweet on a daily basis. Hopefully the sweetness will mellow a bit with age?

[juniperus]

Bottle: sweet pea and vanilla are such a lovely combination!

Wet: sweet pea with a background of amber..I know sweet pea most intimately from my grandmother's backyard and the very old sweet pea bush there, but this isn't taking me there, it's charming, antique, and elegant.

Dry: the vanilla is taking over as it usually does, but the sweet pea is still holding strong. I'll hold out a little hope, for now.

Later: The vanilla is close to the only thing I can detect here, but it's such a lovely blend when it's not on my skin...

[angelamaria]

In imp: vanilla and amber, a vague sweetness but also slightly nutty-smelling to my nose. Not too foody, relatively pleasant.

 

Wet on skin: slightly foodier, vanilla is out, and the sweet pea is more prominent as well. A clean scent. Not as nutty now, and I can get hints of the sandalwood. It's very nice, a light scent, not too strong or cloying but its presence is there.

 

Dry: weird. This has gone both refreshing and powdery to me. The powder isn't odd, because of the ambers, but it's a little...disconcerting that it also feels rather refreshing, almost minty. The sweet pea is most out, rounded out by the vanilla and grounded by the sandalwood. It's a white and bright scent, but almost dainty, almost lazy. Later on it becomes even softer, and the powderiness isn't so bad, and it's promising at this stage, but after an hour and a half or two, there is something rather plasticky in the drydown.

 

Verdict: I had three tests of this one! But eventually I gave up on it. That plasticky note (obviously something to do with my skin!) is sad, for such a nice pretty scent, but there you go.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab. That 5mL was bought when Mouse's LAST was released, so it's extremely aged by this point (over 5 years old and counting). Apparently I never wrote a review one, which I find hard to believe.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I'm going on memory here, since I've owned and worn Mouse's LAST for years now, but based on the notes (and the fact that I love mice almost as much as I love rats), it was an immediate bottle purchase (like most scents that I expect to like), although I was worried about the sweet pea. I love sandalwood and I like amber and vanilla, but florals are almost never appealing to my nose.

 

First sniff:

 

This smells so pretty. It's a soft, sweet, cozy smelling amber and vanilla scent in the bottle. I don't get any sweet pea from Mouse at this point in its life, although there is a very faint lightness to the scent that just skirts around the edges. I like this in the bottle, but it doesn't bowl me over. It's a nice, sweet amber blend but not amazing.

 

I do have some fresher bottles which have a more noticeable floral note (it's not obnoxiously floral, but there are definitely flowers lurking inside), although the sweet pea still takes a back stage to the amber and vanilla. I don't remember whether I found Mouse's LAST overly floral when I got my first bottle, but I must not have since I kept it and actually wore it. The fresher bottles are also much lighter than my aged bottle. I would review the skin wear of the fresh bottles, but I'm trying to leave them untouched so that they can age with as little disturbance as possible.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I like this in the bottle (especially my super aged bottle), but it doesn't appeal to me as much as my heavier amber/resin blends like, say, Sin. But on my skin, it's more appealing. The lightness from the bottle starts to fade away and the sweetness of the amber and vanilla start to really bloom.

 

Dry down:

 

This is one of those scents that gets better as it settles down and makes itself comfortable on my skin. It's sweet without being foody and resinous without smelling like a church or a headshop. It's the olfactory equivalent of a lightweight but warm blanket. All snuggly and cozy.

 

I never really get the sandalwood from Mouse, which isn't as disappointing as I would have expected when I originally bought it. Instead, I really love the sweet vanilla/amber goodness. I almost think the dryness of the Lab's white sandalwood note might have felt a little out of place, as beautiful as it is in other blends and on its own.

 

The bottom line:

 

If you're a floral hater like me, but think Mouse's LAST sounds good otherwise and don't mind being patient, it's definitely worth keeping around for aging purposes. I promise it's worth the wait. I don't know when the turning point for my bottle was, unfortunately, but I can say that my aged bottle (soon to be bottles since I have a 10mL coming) is significantly more awesome than my fresh(ish) bottles.

 

Fresh Mouse's LAST would stay in my collection and get worn now and then, but aged Mouse's LAST has a snug little home inside my favorites box.

[Klolly]

I received a bottle of The Mouse on a swap and I have a feeling it's been aging for quite awhile because the swapper had to make sure she still had it. It was recommended to me on the sweet and innocent thread and I am so excited to try it!

 

In bottle: a creamy, somewhat lemony sweetness.

 

Wet: A sweet smell, reminiscent of those smarties candies.

 

Dry: Oh wow... This is so...precious. It is totally sweet and cute. It smells like childhood innocence, cozy, loving memories. This is one I could see making my little ones want to curl up in my arms and cuddle on me. The sweet pea is not too sweet , but just there enough to give off a somewhat tangy scent. vanilla and amber gently wrap themselves around it, creating an aura of softness, and the sandalwood is barely there, just enough to keep this scent somewhat nobler. I think someone said it smelled like expensive powder and I totally get that, only it's not powdery, but airy and light. I definitely see the fuzzy reference. I want to hold this cute little mouse against my cheek. . This is not an intense bubble gum type scent like I thought it'd be. It's more the smell of a newborn than a child.

 

About an hour later: Hello sandalwood! It has totally taken over and I am definitely understanding the nag champa references. I have memories of my mom burning nag champa in her old apartment so it made me feel a bit nostalgic. However, my main goal in trading for this was to smell more innocent and less "headshop"because my husband doesn't like me smelling like incense. Fortunately, by the time he got home that powerful sandalwood phase had already morphed back to what it had first smelled like. When I asked him to smell it he said, "that's much better." Not the best reaction but an improvement at least:).

This lasted on me. I put it on around 1pm yesterday and it's 11:30am today and I'm still getting whiffs of it that smell really good.

 

Update: I just wanted to update since I've been wearing this a lot. So far I haven't had the weird sandalwood explosion I had the first time. When I wear this it reminds me most of two things; clean pink flushed skin, or a bowl of cream of wheat with a generous among of sugar dissolved into it. The other day I had it on and my husband told me I smelled so good he wanted to eat me and my 10 year old has become an elbow huffing leech that I practically have to beat to get off my arm. This will forever be a favorite, anytime scent for me. I'm so glad I have it!

Edited July 23, 2011 by Klolly

[Honey]

Okay, one quick sniff before you leave me..

 

 

Imp: Super sweet vanilla. Ick. Very candy-like. Gives me an instant headache.

 

Wet: Something floral, must be the sweet pea. But still overshadowed by the vanilla. Alas - cannot make out the ambers, and I love amber!

 

Dry: Sandalwood coming through. Still too much vanilla though.

 

 

ETA: Kinda funny how "tastes" change. Giving this new imp a reboot sniff, and I really like it. It almost smells like a coconutty vanilla on my skin. I have come to like vanilla a lot thanks to BPAL. And somehow I have this thing for sweet pea all of a sudden. Sandalwood coming through. Very light, lovely and creamy.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Honey

[Chelse]

This is what my life should smell like! I love it!

[KittyHawk]

Imp: Sandalwood and amber--nice and warm. There is no sweet pea anywhere but I do detect a drop of vanilla; it adds a lovely oomph to the amber.

 

Wet: There's a little more amber now, but my skin tends to amp amber; luckily the sandalwood still has a foothold, which keeps the amber from getting too sappy and overwhelming me completely. The vanilla is still there, but juuuust barely. No sweet pea yet, but that's fine with me.

 

Dry: This reminds me of Coty's Wild Musk, which my mother has worn for the better of 3 decades. I smell just like her. This is so comforting.

 

Verdict: I need a bottle NOW. This will be a great intro to BPAL for my mom too.

 

ETA: 6 hours later: PLAY DOH. Noooooooo!! :-( I'm heartbroken.

Edited July 21, 2011 by KittyHawk

[stellamaris]

This is like Grown Up Vanilla to me. Love this. It's very lovely, long lasting and full. No Play Doh here. Love this mouse.

I am starting to think that it's the amber that I really love, and all this time I thought it was vanilla.

Edited July 26, 2011 by stellamaris

[ziggystardust13]

This is the most innocent of all the bpals I have tried so far. Its very pretty and so perfectly blended, but its something my young niece could wear.

 

Beautiful but definitely too light and "pretty" for me! I can see many people coveting this for sure!

Edited November 8, 2011 by ziggystardust13

[ami226]

Wait a moment... why have I never tried this one?!

 

On the skin: This is fantastic! An amazing blend of vanilla and amber! Wow! I even let my SO sniff it and he just said "Mmmmm, Smells good!" I get a hint of lovely sweet pea floral as time goes on, but thankfully it never completely dominates. A bottle of this will be in my next order!!

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I love sweet pea, vanilla, and white sandalwood. The two ambers worry me slightly because they tend to go super powdery on me, but we'll see.

 

Wet: Sweet, slightly floral vanilla. I'm not getting a lot of sandalwood or amber, and the sweet pea is staying in the background for the most part.

 

Dry down: The amber starts to come out to play, and it's not going powdery! Maybe the sandalwood is grounding it? I have no idea, but I'm really loving the lack of powder. The vanilla is still sweet and slightly floral. I wish the sweet pea would be a little more prominent.

 

Dry: There's the sweet pea! This is really beautiful. The amber is still behaving, and I'm loving how this smells on my skin.

 

Final thoughts: This scent lasted quite a while before any noticeable fading (around 6 hours on my skin, but YMMV), and kept close to my skin which I appreciate.

 

Verdict: I will definitely be using up my imp, and will most likely be a bottle purchase.