Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

[WidgetAlley]

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

I know this one is super-popular so I hope it's good on me too!

Imp: Kind of a sugary perfumey smell, floral and cakey and resinous all at once. It somehow manages to be both fresh and foody at the same time. It's also very soothing. I can see why this one is so beloved!

Wet: Vanilla and amber straightaway, but not sweet, just big and round and lovely. The sweet pea softens and grounds it, adding a twist of floral loveliness, and the sandalwood keeps the whole thing from being immature. Unfortunately sweet pea always turns into the smell of generic lotion on me and that's sort of what's happening here in the throw.

Dry: This dries down into a soft and feminine floral/sweet resins with just a touch of sandalwood. It's pretty but not really my thing. I might keep the imp for super cuddly moments but I have no desire for a bottle. Glad I got to try it nonetheless.

[rhubarb3point14]

I have no idea why, but I get strawberry out of this. A big burst of fresh strawberry that disappears after 30 seconds, to be replaced by vanilla and sandalwood, but then sneaks back in just a teeny bit when I'm not looking, hours later.

 

The vanilla in this is gorgeous and creamy and light.

 

I had a little bit of trouble for the first hour or so because my skin amps sandalwood so enthusiastically -- I joked to someone that I was in danger of smelling like a balsa-wood airplane. But it seems to mellow out a little bit as time goes on. It's still very prominent, but at least it's not so biting, and it blends better with the other components.

 

I like this cheerful, pretty little scent, and will definitely hang on to the imp, although it'll never be one of the greats for me because of the crazy sandalwood issue.

Edited November 17, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[Floria]

I have a bit of a cold, and I suspect this is an older imp - but for whatever reason, I don't get a lot of sweet pea from this, and the sandalwood is pretty subtle. However, the vanilla-amber combination is very nice. This is a toasty amber, not too powdery, and combined with the vanilla and other ingredients it's foody and sweet but not cloying.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Floria

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): When I open the vial, a lovely combination of vanilla and for some reason lemon waft toward my nose. It certainly reminds me of tea cakes. On second and third sniff, the sandalwood greets me, making the vanilla spicier and rounder, while the sweet pea ads just a hint of greenness. In the bottle, it’s feminine, sweet, and almost dream-like.

 

Wet: Strong vanilla bean with a tartness I’m assuming comes from the sweet pea. There is the sandalwood supporting the vanilla while the amber adds its powderiness. I still get a bit of faint lemon, like limoncello or lemon meringue cookies.

 

Dry: Faint vanilla, amber, and just a tad of sandalwood linger, although I need to bring my wrist close to my nose to smell it

Edited January 16, 2012 by mymymai

[sharkdiver]

This was a really pretty scent! I got an imp from my imp pack order, after i had heard so many good things about this blend. I was not disappointed! I'm not sure If I would go for a bottle, as I have so many really nice blends, that this would be just one more. It's sort of a light clean smelling floral with an underlying sweetness (the vanilla). It's really wearable, and a very "daytime" kind of scent!

[primadonna]

Before I say anything else, I would like to say how in love I am with this scent...no seriously.

 

Out of imp: really warm and sweet, not sticky sweet though. Sweet pea peeks out under vanilla notes. The white sandalwood adds a nice crisp note.

 

Dry on Skin: Soft and pure, on me at least. The vanilla is the strongest note on me and the amber seems to round out the warm lingering scent that it is. After about 30 minutes the sweet pea is more detectable.

 

Overall, I am overjoyed that I was frimped this in a swap. My boyfriend says there is something old fashioned and ladylike about this scent, and I couldn't agree more. I feel so pretty wearing it

[PixieSkull]

I can't believe I never reviewed this. With multiple ambers in the description, there's no way I'd order this for myself and it had to be a frimp. Amber goes powdery on me and is general just not nice to me.

 

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

 

Now, I'm feeling horrible with stomach pain and cramps and I want something pretty and rich.

 

Imp: Warm, dry, slightly sweet resins. Comforting

 

Wet: WOW, this is the amber I love on other people. My friend Allie amps amber like crazy and can wear all the sexy scents I wish I could. Luckily, this isn't morphing into powder while wet like normal amber blends do.

 

Dry: Warm, dry, rich. Vanilla amber goodness. This is amazing. Without white sandalwood poking through, I wouldn't be as interested. I would need the spice otherwise, or both!

 

Overall: This is a bit honeyed on it's own, I assume it's the way I morph amber meeting me halfway. This is probably because of my crampy time, but I love this rich amber scent. *sigh*

[the.train.fiend]

I'm surprised only one other person has mentioned it before (I had to do a search to check) but this smells sooooo much like Midway. Only prettier. Seriously!

 

Whereas Midway is giddy and cheerful, Mouse is soft and wistful. Though Mouse is more complex and fragile than Midway, they smell very, very similar to my nose.

 

It is just so beautiful. It's a soft scent but not a weak one, a sweet scent but not a foody one, nor is it a cloying one. It's simple, yet it has striking depth, tinged with wistful longing.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Slightly perfumey, but sweet and warm too.

 

On skin, wet: Still kinda perfumey, with a little bit of amber and vanilla adding warmth and sweetness.

 

On skin, dry: Still pretty much the same, really.

 

After an hour: The perfumey note has settled into a mellower sort of sanadalwood, and now it smells kind of like O with sandalwood instead of honey. I like the honey better. ^^;

[becca_s]

At first, I get alot of sandalwood from this. As it dries down the vanilla and amber come out, I don't get any sweetpea (one of my favourite florals) at all.

 

This is very subtle and pretty. A mix of sandalwood, vanilla and amber. The amber doesn't turn powdery on me either. I can imagine wearing this often and I think that it would work as an everuday perfume. This could quickly become a favorite.

 

ETA: The longer that I wear this, the more that I can smell the sweetpea. All the notes blend together perfectly.

Edited June 11, 2012 by becca_s

[bellumed]

That’s so freaking weird. In the imp and wet on my skin, I’m getting some odd, kitchen-spice-herbal scent. No, wait, I know what it is! I’m smelling chives. Chives, like used to grow in my front yard as a kid, and we’d occasionally pick a stalk to chew on while we were playing. It’s not as harsh and loud as actual chives (if you’ve ever smelled/tasted them, you know what I’m talking about), but it’s noticeable. I’m guessing sweetpea must be the culprit, but WTF?

 

As it dries, that sharp smell becomes more subtle, but it’s still there. It’s only starting to share the stage with something else (amber?).

 

After a couple hours, it gives over to the amber, clean and BABY POWDERY. It’s better than what it was at first, but still not great.

 

This is easily the strangest reaction I've ever had to BPAL. I won't be holding on to MLAST.

Edited July 30, 2012 by bellumed

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Sweet Pea dominant with the vanilla giving lovely support. The ambers are third and well blended with the stronger notes. The sandalwood is understated, but distinct. This is a delicate, beautifully designed scent. The elements are all a little more separate as they warm, though they still play well together. I’d say the ambers are now second, with sweet pea still strongest. My body chemistry doesn’t play well with the sweet pea, making it smell a bit strained. The sandalwood is stronger on my skin, moving into third as the vanilla becomes more background. This does not work on me, but should be fine on the right young woman. Dry: Dries down to mostly amber with some vanilla and a touch of sandalwood.

[White_rabbit334]

In the bottle: this smells almost like the Sensual Amber from Bath and Body Works I used to buy, but so, so much better. The sweet pea and the vanilla give this a wonderfully sweet feel, and I have to agree with basically everyone---this is a light pink, like fluffy, sweet mounds of frosting atop a cupcake. The difference is, is that despite the food reference, this isn't a touch foody, and despite the sweet pea it isn't overwhelmingly floral either. You can *barely* detect the sandalwood.

 

On the skin: Oh good sweet gods, have I died?? There is no way that something this heavenly should be here on earth, but here it is! The vanilla and sweet pea immediately take control, with more sweet notes than I can understand. The sandalwood gives it the faintest of powdery notes on my skin, but the amber and vanilla are the major players, with best supporting role given to sweet pea. The sweet pea really elevates the vanilla to another level entirely.

 

20 minutes later: Usually I amp sandalwood like nothing else, but the vanilla and ambers are holding their own---although the sweet pea is fading. Apparently my skin really drinks it in! This is really a slatherer; the scent didn't last on me very long at all (about an hour, hour and a half). To try and prolong the lasting power I layered it with a touch of O; the honey compliments the ambers and the sweet pea quite nicely, and it lasted for a few more hours. Delicious!

[GoddesShel]

Just sniffing this one makes me smile.

 

I have sweet peas outside my living room window. I love to go outside in the late spring and just inhale - this adds vanilla, amber, and grounding sandalwood to the mix and it is just lovely. If scents were colors, this would indeed be pink. I know Chris is going to say "baby powder" when he smells it, but it doesn't give me that feeling at all.

 

Vanilla, sweet pea, amber and sandalwood make a combination that is just to die for. And once you die for it, you'll think you've landed in Nirvana.

[lady_pandora]

The first stage of this on me is a super-sweet burst of vanilla. It's not foody vanilla on me, definitely perfume vanilla, but it's really really sweet. A little cloying. Someone mentioned Love's Baby Soft and that's about right--not that it smells exactly like Love's Baby Soft, but it does remind me of the kinds of perfumes my mom always wanted me to wear as a teen because they were "innocent."

 

The next stage is a close sibling of O. The vanilla and the amber work together to make this smell like a less complex version of O; I liked it, but kept wanting to layer it with a honey scent and just recreate O. It was one of those scents I like but wasn't sure if I could find a niche for, since I already have O and like it just that little bit better.

 

And then, it turns to Play-doh and sweet pea. Ack.

[Deliciousness]

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

 

In the imp: amber and a floral note

Wet on skin: Very much like the bottle, an light floral with a hint of sweetness.

Dry down: A light sandalwood and warm amber scent. Again, this is slightly sweet, but definitely not overpowering.

 

I'm not really getting any vanilla or sweet pea, but this may be my skin chemistry. What I'm getting from this scent is the sandalwood and amber. This, at least on me, is a light and pretty scent with a more earthy/floral slant than sweet or foody.

....

 

This remains a light fragrance on my skin, but today I really smell the vanilla and white sandalwood. It's sweet and much more "foody" than last time.

Guess this goes to show it's all about body chemistry.

I may just need to get a bottle of this!

 

Edited for punctuation and for different wear experience

Edited March 18, 2013 by Deliciousness

[tealight]

In my stash notes:

 

- OMFG VANILLA AND AMBER AND SANDALWOOD MMMM

- somehow fresh and resinous and foody at the same time

- eats my arms

 

Vial: YUM.

 

Wet: STILL YUM.

 

Dry: CONTINUES TO BE YUM. This is like wearing a cute dress and eating cake and frolicking in a field of flowers.

 

Verdict: BOTTLE.

 

Edited April 24, 2013 by tealight

[tharsei-thanate]

Oh boy. Finally got my hands on an imp of this. I'm worried because while I adore sweet pea, vanilla is one of those notes that has a tumultuous relationship with my skin. But I might as well just dive in and get it over with!

 

In the imp: Mmm, vanilla and amber. The vanilla is very sweet and delicious and goes quite well with the amber notes. It's a very bright and cheerful combo. I'm not getting sweet pea or sandalwood but wow, if the vanilla ends up smelling like this on my skin I certainly won't mind!

 

Wet: Initially it's a huge blast of sandalwood, and then the ambers come out to mingle. The vanilla sweetness starts to emerge not long after, but it smells like the frosting on a grocery store cake. Y'know, the sort of cheap frosting that has way too much sugar and you can tell just by sniffing it that your teeth are going to ache like hell if you eat it. Even the scent texture is like frosting. But it's not Play-Doh so I'm not gonna write it off yet.

 

Dry-Down: That heavy, sugary frosting smell starts to calm down a bit, but now the vanilla's on the precipice of plastic. It's still not plummeting off the edge so that's a good sign. The sandalwood and amber are just kinda hanging out and quietly observing the vanilla. What I wanna know is, where's the sweet pea?

 

 

Dry: The sweet pea's arriving! Poor thing is trying to push its way past the amber and sandalwood and get to the vanilla (perhaps to drag it away from Play-Doh death and give it a good talking to) but amber and sandalwood are not having it. Well, at least it's there. Actually, it seems vanilla took a step back from the plastic precipice, maybe to get a better look at sweet pea struggling with amber and sandalwood. But it smells like poor sweet pea isn't strong enough. She won't stop trying though, bless her.

 

This could be a good blend, but that almost-plastic smell and cheap frosting texture from the vanilla aren't doing it any favors. I wish sweet pea would just give everyone a good kick to the knees and bring them down a level.

 

Still, I'm gonna do more tests. Maybe sweet pea is still tired from her trip with the USPS. If anything changes I'll add on to this review. (:

[mermaidsdream]

Vanilla? Amber? Sandalwood? Sign me up please! And they're notes that should work on me very well!

 

In the imp: vanilla & something sweet I can't put my finger on.

 

Applied: the vanilla goes poof almost immediately, and all I get is sweet.

 

Dry down: in less than 10 minutes, it turns entirely to baby powder. No vanilla, no amber, no sandalwood; nothing but sweet pea.

 

I guess I've found another note I amp like nothing else. Sweet Pea is added to the list with Violet.

[FriedaLove]

Wet on skin: When I first put this one it's very sweet vanilla and then almost immediately starts turning into an amber-y floral. It continues to change every time I sniff my wrist.

 

During dry down: I am absolutely loving this scent! I feel like the sweet pea and vanilla are taking the lead but the amber is still there in the background. This is very beautiful so far!

 

Once dry this has mellowed out and is absolutely beautiful! The musk, amber, and sweet pea have all blended together into a sweet but tame medly. The sandalwood must have toned the sweetness down but I'm not really picking it up. Definitely need a bottle of this! I rated it 5 out of 5 in my stash list.

[ScabbyLucy]

I think I've finally put my finger on why I love the lab's sandalwood note- it makes everything smell downright chewy. I would swear to god in the bottle this was a vanilla tootsie roll, same texture and everything. On my skin the sweet pea stays minor and gives everything a fresh little kick. Definitely a keeper.

[russalka]

Got this as a frimp from fellow forumite (thank you so much!).

 

It starts out rather strong with sweet pea in combination with the two ambers (methinks) taking over and giving me a bit of headache.

 

After it dried down, it's mostly amber vanilla with barely a touch of white sandalwood somewhere in the background.

 

However, my skin just devoured the oil - just an hour later, I can barely smell it on my wrist.

 

I'll try it again later and see if my experience changes.

[ringmaster-red]

In the vial: floral, sweet, woody, slightly powdery

 

Wet: Immediately I smelled the amber, vanilla, and sweet pea. After a minute, I pretty much only smell the amber and sandalwood. The vanilla is hiding and the sweet pea I can only smell in wafts from farther away. It’s a very clean, woody smell. The vanilla I think is what’s warming up the blend, but I can’t pick out the note itself. Oh, wait. A few minutes later, and it’s wafting around like straight up vanilla extract!

 

Dry: Ambers and very light sweet pea. After a couple hours, it’s a pleasant woody vanilla. It’s not bad but I don’t think I love it enough for a big bottle.

[musikmegs]

This is a warm, rich, sweet-but-not-too-sweet scent. I don't think I get any sweet pea at all. Someone up above likened this to a vanilla tootsie roll, complete with the chewy texture, and I think that's a great comparison. This scent has depth. It is definitely feminine and "pink." It has great throw on me and lasts for hours. Also of note: I loved this when I got my first imp of it and ordered a bottle right away. Fresh it was much sweeter, almost sugary. My bottle is about 7 months old now and it has really smoothed out. The sweetness still there but not nearly as intensely so, which is a beautiful thing.

[Erinofhere]

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood

This is hands down my favorite BPAL so far. It has replaced my beloved dragons milk and my second love "O". Oh my goodness this smells so pretty.

Mainly I get the vanilla and sandalwood. The Sandalwood keeps the vanilla from being too sweet. I have learned that Sandalwood and Vanilla are my favorite scent combinations.

I do get amber in the back ground. The Amber never goes powdery on me. The sweet pea is there but it sort of circles the scent keeping everything together. This is very sweet but not too sweet. It is very pretty and girlish. It's comforting in that special way that vanilla is comforting but also has an elegance that would make this a scent that you could wear out to anywhere.

This is well blended with pretty good throw. It lasts a reasonable amount of time (not as long as Dragons Milk but longer than "O").

I want to be able to buy vats of this. I want this in soap, pillow spray, Shampoo...laundry detergent basically I would be happy if this scent was all around me all the time.

If you like Sandalwood and Vanilla GET THIS! I mean the lab really out did themselves this time. Well done BPAL.