Xanthe, The Weeping Clown

[midnight_aeval]

Guava, orange peel, white pepper, spun sugar and apple blossom.

 

This scent is unusually bright and cheery for a Weeping Clown scent! It's very tropical-bubblegum on my skin. At first the fruit notes are rather sharp, but it dries down to an almost musky bubblegum/fruit scent.

 

This almost reminds me of Zebra Stripes gum.. Does anyone remember that??

Edited October 11, 2006 by Midnight Aeval

[nightbird]

in the bottle, this smells extremely fruity - while I like the sweet scents, I was nervous to try this because it almost made my teeth hurt to smell it.

 

on my skin, it smells like bubblegum at first, but then settles into a soft fruit/floral blend. I think I can smell the apple blossom (a note I especially like in Eve). as someone said, this becomes pretty sophisticated as it settles down.

 

 

edit: Xanthe fades on me so quickly... I think I will pass on this scent, even though it is lovely.

Edited October 12, 2006 by Nightbird

[harmonyfb]

In the imp and on my skin, this is a very 'commercial' scent. It has kind of a generic 'floral' approach that resolves into nothing but apple blossom. No fruit, no sugar, just a bland floral. Go figure.

 

ETA: After half an hour, I can finally detect a bit of the guava, but it's still fairly light and bland. Obviously, not for me.

Edited October 14, 2006 by harmonyfb

[mandragora]

Wet, I get sweet candied fruits. As it dries, a green-smelling floral (apple blossom?) tempers the sweetness while the white pepper adds depth. This is quite bright and happy-smelling for a scent called "weeping clown".

[Natch]

in the bottle: upon first sniff in the imp, this just goes "BAM!" It is wonderfully wet, fruity, and sugary, but I can certainly detect that "tropical bubblegum" scent somewhere. I actually get a little salt here too I think... Xanthe's tears? Or maybe it's the pepper. I can also clearly understand the "cherry blow pop" impression.

 

wet: still sweet and delicious, but a little more commercial perfumey/floral. Come back my lovely yummy guavas! I want you!

 

dry: much more subtle and sophisticated () It's still really nice though, a light, peppery, slightly bitter floral with a twinge of cherry blowpop and something aquatic.

 

overall impression: I really liked it's intense fruity, bubblegum sweetness in the imp, and were it like that on my skin, it would have warranted at least 1 5ml, if not multiple bottle hoarding. It's still really nice, but a bit on the bitter, floral side, as opposed to the sweet fruity side. This was just a little sniffer/tester frimp and I'll probably be keeping my full imp when I get it and saving it for summer. But who knows? My opinion could move in either direction

 

p.s. I love the irony of this scent too. Who would have thought a weeping clown would smell so cheery and sweet? But there is that bitterness underneath

Edited October 20, 2006 by Natch

[supremegoddessofall]

Fruity and slightly sweet, but very light with no throw.

[Medici]

For a weeping clown, Xanthe's full of bubblegum cheer that smacks of Aunt Carolyn's Joy Mojo in the bottle. Fruity and sweet, and particularly bouyant.

 

After warming for a stretch, I get the barest hint of floral, but for the most part it stays consistent as a fruit bubblegum scent.

 

I get a substantial amount of throw out of Xanthe, which for me at least is unusual with fruitier blends - I normally have to apply two or three times during the day to give it a little kick. Xanthe holds up pretty well in that arena.

 

Well-loved, this bottle. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

[tempestteapot]

This is another one I like straight out of the bottle. No warm up necessary.

 

It was fruity and exotic with just a hint of floral. Like fruit in the jungle ;-)

 

 

But like most of the fruity/light florals it didn't last on me very long.

[Medox]

Soft and sweet, with just the slighest sourness around the edges courtesy of the guava as it settles into the skin. Sublime.

[gaai]

I like this more than I thought I would.....I might just need a bottle of this!

 

It's a sweet, fruity tropical scent on me. I can pick out the guave and apple blossom.

When I sniffed again 5 minutes later the pepper made an appearance, but only briefly........after the little pepper blast it just blended in with the rest of the notes to leave this wonderful fruity, soft, sweet smell....

 

Somehow I totally get the 'weeping clown' thought behind it.....it's like the funny cheer is tempered by a kind of sadness.......hard to explain though......but I like it!

[sofaking6]

I'm glad I got a bottle of this, I just couldn't resist the name and the notes.

 

In the bottle and at first dab, it definitely smells like Jailbait's bubble-gum lollipop. But the sugary sweetness fades very quickly and what's left is a subdued kind of sweetness struggling with the pepper/bitter notes. It almost has a tea-like quality.

 

It's not really my thing for wearing, but it's a really lovely scent.

 

6

[Kittyflop]

Candy! Sweet fruity candy. Witha bit of softness. No pepper on me, sadly - I think it could use a bit of edginess. On drydown some soft florals come out, but after about an hour it's all completely gone. Might have to try this in a scent locket when I feel like sweetness. It's a nice scent but the kind that has no staying power on me.

[PilotKitten]

Weee Cherry blowpops!! Just like I was hoping I'd get! The orange peel lends a hint of juicy ripe citrus to the mix, like I've just sliced open a rind with small droplets of fine orange mist hanging in the air. This is a lovely fruity with just the right hint of sugar and floral goodness added to not make it like every other fruit blend out there. Love this... sooo glad I got 2 bottles.

[jesvet]

Wow, bubble-yum. All Bubble-yum. Not bad, since I like that scent, though. Cheery.

 

As it dries, the guava comes out to play and smacks the cheery gum chomper around, so I guess that is why it starts weeping? Guava is a slightly sour smell to me- or I guess 'tart' is a better word. It's quite unlike anything I have smelled before. Not sure if I want a whole bottle, but I may hunt down another decant.

[the_cat_goddess]

In the vial, it is so pretty. Reminds me a little of Fruit Moon.

 

On, it's a transluscent fruit. It's like Ice Queen without the Ice. I'm not sure if it is the guava or the apple blossoms, but I love the light fruitiness!

 

After about 15 minutes, it is starting to fade. MUST REAPPLY NOW!!!

 

Oh, what is that? Light florals and a touch of sour are coming out. NOOOOO!!!! I'm going to set this aside and try it when I'm less... picky.

[Thaleia]

I got Xanthe and Gennivre in the same order, and I've got to admit that this one didn't get the same first reaction from the first sniff ITB as from Gennivre. Sweet and fruity, and while it might have the potential to get cloying on a warm day, it’s lovely in the small amount I swatched on my wrist. Tropical and sugary, and I love Beth's spun sugar note.

 

When swatched in greater amounts, it does get too sweet for me, and reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum or similar bubblegum scent from my younger days. The drydown (which takes a while) is a nice sweet, juicy fruity scent that's mild and sweet and very yummy - but I don’t think I’ll actually wear it as often as other scents, since I have to go through the bubblegum-sweet initial wet stage before the full drydown. Not quite like candyfloss, maybe a bit sweeter, and I think that this will probably turn out to be persistently supersweet like Mi-Go after being aged a while. It does actually remind me a bit of Mi-Go already as it is.

 

It's definitely a cute scent, though.

Edited November 10, 2006 by rabid hauteur

[Tess]

I've always been more of a citrus person than a melon person, but that doesn't mean I don't have hopes for this. It pretty much all comes down to the spun sugar note. Normally Beth's sugar notes caramelize on me and go plastic, but we'll have to see.

 

In the vial - Sweet guava orange sherbet. No, wait, it's more like gum now that I think about it. I'm not getting ANY pepper, darn it.

 

Wet - This immediately grabbed an oddly bitter and rotten twinge to it.

 

Drying - There is something very dark and sinister with this. Unless I'm mistaken it's the combo of the pepper on guava that's causing that feeling, with the hint of apple blossom giving it a floral rottenness. It's not BAD, seeing as it's faint and not nearly as dark and earthy as this state was in Queen of Clubs, but it's odd. Fitting with the description.

 

Dry (1 hour) - Okay, the pepper is gone and so is the rotten feeling. It's dried to a faint sweet guava with just a touch of the orange. It's very faint, though.

 

Overall - I don't know, it just doesn't thrill me. It's certainly not BAD, but it doesn't stand out in my mind at all. Oh well.

[sophia_helix]

At first, this was pure, pink, dusty bubblegum. It turned into something very similar to Mi-Go next, unsurprisingly, between the fruit and the pepper. There was an unfortunate, brief rancid stage next, similar to what others have described, and then it dried down to a surprisingly sophisticated, sweet, powdery scent. It's not really me, though, so I think I'll be passing it along.

[Toby]

I'm almost certain the intent behind this scent was not to make me start grinning and suppressing giggles, what with the whole weeping clown thing, but that's the effect it had on me. It reminds me, weirdly, of being a kid -- chewing those colourful bubblegum balls that last maybe ten seconds. And yeah, it does smell like fruit salad like others have said, but it's just... so cheery. I'm not sure what guava smells like, but I can definitely smell the apple blossom and sugar. Very lovely.

[wikkidraven]

i knew i would like this one, and i'm not sure why.

 

from the bottle i get fruit and sugar, but it immediately turned into apple when wet on the skin. in the drydown i get a lot more of the spicy pepper, but not overpowering like djinn, because it's still sugary. it's an interesting group of smells to be sure...i don't think i'm going to be able to give this one up. depending on how my boyfriend responds to it, i might even look for another imp or two, even though i doubt i'd invest in a bottle.

[edenssixthday]

Xanthe, the Weeping Clown - What a phenomenal scent! This is one of those rare, bright, tropical-type BPAL blends which I crave so much. It’s just lovely and reminds me of breakfast on the beach in Kona. The opening note is that of sweet guava nectar thickened and brightened with the sharp, sweet scent of fresh-squeezed orange. As it begins to dry down, the apple blossom begins to appear, but it’s light and sweet, not heavy and thick as it usually is on me. The white pepper gives the blend just the tiniest bit of kick and the sugar sweetens up the already-sweet blend. Although it starts out smelling like a lovely Hawaiian breakfast juice cocktail, as the sugar begins to go to work on it, it does begin to smell more like a juicy-sweet tropical candy. I love this scent and think it’s going to layer gorgeously with a lot of my Coconut Hut tropical-scented lotions. The sillage is and wear length are both about average.

[Aevalin]

I really hate clowns. I got an imp of this in a swap and even hesitated to try it because of the clown factor. I'm really glad I did tho.

 

For the record, not only do I not like clowns, I don' t do well with artificial smelling fruit. Needless to say I was hesitant. But I really quite like Xanthe. It's fruity without smelling like Fruit Loops -really to me it smells more like berries I guess...tho that could be the guava. It's round and sweet and juicy smelling. And it has amazing staying power on me, which usually only happens when I put on something I DON'T like This smells really really good. I'm enjoying what the Carnival Diabolique has to share so far - I really really love them.

[zombiegrrl]

I smell mostly guava and orange peel, with a hint of spice. I think it will be nice to wear in the summer.

[Naamah_Darling]

I just want to go on record that I'm deeply opposed to clowns, especially the weeping kind.

 

This is okay, though. Lightly fruity, sweet, a smell just a little like mangos or bananas or Juicy Fruit gum. I suppose that is the guava, but since I have no idea what guava smells or tastes like, I can't say. The pepper isn't immediately apparent but it is definitely there in the after-scent: white powdery pepper! Fun and unusual.

 

On, the floral comes out and the smell is even more reminiscent of Juicy Fruit. This is very female, and just a trifle fruity for me. The pepper is a nice touch, offsetting the sugar. The throw is mostly sugar and fruity flowers. This is definitely a yellow-gold scent, but one with crisp green undertones, an underlying freshness.

 

For all that it has sugar in it, it dries surprisingly light. It gets more floral as it wears, florals and sugars, with that pepper haze still lingering in the background. A faint spice note drifts out, I think probably just the pepper mixed with the sugar, but it's pretty. This, surprisingly, is not soapy on me at all, simply light and smooth.

 

I can see that this is a well-constructed scent, and it's pretty, but it's very much not my thing.

[Alchemy21599]

I am another Forumite with coulrophobia, but I had to try this scent.

 

In the vial: Did someone else say cherry blow-pops? Charms cherry blow-pops, spot on. Yet, there is also an aquatic note in the background. Very intriguing.

 

Wet: Hello, cherry slush!

 

Dry: Cherry slush with no throw. After a couple of hours it morphs to a green fruit scent with no throw.