Mag Mell

[alianthe]

The Plane of Joy, eternal reward for a lifetime of valor and glory. A place of eternal youth and beauty, strength and honor, music and revelry. The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain.

So, I was describing a scent I'd found and liked but couldn't remember the name of to my forum mamma, and she said it sounded like Mag Mell. It wasn't, but after that I had to look it up on the search, and I just loved the description.
So, here goes.

In the bottle: Gold, very gold. But slightly... flecked with green? Alive and growing. Round, and warm, but also light and soft and resting high on the nose. Like a summer day somewhere rural and idyllic, but without the deepness of earth. Presumably when I put it on, I will supply the bottom note. Even without that, it is an extremely evocative scent. Had I not read the description, I would still think of a golden field on a warm day, and the peace of being close to the earth. But on its own, it's almost... incomplete.

On me (wet): High, sharp. Yellow and pointily unhappy, but it's sort of like the irritation of a cat when you move her from where she was lying to somewhere softer and warmer and better for sleeping in. She's grumbly, but grudgingly appreciative. Brightening to green, but an ugly unhappy yellowy green, but slowly rounding out, flattening out, settling and warming.

On me (dry): Still gold, but dusty now. It is even harder to pin down individual elements of the scent now, the emotions evolked are so concrete. Sunwarmed, understated, simply there. With a little tiny hint of something approaching milkiness. Yes, a dusty golden plain, warm from sun, timeless, but very unobtrusive.

Conclusions: This will work well in a locket, or possibly on me, but I suspect it won't be one of my favorites. It supplies the sort of imagery I would love to have on a day I need comforting, but when I need comforting I don't like to have to work that hard for it. Probably one for the swap list. It has so much potential for those times when you really want a milk and honey sort of feeling without the scent of milk and honey. That's not really me, most of the time.
6/10

[TereFaerie]

In the imp I smell ginger and verbena, very sharp and lemony.

On my skin the sharp verbena turns to lemon scented dishsoap, grounded by a powdery amber with a hint of hot ginger.

 

I wanted to like this one, but it is just not me.

[Finny]

Lemon with a fruity gingery base. Very fresh smelling, reminds me of spring. Smells like lemonade with a crushed ginger sugar syrup. Really very lovely, but I was hoping to get the grass or sage note for a lemony herbal scented blend.

 

I will keep the imp, though probably not a bottle purchase.

[The_Merf]

Verbena, grass, ginger and the slightest bit of amber when wet--I think that the ginger and grass combine (with the lemon) to give this an aquatic character when it is wet. However, the amber and lemon get stronger as the scent dries. Lemon is really very well behaved on me with this blend--usually it goes out of control on my skin, but it actually smells quite nice with the amber here. This makes the scent especially appealing, as I do like the citrus scents on my skin, in moderation--the problem is that they are almost never moderate! Now, as the scent enters its last stages, it does become almost all lemon, but it does have a nice middle stage.

[bryghtrose]

This is clean without being antiseptic. Lemony without smelling of bathroom cleaner. As it dries the amber, ginger and grass come out.

 

I like this perfume, but I can't see myself wearing it every day. I'll need to be in a certain mood to wear this.

[hkhm]

imp: a gingery, grassy aquatic.

 

wet: this is a bright grassy aquatic. i'm not exactly amazed how well these scents work together, i'm just amazed by how much i like it.

 

dry: still bright and grassy with a nice, shimmering aquatic. both of these scents are smooth and lovely in this blend, not sharp at all.

[semuelle77]

I ordered this from the lab in an imp pack. I have to many sweet, foody scents, I thought this might be a nice alternative.

 

 

In the bottle: Lemon! Very, very lemony. This is way different than any other BPAL I have tried.

 

Wet: Ack! Lemon Pledge! Not cool.

 

Dry: The lemon (thankfully) backs off. The amber steps foreward. I don't really ever get the ginger, sadly.

 

Verdict: Once it settles down, this is a soft, gentle scent. Sweet, but not overly so. I am glad I did not run to wash it off while it was still wet. Giving this one a bit of time to morph (and boy howdy, did it change) is worth the first blast of lemon cleaner smell. I have realised that amber works well on my skin, but can have a tendency to drown out other scents. I wish the lemon stayed a bit stronger. I like this. I will need to wear is again to determine if it is bottle worthy. Overall, a very nice scent.

[lisawoj]

The amber is very prominent to me in this scent, as is the verbena. I know its not listed in the scent description, but I also get a bit of honey and apricot from this. Very warm and cheery. Nice, although I don't think I would wear this often.

[LdyKnight]

Sadly, on me this smells like soap. Expensive soap, but still soap. Verbena always goes soapy on me though. I can get a touch of ginger as well, but it doesn't make it any less soapy. *sigh*

[azhriaz]

I don't usually get impressions of colour from scents, but Mag Mell makes me think strongly of pale yellowish green, like new shoots of vegetation.

 

The lemon verbena is overpowering in the bottle, but thankfully it takes a step back on my skin. I can smell sweet, dewy grass.

 

I completely forgot there was ginger in this blend. It's very mellow and soft. Mag Mell is firmly in my top ten, I'm glad I bought a bottle unsniffed!

[hellomoonglow]

Verbena. I get a lemon-y scent right up front on this one. I had smelled this a long time ago when I was new to BPAL and got it from the lab as a frimp. Back then, to my untrained BPAL nose, I didn't like it. It's been almost a year. I thought I'd try it again.

 

This time around, I can handle it. The lemon is very strong, with the sage and greens taking a backseat. After about 3 hrs., I can hardly smell it anymore, though. And that's ok. I'm not sure I'd want lemon sticking around all day! This would be an oil to wear in the morning for a pick me up, and then be able to change into something more sultry for later on.

[smallvoice]

Mag Mell does not smell good to me in the imp. It's sharp and perfume-y... almost cologne-y, really. Astringent. Piercingly so. And it smells like that on my skin for about 3 minutes, maybe less. Then... I can actually smell the rainy scent. Rain on grass- it's like being a kid on a cool spring day, laying out in the grass in bare feet and it's not incredibly warm, but it's warm enough that it signals the coming summer months, which were always the best ones... And then it's a warm bit of rain that comes down for a few minutes; long enough to leave a rainbow and the scent behind. It dries down into this lovely, warm, inviting scent. It's quite pretty. I'm going to see how much I use my imp before I decide if I need to put it on my bottle waiting-list or not.

 

I'd list scents that have a similar feel, but the only thing I can even begin to come up with is 51... maybe Bewitched.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: They are not kidding about the green. Grass, sage, ginger, verbena makes a sharp green, lemony scent. It is nigh eye watering. Wet: I am shocked there is no green tea in this, as it reminds me of several tea scents. This smells of spring. The amber slowly sweetens it as it wears, but the lemon remains dominant. Dry: Fades to a faintly floral rain scent.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Clean and fresh - GRASS, lemony verbena, bright ginger, herbal sage - and quite aquatic in feel.

 

Wet: Invigorating - a bit less grassy, but stronger on the citrus and ginger. I love this because it is fresh and green but without being sharp or sour. It really does smell cool and rainy; there's a purity to it.

 

Dry: The amber has emerged, and it is indeed warm, also rather sweet and almost musky. The green notes are much much lighter, but the ginger and verbena keep this fairly fresh.

 

Summary: The amber takes over, doing that soft, warm, powdery thing I dislike. I can still smell a bit of ginger - making this a bit like Sudha Segara - and a whisp of sage. Aquatic, grass, and citrus notes entirely gone. Good throw, fades fast.

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp and wet, I found this to be a very clean scent... lemony goodness abounding.

 

Dry: The lemon moves into the background and amber comes to the fore.

 

Shame that this did not last very long at all on me. It is a lovely scent.

[veronicafranco]

this is possibly my very favorite everyday scent. i like it in all its forms - wet (warm, sweet lemon) and dry (rain at first, more and more amber later, ginger peeking through). when very dry, this becomes the elusive "my skin but better" that i've seen others post about. love!!

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: sunny amber, verbena

 

Wet: mingled citrus, grass, ginger

 

Dry: Fresh and green, like wet grasses after a soft rain shower. Lemony sage comes out in the backdrop. This is very clean and cheerful. The grasses soften and the ginger mellows.

 

Verdict: This works well for me. Very understated, no sharpness. I get the impression of golden greens and yellows, glistening with dew from rain. After a couple of hours it becomes creamy. I'm sure I will treasure my imp and wear it on days when I need an uplift!

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Very strong lemon verbena, with grass and crisp ginger. This smells very clean.

 

WET: Still very lemony; that bit seems to dominate anything else that might be going on.

 

DRY: Ooh, this is lovely. Warm amber, sweet ginger, just a hint of lemon, rain, and a little fresh grass. It smells warm and golden, but muted, like sunshine, almost milky, with some green to it. I didn't expect to like this one so much!

[diamondstars]

This smells very antiseptic to me, which is a shame 'cause I like the name! I don't think ginger likes me either.

[inurbanus]

I'm glad to see that Mag Mell is becoming more well-known, at least on the forum. It is truly a one of a kind scent, and one of my favorites. I'm not really a fan of citrus, but Mag Mell doesn't smell citrusy at all to me -- it's got a deep, sweet herbal smell.

 

I saw someone describe Mag Mell as "golden green", and I think that's a very apt description. It's one of the warmest BPAL oils I've tried -- it's almost humid, and when combined with the rain note, it produces an effect similar to standing outside after a storm has passed. The grass, sage, and ginger aren't immediately detectable, but all enhance the rain note, giving it depth. The amber isn't the sexy va-va-voom amber that I think of when it comes to BPAL. It's in the background, adding a little bit of warmth. Truly, wearing this is like being touched by the rays of the sun. It immediately conjures up summer for me.

 

5/5

[moon_lemming]

Hmm amber. MOAR AMBER. Will the other notes help it out and keep it from being tossed aside? Will it be Instant Migraine Elixir or just Meh Fluid? STAY TUNED.

 

Okay, in the imp Mag Mell smells very pleasant, like shampoo but with a gingery bite.

 

On my skin, the... verbena, I guess comes out and it reminds me a little of Holiday Moon. The overall effect is pleasant and bright, if a bit sharp.

 

Then something really disturbing takes over (two minutes in) and it starts to give me that inside-of-the-nose-burning smell. Ugh. Probably the amber, maybe the "rain." Whatever it is, I'm not making it past this stage.

[charshark]

In the imp: Like someone threw a cut lemon on the wet grass.

 

Wet: Crisp lemon rubbed in a little bit of white ginger and verbena while it's raining on grass.

 

Dry: The lemon fades and now it's mostly white ginger with a bit of amber out in the rain. A bit aquatic to me.

 

Overall: Not normally a fan of lemon, but I'm a huge fan of verbena and white ginger so it balances out nicely. Also, rain + grass = good.

[ealasaid86]

When I first put Mag Mell on I wasn't sure, all I could smell was verbena and I already have quite a few oils with verbena in them. But I didn't put the imp in the discard pile immediately and instead chose to wait for a while. Boy am I glad I did!

 

As I waited the "yellow" sharpness of verbena faded, it was still there but hint of a more "green" sharpness began to come out, the sage I guess. Now that its dry I get a quick whiff of verbena which is quickly followed by and hidden under, what I'm guessing is, the warmth of amber.

 

It smells sort of warm-fruity-floral to me. Not a summer day but a summer evening, when you're settling down at the remains of a picnic and waiting for the fireflies to come out. Even though its sorta cool you soak in the warmth of the day from the grass. (I'm getting more poetic the more I try BPAL)

[Emera]

IN THE IMP: Clean, bold citrus – none listed, I know, but I'm definitely getting something grapefruity – a bit of soap, and clean, sweet florals. Bright, unisex.

 

ON SKIN: Creamy white ginger tempers the citrus. Strong throw. I have to agree here with about 600 other reviews, and say that this is an unabashedly golden scent. Eos was yellow for me, but this is a truly warm, glowing gold. I don't get any herbal, aquatic, or green notes from it, and while I imagine the amber is grounding it, it's not individually discernable. Any soapiness that I encountered in the imp has poofed.

 

LATER: This lasted for all of 45 minutes on me, all of the bright top notes burning off to a low, sweet floral that's barely detectable. It's like getting an altogether too brief jolt of sunshine injected directly into your system. Come back, Mag Mell!!

 

 

SUMMARY: Warm, golden, citrus + white ginger, refreshing and cheerful. Very strong throw and very short wearlength.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: A very clean smelling scent with hints of ginger and lemon.

 

Immediately on skin: This is very sharp smelling… and very clean. It smells like Irish Spring soap almost to me, that clean “water” smell I guess. Within that are hints of very green grass and a little of the verbena.

 

After a little while: The sharp Irish Spring type of feel has certainly faded from this. What I’m getting now is a very interesting mix of clean, cool notes and the warm amber. It’s crisp, but has an underlying warmth to it, and the grass and sage add this nice green complex element.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is crisp, clean, and lovely. It’s complex and unique with a bit of the warm amber blending with the rain in just the right way so that they blend instead of clash. The sage in this is light, but adds a nice depth to the blend. I’d say this is on the unisex side, though it did get sweeter and less sharp the longer I wore it.