Undertow

[Aldercy]

The Dark Side of Water: clean and purifying, yet menacing -- lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. A scent dragged up from the depths to the Stygian shore.

I sometimes get one incontrovertible image in my mind that I just can't shake on first sniff of a scent. For Undertow it is, unexpectedly: amusement park at dusk. Um... why? If I force myself to dissect this impression, I think it's the fault of the juniper berry for smelling very much like the sky blue, huckleberry ice cream we, as kids, always bought right before the park closed. Logically, this oil should not smell like amusement-park-at-dusk, but you can't argue your way out of those childhood scent/taste memories.

Anyway, other than that, Undertow has some lotus, but no mint that I can find. There's some strange airy notes that sweep in and out and a pale whiff of watermelon bubblegum. Not a dark watery scent to me, and not at all what I expected, but it's kind of fun. Going on a picnic today, so it definitely suits the mood. Edited May 24, 2009 by Aldercy

[bubblefish]

This reminds me of a peaceful beach shore. There's a light scent of salty ocean to it, but without being too overwhelming in that respect, and then there's also the scent of some sub-tropical flowers and undergrowth in the background. But underneath it all there's something dark lurking beneath the serene exterior. It's a really lovely and evocative scent for me.

[hkhm]

imp: yup, lotus, mint and juniper.

 

wet: this is so pretty. it has a pine feel from the juniper but the scent is mostly lotus and mint on my skin.

 

dry: this is quite bright on my skin, the mint and lotus stay strong and sweet throgh the drydown and the juniper stays piney-crisp in the background. i may be needing a bottle.

[pseedie]

~~Undertow~~

 

In the Imp: Oh my...not what I was expecting. I don't know what lotus smells like, but this is really sweet and citrusy to me....almost like a urinal cake or one of those things you hang in your toilet bowl over the rim with the plastic hangy thing. Is that what lotus smells like? I always thought it'd be more elegant, I reckon....

 

Wet: eyew. more of the same. (my friend thought it smelled like transmission fluid on her at this time...so far, not too flattering.)

 

Dry: this is still wildly sweet. about an hour into the scent the sweet leaves and ther was a watery juniper fragrance...then poof! Less than 2 hours later, it's gone.

 

Verdict: At the very end I got the dreaded dusty cherry and orange life savers stuck to each other....I don't know what base note that is, but I seem to run into it alot with bpal. I'll be passing on Undertow....and so will my friend's transmission!

[obsidienne]

A beautiful, cooling aquatic blend, without the typical notes found in many BPAL aquatics. I decided to test this out today because we are experiencing a heat wave, and anything that can create an impression of coolness would be nice. Undertow turns out to be quite gentle and faint: softly sweet lotus, spicy juniper and a light cooling mint, all on a very subtle scale. Lotus can be quite overbearingly sweet and even weird-smelling to me, but this is genuinely lovely here, blooming into my skin but not becoming bubblegum and plastic.

 

Undertow stays close and quiet, and has minimal throw and lasting power for me.

[topazphoenix]

Minty, floral, slightly fruity, dark purple, are my impressions. Mint and juniper and lotus. hm. It's an interesting combination.

[sirensea]

Smells exactly like Salt Water Taffy to me. Mmm!

[muteddragon]

Stabby toothpaste. Spicy. Sour apple. Not for me.

[het4377]

In the Bottle: The Juniper is the most present of the notes listed, coming off as a sweetened pine, with the mint lending a well defined cool note to the blend. The lotus is coming off as just a hint.

Wet: more of the berry is brought out when the blend is warmed by my skin, but with a more sour rather than sweet smell. The mint is coming off as just a general cool refreshingness.

Drydown: Wow, the berry fades quickly, leaving only pine-y mint behind. Contrary to the description the scent carries on the website, this really feels like a very dry blend, nothing aquatic about it at all.

Dry: Ok, this is gaining a more aquatic feel (I think it has to do with the mint blending with the other notes more as time goes on). The blend is actually reading to me as a green blend, but not to be confused with foresty green.

Further Changes: This definitely becomes more aquatic the longer you wear it, as well as darker (one might even say sinister). The mint has faded entirely, leaving behind a dark and almost musky juniper berry and lotus blend.

 

Overall: Really nice blend, with a fantastic complexity given it's few notes. love how it morphs over time.

 

[crebbsgirl]

The mint is totally in the driver's seat during the wet stage here. The juniper comes out a little bit and deepens the scent, but it doesn't really start to shine until the drydown. It's a little sharp for me. As it dries, it does become more aquatic. But I'm not getting much in the way of the lotus (which has been known to go bubblegum-y on me). It's nice, but too cold. I prefer my scents a little warmer.

[Seismogenic]

I'm going to see 2012 today, and this is the most "disastrous" scent I have, so it seemed like the entirely obvious one to wear.

 

In the imp: Sweet citrus soda, somewhere between Fresca and Mountain Dew.

 

Wet on skin: Immediately less citrusy, and also less sweet in general. I get a lot of juniper now, and there's a bit of a cooler edge which I'm guessing is mint.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this has already swung back the other way, to be largely candy-sweet lotus with just a bit of an edge from the juniper. There is no more mint to be found. At one hour in, the lotus has calmed down slightly, but it's still the main note going on here. The juniper sits in the background to keep the lotus from going too intensely sweet.

 

Five hours later: Lotus. It's possible there's a tiny bit of juniper holding it back still, but for the most part, it's lotus, and still plenty of it.

 

End of the day: Still with the lotus. Fainter than before, but still far from gone.

 

Overall: Thematically, this was absolutely the right thing to wear while watching 2012, but in practice, it's all lotus on me. I'm coming to realize that I amp lotus like nobody's business. I liked the hints of juniper and mint that I was getting when everything was wet, and I'm pretty bummed that they got shoved aside so intensely by the lotus. I'm also pretty sure I wouldn't immediately associate huge amounts of water sucking you in with a sticky-sweet scent, though I guess there could be connections drawn between the intensity of the lotus smell on me and the intensity of a tugging undertow. I really wanted to like this one on principle, but the crazy lotus amping is keeping me from doing so. I guess this one will be swept off to swaps.

[Roogna]

I was hoping for something a bit darker

 

to me it smells like Sweet Tarts - and this scent was enhanced on my body. Not necessarily bad, but I don't want to smell like sweet tart candy ;p

[bluering]

Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of smelling straight up urinal cake? I was really, really looking forward to this but apparently on my body chemistry...urinal cake (that weird cherry minty smell?)

 

In the bottle...I swooned! Rapture! On me? UGH! UGH! GET IT OFF!

 

Unfortunately some other BPAL scents turn straight to cleaning/chemical on me. Sea foams milk smells like fabric softener (not that it's an entirely bad thing!)

[Hyenajoe]

Ok, I just got little samples of all four of the "Dark Elemental" scents, and I'll review Undertow first.

 

In the bottle, it smelled like.. berries? Maybe the lavender and mint combo made it smell like that to me. Pleasant. It's nice and fresh smelling.

 

A few hours on, I get the smell of a candle that's been just put out? A pleasant waxy scent? I like it. A definite keeper overall.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Mojito?

 

Wet: JUNIPER! At least, it's a fruity smell that I assume is juniper. It smells like juicy red berries and dark green leaves.

 

Dry: MMMmmmm. That same juicy berry smell - but now floating in a dark and VERY sultry aquatic.

 

Many hours later: A slightly minty dark and aquatic scent. Very understated. Hardly there. You might miss it. Just like it's namesake.

[Redillon]

In the bottle: Smells floral & fruity. Sort of nice.

 

15 minutes on my skin: UGH!!! SHARP! Off smelling. Not good, not good!!! Skunky, BO scent on me. Why? WHY???

 

I had to wash it off. Sorry.

[KesHiro]

Frimp in one of my orders.

 

This is very evocative of its name! I keep picturing dark waters whenever I sniff it.

 

In the imp, I get sweet mint and lotus. It's quite nice -- very refreshing and cool. Wet, I get lotus and something green and grassy. This is probably the juniper. Things take a brief but extremely unpleasant turn as the green note shifts into an extremely bitter scent. It threatens to overtake the entire fragrance and I almost washed this off. Fortunately, it fades after ten minutes and once the oil is dry, I'm left with a cool, refreshing floral with a faint sweet grass note.

 

This is quite pretty and unlike anything I've encountered before. It's quite springy and light, and though I'm uncertain of its true status as an aquatic, it smells clean and reminds me of water. It seems like an excellent dupe for a high end mainstream fragrance, though I could not tell you which one. It simply has that . . . feel . . . and I suspect this would make for a great enabling oil for those whose friends' noses lean more toward the traditional perfume bottle.

 

I'm on the fence about an upgrade; I like it but prefer citrus scents when it comes to the fresh and clean category. Highly recommended if you favor scents on the lighter, aquatic side but also want to enjoy florals.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Kejiaron

[lunchboxmonkey]

Unfortunately, I get no aquatics at all from this one. On me its all mint and pine. Its refreshing, but dark at the same time. I'm getting a little of the lotus in the background, but all in all, its a pretty sharp scent on me. Not being a huge fan of mint, I'll be rehoming this one.

[mari4212]

In the imp and on wet: Greeny, damp. I can smell the juniper strongly, with the mint adding a slight zing.

 

Initial drydown: The mint is coming to the forefront. When I hold my arms away from my face, I get a slight waft of mint and something sweet, the lotus, maybe? I don't think I've smelled lotus before, not enough to be able to pick it out.

 

This fades very fast, down to a light hint of mint and juniper that I can only find by huffing my wrists. I'm getting more from the hint of Rose Cross lingering on my clothing. And while it's a nice enough scent, I don't see me wearing it anywhere. Swaps box time.

[aquazoo]

Vicks Vapo-Rub to start. Fresh and medicinal.

[angelicruin]

Very minty! I have to agree this is definitely fresh and medicinal. After sniffing it, I swear can taste it on the back of my throat.

[sarielswish]

In the vial, the bubblegum lotus is the first thing that pops out at me, with just a hint of mint behind. Nothing of the juniper yet, but that may come when I put it on. Color, sea foam green.

 

Wet on my skin, there's much more mint. It's a pretty even balance of the lotus and mint. Still no juniper, but that could be in the drydown.

 

10-15 minute drydown - THERE's the juniper... I'm starting to get a slightly herbal/resinous note under the sweetness - juniper berry! At least, what I associate as juniper berry - the distinct 'piney' note in gin. Not something I'd wear on a regular basis, but not unpleasant.

[tajana]

In the imp: Lotus!

 

Wet: Menthol, menthol, menthol. Really sweet mint, with the lotus adding a bubblegum veneer. Juniper awkwardly elbows its way in. This doesn't remind me of water so much as it reminds me of medicine.

 

Dry: Dries down to a sweet powdery menthol scent. Greenish. Kind of like a cross between artificially flavored chewing gum and this gross "cooling" tylenol syrup.

 

Overall: This just fell flat on me, to put it mildly. Not much to say about it. I had to wash it off before long.

[Aevie]

The first time I opened the imp and sniffed Undertow, I recoiled. Wow, such a strong mint, and somehow salty! But I sniffed it again, and quickly came to love it.

 

Today I put it on, and when wet it smelled even more strongly of mint. This was fine, I like mint.

 

What wasn't fine was how it smelled the rest of the day when dry. A very sickeningly sweet...coconut?! How did that happen? This made me very, very sad. My skin chemistry seems to turn everything into candy.

 

And then I got my scent locket in the mail today. And all was well again. I can now enjoy that minty, salty ocean smell without the coconut.

[Caerphilly]

Mint, mint, mint in the imp. And initially on my skin. But then it turns to BO and I have to wash this off!! I don't think my skin like lotus because every scent I've tried with lotus turns to BO. And I really liked the mint in this!!