Severin

[devilot]

... Dry black teas, Earl Grey, and leather.

Severin
In the Bottle: Smells rich, almost thick and viscous.

Wet: Whoa citrusy. Guessing that's the bright bergamot others mentioned.

Drydown: Mellowing down into the black tea. Still slight citrus tones.

Verdict: It's nice, but I don't see myself wearing it ever. Where was the leather?! I never got any leather. I purchased a bottle during the Convergence event in July '09 since it was just discontinued. I got the 2nd to last bottle, but I'm thinking I might have to let this go. It just doesn't impress me enough and there's no leather! (Yup, swapped away to a more loving home, I hope!)

[fiddledragon]

I ordered an imp of this from the Lab, evidently under the impression that it hasn't been discontinued months ago. They sent me an imp. I am somewhat confused. Anyway, on to the review...

 

In imp: lemon-lime? Where are my teas an leather?

 

On me: Lemonlemonlemon...I'm 2 for 2 on Unexpected Lemon this batch. I mean, it's a *nice* lemon, but...why? On the drydown, there's a last hint of tea before it disappears.

[ravenscanary]

Source: Traded imp. Very clear oil, colorless.

 

In the imp: Citrusy! Must be the Earl Grey bergamot.

 

Wet: Orange/lemon citrus and leather. Very faint scent. I'm not getting any tea.

 

Dry: A bit of tea comes out, but frankly I'm almost wondering if that's because I *had* some Earl Grey to drink a bit ago and I'm half-imagining it. This is a very, very, very soft scent, and won't stick to me for anything, even after reapplication. The leather note is nice, but I can barely get it. Overall, this is a real disappointment to me - tea and leather are some of my favorite notes, but even slathering this stuff gets me no real effect beyond a moderately pleasant, barely discernible citrus, alas.

[Lorelai1945]

I got a sniffie of this to test, and I was really surprised at how little this smelled like my expectations. I get a lot of lemon- almost a sugary lemon- but there is a lot of lemon that I wasn't expecting. There is definitely tea in there helping to tame it, but I don't really feel any leather. I wondered if this is maybe because I had such a small amount to test? I was thinking this would have almost a masculine, library (minus books) smell, and it turned out to be a lot sweeter. I'm glad I got to try it, but I don't think I'm missing anything.

[Saya]

Citrus, black tea and a touch of leather. Starts of strong but then tapers off. Not too bad once it's had a chance to settle.

[MotherKat]

This is a lovely, cool scent. I guess it's tea, but to me it smells like...anise? But a very very mild anise. It's not changing much from bottle to drydown.

[Aldercy]

I snagged this baby on a frantic whim, THEN came and started reading reviews. I was instantly heartbroken by the almost constant lemon references-- because my skin loves to convert lemon into "lemon Pine Sol" and then proceed to amp it to high heaven. I prepared myself for needing to send Severin away as soon as he had arrived.

 

But. I think I'm pleasantly surprised. It is heavily citrusy-- it's by far the most dominant note-- but it's not the bad kind of lemon, I don't think. I'll have to see how it wears over the next few hours, but so far it's looking like this is in the same citrus family as Cheshire Cat (one of the few citrus blends that works for me, and its a favorite). It's a realistic, very juicy lemon pleasantly anchored by a dusty, muskier base. The tea note is--very specifically-- a light brown, slightly sweet iced tea. I've never quite come across that particular sort of tea in BPAL before. I do not get heaps of leathery leather, but I can identify its influence. As a whole, the scent is a strange dichotomy of bright, sweet freshness and crumbly, aged darkness down at the bottom. It has very few notes, but a sharp complexity about it.

 

I actually am really liking this.

[Verios]

I snagged a bottle of this off ebay, after reading the scent description--I LOVE earl grey tea, and the lab's leather notes, as a rule, I love.

 

Having just applied some of the oil to the back of my hand a short while ago, I'm surprised, right out the door--I don't get earl grey tea, really--I get a licorice/anise smell, tempered by a sweet lemony undertone, with just a hint of the leather and black tea to round out the scent. So, while it's nothing like what I initially anticipated (and if it morphs/changes as I wear it longer, I'll add to this), I'm finding that I really do like it, anyway.

[good_mourning]

I'm terribly envious of pretty much every review in this thread, as both in the imp and on my skin, this is pretty much just rotten wet leaves.

[GeorgeJr]

I really love the way Severin smells ... in the bottle . But man , my skin eats this like a starving hippy at a pizza parlor every time I try to wear it . It's a shame too , cause it just smells so good in bottle . The kind of tea scent I've always wanted from the lab with just a little leather hiding in there . I'm sad it's discontinued , but at least I have a couple of bottles to hang onto & keep trying . Maybe if I ever find a scent pendant I like enough it'll work out for me .

[thebirdofhermes]

In the Vial: Dry tea leaves, sharp and astringent, like sniffing from a tin of tea. Slight hint of what might be leather?

 

Wet: ...Play-doh. Yep. Straight up Play-doh. Ick.

 

Dry: Wafts straight earl grey tea, like I just brewed a cup. Very subtle, though. Very close sniffing right near my arm reveals a hint of play-doh, which I suspect is actually the leather note. This one I much prefer in the throw, as I am very much enjoying the refreshing tea-scent. There's not a lot I can say about this one, really, other than that it's subtle and nice and cozy feeling for lounging about the house. Not something I'd wear out, as I like my scent to be stronger if I have to leave the house, but very cozy for staying home. Might be a good sleep scent...

[calivianya]

Severin does smell beautifully of Earl Grey tea on my skin. Earl Grey itself has a "dusty" smell to it sometimes - this is missing that note, but otherwise perfect. I never get any leather. Severin disappears extremely quickly on my skin, but I am still happy to have it as I love it. I will have to try it in my clocket to extend its life.

[bpalscentsual]

1/21/2012: Severin (Ars Amatoria: DISCONTINUED)

 

Previous scents: Dove shampoo and deodorant.

 

In the bottle: Tea. Tea with lemon. I’m very excited about this, as I won this in an auction off of eBay, and I can’t wait to slather this on my person.

 

Testing method: Knocked the bottle straight against both wrists.

 

Immediately: Ah mah gah this is amazing. This smells like I just brewed a cup of tea, put a very small amount of sugar in it, and stuck a slice of lemon in it, and I’m cozy in a room with soft textures about to tuck into a book. This is actually a lot of lemon smell. Unsurprising, as I’m beginning to suspect that I amp citrus.

 

Fifteen minutes: The 'lemon' must be the bergamot from the Earl Grey, I’m expecting. Ah, and here’s the leather. It’s still a little cold, like it’s a winter morning and I’m just now sitting in my favorite leather chair as I wake up with my tea.

 

One hour: This is only getting better with time. The leather is warming up, and I, too, am getting more and more comfortable with this. I can see how some people might say this is masculine because of the Earl Grey and the leather and sexual because of the leather, but honestly, this is a very comforting scent to me.

 

Several hours: I never want to not smell like this. Over time, the tea is wearing away and all I’m left with is the leather, just as if I finished my cup of tea but don’t want to get up from reading my book.

 

Overall: Sorry for all the poetry, I’m just completely in love with Severin. He’s sensual, but at the same time, that sensuality is comforting and almost non-sexual to me. I’m so glad I was able to nab this, and I’m determined to use the whole thing. I don’t want this to just sit on my shelf looking pretty – it deserves to be used!

 

DISCLAIMER: Due to differences in skin chemistry, inherent olfactory powers, and other scents that an individual might use throughout the day (i.e. scented deodorants, shampoos, room sprays, cooking odors), these oils will smell different on every individual. This review is only intended to illustrate my personal experience wearing it throughout the day.

[ModderRhu]

Perfect lemony tea. Not much leather, but I only dabbed. I love it anyway.

[catalyst]

I've been wanting to try this one for at least six months. Tea and leather? That's pretty much me on any given day. Perfect. So I finally got my hands on an imp, and I like it a lot.

 

But it's gone in about 15 minutes. I put on twice as much just so I could smell something, and it just evaporates instantly. You have to really huff your arm to get anything after 5, and it's gone completely after about 15. So disappointing.

 

The scent itself is pretty nice. Earl Gray tea with cream and sugar (just how I have it) but not at all foodie, and a light leather. Maybe iced tea on a patio with leather flip flops. But again, the problem with it is that you have to dump on a whole imp to get anywhere, or use a scent locket or make it into lotion maybe. Going to try it on this porous stone necklace I made as my answer to a scent locket.

 

One of the rare times when I don't mind that a really good scent is discontinued, because I wouldn't bother getting a bottle of it if it's just going to disappear.

[LizziesLuck]

I recently became obsessed with the scent of Earl Grey. It's not in many blends, so I immediately set out to hunt down whatever I could, containing that note. I was lucky enough to swap for an imp of Severin.

 

 

Wet: Mmm. Very heavy on the Earl Grey, light on the leather, just as I had hoped. The whole scent is very faint on me though. The faint leather I do get reminds me of the black leather note in Whip. I am having a hard time smelling anything though, make me wonder if tea scents don't age the best.

 

Dry: This lasts longer than I anticipated, and grows stronger as it warms longer on my skin. It's mostly slightly floral Earl Gray tea. It's really lovely, but I don't think I will need to track down more (thank goodness!) the decant will do me.

[gloame]

Soft, pretty, tea. I'm learning that I really like tea, but I never would've expected that. Too bad it's discontinued now and I've only got a half-filled imp left.

 

Where I'd wear this: Tea with Narcissa Malfoy

[doomsday_disco]

Severin is mostly about the dry black teas on me at first, backed by the bergamot-y Earl Grey. I wasn't sure the leather was going to show up, but it becomes more noticeable after several hours of wear and is somewhat sharp next to the tea.

 

The leather ended up being too sharp for me in the end, which I wouldn't have expected given how light it was in the beginning. But I'm glad I got to try it (and that I didn't fall in love with it, since it is discontinued!)