Severin

[dorothy humbird]

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

Oh goodness, Severin may be the BPAL that drives me to get a scent locket. There's one on Etsy at the moment that I'm eyeing hesitantly (lots of spending lately, o!)...

Anyway, I mention the above because although I frickin' love how Severin smells on me (and I'm sure if I smelled a guy wearing this my knees would buckle beneath me, and I would have a number of dirty thoughts dancing through my head instantly), it disappears so quickly from my skin that I am left woebegone and despondent.

While it's on, at first there is a huge BURST of lemony bergamot from the Earl Grey. Below that, though, I can smell the slightly bitter darkness of the black tea (oh black tea, how I love thee!) with a smoother, steadier note below it - the leather. This is a clean, refreshing, yet slightly mysterious scent that has a perfect level of urbanity.

I'm gonna need that scent locket.

[HatterRenoAxel]

A freebie in my last order

 

Bottle: all tea

 

Wet: Still all tea but there something else there

 

Dry: I can smell both now, I rather like this because my skin amps up both leather and tea.

[theGreatMissJJ]

Wow, I got Severin a while ago and I could have sworn I reviewed him, but I guess not. I got him as a frimp in conjunction with Wanda (was that intentional, Beth? ).

 

In the imp: Light...crisp...refreshing...and not at all what I expected. I smell the bergamot in the Earl Grey straight off. I'm waiting for that sweet, animalistic, musky, buttery leather note from De Sade to make its appearance but it hasn't yet.

 

Wet on skin: The "crispness" of the tea mellows out somewhat, but this scent is predominantly a very light citrus. I still can't get any of that leather.

 

Dry on skin: Severin is surprisingly wussy. Well, perhaps it shouldn't be so shocking considers he's named after a male submissive. Every once in a while I catch a whiff of that buttery raw goodness that is leather, but otherwise, he's all tea. I'm getting images of an effeminate man fanning himself with a citrus scented calfskin glove alternating with the image of a late summer afternoon wearing a sundress and drinking iced tea.

 

Throw and wearlength: Medium throw, average wearlength.

 

Not something I could ever imagine a man wearing. Even though I am absolutely a dominant female, this isn't quite something I would find appealing, either to wear or on someone else.

[Pincushions]

All I can smell is licorice out of the imp, for some reason... Or anise? This makes me weep, because I HATE black licorice...

 

Wet it retains the mysterious licorice smell and I get the teas as well. (The licorice might be the earl grey (bergamot)? I never was fond of earl grey myself.) After a few minutes the licorice calms down a bit and reveals the leather. Not getting much of the teas anymore, its mostly the weird leather/licorice/lemon rind... thing. Since licorice makes me want to barf, I don't know if I can handle this smell much longer. If black tea is in there, it's very timid. Completely dry, it even turns kind of powdery. Even though it's much calmer and not so painfully licorice, it's still not a smell I enjoy. And I was looking forward to it, too, because I love tea so much. *sigh*

 

I wish it worked on me... Poo.

 

edit; after a few hours, the black tea starts coming out more and more. But, the wait is too long to warrant regular wear. Again, *sigh*...

Edited February 8, 2008 by Pincushions

[CrazyPretzel]

At first there's a burst of bergamot, quickly followed by smooth warm leather. Kind of a strange combo.

 

I enjoy the Earl Grey in this but it's a very light scent. Theodosius was similar - couldn't quite get a strong enough whiff! Looks like I'll have to stick with Dorian for my sexy man-tea scent.

 

(oh dear...)

[hkhm]

imp: this smells like... limes? it must be the bergamot from the earl grey but still... limes?

 

wet: still limes. not even getting a hint of leather.

 

dry: okay... the limes are getting sweeter, almost honeyed. there is a touch of leather but's it's in the background. interesting.

[lainevierge]

Severin went from anise to lemon and back to anise again with a brief whiff of flowers before it disappeared completely.

 

I don't think I'll be hanging on to my imp.

[donnatron]

Imp: Pure, high grade bergamot oil.

 

Wet: A strong, caffeinated rush of Earl Grey tea. I'm drinking coffee right now and feel a little like I really missed the boat on the optimal way to test this scent.

 

Dry: Light, but very intriguing. I get a soft leather--reminiscent of saddle leather and chaps--with a heady breath of bergamot over top of it. It's a really modern, no-bullshit sort of scent. I can see wearing this to client meetings or somewhere when I want to give a subtle, but firm sense that you do not mess with me (ironically, considering the inspiration).

 

Throw: Light, but longlasting.

 

Overall: I am surprised how much I wound up liking this. Big bottle ahoy? Probably not, but I'll be happy to amass a few more imps in my BPAL travels.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet, citrusy, and yes...leather! Bizarre!

 

Wet: The tea is more apparent, sort of warm and planty. The citrus sharp and bright and definitely bergamot. The leather is an almost impossible scent to describe - it's almost artificial, or plasticky, but not quite. There's a rainy ozone note too.

 

Dry: Ugh, this is going oddly minty, in sort of sickly-sweet way. And I don't like that plasticky leather note. Off to sink.

 

Summary: Reminds me of Usher, but if Usher were toxic, evil, and sickly.

[noirisnoir]

I put a drop of this on the label, and it smells like anise and cleaning products.

 

On me, it smells sharp and high-strung and like fake, plastic leather mixed with a bit of public bathroom.

 

I really hope I start having better luck with the imps I bought.

[savage_rose]

Tea, that fake lemon flavoring in Diet Coke, and a spicy earthiness. I really like it except for the fake lemon .

[tereshkova2001]

The tea smells similar to Dorian, unsurprisingly. I don't get a strong leather scent, but it's definitely there. There was a little bit of floral, presumably the bergamot, at first but it has since vanished. This is a clean-sexy masculine scent.

[Lamia]

Got this as an imp - it's all lemon and licorice, and it's awful, to my shattering dismay. Trade bag!

[Kabooki]

Wet It smells like black ice tea with lemon.

 

As it dries it turns more and more into Earl Grey ice tea, it’s a very light scent but one that I enjoy, my only complaint is that it isn’t as “teaish” as I would have hoped it would have been based on what others have told me. The leather is deep in the back of this and just reminds me of drinking iced tea on a hot day and reading a book in the sun.

 

As time goes on it keeps with the earl grey scent but sadly it fades rather fast on me. For now I think I will stick to White Rabbit for me tea needs….

[medvssa]

This one is very faint on my skin, while wet. Like a soft, damp, citrusy cologne I do not care much for.

 

However, Severin is hiding something if you are patient, he will show you his true colours. It warms up and the leather comes out. It becomes quite sultry, and refined. I quite like it, and I might even use it now and then. But I much prefer it on my BF, and it now lives in his imp box.

Edited July 29, 2008 by Medvssa

[diamondstars]

This was on my imp wishlist and arrived this morning as a frimp..thank you Labbies!

 

Well, I like it but it's not what I expected. As much as I tried to sense the tea, it just wasn't there. All I could smell was strong aniseed with a lemony undertone.

 

It's interesting but only time will tell as to whether or not it's wearable. If not, it'll be good as a room scent at least.

[iiinterstate]

Interesting.

 

When wet, this smells exactly like black licorice on my skin, and I have no idea why.

It also seems like there is grapefruit in here.

I don't get any leather at all, maybe a little of the tea but that could just be me trying to find it.

 

Not for me, but an intriguing blend for sure. Its masculine to me, and although I consider myself someone who can wear the more masculine scents, I don't think I could pull this one off.

[Lunaheretic]

This is my first review! The lab included Severin in my first order as a freebie, thank you so much! I was thrilled to try it out since I just read and enjoyed Venus in Furs. Now without looking at the ingredients, I spilled too much on my skin and Anise struck me in the nose, but that impression faded quickly, and I got a Bergemot vibe.

 

Usually I can't wear light, crisp scents, and I've certainly never really liked a citrus on me before! I absolutely hate fruity perfumes, so I'm trilled that there is a scent that isn't too overpoweringly fruity at all and so I can vary up my repetoire from the heavy, dark, sexy scents I love.

 

I don't get the leather but my nose is really untrained. I have a 5ml of Casanova that I tried on myself briefly but it smelled a tad too manly on me, I didn't get the leather on that either, and I do love the smell of leather--perhaps I just don't know what note to pick out. I'm not sure I sense the teas but I get the pale herby quality of bergamot. I'd definitely wear it again and it's for sure going on my wanted bottles list! It's a really nice summer/spring/day scent.

[Lumina]

Received as part of a lucky dip imp pack from ebay. I've been wanting to try this one, so was pleased to get it.

 

In imp: Eau de nil. Nothing. Absolute zero. Umm...

 

On skin: Actually I tried it in my locket first, because having read previous reviews I knew of this blend's reputation for doing the vanishing act. And yay, in the locket I can smell something! But, um, that something appears to be sweet fennel (a definite anise smell).

And nothing else, until around 12 hours later - and yes, it has lasted this long and we're still going strong! - when I can detect a lemony citrus mingled in there. (Bergamot, but in a very convincing lemony disguise ) How anyone gets a leather note from this is quite beyond me. I don't even get tea, unless it's fennel tea.

 

I did a skin test for comparative purposes, with quite different results. The bergamot turned up first and was clearly not a lemon but gave a lovely true Earl Grey smell. After about a minute the fennel made itself known and tried to take over the show, but ended up in a nice balance with the bergamot instead.

If I squint sideways, I can now understand where people get this leather idea, because there is a suggestion of it in the way the notes interact. For me though, they are too clearly differentiated to give that impression.

Unfortunately, my skin is the kiss of death for quite a few of the Bpal blends, and so it is for Severin. Five minutes in and it's gone.

Wear length/throw: On skin, zero points for endurance and maybe 1.8 for throw - my wrist had to be up close to my nose. In the locket, a completely different and much happier story: it gives enough throw to reach my nose, and lasts over 12 hours without losing too much intensity.

 

Summary: Well, it's all fennel to me, since I'll only ever be able to wear this blend in a locket. But... I like fennel It's not a love, but it's a nice unusual scent that I'd happily wear. And did I mention the wear length in the locket? I'm going to nitpick, though: this isn't a scent I'd associate with a male sub, and for me it didn't match the lab's description. So, um not quite the Sev of my dreams...

 

Buy a bottle? I'm not parting with the imp, and when it runs out I might get another, but it doesn't scream "Bottle! Now!" at me.

[GeorgeJr]

I love this scent . It continues my affair with BPALs tea note scents . When I first put it on , it's like a very strong lemon tea . Really black tea . As it dries , the lemon goes away & the tea really comes to the front . It's a very light , sweet scent . Not much throw , sadly . And not the longest lasting on me , maybe 4 hours tops . But I do love the way it smells on me . It's a very calming scent for me , makes me feel good about myself for some reason .

[NixieCakes]

The hubby and I both agree....play-doh and licorice.

[jehrichardson]

In the Imp: Faint faint leather. Aromatic and light. Very pleasant.

 

On the Skin: Citrus and leather... faint

 

After a While: So faint.. but lovely. Citrus and leather with some of the crispness of tea. The part of tea that smells like rose? It's ever so barely in there. I'm not really getting bergamot and that's a-ok with me as I can't claim to be a fan.

 

Verdict: I love it. Want more. Mmm.

[rayvn1]

I've fallen into that group that adores Severin! The throw is so minimal that he's going to be an around the house perfume or something I wear to school where all my fellow voice majors get offended by strong scents.

 

This really smells exactly like a perfect cup of Earl gray with a little milk and sugar. If I could bottle the feeling of being curled up with a good book on a rainy day with a mug full of perfectly brewed tea at my elbow, this would be it! Thank god Beth and the lab made this guy - I may be buying a bottle since I anticipate making this one of my primary scents.

[mochi227]

an imp in my first order from the lab. was attracted by the description and the notes (love tea, love leather).

 

in the imp: sweet earl grey tea

 

wet: bergamot! lots and lots of bergamot and then very soon after, sweetness, roundness, and the leather

 

drying: more leather and the citrus-y nature of the bergamot dies down and now it's just tea & leather

 

dried: a faint faint whiff of tea. no longer sweet or citrusy, what little scent reamins is dry

 

verdict: underwhelming. love the concept and the notes in theory, but on me this is gone in a flash and doesn't really do anything interesting. throw is minimal and lasting power is fleeting.

[cecelle]

This is going on my favorites list. It's a tempered bergamot - mainly like a good Earl Grey tea, but with just a hint of the leather. Lovely combination. Bergamot is one of my favorite scents, so this is just right for me. It's a comfort smell. It doesn't change a lot on me (it also doesn't last all that long, but it's beautiful while it does!)

 

Not a lot of throw, very subtle, so this is something I could wear to work.