Croquet

[Tiada]

We have some trouble managing our flamingos, too. Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk.

Well, I've found my first BPAL that does NOT work with my skin.

I adored it in the imp, loved it wet on my skin (citrusy and sweet with a bit of depth that makes it intriguing and gets your attention).

Then it dried and it turned into a horror show. I had gone to the mall, and kept catching whiffs of this cloying, thick scent with an undertone of baby powder. Considering the store I was in, I thought it was one of those horrible scents you often catch whiffs of at the mall and shrugged it off. Then it followed me into a few other stores, and in dismay I sniffed my wrist and realised it was ME!! It had turned into overripe (almost rotting) nectarine, the citrus just provided a sting in the rotting sweet smell. And then there was the baby powder. Ugh. I was so disappointed. But it was also making me feel ill and was ruining my shopping trip, so I went home and immediately scrubbed it off as best I could. This stuff has staying power. Two scrubs later with exfoliating wash and I'm still getting a bit of it.

I'm sure this scent would be absolutely gorgeous on someone else, it's just not for me.

[Delvian Gardener]

yet another perfume oil that my body just absorbs. the smell is light and pleasant but on it just gets lost on me. Going to try it today im my scent locket. Im wondering if this will age into something stronger?

[Gin]

Croquet never smells like I expect it to smell. I expect lime, and I get lime, but also flowers, which now make sense, looking at the notes (and thinking about the context). To me, Croquet means flamingos! and I don't really think about the actual croquet game. So. Lime and flowers (not roses per se) and grapefruit and bergamot. I've never noticed patchouli, which is strange. Croquet is bright and spring/summery, with a good balance of fruit/floral. I've used up and entire imp and am on to a second, so it might be time to grab a bottle.

[Maxinux]

Whoa! I expected to like this...but I like it way better than I expected to.

 

When I put this on, it instantly made me grin, something that's never happened with another BPAL. (And really great right now, after getting some discouraging family news.) Smells like...lemon candies, but a lot more mature and complicated. It smells bubbly and enthusiastic. Optimism pours from this smell. LOVE that!!

 

There's some sweet floral in there, as well, and as it starts to mellow the initial blast of sticky playful citrus (which I like a lot, but maybe don't LOVE in the same yummy way I've loved other BPAL citrus scents) mellows right down, and now I have something musk-patchouli-white flower, with a slight tang of citrus. Delicious, and sophisticated. But I'm afraid my skin is eating it.

 

Unexpectedly beloved! Nice!

[tkannon]

In the bottle: Bright, fruity, floral, truely lovely (though it would get tiresome on the nose if everything stayed SO bright)

 

Wet: Grapefruit and lime! Throwing itself across the room! Nice undertone of something slightly musky but so bright.

 

Dry: Almost the same as in the bottle but already morphing into something else.

 

1/2 hour later: musk. soapy musk. with sourness.

 

I thought this was going to go so well until it decided that it did NOT like me.

[ami226]

On the skin: Tart grapefruit/lime annnnnnd rose? Hmmmm, this smells better on me than it does in the vial!

 

After a bit, the tartness backs off and now it smells like a lovely, sweet rose! It is a bit more than just rose there. I think there might be a bit of the musk as well since it isn't just rose. It is so sweet and pleasant! Not quite for me, but very pretty.

[Gateau]

In the imp: melon shampoo. A little worrisome.

 

Wet: there's a light wood note, something fruity, all with a musky undernote that adds depth but keeps it all sprightly.

 

Dry: a fruity floral with bracing slightly bitter notes from the grapefruit and lime, but sweetened with the nectarine and rose. It's a very clean, shampoo-like fresh scent, but in the best way. I like how the sage, bergamot and musk ground the rose, nectarine, and citrus and keep them clear and light without drowning them out.

 

I'm enjoying wearing this on a warm summer Sunday where I want to feel clean and fresh. Definitely want a bottle for slathering.

[Honey]

Didn't get a chance to completely test it for the review, but since I have used it before, I will have to work from memory.

 

 

Bottle: Very sweet and fruity - but with a weird twist. I guess that's the sage (herbal) and the wooden patchouli. I love sage, especially with lemon peel, but the fruitiness.. erk.

 

Skin: Sweet fruitiness (like pink anything, sweet plum, strawberry or cherry) just does not work for me. Patchouli makes it sweet and twisted. This is just.. so not me. The sage feels very odd in there. I mean.. if I had peach or cherry muffins and I had spiced it up with sage.. I guess that's what it would smell and taste like. Reminds me of those breath mint that have peppermint and wild cherry in them. If that cherry/mint mix is your thing, then Croquet will totally work for you!

 

On its own, it does smell kinda nice. That is.. until it turns into a freak show on my skin. Yeah, just not into the grapefruit/lime/sage thing..

Edited July 10, 2011 by Honey

[Circaea]

The grapefruit and lime were really subdued in this oil, which I got secondhand, and so can't attest to its original state. It immediately went "rich, refined gentleman's cologne" on me and stayed there. Not a bad cologne; didn't give me headache at all. Even pleasant, with its bergamot and subtle citrus. But I wanted BIG HAPPY citrus, like some of the other reviewers got. It might be that this is one oil that needs to be worn fresh from the Lab. Has anyone got theirs out after a few months and noticed a difference?

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the Imp - Sharp, clean, dishsoapy (not necessarily a bad thing) scent with florals

 

On me, wet - Sharp floral with some citrus, still dishsoapy.

 

On me, drydown - Much of the floral is gone, now more citrus, especially lime. Reminds me of men's cologne.

 

On me, after a few hours - soft, mild patchouli & musk.

 

I don't identify rose at any stage, just misc. florals.

 

My rating: 4 out of 5

Edited July 28, 2011 by Ghost of a Rose

[Sangria2]

I have had my imp since 2008, I believe, and I can't remember really liking it when I first got it. Grapefruit and I are only friends when it comes to eating them.

 

Wet: I get absolutely no citrus whatsoever. I can smell fruit - what I guessed at the time was blackberry - and rose against a woodsy background. It's very light at this point.

 

Dry: The throw actually got a bit better after it had dried. It is a sweet rose, sort of creamy and a tad musky. I'm also getting spice from it, although to my nose it doesn't smell like sage. I can definitely identify this as a pink scent.

 

Unfortunately after two hours it is all but gone unless I deliberately sniff my wrists, which is a shame because it's really quite lovely.

[jkfagtongpun]

Not what I expected. I have to admit it... I'm afraid of patchouli. I had a bad experience with it in high school and I've hated it ever since. SO, when the lab frimped this one I was hesitant. It's been sitting in my 'not yet tried' box for weeks. I opened the imp and was surprised that the patchouli didn't come right out and strangle me. 'Okaaay' I thought... so I put it on. Hey, not bad, not a whiff of patchouli, or the patchouli smell that I usually recognise.

 

Wet it was sweet but not grossly so, slightly fruity but I wouldn't have guessed grapefruit if I'd not read the ingredients. Maybe it's just the nectarine I'm smellling?

 

After a few hours, it's still that nice, soft sweet. Kind of creamy, a hint of fruity juciness and something woodsy, possible a very light touch of rose. It's quite a warm, soft scent, maybe the musk is giving me the warm feeling.

 

Not a lot of throw, I have to put my nose to my wrist to get a good whiff but I like it. Not in a big bottle way, but I'll definitely use the imp.

[rhubarb3point14]

Wet, this scent has a gorgeous punch of grapefruit and lime. I actually said "Ooh!" out loud. It was LOVE...

 

...for about five minutes. And then things started to go rather badly.

 

As the oil dried down and my body chemistry started working its dubious magic on it, first I stank like bubblegum and cotton candy for a few hours, and then the scent settled into an inoffensive sweet powdery floral. I asked my husband to smell it, and after a few deep whiffs, he said it reminded him of the face powder his late mother used to use.

 

Neither of us found the end result unpleasant, per se, but because I don't want to smell like my hubby's dead mom, off this goes to the swap pile. It needs to find someone whose body chemistry won't clash with it.

Edited October 23, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[Autumnsky]

Hmm.

 

In the bottle, this is all tangy fruit and a wisp of green-herbal-grassiness. So far so good!

On my skin, the grapefruit pops forward a little, but it's so well blended that it's hard to pull single notes out...I end up with kind of a fruity-musky-floral, but it's more sophisticated than anything Victoria's Secret ever dreamed up.

 

Sadly, my skin eats the fruit all too soon, and what I'm left with is a patchouli-musk, with a grapefruit-peel bittnerness underneath.

 

I'm reserving final judgement on this until I've tried it at a different time of the month....but I'm not hopeful.

[KatharinaNordh]

This was a frimp - I wouldn't have even considered it.

 

I am pleasantly surprised that this does NOT smell like soap or something used to clean kitchens or bathrooms, it's soft and round and not offensive in any way - it's Cute. "Cute" is totally the word for it, at least on me.

 

But it clings to my skin and I can't smell it at all unless I stick my nose so close it Actually touches my arm.

 

It's cute, it is very spring and I admittedly sort of like it - but that is all.

[JunkieCosmonaut]

On application this smelled like dryer sheets. Then it turned into a wonderful fruity scent that unfortunately vanished after five minutes. A scent locket this one goes to.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: It smells fruity, but not in an overly sweet way.

 

Drydown: I smell fizzy citrus and frothy nectarine with a touch of soft sage and the barest hint of musk.

 

Dry: It's light and surprisingly complex. It fades into a citrus-tinged skin musk. Soft and bright.

 

 

 

This would be a really nice scent for summertime. It has the uplifting aspects of citrus without being too sweet or tart. The musk and patchouli add a soft sophistication to this light blend.

 

6 out of 10 bones

Edited July 11, 2013 by BoneBone24

[primadonna]

I have been a big fan of the Mad Tea Party series so far, but haven't had the balls to go out on a limb and purchase this one because of its' peculiar blend. However, I'm glad this one was frimped to me :]

 

Out of the imp: Very fruity, yet very fresh at the same time. It kind of reminds me of a fruity bubblegum, but soooo much better. The pink grapefruit kind of jumps out of the bottle at you, but there's a creaminess about it I can't quite describe.

 

Dry on skin: The grapefruit has toned down, but I think it smells sooo much better than before. It's bright and fun, like swinging in the park on a sunny day. It's wispy and light. What I love about it is that it's a sweet scent, but it's not too young. The sage and patchouli add a nice spice underneath to balance it out.

 

Straight to the big bottle list with you!

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: holy heavens that's sweet citrus! it smells very pink, if that makes sense, but still not overly sugary the way Jailbait is (for me anyway). the grapefruit and nectarine are evident, which makes it smell kinda like a cheerful early summer fruit salad, but the sage and a hint of patchouli calm it down and keep it from being too exuberant. I admit that I'm excited about pretty much anything from the Mad Tea Party collection, so I'm biased, but this one has been on my want-to-try list _forever_! I think it smells like it has a good balance of cheerful bright citrus and woody slightly moody other things.

 

On my skin: the patchouli pops right out on my skin, which is a bit unfortunate because I wanted it to stay that sweet citrus. the longer it stays, the more the sage and patchouli and musk come front and center. :cry2:I so desperately wanted this to stay sweet and delicious on me! wahhhh! why does my skin suck so much?! after a few minutes, any hint of early summer is entirely gone and it's just patchouli-sage with the slightest hint of sugar sprinkled on top. grapefruit and bergamot do come out more strongly as it wears (I would've thought it worked the opposite way), but getting through that drydown stage just isn't worth it for me.

 

Last thoughts: patchouli-sage with a hint of sugar, this is _such_ a disappointment on me! I hope it works better for you, or that you like patchouli-sage with musk.

[Mechanical Death]

This smells beautiful in the imp. Bright citrus and spring blossoms. It gets even brighter on the skin. It's almost juicy smelling.

However it turns quickly into lime rose hand soap. some roses work for me and some, well, soap.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received a frimp of this in my most recent purchase. It's something that has always caught my eye at first because of the rare presence of pink grapefruit, one of my all-time favorite BPAL single notes. And pink lime intrigued me. However, my experience has been that when there is peach or nectarine in a blend, no matter how far down in the mix, it jumps up in my face and turns my stomach. So I never ordered this BUT was more than willing -- happy, in fact -- to give it a shot and hopefully be proven wrong.

 

IN THE IMP: Uh oh. Pink and bright but immediately I'm hit with the perfumey department store note of pink stone fruits.

 

I just dabbed a bit on my wrist thinking how bad could it be?

 

WET: Very very bad. ON ME. Not on others, of course. But on me. My tastebuds absolutely ADORE fresh peaches and nectarines. But apparently my nose, skin and stomach do NOT like the scent in an oil. And of course I don't get ANY of the grapefruit, or lime, or rose or sage or patchouli or bergamot or even hedgehog. ALL I get is nectarine.

 

DRYDOWN: I don't get that far. I can't. I've been slightly under the weather and my stomach is more rebellious than usual. Yet even after a wash-off ... even after TWO wash-offs ... this scent still lingers.

 

OVERALL: Sadly, very sadly, this goes with Fae and some of the other peachy-nectariney scents in my absolutely-hate-my-skin category. :(

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

[RunnerInPink]

Hmmm. Very light and fun!

 

Wet: Tangy right out of the bottle. Like sweet fruity candy with a light floral.

 

Drydown: A very, very light floral. Totally disappears on me after a few minutes.

[tharsei-thanate]

I found an imp of this hidden away in my purse and I don't remember ever trying it, which is a travesty because this smells so good! Effervescent citrus over sweet flowers gently embraced by light musk. In the dry the fruits lose their fizz but they're still lovely and bright and not going wonky on me. Further on, there's a touch of patch and the lightest breath of sage that help deepen the overall scent. This is a really happy blend, definitely something I'll reach for when I'm feeling down.

[GuardianOfTheMoon]

Initial Impression: Got this as a frimp. The Mad Tea Party line usually does quite well on my skin, but I’ve been avoiding this one because of the lime note (which I’ve gathered from reviews is pretty strong). I’ve never cared for the smell or taste of limes. But the other notes seem ok. I do especially love grapefruit so maybe I’ll luck out.

 

Imp: Super strong lime with floral undertones.

Wet: The sage is prominently standing out, but it’s kind of weird with the lime in the back. Hmmm…

Dry (10 minutes): I guess I’m in luck! No limes left. In fact, this doesn’t smell like any of the notes mentioned. It smells like an Iris to me—floral, but with a hushed, windy note. (Because smelling like air makes sense, right?) I do rather like it.

 

Dry (2 hours): The scent hasn’t morphed too much. I am getting more of the sage now though. The throw isn’t as strong as I like, but it’s ok.

 

*I usually rate scents throughout a 6 hour period, but I needed a shower. Oh well.*

 

Consensus: I am pleasantly surprised by the direction this took. But I’m not sure just how much I like it yet. I’ll use up my imp before I decide if I should buy a whole bottle or not.

Edited January 18, 2014 by GuardianOfTheMoon

[MadameGorgon]

Oh my! What a fun, playful scent!!

 

Grapefruit isn't always my favorite note. It can go quite astringent and bitter sometimes. But here it just adds a zingy zest.

 

While the lime does jump out and mischeviously tweak your nose, the citrus in this is not sharp and puckery with an almost candied quality. Quite juicy and well grounded by the base notes.

 

As it dries, the bergamot, sage, and musk mingle to create a more earthy scent. A bit soapy in a good way.

 

It isn't something I would wear very often, but I'm so happy I got to try it!