Mary Read

[zomathesadist]

Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder.

In the imp I wasn't particularly blown away, by it--it was a frimp that I'd never really thought twice about.

Then I read the notes. I LOVE leather and patchouli, and I had a feeling that i was absolutely going to love this one.

Like I said, in the imp: a somewhat bland aquatic.

Wet on skin: HOLY! this smells exactly like it would smell if you were on a boat on the open sea. Clean, fresh.

After 10 m: way down below, in the background: the patchouli, cutting the sharpness of the watery notes. This is pretty hot! It's not your typical sexy fragrance, but it smells clean, fresh and sexual without smelling perfumey. It just smells GOOD.

After 20: the barest peek of the gunpowder. it smells great mixed with the watery notes.

I love it. And I'm ordering a 5 ml. Today.

I don't get any of the rum, but I'm wondering if I have a scent blind spot. I smelled no rum in Grog, I smelled no booze in Smut, and I get no rum whatsoever in this. I'm obviously not missing it, but I am kind of curious...

In a nutshell: nice aquatic with earthy notes of patchouli, a definite keeper.

[djsiberia]

wow, i opened this and it does smell crisp and ocean misty and reminds me of men's cologne, and maybe a glade air freshner.

 

this isn't going to work for me.

[hkhm]

imp: a very bright, pungent aquatic.

 

wet: i don't get anything but a sweet, grassy aquatic. no aged patchouli, no musk, no sarsaparilla. just sweet, bright, green aquatic.

 

dry: the grassy note fades and leaves a pure, crisp sweet aquatic. this is once of the best aquatics i've tried.

[donnatron]

Imp: Cool, citrus-aquatic.

 

Wet: As I learned from Agnes Nutter, gunpowder does not fair well on my skin. I get harsh salt water and a burning gunpowder scent.

 

Dry: Burning oil slick in the middle of the ocean. The gunpowder has tainted everything it touches--even subduing my beloved sarsparilla. It's weird, because it's almost pleasant, but then I sniff from the wrong angle and am overcome by the acrid gunpowder scent.

 

Throw: Quite intense for an aquatic.

 

Overall: Oh well. It's nice enough. I can see decanting some into a cool bath during the summer. And we all know there's no better way to use an imp up.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Patchouli and leather

 

Wet: I'm not a big fan of patchouli, but this is a very nice masculine scent. It's sexy and crisp, the sea notes really come out.

 

Drydown: Far too masculine on me, this might be a winner on DH.

3.0 outta 5 (very high rating for something with patchouli in it)

[greenranger]

Wet, Patchouli and leather, and there's some sweetness that might be the sasparilla?Or rum?...but then I smelled sea air, salt and leather. I liked it best just catching whiffs; close to the skin it was a little intense for a while. The leather did tone down a bit faster than usual on me, and I wonder if that is because it is "leather-tinged musk" rather than a straight leather note.

 

Whatever the reason, after a half hour I had a lovely sea air and leather scent...that slowly changes over the next 4 hours to a very soft wood, leather and tobacco scent with a hint of salt air still hanging around. The throw was moderate to start, on me, and ended up being almost none. The woods(probably the remnant of the musk/patchouli/sasparilla notes) that were left at the end were hanging out close to the skin only.

 

 

 

6 hours later, there's barely anything on my skin, but, I do plan to wear this a bit more.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Salt, ocean water, leather, musk. Fresh, masculine, cologney.

 

Wet: Extremely salty leather, seaweed. Like a leather bag that's been soaked in seawater and aged. And then some musk, mingling sweetly with the leather.

 

Dry: Hello, sarsaparilla and patchouli! I'm not generally a fan of sarsaparilla, but I like it here. It's a little sweet and herbal, and balances out the EXTREME SALT nicely. The patchouli is pretty strong, verging on dirty.

 

Later: The sarsaparilla and musk and leather really amp, making this increasingly sweet.

 

Summary: The sweetness fades a bit, and this is salty, salty ocean, seaweed, aged leather, sweet musk and earthy patchouli. It's clean but never goes soapy. Highly evocative and would be delicious on a man; a fresh masculine scent. Decent throw, great lasting power.

[carrickfergus]

The first impression I got from this one is a term I haven't seen anyone else use:

 

Cucumbery!

 

It smells like cucumbers with undertones of something floral and last a kind of masculine leather/cologne scent.

 

I think it's a wonderful, neutral, not-too-overpowering, beautifully complex scent.

[savage_rose]

This is gorgeous! It's aquatic, but of the ocean depths and not its sun-sparkled surface. It's salty and a bit masculine with the rum, but the sweetness balances those influences and makes it such a lovely unisex scent. Mmmm!

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: This reminds me a LOT of Jolly Roger. That same fresh aquatic note, probable the rum-sans-alcohol note they share.

 

On me: At first, it does smell mostly like Jolly Roger, but it has more solid underpinnings than the former.

A little while after it has completely dried down, the musk, leather and sarsaparilla notes come out and mingle with the freshness. This is great for a hot day!

 

On the whole, I enjoy Mary quite a bit, but I'm afraid Anne Bonny stays my favorite women pirate. I'll keep her imp near and dear, though!

[midnight_aeval]

I was hoping to smell more of the aged patchouli and sarsaparilla, but all I'm getting is a salty sea air scent. It would be good for people that like that sorta scent, however I do not

 

It does fit nicely with the pirate theme scents.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Ozone... patchouli is not exactly my best friend either. I dunno... I'm not expecting very much from this one.

 

In the imp: Ozone, gunpowder, maybe the musk... quite a harsh and flat scent. Not wowing me strait off the bat.

 

On the wrist, wet: That gunpowder goes right up my nose and camps on my sinuses. Other than that, this is a faint, fairly unisex sort of blend... not really my thing, plus the ozone is playing up. Ah well.

 

Twenty minutes later: This is a slightly sharp, slightly leathery aquatic kind of thing... it doesn't seem to work very well at all on my skin, and I don't think it suits me.

 

Verdict: Swap

 

Tl;Dr: A light but firm scent; sea spray and gunpowder.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Lots of ocean breeze with other elements underneath. Wet: Ocean air, mostly, with the other elements under, as when it’s wet. The musk is soft enough for me to handle and in general, it really is a lot like a slightly more feminine Jolly Roger. The rum and sarsaparilla add an unexpected richness, I think. I was not expecting to like this due to some notes that don’t generally do well on me, but it wears okay. Dry: Soft sweet ocean breeze.

[femmefatale]

I am so happy I finally tried this one! I can't comment on the different stages since I can only wear it in my locket right now, but OMG, it is wonderful!

I definitely agree with the other reviewer who said it's a more complex Jolly Roger, and a bit more feminine but not girly. Definitely a kick-ass feminine scent.

It's a salty, complex scent. It has a hint of sweetness and musk and it could almost go cologne-y but there is something stopping it and making it very unique. The patchouli is there, but not forefront (thank god) and it's pretty well balanced.

It's somehow earthy and watery at the same time. I love it.

[scotchgrrl]

Ah, Holy cow!! This one is fantastic. This was a switch witch gift I just got today.

 

In the imp-I can smell every note in just the right amounts.

Wet-Same thing.

Dry-Same again. I can pick up the aquatic notes followed by just a hint of patchouilli, sasparilla, rum, leather and gun powder. It all blends to a lighter, sweet scent. By lighter I don't mean I can't smell it, I mean it's not a deep dark smelling thing, but something playful. It is giving me the impression that it will have some staying power too, although I'm feeling a bit of a headache I think from the musk, I don't care. I love this!!!

[gnl]

In the Bottle: A big whiff of sea air.

Wet: Dangerously close to soapy, but there's the leather scent and the sea air comes back in after a minute. As it dries, I think that's the gunpowder that's making that sharp tinge.

As it dries: I know there's no wood note, and yet I can smell a bit of that. The leather and sea air keep switching places - one minute the leather is overtaking the sea air, the next all I'm getting is sea air. Yet to smell any rum.

Dry: Um...where did it go? I get, maybe, sharper than usual laundry detergent if I put my nose to my wrist, but that's it. All the lovely pirate ship smells are gone. Sigh.

Verdict: If it had lasted, I totally would've kept. Unfortunately, this is a no-go.

 

2/5

Edited October 18, 2008 by gnl

[Suu4LC]

I thought it was very appropriate to test out this blend on Talk Like a Pirate Day (ARRRRRRR!!!!!) On bummer is, I doubt I will like this blend because aquatics tend to hate me and the other pirate scents I've tried (Anne Bonny and Calico Jack) were both terrible on my skin.

 

Guh, in the imp this is super salty aquatics. Salty sea air blasting me in the face >_< This is the first time I'm hoping the patchouli comes out MORE on my skin, to hopefully balance out that sharp aquatic note.

 

Urgh, yeah, same on my skin, there is this sharp salty aquatic note that is just ruining it for me, which is too bad because underneath that I can tell that the mix of sarsaparilla, rum and musk would be quite nice! From far away this smells really good, but that one darn note goes so weird on my skin. As it dries, it becomes a soapy kind of smell.

 

Yes, this dries down to an odd, sharp, soapy aquatic. Not for me!

[angelicruin]

Imp: reminds me of air freshener

 

Wet: Clean, fresh scent likely from the salt air/ocean mist notes

 

Dry Down: more musk, but not overwhelming; patchouli is there but again, not overwhelming on my skin

[sparkybish]

Sadly, All I smell is "zestfully clean". Poop.

[OhioSky]

I have no idea what it is that I smell when I wear this. I sat here, trying to come up with a more clear review, or pin down some of the notes, but I can't. All I know is that I cannot wear this. I guess it's probably the aquatic thing, but I've never encountered that note in a BPAL before so I can't say for sure.

[Brianne]

Very salty ozone to start with, but warms up into a softer ozone with warm patchouli and a tiny tiny hint of leather. Very unisex in my opinion, would make a really nice soap I think since it's quite clean smelling in a sort of unusual way.

[mochi227]

So far the best of the BPAL aquatics I've tried on my skin. Aquatics and I do not get along. I find them cloyingly sweet, but in Mary Read, the musk, leather, and sasparilla temper the ferocity of the ozoney beast known as..."the aquatic note." The sasparilla is really present when wet. I'm reminded of being a kid and stripping the bark off birch trees and sucking at it to get the herbally sweet goodness out of it. This is not root beer-like sasparilla. In Mary Read, this is like a fresh, green switch of a tree: fresh, bracing, and VERY herbally/green. The sasparilla is the high pitch of this blend, and it sings for quite some time before settling down.

 

Dried down, this bonny lass has a definite drop in intensity. She's been sprayed with salt air, she likes to wear leather, she sets off some cannons just for kicks. She's the look-at-me trash-talker of the all-girl pirate ship, burning bright and fast. After her big theatrical presence on the deck, with her big pirate hair swinging this way and that, her perfect black pirate boots and her big piratey bazookas spilling out of her pirate shirt, she must go down to her cabin and have a shot of rum to settle herself down. Musk and leather blend beautifully with the sasparilla and rum in the dry down. The gunpowder is hard to pick out in the sharp scent pocket of the sasparilla. Maybe it's making the sasparilla even sharper?

 

Mary Read's a little reckless, but it's to cover up a soft, sensual side (musk plays the supporting role here). She's one of those girls who acts tough to keep people away from her very sensitive, very private core.

 

An excellent scent portrait, narrative in a frimp, but not sure about as a scent. This is probably good for the right lass, but it's not quite for me. I enjoy the scent, but she doesn't have enough stamina for me. I prefer my scents like I like my people: heavier and perhaps a tad lugubrious, but they can hang with you all night and don't need to be the center of attention to keep their spirits high.

 

3 out of 5 shiver-me-timbers.

[rayvn1]

This is great! The swashbuckling companion to my favorite aquatic Calico Jack Lighter and I guess you could call it more feminine because there's a vague sweetness to this salty air. Once it dries I get hints of leather and the grey, peppery sharp gunpowder. A little bit of Agnes Nutter on the high seas hehehe. This seriously kicks ass. The nausea inducing effects of some other aquatics I've tried don't crop up even a bit. This is perfect from wet all the way through dry down. Bottle worthy!

[hairfall]

My nose must be getting more used to smelling BPAL scents, however I still am unable to detect the rum, leather and gunpowder notes.

How exactly does sarsaparilla smell like?

 

Must sniff more and *buy more*

 

Very Aquatic, and also comforting blend.

 

First thought was melon, both in imp and on wet.

 

There is something flowery about this on skin, reminds me of some flower I cannot put to name....

It can be described as salt air, yet not so close to it.

Do I sound confusing?

 

Warm, but not too warm, and the scent is not too strong. Makes me feel a bit like slathering it on

 

Something in this makes me associated Mary Read with masculinity, but I do not exactly find it an overly masculine scent.

 

A wonderful, wearable scent and my current favourite!

Edited November 24, 2008 by fairhall

[Iceblink]

Mary Read starts out typically aquatic on me but whereas most scents in that family tend to be overpowering and strong, this one starts to fade rather quickly. The drydown is a vaguely green, slightly soapy leather. Not my thing, but the leather note makes this at least a different sort of aquatic.