Nostrum Remedium

[UploadedLobster]

A Universal Panacea!
Revitalizes the spirit and balances the humors! Prolongs life indefinitely!
Black tea leaf, invigorating wasabi extract, sweetened by honey.
Much despair and suffering can be prevented by the discreet use of Doc Constantine’s remedies!

First reaction: WOOOOOOO WASABI PERFUME WOOOOOOO SPICY NECK WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *cough*

So yeah.

In the bottle, it really does do the wasabi thing to your nose. Just a little bit.

I was expecting a thick bitter sweet scent, but this is actually pretty light. The first few minutes are faintly cologne-y with a vegetal flavor to the wasabi, and the dry-down settles comfortably into notes I recognize: the wasabi turns dry, green, and woody like the paste (mmm paste), the astringence of strong black tea under that, and honey sort of mumbled through both of them. Moderately sweet, moderately bitter, really nice combination.

Not a lot of throw, but it lasts for a few hours and once the wasabi note settles it doesn't morph any more. I absolutely love catching whiffs of it, because it reminds me that I have a SPICY NECK, and everyone who has so far been compelled to SMELL MY SPICY NECK WOOOOO has expressed approval of it.

The First Mate: digs it.
The cats: sneeze.


Lobster Rating
better than: spicy brains. srsly. Edited May 2, 2008 by Uploaded Lobster

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Smells like high end bath products, rich and sweet and soapy, with an edge I can only assume is wasabi. Wet: The tea note comes out strongly at first, with the honey acting to sweeten, but not standing on it’s own. The wasabi doesn’t really stand out either, but I’m fairly sure that’s what’s giving it the sharper edge. If black tea blends are your thing, likely this will be too. The effect is rather invigorating and surprisingly green. Dry: Turns into a sweet woman’s perfume which simply doesn’t work for me. This is a shame as it’s quite pleasant.

[sookster]

ooooh! straight sniff from imp is refreshing and lemony waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhsabi...nice...!!

 

once applied loads of musk with the spicy wasabi is fantastical!! extremely clean and invigorating....

 

adore it...simply adore it!! (*said in the best & sexiest betty grable voice ever*)

[galleywest]

She claims wasabi is ruining their marriage...

 

He claims honey just doesn't know how to speak up for herself...

 

...and it's tea leaf that's caught in the middle.

 

Today on:

The BPALs Court! *cue dramatic court music*

 

BAILIFF: Wasabi v. Honey, the Honorable Judge Wombat presiding. All rise.

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: Okay, let's get this started. Now honey, why don't we begin with you. Tell me how all this started.

 

HONEY: Oh, Your Honor--it all started when the imp was opened. There was wasabi--front and center, selfish and hogging the stage, as usual.

 

WASABI: What?! Woman, I told you--

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: Silence! *pound gavel* Order! Please go on, miss.

 

HONEY: Like I was saying, it was all about him. No matter what I did, he was always the one getting all the credit.

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: Did this behavior continue once applied to the skin?

 

HONEY: Oh yes. Yes it did. He was all over--

 

WASABI: That's just a lie! Lies, I tell yo--

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: *pounds gavel* I told you to be quiet! Another outburst like that and I will hold you in contempt and send you to Swaps. Is that what you want, mister?

 

WASABI: *grumbles* no.

 

HONEY: ANY-way, he's all up in my grill, taking over everything, like he always does. I get no credit--none! Like I don't do anything! Who wants a scent that's just wasabi, I ask you? Nobody, that's who. Without me he's nothing!

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: Alright, wasabi, let's hear your side of it.

 

WASABI: She's crazy! There's plenty of room for her to get out in the scent in the wet stages or on the drydown--

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: Do not use that obscene slang in my courtroom!

 

WASABI: I just tell it like it is, yo. ANYway, she could come out and play, but she doesn't. It's totally her choice. You think I want to carry the scent on my own? Hell no! But she's no help, just whining and crying that I take over.

 

HONEY: He does! He does! You can't smell me at all! And what about tea leaf, poor little tea leaf! Have you even thought about how he feels?! *cries* All he wants is to be like you, for you to love him!

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: *pounds gavel* I will have order in this courtroom! Now, wasabi honey, am I to understand that tea leaf is not present in this scent?

 

HONEY: No, your honor. Not anywhere. Not in the wet stages, not in the dry stages, nothing.

 

WASABI: He's there in the imp, you crazy bi--

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: I'd advise you to rethink what you're about to say, buster. Now, I have heard your claims and I will take a moment to deliberate. I will issue my verdict momentarily.

 

*sweeps from bench, disappears into chambers*

*Commercial break*

 

*judge reappears from chambers*

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: After much consideration and a sniff test, I find in favor of honey.

 

HONEY: Yes!

 

WASABI: WHAT?!

 

JUDGE WOMBAT: Wasabi does dominate the scent, oppressing the natural sweetness of honey and completely negating the clean, crisp scent of tea. Furthermore, my comments will note that this scent smells like a bar of high end mens soap. Not that that's a bad thing, I rather enjoy a good high end men's soap. But it smells like soap nonetheless. I sentence wasabi to several months aging. If he is unable to calm down in that time, he will be sent directly to Swaps.

 

*sweeps from bench as fighting between wasabi and honey breaks out in the courtroom*

 

WASABI: Why you--*throws podium*

 

HONEY: Oh just try it, you dirty rotten--*claws at Bailiff holding her back*

 

YOU HAVE BEEN WATCHING:

 

THE BPALs COURT!

 

*Dramatic court music*

[Brianne]

ROFL @ above review. I have to say that I am disappointed in this scent. Not that it isn't a nice scent, it just isn't wasn't I had my heart set on! Black tea is one of my favorite notes and I was hoping for a sweet and spicey tea. Unfortunately I don't get tea or honey in this. The wasabi isn't quite like wasabi to my nose - it has a pale green scent with a vaguely minty quality. It reminds me a lot of Ultraviolet. Ultimately, it isn't a bad scent - sort of clean and light. I just had my heart set on that tea and honey!

[suileach]

This is a refreshing, bracing scent. It has a cooling vibe to it that's reminiscent of the feel of aquatic blends, but without the laundry detergent smell I get from those. Actually, it reminds me just the slightest bit of the 'seafoam' note in Moana. The overall tone is green, and my nose has to be a foot away from the area of application to pick out the individual notes. Honey is there, yes, and the scent of dry tea, as well as the crisp green of wasabi.

 

Very pleasant and smooth, and not at all harsh or biting. The throw has a richness to it that's difficult to describe...almost glowing and amber-like. And I daresay it reminds me of Earl Grey!

 

I really like this and I am incredibly pleased that I can finally wear something with a cool, green, watery vibe to it. I suspect it would be a great blend to wear in the morning to shake off the doldrums. I think I'll be reaching for this imp a lot this summer!

Edited May 6, 2008 by suileach

[devilbunnyart]

I've tested this a couple times and the results are consistent.

 

I can't make out the notes in this. It's strange. I know it's black tea, honey and wasabi, but I can't recognize any of those elements. It starts out light and very fresh smelling and then it dries down to...something else? I'd agree that it smells somewhat green and soapy. This one's a mystery to me. I wish I could describe it better.

 

It's nice, but not for me. I will see if the husband likes it!

[alicia_stardust]

In the bottle this smells like a fresh, light, warm tea. It's soothing and relaxing and has a hint of greenness to it. As it dries, however, the wasabi really takes over and turns this into a bracing, biting scent. It has a very strong throw and the wasabi comes across as green, spicy, and dry. It's really hard to quantify this fragrance because it has a very arid and spicy aspect, yet there is the lightness of the black tea and honey. This is invigorating without calling on the oft-used citrus for such things.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Spicy and medicinal tea?

 

Wet: This is very confusing to my nose, because I keep looking for the wasabi but am not really getting it.

But there is a twang, so I suppose that's the wasabi. It's sweet and medicinal at the same time.

 

Drydown: It's a very interesting scent, not really a scent I'd love to wear as a perfume, but I do enjoy smelling it.

3.0 outta 5

[tartchef]

Ooo. Black tea and... anise? Fennel? Something my nose is identifying as vaguely licorice... faintly medicinal & vaguely spicy, not the nose-searing wasabi from my sushi lunches... The honey is barely there, a clear, clean honey like the one in Selkie - not the salty deep honey of No. 93 Engine.

 

The longer this wears, the more throw I'm getting - it's melding into a faintly soapy scent, but it's surprisingly pleasant... I'd want my husband's laundry to smell like this, clean & fresh without that "Mountain Spring" dreck... super comforting, like wrapping up in the duvet after it's come in from airing out on the clothesline.

 

This will be fantastic on my husband, I think, and I suspect I'll be reaching for this myself in the hotter weather. I was hoping for a bit of a sinus-searer, which Nostrum remedium is not, but I can't say I'm disappointed

 

ETA: OH. A salt scrub made with this would be absolutely DIVINE.

Edited May 9, 2008 by tartchef

[savage_rose]

Strangely, I feel like having a Wasabi salad right now .

 

Yeah, it's the Wasabi show. But the honey tea is very much present in the background, making it less spicy and more sweet and substantial. This scent is so strange and yet so lovely. I honestly don't know what the verdict is...I might like it a lot. And then again, it might just remind me of Wasabi dressing.

 

:ponders:

[Reaver]

Bright, light, pleasant. The honey makes it a little sickly, but fades nicely. It might be my imagination, but it stings a little? I put a LOT on, and can barely smell it. It clings REALLY close to my skin.

 

A little like White Rabbit without the ginger on me. Less grassy, more medicinal. I like it. A little blander than my usual taste, but this is sweet and light. Summery, if you will.

 

Dried, this morphs quite a bit. The tea becomes more promenant, and it loses its sweetness a touch. Becomes more evolved, more grown up and slightly less feminine. This was girly-unisex to start with in my opinion, now is straight up he-she.

 

Conclusion - The honey made me shy away, but i'm glad I just bit the bullet and bought the imp.

8/10, keeper.

 

 

ETA - Agree with the liquorice comment above. THIS IS WHY I LIKE IT SO MUCH!!!

Edited May 12, 2008 by Reaver

[akiko]

This is extremely unusual. I think I like it, but I'm not sure. The lab imp labels are cute, too!

 

Imp: Very sharp and biting, kind of like Kumiho in the vial.

 

Wet: Still sharp, and it smells more like green tea than black. Sometimes I get a whiff of honey.

 

Dry: Hint of honey, maybe some tea, and a lingering sharpness.

 

Try this if you like Kumiho but want a black tea version.

[inurbanus]

Mmm...this is tea doused with honey, with a clean green edge. White Rabbit immediately springs to mind, but I think that Nostrum Remedium is a little bit more intense -- the tea is stronger, there is more honey, and the wasabi really adds an interesting twist. White Rabbit is what I would wear in the daytime, while I would be more inclined to wear Nostrum Remedium at night, if that makes any sense. I really like this one, and I think I'm going to spring for a bottle of it, but it fades very quickly on me, which is a problem. Still, it's a fabulous scent.

 

4/5

[Tulliver]

Honey is not one of my favourite notes. It's a VERY risky one for me to try. But I saw the new Pharmacopoeias and had to have them ALL, unsniffed, as 5mls. Still, my beating heart! Besides, it had tea in it which has never failed me before, and wasabi which... well, I had NO preconceived notion how it would smell.

 

It would seem that my faith has been reciprocated by this blend. In the bottle and wet on the skin, I confess I was a little crestfallen. Not because of the honey but because it was SO FAINT!

 

BUT!

 

It still wasn't going to let me down. As it dried... oh, my. The scent REALLY kicked in - and what a lovely blend. I can hardly get any honey at all, and what's there is blending beautifully with the tea and wasabi - which is a pretty damn good ingredient!

 

It's lasting really well and, while the scent has died back very slightly, it's still MORE than satisfactor after four hours. I think this will last some time yet.

 

I have a feeling the Pharmacopoeia and I will become very very VERY good friends indeed. What a superb category!

[sarahmarie]

This is a strange one, but it turns out that I like it! I was hoping to really smell the wasabi, but not so much - it's more of a perfumey tea scent at first, and as it dries, it develops a richness from the honey - but with an interesting edge from the wasabi that saves it from the fate of other tea and honey scents on my skin (generally, turning either really sharp, perfumey, or sickly heavy). It's light and unobtrusive but *interesting* and unique. It's a good one, nice for daytime and work especially, I think.

[slave1]

NOSTRUM REMEDIUM

 

In Bottle: Sweet tea

 

On Skin: This scent is very relaxing on me. I’m not usually one for tea scents, but something about this is so pretty and comforting that it grows on me right away. The tea is the strongest note and it is sweetened nicely by the honey. I don’t really smell the wasabi… and I get a floral I think… almost like a soft violet. A very pretty warm scent. After about 10 minutes it’s almost all tea and a little bit of lemon. For fans of tea scents, check this out for sure. Light throw and short to average wearlength.

[soonyi]

oh crap, i have to go after slave1--i love her reviews

 

wet, this is fresh and slightly fizzy. black tea leaf is not as heavy as i would have thought--more like the weakness of earl grey w/o the soapy spice.

 

dry, ends up reminding me of the smell of barbie doll hair. yes, that's right. they would lightly scent those dolls and it was a distinct scent that i remember so sniffin this dry is a zap back to childhood. i didnt know what to expect from the wasabi and i still dont know if i smelled it.

[maribouquet]

Wet, this smells light, watery and unidentifiable. When it dries I get a very pure, light honey scent. Very nice!

[Eemia]

wooo....

 

Finally a honey that doesn't equal instant and all consuming death on my skin. I can do honey in small does once in awhile, but mostly I avoid it. But I had to have this, because the idea of letting a wasabi perfume pass me by was just unthinkable. I love wasabi. That quick, burning rush that floods your nose when you sniff fresh wasabi is oddly addictive.

 

I immediately recognize that sensation when I sniff this from the bottle. It's green and new, with a sharpness that's nearly recoiling. Loooove.

 

Once applied it's very light and mellow. The black tea is sophisticated and clean. The sweetness is transparent, not the thick, cloying sweetness I associate with honey. The wasabi is the stand out here. It's the same sharp green that I smelled straight from the bottle, but the spiciness is toned down. I love that this is a spicy fragrance that's fresh, green, and light. Most spicy fragrances seem dry and overwhelming, liked long-aged spices. They are just too heavy sometimes, nothing I would want to wear in hot weather. This is like a breath of fresh spicy air.

 

Even when I slathered this copiously it still seems light with very little throw. It doesn't seem feminine to me, but it's pretty nonetheless. And it's unlike anything else I've tried. It's absolutely a stand out, and I adore it.

[theal8r]

In the bottle: this smells exactly like my high school dentist's office. This does not make me want to try it.

 

Wet: Yup. Dr. Petruska's office. This is not really a pleasant way to smell. (since my mom worked there, it also smells like my mom's hands smelled after work).

 

Dry down: Suddenly it seems to be stinging behind my eyes like eating too many wasabi peas does to me. Again, this is NOT what I need a perfume to do for me. So now I'm stinging and smelling like a dentist... uhm. As it mellows (it never really MELLOWED, per se) I start smelling a weird plasticy smell that is distinctly OFF. Bug spray, dentist and stinging eyes. Not my blend.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Black tea, bergamot. Leather? Bizarre. A hint of nose tingle.

 

Wet: Citrusy tea and leather. This totally smells like how I thought Manhattan would smell.

 

Dry: Oooh there's the wasabi, but it's very light, just a tingle. There is a touch of honey sweetness too, but it's very faint.

 

Later: That citrusy note is amping, as is the honey, making this tarter and sweeter all at once. The tea has turned a bit piney.

 

Summary: Tea and sweet leather, touched by citrus and with a mild kick. No detectable honey or wasabi as notes on drydrown. Very smooth and slick. Unisex. Low throw, great lasting power.

[Christine Daae]

In the imp and wet, it smells "green" with a hint of spice on the edges - just at the end of the sniff, in the back of the throat. It smells clean, and very definitely green. That must be the wasabi.

 

As this dries, it becomes sweeter (the honey, I imagine). Then again it could be my skin chemistry turning everything to sweetness. It's got an aaaalmost soapy edge, but it doesn't quite go in that direction.

 

This does have a bit of a tea note, though not as much as I was expecting. I was expecting more of a wasabi-spiced tea than a tea-laced wasabi, but this is still quite lovely. I agree with whoever commented that it's like White Rabbit...except it's like a spicy, honeyed version of White Rabbit that I can wear! (The linens never agreed with me.)

 

I like it. The fiance likes it. Yay!

[edenssixthday]

Nostrum Remedium – Oh, this is really fascinating! When I first apply it, I smell the tea and the sweetness of the honey and the brightness of the wasabi and it smells like a bright, summer tea blend, but the longer it sits on my skin, the less it smells like tea and the more it smells like… hmm… I don’t know what! It’s very dark, yet has a bit of sharpness that’s immediately tempered by the sweetness of the honey. And what’s more, the honey doesn’t smell all “poopy diapers” on me as I’d expected. There’s a bit of soapiness in the background of this scent, and since I’m not familiar with wasabi as a perfume note, I’m guessing maybe it comes from that? Overall, it’s very masculine and soapy and dark and tea-like and honey-sweet. I actually don’t get any “spice” from the wasabi scent, either. This is the kind of tea scent I would actually wear, if the soapiness weren't so overpowering. The throw is moderate and the staying power is quite long.

[cranberry]

First on, this smells like black tea sweetened with honey. It actually reminds me of the Scent Works Iced Keenum Tea, of which I already have a pound.

 

As it dries, there’s something vaguely anise smelling; it’s a combination of the tea and something I can’t identify. This scent has a body to it, full and round. I like this scent a lot, but I’ve got other tea scents that I like more.

 

The wasasbi never shows, which is too bad as I was really looking forward to that aspect of the scent.