Clémence

[heathercaley]

Patchouli, Kashmiri tea, cardamom, black pepper, carnation, and clove.

Clemence... you're a naughty hippie aren't you... you bad bad girl you....you come off all hot and earthy and sultry... smellin of cloves and spices like a spiced apple cider, minus the apple.. then you like to dry down into a sweet and spicy patchouli and make me swoon.. you are a naughty hippie Clemmy... and I love you!!

[Lavada]

In summary: LUSH's Tramp and Potion got together and had a sexy tea party.

 

When I first opened the decant, I had to restrain myself from dumping it all over myself in a fit of glee. Dark but green patchouli paired up with clove-laden carnation push all the right buttons. Please, I whined without a trace of dignity, have your way with me. Slather slather slather.

 

The thing is, it starts off ferociously strong - I think the spices amp up on my skin, although it's still predominantly patchouli and carnation - but Clémence quickly settles down into an incredibly sexy skin scent. Spicy to soft... but never sweet. Captures the artwork perfectly; unimaginable pleasures behind a coy smile in a darkened room.

 

Low throw, decent wearlength. I must have more.

 

Your filthy little plaything,

 

~ L

[Suu4LC]

Good god, I love this. I fell in love with it immediately at will call even though patchouli is one of my least favorite notes. I bought it immediately.

 

In the bottle this is rich cinnamon tea-kind of like a sexed up Marathon Bubble Bar from lush. On my skin, the carnation pops out-kind of like lotioning up after a that bubble bath and slathering on some Lush Potion Lotion. But with 2398208392839283 times more sexy.

 

I think this is the only patchouli based bpal that I like. Spicy sexy tea and carnationy goodness. Best whore 'o the bunch! *thumbsup*

[filigree_shadow]

Carnations and dry spices. Mainly clove. That's pretty much it, for me. I don't think I can smell any patchouli in it.

 

I'm not carnation's biggest fan, mainly because I don't tend to like spicy scents. The spices in this seem to be amping up the characteristics of carnation that I don't like.

 

Well, I didn't think that all of the ladies of the Grindhouse would be hits for me, but I wanted to try them all anyway. Unfortunately this is one of them that isn't going to work for me.

[NatCatz]

This is strong, spicy and surprisingly light and feminine in some ways. It smells so good.. I'm just smelling my wrist over and over.. mmm

Edited July 3, 2008 by NatCatz

[starrykitten]

When I put this on yesterday, I liked it but it didn't strike me as particularly special. It reminded me of some other BPAL, though I can't think of which one.

 

But as the day went on, I found myself really loving it more. There aren't a lot of perfumes that really keep changing on my skin for a long time, but this is one of them. The spice notes have more throw than the rest, which get softer and more integrated as the day goes on. It became a really awesome comforting but still sexy scent.

[PurringPulsar]

Clemence

 

In the bottle: peppery carnation with a patchouli background.

Wet on skin: whoa, the patch is heavy here! I can also smell the tea, and it smells like black tea!

Dry on skin: biting black pepper, intense and dark patchouli, mixed with a dry spicy tea mixture. Mmm, this is good. It smells like a wonderful chai blend, with a shadowy, dirty undertone. It reminds me a little bit of Spanked without the leather, actually! I can smell hints of carnation and/or clove, and lots of cardamom and pepper. Very exotic and a bit dusty (in a good way).

After a while: ah, now the spicy tea has overtaken the patchouli, and this now smells like a darker, spicier, less green and more earthy version of Silk Road. The cardamom is really showing off here, and the tea note is fantastic because it smells like black tea, a bit smoky and without the tangy bite of green tea, not like those scents that have a black tea note that smells too sharp and fresh. The carnation has also gone up a notch, and this at times makes me think of Pink Moon’s evil cousin.

The scent then turns to Pink Moon-style carnations served with a cup of black, delicately spiced tea, no milk or sugar. It’s spicy and dry but fringed with the floral carnation note to stop it being too dry.

The scent turns drier and dustier over time and it reminds me of a dry mix of spices and tea with a hint of old books to it. Really lovely, though I wish there was a bit more sweetness to it.

Verdict: this is a fantastic dark carnation scent with an incredibly genuine tea note to it. Too often black tea notes smell like green tea on me, but not this-this is proper black tea, with chai spices (though no cinnamon). The patch is very, very strong, earthy and dry and dark, but it goes really nicely with the spicy peppery tea. The carnation note is fantastic and I love the way it gradually strengthens with wear. This reminds me of Silk Road meets Pink Moon at times, with added patchouli. Spicy and dirty and lovely. The only thing that would make it perfect though would be a sweet note, or a musk, to smooth the scent out a bit and stop it from smelling too dry, to add some sweetness to it which this scent seems to lack. As carnation-scented ladies go, I greatly prefer Inez, but I will be keeping my bottle of Clemence, that’s for sure. Not sure if I need a second one though…I’ll see how she ages.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes.

If you like this, try: Silk Road, Alone, Plunder, Pink Moon 07, Mr Jacquel

[Apple]

The jury is still out on Clémence, if only because I wanted so much to love her. Of all the new Carnaval scents released during the last update, none caught my eye more than Clémence. I very rarely order bottles unsniffed, but I could not resist her charms and took the plunge.

 

First whiff from the bottle and I'm not impressed. I'm not too concerned, either... I'm curious to see how she'll bloom on my skin. First dab on the skin and I'm still not impressed. Very spicy, and cola-ish. It smells familiar... and masculine... but sweet. It's like someone took a can of Coca-Cola and blended it with a bottle of Old Spice aftershave. Not at all what I was expecting. As it dries, the scent becomes even more aftershave-y, and there's a salty tang that makes my mouth water. This part of the dry-down reminds me very much of Port Royal.

 

I don't smell the tea (not surprising because my skin eats tea notes, but I am ever hopeful), clove (again unsurprising because my skin also mutes clove, but again I cling to hope), or nutmeg... damn, damn, damn! These were the notes I was most hoping for. The first time I tried this, I didn't get any patchouli, either, which was fine. I like it as a grounding note, but I don't like for it to stand out. On a second wearing the patch was more noticeable, but not overwhelming. I'm not exactly sure what carnation smells like, but I like other blends that are supposed to be heavy on the carnation (Alice, Zarita, Euterpe). Clémence doesn't smell like any of those, though. I think the black pepper is contributing a savory quality, and I definitely smell the cardamom the most, at least initially.

 

So, on me Clémence is a spicy masculine aftershave blended with Coke and salt. I sure hope she improves with age.

[Dark Alice]

I just received my bottle! At first I was scared by the description of the spices. But...OMG this is the spicy scent that I have been looking for!!! Cinnamon Chai Tea!! The lab has done it again! I will be buying at least one more bottle of this before the Carnivale leaves town!!!

[inurbanus]

Wow. This is delicious, pitch-perfect mixture of tea and spices. I think I'll even say that it's the best spice oil I've ever smelled. My only issue with this one is that it fades very quickly on me. I guess that means I should buy a bottle for constant applying.

 

I decided to try this one based on the tea note, and I'm happy to say that I can smell it, but it's not the focus of the blend -- the pepper and the clove are what keep this interesting. I was expecting this to be heavy because of the patchouli, but this smells playfully sassy to me. I know that there isn't any ginger listed in the notes, but this really smells like a ginger snap to me -- more so than Shub-Niggurath and Gingerbread Poppet. I just wanna roll around in this one. It's a must try if you like spicy blends.

 

4.5/5

[alicia_stardust]

Clemence is amazing! It starts out as an initial WHAM of patchouli, cardamom, and clove, but the really interesting part is the way the tea really mellows them. They don't come across as too swarthy or too dry. But then! Oh, then the carnation really comes through and it's sort of a sweetly spicy and hypnotic carnation that's almost creamy. That completely counterbalances the spices and patchouli and there's this lovely little dance between each side. For quite a while, this reminds me of LUSH's Potion lotion with the patchouli having replaced the rose. This is definitely a keeper.

[Monster]

This was the first of the ladies I tried and the one I was most excited about...

 

Out of bottle: Clove! Sharp, spicy clove. Yeowza!

 

Wet on skin: The peppery smell of carnation blossoms out of all the clove spicy goodness. There's something warm and balmy about this as well. I'm not smelling any patchouli, tea or anything else. The clove really seems to dominate over everything else.

 

Dry: As this dries the cardamon is definitely more apparent through a very strong foreground of clove. The carnation that poked it's head out while it was wet has now faded to a very very light floral in the background (wayyyy back there, but it's there ) I'm not getting ANY patchouli at all which is sad since it's my all-time favorite note.

 

I was skeptical at first with all of the clove but there's *just* the right amount of tea, cardamon and carnation to keep it from smelling like a craft store or a scented candle. Overall I really like this scent, it's a lot different than anything I've ever smelled. I think I need to try this one out as the weather cools down a bit. I have a feeling I'll appreciate it more this fall. Clemence isn't my favorite of the Grindhouse Ladies, but she sure does smell lovely

Edited July 8, 2008 by Monster

[akiko]

Ooh. Clemence is like Samhain without the apple/honey sweetness.

 

Imp: CLOVE! CINNAMON! (which is really carnation.)

 

Wet: CLOVE! CINNAMON!

 

Dry: See above. There's a hint of something sweet, but I can't place it. I need more of this, o yes.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Hmm. I was expecting something rich and woody, but this smells strangely like some kind of floor cleaning product in the decant.

 

Wet on skin: That's more like it! The dominant note upon first application to me is the combined with cloves. It's a deep, well rounded tea note, kind of dry and a bit smoky. This is like sticking your head into a little hole-in-the-wall tea shop that specializes in spicy blends and chais. The clove is amping and wafting and making it sweet. The clove is, in fact, so sweet that there is an almost licorice aroma at the very top (not like licorice candy as much as Twinings' licorice tea in the pale blue bags).

 

Early dry down (10 minutes): Spicy tea! I once wished for a Constant Comment scent, and I think this may be it. Woot!

 

Late dry down (45 minutes): Definitely, really and truly Constant Comment. I even get a tiny hint of citrus/orange which is not listed in the notes. I really can't get more specific than this. It is a dead ringer for Constant Comment.

 

Must. Have. Bottle.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Spiced black tea infused with carnations.

 

Immediately on skin: Cola. Aka, patchouli plus spices, at least on me. This scent is complex with the spices (mostly cardamom), tea, carnation and patchouli all coming through but combined they smell a lot like cola syrup to my nose.

 

After a little while: This just gets sweeter and thicker as I wear it. It’s still very reminiscent of cola syrup to me. The patchouli, tea and spices are blending very nicely together though, and the carnation gives it a nice peppery floral top note. This is just nicely earthy and spicy with crisp black tea and carnation.

 

Overall Impressions: This was a disappointment, as I don’t enjoy the smell of cola. A few of the lab’s earthy plus spicy blends turn out that way on me though (I’m looking at you Leo 07!) so I’m not surprised the same thing happens here. I’m sure it translates differently on others though.

[Wwindy]

Whoa, what a blast of clove and carnation! Very heady, very rich. The clove is ... sweeter? mellower? more rounded? than it is in Smiling Spider -- I think that may be the patchouli in there smoothing things out. The throw is entirely clove and carnation on me, though; the patchouli and pepper seem mostly to be working behind the scenes.

 

Close to the skin, the tea and cardamom notes strike my nose as oddly sour, but fade fast. The gorgeous clove note sticks around longer than anything else.

 

(ETA: Hmmm, I forgot TSS had patchouli too -- my nose must not be good enough to pick out what's making the difference here!)

Edited July 11, 2008 by Wwindy

[tativa]

rough patchouli and spices the first few minutes, and then it mellows out into airy spices.

I was expecting this to be a touch darker and more grounded based on the notes.

Didn't pick up too much carnation *thank god* so we'll see how this ages before Aug for the final verdict.

 

Spicy without being foodie

Edited July 13, 2008 by tativa

[jizatt]

This was extremely pepper and clove on me, with a whisper of tea. It dried down a bit less violent than it started, and was rather pleasant in the long run. Not my kind of smell, but lovely none the less =)

[Chapanis]

Smells very similar to Queen Alice to me. Clovey spicey scent with carnations far in the background. The patchuli is smooth and mellow. Very warm and cozy. I want a bottle of Clemence. I see myself wanting her often in the fall and winter.

[Pottersville]

There's patchouli in this? No wonder I love it! Yes, there is definitely an oriental vibe to Clemence and she's not in the least bit shy or retiring. I get lots of clove and carnation - mmmmm spicy!

[sofaking6]

I get total spicy chai tea (unsweetened)...mm the clove is luscious. I can smell the spices but on my skin the tea is easily the dominant note, and it never lets up. This lasts a long time on me and does not morph.

[forspecial_plate]

This is a dry, spicy scent. I am not a huge fan of carnation, but I like it sometimes. But for this scent, I think you have to be kind of commited to carnation! Overall I think it makes this a slightly more feminine, powdery blend than I usually enjoy. I may hang on to my decant, because I think the notes will develop nicely with age.

[tarotgirl99]

In the bottle: Carnation, clove

 

Wet: Hello, Clove

 

Early Drydown: Clove, clove

 

Hours later: Clove, clove, clove

 

Too much of anything is usually not workable for me, so...goodbye, Clemence...

[kelpsoda]

My nose can't really get past the clove in this scent. It's really strong! I think I get a hint of patchouli and carnation, but it's the clove that sticks out. As it dries down, the clove backs off a bit, but not much. While I'm sure this will be great for clove-lovers, it's not for me.

[Mishinka]

Oh, is this a sharp, earthy scent in the bottle. I sort of overlooked the patchouli, which hates me, when I first read the description, but the other notes sounded so good. Overall they seem to balance it out, so that it smells a bit like tea and the loam around the roots of a big old tree that's just starting to rot out. Lot of clove, too.

 

<i>Man</i> is this spicy when I put it on. Lot of clove, lot of pepper. I'm even getting a sort of fiery, hot cinnamon smell that might be the cardamom. The patchouli still isn't too bad. Not at all like when I tried it yesterday and forgot to write it up--that was "eww, rotten wood in the bottle and the patchouli won't go away." This is quite nice. This is gorgeous and spicy, actually. The patchouli is there, grounding everything, but it isn't overwhelming. This isn't a slathering scent; maybe that was the issue yesterday. It dries down to almost pure clove and cinnamon, with maybe a bit of patchouli earthiness. I know I was getting whiffs of patchouli for hours after everything else was gone yesterday. If it stays like this, though, this is definitely another one on the OMGlove! pile.