Clémence

[tailoredshirt]

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

In the bottle: Clove! Sweet, like clove cigarettes.

Wet: Still lots of clove, with some other spices. It smells a lot like chai tea.

Dry: Still cloves and spices and tea. After a while, the patchouli starts to come out more. It dirties it up and makes it less of a foodie scent. I don't like patchouli when it's really strong and in the forefront, but this is just the right amount.

Overall: This is wonderful - spicy and sexy and delicious. I'm definitely purchasing a bottle of this.

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I received an imp of the from a decant circle.

 

In Bottle: Spicy and yummy. Warm.

 

Wet On Skin: Yum, spicy patchouli, pepper and clove.

 

Dry On Skin: It has settled a bit but still strong and spicy. Lots of throw, this one. I love it and will be purchasing a bottle. I like to layer this with Pink Mood.

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Patchouli, pepper, and clove.

Wet: Pepper, clove and cardamom. Super spicy.

Dry: Cardamom and clove with just a hint of pepper over a base of patchouli and tea.

Notes: If it’s spice you like then this is a good scent to try.

 

[sarielswish]

In the vial, it smells oddly almost edible. Must be the spices. It reminds me of something I'd find on a plate at an SCA feast. Color, carnation red.

 

Wet on my skin, I'm taking a chance. I didn't realize this one had carnation in it until just now. Here goes nothing. At first I'm getting nothing but a faintly spiced tea. Not unpleasant, but not really what I'm looking for in a perfume.

 

10-15 minute drydown - Now it smells like bittersweet chocolate that's gone somewhat *off* and it's kind of making my head hurt.

[gingiemay]

This seemed like it would be such a win on me, but instead all I get is black pepper, clove and a very tiny hint of tea. No patchouli, cardamom or carnation. In the decant it did smell a bit earthier, I assume thanks to the patchouli, but that is not coming out on me. Shoot!

[Stormslegacy]

This is a beautiful, strong scent. I've had it in my box for nearly a year and hadn't tried it until now really--I don't know why!

 

It has a spicy warmth that's perfect for winter. Immediately I get the spices, cloves, possibly cinnomon, with an undertone of carnation that gives it a very feminine rather than foody charm. It's the perfect amoutn fo strength and when I turn my head I can whiff it. I've only worn it for 2 hours so far, but this smells like the kind of scent that lasts all day. Definitely one I love.

 

Five stars from me <3

[Incendiare]

In the bottle, patchouli and clove are battling to the death. Wet, the patchouli comes out more. I normally can't stand patchouli but this is more tolerable. Not really surprised as I have observed in the past that my nose can tolerate patchouli better when it's mixed in with spices since they seem to cover up the qualities of patchouli that I despise. After a couple minutes, this smells a bit smokier. There are a lot of spices going on at once and I can't really pick them apart aside from the clove. Fast forward a couple more minutes and the cardamom has slightly broken away from the other spices. Yay, I can now smell carnation too. My friends thought I had lost my mind when I said that I bought a perfume oil that contains patchouli, and I thought I had too at the beginning, but this is pretty good. I'll admit, it's still a little too heavy on the patchouli. If I had my way I'd turn it down a few notches, but nonetheless, I am impressed.

[HerbGirl]

When will I learn?! In most cases Clove just doesn't play nice on my skin... but I seem to have to try each one just to make sure...

 

I love Patchouli, and this is a nice Patch... I love each and every tea scent, and this one is no exception

 

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices and Carnation is my favorite flower, although here she is VERY understated, less spicy and a bit powdery (to me).

 

Black Pepper isn't always a good friend.

 

And then...CLOVE. I'm so sad - I smelled clove initially, but I kept trying to love this perfume despite the clove...bordering on nausea (clove does this to me) for 3 hours.

 

So, I gave up. Clove - >1, Amy - 0

 

With clove: 2/5

Without Clove? I'm guessing 7/5... boo hoo for my rotten skin relationship with Clove.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[lahdeedah]

I don't have too much to add to what's already been said about Clemence, except that I really like her. I first tried this from a near empty vial, and my notes said Clove SN. But something made me want to give this another shot, and so I tried it again from a fresher bottle at Knows Perfume. This time, much more than clove. Clove is still at the forefront, but all the other notes are mingling around, giving it a soft, exotic throw. I can pick out cardamom, and a hint of patchouli. Carnation is a note on me that I sense more than actually smell in a defined way.

 

It's wonderful for wintertime, and I feel will be an interesting one to play with layering. It's definitely giving me that spice market vibe, and I love a scent that can transport me to other places. Keeper.

[stellamaris]

Patchouli. And that's all she wrote folks. Not that I don't love it, but it kills everything else in the bottle, the room, the entire house. But that's OK, you just have to be feeling patchouli.

 

Edit * OK ok, so I was wrong...after more than a year at my house this is mostly carnation and clove, and just lovely.

Edited November 21, 2012 by stellamaris

[Alethia]

Wet: Oof. Nothing but patchouli here.

 

Dry down: Patchouli still. Sheesh.

 

Dry: Patchouli and clove, but still mostly patchouli.

 

Verdict: I was really hoping for more of the clove and cardamom to come through, but the patch knocked everybody else out of the ring. So sad

 

Retest on September 5, 2013: Almost two years later, my nose is much more educated and I think the lovely Clemence deserves a retest.

 

Wet: Still a strong, earthy patchouli, but I'm much better able to appreciate it now. It still might be too strong for me however. There's just a hint of the clove at the very end of the sniff.

 

Dry down: The patchouli backs off and this morphs into a fabulous blend of clove, cardamom, and carnation. Hot damn, this is spectacular! This is spicy without hurting my nose and is fabulous.

 

Dry: Spicy carnation goodness. This smells like walking into the Persian market across the street from my apartment. They sell spices by the bulk, and this is that atmosphere bottled. Love.

 

Final thoughts: I am so, so, so glad I hung onto my bottle and retested this. It's everything I was hoping and so much more.

 

Verdict: Just try to pry it out of my hands

Edited September 6, 2013 by Alethia

[strahlend]

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

 

This is all warm spice on my skin. It's dominantly clove, but I can see how the carnation and cardamom play a part in the spice-fest. Pathouli is a perfect, yet subtle, backdrop for the dominant notes.

I'm very happy to have a bottle, it smells great and I think it will make a lovely layering component.

[lookingglass]

This smells like home to me...drinking tea, someone's smoking a clove cigarette, and wearing patchouli.

[Gin]

In the bottle, Clemence smells overwhelming. On the skin, it blooms. It's a perfectly spicy, comforting hot tea.

[catalyst]

This is mostly just clove and patchouli, with maybe a little carnation if you know it's there. I don't really like clove or patchouli.

[fufu_berry]

This was so horrible in the decant and on wet that I almost scrubbed it off - it smelled like the moldy water left over after you had to throw out old carnations. Just old and decaying and musty and ugh. But I left it on hoping some of the other notes would pull through, and they did! After about 10 min the moldy smell went away, and the patchouli came through. It was mostly patchouli until after about five hours, when a little bit of black pepper and cardamom peeked through. It was mostly nice, although I wish I had gotten more clove and tea and less carnation. Just need to plug my nose for 10 min after applying I guess!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I've been wanting a clove-cigarette scent for fall, and from some of the reviews Clemence sounds like the girl for the job! Wet, I get the spicy clove note I wanted, over a base of patchouli. It's not a "hippie" patchouli scent on me--just something darker under the clove. As it dries, the other spices start to develop. Carnation always "reads" as spice rather than floral on me, so it is a perfect complement. I'm delighted with Clemence!

[galahad]

In the Vial:

Slightly peppery and sour black tea in the vial

On the Skin:

Dusty carnation to start and then the carnation amps (which is nice - it is a richly spicy red carnation). The clove, patchouli and black pepper emerge to add a dry but rich resin backing. There is a slight citrus vibe as well. almost like bergamot but not.

On the Drydown:

Ends up a dry, slightly off carnation. Carnation has a tendency to go "sweaty" on my skin

[roseus]

In the vial: clove

 

Wet: CLOVE-almost eye-watering.

 

Dry: A spiced patchouli and cardamom combo that smells vaguely like cardboard.

[BoneBone24]

Expectation: Smoky Spicy Clove Tea

First Sniff: It smells like candle magic and chai tea. It's soft, earthy, and wonderfully familiar.

On Skin: Clove city! Warm, savory, enticing clove, backed by the tart brightness of tea. Lurking in the shadows is something dry and crumbly. It’s not quite ashy, but certainly smells burnt. But mostly, this is beautiful, beautiful clove.

(note: this one’s a non-morpher)

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

Edited August 27, 2017 by BoneBone24

[LizziesLuck]

2017 version - (based on these notes, I am guessing this will need some age, but I wanted to try it fresh too)

 

 

Wet: Clove and patchouli in equal measures. I love clove. I like some of the Lab's patchouli and dislike others. I think this is one of the less dry, more sweet "chewy" patchouli notes that I like. So far I am enjoying this. It's very sweet actually, which is what is making it so very enjoyable! I think the carnations are adding sweetness, and extra oomph to the spiciness of this. It's very warming. I thought for a while I didn't want to smell like spice scents anymore, but then I realized it's more the cinnamon type spice scents I don't want to smell like - I still adore clove, ginger, and cardamom. I don't get much (if any) cardamom here. The carnation is amping up more and more. It's lovely combined with patchouli and clove! I never would have thought.

 

Dry: Sadly this dries down to just a faint patchouli scent with a bit of spice - it's pleasant, but not as lovely as it was when wet. I'll try aging to see if that helps, but right now not feeling like I need a bottle.

[Spaztic]

This reminds me a lot of Lush's Ruby Red Slippers (or the Potion scent range I guess)

It's mostly a clove-y Carnation on me. I don't get too much patchouli or tea...maybe a little pepper

I really like this for winter

[Lucchesa]

A year ago I wouldn't have touched Clemence with a ten-foot wand cap. But now that I know not all patchouli smells like a Berkeley head shop, I'm willing to try a scent with patch listed as the first note, especially with beloved cardamom and carnation backing it up. And Clemence was worth the gamble.

 

At first it was all patchouli and clove, but as it dried down it warmed into a snuggly spicy patchouli. I never get pepper (scent blind?) and didn't get any tea from this either, but I would have tried it even if those notes hadn't been listed. Carnation and clove are related notes to my nose, and the clove doesn't overwhelm. It's about as patchouli as I'm willing to go, but it really is a pleasure.

[semuelle77]

I don't remember when I bought Clemence. It was at least two years ago, if not longer. (I completely lose track of bpal time!)

 

When first applied, Clemence smells sharp and...dirty? Not in a sexy way, in an actual dirt sort of way. This is pretty typical for patchouli, particularly black patch. (Is that what's in there?) My husband once commented that, freshly applied, it smelled like bug spray. I've had to teach him the importance of letting the oils settle in the skin.

 

After drydown, Clemence is a deep, spicy blend that is heavy on the patchouli. It is almost, but not quite, patchouli chai tea. It is cozy and dirty (in a sexy way) and absolutely wonderful. I don't wear Clemence often, but every time I do I ask myself why I don't wear her more. I tend to apply lightly in the morning, since the initial smell is so sharp and strong. I have to remind myself to slather, as Clemence softens considerably after about an hour, and lingers lightly for a while afterwards.

[Dancing Raven]

Black pepper as a note scares me, but I kept going back to the reviews, and decided to finally blind buy a bottle. This is definitely worthy of the praise it gets.

Wet, it starts out spicy, and for the first 5 to 10 minutes I get a camphorous note, which is probably from the clove. I actually like the smell of camphor, so it worked out nicely. Then it blooms. Fair warning - this oil is potent, and stays potent for many hours. Don't over apply! The first hour after the camphor smell disappears smells almost identical to vintage Opium. Obviously there isn't civet in here, and some of the things in Opium aren't allowed to be used in perfumes anymore, but this is incredibly similar to the opening of Opium. I placed some from my vintage bottle on my other arm to compare, so I say this with great confidence. Such a complex scent from a little bottle of oil!

Upon further drydown, it becomes chai spice. I don't get a tea scent, just the spiciness of chai. Patchouli doesn't come out for me until many, many hours later as the scent fades and becomes closer to the skin. It's simply a grounding basenote. Throw is excellent, and wear time is phenomenal. I read in the reviews that shriekingviolet is the cover girl for this, and that is definitely something to be proud of! I absolutely adore this.

5 out of 5 stars.