Mole

[femmefatale]

Antiqued sandalwood, patchouli, and soft mosses.

I had dh try this since it seemed like something he would like. Wow. This smells sooooo good. It's so well blended. Sweet and earthy with a bit of spice.
I think I'll have to try this one myself!
If it smells this good on me, we'll probably get a bottle, otherwise the decant will be enough (so he says LOL).

[Juushika]

In the bottle: There's something in here which I can't name but is very familiar. Soft, dry, slightly powdery moss and herbs. Color is somewhere between sage and moss green.

 

On me: Lurid Library—that's what this reminds me of. The blends don't share similar notes, but mayhap it's the combination of smooth, barely-powdery sandalwood and the darkness of patchouli which reminds me of parchment tinged by time. I'm not sure, and honestly I don't care; I just want to bathe in it. This parchment is gently touched by mosses (which are not nearly as masculine as I expected), and it's thinner and lighter than LL, but on the whole they're very similar oils on my skin. Color is creamy, muted, pale moss green; throw is moderate to low.

 

Verdict: Lurid Library is one of my top ten, and so the similarities I smell in Mole delight me. On my skin, to my nose, they're definitely scent cousins: Lurid Library is a thick stack of expensive cream-colored parchment and Mole is a piece of thin parchment abed dry moss. It's a beautiful scent, unisex and soft and comforting. If a decant lands in my lap I'll be thrilled, but I already have a bottle of LL so I'm not in too much a hurry to get more than this sniffy of Mole.

[forspecial_plate]

This is another scent that disappointed me. I came close to liking it, and I will most likely try it again at least once before giving up.

 

I smell the dry, powdery sweetness of the sandalwood, which reminds me of Brown Jenkins. It's not horrible, just not something I feel like wearing. After a while, the scent dries and reminds me of Death from the Tarot scents. So there was a shift, but still, this scent isn't grabbing me like I wanted it to. Again, it's not terrible, just not my thing. Just a little too powdery and almost sickly sweet.

[iiinterstate]

If only I could get my husband to wear BPAL! This is a gorgeous mossy cologne blend on me... just a tiny tad too much cologne for me to pull off.

[Hayet]

I love all the listed notes, and I love mole. If you're at all a fan of these notes, this is a truly marvellous, snuggly, earthy blend. Warm earth with a slight hint of masculine cologne (though I don't find it masculine at all on me), and I'm sure it will just get better with age. Equally lovely on my husband, too.

[Ilex]

I love the character Mole. So I got this in spite of the sandalwood problem (sandalwood = powder on my skin).

 

In the imp it was cologne-like.

 

On my skin... I was hoping the patchouli would make things behave. Nope. This is a sweet and soft scent. Maybe like a mole. Maybe more like baby powder. I'm not getting any earth at all, not a bit. Nor patchouli. Just powder.

 

Oh well.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sandalwood and gentleman's cologne. It reminds me a bit of my grandfather. When first on this is sharp sandalwood and a bit dusty. It's much fainter than in the wet stage. After a few minutes it starts to warm up and the mossy note develops. After a couple of hours this is a lovely soft blend of moss, sandalwood and a bit of patchouli. It's very cozy and fuzzy. On the dry down this is a soft, mossy, close to the skin scent. Very warm and fuzzy-hee! Lovely!

[jolarocknrolla]

soft, warm, earthy, powdery sandalwood I don't get much of the "cologne" other people are mentioning but it does have a subtle masculinity. on my skin it has a dry musky quality ... like musk and paper? the sandalwood is soft and sweet, without any "smoke" notes. a very quiet and muted blend. my husband thought it was really nice and sensual on me (lol).

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Earthy but astringent sandalwood.

 

Immediately on skin: This is warm and earthy. It’s not complex, but it is nicely blended. I smell the sandalwood mostly, with the patchouli grounding it and slightly higher, masculine notes from the mosses. This smells like an underground cave, but one that houses cuddly teddy bears or something. There’s no trace of musky animal in this.

 

After a little while: Mole gets stronger as I wear it. It becomes just a very earthy, warm sandalwood blend. I don’t get the moss anymore, but there’s a unisex feel to this.

 

Overall Impressions: This is warm, earthy sandalwood with a touch of moss at first, but once it dries down that particular note disappears. This is a unisex blend with a lovely warm, underground feel to it. It’s unfortunately not something I’d wear, but I think it will have many admirers.

[zankoku_zen]

Definitely mossy! I get dirty moss --- but it's this deep dirt and moss male cologne.

 

The husband didn't like it and said it smelled like Old Spice (I think that's the default male cologne in his mind).

[hypatia]

This is a wonderful scent if you like the moss/sandalwood/patchouli combination. Since those are some of my favorite notes, I ordered a bottle and wasn't disappointed at all. Mole is less complex than some of the scents in the woodsy/patchouli category (it doesn't morph as much as, say, my beloved Luperci), but it's got a wonderful mellowness to it. On me it's earthy without smelling like dirt -- I can barely tell that the patchouli is there.

 

Weirdly enough, when I try to think of ways to describe it, I keep thinking in terms of texture: smooth, warm, sanded sandalwood, with a layer of something slightly fuzzy and rough over it. I'm not quite sure why it conjures up so many tactile images, but it's entirely appropriate for the Mole and his underground house, and I'm very glad I got a bottle!

[Argentwolf]

It's got a very 'cologney' type vibe to it...not that that's a bad thing, at all. It starts off on the masculine end of the spectrum, maintaining a very deep, earthy atmosphere, but you can smell something sweeter lying underneath, and as time passes, that sweeter tone comes up and gives the blend a nice, more feminine elegance. So, I would agree with another reviewer who called it a unisex scent. I think if it would have projected more, I would have really been aching for a bottle of this; it's nice, but doesn't quite cut it for me.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, I can barely smell anything... perhaps a whiff of light sandalwood and soft, musky cologne.

 

On my skin, this initially reminds me of Luperci, but Mole is very light and doesn't have much throw at all on me. It's like sandalwood with a bit of honeyed sweetness. In the drydown, it's dry, slightly powdery sandalwood. Every once in a while, I get a hint of earthy, soft moss, but it's mostly just sandalwood.

 

I slather this on and it still only lasts about a half hour on my skin. It's a nice enough sandalwood scent, but I don't see myself wearing this much. Perhaps it will get better/stronger with age.

[savage_rose]

This scent gives me a headache. Patchouli is an iffy note for me...here I smell like dirty erasers. The sandalwood turns to powder. So I'm left with dirty erasers nestled in some soft, dry moss. Evocative, certainly, but of what?

Edited January 28, 2009 by savage_rose

[llhorian]

Mole is very sweet early on, in an odd way. Perhaps because it's quite unfamiliar, I haven't spent much time sniffing mosses you see. To put it differently: sweet but not quite 'fitting' on me. Sometimes I get a waft of metallic undertones. It's a very soft, mild and calm scent. It lasts a very long time too, and after a long while all that remains is mild sandalwood, lovely. I can't say I noticed much patchouli, but it may have been in there lending it's character to the moss and sandalwood in their stages.

 

I'm just a bit disappointed, the notes all seemed right in the description, but I had no idea what to expect from mosses. Now I know it's not an immediate fit or liking. Perhaps I'll grow to like it, otherwise I'll keep it around for its last stage, mild sandalwood with soft edges.

[filigree_shadow]

When I first got this decant I tried it on and liked it, but I thought it was too masculine for me. It's been sitting in my box of imps next to my end of the couch for a couple of months now, and often when I'm sitting here doing stuff on my laptop in the evening I pick out an imp and put on some perfume simply for my own enjoyment. I've picked Mole quite a few times. I think this is one of those scents I'd be reluctant to wear out (to school or out with friends) because I know some people really dislike patchouli, but frankly I enjoy it quite a lot. Sweet, mossy patchouli.

 

I hope I don't use up my decant of Mole any time soon... but when I do I bet I'll want another one. I liked it from the start, but it has grown on me even more. It's certainly one of my favorites from Wind in the Willows.

[FandF]

WET: mossy men's cologne, quite strong yet unique.

 

DRYING: um, turning not so good. earthy but in an unpleasant way. i'm trying to keep it on but i want to wash it off.

 

DRY: was hoping this would morph but it did not. this scent might age well though?

 

[beachbabealways]

Comptoir Sud Pacifique came out with a perfume back in 1976 called Eau Grise. It's really a uni-sex perfume but it's listed in the men's category.

Anyway, Mole smells just like it. I have a vintage bottle of EG and compared the two and it's amazing how much alike they are.

I'd think this has civet in it although it is not listed as one of the notes.

Mole is fantastic and so glad I swapped for a bottle of it.

[hmelt004]

This is a soft, earthy cologne, like Badger's younger cousin. It smells sort of clean and ancient, timeless. I like my moles soft and cute, but this is a wise old mole who knows his way around.

[Voleuse]

I never thought I could describe a patchouli scent as gentle, but this is definitely a soft, nostalgic sort of patchouli. The woods are a good counterbalance--not towering, terrifying woods, but rather a twisty, friendly forest with winding paths and nice, springy places to sit and read and take naps. This is a bit dusty, as well, like an old and well-loved library. This isn't something I would normally wear, but it's enticing and evocative.

[bloody sore]

Soft and warm like wild animal fur. I do not like this on my skin, but it makes a wonderful scent for yarn and knitted items. Gifted to Eesie who described it as "OMG! Beth somehow made a mole live in this bottle! It's furry and warm and perfect!!!"

 

[Victory]

I got a decant of Mole in a swap; I had skipped over it when it first came out because patchouli and sandalwood are both iffy on me. Mole smells to me both like a gentleman's cologne and like a rooty, earthy scent. Like the cologne that a mole would wear! The cologne-aspect reminds me of Saint-Germaine, and I am happiest when it is in balance with the earthiness, which sometimes really overwhelms it. I'd love to smell this on a man because it is a little masculine for me, although I am happy enough wearing it.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL's from a few people.

 

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet. I guess it slipped through the cracks.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Everything about Mole sounds ideal for me. I love sandalwood, I adore patchouli and I like moss very much. Plus, moles are adorable.

 

First sniff:

 

Lots of moss. Dry, a little crumbly, a little sweet. Grey green smelling somehow. I don't really get patchouli or sandalwood here, but I think that they're combining to add a soft, earthiness in back of the moss. This is a much gentler scent than you might expect.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Still predominately moss, but I start to get a little bit of patchouli when Mole hits my skin. It's still very much a grey green scent, but now it has a dusty brown vibe to it, too. It's still slightly sweet, for reasons I don't really understand, but it's an earthy sweetness, not a candy sweetness. Mole smells soft and gentle and somehow snuggly in a plantlike way. Which I'm sure makes no sense unless you're like me and like running your hands over moss on fallen trees. I'm strange, what can I say?

 

Dry down:

 

Soft and gentle. This is very much a "nature" scent, but it's much softer than most others I've tried. Moss stays on top the whole time, but the patchouli comes out more and more as Mole dries. It's not a headshop patchouli, instead it's a very soft, velvety brown earthiness supporting the soft greenness of the moss. It smells faded and well-loved somehow, like a teddy bear that's lost an eye and most of its fur through a life spent being snuggled. Take that impression of well-loved disrepair and apply it to a fallen tree and you've got Mole. Strange, I know, but that's the impression it gives me.

 

The bottom line:

 

I absolutely love Mole. It's a gorgeous mossy earthy scent, but it's far from typical for that type of blend. Most of my BPAL earth/moss/woods blends are fairly heavy and intense while Mole is soft and broken-in smelling. I feel safe and content wearing this one.

[Monday]

On first sniff this is a faint moss and sandalwood. Wet on my skin I get a note that is so familiar to me I raked my brains and finally it struck: my imp of Delousing Powder! Wet this smells like the 'powder' in Delousing Powder only with patchouli instead of lemon.

On dry down the moss comes through and it becomes more masculine while still keeping it's fluffyness. This will need a retest, but I'm glad that I have a bottle of it!

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Soft wispy patchouli, a gentle muted earth tone

 

Wet: Still very much a patchouli blend, but there's a spicy vibe from the sandalwood, lending an exotic air. This is much richer than expected, almost resinous in its thickness. It's very soft and smooth, quiet yet with a definite presence.

 

Dry: Slightly spicy, powdery patchouli. Sadly, this fades rather quickly on me, but I love its gentle earthiness while it lasts.