Cheshire Cat

[Teggy]

Grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender.

Wet, it's very fruity, kinda grapefruity. As it dries down, it changes dramatically. It becomes much classier. I think it might be the chamomile and lavender that does it. I was really surprised by how much it changed. Who knew the Cheshire Cat could be so....elegant?

[lady d]

mrrrrrr.

 

if this scent were a sound (i said somewhere else, that to approach what we mean we have to go by degrees, we have make ourselves a bit synaesthetic and speak as if in metaphor) it would be a deep, rumbling purr. it it were a taste, it would be tea and candy, and rich currant jam still stuck to your paws. it it were a color, it would be purple fur a little like twilight, and something of a lovely, lazy mystery, a softly-grinning dream that flicks it tail to disappear, a little like stars swallowed by clouds.

 

if it were to speak, it would say, 'a dog's not mad -- do you grant that? a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. i growl when i'm pleased, and wag my tail when i'm angry. therefore i'm mad.'

 

then it stretches out, in a patch of sun, and falls asleep.

 

mrrr.

[poisons_sanity]

Very bright fruity scent. Grapefruit is the main note, but the other notes balance it out so that it is not too tart. I love this scent, but it fades so fast.

[ralenth]

In bottle: Sweet grapefruit scent. Smells like fresh-squeezed juice.

 

Wet: Mmm, a rush of tart and tangy grapefruit.

 

Drydown: The bottom opens up and a musky scent peeks out. I catch a bit of something sweeter in there too, but as quickly as I find it, it's gone. Delicious, but keeps changing. Definitely as crazy as the Cheshire.

 

Dry: Huskier, and faintly fruity. Unfortunately it faded quickly. I'm left with a bit of musk with soft traces of fruit. I like it, but I want the grapefruit to come back.

 

Overall: I like it, but I'm not sure I'd wear this too often.

[Browneyes]

Imp: This strikes me as an aquatic citrus scent

Wet: Mmm very lovely. Grapefruit, but sweetened with a touch of currant. I don't seem to pick up the dark musk very strongly. And the herbs and lavender are there, but just faintly.

Dry: Aha, now I get the smooth dark musk. This is generally a very smooth and sweet citrus. I really love it. In fact, I think this may be my favourite BPAL citrus so far. Fire Pig is lovely too, but much more orange/tangerine/lychee, and a tad generic, whilst this is more kooky. The grapefruit is bouncy, but the sweet dark musk is slightly sinister. Great interpretation

[captainoats]

In the imp: Grapefruit and lavender and something sweet and fruity.

 

Wet: Ooh, very elegant, soft grapefruit, a teeny bit of lavender, and possibly currant?

 

Drying: Very soft and light, fruity without being too sweet and foral without being too overpowering. Really nice.

 

Final verdict: Not what I expected, but still lovely. The Cheshire Cat is my favorite character (literary and film) of all time, so to be able to wear a blend with his name on it is awesome. I'll probably get a bottle.

[WidgetAlley]

Knowing how many people love this and were thrilled by its infamous return, I was excited to try this.

 

In the Imp: Sweet lavender, grapefruit, and a waft of fruity currant. I can smell chamomile, too, a sort of soft yellowish note, that I couldn't place until I reminded myself what's in here. It smells like chamomile tea and a sunny kitchen. Very nice.

 

Wet: Wet aquatic musk, lavender, grapefruit, chamomile, currant and something floral, in that order. I'm not usually a huge fan of dark musk, but here it smells amazing-- deep and cool, like the shade you get under really thick foliage. It makes the whole thing smoother and richer than most other fruit/flower blends. I like it.

 

Dry: It's faded a little, but the musk is even more prominent, and has blended nicely with all the other elements into a cool, grapefruit-musk-chamomile-fruit-flower melange. It smells fabulous, but I'm not sure how often I'd actually wear it. I'll hang on to the Imp and see.

[stellans]

Imp/Bottle: whew! sharp grapefruit, with not much else coming through. But I like grapefruit best of all citrus notes, so I don't mind this sharpness at all.

 

First Applied: Still the sharpness, but after it's been on just a few minutes, it morphs quite amazingly into a softer, mellower scent, with what must be the currant, lavender and chamomile showing up, but not strongly. Usually I can smell lavender in a blend right away, but not with this one. It sneaked up on me, whispered to my nose, "Hello!" and then went to the background while Grapefruit kept showing off out front. The currant lends a definite juiciness, but again, not strongly. The chamomile (which always smells of apples and hay to me) is a surprisingly strong second to the grapefruit, even above the lavender. I am really liking the complexity but fun of this blend.

 

Dry Down: Grapefruit still on top, but chamomile is the strong 2nd, with the juicy sweetness of the currant 3rd. Lavender is very dimly 4th, which is ok because this blend is just wonderful as it is, and I have plenty of other lavender loves. The throw surprised me by being so strong, and lasting for as long as it did, since the reviews seemed to mostly stress that it disappeared quickly -- but it didn't on me! I'm so very glad I bought this 10ml bottle, because I'm going to enjoy every drop of it to the maximum.

 

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Edited May 2, 2008 by stellans

[neuilly]

At first this was a strong grapefruit but it's quickly tempered by musk (I know it's not labeled as a note but that's what it feels like) and something sweet. Turns into a hazy, playful citrus. Fantastic!!

[Laughing-magpie]

This is a creamy, pastel grapefruit on me. Like a grapefruit creamsicle. It's young and adorable.

 

I was hoping for something a little brisker and sharper - and in the vial it does have promise - but it's probably my skin's tendency to bring out the sweetness in scents that is doing this. Though it's not the scent I was looking for, I do like it and if only the throw were a little stronger and longer I'd probably snap up some bigger bottles. It lasts up to about 3 hours on me.

[Emera]

In the imp: Citrus and a little sting of lavender.

 

On my skin: Hel-LO citrus! This is like being hit in the face with a squirt of the grapefruit-mint drink I bought a few days ago - juicy, refreshing. No throw at all, though. After the initial blast it calms down to bright, pale grapefruit, with a very soft, dewy herbal background.

 

Later: Died pretty much instantly, unfortunately - I think my skin is too dry. Also, something in it gave me the tiniest rash (whoops). Wish it lasted longer, as it's such a summery treat!

[smallvoice]

This is really pretty! It's a musky grapefruit on me, and I can smell some of the currants, as well. It's a beautiful, soft fragrance on my chemistry and seems really versatile- not offensive for day wear, unusual enough for nighttime. I think, however, that the musk must have some red in it, and the lavender has crawled into my sinuses to incite a riot. I'll test again another day, to be sure.

[n1k1ta]

The grapefruit is the strongest note with the currant coming in second. There is a light floral which I assume is the chamomile and delphinium. The lavender and musk are more spicy than anything else.

 

Cheshire Cat is playful and has a party vibe to it.

 

After about four hours, Cheshire Cat is juicy and dark. This isn't real surprising for me. However, I love the Cat. I don't think it's a bottle-buy, but I will enjoy my imp.

[usamimi]

In bottle: Sweet and flowery, with a hint of grapefruit.

 

Wet: VERY grapefruit, but the current cuts down on the bitterness, making it smell sweet

 

Drydown: The florals come out, but compliment the grapefruit and current extremely well. It smells citrusy, but not. Floral, but not overly. It makes me think of a fantastical garden with huge, pink flowers, and trees with unusual fruits hanging down lazily. Almost tropical, but not quite....more like--dare I say it--Wonderland!

 

Dry: A little more muskier, but still fantastically fruity-and-floral without being too strong.

 

Overall: I loved it! It was sweet and playful, but not childishly so. I may have to get a bottle of this! I was pleasantly surprised, and everyone kept telling me how good I smelled. Even my cat seemed to like it.

[Iceblink]

Strong, sharp grapefruit that I had to wash off almost immediately because my skin got very irritated very quickly. I guess I can only wear grapefruit when it's not the dominanting note in a blend, alas...

[starwild]

I am normally resistant to wearing stuff with strong citrus, but Cheshire is not what I was afraid it might be.

 

Bottle: A mixture of very soft and sweet grapefruit with lots of chamomile and a hint of lavender.

 

Wet: I do get a rush of grapefruit, but it's bright and sunny, not candy-sweet or overpowering. The florals are balancing beautifully. There's something a tiny bit bitter, and I actually don't think it's the citrus.

 

Drydown: This is a bright and smiling scent, with a wink and a purr. Nothing scary about this Cat. A little madness, yes, but it's the kind that rubs around your ankles, not the kind that would hurt you.

 

Very glad I tried this, it's different and it's a citrusy scent I can wear. Not overly strong, maybe this one needs some aging.

[LadyBug]

At first smell I get grapefruit! Smells really yummy and fruity. I am surprised there is dark musk in this because to me this is a very bright smell. I can't smell the lavender yet...I need to search for this one.

 

When I put this on the grapefruit is not as strong and blends with the currant a lot. I really really like it but the scent faded pretty quickly.

 

I would buy a bottle of this for sure!!

[laliloo]

Another Mad Tea Party scent that I can't stop sniffing after I've applied it!

 

It's my first successful citrus - the lemony-citrus oils that I've tried have all gone to sour detergent on me, but this... this is lovely.

 

It's a creamy citrus smell, not as vivid or astringent as grapefruit is on its own. I'm guessing the musk and maybe the lavender are toning it down and rounding it out. I can also smell the currant more and more the longer I wear it. It's a pink and yellow smell. Another one that I would be very tempted to get a 5ml of!

 

Gorgeous.

[Delirium1009]

At first on my skin, this was a slightly fruity lavender scent… very clean and crisp.

 

A while later, it’s very fruity but floral and the lavender faded a bit. The musk came out a little and the scent was very nice. But unfortunately this faded after only an hour or two of wearing it.

[hushmesilent]

AHHH Cheshire Cat! I was so ecstatic to recieve this in a huge lot of imps that I bought off eBay. It doesn't disappoint in any way! I've been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland for a very long time (to the point that my dog's full name is Alice N. Wonderland). This is ALWAYS how I pictured the forest to smell, not necessarily the Cheshire Cat.

 

However, it is a lovely scent. When I originally read that there were such sharp citrus notes in it, I wasn't quite sure. Citrus gives me a headache after about two minutes. However, there is something so floral laid over the citrus that it's not a problem at all!

 

What Cheshire Cat smells like to me, is a vibrant, pulsing, screaming-soundlessly, red and purple super-high. I've never been high, but to me that's what I assume it would feel like! However, there's something ultra-calming about it too (I just applied and it's almost my bedtime), like this is all covered in what smells to be either white, super-creamy florals, or linen.

 

On my skin, it's definitely there, but it's more a part of me than a seperate entity. At first it was all super sharp grapefruit, but after about five minutes it's mellowed down to a lovely, calming (roman chamomile?) scent.

 

It's changing, but I'm not sure if it's fading yet. (I spilled the imp and sloshed a good half an imp all over myself. If it fades too quickly, regrettably, I probably will have to make do with just the imp and not spend money on a big bottle.)

 

However, if it lasts... aw, man.. I'd love to have a big bottle of this.

[Catmint]

IMP: Sweet, fresh and fruity, like a cup of chamomile tea with sugar and lemon. Faint hint of lavender in the background.

 

WET: Citrusy lavender. I wish I got the grapefruit everyone is talking about, because I love grapefruit, but all I get is a kind of generic citrus scent like they use in cleaning products. The freshness and sharpness of citrus rind, without the juice or flavor of the fruit.

 

DRY: A musky lavender with a hint of citrus and an occasional whiff of berry. Not bad, but definitely not the screaming juicy grapefruit I was hoping for. Off to swaps.

[Severuslovesme]

Mostly grapefruit in the bottle and wet on my skin, though on my skin there's a hint of currant. As it dries it's very musky and the grapefruit is almost completely gone. The florals are emerging now - this has gone from quite fruity, to musky, to almost entirely floral. Now that it's settled down though, I get the grapefruit again as a top note, then the florals and currant, and the musk as a base. So basically, constantly changing just like the Cheshire Cat!

 

It's settled into a gorgeous, light blend. Definitely a keeper.

[Christine Daae]

In the imp, this is all grapefruit (I've never smelled a grapefruit blend before, so this is interesting!).

 

Wet on my skin, it's juicy and fruity and less bitter than you'd expect grapefruit to smell.

 

As it dries, the currant (I suppose?) becomes more prominent. It does have a bit of the musk, now that I look for it, but it's very understated and definitely less prominent than the currant and the grapefruit.

 

This is really interesting. I don't know if I'll hold onto it or not, as fruity smells aren't generally my thing.

[modernsaints]

Tra la la bright sweet fruit OH GOD HNDKS GNRG THE HERBS, THEY GOT ME

 

Sorry, lavender. Move yourself along. You're not wanted here.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Yum, citrus!

 

Wet: Yum, sweet citrus!

 

Drydown: The bit of sharpness from the grapefruit settles down and I'm left with yummy grapefruit.

3.5 outta 5