Cathode

[Macha]

A negatively charged scent. Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints.

In the bottle: Ah, mint! I love the smell of mint! Tingly wonderful mint...with some other smells underneath.
Wet, on skin: Still that strong, glorious mint smell, electric and bright. Invigorating, but not cloyingly sweet. Oh loveliness!
1.5 hours on skin: Where did my mint go? Arrrgh!!! It's all moss and forests and...and...is that what ambergris smells like? I...wait....that's not bad, actually. And the mint is still there in the background, it's just hiding under that mossy ambergris smell and peaking its head out occassionally. How coy.
Drydown: A little soapy now, but in a very fresh way that's not unpleasant. Mostly mossy smells now with almost no mint at all.
Conclusion: This smells fabulous on the bf, so I suspect this will end up being just 'his' scent and I'll end up enjoying it vicariously. Love the idea of it, love it in the bottle, but it gets a little strange on me after a while. I will of course give it a few more chances...as people have pointed out, BPAL scents have an odd way of making you change your mind about them...

[bonnyread]

Wow, this is so beautiful! It's not what I was expecting at all. My mind caught hold of the name and the mints, so I thought this would be something sharp and electric, but the moss is really key here. It's very soft and green with just the tiniest hint of mint if I really look for it.

 

If it's electricity, it's not the static shock kind. Here's an image: a roadside transformer humming beneath an encroaching mass of vegitation still damp with early morning dew.

 

As a weird little sidebar, I completely hated the way this smelled in the vial, so much that I wasn't sure I wanted to put it on my skin. It was very sharp and strange, all I could get was a nasty mint. But as soon as it started to dry the moss rose up gloriously and the mint faded almost completely. I love it more and more the longer I wear it, and it LASTS all day. I might need a bottle.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Yep, this is definitely mint. One of the mosses (not sure which) thickens it, but it's mostly mint.

 

Wearing: Once on my skin, the mint is still there, but it's different. This isn't spearmint gum or peppermint candy; it's a rich, deep mint, if that even makes sense. The moss peeks its head out a little bit, but not too much. The ambergris starts coming through, lending a perfumey property to this that I definitely did not expect.

 

Later: Well, before this I wondered what ambergris smelled like, and boy did I find out! That's basically all of what I smell now, and it's turning to powder on me! Every now and then, if I sniff hard enough, there's a very slight zing of mint...but for the most part, citrusy, perfumey powder. I can imagine this being great on someone else whose skin can hold onto the moss and mint, so I'll probably have to swap it out.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

Cathode has been lying around in my "to try" box for a few months now because I've had so many other scents to try and it just got lost in the landslide of imps and bottles, but I'm very interested in seeing what this smells like. The moss and mints sound lovely, but ambergris is hit or miss with me. I'm really not sure what to expect from Cathode except lots of mint.

 

First sniff:

 

Minty but warm. I recognize one of the mints in here (or maybe more than one) from Ultraviolet, but this isn't cold smelling like Ultraviolet was...this is more like hot mint tea than the icy cold mint of UV. I don't smell the mosses or the ambergris distinctly; instead they combine to create a feeling of warmth behind the mint. So far, I really like this!

 

Wet on skin:

 

The mint is still prominent, but now I smell the ambergris, too. It's warm and musky and (to my amazement) smells wonderful with the mint! I'm also beginning to smell the oakmoss here, too. Cathode is simultaneously mossy, warm, musky, minty and fresh and, so far, I love it!

 

Dry down:

 

Cathode has lightened quite a bit now that it's dried. The mint has receded into the background, but it's still recognizeable, lightening the ambergris and moss and making it more approchable. Without the mint, Cathode might be like the deep forest - the smell of musk and moss and darkness - but with the mint it suddenly brightens enough to show the path leading back to civilization.

 

The bottom line:

 

I really like Cathode a lot. The ambergris is behaving itself and I love moss and mint (in moderation), So Cathode is right up my alley.

[leapylees]

I should review this since it's one of my top three oils, even thogh I find it very difficult to describe. It was a freebie with my first oil and it became one of my favourites. The name reminds me of old televisions though.

 

In the vial - Minty, but there's something else. It has a very fresh ozone scent.

 

On - It mellows down but is still a very fresh, clean scent. The mint becomes much lighter and gives way to a gentle green herbiness and very, very slight earthiness (the moss?). The mint is still there but it's a lot more subtle. This is good as I don't like toothpastey mint smells.

 

Overall - Well, I've already mentioned it's one of my favourites, and a 5ml is being ordered in my next order. It's not the strongest smelling of scents but it lasts all day at a 'low level.' It's a good summer scent.

[phaedrine]

I got this in a swap, as I had been very curious about it for a while now.

 

In the vial, WOAH MINT! It's very fresh, very minty, it zaps you right in the nose.

 

It doesn't last that long on me, but for that half hour or so, it's a real eye opener.

 

After that time, the mint fades completely, and I'm left with a soft, very subtle mossy smell.

 

I think this would make a *fantastic* hand lotion, great for when you need that pick-me-up jolt that the mint will give.

[LiberAmoris]

Cathode reminds me of the Dylan Thomas Poem with the line "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower." I keep hearing that line today as I catch little bursts of Cathode rising from my sleeves.

 

It's super minty, but once that top layer evaporates a bit, the moss and ambergris come through and really makes it an earthy, sexy, and charged blend. I love the air right before a summer storm, and this is the closest to that feeling that I have found in my BPAL sojourns so far.

 

I notice a similarity between Cathode and both Ice Queen and Nine Mysteries. For fans of those two blends, you might want to give Cathode a try for more minty deliciousness.

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle:

 

Wet and bright. I sort of smell the mint, but it's more vague with an overall bite.

 

Wet:

 

This was almost all mint on me. As it began drying, I started to smell the mosses. It was an interesting combination: dry mosses against the wet mint. I thought it worked well.

 

Dry:

 

Hmm, not so much minty anymore. It smells like citrus with a touch of green mossy earthiness. Maybe the citrus is the ambergris (no idea what it's supposed to smell like)?

 

Verdict:

 

This one smelled very nice in its wet stage, but has dried to something more sweet and floral...sort of like gourmet dryer sheets. If the mint had stayed around longer, I might have liked this one a lot more.

[phoefromelsewhere]

In the bottle: minty green and mossy.

 

Wet: Very clean and green. Also very very light, I had to slather this one.

 

Drydown: Oh gosh, this is gorgeous. It makes me think of standing in a lovely green forest with ferns and moss over everything and a coupla wild mint plants twining through everything.

 

Later: Very planty and green. This would be great for wanting to feel closer to the earth. There is a very earthy smell to it, I wonder if that’s the ambergris. It really does feel like I am sitting in a cool, dark, green forest on loamy rich soil. This may be a big bottle for me, will have to try it out a few more times.

[autumnviolet]

I only wish the initial smell stayed.

Wet: POW! Green mint and sour limes. In a good way.

Dry down: goes to green sweet herbs with some lime.

Hours later: a pretty green sniff with a little citrus.

[Theravada]

I was expecting something else from Cathode, but I still like it.

 

This is a highly charged scent. It's very sharp, fresh, and minty. But it's more of a spearmint than a peppermint (I was hoping for peppermint). There is also a noticable herbal aspect to this blend.

 

This is a fantastic gender neutral scent that would work well in the warmer months. It has a cooling quality to it for people that want something for summer than doesn't involve florals or cirtus notes.

[shelldoo]

this is all miny on me bright green mint. it is a nippy, cold mint...did i say mint

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Green and minty!

 

After 10 minutes- This is making my hand all tingley! I just love the mint in this one, which is dominant. There is a sharp perfumy smell in the background that must be the moss and ambergris. For some reason this smells like a cross between mint, lime and olive juice on me.

 

After 30 minutes- Minty olive juice. It must be the moss that makes me think 'olives'.

 

Summery- I love the mintyness of Cathode but this is too masculine for my taste.

[Electra]

This is DEFINITELY a gender-neutral scent. I like it on me, but I'd love to smell it on a guy. Mrowr.

 

Wet: Cool, somewhat powdery mint. Smells very similar to Bath & Body Works' Stress Relief aromatherapy line (eucalyptus/spearmint) - which is what I expected Frost Moon to smell like, ironically enough. No similarity between Frost Moon and Cathode/Stress Relief despite the similarity of the notes.

 

Drydown: The mint is completely gone. What I'm smelling now must be ambergris - it's powdery and really, really nice.

 

I like this one a lot. I doubt I'll get a big bottle, but I'll definitely keep the imp on hand.

[bexone]

In the vial and on first application, this was gorgeous. Minty, but with an herbal-citrus note on top -- very clean and refreshing. Unfortunately, about twenty minutes in, the herbal-citrus scents disappeared completely, and all that was left was a sweet mint.

 

It smelled like toothpaste. Like Crest mint toothpaste. Which is a marvelous thing to have your breath smell like, but not so much with skin.

 

I swiped it on my brother's wrist and it did the same thing. Phooey.

[surf-tormented]

Nice mossy mint. If it wasn't so minty, it would remind me of Goth Rosary's Crypt.

 

It isn't good enough to break my top 22, but I do enjoy it. It's only fault is that it just doesn't last on me. Bummer.

 

Actually it really reminds me of Energy oil by Escential Essenses.

[erehwesle]

Well, this is another in the series of 'I have a 5 ml of, and am finally writing a review'.

 

Anyway, I always lose the mint or, I guess, the three mints, in this scent. For me I always smell the ambregis and cloves, and this is my good 'clearing scent' not that I ever layer it, but it is a clean scent after a shower if I've been too much in the past using bpal. Mayhaps I don't smell mints? Cathode always is lime, ambegis, a bit of clove, but is, well, I do see, what people were saying about a 'negative scent'

 

Anyway, Cathode is a neutral scent for me, but always has a bit of edge about it, I think cathode is what I think about when I think of bpal, spicy about the edges.

 

selah.

 

T-F

 

*edited to add review to my opinion*

Edited March 19, 2005 by erehwesle

[mobilejessie]

Cathode sounded SO COOL, and I was really looking forward to trying it. I was thrilled to get my hands on it without having to wait a month, and I purposely waited until after I got home from work so I could really pay attention to the way it smelled after a few hours. I am so disappointed to say that it didn't work on me.

 

In the bottle it was very minty and fresh, but with an unrecognizeable tang that I just couldn't place. On my skin it turned into PEPPERMINT EXPLOSION!!!! After a while it cooled down to a pepperminty whiff of ozone and tea. I smelled like a television that just shorted out because someone spilled a cup of iced green tea (with a sprig of peppermint in it). It sounds cool, but smells very weird.... in a bad way. Sadly, this one is going on the swap list. It was worth a shot!

[tsarina]

Cathode is unexpected. I thought it might have a crackling, icy electric mint that would make my hair stand on end. It's bright and clear without being too sharp, sugary or herbal. It's just soothing, calm mint. As it dries down, I can pick up the mossy background. It is very unique and I'm having a hard time describing it. But I enjoy it!

[pkwench]

Cathode

Sniff: Very minty! But something of a wet mint and with a bit of ... something underneath. Maybe something darker.

 

On: The mossy note comes out instantly. The mint is still very large and in charge, but this murky, mossy green note is riding along with it. It's intruiging!

 

After 10: Soft, whispery mint and green moss.

 

Impressions: You know, I expected Cathode to be dark. Dark and wicked and probably way too much for little ol' wussy me. Wrongo, wench. It's soft, pleasing, and all together comforting. It smells green. Green mint, green moss, green water, green herbs, and because it enhances the smell of clean skin? Green skin. The Green Knight would approve of this, I think. Gosh, I just didn't expect to like this so much. It fades out a bit quickly, but I didn't apply very liberally either.

[girlmadasbirds]

i really wasn't sure what i was going to think of cathode, but i was happy to receive it from a lovely lady who sent it along with something i bought from her.

 

out of the bottle: moss, ambergris, and a hint of mint

on skin, wet: the moss note is very strong. love it!

on skin, dry: the moss faded a little and the mint came out. this kind of reminds me of nosferatu in a way... just take away the wine and dirt and add mint.

final thought: i like cathode, but i don't think i'll be ordering the 5mL.

[gingersnapp]

In the vial, this is cool and minty. But on me, it's far too masculine for my tastes. It's very dry and the mint turns resinous on me.

[olympia301]

Martian perfume. Very fresh and citrus-like. Actually, this scent is so well blended, I defy you to pick out any of the individual ingredients. You can't do it! The mint has been coaxed into a lemony-tart tango with oakmoss and ambergris. It is fresh, lively, citrus-like, cool and not cloying. It isn't astringent, it's like leaning up against a smooth white marble statue on a hot day. Cathode is smashing, for the individualist and definitely for summer. As an added bonus, it lasts and lasts.

[blaqpearl]

Another mint scent that I have to remove from my home at warp speed. I really cant see using this as perfume. The mint is strong and piercing much like ultraviolet. I can hardly pic out any other notes. I was afraid to put it on my skin. I am curious to see how mint scents drydown. But I what if I smelled like stale chewing gum. My fear of mint remains.

[thesibylqueen]

I received this imp in a swap and I'm so glad--my girlfriend was dying to try it, as she loves loves loves mint. Strangely, we don't smell any mint! However, the scent is wonderful--a soft, powdery floral scent that has a very 'clean linen' feel to it. On occassion we get flashes of a sharper scent, and I think the reviewer who compared it to Bath & Body Works' Spearmint/Eucalyptus was right on mark. We dont get a strong mint scent, but brief flashes between the waves of soft clean smell. Overall, totally fun. Definitely worth a bigger bottle!