Lawn Gnome

[zankoku_zen]

Red currant, molasses, vanilla cream, moss, and patchouli.

This one started as a cherry-cola like, and then dries to a vanilla laced patchouli. Nice, but maybe not for me. At least the cream didn't turn to plastic! Edited August 2, 2009 by zankoku_zen

[Pottersville]

What an odd little scent! It's got an earthiness to it, but not so much as to be musty (as the Wind in the Willows scents smelled to me). It's also got definite foody attributes, but they're not blatant. The patchouli is very subtle as well and the overall impression I get from the Gnome is sassafras. How weird is that?

[Lyrical]

In the vial: extremely odd, but not unpleasant! Mostly molasses and dirt, but I can also detect redcurrants, moss and cream.

 

Wet on skin: patchouli with sweet molasses. It smells kind of muddy. I wish there was more redcurrant.

 

Dry on skin: this scent was a gamble for me, and I lost! To me, it smells of mud and smoke, with the creaminess underneath just making the mud feel slippery! Patchouli and dirt lovers should try it, though. Interestingly, the throw is much nicer than the close-to-the-skin scent - more redcurrant and cream, whereas it's moss and PATCHOULI on the skin, combined with something that's just plain SOUR - I think the cream has gone off!

[claudia6913]

I just received this from the lab today, and boy am I glad I got a bottle before it goes away!

 

This is very vanilla cream on me, which is awesome. It's not the cloying sweet vanilla, though it does add a sweet tone to it with the molasses, but the red currant and patchouli (which is very minimal in this) keeps it from just overpowering. I did expect a bit more of a 'dirt' feel, but I am really, really pleased with what came of it. No dirt, just a sweet, very slightly spicy, bit earthy mix that is just wonderful!

[Monster]

In the bottle: Burnt sugar, moss and strawberries.

 

Wet: Yikes. The moss and the molasses is mixing together creating a new scent I've never smelled before...unfortunately it's making me feel kind sick Underneath it all I can smell the red current (which is showing up as a strawberry note on my skin) and vanilla cream.

 

Dry: The moss is outta control! I can't get past this weird moss and molasses pairing on my skin.

 

Overall: Earthy, sweet, wacky, weird...just like a Lawn Gnome. This smells exactly as described and does a good job illustrating a funny little guy in a red hat sitting in a garden somewhere. Unfortunately this perfume just doesn't work on my skin. Oh well. I'm sure I will find someone else who loves it

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i think my Gnome is made of plastic. vanilla scented plastic. i'm not sure how moss+patchouli turns to plastic on me, but it does.

after about an hour it smells like the vanilla base of Snake Oil but without the whatever-it-is that makes it be spicy. poo!

[LunaLovegood]

I'm saddened about this one. It's ok on my skin, but all I get is some kind of molases and some very generic vanilla cream? Maybe a bit on the fake side.

Its an earthy scent, but I thought it would be lovelier.

I'll probably keep the bottle for the heck of it, and ocassionally reach for it. So I guess I'm neutral about this scent.

[topazphoenix]

This one was mostly molasses wet, which was really pretty. But on the drydown I'm getting mostly sour fruity red currant from this one. There's some slight herby smell that is a contrast to the currant. Kind of weirdly metallic.

[maewitch]

A wonderfully dirty, distinctly un-foody vanilla.

 

Rich and almost cakey from the bottle, it settles into something earthier on the skin, eventually fading into a soft, soft oakmoss. I am shocked that I adore this, as oakmoss is usually bane to me.

 

This feels almost like a Gourmand Chypre, if such a thing is possible.

[Spork]

I wanted it to work, I love me some gnomes! But.....well, it just smells wrong. Can't even really describe it, beginning to think that moss just doesn't agree with me

[msbcozad]

Lawn Gnome

 

I wanted vanilla and red currant. What I got was moss and syrup. Happily, the bottle moved on to a loving home.

[lilirose]

On skin, wet- straight-up molasses with a dirty kind of note which is probably patchouli, though patchouli doesn’t usually smell dirty to me.

 

Drydown- loses some of its overwhelming sweetness and goes definitely mossy. Not getting any vanilla or fruit. I’ve got a mental picture of taking a bottle of molasses and pouring it down the trunk of a tree.

 

This is certainly unique, but I'm not sure it's very “me”. I love aged patchouli, though, so I’m going to hang onto it for a while and see how it ages before I decide whether or not to swap it away.

Edited August 16, 2009 by lilirose

[voodoocatwoman]

Ick. On application, I smell like I have been dunked in a vat of molasses. Dry, the fragrance goes straight to patchouli. Nothing else. A little vanilla might have softened this up but it got off the bus before the Lawn Gnome arrived at my door.

 

 

[skylarkza]

In bottle: Burnt sugar and... booze. Huh?

 

Wet: Currants and burnt sugar and... something green. Moss, is that you? Bizarre, but not unpleasant.

 

Dry: Green. Like grass (though I think that is just the moss) and currants and a bit of sugary something in the background. I can't help but think of being at a picnic. Delightful!

 

A while later: I smell like some kind of pudding! Vanilla and fruit and baked sugary. Yum!

[hlemonds]

Wet: lovely, juicy red currant and syrupy molasses, with the tiniest hint of creaminess underneath.

 

Early dry down: the Patchouli and moss warm and come to the surface just enough that i can pick them out, but they're not at all overpowering. Still primarily red currant/molasses.

 

Later dry down: The currant fades a bit (but is still very much present, just not quite as juicy) and the vanilla cream comes forward to blend with the molasses, really yummy! At this point the moss and patchouli are farm in the background, seeming to keep the blend from being too over the top sweet, but not really noticeable otherwise. For me the patchouli and moss are what make this wearable for someone who generally doesn't do foody scents. These notes ground the scent, give it just a tiny hint of earthiness, and keep the sweet juicy currant, cream, and molasses from becoming nauseating on me.

 

Overall: I really love this blend. It's comforting, cheerful, and has a "friendly" feeling that definitely fits the title image

[RachelElizabeth]

In the bottle, Lawn Gnome is molasses and vanilla cream with just a hint of patchouli - enough to keep it from being completely foody.

 

Wet on my skin it turns into patchouli with a hit of vanilla cream. This scared me for a bit - it wasn't what I expected, but it wasn't unpleasant. The patchouli starts to mellow pretty quickly, though, and the currant comes out. After about 1/2 an hour of wear, this is exactly what I expected it to be - sugared, creamy berries with patchouli and moss to keep them from being too sweet or foody. I don't get any molasses.

 

This stays true to that stage for the rest of the weartime on me. It lasts very well - going on six hours now and still strong. It had the strongest throw I've ever gotten from perfume oil - my mom commented on it from 5 feet away, with only a dab on each wrist.

 

Lawn Gnome is the first bottle I've ordered unsniffed, and I'm so glad I did - I love it!!

Edited September 1, 2009 by RachelElizabeth

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells like cherry chapstick and a hint of earthy moss. The fruity aspect smells cheap and artificial to me.

 

I usually amp up red currant and it goes all tart and sour on my skin, but the fruitiness here smells cloying, cheap, and waxy. Perhaps it's the red currant smothered underneath the molasses and vanilla cream, but it's definitely cloying and not good on me. I can smell hints of the moss and patchouli drowning underneath the sweetness.

 

Cherry chapstick, way too much syrupy sweetness, and a hint of earth. Lawn Gnome smells pretty awful on me. It's just way too sweet and smells cheap and off on my skin. Bleh.

[EmpressPixie]

This is my first review, so I'm not up to pro-standards yet, but:

 

in the bottle: It smells like vanilla cream soda, freshly baked sugar cookies, and a bit of creme brulee caramelized sugar crust. It made me hungry just smelling it. I immediately made my housemates smell it and they had the same reaction.

 

on the skin: At first it was sugary and sweet still, but once it dried down it was spicy (hint of patchouli perhaps) and a little sweet. Very yummy and definitely something I'll be wearing often.

[aiko]

Thanks to my summer witchy, Natcatz, I got a bottle of this.

 

In the bottle: I smell berry and vanilla cream. This reminds me of the chupa chups' strawberry and cream lollipop.

On skin, the molasses and patchouli came out to play and I could barely smell the berry. At this stage, the earthly scents and vanilla were equally strong, but not overwhelming. However this stage didn't last long. An hour later, I could smell mainly the molasses and patchouli. I wish the vanilla remains around longer. I think I will keep this to see how it ages and hopefully, it will be better

Edited September 16, 2009 by aiko

[MamaMoth]

Oh Lawn Gnome... how I wanted to love you.

 

The currant is the overwhelming note here, and it smells of fake strawberry to my nose.

 

Syrupy sweet fake strawberries n cream. And moss. I can't detect the patchouli, I may be mistaking it for the moss as a single earthy note.

 

Lawn Gnome is definitely fun and quirky, and I can see how it might work on the right person... unfortunately, that person is not me.

 

EDIT 7/19/22

new tastes, new skin chemistry, aged bottle retest! 

really enjoying this now!  patchouli forward, with a pop of creamy tart currant (not strawberry wtf past me. >.<) the molasses just reads as brown sugar sweetness, and the moss (a tricky note for me) meshes with the patch to make it extra green, if that makes sense.  exactly what i'd hope for from the notes list.  so glad i gave it another shot! 

Edited July 19, 2022 by MamaMoth

[milo]

Uggh, caramel. Must be the molasses. Along with this, is a very unpleasant sharpness with a touch of patchouli and moss. The caramel note kind of reminds me a bit of Red Lantern, so if you like that one, you may enjoy this. I cannot stand anything that remotely smells like caramel, and the sharpness, probably the currant, is a bit too much. A mish mash of scents that is all wrong on me. Oh well.

[pinkusmaximus]

BPAL has helped me shake my fear of patchouli, as I have found many patchouli blends that actually work on me. This, unfortunately, is not one of them. The patchouli is super strong, and it's not the "good" patchouli I sometimes like--it's a dark, dank patchouli that devours the other notes in the blend. All I smell is dirt...and I don't want to smell like dirt. I'll probably keep the bottle for a bit to see if it mellows out with age, but if it doesn't, the Gnome is off to the swaps.

[lilacea]

Plastic burny vanilla, why do you have to ruin everything? I was looking forward to a more heavy sugary scent, rich and thick. Instead this was lighter, almost like strawberry candies, exceedingly unatural and not true at all to strawberries, why am I even thinking of strawberries? but that's what it brings to mind, fake strawberry. And leafy grass, like a weedy oakmoss, not the rick golden ones, but the seeping green ones. A lot more on the light side of clear white sugar, than dark thick richness I was expecting. There's supposed to be patchouli here according listed in the notes, but not a hint to be found on my skin, nor in the bottle, although there's something a birt dour, maybe that's the patchouli?. Any currants to be had, these aren't the rich swollen red currants I was thinking of, they are quite small and not too sweet, maybe even a little bitter, and somewhat tart. And then to top it, the dry down went all burnt plastic vanilla on me. I'm thinking that it's a chemistry gone way wrong deal for the most part, although I was expecting a hell of a lot darker and richer, not light and green.

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle: Creme, molasses and red current. YUM.

 

Wet on skin - Molasses, cream and a hint of fruit. DELICIOUS. Foodie without being too foodie.

 

Dry on skin - A rich, deep molasses cream scent with the red currant peeking through. Yummy, sweet and earthy. Very little patchouli coming through, but enough to keep it interesting.

 

[Invidiana]

Forget that this is part of the Summer Garden series, it's a totally appropriate winter scent too. I LOVE molasses, and I can definitely smell it here, thick and dark. If you're a molasses fan, you absolutely *need* to try this. The sweet foodiness of the red currant, molasses, and vanilla cream mixes flawlessly with the earthy mystery of the moss and patchouli to create a scent that's just as enchanting as its namesake.