Lawn Gnome

[sprocket21]

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

This was probably 70% patchouli, 25% moss, and 5% everything else on me. Maybe my bottle forgot about the gnome and is instead the scent of a lawn? Because that's all I smell - dirty, stinky patchouli and moss.

I knew that the patchouli was a risk going in, but when I see "vanilla cream" in a blend it always makes me ignore doom notes and hope for a yummy vanilla scent. Maybe next time!

[Geminirubyshoes]

When I first got this bottle over the summer it was all vanilla and molasses.

Now that some months have passed, it has mellowed and is now the warmest combo of dirt, vanilla and molasses. I really can't pick out the patchouli, perhaps that is what is giving it the dirt edge.

Lawn Gnome reminds me of playing in my mom's garden when i was a kid, happily shoving my face into the dirt and inevitably eating some of it. I've got a little over half a bottle now after decanting some for a friend and I am going to try to preserve it as much as possible. Which is going to be almost impossible since this stuff is ULTIMATE slather worthy love!

[childoftime]

Wet, this is definitely redcurrant and vanilla with some molasses and a little patchouli.

 

On me, this is mostly redcurrant and vanilla cream. I was worried that this was going to do the horrible plastic thing that Bloody Mary did (still don't know what caused that particular disaster), but no, it stayed true--mostly redcurrant with vanilla cream and hints of patchouli and maybe a little molasses.

 

Dry, it's all redcurrant and cream. Far less foody that I'd expected, but definitely fantastic, and surprisingly appropriate for winter as well as summer!

[maproot]

Berries and moss come out to play though I don't see any molasses here but there's vanilla warmth and it's multiple bottle hoarding for me.

The berries are more sour than sweet so it's not overly goody just overly wearable!

[filigree_shadow]

When I'm close up to this scent, I smell the moss, but I can't smell it in the scent that wafts up from my wrist. It mostly smells like a creamy red currant when my wrist is the usual distance away from my nose. Very sweet and very red. I like it a bunch, but my skin butchers that cream note and turns it into plastic. I'm super sad about that because if it weren't for that I would want a bottle of this. I love the patchouli and moss with that sweet red fruity scent.

 

The sweet red currant really is the strongest note on my skin, even when it's dry, and I have MB: Bloody Mary for this type of scent -- that one works really well on me, so I'll just stick with that one.

[Suusje]

Patchouli, moss, dirt....where's the vanilla cream? Where's the red currant? The cute little Lawn Gnome doesn't seem to like me very much.

[heathercaley]

Oh my this has aged very well.

 

When I first purchased my bottle, I had to cross my fingers and hope for the best. I remember it being too sharp and too sweet and too syrupy... now? oh my god it's BEAUTIFUL!

 

The patchouli is starting to soften up, and kinda meld together with the molasses. The vanilla is adding a creamy touch, and the currant is just sweet enough to make it sing.

 

I KNEW that this would age well!!! It's just so beautiful.

[HappyLoveJoy]

I didn't get any cream or molasses, which I was really hoping for. I did, however, get strawberry-scented dolls and candles. I also noticed a similarity to Mme. Moriarty Misfortune Teller. Probably the patchouli and fruit combination.

[Xanon]

I can't believe that I have not posted a review for this yet! This is one of my favorite BPAL's, and ranks high in "smells that make me happy."

 

In the bottle it is candy sweet, but the moss and patchouli make it weird earthy candy. I can see where people would get a fake strawberry from this, but I get a red currant hopped up on creamy sugar.

Wet i smell the vanilla cream, currant and green moss. I amp green like crazy, but I like green scents, so this is win for me.

Dry I get more patchouli and molasses, but the currants keep it fruity an light.

 

The throw is moderate and it lasts for HOURS! As Purrsnikety said, this aged like a dream. Absolutely love this one.

[Venneh]

In the decant, I'm getting red currant, moss, and patchouli. On my skin, I'm getting red currant, molasses, and patchouli. We'll see how this goes. Ends up being red currant with moss and patchouli, not for me.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Venneh

[moon_lemming]

I ended up selling Lawn Gnome because I needed the cash more than the intriguing scent, but it's really an awesome blend in a weird way! I'm not sure how my nose came up with this, but this is what it ends up smelling like on my skin: bananas drizzled with that ice cream topping that involves walnuts in syrup (the molasses, I guess).

 

I don't get any red fruitiness out of it at all. The bananas are not super fruity, just something that says "banana" without BEING a "banana" note. I think it might be the vanilla cream combining with something else to read as banana to my nose. Whatever it is, it's strangely good and I sort of wish I could have kept it around.

[kjirstiben]

Oh dear. This was initially sweet dirt with a slight edge to it, which metamorphosed into rooty sweet dirt, then into sharp, sour dirt. My end impression was tangy, stale fruity dirt.

 

However, I believe that this was just a combination of skin chemistry issues: the earthy patchouli being much too harsh early on and the candy-vanilla background going sour and acrid as it dried down, which it does on my skin. (I bought this LE before I'd accepted the fact that these sweet scents almost always refuse to work for me.)

[kikithepirate]

Hellooooo, patchouli. This is such an interesting combination -- a very earthy patchouli with a sugary sweetness. On first application, it goes somewhat sour, but once dry this is actually a pretty simple sugared patchouli. I sort of think that Lawn Gnome is Hope & Faith's hippie sister. The vanilla is there, but on me it's definitely overpowered by the patchouli and moss... I don't think that anyone would ever sniff me and say, "hey, you smell like vanilla!" I tend to like sweeter scents, but I've always been searching for a patchouli scent that I can actually wear when I want to feel like a San Francisco hippie, and this just might be it!

[bicyclette]

Lawn Gnome is really interesting.

 

In the bottle it's all vanilla and molasses. Wet on skin, the dirt/moss and redcurrant come right out and the vanilla cream all but vanishes, just sticking around to provide a slight creamy depth to the rest of the scent. I definitely get a sweet, fruity woodiness with this-the moss is there, but it's more a dry moss than a lush wet green moss. It's so weird, but it really really works. Moderate throw, and the random whiffs I get are mostly the redcurrant. I really like this blend.

[Truelove]

When I first put it on I was totally struck with a Deja Vu moment - I knew I had smelled this fragrance before somewhere in my youth (I’m currently 47) - but I could not place it. I had my husband smell it and he got the same feeling. We finally placed it - it smells EXACTLY like Spencers Gifts used to smell - all incensy, sweetie, different - very unusual and a trip back to my past.

[Juushika]

In the vial: A warm, red, thick, dark, slightly spicy scent, not quite foody—I warrant all the notes are here, but beyond the currant I mostly get impressions rather than precise notes.

 

On me: Have I ever taken such copious notes for a BPAL review? I think not. The primary constant with Lawn Gnome was change—that, and the list of notes. They're all there: vibrant red currant, sometimes dark and rich, sometimes tart and candied; cream and molasses, smooth and thick and slightly sweet in a warm, not-entirely-foody way; earthy, dirty, slightly spicy moss and patchouli. But the balance between them is constantly changing. Sometimes it's a rich red scent, pigmented as berries but smooth as cream, with a surprisingly spicy kick. Sometimes it's a red sticky candy with some earthiness to balance it out. Sometimes it's smooth and sweet, tinted with currant and grounded by moss but mostly a vanillic cream. The scent that stuck around on my shirt cuffs was a bright candy currant with plenty of smoothness and character, but on the skin I got something different from Lawn Gnome every twenty minutes or so—a master morpher, without ever dropping or picking up a new note. Scent-color is red; throw is medium to strong and wearlength is long.

 

Verdict: The candy red moments of Lawn Gnome were just a little too sharp and strongly currant for me, but on the whole the various remixes of this scent were enjoyable—unique, vibrant, and pleasant to the nose. But the lack of stability irked me. I like to know what I'm getting out of a scent. Morphers are fine if I know their strange and wild paths, but this skipped all over the place and never settled down. I want to like it, and sometimes do, but I don't think this is one that I'll often reach for.

[grrrlennyl]

Lawn Gnome

 

On: Lots and lots of moss with sticky molasses. There's some tart red currant and sweet vanilla cream, too, but only in the background. Very interesting.

2 hours in: Mostly moss with a bit of sweetness.

6.5 hours in: Heavier now. It's mostly molasses with red currant and something sweet. Not as earthy.

Overall: This is really pretty and interesting, but I probably wouldn't wear it much. I wish the patchouli was noticeable.

[subtlesiren]

This has to be one of the stranger BPAL scents I have. Moss and molasses?! So glad I took a risk on it, because it is beautiful. The molasses creates a unique sweet, more earthy than any of the other sugary notes I've worn. Because of this, it blends beautifully with the patchouli and moss, and the red currants fit nicely in with their tangy sweetness. And you can't go wrong with vanilla cream.

[a_llb]

In vial: Patchouli & currant. Earthy, sweet.

Wet: The currant really kicks it up a notch, & the bitter tang of molasses cuts through the punchy sweetness.

Dry: Vanilla cream swirls over the sticky fruit, sugary and fluffy. I'm actually getting a lot more vanilla than I expected- must be since this has aged a couple years. It verges on being plasticky, but not quite across the line. The mossy base is very present as well, velvety & rich. After a bit, the morphing settles softly, an aura of earthy, creamy, fruity goodness.

 

Verdict: This is playful & quirky without being childish like most sugary, fruity blends end up seeming on me. There is something about the red currant + molasses mix that is just so good. The patch/moss combo is delightfully grounding. All in all, just lovely & exactly what lawn gnomes should smell like.

[Verios]

This one really surprised me! In the bottle, it was really sweet and foody, but the moment it hits my skin, I get earthy moss, with only the faintest hint of anything else.

 

However, within a couple of moments, the currant, backed by the molasses and vanilla, seems to come more to the forefront--the morphing is really surprising! The moss/earthiness is still definitely there, but it's no longer all I can smell when I huff at my wrists.

 

I'll update this again if it continues to morph, but as-is I'm on the fence--this is a really neat scent, and now that it's not just moss on my skin, it's really quite nice--I just can't seem to decide if it's one I'll be reaching for all that often.

[biocarolyn]

I was staying far, far away from this when it came out- now I know I missed something lovely! The patchouli skeered me

 

A couple of years later, I have learned never to refuse to try a BPAL blend, no matter what my preconceived notions are. I've also learned that I actually kind of like BPALs patchouli note, which does not smell like "stinky hippie" patchouli to me LOL. Not that hippies are stinky per se, but just that there is a stereotypical patch smell that is probably hideously synthetic and was my only experience with patchouli prior to BPAL. So.

 

This blend is about 40% dirty patchouli when I put it on, almost gritty. However, the red currant and molasses appear quickly and brighten it right up. Red currant is a note I love (never met a bright tart berry I didn't like) so I really enjoy this- but I'd characterize this as a patchouli-current blend sweetened by something warm (the molasses). The vanilla cream never appears for me, except maybe as a mood to warm up the sugar. Very nice, not your typical summer fare but totally appropriate for the season to my nose, even going into fall.

[cherrycherry]

This is mostly moss and cream on me. I wish I was getting more of the patchouli, which is a note I absolutely love. Much greener than I'd hoped for, but I'll still keep the bottle for the super cute label art

[Honey]

Imp: Slightly sour-sweet, like freshly cut flowers. Just more.. sugary.

 

Wet: Oh, yum! It's sweet berries and sugar splash! Lovely creamy vanilla.. oh, this is so good! I am not a fan of patchouli, but it is wonderful in this scent. It grounds the super sweet berry vanilla cream and adds a little.. earth, body and texture. So wish I had a bottle of this!

 

Dry: Like super sweet berry ice cream that has melted away in the sun and dribbled down on an earthy patch in the garden. Yes, that is exactly what it smells like!

[Incendiare]

I normally can't stand patchouli but this doesn't smell that offensive to me. In the vial, it's all berries and patchouli. Sweet, but earthy at the same time. On me, it gets even earthier though. Combined with the moss, this smells woodsier to me more than anything else. A vague creaminess emerges from the woods and makes this even more interesting. I actually kind of like this. Creamy berries in the woods.

[Alaeidrel]

I get red currant and cream with a splash of moss. Yum! No patch, either, which is awesome. It's the first currant I've tried without tea so I like the brightness and how soft it is. Not foody, but not decorative berries either. Yummmmm.