The Caterpillar

[Little Bird]

Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver.

Hm. I'm not getting any floral out of this at all (for which I am grateful, lol). Usually the florals are very strong on my skin chemistry, but I'm getting no flowers from this blend. I have loved the complexity of all of the Mad Tea Party scents and I love The Caterpillar as well.

This is such a green/herbal scent on me. It does remind me of caterpillars. Kind of clean, kind of earthy, definitely green. It has a sort of golden smell that is reminding me of dry hay as well.

Interesting. I don't know if I'd get a full bottle of this, but I'm very glad that I had the chance to try it.

[Monster]

I hated this when I first smelled it out of the imp...but after a few more sniffs, I'm beginning to really love it.

It's definilty a complicated scent. I can't quite put my finger on one note in paticular.

It's wet, mossy, spicy and woody all at the same time. I'm not sure what vetiver smells like, as this is the first scent I've tried with that note.

 

This is a really beautiful masculine scent. I can certainly agree with many of the other reviewers...it's not like anything you've ever tried and matches the description perfectly.

 

Overall, I like this one a lot.

[PurringPulsar]

The Caterpillar

 

In the imp: mmm, dark patchouli, incense and neroli. For some reason, it reminds me of something from Lush.

Wet on skin: the dark smoky notes are nicely balanced by neroli, carnation and bergamot.

Dry on skin: I don't know why, but this reminds me of the smell of a B Never shop/perfume-in fact, this reminds me of Covent Garden! That place in Covent Garden between the market and the other side of the piazza, where Lush, B Never and L'Occitane are, this smells like wafting fragrances from all three shops. The moss, incense, patchouli, and a bit of vetiver provide a dark background for a bright, tangy topping of neroli, bergamot and maybe carnation and some jasmine. It's a nice contrast, and adds complexity and a multi faceted aspect to the scent.

After a while: this gets more and more B Never like as I smell this. The floral and the darker notes become balanced. It reminds me of the general B Never shop scent in the same way that the wet stage of Venice was, for me, the general Lush shop scent.

After a few hours, this dries down to Tramp on me! Must be the patchouli and oakmoss...but actually, this reminds me of B Never's Smagradine, which smells slightly different, yet still similar to Tramp. In fact, I've come to realise that Caterpillar smells a lot like the Botanomancy section of B Never.

Verdict: this was a very pleasant surprise. If Venice, to me, was Lush, then Caterpillar is B Never. I was expecting a slightly headshoppy blend with florals, but instead the florals, tangy citrus notes and deep incense, moss and patchouli mingle to create a scent reminiscent of B Never. Or more precisely, smelling all the different scents in the Covent Garden B Never branch after stepping out of Lush, with the smell of Lush still clinging to my clothes. It's a wonderful scent and it makes me smile, it's very complex and full of different notes, yet nicely balanced so they all mingle as one on the drydown…it's a keeper!

Edited September 15, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[Khaman]

In the imp - wet, green, and dark. Doesn't quite smell like my thing, but okay, we'll give it a go.

 

On wet - I was hoping it'd be green and rich, but I think the carnation scent mixed with anything else (the vetiver, maybe?) warped my usual soapy floral effect and went for something far worse...

 

...ironically... bug spray. I was due for a shower anyway.

 

I gave it a bit to dry. Bit more rich green, but still that hint of, um, spray. It's the floral. I can't do light florals, damn my body.

 

It's a lovely scent for those that can make deep green and floral work for them, it really is a well-blended oil. I definitely thought of caterpillars. Unfortunately for me, they were not happy ones, hopped up on opium.

Edited September 18, 2005 by Khaman

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Nice carnation, a citrus in the background, lots of resin

Wet: Lovely floral incense. Carnation still! Neroli and Jasmine are there, too. Patchouli comes out in the end of the whiff, nice.

Drydown: Softens up. The resins tone down a little, as do the florals. Sadly, the neroli stays strong. Yet another Neroli-based scent. The carnation is lovely here.

Overall: I like it, but I don't know when or where I would wear it. Not so sure I'll keep it, but I'll think about it.

[lookingglass]

This, on me is super floral and earthy at the same time (a floral chypre), a bit in the way that Zombi is. I bet the Caterpillar would really smell like this: like he has been lurking in the garden, but is now perched on a mushroom in a cloud of incensy smoke. Ugh, I'm sneezey and disoriented. Who ARE you?.....

Edited December 24, 2010 by lookingglass

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Very well blended, I can't pick out much, I just smell a sophisticated perfumey floral.

 

Dry: Well I smell the patchouli now, and a very mellow patchouli it is. It mingles very well with the slightly incensy floral. This is very adult and sophisticated. A night out in a dress complete with stockings and heels.

[PennyPretty]

Wet I get a hint of the florals but they fade fast on my skin. It drys down to a lovely earthy incensy scent and reminds me of something spicy and oriental, which is appropriate I think for a scent based on this character, the caterpillar sitting on a mushroom smoking a hooka pipe. It is a touch masculine and I would love to try this one out on a man.

[olympia301]

 

Another great performance art piece by the Lab.For some reason the jasmine/floral part of the blend makes me think "ewwww! a caterpillar!" Crazy man, this blend really reminds me of green wormy things.It has that strange Mad Tea Party ingredient going in the background as well. It's a great blend, why I am squicky about it is beyond me but it certainly does cause me to think of caterpillars. It's a hoot.

[ABrokenAngel]

When I read the ingredients in this one I was very excited I adore jasmine and I love iris. I was dubious about the patchouli since I always think of hippies when I smell it.

 

 

In the Bottle: WOW! The Catapillar scent me reeling.It smelled like a mysterious garden. Made me think of the Forbidden Forest....but that might be because I've been reading too much Harry Potter.

 

 

Initial Impression: The patchouli over powered and pushed the florals into the background. It made me think of that garden after it had been trampled. The scent of the flowers that once were crushed into the dirt.

 

 

1 hour: I can just BARELY smell any floral notes and the patchouli is drying down to a soft musky smell.

 

2 hour: I have to smash my face against my wrist to smell this .... even the strong patchouli.

 

 

 

Final Thought: I -really- loved the complexity of the scent in the imp and had high hopes for my very first imp that -I- had purchased. Unfortunately, though I love this smell my body ate it up and completely devoured the smell in the end leaving me with a just barely there scent of powdery patchouli dotted with the very faintest hint of flowers. I'm so disappointed. I'm going to see if this works on the man-thing and see if he likes it since it could go either way on the gender scale.

 

 

[Fishwomon]

Wet, it smelled all soft and furry, evocative of a caterpillar yes.

 

Something green, something citrus, a complicated dancing scent.

 

A bit of smokey incense.

 

Aaaaaaaargh! The carnation, it's got me! It's risen out of the hookah and encircled me like a python. Can't...resist.... Too...weak.... Death...by...carnation....

 

Carnation took over and me. Drat.

[Miss Lynx]

I wasn't entirely sure if I'd like this one or not -- it has a number of notes I like in it, but it also has jasmine, which tends to be troublesome on me. It's not that I dislike it exactly, but my skin tends to amp it up incredibly so that it's never just jasmine, it's always JASMINE! Still, I figured it was worth a try.

 

But sadly, the jasmine did indeed rear up and stomp all the other notes into submission. I could faintly smell the vetiver and incensey notes in the background, but they were pretty much completely blown offstage by Diva Jasmine. Maybe if I liked jasmine more than I do that would have been OK, but as it stands, I only like it in moderation, and moderation is hard to achieve with jasmine.

 

After an hour or so, though, it did settle down some, and began smelling more like a nice manageable jasmine, with the other notes a little more present and noticeable. Kind of like nice jasmine incense in an Asian tea shop. It's reminiscent of the way Crossroads started to smell for a little while, but in Crossroads that phase only lasted for about five minutes before the whole scent faded. Here it sticks around for a while longer, so did end up enjoying it for a bit.

 

Still, that initial jasmine overload is hard to take, so I'll probably end up swapping it, especially given that I have Peitho, a jasmine scent which actually does behave itself and smell well-balanced, for those times when I want to smell jasminey. The Caterpillar would probably be very nice on anyone whose skin doesn't amp jasmine to the extent that mine does, though.

 

Grade: C+

Edited October 26, 2005 by Miss Lynx

[darkitysnark]

The Caterpillar

 

A gimp from the lab that OriginaWacky passed on to me in a Pumpkin Patch decant. (Thanks!)

 

Not something on my wishlist as jasmine is iffy, and patchouli is something I normally avoid, but I love the concept behind this!

 

In the bottle: Jasmine and earth.

 

Wet/drydown: Jasmine. Jasminejasmine JASMINE!

 

There's a hint of what I also get when I wear Crossroads here. I sort of earthy, headshoppy smell, but mostly, it's jasmine.

 

I guess at one time I didn't mind jasmine so much, but it eats everything else and gets bigger and stronger and just takes over. So to you, jasmine!

 

Later: This had medium to low staying power, thankfully. A giant flare of jasmine followed by a very subtle earthy incense fall off.

[SeaMonkey]

oh gosh, this is ALL incense.

 

This is walking into a small headshop with incense stacked to the ceiling with incense burning. This made me dizzy! Definately reminds me of the Caterpillar, but wow, its strong

[Celogrl]

Do you ever just marvel at an imp that Beth and the lab include for free that you never would have ordered and you end up loving it? That's The Caterpillar!

 

I was a bit worried about the vetiver, but IMHO there is no need to fear in this masterful mix. It is a warm, fuzzy kind of scent and I keep getting mental flashes of those fat wooly bear caterpillars we see each fall. This is soft, but has bite due to the patchouli. It really is a keeper. I have to say I love these surprises!

[PrettyPenny]

I was a little afraid to try this at first, but it is suprisingly nice and soft. I can smell some incense and what I'm assuming must be flowers (I'm really bad at picking out individual notes.) Everything meshes together so well.

[shayelea]

In the bottle: Hm. Floral and spicy.

 

Wet: SOAP! Spices and soap. Without looking at the notes, I'd guess this has either rose, jasmine or gardenia in it. And then I checked, and yep. Jasmine. It wasn't a bad scent, but, you know. Soap.

 

Drydown: Stayed pretty much the same through drydown. Might have gotten a little sharper as the spices started to fade.

[Nachtwulf]

Okay.... I suppose this isn't terribly -surprising- and all, but while in the bottle, Caterpillar was just sort of anonymously pleasant, as soon as it hit my skin, it turned into the -exact- perfume...

 

...of a head shop.

 

I have no idea what exactly comprises the scent signature of your average purveyor of funny glassware, but this is it, without the slightest deviation. Mind you, I've only been in a few, but... whoa.

 

Eventually, I had to wash it off because the Head Shop Funk would NOT GO AWAY... and really, I don't -want- to smell like one.

 

On the other hand, when you're talking about magic mushrooms, hookahs, and talking caterpillars, I can't imagine what would be a -better- way to describe it, wot? Beth was dead-on with this scent, but I'm afraid it's not my thing. Off it goes, and to a better home.

[Oio]

The caterpillar

 

In the imp: Sharp green scent, backed by a whiff of incense and musk.

 

Wet on skin: Mossy, Sharp, faint smoke, and neroli.

 

Drydown: HAHAHA! A wiggly yellow-green scent shows up! Jasmine and neroli= fat greeny-yellow caterpillar! The incense gets much stronger. Wow. That’s just brilliant.

 

Later: The scent evens out into a powdery incense.

 

Conclusion: Fantastic performance piece. Pretty good as a perfume to wear around, I’m curious as to what it smells like on the husbelf.

[Medici]

There’s something oddly musky about this blend – patchouli? It’s sort of earthen and just a touch of green. As it warms up I do detect a bit of dirt beneath it that isn’t patchouli – though on me that seems to be the predominant note.

 

I get the distinct impression of damp earth and dewy grasses; like you’ve been lying on your back as the ground warms up on an unusually warm spring morning. Then you get up and you realize your butt is wet and you’ve got that fertilizer smell all over your clothes.

 

That’s what The Caterpillar reminds me of. For the outdoorsy types, I think this would be a hit. For me, not so much. (Alas, it is the vetiver.)

 

After about ten minutes I begin to detect some of those florals, but they’re all understated. (Damned vetiver!)

 

An interesting ambient blend, but not a keeper, sadly.

 

2/5

[Fefferbella]

This is all incense and cheap overly sweet patchouli. Reminds me of an old head shop that used to be near campus.

 

I like it, but it's way too strong.

[Imptress]

This is the first blend I've tried where I can so easily pick out the carnation note, and it's lovely. The combination of carnation and jasmine in this is just yummy and I can't stop sniffing myself when I'm wearing this! I love incense notes and the fact that they are in this blend too makes it even better. I wore this all day Wednesday and liked it so much that I put some more on to "refresh" it before hubby and I went out that night for date night. He had liked it before but found it too strong after that, so this is one I'll have to be careful with given the tendency I have to slather on stuff I love. Definitely one to dab on, but absolutely wonderful.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Predominantly patchouli, strong and dark and slightly sour.

Wet on me - The bergamot and neroli beocme present in the background, which has a softening affect. The jasmine is also present, this always smells a little sour on me, but isn't overpowering the blend as yet.

Dry on me - It becomes a gentle, slightly sweet, powdery floral, pretty, whereas I was expecting something more languid and heavy.

[Lizzie]

In the Vial- very sweet!! Then as I pull my nose away I can smell something green and something floral. Can't smell ANY patchouli.

 

On my skin-

 

At first still sweet, but immediately it becomes deeper and sort of musty smelling. After about 30 seconds it's beginning to smell like incense and...soap! But not in a bad way! I quite like it so far. It really reminds me of a shop in my home town called International Bazaar. There was incense burning and they sold all sorts of neat things...

Hmmm I can't pick out the carnation at all!!

 

 

After a while- it's lost all the mustyness, and has gotten a little sweeter again. But it still smells like incense and soap..I don't really smell any spices even.

 

All in all, I like it, don't think it'll be a favourite, but I can see wearing it when I'm homesick, it reminds me sooo much of that store!

[GemmaCat]

In the bottle this is very strong, which I confess made me feel rather wary. At first sniff I get hit full in the face with heady florals and a sharp undertone that reminds me of the very old, very expensive, French perfume my Nan used to wear.

 

On my skin the mossy, herbal notes come out. I LOVE herbal scents, and this one is pleasantly dark and rich.

 

As it dries down, I get the floral notes again, but this time they're softly blooming jasmine, not too rich, but still relatively heady.

 

After an hour or so, it changes again to a sweet, incensy scent with the herbs and jasmine nicely mixing together over the top.

 

This is an odd one for me. At times I dislike it, but I keep sniffing my wrists with interest. For now, I'll be keeping hold of this one until I make a firm decision.