The Rat Speakers

[crebbsgirl]

A snuffling, brown scent: earthy patchouli, sage, russet sandalwood, grimy leather, fig leaf, and lemongrass.

The lemongrass in this is throwing me right off. Otherwise this would be a warm cuddly brown scent, but the lemongrass is adding a sharp edge to the blend that isn't sitting right on my skin. It's very discordant and a little disjointed. I think I may have to wash this off.

[ravenscanary]

Source: fresh decant

 

In the decant: patchouli, the deep-dark kind

 

Wet: patchouli...and grass clippings? Seriously. Patchouli and earthy-wet-green grass clippings. A touch of lemon pledge. Uh. Yeah, this is scary.

 

Dry: The sandalwood comes out more on the drydown, and the balance is a little better, but this is still a fairly sharp, weird blend for me. There is something mildly unsettling about this scent, and I like earthy scents, generally speaking.

[alterosen]

I'm surprised by all the negative reviews for the Rat Speakers because I quite like it.

 

Wet, this is fresher than I was expecting (from the sage & lemongrass) anchored by the patchouli & possibly some vetiver. Then the leather comes out followed by more sage on the drydown & a bit of stone. Earthy & interesting - need to test it on the husband because he often smells really good both in patchouli blends & in lemony/sagey ones.

Edited April 29, 2012 by alterosen

[mymymai]

ITB: Lemongrass, fig, old patchouli...it's an odd combination to my nose for some reason.

 

Wet: The lemongrass is a bit soapy on my skin and the fig when combined with the earthy patchouli reminds me of the Garden of Death. The leather starts to come out as it dries, but I'm still leery of this scent.

 

Dry: Now it smells like soapy lemongrass, sandalwood, and worn leather shoes with a touch of fig. I like the leather here, but that's about it.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mmm, I like that patchouli note! But the sage is throwing me off. This is really gritty scent. Not sure how I feel about it!

 

 

Dry: Leather, patchouli, and something green - I think the fig leaf rather than the sage, but hard to say. It's interesting, but for sure not me. Glad to have gotten to try it!

[VetchVesper]

So, I did a decant circle for Neverwhere, and this was my surprise favorite. I have often said I like my smells dirty, and here's further evidence!

 

This smells like all kinds of dirt, but in the best way possible! At first, I get a green, squish-between-your toes sort of mud, then it goes to a warm, spicy earth scent, and finally dries down to a creamy, soft, dusty dirt, like something Pigpen would wear on a hot date. The patchouli is prominent. The lemon verbena doesn't show up on me, which is a surprise since usually I amp it. The fig lends a touch of sweetness. The sandalwood is probably what I'm registering as creamy dust, and I do get leather, BUT the notes really are part of the whole in this one. I wouldn't wear this often, but I would wear it, and for all you dirt and/or earthy patchouli lovers out there, I'd highly recommend you give this a try. It deserves more love.

Edited October 25, 2016 by VetchVesper

[doomsday_disco]

The Rat Speakers is super herbal and earthy.

In the decant, the patchouli, sage, sandalwood, and lemongrass stand out to me.

On me, it's a blast of sage, followed by patchouli and lemongrass, both of which increase in prominence with wear. The patchouli, lemongrass, and sage remain really strong on me, but after several hours of wear, I am able to pick out some of the fig leaf in the background as well as some dusty sandalwood. I'm not really getting any of the leather, but that may be because this decant is very old and this is what the small amount of oil has aged into over the years.

It's too herbal and earthy for me, but I adore Neverwhere, so I am really happy to have gotten to try it!