The Madwoman

[strahlend]

THE MADWOMAN
In the deep shade, at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight tell: it grovelled, seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered with clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a mane, hid its head and face.
—Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Dusty white sandalwood, ragged cloth, and a dry, long-dead bridal bouquet.

This is a very appealing sandalwood scent. It reminds me of the sandalwood fans I sometimes see in import stores. Along with that there's a floral that feels clean and bright to me, or maybe it's how the floral interacts with the cloth note which seems maybe like linen. I'm not sure what's in the bridal bouquet but it doesn't seem to be roses or lilies - I get the feeling of a sort of pleasant sweet kind of flower, but I can't put my finger on exactly what. This scent is unusual enough to hold my interest but I think it's also innocuous enough to fit a variety of moods and occasions.
~edit for spelling

[LRogera]

Soap. This smells exactly like Dove soap on me. Very disappointing. It's super strong though! Florals and I don't always get along so I applied VERY lightly and it is still going STRONG after twelve hours. I'm actually really impressed by this! This definitely reminds me of sticking my head into a basket of freshly laundered clothes. Not for me!

[cfrancesca]

On my skin, this scent reminds me of a slightly tart version of The Harp of Cnoc l'Chosagair. I get creamy white sandalwood, soft vanilla, and a blend of florals and there's also something in here giving it a slightly tart scent.

 

Not a bottle-worthy scent for me, but I'm a fan of Jane Eyre so I'll be definitely keeping my decant!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I highly doubt Bertha Rochester would smell this good--I'd actually expect scorched cloth! Perhaps this was how she smelled earlier in her life. Anyway, I was hoping the "dead bridal bouquet" would smell like Havisham, my other favorite Gothic madwoman, but no can do. I think it might be honeysuckle and/or lilies; a sweet white floral, definitely not rose. The sandalwood is very warm and pleasant as a background to the florals. This is a "tame" scent for Bertha but I like it quite well enough to use up my decant.

[fairestrocza]

In the Bottle: soapy/fresh florals

 

Wet on Skin: Not as bad as I feared! The bridal bouquet is made from some of the more delicate florals, and so far no rose/lily.

 

While Drying: Hmmm, a bit soapy. A heady flower is coming out now. I just don't wear florals often enough to be super familiar with the notes.

 

After a Little While: Significant throw. Soapiness has died back. I still get nothing but florals, with a slight sourness (lily?).

 

Later: Notice how I haven't said anything about sandalwood or cloth? Yeah. I noticed that too. This is all about the bridal bouquet, with the soapiness and the sourness fading in and out.

 

Final Thoughts: On the right skin, this might work, but it is definitely not for me. I had some hesitation about even trying this one, but I was hoping the sandalwood and cloth notes would tame the floral aspect. No such luck.

The Madwoman earns a 2/5 on my skin.

[SophieCedar]

When first applied I smelled faint rose.. that was it. I did a second application and smelled the sandalwood and rotten cloth, then faint rose. Strange and very light. I'll keep it for the awesome label Absinthetics made.

[Iceblink]

Nothing but soap/shampoo on me. That bridal bouquet may be long dead but those soapy flowers overpower everything else!

[MCS4096]

Hmm.. When I smelled this in the decant I didn't love it, but when it first went on my skin I found it quite nice (I do love my sandalwood blends..) it was dry and sweet.. but so faint I had to cram my nose against my wrist searching for the scent. It quickly faded to only a slightly sour shadow of it's former self. Bummer!

[GardenCat]

This is very floral and strong on me. I was hoping a bit more of the rotten linen would come out (like in Sir Hugh Ockram's Winding Sheet Rotting linen, white sandalwood, hyssop, and dust.) I think I like Sir Hugh better (strange, I thought I was a floral gal & BPAL has made me reconsider that!)

[angelicruin]

Sandalwood and dry floral on my skin. Has a bit of a haunting quality to it on my skin.

[Little Bird]

I ordered two bottles of this (directly from the lab) after liking my decant, and both bottles smell different from each other. One is similar to my decant, with a creamy, sweet, almost vanilla-y sandalwood and delicate, clean white floral. The other is herbal smelling (a bit like dill pickles, but more dry) with a dry, soapy smell that's like laundry soap powder. With age, the difference has become more pronounced. The herbal/soapy bottle has turned even soapier and now gives me a headache.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Little Bird

[obsidienne]

This perfume does not, I must admit, start off very well. A rather soapy bouquet is my first introduction to this scent. It smells like roses, lilies, carnations, perhaps chrysanthemum and one of those sad, watery flowers -- maybe wisteria? Not sure. Anyway, that is quite strong for the first bit. Eventually it calms, and the sandalwood develops. It is a touch dusty, but overall very soft and pretty. Then the ragged cloth note develops. I can almost swear that there is a touch of vanilla in here as well. I definitely like the drydown stage the best. The floral overload is completely gone, it's now a subtle sandalwood linen scent with that tiny hint of vanilla and light florals. What a morpher.

[inurbanus]

My first impression after dabbing this on: green, very green. It's got that grassy, slightly bitter stalk scent that has appeared in several of the Lab's LE floral blends. When combined with the right blend of flowers, it's amazing (thinking of Her Voice) but here it's kinda boring. The floral elements in Madwoman aren't that interesting - they're white and a little soapy. There's a nice amount of sandalwood, but it's not really doing anything. This reminds me of Chaste Moon 2010, but not as dynamic. On the right person I think this could be nice, but it's not really suited for me.

 

2.5/5

Edited January 9, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[Leopard403]

After this has settled on my skin, it is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Soft and sophisticated, gently floral, soapy without being overly "clean," and slightly dusty in an old-trunk-of-memorabilia way, this could easily become a signature scent for me.

 

The problem? It takes about an hour to settle, and for that first hour, this is screaming, perfume-y, medicinal pain. Something in it is that "high" note that makes me hate traditional alcohol-based perfumes, and it just reeks. SO sad.

[zankoku_zen]

Slightly soapy florals that dry into a clean sandalwood with a hint of linen.

 

Pretty, interesting, warm.

[edenssixthday]

The Madwoman - This is a dry scent, full of beautiful white sandalwood and dried leaves, quite possibly tea rose. I don't smell the "ragged cloth", but there's something slightly vanillic in the blend -- perhaps that's a linen note I'm detecting? Overall, I was surprised at how much I liked this since I don't usually like dry, dusty type blends, but it wasn't anything like that at all. It's very pretty and feminine. For me, it's not worth a bottle, but it's still very pretty and I'm glad I tried it.

[lunaticana]

darn skin

this is like the BPAL honeys.. the sandalwood turns totally sour on me!

there is a trace of woods aswell.. weird!

to bad, had high hopes for this one since Julia is so good on me heehee

[milo]

I mostly get a sharp floral here, and yes, it is dry and dusty. The sandalwood is glorious underneath all that floral, but is being bitch-slapped into submission, unfortuneately. I wish it were the other way around, as the sandalwood is sooo nice. Oh well.

[Schmoozy]

Sandalwood and light florals and the smell of fresh linens. White sandalwood is always dry and dusty and it is definitely the star in this blend. The linen and florals hover in the background, and to my nose give a little dimension to a basically straight up single note sandalwood perfume. I'll take 10 bottles please.

[crebbsgirl]

I too get mostly soapy florals, which is unfortunate. I can distinctly smell the cloth and sandalwood underneath, but this doesn't soften on my skin. It stays fairly predominantly floral and soapy. It's a little too sharp in feel for me.

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: A dried-up bridal bouquet, indeed, but still with a hint of sweetness about it.

 

Wet: And the sandalwood is late to the wedding, but decided to come after all.

 

The dry-down: And at the end, as the scent fades away, the linen (I think that is what the cloth note is) makes a brief appearance. Another light and airy scent on me that would work best in the springtime.

[TheFrenchWaffle]

It smells so amazing. I can't wait to try this one out....oh wait....what is this? Why is my nose getting so plugged up? Why are my eyes watering? I can't be allergic! I don't have allergies! What is going on?

 

I'm not sure what it is, since I have no known allergies and I haven't had a problem with any of the listed notes before. This is just too weird and very sad. Perhaps I'll try again, third time is the charm! I really do love this scent complete and wonderful sandalwood goodness with soft florals in the background, it reminds me of Belle Vinu without the rosewood and peach. Hopefully this will work out...

 

Tried it again, I don't know what happened before but it seems to be working out on me this time.

In the imp: I smell clean linens, a hint of florals (but very dusty florals)

Wet: The sandalwood comes out to play more prominently, what a lovely blend

Dry: very "clean" smelling. White sandalwood always loves my skin and plays perfectly with the linen and florals

Final thoughts: Very lovely. More of a winter's day or spring scent for me as it is on the lighter airy side. I do like this, but not enough to track down multiple bottles of it (one bottle will last me).

 

Bonus: I'm working a haunted house this October as a ghost and I was walking to my room when I heard one of the managers exclaim from the break room, that I had just left, "Someone smells very lovely!". It was quite the esteem boost.

Edited October 2, 2011 by TheFrenchWaffle

[the.train.fiend]

Woah! This is absolutely fascinating! I was hesitant about it at first, because the description isn't the most appealing, but I had to have just because it's Jane Eyre inspired.

 

I'm glad I had the chance to try it though, because it has completely blown me away. It's a major morpher, in the most apropos of ways. When I first put it on, it reminded me a lot of my beloved Berenice, only far drier. Then it began to shift. A soapiness appeared over the dry white flowers, but there was something deep and sinister in how clean it smelled. It stayed like that for about 45 minutes, then out of nowhere, it became an almost entirely different scent. I couldn't help but say "Wow!" several times aloud, it was so shocking . . . and perfect. It had turned into something gleefully wicked and scorched . . . all dark, wispy, smokiness. And not your average smokiness either, but something alive, almost tangible, and not without femininity. I don't know how this is possible - the way the scent did such a complete turnaround, and how appropriate it is to the story! I'm really impressed.

 

After a couple hours, it has become a creamy, soft, skin-close vanilla. Small, wistful, and distant, but very pretty and sweet, with a little tickle of spice.

 

What a glorious scent. The lab's description doesn't do it justice at all! It's a journey in three parts, and each part has a completely different personality. Madwoman is right!

Edited March 31, 2012 by the.train.fiend

[Monday]

I get a magnolia-like floral and sandalwood. It does feel slightly mad dancing between soapy floral and dusty sandalwood. Ends up as a sharp white floral.