Mad Hatter

[paperdoll]

A gentlemen's lavender-citron cologne unhinged by the feral pungence of black musk and a paroxysm of pennyroyal.

Initial Sniff: Mint with a hint of lavender.

Wearing: Oh my, what a surprise! The mint dominates, but it quickly turns sugary - this smells very much like Villainess Scintillating smooch.

Final Impressions: This was a freebie from the lab, and one that I would not have chosen for myself. I'm so glad they sent it along - it is wonderful!

[sarada]

Mad Hatter was one of the first freebie imps I ever received, over a year ago, and at the time I had no idea what to expect from BPAL -- the dark minty scent from this imp (they were all tarted) was so strong that I thought they all smelled like this! The mintiness was strong enough to adhere to the tarted tags and twine, so the whole batch smelled like Mad Hatter to me until I took them out individually some time later and got to know them, one by one. I didn't know much about imp storage at the time, so my Hatter leaked on them, you see. I never really got a chance to test it properly because of that.

 

Now that I have been able to try it again, I get this wonderful nostalgia for my first BPAL experience! I was surprised to see that cocoa or chocolate were not mentioned in the ingredients list -- if this doesn't smell just like mint chocolate I don't know what does! Even moreso than Spooky did, to my nose, because Spooky was somewhat derailed by coconut.

 

Like the oil Pain, this does contain lavender and pennyroyal, but it doesn't have the sharp smack and tingle of Pain, this is a much more warm, soothing blend (probably because of the musk). I don't think of it as a men's cologne type smell though, just a generally warm and comforting dark mint. Fans of Cathode and the non-coconutty parts of Spooky should like it!

[OdetteOdile]

Mad Hatter

A very herbal mint with a note that filled my nose with something strong and sharp like ammonia. Is that the pennyroyal? I got this odd image of the component notes standing with their backs to each other, refusing to blend.

At first it was too medicinal-smelling for me (although it was an inoffensive herbal medicine smell). Then it changed and sweetened and started smelling like these healing/protective herb bags a close friend used to make when we where in High School. A green witch woman's home might smell like this - herb bundles hanging from the ceiling, curled into little wooden bowls on every counter...sweet and refreshing and complex and minty-green.

I wouldn't wear this on a date (unless we were doing something outdoorsy like sailing or hiking & I wanted to smell clean in a non-antiseptic way). This would make an exceptionally lovely and refreshing foot cream/scrub scent, not to mention a really nice home cleaning scent (and wouldn't it be fun to say you were cleaning your floors with Mad Hatter?).

It would also be a wonderful yoga class scent. Oh yes, I am liking this more and more the longer I wear it.

[Orodemniades]

Imp: Lavender. Hmm.

 

Wet: Oo, it's going to powder...but I can still smell lavender. in fact that's the only thing I smell.

 

Drydown: Powder, powder, powder...this is most definitely not for me. There's a nutty undertone to it as well...maybe some sort of musk? Mm, I don't think I like pennyroyal, either...

 

Overall: I think on the right person this oil would be fantastic, but on me there's this note (besides the lavender) that's quite sharp and goes straight to my stomach - and not in a good way. Off to the sales it goes!

 

Oro

[wingedcorset]

In the vial:

MINT! Pennyroyal, exactly. I used to pick pennyroyal and make tea as a kid. (Yes, it's an abortafacient, I know that now.) This is what my hands would smell like after going to the park.

 

Wet:

Goodbye mint, hello lavander! This'd smell yummy on a boything. Gots to get me one of those to try perfumes on.

 

Drydown:

Powder. Total powder. Sadness.

 

Verdict:

Not in any hurry to swap it, but into the swap pile it goes.

[slugbait]

I had a pennyroyal plant in front of the house a few years ago. Every morning when I went outside I could smell the mintiness wafting in the air. It is different from peppermint, spearmint and catnip. It was really lovely.

 

I bought Mad Hatter for my fiancé, but I sampled a little bit from his imp. In the imp, this smelled just like my plant that I had. On him, it smelled like tasty after dinner mints, with a bit of musk. He smelled really yummy.

 

On me, well, mint hates me, so it turned into cat pee. Yikes. Had to wash it off.

 

My fiancé liked this one, but not as much as Dorian or Jolly Roger, so I probably won’t be getting a bottle.

Edited July 6, 2005 by slugbait

[phoefromelsewhere]

I'm an Alice In Wonderland freak, so this one was definitely one I wanted to try. But then I looked at the description. Uh oh, black musk. I wind up smelling like a very stinky hippie shop usually. Or worse.

 

I'm going to have to try this one at a later date because I suspect a fluke. This is GORGEOUS. No musk or overpowering lavender at all! It's vaguely lemony, mildly lavendery and very very minty. It does smell masculine, but only in the way that it's the way a man's leather chair in some posh library would smell after he'd left it. Very faint and vauge, deliciously fresh and minty. I love it.

 

My only complaint is that it lasts mere minutes on me before fading to an even lighter imprint of the scent. Which, while still nice, isn't quite as nice as the full scent. (Which is whisper light on me anyway).

 

This is going on my 5ml list.

[pekeana]

Guhhhh... Mad Hatter is sex.

 

On me, it all blends to smell like mint on top of leather. Kind of funny considering there's no leather, but whatever -- it's pennyroyal and leather to me, and it's just sexy. And in the vial, it smells a lot like Villainess's Novocaine Smooch to me.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Mad!

 

In the imp/bottle: Cold, frosty, minty lavender.

 

On skin, wet: The pennyroyal reminds me of Spooky, and not in a pleasant way.

 

On skin, dry: This quickly becomes a dark, cold, musky pennyroyal with fleeting hints of lavender.

 

Conclusion: I love mint, but pennyroyal is a strange mint. In BPAL blends, it's almost always a strange, warm scent. That, plus musk and lavender, equals one weird, mad scent.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Aredhel

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Mint!

 

Just On: Mint, mint, mint.

 

An hour or two later: Yummy mint. Drool-worthy.

 

Around 6 hours: Mint with a base of something a touch powdery.

 

12 hours: It's gone, gone, gone.

 

Overall: I love it.

 

After reading other reviews: Obviously I get NOTHING but pennyroyal out of this.

[Celogrl]

Ah, the joy of real pennyroyal! Either you love it or you don't, I think. No neutral opinions on pennyroyal around here This is bracing, fresh and light to me. I get overwhelmingly the mint of pennyroyal, a faint hit of citrus and lavender, just a smidge. Wet, the mint is biting, but I like that. The drydown is quick and the fragrance fades quickly on me. I wish Mr. Mad Hatter would hang around more_ I really like him

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Minty herbal, with a touch of lavender, not too much, and a definite citrus base.

Wet, on Skin:

Sweet peppermint and lavender, with a strangely pungent cooking herb undercurrent...

Drying/Drydown:

Slightly leathery, fabric scent, minty with a touch of bitter tea.

Over Time/Longterm:

Goes to a soapy, faint mint on my skin.

Final Verdict?

Interesting, but not a keeper.

[Little Bird]

I love the smell of citrus and lavender. Unfortunately, it never makes an appearance. The minty pennyroyal is all I can smell from this for about an hour. It's very bright and sharp, a cutting mint. After an hour the musk begins to come out and soften the mint. Mad Hatter turns into a perfumey mint. It seems more cold and masculine on me than anything that I would wear. I don't really like mint, so I don't think that I'll try this out on my boy either, lol. It will make a perfect gift for a male friend who needs to get away from axe sprays...

[misfitroxy]

Direct from the imp, I'm detecting a minty candy sweetness that reminds me of the center of a York Peppermint Patty (mmm).

 

The mintiness remains after swiping a bit on but is joined by a dark, almost licorice musk and just the slightest hint of lavender. It is very herbal on me and I really can't get past the licorice/anis smell. There's something reminding me of bergamot in here too, which makes it resemble Dorian just the slightest (and I do mean slight. It's more of a scent memory than actual comparison).

 

It's a very curious blend, indeed, that works delightfully for the Hatter's character though sadly not for my own.

[lookingglass]

I was thinking that this one would be very herbal and standoffish, but I was mistaken. The lavender and penyroyal sit at the top of my skin (I am not getting lemon~perhaps it is only adding freshness, and slightly transforming the lavender). It is not reminicent of sachets or bug spray for me, nor is it overly manly. There is a sweetness, a creamyness that must be the black musk.

 

I have a tummy ache today, and this one is really comforting. It is not too "perfumey", sweet, or manly. Have to try it on DH...

[coulrophobe]

Origin: Got the Hatter in a swap with Lookingglass.

 

In the imp: A little lavendery, but mostly mint... as I generally dislike the former and like the latter, this should be... interesting.

 

Wet on skin: Much milder than I would have expected. Not as harshly herbal as it smelled in the imp, but softer, smoother - is that musk? *checks description* Yep! And I can't smell the lavender at all. This bodes well! Something's almost chocolatey about it - I smell like those Andes mints!

 

Drydown: Soft, buttery/powdery minty-musk. It's an odd combination that works amazingly well on me. Black musk usually behaves itself and doesn't seem "feral" at all - this blend follows that trend. This almost reminds me of the one time I was lucky enough to smell Snowblind.

 

Definitely a pleasant surprise - Mad Hatter is a lightly sweet, mellow scent, and very comforting. I think I might need a bottle as a sleep-scent.

[Eros]

Sweetened lavender with the lightest hint of musk. Once on, there's a bit of bright mint coming through. Not as masculine as I'd expected, more gender neutral, imo After a while it's a bit more herbal, but the mintiness is still there.

It's a bit lighter than I like, fades quickly, but very nice nonetheless.

[Fefferbella]

Minty pennyroyale! *Yummy*

 

sadly this turned to a powder scent on me...

 

I tried this on my man, and then drooled over him for the next hour... this is delicious on him. Lavender and mint. Very sexy.

[malanna]

This is mostly pennyroyal rounded out by lavender on an background of black musk. It's odd--lavender usually smells like humid heat, but this is a smooth, cool lavender. While I'm not particularly fond of this, it is a pleasant scent. It really does smell like a gentleman's cologne, one a man wearing a dark purple suit and a pocket watch (just like the Mad Hatter, but not so frenzied), would wear.

Edited November 13, 2005 by malanna

[ABrokenAngel]

Ok....I have no clue what pennyroyal smells like and I'm not going to pretend I do. However, this smells like lavendar and mint to me. And it's heinous. I'm not even trying this one, it's immediately going to the swap/sell pile.

[AngellicMystique]

It's like vintage men’s cologne, sharp mint and citrus. I like it, but it's a little too lavender on my husband, and too mint-citrus on me, almost like toothpaste.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: candied lavender.

 

wet on skin: whoever said that this smelled like Lavender Pastilles has got it down pat. The musk warms up the chilliness of lavender, with the pennyroyal keeping everything in check.

 

dry: more than a bit masculine for me, but I'd love to smell this on my boyfriend.

[cupide430]

Mad Hatter

 

This is minty and fresh with a hint of warmth that is very comforting. This seems like it would be a great blend for when I'm not feeling well. Minty to clear me up and yet some musk to keep it warm. This is surprisingly gentle and definitely a keeper!

[Nachtwulf]

People keep talking about mint... I didn't get any mint at all, really, though when it's wet, it has something that's almost... doctor's office-y, I guess. Not quite antiseptic, not floral, not herbal... maybe it is something -really- faintly minty and something -faintly- citrus, but to be entirely honest, I don't get any really recognizeable separate notes at all.

 

What I /do/ get is something gentlemanly and Victorian... it dances around 'floral', 'soap', and 'too manly' with admirable ease, and although it -does- court going soapy, it somehow manages to avoid actually doing it.

 

Once dry, it gains some of the powderiness of the black musk, the citrussy qualities have melded into the background of everything else, and it softens... the throw almost seems spicy, somehow, without being the overt "spice" of say, Bengal, and almost seems to gain a vanilla quality (of the Tombstone variety of vanilla rather than Antique Lace).

 

This is one of those rare "masculine" scents that really isn't too masculine; it doesn't beat you to death with leather or musk or vetiver. It's genteel, cultured... and just offkilter enough to really keep my interest.

[Rhowan]

- MAD HATTER -

 

In the bottle: Sweet fresh mint with a hint of lavendar

 

Wet: OMG! I love this! If you were to pick fresh mint and lavendar and rolled them between your palms - that is exactly what this smells like!

 

Dry Down: This has sweetened up a bit more but is still true to its wetness - fresh minty lavendar. No citron or muskiness, but I am assuming it is the musk that is adding the sweetness. Throw is better than average but not overpowering. Wear is average for me - about 3-4 hrs.

 

Conclusion: Mad Hatter smells so fresh! Usually, scents with mint smell artifical to me - like mint oil you might use to cook with or something the dentist uses - NOT this! This takes me back to being a kid. My neighbor was a well known master gardener and along our fence line she always grew lavender and mint. I could pick all that I wanted. I would roll them in my hands and breath in the smell, or chew on the mint, or make tea out of both of them together. I am telling you this smells fresh! I am definitely getting a 5 or 10 ml of this!!!