Mother Ginger

[Thursdae]

MOTHER GINGER
From beneath her skirts emerge eight gingerbread children: gingerbread, French vanilla, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and marshmallow cream.

Mother Ginger has an airy freshness and openness to it. I sometimes find the "baked goods" type of ginger scents a little heavy due to the butter, the batter, the other spices... This is unlike those, being smooth and light; in fact, an uplifting ginger. So good!

[RaeiNarcissus]

I was initially thinking this was going to be like a softer version of Gingerbread Poppet......and completely different end of the spectrum. This was ginger ale, reminding me a lot of last years Playing with a loaded gun. Though, there was a nice difference between them, while Playing with a loaded gun did it's ginger ale dance and then disappeared, Mother Ginger has like a soft warm afterglow that hangs around on your skin for a couple hours after the ginger ale fades.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

2 5mL's from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This sounds awesome. I'm a very selective foody scent fan, but gingerbread has always been a weakness of mine. I just love the way it smells. And gingerbread with vanilla and marshmallow cream? That sounds amazing. So I ordered two bottles, although I tend to order one to start out with these days (it was a good method to order multiples right off the bat when there was a months long TAT, but not necessary anymore).

 

I am worried, though, having read the reviews. Based on the scent description it sounds amazing. Based on the reviews? not so much. Ginger ale tastes good, but I don't want to smell like it.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, this is not good. This is the lemony ginger that I don't like. I can definitely see the comparisons to ginger ale. It smells fizzy, almost, and it has a bite to it. I was envisioning gingerbread or gingersnaps (ginger the baking spice, basically), not this. But I'll give it a shot, because I've been surprised before by scents once I've got them on my skin.

 

Wet on skin:

 

A little better. Immediately the vanilla and marshmallow peek out from Momma's skirt. Only a little peek. Just enough to see that they're there. It's a little sweeter than in the bottle, a little more "baked goods," but still more gingerale than gingerbread.

 

Dry down:

 

About the same as when it was wet. The fresh, lemony ginger never goes away, unfortunately. I do get more of a gingerbread vibe once Mother Ginger dries, but it's like gingerbread dunked in ginger ale. It's fresh and light and zingy, rather than dense and chewy (yes, things can smell chewy...yes, because I said so) and spicy.

 

The bottom line:

 

I can see people really loving this. It's not a bad scent. It's just not what I envisioned. I think I'll keep one of mine, at least for a while and see if my feelings change (or if the scent changes with a little bit of aging), but one is definitely moving on to a new home.

[hlemonds]

Mother Ginger is delectable! In the bottle and wet I get a refreshing pop of lemon-y, zingy ginger. Quite quickly the bright, lemon-y ginger settles into the creamy vanilla base and gains an almost incense-like quality. This is a ginger perfume for those who don't necessarily want to smell like gingerbread or ginger cookies, this isn't a baked-goods sort of ginger scent. It is a warm, sweet, and creamy ginger with a hint of incense quality. I really, really like this one!

[Geminirubyshoes]

Hilary's review above is pretty spot on in my opinion. Definitely a lemony Ginger, not the deep cookie Ginger that I had originally anticipated. It is so good though! I can smell the marshmallow now after its been sitting on my wrists for over an hour. I walked into a Christmas party tonight and everyone was like, Oh my god you smell amazing!!!!! I can't wait to see how this ages.

[alizarin]

In the bottle: very crisp & clean with a sweet undertone.

 

Dry on me it gets a little creamy but not heavy, it stays very fresh-smelling and softly sweet. Not getting a whole lot of nutmeg or cinnamon, but the fluffiness of the marshmallow is there, floating around with the crispness of the ginger. It's a fluffy, airy sort of scent but still nicely cozy.

 

This is much brighter than I'd expected. I had anticipated a heavier, sweeter blend based on the notes, but this is a rather pleasant surprise.

[birdiefu]

I wore this without looking at the notes, all I could remember was that it had ginger in it.

 

On, this was very gingery! Like straight freshly-cut ginger root, not foody baked-goods ginger. As this dried, the ginger tamed down it's fresh sharpness, but still did not get foody.

 

After a while I forgot I had applied it, and noticed the scent wafting up seemed almost like "regular" perfume, but a high class, nice one (I don't really like "regular" perfume). In a way, this reminds me of Chrysanthemum Moon, I think because of that almost perfumey quality it has, while still being grounded by one particular true-to-life note (with this, ginger not mums). Someone mentioned an incense-like quality, and I do very much agree. This scent for some reason makes me think of old lady perfume, but not typical roses or white musk old lady perfume. This was an old lady who was hawt and smokin in her youth, and wore this lounging in her boudoir, and is now wearing this perfume as a reminder of her younger days.

 

I really like the grounded, smooth, gingery smokiness, but at the same time it just doesn't seem like it fits me well (old lady association is strong). I think this will be one of those scents that I love the smell of and wear it at home to huff myself, but just don't feel comfortable wearing out in public.

Edited December 18, 2010 by birdiefu

[boxinghelena]

Holy Ginger Batman! That is all I can smell. If you like the smell of ginger, you will love this one. I was hoping for more of a gingerbread scent. Not my favorite of the Yules by far but not bad.

~

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I was wondering if this would be rather like Gingerbread Poppet or Shub--nope, neither! I would have bet cookies on the notes listing "candied orange" but I see that they do not. Well, that's how Mother Ginger smells on me anyway! Those candied orange slices that one eats at the holidays, with strong bakery spices (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon) underneath. No vanilla, no marshmallow cream--on me it's all strong bright citrus and spice. Bracing and festive, but I think a decant is enough for me, since my heart belongs to Poppet.

[greenranger]

It starts off very very gingery, and stays that way for a while.

 

Later, though, when I noticed it again, it was mostly vanilla with spices. I don't get airy from this, and I was actually checking to see if tonka was listed, but no, just vanilla and marshmallw cream.....

 

I do like it.

[Suusje]

Holy Ginger Batman!

 

You can say that again! Something soft peeks through every once in a while but that's a whole lot of ginger!

[starpixi81]

This smells lovely! It has the same ginger ale-ness as Polynesian Pop(not boozy, but fizzy like P. Pop) and a creaminess that is mostly vanilla, soft and warm. I don't get any cinnamon, or if it is there it is very subtle, which is excellent as cinnamon runs wild with my skin chemistry and overpowers all usually. This has decent throw and is sweet without being super foodie. The ginger is zingy, but not super spicy at all, just light and fun. This will be great all year round!

[Antoinette]

Exquisite! Mother Ginger is beautiful. This is definitely the fresh and clear ginger note that I adore.

 

This stayed the same from bottle to dry down on me, a perfect balance between zingy ginger and sweet. The ginger is at the forefront, bright and clean. The vanilla/sugar/marshmallow back it up with a fluffy sweetness while the nutmeg and cinnamon, which aren't that strong to me, add some warmth. It's delightful and yummy. Good throw, great lasting power. One of my faves from the this year's Yules.

Edited December 19, 2010 by Antoinette

[TheIceMaiden]

If someone invented gingerbread soda, this would be it: fresh-cut ginger roots in a fizzy base spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and a drop of sugar. Yum! As it dries, the ginger recedes and I get a soft, vanilla-marshmallow base.

 

ETA: A week later, this has settled and changed. The ginger note is much more mellow and there's more vanilla-marshmallow. Yay!

 

This is so fun and unique. I love Gingerbread Poppet, but I love this one even more.

Edited January 27, 2011 by TheIceMaiden

[grrrlennyl]

Mother Ginger

 

On: Sharp, strong, hot ginger with nutmeg and cinnamon, and some sweet notes.

1 hour in: Heavy on the nutmeg and cinnamon with a bit of sweetness.

1.5 hours in: Spicy and sweet.

4.5 hours in: Mostly nutmeg.

5 hours in: Pretty and a bit spicy.

Overall: This isn't anything special on me, but I like it at first.

[tarotgirl99]

Remember when Shub was the most sought after scent in the world (slight exaggeration, but still). Then it went GC. LOL

 

This is what I imagined Shub to be like. It's lighter and sweeter and spicier than the original and I seem to amp that lemon in a big way. Lots of throw, lasts a long time and I have to decide if I need a bottle of that, too.

 

Beth, you're killing me here.

[Mountaingrrl00]

This is an amazingly nostalgic scent for me. It reminds me of baking with my grandmother. She used to make these light, creamy cookies scented with ginger and vanilla and orange extracts. Mother Ginger is like being in that kitchen and stirring the batter and having the ingredients wafting around. The marshmallow is there too -- the same cozy note that's in TKO. The strong natural ginger fades after a few hours, and I'm left with the marshmallow and French vanilla and a very light, creamy orange.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Mountaingrrl

[Venneh]

In the bottle, this smells like a ginger ale float, rather than a gingerbread cookie. On my skin, this is ginger ale and marshmallow and a bit of spices. ...We'll see how this goes, but it isn't looking good. I recognize this ginger note from somewhere else, and it wasn't the greatest on me.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Venneh

[zankoku_zen]

The cream is killing me. It smells like fizzy airy ginger, hints of vanilla and plastic. Oh cream, you have ruined another scent for me.

 

[mineralgirl]

Bottle: This is way more sophisticated than what I was expecting. It has an almost masculine quality in the bottle.

 

Wet: Based on other reviews, I wasn’t expecting ‘cookie’ gingerbread.. but it’s more bakery than I thought it would be. I was expecting full-on ginger ale or something. The nutmeg is anchoring this in a way that it makes it more elegant. I can see my hubby wearing this! (but I love it too). It isn’t sweet.. it’s kinda dry. It’s actually really gorgeous.

 

Dry down: marshmallow cream sprinkled with candied ginger! It got really light. I'm getting more of the ginger ale scet the longer it sits.

 

WINNER!

[Veronica]

in the bottle: a light and fizzy ginger ale! pleasantly surprising, given the description. Fits right in with the Champagne series for Yule 2010.

[angelicruin]

This one just had too much ginger and not enough of the other notes on me to warrant keeping.

[cuervosueno]

I really, really wanted this to work. I'm so sad it doesn't! It is all gingery, but not baking gingery like ginger bread, but also not like ginger root. hard to describe. I guess kind of ginger-ale like does make sense, or more sense than the other types of gingery, anyway. It is a bit fizzy when it goes on, fizzy and sweet.

 

Whoever said candied orange, that kind of makes sense to me. It smells like there is something like candied fruit in here too. And something powdery, which worried me, because it smelled a bit like the amber that ruined some other Yules for me. I don't get the spices at all, though the first time I applied it, it burned on me a bit, which cinnamon does sometimes. Still, I don't smell either spice, which is sad, cause I love nutmeg.

 

The vanilla goes a bit plasticky on me. Luckily, that stops, but then it dries down to a generic sweet powdery scent.

 

Overall, it's not bad, but it's also not good on me.

Edited December 24, 2010 by cuervosueno

[cherrycherry]

Citrussy, fizzing ginger ale with fluffy marshmallow cream. I too expected this to be like Gingerbread Poppet, but there's only the barest resemblence in my opinion. This is more light-hearted, fresher and flirty. The spice is cooled by the lemony edge. If this was a drink, I'd be quite happy

[tinylegacies]

I loved gingerbread poppet and I expected to love this. The reviews made me a bit nervous though.

 

For no reason! I did love this but in a totally different way.

 

Wet, it was very bright and ginger-y. Much lighter than gingerbread poppet.

 

On the dry down, the citrus-y ginger tones down and the vanilla, marshmellow creme and spices come out but in a softer, less dense way.

 

Definitely loving this.