Saint-Germain

[BuxomM]

... He is a Hermetic Magician's hero for the ages, and his scent is an elegant, timeless, truly refined cologne, bold yet classic: gilded amber, hypnotic lavender, brash carnation and deep mosses.

It smells like a mans cologne,. It's mainly moss with some lilac floral and spice (carnation).

[Leopard403]

Very manly, even though the carnation is prevalent. This is calming and green, with that sort-of-smokey note get get from carnation. Lovely on my boy toy.

[Seismogenic]

I like the idea of this one in concept as well as in notes. Alchemists and magicians and such definitely make for interesting scent concepts in general, and it particularly appeals to me Saint-Germain was an artist and a world traveler as well. The note list also sounds like it just can't go wrong: amber and moss are some of my favorites, carnation generally works well on me, and lavender is also a good thing.

 

In the imp: Lavender and moss. Somehow sharp and fuzzy at once.

 

Wet on skin: Still mostly lavender and moss, though there's something back there that's almost citrusy, even though citrus isn't a listed note.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is still mostly lavender and moss, though the amber's peeking out a little. The thing that I thought was citrus is either gone, or has dried into proving that it's actually carnation. By one hour, however, lavender has taken over as the predominant note. I donʻt get any carnation anymore, but the moss is still there to ground everything.

 

Five hours later: Fainter overall, but aside from that, not much difference from one hour. Lavender, grounded by just a bit of moss. There might be something else in there, but itʻs fleeting and unidentifiable.

 

End of the day: Gone.

 

Overall: I think I was hoping for more out of this than I got. Yes, lavender is listed as one of the first notes, and I should have expected it would be prominent! And yes, I do like lavender! But I'm also a fan of moss and amber and carnation, and more would have been welcome. That said, I think I still will hang onto this, and see what a bit of aging might do to it.

[impolight]

This is definitely in the Top 5 list if not, in all probability, a favourite of BPAL's masculine fragrance thus far; the Philosopher's Stone of the Lab's formulas. THIS would be THE scent of the transformative powers that would be capable of taking all that is base, oppressive, and heavy, permeating through and through to their essence and commanding each and every electron to rise, to shine, to detoxify... To become pure and golden.

With this scent it is easy to fall in love with the whole of the earth and how precious little time we have to express the gratitude for it's raptures, even if we are scarcely adequate at doing so...

Saint-Germain is rich and luxurious. The Moss, Bergamot, and Laurel (?) collide and intertwine to create an effect similar to discovering a galaxy that can be worn as a cloak. Once it finds a home on the wrist, solar plexus, and collar-bone, Saint-Germain waxes only more gorgeous.

For some reason there are very strong impressions of stone and metal... Picture a marble statue of a God inlaid with gold. It wears a laurel crown, is adorned with flowers, annointed with oils, has incense burning before it with a large, bronze urn filled with honeycomb as an offering... And it's close. Kinda.

One cannot help but want to swallow knowlege, to engage in intellectual snobbery with this formula.

This is the fragrance of a much admired and respected college professor.

Saint-germain is soul-shattering prose.

Saint-germain is Hallowed ground.

Saint-Germain is the loveliest shade of lavender/grey.

Musically, Saint-Germain is a hybrid of Dead Can Dance and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

There is inadequate space or time to do this fragrance the justice it deserves while being quasi-coherent.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, BPAL for Saint-Germain.

[DeltaCat]

Lavender and greens. I assume that green would be the moss. Oh drydown I get a tiny whiff of carnation. Not too bad!

[Finch]

Yep. A manly cologne, but it's light and subtle. Amber and moss seem to keep the other notes in check so it doesn't have the sneeze inducing sharpness that I expected. This would be lovely on a man for sure.

[acbombshell]

This is my boyfriend's favorite cologne, and I like it on him a lot. To me, the amber smells more woody-smoky, but it combines really well with the lavender. It's definitely a very sexy guy smell.

[milo]

Wet, this is citrussy, woody, and bright. As it dries, it's kind of a warm woody, amber blend. If a dude blend can be creamy and work, this is one definitely fits the bill. I could have sworn there was oak here, but the description says no. It actually smells like a more masculine Haloes or Glowing Vulva to me. I love this, and would never wear it, but would love to smell it on a guy!

[SophieCedar]

Is it weird and uncanny that as soon as I popped this imp open I sputtered out the term "rich people"? Seriously reminds me of department stores filled with clean leather and silk dreams. Where people never smell like bo (well I would never fit in then!) and their pants are always pressed (double that.. I've never taken a single thing to the dry cleaners). Very refined... to the point that people might just give you the stink eye on general premise. It smells great but makes me mighty uncomfortable. hahha!!

[hmelt004]

A perfect carnation and lavender blend, with the mosses in the background giving it depth and staying power. Amber is usually death to me, but this amber behaves. This could work on a guy, but I'm keeping it myself for when I need to feel particularly sophisticated.

[tailoredshirt]

I was rushing around while trying this on, so I don't know how it affected the way the scent wore on me, but somehow this didn't work! I had high expectations for this one and really wanted it to work, so I'm disappointed.

 

I couldn't remember the notes in this one, so these were just my impressions.

 

In the bottle: Spicy green. Not very strong, but nice.

 

Wet: More spicy green, carnations. Not quite as "masculine" as I was expecting. I have to press my nose right up to my wrist to smell anything at all, and I kind of slathered it!

 

Dry: I swear, five minutes later, all I get is powdery cinnamon. :| What happened to this scent?! I love carnations, and I thought they worked on me, but this isn't working. Maybe it's the amber that does it? I loved the first stage of Inez (also with the carnation/amber blend), when it was all musk and carnations, but then the drydown was spicy vanilla wafers. I assumed it was because of the vanilla, but if Saint-Germain is doing it too then it must be the carnation and amber. So disappointing! I mean, the powdery cinnamon was pleasant enough, but not the intelligent, sexy unisex scent I was hoping for.

 

Overall: Spicy green at first, but ten minutes later all I get is powdery cinnamon. I guess this doesn't work for me.

[odalisque]

The lavender definitely led on this for me, in fact, I made the mistake of thinking it was going to be all lavender and added some to my cleaning spray. It wasn't so great later when the amber and mosses emerged for a result that definitely said "gentlemen's cologne" all over the walls and furniture of my bedroom.

 

Yes, this is definitely a refined scent, but not the kind I would associate with someone in an impeccable three-piece suit; more the kind I might expect to find in the clothing press of a gentleman many, many years ago, clinging to his linen shirts with flowing lace cuffs and fronts. A manservant takes those shirts out and folds them into the master's valise for traveling in a big black hansom with four horses. It's probably a slightly dark errand he's traveling for. Something about it suggests a whiff of horror to me, but that may be because the scent and description of Saint-Germain combine to remind me of the elegant sorcerer-gentleman in the miniseries version of Gulliver's Travels. He speaks smoothly and offers gracious hospitality but his purposes are sinister.

 

It joins The Apothecary as one of the few BPAL moss scents so far I'm not allergic to; something about these mosses seem to be moist, slightly green and fresh rather than dry, dusty and aged.

[FelicityTwitchell]

Wet: cologne yes, lemony herb smell reminds me of thyme really diff. from the imp on my skin

 

Dry: moss and lemon-thyme, harsh musk

 

Verdict: nah

[voorishsign]

Frimp from the Lab - amber and moss sounds good, but eep, carnation and lavender? Let's see.

 

In the imp - lavender and carnation and nothing else.

 

On wet - Oh god, lavender lavender lavender. It smells like room freshener

 

Drydown - it goes a bit sweeter now but still mostly room freshener. Not for me. Maybe it's just my skin chemistry though . . .

[raisin]

I had forgotten most of the notes when I picked this up (aside from lavender and carnation, which were the reasons I picked it up). It went on almost medicinal, with a little floral from the carnation. I liked how bright and fresh and different this stage was. The scent warms as I wear it (I'm guessing that's the amber at work) and becomes a nice, smoky lavender scent. I also get quite a bit of musky leather, but I don't see that listed. There's still a bit of carnation, and a hint of something vaguely green.

 

The end result was heavier and more cologne-y than I expected or desired, but nice. It reminds me of Casanova, but has enough differences that I think I can justify having bottles of each. Mainly, this is a great lavender/carnation blend, which was what I was looking for.

 

ETA: While this one goes through a pretty strong phase, it settles pretty quickly and nearly disappears on me. Though it stays close to the skin at that point, the staying power is pretty amazing, and even takes a bit of effort to wash off.

Edited June 14, 2010 by raisin

[CitizenBree]

Very much cologne-y. I think this is more carnation than lavendar. Lavendar is very much a medicinal sleep scent to me and I don't get that at all here. Once it dries down, it does get a little more floral -- i'm guessing the carnation. Then it's a little more feminine. Still better for a guy unless you are into manly kind of scents.

[taramarie]

In the imp, Saint-Germain is all lavender. On my skin, it's lavender with something green in the background. Probably the moss. Amazingly, the lavender doesn't smell medicinal, like it usually does on me. Saint-Germain's nice but not really me.

[Victory]

When I first got an imp of Saint-Germain maybe five years ago, I remember reading someone's review that it was the scent a refined man would wear, and that impression has stuck with me. It is a very refined, very male scent to me, although not so male that I don't I feel comfortable wearing it. It makes me think of an ex boyfriend of mine, actually. The amber really does gild the lavender here- so often, lavender has a sharp, somewhat medicinal, edged scent to it, but here it doesn't at all. It's not a sweet lavender, it's just lavender without the edge. I keep thinking it is ambergris, not amber, in the blend. I know it's there, but I don't really smell it specifically. The mosses are nice here and the carnation doesn't show up at all. This is definitely a gentleman's cologne, but really I think it is what most men's colognes want to be. I like it.

[Schmoozy]

Lavender and amber all the way. The moss adds an aquatic feel, almost clean, airy and refreshing. The carnation spikes every once in awhile but mainly this is all lavender and amber. Love!

[Zii]

Wet: Amber, amber and more amber. There's a hint of sweet, though it's not recognizable as the lavender, though I assume it must be. There's also this dark peppery scent which might be the moss.

 

Dry: This is such a peppery and warm scent. I put it on just for kicks and am feeling vastly more content with the state of things. And the fan in my room is catching the throw and filling my little dorm room with it.

[Trickster]

Wet, this had a distinctly bergamot/lemon scent to it, as a few other people have mentioned.

It went through several stages of interesting, for a while all I could say was "It smells like a TAL!"

 

On the drydown, it's nothing but amber for me, very similar to The Lion. I don't think I really smelled the lavender at all.

[savage_rose]

Very clean smelling...actually, it turns into TP'd Tree on me. It's such a complex list of notes, to smell just like Demeter's Laundromat .

[Lucchesa]

I was surprised, after testing blind, that there was no bergamot or other citrus in Saint-Germain. It is very bright and a little sharp when wet, but it does not strike me as overly masculine. I wouldn't have thought to put these notes together, but they work really well on me. Carnation is always a favorite floral of mine, but it's subdued here by the amber and mosses; it's the lavender that really gets to shine, and it lasts longer on me than lavender usually does. I would wear this one when I want to feel elegant and above the fray.