Saint-Germain

[Belladonnastrap]

"A man who knows everything and who never dies."

Said to have lived for centuries, the Comte de Saint-Germain is truly a man of legend and mystery. He was an aristocrat, master alchemist, adventurer, magician, artist, and seer with a lust for exquisite jewels, and was reputed to have attained knowledge of the Elixer of Life. His knowledge was so vast and all-encompassing that his claim to have lived hundreds of years - he allegedly knew Jesus and was present at the Council of Nicea - was widely accepted as true. 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.

First sniff
A very clean and masculine sort of scent, the amber and carnation automatically burst out on me. It smells like something a really intelligent and yet sexy man would wear upon getting out of a shower.

Wet
...rawr. Masculine out the wazoo, the amber just *sings* and douses everything in its wake. Mmm. I want to crawl up in my hand and sigh.

Drydown
Whoa. This is the scent of a man who would read a book to you while you were curled up in his arms on a rainy day. It's very comfortable and refined. There's a bit of sweetness (which I'm assuming is the lavender) and a bit of tartness as well. Giles from Buffy the Vampire would smell like this

Aftermath
Well BPAL once again succeds in me wishing I had a boyfriend! This is a lovely comforting scent that would smell absolutely divine on a man but on a woman it's very very comfortable, like that old ratty sweater you dig out on a bad day. I'll probably not buy a bottle but I most definitely will almost always keep an imp on hand for my not so good days

[Sistinas]

In the bottle: Whoa, definitely green, limes come to my mind, even tho there are

none listed. I am willing to bet it is the mosses and the lavendar.

 

Smelling Saint-Germain reminds me of my younger years when I loved to wear men's

cologne. While I am still a fan of of the Lab's more masculine scents (Typhon most

prominently), I have moved on to a few more girlier scents. When I read Belladonnastrap's

review I have to agree, this scent does make me think of a the same type of a guy. Hmmm, if

my on again/off again shows up next month I will definitely have to test it on him.

However, I will keep what I have of it, cos I am finding that as I wear Saint-Germain,

I feel comforted and in a rather good mood.

[Surreal]

First sniff

A nice, clean smell. Very green.

 

Wet

Wow! The carnations are popping out at me. This has a lovely base between the mosses and the amber. This is sexy, but understated. I can barely smell the lavendar though.

 

Drydown

Yum! The carnations have calmed down and the lavendar is very subtle but I can smell it now. The amber and mosses have blended so well. This is uber-sexy but refined. I must try this on my male friends. Mmmmm...

[brownbat]

I freakin' *love* this scent! I was afraid it would be too heavy on the lavender, but that isn't the case at all. The amber makes this scent so smooth and sensual, yet the other notes give it a great sparkle. I can see myself wearing this scent regularly when I need a pick me it. It really puts me in a good mood.

[UltraViolet]

Wow this smells entirely of purple which is what Saint-Germain is all about. I've admired St. Germain very much and I've never found any single note or blend that really represents what he means to me without just being a bunch of lavender. This is it.

It is close to a "commercial" mens cologne but way better. This is indeed one of the nicest lavender scents I've ever smelled and I have many many lavender products including alot of BPAL lavender scents.

For those Lush users this smells quite similar to "Ickle Baby Baff".

It's got the touch of carnation fresh sweetness with the biting lavender and softer moss scent and amber is working it's subtle soft warming magic in the background.

 

I would definitely buy more of this scent.

[isyche]

On me, right away this is lavender and carnation mixed together so I can barely tell them apart. The mosses seem to back them up, and the amber adds a touch of warmth as it dries down. This may be my favorite BPAL lavender scent so far; the lavender is toned down and works beautifully in harmony with the other notes.

 

Saint-Germain is a very pulled-together, calm, refined scent that could work for either sex. I love it on me, but it would also be way hot on a quietly confident, intelligent man. It does make me think of someone who knows everything but prefers to operate behind the scenes.

[alston78]

St. Germain was an instant favorite for me. In the bottle the lavender and mosses came out most strongly. When applied, the lavender dominated for a bit- after an hour or so, however, the scent became much warmer, and the scent turned to a more herbal/floral blend. It lasted on me a moderately long time (6-6 hours).

 

I have to say, I think the scent works very well for men and women. I loved it on myself and fully intended on keeping the imp; however, my best friend/on-again, off-again boyfriend came over, opened it, and promptly stole my imp. It smells better than good on him, too- probably the best scent I've ever smelled on him! The lavender stays in the background more on him; however, the carnation, amber, and mosses are delicious- it's a scent that is simultaneously comforting and arousing.

 

I have purchased 5 mL bottles for both of us!

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle:

 

Very citrusy and light. I had to really sniff to get a good sense of it.

 

Wet:

 

Lemon/lime and ginger...nothing that's actually in it!! This my my reaction before I looked up what was in it again. Now that I'm educated, it seems like the carnation and the amber are creating this smell.

 

Dry:

 

The carnation pops out and citrus retreats a bit into the background and the lavender comes up to me it. It reminds me of babies for some reason. It has that clean right after the shower kind of smell to it, but it also has this smokey, spiciness to it as well.

30 mins: Now the amber is popping out a bit more and is blending better with the carnation.

 

After putting this on I sent it to the swap pile but now I'm not so sure. It's changed from lemon/ginger to something more akin to the ingredients. I think it smells lovely. This would be a nice scent for a man who likes brighter type of notes, like aquatics. I'm thinking people who like Cool Water...less musky kind of scents. This would also be great for a women who likes bright, non-flower types of scents.

[pekeana]

In the vial, Saint-Germain is very deep, complex, and astringent -- I definitely get the lavender, which I'm not fond of, and I get the mosses.

 

On me, the carnation comes out to play, melded with the moss and lavender, and it's a very complex, heady masculine scent with a bubble-up of spicy femininity from the rising carnation. This blend definitely shows the metaphysical dual sides of the alchemist, and it's very well-balanced, as I would expect it to be.

 

After a while, the carnation goes away again, but I can still smell it a little down beneath everything else.

 

Not a keeper, but definitely an experience.

[Scylla]

In the vial: Very sharp and masculine. There is something about it that reminds me of that bastion of early 90's mens cologne, Drakkar Noir. Which is not to say it actually SMELLS like Drakkar Noir. Maybe it's got a similar note. I dunno. It was just a "first impression" observation.

 

Wet, on me: Smells nice, but kinda manly. The carnation seems to be the predominant note with herbal smelling mosses in the background. Thank goodness I'm not getting any amber--amber usually smells really BAD on me!

 

On drydown: The carnation remains the predominant note on drydown, but now I smell the lavender. I really like it, but I think it's definitely a men's scent. I wish my husband would try it. But, upon smelling this shortly after application, my husband said, "What the heck did you spray in here? It stinks!" He thought it was a new scent of Lysol or some kind of cleaning fluid! When I told him it was one of my new BPAL imps he promptly said he didn't like it.

 

Too bad. I think it would smell really good on him!

Edited November 25, 2004 by Scylla

[Lady_Ell]

Very lemony/clean/soapy/fresh.

Fades quickly to general light pleasantness consisting of the above notes.

Nice, but not really my thing. It just doesn't really smell like anything in particular on me. More like clean, soapy skin that's been amped up a little.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Moss. Moss. Moss. With just the touch of amber and maybe a little floral underneath. I almost want to seal it and throw it into the boy's imp box because moss and I have bad experiences. I do not like to smell of it for one.

 

Wet: Carnation oddly enough. I'm thankful not to smell like moss soap as of yet (a la Bayou). Amber now. Amber and carnation. This is more floral than I had expected. I'm hoping the boy still wants it. I grabbed it for him. Moss.

 

Dry down: This moss is well tempered with the amber and the carnation. There's no sign of my beloved lavender. Oh well. But this still says boy because of the spices and just the boyness of it.

 

Dry: Very nice, masculine moss/floral with the amber perking it up and making it nice and light. I won't wear this again, but the boy should smell great with it on. Little more carnation peeking out. And moss. Washing off and putting with my boy's scents because yum on him.

[Shollin]

First sniff: A clean, softly sweet, indoors on a rainy day scent. I get the same “politeness” from Saint-Germain as I do from Wilde.

 

Wearing: A clean-laundry sort of comforting, a cool breeze on a muggy sticky day.

[tigerlust]

Saint Germain - I love this! This was a wonderful freebie with my last order and it is an instant favorite !!

 

Although like so many of the precious, I smell totally different notes than most of the reveiws. I do smell the lavender in the imp, but it doesn't smell masculine at all to me!

 

It smells like creamy coconut on me quite quickly which I am loving !!

 

This will definately be a bigger bottle as soon as I can afford it that is!!

[Faerykin]

Saint-Germain

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): There is something oddly familiar here. A sweet, tangy citrus. I’m not certain what it is, but I like it.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): This is slowly turning into a cologne smell. Mayhaps the familiarity is something I’ve smelled on one of guys in my life.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-5pm): Yup, definitely men’s cologne. I’ll see if-in the boy wants to try it (probably not) before passing it off to Swap.

[silverangel]

Very clean, straight-laced feeling scent. I get the amber, but mostly the lavendar and carnation. It borders on masculine, just barely hopping over the line to it. It's strong, it's clear headed and somber. I really like this, although I didn't for the first minute or so that I had it on.

[Splendid Molerat]

Saint-Germain is a gentleman's fragrance: self-contained, utterly charming, and unattainable by seduction.

 

It's the sort of man who, if you placed your hand on his knee, would smile at your folly, return your hand to you with some gallant compliment, and leave the room.

 

I've sprayed my husband's linen handkerchiefs with Saint-Germain. Should keep the other cats off him nicely...

[violetblue]

It reminded me of a clean, outdoorsy scent, with an incensey feel to it as well. It's not what I expected it to smell like, but nice nonetheless. I find it a bit too masculine for me to wear, but thank you to the lab for including it as a freebie.

Edited September 21, 2008 by violetblue

[KittyBoy]

I wrote this review some time ago, but never posted it. Ah well. Better late than never, right?

 

In the bottle:

 

Smells wet and clean, if that makes sense. I can smell the lavender, but not a lot else. Hope its not too floral. Floral + me = Ick. Gag. But, I'll try it.

 

Wet:

 

Mmm. Crisp and clean and slightly..citrusy? I think I like this already. Its not overpowering, and is really..clean. Did I say that already?

Why do I smell citrus? There's no citrus in this blend. Hrm. Smells a bit like bitter (but in a good way!) lemon rinds. Its soft and subtle, and there are other notes, but none really stand out to me right now.

 

Hrm, just put a little more on.. Ah. There's the lavender, and a very faint mossy/earthy/green smell. Interesting. Theres lavender, but it doesn't smell "girly" or overly flowery at all. Still a little citrusy, but with a touch of lavender and amber (or what I think is the amber. It seems to warm it up a bit). Hrm. Interesting. Mmm. The longer I wear it, the more I like it.

 

Now its changing into a softer almost powdery scent (but not in a bad way). Eh? Not a bad thing though, not at all. It kinda reminds me a little of what my avon spray-on cologne does on me. But, better. Its warmer now, maybe thats the amber peeking through some more.

 

Dry: Its definitely a softer, warmer version of the above. It stays close to my skin as well, or so it seems. The notes seem to have blended a little more also. I think I like this. I may have to wear some to work and see if people notice.

 

Edit: No, I'm wrong. The "powdery" smell is actually the lavender again. But very subtle and soft lavender. Not really sweet or floral. I /really/ like this scent. I just want to see other peoples reactions to it now.

[Grey Lady]

I hate lavender most of the time, yet I like this scent. It also lists Amber as another note, and historically amber and I clash big time.

When I first applied it, it smelled *very* masculine. Now it's really mellowing into a more unisex, incensey type smell.

 

When I first smelled this on me, I remembered being in a big church when I was a little girl. I don't know why. It made me think of polished pews, stained glass windows and women all dressed up in their Sunday best.

 

I don't know if I'll be buying a bigger bottle, but I'll definitely enjoy this imp.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is not going to work for me, no matter how I may wish it would. It's got amber, lavender and carnation, but I'll try it because it's new and I'm curious.

 

First sniff:

 

Amber is the first thing that jumps out at me, which is a bad sign since amber hates me, as much as I may love it in the bottle. This reminds me a lot of Xiuhtecuhtli, somewhat. I also get a bit of carnation and some moss in the background. I'd prefer if this were woodsier and darker, but it's really surprisingly light.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Amber and lavender are most prominent. I don't smell the carnation, which is good, but I also don't smell the moss which makes me sad since I love a good mossy scent. This still reminds me of Xiuhtecuhtli...maybe "Xiuhtecuhtli For Men," although it's not an overtly masculine scent, either.

 

Dry down:

 

I smell amber and carnation with a hint of moss. It's spicy and slightly sweet/resiny but with an undertone of green. I can definitely see a classy gentlemen-type wearing this one. It's sophisticated smelling and would probably work equally well on a woman as well as a man.

 

The bottom line:

 

I seem to have avoided both smelling like sour milk from the amber and carnation-induced nausea, but I just don't care for this scent terribly much. I really prefer something darker than this, unfortunately.

[erehwesle]

Saint-Germain is a gentleman's fragrance: self-contained, utterly charming, and unattainable by seduction.

 

It's the sort of man who, if you placed your hand on his knee, would smile at your folly, return your hand to you with some gallant compliment, and leave the room.

 

I've sprayed my husband's linen handkerchiefs with Saint-Germain. Should keep the other cats off him nicely...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Splendid Molerat, have we met? Am I your boyfriend? If I was, you'd tell me right? Or mayhaps I'd never know, are you the type to show up on occasion, cook a dinner and let me cook for you, and before I know you'd just be there, a drawer somewhere would be filled with silken things that smell of lavender, fresh flowers in the dining room, a new kind of soap in the shower, and I never do see any of it coming. I should warn your husband, but heck, he likely knows if he carries a handkercheif.

 

In truth I prefer wisteria on my handkerchiefs, or lavender. It sooths my nose, though I often put De Sade on the second one, you know the clean hankercheif I carry in case of woman's need.

 

Well onto Saint-Germain. I've been excited about this scent since it was announced, and receiving it, am blown away.

 

Citrus, Moss, and spice in the bottle, but this is a scent that immediately works well with my body chemistry.

 

Strangely, after playing with imps, a sect of scents that really, and I wouldn't have imagined, work for me, are the electric scents, Cathode, Lightning, etc...

 

This seems on me initially to have the good parts of those (a 'bite' to them) and the benefits of the 'leather' scents like De Sade.

 

on, it immediately gives me a citrus bite and distinct Amber and ambregis. As it mellows, it gets complex with subdued mossy and green notes. Excellent persistance and throw as well. This is a scent people comment on with me, and always to the positive. It fits my usual mood though, the one who lives in corners and shadows. Our splendid mole is right, it is an offputting scent to a degree. Wearing De Sade I have had many, well *interesting* introductions and encounters. With Saint-Germain, well, let's just say it reinforces complexity and leave it at there.

 

The Compte de Saint-Germain is one of my heroes, I'm glad I love the scent, and I'll be ordering it in 10 mls.

 

I did meet him once, in Russia, the far east in 1991, but that is another story. I think he would approve.

 

ADDED Jan. 4:

 

Saint-Germain, once I got it on my skin, was a revelation for me - this scent is a "wowser!" as my mother would put it. The lavender note just out of the bottle led me astray.

 

I had no idea that carnation and lavender could combine like this. It's such an interesting and beautiful blending that I really had to think about what the notes might be. With the green touch of moss, I felt like I was in a grove of lime trees for just a minute.

 

Dry down is just as surprising. The lavender asserts itself a little more, and the carnation fades into light spice, but this isn't a floral scent. It's amazing how crisp Saint-Germain is, considering the liquid warmth of amber - and this is definitely a scent with heat.

 

Incredibly masculine. Incredibly refined and masculine. I wish this worked as well on my other half as it works on me, but he and I get very different vibes from lavender. Very nice, and very well worth the investment of a bottle if you like to share BPAL with the man in your life.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

See! thank you JJ_J.

 

All of you do this is a near-perfect guy-scent. As a actual real guy I promise.

 

Heck, I thought De Sade was good....

[jj_j]

Saint-Germain, once I got it on my skin, was a revelation for me - this scent is a "wowser!" as my mother would put it. The lavender note just out of the bottle led me astray.

 

I had no idea that carnation and lavender could combine like this. It's such an interesting and beautiful blending that I really had to think about what the notes might be. With the green touch of moss, I felt like I was in a grove of lime trees for just a minute.

 

Dry down is just as surprising. The lavender asserts itself a little more, and the carnation fades into light spice, but this isn't a floral scent. It's amazing how crisp Saint-Germain is, considering the liquid warmth of amber - and this is definitely a scent with heat.

 

Incredibly masculine. Incredibly refined and masculine. I wish this worked as well on my other half as it works on me, but he and I get very different vibes from lavender. Very nice, and very well worth the investment of a bottle if you like to share BPAL with the man in your life.

[couscous]

Wow! Austere and Cerebral.

 

On me, I get a citrus-moss. VERY "tweed'y"- it actually smells like tweed! There's also a spearmint-y note in this that I also smell in Dracul. This is like Dracul light. It's green and oatmeal-colored, very very clean, and very very masculine.

 

The scent did not have a lot of throw, but I got small puffs of it hours later. It's probably the lightest BPAL I've tried since Phantasm, and if you like scents like Phantasm, Embalming Fluid, Shanghai, and, to a lesser extent, Dracul, try this one. It really does seem like it'd be better on a man, but with the right woman, who knows how beautiful it could be?

[Ishtar]

My experience with Saint-Germain was unusual in that it completely changed personalities between my first and second application.

 

The first time I tried it, I was with another forumite. The imp was in her swap pile and I instantly fell in love with Saint-Germain. What I smelled was what most of you described: a sophisticated masculine blend, indeed fitting for a man of superior intellect (funny how we all got the impression that this was made for an intelligent chap ).

 

Alas, the second time around was nothing like the first: all I got was an unpleasantly sharp, green scent with none of the roundness and warmth that amber usually imparts.

 

I am confused now. I will obviously have to try it again before deciding what to do with my imp.