Eusapia

[Tal Shachar]

"The case I allude to is that of an invalid woman who belongs to the humblest class of society. She is nearly thirty years old and very ignorant; her look is neither fascinating nor endowed with the power which modern criminologists call irresistible; but when she wishes, be it by day or by night, she can divert a curious group for an hour or so with the most surprising phenomena. Either bound to a seat or firmly held by the hands of the curious, she attracts to her the articles of furniture which surround her, lifts them up, holds them suspended in the air like Mahomet’s coffin, and makes them come down again with undulatory movements, as if they were obeying her will. She increases their weight or lessens it according to her pleasure. She raps or taps upon the walls, the ceiling, the floor, with fine rhythm and cadence. In response to the requests of the spectators, something like flashes of electricity shoot forth from her body, and envelop her or enwrap the spectators of these marvellous scenes. She draws upon cards that you hold out, everything that you want – figures, signatures, numbers, sentences – by just stretching out her hand toward the indicated place.

 

“If you place in the corner of the room a vessel containing a layer of soft clay, you find after some moments the imprint in it of a small or a large hand, the image of a face (front view or profile) from which a plaster cast can be taken. In this way portraits of a face taken at different angles have been preserved, and those who desire so to do can thus make serious and important studies.

 

“This woman rises in the air, no matter what bands tie her down. She seems to lie upon the empty air, as on a couch, contrary to all the laws of gravity; she plays on musical instruments – organs, bells, tambourines – as if they had been touched by her hands or moved by the breath of invisible gnomes… This woman at times can increase her stature by more than four inches.

 

—Chiaia, in a letter to Lombroso

 

Pale lilacs, white tea, and candle wax.

 

The Lab's candlewax always starts out with a burst of citrus (to my nose, at least), in this case a light clementine-juice scent that obscures the lilac completely while wet.

10 min: Spicy? Tingly-spicy? I'm not sure where that's coming from, but the white tea comes out too, with the lilacs.

20 min: Lilac gets a bad rap around here sometimes, and I was really rooting for it, but the beeswax is making the floral part smell a bit sour and sweaty. It's a very light and inoffensive scent, but when I get in close to the wrist to go "where my lilacs at" it smells like someone holding a lilac bloom crushed in a sweaty fist.

25 min: Sweaty part over. Soft, light, citrussy floral. Flowery but not distinctively lilac.

Verdict: Not for me.

 

[EDIT: I don't know when I'm going to learn that it really does make a difference to let scents settle after coming here in the post, but this one was pretty different on second test. Way more wax, no weird citrus, a warm and sweet beeswax scent with a distinct high-toned floral. Though it still doesn't really smell like lilacs to me? I have no idea.]

[theandorran]

Bottle: Eusapia has a fresh, clean scent. The beeswax makes it warm, even sunny, and the lilac makes an appearance as an indistinct floral vibe. The impression is very much one of June in a garden full of purple flowers.

 

Wet: Oh man, this is where Eusapia gets disappointing. All I smell on my skin is white tea. It's very strong and clean smelling; I'm reminded distinctly of Embalming Fluid. It stays this way for much longer than I would usually think of as 'wet,' at least an hour.

 

Dry: After an hour or so, Eusapia is somewhat warmer and softer. I can smell a little bit of the beeswax coming through. It reminds me now more of Maiden.

 

All in all, it's nice, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed, mostly because Eusapia isn't what I was hoping for. This is the only Yule that I knew I absolutely had to buy a bottle of blind, and right now I feel like I could have lived without it. However, I'm going to keep it around and keep trying. With age it might improve on me.

[Myria Jean]

On me, the strongest note here is lilac, then white tea, then beeswax. It has moments of greatness and moments of "What was I doing again?" which probably means it will be better in a couple months. No bottle, but I will enjoy my decant.

[Ashmedai]

This smells similar to the tannic-citrussy white tea note in "Kumiho", only with lilacs instead of ginger. Lilac is one of the few florals I can actually wear as a guy, but damn - these be LILACS! White, sweet and almost intoxicating lilacs, not the purple kind. The note is exactly that of the fresh blossoms and a wee bit of greenery, and it soon overtakes the white tea note. I can't tell what the candle wax is supposed to smell like, but lilac by itself does have a kind of "waxy" note. It doesn't seem to be beeswax, however, I'd be amping that to no end. Final dry-down is a totally unusual blend of citrussy white tea and lilacs. I'm on the fence about this one, it's almost too floral for me, but damn...this does smell good, very clean and fresh, and at the same time sweet and floral without being cloying. I'll re-test a couple times and then decide whether or not to keep my bottle.

Edited December 25, 2014 by Ashmedai

[skyelyric]

Unlike earlier reviewers, I got very, very little in the way of white tea, and not much in the way of distinct wax. This was almost single note LILAC, but as Ashmedai said, it's like fresh on the shrub lilac. On, it doesn't morph much on me, but in later stages I get faint wafts of a creamy, waxy scent that's not present if I huff my skin. I actually love when the air and skin components of a scent are different, so that's a plus for me. Also need to try this one around the beloved, since lilacs are one of his favorite flowers.

 

I don't know if I'll want to hunt down a bottle since I don't wear florals very often, but I will enjoy the hell out of this decant, and probably try blending it with some other scents as well.

[Haltija]

Such beautiful fresh Lilac in the decant and in the opening on the skin. I love Lilac so this is no problem for me. Give it a few minutes later though and it immediately turns bad. The combo of the white tea and the wax just really does a number on my sinuses and it starts to almost burn my nose and it triggers a awful headache. I actually felt a little faint while smelling this on the dry down. I had high hopes for this but it's not for me.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Haltija

[izile]

Was really hopeful for this!

 

In the bottle: sharp, wet, almost astringent, but kind of lilac-y

 

Wet: There's the lilac! And wow, it's really realistic, and I agree, not just lilac flower/perfume, but lilac bush, there's a lot of fresh greenery with these delicate flowers - somewhere in the distance, someone's lit a candle, but it's definitely in the background - missing the tea note.

 

Dry: Lilacs still at the front, but the candle as stepped up, I think the white tea is the connector note. Very lovely and different!

[Aviatrix]

This is pretty much straight up white tea on me. A very powerful scent, indeed. I am not getting any of the candle wax, but that is fine with me, as beeswax has a tendency to amp the hell out of every scent on me. If I concentrate, I can pick out the lilac, which is fresh and sweet, but never cloying.

 

Overall, it's a very cute little scent, but maybe too single note-ish white tea for me to need more than a decant.

 

ETA After having let is settle for a week I retested, and it was so much more beautiful. The tea and lilac blend wonderfully and I get the subtlest sweetness from the beeswax. Definitely a bottle for me! I can see myself wearing this at tea parties in gardens

Edited January 13, 2015 by Aviatrix

[reconditarmonia]

Hmm. I might have to test this again, but the white tea (I assume) is making it very hand-soapy on me in a way that the lilac, though definitely noticeable, doesn't counteract.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Dreamy lilac. It’s pretty and happy, but in a slightly nostalgic way. Like realizing that something that just happened is going to become a cherished memory.

 

Drydown: Lightweight and slightly powdery lilac, sweetened with a touch of glowing beeswax. Pale, floaty, and diaphanous. Not quite shy, but definitely bashful.

 

Dry: Utterly girly, yet I can imagine it being fantastically glam-rock on the right guy. It smells of romantic daydreams and sighs and poems. The white tea amplifies the pale, airiness and the candle wax gives it a touch of je ne sais quoi. If you’re a fan of lilac, put this in your cart.

 

 

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

[velvet]

The wet stage is very lightly scent lilacs, for me. As it dries the white tea comes out a bit, it seems to be very lovely. The dry down stage (where I usually have trouble) is more powder than anything. I am guessing it's the wax note, i don't usually have trouble with tea or lilacs. Oh well.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I'm a florals fan. Sometimes white tea works for me. I am intrigued by the idea of candlewax, but it hasn't always worked in other blends I've tried.

 

In the Bottle: A candle with a gentle lemon scent and a very strong dash of tea.

 

Wet: The lemony impression becomes more floral and steadily shifts to what I expect from lilac. The tea is very faint but the candle impression is still there.

 

Drydown: The lilac goes lemon again and unfortunately the combination with the candlewax is turning it into the impression of furniture polish. I can't find the tea anywhere now.

 

Verdict: My skin definitely does not bring out the best in this scent. This bottle needs a home where it can be appreciated.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: lilacs, and tea ... but it has a coolness associated with it ... very fresh and breezy ... like a green meadow (NOT dryer sheets).

 

Wet on skin: Why hello lilac! It's a lovely fresh and almost green lilac, but still sweet. The tea comes out a bit now too, grounding the lilac a bit.

 

Drydown: The tea is the first note to fade, then the lilac starts to fade into the background, but the candle wax comes forward. It's vanilla and sweet and just lovely. I find that the beeswax note pretty much stays through the remainder of the wear.

 

I find this has a medium throw with a relatively short wear time ... but I also just put a dab on, as opposed to my usual slathering. I really like this blend, even though it's a "simplistic" scent. Not too many notes ... but they are so lovely when combined.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: White tea and lilac! I'm not really getting any of the candle wax.

Wet: The white tea note is the first to make an appearance, but the lilac note quickly makes itself known, and it is starting to get stronger. The white tea note (which has a citrusy quality to it) remains the dominant note, but the lilac isn't far behind. As it starts drying down, I'm starting to get the candle wax note.

Dry: More lilac than white tea now (though the tea note is still present), along with some of the candle wax note (but not the sweet beeswax candle note from scents like The Lights of Men's Lives and (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene).

Verdict: I like this one (but not enough to grab a bottle before it goes away).

[astarinel]

In the decant and wet it is very strongly white tea. Clean, fresh, a little tannic.

 

As it dries, the lilac comes out, and I think the combination of the lilacs and tea together make it smell fairly green, like bushes and flowers. I was hoping for a little more beeswax, and it does get a bit creamier as it dries, but it is definitely a tea + floral scent.

 

A little too fresh and floral for my taste, I was hoping the beeswax would sweeten it up some (as I love sweeter and sugared florals, and I don't have any lilac-prominent scents) but that never really happened. Pretty, light, and inoffensive.

[theseagrows]

(updated review of 2017 version) i get mostly lilacs in the beginning with some white tea and a hint of candle wax, but not much.

 

the lilac is strongest at first but i think the candle wax warms it up through the drydown, while the tea gets stronger. after being on the skin 20-30 minutes it's mostly white tea and lilac but at this point they are more balanced. this scent is like rain on a spring day, and i think it makes a perfect rainy day/spring scent, despite it being a yule blend.

Edited January 7, 2018 by theseagrows

[zankoku_zen]

White tea, lilacs and beeswax. For the first hour, this is a fairly chilly blend between the lilacs and the white tea. As it dries, I get more of the beeswax warming it up and it becomes a slightly honeyed lilac and the white tea recedes a bit. Average throw, good wearlength.

 

Warm, lilacs, beeswax.

[lucycat]

In the imp: Lilac. Lilac is one of my strongest, best scent memories: my grandfather had an enormous lilac bush in his yard, and every spring when it flowered, the scent was heavenly. Eusapia reminds me of that, and makes me sigh.

 

Wet: There’s an almost candied quality to the lilac, which I think is the tea poking up its head.

 

Dry: I don’t think I’ve ever tried a BPAL white tea I didn’t like, and that holds for Eusapia. The white tea comes forward and mingles with the lilac.

 

After a couple of hours, I can smell the vanillic sweetness of the wax when I put my nose right against the back of my hand. On my arms, this remains lilac and white tea.

 

Eusapia fades away completely by the end of the day. Like other BPAL tea scents, it would require reapplication.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Mmmmm....... lemony white tea. Very pretty. I think the lemoniness might be from the lilacs, but I'm not sure.

 

Wet on skin: Still lemony, but the tea is coming out a bit stronger now.

 

Dried down: Lemon and tea. And I think I've got a hint of the beeswax now, softening everything. If so, it's the most subtle beeswax I've ever smelled in a BPAL. It usually adds a soft sweetness that amps on me.

 

Throw: Soft and lemony tea.

 

Verdict: *** 1/* Very pretty, but I don't think I need it right now. I'm curious how the components will grow with age, though.

[brilliantcat]

Lilac and happily for me, not much lemon or tea for me at all. I get very mild hints of tea that deepen the lilac and give it some depth and quality of character but don't really change the actual lilac. If you've read my profile or other reviews, it's pretty obvious that I'm a foodie/gourmand for the most part, verging on darkly resinous scents as my other favorites. Florals and traditionally "innocent" or "pretty" notes are not really my thing. Except for lilac. It's been one of my favorite actual flowers since I was a child. My great-grandmother had a huge lilac bush in her yard that had grown so big as to have branched off and created what my brother and I referred to as our "fort", and played in with each other and our cousins. You could literally crawl around inside there and not be visible from outside or from other parts of the inside of the bush. After my great-grandmother passed away, though it was my father's grandmother and not her's, my mother took a cutting of that bush for our yard. When my mother passed away, both my brother and I took cuttings for our own new yards; that's how much that plant had meant to all of us. That lilac bush was such an integral part (and scent) of my childhood, and then my teenage years, and then my twenties as I tried to grow that plant in my own, very first house's yard. Lilac is one of the few scent notes that will mean I will almost always try a scent untested, barring any death notes, and this scent actually has beeswax/candle wax which is another "almost always test" as it's a scent I love that also reminds me of my mom and her love for candles. The way the lilac and beeswax combine in this create a delicate, soft floral blend with a sweet note from the beeswax that becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. It's not just a floral, but it's not just a waxy, candle scent either.

[cherrycherry]

Clean and sort of spooky at the same time. This is very beautiful. I get lemons, tea and lilacs. Wow.

[Atrous]

Basically, I'm getting all the notes listed equally. There's not much I can add that other reviewers haven't said about the notes themselves.

Everything about this scent is sorta' pale and distant. Its as if the scent is originating in another room and you're smelling it as you go past the doorway.

Very, very light scent. It's nice and it would be a great scent for times when you don't want a blend that's distracting. However, I can't see myself grabbing for this scent. Nice but not outstanding.

On a final note, I noticed that beeswax tends to get better with age so I will tuck my decant away for later testing.

[milo]

Soft, sweet floral, kind of like violet, but not quite. I can't smell the beeswax, but maybeb its adding to the sweetness.

[tinyvulture]

Practically Lilac Single Note, for me. A dignified, clean floral, with just a spritz of citrusy, white tea. Not much beeswax at all. Steady, reserved, maybe good for work if you work someplace where that image is required.

[LizziesLuck]

I love lilac, and am so curious about the addition of candle wax!

 

 

Wet: Lilac and crisp tea. Not getting the wax yet, but this is so lovely. I adore lilacs. Upon further sniffing, I think I detect something that smells like creamy vanilla underneath. This is so refreshing! I'm really loving it.

 

Dry: Beautiful fresh sweet lilac. I love lilacs so much. Only hints of the tea remain, and I don't really detect the candle wax, but still, I love this. Perfection.