The Dormouse

[VioletChaos]

A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony.

in the imp: very lemony, with some heavy floral throw in for good measure.

wet on skin: more lemon, and sadly, it's become a dishsoap lemon

dry down: the lemon fades back a bit, and the peony comes up. i *can* smell the tea, but it's like a Lipton orange-pekoe sort of tea, and it's drown heavily in lemon.

in all: not terrible if you're partial to floral/citrus mixes. which i'm not.

off to swap!

[alicia_stardust]

The Dormouse is mostly peony on me. The peony is bright and sweet. It smells pink. The teas, however, sort of mellow that out and envelop the peony. At that point this becomes a calm, meek scent that isn't necessarily noticeable from far away, but when you lean in close there is a nice, sweet surprise waiting for you.

[kelpsoda]

Wet: sharp, green (?) scent.

 

Dry: Green tea. Or at least the same smell as the green tea candle I had years ago. I don't know what peony smells like, so I can't identify it very well. I think there's a hint of floral, but overall it's very light and clean.

[gchris]

In Vial: sweet, refreshing, green, fruity.

 

Wet: herbally sweet and floral

 

Drydown: Really nice. Herbs and flowers and just a tiny bit sweet. Soft, pretty, feminine. Reminds me of an intimate garden party among close friends.

 

Later...scent has not changed on me since wet. It is pretty much the same consistently.:

Edited February 4, 2008 by gchris

[MaeKitty]

In the Bottle: Tea, peony and some herbs

On Me: Unfortunately, the tea sinks into the background. The peony and the herbs are loud and distracting in this one, making it a bit soapy and almost a bit swampy. It's sweet, but I think it's too floral for me. It's like taking a deep breath after picking a flower. There is the green from the stem, the full scent of the blossom and a little bit of pollen dust. I'm not sure though. I'll give it some time to decide.

[seamor]

Oh, my gods and goddesses, this is FABULOUS!

 

This is so different from what I usually try. In fact, I hadn't tried any of Beth's teas before, because they're usually part of a floral scent and most of the florals sink into my skin and disappear in a flash.

 

Wow, was I ever missing out!

 

In the bottle, this is intense, a bit sharp, lemony. On my skin it blossoms into the finest Earl Grey tea, with extra bergamot and a slight whiff of raspberry jam. (Yes, I know it's peony, but my nose insists that, if it's with tea, it must be raspberry jam.) Suddenly it's a warm, sunny morning and I'm drinking tea in the garden (with English muffins and raspberry jam) with no worries.

 

"Yay! Wow! Whoopee! Gadzooks! This is my signature scent!" I squeal. "How did I not know I was looking for TEA?!?!?! With peony/raspberry?!?!?" (Well, then again, who *would* know that was what they were looking for? I ask you.)

 

Then the tragedy. My skin ate it all up in under an hour. I put it in a scent pendant and it lasted all day, but smelled much more like peony. Which is lovely and not really a problem, but I prefer the tea-and-raspberry I get on my skin.

 

So ... I don't think I've ever done this before ... I guess I'm just going to have to have a LOT of it so I can keep slathering it all over myself.

[donnatron]

Imp: Green floral. A deeper and more complex Amsterdam.

 

Wet: Lemon dish soap and crushed ferns. This could possibly be nice...

 

Dry: ...On someone else. It's got to be the tea, because this winds up smelling cat pee-like on me, just like White Rabbit. My skin makes it smell absolutley horrifying--like someone didn't want to clean the litterbox so she just sprayed a bunch of SJP's Lovely into the air to cover it. This will go to friends who don't have my crap chemistry.

 

Throw: Intense. I applied a small amount right after getting out to the shower and even though it's dry now, it hits my nose harshly. I can taste this in my throat.

 

Overall: It's a shame because clean florals don't normally have great throw on my skin. This is a beautiful scent, we just don't get along, unfortunately.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Floral soapy. But in a good clean way. Some fruit, somewhere. Tea, yes!

 

Wet: The same. More floral, perhaps. I can see how people see this as green apple, although it's not registering as such on me. But it does have that juicy freshness to it. I think I could also bathe in anything containing tea.

 

Dry: Peony and I get along, yes we do. The tea stays but the peony takes foreground. But it's not so heavily feminine-ly floral that it's purely feminine; I think a man could pull this off too, it's so fresh and clean.

 

Summary: Clean, peony-scented, piney-herbal tea. A softer, less mossy, more floral and feminine version of The Apothecary. It also recalls Kumiho, but is a bit less biting, and more floral. Light, cool, and refreshing. Good throw and decent lasting power.

 

Getting a bottle of this one! It's my ultimate tea scent.

Edited June 18, 2008 by fairnymph

[gnl]

Bottle: Very sharp. Herbal. Very... medicine smelling. Not pleasant.

 

Wet: Lemon. Very very light. Much better than in the bottle, but unfortunate lemon pledge smell.

 

Dry: A little less lemon pledge and a little more green tea. Still very very light. Hardly any throw at all. I had to practically put my nose on my wrist to smell anything.

 

Later: I'm not even sure it's still there, an hour later.

 

Verdict: Meh. It's not bad, but it does nothing for me and is way too light and fades too quickly. Likely won't be keeping.

 

2/5

Edited October 18, 2008 by gnl

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Peony

 

Wet: This is a gorgeous girly scent, however, I'm amping the peony to the nth degree right now.

I don't really smell the tea or herbs, just straight floral.

 

Drydown: I'm sad I don't smell the teas, but I do like this scent. I may try it again next week.

2.5 outta 5

[nicoleh]

Bottle: Quite mellow to my nose, and kind of a generic "floral." It wasn't a turn off, but I wasn't excited.

 

Wet: A very light lemon, with a hint of spring florals. Better than in the bottle

 

Dry: Peony. Lovely lovely peony with a hint of lemon. The peony note is independent enough so that it doesn't turn into a generic floral on me.

 

Later: Same as dry, but a tad lighter. This is actually ok, as I generally prefer scents with lighter throw.

 

I think I'd rate this 4.5/5. I go through many imps before finding one that I want to wear, let along one that I love as much as The Dormouse. The only question is whether or not I am able to wait until the end of the month to order a bottle

[mhickle]

In the imp, and wet on my wrists, The Dormouse for some reason smells like sugared melon. This quickly fades, and it dries down into a light floral. I'm not getting tea out of it, or herbs. So, I'm thinking this will go to the swap pile!

[noirisnoir]

In the imp and dry on paper, this is one of the best things I've ever smelled. It's clean and green and pretty and almost sad.

 

On me, it turns soapy. I don't know what peony smells like, but I think it's that. It's actually still not bad, but because I know how much better it can smell, I'm really, really disappointed. It's also really faint. I'm not willing to give up on it yet, however. I'll keep it around and see if it's any different in a couple of weeks.

Edited April 26, 2008 by Noir

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Floral tea with a few herbs. It's slightly lemony.

 

WET: Floral (I suppose this is what peony smells like), with a lemon tinge. Not bad, but not what I'm looking for.

 

DRY: Oh, too lemony for me. I really wish I had gotten more tea from this.

[greenranger]

This was a frimp; Thank you lab folk!

 

In the imp, sweet and light.

 

On me, sweet and light. I don't recognise the flower, but, it's nice. Is that what peonies smell like? We don't see them so often where I am(meaning, here, they are a rather pricey florist shop flower and not available that often).

 

This is a nice, light, well behaved scent, and very nice for work. I'm not in love with it, but, I tend to fall for the rich, thick, heady fragrances that I have to be careful how much I apply for the sake of the next cubicle over. I think I could spill this all over me and no one would think to complain, it seems that well behaved.

[tinyvulture]

I think The Dormouse is similar to Shanghai, which I just tried. They both have that lemony tea scent that is so refreshing and cooling. There are floral notes in the background, but nothing I can really pick out. The lemon note is pretty strong but not overpowering. It’s a light, crisp, clean scent, the perfect antidote to a hot and muggy day. Although, I think I prefer Shanghai with its honeysuckle sweetness. The Dormouse is tart rather than sweet.

[CordeliaSeduced]

In the imp, this is a light blend of teas. After applying it to my wrists, it developed a very pronounced sweet lemon scent like sugared tea with a lemon wedge. I honestly did not get much peony whatsoever, except perhaps after drying, when it became dry tea leaves and a powdery floral note in the background, but it's not enough to keep me from loving it.

Honestly, this reminded me a good deal of my once-beloved lemon perfume sprays. It's fresh, light, and yet sophisticated. Absolutely going on my list of bottles to buy!

[charisse]

Imp: I can detect a somewhat heady floral scent, likely the peony; and the teas and herbs lightly in the background.

Wet: On the skin the teas are more pronounced, and the floral settles more agreeably.

Dry: The scent has turned soapy on me. And very faint in a matter of minutes.

Overall: Nice but nothing special. Will keep the imp, but probably won't buy a bottle of it.

[Rouge]

In the vial - This seems a very fresh and clean scent; an astringent and faintly sharp tea blend.

 

Wet on the skin - Bright and clear - certainly a scent to wake you up on sluggish mornings! There's definitely a floral kick to this blend along with almost a lemony note, which could I supose be bergamot used in earl grey tea.

 

Next stages - This is shaping up to be a beautiful daytime scent; refreshing and clean.

 

Dry down - Unfortunately the scent doesn't last long on me; the dormouse falls asleep very quickly and retreats back into his teapot! I'll try moisturising first next time. Or I'll simply cover myself in the stuff.

 

Similar scents - Dirty, White Rabbit, Shanghai

[Suu4LC]

In the imp I get more a much more floral/herbal/green smell than a tea smell. Really, this is mostly peony to my nose. Pleasant, but I am hoping that the tea comes out a bit more on my skin. Right now, this totally feels like a watery floral/herbal.

 

Ah ok, on my skin I do get WAY more of the tea. This is quite lovely! Refreshing and delicate and just a touch feminine. This would be a great spring scent! The only thing I am worrying about is that I already feel like my skin is eating up the tea and that this may end up being too herbal on me. I am going to give it some time to dry down.

 

Actually, on full drydown this ended up being kind of...soapy. Clean and soapy. And it is already fading away. This will definitely not be a full bottle purchase for me. I did love the first few minutes it was on my skin when all of the notes shone through for a beautiful herbal tea/green/floral scent, but sadly that loveliness did not last for me.

[iiinterstate]

Yep, this is tea. And I do agree that it is dizzying!

 

I really can't smell anything else. My nose is giving me the same feedback it did with White Rabbit, this is nice, but I don't think its something I could actually wear. I'd scent a room with it in a minute though. In fact, I think I'll set this aside for my oil burner.

 

If you're looking for a strong tea blend, the Dormouse is for you!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Broken and crushed green stems. Airy and sappy. Interesting.

 

On Application

Astringent, airy and wet.

 

Dry Down

Ah this becomes a little spicy with a touch of the floral note coming through. I would class this as an aquatic scent at this point. I get quite a bit of hemlock in this, which I like. 20 minutes in I get a slight beery note reminiscent of Roadhouse but with Peony. Odd. I like it and I am not overly fond of florals and I don't really get the teas.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

[AEris]

The floral and citrus really do dominate this crisp scent, and the tea is almost in the background, settling the whole thing down and rounding it out.

 

It softens as it dries down, still smelling clean but less sharp.

 

I like it a lot, and if I was more often drawn to "clean" scents I'd hold on to it - but I don't reach for this genre of perfume very often, so I don't need many choices. Wensleydale will do it for me when I want fresh and soapy, and Gennivre satisfies my need for tea (and honey hehe).

 

3.8 out of 5

[TeaLeaf]

I love this one dearly, I would have to say this one smells "cute" to me.

[kawaiiferreto]

Wet: Tart! In a weird way, like lemon scented playdoh, but oddly enough I don't think that's a bad smell?

 

Dry: Teaaaaa tea tea glorious tea, and not sweet sugared tea, just tea! (I like tea; can you tell?) I also get a light and fresh floral, which calms the TEA down just a bit.

 

Overall, this is a wacky little scent. I agree with other reviewers that this is a "crisp" scent. And I can certainly see where some might get green apple and/or lemon. It's fresh and fun and silly, and I could see me wearing this particularly during the summer. A keeper for me!