[theshapeshifter]

CLIO

Majestic Clio touched her silver wire,
And through time's lengthened vista moved a train,
In dignity sublime; -- the patriot's fire
Kindled its torch in heaven's resplendent ray,
And 'mid contention rose to Heaven again.

The Proclaimer is the Muse of Historic and Heroic Poetry. Clio holds a scroll or set of tablets in her hands, and is surrounded by a veritable wall of books. She is credited with introducing the Phonecian alphabet to the Greeks. As a consequence of her teasing, barbed sense of humor, she was cursed by Aphrodite: she fell in love with a mortal, Pierus, the King of Macedonia. Clio bore two sons, one by Bacchus and one by Pierus: Hymenaeus, the God of Marriage Ceremonies and Wedding Feasts, and the doomed Hyacinth. She is the patron of historians, epic poets, biographers and all those who wish for fame, reknown, and celebrity status. Her scent is the warm, dry parchment of scrolls, lavender for critical thought and analysis, the solidity of heavy woods, ornery patchouli and glib benzoin, and superstar-splashed orange and amber.

I've never been first before! Oh, the pressure.

In the imp: Bright and herbal - my immediate thought was that "this is more of a spring than winter scent".

Initial application: The lavender and orange are the first things to jump out - it's quite a tart orange, initially almost coming off more like grapefruit. It's quite bright, almost astringent.

Drydown: After a few minutes, the patchouli and woods are making their presence felt; the initial 'kick' of the orange has faded after just a couple of minutes, giving way to a sort of incensey-woody-lavender. (As a note - lavender can often overpower a scent for me, but it's behaving quite nicely here so far) I'm not getting a really overt sense of the benzoin and amber, but I think they may be what's slightly sweetening up the blend and helping keep the lavender from going too medicinal.

I haven't had this on very long, but knew people might be waiting for a review. If it changes dramatically after a while, I'll update. So far, it's not super-strong, but quite fresh; seems like a nice down-to-business reserved daytime kind of scent. Maybe the Muses concept is influencing my perception, but I feel like I'd wear this to do research.

[joseybird]

This is a very tough scent for my nose to pin down, so please bear with m :P;

The first note that pops out to me is something that strikes me as orange blossom, even though it's not a listed note. I think it might be a juicy orange note corrupted by patchouli. The background is a peculiar yet very unique amber-paper base; once in a while I get a slight whiff of lavender, but that note otherwise seems unconnected to the rest of the blend.

I'm torn about Clio. I LOVE the paper/amber base, but the orange note feels thin and...wierd...I'll try it a few more times to see if my opinion solidifies one way or the other.

[brownbear]

The orange is what stands out the most to me. It's like a softer version of Rakshasa, which I like very much. I only notice the lavender a tiny bit at first. It gets warmer and dryer in a bit. Overall I like it, but it fades too fast on me.

[lorajc]

The warm, dry parchment of scrolls, lavender for critical thought and analysis, the solidity of heavy woods, ornery patchouli and glib benzoin, and superstar-splashed orange and amber.

Sadly, this does not work on me. I love most of the notes in this and thought I'd love it, but as in some other BPAL blends, there is a wood note that Beth uses in some of her oils that smells like cedar?? (maybe) and it amps way up on my skin and that's all I smell with this blend. I don't get any of the other notes!

[Diana]

In the bottle, it smells of orange blossom rather than oranges. There's a medicinal greenish note, which smells almost of rosemary, but it's the lavender.

Putting it on, the orange starts to smell like real citrusy, juicy, orange. The lavender is more evidently lavender, but it still smells like the green part of the plant rather than the flowers.

As this dries, it smells like gilded oranges and parchment. I love the initial drydown; I can't keep my nose off of my wrists. It's dry from the amber, but there's a hint of wetness.

However, this doesn't have much throw, and it doesn't seem to be particuarly long-lasting, which is makes this rate less than it would have, had it produced a cloud of Clio-aroma around me. I'm a slatherer too, and it's very faint on me. I will definitely keep the bottle, and cross my fingers that the ingredients develop further with a bit of age.

[sarada]

Clio was one I had high hopes for with the patchouli, parchment and heavy woods -- these are all good things in my book. And Clio is a muse that I can kind of groove with, being a bookish type person.

I like this, but it's a lot lighter than I expected. Initially this reminds me very strongly of The Rat King! I haven't figured out how to descibe him yet in a review yet so I'll have to figure out a way to say it here...Clio is dominated at first by that thin orangey note, but beneath it the soft, pale woods and a very dry, dusty smell slowly grow in strength.

I didn't realize that a perfume could so accurately portray the idea of parchment or dusty paper, but here you have it. I guess it's a thin, pale, powdery wood, though lavender can certainly add an impression of a faint layer of dust, in a very small dose.

This is a little bit too light for me...I like to be able to smell things around me without having to sniff my wrist constantly. I think The Rat King is similar enough, without the strong orangey note in the beginning, that I will keep that as my soft wood and parchment blend but both of them are a very unique scent for the lab and unlike anything else that I've smelled before.

[Little Bird]

I agree with sarada on the comparison to The Rat King at first. Clio has the same sort of dried grasses, dust and sour something that I smelled in The Rat King, but with a sweeter orange citrus edge to it. Also, this is softer and lighter than The Rat King was on me. On my skin for a few minutes it is as if the sweet orange is battling the patchouli for dominance... and the sweet orange eventually wins.

In the drydown this smells like someone dropped orange hard candies into a dusty attic and the smell of the sugar is mingling with the dust earthy scent. I am also getting the comforting scent of old paper after about a half hour, reminding me of a warm library. I'm not smelling anything that reminds me of The Rat King anymore either.

Clio morphs from The Rat King plus orange citrus into a warm old library with a pleasant sweetness lingering in the background. I haven't really enjoyed any of the muses, but this one is definitely my favorite. It is very lovely and unique in the drydown.

[coulrophobe]

I'll have to agree with the Rat King comparisons - but only because in both that and this blend, all I can smell is dirt.

And unfortunately, dirt is an absolutely horrid note on my skin; it turns into a dry moldy smell as the oil dries on my skin. :P

I'm completely perplexed that I can't smell anything but dirt in this... maybe I should put it aside and try again in a week or so - could be random chemistry fluctuations.

[Fefferbella]

At first I get orange blossoms and dirt. It reminds me of standing in an orange grove after a light rain.

Very pretty scent, but fades quickly.

[QueenFae]

This one goes pure woods on me. I unfortunately can't smell any of the lovely patchouli or lavender, just pure, earthy brown wood scent. It's not like a sandalwood, incensey type wood either, but a deep, mossy, brown soil type wood. Kind of the way vetiver and spanish moss smells on me. These type scents just don't work well with my body chemistry, way too organic smelling for a fruity, foody girl like me. I'll find my imp a more appreciative home.

[Sycorax]

I love lavender, I love wood scents, and I love history. I also think it would be incredibly cool to smell like old books or scrolls! I love the smell of archives. It brings back a lot of memories for me.

Needless to say, I had very high hopes for Clio. Perhaps that's why I'm so disappointed.

In the imp, this was all citrus, all the time. For a second I thought that I must have gotten an imp full of Kuang Shi by accident.

Right after I put it on, there's an unpleasant smell that reminds me of orange dishwashing liquid. The lavender asserts itself a little, but Clio is still far too astringent for my tastes.

Eventually there is a smell of parchment, but my skin is amping up the orange blossom far too much for me to enjoy it. I'll probably keep the imp since I'm far too fond of the idea of a parchment-scented perfume to do otherwise. However, I doubt I'll wear this all that often.

This post has been edited by Sycorax: 05 January 2006 - 01:56 AM

[wolfie13]

Imp: I smell orange, lavender and amber. Yes, a thin dry scent as others have mentioned.

Upon wearing: The lavender fades a bit and the orange remains. The patchouli announces itself and combined with the amber creates an interesting dirt/dust note. However it's a bit too sharp overall and the orange remains too prominent on me for my taste.

Verdict: It's okay, but nothing to write home about for me.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is sharp and sweet and herbal. The orange is one of the stronger notes, as well as lavender. There's a dry scent behind it, too--I'm tempted to call it papery. As it dries, the orange comes out more strongly, though it's still counterbalanced by the other notes.

This is beautiful, bright and clarifying. I definitely want a bottle.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Dirty woods, with an edge of sweetness.
Wet on me - Mosses? Yes mosses and that's all I smell
Dry on me - Fades quickly, leaving just a faint, slightly sweet skin smell.

[wickedgoddess]

This smells so sharp and off-putting in the imp that I almost don't want to try it on. I do anyway.

Wet - There is something very sharp and bitter. I think it may be the way the orange is interacting with the lavender.

Dry - as it dries, is softens and I find myself liking this almost in spite of myself. No patchouli, no woods, just a sharp orange blossom, with a softer lavender and yes, I do believe I get the parchment note. The longer this is on my skin the more I like this. I think this is my favorite of the muses, at least of the ones I have tried so far. I am not sure if I would want a bottle of this, but I will definitely hang on to the imp.

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[Electra]

I don't get any citrus or lavender at all from Clio - lots of parchment and lots of woods. It's a surprisingly warm scent. Very appropriate to the concept - this is the scent of sitting in an old wood-paneled sun-drenched library with deep comfortable leather chairs.

I really like it. Not enough to get a bottle, I don't think, but certainly enough to hang onto my imp.

[kythryne]

I bought a set of the Muses because I loved the concept and I like using Beth's oils as background inspiration and grounding when I work. (I'm a jeweler.) I wasn't sure I was going to like this one, but it seemed the most appropriate for today's project -- a bunch of pieces inspired by Arthurian legend -- so I dabbed a bit on and went to work.

On my skin, it twists and morphs a lot. At first I got sharp herbal astringent scent -- probably the lavender. Then something dry and dusty -- the parchment? comes out to play. Then it twists around again and I get musty, loamy, leaves and fresh-turned soil. It's very complex and lovely.

It's been a couple of hours, and it's faded down to a dusty sort of floral. It reminds me a bit of musty linens and books. Very faint and pretty.

I'm not sure I like this enough to get a bottle, but I'll definitely keep an imp around.

[SnornL]

Of the Muses, I've tried Clio, Calliope & Melpomene, and Clio is by far my favourite, probably because it's the least lavendery. I don't noticeably get lavender at all in this blend; I actually have issues picking out anything but orange clearly, because when I first sniffed this in the imp, it was so effervescently fruity that I've got it in my head that this smells just like Fruit Tingles (best. lolly. ever.)... I'm not quite sure what's giving that fizz to the orange, but my mum says she smells a lot of patchouli in it, so that could be it. I really love this scent, it's quite light & sweet and perfect for the hot weather we've been having lately. I'll wait and see how long it takes me to get through the imp, but this may warrant a bottle purchase. :P

[Miss Lynx]

This is nice -- warm and dry and slightly sweet, but not overly so. It's got a bit of what I think of as the occult-shop ambiance -- herbal and incensey in a way that makes me think of a shop like that or maybe a magical workshop/laboratory or some sort. Almost medicinal but not quite. It's also very clean -- there's also a faint undertone to it that's almost soapy, but not in a bad way. And there is that slight dusty, papery, old-books aspect to it too.

The lavender in here is fairly faint -- just a slight note of coolness offsetting the amber/orange warmth -- and there's an earthy, woodsy base grounding it all. I was a bit worried about the wood notes at first because those are kind of hit and miss on me, but here they seem nice. All the notes co-operate well, with no one thing standing out above the others.

All in all, this is a really well-balanced and nicely complex scent. It doesn't really excite me a whole lot, but then I don't think it's meant to be exciting. It feels very down-to-earth and focussed, and seems like it would be a good blend to wear while working or studying, but also has that slight mystical, incensey edge to it. The perfect thing to wear while poring through old magical texts or something.

Grade: B/B+

This post has been edited by Miss Lynx: 22 January 2006 - 06:56 PM

[yeahbutnobut]

Clio

In the imp: this smells more like dry orange blossom than orange fruit-maybe a ‘petitgrain’ scent? I also get a very slight hint of lavender, orange fruit, and something dry which may be parchment.
Wet on skin: dry and smoky, and herbal. It now smells like petitgrain with wet soil and parchment…I can now see where the Rat King comparisons come in!
Dry: ooh, interesting. This is like a less masculine version of the Rat King. I get the woods, the parchment (lots of parchment), a dust/dirt note, a very small amount of lavender, something reminiscent of neroli or petitgrain, and maybe a little bit of patchouli, and a hint of a sweeter, deeper (benzoin perhaps?) base. It’s an interesting scent, very unusual, and I like it.
After a while: holy moly, the Rat King comparisons don’t stop there! After a short while, I even get RK’s cologne like note? It’s a tangy, fresh, and citrus like scent. It’s also a tad masculine. I was hoping for some amber in this…
The drydown I get from this scent is that almost manly cologne scent, with a dry, and dusty background of woods and parchment. It’s quite nice though…and even a little smoky, almost like a faint whiff of incense smoke is weaving through the scent.
I like what happens after a few hours. I get a smoky, woody amber scent-now there's the amber! I think that could also be the benzoin as well. it's sweeter and deeper now.
Verdict: I totally agree with the reviews that compare this with the Rat King…it’s very similar, but it’s not musky, and has a note which reminds me of petitgrain essential oil (which is a kind of orange blossom/leaf oil, darker and woodier than neroli). There’s a definite parchment scent here, like old books, and it’s slightly dusty and very earthy-that could be the patchouli doing this. I also get the dry woods and cologne like scent of the Rat King in here, and a tiny bit of lavender too, and after a while something smoky arises, and by the end of the scent the amber and benzoin show up. It’s a fascinating and different scent, it gives off a serious, studious air. I imagine this muse working hard in an old crypt-like library where incense has been burnt, sorting out and documenting ancient scrolls and tomes. However towards the end, it smells a bit too masculine for me. It’s nice, but I was expecting something a bit sweeter, fruitier and less dry and woody-dusty. I think I might keep the imp though because I do like it, and it seems to fit the muse’s character, and I might keep it for that-I think it’s a nice scent to study with. I would like to smell this on a guy though!

This post has been edited by yeahbutnobut: 22 January 2006 - 10:40 PM

[Princess of Mars]

In the bottle: Patchouli.

On my skin: The woods and patchouli, mostly, with the barest hints of orange peeking through every now and then.

Later on: The woods are unbalanced now the patchouli and other notes are gone. Ugh.

[isyche]

Clio starts as a dry orange/lavender scent with a woody undertone, then quickly dries to just an earthy/dusty scent on me. I think I'm getting the patchouli and parchment mainly...it does make me think of old forgotten historical things, books, attics, catacombs, antiquities.

It's interestingly evocative, but I'm not sure I want to smell like the dust of ages. I might try it as a room scent for a certain atmosphere, or else I'll just keep it to sniff occasionally for the images it gives me.

This post has been edited by isyche: 27 January 2006 - 10:06 PM

[jazlyn]

Clio to me is a yellow orange scent; it's woodsy, orangey... kind of like furniture polish or some kind of kitchen cleaner... :P

[aidenraine]

Hmmmm I smell orange cream and woodsy goodness all at once when it's wet on my wrist. I faintly smell the patchouli and a touch of lavender. It's mostly orange but the other elements are waving around behind it.

As it dries, the orange settles in the background a bit.
It also soaks into my skin really quickly and gets somewhat herby-smelling.
A nice smell that would make a great before-bed pulse-point anointer.

It's just a little too faint for it to climb to the top of my list.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of woods and a bit of citrus.
on: lavender and orange, with a base of woods.
1 hour later: generally earthy and warm.
2 hours later: soft and almost a bit sweet.
3 hours later: very, very soft.
overall: this isn't something i can see myself wearing.