[Edens Sixth Day]

SCHMENDRICK
Wonder and love and great sorrow shook Schmendrick the Magician then, and came together inside him, and filled him, filled him until he felt himself brimming and flowing with something that was none of these. He did not believe it, but it came to him anyway, as it had touched him twice before and left him more barren than he had been. This time, there was too much of it for him to hold: it spilled through his skin, sprang from his fingers and toes, welled up equally in his eyes and his hair and the hollows of his shoulders. There was too much to hold, too much ever to use; and still he found himself weeping with the pain of his impossible greed. He thought, or said, or sang, I did not know that I was so empty, to be so full.

Unexplored potential: sweet, raw tobacco leaves, chamomile, clary sage, Mysore sandalwood, sultana raisins, and caramel.

Schmendrick - In the vial, this has the slightest hint of men's cologne, but it smells more herbal and complex than the typical cologney scent. Wet on my skin, the clary sage and chamomile jump right out in front of all the other notes, and since I adore clary sage, I can't help but smile and sigh happily when I smell it. As the oil warms up on my skin, the sandalwood becomes noticeable and blends beautifully with the chamomile and clary sage, and I detect a hint of the tobacco leaves, as well -- it sort of reminds me of the tobacco leaf note in Santo Domingo, and seems to be what gives the scent its masculine edge. As the scent completely dries down, the tobacco leaf becomes top dog, with the sandalwood behind it, and the faintest traces of the herbal notes in the background. I keep waiting and waiting for the raisin, as it's not a note used much in BPAL (especially the white Sultana variety, which I don't think we've seen before this) and the caramel, which generally destroys a scent for me, but I'm never able to detect either of them. I'm amazed that this is a caramel scent that I can wear! Still, after dry-down, it's a bit too masculine for my taste. If the chamomile and clary sage remained top players in this scent, I'd like it a lot more, but the post-dry-down result is a really nice scent, fairly masculine, and pretty much not something I'd ever reach for over my other favorite blends.

[cinnamonmel]

Well this was my wild-card, crazy, shouldn't-work-on-me-but-I-can't-stop-myself-ordering scent. Caramel is my note of doom but I could not contain myself at 'sultana'.

So what did I get...yummy sultana from the bottle, wet still yummy sultana, then a jump into a spring-like cologne scent (reminiscent of the green Natrel deodorant I used to wear weirdly enough) and I worry a little that this is going to amp to the point where I just smell like green deo, when suddenly sultana re-asserts itself as the rightful dominator of the scent and all is resolved.

It's almost ginger-like somewhere, herbal in a way I like, but not how clary sage essential oil smells, and sultana-y (wow it'd be easier if sultany was a word!), it is definitely masculine, but not too masculine for a woman. I am not getting tobacco though. It's clean man from the shower, wearing a towel and munching on a bag of sultanas. If I had a boyfriend to wear this I would be sniffing him all day...that relationship might not last long given that behaviour but anyhoo...smells good.

Distant relations: Sunbird

[zankoku_zen]

Smells like nice manly cologne. I think it's the tobacco and clary sage. And yes, on wet I got more of the caramel and sultana.... but essentially, this smells like nice, clean male.

This is what nice guys smell like.

[Little Bird]

I honestly just bought a bottle of Schmendrick because it had birds on the label, and I was curious about the sultana raisins. I don't like the lab's chamomile, and tobacco, sage, and caramel are all iffy on me.

Not surprisingly, I don't really like this scent. Right now it's bitter, sharp, bright, herby chamomile, something of a sharp men's cologne musk, and smoky, dry tobacco (reminds me a bit of cigar smoke and paper money, only not as sweet as cigars usually are). It doesn't have enough sweetness to it at all for me, and the overall thing is just too bitter and herby from the chamomile. It's gross and almost has a sharp, soapy hint to it as it dries down, and that doesn't improve things. I can't pick out anything like raisins or caramel.

I'd recommend Schmendrick if you like smoky tobacco and chamomile. I'm hoping that the raisin and caramel come out with some aging and make this blend sweeter and more wearable for me...

[siriusstar]

Ah this one is wonderful in so many ways. I bought it for the delight in owning a scent that was named for one of my favorite characters. I really didn't think the caramel and rasin would make for a wearable scent for me. I am thrilled to have been wrong. On me this is a sweet, very clean herbal that lasts all day without being overpowering. If there is rasin and caramel in there it just adds an undertone of sweetness on me. It is faintly masculine... I was rather turning myself on with it one day I wore it... but not unwearably so. It reminds me of my beloved Ides of March 05.

A wonderful surprise!

[blu°]

At first I was happy not to smell any caramel in Schmendrick, but then the cologney aspect of the scent wasn't nice on my skin at all. Something turned soapy in here, too, and the end result was of a thin soapy men's cologne. Not really good on me. Hm... can't have them all, I guess.

[Invidiana]

I was really hoping for an onslaught of caramel and sultana raisins, but unfortunately it seems the tobacco and herbs dominate. I do get a hint of the caramelly notes in the background but this is predominantly tobacco and sage on my skin. I do get quite a bit of sandalwood as well and while it is a lovely sandalwood the blend as a whole is just too overbearingly masculine on me. However, I do imagine it would have more success on a male specimen.

This post has been edited by Invidiana: 14 July 2011 - 06:51 PM

[Urpflanze]

I think I'm the first dude to write a review of Schmendrick. I was really indecisive about this one; I don't know the notes that well and the reviews are positive but not glowing. Very glad I tried it and I wish I had just gone for the bottle.

On my skin, sweet, dried sage is most prominent, making this decidedly herbal, with light support from chamomile, tobacco and sandalwood. But the throw is mostly sweet tobacco (not smoky), maybe a little sandalwood and raisin. Very nice throw. Funny that you don't get much of the sage in the throw but it dominates up close.

This has that dried herb sweetness to it, but no caramel that I can detect (unless it just bolsters that sweetness to the herbs that they have naturally). Tobacco is here, though it is mild to me, and it does seem like raw tobacco leaf, not tarry, pruny tobacco. And perhaps a tinge of golden raisin sweetness? It is very well blended so it can be hard to tell.

It has a softness to it without becoming feminine. It is fresh without being remotely aquatic, soapy or metallic. I find it unusual and hard to explain this one. I've never tried a scent like it. Without the tobacco and raisin, I think I would find it to be a boring herbal. Medium throw and wear.

ETA: I've worn this many times now and I have to say it is almost fruity - I would describe it very generally as a funky balance of raisin and sage. Very unique. I hate fruit in scents, but this works for me.

This post has been edited by Urpflanze: 06 August 2011 - 04:05 PM

[achromance]

In the vial: This is so nice! Caramel and raisins shrouded by a masculine, smoky and spicy veil. I'll have to compare this to Tiresias, the Androgyne later.

On my wrist: Smoky! This is nothing at all like Tiresias. The tobacco leaves emerge from the smoke, and then the caramel and raisins return, and there's an earthiness brought in by the sandalwood. Throughout all of this there has been a soapy scent thinly veiling the other notes, which I assume is from the chamomile.
Upon drydown, Schmendrick settles into a soapy scent with a caramel eye. Sadly my skin is in the habit of turning many scents into soap and powder.

[DarkSinestra]

Neither in the imp nor on the skin could I pick out individual notes in this. It was somewhat generic men's cologne, and although I really liked the scent, I couldn't see myself wearing it. It was far too masculine. I'm going to try it on the husband to see if he wears it better.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Chamomile with tobacco and sage are most evident in the bottle. It’s certainly unique.

Wet: Sandalwood and sage are very clearly prevalent on my skin. There is such a nice touch of sweetness from the tobacco leaves as well.

Dry: After about an hour, it dries to a sage-infused soap, perhaps with a little chamomile.