Absinthe

[Bagfish]

Fall under the spell of our Green Fairy! An intoxicating blend containing wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon.

Absinthe smells sort of soapy on me, like one of those Bronnley Lemon soaps. It's all lemon, and no anise or mint to start with, and then a little anise peeks through after a couple of minutes. After a while, it still smells very clean, too clean for a scent named after a drink with absinthe's reputation!

[luna65]

Thanks to lorajc for the imp.

 

Imp: I've only ever drank absinthe once and smelling this in the imp took me back to that occasion immediately. The layers of herbs, spices, and sweetness meld together perfectly.

 

Skin: At first the herbs give off the oft-smelled soapy evocation, but then the "barest hint of lemon" becomes much more than that on me.

 

Drydown: The anise really comes out in the drydown. This has good throw, I keep getting yummy wafts of it periodically - a nicely comforting yet refreshingly light scent. Perfect for summer.

Edited June 17, 2007 by luna65

[spidersinmyhair]

I tested a frimp from the lab.

Wet from the vial-Lemon!Like in lemon scented cleaners.This dissipated after 15 minutes or so and the anise was very prominent and a faint underlying herbal smell accompanied it.

I then turned the rest of the vial into a spritz.This would make a great linen spray or a refreshing spray on cologne for summer.

I don't think you could apply to much of it.

This is a very nice scent,nothing overwhelming nor very exciting.I don't think I will purchase a bottle,but will enjoy any frimps that come my way.

[hellomoonglow]

Just got it today! I love the name and the lore of Absinthe so I was super excited to try this oil. In fact, it was the first one I've EVER tried of BPAL!

WET: Strong. Too strong. Smelled like cleaning fluids on my skin. I almost couldn't stand it.

DRY: Lemony, anise-y. I like it better now.

1/2 HR: This is something I'd wear in a church. I know that sounds weird, but that's what it reminds me of. And I don't even go to church! But if I did, I'd slather on my Absinthe. It reminds me of something old yet with a little lemony zip.

OVERALL: I like it! I'd have to have the right occasion, but I'd definetly wear it again.

[ClareN]

I didn't get much anise in this. For the first twenty minutes, it reminded me very much of lemon-eucalyptus-honey flavor cough drops, with a little mint. (I think what my nose interpreted as "eucalyptus" may be the wormwood.) It's a pleasant, comforting and refreshing scent even though these notes aren't normally my thing.

 

After 20 minutes: just as I'm thinking "Hmm, this isn't very much like absinthe at all," the anise begins to emerge, along with a bitter note in the background. I like this take on absinthe but I don't think I'll need a bottle. My imp is going up for swaps, hopefully to someone who can give it a better home.

[funkmoppet]

Medicinal anise and lemon!

 

Boy this has some super strong throw. I only used it sparingly and it amps up powerfully when it hits my skin.

 

There's a real boozy quality to this which makes it a perfect Absinthe. And that booziness lingers right through to the dry down. The medicinal punch eases off and it's a lighter lemony anise blend with the worm-wood swirling about. Really unique and lovely!

 

I'll see how much I reach for this one, but I'll be keeping the imp. It's refreshing and yummy.

[laliloo]

A very light, clean, emerald green scent, slightly lemony but not turning to pledge on me yet.

 

This is cool green lemon-mint. This smells slightly grassy and herby once it's been on a while. There's a bit of an oddness to this that I'm not too keen on. I think perhaps it's the anise? I'll keep the imp as it's a very refreshing, clean scent, but not a 5ml option.

[ariosa]

I got this as a frimp in one of my decant circle orders, and was excited to give this one a try!

 

Initially, it was very boozy and very herbal on me, and I found myself squinching up my nose. However, it soon settled into almost a pure lemon-mint scent, which I find quite lovely for summer. Leaving it on the skin a while longer brought the anise to the front, so it was lemon-licorice -- again, something I don't mind at all! It didn't last a whole long time on me, however, but for summer? I'll use up my imp in the remainder of summertime we have left!

[aquazoo]

Ooooh, I like the light mintyness! It's a citrus mint at first on me, and very nice. It smells like a Lush product, and I just can't remember which one.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: very light lemon, strong anise. Quite medicinal. Quite absinthe-y. Suddenly I have my doubts: I like to drink absinthe, but do I really want to smell like the stuff?

 

Wet on me: Minty and medicinal, like sinus-clearing coughdrops. The lemon is not amping, thank goodness. Mmm, getting a bit sugary now -- big fan of the mint + sugar, me. Makes me think of Gennivre's alcoholic cousin.

 

After five minutes: very sharp and biting crisp booze scent; not at all like the other boozey BPALs I've tried which have been mostly rum. It seems like a pretty true absinthe aroma and I wish I'd had this when I was with my ex-fiancee -- he was a goth and well into the romantic poets; he'd have flipped over this!

 

Drydown: Crisp, sweet yet biting, unmistakable absinthe scent. Not too lemony, either. This is a keeper!

[Phantasmagoria]

Absinthe definitely smells alcoholic! but also like some kind of candy I tried ages ago when I was a kid... That's after the mint calms down, anyway.

I'd give it 2.5 out of 5.

[Catmint]

I decided to try this on my husband, who is a serious licorice fiend. I've never smelled real absinthe, but I had a horrble experience with ouzo once, so I'm a little nervous about this one and am hoping it doesn't smell like licoricey booze. I do love wormwood and anise hyssop (AKA licorice mint, AKA agastache rupestris) and grow them both in my garden, so I'm hoping for an herby wormwood and hyssop scent!

 

IMP: Hmmmmm, pretty licoricey, with a sharp shot of mint.

 

WET: Much better! A nice soft herbal, anisey/hyssop scent, with less mint and more lemon. The lemon is quite sweet, like lemon drops.

 

DRY: Dries to a lovely fresh herbal scent with anise and lemon perfectly balanced in the foreground. I'm surprised by how sweet and fresh it smells, not at all sharp or medicinal or even boozey. Really really lovely scent!!!

 

My only complaint is that it doesn't last long at all. It was totally gone in under 2 hours. I would love to make this into an aftershave balm, though, I think it would be perfect for that. I can definitely see this being an everyday scent for my husband, and I would wear it too, maybe when I'm working in the garden. Definitely ordering a bottle of this!

[YoakeNoKami]

Hmmm... one of ten frimps which came with my most recent BPAL order.

 

In imp: Strong, almost medicinal mint with a liquor backing it--lemon undertone.

 

Drydown: Fades really fast on me. Found out that from the odd minty, eucalyptus tone, it dried down to almost nothing in a matter of about 15 minutes. I left it an hour or so, and there was still the faintest hint of licorice, but it's extremely light on me. The lemon sort of hovers in the licorice with a teensy hint of booziness--unfortunately, it does remind me a bit of those licorice scented markers...

 

I think that while this would be lovely on someone whose skin amps this kind of scent, it's a bit too faint for me. The Green Fairy gets blown away a bit too easily on my skin, I guess. Off to the swap jar to join Catherine, Envy, and Baku...

[KaliVerra]

I love this scent to have, but not really to wear... lemon/anise/mint/herbs with staying power of about 5 min. MAX... Great in a diffuser, in sachets, scent lockets, et. al.

 

If you are a fan of absinthe, the fee is pretty much there for your olfactory pleasure, you just have to get crafty with your useage

 

On a sidenote, I'd love to see this one with very light coloring (as prepared absinthe) for fun (I'm dorky like that).

[Victory]

I got a frimp of Absinthe in an order more than a year ago, tried it, was totally turned off, and haven't looked at it since. Today though, I pulled it out and gave it another try. I don't know if my nose has gotten better, my scent tolerance/preference has broadened, or the imp's aged well, but I liked it much better. Absinthe opens with a boozy, mint fanfare with some lemon in the back, which is really nice. As it dries down, the mints and lemon step back, the alcohol goes away and the anise enters the picture. I really am not an anise fan, and the anise is what turned me off Absinthe last year, but now it's much nicer. I think maybe the wormwood or hyssop or cardamom is keeping it in check. At the very end of an inhalation I catch some minty coolness. I'll never get through my imp, but I'm so glad that I gave Absinthe another chance. I think it'd be a good choice to wear in the hot summer months, so I'll keep it around until summer rolls around again.

[idoru]

Hm. Having just scanned a handful of reviews, Absinthe certainly plays REALLY differently for varying chemistries.

 

For me [and I have tried the drink, though sans wormwood] -

 

Wet: overpowering, sweet anise. The smell of concentrated absinthe and sugar on my wrist.. no hint of citrus, mint, or other herbs. Just almost-sharp boozy licorice.

 

Dry: Oh! Well then. A brilliant lemon, underpinned with anise. This is lovely (read: not Lysol-y), and it-- is shifting again? The anise-absinthe scent became more prominent, but was still subordinate to the lemon.

 

Unfortunately, these changes all happened within about 30-45 minutes.. and then it started fading. I still detect a transparent hint of lemon-absinthe on my wrist, but it would take a lot of reapplication, and it's WHOA-strong when wet. Hmmm.

 

Edit: HMM. Confounded, still. Some seven hours later, the soft, muted herbal anise-with-lemon that it faded to is sticking like mad. Once it fades, it has staying power -- just not in its more vibrant stages. Worth another try.

Edited September 18, 2007 by idoru

[hkhm]

imp: minty, lemony anise. but faint and sweet. not at all like the absinthe that i've tried which always smells far more acrid and anise-steeped.

 

wet: whee! lots of herbal scents with a nice sweet lemon. it almost smells like a sweet, floral herbal tea.

 

dry: hmmm... i'm thinking this smells more like mint juleps made with lots of lemon twists. nice and sugary and lemony.

[Gwydion]

Well, yes. It does smell like absinthe. The wormwood, alcohol, anise, and lemon are the strongest notes. I am not sure I want to run around smelling like I'm drunk, even though it is a cool drunk.

[pzb]

In the vial - Minty and a little lemon

 

Wet - Sharp as hell - lemon and anise coming through

 

Dry - Sharpness has faded, but the lemon is still pretty strong

 

Later - The lemon has faded, giving way to the anise and maybe the wormwood? Either way, definitely like it once the lemon fades off.

[oakmoss]

I tried real absinthe for the first time recently, and revisited my bottle of BPAL Absinthe with that in mind. In the bottle, it definitely smells like genuine absinthe, but on my skin it blooms with more of a soft floral essence, though the herbal/anise/wormwood is still there too -- a very fae kind of scent, appropriately for the Green Faery. I liked it before, enough to buy a bottle, and I like it even more now that I have the taste memory of the drink itself too.

[greymatter]

Stale black licorice candy. Made me sad. I wanted to love the green fairy.

[BohemianWeasel]

Just on the skin: Lime-scented washing-up liquid with a hint of old curry powder. It even burned slightly.

 

But after a few minutes an aniseed /licorice-allsorts note started to appear, and the 'washing-up liquid' smell disappeared (thankfully).

 

After an hour or so the aniseed has proved itself to be warm and constant, not licorice-ish anymore, and there's now a light fruity addition of something sweet and green, almost apple-ish.

 

The 'sweet green fruit' component (which still smells of apple, or maybe gooseberry) remains, and the aniseed fades eeeeeever so slowly.

 

Despite its initial assault on the senses, this quickly became deceptively soft and stayed that way - and yet with enough throw on it (you don't want to reek of this stuff) and lasted well.

This would be a nice one for very early spring or late winter.

[cobblersmaid]

In the bottle: Alcohol, but in a good way.

 

Wet: LEMON! But not pine-sol, something familiar I can't put my finger on.

 

Dry: I know what it is! It smells just like LUSH sexy-peel soap. I love this soap, so it is not a bad thing.

 

Over All: I doubt I will buy a large one. While I quite like it, clean scents are not really me. I like them on occasion, but tend to go for richer, musky/ smokey scents.

[mhickle]

In the imp, I was smelling mostly anise and a bit of lemon and sugar. Upon first application, it's all lemon, but shortly thereafter I walked into the kitchen and my husband said "You smell like licorice." It has a pretty long throw at that point, because he was at the sink and I was at the fridge grabbing lunch items (which is to say we weren't getting all kissy or anything). Once it dries, it's this really interesting bitter but cool (as in minty cool) smell that throws a bit of anise toward me every now and then. It's like nothing I've smelled before.

[Elilara]

Here's a perfect example of why Beth is awesome.

 

This starts off as very strong lemon, but it drys down fairly quickly.

 

A while back, I nabbed a sample of Arcana's Absinthe blend. I didn't like it one bit- it was just anise, anise, and more anise! Bleah! ( no offense to Arcana- I like some of their other stuff ). Then, a month or so later, I finally got a chance to try the drink itself. In the bottle, it smells a bit like the Arcana blend- very strong anise. However, as one of my roommate's has been obsessing over the stuff and is getting better at ever so slowly dripping water of the sugar cube, every glass he pours is just better and better. Now, the point of this story is, Beth's blend smells like a very carefully prepared glass of Absinthe, served in a beautiful goblet. Light, and sweet, and earthy. Mmm.