Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

[binkin]

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

This is my new #1 with a bullet. In the imp it just makes me drool; I smell mostly amber with a background of vanilla. On, wet, it's the same. When I say it makes me drool I mean it actually makes me salivate involuntarily. I can't stop huffing my wrist. I want to take the imp back out and just dump the rest of it all over myself and my surroundings.

After about an hour the sandalwood peaks on me and makes it a little sharper, and then it settles back down into a nose-filling, back of the sinuses, yummy delicious scent. Soft and comfy, and a great scent for every day. A bottle is in my nearish future....

[MCS4096]

Oh. My. Gosh. Instant bottle!

 

This is SO awesome! It's very similar to a common fave-- Morocco. Where Morocco is a bit spicier this is a bit softer, but they are both creamy and sweet. This smells about the same on as in the imp, which is creamy, every so slightly resinous and the sweet pea adds a tad of floral. Morocco is pretty subtle, and so is this.. but they go hand in hand and as such I feel I certainly need a bottle of the Mouse's Tale!

[vanillaskwirl]

In the imp, I mostly get the ambers and musk with a hint of vanilla and sandalwood. It dries almost exactly the same, but it gets a little softer and "warmer", for lack of a better word, on my skin. I wore it the whole weekend and it enabled two people just with it's soft and somewhat elusive fragrance. I seem to amp the amber without having it overpower the other scents too much and it appears to have a fairly decent throw as people around me could smell it without having to huff my wrist. It lasted a long time for me as well, even though my past experience with different fragrances other than BPAL tended to have them wear off quickly.

 

In general, Mouse is lovely! I will definitely be buying a big bottle in the very near future. This may quite easily be a signature scent for me. My guy sniffed, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he practically glued my wrist to his nose from there on out. It was all I could have hoped for!

[magikalbrownies]

i received this as frimpage and WOW, it smells beautiiiiiiiiiful.

 

it smells like vanilla bean right in the imp but applied its as though the rest of the notes are let out; sandalwood and especially the amber. i have to say though, even as its drying its mostly amber but it still has this vanilla bean ice cream thing going on with it, reminds me of blue bell. (southern thing)

 

added to the wishlist and definately going to buy a bottle.

[Banyangirl]

Mmm, Mouse. I tried Mouse at Whole Foods and loved it. I thought it was very sweet and feminine, so I grabbed myself an imp. It's lovely as ever. I don't know if it's just this week and where my skin chemistry's at, but absolutely none of my BPAL oils have had any sort of throw on them, not even the usual powerhouses like Kubla Khan. This is true of the Mouse. But it's still going to be my go-to vanilla scent for hanging out with my fellow, who adored the note list on this one.

[tinyvulture]

this is probably the most vanilla-riffic blend in the BPAL catalog. i have a huge bottle of non-BPAL single note vanilla, because it’s just such a handy note to blend with so many things. this almost reminds me of it, but of course it’s a bit more complex since it’s BPAL. the amber adds warmth and seems to amplify the vanilla’s innate sweetness even more. then there’s the sweet pea which, i admit, i often find insipid and boring, but it’s so gentle here, it really adds just a perfect little hint of floral. not even a hint, a suggestion. the vanilla is really the star here. it smells, to me, exactly like the vanilla in Black Lace. well, what else should i say? i always adore vanilla. this is lovely.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Yum! Sweet and a bit foody, with some definite light, fluffy spring floral from the sweet pea. The vanilla and ambers blend together so well, and I already want to slather myself with this.

On, wet: Surprisingly, I get a LOT of sandalwood out of this. (White sandalwood is usually very faint on me!) But this is woody-sweet, with a pale floral backdrop and added depth and a richer, warmer, almost caramel-like sweetness from the vanilla and amber. Not as foody as I thought it would be from the imp smell, but that isn't a bad thing. This isn't cloying at all—sweet, yes, but light and delicate and lovely.

On, dry: It's foodier now, as I'm getting more of the vanilla and amber, and together with the sandalwood, it smells like… pound cake. Delicious, awesome, slightly lemony pound cake, next to a bouquet of fresh sweet peas. I love it! It isn't woody anymore, but it's not entirely foody or floral, either. It's just a lovely combination, surprisingly subtle for a scent with some of these notes.

Later: Vanilla, sandalwood and amber beneath. It's warmer and creamier now, and a lot of the sweet pea is gone, but there's still some dry sandalwood to balance it and keep it from being totally foody.

Overall: Pure and absolute win. This one is foody without being cloying, with enough dryness from the sandalwood and floral from the sweet pea to be complex and interesting. As always, I love the vanilla, but it's a different vanilla from the golden vanilla of Lyonesse or the dark, smoky vanilla of the Antikythera Mechanism. This one is a sweet, very lightly floral vanilla, soft and creamy but not too rich. Another one for my vanilla collection!

 

 

[GardenCat]

So soft & light - the amber warms the vanilla and the sweat pea livens the blend. So subtle & creamy - so glad I picked up a bottle. It would scent lotion perfectly! And I love white sandalwood too!

[cinnamonster]

In the bottle I get sweet PINK smell, a very vanillaed candied sweet pea petal, almost too sweet for me but then this drys, and indeed "drys". The sandalwood comes through, a hint of the amber, and a sense of buzziness. Like it vibrates high and fast enough to barely be perceptible but it adds to the feel of it for me, it's almost fuzzy. It's very warm and alive.

 

However weird this all might sound I like it a lot. I bought my 5ml unsniffed, I just knew I would like it, I didn't know I would LOVE IT!

[ouch!]

Very excited about this one...very excited was I!!! The notes listed are some of my favourite excluding sandalwood.

 

On my skin this is GORGEOUS!!! I knew I'd like it. I think the Mad Tea party collection is fast becoming my favourite bunch. All of the scents have something special about them and this is no exception.

Yes..it's vanilla but it's a sweet pea infused vanilla. It's very sweet and feminine but there's just one problem. Where is the throw? arrrgh! This scent is light...very pretty but light.

This scent has a creaminess to it that's gorgeous and I can't smell the sandalwood at all yet.

 

When it's dry the sandalwood still hasn't made an appearance on me and the vanilla has backed down alot. (So strange for my chemistry) It's still giving a sweetness to the blend though and the sweet pea is just GAWWWWJUSS!! I lvoe this blend so much and I think with a few applications to build it up a bit the throw would be lovely.

 

It's a nice subtle very very pretty blend that would be lovely for day to day wear at work.

DING DING WINNER!!

 

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's vanilla and sandalwood.

 

Applied to my skin, vanilla, sweet pea, and sandalwood. Very sweet blend.

 

The amber appears as the oil dries on my skin, but is a minor note. I'm getting mostly vanilla and sweet pea once dry.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: Not really getting any amber. There is definite sweet pea and vanilla.

 

Wet: Vanilla is amping. And it;s not the good vanilla. I'm getting worried I'll have to wash this off.

 

Dry: Play-doh. The vanilla killed all I like and turned it to play-doh. Must wash off!!

 

Overall: More and more often I'm trying scents that I've had to wash off. And not just wash off but take a full blown shower to get it off of me. I really, really, really wasn't expecting that from this scent. I generally like most of the Alice scents I've tried so far. I don't like most vanillas but I love love love amber (and there's 2!!) and I love sweetpea and I like sandalwood in blends. This just turned Snow White on me. The vanilla killed everything and turned to play-doh. I was really hoping to like this one.

[liquidtrance]

Ooo, The ambers provide sweetness while the vanilla sandalwood provide round warmth, and the sweet pea seems to throw in just a slightly higher twist. Unexpectedly nice blend. The vanilla/? Makes me think of cookies and baked goods, but the sweet pea keeps it from going at all foody. One of the first "feminine" blends that doesn't make me directly think "stereotypical perfume", and does not cross the line into being too sweet at all. As its drying the vanilla fades more to the background.

On the drydown its quite different from the initial glee inducing scent. Still attractive, but just sad that the vanilla fades so far back. Seems like the ambers come through most strongly?

I have to amend this, once I got up and walked around with it on (instead of just wrist huffing) it's beautiful. Still vanilla, still perfect happy blend. The sort of thing Im getting whiffs of and drooling over. <3

 

Retest- On first app, it's a foody sweet creamy yumminess. The sweet pea seems to be amping up at first, ruining the initial super smoothness but I think it is a passing thing. The sweet pea almost (barely!) seems to add a burnt edge to the foody vanilla/sandalwood/amber. Unless it's the ambers? It's still rounding back out though. Mellowing out so well. The burnt, awkward smell leaves, and the blend is so nice! Not all time favorite love, but very good.

 

In scent locket-- Wears as a very thick and heavy scent. Pleasant, but heavy. Last forever though!

[sylvanusurban]

In bottle: Blargh, PERFUMEY. Not pleasant. Nose can't seem to deal with in-bottle scents without freaking out -- Jailbait is the only one so far that has smelled like anything other than OMG WTF.

 

On me: Warm, powdery vanilla with a bit of a “perfumey” edge. I like the vanilla smell, but this may be too perfumey for me. Maybe it’s the sandalwood that’s throwing me?

 

Sniffing more. This is a pretty smell, a mature vanilla. I think, though, that it’s not necessarily “me”. Maybe I need a fresher scent.

 

Later still: it’s growing on me.

 

Later later still: I crawl into bed and wrap my arms around Boy. He sniffs at me and says “What perfume are you wearing? You smell like… something bad.” I guess that means Mouse isn’t a keeper.

 

 

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Light gold oil. Creamy, delicate vanilla and sandalwood, with the faint suggestion of amber's powdered warmth.

 

Wet: More strongly ambery - both more perfumey and more powdery, with the vanilla a little amped (reminds me of melted vanilla ice cream), and slightly dry sandalwood. Very pure, soft, girly, pleasant.

 

Dry: Oh hai sweet pea, you powdery beast. I see you there, amping into powdery hell! The ambers, too, are headed increasingly towards perfumey powder. A shame, because the vanilla/sandalwood combo is lovely - and I love this particular vanilla because it's NOT overkill.

 

Summary: Yup, the sweet peas and at least one of the ambers killed this. It's still not BAD, but it's enough that I don't find this something I'd wear. Otherwise, it's a subtle, natural skin-scent. Moderate throw & longevity.

[buryheratsea]

I love mouse's long and sad tale. I'm really not a big fan of floral scents and I'm pretty choosy about which ones I wear. This is fantastic, it's very delicate on me. A very 'summer scent' I personally think. The vanilla definitely tones down the sharpness of the floral. Just lovely.

[devilot]

In the Vial: YUM! I smell the vanilla that's in Antique Lace (one of my all time faves). I also smell something slightly floral.

 

Wet: Definitely still get the vanilla and something sharper (is it the amber or sandalwood).

 

Drydown: Still vanilla, but not as deliciously sweet as when wet. The ambers and sandalwood (not sure exactly which) but something turns this blend v powdery on my skin.

 

Verdict: This is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but it's just so similar to Antique Lace on my skin and to my allergy-stuffed nose. Since I've got a bottle of AL, I don't feel compelled at this point to get Mouse's Long and Sad Tale despite how yummy it smells.

[pseedie]

~~mouse's sad and long tale~~

 

Expectations: Mmmmm....i love vanilla and have learned that some musks are good on me, so I was hoping this was a magic elixer for me that would end up being my favorite bottle (don't we wish that for all these imps we try?)

 

In the Imp: a lovely medium vanilla and well chosen musks. Can't wait to put it on.

 

Wet: Oh. Immediately, the musks take over and the vanilla resides in the cheap seats. dang. not what I was hoping for.

 

Dry: Lots and lots of musk and I'm not even sure if the vanilla stayed til the end of the game or if it left to beat the traffic. Here I sit with musks, pining for my vanilla....

 

Verdict: in the very end this smelled like playdough and hot dogs on me.....yeah, I don't know how it got there either, but I was glad that it had very little throw on me and disappeared fairly quickly. In the meantime, I'll keep searching for that perfect vanilla scent....

[jennythereader]

First Tried On: 6/16/2009

 

In Imp: Floral/fruity; slightly chemical

 

At Application: Still floral/fruity, chemical smell goes away

 

Later: Faint, sort of spicy, fruity

 

Rating: 2 (Use up but don't replace, tradeable for something amazing.)

[kerikeri]

This was a frimp, and I might never have tried it otherwise because I avoid floral notes, but I liked it a lot more than I expected. It's very soft, sweet and feminine, predominately a creamy, warm blend of amber and vanilla on me. I usually prefer scents with a little more of an edge or twist to them, but I suppose for days when I want to feel young and innocent this would be good.

[biocarolyn]

This was a frimp from that lab, which is excellent because I never would have tried it. I'm learning to trust BPAL vanilla, because it doesn't smell like those horrible commercial blends on me. The strange part about this is I didn't think I liked vanilla, I thought amber went to powder on me, and I'm basically afraid of florals. But this is unexpectedly nice, and definitely more than the sum of its notes. I'm actually contemplating a 5ml!

 

Something is broken in my nose though, as I get a bright note and would have thought there was a berry in this. That's a good thing for me, but I wonder what I'm smelling? Sweet Pea? Could it be a floral that isn't gross?

 

ETA: GAKKK! The amber came to get me, about 2.5 hours after I put it on. It was all of a sudden a /really/ extreme, powdery scent that was wayyyy too much. I had to wash it off. It smelled like cheap hair salon. Sad- it was nice in the beginning.

Edited September 24, 2009 by biocarolyn

[muteddragon]

Imp: sweetness. Uplifting. Skin: cookie. I want a cookie.

[redderz]

I bought Mouse's Long & Sale Tale unsniffed just KNOWING I'd love it, and... I do.

 

In the bottle: Wooo, vanilla and something very sweet! The sweet pea I'm guessing.

 

Wet: Wow, this really reminds me of Dorian! For some reason I smell lemon and tea. It's totally gorgeous though.

 

Dry: What amazing throw and staying power, and it dries down to a gorgeous soft vanilla and sandalwood scent. This just shot to my top 3.

[mari4212]

This is, alongside Chimera, my favorite BPAL scent yet.

 

I tend to ration both out into seasons. Mouse is my go-to in spring and summer when I just want to feel and smell wonderful, where Chimera is a straight fall scent.

 

As for the smell itself:

 

It's still hard for me to pick out individual notes. Mostly I get the sum of the scent as one discrete entity. On me, Mouse starts out a creamy-sweet smell, with a light floral undertone. The floral aspect lasts for a few hours, but what remains for ages is the creamy sweetness. It's a warm, light, comforting scent that reminds me of wrapping up in the pastel blanket my mother knitted for me years ago, the one that is always present on my bed.

 

This is my go-to scent when I need to feel comforted and loved. Or when I'm in a happy mood and able to comfort and love others, it reflects that feeling as well.

[morinpm]

Mmm. Mouse reminds me of nothing so much as "Dorian lite," in that I pick up vanilla and some lovely light musks from it. The sweet pea lends it a nice floral sweetness, though--it's not as in-your-face as Dorian is. (I never got any amber or sandalwood, but that could be 'cause I'm a noob and my nose isn't trained yet.) Unfortunately Mouse seemed to disappear from my wrists fairly quickly, although it retained its deliciousness in my scent locket for a good deal longer than that. Maybe next time I need to slather? I'm definitely keeping the imp and trying it out a few more times; it could be a candidate for a large bottle.