Lysander

[Flightless]

Lilac musk, tonka, wood violet, and urbane lime rind, with a Venus-kissed tangle of myrtle, blackberry leaf, and benzoin.

Received this imp from a very generous seller

In the Imp: I smell flowers and flowery musk... almost aquatic (like sitting around a swimming pool in the summer time). Very bright and warm.

On my Skin: Still very flowery, but a bit more of the spice comes out now. Definitely a musk that likes me. (Yay!)

I wonder if it's the Benzoin that reminds me of my granddad... I'd have to look at the description, it's not overly powerful or anything but I can smell a more masculin tone ... It's also softened a little by a slightly soapy/powdery note. And just on the fringe... if I turn my head just right... was that a hint of clove? Odd...

I think this is a more gender-neutral scent- it's flowery enough that I can get away with it, but has just a touch of musky masculinity that a guy can wear it without much thought.

I'll update this if it changes, but I really like this as a summer scent. 4 out of 5 stars here, Wonderfully done.

[KittyHawk]

Imp: This smells very green and almost woodsy to my nose; I'm unable to pick out any individual notes quite yet. The greenness might be the urbane lime? My poor nose doesn't understand interesting notes yet. It might be a little too sharp for my taste, but we'll see.

 

Wet: Wow, this is really pretty! I'm not familiar with the note specifically, but it must be the lilac musk that's coming to the forefront now. It's gorgeous and smoky; this just masculine enough.

 

Dry: It's all lilac musk and tonka. This is warm and dark, with a little bit of smolder to it, which I assume is the benzoin. It reminds me of walking through the woods and passing a bonfire that's near the end of its life.

 

I was planning to give this to DH but it's so delicious on me that I'm keeping it for myself. This will definitely go in my "need a bottle" pile. I'm thrilled with the uniqueness of this blend.

[lohengrin]

This is a review of an aged bottle.

 

In the bottle: A little musky, a little green, but mostly this is kind of a woody scent, despite there not really being any woods in the description.

 

On skin, wet: Still definitely woody and musky, with just a little bit of leafy green in there somewhere.

 

On skin, dry: The musk gets a little stronger and the green note is all but gone. No trace of tonka, benzoin, lime or any kind of florals.

 

After an hour: Stays mostly true to the initial drydown. I would have loved for some of the tonka, benzoin or lime to show up, and the end result without them is a more masculine scent than I would usually go for, but somehow it works anyway.

[calivianya]

Huh. Lysander totally slipped under my radar for some reason. I'm glad I received this as a frimp from the Lab!

 

Wet, I am definitely getting some vanilla-like tonka and the lilac. Lilac sometimes amps, but the tonka is keeping this in check. I really like this right now! As it dries, I can pick out a bit of the lime, but other than that, there isn't a ton that I'm familiar with. I wouldn't even peg this as masculine, and maybe not even unisex. It feels feminine to me with the sweet tonka and lilac. This is a huge surprise. I think I may keep this and try it again later!

[mymymai]

ITImp: I get a nice vanilla with lilac musk and just a hint of citrus.

Wet: I get vanilla as the top note, flanked by benzoin, lilac musk, and perhaps just a lint of myrtle of blackberry leaf.

Dry: The vanilla scent is still prominent, but it's starting to be overtaken by a combination of the floral and green notes. While it's only dried for 30 minutes, I hope it doesn't shift too much. It's nice, but not something I'd reach for every day.

Edited January 1, 2012 by mymymai

[seelix1]

This becomes super-feminine on me. I can pick out the bits and pieces that *should* make it masculine, but somehow they all come together to make something light and girly, like a frilly white and blue Victorian riding outfit that you know at some point was inspired by a man's uniform, but that "some point" was far in the past and possibly created from the mind of a teenage girl.

 

Wet: This is very, very green. The blackberry leaf comes out immediately, as the Lab's blackberry leaf note always does on me. The sweetness and a bit of citrus are lurking there behind it, but they're shading the scent rather than adding their own distinctive notes.

 

Dry: The lilac and the tonka have come out to play with the blackberry leaf. There's a slight hint of the baby doll plastic smell that tonka sometimes adds on my skin, but it's not strong. It mostly just reinforces my mental image of it being a girly scent. The Lilac and the blackberry notes work particularly well together. It's reminiscent of an old fashioned perfume, but brighter and not so heavy.

 

Later on: It smells the same as it did dry, but lighter and a little more musky. It's actually a very lovely scent. I will use the imp on days that I'm in the mood for sunshine, cotton dresses and tea parties, but those days are few and far between, so I'm not sure I'll ever need a bottle.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Flowery green notes. Definitely getting some lilac and lime.

Wet: A slight spiciness (I wonder if that's the myrtle?), mixed with the florals and lime.

Dry: This is just like Cordelia, ha. Both scents remind me of standing in my garden after it's rained - a wet floral and woodsy scent.

[milo]

Woody, sweet caramel-like musk. Anything remotely like caramel is an immediate turn-off. The musk really does not go well here either...

[Innocuousmold]

Like milo, I get the caramel, which is also a no-no for me. I also amp wood notes, which is not bad in this case at all. I do find this to be very pretty and it has a nice warmth to it, but then the oncoming musk smell kind of messes it up for me. I can definitely see how someone else would love this, though.

[bergamot_bliss]

In the imp: Hell-oooooo florals! The lilac is particularly strong. And I’m also getting the lime rind and benzoin.

Wet on skin: I don’t smell much. I think my skin ate it. I’m still getting a little bit of the florals.

Drydown: I can still smell the lilac musk. I’m not smelling the myrtle or blackberry leaf. There’s something really smoky in it, too; I think that’s the tonka.

Dry on skin: Weirdly enough, it smells stronger on me dry than wet. It’s mostly smoky and musky on me, with the violet and lime dancing around in the background. The green notes aren’t showing up. It’s nice--I like smoky scents--but it doesn’t really grab me and isn’t anything special. I’ll probably wear what’s in the imp again, but I don’t think I’ll be getting a bottle.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet and sparkly green.

Drydown: Greenery and creamy benzoin clouded by musk. A hint of blackberry and violet too. Complex and ever-morphing. It begins to separate into two parts; Part creamy-musky (the benzoin, tonka, and musk) and part woodsy-fresh with occasional spikes of tart berry. It seems like the notes are having a hard time deciding which direction to head.

Dry: As it settles the tonka, blackberry, and violet create a sort of old-fashioned candy vibe that sits atop a soft and woodsy musk. Fresh, powdery, and gently sweet.

6 out of 10 bones

[FormerViking]

Yum . This is some really wonderful , flowery stuff . It probably helps that I love both Lilac and Violet . But it's sooo green smelling too . Incredibly fresh . I do get the creaminess others have mentioned . Not sure I could pull off wearing this . ( 6'3" male with facial hair at times ) But man does it smell wonderful . It's nice because it does so much with flower notes . It goes way beyond the flowers and becomes so much more . Yum , again .

[JazzieCazzie]

Working my way through all of my imps, frimps and bottles, revisiting and reviewing, and this marks the end of my halfway point of the A-Z journey, my last L (until, at least, a few pending swaps and purchases arrive that include scents from the first half of the alphabet, LOL!)

 

This was from a lagniappe included in a purchase. I was wary based on the notes. Though I tend to like most of them combined, I feared the blend itself would prove to be too masculine cologney for me.

 

IN THE IMP: Very very very male. Woodsy with a cologny-floral kick. Not "in your face" enough, though, for me to not try (so far, I think there has only been ONE imp that I just recapped and put into the swap box).

 

Dabbed very lightly on one wrist.

 

WET: The fruit notes combine in an interesting and complex way with the other floral and woods notes and I also get, oddly enough, a definite salty note.

 

DRYDOWN: Sadly, this dries down quickly and nauseatingly on me and becomes a wash-off ... I am not sure which note or combination of notes is the culprit. It just gets very powdery and queasy-making. It could be the lilac, but my skin generally plays nicely with lilac (in real life, it's one of my very favorite scents, and I still cherish my remaining imp of the Blue Lilac SN).

 

OVERALL: Ah well. I am glad I tried it. It just didn't work for me but in a few weeks, when I can post my entire swap list, I am sure it will work for someone else!!!

 

On a scale of 1-5, for me a 1.5

[strahlend]

I just tried Lysander recently on a whim.

 

(blind testing) There's a softness to this scent that makes me think of sweet lavender, violet, lilac - but without the cloying or powdery elements I usually associate with those notes. There's just a touch of a green sliver that keeps the soft fuzzy feeling notes from being monotonous and keeps the scent interesting and fresh. There's also a gorgeous noticeable spice that almost reminds me of carnation.

 

(looking at notes) Vanilla, violet, lilac, a touch of musk... a balance of lime, leaf, and resin... perfect balance of sweet, floral, herbal, and just musky enough to make it feel like your skin is an awesome place instead of that you're wearing a coating of awesomeness.

 

This is a beautifully complex scent that has swept me off my feet.

 

To me this scent feels beautiful, feminine, dreamy, but not fussy, trite, or boring. I wish I had come across Lysander sooner, I love it so much.

 

If I had a signature scent, this could quite possibly be it. There's a versatility to Lysander that would work in a wide variety of moods and situations and remain gorgeous day after day to my nose and through the seasons.

[tharsei-thanate]

Received an imp from the lovely HJackson.

 

In the imp: Very pretty tonka/lilac musk mix, with a touch of benzoin.

 

Wet: Violets! Just a lovely blast of violets with a fruity sweetness just behind it and a hint of tonka. There's something... solid about this. Sturdy. Grounding. It's really nice.

 

Drydown: The violets bow out and the lilac musk takes over. The fruity sweetness is a little further in the background while the tonka is a tad louder. There's something else in here too... lime? Just a little sparkle of lime. Overall it's dense and woody and dark green.

 

Dry: Not much change from the drydown, except I'm catch violets again, and a suggestion of myrtle.

 

This is an interesting blend! I thought it would be more masculine but it's very gender neutral on me. I like it, I'm glad I have an imp!

[brilliantcat]

I get mostly caramel in the imp. I have no clue why, tonka/benzoin never smell caramel-y to me o.O On, it's less caramel-y and actually reminds me of rum at this point. Sugary and sticky. I do get hints of lime, which gradually get stronger and help temper the uber-sugar smell. Sticky sugary tonka with perhaps a hint of musk. I get zero floral from this, in fact it's quite foody. I love lilac scents so I had hoped for a bit more of that coming out on drydown but that's my only disappointment. The lime gradually takes a backseat and it smells like a drier version of rum with vanilla.

[icecreamcone]

Lysander smells like musk and berries from a distance, but up close it smells sweet and floral with some wood shavings in the background.

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[Eemia]

This is so warm and sultry, kind of flies under the radar at first since it sits so close to my skin. It's slightly sweet in a non-goody way, fuzzy and very tonka dominant. No harsh edges. I get an underscoring of musk and hints of floral but mostly this feels like a sexy, earthy toned blend, all browns in my mind. There's a spike of lime initially too but it fades quickly and just makes this feel even more tropical and grounded to me. As it dries down it reminds me of some of the Lab's fougère scents like Dorian, and His Station and Four Aces . I think it's the muskiness of the lilac that brings up those similarities.

 

I love how sensual this is. It's definitely one that gets me compliments too.

[gentle-twig]

I am not too familiar with many of the notes in this blend, so this probably won't be that helpful. I wanted to try this blend because I am really into the concept of florals but not that into the actuality of most floral scents. This is a unique, somewhat masculine, restrained floral blend that really fits the bill. Straight out of the imp it smells like sweet florals brightened by the lime. Over time the tonka and lilac musk become more dominant. The only problem is I wish it lasted a little longer on me. I might try to just wear a bit more next time, or else find another use for it (perhaps in the bath?) because the scent itself is just fantastic.

[Veronica]

This has a lot of notes I'm not very familiar with. It ends up smelling like an aquatic floral, with a sticky, sickly sweet note that does not work on me.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Faint and lightly sweet lilac.

 

Wet on my skin: Predominantly musky-sweet lilac with green summery bramble leaves.

 

Dry: On my skin, this is mostly that musky lilac and greenery, but the whole thing fades dramatically within 30-40 minutes of application. I think my skin is eating this one, unfortunately. I can tell that it would be gorgeous if it stayed long enough to really warm up, but alas! I may have to give it to someone who can do it justice and not completely absorb it.

[Aviatrix]

Initially I thought this would be cologne-like, judging from the notes, but it isn't on me at all.

 

It feels very fresh and green and light, and I am getting a mixture of sweetness and depth that I very much like. It is hard to distinguish the individual notes, though, but it feels like I can at least smell a distinct myrtle and maybe a little berry?

 

I really like it, and I think it is rather unisex as well

[freyasfae]

I really want to like this one - I love lilac and musks, and lilac musk, be still my beating heart, but ack the benzoin and the violet, and it hates my skin. Sigh.

[roseus]

This is a smoky, mysterious scent. I think the tonka is giving the smoky vibe, because it reminds me vaguely of Perversion. But it's also very herbal. And while it is a smoky blend it does not read as dark or heavy to me.

[Coldfire]

Imp: Lime and violet over some wood notes
Wet on Me: more violet over wood now
Drying Down: mellowing out now. I detect the faintest trace of lilac but the violet and wood are keeping it from amping and going bad on me.
Dry: I get sweet and wood from the tonka, the violet has softened now to a sweet feminine masculine scent.