Embalming Fluid

[Greenwoodtree]

A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon.

Just as stated, so lemony, very clean smelling, and makes me think of bathroom cleaner. Not for me. I enjoy lemon and verbena, but not when its also a sweet smell. This is very much like a very sour and very sweet lemon/orangeade. Edited May 31, 2010 by Shollin

[countessmouse]

Lemon candy in the imp and wet on my skin. After about an hour or so, the musk and tea finally popped. A really nice, light scent that isn't overwhelmingly lemon and the bf likes it.

 

ETA: OMG I'm in love with the white musk! So glad I have a bottle of this!

Edited April 29, 2010 by countessmouse

[lavender84]

Upon application I smell white musk and lemon, like a refreshing *zap*.

 

Within minutes the aloe and green tea surfaces, calming the lemon while blending with the white musk. It smells a little like detergent but the kind I like. I'll continue testing with the imp to see if a bottle is needed.

[ajansuz]

This is such an interesting blend. I bought it because initially I had bought the soap, and even though I haven't used it yet, (using Shub first), I liked the fragrance, and I like layering same scent products for added longevity. Normally, I'm not big on citrus blends, with grapefruit or orange notes making me physically ill. Lemon and lime are more tolerable, but still not my favorites, one reason this blend pleasantly surprised me.

 

Strangely, I can't smell this too well in the imp. Little light, clean bursts of scent hit my nose almost flirtatiously, a little lemon, a little tea, something sweet I can't quite put a name to, maybe the white musk?

 

Wet on me for about five seconds it smelled like a very strong, chemical lemon dish soap, or maybe Pledge. I applied it very sparingly, and I was amazed at how strong it came on. I was horrified, but that sharp burst of lemon almost immediately tamed and transformed.

 

On the dry down is where this blend really shone. The lemon settled into something refreshing, crisp, and cool. The tea amped up significantly, but not in a foodie way, just very fresh. This sounds so weird, but it's a scent that quenches thirst without actually making you want to drink it. Perfect for hot summer days. It has nice staying power, too. Seven hours later, there's still a lingering sweet, clean scent, not at all overpowering or overbearing, but friendly. I'm not 100% sold on whether I want a bottle of this or not, but I know for sure I'll be happily using the imp to scent me, not my house. I definitely see this as being a blend I could learn to love, particularly when the mercury starts hitting 100F plus.

[Vega]

In imp: Sharp, clean lemon. Can't smell anything beyond this.

 

On skin: Slightly sharp, white and pale. Mostly a freshly-squeezed lemon with a hint of dryness; I can't detect any other notes. The lemon burns off and becomes gentler, but still obscures everything else. There may be are other things going on underneath, and my nose is definitely not trained enough to pick them out. But really, lemon dominates everything.

 

Verdict: I was hoping to smell (and enjoy) the tea, aloe and white musk, but alas, Embalming Fluid was purely a lemon-fest. What a pity. It also made me realize that lemon tends to dominate any blend it's in, and my nose can't smell anything besides it, both in imp and on skin. Double pity. At least I know to avoid lemon! To swaps.

[animalcule]

I love Embalming Fluid!! One of my favorite BPALs so far, I just ordered a big bottle (only my second) after using up a couple imps.

 

It's just so delicious and fresh. Despite being a rather light scent, on me it has great staying power. Clean, dry, refreshingly lemony musk - it improves my mood every time. And it doesn't turn to baby powder on me which is often a problem.

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Pale, yellowy green oil, a fresh burst of green and lemon underscored by floral.

 

Wet: Clean and green, richly lemony.

 

Dry: A burst of fresh aloe and lemon and a salty, almost sea spray like coolness, overlain with some sort of heaviness that is probably the musk.

 

After a few minutes: The smell has turned to smelling very commercial, like the type of giggling girlie perfume that I don't want to smell on anyone else, let alone myself. My skin seems to have turned it into a lemony chemical-infused drug-store nightmare. I think it must be the musk. While I've had the occasional success with musk in blends in the past, (like with my beloved Villain) this is generally the exception rather than the rule.

 

On the plus side it doesn't seem to be inducing nausea, as drug-store, and even perfume counter blends regularly do for me, and a little tiny bit of aloe has stuck its head out - only to get whacked over the head by musk.

 

Poor little aloe... you must try harder, my friend!

 

After first hour: The cloying sweetness of white musk turning the normally enjoyable scent of lemon unpalatable. Aloe still peeking out and getting whacked by musk, and green tea looking on from a safe distance.

 

After two and a half hours: Musk has gotten tired of beating up on aloe, and so green tea comes out to bandage aloe's wounds with... pepper? o.O This is almost nice now, but I don't think I could navigate through the overblown poofy musk in order to finally get to the enjoyable part.

 

After 5 hours: A hint of spicy aloe and green tea.

 

Final verdict: I wanted to like this so much because there is a matching soap at BPTP all ready for layering, but it doesn't work on me. The white musk is unfortunately the deal breaker. *sob*

[twinarmageddons]

I wanted to love Embalming Fluid, as I am a fan of citrus scents. In the bottle and after initial application, the lemon was overpowering, almost like lemon cleaning fluid. After about half an hour, the lemon faded a little revealing a very definite herbal undertone, reminding me very much Earl Grey tea. Unfortunately, within an hour, the scent was completely gone. I couldn't smell any of it anymore, leaving me very disappointed. If only it had lasted longer it would have, to me, been a perfect scent.

[sarielswish]

 

In the vial, very nice. I'm getting mostly green tea, aloe and lemon - not much of the musk. Color, spring green.

 

Wet on my skin, aloe and tea. Maybe a *touch* of lemon, but not much. I'm really not getting any musk at all. Very bright.

 

10-15 minute drydown - Hrm. Tea. Nothing But Tea. This really just smells like Kumiho on me... maybe a little more depth, but that's about it.

[Kiraze]

imp: lemon tea - not sugared ready-made blend but more fresh and green

 

wet: very strong lemon, but clean and fresh

 

dry: lemon steps behind to allow aloe to soften this to be calming and beautiful scent that is mostly green tea but it's barely there... just a quiet whisper in the wind but lovely anyway

 

surprisingly that hint of scent lasts for long and deepens a bit by time though it is still mostly like echo of something beautiful but almost invisible. I think i need to slather with this to really find out if I truely love this enough for a bottle

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This *almost* smells like my beloved YSL In Love Again. It just needs a little grapefruit and currant. It's very fresh and vibrant, and I can almost taste the suspiciously yellow and super-sugary "fresh lemonade" I get served at my favorite Thai restaurant.

[stellans]

This blend is a long-standing favorite since my first days on the forum, so I don't know why it's taken me so long to review it, but I am remedying that oversight immediately!

 

In the bottle, the lemon is definitely there but so is the tea. I get little or no aloe and musk. However, once the oil is on my skin the lemon moves a bit more to the back, leaving the tea to dance gaily with the aloe and musk, which are more present now. This blend has a lot of throw; it doesn't take too much to keep getting whiffs of it as the day progresses, and I didn't need to reapply for more than 4 hours.

 

My rollerball bottle is full of carefully-collected imps, and will likely last quite a while, as for some reason this lovely scent gets forgotten when the weather goes from hot to cool.

[whisperstilled]

In imp: Fresh clean and sweet! The aloe is strong along with the lemon, and the white musk adds a sort of echoing lightness to the blend. The green tea is there, but subtle.

Wet: Strong lemon, overpowering everything else.

Dry: Still mostly lemon with some white musk. The aloe and green tea have dropped back. Still, even though I like the more full bodied version in the imp, this is a really nice, light, crisp scent. Definitely a keeper.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Whisperstilled

[ShannonElisabethJones]

In the imp: very lemony but the musk keeps it from smelling like a lemon drop.

Wet on skin: bright lemon, light and fresh without smelling like floor cleaner.

Drying: the brightness warmed up considerably. I get more astringency, like an herbally green tea.

Dried and settled: lots of aloe! Smells like having a sunburn! It's not unpleasant - herbal and clean. A good summer scent. I'm wearing it at work right now and it doesn't feel out of place.

 

Overall: Agreeable. Fresh and green smelling. I miss the musk on my skin, but it's still nice.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Sionann

[Altaira]

At first, I liked this a lot; very clean and lemony. I was even considering buying a bottle. But then I left it on a bit longer and found that it was triggering a headache. I think *all* tea scents give me a headache actually. Which is a shame, because I do like how they smell.

[Ryokumuji]

You know, I LOVE this. Embalming Fluid was like a lemony kick to the face, but in a good way! But I can definitely detect the green tea and aloe under that lemon. This scent is refreshing. So clean and pleasant. I can see why other people might get "Lemon Pledge" or "cleaning fluid", but those to my nose do not smell like a true lemon. This is true lemon plus some lovely green tea. Unfortunately, I don't really detect the white musk in this. There was a lemon perfume that I really liked to wear that was somewhat ruined by an association with someone I dislike, and Embalming Fluid will be a unique replacement for that.

 

Now I really want some Green Tea Pocky.

[StarBlind]

This was my first BPAL purchase, and I cannot tell you how excited I was for it to arrive! Being a huge fan of both clean scents and anything with a citrus kick, I was so eager to try this. The name also added to the intrigue factor...

 

In the bottle, it smells just like when you first slice into a ripe lemon (emphasis on the rind), but I can also detect some complexity there, perhaps the underlying green tea? This scent remains VERY lemony and sharp upon application. BRIGHT is a good descriptive. My initial color association is a clear yellowy green, but this changes into something more opaque as the scent begins to react to me. It softens over time and becomes a bit more powdery and slightly sweet. Its a clean, fresh, pleasant smell that does a good deal to boost my mood every time I take a sniff!

 

I have to say, overall, I am VERY much in like with this scent, but I am not in love with it. While it softens into something rather pretty, it lacks a certain warmth that I generally find compelling in a fragrance. I think I was expecting the musk to come out and play a bit more, but, sadly, it doesn't seem to on me...

 

I definitely see how some can liken this scent to lemon Pledge. It does have a certain 'cleaner' feel to it, which is perhaps b/c of the sharpness? I think this would be absolutely awesome as a body wash or shampoo, but for a body fragrance I'm not 100% sold. I'm still very happy with my purchase, however, and will use it for sure as a mid day 'pick me up' if I am feeling frazzled.

 

 

P.S. After giving it a few days, I think I finally put my finger on what is irking me about this scent. I actually have come to ADORE how it smells on me, but it becomes very faint very quickly and repeated slatherings do little to remedy this. My bottle is depleting rapidly! Help!

Edited November 30, 2010 by StarBlind

[SophieCedar]

Wet: not sure how people use this for meditation or yogic practices. The green tea is too stimulating and distracting for me! There's aloe in this for sure and some lemon.

Drydown: still green tea with lemon. It's strange because I know this is a great scent and I like it, however my senses hate it. I'm convinced there are 2 types of noses: those that can stand green tea and those that cannot. I'm in the cannot section unfortunately.

[calivianya]

Light and pretty, but ultimately not for me. I find the lemon too reminiscent of cleaning fluid to really let the green tea smell develop, unfortunately.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: crisp, light, green tea and lemon

 

Wet: sparkling clear tea note. Refreshing and clean. Someone mentioned it smells like Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea – I definitely agree with that.

 

Dry: Still very much tea, fading into light musk. My skin chemistry turns the lemon into something soft instead of sharp, which is a big win for me! It’s like being at a spa inside a tea house.

[tkannon]

My first BPAL scent ever!

 

I have to admit I almost didn't try it because of the name. And I still don't like telling people I am wearing it because they all flinch and then I have to explain but...

 

This is tea and lemon and musk done to absolute perfection. When it first goes on I just get happy. As the day goes on it keeps carrying up to my nose and I smile. My favorite part of a day of wearing it is going to bed and getting the last lingering fresh warm linen scent that is the end of the white musk on me.

[angelamaria]

In imp: clean and citrusy--and yes, it does smell like lemon-scented soap. Not too much of a lemon-scented soap, thankfully. I do like it so far.

 

Wet on skin: this is a very light scent on me, and generally the same as the imp smell, although now I'm getting an "air freshener" recollection with it. :s Not very promising. Maybe it works out in the end.

 

Dry: soapy, citrusy bright/high, but rather faint. I've smelled this kind of scent a lot--dry clean laundry, air fresheners, what-have-you. It's definitely a clean, refreshing smell, and not in-your-face.

 

Verdict: nice, but ultimately a no, because I think I'd like to smell like something else than just newly washed clothes. I do think it's nice however, and since I have a soap base sample coming in today, I think I will go and scent that soap base with this one--it feels perfect for that.

[angelicreprieve]

Smells like liquid lemon in the imp. It gets sharper/tangier as it dries. I didn't think I would like Embalming Fluid this much, but the citrusy note has more depth then I was expecting. I'm tempted to say it smells a little like lemon-scented Lysol, but not in a bad way ... it does have a citrusy disinfectant quality to it, but since its Embalming Fluid that's not too surprising. I'm not expecting any big changes as this one dries down, if I notice anything I'll try to post an update ...

[imaginepageant]

Review from 2005.

 

In the Vial: Green tea? Check. Aloe? Check. Lemon? Double check. White musk? Er... white musk? Are you there? No? Oh well, this scent is amazing as it is! It's fresh, bright, sunny, and cold. This is the sun glaring off of snow on a crisp winter afternoon.

 

Wet: It immediately becomes lemon dishsoap. Why, god, why? Well, it's not that bad, not astringent or disinfectant at all. But not the fabulous scent this was in the imp, that's for sure.

 

Dry: Still lemon dishsoap. Woe. BUT WAIT! As the drydown continues, the tea and aloe make a startling comeback! It still reminds me somewhat of lemon dishsoap, but it remains a very beautiful scent nonetheless. Thank goodness!

 

An Hour Later: Still somewhat dishsoap, but a good fraction of it is pretty and enjoyable.

 

Overall: I'm not sure. The dishsoap aspect bothers me, but I have to admit this really is a nice scent. Bright, cold, fresh lemon. I had such high expectations for this blend that I can't bring myself to add it to the swap pile.

[mari4212]

On wet: fresh, lemon sweetness. Not sugary sweet, but there's definitely a hint of something sweet beneath the lemon. I was worried about the tea, because tea notes and I don't get along, but I'm not getting the sharp soapy scent I get with most tea notes.

 

Initial drydown: lemonade. Good lemonade, tangy and sweet at the same time.

 

This is very much a summer scent, simple, lightweight, and breezy.