Whitechapel

[Ahania]

A gentlemen's blend, possessed of dignity, charm and refinement, but in truth masking a corrupted, hideous, soulless core. White musk, lime, lilac and citron.

Citron and I are not friends. If it wanted to go all citrusy on me I would have been perfectly happy to smell limey. But I didn't get lime, or musk, or lilac. I hoped that after dry-down that would mellow out, but it didn't.

[Luhtarian]

Going on there's a LOT of lime... as it dries, the musk comes out. It almost seems to make the lime smell 'dirty'. Unfortunately, it stays that way... dirty, slightly sweaty lime.

[rainbow]

Unfortunately Whitechapel ended up being way too masculine for me. On me this smelled almost entirely of musk, and musk is generally not that great on me. I didn't get the lime or the lilac (unfortunate, because I like both). I ended up washing this one off.

[maribouquet]

imp: fruity pez! (ah, that's the lime and citron, I'd guess)

wet: hints of lilac and musk

 

Interesting and very bright, but it's too sharp for my nose, I fear. Tangy, like wood polish.

[cranberry]

In the imp: citrus

On the skin: citrus initially, mainly lemon. This is a really light scent, and although I only applied a small bit to my skin, I have to sniff really hard, right next to my hand to smell anything. There’s a touch of fuzzy white musk. Now this is reminding me of Satan and Death with Sin Intervening or some of the older, discontinued scents that had lemongrass as a component. There’s a strange scent here that’s a combination of the citrus and musk I think that I just don’t care for. The citrus smells like lemongrass, which is never a good thing for me. This scent and I do not get along. And I don’t think we ever will. <0 stars.>

[euterpe414]

This smelled incredibly of lime in the vial, and on my skin wet is was LIME. Fun, I thought. UNTIL, the lilac decided to ruin it all. Now, I don't dislike lilac, but the combination of lilac and lime tunred positively nauseating on my skin within about 10 minutes. The lilac grew stronger until it almost ate the lime- making it a weird floral/musk with a tinge of sharp citrus. Ick. Honestly, the smell reminded me of bile which is not good because I was recently smitten with the stomach flu and don't want to be reminded of it!! Needless to say I ran to wash this one off. I guess lilac only works with other florals, I suppose.

 

I wanted to like this one since I had heard so many good things about it, but sadly we were ot meant to be together.

Edited January 21, 2007 by euterpe414

[nikkoblue]

Wet: reallllly overly limey and kind of weird. i have my 5 year old boy sniff it, he says 'It smews like skittles!'

Dry: i'm bothered by this one......it's limey and floral and reminds me a bit of my Trader Zen counter cleaner......do I like this? Do I not? My magic 8 ball is saying'no'.

Dryer: I'm too lazy to wash it off, so it sits.....and now it's getting pretty (it's been about an hour). The lime has gone away and I'm left with musk and citron, which is translating as slightly clove-y on me. Maybe this IS a keeper. Luckily I have an imp AND a full bottle so I'll work through the imp first and see if the bottle's a swap or not.

[glass_cat]

This is actually a scent I ordered for my boyfriend, due to his being really impressed with the other BPALs I've ordered him, as well as fascinated with the Jack the Ripper case. He also really liked some of my more citrusy blends on himself as well as on me (for example... Envy) so this seemed like a no brainer.

 

This is a lovely scent. Very evocative of a Victorian gentleman, but someone who might have a very dark heart... much like most people's mental image of Jack the Ripper. It's very fresh because of the lime, and the florals keep it rather refined-smelling without being overpowering and making you think "OMG flowers".

 

This is definitely one I would recommend you get if the "Victorian gentleman's blend" style perfumes work well on you, or especially on your guy. This is a bit more masculine than some of them to my nose, but I can imagine most people wouldn't find it so. Probably not for me personally (I will stick with my beloved Envy) but I absolutely love it when my boyfriend wears this. I request it often, as a matter of fact.

[Rouge]

As an amateur Ripperologist, I've very much been looking forwards to trying this one. I'm also a great lover of Villain, and Whitechapel sounded like a good alternative to have to hand for when my imp runs out!

 

In the bottle - As sharp as Jack's own knife collection. It's tart and fresh, with a not unpleasantly sour edge.

 

Wet on the skin - I'm relieved to find that the lilac softens the lime considerably, but there's nevertheless the overwhelming scent of green Opal Fruits (to me they will never be called Starburst) when first applied.

 

Dry down - After a few minutes, a beautfully dark and almost dirty edge twines itelf around the freshness of the lime as the white musk note becomes more noticeable. "Corrupted" is the perfect word! This is a beautifully duplicitous scent.

 

My only criticism is that it fades so quickly, but the almost powdery note of lilac and white musk that remains after an hour is so bewitching that I hardly mind its short lifespan.

[Ghost_Light]

Whitechapel

a review in dialogue

 

Ghost Light: Happy birthday, Geolinguist. I bought you some imps.

 

Geolinguist: Oo! It is a happy birthday! Let's try this one.

 

Ghost Light: (opening imp and letting the birthday boy have the first sniff) Well?

 

Geolinguist: Well. That's......well. That's lemon.

 

Ghost Light: (sniffing imp) I know that scent! Remember when you were little and you ran out of the store-bought stuff to blow bubbles so you had to make it yourself from Joy? That's exactly what this smells like! Home-made bubble fluid!

 

Geolinguist: (dubbing on both) Hmmm...

 

[Non-BPAL conversation while Whitechapel dries]

 

Geolinguist: Boy, that smells like lemon lollypops. What is it like on you?

 

Ghost Light: (sniffing) Lemon lollypops! Hubby, Hubby! Come smell this!

 

Hubby: You really need to get some girlfriends.

 

Geolingist: Hey!

 

Ghost Light: Shut up and sniff.

 

Hubby: What is that supposed to be?

 

Ghost Light: Whitechapel. (trying to recall the Lab Description) Um...a gentleman's perfume layered over...um...a dark undercurrent of....

 

Hubby: A dark undercurrent of what? Gin and 'ho?

 

Ghost Light: (collapsing in fits of giggles) I'm blogging that!

 

 

 

Keeping the imp? Well, it was a present...

 

Bottle: Not that into lollypops, thanks.

[Sistinas]

a review of Whitechapel

 

Vial ~ Lime and citron are in the forefront of this scent. Hopefully they

will continue to be in scent through the drydown phase.

 

Wet ~ I am picking up more of the musk and the lime and citron are not as

potent as they were earlier. The scent is really light on my skin, which

has me wondering if Whitechapel is even going to last. *sigh*

 

Drying ~ The scent is still light and now there are no traces of the lime

or citron. All I am picking up now is musk and a little of the lilac.

 

Dry ~ Hmmm, the scent came back. I don't think this has ever happened. Every

now and then I catch the light throw of the scent. The blend of lilac and

lime and citron. The musk seems to have faded away, but what is left is

really nice.

 

Fade ~ The scent has faded away after a couple of hours, leaving very little

remnants of the dry scent. This fragrance will need to be applied to my

hair and slathered and even reapplied, not that that is much of a big deal

to me.

 

Final thoughts ~ I would have to say I am quite surprised by Whitechapel

and will have to add it to my wishlist. I will definitely be wanting a

bottle of this. I am so surprised by the way the scent seems to disappear

and then reappear after it has dried. I kind of wish the musk had stuck

around a bit longer, but the scent that I was left with was really nice

and refreshing. On a scale of 1 to 5-> 5

[TheIceMaiden]

This is gorgeous and completely not what I expected. I thought it would be masculine and dark, as the description implies. Instead I get a cheery, summery blend of bright white musk with lime and lilac.

Edited May 8, 2011 by TheIceMaiden

[wikkidraven]

huh. surprisingly, i liked this one even though i usually run from anything with 'masculine' in the description. it's very lime, but in a good way to my nose and blended well. not too sure about the jack the ripper connotations, but i could definitely see this as a sort of Victorian blend.

 

i may try this one on the boy.

[jiggahava]

There is something a little off about this blend...I'm having the same problems with it that I did with Phobos. I think it's the combination of citron and white musk that's killing it for me. It turns into something slightly rancid and sharp on my skin. Luckily this stage doesn't last very long, but it's a bit of a turnoff. On the drydown I get lightly lime scented musk and lilac. It's somewhat of a rough blend, either for a urban gentleman or a tomboyish girl. It's kind of in your face with its intense citrus-ness. I'll keep the imp probably, but no bottle.

[somnambular]

I wanted so badly to love this. I adore all the individual notes, and in the bottle it smelled lovely... refined citrus over light florals. Unfortunately, on my skin it smelled like lemon pledge and play-doh. After awhile, the lemon pledge faded and I was left only with the play-doh. So, so sad.

[DifferentDances]

Imp: Citrus

Wet: Lime-citrus.

Drydown: Lime with a hint of something else around the edges. Musk or lilac, maybe?

Dry: Huh. Citrus lime with a roll of babypowder.

 

My rating: 1/5. It tickles my nose in a bad way.

[jsn]

This makes me smell like pledge for 30min to an hour, but after that the musk comes out and it's absolutely amazing. Best cologne I've ever smelled on me. Hard not to keep smelling myself. Definite bottle.

[aquazoo]

Definitly citron! It’s got that same quality as some of the Arkhams. Not something I would want to wear. Trade.

[mlleglass]

A description like that, of course, made me think immediately of Dorian Gray, and if there is one fictional gentleman I wouldn't mind sniffing, it's Dorian Gray.

 

In the bottle this doesn't smell anything like most men's cologne, so I discounted that right away. After several hours I remain committed that this scent is thoroughly unisex and indeed rather dignified and un-ostentatious. In the bottle and fresh on skin, the lime leaps forward, mingling with a grapefruity citron scent, tart enough to pucker the lips of passersby. I've often been attracted to citrus scents and it seemed very strong even to me. However, it mellowed out quite quickly as it dried, and a nice, faintly lilac/floral musk balanced out the tartness. Eventually this pleasant white musk odor dominates, though the lime still lingers in the background. Unlike many women's fragrances, this does not turn too powdery or soapy-smelling after a few hours of wear. Unlike many men's fragrances, this is not too sharp (initial lime shock notwithstanding). This thankfully does not make me reek of too many flowers. Whitechapel is a wonderful, wearable, elegant and all-occasion unisex scent.

 

Considering buying a small bottle. Dorian Gray would likely approve.

[Severuslovesme]

In the bottle and wet on my skin all I could smell of this was the lime and the citron, but now that it's dried down a little the musk and lilac come out and I love it! Its sharp but also has depth, and a surprising amount of throw. Definitely a keeper!

[modernsaints]

Bright and citrus-y in the bottle - TONS of lime - but on me, the lilac amps up to 11 and drowns everything out. Blech.

[jessu]

I acquired a bottle of this in a random swap, without ever having smelled it before, and I couldnm't be happier! Now, keep in mind that I love lemon, lime, and anything that smells like cleaner or furniture polish.

 

In the bottle, it was harsh and astringent- so I knew it was for me.

 

On drydown, it's more like lemon curd. It's def. citrus, but soft and creamy from the musk. And the tiniest bit lilac.

 

I'm so glad this is GC, because now I will be wearing this constantly instead of my dwindling supply of J. Harker and Yuki-Onna!

[KassiK]

This is definitely not too masculine for a female. I love it and actually find it more feminine than masculine. It can only be described in intangibles: This scent is quiet and pensive, like a library. Its color is silver or white, its element is air. It's calming without making me tired. I think this is going to turn into a big bottle for me for sure!

[pugmom]

wet - overwhelming citrus - I was getting lemon, but looking at the notes it must have been citron?

 

drydown - stays pretty citrusy balanced with musk. Musk becomes slightly powdery. I like the musk in this, it kind of reminds me of lemony hunter moon 07.

 

Having said that, probably goes into the swap bin for the overwhelming citrus in the first 30 minutes.

[aleciarivas]

Whitechapel was a frimp in my last BPAL order..... It was way too strong for me, and did NOT amp well with my skin chemistry- as a matter of fact I had to go scrub it off!!

 

Then my DH let me try Midnight Kiss on him (which he loved) and so I smiled pretty and batted my eyelashes with Whitechapel in hand, and so he grinned and held out his wrist (soooo enabled! ). Sooooo.... Whitechapel smelled ok on him, it was still a little lime-y for our taste. But... it's ok.

 

Then... awhile later he walked past me (about two hours had passed)... Mmmm!!!! STILL not as delicious as Midnight Kiss, but DEFINITELY yummy on him!!! Now, what other scents can I slather on him.......