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Mergekat

The Small Brown Cat

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Warm brown fur, cardamom-infused bourbon vanilla, and a touch of cedarwood.

The vanilla in this is very reminiscent of Lyonesse, the spice note reminds me of Dee. Its like a child of the two,and evokes a soft warm feeling of curling under the blankets.

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My favorite of all the new AG blends. Similar to The Cat, but without the honey. Cuddly for sure. Cardamom, cedar, vanilla musk. Heaven. Long wear, stays close to the skin.

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In the imp: I get a hint of leather and vanilla cardamom. Nice! Not sure if this will be masculine or gender-neutral, but it's not feminine just from a huff.

 

On: This is a light vanilla skin musk with some green cardamon and a bit of wood for depth. I get almost no teak.

 

Two hours later: It gets very soft and close to the skin quickly on me, but I love that I can slather this one on various pulse points without risking a headache, and that I can sleep with this scent.

 

Definitely going to get a bottle of this--a decant won't be enough. I am reminded of Haunt: Winchester in terms of the tone of the perfume: warm and cuddly and relaxed.

 

I edited this to add: For some reason this reminds me of candles and old leather-bound books. It turns into a library sort of BPAL, which I love.

Edited by RavenintheWind

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I'm a bit of a crazy cat lady, so I was eager to try The Cat (and all bpal's "cat" scents), but the cedar mucked up the otherwise perfect notes for me. Apparently small brown cats though are much more agreeable than sleek black cats. =^..^=

 

The cedar in The Small Brown Cat is gentle and just adds a hint of woodiness to the musk and vanilla. I don't really pick up the cardamom, but the whole thing is blended extremely well, so that doesn't surprise me. This is such a lovely, comforting, and soft scent, I find it hard to believe anyone could really dislike it, but then, that's how I feel about cats in general. :)

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In the bottle: Ooh, I definitely get the Tombstone comparisons! I can smell all of the notes listed, and the brown musk, cardamom aspect of the vanilla, and the cedar smell warm and comforting!

 

Wet: All of the notes combine to create a lovely, warm, cuddly scent. The warm musk, cardamom, and cedar really complement each other. I was worried about how much cedar I'd get from this – and if you're averse to cedar, it may still be too much for you – but fortunately, it hasn't been problematic or stomped all over the other notes.

 

Dry: The fuzzy, cuddly quality of this scent is even more apparent than before. The bourbon vanilla is more noticeable on my wrists during this stage, and the cedar has calmed down somewhat, although it remains a main player. That said, in the crooks of my elbows, it continues to be quite prominent. My wrists smell mostly of the warm brown musk and vanilla cedar, but the crooks of my elbows smell mostly of musky cedar and cardamom.

 

This perfectly represents warm cat cuddles.

 

Verdict: I am glad I bought a bottle, and I look forward to seeing how this ages (and how it pairs with Bast)! I'm sure it will age magnificently. But for those who already have Tombstone and aren't sure they can justify having both, I have to say that I prefer Tombstone.

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This is the only cedar bpal scent I have. It's warm, mildly sweet with vanilla musk and a touch of fuzzy cedar and cardamom. I adore this scent and makes me think of my fuzzy babies.:D

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I wasn't sure how a scent could be "furry" but on first sniff it really does make me think of a warm cat. The cardamom and cedar notes are strongest to me, warm and woodsy. On my skin it doesn't change much from in the bottle. It's very close to the skin on me. A nice, warm and comforting scent for sure, I just wish it had a little more throw.

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The Small Brown Cat is predominantly a cedar scent on me, a lovely, soft, sweet, vanilla-cardamom tinged cedar. Cedar domesticated, fuzzy around the edges. It curls up with you and purrs. No throw but decent wear length on me. Love!

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Got this imp from a friend, and was looking forward to trying it so very much!

 

Wet in the bottle: I'm not... sure what to think of this. Something fresh? Maybe?
5 minutes on: I think I'm getting mainly the cardamom and cedar.
10 minutes: Oh! That's where the vanilla is! I love this so much more now - it literally 'warmed up' on me. XD
15 minutes: This is just the softest, most gentle vanilla I ever smelt. I'm pretty sure it's the cardamom that is just making it all so much more mellow.
20 minutes: Still mellowing, and now the cedar is also making a return.
25 minutes: I wish the vanilla decided to stick around more. It's mostly cedar now, with a very gentle warmness playing in the background. I can't help but think that this is what a Yule should probably smell like (haven't tried any Yules yet). A cedar forest at night with a cup of warm vanilla milk.
30 minutes: I seem to have left the forest and am left with my vanilla milk now. This is such a ridiculously gentle and warm smell. I love it.
40 minutes: Cardamon comeback! In fact, It's pretty much all I'm smelling right now.
50 minutes: Everything's getting real mellow. I don't think it's fading, but more that it's all kinda blending together and no one note is really standing out anymore. I can kinda pick them out if I try, but it's just this delicious vanilla-y cedar-y... winter night's hug.
One hour: Still the same delicious blend, but I *do* think it might be fading a bit now. =(
An hour and 15 minutes: Soft vanilla is all I seem to be smelling now. Not that I mind, though!
An hour and a half: Fresh vanilla. I think it might be a hint of the cedar that's making it 'fresh'?
2 hours: There's not much left now. The vanilla is still playing some in the background if I breathe in deeply enough.
2 & 1/2 hours: A faint vanilla yummyness is what's left.

Edited by Pardona

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Got this scent to pair with my Tombstone HG. It's the perfect for pairing, but I also love it for a yummy take on the lab's cozy brown musk (Canis Major is also a fav).

Starts out strong on the dry cedar, spiced up with cardamom. The sweet vanilla and musks start to come to the forefront as the oil dries down. The final product is mainly these two notes, with a tiny hint of cedar woodiness and a tinge of spice. Very fuzzy, cuddly kitty vibe! I do wish the cedar stayed a bit stronger for longer on my skin, but I put a drop on my shirt and that helps fulfill the wish.

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My own small, brown cat! ❤️ 

 

First Sniff: Gentle cardamom and cedar hiding in the background.


Initial Wet Application: Right off this is furry and warm. And the cedar is behaving so far. 


Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this completed the dry down, it was lighter and more on the perfumey-side of fur, but it was still reminiscent of fur. There’s something light and almost flowery in this too. Once this dried completely, it was light and powdery. 


My Reaction: At one point I think I was getting the bourbon vanilla, but it wasn’t particularly strong. Unfortunately, this faded into lightness and barely-there fluff. I will hang onto this for my own small brown cats, but it ended up being too light on my skin. 


Rating: 2
 

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I am so sad to be seemingly one of the few who REALLY didn't like how this smelled. On me, it smells almost musty. I don't get the cardamom or vanilla at all. It does smell a bit "fuzzy" but it's still quite weird-smelling. It's tough to describe. It's too bad, this is the only scent I can't bear to wear. :( 

Edited by lakeplacidskater

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Worn on one arm while testing It Was Just a Cat (Weenie 2020) on the other. 

The cedar is initially prominent and gradually fades to the background, allowing the vanilla to seep through. The smell of fur is cuddly soft, the smell of a kitty you want to bury your face in and hope it doesn't claw you to death. 

The brown musk is comforting. Not for someone who dislikes cedar, as it dances in and out in varying degrees of strength throughout the wear but is a complementary component that doesn't overwhelm the entire blend on my skin. I've had this on for about four hours, decent throw. 

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This hits me wet on with a sharp green cardamom and a funky vegetable brown musk - it's a bit stinky but also has a warmer woodsy quality that surely comes from the cedar.

It's smells very furry and brown indeed - no vanilla to be detected, however.

 

The sharpness fades quickly and leaves a warm woodsy scent on my skin.

Is this more than a single-note cedar?

I wouldn't mind the brown musk so much if the vanilla would gives this a creamy and feminine vibe that I'm missing to really like this.

I'd like to smell this on another person I cuddle up to, not really on myself.

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I stinking LOVE this scent, and I think she deserves more attention!

 

This is a cozy, earthy, non-food vanilla. It's so deep that it makes me think of fudge brownies - there's no chocolate note, it's just reminiscent of that gooey dense experience. I don't get much cedar, except that there's an edge to this that keeps the vanilla from being cloying or overwhelming. 

 

This is an esoteric description, but this is a beautiful cozy scent with POTENTIAL, as the word is used in physics. It's static now, but I can feel that it's just waiting to spring into action. It's not one of those cats that you can pick up and move around and it will just open an eyelid halfway to glare at you. No; this is one of those cats that, when you sit still enough for long enough in exactly the right beam of sunlight, it just might deign to adorn your lap with its fluff, at which point it tiptoes very carefully onto your thighs and deliberately curls up into a just-right ball, and so you sit there without moving because you know if it senses that you're going to disturb its precious rest it will be up and out of your life in an instant and you might never get it back.

 

KINETIC POTENTIAL. Cozy and precious and liminal AF. Just like my favorite cats. It's perfect.

 

Low throw, lasts for about 4-5 hours.

 

ETA: I slathered it on my mom and my unsuspecting husband. 
 

my mom amps pine/juniper scents and she amps the cedar in this. The vanilla comes out to warm & balance everything, but it takes much longer than on me, and the cedar is still a prominent note on the dry down. 
 

on my husband, he said the throw smelled like makeup when wet. On dry down it’s a halfway point between me and my mom: a 50/50 balance between vanilla and cedar. It’s very snuggly and I like it. 
 

ETA (July 2023) : two years later, this scent has deepened beautifully. The sharp edges on the cedar are rounding out, and it is less about-to-pounce and more “when I wake up from this nap I might attack something languorously.”

 

I haven’t been wearing this much because the cardamom and cedar get loud on me, but it will definitely get more wear now that it’s relaxing. 
 

This is SO GORGEOUS, and I’m contemplating getting a back up bottle just to age it. 

Edited by Estamets
Added aged

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This definitely wasn't what I expected, but pleasant all the same! I believe the variety of cedar in this is Atlas cedarwood, which in my experience is a bit of a dirtier/muskier cousin to the regular variety. This gives the scent a definite animal-like tinge that in this context really plays interestingly with the other notes.

 

The cedar is definitely intense upon application and takes a while to relax in the drydown. After it does settle, the cozy fur note (my favorite note from the lab) and the cardamom poke through. The sweet spiciness from the cardamom and the brown fur really smooth the blend out and make it cozy. I do wish the cedar was a bit weaker for the sake of these notes, but I do think this is a marvelous blend. 

 

Definitely gives "outdoor cat" vibes as opposed to a cuddly indoor cat.

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Whoops, how did I not review this yet? I purchased a bottle for a friend who, yes, has a small brown cat. (I do as well but she is not so nice usually as to deserve a warm cuddly blend.)

Definitely a scent for when the weather gets colder. The cardamom is not overwhelming, less like Indian food and more like baking. Cedar gives it some dry warmth. There's unobtrusive musk to give you that "warm fur" aspect. The bourbon is there but I don't think I could catch the vanilla. As a whole, however, it's a lovely blend and my friend adores it, so it's a win.

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In the bottle this is almost alarmingly cedar, but I don't get anything nearly that sharp even while the oil is wet on my skin.

In fact, I'm not getting any individual note dominating as this dries, it is just cozy fuzzy goodness. 

 

My experience of Small Brown Cat is quite different than my experience of Tombstone, although I enjoy both. The musk seems to obscure the cedar for me, because I get way more of that note in Tombstone. This blend reminds more of Rabbit Moon 2021, based on the fur and cardamom notes, but while the rabbit is a wild critter, this scent is domesticated and ready to curl up in your lap. 

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Throughout the pandemic (and several major life changes), Neil Gaiman books have been a salve for my frazzled nerves. Small Brown Cat is the perfect comfort scent to go with my comfort books. It truly smells like fur -- fuzzy, dusty, warm. The vanilla adds a hint of unobtrusive sweetness. The cardamom cools the scent just enough to allow me to wear this on 85°F days. The cardamom is dominant on my skin, which I love. I don't notice the cedar, but I imagine it gives the scent a bit of a backbone that prevents it from just poofing off the skin. Really a lovely, warm hug of scent.

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this reminds me of brown jenkin when it first goes on... but better!  and this coming from someone who has enjoyed brown jenkin for many years. but whereas the jenks is a feral, sharp-toothed, prickly haired, little brown musk critter, brown cat is a domesticated and softly furry brown musk lap warmer. 

 

this goes on as soft cedar and brown musk.  as it dries, the vanilla and cardamom take a huge step forward.  the vanilla keeps everything soft, and the cardamom keeps the vanilla dry. the cedar hangs to the back infusing it with a soft warm woodsiness.  the musk is really lovely; warm and furry and rich. 

 

after huffing small brown cat for a while,  going back to brown jenkin feels like a sharp olfactory assault.  i think this is what i always wanted brown jenkin to be.  but brown jenkin gives zero fucks what i want. brown jenkin does what it pleases. sbc, on the other hand, is eager to please and sweetly accomodating. i can practically hear it purring on my skin. 

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