Badger and Mole drinking chamomile tea in tweed jackets
The opening is immediately sharp and a little overwhelming, with a strong silage; the pepper was extremely dominant, almost to the point I felt like sneezing, and it was hard to pick out much else other than a rather generic woodsy-cologne scent. Within a few minutes, it settled down and some of the more interesting notes began to peak through the wood and pepper -- the chamomile is very apparent and lends a bit of coolness to what is otherwise a very warming, spicy scent, and if I really search for it I can pick up on a little sweet orange.
The image this gives me is not quite chipmunk; it doesn't have the lightness and playfulness I associate with spry, little chipmunks. I picture something closer to Badger and Mole from Wind in the Willows -- they're tucking into their den to hibernate for the winter, dressed up in their wooly tweed jackets that smell heavily of spice and drinking a cup of chamomile tea. The scent is much heavier and more masculine than I was expecting and would prefer, and the longer it sits on me the more the patchouli and animalic notes start to come out, which I'm not a fan of and which I may have to wash off to avoid a headache. There's also a dusty note that makes it smell rather old, like my grandpa's house.
It's not an terrible scent, overall, just not one that I would wear. It's easily the least interesting of the Zoologist lineup that I've tried -- but for that reason, probably one of the easier blind buys, as long as you like spicy, woody scents. But for me, it's too generic cologne-y and the patchouli kills it in terms of wearability on my skin.
