The Bug

This goes on smelling very bitter and herbal, yet at the same time there's an odd sweetness to it, the sweet element made me think of Sweet Tarts. Then it gets a rather funky compost scent, and then it suddenly changes tack and becomes creamy and resinous. At this point it reminded me a little of Lolita Lempicka's Si Lolita, which has the same 'creaminess' which I believe is down to the elemi resin. It goes on to develop a civet scent which reminded me of Guerlain Shalimar (which on me, in the current formulation, is very animalic) I'm actually trying one on each wrist and they are quite similar, though The Bug has kept something bitter and herbal and Shalimar is a much smoother scent. I don't think anyone would confuse the two but with both of them side by side I can see why Bug brought Shalimar to mind. The Bug gets a warm tonka sandalwood dry down, the two notes almost blend into one. I actually really like this, though I can definitely see how the opening could scare people away. When I think of perfume the first things that come to mind are resins and sandalwood. Wearing this I can picture some ancient Mesopotamian king with a coiffured beard and fringed robes sitting in a shady garden, anointed with precious resins. It's a scent that's exotic and distant yet warm and beautiful and it really does feel 'ancient'. I urge people to try this and try not to judge it based on the opening. It wears long but doesn't project a tonne, and every time I've put it on since buying it I've felt compelled to keep inhaling it.

Such a fascinating juice. It is rich leather and polished dark wood. I get lost in it and I love it. A friend who used to work at Lush gifted this to me years ago. He said: "I can't wear this stuff but if I know anyone who can, it's you". It didn't last long in its intended form: I was being clumsy and I dropped the bottle on the floor and it spilled. My bedroom smelled like The Bug forever. I lived in a tiny studio apartment in Amsterdam, writing my thesis, listening to Trentemøller in full volume, sniffing The Bug in the air. Long forgotten days of tangy sensations of wood and cheap art on the walls. I got myself a second bottle now. I'm overwhelmed. This is so potent, my whole house smells like The Bug again and I haven't even opened the (used) bottle yet. It's very well blended, and tricky to pick out singular notes. But leather, holy mother of slick smooth leather, so much leather. This is RICH. Imagine you're cozying up covered in beddings made of quality new leather. Yes. I feel powerful, almost blinded -- I do not notice my surroundings. So powerful, and nothing else matters. My muscles grow stronger. My mind is clear. I am alive. I am The Bug. I am Kafka's inspiration. I am everybody's inspiration. Take that!

Very strange and I mean that in the best possible way. This is hard to define, I can’t say when is the most appropriate time to wear it, or who could pull it off, as it’s just so damn strange. Like a lot of the Lush fragrances, it’s more of an experience than a spritz-on to simply smell nice and I consider it 100% unisex. It’s very green, first application is powerful; like snapped celery sticks, cracked pepper and grass clippings right under your nose, but that’s the closest description I can conjure, as it’s a very alien aroma to my nose. Dry down is incredible, a warm green, the woods and resins becoming more pronounced but still with a faint background of that wonderfully strange note from the first spray. Conceptually, the whole dystopian/post-apocalyptic vibe is very fitting, I can imagine scenes of vegetation reclaiming long-abandoned buildings, empty malls, vacant offices; purely aesthetically though: this perfume does not smell of mould, mildew and dust. Contrarily, it is a very pretty, interesting and oddly addictive scent.

Love love love love love this. Its such a shame that Lush has chosen to give their perfumes such odd, non descriptive names because I am sure it makes many people pass on testing scents that prove incredibly beautiful, like this one. Because of the high proportion of natural ingredients there is also some deviation in the scents of different batches - I have had a slightly more aromatic Bug and a sweeter Bug, for example - in any case both of them were this incredibly beautiful, slightly aromatic and balsamic blend of deep resins with a hint of cola. Wait for this beast to develop on your skin. I could bathe in this stuff, its something I simply want to keep smelling, so deep and rich in a natural, beautiful way. Comforting sweetness without becoming boring or overpowering, just right natural ambery come hither & see what I am hiding marshmallow. Just divine.

Does galbanum smell like celery? Because The Bug on me is strong and heady, like a pop in the nose, of celery and labdanum—which I nostagically love because of growing up with a neighborhood park filled with labdanum bushes. Heavily resinous and green, so it's very much not for everyone, yet I love it.