Arsenic

Tried it on a strip in Sephora more out of curiosity than anything, the description made me roll my eyes. "Oh, sure. SURE it smells like absinthe and salt. Uh huh." Kept putting the strip back to my nose despite myself. Got a small sample to take home. And over the next week, became obsessed. I usually want my perfumes to be subtle, inoffensive, but attractive. I lean toward Guerlains. I want to smell like the sexy feminine scion of old money, frankly. Nothing about this perfume hits the points I usually gravitate to. But it is spellbinding. A major factor by which I judge perfumes is how well the scent holds up to and cooperates with the various smells I come into contact with and sometimes pick up throughout my day. Those smells are, in no particular order: cigarette smoke, office coffee, phenol, formaldehyde, decomposition, hot metal, crematory smoke, flowers. Some of those smells (cigarette smoke and decomposition, namely) cling to a person and her clothes more than others. Have you ever tried to find a perfume that manages to transform the smell of death which clings to your hair into something which doesn't disgust and frighten people you come into contact with? It is not an easy task, I can tell you that. This one, though . . . wow. I can't stop smelling myself. It's embarassing, frankly. It smells like something you want to eat but shouldn't because you found it on a path in a dark wood with somebody else's name written on the gift tag and a shadow scurried off when you approached it. And the shadow was chuckling. I hug people a lot in my job. People who need a hug, and who also aren't in the best place emotionally. Certainly not people you expect to give you compliments. But they do. They have not once said "your perfume smells lovely" while I was wearing Arsenic. Instead, they always say, "you smell so good!" Even when I realized I was in love with Arsenic, I never expected it to be a scent that was appropriate for daily wear. But it's turned out to be one. It is somehow comforting and disconcerting at once, delicious and dangerous, and always just barely beneath conscious notice.

Arsenic - such a suitable name for this poison! I've never smelled anything like this. It's intense, sharp, but of a smooth, green quality that swirls with salty vanilla absinthe once it settles down. It smells like the smoke of a witch's brew crawling out of a chimney somewhere deep in the Black Forest. The fennel is unmistakable as it hurls itself out of the nozzle with force into your olfactory senses. However, the fennel is only there to unveil the sleeping beast beneath: absinthe. Absinthe calms the fennel with an herbaceous lullaby that will put you sound to sleep... maybe forever. The vanilla keeps it from falling flat, and the salt prevents it from turning sweet. Wicked, spell-binding, and deviant. Beware. It's deadly when overdone; don't shower yourself with it. Two sprays is enough to last you a full day. It sticks to you like sap, with sillage wide enough to cast a spell on nearby souls. Arsenic hangs in the air like your breath on a frigid winter evening. My ultimate poison for cold weather...

Compared to many other perfumes, this could be strange- but I say strange in the most affectionate and complimentary way. I had did a blind buy on this years ago based on reviews. First time I smelled it, I reminded me of the town I lived in not far from Denver when I was a little girl. Describing that is something like- a bookstore/magazine stand, fresh green grass, and something of a clean brewery that makes their root beer/cream soda. It is a linear scent. And while some people have a thing against linear scents, I think it can be great for many people that have sensitivities. Linear is pretty straight forward and if you do or dont like it within five minutes, you know whats in your hands. I love this but unless "strangeness" appeals to you, maybe dont blind buy. It is lovely tho and I have received many compliments when wearing this fragrance.

Arsenic was my introduction to Tokyo Milk and frankly it was the name and bottle design that caught my attention. It is a very unusual scent. Although it is decidedly vanilla, it is not your pop princess sweet vanilla. This is wild vanilla that spent the night cuddling with a wormwood plant in the herb garden. Near the ocean. Such different notes and yet somehow they blend into a delightful scent unlike anything else I've ever smelled. It opens with a strong burst of green/wormwood/fennel. Then it slides into a vanilla overlay to the wormwood. Finally, well into the development, a distinct, clean scent emerges that I can only identify as sea salt. Unique. Contradictory. Delightful. Its not a scent I want to wear every day but for those times when I'm feeling a bit....different this scent is perfect.

This is my go to scent. The first time I smelled it, I did not enjoy it. My mother received it as a gift, sprayed some on, and offered her wrist to the table. It smelled weird and licorice-y. Months later, I stopped by while on vacation and spritzed some on. The rest of my trip I could not stop smelling my wrist. Then the whole weekend I obsessively smelled the scarf I had been wearing. intriguing. I started wearing it when I was 24. I wear it daily in the cool months. In summer months I save it only for my neck. There is a sweet vanilla, with a dark bitter undertones. I love the fennel. It's sexy and sophisticated, and although there is a warmth it is nothing like amber. It invites one in closer to smell it again and again. Love it.

Got this for my "edgy" teen. The promise of a dark experience and of course the bug on the bottle was what she wanted. But it turned out to be a very pleasant and light scent. I was waiting for the sharp green absinthe smell.It is there but very faintly. It reminds me of a barn filled with newly cured mixed hay. Vanilla from cured clover and other dry green smells from the various wild field herbs. The scent is light and close to the skin. Not a real sweet perfume. Good for work or anywhere you want to smell nice but now overpowering or giving off a come hither aroma. Comfortable and happy. Fair (4 hour) longevity. Not a bad blind buy at all for me. But the search for dark and edgy continues for the teen.

this was my absolute favorite; i still have the bottle but once it runs out i will be so sad, i can't believe they discontinued it!! i love the green notes with the salt and spice and absinthe, and how it turns more vanilla over time. it's aromatic but not in an overly herbal way, which i love because i don't like to smell like a massage parlor, lol. i have yet to try the other margot elena tokyomilk perfumes, but maybe i should branch out since mine will be running low sometime soon! only issue i have is the longevity; it's weak to moderate at best but it's a good scent if you don't care about that, or can be home and re-spray.

Arsenic is...strange. Typically I think of vanilla as a more feminine scent, but arsenic makes it unisex. It is, like many others have said, a darker vanilla. I would say it smells like vanilla mixed with the crispness of rain in the forest and a lingering kind of spice I can't place. I bought this off of Ebay, the only place this can be purchased now, and I'm glad I did. If I were going to try to create this scent or dupe it, I would say method men's sea + surf body wash with dossier aquatic vanilla on top would get the closest to replicating it. I am going to have to stretch my bottle thin....

Huh - I had no idea so many people hated this fragrance. Arsenic and Bulletproof in the TokyoMilk Dark line were my first real, adult forays into the world of fragrance. I LOVE Arsenic. The spicy, salty green is so appealing - fresh, wet, green vanilla. I am not a fan of sweet fragrances and over time I've discovered that my taste in scent leans unisex to masculine. I guess it just depends on what you like! It seems like this one has been discontinued, so I'm going to have to read up on what I can replace it with when my bottle runs out.

Notes: Absinthe, Vanilla Salt, Cut Greens, Crushed Fennel I absolutely love this scent. The first one I got of it was actually the hand cream version, but I loved it so much I bought the Eau de Parfume, and it was definitely worth it. It's the perfect mix of vanilla, spicy, and freshness. The cool-down is much calmer, kind of like a lingering vanilla and a very light spiciness. I actually spray it on my pillow. The scent is really chill and unisex. Would definitely recommend for just about anybody. I'd say it's a safe blind buy.

This is super weird in a totally delightful way. I can't stop smelling it. I've never smelt anything like it! It truly does smell 'poisonous' and has this strange fizzing sensation in the top notes. Witches Brew indeed, In fact it reminds me of these candies I had as a child called witches brew that where dark green and foamed up in your mouth - they had a very similar green, salty cola-ish flavour/scent. My one worry with this is that I'm not sure how much other people will appreciate this smell. But to hell with them!

this? I LOVE THIS. someone further down absolutely hated arsenic... said it smelled like root beer and it DOES. she pretty much nailed it. i could not for the life of me figure out why i was so obsessed with this unusual scent and now i know why! it reminds me of root beer... fizzy, sweet and refreshing with a splash of vanilla. i know it sounds odd but it WORKS... i wish i could bathe in arsenic and smell like this 24/7 but for now i'll settle for a dab of my wrists before i sleep and smile and dream and ahhhhh....

This one from the Tokyo milk dark series is one of the best 2nd or 3rd tied with pretty rotten which would be 2nd or 3rd for me. It's simply unique and original. It doesn't smell like the typical fragrances. Notes on the bottle - Absinthe - vanilla Salt - cut greens - crushed fennel I love it, It's beautiful and special. I do not think any particular note dominates this one. Instead they all blend quite well together.

Such a strange perfume - sharp, cool and urban. The vanilla warms up the scent just enough to keep it wearable, but without pushing it into a traditional sort of pretty. This scent is addictive and indefinable, with a sillage that envelopes those you stand near with an intoxicating waft, without overpowering them. Two sprays in the morning and I'm still casting spells twelve hours later.

This scent opens up salty and herbaceous. As it dries, the salt fades, the greens turn slightly bitter, and a creamy vanilla appears. This is what I imagine an old-time apothecary smells like. When I wear this, I can't stop smelling myself. The vanilla makes it soft, the greens keep it fresh. Love this stuff.

Lime is not listed as a note, but on my skin, salt and lime are the primary notes I detect. The overall impression is sharp and green. This is a little too strong for daytime, but I wear it on summer nights

one of my most fave scents! the best blend of fresh, clean, crisp and warm at the same time. yet to find an adequate dupe to it.

Vanilla and absinthe is what i smell most. what a beautiful combination.

This is such an interesting and unique fragrance, and I am very sad that it is now discontinued, I would have bought a full bottle of this immediately if I had known of its existence before a few weeks ago. I was gifted a small decant that I now treasure, and only put a drop on one wrist when I want to carry this feeling with me all day, because it does last incredibly well (8+ hours) and it actually has quite strong sillage, at least on me. If full bottles weren't so expensive on eBay, I would purchase one in a heartbeat. This is a vanilla fragrance that smells like it will cut you in half. It's chilly and sharp on the opening, with an almost mentholic greenness that feels cold, damp, and like it's going to snow any minute. You can see your breath in the air, and the earth is frozen beneath your feet as you crunch through the grass of a quiet forest. After the greenness dissipates, you get an inviting, yet somehow evil unisex vanilla that is more herbal than sweet or gourmand. This vanilla is a dark ghost in the distance of the falling snow, carrying a scythe, for cutting the grass you're walking through, or for cutting you, you're not quite sure. This is the vanilla I have been searching for, and alas, like the ghost it is dead and gone.

Just arrived in the mail today, I must say I was kind of skeptical on weather or not I would like this, I bought this on a whim out of pure curiosity for the fragrance. I must say this was a good whim, this is absolutely beautiful!, I can not stop smelling my wrist, it's so uniquely different, What you have is a nicely balanced green herbal vanilla. On me it started off a little intense, but then quickly faded into a fresh green vanilla with just a smidge of spice. Honestly to me its like smelling fresh cut spring grass that was coated with Vanilla && I'am just loving how it's reacting with my body chem. I do also pick up the musty book reference mentioned in the previous comments, though I don't mind it I feel it just adds to the unique-ness. Funny when I put my nose up to my wrist I get the full effect but when I walk I just pick up the subtle hints of vanilla, Loving it! My mom evenly likes it surprisingly lol. I'm wondering how this would do with layering I think it might pair nice w/ my Gaultier Summer, their main accords list is fairly similar, we sha'll see :)

Cola. Arsenic by TOKYOMILK is a perfect reconstruction of the bittersweet accords that make American colas so damn addicting. A trifecta of sweet fruit (there is the faintest hint of a cherry accord) syrupy vanilla, and bitter green woods come together to recreate the that first can-popping second, all froth and fizz poured into a cold glass. As it dries, Arsenic begins to lean over to the dry-herbs-and-musk side of things. The way the anise is handled is really excellent. It retains it's herbal root smell, instead of marrying the vanilla and morphing into a licorice clone. Arsenic is a gourmand beverage fragrance with a forest-floor undertone; soda with grass clippings and wet stones. Short lived, but Great. (And for those of you who aren't getting the pop-smell, there's this vintage, terribly regional cola called MOXIE that you need to try. This is moxie in perfume form.)

It is weird. It is unique. It's not quite like any other fragrance I've owned, and it's not one I would ordinarily want, based on the notes; but I find myself returning to my little sampler bottle of it when I'm in a certain kind of mood, when I want to stand out from the crowd. Green, salty vanilla sounds odd, and it is. It's a humid spring day at Edgar Allan Poe's house in Richmond. I don't break it out often because it's hard to know where this fits, but for some reason, I decided to wear this to a job interview a few months ago. It made me feel awake and confident, and I got the job. I'm sniffing my little bottle right now and thinking I might need to add this to my springtime lineup. I have to add that this is one of the only unisex perfumes I like to wear, and it leans slightly toward masculine. Very different for me, but that's what makes Arsenic charming.

With a name like ARSENIC, a perfume obviously instills certain expectations. Will it be intense--or even deadly? In the case of the new Tokyo Dark perfume, ARSENIC does mean intense, but definitely not deadly. This creation offers a rather eccentric combination of notes, including both absinthe and fennel, but also grass and salt, which does seem to give the composition an edge. It also makes my neck sting a bit. As far as the quality of this creation is concerned, I have to say that, although I was a bit taken aback by the masculine aromatic demeanor, I'm finding that it grows on me with each wear. I'd say that this one is probably an acquired taste, but worth trying absolutely for guys (this is by far the most obviously masculine perfume of the line), and also for gals looking for something a little bit--or even alot--different. This is definitely unique.

This is a bittersweet perfume, through and through. It starts out as a very alcoholic vanilla, with elements of wood smoke, bourbon, gunpowder and pepper. As it wears, the sinister snakes into the foreground. It's the sharpness of fennel, but with the slight sweetness of green pear, and possibly something even grassy or celery-like. It's not aseptic or acrid- it just catches on you a bit like a microfiber towel when you need moisturizer. This scent brings to mind old timey gangsters, but maybe cross dressing lady gangsters. It smells like I imagine subterfuge or poorly feigned innocence. It's an innocuous white powder sprinkled on a tea cake. Recommended viewing: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Recommended reading: Flowers in the Attic (1979) It is extremely strong and lasts a long time. You'll smell it on your pillow or scarf the next day (or days.)

This is probably the weirdest offering from the Tokyo Milk Dark collection, and I like it a lot. Arsenic definitely doesn't smell like much else on the market. Absinthe, vanilla salt, cut greens, and crushed fennel. Those are all unusual notes in themselves, and together they certainly make for an interesting composition. I get the sense of big, jagged salt crystals soaked in absinthe, intermingling with crisp, aromatic greens. The vanilla isn't clearly distinguishable...its role seems to be about smoothing the rough edges just enough to make this wearable. Arsenic comes across as salty, sharp, saturated...and refreshing at the same time. Very mineral-like and odd...it almost has a chlorine-ish quality. Unlike some of the other scents from the Tokyo Milk Dark line, this has very good lasting power and sillage on my skin.

Musty, and weird - If you want to smell like Miss Haversham (and sometimes i really do) then this is for you! A unique addition to your scent library -and at a reasonable price too. Definitely the best one in this line! Its not perfect however- I have the impression of a citrusy note that stands out discordantly amongst the rest to me, which feels incredibly synthetic and reminds me of a cheap lemon food flavouring -perhaps ive smelt this note before on those scampi flavoured crisps?! I'm all for synthetics but in this case this one grates on me! Does it ruin the perfume? Although the perfume may not be perfect, its still interesting and good value for the price. However its connotation does make the scent smell to me somehow cheaper. However, this is still a unique scent and a great introductory offbeat fragrance.

There's a reason the roach is the mascot of this scent. From the first spray, it smells just like a roach spray I had to use at this apartment in Chicago. It's definitely like bug repellent. There's something that pulls me in, but as the scent dries down, I get what could be a great masterpiece but instead is soap (not my favorite), and (still) bug spray, and synthetic vanilla. The whole thing is overpowering and not delicate in the least. It's like an awkward teenager trying too hard to be noticed. Something in this feels like I'm always on the verge of sneezing. But if those notes are what you'relooking for, you'll love this perfume. It's not for me.

I think this is a rather unique blend, I can't say I've smelled anything else on the market quite like it. Arsenic starts off herbal and green with hints of warm spiced vanilla. The bitterness of the herbs prevent the vanilla from becoming over-sweet, rather salty and spicy. It smells slightly medicinal, old time medicine, herbal teas with hints of vanilla to soften the blow. The fragrence, while strong, sits closer to the skin than you'd expect - you aren't going to clear a room with it. It's also quite long lasting on my skin, four hours later I could still smell the herbal salts clinging to my shirt. A true value for the price.

Arsenic is a blast of pure poison that you just can't stop smelling. The scent is strong, a bit over powering, but oh so fresh. I'm not a big vanilla gal, but as it is described as vanilla salt, the sweet is decidedly cut with the salty, and with the green accords of the fennel and wormwood. This scent is also powerful, and this is the first time I used it (and the bottle didn't want to cooperate) so I ended up with twice the daily dosage of arsenic. It's all I can smell. I'm going to be breathing it forever. In the best way. Next time, I will definitely be more conservative with my application.

This ended up being almost pure vanilla on me, which can have something of a powdery quality, which just isn't me. I wish the other stuff came through more. That being said, I did get compliments on it more often than not and I liked it for fall and winter. One kind of weird thing: the atomizer broke after only about a month. When the retailer contacted the company, she was told that they'd had other complaints and were in the process of re-designing the bottle. It's a cool bottle but if the atomizer breaks, there's no accessing the perfume - it doesn't twist off.

This is a bit of an olfactory oddity. It's a bit of this, a bit of that, and a bit of the other. However, it comes together into a powdery confection that just works once you put it on skin. That said, this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's the sort of thing that doesn't fit into neat categories, and is more of a "what is it?" than is going to be overwhelmingly popular. I love it for myself, but I would be hesitant to recommend it for others. Although, I may be indulging my desire to keep this secret for myself.

Definitely the most bizarre fragrance I own, but still oddly likeable. I can't see myself wearing this much in public, but maybe just every now and again for my own enjoyment. For the first twenty minutes or so it's intensely green and bitter, but the vanilla really comes through once it warms up. Though I think this is meant to be unisex, the salt and absinthe notes make it lean more masculine. The longevity is decent but the sillage is very soft.

As someone who forages in the wild for plants, I have experience with the plant Artemsia Absinthium, the main ingredient in Absinthe. I can say for certain that the flavour/smell is exactly the same. There's obviously more going on than just absinthium, but it's the core of this fragrance. Nothing artificial about this. Without going to Lush, this is about as natural as you're going to get in a fragrance.

Smells a little like black licorice with a ton of vanilla, kind of refreshing in an odd way. The initial spray reminded me of Gain laundry detergent my great aunt used, but I quite enjoy the dry down. Very green and reminds me of a damp forest after a heavy rain in the fall. It's a good mix of green and vanilla, they work very well together. Ok, now I totally smell a root beer float, very pleasant.

I really wanted to like this perfume. I bought it blindly without ever smelling it. All the reviews made it sound so amazing. It's a very different scent. It just doesn't work for me though. If anyone wants my bottle I'm practically giving it away on my instagram. My username is knzhwll I hate for it to go to waste because I'm never going to wear it.

This is more of a masculine scent rather than a feminine one. It is definitely green, the first punch you get is vanilla, but when it calms down, it fades away and leaves nothing but the fennel and some woodsy notes. It feels like what freedom should smell like. Is it intriguing. This whole Dark set is.

I don’t exactly get the “ bug” or “roach” spray, nor do I get the “root beer”. Maybe my nose is weird. While it’s definitely not for everyone, obviously, it does have an interesting scent unlike anything else. I bought a fb and find it wonderfully earthy and so unique. I love it.

This one is discontinued too? I hadn’t checked the brand in a while and noticed that the most interesting scents like Crushed and Arsenic were gone! Sad! These scents are forever 2010s nostalgia for me.

Like drinking absinthe in the yard on a cool spring day. Fresh and clean, smells great on my husband but I steal it sometimes for my sweaters

Fantastically weird! Arsenic smell like eating a vanilla dessert with a Centaur in a deep dark forest while snow is falling.Truly unique.

I tried this at the store. I like it and will add it to my wish list. To me it smells like a cross between Coke and Ginger Ale.

Vanilla that is not sweet but fresh because of the green notes.

It smells almost like a cleaner, but not in a bad way. It’s sharp, like a plant that doesn’t want to be eaten.

I smelled this at the end of a Sephora sniff-a-thon, and adored it ... at first. By that time my olfactory bulbs were exhausted and nothing smelled right. They gave me a tester to take home. The next day, with a fresh nose, I sprayed some on for a real test. To try to convey how unusual this scent is, I am going to skip past all the sniffing and analyzing I did trying to figure out what in the world I was smelling, past the repeated applications, past trying to trace the storyline from initial impression through the main punch and lingering denouement. The best way I can describe this scent is to say this: when I closed my eyes, relaxed, and brought my wrist up to sniff, and asked myself who I was smelling, I immediately thought of a little boy. This little boy is sucking on a root beer flavored candy, and he's spent the day rolling in the grass, climbing trees, tearing apart maple seed pods and sticking them on the end of his nose like Pinocchio. He has made whistles out of reeds and a little house for his cat out of leafy branches, who did not like it. His hands are green and he has ruined his clothes. He desperately needs to take a bath, which he will resist. He smells wild and free and dirty. I am a grown woman and I do not want to smell like this boy. I don't hate the smell. I just wouldn't spray it on myself.

If I could click I HATE this perfume button I would. It smells like root beer at first then the grass and fennel and salt kill you, and you smell like a wet dog. I always put it on about every 4 months to see if it really is that bad. After I spray myself I have to quickly lock myself in my house out of embarrassment of anyone smelling me. Seriously I am trying to get rid of it. If someone pay pals me shipping I will seriously send it to you if you want. I have about a 90% full bottle of the stuff. inbox me.

Negative review*. This is like the experimental noise music of perfume. Like a few of the reviewers before me stated, my impression of it is roach killer spray, vanilla coke and herbal cough drops. I don't like the smell of any of those things so it's a "No" from me. It's a minty herbal vanilla. But it does not smell edible. The only positive attribute is that there is nothing else like Arsenic. You will definitely stand out.

Smells like an even grosser version of Irish Spring soap.

Worst perfume ever! It smells so bad, and revolting.

With one spray on the back of my arm, I smelled fennel as licorice, a note of cola, and a light and slightly sweet mint. Whimsical and herbaceous, this isn't exactly green because of a sheer earthiness. It feels like you pulled the fennel and other herbs up roots and all and the nose just barely detects the smell of soil. There's so much going on that I don't want to miss and this fragrance quickly quiets down so I spray a second time and mess it all up. The second spray greets me with a very clear impression of Deep Woods Off. That was my experience trying Arsenic for the first time. Yesterday, I revisited the scent. I detected sea salt, I think, because I've encountered it in other scents and know how to recognize it now. I smelled vanilla and, of course, the licorice-like fennel. I'm not sure I smelled Deep Woods Off. I put a spray on each wrist and the back of each knee. I sniffed deeply, nose-to-wrist, several times, but I couldn't tell if a bug spray smell was hovering just behind the vanilla or not. The components of that accord were there to some degree and the mental association with bug spray was there because I oversprayed previously, but I really can't say for sure if I smelled like bug spray yesterday. Either way, I've ruined this perfume for myself. Maybe the name of this perfume is something of a warning. Be careful how you spray, people.

My husband bought this on a recent trip to Las Vegas because he couldn't stop smelling the paper strip. I don't know how to describe it besides : Wierd, addicting, creamy. I typically wear Chanel No.5 so wearing it the first time was definitely a scent adventure. One I don't regret. The dry down has the powderiness I love about No.5 but the top notes are so unique and quirky, I quickly fell in love. Of course, there is no comparison between Arsenic and No.5 apart from the fact that they are both powdery and even the powderiness is different. Arsenic is listed as Unisex. I would say it definitely leans more toward masculine women's scent. It's not sweet. It's not fruity. It's not a floral bomb. I'm not certain I would love it on my husband (prefer rich boozy/tobacco/leathery scents on him) although a less rugged lumberjack type could probably pull it off. So who would this work on? Well...me. Creative, head half in Wonderland, open-minded, obsessed with Victorian things, other lands, always reading, but with a taste for adventure and new experiences. Someone who doesn't shy away from life but yearns to experience worlds only dreamed about.