Mr Ibis In the bottle: a soft fresh green aloe-papyrus with the unmistakable fresh tang of Egyptian musk.
Wet on skin: fresh and breezy light musk, this is almost like a cooler Ozymandias.
Dry on skin: mmm, this is really nice! It smells very clean and tangy-fresh, almost effervescent, and breezy. This isn't the heavy Egyptian musk in Debauchery, or the furry Egyptian musk from Bastet. This musk is the fresh, tangy Egyptian musk variety that I've smelt in other EM scents, it's almost aquatic and very cool, like a river breeze. The aloe makes this scent even greener, the combo reminding me of Et Lux Fuit meets Embalming Fluid, with a bit of Ozymandias (the airy fresh E-musk that may be perceived as 'soapy' by some is similar to Ozy's clean top note). I can just about make out a hint of dry, dusty papyrus underneath. This is beautiful.
After a while: this musk is very tangy, almost salty-it has the 'sun warmed skin with a hint of clean sweat' scent I usually get from paler Egyptian musks, but the aloe adds a cooler aspect, more like 'moonlit skin' here. It's a very bright, white luminous scent. The scent fades to a gentle aloe-touched fresh pale musk, like Embalming Fluid without the lemon tea, with a little bit of dry papyrus at the base, the papyrus isn't as strong as the reedy note I got in Meshkhenet, but I definitely recognise it. It's really a skin scent as well, as E-musk notes tend to be.
Then it fades to a dry skin musk. It is soft and with a slightly bitter aloe note (bitter in a good way) and a touch of papyrus, still cool and airy but without the effervescent tangy scent I got before, and now it's a little bit dustier and more papery. The scent is very gentle and soft. I don't get very much vanilla.
Verdict: I have an affinity for Thoth, so I needed to get this. And thankfully, I love this scent of fresh and airy musks, including a sharp, zingy variety of Egyptian musk-very clean and refreshing-it has a similar feel to the airy ozone notes without smelling like ozone. Unlike most Egyptian musks which have a sun-warmed aspect to them, this is very cool, a musk of the night. I also like the way this scent is both ancient in feel, and almost modern, at once. On the one hand it gives of a freshly sophisticated and almost clean cut scent to it, it is very unisex and understated-it strikes me as being a perfect refreshing scent for those hot days when I don't feel like slapping on anything with mint or citrus/tea. But there are enchanting evocative moments when this ethereal, breezy fragrance is like a soft wind blowing over the Nile at night, cool and slightly damp but still mostly dry from the desert all around, with a faint papyrus note. I haven't read AG so I don't know if this fits the namesake character, but it is an incredibly fitting scent for Thoth, I think. It is cool and silver-white, and reminds me of moonlight-and Thoth is a moon god. It is papery, also clear and focused and also quiet, a little papery and studious, but not stiff and dull…yet it does resemble Embalming Fluid's musk-aloe, which seems appropriate. A subtle, yet beautiful, bright and cool scent, perfect for everyday and especially good for hot weather. I'm going to wear lots of this once summer comes.
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? definitely. This seems to be one that will be worn a lot in summer. And how could I refuse a Thoth scent?
If you like this, try: Embalming Fluid, Ozymandias, Et Lux Fuit, Dolce Stil Nuovo, F5, Meshkhenet