The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices.
Source: The lovely chopchica sent this to me fresh from Convergence! Shub-Niggurath arrived in an amber bottle, with a light brown label decorated with the five-pointed star from this image. (See pictures in the LE labels thread.)
Preconceived notions: As soon as I read that this was supposed to smell of "evil gingersnaps," I was desperate to try it. I love spicy blends, and ginger is a particular weakness of mine. So I'm expecting this to smell quite a bit like the Gingerbread Man's evil twin. :P
In the bottle: Immediately I smell pure, fresh ginger- the scent that rises from the cutting board as you peel back the skin from a hunk of the root. It's fresh and juicy, and tingles in my nose a bit. There's also something herbal going on in the background- again, very juicy and fresh, as if there are fresh leaves stuffed into the bottle that are just oozing green. Not tree leaves, but spicy herbs that definitely smell powerful... that must be the ritual herbs.
Wet on skin: The oil is a pale gold, and not too thick. I close my eyes, and I am wandering through the forest with a woven basket and a knife to harvest the components I'm searching for. They're rare and won't grow in a garden- you must go into the woods and search them out if you need them. Only then will you be able to include them in your endeavors- that is, if they want to be found. The ginger and herbs balance out, and I'm chopping the herbs finely and mixing them in a big wooden bowl with the ginger. I'm not sure what the aphrodisical spices might be, but I think I smell cinnamon and- cardamom? Not certain, but it is a very exciting and invigorating scent.
Dry on skin: Dry, Shub-Niggurath is mostly ginger again, but the green herbal juiciness is still present. I'm wracking my brains trying to come up with which herbs might be part of this blend, as there's a nice freshness but also a little bit of something peppery. Chicory? Cress? I don't know what it is, but I know that I love it. This scent is very warm on my skin, but it's a gentle heat. Also, a bit of incense unfolds- warm and spicy, not smokey.
Final impressions: This is such a lovely scent! I'm sad to admit it, but I'm not terribly familiar with Lovecraft's work. However, the Springtime in Arkham line has inspired me to start reading his stories. I'm not too familiar with the mythology surrounding Shub-Niggurath, so I'm sad to say that the scent doesn't mean as much to me as it might to someone who has read Lovecraft more extensively. Having said that, this scent does not invoke corruption or anything dark- it's warm and spicy and fresh (all my favorites!) and I find it both energizing and comforting. I can't attest to its effectiveness as a lust incense, but I'll endeavor to do some research.
ETA: I wore this Saturday night. As soon as I walked in the door, the boy sniffed the air, and said, "What is THAT???" He proceeded to enthusiastically sniff my wrists and neck, saying, "Mmm, cinnamon!" I thought he was just hungry, because he sometimes forgets to eat during the day, but I found out later that he was... hungry. :D
Those who love Three Witches and Gingerbread Poppet should definitely give this a sniff. There is none of the floury/cakey essence of Gingerbread Poppet, but I'm glad this scent is distinctive. I certainly plan to stock up!
This post has been edited by Shollin: 15 September 2007 - 08:11 AM

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