[whitsunweddings]

Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes.

A bit odd, this one.
In the imp: Blackcurrant, lavender and ozone.
Wet: The same. The blackcurrant seems quite sweet, while the ozone and lavender are quite biting.
Dry: It was like this perfume split itself into two parts: the harsh lavender and ozone (which I liked), and then a rather sweet blackcurrant musk, which I didn't really care for. Weird.

[SadariEvenstar]

Pure dish soap and dryer sheets, eye wateringly pungent. I'm sad, based on the notes I thought this would be great.

[Kuba]

It was a strange little journey with this one.
WHen I first got it over a year ago it was a high pitched citrusy scent with velvet-like undertone, or something smooth similar to Black Opal. I didn't like it at all and immediately dismissed it.

Now, after a year I was just sitting with my Imp box, going through various scents trying to decide what to wear when I pulled Lurid out of my stash. I decided to give it another go since I know how oils can age.
And wow, this is a completely different scent now. I can definitely smell the lavender. I have a little pouch filled with dried lavender from Provence and the note in Lurid is pretty much the same. There is something beneath it that grounds the whole blend but it's very subtle so I'm guessing it's the thick resins.
Black currant was present only in the wet stage, now it's mostly gone leaving a little bit of juiciness and what gives Lurid that high-pitched quality is the ozone note but it's not something sharp and artificial like in Lightning.
White musk smooths everything out with that light, powdery smell.

Overall it's a nice, chic fragrance but unfortunately it has a very weak throw. I can barely smell it unless I sniff my wrist and because it has ozone and black currant it might have a tendency to go soapy/sour on some people.

This post has been edited by Kuba: 30 July 2012 - 02:18 PM

[Gwydion]

In bottle: The currant and musk are strongest. It’s a surprise to the nose, but a pleasant one. Rich, slightly sharp resin gives strong support, with the touch of lavender and ozone blending beautifully with the other elements. Wet: The musk is strongest with the currant falling back to dance with the resin. The lavender is a bit more noticeable while the ozone stays an accent rather than standing alone. This is very sexy and a bit decadent. Dry: This is long lasting and ends up mostly musk and resin with a touch of lavender. It’s a bit heavy for me, but would be sexy on someone with less natural musk.

[Caper]

I bought this unsniffed when I was on a lavender kick and I am so glad! This is slightly sweet and fruity, slightly herbal, and warmed and rounded out by the musk and resin.

My dh said that it smelled like fresh linen,and I agree, but really nice linen that has been sun-dried and then folded with lavender sachets. And, um, maybe someone is eating black current sorbet in bed? The ozone is definitely clean, but luckily it doesn't smell like CK1 which is how ozone/clean usually translates.

This is easily one of my top fifteen, probably even top ten right now.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received an imp of this as lagniappe in a swap and am sooooooooooooo grateful. I don't believe I've ever tried it (I definitely didn't review it) and I'm thinking if I did ever receive it, it would have been as a frimp because the black currant and ozone notes would have scared me away.

Before I review it, I want to give major props to the review by LoraJC which kicked off this thread. It is so very very very on target for what I would have said as well ... I write up my notes before I come to the board, and then I look over the thread to be sure I hadn't already written a review, and I just sat there reading hers (and others) and nodding like a bobblehead doll.

IN THE IMP: I really expected to be hit in the face with fruit and have to battle just to test-drive it, since I have vowed to apply ever single scent I have -- new, old, imp, bottle. Yet oddly enough my first thought was "medicinal" (a word used a lot on this board and one which, for me, is a very positive note even though I still haven't figured out what it is -- often for me it's amber but there is no amber here). I get the fruity RIGHT after that but it's a resiny fruit and one which pulls me in instead of repelling me.

I was encouraged enough by that first impression that I actually applied it pretty generously to me wrist AND crook of my arm (the place where notes go to amp).

WET: This is an absolutely fascinating, unusual and complex blend on me. The resin is high up in the mix, as is the musk. The lavender and black currant kind of battle away behind those two. It is not what I think of as "fruity-bad" at all, but the sweetness of deep dark fruit is there. The scent this reminds me of the most is Nemesis -- not so much that the two scents are similar in notes as much as the complexity and balance of the notes it contains.

DRYDOWN: The ozone, which is NOT a good note for me, rises up on the drydown and for a few minutes I fear I'll lose my love for this, but in reality it only lasts for a short time, after which the long-term drydown is a fascinating combination of medicinal, resin, lavender, woods, musk, floral and dark tangy fruit.

OVERALL: I am amazed by how much I really love this scent. It is an absolute work of art from Beth.

On a scale of 1-5, this comes damned close to a 5. Maybe a 4.9?

[Atrous]

This is one of those scents that could have gone either way for me. Ozone, currants, and resin all work with my chemistry. White musk tends to get wonky. I feel iffy about the lavender since floral notes go sickly sweet.

Unfortunately, this went the wrong way :rant2:

This smells like cheap cologne, ugh. The notes my skin adores are nonexistent. All I smell is nauseatingly sweet powder and I need to scrub my wrists.