Ossa Arida

[Mellifluous]

Frankincense, golden amber, bourbon vanilla, gurjum balsam, and Bulgarian rose.

Starts all sweet frankincense, very similar to Hope and Fear, but then dries to a more complex blend, with a tiny hint of floral. The rose really is buried far behind the other notes, so for me (traditionally dislikes rose) its not a problem here.

Very nice. If you liked Hope and Fear, I'd imagine this would work just as well for you. Even if you dont like roses.

[LadyMedb]

Delicate, sweet rose incense, like a distilled version of what you'd find burning in an Indian grocer's. Shadowy pinks with lots of resinous depth swirling underneath. Not at all a screaming rose - this one whispers. Love it. My only possible issue with it is it might fade too quickly - I'll have to check.

Edited December 1, 2013 by LadyMedb

[tziporra]

I sniffed this in the bottle and it smelled exactly like Hope and Fear set Free which I already have a bottle of (and love, but I don't need more). I did not skin test.

 

Tzi

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Frankincense and rose. I am somewhat reminded of Hope and Fear Set Free (minus the rose, obviously) and The Future Ball.

 

Wet: Frankincense, amber, and rose. I am hoping that I don't amp the rose in this. The resins are currently fighting with the rose note, and I think the rose is going to win.

 

While the resins and the rose fight for dominance, the vanilla is starting to peek out a little bit, but just barely.

 

Dry: Alas, the rose managed to take the center stage. The frankincense is sulking in the background and doesn't want to acknowledge its fate. This smells like rose-y incense.

 

Verdict: I have enough rose scents as it is, and I vastly prefer Hope and Fear Set Free to this scent, so I won't be getting a bottle.

[MiasmaResonance]

Smells like something familiar, maybe a shop in New Orleans, but also kind of granny like. Me no want to smell like this!

[AEris]

A very nice balance between resinous incense notes and rose petal potpourri. I don't get a smooth base like I expected, meaning I can't pick up on the vanilla or balsam. I like it - I think that for me, it is worthy of keeping my decant but I won't be dying to find a bottle.

[RiverPoet]

For me, this initially goes on as frankincense and amber. Then over a few hours it smooths out into a warm amber-vanilla. I never really get balsam or rose. Pretty, though, and great for cool weather.

[zankoku_zen]

Rosey frankincense and amber. The rose is subtle, the frankincense is a little sharp for my taste.

 

Pass. Totally not for me.

[milo]

I'm getting the rose at first, then the frankincense comes out. It ends up being a frank-heavy rose on me, very Christmassy. It reminds me of the Rose Cross. This is nice to try, but I don't need any more.

 

I retract that. I do need more. The amber comes out even later, and it is rich and heady with a touch of frank and rose. I need at least a decant, maybe more:)

Edited December 7, 2013 by milo

[Mokiefraggle]

I had an awful time deciding whether to buy this or La Lugubre Gondola, since I could only afford one for my Black Friday purchase this year. I chose this one because it had more notes I hadn't yet tried, and I'm pleasantly surprised with what I received.

 

In the bottle: frankincense, most definitely, and a sweet, light rose that reminds me a bit of the tea rose lotions and perfumes I've occasionally tried but never worn personally. The vanilla is surprisingly low-key, not the warm, thick scent I'm used to from Snake Oil, nor the sweet scent in Dorian. It's soft, subtle, and barely there. I don't know if I'm picking up the amber or the balsam, as there's a sort of spicy-woody undertone that may be the balsam, but I'm not sure if I'm not just mistaking the frankincense.

 

Wet on skin: rose and frankincense, with a light hint of vanilla and something spicy...almost a little peppery? The rose is still a little tea rose sweetness, almost like the rose candies a friend at work introduced me to--a light, sweet scent that is unexpectedly intense, though not overpowering. The rose is definitely one of the stand-out notes for me, though I don't think it's too strong, either.

 

Drydown: the scent has begun to turn into a smooth, resinous, slightly spicy-seeming base with a clear rose note on the top. I can still distinctly smell the dry note of the frankincense, and the vanilla is a soft, smooth note that's just barely there in the background. It's a very delicately sweet scent, and the throw is mostly the rose at the forefront, with the resinous notes gentle and in the background.

 

Dry: very close to the skin, the rose still comes to the forefront of the scent. The other notes form a soft base of resin and a gentle sweetness in the face of the rose's more emphatic sweet.

 

It's a definite rose scent on me, that's for sure. I've never worn rose before, but it's not too bad on me. I'll keep this, I think; I'm not sure at the moment if I'm ever going to intentionally buy a rose-heavy blend, but this is interesting enough for me to explore the possibility. Have to see how this turns out with some more testing.

 

...and now I want rose candies. Darn it.

 

ETA: I really do like this, but it fades terribly fast. I might wear it for a night out, but it doesn't last long enough to be a daily scent. Such a pity.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Mokiefraggle

[SophieCedar]

I do love this scent. Its a little too similar to Hope and Fear Set Free (which I've been ab.so.lute.ly hoarding) for me to decide if I need a bottle. I'm sure I'll cave at some point. The rose is very subtle. I can pick up on the amber and balsam too. I would recommend this to someone who maybe thought the frankincense in Hope and Fear was too strong. This is much smoother.

[stellamaris]

This is gooey resin and delicious. Five out of five resin stars for me.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Rose and sweet incense mixed into amber.

 

Wet on skin: Rose and sandalwood, more than anything else. I'm starting to wonder if gurjum balsam is related to sandalwood. This actually remind me of The Little Wooden Doll at this point.

 

Dried down: I see people comparing this to Hope and Fear Set Free, but I think this is what I was hoping Hope and Fear would smell like on me, and it didn't. Dried down, this is rose and fragrant wood sweetened by vanilla and frankincense.

 

Throw: Basically, the drydown - the vanilla is slightly stronger in the throw (but not overpowering), and a wrist sniff brings out more of the rose and wood.

 

Verdict: ***** At first, in the wet stage, I was thinking this didn't feel quite special enough, but that changed once the vanilla started softening it up. This is beautiful. And...I think I need to place another bottle order quickly, before these come down.

[Aviatrix]

This one is heavy on the frankincense! I do get a bit of vanilla as well and a slightly floral feel that must be the rose. Rose and I don't always get along, but here it seems to work fine. I don't detect the amber, but I'm also not good at distinguishing resins.

 

It reminds me of Hope and Fear Set Free, but it seems more complex.

 

I am debating whether I like this more than La Lugubre Gondola. Maybe they really are equally awesome?

[JazzieCazzie]

Got through a decant circle.

 

IN THE IMP: Simple. Light. What I consider a "stock" BPAL scent. Which is not a bad thing.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Balsam is the first note to amp. I get virtually NO bourbon vanilla at all. Just a really great combination of the balsam, frankincense, amber and, to a lesser degree, the rose (which I like in a small supporting role).

 

DRYDOWN: This is goooooooooood. To me, it's what most people would call one of the "church blends" and I will too, but since I never went to church, it's just this great combination of peace and comfort and light.

 

OVERALL: This is not one I would have expected to call one of my favorites from a HUGE batch of Miskys, Yules and anniversary blends, but it is. I think it will go well with my Magus, Cathedral, Penitence, etc.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.8

[theseagrows]

this starts off as frankincense and rose. i see the similarities to hope and fear set free. the thing with that scent is, the initial frankincense-heavy part is unpleasant for me since bpal's frankincense note gets very leadlike on me. it's a bit leadlike in here too, but the rose and balsam seem to deplete that effect a bit. after awhile it's a beautiful vanilla-amber with hints of rose. now i am curious to try this and hope and fear next to each other, because it seems as if this one works better for me, if memory serves.

[stubbornfire]

Smells really warm in the bottle, and continues to be so when on. I get mostly amber and frankincense from it, but it's uh... not sure how to word it. It's like those two scents are being propped up by something soft and bright in the background.

 

The more it dries, the more I think I can catch bits of rose from that background mix, but it's still primarily an incense-y amber/frankincense blend. Very, very pretty; so glad I got a hold of a bottle. Definitely worth locating a back up bottle some time.