Silvertree

Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, the All-Mother and wife of the Not-to-Be-Named-One. 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. 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. 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!

Charred yellow sandalwood, dry bourbon vanilla, terebinth, pine pitch, and red musk.

A dolorous mélange of myrrh, crypt moss, soil, faded funereal incense, pallid balsam, decaying parchment, and cracked leather.

Cardamom-infused whiskey, fig cream, honey, and marshmallow fluff.

Aquamarine musk snarled in kelp, pine pitch, seafoam, Italian bergamot, and orchid.

Black leather, polished black patchouli and blood-red vegetal musk, bakhoor oudh, tobacco absolute, sacred frankincense, fossilized amber resin, and bittersweet cacao.

Vanilla cream, sugared-dusted buttercream, red benzoin, sweet amber, lotus root, frankincense resin, and polished hardwood.

This Lunar blend is soft with phlox, pink freesia, stargazer lily, tulip, daffodil, pink columbine, delphinium, pink carnation, peony, and muscari, dusted with pink sugar and honey, bourbon vanilla and a touch of the first strawberries of the season.

No further description.

A flutter of quaking aspen, sun-dappled leaves, hollyhock, mist-pale amber, rose de grasse, milky white musk, iris root, and skin musk.

No further description given.

Sacred frankincense suffused with black currant, lilac, and French lavender.

Ho wood and oak leaf, burnt black pepper, tobacco leaf, white oud, and costus.

No further description given.

Vetiver, black oakmoss, petitgrain, champaca, and ashes.

Licorice oud, blackened patchouli, anise seed, and taffy.

A love eternal, thrumming beyond death: honeyed red fruits, Bulgarian rose, mimosa, heliotrope, and red sandalwood.

No further description given.

Snowy coconut, hazelnut, cocoa powder, and spun sugar.

Snowy-covered Lenten roses, fuchsia camellia, winter heath, and primrose with a flutter of ambergris-gray feathers and boughs of frozen cypress.

Thick, ancient roots growing through honey, olive oil, and zea.

Olive oil, olive blossom, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig.

Tobacco smoke, lichen, deep green mosses, mushroom cologne, ambrette seed, and green sandalwood.

Cabbage accord, young lettuce leaves, cucumber pulp, and crystalline green musk.

Raw tubers, patchouli root, a tangle of vetiver, a splash of russet chypre, and a salty hint of eau de french fry.