notjonathan

This is very strong when wet. Deeply smokey. You've been up late, plotting schemes by firelight. After an hour or so the smoke is less harsh and things get more complex. Musk and vetiver, supremely and purely dark, smoothed by worn black leather. I love vetiver, and blending it with musk binds the two, I guess. I usually pick up on musk notes hours after everything else has faded away, but this kept its complexity throughout the day.

I love woods of all sorts, and this is as pure and crisp a cedar as I've ever encountered. You walk to the hilltop, a clear day in late autumn, pale sunlight now but it rained last night, you have a slightly dusty book with you. And, as others have noted, a ghostly lilac -- but when you stop and try to find it, it's gone.

Dusty and dark, without the musky sweetness of Dance of Death. Sharper and brighter, resinous. An ancient cathedral, dimly lit, distant incense, a funeral, but without the flowers. The confessional near by was made from cedar. But it goes a little candley after a while.

Floral when wet, the dirt seemingly a minor undertone. It really does smell like a graveyard, an old woman leaving a bouquet of roses, a freshly turned grave not far away. The earth becomes more prominent as it dries, but ultimately fades after a few hours to a very straight rose/floral.

Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder. I'm normally not into aquatics at all, but this was a happy surprise. It's really well balanced between teal and amber: aquatics dominant when wet, fading to balance with the musk/patchouli/leather/rum/sarsaparilla. I'm straining to catch the gunpowder. After a while the balance shifts towards the sepia tones. Similarly balanced, I think, between masculine and feminine. Really complex. Reminds me strongly of Dee, not in the specifics but in the balance and poise.

Strong in the vial: dark and musty, phantom vanilla and black rubber, the absolute faintest whiff of burning plastic (vetiver + anise, I guess). It got more complex very quickly upon drying, in a nice way. The anise comes forward well, and the cave-y comments are accurate to me. I'm not familiar with civet so I don't think I could pick it out. For fans of vetiver and anise, which I never would have thought could blend so well.