mymymai

I have a bottle of Arkham Revised from the Springtime in Arkham collection (2005 I think).  I can't find any scent notes for Arkham Revised.  Is this just an early version of A Picnic in Arkham's Arkham?

• ITI: I was expecting polished wood and absinthe, since those notes tend to dominate, but instead I'm getting fragrant pipe tobacco, sugar, and a hearty dram of rum .  I imagine this would be what a gentleman's reading room from the 1800's would have smelled like.
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• Wet:  Wow, this is a bit too sweetly foody on immediate application.  It's like tobacco butterscotch, gobs of caramelized sugar, absinthe candies, and sweet pipe smoke.  I was bowled over just a bit as I was applying this, so I hope that it settles down some because it is rather sweet. 
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• Dry:  Now that it has had a chance to settle (an hour), the scent is less cloying and more a reflection of a rich pipe tobacco, fragrant and thick, infused with heavy rum musk and almost caramelized sugar.  Teakwood peaks out from underneath the heavy rum and tobacco notes every now and then, adding a contemplative sophistication and pleasantly faint astringency that keeps the scent from skewing too overbearing. 

ITI: Yum, sweet and exotic, like a lush jungle right after the rain, berries dripping onto upturned, fresh florals. There's a cleanliness to this scent which is strangely soothing next to the very light resins. Over the last hour, I've been trying to put my finger on the quality of the berry note. It doesn't remind me of strawberries or raspberries for that matter. Finally, it struck me: Dewberry! If you've ever smelled The Body Shop's Dewberry perfume, the berry note in venom is a slightly lighter version of it.

Wet: Clean, fresh, dark berries swirl around heady jasmine and bits of lime while galbanum undulates from the base notes to support the berried floral. It's sensuous, dark, feminine, and almost deceptive in its progression. I would say that this certainly lives up to its name.

Dry: Slightly soapy but resinous round black berries, both extremely alluring but equally poisonous. The resin certainly does bloom after it has had a chance to settle, making this a lovely scent for those who enjoy fruity orientals. Even after the initial dry-down, this scent has a decent throw - roughly 3.5" from my wrist 2 hours after application.

ITI: Round, golden resins and woods delight my nose.

Wet: Delightful reins surge forth, followed by a sweet polished gold tone that wraps itself around the regal wood tones, specifically elder and rowan. It reminds me Ellie's Song, but sweeter and slightly more resinous.

Dry: Musky myrrh and frankincense bedeck polished woods that glow under the evening lights. There's almost a vanilla'd tone to scent as well, but my gosh, this is a gorgeous scent if you are a fan of woods and resins.

ITI: Interesting. On first sniff, I'm met with a lovely, creamy wood with a very subtle and subdued floral musk and a touch of cashmere.

Wet: Ah, there's the slightly more forceful cedar, flanked by almost a fuzzy musk (which must be the auburn and perhaps a touch of the clove bud). The labdanum emerges, swathed in gauzy cashmere and a touch of warmed patchouli. Faint honey weaves itself around the heavier notes, yet it isn't sickly sweet but more of a beeswax note, which is genius with these woods.

Dry: This reminds me of BPAL's Scholar's Tower now that it's dry, but less resinous and more creamy and musky. It's less resinous, though. On its own, the scent is deliciously warm, musky, and woodsy with very soft beeswax patchouli, and a faint sprinkle of hazy clove and cashmere. Lovely!

ITI: It’s sweet and crisp, definitely reminiscent of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s other delicious Snowball Yule scents and snow notes. There’s almost a faint bubblegum undertone, which develops into the salty umami of ume. A hint of soft floral adds to the ephemeral cool and serene nature of this scent.

Wet: Hmm, there’s that bubblegum now, but that starts to melt into snow and pine while the ume unfolds underneath. There is a gentle softness surrounding the core of these notes that is absolutely lovely.

Dry: I keep having to reapply it since the scent vanishes from my skin before I can get back home. Finally, after 5 hours, I’m home and there’s enough left on my skin to review. I get a very subtle snow-like creaminess and the faintest hint of soft, delicate floral musk. It’s really lovely, but I do wish this had more staying power.

ITI: It smells like disinfectant and wood polish.

Wet: On my skin, there’s a little bit of a pine and lemon tone to the disinfectant, like Pine Sol. Along with the wood polish note, soapy tones with a hint of bleach burst through the unified exterior of cleanliness.

Dry: The chemical tone from what reads as disinfectant has resolved into just a “clean” note alongside the remnants of lemon floor polish and soap.

2016 Version:

ITB: The scent is murky in its resinous tones, inky from the labdanum and somewhat sharply floral from the hyssop, pulling for attention, directing away from the more subtle notes.
Wet: I get less Snake Oil out of this one than the previous Snake Pit oils. It's more of a smoky minty chocolate, which I think might be from the combination of cane sugar, vanilla, and labdanum, although the floral tone still adds a touch of sharpness to the overall feel of the scent. Just under those notes is the serpentine, resinous tones of frankincense and opoponax, which reminds me of the temples hidden away in the mountains of Japan.
Dry: Gentle Indonesian oils and vanilla are evident, but it doesn't have much throw and stays very close to the skin. I think I can still detect a little bit of the resin, but it's so faint that I can't narrow it down to a single note.

Re-released version:

ITB: Strong sugared vanilla, tonka bean, Indonesian oils, and sage.
Wet: Sugared Indonesian oils, a sensuous musk, rich tonka bean, gobs of sandalwood smoke create a scent that is vaguely foody, but more sensuous and slightly dangerous. Leather exists deep below, only detectable when I inhale very deeply. It strengthens as it starts to dry down, and sage slowly emerges, but the other notes are still dominant.
Dry: It's soft sugared vanilla and faint tonka bean, a hint of dusky leather well off in the distance, while sweet sandalwood and Indonesian oils perfumes the air. I didn't get any sage from the scent and the leather as a while was not as pronounced as I had hoped. However, I adore the Snake Pit, so it's still going to be used frequently. I'll be interested to see how it ages.

ITI: Strongly proud, clean white floral push their way out of the imp. Sharpness and something faintly floral dwells just under the white florals. It's decent so far.
Wet: For some reason, I'm detecting white jasmine and lily of the valley, perhaps some ylang ylang as well. There's a touch of powder on me, so there's possibly a light musk thrown in the mix. It certainly has lots of throw. My friend could smell it three rooms away.
Dry: This scent lingers for a good period of time. 7 hours and it's still producing a good amount of throw. The white florals, jasmine, and soapiness still remain, but it is clean and I have had a touch more luck wearing it. The husband hinted that he might have to go to a week long meeting in London and asked me to keep my schedule clear.

ITI: Orange-sickle! Oh my gosh, my mouth is actually watering.
Wet: Ripe, sugary oranges, sticky candy tangerine, cream, and a hint of lavender make this a foody scent worth having. Oh my gosh. Excuse me while I try not to eat my arm.
Dry: It's still a lovely scent, even though it isn't as long lived as I would like (I dislike having to reapply during the work day). What's left after 3 hours is a light orange, something that reads as a creamy musk on my skin, and a touch of gentle lavender.

ITB: Greenish fougere and powdery frankincense with a touch of bourbon vanilla as a bottom note.
Wet: The fougere is certainly a strong top note, but I can't help but think that instead of pale, it should be labeled as herb, like freshly muddled basil clothed in vetiver. The bourbon vanilla is much less prevalent now, but the myrrh note sweetly supports the much more dominant fougere.
Dry: Long lasting and beautiful dry down to pale vanilla sunscreen, a hint of sweet myrrh, and a touch of lavender from the fougere.

ITI: I'm doing this through a migraine, so I may need to revisit it later, but it smells like acetone and opium. I do hope that it is better on my skin.
Wet: More acetone, but at least some of the mugwort, herbal and green, emerges. It seems to drag along the wild plum, which is a bit more hesitant to develop. The bourbon is a bit too strong and burns my nose.
Dry: Well, it pulled a Hail Mary. It's smoky, sensuous, and appealing. The tobacco and opium are lovely, dark, and when paired with the white musk, not totally overbearing. It's alluringly sweet from the vanilla, plum, and tuberose. Alright, I'm swayed into keeping it.

ITI: Holy resins, Batman! I wasn't expecting such a yummy scent from the notes. To me, it smells like sandalwood, aged patchouli, opoponax, snow, and something slightly lemony. It's clean but also think and smoldering.
Wet: The lemon tone is stronger on my skin, although the snow/ice note isn't far behind, buoyed up by smoldering incense. So far, so good!
Dry: Once dried, the scent is almost entirely resin with a hint of smoke. Patchouli, opoponax, perhaps a touch of myrrh and something softer, like a delicate vetiver or heavier frankincense, co-mingle in Woody Oriental bliss.

ITI: It reminds me of walking into the Jelly Belly factory - lots of sweet, fruity notes with hints of candy powder. On second sniff, the buttery sweet notes emerge, swathed in sweetly innocent violet and lily. A faint duskiness lurks along the bottom, but it doesn't detract from the overall childishly fanciful tone of this scent.
Wet: Powdery sweets, a hint of charcoal and ash, delicious violet, a brush of lily against Christmas candies yield a foody but pleasantly sweet scent so far.
Dry: Ah, there's the cypress. Now the scent is much more green and slightly acerbic, while the violet and lily attempt to overpower the note currently amping on my skin. It's still slightly powdery sweet like Fun Dip, but the combination isn't as pleasing as it was earlier.

ITI: Oh, sharp lemongrass, dusky ginger, and blood orange rush to meet my nose, jolting me awake. Beneath these, the rose geranium begins to bloom, but not enough to tamp down the invigorating bouquet that emerges upon opening the imp.
Wet: I want to roll around and bathe in this citrusy delight. The lemongrass is crisp, clean, and downright cheerful when paired with the blood orange (and a touch of rind). The ginger is minimized on my skin, which makes way for the bergamot and a touch of floral from the orange geranium. I might be able to make it through the PNW winter on the zest of this scent alone.
Dry: I'm a little disappointing in the dry down, honestly. I was still looking for that uplifting, pungent citrus, but instead I'm left with a soft, contemplative blend of rose geranium, sweet frankincense bergamot and a faint impression of what used to be blood orange.

ITI: Thick pastries, laden with brown sugar, candied raisins and apricot come to mind. It reminds me of a buttery fruit cake.
Wet: There’s a bit more mandarin amber on my skin, but it still reminds me of a buttery pastry with candied fruits.
Dry: Okay, I like this better once dried. The apricot and mandarin are sweetened, as if by a light dusting of brown sugar that has started to caramelize on a rich, flaky pastry. I’m almost tempted to get more, but I don’t know how often I’d want to smell like such a yummy pastry.

ITI: That's definitely marshmallows and sugar. It reminds me of carnivals as a child - all the positive and none of the negative smells (I'm looking at you, candied apple).
Wet: On my skin, the marshmallow is less of a home-made artisan marshmallow and more of a marshmallow cream, sticky with heavy sugar.
Dry: The scent becomes softer, less sticky sweet and processed. Instead, it seems like the sugar and marshmallow notes are wrapped in cotton. It's a nice scent, but not something I'd reach for on a regular basis. I think if I enjoyed foody scents more, I would.

ITI: Comforting lavender is the first note that greets me, followed closely by fir and mint. It’s a rather clean and refreshing scent so far.
Wet: Green, astringent, herby (lavender is very clear here), and lovely! I’d actually love a cup of this as tea. The lavender and fir are much sharper on my skin, but I tend to love sharp herb notes and this is no different.
Dry: Sadly, this doesn’t last on my skin. By the time I got home, it was gone. On second application, the scent becomes clean and comforting. The lavender is much more mellow, and mixed with the fir, carnation, and iced mint, it’s equally refreshing and relaxing, like iced tea on a cool spring evening.

ITI: Oh, creamy and slightly sharp in the most positive way from the sheep's milk. The cinnamon is more floral and much more tea-like.
Wet: The creamy notes are sumptuous, less sharp, and almost vanilla infused. The cinnamon is very much a florid, rich tea note.
Dry: Once dry, there's a slightly artificial tone in the creamy sheep's milk, which I think reads as slightly vanilla. The Ceylon cinnamon has a slightly cream of earl grey. It's nice, but not bottle worthy.

ITI: Fruity, almost peachy, but not quite. There's a touch of strawberry here, which worries be since I'm not fond of on my skin. I don't pick up any oats or dairy since the berry notes are so strong.
Wet: Whew, this is strong. The berries remind me of bathroom freshener. Very far below the berry notes is a faint grain note and a subtle sparkle, but I can feel the headache forming from the berry mix.
Dry: It's less intense, but I'm not a fan. To the swap pile it goes.

ITI: Yum, warm dark cocoa and cinnamon. It's like a delicious hot chocolate.
Wet: The cinnamon on spicier on my soon, but it's still absolutely delicious.
Dry: The cocoa becomes less intense and slightly floral. The cinnamon really neediness soft and comforting. This is surprisingly gentle but still delicious once dried.

ITI: Although I'm still recovering from a cold and my sense of smell hasn't completely returned, this one punches through all of that to present a spicy, smoky, rum-soaked leather that's slightly peppery from the cedar, tinged with tobacco.
Wet: On my skin, the tobacco is sweeter, the leather less dominate, the sandalwood (glittering and pure) more prominent.
Dry: After 8 hours, scrubbing the tub with bleach, and using other cleaning products throughout the day, the scent has settled beautifully. The longevity of the frankincense, sandalwood, and tobacco lend the scent contemplatively innocent and sweetly comforting tone. The remainder of the rum and leather are gentle and soft but also alluring. Gorgeous!

ITI: I was expecting a much darker scent from the description. Instead, the notes combine to give the impression of dewy grass, leather, and a hint of rock salt.
Wet: While it's still incredibly similar in profile to what I had picked up from the imp, on my skin the licorice aspect begins to emerge, making it a tad warmer. However, the birch tar still smells more like dew and grass to my nose or something vaguely aquatic (like Frederick).
Dry: The scent fades considerably, leaving only powdery aquatic tones and a pinch of pepper. This is a strong pass for me.

ITI: Cloying cream and marzipan with a slightly bitter dusting of nuts on a very sweet carrot cake.
Wet: It's very similar on my skin, although the carrot note shyly peaks from underneath the rich and heavy cream, pastry, and nut notes.
Dry: After the second reapplication and dry down, the scent is more powdery than any other discernible note, like buttercream dusting powder and a smattering of almonds and dates.