Ennikar
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So I got this for someone who likes leather scents and flat whites. He was ambivalent on it. I expected to be ambivalent at best, because after years of trying I accepted that I just don't like leather notes and should not buy things with them because they universally smell good for 15 minutes and then borderline-nauseating for several hours. Moreover, while I usually like "bitter" fragrances, I couldn't imagine strong bitter coffee would at all help the contentious relationship I have with leather. Old Books and a Flat White has lead me to reconsider this hardline stance. It's not that there's no leather smell. There is leather smell, especially after the coffee winds down over the first hour or so. But that leather smell is... good. Something about the way the leather blends with the coffee (maybe with help from a vanillac paper note and a creamy milk?) just works for me. This smells rich and comfy.
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Gave this one a shot based on the incense-y reviews and an affection for cedar. Rose and frankincense can both go 'soapy' on me, and that is on the border of happening here, too, though I think it's my own sensitivity that makes me feel that way rather than an impression anyone else is getting. Still, this is definitely on the clean end, rather than a funky or dirty sort of incense. The citrus is in the backseat; I forgot it was there until i reread the note list, but am not surprised to see it there. Oerall impression: glowy and golden, mostly incenses with an edge of rose.
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The scent itself is more-or-less as one might expect from the notes: a little earthy from the patchouli, a little spicey from the nutmeg and saffron, a little warm and glowy from the tobacco and amber, a little floral from the rose geranium. The bourbon vanilla I don't get specifically, but I assume it's what keeps the geranium from coming across terribly sharp (though it is definitely geranium, if on the rosey side). It's unisex-to-femme, but neither "sexy" nor "girly", and I wouldn't be surprised -- but might be intrigued -- to smell it on a man. "A Dyer's Saffron" is top-tier for me. Appropriate for any occasion. Strong but not obtrusive, with good longevity.
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2025. Pretty! Unfortunately. I knew that pumpkin and leather could be tricky, since leather can overwhelm me and pumpkin can feel too gourmand, but the reviews and description gave me hope -- I do tend to be into incense, patchouli, and cologne-y. I think this strikes a beautiful balance between 'semi-gourmand pumpkin' and 'leathery masc', like someone who loves collars and also baking, but personally I would prefer it skewing harder in one direction than the other.
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I'm neutral-to-positive on many of these notes, and do like clove and rose, so the previous reviews didn't put me off. I actually got something very different, but I'm not mad about it: a lightly honeyed, slightly floral tea scent. It's not gothy and heavy like rose/clove/sandalwood could easily be, but light, almost airy, sweet but far from cloying. Like a really really good rose bubble tea, but enhanced by the clove, saffron, (very light) smoke, and sandalwood. The frankincense is MIA as far as I can tell. Pleasant, pretty without being 'girly', and romantic. Does indeed smell like reason and passion in some kind of way.
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2025 version Butterscotch and black musk. Must be the bay/rum/bourbon vanilla playing together in a way I did not expect; it feels much more gourmand than I thought it would based on the reviews. That isn't bad, as I imagine that touch of richness and sweetness will be just what some folks are looking for, but it's a bit much for me.
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Hmmmmm. White flowers, for sure -- reads like "Lorrainna" or "The Lady of Saintonge". White flowers, old-fashioned scent (perfumey? papery? ivory? you decide!), a touch of musk. This one does read as red, more or less. It's quite pretty and a little sexy. Book-inspired in an abstract way, but definitely not something that smells like anything in a human person's collections. It's.... nice? I think. Definitely not going to cause a ton of discourse.
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2025 version. This is a very nice, soft, vanilla-y rose. It's rich but not cloying. The rose itself is very well behaved, detectable and fresh but neither sharp nor soapy. The snake oil spices aren't very Powerful, but with their inclusion this almost feels like a carnation blend rather than rose. If this is goth, it's like fuzzy PJ goth, only dark in the sense that it's not flouncy or sweet. It wears close to the skin, but does have decent longevity.
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"Scorched paper" is barely a thing here, but the opening is characterized by a realistic burst of damp plaster, like you've been working on a paper maché for hours. Alongside that is the citron and grapefruit, tangy and a touch bitter, and eventually a hint of woody cedar. This one has decent throw but not much longevity; it does not overcome the transience typical of citrus notes, the plaster fades out quickly, and it's overall soft. It's mostly an academic interest now, but I wonder whether this will work well in the summer, when the damp citrus might be refreshing.
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I was expecting a slam-dunk out of this one, but after testing twice I'm not sure how I feel about it. I get a light, airy, kinda sweet anise-y licorice mostly, on top of a definitely not sweet pepper and a touch of amber. I like licorice, but can be picky about its presentation, and something about this combo plays a little "plastic" for me. I might end up sticking to my old reliable: Portrait of an Unidentified Man Dressed as a Skeleton -- or try layering them? My other skin tester had a very evocative description that was even more off-book. "Formaldehyde. Plus something else, because this is a heavier smell than just formaldehyde should be." ["The notes are licorice, black pepper, and grey amber."] "No licorice on here at all -- I am getting the pepper, and grey amber makes sense. But it does still seem more chemical-y... and kind of dusty? Moldy? Oh, I know. It's like this: you enter an unheated, damp storage shed full of props. You go through the totes until you find the one with the plastic rats in it, and when you pop the lid, this is the smell that puffs out at you."
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Pleasant, friendly, clean, and the dead leaves note lends it a touch of outdoorsyness. Pretty high throw, especially when wet, but inoffensive enough to play nice in a crowd. Unfortunately not to my tastes, which trend darker and earthier. I thought I might get lucky with the skin musk, as I do enjoy Flaming June and You May House Their Bodies, but musks can be difficult for be (especially white or "pale" musks), and this one plays more like a clean skin than the more funky version.
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Sweet Incense, Soft Musk, and Autumn Leaves Lotion
Ennikar replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lotion
As a lotion: nice work, thick for a lotion but not so think that it's difficult to apply or sits on the skin, notably softened the hands after use. As a scent: hm. It's quite light. Honestly not all that different from how I would expect hands to smell after being washed and lotion-ed; the combined notes feel quite clean. However, there is a little bit of something there -- a touch of incense, a breath of the outdoors, sweet and fuzzy. Agree with the above that it's not a dirty or decaying scent even while retaining a little cool outdoorsy character. Basically no throw, so I do not expect it to interfere much with a layered scent. However, if I had done more than a drop on my hand, that might be different. -
I've tried "On Love" a half-dozen times since I picked it up, and still don't quite know what to make of it. It's sweet, tart, a little nose-prickling... perfectly pleasant, but hard to describe. I think the rose, plum cognac, and caramel vetiver are combining to give it a boozy, slightly floral throw. The vetiver is not smokey or very strong, and the tobacco root is just barely detectable. I wouldn't describe anything here as earthy; the vetiver and tobacco root are very low-key. I don't get a lot of laubdanum, but I believe it's here, helping provide a base that's a little resinous and a touch... juicy? Same for the nutmeg; I believe it's a component but would not have picked it out. Overall, it's unisex and sophisticated, but a little sweet and tart in a way that comes off as playful. Confident, but not taking itself too seriously. Other opinions: I tried some on a partner, and he immediately got "Chocolate scone -- no, wait, not a scone, but definitely a dessert." [Plum? Cognac?] "Oh yeah, that would do it. It's like a slightly tart, boozy truffle." I don't get any chocolate personally, so think it must be the tobacco root that reminds him of chocolate, plus the fact that cognac is a common base liquor for boozy candies.
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Mostly those Pulsating Red Berries, as far as I can tell. It's nice, not a straight-up "berry rush" type smell, but berries first, musk second, spices.... third? Sometime, probably, but I don't really get spicy-floral dimensions I'd expect from either carnation or pepper. In short, the opposite of what I'd hoped. It reminds me of Stańczyk, which also gave me mostly berries with a little touch of something "extra", and I think I prefer that one.
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This is one of my very favorite florals. It's all here -- jasmine, carnation, red musk, honey, leather -- but this is definitely "about" the florals, and I would argue specifically jasmine. Jasmine is a note I really like, but one that sometimes doesn't work out (too indolic, or sharp and soapy), but this one is gorgeous. The carnation rounds it out, adds a little clove-spice to keep things interesting, but this is a "white floral" with support from a judicious sprinkling of sweet honey and a base of leather and sandalwood. The leather is soft, well-worn and suede-y. The sandalwood, hay, and tobacco blend together in the base, and the red musk is also in a supporting role. It's heady, for sure, and has decent throw. This is a scent that demands to be noticed. Still, it's not stifling; I'm quite comfortable wearing it in hot weather. Has the rare distinction of getting an unsolicited "sexy" from people qualified to give that designation.