Ennikar
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2017 imp from a generous swapper I went into this test fully prepared not to like Sanctus because lily notes almost always make me think of bathroom powder or soap, "celestial musk" seemed likely to be similar to white musk which does the same thing, and my relationship with frankincense depends mostly on its supporting players. It is indeed too "clean" for me to want to wear, but it surprised me a little bit because after the initial wet stage I could at least see why someone else would want to wear it. I've seen lots of references to 'lemony' frankincense but never smelled it myself, but I think that's what's happening in Sanctus. It becomes a lemon-fresh smell with light floral touches; I don't get much fruit but can see where that impression is coming from. It's a very light, ~nice~ scent, utterly inoffensive.
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The Antikythera Mechanism
Ennikar replied to VioletChaos's topic in Phoenix Steamworks & Research Facility
Gifted a frimp by a generous swapper. First applied, it's a warm and smooth tobacco. I had it in my head that there were industrial notes around, and with that suggestion I did get a light wood polish/oily vibe from it. As it dries the vanilla comes out more, and the 'black' aspect is rich-but-not-overly-sweet, blending well with the woods and tobacco. Smooth, warm, and polished enough vanilla dimension to keep it from being harsh or severe while staying far away from deserts. I liked this much more than I was prepared to. I'm deciding whether to pass it on or not, since I already have a number of scents I enjoy in this category, but given I went in to the test with a very cursory mindset that's still an achievement. -
Average throw and longevity, but the woods are rich and pleasant, the amber is dry and warm, and the incense is slightly smokey but not at all harsh or acrid. Without looking at the notes, I thought there was rosewood in here (a good one too), but that was probably a combination of the cedar, mahogany, and amber. I enjoyed this one a lot, though it is firmly in my wheelhouse and if you don't get along with cedar or "traditionally masculine" woody blends you might not jive with it. Reminded me strongly of Solstice Scents' Library, for those of you that've tried that, though I couldn't do a side-by-side.
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2013 version. Biiiiig, aggro vetiver up front. I like vetiver and all but for the first while, this is a strong not-quite-single note. As it dries down some other notes get a chance to peek out, and it becomes a vetiver-geranium (for those unfamiliar, bourbon geranium is kinda rosy and a little sharp) with a hint of spice and maybe some "outdoorsy" qualities. This does hit a certain tone, I think; despite the floral I would not describe it as femme but unisex and semi-atmospheric. If you smelled it on a person it might come across as like... a little otherworldly, someone who is for some reason only seen at night (less vampire, more spirit).
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For people who have tried both: this is October + Talkvikuu. More October up front, more Talvikuu in the drydown. For people who have not: the opening is outdoorsy, like a cool breeze across leaf litter or brushing leaves off damp earth in fall. It's mostly cool, earthy, and dry, a touch sweet and a touch smokey. Octobrrr goes for a fall that is not just cool but frosty, and evokes this with a note that is not straight mint but bristles the nostrils in the same way. As it dries, the dry-earthy notes subside, and the main impression is that frosty-cool almost-menthol note (that for some reason reads as oily to me, but likely not to others). As far as the concept, I'd say it's realistic (but not photorealistic): more daring than a mainstream scent is likely to be and close to the real thing but not a perfect imitation.
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Starts off pretty straightforwardly honey, with a touch of cinnamon and florals. As the scent progresses, the honey gets a touch powdery, florals (presumably olive blossom; this does remind me a bit of Olive Wreath) come out more, and the cinnamon disappears as far as I can tell. It's a pretty floral honey with a slightly powdery mostly-floral drydown.
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I stayed away from this one for a long while because some of the reviews mentioned dryer sheets, and I like the smell of the ocean (fish and all) but not soap. Ambergris and kelp are promising, "ocean" doesn't always come through. Fortunately for me, my experience was more beach than laundry; Alien/Siren isn't really dirty per se but the musks cut through the threat of soap. I had to look up davana, but a description of its "sweet, tea-like scent" made perfect sense for this blend. I can see the citrus comparisons as well, though I wouldn't have guessed that myself. Despite the slightly intimidating notes list, the overall impression is a fairly simple "mermaid" type scent, but a touch dark and musky rather than pretty or floral.
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You Are Mine, You Shall Be Mine, You and I Are One for Ever
Ennikar replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Halloweenie
This one is nice. That's not a terribly specific descriptor, but it's basically how I feel about it. In the opening I'm not too sure about it, as ylang ylang and I have a mixed relationship and it's very present up front, alongside the honey. The clove takes a few minutes to come out, and when it does it's a soft, honeyed clove mixed with a little bit of the floral ylang ylang - almost like a sweet carnation, but paler, less rose adjacent. If you tell me there's blackcurrant in this I believe you, but it's very much in the background. Overall... it's nice. -
Disclaimer: this is a same day test and I can be sensitive to "clean" or powdery notes. What a heartbreaker. I was most looking forward to cardamom and labdanum, but would also have been happy with the spices, rose, resin, or wine experienced by other reviewers. Instead, as soon as I cracked the bottle open I smelled powder and soap -- like a high-end scented soap, perhaps. I'm now a couple hours in and if I really search for it I can get hints of rose, maybe a touch of merlot... but still mostly soap. I sometimes have this experience with scents containing myrrh and/or rose, but wasn't expecting it to be so overwhelming when there are a number of other notes here I usually like. It may be unfair for me to judge this one now, but while I've had scents change with rest before I doubt this one is going to develop enough to become something I'd enjoy (though I'll try it again in a week or so and update if it turns out to have changed).
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Disclaimer: this is a same-day test, and I tend to be sensitive to all sorts of sweetness including fruits. Cherries. When it first goes on the cherry (maybe with a little orange) is absolutely dominant, and for the first hour or so it remind me strongly of fruit candies. After that, some florals (white ones, though I caught only the barest whiff of indoles for a moment) and a touch of vanilla come forward, but the cherry is still king. Two hours in, it reminds me a bit of strawberry flavoring. It's not exactly "girlish" because it does have some heaviness or headiness, but it's definitely a sweet fruit-floral. Decent throw.
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If you're a patchouli hater, this isn't going to change your mind; an dirt-like earthy patch is dominant the whole way through. At first, it's a bit herbal (mandrake?), and the pepper gives it a cool edge. At this stage it's outdoorsy and a little aggressive. The a few hours into the drydown it surprised me, though - it warms up a lot, the herbal tones fade, and the amber comes out more, so instead of a cool spooky patch it becomes a warm slightly pepper-spice-y patch. The pepper is still a little too pepper for it to feel cuddly, but it's much more approachable. Medium throw, decent lasting power.
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I don't see a thread for this yet, so: 2024 release. Firstly: soap. Like the 2020 version, these witches are freshly showered, and the sort of skin musks I go for tend to be more... not dirty, but definitely less fresh. I'm somewhat sensitive to "clean" smells, so I didn't get much else from it. I asked my partner to have a sniff and she said it reminded her of walking into an incense shop; after we compared notes, I could somewhat smell the incense shop and she could smell the soap. No "forest" notes to speak of for either of us.
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Iris/orris can be tricky on me, but I ended up enjoying this a lot. Orris/iris, for sure, comes out hard and as it dries down I thought I was getting a strong black pepper. Looking at the actual notes, I'm fairly certain that's the patchouli and/or black musk, out here to have a good time. Drydown is still slightly floral, maybe a touch powdery, but much more about the dark & musky notes.
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Freshly on, I get wafts of something very mildly citrus-y, something floral, and something distinctly almond-y. The overall impact is a little fruity, but despite the foody notes list, this is very far from a gourmand - or at least, it's more of a "traditional perfume-y" gourmand in that it has aspects of vanilla, almond, fig, and floral honey, but definitely doesn't smell edible. Dries down to a slightly sweet, floral vanilla/almond, just a touch sharp but not quite soapy or powdery. When I got it, I was worried it'd be too "busy" for me and all the nice, pretty notes would blend together in a way that felt nice and pretty but wasn't terribly to my tastes, and that is indeed how I would describe the end result. I'm not sad I tried it, as it's for a good cause and all, but I don't think Obergefell V. Hodges will be sticking around.
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As soon as I put this on, I get a wet rose. Like, florist-fridge rose, drying down just a little soapy - I bet that's the moss and the yew, both of which can feel a little soapy-sharp to me. It does smell a little wet, a little fresh, but I personally don't get much earth out of it past the first couple seconds. As it dries down, it does seem more like geranium rather than rose... just fresh, clean geranium.