Santa Muerte

[Cariad]

... A deep, resonant scent, both comforting and soft: lovers’ roses, solemn chrysanthemum, dark vetiver and dazzling cactus flowers.

 

Have I really not reviewed Santa Muerte? o_O

This was one of my first 5mls, and I suspect I'll come to think of it as my 'scent of 2007'. I got an imp of it last autumn and, as usual, tried it out on a piece of tissue before I put it on my skin - never really a good idea, and this was no exception, because all I could smell on the tissue was sharp, green vetiver. On my skin, however, it's a different story altogether: warm, almost dusty green - I can understand the comparisons to cocoa - melded with a lovely rose and bright, juicy cactus flowers (and... well... my untrained nose can't make out the 'mums, but I'm sure they're there). It's a beautifully blended perfume, with each layer rising up into the other, complementing one another perfectly.

 

When I moved to Spain and spent winter in a warm, dusty-golden landscape full of cactus fruit and convents, Santa Muerte really came into her own - rich, earthy, mysterious, feminine and playful. I wore this oil almost non-stop for 8 months and I still find myself reaching for it whenever I want something grounded but elegant. I love it

 

--> I have to add a disclaimer: my skin will turn *anything* warm and earthy if it can, so it's no surprise I'm such a fan of myrrh, vetiver and the like. It's still a beautiful and unusual perfume, though; definitely one to try for those who don't normally go for rose or florals.

Edited October 15, 2007 by Shollin

[tinyvulture]

at first it’s a dark, earthy, bitter, smoky floral and i like it quite a bit. but the vetiver quickly fades and then it’s pure florals – rose and some other notes that i can’t pick out. it’s lost a lot of its complexity and i wish the vetiver had stuck around. the florals on their own are too overpowering and it’s not right for me.

[mudspinr]

Recieved this as a frimp in a lot I purchased from another forumite and haven't reviewed it due to my skin's unfortunate tendancy to take Beth's rose note and turn it into something aggressively awful. I keep thinking I'll get lucky and find one that works, but so far no joy.

 

In imp: vetiver and a little chrysanthemum, not too strong. I am hopeful...

 

Wet on skin: roses...more roses...attack of the killer roses Any other notes have given up and run for the hills. I can Taste roses in the back of my throat--ugh!!! And have I mentioned Serious Throw?! I put a tiny bit on my wrist and I feel like I'm being smothered in a velvet blanket of thick, heavy, very perfumey rose.

 

Not waiting for the drydown, off to wash and hope to avoid a migraine.

 

Well, that was interesting. Normally my skin kind of eats scents but this survived a soap and water scrubbing, and scrubbing with water with bitter orange essential oil. I finally resorted to scrubbing with vinegar. My wrist is now kind of red and smells of vinegar, which is a large improvement on smelling like the amazing sumo attack rose

I can actually still smell it a little if I sniff my wrist. Why don't the scents I like stay around so well

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Woods. Not usually a good sign for me, since most strong wood notes hate my skin.

 

Wet:

No woods so far, just something sweet and rather soapy.

 

Dry:

This all but disappeared on me. Will give it another try later.

[Gwydion]

I am only smelling this in the bottle. It smells like roses trying to cover decay. It is all sickly sweet flowers over vetiver, nothing I'd want on my skin. It fits the concept, but is nasty.

[forspecial_plate]

Santa Muerte.....this is quite a nice scent, mostly floral for me, but I like it. Mostly what I smell is rose and chrysanthemum, which I recognize from Mum Moon. I'm not getting much else, can't really pick out the vetiver. I like this, it makes me feel classy. I will enjoy wearing this again!

[voodoocatwoman]

In imp: Bitter- something pungent and powerful.

 

Wet: Now it's just totally smoke.

 

Dry: Another transformation- no bitterness. No smoke. Just white floral powder. This reminds me of an Avon scent from long time past. It would be slightly unpleasant except the powder scent brings back some nice childhood memories.

[Limelight]

This is a softy! A gentle floral, kind of a high-end detergent smell. Pretty, but...hmm, doesn't really blow me away. I'll have to try it at least one more time before I make a final decision.

[MaidMirawyn]

I had to read several of these reviews to convince myself that Santa Muerte was unlike what I smelled in the bottle.

 

In the imp it was sharp and soured, maybe decaying. Ick.

 

Wet, it's much better. I can smell green, and a bit of floral.

 

"Dry, it's pleasant, more floral. But nothing outstanding on me.

 

I am so thankful it didn't smell like it did in the imp!

[The_Merf]

At first I thought this would just be another soapy rose blend and I was ready to dash it off the list rather quickly. However, as the scent dries (i.e., just a few minutes after I put it on), it becomes a fuller rose--more akin to the nice red, velvety roses that I like. The mums are the secondary note in this blend--on my skin the notes go as listed in the scent description...rose and mum are most prominent, and there is a dash of vetiver and not much else. The vetiver is pleasant here; it adds a unique quality to the blend. It's not too green/grassy, but does add a nice sense of "soil" for the rose and mum.

[alicia_stardust]

I get mostly vetiver, sharp and biting. The rose is right there as well. It is the dominant floral but the mums aren't forgotten. I'd probably like this, but vetiver is my nemesis. =(

[Pika]

In imp: Pungent, herbal, with a tiny hint of something sweeter.

 

Wet on skin: Instant soap?! How is that even possible? I've never had that happen before. And the vetiver is there too, but not really in a pleasant way, though I've liked scents with vetiver before (Voodoo, Czernobog, Antonino).

 

Drying: Like stinky guest soap, a bit floral, mostly chemical perfume over the cheap fats in cheap soap/detergent smelling.

 

How sad! I really wanted to smell dark and floral, I really wanted to like this one.

[lmaunu]

Source: Imp from the Lab

 

This smells the same in the imp as it does on my skin, even after several hours. When I first applied it, I could smell the rose, but it's mostly a strong vetiver scent that reminds me of woodsy moth balls. I've had it on for a few hours, and may go wash it off since it's not doing much for me. It's a shame, but I loved the individual notes, but they just aren't doing much for me.

[kizery]

I’m not familiar with vetiver at all, but judging by the description of the blend, that is ALL I can smell in this. On application, my reaction was “GAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!” All of the vetiver, and none of the florals come through for me on this blend. I love the idea of this scent, and I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt so I kept wearing it… thirty minutes after applying, it gave me a massive headache. I guess I learned the hard way that vetiver doesn’t work on me! Or maybe it's just the blend. If I'm feeling masochistic I might try some other blends with vetiver.

[gchris]

In Vial: Whoa! Earthy

 

Wet: Smells muddy but then there is something soft in the background that smells like baby powder.

 

Dry: Very earthy still with a soft mellow, powdery scent.

Edited May 10, 2008 by gchris

[djsiberia]

wet/imp: i can't pick out any single note that dominates the mix. it's a floral jumble.

 

dry: i can pick out the vetiver and something that reminds me of urinal cakes.

 

ack...must wash off.

[savage_rose]

I tend to amp florals and vetiver, so imagine my surprise that this smells so very sexy, sweet and balanced. The florals are very light, and are tempered well by the earthy vetiver that likes me (and not the he-goat sludge of death vetiver). This IS a comforting scent, and I find myself wanting to sniff a cactus someday to see if its flowers smell this lovely.

[Indigo78]

I really do hope that I am reviewing the right scent, here. My impressions are different from the few I looked over before hitting "reply".

 

In the imp, this is all dust-laden greenery, very somber. On the skin it rapidly morphs to soft, sweet citrus. Vetivert is almost unregnizable unless I put my nose right up to my wrist. Rose slinks up, too. My skin is amping this sweet much more than I had expected, and I can't shake the citus association. Might have to retest, but for now I'll just give this one a neutral rating. Okay, but nothing to write home about.

[donnatron]

Imp: Sharp and sweet, a bit powdery smelling. It reminds me of something I used to eat as a kid.

 

Wet: Really bright and yellow. Vetiver is behaving most un-vetiver-y on me. Usually it goes sort of moist earth on my skin. I'm just getting a hint of dark roses and a soft yellow scent that must be the cactus flowers.

 

Dry: Soft and floral. Mainly rose and chysanthemum with a touch of the cactus flower and a light vetiver base. Very unusual. It smells like perfume, but unlike any other perfume I've ever smelled. I like it.

 

Throw: I'd be more enthusiastic if it had better throw, but it's a very in-your-face scent, so it might not be the nicest thing in the world if it was stronger.

 

Overall: I was intrigued by the cactus flowers and they did not disappoint. This is a really lovely, light scent that is perfect for warm weather. I'll definitely be hanging onto my imp.

[RogueBelle]

I don't know if maybe I just got a bad batch or something, but to me, this smells like nothing so much as tequila. Not an appetizing scent, really -- not the sort of thing you want to smell like you've doused yourself in! I think perhaps it's the green scents coming out really, really strong, maybe that cactus, I dunno, but I'm afraid to my nose, this is not a pleasant brew at all.

[Iceblink]

I got a lot of cocoa from this wet, as others have said. Sort of an earthy cocoa from all that vetiver. Dry...it's reminding me of chlorine in a pool for some reason. Very chemical-y. It's also making my arm itch so I have to go wash this off ASAP.

[milo]

Wet, I get cucumber and a very strong floral and a touch of baby powder. There is a bitterness, which I'm guessing may be the cactus flower. This is far too strong and florally. Not for me.

Edited September 13, 2008 by milo

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Santa Muerte is chrysanthemum and vetiver. Dry, tea rose starts to come through as well. This is a lot nicer than I was expecting.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp:Sweet dirt.

 

Wet: Dirt. As in, soil. Dirty soil. Sweet dirty soil. There sweetness is very foody. Mimosa, maybe?

 

Dry:Still soil. But the rose and chrysanthemum come out a bit. They make the sweet dirt smell like sweet dirt mixed with baby powder. As the hours go by, the rose amps, and it just smells like soiled baby powder.

 

Overall: Dirt. I know, I'm overdoing it. But that's what it smells like to me. I like the rose, though this rose in particular is a bit too powdery. But I don't like the soil. This is good for people who love earthy scents and rose. But I really don't like earthy scents.

[llhorian]

It reminds me of old fashioned floral soap (might be the rose with something behind it), a bit like Baghdad only less something I'd prefer personally. I gave it to my mother