Anathema

[sqwook]

A scent as heavy as thunder from the Vatican, with notes that inspire every sin and excess. Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle.

Wet: Heavy dark floral, bitter.

Dry: *laughing* Okay, the one word I wrote down was ... Undecided. What did I mean? Well, I ended up swapping it. I'm not that big on florals, and it's usually because they're too innocent and light for me - Anathema DEFINITELY does not have THAT problem! The opium seems strong here. This didn't seem like me, but it's definitely an interesting scent, and presumably great on the right person.

[crebbsgirl]

Whoa something just reached up and slapped me in the face. Hello Black Opium!! After my nose cleared the blend began to settle on my wrists. I could detect each note individually; the black opium swirling around, the honeysuckle providing a brightening tone and the vetiver lending a earthy component. If you aren't put off by the wet stage, the dry-down is well worth it. This becomes a beautiful, dark sinuous perfume. This kind a film noir starlet might have worn back in the day.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Dark and sweet

 

On Application

Very heady, rich and sweet

 

Dry Down

Smells like thick, sweet incense. The honeysuckle gets a chance to play on the surface after a while. This is the oddest scent - the overall affect is cloying, black incense but when I smell my wrist I can't pin the scent down as it drifts and slips away. When I do gets whiffs close up it's more floral and slightly aquatic. I feel like I want go and sleep for a few hours. I like the scent on the throw and I have to say it smells wonderful mixed with cigarette smoke. I like it and will try a full wear.

Rating (0-5)

3.5

[EdenIris]

In imp: Strong floral.

 

Wet: Very strong, bitter vetiver. Like sniffing a freshly cut plant stem.

 

Drying: Still lots of vetiver. It took a while for the poppy to come out, but when it did, it was not shy. The vetiver was still very present, like a tall green pole the flowers are winding around. Not getting any honeysuckle, but it may be overwhelmed.

 

This is a big, decadent floral on me. Not cloying, and not sweet (or rather the sweet is balanced perfectly with the green), but I would hesitate to wear it around a lot of people in an enclosed place. This is an outdoor party scent, or a lounging around on sexy vacation scent.

Edited January 19, 2009 by EdenIrisMae

[MCS4096]

In the Imp: Wow.. that is some hardcore vetiver! I was a little surprised to see this doesn't have patchouli in it, because on first sniff I thought that this definitely qualifies as a "headshop" scent at first blush.

 

Wet: Can discern the notes better now.. that vetiver is still intense though. The honeysuckle is very very slight, and the opium smoke just makes the whole thing rather sharp.

 

Dry: It really does change a bit from the wet stage.. The vetiver has stepped back some thankfully, and it's all honeysuckle and opium. I smell a twinge of BBQ in there But really it's just a great black floral blend.. surprising since it's honeysuckle, but it is very very dark to me. I never would have thought I'd like something with so much vetiver in it, but this is pretty fabulous. This would be awesome on a hot summer night, you would just radiate sex.

Edited January 28, 2009 by MCS4096

[LizzyLies]

Hm, this strikes me as very faint on the skin. It's like thick, smoky fog coating over the scent of honeysuckle and well, it does make me think of a church at night during a storm. You know, the really old church buildings that scare the living daylights out of you because you don't know what just made that 'bump' in the night. All you really know is that it came from the same building as you. I'm not quite sure if I like it or not and because of that, I'll definitely be testing it again.

[asciident]

Wet: Sour body odor! D: Don't want to put it on.

[ShadowsDance]

The black opium is thick at at the front, with the vetivert close behind. It is a heavy, dark scent. Not bad, but not great, it just doesn't work for me.

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, Vetiver of Doom.

 

Wet on the skin, vetiver and floral. Very harsh. Dries down to smoky vetiver & honeysuckle.

 

I have to pass on this on.

[topazphoenix]

I'm not getting vetiver from Anathema. It's heavy and thick, slightly powdery, and soapy sharp florals. I think this might be a good 'evil woman' scent on the right chemistry, but on me it smells like bathroom cleaner. bah.

[aquazoo]

Starts a bit dirty. Then something a little bit sour comes through. Then it's burned rubber. Inspiring excess? Maybe excess scrubbing.

[HKB]

Strange, I smell chocolate and vetiver.

I like it, I'm not sure how much. I'll have to try it again tomorrow.

 

Edit: I tried it again and had forgotten what the notes were and was sure there was almond in this. It has an almondy, dark and earthy smell at first, later it gets a little spicier and vaguely floral but not sweet. Very masculine to me.

Edited August 30, 2009 by HKB

[tragedy]

This is nice!!

The black opium is nice and heady, sweetened up a bit by the honeysuckle. The vetiver is barely discernable, but gives the whole blend a bit of heaviness. Very complex but lovely.

[surlygurl]

This scent was frimped to me by the lab a few times; it's something I never would've purchased.

 

in the imp: *sniff* um...... hot rocks? Cold rocks. Something earthy & cold & somber.

 

On my skin: Cold. Reminds me of castle walls. No metals, just cool stone and some light spice. Eventually, as it dries, the sun comes out and warms the stone, bringing forth centuries of incense(?) & spices. Warm florals grow among the ruins.

 

I really like this. It almost smells like spicy cotton candy, but not as sweet. I would consider this an autumn scent - summer flowers meet somber cold stone (opium?). Really lovely.

Edited September 1, 2009 by surlygurl

[mamoyer]

Well, that does it. Vetiver is officialy an EVIL note for my skin chemistry. Anathema on my skin is totally AMPED vetiver, and it smells absolutely dreadful. I can't even smell the opium or honeysuckle, which is so sad, because I love honeysuckle. So far, every blend from the lab that contains vetiver does this, so sadly I must write this one off too.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Holy Opium, Batman! But there's something darker... probably Vetiver, judging from my experiences with that note.

On: Whoa, thick and smoky. Dense, gray-black smoke. Strong, too. I don't know yet if I approve of this.

Later: Smoky opium. Not bad now, but the "gray smoke" phase was a bit overwhelming.

[AMaskedMistress]

I ordered Anathema with high hopes, it sounded strong and mysterious to me for some reason. When I initially sniffed it in the imp, I was slightly disappointed. All I got was smoke. Smoke with a tangy flower background. I wanted to like it... So, trying not to be put off by my inital disappointment, I went ahead and tried it on. OMG- I'm SOOOO GLAD! The dry down for me was wonderful and though I'm not a big fan of alot of florals, this one wore on me amazingly!! I couldn't stop sniffing myself! I'm so going to have to order the big bottle of this!! YAY!

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting the opium and the honeysuckle, with just a tinge of vetiver. This could be amazing... And on my skin it's reminiscent of my dad's cologne, in the initial wet stage, like with Stardust '05, but a bit more floral, but the floral seems to be coming out a bit more here, and playing off the opium and swallowing the vetiver (THANK GOD). And wow, it's amazing; a darkly beautiful floral. Definite bottle, this.

Edited October 16, 2009 by Venneh

[Juushika]

This was a frimp from the Lab, and one which I'd not have ordered on my own—I don't have high expectations from honeysuckle.

 

In the vial: Black but bright: smoky vetiver, dark opium, and sweet, almost sharp honeysuckle cutting through. What it says on the tin, I guess, but it's a very striking combination. It's also a remarkably thick oil for being lab-fresh.

 

On me: I take that back, the vetiver wasn't smoky in the imp—but it sure is when it hits the skin. The intensity of the vetiver dies down during drydown as the opium rises to provide a bit of balance through its smoother, thicker scent. The honeysuckle is much less potent than it was in the vial, where it was edging towards a lotus-like sharp, sickly-sweetness; for a while it's almost too subtle, but it eventually becomes a sweet, barely-floral backing to the vetiver, and it's what makes the blend work. This scent is dark, smoky, shadowed, smooth, but threading through it all is a whiff of unexpected, and unexpectedly lovely, sweetness. Scent-color is a dark gray alternating with pink; throw and wear length are moderate.

 

Verdict: I'm honestly not sure what to think. I've been developing a love of vetiver for a while now, and so this blend scratches that itch—vetiver is the star, and the accompanying notes do a lot to keep it smooth and palatable. But the honeysuckle is so unusual, so distinctive, that the scent keeps catching me unawares. It's a bit disquieting—which fits the inspiration well, but may not make for a very wearable perfume. That said, I'm keeping my imp. This is too unique (and too unexpectedly successful) a blend for me to let pass by, even if I don't think I'll wear it much.

 

10-year ETA: This has aged beautifully! The predominant vetiver has grown silky smooth, with wafts of smoke that sit higher in the nose; it blends almost inseparably with the opium, a rich, dark base. The honeysuckle has tamed and reminds me of aged lotus, distinctive, sweetish, but without that sharp edge. It's still a strange, almost-unsettling combo, but grown so smooth and rich--I still love vetiver, I'm still wearing this mostly for the vetiver, but it's grown into a beautiful, deep, polished vetiver.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Juushika

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: Warm; (The Boy says 'slightly soapy,' but I am not picking up on that at all)

 

Wet on Skin: Warm, middle range. This is one of those blends that gives me a feeling, rather than throwing out particular notes.

 

While Drying: Not floral at all... warm, golden. When The Boy got home from work, I asked him to sniff me w/o knowing anything about the scent, and to tell me what impression he got from it. His response: "Kansas. Farm Girl. Fallow fields." Yup, that is about what I am getting from it.

 

After a Little While: Scent starts to get honeyed slightly.

 

Later: The honeysuckle builds for a while... scent eventually turns sour, but past that phase both sweet & sour go, and the lingering scent is incensey.

 

Final Thoughts: I seem to have had a vastly different experience with this blend than most of the reviewers. After I finished writing my own thoughts, I went back to look at the listed notes and reviews, and I had to double check to make sure I was wearing what I thought I was wearing. I ended up with two separate imps, so I did another test with the second vial, and though it was slightly darker and thicker (and thus, I assume, older) the older imp was slightly stronger, but not qualitatively different for the scent experience. I'd be interested in trying a fresh imp to see if it is my skin or the age of the oil that erases anything dark or mysterious on me.

Anathema earns a 3/5 on me.

[donnatron]

Imp: Vetiver and opium. Mostly vetiver.

 

Wet: You know, opium works on my skin, it just dominates the hell out of scents. This turns to almost single note opium.

 

Dry: Opium and the teensiest hint of honeysuckle. This is all opium all the time.

 

Throw: Moderate.

 

Overall: I already have my opium scented needs taken care of. I don't think Anathema is for me.

[SophieCedar]

Like the previous poster, my skin loves opium and tends to amplify it.

 

In imp: whoa. Debauchery in a bottle! This opium reminds me of a few oil perfumeries that haven't been around for about 15 years. Yay! Very heady floral with a feeling of motor oil thickness.

 

Wet: the opium formed a hypnotic cloud and honeysuckle developed. It's very intense but enjoyable. I slightly detected the vetivert however the flowers exploded and surrounded me.

 

drydown: after the opium and honeysuckle were done creating a ruckus (not in a bad way..you'll enjoy it) the vetivert finally came out of hiding but was very soft and does not conflict. This is quite the olfactory experience!

 

5 stars for a ballsy combination!

[Phantasmagoria]

In the imp: Yikes, vetivert

 

Wet on skin: Yikes, vetivert. I can catch a glimpse of the honeysuckle now and then.

 

Dry on skin: The vetivert calms down a bit, and the honeysuckle comes forward. I don't really know what black opium smells like, so I can't comment on that.

 

This is quite a sharp scent. I like it, but it isn't me.

[Aldercy]

Sweet, sweet blackness. The opium and honeysuckle form this sticky haze of warm, sleepy sweetness, and the vetiver blows in, adding a pall of smoke to the whole thing. It smells old and deep and somewhat unhappy.

 

Nevertheless, I've lately been starting to "get" vetiver, and I quite like it in conjunction with the opium.

[wvgemini]

I got this one in a frimp from the lab. Honestly, on first sniff, I tossed it into the "off to others" pile. Not because I thought it particularly bad, I just didn't think much of it. Went through my frimp pile again and decided to skin test it.

 

Woah, this is an odd ball. I get the honeysuckle as a sweet note, but I'm not feeling the super heavy floral I read about. Skin hot, a touch smoky and something heady in the background (opium, perhaps?). I like this one on myself well einough, but I actually decided to have the boy try this one on. Very sexy on a guy. His skin plays very well with sweet scents though (never known a man who can wear vanilla and tobacco that well, lol) so that may have something to do with it.

 

Bottom line, a very different, floral (but not too floral), darkly sweet scent. Oh yeah, we're gettin' a bottle.