Danse Macabre

[raisin]

An allegorical expression of the ineffable, indisputable triumph of death, generally expressed in medieval artwork as a violin or flute-wielding skeleton leading a procession of dancers to their graves. Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut.

This is one of the more intriguing blends I've come across! It's not anything I would have picked out for myself, but it's fantastic. When wet, there's a slight dirt-like dryness, a touch of pine, but I certainly wouldn't have been able to pick out many notes. As it dries, it leans toward the piney masculine side of things (I'd go nuts for a dude wearing this) but it's beautiful and shadowy and complex. I wish it lasted a bit longer, but it'll be great to wear when I need a break from the more fragrant blends.

This one's awesome. Definitely a bottle candidate. Edited May 9, 2010 by raisin

[impolight]

:::DANSE MACABRE:::

 

There has long been a fondness, a love, and a morbid fascination with this concept and it's midieval depictions...

A favorite used to don the front of a DCD concert tee from days of yore...

Ah, reverie.

The notes in Danse Macabre are a thrill just by themselves!

So far, ANYTHING that has had the Lab's version of Frankincense, Cypress or Oakmoss in it has been to die for (no pun intended!).

Hazelnut promises to be music to this nose as well.

Can you sense the excitement? Well, can you???

From the Imp: *Swoooooon!!!*

This is AMAZING already!

The Oakmoss and the Cypress make gargantuan conjoined twins! The eyelids flutter shut...

Once the head clears of the frothy greens, there is the unmistakeable decadence of rich, russet Hazelnut! Crazy good!

It is easy to envision some unsuspecting soul with a blissed-out-toothy plastered across their gob as they float across your path; eyes shut, toes dragging toward a waiting opened grave...

Music or no, there is certainly a cartoon-like abandon of worldly cares.

Danse Macabre is sweet, sweet release.

On the Skin: Hmmm... The Oude is bashful here... Hasn't really participated in the introductions.

The Hazelnut, though, amps like crazy at this stage! What makes it so unique is it's potency at a specific topography... From afar, the Cypress reigns supreme, and up close, the Oakmoss plays it's intricacies in perfect harmony with the whirling Frankincense... About 10 inches from the skin, you get obscenely sweet, almost custardy-thick Hazelnut. Unbelievable!

Danse Macabre is very impressive. This fragrance pretty much covers all the bases in the qualities that anyone would look for in a memorable fragrance; It has a maddening intrigue, a visceral pull, and it leaves a strong, almost animalistic impression burning in the brain.

Danse Macabre is excitingly unisex: Lickably sweet on Her and Sexy Old-Guard on Him.

Deliriously yummy.

Effortlessly 5 out of 5.

[notjonathan]

Dusty and dark, without the musky sweetness of Dance of Death. Sharper and brighter, resinous. An ancient cathedral, dimly lit, distant incense, a funeral, but without the flowers. The confessional near by was made from cedar. But it goes a little candley after a while.

[tallan]

Wet: Pine? Must be the cypress. Lots and lots of it. Very sharp and dark.

 

Drydown: Like wearing Lush's Goth Juice, to my unsophisticated nose. Starts to soften and round out a bit. Oooh, I can smell the frankincense now.

 

Dry: Dark, dark green and foresty. Lots of cypress, again. Not getting any of the hazelnuts, and I have no idea what oude or oakmoss in perfume form actually smells like, so it's possible I just can't identify them. Very suitable for winter. Still a bit like Goth Juice, which is a scent I enjoy, so that's good.

 

Keep: Yes

Bottle: Maybe

[melrose]

First on: pine, jupiter - must be the cypress.

 

I really slathered, but it faded away to a soft, slightly sweet scent within an hour.

 

Nothing macabre about this, to my sorrow.

[Suu4LC]

Oof...sharper than I expected. A sharp cypress/frankincense scent. Didn't notice the hazelnut tbh (I hope I notice it on my skin!)

 

Oof. Ack. So sharp on me for some reason. Maybe it's the cypress. I dunno, but unfortunately, this is just sort of a mess on me =/ Still no hazlenut. Maybe a little more oakmoss to mellow this out as it dries, but definitely mostly cypress, frankincense and oude.

 

Dried down to a weird, light cypress/oude scent. This scent just totally did not work on me.

[rhetoricians]

Sharp pine at first. On the drydown, it stays fairly piney, but with tinges of something else - no hazelnut notes that I can tell. I've been wearing it for 3 or 4 minutes and it's already fading - can tell my body just isn't a fan.

[angelamaria]

In imp: I couldn't recognize any of the scents when I tried this one. It's slightly oily to my nose--overall it's a mix of sharp, spicy, tangy, and sometimes there is a sweet note that disappears quickly. The sharpness isn't very promising--I thought of felt tip Pentel pens when I smelled it, although the smell is not the same.

 

Wet on skin: oily! Somewhat clay-ey. Not sure if I can stand this scent for long, but we'll see how long I can stand it. There is some tang and sweet notes coming out better now, but it's still overshadowed by the heavy, oily scent. I can get the frankincense sometimes, but again it's kind of lost in the background most of the time.

 

Dry: OIL. That's the only way to describe it--granted, it's now woody oil, but it's still oil, heavy and thick and difficult. The woodiness increases the longer it's dried, but the oiliness doesn't seem to be going away at all.

 

Verdict: Obviously not for me. An interesting thing about this scent though, I washed it off shortly, and when I checked my wrist to see if it was gone, I could smell the same after-drying smell I got from Ulalume, which I loved: cypress! Will definitely be looking for cypress notes now, it seems promising as a woody base note for me.

[Honey]

Let's see if we can find the hazelnut..

 

 

Imp: Dark, sweet cypress and moss.

 

Wet: Men's cologne.

 

Dry: Dusty and nutty in the dry-down. The sweetness comes from the frankincense I think, the dark quality from cypress and moss. It's OK, but doesn't really give me a kick (not even for the bf).

[OctoberGwen]

When first applied this is very sharp and unpleasant. (My immediate thought was, "Ugh! Smells like BO.")

 

After a few minutes it becomes soft, mossy, woody, and oddly comforting.

 

A very, very interesting scent.

Edited October 11, 2011 by OctoberGwen

[magcat]

This came as a frimp in the order I got today! I never really thought about ordering it, so it's nice to try something I wouldn't usually go for. I decided to try it first because the notes sounded interesting.

 

Wet: Cypress...smells like Christmas trees! This fades pretty quickly.

Dry: Really light and kind of sweet. I think it's the oakmoss, because it smells like one of the ingredients in Fae (but way less fruity and sugary). I like it, but I probably won't wear it too often. Not really me...

[calivianya]

Wet: I'm definitely getting dry cypress and moss. I'm not sure what oude smells like, but I know I'm not getting any frankincense or hazelnut at this point.

Dry: I'm finding this to be cloying. This was a re-test, as I was on the fence the first time, but I think this is a definite no. It's very interesting, it's just not something I'll wear.

[puellacaerulea]

In this imp, this is all sharp cypress and moss. As it dries down on me, I still get primarily the cypress and moss notes, although it softens a bit -- some kind of faint powdery note comes in behind the cypress/moss notes (the oud, maybe?). I couldn't detect the frankincense or hazelnut notes at any point, though. This strikes me as a very murky take on the "green" scent; I'd recommend it to anyone who finds most green scents too bright and fresh (this also seems like it'd make a great unisex scent). I can't see myself making a full bottle purchase, but I'll haul out the imp when I'm in the mood for something different.

[LightLikeKnives]

It goes on as a menthol-orange scent, herbal, not exactly fresh (reminds me of the way Orange Crush tastes), with a little incense mixed in. Feels very headshop-y, very heavy. Slowly the heaviness fades away to an old lab scent, and then it's over. Lasts about three hours.

[SkySamuelle]

Strong, sharp and definitely smelling like the pretty side of decay. It doesn't change significantly on me from the imp to the skin or from wet to dry. It has something masculine and it's not making me to die to have it on me all time, but I like it.

[madscientistdh]

I remembered where I got this! From callmepenelope

 

In bottle: Moss musk, a heady herbal? Drying mildew? What on earth am I smelling? And I do mean earth.

 

On skin: Weird, almost sweet dark herb. It's an odd skin scent that I can't place, it feels like rolling in moss under a shedding spruce tree.

 

Drydown: More incensey wood peeking out, a pine/spruce spice scent if that makes sense? The smell I get walking through the woods sometimes.

 

Verdict: I do adore this scent, but it's very solemn. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since it's a funereal oil! I could see this as a masculine scent, for sure, but I enjoy it all the same

Edited October 17, 2012 by madscientistdh

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Resinous and woodsy.

 

Wet: A bit sharp and it smells... musty or something along those lines. Very strange. Perhaps the moss isn't behaving? I also get a touch of powder. It's funky and not in a good way

 

Dry: Luckily the funk didn't last long and now I'm getting the cypress almost exclusively. Underneath that I get an almost sugary sweetness. I don't think this one is for me.

 

Edit: The lab frimped me this and I had forgotten I had already tested it and due to my desire to test any and all imps that come my way, I dutifully dabbed this on. The second time around, this is gorgeous! The cypress is strongly piney at first and settles into a sweet resiny melange. Woodsy, spicy, resiny, sweet. It's surprisingly light. I may have to pick up a bottle of this at some point.

Edited May 5, 2014 by brilliantcat

[mymymai]

ITI: Interesting. The frankincense, oakmoss, and cypress are evident and nicely green while still being pleasingly resinous.

 

Wet: Oooh, strong cypress franked by swirling oude, oakmoss, and frankincense. I don't get the hazelnut distinctly, but there is a dry, warm quality to the scent which might be from it.

 

Dry: It's a balanced combination of woodsy green and incense from the frankincense and oude. It's dry, complex, and could be used as a unisex scent.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: Sharp incense with some type of florals?
Wet on skin: The sharp incense opens up a little, revealing a slightly bitter component.
Dry on skin: The bitterness dissipates somewhat, but this scent still has a sharp quality. Although, if I try really hard, I think I can pick up the hazelnut in the background. I think this is why the bitterness has subsided, because the hazelnut tempers it somewhat.

I don't think my skin chemistry is doing this blend any favors. What I'm left smelling is a bitter incense with barely a wisp of nutty sweetness, along with an unsettling funk. Alas, this is a no go for me.

[Acayde]

Bottle: Sharp pine and earthy moss, not my taste, but not bad

 

Wet: Starting to get a sour smell. My body chem hates juniper and since its related to cypress...

 

Dry:

TWANG LEMON-LIME BEER SALT!

I kid you not. I didn't believe it myself and asked others. One of my friends started salivating.

 

Worth a shot, it smells quite lovely in the imp. Dang body chemistry!

Edited August 11, 2013 by Acayde

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Cypress over something dirty and sweet. Something smells “off” about it.

 

Drydown: Fresher and more natural-smelling now. Misty blue cypress over a base of soft brown notes. It smells sort of papery and thin.

 

Dry: There’s a slight sharpness that comes and goes, but mainly it’s airy cypress over muted and papery incense and a touch of oakmoss. The frankincense becomes stronger and more delicious as the day wears on, eventually taking over as the main note.

 

 

 

 

7 out of 10 bones

[MadameGorgon]

This was graciously frimped to me by the Lab. It's something I never would have considered for myself, though I do love me some Oudh.

 

In the Imp: This was very faint to me. Evergreen, but not Pine or Cedar, with something soft in the background.

 

Cypress isn't a note I'm familiar with, but I'm assuming it is the evergreen-ish top note. It does kind of come out swinging in this blend. But then, poof... It's gone. And the "something soft" comes to the forefront.

 

I'd almost swear that the imp was mislabeled if it weren't for that evergreen opener.

 

I'm really having trouble describing this scent. I like it... quite a bit actually. Although it is FAR from my usual scent choices.

 

It is softly, very softly, resinous without being powdery. Sweet without being foody, cloying, or floral. And fresh without that artificial quality that so many "fresh" scents have for me.

 

I normally can't handle aquatics or "clean laundry" type scents. They quite literally make me nauseated. But this is just those things in the most lovely way. Like a crisp, freshly washed cotton sheet dried in the sunshine on an evergreen studded beach.

 

This scent, more than anything, brings to my mind images of the Greek seashore, though I've never been there.

 

The picture in my mind: Low craggy hills with windswept gray-blue cypress looking like bent, little old greek ladies, lined with ancient footpaths, dotted with bright blue and crisp white villas, dropping down into a perfectly crystalline turquoise waters.

 

Not at all what the scent was supposed to evoke, but really beautiful nonetheless.

Edited November 22, 2013 by ih8perfume

[Veronica]

This is dry wood and incense over herbs.

[LizziesLuck]

Yep, smells like tree. Which I don't want to smell like, but I have a friend who does, so I'll pass it on to him. As it dries on me, the Frank inevitably amps to high heaven, it'll be interesting to see if it does the same on him.

[kattalog]

Wet: Sweet and resiny woody. Slightly salty.

Dry: Its mostly a kind of sour/acidy resiny scent, with a salty smoke from frankincese. The moss and cypress adds a outdoorsy almost foresty feeling to Danse Macabre. Its like when one sticks it nose to old wood, in a place where the heating has been through lightning fires nearby. A cabin in the woods-old wood. Its both mysterious and comforting. Woudl be a great scent to wear to storytelling and adventures to new places (new forests!).

An hour in, the sour/acidy resiny notes has faded and instead Danse Macabre shows to be a scent of cabin in the woods, the smell of wooden walls with a distant crackling fire. The frankincese lends itself great to the almost smokey part and the toasted hazelnut adds to the comfy, warm cabin feeling.

Dominant notes: Cypress+oude, frankinscense. Well blended!

Lasting: 2.5 hours

Edited October 29, 2016 by kattalog