Nephilim

[keileya]

... Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.

 

In the bottle: oh god that's a conflicted mess to my nose. Um, fig and a bit of pine or juniper or something, and some patchouli, but not the rancid BO that patchouli usually reminds me of.

Wet on skin: the pine-ish note (having looked at the description, it's probably the cypress) is coming out to the front like whoa, with the fig and hyssop behind it. Occasional flashes of the lavender as it dries down.

Dry on skin: ripe fig and a hint of the frankincense coming out to play. I took a chance on this one even though it had patchouli in it -- patchouli generally smells like the body odor of someone who's been smoking pot and forgot to shower for a few days, and not just because of scent-memory and associations; it usually does turn rancid and armpit-like on me -- but it doesn't seem to be doing that this time; it's more spicy than pot-like. There's a little hint of line-dried laundry, of all things.

I like it so far. It's not something I'd wear regularly, I think -- it's a very inoffensive and neutral scent on me, oddly enough, and I think it's going to go powder in 45 minutes, but it's not something I'm scrubbing straight off.

Fifteen minutes later: it took a detour through smelling like obscenity case law (413 US 15 Miller vs California, the to-date best-smelling BPAL on me and alas a LE from '09), which is the fig that they have in common, and now is a kind of soft spice that's fading like whoa.

An hour later: Yep, apparently the Nephilim have been hanging out their laundry by the fig trees and then folding it and tucking it away in their drawers with a few sprigs of lavender. Not long lasting on me at all. Pleasant, inoffensive, short-lasting, nothing special.

Still, I'm kind of amazed that the patchouli in this worked on me; usually patchouli is a death note, not only because of skin chemistry but because of associations. As I go through the GC picking stuff I'd like to try, I'd been automatically writing off anything that mentioned "patchouli" or "black herbs" unless every other note in it was something I knew I'd love, but Nephilim convinced me I should be more willing to give stuff a chance. I still don't think it's ever going to be a favorite note, and I've tried a few other BPAL blends with patchouli as a note, but apparently I can wear at least one of them. Good to know! And while this particular oil is in the "nothing special" category on me, it's really warm and spicy and homelike on my wife.

[blacksh33pboi]

My experience:

 

VERY resinous and herbaceous to start out with! Most def the frankincense/hyssop/lavender/rosemary. Smelling a bit of sweetness five minutes later, which I would think would be the fig and cardamom, as the sweetness, while a little fruity, also has a tinge of warm spiciness to it that cardamom would likely be the 'culprit' of. Has a pretty nice 'throw'! Don't have to keep sniffing my wrists; every turn of the head or every time I reach for something I get a whiff. Yay! Anywho. The herbaceous-ness has died down a lot half an hour in (but is still noticeable close to the skin), and it's mainly the resin/wood/fruit. An hour later and it's wood/fruit. 3 hours in and it's woods with a touch of patchouli and a teeny bit of the fruit left. And now, 4 hours in, it's sweet woods with a touch of vetiver and patchouli. Rather subtle on my wrists, but still has a pretty decent throw surprisingly. I really like this one! It's quite the morpher and doesn't *exactly* follow the common pyramid construction of perfumes because at times, I catch the herbaceous-ness of the top notes even now... and then they disappear. Rather fitting considering the 'fallen angels' sort of ghostly/spirit motif. I definitely need to grab a full bottle of this once I have money again.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Very very herbal and almost medicinal.

 

Wet on my skin: Earthy, herbal, and a little evergreen.

 

Dry: This is a strange, almost chaotic scent on me. It's very strongly herbal, with an earthy base from the patchouli, and I don't get much fig or frankincense until it's been on for several hours. At that point, it's a deliciously herbal dried fig with wisps of incense. Very nice once it's reached this stage, though it's a little strange earlier in the wear.

[Malaena]

In the imp: Dirt.

 

Wet: Dirt and fig.

 

Drying: Dirty fig with a bit of plastic. Eventually I pick up either patchouli or vetiver (I can't tell them apart!).

 

Verdict: I love patchouli/vetiver but I'm not putting up with that awful smell just for a throwless drydown.

[LizziesLuck]

I am so excited to try this, it has many notes that I love!

 

Wet: Mustard...followed by Vicks. Not what I was expecting at all!!

 

Dry: Eventually the fig comes out, and the cardamom. But there is something in there that remains a little medicinal, I'm thinking the hyssop. Unfortunately it turns this into something I wouldn't wear, though I don't dislike it. It just smells like medicine instead of perfume.

[roseus]

When I sniffed this in the imp and on wet it smelled dry and clean. Like sandalwood and lavender, and there was some eucalyptus too. Dry it still smells the same, very clean, herbal and interesting. I could not have guessed the other notes except maybe oakmoss. It reads clean and masculine to me.

[sarandipitee]

Very medicinal upon application - Vick's vape-o-rub or tiger's balm and the like. I really like the fig in this (fingers crossed for a fig SN one day) and the lavender as well but the hyssop and cypress stomp all over everything else.

 

Off to the frimp pile.

Edited March 11, 2018 by sarandipitee

[achildoftime]

The lavender are the notes I most readily pick out, but the combination does not work for me. It's a little sour and quite medicinal. It's going straight to my head and I can't leave it on. It's a scrubber for me.

[cassiejaynebunk]

in the imp it's kind of tangy and sharp and stings my eyes. on my skin it's still tangy, but the earthiness comes out, and i smell some of the fig. it's a little jammy, like a really ripe fig. and i smell some earth, like dirt. maybe the oakmoss? it's a very interesting scent, not one i will wear but i love how the scent conjures up the Nephilim in my imagination.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: The fig, frankincense, and hyssop notes stand out to me the most, and I can smell a bit of of cypress in the background.

 

Wet: The fig note is the first note to emerge. I can also smell the hyssop, tamarind, and cardamom. Behind the fruits and spices, I get a bit of the cypress. And then some lavender decides to join in on the fun? Curiouser and curiouser. But it is mainly a spiced fruit scent on me.

 

Dry: The fig note still reigns, along with the cardamom and tamarind. After a long time, the vetiver and patchouli end up adding a bit of earthiness and smokiness. Behind all of notes, I can smell some of the green notes, but they're pretty far in the background.

 

Verdict: I didn't expect this one to be so figgy the whole time! My imp was aged and only contained a small, testable amount of oil, so I suspect that it would be quite different if it were fresh. This one was okay, but not really something I'd wear.

[IoPan]

Nephilim:

 

This one contains some of my all-time favorite notes—oakmoss, cardamom, black patchouli, fig, cypress, vetiver—so I’m excited to see how it works on my skin.

 

In the bottle: I definitely get the oakmoss and fig, with a distinct soil-like bitterness, which I assume comes from the cardamom and patchouli. It’s an unusual smell in the bottle. Nothing you’d typically associate with perfume. A very outdoorsy or nature-oriented smell. Reminds me a lot of bird down.

 

Wet: Wow, that fig! With a sharp, ferny green undercutting it. I am loving this so far. It smells like being outdoors in the fall. Not the pumpkin-spice-inspired “fall” facsimiles that are more gourmand than nature-y, but like taking a walk in an actual forest after a fall rain, during mushroom season. As it moves toward dry-down, the fig and green notes (cypress and lavender?) merge more smoothly with the oakmoss and vetiver. Please don’t turn into commercial perfume hell-stench on my skin, because I am loving this so much thus far.

 

Dry: Wow, this all settles so beautifully together. I can’t pick out a single distinctive note, although occasionally the oakmoss, vetiver, and cypress assert themselves just for a moment and then sink back down into the others. It retains its open-air, woodsy, greenish characteristics without being the kind of scent that relies too heavily on any one note. It has such a clean, airy character. It’s almost an ozonic fragrance, but not as sharp as most ozonics.

 

So far this is a BIG keeper for me, and I’m just waiting to see whether it continues to wear well over time without turning into a wreck on my skin.

 

After 30 minutes: Fades down quite a bit, but still definitely present. It hasn’t changed in character much, except that the frankincense comes a bit more forward with its powdery note. However, the bitter green woodsiness is still quite present and very appealing. I do think this is scent tends much more toward the masculine end of things than the feminine end, which is great for me—I have a bod like Dolly Parton, yet I love to smell like I’m a lumberjack who’s about to punch a Sasquatch in the face.

 

I think I have found a new all-time favorite. Nephilim is tied for first place with Depraved, in my book.

[whipwaif]

so much fig and frankincense! although I can pick out literally every single note in this blend if I sniff long enough. on the drydown, it all blends very well together despite this. those of you who dislike patchouli, fear not! it is so gentle you may not even notice it, imo.

 

really wasn't expecting to like this one, but it grew on me. it's a cold and wintery masculine scent for sure. I will probably give this frimp to my boyfriend to wear as it would smell simply delectable on him. 

 

if I were to describe this as simply as I could: that slightly sweet incense smell that hits you upon walking into a metaphysical shop. 

[Rane.]

Received as an imp. So much in this going on I cannot pin out a single note. But I get masculine, I get the frankincense & possibly oakmoss. Will need to buy a bottle to study more. 💕

[skyturtles]

Ooo, there's a lot going on here! I like it.

"It smells like I stuck a pine tree up my nose." says my partner.

I, on the other hand, like the refreshing briskness. It's a sharp contrast to the muskier, darker blends I usually go for. I wasn't previously familiar with hyssop, and think it pairs nicely with the frankincense, which typically overpowers things with its resin smokiness (though I still do love it!). I'm not a fan of oakmoss so I'm glad it's not a power player here.

Though there's not a strong boozy factor, this does remind me of a nice floral, gin-centric cocktail. There's some sweetness but mostly just green and clean.

Someone else mentioned it being a cold & wintery scent, and I think I can get behind that notion as well.

(My imp is of an unknown age.)

[Shadowdawn]

Herbal, medicinal, resinous; dirt, dirt, dirt, soil, topsoil, potting soil, earth, ground, grass, and some kind of strange bitter sweetness like from mashed up evergreen with sap? Very acrid in general. Maybe would work as a winter cologne on some, but it's just so sweet and earthy and bracing.