Dr. John Seward

[Pesha]

Penetrating and gifted, vulnerable, with just a hint of opium-blurred delirium: poppy smoke, champaca flower, tonka, sandalwood, ginger, white pepper.

So that's what's in there! I was wondering because this smells so incredible on me that I think I should try other blends with similar notes. I really really like the way this smells on me from first application to when it's all faded away and gone for good (about 2.5 hours which seems very short to me, there's not a huge throw on this one at all either).

In the decant: It smells vaguely floral to me. There's a heady sort of air to it that makes me think of excess.

Wet on my skin: It smells more resinous really. It smells very different on my skin than in the container. I really like the first stirring notes and I love the air of sweetness that clings and drags on my senses. It's very drugging which is what opium dens should smell like, right?

Dry on my skin (after about 40 minutes): It's got a very slight hint of bite to it that has the be the pepper coming out, but it's not too strong. I don't smell anything like tonka but I do smell the sandalwood really clearly. It's a scent that I think I could fall asleep and dream with. It makes me think of laziness and excess. It's a scent to wallow around in and just sort of day-dream. I really really like this. Now I must find more!

[jessu]

Ugh. Sweet, sour, and acrid, it reminds me of the feeling you get in your mouth when you've eaten too many sweets and desprately need to brush your teeth. Somewhat hazy and medicinal, it does remind me of the character. I will never wear this, but will keep it to complete my OotD collection.

[hackess]

Imp: Ugh! Smells like a doctor's office - chemical cleanser, rubbing alcohol, and latex.

Wet: Rubbing alcohol and poppy smoke. No ginger, no sandalwood, no berry. Dry: Plastic, rubber, latex and rubbing alcohol. Whiffs of what might be juniper, but mostly it's chemical and gross.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Ginger, opium, and a bit of tonka. I am in love.

 

First on: The tonka is the most potent on me (I assume that's what it is, a light floral vanilla sort of scent) but I can smell the smokiness underneath. If the opium smoke comes out more I will need 5 bottles of this.

 

Drydown: Ok, the smokiness is much more potent. I want to swoon when I smell myself I love it sooo much!

 

Overall: YES PLEASE!

[naeelah]

I thought I had reviewed this, but I guess not!

 

I bought this just to see what it was like, because the notes were unfamiliar to me. As many other people have said, this one is much more feminine than you'd expect, probably due to the floral aspect.

 

This doesn't morph so much on me. Wet through all the stages of drydown, the scent is primarily smoky, with rich, sweet flowers and just a hint of spice. The only change, as with many scents on my skin, is that it starts out very sweet, gradually becoming less sweet and more smoky. The overall balance and character remains the same. It has moderate throw and good longevity.

 

I recently tried Blood Countess, and the two are very similar. Both are heavy on the poppy smoke. Dr. Seward contains no fruit, but he is very sweet, so the fragrance is different from the Countess, but the character is quite similar. The main difference, apart from the fruit/no fruit, is that Blood Countess is a lot lighter than this, I think. Dr. Seward is much headier and lasts longer, which isn't at all a bad thing. Blood Countess is a bit lighter but perhaps more mysterious; John Seward wants to languish in his office. I never get much of the spice, but I keep hoping! (I'll probably try layering with a trace of La Morte Qui Danse, to bring back the pepper and ginger.)

 

 

I don't know if this exactly makes me think of Dr. Seward, but it certainly captures the languid feeling of thick, hazy, opium smoke. It's very nice, and I'll hunt down 5 ml of it!

Edited June 19, 2007 by naeelah

[RemAkimichi]

In the Bottle: Peppery!

 

On me (wet): This one is so odd, it starts out very light on me, and a little smoky. It gets stronger as it dries, which is the opposite of almost all the other scents I've tried. It also gets sweeter.

 

On me (dry): Very sweet and slightly medicated. It reminds me cough syrup and burning flowers, with just this faint hint of vanilla.

 

Overall: I've been wanting this scent since last year and was very happy to win a bottle on Ebay. On my scent locket it smells remarkably like gluttony, but the real character comes out on my skin. I think it captures Dr. Seward very well, and I'm very glad I bought it.

[Tess]

I haven't reviewed this one yet? I'm surprised!

 

In the vial - This reminds me a lot of an opium den with champaca flowers sitting in the smoke, bodies in cheap cologne heating it all in their stupor.

 

Wet - Poppy smoke and very woody sandalwood, with some tonka in it.

 

Drying - ..I remember not liking this one. What the heck was I thinking?! It's smokefilled and dark, with some sweetness of the tonka to it and a little floral from the champaca. It's simply lovely, in a smooth dark and languid sort of way. It isn't terribly strong, I will say that, but it has this lovely throw that clings to me, drawing those around me to smell me more thoroughly. Really, really lovely so far.

 

Dry (1 hour) - This is one heck of a dry sandalwood. It's pretty much down to that and champaca, which is actually pretty bland and uninteresting. Nice, but eh.

 

Overall - It isn't nearly as bad as I somehow remembered, but the drydown is just boring.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Strangely buttery, nutty.

 

Wet: Foody! Why is this foody? I get the sharpness of the ginger and pepper, and now the sweetness of the tonka... what the heck?

 

Drydown: Oh -- that opium hallucination isn't serving me cake; it's serving me wine.

 

Somebody else mentioned a berrylike note similar to that in Montresor, and I get that from the sweet tonka-champaca conspiracy. This isn't anywhere near as smoky as I would have imagined, or else I can't separate the smoke from the pepper -- and I don't really get the sandalwood hugely, either. The throw is fairly strong, though, and as it dries, it becomes more of a sweet, dry floral.

 

Interesting character, this Seward. He needs a little Debauchery, though.

[phantasmmysteria]

I recently swapped for a bottle of this (woot!), as reading the reviews for the OotD series this appealed to me the most. Opium smoke, sandalwood, tonka, and ginger? Yesplz!

 

In the bottle: Wow, this smells like Tamamo-No-Mae's doppelganger! It the bottle, they smell so similar... sweet, creamy, and just faintly floral... I can just detect a hint more spiciness in John Seward. No opium smoke at all.

 

Wet: This starts off just as TNM does, but very quickly the white pepper and ginger start coming forward, and the sweet tonka starts to fade to the opium and sandalwood. *sighs dreamily*

 

Dry: The resins and spice are clearly present once dry, but it's softened around the edges by the tonka. This is great. It's a definite keeper, in my book.

[mudspinr]

Unlike my normal test first routine, I bought a whole 5ml of Dr John Seward just on the basis of the notes listed. Boy am I glad I did! I don't actually get most of the notes listed when I wear it, but I really love the way it smells on me.

 

In bottle: Warm, complex, a little sweet. Tonka, I think, with a little floral and the opium. Not opium smoke...no smoke at all...just opium.

 

Wet on skin: Close to what it smelled like in the bottle. A bit stronger, but not in-your-face. Maybe some spice, but very much in the background. I do not get smoke, but I do get tobacco. Really expensive pipe tobacco. Decent throw, but it isn't cloying or overwhelming.

 

Drydown: Pretty much stays the way it starts, which is good since I like it. Opium mixed with really good pipe tobacco, with that tonka/floral note keeping it from being too masculine. Not that I would object to a guy who smelled like this! Unfortunately the guy doesn't do scents...he liked it on me though. Lasts very well, even on my skin I could still smell it about 6 hours later. In a scent locket it was still going strong late the next day.

[Gwydion]

In the bottle: Sweet and foody, rich and decadent. The tonka is smelling very vanilla here and with the poppy and ginger is doing something that says dessert. The pepper gives and edge and the sandlewood and flowers are subsumed. Wet: starts out making me hungry. Matures a little and you get a sweet smokiness and the sandlewood and champaca come out to play. It is reminding me of the delightful Dia de les Muertos, though it has a darker undertone. There is something indefinably sensual under the cleaner brighter notes. Dry: The floral note strengthens, but it's not a classic floral, almost fruity. I seem to lack words for the effect on me, but it's surprisingly pleasant, despite not being what I was expecting. Alas, it fades rather fast.

[Shollin]

First sniff: It’s quite a bit warmer than I expected, and something almost-vanilla is the main player there – I guess that must be tonka. There’s a very warm spiciness to it too, and a very subtle sweetness in the afterscent. This should be really nice on me; ginger likes me a lot.

 

Wearing: Oh, this is really nice. Golden wood paneling in a cozy study with a big patch of sunbeam warming the golden wood floor. It’s all warmth and coziness and soft ginger and sunlight on polished wood. It’s the retreat of a dignified older gentleman who’s generally very serious but keeps a secret stash of candy and a few good stories for when his grandchildren visit.

[Magpie]

I’ve fallen head-over-heels for this guy.

 

He’s almost foody, and there’s some note which reminds me of my beloved ‘gingerbread’ in Gingerbread Poppet, Penny Dreadful and Jack. He’s more complicated than this, though. This is quite definitely my kind of man: slightly inconsistent, repressed and vulnerable, but a quiet genius.

 

Unfortunately, I came to Order of the Dragon long after it was gone, through aisling’s decant set. If I had been into BPAL when this first came out, I would have bought a couple of bottles and smothered my boyfriend in it. It’s like all my favourite ‘male researcher’ characters in books, films and TV come together (such as Giles and Wesley from Buffy and Angel, Simon from Firefly, Logan from Dark Angel, etc.)

 

Now for the actual analysis rather than just burbling:

 

In the bottle: There's that gingerbread-y note, which I assume must purely be ginger. It's light, and there's a little more to it than that, but it's difficult to identify.

 

On wet: I can smell florals coming out. To my disappointment, it seems to not be very strong, but my nose gets used to things very easily, so it might just be that I can't smell it much. There's an almost floral/sightly fruity note which must be the champaca flower.

 

Dried: The florals are slightly more dominant, but it's got smokier and subtler. There are no harsh notes as I'd expect from something containing ginger and white pepper but there is definitely a distinctive personality there, which I suspect is why I like this scent. The florals give a very slightly manic edge to the gentleman in question. After about ten minutes, I can smell the more interesting poppy smoke overtones and perhaps even the sandalwood.

 

It starts unusual and then goes in unexpected ways, but John here is a gentleman who I think I'll keep to stick around. I may well go on a hunt for a prized 5ml.

[Mishinka]

How interesting!

 

I definitely smell the pepper in the bottle. It's spicy and dry and kind of sour. When I first put it on, I even get a bit of a salty note. Once I let it sit for a while it turns floral, even though it still has a bit of a sour smell and a definite spicy bite to it. There's something about it that makes me think of an old book that's had flowers pressed in it, though this isn't a papery scent at all. It's like... fermenting flower wine, almost an alcoholic scent. It's very different from any other scents I've tried, and rather odd in its difference, but I like it a lot.

[heathercaley]

Soft child like sweetness. Very drowsy and innocent. This kind of reminds me of Kubla Khan, minus the leather, and add some ginger. Mainly a smokey champaca flower.. soft light incense tinged with some soft baby like peppery sweet florals. Some of the opium smoke is popping through now, but it's not too overpowering. Hmm.. a bit of sweetness towards the end of the drydown..

 

Very pretty indeed.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Purrsnikety

[Salsa Shark]

I'd only ever seen the notes for this blend and none of the reviews, so I was really surprised by this blend. Like quite a few others I'd expected something darker and smokier.

 

Straight away there's a blast of opium/poppy smoke. Sharp and sweet, but not as strong as I've found it in other blends. Then it lightens out into something fruitier - I can definitely see where other got banana and pomegranate - with a candied edge from what I'm assuming is the ginger, since it's very similar in feel to Hungry Ghost Moon at this stage.

 

It gets a mellow, smokier feel as it dries down, but it retains that candied fruit scent, with a heady haze of opium floating around. There's no wood or pepper present to my my nose though, which are the two I was hoping for most. With the champaca added it does seem like the youthful, somewhat stoned love-child of Hungry Ghost Moon and Dia De Los Muertos. It is a lovely scent but, like HGM, not one I'd ever really wear.

[stillalive]

my friend says it smells like coal/opium-smoke with just a hint of sweetness.... it's a bit spicy like Dr. Pepper, but kind of woody.

[zankoku_zen]

Hmmm... this one is interesting. It wasn't what I thought it would be ---- at all. At the beginning, I thought it smelled like sweet tea. The tea part disappeared and now I have this sweet, almost fruity, smoky scent. But I know it's not.

 

I don't know what it is.

 

But I keep sniffing it!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i was in a decant circle for this series... and my decants came in two packages. apparently i never even opened the second batch, 'cuz i found 'em a few days ago still teflon taped and wrapped in bubblewrap. heh. oops.

 

 

sniffed from the decant this smelled so bad i couldn't bring myself to sniff it a second time to try to describe it.

but on skin, the lovely notes in thie (champaca flower, sandalwood tonka) seem like they're trying to fight free of everything else, but it just doesn't work....

and i'm left with this strangely sasparilla bubbly and almost plastic doll head type of scent. so very, very odd.

[Tal Shachar]

The tonka and champaca are very strong in the bottle, creating an almost foody impression that surprised me, but on my skin the pepper and ginger dispel that--penetrating and gifted, yes, with the softness of the sandalwood and florals adding the vulnerability. I'm very pleased because the poppy/opium smoke note doesn't turn plasticky on me the way it usually does; it's quite muted and well-behaved, not too harsh at all. Not a whole lot of staying power or throw (but I'm sure that would change if I wore it out somewhere, since lately that seems to be the only way to make sure my perfume gets aggressive). I like this quite a bit and I think it will become my benchmark for poppy/opium notes. The ginger is also great on me while it lasts.

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: this reminds me strongly of the incense display at this one place that i worked about 17 years ago. it wasn't just one item- it was the WHOLE rack, all coming together to make something inclusive yet different from everything present. that's what this smells like in the bottle. incense and yummy, but nothing more distinct.

 

wet on skin: much the same, actually. which is cool, since, you know, i've never found it in one single bottle (or incense stick for that matter!) before.

 

dry down: the incense wins!

 

in all: now, i'm not big on florals. i generally only like two. but the champaca and the poppy have totally won me over in this blend, probably because they don't smell like fresh flowers, they smell like an incense version of themselves. which is SO perfect and swoonworthy!

 

 

i can't say how pleased i am to have obtained a bottle of this!

 

 

 

[crebbsgirl]

I think this might be the only instance where champaca flower doesn't amp all to hell on my skin. It's still pretty predominant in this blend, but I think that the opium smoke keeps it in check. The ginger provides a faint spice, while not overpowering the blend. This is surprisingly light. I was expecting something a little darker. It's a nice spring scent, but I don't know how often I'll be reaching for it.

[Lamia]

This is elegant and subdued. It's a soft smoky wood, but... not. VERY briefly foody. Red berries try to push through, but are only detectable in the throw. Eventually, the buttery red berries come forth, but this is always a gentle scent which waits for you to notice it. Quick fade, sadly.

[rayvn1]

Wow! Thick, heavy clouds of opium and poppy! Doesn't have the sweet complexity of On Darkness for me, but is slightly more snarly and aggresive. Interesting scent, but I'll stick with my Yule rather than this Halloween version.

[ouch!]

This is really kinda sweet on me. As someone has said before..this does have an element of Khajuraho to it. The ginger and Tonka are prominent on me when it's first applied. Yum...J'Adore tonka. The ginger gives it a sort of...foody/woody smell. But it soon dissapears.

 

The perfume switches though and the opium does what it normally does, which is make a perfume smell classic. (To my nose anyway) It just gives perfume that..."perfume" quality.

I can only slightly smell the champaca, it's there adding it's beaty to the blend but it's not a strong note.

 

I really don't know what to make of this. Khajuraho is in my top 10 LE's, and this is similar but.. sweeter and not as breathtaking as Khajuraho is to me. It's still quite a complex perfume though and if the notes weren't listed I probably would never have guesed them.