Umbra

[Kikkervisje]

The deepest, darkest point in a shadow; the area contained within the shadow of an eclipse. East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon.

This smells unquestionably of red cedar. Hands down. I personally thought it was so strong as to be repulsive for the first couple of hours. After that, it settled to a nice level. However, this wasn't for me, as I have a little red cedar box from when I was a kid that I used to love. And, well, I smelled like... my box when I wore this. It's a strange psychological situation to smell like a box. (If you never owned a red cedar box, this type of wood does smell wonderful.) I did like it better the second time. I may eventually be able to overcome the box association.

I've only tried 8 scents so far, but I would have to say this is the sexiest. It's definitely not feminine (which I prefer). If you like woodwork or you have fond memories of cedar tree scent, it's definitely worth a look.

[magikalbrownies]

i smell more cedar than patchouli... and it works for about a second on my skin then turns sour.

 

sorry patchouli, im getting a divorce.

[Allumina]

First all veviter, then it calms down and smells warm and a bit powdery.(the cedar?) Having trouble picking out the patchouli, and I get no cinnamon at all. Smells kind of like dirt, but not it a bad way. Unfortunately, although it smells nice up close to my nose, the waft of it smells weird and perfumed. Oh well.

[TilHelvete]

Tried this on my boyfriend after he ran out of his imp of his beloved Fenris Wolf...

 

And it was another HUGE success for him. He said he didn't like it quite as much as Fenris Wolf, but he did like it an awful lot. And what it did have on Fenris Wolf, was its incredible lasting power. Scents seem to fade a little faster on him, and last about 3 hours or so but Umbra lasted the entire day. I put it on him at noon and I could still smell it on his arm at midnight, and not just a whiff of it either. It was still very strong.

 

Umbra is very masculine and woody and deep. I actually like it better than Fenris Wolf on him, because it is just such a feral, aggressive, sexual scent. The spiciness of the cinnamon is not very noticeable, and doesn't lend it a craft store vibe at all.. it's just enough to spice it up in the background. I think I will probably be getting a bottle of this for him as well.

[Gin]

Umbra

 

Whoa! Patchouli, cedar, and vetiver roar out of the imp. Dry, it's more of the same, just mellower.

[ahoythere]

In the Bottle: Whew, I get patchouli and I get wood. A deep, warm, sharp, concentrated woodsy smell.

 

Wet: Initially I smell cinnamon and cedarwood (it's not as sharp as in the bottle) that sliiightly verges on pencil shavings. I'm also getting something a bit like incense but not as heavy or full, but this disappears quickly on my skin. I'm also getting a vague sweet, medicinal odor because I can smell alcohol. It reminds me of the Chinese medicine I would rub on my burns when I was a kid. Faintly smoky. The cinnamon disappeared rapidly after the initial burst. I really thought there was sandalwood in Umbra, it just smells so much like it....

 

Dry-down: After ten minutes, it's become a strong cedarwood and alcohol/resin smell. No cinnamon. I really don't know what's causing the Chinese medicinal smell. Maybe it's the vetiver and its combination with cedarwood? (I'm not quite sure what vetiver smells like.) There's still a slight incense smokiness I'm getting from the patchouli. Half an hour later, it's pretty much the same. A bit more resinous, a bit less woodsy/earthy.

 

Final Thoughts: I don't like it I can't help but think of Chinese medicine and how gooey and stinky that stuff was.

[jamethiel]

In the bottle: Vetiver! Mmm. With cedar behind it

 

Wet: GAG. Um. You know those urinal cakes? That's what this smells like on me.

 

After five minutes: Hmm. Slightly more cedar-y. A bit of patchouli underneath, but there's something. I don't know. It's that urinal-cake/medicinal smell. I'm not a fan.

 

It gradually settles down over the next half hour, but the urinal cake smell mutates into musk.

 

After 3/4 of an hour: Pure, pink musk with a tinge of cedar. Ugh.

 

It's a shame my skin chemistry did strange things to this one. I do like the notes on paper and in the bottle!

 

Edit:Hmm It does settle down to pretty much cedar, but there's an hour or so of musk. DNW.

Edited October 23, 2009 by jamethiel

[angelicruin]

Ack, no. Vetiver and patchouli are a horrible combination on my skin. Off to the swap pile with it...

[misscoldheart]

Like Omen, I got a dirty patchouli scent from this in the bottle.

On the skin, this was unfortunate. Dirty patchouli and musk. My husband left the room and I went to scrub it off. Nope to this one...

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: VETIVER

 

Wet on Skin: Vetiver

 

While Drying: vetiver with a hint of something else - cedar?

 

After a Little While: reminds me of Troll, with the heavy vetiver, and the sightly off woodsy note

 

Later: starts to calm down after a bit, but this is just NOT my kind of scent. Never really get the cinnamon or the patchouli… just Vetiver, with a hint of cedar.

 

Final Thoughts: I can almost see how something in this scent category has the potential to be fantastic, but I just don't enjoy that heavy-handed vetiver. I prefer the piney variety of forest scents.

Umbra earns a 2/5 on my skin.

[freznow]

At first, this one I liked very much. It reminded me of sitting under the damp shadow of a tree in the sun, all the scents getting up everywhere. A bit animal too. I was fond - I like sitting under trees.

 

But as I wore it, something turned... wrong. I would catch whiffs of something as I went about my day, and wonder if the cat peed in my shoes, or if the dog rolled in something she shouldn't have. No, wait, that's me. Drat. Maybe I'll try it at another point, but I really can't go on wondering if today's the day it's going to turn to animal waste on me. (I wonder what it is in the mix that does this for me...)

[othelloperrello]

Guy review:

 

 

Well, it's deep, it's earthy, it's on-the-line-of-too-much-cedar, but the patouli is there and balances it out. As' said, a good general masculine/cozy scent, not my favorite wood.

 

Gracias,

O

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting vetiver, patchouli, and cedarwood. ...Yeah, light applicaiton, I'm thinking. Pretty much the same on my skin, very MASCULINE.

[voorishsign]

I'm a big fan of patchouli and vetiver, so I have no idea why I haven't tried this before, but somebody frimped this to me so here I go

 

In the imp, it reminds me a lot of Azathoth, lots of patchouli, lots of cedarwood, lots of vetiver.

 

On wet, more of the same. As it dries down it becomes really rich and warm, there's thankfully not TOO much cinnamon, just a musky, deep patchouli, vetiver and cedarwood mixture. I really like this and am quite glad I was frimped it

[devilot]

Umbra

In the Vial: Patchouli!!! Holy crap, I got an instant gag-reflex from smelling this. Whoa.

 

Wet:  Still a ridiculous amount of patchouli, it really does make me gag. I get a hint of the cinnamon, but really, the patchouli is way overwhelming.

 

Drydown: Vetiver has been here the whole time but was overshadowed (like every other note) by the patchouli, but starting to be more noticeable. Cedarwood is moving forward, too.

 

Verdict: I know that my skin-chemistry amps patchouli, but lordy, the way this smells in the imp alone was enough to make me give up. Strangely enough, I still gave this a skin-test. Guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Away with you! Shoo!

[milo]

Yum, a dark blend! I've been really digging the dark scents lately, probably because my mood has been dark. So this is what patchouli smells like. I'm assuming so, as I don't get much else than a 'dirty' note. This is the same note I get in Mme Moriarty and Crypt Queen and I LOVE it! Unfortuneately, it's a quick fade. I will definitely use up the imp, but I certainly have enough blends with this note in them. I kind of wish the woods came out a bit more...

[KakashiMorph]

Opening the bottle: Patchouli, and some cinnamon and cedar.

On my skin: For the first few minutes patchouli,cedar and cinnamon all combine together in a nice, feisty way, each one coming to the front for a while, and then rolling over for the next one. It reminds me of three entangled beasts, battling out for supremacy or co-existence. I like the smell, it is a bit dark, spicy, and warm. I also catch a whiff of something lemon-y at some point, maybe that's the vetiver?

Cooldown: After about 10 minutes the cedar sadly dies away, but I am now left with a delicious spicy, warm scent of cinnamon and patchouli where the single notes accompany each other very well. Mmmmm, can't stop sniffing.

Later on, after less than an hour or so, the cinnamon also eventually dies away and I am left with the patchouli, which still has that nice spicy look from the cinnamon stage, so it is not just raw patchouli.

 

Overall: Sweet, warm, spicy. Just lovely. <3 I just wish the cinnamon (or even the cedar) stage lasted a bit longer. *hugs the warm spicyness*

Edited July 9, 2010 by Kashi

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial - Strong patchouli, with a hint of cedar & cinnamon.

On the skin - Very very faint cedarwood. For a moment, I thought my skin absorbed all the scent.

Dry - Dry cedar wood. The scent is actually stronger now that it's DRY, than when it was wet. Weird.

[countessmouse]

As much as I like this scent, I can't wear it. It just confirmed that anything with cinnamon in it is going to give me a rash. Darn it.

[Celtic Goddess]

Unfortunately, this one is pure cinnamon on me, nothing else...like Christmas potpourri. Not bad but not my cup of tea.

[OctoberGwen]

When first applied, this is all patchouli and vetiver on me - and vetiver is so not my thing. It spikes my nose and makes me feel like I've got a giant sneeze brewing that refuses to manifest itself.

 

After a bit, I clearly smelled cinnamon - but only on my left wrist, and not my right. How bizarre.

 

The final drydown is a very beautiful cedar smell, with a hint of patchouli. Very nice, but this is not a scent for me. I think it would smell beautiful on a man.

[HerbGirl]

I have been testing some imps lately that I've been meaning to try and I have NO CLUE why it has taken me so long to give Umbra a try...it is fabulous.

 

Vetiver is not my friend...and thankfully I get none of it here (it must be so well blended that my nose just can't detect it, thank goodness!) and hello Patchouli and Cedar! it isn't atlas cedar, but a beautiful big Western Red Cedar that is so hard to find in perfume oils! YUM. That coupled with Patchouli (one of my favorite notes) and this couldn't get much better...until I smelled just a teeny tiny bit of cinnamon peeking out...which made it perfect. 10/10 on this one...and as soon as I have some moolah I think I should get a bottle!

[Juushika]

In the vial: A dark, smoky, dry, spicy, reddened scent.

 

On me: Well-blended to the point of seamlessness; dry and with no trace of sweetness, which keeps the notes in check. Warm, smoke over cedar and colored by cinnamon, dark but not heavy, almost understated but, on skin level, not at all shy. Scent-color is a smoky, hazy bistre. Throw is moderate to low, but occasionally reaches out longer tendrils of cinnamon.

 

Verdict: I'd half expect a blend like this to have some sort of booziness or sweetness to give it counterpoint or punch, but Umbra's beauty is that it lacks that; instead, it's a pure smooth worn-wood darkness—the cinnamon gives it color and interest, but the scent on the whole could almost make you think it was understated, a background note, which belies its well-blended depth. It doesn't stand out, and I doubt I'll remember to reach for it frequently, but it's an accomplished not-quite-a-background scent that I'll be happy to have around. I'll keep my imp.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Juushika

[fufu_berry]

This pretty much stays the same on me throughout. My skin chemistry seems to tame scents that are really harsh on others (hence my undying love of vetiver), but I was still a little surprised at how soft and smooth this was on me. It's super well-blended - a little touch of earthiness from the vetiver, deep smooth patchouli and clean cedar, with just a touch of spiciness from the cinnamon. If I didn't know what was in this, I'm not sure I could pick out notes beyond "woods." It's very cozy and comforting to me, so definitely a keeper. It has a very light throw, so it'd be great for close quarters or days when I'm not feeling super outgoing. Love it!

[ccelaya]

The deepest, darkest point in a shadow; the area contained within the shadow of an eclipse. East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon.

 

Wet - Cinnamon, verys sweet with hints of patchouli.

 

On Skin - I still smell the sweet cinnamon which is from the vetiver.

 

Dry - as it dries the smokiness of the patchouli balances out the sweetness of the vetiver.

 

It isn't as complex as I would have liked. Its is a good scent but not great enough to purchase a bottle.

 

3 out of 5 stars