Aelopile

[waternight]

Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud.

In the imp: light cedar and citrus, touch of resins
Wet: Citrus! Bright verbena, light and sweet and pithy and awesome. This is CITRUS-citrus. The cedar is there, but it's VERY understated. I smell the oud from Holiday Moon - a light, crisp, citrusy wood. Lovely. There's just a hint of resins in this blend, not overwhelming at all. This evokes a sunrise... wow, the verbena is actually sticking around. Yay! So far, this is wonderful. A bit later, the cedar starts to amp and detracts from the tartness of the verbena.
Dry: Oh, how I wish this had stayed true to the wet stage. Dry, this is a cedar/citrus blend, heavy on the cedar. I love cedar, but in the dry stage of this one, it's just odd.

[Miss Lynx]

I knew this one had potential as soon as I saw the notes. Amber and labdanum are favourites of mine, and oude is like a heavier, earthier version of sandalwood. The only thing I was worried about was whether the verbena would take over the scent, with its cloying lemon-drops presence, and especially depending on what other citrus notes were present (some kinds of citrus are great one me, some not so much).

 

As it turns out, I needn't have worried -- the lemony notes in here are perfectly balanced with the resins, and the result is an intoxicatingly beautiful scent that practically glows with warmth. The cedar gives it a nice balancing touch of earthiness, and all in all the feeling is very similar to Hymn to Proserpine, but without the almost syrupy sweetness that one can sometimes have -- it's got the same gorgeous amber richness, but the sweet notes here are in perfect balance.

 

Love, love, love. If it were not so similar in feel to Hymn to Proserpine, I'd absolutely want a bottle of this, immediately. But as it is, the two are so close that it seems a bit redundant to have both -- though I think I may actually like this one the better of the two. Maybe I just have to do a side-by-side comparison to see whether it might be time to pass on my formerly beloved Hymn to Proserpine to someone else and replace it with a bottle of this one...

 

Grade: A

Edited June 11, 2008 by Miss Lynx

[zankoku_zen]

For me, this was bitter and woody and smoky. The cedar was very much in the forefront - and it had a golden resinous tone to it. I was mainly hoping for citrus, but got the woody/smoky thing going on instead.

 

Not my kind of scent, sorry.

[innocent]

On my skin I was able to pick out the citrus, cedar, and lovely lovely amber. However in the throw they combined strangely until they smelt well... brassy. This scent takes on a decidedly metallic tone on my skin. It's nice, but a tad strange (definitely evocative!). From the notes list I thought this might end up being a big bottle purchase, but I think I'll be content with just the imp - for those times when a girl needs to roll up her sleeves and pull on her goggles.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Smoky, earthy. Sharply green from the labdnanum, fresh and lemony from the verbena, with a mossy, bamboo-like oud note. Oddly both fresh and warm from the amber; a mishmash of disparate elements that somehow works. Masculine.

 

Wet: Sweet and lighter, but also dryer - the cedar is now apparent. Loads of citrus/verbena - tangy and almost juicy. Slightly powdery. I also get a faint hint of semen-ish bleach? Very masculine, and more medicinal on my skin, less balanced.

 

Dry: This has gone oddly sweet, in a sickly manner. It's also amped like crazy and is wafting off my arm in huge overpowering waves. Cloying Lemon Pledge verbena, dusty cedar, powdery amber. I must wash this off right away.

 

Edited August 11, 2009 by fairnymph

[veronicafranco]

i agree that this is a more masculine blend and i won't be wearing it myself. the cedar puts it into that category for me. that said, this is very nice, an unusual combination with the dry warmth of the cedar and the bright, juicy citrus. and, of course, the amber, which i seem to love in every single blend containing it that i try! i think it will be great on my guy, once i convince him to dab some on. this is on my short list of faves for him to try.

[TPOD]

Aelopile smells like expensive furniture polish used for generations on priceless antiques --> exotic woods and lemon oil. It positively glows.

 

Good throw and duration. Morphs into a sweet woody resinous lemon lime with a slightly smoky base. Incredibly lovely and I wish my house smelled of this.

 

There is something different than the normal woods, ambers and citrus notes that I'm familiar with. This is, to my knowledge, my first encounter with oud. If it is the oud making this so great I think I need more.

 

Normally I amp cedar so much that it's unwearable on me, but in this blend it is restrained and lovely.

 

I will buy a bottle of this and happily wear it, but I think it would be a stunning room scent and most people would perceive it more as a room scent than as a perfume.

 

My rating: 5/5

[Indigo78]

From the imp it smells very sharp and woodsy, with the faintest breath of a citrus note. On the skin...Pickles?

Balsamic pickle relish. Cedar, why do you break my heart? Cruelly, my chemistry takes Cedar and decides to do some alchemy of its own, leaving me unable to think of anything but gerbil cages and/or pickle relish. You can't win every time, and the pickley cedar/sweet Verbena combo this does on my skin = swift swappage.

[filigree_shadow]

I smelled verbena very strongly when I first put this on. Then the cedar starts to come out a little bit, but it still seems to be mainly verbena and some other citrus scent.

 

I don't seem to be getting much amber out of this, and the cedar is pretty soft too. The lemon scent is so strong on my skin that all I can think of is furniture polish. I probably like the scent underneath the verbena, but I can't smell it very well because of the lemon cloud.

 

By the time the lemon scent finally fades away, the rest of the scent is gone too.

 

(Judging by the reviews, I seem to be the only person who is having this lemon trouble. Figures.)

[trollgirl]

In imp: Bright citrus, a little bitter. Bergamot, lemon or grapefruit. It also feels very resiny, and almost oily. It's very golden and also very masculine.

 

Wet: Citrus explosion! And this smells very much like Lemon Pledge, the oils from zests of lemon being rubbed into wood.

 

Dry: As this dries the citrus calms down and the woodiness comes through. About fifteen minutes in it's nice and balanced. At this point it smells like any number of mens' aftershaves that I've smelled over the years. Very masculine and sexy. And then, like a teeter-totter, it gets unbalanced on my skin again, with the cedar jumping out screaming "Pencil shavings!" And not just regular pencil shavings either. I get a whiff of waxy crayons. This is like a pile of shavings from a writing implement that's a pencil and crayon hybrid.

 

Not really me. Sigh. Off to swap box.

[Coldfire]

Imp: Ozone-y and cedar to my nose on the initial sniff.

Sharp but not unpleasant.

Wet On Me: Cedar first now. Then that ozone again, with

the tiniest traces of the verbena/citrus in it.

Drying Down: Cedar-y with bare hints of citrus, and

occasionally the tiniest underlying amber.

Dry: The cedar and the citrus and finally more amber are

blending/melding into a wonderful light scent that is not overpowering.

 

LOVE THIS!

[Little Bird]

Aelopile is kind of a mess on me. I'm not crazy about sour citrus notes or smoky scents, and this has both of those elements in it. I amp verbena and I really hate it in bpal blends. It's a sharp, tart, sour, lemon-y smell that's hyper at first and then subdued a bit with a smoky woods note in the drydown. The amber lends a light sprinkling of baby powder that doesn't really help matters after about a half hour. Smoky, dry, masculine woods, sharp lemon, and a hint of baby powder. Obviously, not a scent for me.

[edenssixthday]

Aelopile - This is a clean, fresh floral and herbal scent. At the 15 minutes point, it's very lemony and spicy, but begins to fade at the 30 minute point and is gone shortly thereafter.

[Hayet]

I really like this scent, though not quite enough for a full bottle. Lemony bright at first, dying down to a deep cedar/labdanum mix that is long-lasting and musty sweet. Unusual and sensual. I dig it!

[PurringPulsar]

Aelopile

 

In the imp: bright verbena-boosted citrus and warm cedar.

Wet on skin: verbena and lemons, cedar and a hint of amber.

Dry: mmm, this is lovely. It’s mainly lemon (fruit and verbena) and cedar, and the lemon has a candied, almost fizzy feel to it. This does remind me of Fascinum, but this is brighter and juicier, I think. I can smell the resinous warmth of amber and labdanum enhancing the scent’s golden aspect and the solid woodsy cedar binding everything together. It also reminds me of Mag Mell, but without the ozone/rain. There’s something to the scent that’s almost brassy or evocative of brass without smelling blatantly of metal.

After a while: the citrus tones down a touch, doesn’t last as long as it did in Fascinum. Now I smell more of the amber and cedar, and it’s gorgeous. There’s a soft, sawdusty scent to the cedar which I find pleasant, and the amber note is sweet and glossy, the remains of citrus giving it a tangy feel. There’s also something vaguely herbal, like dry wild herbs warmed by the sun, which I love. Maybe it’s the labdanum doing this? It reminds me of that ‘summer holiday evening air’ scent that I love so much. And the brassy note is still there.

After an hour or two this smells like a really lovely soft cedar varnished with amber, and a hint of something almost metallic to it like brass cogs, but there’s nothing perfumey or unsettling about this brassy scent like some metal scents can be. the cedar gets softer and turns to an almost sandalwood like scent, with the amber also sweetening. And finally, it turns into an effervescent and spicy amber which reminds me of Leo 07, which I love, but this time with a woody base.

Verdict: this is such a lovely mix of citrus, amber and cedar! Evocative of shining brass and it’s scent but without that sharp, electric metal note, the citrus makes this bright and sharp, the cedar is a gorgeous fragrant wood but not overly masculine, and the amber is fabulous as usual. It’s not as incense-y as Fascinum (which to me had an almost joss stick type scent), this is a purer amber-wood scent. At times it gains herbal tones which are lovely, and the labdanum adds a bit more oomph to the amber. It’s perfect for summer because of it’s zingy citrus notes and sunny, warm amber, and very unisex. Another winner from the Steamworks line!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes! I have a bottle now.

If you like this, try: Fascinum, Mag Mell, No 93 Engine, Arcana, Chintamani Dhupa, Leo 07

[Iceblink]

This is a lovely light verbena when wet but the second it starts to dry: cedar XTREME!! Holy cedar! So it's got the whole range of cleaning products covered, at least. Nice if you like cedar.

[sqwook]

Wet: Yes, all the notes I know of the ones listed I can smell in this - amber, citrus, verbena, cedar.

 

Dry: Sparkling verbena. I love verbena.

 

Comparisons to other scents: Similar but more metallic than Embalming Fluid, which seems to last longer on me. Great for summer.

[qwerty0]

There was something almost citronella when I smelled straight out of the imp that made me hesitate, but once Aelopile is on my skin and warmed up I really like it. Clean, but not antiseptic. I get a fair amount of lemon but it meshes so nicely with something else (the cedar?) that it took me a long moment to sort the two out and recognize it. It feels to me like an everyday scent -- it's not a sexy dressed up number, but it's practical and happy and bright.

 

If scent were pitch this would be slowly drifting down the scale as it wears, getting a little drier (the amber?) and less bright, summer into fall.

 

Usually I only wear a few small drops of bpal oils, but I found myself having to slather Aelopile on in order to get the scent to stick. But maybe it's just that winter in New England is making my skin dry enough to drink anything right up. Either way, in spite of this it was all but gone two or three hours later. I'm tempted to get a bottle anyways, hm...

[oldgentleman]

In the imp: Freshly snapped off cedar twigs and a smoky base that must be the labdanum and amber.

 

Wet on skin: Lemon verbena and cedar. Delicious.

 

Drydown: Verbena and cedar with a slightly sweet resinous base. It really is like well polished wood. It smells great on me but it would be perfect as a room scent: I want my home to always smell like this.

[jehrichardson]

In the bottle it's amber and cedar, but on the skin this explodes into soft and sweet lemon and cedar. Wow... it's wonderful!

 

It seems like it would be so simple - cedar, lemon. Yet it seems really complex - that must be the labdanum and amber. You smell the bold and clean top notes, and then it just keeps going, like the aftertaste of scotch. Yum-my!

[toomuch]

This scent made me think of being stuck inside on a gray and blustery day, but that's fine because I'm in a grand house. I find an old library where there is a lot of wood that has seen years of lemon polish. There's a fire going and I curl up in a chair with a book and inhale the wood and lemon scent. This is a good scent to get cozy with. Warmth and wood and lemon. The cedar and amber linger the longest.

[mhickle]

As soon as this hits my skin, it's very lemony. What starts as a hint sniffed in the imp becomes the star of the show. As it dries, things soften, the lemon recedes into the background, and the cedar takes center stage. It's all backed by this deep, rich amber - a very sophisticated scent.

[femmefatale]

I never would have tried this if it hadn't been frimped to me.

 

It starts out very citrusy with a bit of cedar. After it starts to dry the citrus sadly calms down and something a bit fizzy comes out. I can catch the amber now also, and the lemon verbana adds a calming feel to this without taking over.

 

I actually really like this. It's perfect on a cold dreary day like today and the first imp in a while that I've put in my locket (where the citrus stays around longer). I wish it had a bit more throw, but it's definitely worth slathering and I will have to get a bottle.

 

[Suu4LC]

Hmmm, this has sort of a smokey lemon wood polish scent in the imp >_O

 

Yes, this is an odd mixture of lemon and smoke over woods. I suppose it goes well with the Steampunk vibe, but it isn't really a scent I would want to wear. I am going to give this some time to settle and morph before making a final verdict though.

 

On full drydown the citrus burns off almost completely and I get a soft smoked wood scent. Meh. Not for me!

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Strong cedar, brightened by the citrus, with a hint of the labdanum below. I also get a slight sense of something… different here—not cedar, but something that's working with it. This is dark wood furniture, burnished by years of lemon oil—very homey. There's also a twinge of something that makes me think of brass.

On, wet: Almost overpowering verbena and cedar. It really smells exactly like polished furniture to me. I'm also getting something else very earthy, almost dusty or musty, which is blending with the cedar. After doing some research, I think it must be the oud. No amber or labdanum at all, and for the moment, this smells a lot like the early stages of Namaste.

On, dry: This one is a morpher! The cedar has backed off so that's it's nothing more than a deep base note (along with the oud), and the verbena is also toned down, so now I'm getting citrus over the sweet, golden amber. The amber has really brought this together, so that it's a nice, warm combination of sweet, tart and earthy. Labdanum is fairly absent, but this is still gorgeous.

Later: Oud, with some light citrus and lingering amber: woody, fairly dry and faintly sweet.

Overall: The verbena and cedar are very strong to start, but once it starts drying down and all the elements come together, it's beautiful and unusual: somewhat sweet, somewhat tart, somewhat woody, but still warm and grounded, with occasional moments that suggest the brass mentioned in the description. The beautiful combination of amber and citrus does give this a golden, glowing aspect, but I think it's the oud that's really growing on me. I had my doubts to start, but I think this is yet another win for me from the Steamworks.

Edited February 6, 2009 by Bluestocking