The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair

[kawaiiferreto]

Gilded amber, tiare, golden sandalwood, vanilla, cardamom, and tagetes.

I've been wanting to try this for quite some time. Finally!

Sadly though, this just does not do much for me. I am not a big fan of amber and this is VERY amber dominant (duh!) I get a bit of a dry woodsy feel from this too, especially wet, which I think much be the sandalwood. Overall: Sweet. Dry. Slightly wood. Ambery. It has a very golden feel to it.

(I like to think I LOVE golden scents, but, honestly, I rarely actually like them. Maybe I need to give up on this? )

[claudia6913]

Barely let this sit as it's the one I'm most anxious to try.

 

In the bottle: soft, slightly floral, a sort of golden green scent association.

 

Wet on skin: Soft, blended, I'm having a hard time picking out any single note. It's floral without being floral, soft without being a pushover, wet smelling without smelling like water.

 

Dry: This is starting to remind me of a not so watery version of my beloved Leanan Sidhe.

 

I think I may have to give this a long test to see, but the more it dries the more it goes away. It's so pretty though when it's here!

[Lorna Brigid]

The notes in this sounded beautiful!

Especially when I was on my hunt for the perfect vanilla scent for myself last year.

 

It's not NOT lovely, because it is. It even has an "Irish" feel to it, if you will. A sort of cooling effect.

 

A few minutes after drydown, it becomes apparent to me that it smells like something I have smelled before, but can't quite place....then I realize, it smells exactly like Arrid Extra Dry solid to my nose.

That must be the cardamom doing that.

A pretty vanilla floral, for sure, but I can't get past the deodorant quality.

[Gateau]

I was looking for tiare scents and decided to check this out on that basis. Lovely tiare is in fact here, but even better, it has that beautiful "gilded" or "glittering" amber I love so much in Implacable Beautiful Tyrant HG. It also has some nice overlap with Lyonesse, but more floral. Not strong on the vanilla and the sandalwood does not go very cologney or powdery on me, which is a plus. Must hunt down a bottle.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: Everything here is right up my alley. The only potential problem could be the amber, which very often turns to pure powder on my skin.

 

Wet: Spicy sandalwood and amber with just a hint of pretty floral. Very reminiscent of House of Unquenchable Fire atmo. I get the same glittering amber that I adore in the atmo spray and the same overall expensive feeling.

 

Dry down: Spicy tiare on a bed of smooth sandalwood. Still reminding me of HoUF, still beautiful.

 

Dry: About an hour in, this takes a sharp turn into powder territory and stays that way for hours. Damn.

 

Final thoughts: I'm disappointed but not too much. Until the powder stage it's nearly a dead ringer for House of Unquenchable Fire, which I love to pieces. So at least I still have that!

 

Verdict: Off to the sales!

[tinyvulture]

At first, when it's still wet, I get an off-putting hairspray scent. But, no worries, it quickly fades and I get a vanilla-sweet, creamy floral blend. The tropical airiness of tiare (gardenia) and the American forthrightness of tagetes (marigolds) are an unconventional floral pairing that works quite well.

[hammy]

In the bottle - Reserved, creamy wood.

 

Wet - Soft, creamy woods. Sandalwood is a favorite of mine, and it glows here. Something is a little powdery-dusty in the background … maybe the marigold or amber?

 

Drydown - After a while, it’s faintly spicy vanilla sandalwood. The alleged amber-marigold powder has slowed its roll and is only evident on close sniff.

 

Verdict - I’m intrigued by this one. I want to like it, so I’ll give it another couple rounds at different times of the month to see how it performs.

[aiobhan]

In the bottle: Sandalwood, florals (the tagetes and tiare, probably), maybe some cardamom, with a soft base of amber.

Warm on skin: Vanilla and amber heavy, which is common for my skin. The floral is gentle and warm, which is surprising. Usually I don't like florals, but I like this. The sandalwood is barely noticeable, and I'm getting no cardamom.

After a while: The same as warm, but the florals have quieted down to a whisper, and the cardamom is a touch of something dry behind the sweet vanilla and amber and the warm sandalwood.

 

LOVE. THIS.

[LiberAmoris]

So, I've had my little bottle of The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair for a long time, and have apparently never reviewed it! I should have, because it's glorious. This is one of those scents that has only become stronger and more distinguished with time. When I first got it, it was very faint on my skin and didn't last as long as I wanted it to. Six years later and this thing is an ambered, golden, vanilla, sandalwoody BEAST. I adore the tiare and tagetes (marigold) here, which make it even more luminous but also add something unusual, floral, slightly powdery, and slightly sweet to the mix. All dried down, this is burnished sandalwood and amber and vanilla on me, with a hint of cardamom, tiare, and tagetes. It's sunlight and warmth on the skin, amber-heavy but the kind of amber that's semi-permeable...the other notes come through like rays.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Wow. This has to be the most glorious sandalwood I have ever smelled. It's so rich and warm. Hints of sweetness and spice. This is comforting and elegant at the same time. Brilliant. Sniffing it makes me happy.

 

 

Dry: This is beautiful. Subtle, elegant, and warm. Still mostly sandalwood, but the smoothest, warmest, richest sandalwood ever. Hints of amber and vanilla. Just gorgeous.

[celestia]

♔ The Harp of Cnoc I’Chosgair

 

In the Bottle: Perfumed Brass, amber and wood.

 

Wet: This smells like a dark gold scent. The sandalwood is also starting to show itself, it’s a beautiful, warm, smooth sandalwood. The vanilla lends to the sandalwood’s smoothness. The cardamom flecks the blend a little spicy- kind of feels golden, antiqued- old even…And the harp smells like it’s made of wood, though shouldn’t be. Haha. A glowing lightly spiced, amber wood. Although I amp amber beautifully, I seem to be getting a herbal, medicinal scent accompanying it which I don’t like as much. I think the marigold note presented as ‘tagetes’ might be what is making this otherwise creamy concoction, smell more like herbal, spicy white florals than the creamy amber musk I was hoping for.

 

Drydown: Amber usually turns sugary on me and so I get this sweetened, vanilla amber with airy atmosphere of darker sandalwood. It’s become quite creamy but there is still a medicinal herbal woodsy note I can’t ignore.. it seems to be coming from the sandalwood... I don't like the way the notes have mixed with my chemistry. The tiare wasn’t very prominent and has receded even further into the background- the vanilla smells a little like cream because of the amped sugary amber. I quite like this stage, it’s mild and pleasant. All the wet notes appear to be moved into the background allowing the sweeter creamy vanilla amber into the foreground… but then this medicinal herbal ‘greenish’ woodsy note is honestly ruining it all. I love golden sandalwood, but it doesn't seem to agree with me in this blend. I feel like it’s oxidised a beautiful, nearly golden brass harp into a deep bronze one with a slightly white-ish, green tint. I’m content I got to try this and but even happier it has been passed on to another forever home.

 

TL;DR: Oxidised brassy 'golden' wood with a white-ish green herbal, medicinal note.

Edited November 18, 2016 by celestia