The Creeping Mist

[countessmouse]

THE CREEPING MIST
I stopped my horse, and looked round me again.

Yes: I saw it. With my own eyes I saw it. A pillar of white mist—between five and six feet high, as well as I could judge—was moving beside me at the edge of the road, on my left hand. When I stopped, the white mist stopped. When I went on, the white mist went on. I pushed my horse to a trot—the pillar of mist was with me. I urged him to a gallop—the pillar of mist was with me. I stopped him again—the pillar of mist stood still.

The white colour of it was the white colour of the fog which I had seen over the river—on the night when I had gone to bid her farewell. And the chill which had then crept through me to the bones was the chill that was creeping through me now.

I went on again slowly. The white mist went on again slowly—with the clear bright night all round it.

I was awed rather than frightened. There was one moment, and one only, when the fear came to me that my reason might be shaken. I caught myself keeping time to the slow tramp of the horse's feet with the slow utterance of these words, repeated over and over again: 'Jéromette is dead. Jéromette is dead.' But my will was still my own: I was able to control myself, to impose silence on my own muttering lips. And I rode on quietly. And the pillar of mist went quietly with me.

My groom was waiting for my return at the rectory gate. I pointed to the mist, passing through the gate with me.

'Do you see anything there?' I said.

The man looked at me in astonishment.

I entered the rectory. The housekeeper met me in the hall. I pointed to the mist, entering with me.

'Do you see anything at my side?' I asked.

The housekeeper looked at me as the groom had looked at me.

'I am afraid you are not well, sir,' she said. 'Your colour is all gone—you are shivering. Let me get you a glass of wine.'
—Miss Jéromette and the Clergyman, Wilkie Collins

A muculent, brumous, ill-omened scent: orris, yuzu, white ginger, linden flower, petitgrain, and lotus.

The first to make a comment on a scent? This is definitely a "first" for me!

In the bottle and wet on my skin, this is all lotus. After a bit, green (the petitgrain?) and the soft, white floral of the linden push their way in to take the edge off the lotus. Not getting much of a citrus note, however.

Overall, this is quite a lovely, soft scent. Not a huge throw, but it seems to have some staying power.

[Dark Alice]

This is glorious. The orris keeps this from being too floral and the yuzu is kind of juicy? I don't know but I like this one. I would love a partial of this as I don't think I would use a whole bottle up.

[reynardine]

Not remarkable in decant. Applied to the skin, this is a very “green” scent. Reminds me a lot of The Little Bird (from the 2010 Bards), although a quick glance at the notes doesn’t show anything in common. Maybe it is the greenness of it? For some reason, though, it went very sharp on me and gave me a headache. Pass.

[angelicruin]

This is a soft, sweet floral blend on me. Orris and Lotus are the 2 notes I can pick out most distinctly.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

I bought this because the notes sounded interesting and I wanted to venture out from the smutty, snake oily, sweet candy scents I usually like.

 

I've had this bottle for awhile but I haven't reviewed because I was 'meh' about it. Now that I have it on, it smells very familiar and I'm pretty sure it smells like a St. Ives lotion I had years ago. It's a fresh, clean scent but a little watery. Not for me.

[Little Bird]

The Creeping Mist is like a mix of watery white floral and sharp greenery on my skin. It keeps threatening to go soapy, but never quite makes it. The drydown has a sweeter floral to it, which I'm guessing is the lotus and orris, though I can't pick those notes out specifically (and lotus usually smells like bubblegum on me, which I'm not getting at all from this blend). Mostly it's a perfumey, watery white floral that doesn't really stand out for me...

[RhinestoneHousewife]

It smells very familiar to me....some sort of Avon lotion my mom used to use? Soft, airy and aquatic with some staying power but not much throw.

 

Not really for me, unfortunately.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Penetrating, bitter, dark leafy citrus with a touch of something floral.

 

Wet: I get a lot of yuzu-like citrus, the linden, and something else floral. Not getting the bubblegum lotus scent, nor the dangerous headachy "water lily" one. This is a clinging, bitter, tangy floral with green overtones.

 

Half an hour: More of a citrus-orris vibe now, as the floral has subsided somewhat. I can still trace the linden, but it's definitely a supporting player now.

 

Hour and a half: Orris and some dark herbal note, kind of soapy overall. The linden has blended down so completely that I can no longer discern it as a separate note, just as part of the blend.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

A gently clean and refreshing floral. It seems familiar to me as well. It skirts around soapy territory without ever really going there.

[ami226]

On the skin: Clean and slightly green. Kinda hurts my nose a bit. Not getting the powdery orris that is usually a death note for me.

 

Definitely not for me.

[Schmoozy]

I absolutely adore this scent 10 minutes in. It's got my favorite dry, dusty orris & hints of citrus and spice that blend beautifully with the linden flower which makes everything crisp and clean. Then the Lotus flower walks in and basically spews over all the place and ruins it all.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: I smell something like plumeria or sweetpea? Possible that it's the orris and linden flower mixed with lotus. The yuzu comes out quickly with the white ginger adding an exclamation point. I noticed yuzu is one of the lab's favorites for reanimated life, ghost, etc etc spooky notes. Works well in giving a sharp sense of awareness. Draws my senses to a focal point compared to say the floaty dreaminess of Shadowy and Sublime. Very misty.. not musty, musky, or foody.

 

Drydown: the linden flower is finally notable. The lotus sticks around, which is surprising. Orris has a tendency to disappear on me.. White, slightly sweet, clean. I notice the tanginess yuzu tends to create on the sides of my tongue is still there.. even though the scent has almost disappeared. Interesting effect!

[Lyzz13]

In Bottle: Grapefruit, ginger and florals. Doesn't say "Autumn" to me, but it's gorgeous all the same. Let's roll.

 

Wet on skin: Oh. My. God. Full blooming of the lotus note, while the yuzu provides tartness and the ginger note is bright and clear, preventing the flowers from being overpowering. Orris, with its dusty-vanillaishness is actually detectable. This is simply beautiful.

 

Drydown: What drydown? My skin's eaten it within an hour. *sadface* Oh, and I had such high hopes for you!

 

Similar: n/a

 

Final Verdict: In the decant, I love it. Just on, I love it. It's got a lot of my favorite notes. Disappears way too fast though. I may try again in a scent locket, and see how it goes, but I am currently disappointed.

[milo]

Kind of a soft, watery floral. Very delicate and feminine without a touch of powder in spite of the orris. Further back someone mentioned to the effect of not quite soapy, and this describes this blend to a tea. Quite lovely, but not really my style.

[Ceisdein]

In Bottle: Super citrusy (the yuzu?). A little floral, a bit of green. Positively juicy. I love it.

 

Wet: Very green. Nose bitingly sharp. Almost soapy but not quite. Medium throw. Don't love this as much.

 

Dry: The green is dying back and it’s morphing into a light white floral with a hint of sharpness that I'm attributing to the citrus. Still bordering on soapy but it’s pleasant enough. Calls to mind the idea “spring laundry” if that makes any sense. The longer it’s on the more it drifts into sweet, white floral, sheets on the line. The throw has tightened up a bit.

 

Overall: It’s quite nice. Fresh. Very clean. Brings out imagery of late spring or early summer and I can see it being great during that time of year.

 

Side note: On my skin this dies pretty quick, within a couple hours it's completely gone. On the other hand it got on my sleeves and I could still smell it the next day.

[zankoku_zen]

I do love yuzu. I get a nice big hit of it throughout this blend. Yuzu, ginger and a hint of linden flower. It is more citrusy on wet than on the drydown. It's a very "juicy" floral, bordering on the soapy.

 

It has the same vibe as the Unsteady Governess. Given the predominance of the yuzu + ginger, it has a slightly Asian feel to it.

 

Fresh, clean, juicy,

[edenssixthday]

The Creeping Mist - This is a beautiful scent. There's nothing "ill-omened" about it at all! It's a clean, watery, bright floral. The lotus does not turn bubblegummy on me as it can often do. The linden and yuzu are definitely the strongest notes - a soft, pretty floral that I love blending with a bright citrus that I normally can't stand somehow works amazingly well on me. There's the faintest trace of rooty orris that grounds the scent and keeps it from floating off my skin. It's really, really lovely.

[pandorasmuse]

In the decant: Ominous, indeed. Pretty flowers with something swampy and indistinct hovering in the background.

 

Wet: Very very green, with lotus and linden featuring prominently.

 

Drydown: This smells like the sort of mist you would run from. And I think I like that.

 

Later: The swampy greenness disappears on me, leaving just the florals. It’s nice, but I liked it better when it first dried.

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: Light floral sweetness.

 

Wet: Eek! Something powdery comes forward, probably the orris root.

 

The dry-down: There are notes here that I knew would not work, like the powdery orris root, and the lotus, which tends to head in the direction of pink bubblegum. And then there's loved notes, like white ginger, linden flower, and petitgrain. So I had to take a chance. So the loved notes in the end help keep the unloved notes in check. It's an interesting blend, and I may look for a partial, as I think it will be a lovely springtime scent.

[grrrlennyl]

The Creeping Mist

 

On: Lots of yuzu and ginger, with a bit of lotus. Very pretty and fresh.

Half an hour in: Pretty, sweet, with a bit of sharp citrus.

1.5 hours in: Powdery and floral with a woody edge.

3.5 hours in: A powdery, slightly sharp floral.

5.5 hours in: Still a slightly soapy floral.

Overall: This isn't very good on me.

[mymymai]

ITI: It the imp, I get mainly nectarine, musk, and perhaps ambrette.

 

Wet: Black tea, nectarine, something that smells like honeysuckle, voluptuous rose, and jasmine. Deliciously floral.

 

Dry: It's warmly floral with the rose and jasmine, but the black tea and the red musk create a wonderful symphony with paired with the shriller floral notes.

[ObliqueRed]

Green, soft, clean, wet; a really nice daytime go-anywhere type of scent.