A Golden Idol

[VetchVesper]

Saw the lab had bottles of this up on Etsy and decided to pull out my old decant to see if I should take the plunge.  My decant is, of course, quite old, and was also a swap, so I'm not sure if this is how a aged bottle, fresh from the lab will smell, but here goes.  

 

This smells like money.  Cash, cash dollar bills.  That "gold" note is a hefty dose of copal, and though the vetiver is certainly still present, I think the copal is part of what's smacking folks in the nose with an earthy, masculine vibe, right up front.  It's powdery, lux, a bit metallic smelling, and very vintage.  Honestly, I would never describe this as a floral.  I don't really get florals except maybe some hint of the lavender flavoring the vetiver and copal, but it's hard to identify. Perhaps the florals were delicate enough that they're gone from my imp, or perhaps the florals are just an afterthought in this fragrance - the dead, dried blossoms of Scrooge's dead, dry heart.  Either way, I quite like the fragrance and I think it would smell quite wonderful on a man, or a rich, grande dame.  It does smell golden, not glittering, but like the antique, dust-sheathed gold of a pirate horde.

[SmellsPrettyGood2Me]

Glittering gold and loss beyond understanding: antiqued amber, English lavender, vetiver, and tea rose.

 

Time has burnished this scent down to a faded dried bundle of lavender and dribbles of vetiver in the bottle, evoking a "past life" type of nostaglia. highly remniscent of a Victorian era gentleman. On skin, this impression persists with the arrival of the tea rose (almost rosewood-esque, that must be connected to the antiquing quality of the amber). It sits softly close to skin, with a light, glimmering echo of copal giving it some warmth. 

 

Reading historical reviews, I think the scent packs much less of a masculine punch now that it has rested well, although it still leans that way. As a person of the female persuasion, I think it smells pretty nice on me, too. Although it is a Yule, there isn't anything specifically winter or holiday coded about it.