SAQQARA v2

[midnight_aeval]

Prototype, unreleased, no scent description.

 

In the sniffing chaos I think I gave each bottle about 5 seconds of my time - I remember thinking 'hmm, this one is nice, potential, but bottle?' Since my bottle list was nearing... too many, I passed. It wasn't until GypsyRoseRed pointed it out when we came back to resniff towards the end of the Trunk Show that I realized I might have missed a hidden jewel! I detect amber, clove, and maybe a hint of balsam? It's got that piney-resin quality to it. I'm wearing it this morning and it has a similarity to the Lamia prototype that debuted at the first (?) Trunk Show. Makes me wonder if it has cardamom in it also. My husband ended up getting a bottle because we told him it was a CLOVE scent, but I may have to steal it and buy him another one

Edited March 14, 2011 by Midnight Aeval

[GypsyRoseRed]

I'll have to agree with everything Midnight Aeval said, EXCEPT for the pine part - I definitely get resins, but pine is an absolute death note for me, and this is gorgeous, so I find it hard to believe that there's any present. This is reminiscent of the Lamia and Osiris prototypes, and in the same family as Mr. Jacquel, all of which are scents I LOVE. But while it's similar, this has an extra spice in there, either cardamom or clove that really makes it truly beautiful and outstanding. Rich, warm spices and resin, clove and vanilla. Sexy, sex-ay!

 

Medium throw, medium wear length, and absolutely gorgeous.

Edited March 14, 2011 by GypsyRoseRed

[kattharia]

I also on first application thought ugh oh pine! I thought I'd written down the wrong proto, But after about ten minutes, I'm thinking more like cardomom. I'm also getting a nice amber which makes me think it will age really well!

[VioletChaos]

I was intrigued by the prior reviews enough to ask my WC angel marsmomma to pick one up for me. I will say I'm a little worried about what's being perceived as pine, but I'm hopeful. *fingers crossed*

 

In the bottle: Yes, I too get the clove. and I can see where the balsa comparisons come into it. but at least at this point, it's smoky, not piney, at all.

 

Wet On Skin: Wow. this is *really* spicy! It's got the clove...maybe some bay in there and I'm thinking the smokiness might actually be vetiver, not balsa. It's reminding me of the sweet smoke in Death of Autumn, which was all about that vetiver...

 

Dry Down: Pure spice. the only other scent that I have in the spice family is Smiling Spider. Now, both these have clove as a main note. But whereas that scent is in the realm of Clove Cigarettes, this is more what it's namesake would imply, the spice markets of the Arabic world. Complex and heady, but somehow easily a daytime scent, there is a sweetness here that really makes this balanced.

 

In All: Light throw, good for most times of the year. We're going into spring now, and I'm curious to see how this scent will "feel" on when it gets warmer. If not, I'll be favoring this all next fall and winter for sure.

 

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Bottle: Dusty resins? It's difficult to tell, very light

Wet: Clove, cardamom, dry vanilla, balsam and amber. Very spicy but not foody. Cardamom always gives me a "dusty" feel.

Dry: The clove is still going strong, and I'm really loving the balsam note that peeks out.

 

Overall it's smooth, spicy, dusty and has just the right amount of sweetness. Very sexy and well-blended. It's definitely going to be a stunner aged.

 

 

 

eta: thanks marsmomma

Edited March 24, 2011 by mxtine

[Wench457]

Oh yum, in the bottle this is spicy and exotic, with just a hint of sweetness. On my skin, a lovely earthy note comes out, which unfortunately quickly gives me a headache. I'm thinking that VioletChaos may be on the right track thinking there is vetiver in here, because vetiver and I have a hate/hate relationship. It's such a gorgeous scent otherwise, and I really wish I could wear it, because it's unlike anything else I have in my collection. Rats.

[saralaughs]

On me, this is really clove to the ninth degree. There is some creaminess to it as well but it is also powdery. And not the good powdery; it has this sharpness that is a bit off-putting to me.

[Invidiana]

There is a lot of deep smoky clove here, but unlike Voodoo Queen it doesn't turn into a mundane jar of cloves on me. That is probably because there is also a really thick and lovely amber to compete with that clove, and it seems to be very similar to the Egyptian Amber SN with that characteristic vanillic undertone that the single note has. I do agree with previous reviewers that there must be a rich balsam note in here as well. There is a touch of other spices besides clove, but thankfully they don't amp to the nth degree like some spice notes can at times, just stay subdued and give it an exotic touch. Even if it isn't exactly the same it's still very close. It's also got a warm golden feel to it, which fits right into the ancient site that was its inspiration. This is absolutely lovely and only going to keep improving as it ages.

[het4377]

So I didn't have too much time to devote to a review today, but I can sum up my experience in three words:

 

best. clove. EVER.

 

I will build on this later if I can, but DAYM, so much love for this!

[ami226]

Oh, my! This scent is AMAZING! Definitely clove, but this is a nice sweet clove. No bitterness or sharpness at all. There also has to be some kind of musk or amber here as well, but this is a note that LOVES me! I wish I knew what it was so that I could hunt down every scent that has this note in it. This scent just makes me think golden glow.

[Dark Alice]

Thanks to Scrappy for a tester of this scent.

 

Wet: Amber clove. Clean/but golden amber clove.

 

Drydown: The softest sweetest clove ever! It is delicious...but the amber is a wee bit headache inducing. No need to track a bottle of this down thankfully.

[cfrancesca]

I get spices, resins, clove and amber from this one. As it dries I also get some smokiness. I'm surprised with how strong this one is.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

When this first hit my skin, I didn't quite know what to make of it - there was something slightly medicinal/herbal about it, almost like a balsam smell, and I immediately recalled that pine had been mentioned in earlier reviews. As a fully paid-up member of the anti-pine club, I though uh-oh.. this isn't good!

 

But oh.. Saqqara.. much like your namesake, you are intriguing and complex - your secrets are hidden beneath your exterior. After only a minute or two, whatever that pine-y business was has disappeared and a lovely spicy mix has emerged. Clove is definitely a major player, but I think there's also some red musk (or some dark/darkish variety of musk) at play, and some cardamon as well. I'm reminded of The Arabian Dance at this point - the spices are similar, but there's no coffee in Saqqara. There's also some similarity to Spanked, but no leather.. and Saqqara is more heavy on the spice.

 

I see other reviewers have mentioned amber.. hmm - yes, there might be amber here, but it's not a 'fresh' amber (which generally goes powdery on me) - I'm thinking it's likely to be an Egyptian amber which would make sense in this blend but also explain the slight smoky tone that it has. The clove here is really lovely - it's sweet, not sharp, so I'm not getting the 'ewwwww dentist' association that clove sometimes gives me.

 

Ultimately I find that Saqqara dries down to mostly clove with a hint of spice - the other spices fade over time but the clove stays true for quite a long while. The throw is quite strong, so a little dab is more than enough! A very very nice blend, and if it ever makes it to release then I know the spice lovers out there will be hoarding this one

[Little Bird]

This is a very heated, dry, spicy scent in the vial.

First on, this smells very masculine-spicy (must be the clove that others have mentioned, though it's sort of cinnamon-y on my skin) and slightly of something like smoky tobacco or tea leaves.

In the drydown, this has a sharp men's cologne feel that gives me a headache after a while, and the spiciness makes me think of potpourri.

My husband said that this smells like cinnamon potpourri and cheap cologne :/ not good.

Happy that I don't have to try to find more of this one.

[zankoku_zen]

Dry sweet clove. I get the amber on the drydown.

 

It's almost like the sweet clove SN except the amber softens it up a little. I can see this being very attractive on the right guy.

[PurringPulsar]

Saqqara v2

 

In the imp: ohhh, clove and desert spices similar to Mr Jacquel.

Wet on skin: now I smell pepper and amber and also some frankincense.

Dry on skin: this smells like the lovechild of Mr Jacquel and the Lamia prototype. It has a similar exotic spice and amber scent to Lamia v3, with clove and pepper being the strongest notes. They smell dry and piquant, a tiny bit savoury, and remind me of the spices sold at a souk. There’s also a bit of Egyptian amber. There’s a dusty, sandy undertone to it as well, which is what reminds me of Mr Jacquel. Maybe they have the same North African patchouli, which has a desert-like scent to it that’s different to other patchouli notes. There’s a sharper resin here-I see why people say pine but I am sure that it’s frankincense. There’s also a hint of sandalwood, but I don’t smell vanilla, in fact this isn’t very sweet. For those who fear this note, I do not smell any vetiver.

After a while: the scent doesn’t change much but I think the clove gives way to pepper or saffron, the frankincense fades a bit, and the sandalwood note develops a slightly effervescent lemony scent. I still smell lots of amber with an arid undertone and a lot of heavy spice. I do wonder if there’s ginger now.

Verdict: I need to retest this one as unfortunately I first tried it on the night I caught a violent stomach bug and the strong spicy scent was aggravating it. I really hope that doesn’t happen again or bring back horrible memories of that episode because I love the scent itself. It’s a fabulous golden clove resin scent. Very similar to Lamia v3, but I think that one was more of a cardamom-pepper scent with amber, this one seems more like cloves and pepper with maybe some hints of cardamom and saffron, along with amber, frankincense, and a dusty desert patchouli scent remniscent of Mr Jacquel. It evokes images of lost treasure, sandy ancient ruins and faraway bazaars. I look forward to one day hopefully seeing Saqqara released and I hope it has a similar scent to this!

Is it a keeper? yes!

If you like this, try: Mr Jacquel, Bastet, Ozymandias, The Lion, Jacob’s Ladder, Mother Ginger

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL bought on Etsy and testers from a few generous sellers.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I like clove quite a bit and I'm a fan of spicy scents, although they're not the sort of thing I wear every day. I also like amber and most of the other notes being mentioned in the other reviews. To be honest, though, SAQQARA v2 isn't one of those scents that screams "TRY ME!". It sounds nice, but not spectacular, in spite of it's popularity. But I am looking forward to trying it.

 

First sniff:

 

Spicy for sure. I'd have a hard time saying what all is in this, but I'm going to say clove (definitely) and maybe some amber, cardamom and bay. It's not a foody spice. It's exotic and somehow antique smelling. It's pretty but it doesn't wow me right out of the bottle.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Ooh, this is starting to remind me of Lamia v3, which in turn reminds me of a clove cigarettes-inspired perfume from another company (which has listed notes of clove, cinnamon, cardamom, tobacco, amber, sandalwood and incense). It's still predominately spice (clove and cardamom), but there's a soft sweetness that makes me think of amber. I don't think there's tobacco in here, though.

 

Dry down:

 

Definitely similar to Lamia v3 on me! Which is awesome because I really like Lamia v3, but can't bring myself to pay the going price for it. This is a sexy scent to my nose. Spicy and enticing. Dry and not at all foody. It's got quite a bit of throw, too, which is great for a strong scent lover like me.

 

The bottom line:

 

I didn't think I was going to need two bottles of this, but now I'm regretting only buying the one when I had the chance. This is a real beauty and a good replacement for Lamia v3 since they smell so similar on me.

Edited July 10, 2011 by Penance

[angelamaria]

Definitely incense in the decant, and some heavy dark flowers. On my skin, almost immediately evident is clove, and a nice dark resin comes inching its way forward. Somewhat unisex, and turning powdery, but that just adds to the incensey-ness of this blend. Dry, this is all clove and hints of amber and spices, and reminds me of Silk Road a bit.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received a bottle of this in a swap. Tested from a decant from that bottle.

 

IN THE IMP: Super resin goodness.

 

Dabbed in crook of arm.

 

WET: Getting the first whiff of this is more amber/resins than clove/cardamom but it's all good ... and I know from experience that clove tends to amp big time on me when it dries down, long and strong (hello, Scorpio 2004, I miss you so).

 

DRYDOWN: This is an amazing drydown ... the resins and ambers remain delicious, the clove amps and the cardamom is OMGWTFBBQ. My arm smells like the most stupendous confabulation of incense and mulling spices minus the fruit.

 

OVERALL: Thrilled to have gotten this in a swap. It is divine.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.9

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mmm. Resins and spices. Cinnamon for sure. I also feel like I am getting some menthol, or eucalyptus, or maybe pine? Something I am not enjoying at all, which sucks because I adore the resins and spices.

 

 

Dry: Mmmmm. Whatever piney sort of thing was happening totally burned off, leaving me with sweet amber and spices. I think there is both clove and cinnamon in this, maybe some cardamom, for sure some amber. Num. Happy to have it!

[Dancing Raven]

Wet: Pine and vetiver. It starts out smoky, but not bbq. There is a hint of spice under the smokiness.

Drydown: The vetiver remains, but the smokiness dies down. It's a bit masculine at this point, but it's a vetiver I can handle, so I am overjoyed. Amber comes out lending some sweetness. 

Dry: I finally get the spices that everyone is talking about. Clove definitely. I think there might be some cardamom and pepper in here. Pine or sandalwood (both?) is in the background along with a little bit of non powdery amber.

It's spicey, slightly smoky, and balsamic. It definitely runs more on the masculine side, but not overly so. It's like opening up a wooden box filled with spices and inhaling deeply. It's a little too masculine for me to wear by itself often, but I think it would layer beautifully. 

4.5 out of 5 stars.

 

ETA: I spoke too soon. Hours later, the amber takes over. It's slightly powdery, and I think there is benzoin in here so that the end result is a sweet vanilla and amber with just a tiny bit of clove remaining. It retains just a bit of smokiness.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Dancing Raven