Pale, Without Name or Number

[Bluestblood]

Greek musk, violet leaf, carrot seed, and ho wood.

At first sniff, I was certain I would not like this. I am very fortunate I waited for the dry down.

Wet: Dry and waxy, kind of like wood polish lacking a lemon scent, slightly bitter and medicinal. The violet leaf is detectable in the back of the nose but it is not in your face.

Dry: Wow. A rich, yet mellow, wood/musk smell starts to creep through and adds the barest hint of sweetness. The bitterness almost completely fades and what does remain compliments everything else. It starts to remind me of the scent of my mother's skin after she slathered herself in olive oil on and sat in the sun (don't judge, she was a great tanner and was not afraid of skin cancer ). The scent gets very complex and unique and is greater than the sum of its parts. It smells herbal, pale (really!) and absolutely nostalgic. It does not have a lot of throw but lingers for a long time; it's definitely an up close and personal scent.

Rating (0 - 5): 4

[Soniadevi]

The best way I can describe this is HEAVY GREEN MUSK. Thick, herbal, musky, slightly woody, and VERY well blended. A unique scent that becomes better as you wear it. Very skin like, and sexy, but leaning slightly masculine I would say. If I smelled this on a man, well... I just wouldn't be accountable for my actions.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5 on me. But it would be a 5 out of 5 on that dream man. The tall, dark, muscular type. Hot!

[mymymai]

ITB: I get a strong sense of green musk with violet leaf and subtle tones of carrot seed. It is a similar quality - something earthy and slightly dark - to the scent I reviewed yesterday (I Am Tired of Tears and Laughter).

 

Wet: It's a bit more earthy thanks to the carrot seed and green musk, although the violet leaf is still pretty clear. There is only a faint impression of ho wood. It's an odd scent and I'm not sure whether or not I really like it.

 

Dry: After 12 hours, the scent is hardly detectable. I smell something soft and clean, but nothing distinct. After reapplication and roughly an hour of settling time, the scent is dusty, very musky, and slightly sweet, the musk and oudh being the most distinguishable notes. It's odd and I'm still not sure I like this as well as I had anticipated.

Edited October 11, 2013 by mymymai

[stellamaris]

Holy crap, this is intense! And wow! So good! I thought I liked black musk but hey, let's give some green musk a chance here.

This is strong stuff, even I can't slather it, but so rich and good. It smells like awesome.

My reviews just get better and better...

[BlueberryPie]

This is probably the green-est scent I've ever tried. I smell like nothing but crushed leaves. But not in a bad way. I don't know how to describe, except...it's that smell where you go out on a hot summer day and roll around in a meadow. That smell, but somehow less pungent and more just.....fresh. This is probably the only perfume I've tried where it actually starts off quite faint and slowly grow stronger. I think this really is the perfect summer scent -- so green and fresh. I'm definitely hoarding this bottle to wear next summer too, now that it's growing so cold. I think just having it on hand to sniff during the winter will remind me of green summer days.

 

SCORE: 9/10

[milo]

Wet, starts out strange. That's the only way I can describe it. Something like a soft floral and the green musk. Dries to a clean, manly musk of the green variety. This is pretty masculine on me, and reminds me quite a bit like Pollution on me dry, and I know there are Pollution fans out there, so y'all may want to try this one:) For me, it is just a bit too masculine, though some may find it unisex, or maybe it's my weird skin chemistry. I really don't get any violet leaf, or anything but green musk. I'd LOVE to smell this on a guy:)

[Dark Alice]

Seriously....what the hell was I thinking??? Green musk, ho wood, carrot seed...this should have worked!! What do I get? Expensive Lilly soap...without a drop of lily in the damn vial! I smell like Lily soap! What in the hell was I thinking? So glad this is just a decant and not a full bottle..I would be kicking myself in the butt!

[Alaeidrel]

This is softly floral greek musk with a bit of wood. It struck me immediately and so I bought a bottle at will call and I love it, but it doesn't love me. Something about it brings on giant migraines - I don't think I agree with anything that has violet in it in any form. :'( Off to swaps.

[zankoku_zen]

Musky green wood. This one is like an autumn version of a Shunga. Smooth, musky, wood.

 

*insert 13 year old giggle here*

 

It's a nice, woody blend, slightly masculine. Sensual without being overt. Appropriate for office wear.

[Cactus]

Green, musky, and woody. This is a *very* dry scent - the musk and the woods are both very clean smelling. Almost austere. And laid over that is greenery - like the sap from fresh leaves.

 

Smooth and elegant (in a pared-back, monastical way)

[VetchVesper]

So, without looking at the notes, I would have sworn this was a lavender and green musk scent.  Apparently, the herbal quality of the violet leaf is tricking my nose.  There's a warmth grounding the fragrance that must be the ho wood. I'm guessing the carrot seed adds some wistful sweetness, but for me, it's blending in with the green musk. Green musk amps on me - a lot.  It's not quiiiite taking over completely, but pretty close to it.  This is not for me, but the initial herbal/floral quality over the musky warmth was pretty.  I'd be curious to get the impressions of lavender lovers to see if I'm just crazy.