Lightning Strikes Cinema

[Seajewel]

 The scent of sitting in a darkened theater in a rainstorm circa 1935, marveling at the alchemy that transforms scribbled words into specters of light, shadow, and sound: dripping umbrellas, a nicotine haze clinging to musty velvet curtains, camphorous vapors rising from strips of hot celluloid.

 

[doomsday_disco]

Oh, this is so interesting, and a morpher! The ozone and rain from Lightning are particularly prominent in this Lightning variant throughout wear (with the salty sea spray joining in later). I got a bit of citrus from this during the wet phase, and I don't know if it were some lemon-y aspect from the ozone or what, but my first thought was orange. I also got what I think may be the velvet curtains. Then I got the dripping umbrella note, which has a latex-like quality to it to my nose. This phase lasted on me for a while. I have no idea what hot celluloid is supposed to smell like, but I definitely did smell something that smelled hot at one point (but not cinnamony!), and the tobacco is present, too, with just a bit of it peeking out early on, but it becomes much more noticeable with wear. By the end of the day, it's the rainy ozonic, slightly salty aquatic of Lightning swirled with tobacco and what I think is the velvet curtains.

 

I was debating a back-up bottle of Summer Rain from the Lilith update, but this is such a unique atmospheric rain scent that I may have to grab a bottle of this instead.

Edited November 18, 2022 by doomsday_disco

[theshapeshifter]

Very atmospheric! It opens with ozone/rain and a sweet note. There's a hint of something like an old-fashioned women's perfume, and then as it settles in I get what must be the velvet curtains (warm and a little dusty) and just a hint of tobacco (just a hint is perfect for me, as I don't like it as a strong note). 

 

I will admit, I'm a huge fan of the Captain America movies and when I read this scent description it was the thought of "young Bucky Barnes taking a date to the movies before the war" that tipped me over into buying it. Definitely one of my nerdier perfume motivations, but I'm pleased to say that it does not disappoint.

[patina]

Rain, rain, rainy rain. Lightning Strikes Literature has ozone in it but Lightning Strikes Cinema is powerful essence of dripping umbrella and soggy wool with velvet curtain in the background.

 

I can't say it's not soap, but it's not painfully acrid like many soap scents either. I sort of get a vinyl or acrylic cloth note, but it's not offputting.  This ozone actually makes me think of water for once. Maybe I'm easily influenced right now, but the scent evokes a cool movie theater with a raging thunderstorm outside.

 

I'm concerned my perception could change over time, but we'll see.

Edited February 17, 2023 by patina

[zankoku_zen]

Creamy nicotine florals, whiff of ink and celluloid. Surprisingly wearable. Almost like an old cinema star. Medium throw and wear length.

[Area51Fugitive]

Shadow of the Vampire. If you’ve ever seen the movie Shadow of the Vampire with Willem DeFoe and John Malkovich, this is that movie given scent form. The old gothic mixed with the new magic of the moving pictures.

[VetchVesper]

Lemony?  Not what I was expecting. An acrid green note starts to emerge. I don't know if celluloid actually has a scent as I never was a photographer or what not, but this makes me think more of cleaning fluid than dark theaters or lightning storms. Citrusy, green, and chemical. 

 

The all-knowing Google tells me celluloid is produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, so perhaps the camphor is the green smell I'm picking up. Oh, yup! "CAMPHOROUS VAPORS."  I'm sharp today.

 

I'd be very curious to hear the scent impressions of this perfume from anyone who has worked with film or in a dark room. 

 

Not for me, but certainly unique. ...

 

 

ETA: WAIT! I was given a decant and a 1/2 decant of this, and they smell almost entirely different. Batch variations, or perhaps one of the imps wasn't rolled/shaken before it was decanted? 

 

The 2nd imp is all musty velvet curtain and nicotania. It shares some notes from one of the old Weenie atmos that was inspired by an old theater. Can't remember the name, but I do remember the smell! This also smells a bit leathery? Wow, the nicotania is getting stronger. It's that old cigarette smell that lingers in the yellowed wallpaper of antique houses. If you've ever seen the movie Dark City, it would smell like this perfume.  

 

The lemony camphor is still present, but it's way in the back and barely recognizable. What a pronounced difference!  Remember to shake those bottles!

 

I like this a lot more with the darker notes and will enjoy the decant. Perhaps I shall mix the two. 

 

 

Edited September 21 by VetchVesper