Ruddy Daggerwing

[absinthetics]

Cacao, tobacco absolute, Chilean coffee bean, osage-orange, and ebony.

You do get a deep understanding of the cacao note the second you put this under your nose. I think it's dancing somehow with the coffee bean, that isn't quite coffee. There is a dark smoothness to this scent that is very elegant. I don't know if it's specifically the ebony, or ebony + the tobacco. The orange is just the slightest bite to the nose in the bottle, but really comes out more when worn. So far, I think this is the most bottle worthy scent in the butterflies.

[VioletChaos]

Based on the notes, I knew I had to take a chance and get a bottle asap, figuring that even if it's not my favorite, I'll love it enough to warrant a whole bottle- and if it's as good as I anticipate, I'll have enough time to get a backup or two! That said, let's see how it all came out:

 

In the Bottle: the first thing I pick out is the ebony, the same variety from both Antikethyra Mechanism as well as Glowing Vulva. Immediately following that resinous wood, I get the cacao and the orange in equal measure. This is heady from word go.

 

Wet On Skin: the sweetness of the ebony is still most prevalent, but now the coffee and the tobacco are having their say. the orange is there in the background, adding a roundness to the feel. Interesting, in spite of all the food notes, this isn't reading as foodie at ALL. Very grown up. Very serious so far.

 

Dry Down: The orange has become more dominant- and far more bitter. I don't have any prior experience with osage orange and how that might differ from standard varietals, but if I had to take a stab, I bet it's a kind that's far more bitter than what we generally get from the grocery store. The ebony and cacao (also a dark/bitter type- NOT the yummy-sweet Bliss kinda chocolate to be sure) are still here, and the coffee/tobacco has become the combo that they were in Pinched With Four Aces!

 

In All: low to medium throw- far less than I had anticipated based on the note list. the way the various notes weave in and out in this intricate dance, this scent goes beyond being a morpher- and I think will absolutely improve with aging. Ruddy Daggerwing winds up being a walk down BPAL memory lane, a chance to visit all my favorite scents from yesteryear, and yet be it's own thing as well.

A keeper, but I think I'll wait a month or two before I decide to stock up on more.

 

[Invidiana]

This is like the most luxe chocolate orange ever. The cacao and orange are prominent from the beginning, exactly like orange-infused dark chocolate, but as it dries down something magical happens with the smokiness of the coffee, tobacco and wood that elevate it from foody to sensuous. I only wish Vosges made truffles like this.

[Lycanthrope]

I'm really not sure how to classify this scent. It is a powdery gourmand, but not really 'chocolate bar' nor 'coffee spiked with orange,' nor is it an orange scent. It's very intriguing. In the bottle I'd say it smells most like a fancy milk chocolate truffle or an orange jelly chocolate stick. On the skin it has that initial foody smell of smearing those orange, rectangular things on your body. However, after it gets a chance to dry a bit, it... melts into something much more complex. Never strong, mind you, so if you're looking for throw, this moth is quietly stalking your sweaters from afar. There is this persistent very subtle orange-like top note (ebony-orange?) and overall as it dries down this turns into an orange-kissed powdery wood. I'm not getting my usual reaction to tobacco, which is 'blarhg?' So that's nice...

 

A bottle may last me though, so I'll see how I'm feeling before moth season passes

[orata]

This is great, like the fanciest, most expensive chocolate-orange perfume you could imagine. The tobacco, ebony, and non-edible orange give it a certain complex something that makes it not quite a foody scent, though it's definitely notes of choc + orange on the skin. It's definitely a gourmand perfume rather than a realistic sketch of a food. The tobacco is a fairly sharp tobacco leaf and pretty prominent. The coffee gives the whole thing a dark grounding.

 

Something about it smells almost spicy to me as it dries down, some slight hint of a note like cinnamon or clove. The Osage orange note is beautifully long-lived for a citrus note.

 

The throw and lasting power are very intense (I'm typing and can smell a powerful cloud of Ruddy Daggerwing wafting up from my wrist; it's unusual for me that I can smell a scent that strongly from that far away), so I think this could certainly become overwhelming or cloying after a while.

 

Really, really beautiful.

[livingdead71]

This scent is absolutely gorgeous! I'm not even sure how to describe it, because it's blended so well. I'll just say that I've had issues with chocolate and tobacco in the past, and both are well behaved here. I can't even think of another scent to compare this to. It's going to be one of those work days where I have to fight to keep my nose off my wrist all day...because I'm sure I look like a lunatic sometimes. I'm so happy to have a bottle of this!

[Dark Alice]

This scent can be summed up in three words: Savory, Caffeinated, MEAT! What the hell??????

[zankoku_zen]

Chocolate oranges indeed. At the beginning, it's bitter coffee, dark chocolate and a giant orange citrus blast. I think the orange is also having a side affair with ebony, because there's a woodsy undertone to this.

 

Fun, but not for me. I amp up the wood note in this, so it ends up more woody than foodie.

[Ilex]

So exciting! An osage orange note! I had to try this. Osage oranges are not oranges, they are related to mulberries. I first encountered them on a walk in the woods, the dropped fruits were surreal and alien egg-like bright green and large grapefruit sized, freaked me right out as I had no idea what they were. The fruits have been used as bug repellant and have a pleasant, but hard to describe scent. Really fresh, sorta citrus-y but not exactly citrus. Here is the wikipedia article.

Here is an arty photo I took of some of the fruit.

 

Okay, so that said...

 

In the bottle: Wow, a really sophisticated orangey-chocolate scent, with a fine coffee note

 

On me, wet: The coffee comes out and it is fantastic. Its really a "bean" in that it isn't French roasted coffee scent, its sharper, unburnt and less dominating. So fantastic. More with that note please. The chocolate is playing nicely with the fresh osage orange, and the tobacco is a little sweet yet sharp, but keeping it perfumy rather than over foody. This is a fantastic scent and its not going sicky sweet which is what I was afraid the tobacco would do.

 

Dry down, after twenty minutes: The chocolate disappeared quick. The coffee followed (boo! stay lovely coffee stay! that is one of the better coffee notes I've smelled). I never really got the ebony, but maybe along with the tobacco that's what giving me a tiny "cologne" note here, which is hanging out with the dominant fresh scent of osage orange. I still like it, but I wish my skin hadn't eaten most of the notes. This may be the scent that makes me finally cave and get a scent locket.

 

If it had better staying power on me I'd get a bottle in a heart beat.

[ModderRhu]

This is…weird. Like room temp coffee with soured milk. And a little cologne. Not for me!

[Monday]

I love this one! I find it difficult to describe Ruddy Daggerwing so bear with me.

It starts out with a rather sharp burnt coffee note. Underneath that is something amazing! A perfumey orange note . I'm definitely getting a lot of ebony too it's reminding me of the Antikythera Mechanism.

The sharp coffee note lingers for a while wrapped around the awesome other notes (that I can't describe other that 'awesome' and 'orangey' ). There's chocolate in this? Not getting any chocolate here.

Ruddy Daggerwing is the winner of these butterflies for me. It's got lots of throw and lasts forever. Gorgeous!

 

*Edit* The chocolate came out after resting the imp a couple of days! Yummy! The sharpness of the coffee note also calmed down a bit.

Edited June 7, 2012 by Monday

[PumpkinGuts]

I loved it and thought it smelled like chocolate oranges until my boyfriend told me I smelled like barbecue. Nooo, you ruins it!

[OctoberGwen]

Now THIS I need a bottle of. I might get two.

 

Ruddy Daggerwing starts off very strong on the cacao and coffee, which I love. After a bit they both dial down quite a lot, which was initially a disappointment...but then I kept getting the most provocative whiffs of scent from my wrists. I can't really describe it except to say that it's slightly spicy, significantly gorgeous, and has a familiar quality. It's not tobacco-y per se, but I'm finding that tobacco lends a certain something to scents that I usually very much enjoy.

 

I really love this.

 

The Metamorphosis is quickly becoming a favorite update for me.

 

 

 

ETA: I finally realized what the far drydown of this reminds me of: Playful Wooden Mallets! Which makes no sense at all, as they share no notes. Weird.

 

EATA: I really wish this remained in the wet stage for me, with its gorgeous spiced coffee/chocolate scent. Alas, the drydown is very different, and while still nice, it's not distinctive enough on me to warrant a bottle after all.

Edited June 6, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[calivianya]

I smelled Ruddy Daggerwing the second I opened my package - even before I'd taken things out of the bubblewrap. This is a strong oil!

 

I was glad to see the review talking about osage-orange as being used for bug repellant, as this reminds me of cocoa plus coffee plus... citronella candle. The citronella smell is muted at first, but is what my skin amps as this blend dries down. I think this might have been a winner if the osage-orange wasn't present, but as it is, I don't care for this one much.

[aphrodite]

ughhhh i'm so obsessed i could puke.

 

seriously, this is one of the rarest scents, the kind that makes me want to throw away 3/4 of my "keep" collection because smells like this make them seem unworthy.

 

in the bottle it's not all chocolate, but that's definitely the predominant note. i did roll it around a bit before smelling to make sure the chocolate didn't sink, as i've heard it sometimes does.

 

wet it's still pretty chocolaty, but getting more complex. as it dries it smells exactly like Angel Innocent by Thierry Mugler, which is at least in my top two all time favorite perfumes that come in the traditional alcohol-included, spray bottle form. (I don't want to call it normal, because I don't think it is.) Note Angel Innocent is pretty different from Angel, which you're likely to be more familiar with, but if you know and like AI, it's worth trying this to see if it works the same for you.

 

After several hours of this beautiful scent with a decent throw (I only had it on my wrists, next time I'll put it on my neck as well, but there was still some throw), it started to fade into a warm chocolate scent. If you've ever used BedHead Chocolate Head conditioning oil treatment, it became a lot like that, but so soft and close to the skin.

 

I have a pretty massive pile of imps, probably 200 or so, but fewer than ten full sized bottles (and three or four of those are all the same scent. ) but I definitely need a full sized bottle of this.

 

EDIT: When I wear it behind my ears I can smell the tobacco a lot. It's still a great smell but very different that close to the nose. It's gone through the same chocolate - angel innocent phases but with tobacco staying strong - I'm thinking this is one I'll wear on my wrists and inner elbows instead of ears. It's a very fresh, unlit, delicious tobacco, I just preferred the way it smelled before.

Edited June 8, 2012 by aphrodite

[Little Bird]

I'm not sure about this one; it morphs a lot on my skin.

First on, this is like the best chocolate and orange truffle ever. It's like a rich cocoa powder truffle with a warm, sunny orange citrus. Decadent and sweet. But it has an undertone that reminds me of savory meat and pizza spice. Sort of herby-spicy.

After only five minutes, I get no orange at all and only a hint of the cocoa. It goes through a phase where it's mostly a dark and smoky tobacco and the herby-spicy part reminds me of burning sage.

About a half hour in, I can see aphrodite's comparison to Angel Innocent, as it kinda reminds me of Angel and Angel Innocent as well. Something about it smells a little like patchouli and a little like the powdery, nutty, warm sweetness of Angel Innocent. But it still has an undertone of pizza spice on me :/

 

All in all, Ruddy Daggerwing is like a mix of good + strange and disjointed on me. I love half of it, but it's like there's always something just slightly off putting about it.

 

ETA: I gave this a full wear tonight and my husband absolutely hated it on me he said it smelled like 'burnt coffee - just all wrong.' I was surprised, because I didn't tell him that it had coffee as a listed note, and I can't really smell the coffee myself. But there you have it.

Edited June 10, 2012 by Little Bird

[stellamaris]

Yes, ok this one is quite good. It starts of delicious strong orangey chocolate, like those Droste things that we used to get at Christmas, and drys down to the same but rounder.

[lohengrin]

In the decant: Orange, coffee, and maybe a bit of ebony smoothing it all out.

 

On skin, wet: Same as first sniff.

 

On skin, dry: Still very consistent.

 

After an hour: No real change. The orange (which somehow smells a lot like a true orange, even though osage orange isn't actually closely related) never gets overwhelmed. Worth a re-test for sure.

[Caper]

I really loved this one except that I got some on my sleeve. While it morphs into something nice on my skin the bit on my shirt never gets past the tobacco and I smell like an ashtray.

 

I think my decant will be enough for short-sleeved summer days because the coffee/orange is amazing.

[Dark Alice]

This smells like a funky old Christmas Chocolate Orange. Yuck. Must wash off now.

[ami226]

For the deep scent of this one, I am surprised that the oil is completely clear!

 

On the skin: Ooooh, that is some yummy cacao! With orange. And woods.... and why is this starting to smell like meat on my skin? Orange chocolate meat? What?!

 

Sadly this one is not for me. I am really hungry now though!

[nineveh]

I've been wearing this every day since my bottle came in the mail. It's that good.

 

It starts off fairly balanced, except for the coffee bean, which never shows up. To me, osage-orange smells like a combination of true orange and citrus rind, juicy but not sweet.

 

The overall effect is alcoholic/perfumy but not in a bad way. I'm glad it has this aspect to keep it from becoming too sweet or too gourmand. It reminds me a bit of Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque when wet and Chergui when dry.

 

Thankfully I never get any meat or bbq, just a shadowy green/brown scent that's dark without being heavy or overwhelming. Great stuff.

[liquideyes]

This is gorgeous! Tyically I cannot wear chocolate or coffee, but as soon as I put this on I get a gorgeous blast of citrus (mostly orangey, but there's a sharpness underneath) layered over chocolate, reminiscent of a terry's chocolate orange but more interesting and less sweet. I could not stop smelling myself. As it dried, a wave of creaminess appeared, and mixed with the orangish scent to smell like the fanciest creamsicle ever. On further dry down it all melds together and started to smell familiar... and I wound up with a scent very similar to what the Enlightenment of the Courtesan Jigokudayu smells like on me. Odd, because they don't share any notes, but from both I get a creamy skin scent with a bite of fruit. Now, to decide whether I need a bottle of both...

[Gateau]

If you like rich wood notes, this is for you. Even though many of the notes sound foody, they don't add up to a food sort of scent. The chocolate and coffee are dark and in their bitter forms. I don't get the tobacco note as an individual note, but it adds a dark warmth. The Osage orange is bitter and aromatic, more like citronella than an edible orange, but recognizably citric. The ebony is rich and dark. Together it combines into something rich with recognizable tones, but not something you'd want to lick off. I think this would be a very good one for men or women who are attracted to these notes, but I don't think it's that wearable for me. It might be a good room scent if I could get past the idea that someone left the coffee pot on too long.

[midnight_aeval]

I was very excited for this when it was release (mega-foody here). I tested it and could not scrub the association of stale-coffee breath from an ex-boss of mine Don't get me wrong, he was one of the BEST bosses I have ever had, but he drank coffee ALL day long and he always had that stale-coffee breath!

 

I'm sure it's nice for others, but won't be one I could wear.