Penetrated Shadows

[Seajewel]

Tobacco, gray patchouli, and cacao illuminated by star anise, red mandarin, and cypress.

[MamaMoth]

i got this one because i'm a patchouli addict who's very curious about what a grey variety might be, and i love tobacco and anise.  i also have good history with "shadow" named things.

this one has a VERY thick (cacao?) separation layer. for all that, the cacao isn't swinging too heavy.  it goes on with a muddled tobacco/cacao/patchouli base layer, and a surprisingly fresh pop of mandarin riding on top.  there's a little sharp cypress hanging out there in the middle somewhere.

as it settles down i get brief whiffs of anise, but nothing substantial. then it's gone back into the muddle.

eventually what i'm left with is a somewhat dry, powdery patchouli +.   there's some sharpness backing it up that i think is cypress. there's some earthy heft to it that is probably the cacao and tobacco. i can actually still find a little mandarin if i go looking for it, and i'm surprised it's holding up as citrus notes can be so ephemeral on me.  it's not a huge mandarin presence, but i have a feeling this would feel drab and flat without it.  but it's mostly patchouli, and grey is a good descriptor for the patchouli and the scent in general... i find the tone a bit dour.

i love patchouli, so i don't dislike it.  but i can't see myself reaching for it over beloved patchouli blends.  it reads a bit masculine for my general preferences, the cypress is a little sharp, and the powdery patchouli isn't a favorite. it might have some maturing to do, so i'll be monitoring this bottle for a while before i make a final verdict.

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by MamaMoth

[torikitty]

I didn't even notice the cacao layer at the bottom of the bottle until @MamaMoth mentioned it. So, this review is without shaking it up. In the bottle, it's mostly chocolate and patch. During the wet phase, it's patch and cocoa. The patch quickly overpowers the cocoa. Then the tobacco slows comes forward. Then, there's an even match of patch, tobacco, and mandarin. The mandarin takes it too a "perfumey" level that I'm not enjoying, but it does make the group brighter. The drydown phase doesn't last long. There might be a slight green note in the background, but this ends up smelling soo similar to other tobacco/patch blends I have, that I don't need this.

[bygraveyardlight]

Pretty patch forward!! I've been real into patchouli lately so I'm not mad about it at all. Mandarin hangs around for an hour or so after putting it on, which is surprising and nice. The tobacco, anise etc is not easy for me to pick it out- it's more of a backdrop for the patchouli. I'm curious to see if the tobacco will come put more with age! I agree that it's not very unique compared to other patch blends, but who knows what will happen with time. If you're someone who has lots of other patchouli scents already, then this might not be your bag- I'm happy to have my bottle nonetheless and here's to hoping the tobacco and anise will say hello in the future!