The Froth of the Serpents

[Jenjin]

Sweet red wine, oakmoss, ambergris accord, ylang ylang, and Spanish mandarin.

 

All thine the new wine of desire,

The fruit of four lips as they clung

Till the hair and the eyelids took fire,

The foam of a serpentine tongue,

The froth of the serpents of pleasure,

More salt than the foam of the sea,

Now felt as a flame, now at leisure

As wine shed for me.

 

 

[VioletChaos]

The red wine is strong with this one!

When sniffed in the bottle, all the way through to complete drydown, the red wine note is front and center. The note itself is one I've adored in the past, in the old-time Yule treat, Glüwein, and so I can only hope that this will age just as magnificently as that one has. 

There *is* quite a lot to hope for with this blend, notably the oakmoss and mandarin notes, which both play the part of insuring this scent is not a one-note wonder, even if they are working more or less behind the scenes. (I've tried one-note wine scents and they come across more or less as fussy grape juice, which is definitely NOT what's happening here, by the way.) Oakmoss is a note I personally love, adding a rich, vaguely sweet and unusually spicy depth. The Spanish mandarin is not here to lend a foodie tone, but rather a bit of tart acid, which brightens the scent and keeps it from getting lost in a sticky haze.

Hours later, and it's still going strong: a little goes a long way, both with staying power and with throw, which is definitely one of the highest I've encountered: dab lightly until you know how it'll bloom on your skin.

The end game is a languid and sultry drift into sweet oblivion, whether you leave enticing traces behind you during a leisurely stroll, or on a silky pillowcase after a decadent sleepover. Whichever path chosen, you'll leave them wanting  

[wodnesse]

I'm in agreement with VioletChaos on the contributions of the oakmoss and the mandarin below this lovely fruity red wine central note. The booziness of the wine note is well controlled, these are definitely fermented fruits but without any unpleasant astringency. I hope the sweetness folds in a bit more by winter but as is it makes a lovely spring-y sangria scent that would be just as suited to daytime as night.

[ShadowEtienne]

There is definitely some skin chemistry magic happening here. In the bottle and when very first applied, like those above me, this scent was predominantly a rich, fruity red wine. Interesting and pleasant, but not necessarily something I'd reach for often.

 

Then my skin happened to it, and other notes rose to prominence. Ylang Ylang blooms fresh and bright and tropical, blending with a herbal-spicy-aquatic ambergris with a hint of oakmoss combo. This is less creamy than some ambergris on my skin, but still lovely!

 

The Spanish mandarin is being peeled right nearby, and behind its sweet tartness is a gentle backing note of that same rich fruity red wine, still a beautiful note, but very much in the backdrop.

 

This is not at all what I was expecting sniffing it in the bottle, but it is delightful.