Indescribable Solemnity and Fear

[doomsday_disco]

The crescendo of a phantom’s caress: golden frankincense and cardamom smothered by honeyed kisses of labdanum, red rose, merlot, black oud, and myrrh.

 

After all these dreams there remained on waking a remembrance of having been in a place very nearly dark, and of having spoken to people whom I could not see; and especially of one clear voice, of a female’s, very deep, that spoke as if at a distance, slowly, and producing always the same sensation of indescribable solemnity and fear. Sometimes there came a sensation as if a hand was drawn softly along my cheek and neck. Sometimes it was as if warm lips kissed me, and longer and longer and more lovingly as they reached my throat, but there the caress fixed itself. My heart beat faster, my breathing rose and fell rapidly and full drawn; a sobbing, that rose into a sense of strangulation, supervened, and turned into a dreadful convulsion, in which my senses left me and I became unconscious.
 

[Assimbya]

I have this on as we speak - it was the first thing I tried from my Halloween order.

 

This scent reminds me a lot of Athens, which is one I love very much. In the bottle I get honeyed wine, very sweet and rich. It goes on still as a strong, sweet, wine scent with the myrrh coming out - this is the stage so far at which it most closely resembles Athens. As it dries the frankincense balances out the myrrh, and the oud is like a sharp, earthy edge, grounding it. The red rose shows up as an ineffable wet floral quality, though it seems very well blended with the wine and honey scents. Maybe an hour into wear I think I'm starting to get some of the cardamom, but it definitely isn't the dominant note.

 

I like this a lot. It's definitely close to Athens, but the oud and frankincense give it a sharper, spicier quality which feels very appropriate to the inspiration. It's heady without being overpowering, sophisticated but also a little passionate. It feels like the scene it's inspired by but from Carmilla's perspective - this is how she's experiencing Laura's pleasure/fear, not Laura's own overwhelm. I picture it as a wet red and dull gold.

 

ETA the very important conclusion I came to that, as an Athens-like vampire scent, this scent should actually be the signature perfume of minor character in the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles Eudoxia - a classical Athenian lesbian vampire.

Edited October 6 by Assimbya

[samanare]

Rose, merlot, and sweet resin in equal measures on me. The rose note came off more as a black rose than red, but that may be the amount of resin I'm getting from this scent. The merlot is noticeably sharp and a red wine note. Combined with the resins, which the labdanum dominates, but is sweeter than labdanum on its own, the merlot and resin notes create this heady atmosphere that constantly threaten to overtake the rose note. They're never successful, but it ended up feeling more like a resin and wine scent than rose. There is also a noticeable sweetness, especially to the resin, but I cannot pick out the honey note on its own.

[theseagrows]

this opens with rose, merlot and some effervescence (from labdanum? i think i recall that BPAL's labdanum note does that. shortly after i get honey and resins as well. it remains pretty linear and the labdanum is quite strong on me. very pretty and leans almost fruity, however i thought it'd be deeper and more resiny, but it's actually kind of bright. actually now that i think of it, it reminds me of sangria with a little champagne. 

[Ennikar]

Disclaimer: this is a same day test and I can be sensitive to "clean" or powdery notes.

 

What a heartbreaker. I was most looking forward to cardamom and labdanum, but would also have been happy with the spices, rose, resin, or wine experienced by other reviewers. Instead, as soon as I cracked the bottle open I smelled powder and soap -- like a high-end scented soap, perhaps. I'm now a couple hours in and if I really search for it I can get hints of rose, maybe a touch of merlot... but still mostly soap. I sometimes have this experience with scents containing myrrh and/or rose, but wasn't expecting it to be so overwhelming when there are a number of other notes here I usually like. It may be unfair for me to judge this one now, but while I've had scents change with rest before I doubt this one is going to develop enough to become something I'd enjoy (though I'll try it again in a week or so and update if it turns out to have changed).

[roseus]

Oh hello! Jammy rose and wine up front, with beautiful resins coming in as it dries. I can just detect the slightly effervescent labdanum in the dry down but the rest just blend in seamlessly. Opulent and romantic. Backup bottle worthy for me, which is rare these days!