Tar Papering (Crows)

[doomsday_disco]

White sandalwood, orris root, ambergris, vetiver root, cardamom, white cedar, and black pepper.

 

 

Andrew Wyeth
 

[lithie]

I bought this thinking it would be in the same family as to a wreath of snow. It is and it isn’t. It’s more gender neutral,  perhaps a touch masc in comparison to that. In the bottle and wet on the skin it is discordant - sharp and weird but this stage doesn’t last long. After abt 10 minutes it settles into its lovely, hazy self. I get the white sandalwood and the spices, smoothed out by the orris vetiver and cedar. If i were to give it a colour it’s a grey-green, just like the picture. I don’t have anything else like it so I’m glad i took the chance! Medium throw and longevity. 

Edited December 29, 2024 by lithie

[amoray]

I've worn this twice and feel like I could possibly give a review now. This scent is a bit of a journey and has taken some time to really settle. The first time I wore it, it was very faint (shipping shock). And it has gotten stronger as it has rested *YAY* The white sandalwood starts out giving it the sharpness, and dryness that I often get from white sandalwood. The brittleness of a bone white sky. The smell of sea but without the aquatic. A wash of green from the vetiver root? But this quickly fades into this gorgeous soft ambergris/orris that is like a fluffy cloud. And the cardamom/pepper/sliiiight hint of cedar flits into the clouds like the flock of crows. When it dries down I am left with a cardamom cloud. I am surprised how long the cardamom is lasting with this and quite happy. The light and the dark intertwined. 

[Jarek]

In the decant vial, it's pretty woody. Maybe a touch of smoke.

 

Wet on my skin the woody smells predominate, with some spices from the cardamom and black pepper. Wverything is blending really well that I'm finding it hard to pick out notes, but I think the samdalwood and white cedar are there, with a touch of smokey from the vetiver but it's mostly a woody vetiver. I don't smell much ambergris but I rarely do in the start of ambergris perfumes, I figure it can take a while to show up on my skin.

 

Dry after five hours it still has some decent throw, the spices portion is nearly gone but there may be some left and I'm just not as familiar with the cardamom. Cedar is still here but the sandalwood has faded, vetiver is largely gone but I think the orris root is still around. Parts of it anyways. Strangely the ambergris hasn't become prominent like I'm used to, I can tell it's there but it's more boosting everything else rather than coming forward and doing its own thing too. The overall effect is very nice. Everything is well blended.

 

I quite like this one, though I'm going to let it rest at least a week before trying it again and deciding if I want a bottle. Waering the rest of my decant for sure.

 

Edit: the more I try this the more I love it. The ambergris is a bit more noticeable to me now but it's definitely more in the background than I'm used to, it's nice though. Very nice. I looked up orris root too and I think it also really stands out in the initial stages with the woody smells. It is a bit fruity in a way. But not like a gourmet.

 

I didn't get a bottle at the start of February, but I am going to get one at the start of March.

Edited February 7 by Jarek

[ShadowEtienne]

I blind bottled this rather nervously, every note but vetiver in this is usually either incredibly good on my skin (cardamom, ambergris, cedar, pepper) or pleasantly neutral for me (sandalwood, orris). Vetiver however often does not smell the greatest on me, or just takes over a scent in ways I'm not looking for. But I loved the art, and cardamom + ambergris was too tempting not to get it.

 

I opened the bottle to something smoky and woodsy, and I was a little bit nervous, but I could smell a hint of creamy spice underneath, and I was also hopeful. If it went right on my skin, and the notes balanced out, it would be really pretty.

 

I tested it a few times before leaving this review, but it has indeed gone right.

 

Sweet cardamom spice, a very similar cardamom note to my adored Sugared Cardamom Tea Beard Oil, is the most forward note on my skin, closely backed by smooth, creamy and just hinting at something aquatic ambergris and orris. The two notes blend beautifully, and I might think that it was just an ambergris going in a specific direction if this hadn't been how the orris + ambergris combo had gone for me before. This is all backed up by a softly smoky, hinting at spice woodsy scent, which I must assume is the rest of the notes working in excellent concert. The vetiver has just mellowed into the cedar and sandalwood and black pepper combo, adding a little bit of smokiness to them. My best possible vetiver outcome.

 

Overall, for me, this scent could be a cousin to my much beloved The Hound and the Milk White Doe. I don't like this one as much (that would be hard), but it falls into the same family of scents in a wintery sort of way. I'm definitely glad I took the chance on this bottle!