The Dregs of a Bottle of Vanilla Extract (Discovered in the Mud)

[doomsday_disco]

Alas, poor Marsh! Dribbles of masticated vanilla pods soaked in ethanol and caked with mud.

[feyofthefellwood]

I love the way this smells, but it's so faint! The mud note is realistic but gentle, and the vanilla note really smells like vanilla extract. I expected this combination to be weirder, but it's quite wearable IMO. I hope aging will give the vanilla more oomph. As it is, it's a lovely vanilla scent and it lasted on my skin all night, but I have to put my nose right next to my skin to smell anything. 

 

Edit: it's gotten stronger after a couple days of rest, so I'm sure it will continue to. 😊

Edited March 16 by feyofthefellwood

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: That very-dear-to-me dirt note that I so adore from the Lab wafts up first and foremost. There is a verrrrry slight sweet undertone, but it's so faint in the bottle that I would not be able to absolutely name it as the vanilla, even though there's nothing else it could be.

Wet On Skin: The ethanol aspect starts to peek out, making a somewhat disconcerting mix with the earth note. Sweetness has retreated.

Dry Down: Vanilla has returned! I agree with the previous review that the scent is quite faint. But since the delicacy was also a primary feature of the other Gorey scent I've now reviewed (Raspberry Punch with Cake Crumbs) I do wonder if perhaps Beth engineered the Gorey House scents to be this way intentionally? Once I review La Dame I might say more definitively, but regardless, I don't see this as a drawback of either scent, but as a lovely quality for both. In the case of The Dregs, the vanilla pod and earth notes have mixed in a way that is tantalizing, and a little sexy and not at all foodie. The mud makes the vanilla pod complex, and the vanilla softens the edges of the earthiness. 

In All: As a HUGE fan of the Lab's earth/dirt notes, I am ecstatic to add this unusual new specimen to my collection as it's SO different from others of the genre. For those unsure of earthy notes, this could be a good entry point for you, as it's not overpowering with that aspect in any way. As for myself, a backup bottle might be required!  😘

Edited Thursday at 05:13 PM by VioletChaos

[ghoulnextdoor]

The Dregs of a Bottle of Vanilla Extract is what happens when you abandon your witchcraft supplies in the garden during a thunderstorm and return to find something unexpected has birthed itself. The remnants of Snake Oil's characteristic molasses-thick vanilla incense (this is not meant to be a Snake Oil spin-off as far as I know, but that's what I smell!) are here, but they've been washed with rain and submerged in soil until they've gone feral. That first breath is unmistakable petrichor - that post-storm mineral tang with its peculiar astringency that normally makes my nose wrinkle in distaste - but here it doesn't outstay its welcome. Instead, it transforms, pulling the sweetness of vanilla back from the brink of excess and anchoring it to something more elemental. What begins as two opposing forces—decadent vanilla luxury versus earthy, rain-soaked austerity—eventually melds into something that feels like sweet, damp secrets buried under fallen leaves, waiting patiently to be unearthed.

Edited yesterday at 03:05 PM by ghoulnextdoor