Santa Muerte

[Shollin]

... A deep, resonant scent, both comforting and soft: lovers’ roses, solemn chrysanthemum, dark vetiver and dazzling cactus flowers.

First sniff: Softly, greenly floral, with a tiny hint of mint?

Wearing: Santa Muerte has an absolutely amazing aura. It’s soft-edged but powerful. Green fruit and gentle flowers. It really is deep and comforting, and I just adore it. Edited December 31, 2005 by Shollin

[grrrlennyl]

at first: something smells very chocolatey to me, along with something fresh.

on: cocoa and flowers. very pretty.

1 hour later: roses and other flowers.

2 hours later: light, pretty flowers. there's still some dry cocoa, too.

overall: this is definitely very pretty. however, i have other floral blends that i like more.

[Fefferbella]

Santa Muerte is foody roses on my skin!

 

It's an odd combination... I get a warm cocoa note and sweet rose/floral note...

 

The rose turns powdery after 15 minutes, and overall the blend makes me a little queasy...

 

Off to the swap pile.

[Precis]

First impression of Santa Muerte? VETIVER ATTACK!!! The name is fitting because this oil smells like dead Santas in the imp but as soon as it's on skin, it's magically okay! I don't know what happened! The vetiver keeps the mix from being too sweet and feminine; I'm guessing it's there so Santa won't smell like a typical floral despite all the flowers. Thus, I'm thankful for it despite the DEATH ATTACK you get when you sniff it still in the bottle, argh!

 

Wet: It smells like a sharper version of the drydown scent. The "juiciness" is most evident here (I'm guessing it's from the cactus flowers?) and it's pretty cool.

 

Dry: Santa mellows out very quickly to something soft and pleasantly earthy. The final scent is very much something to wear on cool nights out; I loved this in pre-Christmas December and as the cool weather seems to be returning for February (Florida weather ), I'll be breaking this out more often.

 

I don't get any cocoa or chocolate from this like some reviewers, but it does give me the impression of the desert at night. It's a comforting, unusual smell, and I like it!

Edited September 15, 2006 by Precis

[nancybridget]

I feel as though I'd love this, if the rose was more subtle. Vetiver and cactus flowers, dewey and delicious! The rose is pretty, but a bit oldish on my skin and it overpowers the beautiful otherness of the blend. Santa Muerte is something I might wear to a dreary funeral in the dank, wet springtime...

[arabella]

First Impression: Earthy, creamy floral.

 

Dries down to: As it dries, the rose becomes increasingly apparent but remains soft.

 

Additional Comments: I don't know what cactus flowers smell like but I have liked every blend they're in. I'm guessing they're adding the "juicy-ness" here. The rose is nicely contained in this one - probably, by the vetiver - for quite a while and it never really becomes totally overpowering. I can't pick out the chrysanthemum at all. Overall, it's a nice scent that improves with time until about the 1-1/2 hour mark, at which time it becomes a bit too rosy for me.

 

Lasted: About 3-4 hours.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

Edited February 18, 2006 by arabella

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from the Lab. My mum has an Imp of this and it smells lovely on her, but roses and I don't usually get along, and, while I do like vetiver, our friendship can be kind of tumultous at times. Chrysanthemum I've never tried, but cactus flowers are nice. Oh, and I'm OTR at the moment. So this is pretty much an unknown right here.

 

In the Imp: Dry... smoky.... cocoa? Yep! Smells like vetiver-laced hot chocolate with cactus flowers floating in the cup. Mmm! This is surprisingly nice, not all what I was expecting. It's got sort of a Southern California-style deserty feel about it. Dry and earthy and planty and a little salty, all at once. No roses yet, thank heavens.

 

Wet: Rose! It's trying to go soapy, but it's being kept in check by the vetiver and the cocoa. The cactus flower is sort of drifting around on top, transparent and lovely... there's something a touch sour in here, too, but not in an unpleasant way. If anything, it makes it more interesting. I like it! Except... uh-oh.... that soap seems to be getting stronger, pushing the yummy cocoa back. Come on, vetiver! (Hmm, never thought I'd be cheering for vetiver.)

 

Dry: The cool tinge from the vetiver is giving this an almost alcoholic tinge, topped by the sweet, watery catcus flowers, and just a bare hint of dry, bitter cocoa. The rose is a soft base, for once behaving itself, but not terribly noticeable. This is a very unusual, quite pretty green floral that reminds of long stretches of sand and endless blue sky. I'll probably keep this, and wear it quite a bit in the summer.

[tartsquid]

In the bottle: I'm picking up something very bitter and not very pleasant but with an underlying foral note.

 

Wet: immediately turns to floral without the bitterness, which is a good thing because I didn't really care for the bottle smell.

 

Dry down: My skin is really amping up the floral, but it's not an unpleasant, overwhelming floral. I agree that it smells sort of like a juicy floral - I'm guessing that's cactus flower. I don't seem to be getting anything other than floral though.

 

Two hours later the cocoa never really showed up at all. The cactus flower started to fade as rose took over and this ended up just being a pretty rose blend on me. I was hoping that it would have the cocoa note to prevent it from being just a boring floral scent, but unfortunately my skin seems to amp up floral notes.

[sarada]

I expected something a little darker from the Lady of Death...perhaps from vetiver, but this is very floral and I would swear there's something chocolately in it. Then again, vetiver often strikes me as almost chocolate in its richness and earthiness so...it could just be playing tricks.

 

One thing is for sure though, and that is that cactus flowers are a giant stabbing icepick of pain in my temples. Every blend that mentions cactus flowers in some form seems to give me a quick, sharp stab of pain. In this blend, it mellows as it dries and the faint chocolatey incense takes over.

 

I don't specifically smell the other flowers but I would say over all it's a floral blend, with an undertone of earthy sweetness and that quick prickly cactus flower temple pain. Alas I can't see wearing it as a perfume though it is interesting enough. I could see wearing this to a Mexican restaurant some time...I think that the elements in this would blend nicely with the smell of spices in the air but it's definitely not the earthy scent I was hoping for.

 

Looking at the other reviews....looks like I'm not alone in smelling cocoa. How odd! If I had been expecting it I wouldn't have such a puzzled reaction but still, the flowers are just too much for me.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Bitter floral

 

On me:

Unfortunately I don't have a lot to say about this one, it just comes off as generally perfumey on me. Not in a bad way really, it's actually kind of pleasant - and smells like a high end perfume. It's sophisticated and slightly sweet but I really just kind of get perfume from this.

 

Final note:

Not bad, I just really can't pick anything out in this

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Wet, roses and chocolate orange?

 

First on: Holy rose batman, but not an unpleasant one, it's the chrysanthemum and cactus flower that confused me as chocolate orange initially, the scent is more defined now. There is a very faint whisper of vetiver.

 

After a bit: Still very much rose, but if one could b a white rose scent, not a red rose or a rose of any other colour, a clean, pure white rose, that would be this. It also has a bit of sweetness from the other floras and some tang from the vetiver.

 

Overall it's quite pretty and reminds me of Ace Of Hearts in some way. A keeper for me.

[Eunice]

In the bottle: Rose and rich greenery. There is a tangy sweetness to this also. Very floral but (for me) not in a bad way.

 

Wet: This is velvety red rose. And the sweetness of cactus flower. And lots of green to counteract the floral.

 

Dry: Strong like a floral shop but not suffacatingly so. The green helps to keep it from being too cloying.

 

Overall: A nicely floral scent but not for me. I bet this would pair nicely with a dirt scent like Death Cap.

[Zeljana]

this one is so very unique and very beautiful. vetiver is strong when wet, but drydown is amazing, with the most wonderful floral bouquet. it must be because of the cactus flower. it is really wonderful.

this is not a scent of death but of a desert coming back to life.

a perfect scent for cool summer nights.

[damuddymeg]

In the imp: sweet green floral.

 

Wet: This goes rancid for a few moments. It's the vetiver, and I cringe, prepared to run and scrub it off my wrists, but the moments pass, and it stops smelling like ashy, rotting herbs. In its wake comes an almost citrus scent, tangy and delightfully green, with floral in its wake...

 

Dry: It's official--I've finally found another blend with vetiver that does not smell heinous on me (the other one is Bloodlust, preferrably aged, in case you're interested). It dries down to a light floral, a rose sweetened and softened by chrysanthemum, brightened by the cactus flower. It stays close to the skin, and after 8 hours, I still get a faint hint of green floral.

[sophia_helix]

This was a lovely, juicy, glowing green at first, and then the vetiver kicked in. I'm happy to say that, since most popular scents are horrible on me, the universe has compensated by making me really LOVE vetiver. However, I think my skin also loves vetiver, given the way it amps it like crazy, so sometimes I have to struggle to smell anything else in a blend.

 

It calms down after a while, and I really like the combo of the musky/bitter vetiver and the softer flowers. It's definitely a calming and comforting blend, in an earthy way. I'm just going to have to try it again to decide how well it works on me.

[Rouge]

A fascinating scent!

 

I wasn't at all sure of this one in the bottle, but like Saint Death herself, the perfume is far more comforting and solicitous than it would appear when approached with preconceived ideas.

 

In the bottle - I want to like it. I really do. The description on the site and the name are just so perfect, but the florals are a little too overpowering for me and they make my hose hurt. Persevering with it, though, there's a soft, almost sad note here below the strong smell of the flowers which intrigues me.

 

Wet on the skin - what a difference! A lovely mossy note emerges when on the wrist. It softens and warms the florals and creates a comforting blanket over the sharp notes that my nasal passages were protesting against.

 

Dry - A few minutes into wear, vetiver mingles with the rose to add depth. There's still a note of sorrow here; this is a scent I would wear on those melancholy days. Later still the wet and hopeful scent of cactus flower comes to the fore, adding an exotic and brighter tone and very successfully evoking the geographical roots of Santa Muerte herself. Afer grief comes joy, she tells us, and without one we cannot recognise the other.

[provocateur]

in bottle: A little soapy and bitter (vetiver and rose, I'd reckon)

 

on skin, wet: it's a bitter soapy astringent.

 

on skin, dry: it just gets soapier as it dries, and the roses turn it into powder. There is a hint of vetiver left and i can smell an unfamiliar floral (the cactus?) before it fades (and it left in about 45 minutes).

 

overall: damn those rose notes not liking my skin. 0/5

[gwyllgi]

There's this interesting trend in frimps: the majority of my oil loves originate in frimps of things I might never have tried otherwise, while the number of successes in things I selected myself are middling.

 

Santa Muerte is one of those frimp success stories.

 

I get only the faintest whiff of roses in this; on my skin, the dominant notes are vetiver and cactus flower. (I can't pick out the chrysanthemum at all.) It's floral and sweet, but grounded by the vetiver. The cactus flower keeps it just this side of general floral, giving it a breath of the exotic that makes it gorgeous.

 

It makes me think of the house in Colorado where I spent a few years in my early childhood, with sandy soil and scrub and a field of wild growth. It didn't smell particularly like Santa Muerte, but I can't shake the association.

[juniperus]

Bottle: the vetiver and a floral I'm not quite recognizing - must be the cactus.

Wet: hints of the rose, vetiver on top, and the sharpness of that unknown floral is receding some

Dry: the vetiver is beginning to amp some, and I'm getting a heavily soapy floral note.

Later: no later, this is getting soapier and the vetiver is turning on me - yuuuck.

[brownbear]

Starts out very dry. It is deep and dark, probably due to the vetiver. The rose isn't jumping out at me like it usually does in blends. I like what I'm guessing is the cactus flower notes. It faded a bit fast on my skin. Overall, nice, but not something I'd wear much.

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, the roses are pale and the chrysanthemum is smooth and velvety while the cactus flower glitters gently; no trace of vetiver. Wet, the vetiver and roses take front in a waltz of floral beauty and sorrow. Dry, the roses are dusty and soft, layering over the other florals in a smooth gentle manner while the vetiver darkens this just very slightly. Chrysanthemums and roses meld sweetly into a cool and soft blend as this warms up and begins to breathe; the cactus is reserved and covered by the vetiver so that it is at once detecable yet unnotable. On the die down, this remains dusty florals with a trace of vetiver. I was surprised, normally vetiver takes a far more prominence than it does in this blend. It's incredibly soft and soothing, if a bit less grief-stricken than I anticipated. Rather this is very calming, I'd call this this ultimate "break up" blend, it really does just relax you. I honestly wasn't sure I'd keep this when I first put it on, but it's like a relationship band-aid really. I like it!

[yellowrose]

This imp is circulating as part of the General Catalogue circular swap.

 

In the bottle: not much to smell. Hmmm. That's odd.

 

Wet: incredibly light rather than deep. Light roses and a hint of fall floral.

 

Drying. OK. Now I get the deep, but it's also light. The vetiver gives that jaw-clenching oompf to this. I really like this but am afraid it would fade too much to be something I would want to wear and constantly reapply. And yet, it seems to bloom to a more assertive scent while drying. This becomes even more assertive and more masculine (has to be the vetiver) as the minutes and hours pass. I might get my own imp to try, but it has gotten more pronounced and is causing a real headache.

[m13]

Wanted so much to love this, but it's pretty much just all roses on me from wet to dry down. Occasionally it morphs into something really interesting for a few moments, but then the roses come back strong soon after. Nothing wrong with it, it's a lovely blend and quite right for Lady Death, I think -- but I just don't like florals on me in general, and in this the heavy rose scent is making me woozy. Might let it age a bit and see what happens, or pass it along to someone who really wants and loves it.

[LadyMedb]

This is a nice enough blend, but unfortunately wet and on initial drydown the roses are rather soapy. The fact that this is covered up by the syrupy-sweet cactus flower makes for a very strange combination and although I think I'd like the cactus flower in another blend (although the idea of Death being sticky-sweet is very, very appealing), the balance just isn't quite right for me. It's a little too foody. The soapiness dries down long-term (like, after sweating part of it off on a hot day) to heavenly, powdery vetiver sweetened still by the other notes, but it's not worth the other two phases for me, and by this point it's nearly worn off anyway. I like this scent, or at least the idea of this scent, but I think I'd like other uses of these notes better.

[smallvoice]

In the imp this was heavily floral. Once it gets onto my skin, spices emerge and balance the florals a bit. It's much better with the spices. The vetiver note that I'm enjoying sort of throws a tantrum and scares everything else away. I'm enjoying some of the notes that resurface eventually, but yeesh. Not enough. That vetiver is just obnoxious, and it stays sharp.