Al Azif

[poolsoflaughter]

A sinister, sinuous incense of summoning, a herald and paean to the Primordial Gods of Darkness, Chaos, Madness and Decay.

(imp given as gift)

In the bottle: dark and smokey

Wet on skin: Very sweet, dark, smokey with a hint of incense

Drydown: Mostly the dark smokey smell..the sweetness fades rather quickly. To me, it smells masculine, but when I got my husband to try it, it turned all sweet and fruity on him. Oh well, I'm just going to hang onto it for a little while...

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Sweet, foody. Beeswax and caramel and maple. Darkly syrupy. Maybe a hint of jasmine? Totally surprising. Something sort of smoky.

[alicia_stardust]

I don't know the notes of this but it is the most amazing, hypnotic resin blend I have found. It is warm and spicy and has a very sticky-sweet resin aspect to it. It's almost tangible, it's so evocative of resins. This is one of my top 20 fragrances and I always keep it on hand.

[anardana]

I really wanted to like Al-Azif because I am a huge resins/insense fan. Yet, for some reason I don't like Al-Azif at all!

I think it is because it is so sweet, and because there is a touch of floral in it. There is something that totally throws this one off for me. I agree with the review above- there may be a touch of jasmine in it- because jasmine nauseates me and Al-Azif kind of does too.

I've read comparisions to Pit and Pendulum, but I like Pit WAY better.

[savage_rose]

At first this smells a lot like mildew on me. Then that fades into a vaguely sweet incense smell. This is ok, but the initial drydown mildew and the "meh" of the ultimate drydown leaves me cold.

[Lamia]

Fresh, it smelled like jalapeno'ed coconut. It quickly turned to musky amber, and just isn't pleasant. Ah well. Amber just in't for me.

[eatingthesea]

this is a very unique - i'd say a little odd, too - scent that i at first shunned because it was just "not me." any scent that sounds like pure incense is just not interesting enough for me to give the time of day. i couldn't understand why i'd noticed here and there forumites praising its goodness, as it just seemed kinda bleh to me. but i tried it again yesterday and i have to say i'm rather impressed. it is sinister but it is certainly not straight incense. at first, it almost has a cherry-almond quality that is -- though i'm not a big fan of the scent combo -- pleasant. given some time to dry, it becomes a kind of baked almond incense scent. like i said, very unique. in a way, it reminds me of hymn to proserpine. like a darkened version of sweetness they have in common. i dunno...i'm gonna wear this a few more times to figure out whether it's bottle-worthy for moi. i can def see how it's a love item for certain folks but i can't yet determine if it's eatingthesea grade

 

ETA: boyfriend verdict: PLAY-DOH. granted, he likes the scent of play-doh, but...children's molding clay, nonetheless. not what i aspire to smell like. such a shame, as i adore its initial stages. i'll keep trying this at varying times of the month, as i'm trying to convince myself it's a chemistry fluke!

Edited July 23, 2008 by eatingthesea

[brsis]

Initial Thoughts: YAY LOVECRAFT!

 

... No, I don't have to kick off every single Arkham scent with that. I just do.

 

I love - love love love love love - incense scents, and if it's for summoning something multi-tentacled and madness inducing, so much the better.

 

In the imp: I think there was talk, on the Miskatonic Valley Junior Baseball League Assocation page of the Trading Post, of a pancake breakfast and summoning meet. This smells like what you'd be dribbling over your pancakes at that meeting. It's dark, it's sinister, it's like evil maple syrup. It's LOVE.

 

On the wrist, wet: Hmm... it's still kind of sweet, but it's grounded. Smokier. Sweet but also sour. It's got that kind of cloying, resinous thickness that only incense can achieve, but without any of the musty or powdery feel that it can sometimes get. It's thick and dark and sticky. Mwah hah hah hah hah.

 

Twenty minutes later: This has really settled down close to the skin - I have to snuffle right up close to smell it - and unfortunately it doesn't seem best pleased with my skin chemistry. What little trace I can get is a sour stickyness, like congealed black honey. This is amazing, but it just doesn't play well with my skin.

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp for locket and clothing purposes, but no bottle.

 

Tl;Dr: Skin-tight, slightly soured evil maple syrup.

[taramarie]

On me, Al Azif is maple syrup over incense resins. It gets even sweeter as it dries. If I liked maple syrup, I'd probably love this but since I don't, I'm passing it on.

[plunderparlour]

this has an incredibly long dry down. I smell sugary bananas. this is really weird on me. Maybe my chemistry is off today.

[Chirp]

This is just a quick review until I get a chance to post something proper:

 

Through a closed cap, I could catch the smooth scent of sandalwood. As a devoted lover of sandalwood, I was properly enticed and promptly slathered my wrists.

 

On the skin, sweeter notes suddenly blossom against the gorgeous sandalwood foundation. I catch a faint floral note that might be iris or magnolia, though this dry floral wisp is quick to give ground to its hardier, resinous counterpoints: myrrh, and perhaps a touch of golden frankincense. Oddly enough, I also catch a spike of sweet, sharp benzoin, which renders this scent vaguely reminiscent of Lush's Snowcake soap. Meanwhile, saffron lends a wickedly indulgent warmth to a blend that threatens to become deceptively delicate and ephemeral. In a way this scent seems similar to my old general catalog standby: Shroud.

 

 

I adore this scent, and I could easily imagine it working well for either sex. I would recommend Al-Azif for any individual looking for a lighter resin blend.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very sweet spices, resins, and incense.

 

Immediately on skin: This has a nutty, sweet smell on me… almost like maple syrup in the fact that it smells thick, warm, and slightly woody. Yes, that’s how I’d describe it: woody, nutty, and syrupy sweet, plus some drier incense notes.

 

After a little while: The woodiness of this fades and it becomes a nutty, resinous syrupy scent with hints of light, dry spices. This seems to have gotten rather light and faded quite quickly though.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a very surprising blend; it’s very sweet, thick, and rich and doesn’t really smell all that evil. It’s almost foody, but there’s enough incense and resin to keep it from crossing that line. This is a rich scent, and sweet, but I would probably classify it as unisex. Definitely interesting though.

[Mishinka]

I would never in a million years have pegged this for a Lovecraft scent. It's just so cheerfully bright and sweet.

 

In the imp it reminds me a lot of Bastet, that super-sweetness that's just enough to make me wonder if I really want to try it. I think it must be saffron and incense they have in common. It isn't so warm or fruity as She is, though, or as complex. It's pleasant, but this is just an spirit who wants to be a god, or to be more powerful than it really is.

 

When I put it on, I get a big burst of caramel. There's incense here, but it's sweet incense, frankincense or maybe sweet myrrh and a little beeswax. After a while I start to smell some faint, distant florals. It isn't anything used a lot, but it's some kind of white flower. The sweetness mellows as it dries and the scent gets spicier. I smell a little wood and maybe some cinnamon. It definitely picks up a smoky note, but it's an incense smoke instead of something burnt. Actually, it smells a lot like the incense that was in the air when I went to St. Mary's Cathedral in Covington, Kentucky right after an evening service.

 

I like it, but I don't know if I would wear it often. It's a bit foody for my tastes.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Mish

[Iceblink]

Sinister, sinuous...PEANUT BUTTER??

I mean, not that there's anything wrong with peanut butter, but...it's not really something I associate with, y'know, primordial gods.

[rayvn1]

In the imp this is dark and resinous and springs at your face to swipe at your brain! Down boy!!

 

Dry it is .... Bad. A dark, thick, evil blend. Mwahahaha! Pepper and incense smoke This smells exactly like a Villainess soap sample someone just sent me. So bad it's goooood!!

 

This is a new favorite!

[milo]

This is REALLY sweet and caramelly on me. I wish I got the incense and darkness that others seem to be getting. On me it is basically sweet sugary caramel syrup, a little too foody for my tastes. I'm pretty sure this is a fresh frimp, the oil is very light. Maybe I'll put it away for a few months and try it again later.

 

eta: Later on, I kept getting whiffs of what I thought was Underpants, so this little gem definitely holds promise. Not as much throw, but there is a similar vibe to Underpants.

Edited October 14, 2008 by milo

[iiinterstate]

I also get the maple syrup idea from Al-Azif, but the reviews are so awesome I have to give it a good long try.

 

Just a tiny amount gives off a lot of throw, and it's quickly morphing into something much more complicated than syrup. Mmmm, sweet incense, but there's something masculine about it. The longer it's on my skin, the more I like it. I think I'll need to try this aged.

[aiko]

In the imp: It is a dark, sweet scent with the incense lurking around too.

 

On skin and dry down: the maplesyrup note remains and the incense note disappear. It smells exactly like O on me upon drydown. I wish the incense note has stayed around

[acidrica]

My first impression of this was "Holy shit, this smells like an evil book!" I was stunned. I don't think it's a mental thing, I opened the imp thinking it would smell like plain ol' incense and dirt. No. It smells like the Necronomicon. Dark, musty, and there's something evil in it that makes me shiver. The 'evil' note edges off and then comes the sweetness. Like I pulled the book down, saw what it was, went 'oh crap', but couldn't help but read just one page. And then one more. It lures you in. This scent gives me shivers, and I begin to shake every time I sniff it. The throw isn't that great, but it clings wickedly to the skin. Like it's trying to steal my soul or something.

 

Of course I'm going to be seduced and get a bottle.

 

Edit: I just realized...if I sniff it reeeaaally closely, I get a slight whiff of rat piss. I used to own a bunch of rats that I loved dearly, so I know that smell. It's not a bad smell, just really nostalgic. Then I realized....IT KNOWS WHAT I LIKE!!!! IT'S ALIIIIIIVE!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

 

*cough* But really, there's a little bit of musk in the blend.

 

Last edit, I swear: And just like that, it's gone. Within two hours it's almost completely faded. Let me tell you, I could feel this thing trying to get me to reapply. But I stayed strong. I fought the beast! I stood tall in the face of evil!

 

...who am I kidding, I was just too lazy to get up. And I'm still getting a bottle. *sob*

Edited December 27, 2008 by Acid

[zankoku_zen]

Ah, yes, evil maple syrup incense. That's pretty much what is smells like. Deep, dark, lurking evil incense with just enough sweetness to make it all that more... well, evil.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Well it's not the smokey death I was expecting. Not that I can actually describe what I'm smelling...just that it's not smokey death

 

Wet:...Fruit? And...resins, maybe? It's really sweet. It's...pretty?

 

Drydown: Aaaand playdough. Not even Playdough of Doom. Just playdough. Maybe elder gods enjoy a wholesome, creativity sparking toy just as much as the rest of us.

 

Overall: Art Therapy class for the Elder Gods.

[bookishbunny]

Out of the bottle it is almost airy but with a sandalwood anchor.

 

Later, this is very sandalwoodsy with a touch of warm apricot. It reminds me of some kind of wonderful massage oil. I do not get any "incense" but maybe a touch of maple.

[aedes]

I just get maple syrup. Not evil maple syrup. Not maple syrup poured over dark amber gods and their offerings. Just maple syrup. I mean, GOOD dark amber maple syrup that you buy from the sugar shack up the road but still costs more than printer toner. I don't like foody, but this is off the beaten path enough that I think I'll keep it, especially for when syrup season starts up.

[crebbsgirl]

Playdoh. All playdoh all the time.

[AlarmAgent]

In Bottle - Definitely pancake topping, of some variety.

 

Wet on Skin, First Applied - Ahh, this is absolutely butterscotch incense. Butterscotch is a specific scent to me, not too maple, not too caramel, not all butter, just somewhere in between all of these. Coupled with resiny bits and the slightest touch of smoke, and this is something different from just a syrup scent. Not that there is anything wrong with that (for instance, I got this as a frimp --a crazily perfectly chosen one, at that-- when I purchased Pancake Breakfast from a forumite) so I am down for pancake smells, but this is just a little more...esoteric?

 

Dry, on Skin - The butterscotch is light, not a thick, cloying scent--which I would expect from butterscotch. As time goes by, some sort of floral makes an appearance alongside the incense and tufts of smoke. I don't hazard a guess as to which one it is, because I can only readily identify three or four varieties of florals out of...millions, so I am not so sure as to which one this is. One thing is certain though, it isn't foreboding or dark in the slightest on me. This is a sweet, bakery-type incense blend that is perfectly wearable, and no one would think you were wearing a fragrance named after a creation of Lovecraft--that is what makes it fun.

 

edit: someone just threw dirt on to the sacrificial butterscotch pyre, which makes the whole fragrance even stranger. Dirt, incense, butterscotch. Weird, but not one bit unpleasant. Seems that as it wears on the skin longer, it gets a bit more sinister; much like it's inspiration, I suppose!

Edited June 17, 2009 by AlarmAgent