Dunwich

[Em-]

Dry, skeletal woods and moist marsh, dripping with the perfume of bog lilies.

When I first sniffed Dunwich, I figured that it was probably going to go the way of almost all of the aquatics I've tried, which is straoght to the swap pile. But the boggy floral really tried to save this one for me. Unfortunately it didn't work. I wish I could give this more of a review, but I had to wash it off quickly to avoid a headache.

[sophia_helix]

Got a bottle of this in a swap, just because I like aquatics in theory.

 

In practice, this is like most aquatics on me -- clean, fresh, blue-green, and a little too sweet, probably because there are water flowers in here. I hoped "bog lilies" would be more like Tiger Lily, but instead it's more like Lady of Shalott, full of waterlilies. I can't explain what water flowers are like on me, except that it's very cloying and perfumey and not at all like the natural flowers I like in BPAL.

 

That smell wasn't terribly strong, and there are some nice freshwater notes in here, along with the moist earth, after a while. I'm going to have to try this several more times (justifying my investment!), but I may not be able to keep this with that strong waterlily note.

Edited May 26, 2006 by sophia_helix

[pickman's model]

Wow, that's unusual. I get (for lack of anything more concrete): clean laundry (ozone, I suspect) really strong wind and a little earth.

 

Not particularly "me", but I think it's really quite pretty.

[malabar]

I loved the idea of a scent that smelled like a marsh. The reality was not as appealing.

 

Dunwich smelled like a bog. Dark water swirling with moss and bits of twigs and dying flowers. It is murky and dim. Oppressive and damp.

 

Yes, exactly like a bog. I once had to crawl through a bog on hands and knees, and it smelled just like Dunwich. It's interesting from a novelty point of view but I can't imagine wearing it or using it as a room scent unless I were playing Call of Cthulhu.

[Voleuse]

Green and aquatic and slightly floral. This smells incredibly fresh and clean, and not at all dark on first application.

 

The floral notes get stronger and murkier over time, but the scent itself fades pretty quickly.

[SeaMonkey]

Murky bog water. This was more what I expected Bayou to smell like. Very green and aquatic

[LittleGreyKitten]

Dunwich is what I'd hoped Yog Sothoth would smell like, but didn't. It's cool, unagressive (almost faint) and has an airy sweetness to it. I get more ozone than aquatic from it. The bog lilies are just a background sweet note, not deadly strong, at least on my skin anyway. It reminds me more of "air and darkness" than a bog. Nothing sharp and green, and it smells kind of like clean sheets in a weird way. And it has a bit of a sharpness to it too, that I can't pinpoint.

 

I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

Edited February 11, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[Heretic]

In the bottle: Whooo! Aqua! Like the color!

 

On my wrist: wet: Oh, is that what ozone is? Top note is a crisp, not sharp, white lily note. This is very clean and bright but I like it- it's not cloying like I find most white flowers to be.

 

After 20 minutes: Lilies: muted. I get the vaguest hint of wood under the floral. It's as if the lily note wants to be full and round, but the wood slightly... deflates... the top of the note's sphere. It's gibbous lily!

 

After an hour: This is almost completely the opposite of what I was expecting. I was expecting deep, murky, green, maybe a little dank. I get none of that. Dunwich is a strangely muted floral with a hint of miasma, but ultimately, it sits in the sun, albeit a watery one. Even though this isn't what I was expecting, I still like it very much and it will make a wonderful scent for spring.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: pretty. very wet lilies.

on: wet. i smell woods and something else that i can't place. nice.

half an hour later: fresh, woodsy, and a bit floral.

1 hour later: i don't think i like the combination of wetness and woods in this.

2 hours later: mostly woods with a hint of something fresh.

overall: this isn't a good scent for me.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

In the bottle: Ozone, dry woods, lily, something white

 

On: Not much of a difference, makes me think of a cloudy day, when the weather is just crisp enough to warrant a jacket.

 

Dry: White woods, and the faintest scent of lily.

 

Very nice.

[GemmaCat]

aww, this one disappointed me. I thought it would be deep, earthy, with a little aquatic note, but it just smells like expensive citrus-based cologne. Oh well.

[Ryvre]

In the imp: A salty aquatic with a touch of floral.

 

Wet: Clean and soapy. It's still a bit aquatic and a bit floral. It reminds me of something in the general catalog that I can't place.

 

Dry: Still a bit soapy, but nice otherwise.

[PurringPulsar]

Dunwich

 

In the imp: a faint hint of mossy aquatics. A bit like Bayou, but lighter and less sharp.

Wet on skin: marshy! This really does smell swampy, I can smell rough swamp grasses and reeds with misty notes and grey woods and moss…

Dry: this is very interesting! It really does smell like a swampy sort of scent, but not a stinky stagnant pond smell, but a more pleasant marshy, wetland scent. There’s a very light tinge of ozone-aquatic here evoking fog and mist, and I do get the woods-they are skeletal, indeed, and covered in moss. There’s a lovely ‘reedy’ smell to this which I really like-it’s almost like grass, but moister, yet, strangely enough, it also smells dry. And I think the bog lilies may be a kind of water lily? There’s a gorgeous fresh white floral scent to this, an aquatic dewy floral, reminiscent of waterlily perfumes I’ve smelt before, and I really love that note in here.

After a while: this becomes a lot fainter after a short while. I get the dry reed scent lingering nicely with that lovely white lily note, resting on a base of pale, colourless woods and aquatics. It’s a very unique fragrance and I really like it-I just wish it were stronger. (It’s also one of the few ‘murky aquatic’ scents that doesn’t go to grapefruit on me!)

Eventually it fades to a very faint but very nice scent of dry reeds, almost like papyrus…with traces of aquatic lily.

Verdict: this is such a wonderfully unique perfume, so unlike anything I’ve smelt before. Concerning other ‘swamp/marsh’ scents, I thought Bayou was a bit too overwhelmingly humid and moss-citrus for me (though very evocative of the name), and I do love Penthus for it’s ‘roses by saltwater marshes’ scent, but this scent is one of the loveliest wetland scents I’ve come across. There’s a fantastic and authentic ‘reed’ note to this, and it’s interesting in the way that it’s grassy, dry, moist and aquatic all at once. I get hints of driftwood as well, dry and bleached. I also smell a soft mist note, and the ‘bog lily’ note is lovely-it’s like white waterlilies, fresh and dewy and bright. The only downside to this scent is that it’s very faint after a short while. But it’s a surprise hit for me-I wasn’t expecting to enjoy a swampy scent so much. I wish there was another BPAL scent like it-it’s like nothing else I’ve smelt.

Emoticon rating:

[edenssixthday]

Dunwich - Initially, this smells strongly aquatic and salty, similar to Tears (but without that icky dryer sheet scent!) As it dries, however, it really starts to smell like cheap men’s cologne on me. It’s not entirely unpleasant, but it’s not something I’d choose to wear. After about 2 hours, the scent does start to smell like dryer sheet. Sadly, this is one I can’t wear.

[fairy]

This is very very clean smelling. It's not too strong and it's very mellow. Not what I expected but very simple and nice

[sofiaviolet]

I mostly smell lilies, with a bit of sandalwood or something like that. It's really nice, if kind of soapy. I like it, and I want more.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Ozone!

 

Wet: Still ozone and... something more that I can't put my finger on.

 

Drydown: The ozone sweetens with hints of flowers and woods. I think I can smell the birch wood note alongside the ozone, and another darker, slightly bitter wood. Ooh, and mushrooms, a hint of soil. It disappears quite fast, though.

 

Overall: It is reminiscent of a bog, perhaps a seaside bog. It has a dark, dank, misty scent, with a bit of soil. Unfortunately there also seems to be a bit of a rubbery element in there, which isn't great. All in all, I like the idea, but it's a bit faint and I wouldn't wear it or want it as a room scent.

[supremegoddessofall]

Strong aquatics on lilies. Smells like bath salts. Pretty bath salts. Not really getting a "woods" feel to this.

[The_Witching_Hour]

When I first sniffed Dunwich in the imp, I figured it would fall into the same category as most of the aquatics I've tried. This one had a bit of interest to it before it went into the stage of just 'meh'.

 

I wish this one would have worked for me. I was hoping one of the aquatics out of the SiA would...........

[theseagrows]

this is a very grassy and green floral with a slight aquatic to it. it makes me think of spring. it's very light and not overwhelming. im glad i got to try this at the beginning of spring!

[forspecial_plate]

This scent smelled bright and sweet at first, aquatic and floral as the description suggests. May be a touch too sweet for me. Then as it dries the woods come out more strongly. They remind me of some other bpal scents like 51 and Calico Jack, I think.....slightly light and soft woods. This is a pretty scent, I'll have to try it again at least once to decide if I want to hold onto it. It seems to be almost but not quite soapy on my skin.

[Gwydion]

I can really see why this one didn't carry over to the General catalog Arkham line. I'm not impressed. It smells very much like "ocean scented" bath products from any number of ordinary stores. There's nothing wrong with it, per se, except that one expects something rather more exciting from BPAL. I can think of so many other aquatic themed ones that were mixed with more distinction, such as jazz Funeral or Ry'leh.

[allybee]

In bottle: Soapy, with a slightly green note towards the end.

 

Wet on skin: Much the same as it smelt in the bottle. Maybe slightly greener than before?

 

Dry (15 mins after application): Still soapy, still slightly green. Pretty interesting saltiness that wasn't there before, but not enough to hold my attention.

 

This is nice enough, but it's very simple, and not all that exciting. If it were an imp, I might just keep it, but there's no way I'll use a whole bottle. Might see if I can swap it for something a little more fun.

[filigree_shadow]

Green and boggy, but smooth like aloe. This one and Whippoorwill remind me of each other, but while Whippoorwill stays green and boggy all through the drydown, this one sweetens up a lot. It doesn't have a swampiness to it when it's dry. It smells slightly floral but also like a dark aquatic.

[zankoku_zen]

This one does make me think green and boggy. It's very much in the same vein as Faeu Boulanger, but whereas FB is a little mistier, this one remains somewhat thick? It's a very clean sort of smell, and part of me is really attracted to this kind of scent. As a perfume, I'm not sure it works entirely with my skin chemistry though.