Penny Dreadful

[CitizenBree]

Also called Gallows Literature. A dime novel rife with melodrama, horror, madness and cruelty; a ten cent analogy of vice and virtue in conflict. Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam.

I think I picked this one up once I determined I liked the dirt scent -- probably after trying Deep in Earth. This is not my usual cup of tea, but neither is dirt, really. However, i do like this. I'm usually a feminine floral, foodie or fruity type. But this kind of reminds me of how Mme. Moriarty put a spell on me. I can't really pick out anything in particular other than dirt, but there are florals and spices in this. It's a dark scent for me. I could see myself choosing this over the Madame if I had just worn her recently. I don't think it's as good as she is, but just the type of mood it sort of inspires in me. Romantic, but gothic.

I'm going to hold on to the imp and will determine later if i need a bottle. Edited April 6, 2010 by CitizenBree

[MissVulpecula]

In the imp: Sandalwood, a strong sweet dirtnote, stale wet earth, gingerbread and a hint of tabaco

 

Drying on my skin: It mellows down to a creamy sweet and spicy perfume. I still get sandalwood and gingerbread but the dirtnote and wet earth morphed into a sunwarmed rich earthnote, not stale and wet anymore. The tabaco grows into a georgeous soft, warm kind of pipe tabaco (nothing smokey ore stale) perhaps even wit a little hint of vanilla(?).

 

Throw and staying power: Medium throw, about 6 hours

 

Colour impression: Warm reddish brown

 

Verdict: The wetstage appeared not so pleasant to me but dry it's georgeous! Not "dreadful" at all...

Soft, deep and warm, almost glowing. It reminds me of pipestores, sunwarmed rich earth, autumn and gingerbread.

Edited April 17, 2010 by MissVulpecula

[Saya]

This is a rich warm scent which is kind of nice. Well, until the dirt kicks in and ruins everything. I'll be passing on this one.

[ModderRhu]

Penny Dreadful

This smells like tahini or peanut butter on me.
The dirt in Nosferatu works beautifully for me! Why is this so...wrong??
Phooey.

1 out of 5

*ETA: This was frimped to me from the Lab! Edited April 28, 2010 by ModderRhu

[BuxomM]

It smells earthy, slightly sweet dirt.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

Imp: I get the loam/earthy part of this

Wet on Me: more dirt but something soft and feminine under that

Drying Down: the earthy scent/not is fading and I'm getting a sweet almost vanilla-ish note now.

Dry: Not dreaful at all!

[voodoobaby]

The dirt dominates while wet, but the longer it stays on the more it fades. The perfume part of it I recognize as being vaguely floral, maybe a bit fruity, and quite spicy. I think there's clove here, but I'm not certain. Though I'm not big on florals, I really dig this. It's not too heavily floral or girly -- it's the scent of a strong and mature woman. The dirt offers a really interesting, unexpected kick that blends rather nicely with the other, more traditional notes.

 

Penny Dreadful is lovely and would be great for any woman, barring aversion to earth notes, who wants to come across as feminine and unique. I'm quite impressed with it.

[DamnSatyr]

In the Bottle: Dirt!

 

Wet: Just after application, I definitely smell like I've been digging in the yard!

 

Dry: The dirty smell finally calms down, and the perfume rises up. It's not a very specific sort, just floral. The dirt is still there, though. I don't find the notes complementary at all.

[VioletChaos]

In the imp: All graveyard dirt, all the time (oh, and a hint of vanilla. which is odd, but actually rather nice.)

 

Wet On Skin: The dirt and vanilla are more in balance now. the combination becomes somehow like cake, but not at all foodie.

 

Dry Down: There's a sweet *something* in here that is reminding me of Crumpet Rebellion. I can't quite place it, like currant buns or something. Not the straight up sugar note of, say Sugar Skull, but certainly like a sweet baked good, a sticky bun, perhaps. The grave loam is absolutely still present, but adding something lovely and unusual.

 

In All: I can't believe it's taken me this long to trying this and seeing it for what it is. clearly several bottle purchases are in order, as this is somehow the perfect combination of freshly-tilled earth and vanilla cake mix!

 

 

[Poenari]

At first, I get a "hit" of vetiver but it is so fleeting that it immediately fades into the dirt scent. It is quickly followed by a spicy chocolate wine scent, almost the notes in my beloved Centzon Totochtin. In fact another one of my favorites is The Premature Burial.

 

Aha! If Centzon Totochtin and The Premature Burial got married, their daughter would be named Penny Dreadful.

 

 

[Monday]

This starts out very sour like pickles and dill. When it warms up and dries I get a strong dirt scent with something floral and sweet, plum blossom? Later on it morphs into a spicy warm scent, cinnamon and ginger and a kind of candy-like cherry scent. The dirt is still underneath it but is fading quickly to be replaced by sandalwood. This is a very strong and mature scent, I think the spices and the dirt note go together very well. The hint of sweetness makes this very wearable. I didn't think I'd like Penny Dreadful but it turns out very nice on my skin.

[sabrebabe]

in the bottle: dry dead things. Like the inside of a forgotten outhouse. An old, mouldy paperback found on the floor of a burned-out house. Bitter and acrid. Why am I trying this?

On me: Okay, now it’s fresh, green and slowly decaying. Old run-down farmhouse rotting out in the fields. Dry and dead wood, moss and lichen. Very Dark and horribly dark green. With mold. Although, it smells better on me that it does in the imp.

Dry: It’s getting better. More green and less filth, though it’s still very dark and sinister. More loam and moss and a slight hint of roses.

Later: Very nice now. Very green and only a little menacing, like the forest after dark. This is a very surprising scent, as it’s absolutely disgusting in the bottle. Now it reminds me of a walk out through the woods out back. I can almost smell the pond, algae and all!

Much later: this has turned into a luscious green, loamy earth scent that I love. Keeping the imp, will think about a bottle.

[Honey]

This is very medicinal and dirty!

I guess there are notes of dirt/earth, patchouli and black berries (current or cherry).

Yep, the sour cherries in Blood Kiss that do not remind me of Maraschino (marzipan) cherries! So.. this could be the lovechild of Lawn Gnome and Blood Kiss I think.

Interesting but not for me.

[persephonehazard]

In the imp this smells thick and slightly musty; very floral. There's something gorgeously dry and dusty and almost papery about this. I suspect that all those flowers are actually dying, almost rotting. Wet it loses most of that initial mustiness, and is just a jumble of wet wilting flowers.

 

The initial drydown is strong and musty and very steampunk floral still. This imp is bloody ancient which is probably what is causing the musty smell, but I still like it rather a lot. The age of this oil may also contribute to the fact that it fades superquick after that, and before long all I have left is a delicate whisper of dark soapy floral. It's quite nice, though, and I'm pleased to note that it at least lingers for the rest of the day if I bring my wrist close enough to my nose.

 

I have a vague memory that when I first smelled this, two years ago now, I loved it very much. I'll be buying a fresh imp at some point, to see how much the age of the oil is a factor - I desperately want to adore it again!

[evekrieg]

Out of the bottle it smells kind of like Nosferatu, with less flowers and more warmth. On the skin it smells like dirt and surprisingly, cashews! It has this strange warm nutty undertone which I'm really enjoying. I was hoping that the dirt would fade and that lovely warmth would come through more. It has changed from nutty to more spicy, but the dirt is definitely sticking around.

 

It's a strange scent to be sure, but beguiling. I can see myself falling in love with this, despite the fact that I don't usually try dirt scents. In this case, being adventurous really paid off. Perhaps a large bottle next time?

[Dani87]

Imp: dirt, pretty much all dirt.

Wet: dirt, old books, and flowers.

Drydown: the flowers are comming out more, along with something creamy, maybe tonka. The dirt, and books are still there.

Dry: the floral has died down some. Still dirt, amd old books, and the creamy smell has turned into vanila tobacco.

Overall: I think I am in love with all the dirt.scents I have trief except burial. This is a very nice scent.

[velvet]

upon application i smell something almost fruity, but dark. like a blood orange but a dehydrated one? at this stage i am having trouble picking out notes but so far I like it a lot. it has a warmth to it, i can smell a dirt note in the background but its not making the scent go rancid on me like most other scents with that note do.

now its starting to smell more tea like. its earthy but warm and i am still picking up a creamy citus note.

 

i am going to bet this one is a keeper and a potential bottle purchase for me

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Dirt... and peanuts?

Wet: Dirty peanuts, but also some perfume.

DryL The perfume and dirt are nice notes seperately, but together they really do smell like peanuts.

Half an hour later: The peanut smell is gone and I get a perfume scent (maybe a bit incensey, a bit spicy), mixed with rich dirt. Not bad.

[Zorra]

Wet it smelled like the kind of paper penny dreadful would be printed on, and after someone left it outside in the mud for a while and then put it out in the sun to dry. That, with something resinous-kind-of-sweet below. There is something I can not put a name on. It may be the earth note, but I didn't smell enough earth notes to be sure about that. It reminds me of a note in Orc. I think it must be an earth/dirt note.

 

After an hour it is a very nice scent, vaguely sweet and vaguely earthy and, alas, vaguely fragrant as a whole. It seems to fade rather fast on me. I'll reapply and see what that does to staying power.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Zorra

[SlySionnach]

Imp: Dirt. And not YAY dirt but dirty dirt. If that makes sense.

 

Wet: Now it smells like I was playing in the dirt for a couple of hours and it has seeped into my skin. It's all I can smell, though it's getting "fresher."

 

Drying: Ginger! I can smell you, faintly, mixed in the dirt. It's like I'm digging out a ginger root.

 

Dry: Oh thank god. The dirt has faded and the yummy ginger has come up. And it smells like some sort of citrus - maybe lemon? I can definitely smell the "soft perfume."

 

Verdict: Every time I opened this imp, I put it away as quickly as I could. But after it dries down, it is gorgeous. It may go into general rotation and I may need to replace this imp when it disappears.

 

Proves that you really need to skin test every imp! (Minus allergies)

[fufu_berry]

This went on as a huge blast of the same foody, cloying plasticky gingerbread smell that made Shub terrible on me, but the amazing dirt/loam note quickly settled it down. It's gently sweet - I definitely get a suggestion of "classic perfume" here, although thankfully it's not reading as overtly floral or aldehydic. I love the dry, earthy, gingery scent that dominates. It's a little sweeter than what I normally go for, but it's very comforting and I'm loving it.

[Deliciousness]

Also called Gallows Literature. A dime novel rife with melodrama, horror, madness and cruelty; a ten cent analogy of vice and virtue in conflict. Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam.

 

In the imp: Dirt and something metallic

Wet on skin: Wow, this smells like dirt, and metal and something else; a slight floral note?

Dry on skin: The scent has settled down and is a floral blend, with earth and a light incense. The metallic note has died down and is in the background now.

 

This is a very interesting scent, as it is very complex. There are a multitude of notes swirling around each other creating a unique olfactory experience!

That being said, I can't see myself wearing this one, as I do lean more toward the food/floral scents.

[Angel Spirit Girl]

It smells like rotten spinach on me. Yuck!

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Moss and soil

 

Wet on me - Soil and smoke and wood and something bitter and green

 

Dry on me - Smooth damp soil

 

Overall - Not for me

[Aviatrix]

This starts out as pure dirt on me, a little sharp, but overall pleasant (I love the dirt note!).

 

After a little while it dries down to a softer, rounder dirt mingled with what I assume is the noir heroine's perfume from the description. I can't really pick out any specific notes, it's just overall soft and a bit floral. Not too floral, though, which is good with me.

 

Overall, I quite like it, but it doesn't have much lasting power on me. I might not buy a whole bottle (my favorite, go-to dirt scent is still Nocnitsa!), but I am very happy about my imp!