Anathema

[ccelaya]

A scent as heavy as thunder from the Vatican, with notes that inspire every sin and excess. Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle.

Wet - Vetivert, earthy a a little smoky.

Skin - opium comes out, very floral.

Drys into honeysuckle, sweet and earthy.

It's a very feminine smell.

[vthesiren]

I was so excited to try this, but when I put it on the honeysuckle PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE while my beloved opium peeked around the corner, not knowing quite what to do. I can't find the vetiver at all, unless it's lurking behind the honeysuckle somewhere.

 

This is thick, cloying, and sweet to the point where it irritates my throat and gives me a sinus headache. I'm not getting sexy from this, I'm getting decay.

 

Alas, we are not meant to be. /makes note to avoid honeysuckle in the future

 

Edit: After attacking my wrists with soap and water, the vetiver's came out - a sort of burning grassy smell. I sort of dug it in Saturnalia, but it was too hidden/clashing with other notes here.

Edited May 14, 2013 by vthesiren

[hexnut]

Lab frimp. A dark yellow oil, blind tested.


In Vitro Sharp, sweet, and perfumey.

Wet A strong and very "old-fashioned" floral, both close up and in the throw. My flower guesses were rose, jasmine, gardenia, or lily-of-the-valley.

Drying Much the same but mellower. Two hours after application it was still present.


I was quite surprised to see vetivert listed as a major note because on me Anathema was soft and pretty. Honeysuckle seems about right for the floral component, and I still haven't a clue about opium, black or otherwise.

[Saffrin]

Imp: Smokey and dark. Can't smell any of the honeysuckle.

 

 

Wet: Honeysuckle comes out once it hits the skin. Smokey, hot honeysuckle. Ehhhh.

 

 

Dry: Opium smoke and vertiver comes out. I had to wash this one off, as opium smoke is gross on me. Headachey.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: A heady, sweet floral.

Wet on skin: Sweet and floral ... this is a deep floral, not really light and airy. It's like "the hottest night of the summer and everything is in bloom" type of floral ... must be the honeysuckle note that's in play here.

Drydown: This is still very sweet honeysuckle mixed with other heavy florals. I think I'm getting whiff's of a powdery vanilla underlaying everything, but it could be my imagination. Once completely dry I'm getting a slight wisp of incense occasionally too ... is that the opium? ... I'm not too sure what opium smells like.

 

All in all, I find this scent okay. It is quite sweet from what I had expected. I really wanted the vetiver to come out, but I didn't smell anything in here to make me think vetiver was even an ingredient. Ah, well, glad to get to try this blend. Off to see what black opium smells like now ...

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Now this is an interesting one. It's heavy-leaning without being overpowering or cloying, sweet in a dignified sort of way - a fruity floral without the usual fruity floral tweeny connotations, if that makes sense. A definite power scent!

 

Wet: The beautiful smell of a lush summer night, with is a bit odd, since I HATE lush summer nights (sweat is possibly my least favorite thing in the entire universe, no lie). But this may just enter my winter rotation, along with Juke Joint, for when I need a reminder of summer. But while Juke Joint is cool drinks in the shade on a brilliant sunny day, this is all the best parts of a summer night without the actual sweat or bugs or anything - mysterious, romantic, lazy, and sensual. I'm not familiar with either honeysuckle or opium, but I'd be willing to bet that this is a good blend of the two - not getting much vetiver at all.

 

Dry: Shifts from honeysuckle-opium to opium-honeysuckle, and then straight-up opium (with maaaaaybe just a trickle of vetiver, but it's not a note I'm too familiar with). Now it's a lovely sweet (but in a dignified way, still avoiding the cloying direction a lot of sweet scents take on me) skin-scent. It's slightly reminiscent of the drydown of a lot of incense-based scents, but without the weird sour note a lot of them develop. I would still definitely call this a power scent - looks like we have ourselves a winner here! And once again the Lab's frimp psychics prove accurate...

[lady_pandora]

The Lab's frimp psychics were accurate for me too! This was a scent I probably would never have gotten around to. For years, I avoided all vetiver, and even once I stopped avoiding it, it would never have occurred to me that these three notes could fit together. But they do. Oh, how they do.

 

Each of them is kind of the best version of itself here. The honeysuckle smells like a blend of honey and jasmine. Like, I think this is what jasmine does on other people, people who don't power-amp it so that they can still smell the other notes. It sent me scrambling to google to see if honeysuckle had indole, and yep, it does. It's sweet and heady and I love it. The opium avoids the hairspray thing and instead does the powdery-incense thing. The vetiver lurks underneath, never taking over the blend, just giving it a little edge and some grounding. I can pick out each one individually, but it's like they're singing in perfect harmony. (Honeysuckle is a soprano diva, of course. Opium sings alto, and vetiver's a bass.)

 

Between O's being out of stock and not working as well on my chemistry anymore, I've been wanting other honey and honey-like blends, and this is a really nice one, somehow managing to be complex while only having three things in it. And there's a weird synchronicity between the name and some stuff going on in my life. Plus, it makes me think of Anathema Device! I think this will probably be a bottle.

[Veronica]

Slightly powdery from the opium, slightly soapy from the honeysuckle and slightly bitter from the vetiver, yet somehow this combination works better combined than any of the individual components would on its own. Still, not for me.

[Casablanca]

Wand: Honeysuckle, a sharp opium, and just a trace of vetiver.

Wet: The honeysuckle is heady and nose-filling. There's an earthy-woody smell to this that's coming at least in part from the vetiver, and maybe also something unlisted. The opium, either alone or in its combination with the vetiver, at first gives this a kind of biting quality I don't care for, and seems to bicker with the honeysuckle, but this all settles in just a minute or so.

Dry: The honeysuckle fades; the opium goes more smoky.

This is an agreeable blend once it calms down. Not for me, though.

[marared]

Loud, heady, powdery opium that smells like floral soap on me. Cannot really smell the vetiver. Tried to wait for the drydown, but had to go scrub it off. NOPE.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Somehow this combo of notes smelled like tobacco for a moment, and it was lovely.

 

 

Dry: It has indeed turned into a soapy floral. Not for me!

[whisperstilled]

In Imp: Opium, strong vetiver. This is the 'peanut' vetiver I despise.

 

Wet: Vetiver. Smoky and harsh. I was so hoping to get some opium from this one.

 

Drying: Warming, getting a little of the opium and sweet honeysuckle, but that vetiver is just ashes in my mouth.

 

Dry: It is heady, and if you like vetiver, you'll love this scent. Not for me, though. The honeysuckle and opium just aren't enough - vetiver is the top note here, not the grounding base.

[freyasfae]

DEATH, DEATH NOTES!!!! I got this as a frimp, not voluntarily which means I am obligated to test it. Though my dislike of vetiver is so high, that I actually appreciate the honeysuckle, a scent i usually dislike, in this scent because it's not vetiver.

[Coldfire]

_{Imp: getting the honeysuckle and opium
Wet on Me: addicting opium with faint traces of honeysuckle
Drying Down: mostly this pleasant sweet but not sugar-y sweet honeysuckle with opium weaving its magic
Dry: This is nice. No vetivert pop ups!}

[joopjoop]

I've been very curious to try this one, so I'm super pleased to be able to test it.

 

Anathema is quite the morpher and all the way through it smells like its description - sort of like indolence and debauchery blanketed over slightly bad intentions and lurking danger. It's like a scheming Borgia busy scheming and seducing and betraying all night long. In the end I really enjoyed wearing it, and it is different from anything I currently own, but I'm not sure if I need a bottle as this seems like a scent to wear only on certain occasions and when in a very specific state of mind!

 

It starts off as strong honeysuckle with the vetiver lurking underneath. I've been trying different honeysuckle scents (I love the scent of blooming honeysuckle 'in the wild') and most of the fragrances I've tried are insanely sweet so when wet this is a nice surprise as it is 'wearable' honeysuckle to me.

 

As it dries down the opium appears, making this a slightly hazy floral and it is in this stage that it really comes into its own as it develops a sort of 'corrupted pleasures' edge to it.

 

Later, about 4 hours later, the vetiver comes more to the fore, but its smoky, gritty qualities are kept in check by the floral, and again, that is a nice surprise. It still smells alluringly evil, however!

 

All in all, I'm not sure what to make of this one. I'm going to hold on to the imp and try it out a few more times.

Edited April 6, 2017 by joopjoop

[spikyfairy]

A frimp I tried as an experiment: Vetiver & opium sounded promising, but I was highly skeptical about them combined with honeysuckle. I am not really a white-floral person.

In the imp: Honeysuckle & something vaguely alcoholic - is that the vetiver?
Wet: Honeysuckle & vetiver, sort of smoky-floral. Not bad at first, if a little weird. As it dries, a "burnt" smell is taking over - Maybe I don't like vetiver as much as I thought I did?
Dry: The honeysuckle / vetiver combo is bitter & gross on me, and the opium is not helping matters. Sour and soapy and a bit rotten all at once. The vetiver does calm right down in time, & it fades to mostly opium on me after half an hour or so, with a little floral behind it.
So, nice if you like the idea of honeysuckle incense, but not for me.

[asksdifficultquestions]

There is nothing I don't like about this scent.

 

In the bottle it smells... graveyard-spooky. That's the vetiver. When I first got it in the mail it seemed too...harsh, weird, or metallic. It was biting my nose. I picked it up again a week later and was amazed at the richness of it, being strangely luxurious, and also grounded in earth. The image in my head was of victorian London, where an austere, mysterious woman in black velvet is going to see an opera performed by skeletons! Sweet smoke wafts up to balcony where she sits, peering down at the stage through opera glasses.

 

I also get a very comforting, quieting feeling from the smell that floats on my skin after several hours of wear. It lasts a long time for me and I smell like incense all day! Completely delightful! Its color is warm, dark burgundy.

[shamrocked]

My new favourite! I was frimped this in a recent purchase from another member, and I need a bottle of it STAT. I love the mixture of the black opium and the honeysuckle. This is perfect, has great throw, and didn't fade all day long.

 

Will be getting a 5ml with my next lab purchase (yay Weenies!)

[Lucchesa]

I never thought I would say this, but I wish I could make out more vetiver in Anathema. (And this I say all too often, but I could not have guessed any of the notes in this blend from sniffing blind. I was thinking lily or some other powerful floral. But the honeysuckle here is plenty potent, and I am not as familiar with the opium note.)

 

Anathema is strong, heady floral on me, the kind of thing a villainess in a Bond movie might wear to dance a sultry tango with the hero. It's gorgeous, but I'm having trouble imagining where it would fit into my more mundane kind of life. Straight, strong florals are not usually my thing. I will keep the imp, though, because who knows, maybe someday I will have to sashay into that role.

 

I am still hoping for the vetiver to come out and muddy the waters somewhat. I've had it on for over half an hour now, and no sign of it.

[Miss_Unicorn]

Smooth. Sexy. Dark.

 

At first, I get something swirly and dark, just about as dark/sexy as I care to smell. (Snake Oil is too much for me, and this one tiptoes on the edge.)

The honeysuckle threatens to go powdery for the first 20 minutes or so, but when dry, it settles into a sweet, sinful smell. Nice.

The opium makes it quite dark (as mentioned before), and it has a very cologney feel to it.

 

Dry, it's dark and sweet and lasts for hours.

I think I would prefer this on someone else, preferably a gentleman...

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Honeysuckle and opium! I am not picking up on the vetiver in the imp.

Wet: There’s a blast of sweet honeysuckle, backed by some opium. I love the honeysuckle in this and hope that it remains a main player! As it sits on my skin, the opium gains strength.

Dry: It did not take long for the opium to assert itself. This ended up being a sweet, heady opium blend with some bright honeysuckle in the background. I am not getting any vetiver from this, oddly enough.

Verdict: This started out really promising with the strong honeysuckle, but alas, the opium just had to take over! I’m really glad I got to try it, but I think this one is too heady for me.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Opium, with vetiver underneath, tinged by honeysuckle. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the vetiver dominates, though the opium remains detectable behind it. As it dries, the vetiver dials back to become a base, and opium shines as a centerpiece. Honeysuckle comes back to rest on top of the scent. Once it's had time to develop, however, the honeysuckle fades to a faint whisper, leaving the scent as smoky opium. 

 

This scent is thick and dark. It's well done, and I like it a lot -- but it's definitely too powerful for any kind of daily wear that I do. 

[feyofthefellwood]

I got this as a lab frimp. I like it better than I thought I would - the honeysuckle note is gorgeous and forward, and is pleasantly heady combined with the opium. I'm not sure I enjoy the vetiver beneath it, though, it's a tad bitter for my tastes. 

[supreme_c0rt]

I was not expecting this much honeysuckle! It's a *lot* of honeysuckle. I'm quite ok with that, as honeysuckle is on my shortlist of favorite florals, but if you are not a fan you should steer clear. Combined with the opium this is a very heady, humid hothouse-variety floral. Indolic in the sense that jasmine is indolic (the hint of decay). Soapy, but a luxe soap. I get almost no vetiver from this at all, would not even guess it's in here. I don't typically like soap or heavy florals but I do like this one, probably since it's just the honeysuckle and not like 30 other florals. Right up close it's *almost* too much, but the waft is dreamy and lush, like late springtime with the heat of summer approaching. Really enjoyable. I will hold on to it for sure.

 

Fans of Qandisa might want to try this. It's not the same at all -- this is a lighter, springtime version, Qandisa is thicker and richer with more va-va-voom -- but I feel like this is in that same opium family. Event Horizon is like this too. Big throw, lasts a while.

 

Edit: Okay, hold the phone. This is settling into something truly exquisite. Where did that beautiful rich incense note come from? Is that the vetiver finally showing up? It's almost like myrrh. The waft is throwing all kinds of sultry surprises at me. It suddenly got very sexy in here, and I am now smitten. Pretty sneaky, sis.

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by supreme_c0rt

[Rane.]

Received as an imp. I think the lab knows what scent I like best. Lol! Sweet opium. Gotta have plenty of those in the perfume/oil box. ❤️ The vetivert & honeysuckle plays well, & deepens the opium. The honeysuckle is light, but right there up front. Almost powdery, yet everything is distinguished. I much enjoy this one. It's refreshing.