The Sleeper

[CLFilm]

Night-blooming jasmine, opium poppy, wild rosemary, Calla lily, oakmoss and crypt musk.

(I didn't read anyone else's reviews before posting this, I'm trying to get better at doing my own, but I can't wait to go back and read the rest. Also, I added in the description since I'm top of the page - hope that's ok, mods.)

This scent is heavy to me, but not cloying, like a humid day in a backyard garden, in late summer when things are almost gone. At dusk, no dew will fall but the air itself is wet, there is no breeze, and the night will be just as warm as the day. There's a touch of decay behind the sweetness. It reminds me of Southern wetlands with the moss dripping from the trees, and sitting on the porch listening to crickets as daytime turns to evening.

Looking at the note listing now, I'm trying to guess what is what. The most prominent thing I'm smelling is the jasmine maybe? If so, more jasmine please! I think the oakmoss and rosemary are mellowing out the flowers, making me think of a lushly landscaped backyard with trees and other greenery rather than just flowers. And the crypt musk (decay!) is making it earthy and grounded.

This is definitely a scent of earth, not spirit. My favorite so far of the DiMVs. Edited November 25, 2007 by Shollin

[grrrlennyl]

at first: mostly rosemary.

on: lota of jasmine and rosemary.

half and hour later: lovely. lots of poppy and lily. the other florals are there, but i'm not really getting any musk.

1.5 hours later: very woodsy.

2 hours later: pretty much gone.

overall: this is very pretty, but not really something i would wear.

[LittleGreyKitten]

I was surprised at how lovely this was on me. I wasn't sure what jasmine would do- seems to be a love-or-hate note to many, and the reports of much rosemary also worried me; rosemary is my least favorite herb to eat, anyway. So I didn't order a full size, figuring I'd imp it first.

 

And wow, it is amazing. I can't pick out the notes really, but I don't smell rosemary thank god. It is pretty floral but also light, which is nice. It doesn't whop one over the head with floweriness. The color that pops into my head when I sniff this is a medium bluegreen, vibrant but soft. It has a bit of good sharpness too, just a hint- if that's rosemary, it isn't much like any experience I've ever had with it before.

 

I have no clue what opium poppies in perfume smell like. Real opium poppies smell bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter, and densely "green"- not in a good way. Not anything we'd want to smell like, in other words. So anyway, I'm happy to report that Sleeper doesn't smell of bitter green ass. Yay! I'd also say that this lasts pretty well, especially for a lighter scent (I mean, I expect Snake Charmer to last, but not this one!)

 

I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I'll definitely get a full size (OK, I already have one on the way, I admit it!)

Edited January 31, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[Mary Mayhem]

I was getting a bit weary of the florals, frankly, so when I put this on I wasn't expecting much.

 

But oh!

 

It's not at all what I'd consider a floral. To me it's almost foody. It's like a warm creamy sweet smell. Don't know what notes are doing that to my nose, but this one is a keeper and er, probably a hoarder.

Edited January 30, 2006 by Mary Mayhem

[ktesedale]

In the bottle, this is strongly floral.

 

Wet, it's rosemary. Then there's the night-blooming jasmine (which smells so very different on my skin than regular jasmine).

 

Dry, it's a strange blend of florals and musk (I can't tell the difference between this musk and other dark musks, but I'm still pretty new).

 

On me, this smell very much like a commercial perfume my mother used to where. It also made my roommate sneeze until I left the room she was in (and I only put a tiny bit on!). Strong throw, though it didn't last that long on me (less than two hours - one of the shortest yet, just lasted a little longer than The Unicorn and Wrath).

 

Overall, it's not me in the least, and I'll be happy to swap this out.

[thesibylqueen]

Both my gf and I love the in-bottle scent -- light, herbaly, clean smelling. Very wet, too -- smells wet -- not damp or moldy, just wet. Once on me, however, it really blossoms into a big floral scent -- which I love. My gf is less wild about it, however. But I find this a really intriguing floral -- morbid, wet, and dark.

[arabella]

First Impression: Sharp jasmine.

 

Dries down to: Still very jasmine but it becomes much more refined.

 

Additional Comments: The other notes are indiscernible but harmonize beautifully in support of the jasmine. I'm surprised by how much I like this oil since jasmine is not usually a favorite - but, when it works on me, it really works.

 

Lasted: 3-4 hours.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[QueenFae]

A very dark, creepy, ominous scent. The jasmine wants to show itself, but unfortunately the oakmoss takes top note on me. The lily and jasmine sink into the background for an interesting effect. This one is very well suited to its name, it has that deep, dark undertone of earth and crypt sort of like Graveyard Dirt, but the florals redeem it from being completely ghostly. This one just doesn't work with my skin, it goes all oakmoss and gouhlies and smells a bit decayed. I'll find it a more appreciative home.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is another scent I don't expect to work for me. I love rosemary and oakmoss, but florals almost never work for me and musk has a tendency to go horribly wrong on my skin, although there are definitely exceptions.

 

First sniff:

 

Hoo-ey, that's floral! I get a huge, huge whiff of flowers (the jasmine and lily, I think) with a background of rosemary (lovely!) when I open my imp. This is definitely going to be far too floral for me, I can tell that now.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The oakmoss and rosemary are stronger now and The Sleeper is less floral on me. The lily and jasmine are still very apparent, but they aren't as intense as they were in the imp. This is a sort of creamy, light floral with a seductiveness about it (the jasmine) mixed with herbs and a touch of woodsiness, but it's still not for me.

 

Dry down:

 

All jasmine now. Unfortunately, I don't like jasmine except in very rare circumstances. I'm not really disappointed that this didn't work for me, but it would have been nice if it had.

 

The bottom line:

 

Far too floral for my tastes. I'm just not a floral kind of girl.

[ladykitara]

In the bottle, this is one of the loveliest scents I've sniffed yet - I get a slight orange vibe off of it, overall it strikes me as something a beautiful ghost in a gothic graveyard should wear.

 

Wet, on skin: Hello, the rosemary! Where did that come from, as it certainly wasn't anywhere in the bottle when I sniffed.. My sinuses have been cleared, for sure.

 

Dry, on skin: Sharp and pungent, with a bit of something darker in the background - maybe the musk? The rosemary calms down, and the florals come out to play.

 

Overall, I think I liked this scent better in the bottle than anywhere else. On my skin, it's... nice, but nothing spectacular. On to the trade pile, my lovely.

 

Oddly enough, after a re-sniff of my wrists, this is starting to smell more and more like vanilla. I think it's a combination of lily and musk? Whatever it may be, it makes me like this a bit more than previously stated.

Edited February 18, 2006 by Kitara Rayne

[slave1]

In Bottle: Minty jasmine

 

On Skin: Hello jasmine!! An extreme jasmine blend with the second most dominant note being the sharp minty rosemary. The lily is a complementing floral that brightens the scent and gives it a little more of a drippy sweet feel. After about 10 minutes into the drydown, the oakmoss gives a beautiful green but earthy note and the crypt musk is so soft and fuzzy I want to nuzzle it. I love how this scent develops, at first an obvious bright floral then it turns into a blanket of dark velvet blossoms. This is a seductive and slightly naughty floral blend. I think I would wear this whenever I was feeling “darker”. Beautiful!

[mandragora]

In the imp: Smells like heavy, night-blooming florals.

Wet on me: Sweetens on my skin, reminds me of Annabel Lee only older, more mature.

Drydown: These flowers are beyond full-bloom and are on their way to rotting and decay. The musk mutes the sweetness and rounds out the scent.

Verdict: Lovely scent. On the scale of 1-5, this one's a 3.

[dragonryder]

As previously noted, the sharpness of the rosemary was the first thing I smelled on opening. As I am a fan of nightblooming jasmine, I was hoping that it would come through later. But alas the rosemary stuck with me and after a couple hours, that's all there was. So this one is a no for me, and up it goes to a new home.

[sarada]

This was a generous frimp from a forumite! I really want to try all the Poe scents even though most of this series are floral, and florals don't agree with me (they give me headaches and my skin soaks them up almost instantly).

 

However during spring and summer, I have much greater success rates with florals and can wear almost anything, if only for a short time before my skin drinks it up! (c'mon scent locket!)

 

I didn't look at the notes in this before sniffing, and my first impressions are: jasmine, but very carefully balanced with other elements, so it doesn't overwhelm. A pretty jasmine, it reminds me of stepping outside at night when I was staying in California and I could smell all of the night-blooming flowers in the garden. This also has something very familiar, herbal and green mixed in with the bright, sparkling white florals. Jasmine has a....how do I say..."assy" quality to it, to me, but I seem to be able to tune it out in this blend.

 

Looking at the description it all makes sense. That herbal scent is rosemary, which can become an overwhelming, eucalyptus-like scent when it goes wrong, but in this case it balances out the strong white florals very nicely.

 

Again, I don't really care for many florals. I don't typically like night-blooming jasmine, and I openly dislike opium poppy -- it really ruins blends for me like nobody's business. BUT, this is a really gorgeous blend! None of the "always goes wrong" notes are going wrong! Maybe it's the warmth in the air and my current open mind about florals, or maybe it's the work of the gorgeous oakmoss, grounding it and giving it an earthy edge....or crypt musk, goodness, doesn't that sound exciting?

 

The warm air really does wonders with this stuff. Along with The Perfumed Garden this goes on the very very short list of things that I can wear with jasmine or night-blooming jasmine in it. Thanks to the herbal rosemary, green/earthy oakmoss and the subtle warming/softening qualities of musk, this is rather happy on my skin.

[jarvenpa]

A lovely forumite sent me an imp of The Sleeper (along with some other now unavailable imps, making me sigh as I find some I love. What was I thinking, not to wish only for GC scents????)

 

So, this morning, I curiously opened the imp, sniffed, and put some on my wrists.

 

First hit--sharp and then sweet, and the faintest sense of..the dread cat pee. Oh please, I thought, not another one (Had this reaction with Montresor). Ah, a quick change, cat pee has gone away.

 

Now it was white flowers in the moonlight. Reminded me a bit of Desdemona, one of the loveliest scents I know, but without the heart break that makes me regret wearing it when I put it on. I know Desdemona has sweet peas, doesn't it? Is this sweet peas? No...gardenia? jasmine? banks of flowers?? White ones. White. Sweet.

 

And then, as I went about my business, an unexpected twist. I was shelving books before the shop opened. "Hmm, what's that lovely, dark perfume?" I look around. I think. I sniff...oh, it's me.

 

Reminds me of the perfumes my mother wore when I was a child (she wore Tigress a lot, and I can't remember what it smelled like, but I am getting visuals of her very elegant dressing table, and beautiful bottles filled with dark amber colored perfumes). It is really beautiful at this stage.

 

And when I went out for coffee the guy at the counter said "oh, you smell beautiful--thank you for brightening my day!"

[edenssixthday]

The Sleeper - When I first applied it, I thought the jasmine was going to completely overpower the rest of the notes. However, as it began to dry down, the jasmine softened up a bit, the oakmoss and musk became discernable and it became much, much prettier. I still can’t wear it because of the jasmine, but I think someone who can handle jasmine might really like this blend. Very pretty, nice light level of throw, and it lasts and lasts.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Sharp. Very sharp. There’s something in here my nose doesn’t like even in the vial. Ooh – I bet it’s rosemary. I don’t think I’ve liked a rosemary blend yet (which is weird, because I do like the scent of the actual herb… but in the oils it’s apparently just too sharp).

 

Wearing: Mondo rosemary! Quickly swallowed up in white flowers. It’s too sharp at first and too sweet after that. Pity.

[euterpe414]

I sort of impulsively bought this off ebay a while ago way after DiMV was discontinued. It was never on my wishlist because of the evil jasmine, but I figured I'd give it a go anyway.

 

In the bottle I smell rosemary, almost singularly. Very lovely and herbal. Once it hit my skin, opium definetely became present. Actually, I can't pick out the jasmine in the mix, but I am sure it is there because there is a definete floral edge to this blend. As it dries, it actually reminds me of one of my favorite "regular" perfumes- Je Reviens. Go figure!

 

I am very excited to have this blend, and will save it for special occasions, since I only have one. It is going to be great since I loved Je Reviens but could hardly wear it anymore because I can't handle the alcohol in regular perfumes after wearing BPAL.

 

In short, very glad I took a chance and bought this.

[batsy]

In the vial: Oh... that's not good when it smells like a diaper...

 

On the skin: Problem is, I got a sniffy of this, so there was very little to attempt on my skin. But I don't know what exactly is causing it... but it smells like a diaper, baby powder, and nothing of the listed notes. I hate when that happens! Oh well, win some, lose some.

 

It's only getting worse on the dry down.

[fairy]

This one is quite lovely. Its soft and floral and has a slight edge to it so that it doesn't get too perfumey. I really like this one!

[buzz23666]

Holy cow - crypt musk...I knew even before I looked at the notes that this was something that my brain thinks would be the smell of a cemetery, at the end of Fall when all of the flowers are in decay. Oh, and did I mention that it was night as well? and spooky.

 

Wet - lots of sharp rosemary.

 

Dry - this morphs into something strangely beautiful. The lily gets stronger and the floral that I can't identify - that must be the opium poppy is there too. The jasmine seems to appear only when I inhale DEEPLY.

 

Ok- I can't keep my nose away from my wrist - which seems to impede my typing. I'm going through the smell rolodex in my brain to figure out why I know this scent. There is also something warm at the bottom that I guess is the musk.

 

All in all very evocative - but of what I am not sure. But it certainly caused a reaction here.

 

Glad that I have 5ml of this one!

[sofiaviolet]

Jasmine, rosemary, and musk. All three of these smell really good together. The musk grounds the other notes, and the floral sweetens the musk.

[supremegoddessofall]

Mostly the florals with a bit of musky feel. It's not a particularly distinct floral, but I think I'm getting more lily than anything else. I'm not getting the smokiness I usually expect from scents with opium poppy in them. The rosemary and the oakmoss are fairly quiet, but are yielding a crispness in the background.

[Em-]

I really like the spicy sharpness of this - it was not nearly as heavy as I'd expected and the jasmine actually behaves, allowing the other notes to play on my skin. This is not a scent that I wear regularly, but I have held on to my decant after all...

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Sharp jasmine and something else

 

On Skin: Very musky and dark, the jasmine and other florals are at the edge of this.

 

On Drydown: Very warm, and I can definitely smell the opium poppy.

 

Verdict: The drydown of this is very similar to RG's Opium Poppy, and I think that note tends to dominate the blend for me. Sad, this is the first Poe scent that my skin hasn't played well with.