The Scales of Deprivation

[inurbanus]

Thin, dark, and shadowed. A scent that offers no sustenance, comfort or satiety: lemon peel, white sage, frankincense, lavender fougere, sandalwood, vetiver and labdanum.

The Scales of Deprivation has turned to powder on me, but before it went, I could smell something deep and mysterious, more resiny than herbal. It reminded me of a perfume my grandmother wears, maybe by Estee Lauder? It is hard to pick out the individual notes in this one -- the only one I could really identify was the frankincense. This is a nice scent, but I can't see myself wearing it. Like others have said, I bet this would smell great on a guy.

3/5

[Torrain]

In the imp: lemon and vetiver. On my skin, something pinched and dry starts coming out: I'm pretty sure that's the fougere, with a hint of sage. Frankincense blossoming... (I love the first two minutes of an oil on my skin, when everything's shifting around and settling down.) Kind of dry and lemony.

 

5 min: powdery sage and lemon. Not baby powder, but powdery-dry, almost dusty.

 

10 min: same. There's a kind of blasted sweet note creeping in at the edges, and a bit of resin—I guess that's the labdanum. Still a very dry scent, and still living up to its description.

 

15 min: the frankincense is coming out a little, and the scent as a whole is softening very slightly. The sage is getting stronger, and between that and the frankincense and the labdanum's sweet note, it's turning into a more pleasant smell. Still not cosy at all, but at least pretty enough to wear when I'm not looking for a specific mood.

 

30 min: Frankincense/sandalwood with the dry resin of labdanum and a fainter hint of sage. I might be getting the faintest hint of lemon in the background, behind a little of the fougere.

 

45 min: Dry frankincense and sage with a little labdanum. Resiny-dusty and dry, though if this is any kind of dark on me, it's the darkness you get when you step into a building after the sundazzle of high noon.

 

1 hr: same, although I think the labdanum's coming out as the time passes. Call if labdanum with frankincense for a little thickness and sage to lift the scent a little.

 

1:20: nah, looks like the prominence of labdanum just there was a fluke. Back to the 45 minute description. Nice.

 

2:11: Frankincense and sandalwood.

 

3 hr: frankincense, rather faint.

 

Fades a little quickly on me, but I like it quite well. It's not a warm scent, but it's not quite as white, green, or water-crisp as a lot of the cool scents that I like, and the variety is pleasant.

 

Love and coffee,

Frances

[alicia_stardust]

This is a resiny, earthy blend to me. Dark and hot. The labdanum and vetiver hold the darkest part of this. The sandalwood seems light and dry and adds an incense aspect. The fougere, sage, lemon peel, and lavender seem out of place at first but they quickly sink into the darker notes and act as an accent. I find this to be highly masculine to my nose even though I have a soft spot for dark, sepulchral incense blends. =)

[tziporra]

Thanks for the frimp, labbies!

 

In the imp this is a blast of hot dry air. Like opening the oven door while baking a spicy cookie.

 

Wet it's a spicy MANLY cookie. I smell like a rugged desert man. Like Mad Maxx maybe. Or Viggo Mortinsen in Hidalgo. I need a drink of water.

 

As it dries I get a second of piney-ness, but then it settles down into incense-y manliness, so well blended I can't pick out any notes.

 

This is one of those scents where I sit here thinking "this smells so good! but I could never wear it!" Probably since it's at such odds with this stage of my life - fecund earth-mother. I'd feel the same way if I put on a tuxedo.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

[SeaLady]

Also received this one as a frimp!

 

I have had it for a while but didn't try it because it smelled dry and not quite like my sort of scent in the imp. On, it's the opposite of its description

"Thin, dark, and shadowed. A scent that offers no sustenance, comfort or satiety"

 

I find this terribly comforting. It smells like the attic of my mother's family's summer house where I used to play when I was little. The hot wood of the overly toasty attic, the dusty and ancient furniture, the faint hint of the soap we washed with as wee children, and something reminiscent of spiciness that is incredibly appropriate. We used to think since it was so hot in the attic already (hot enough that bees were too sleepy to chase us properly), that we might as well test ourselves by competing to see how long we could keep those spicy Fireball candies in our mouths.

 

I loooooove this scent

[DogNPonyShow]

In the bottle: Sage and sandalwood.

 

On: Frankincense joins the sage and sandalwood. On drydown lemon gets amped up (again!) and the scent goes all powdery on me. And fades very fast.

 

Verdict: Swap pile only because I don't see myself wearing it enough to keep.

[gypsysingleton]

LOVELY!!! Like clothes dried on the line!!! Lavender, yes, but not the knock you over kind. Yes, it does seem to soften to a powder but all the other notes are there, albiet painfully subtle. Thanks labbies for picking this one for me, I never would have tried this based on the notes, but now you've got me considering a bottle...

[Miss Lynx]

I think I had this one in blue (meaning lowest priority) on my wishlist for quite a while, until it finally showed up as a frimp with my most recent Lab order.

 

With the listed ingredients, I was a bit worried it would have that men's cologne feel - a fougere is a type of men's scent, I think. But while a guy could certainly wear this, and smell damn good, I'd class it more as gender-neutral.

 

It's basically a complex, interesting herbal-incense type of scent, with an element of coldness to it, probably from the lemon and lavender, though there's also some underlying warmth from the frankincense and labdanum contrasting with that. It is definitely a little on the dark side, but not too heavy -- the thin and shadowy elements of the description definitely suit. In fact, in an odd way it's almost reminiscent of a more complex version of Shadow.

 

I think ultimately it's not entirely my type of scent, but it's definitely a really interesting and well-formulated one. I have so much BPAL by now that I usually don't keep scents I try any more unless I really, really like them, but I'm glad I got the chance to try this one.

 

Grade: B

 

P.S. By way of added creepiness: the same day I got the order this was in, a friend of mine posted in his LJ the exact same verse the description of this starts with, as a link to a news story about rationing of food basics in certain parts of the US. Gave me a bit of a shudder...

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, citrusy, herbal. Lemon, sage, lavender and woody sandalwood.

 

Wet: Masculine cologne, but as always with Lab blends, more than that. Very similar to in the bottle, but sweeter, with distinct frankincense.

 

Dry: Increasingly sweet, warm, woody, and musky, I'd guess that's the labdanum emerging, and the frankincense and sandalwood amping. The lemon and herbs are fainter.

 

Summary: Musky, definitely some darker musk of some type, dry, woody sandalwood, with a pleasant hint of smoky, earthy vetiver, and a fair deal of sweet, incensey frankincense. Dark and masculine. Only at close range can I detect the lemon and sage, though the lavender has more throw and adds a lovely freshness. Good throw.

[RosaLinda]

On me, this starts out as something dark, herbal, and spicy. It dries down to an resinous blend with the Frankincense dominating. This is very interesting, normally I really don't care for Frankincense but this really isn't that bad. I don't see myself reaching for it that often, but I really do like it!

[Indigo78]

The final frimp from my very first order: I feel this needs to be said because I may not have the most "trained" nose yet...Recognizing many of the notes has been a challenge (mainly with resins, I think) However: I do know Lavender quite well. We've had good times and bad times...but a little more of the latter than the former. Let's see how this goes~

 

In the Imp: Spicy spicy, resinous resinous... This is a recurring theme that I have noticed in many of the blends containing resins. Although they are growing on me, I am still not sure. I definitely detect the lavender, and sage is wafting about as well.

 

Wet on the Crook of the Elbow: Sweetens so much! Sweet and spicy? Eeh..Not unpleasant, but this doesn't turn my personal crank right now.

 

10 minutes: A lot more of the sage and greenery begin emerge, despite the persistent frankincense which really seems to be muting every other note.. The emergence of something else is good, for me - I like the softness of the vetivert in this blend. It's hiding just enough, and with the sage sage it is very sexy.

 

An hour later: For all practical purposes, this is gone. The are dusty remnants of sage and spice, but nothing ever really stole the show during the course of it's short life on my skin.

 

ETA: Somehow the vetivert, sage, and.. wow, even sandalwood are creeping back up. Much more freshness, much less smoldering spice. Live and learn, I guess.

 

This phase is much more enjoyable than the rest of the experience, but it still isn't quite what works for me.

Edited May 18, 2008 by Indig0

[Ajila]

In the bottle – A sweet soothing lavender

 

Wet on me – A warm slightly medicinal combination of the sage and lavender

 

Dry on me – A clean dry masculine scent with hints of a herbal undertone

 

Overall – This is nice, if a bit too masculine for me to wear

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Strong, honey coloured oil. Lavender, fruit and spice.

 

Wet: Lavender and herbal, citrus, sage. Very faint, evokes deprivation because I seem to be deprived of the scent of perfume. A faint smokey, incensey edge - must be the sandalwood and frankincense trying to make themselves known. Considering the addition of those two ingredients this seems to be a remarkably light scent, very close to the skin, perhaps one of the few 'incensey' smelling blends I've encountered that I think would actually be suitable for day wear.

 

After a few minutes on skin: A very pleasant, but still faint frankincense, sage and sandalwood bouquet. I think I can detect faint lavender underneath it all, but I'm not sure if that's just because I want it to be there so bad and it always seems to leave. Very light and surprisingly clean for the combination of notes that it has. It's not typical 'fresh and clean' such as a green aquatic, but it's definitely not heavy and musty as incenses sometimes get. It's remarkably refined and delicate.

 

After first hour: Definite sage. I'm beginning to think I amp sage because this now smells remarkably similar to the way Bow and Crown of Conquest smelled on me, minus the vanilla. Frankincense coming in to mix with the sage changes the aroma so it doesn't smell so much like Bow and Crown of Conquest. The scent is still remarkably light considering the notes it contains.

 

After two and a half hours: Sage and frankincense, and soft hints of amber, even though there is no amber in the blend. Very close to the skin. No florals left, which is quite disappointing.

After 5 hours: More of the same.

 

Final Verdict: A pleasant scent which I enjoyed testing out, but it didn't reach out and grab me and say "I'm yours!"

[sparkybish]

To me, this smells like air freshener! Not unpleasant, but just not something I want to smell like.

[skepticism]

Vial: Slightly sweet incense scent with just a hint of sage. Not smelling much lavender.

 

Wet: There's the lavender! She decided to show up with fashionably late with her entourage of resins. It's not at all boastful but it's still there.

 

Dry: Smelling equal parts of lavender and sage with just a tad of labdanum and frankincense lying beneath them.

 

 

I didn't smell any of the lemon peel. I think the resin notes completely subdued the lemon peel because I couldn't detect a trace of it at any point between vial and drydown. I don't think this is something I'd wear, but I'd love to try it on my tart burner. Maybe as an act of atonement.

[SeaMonkey]

I don't get citrus at all from this, which is good because I hate citrus. This is primarily frankensince and sandalwood on me and I really like it. It's a little perfumey, but settles down after a while. I can't smell the lavender at all

[juniperus]

bottle: the fougere and sandalwood vie for attention

wet: add hints of the lemon peel

dry: darkening, the resins coming more to the fore, and the sage is holding back with the lemon in the background. no vetiver, yet (and I hope it stays gone - vetiver is usually awful on me)

later: it's darkening, but the resins are disappearing under the weight of the vetiver... which is shifting to used motor oil, as it always does. damnit.

[crebbsgirl]

There is something similar here to Old Scratch. When first applied, I get lavender and sage with the faint scent of the lemon peel. As it dries, the frankincense and sandalwood start coming out. I don't get any vetiver here, which is a little disappointing because this blend seems a little bright for me. Overall, the effect is nice, but I'm not in love with it.

[voodoocatwoman]

Alicia_Stardust's review hits this one on the head as far as I am concerned. It's a deep, dark and beautifully mystical fragrance. The main notes I detect are the sandalwood and frankincense. Definitely a winter scent.

[jehrichardson]

Yum!

 

Sage and lemon and lavender - I cook with them all the time, so this smells a bit like dinner to me. Mmm!

 

The sandalwood, frankincense and labdanum seem pretty subtle, adding a touch of deep spicyness.

 

I'm not getting vetiver at all, which is a relief since it usually just turns into Deep Woods Off on me.

 

Bottle time!

[isisonearth]

Imp: Interesting blend of sandalwood, frankincense and sage.

 

Wet: It has the tiniest bit of lemon added on my skin. But sadly it puts me in mind of Pledge.

 

Dry: Just musty smelling on me. Like and antique store where someone just dusted with that Lemon Pledge. I guess you don't win them all.

[ouch!]

I think there is something wrong with my imp..

 

To me when I put a tiny bit on it smells ok, a slightly fresh, slightly citrussy smell with some herbs. I can also detect the resinous side of this oil. But then....I can just smell a whole lot of vinegar and it's making me turn my nose up.

It becomes pungent quite quickly and smells like acid. I don't know it this is body chemistry or an over aged imp. But I wouldn't say this is one of my favourite blends.

 

I'd like to try this fresh from the lab to get the real feel!!

 

 

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Tangy lemon, sweet-spicy frankincense and dry sandalwood, with a whiff of clean freshness from the lavender fougere and sage. Not a strident lavender… and despite the description, this is really quite appealing. I can smell the other resins, warm and spicy and rich.

On, wet: Frankincense, labdanum and sandalwood, dark and warm and resinous and spicy, but it's still lightened for me by the lemon peel—slight, bright lemon—and hints of sweet lavender. It doesn't really smell like "Cathedral" to me, but it does remind me very strongly of, say, the holy, incense-y smell of an Easter Vigil mass. (I suspect the common note is the frankincense.) I'm still not getting anything that I recognize as vetiver.

On, dry: There's nothing thin about this scent to me—on the contrary, the resins are rich and the throw is exceptional--but I am starting to get the dark and shadowy aspects in the scent. I still don't smell vetiver itself, but there is something darkening the sweet, spicy-woody combination of the resins and the sandalwood. The frankincense and labdanum call to mind a church, but this is an eerie, empty, half-lit church, filled with shadowed corners, lingering incense from long-ago rites and the echo of your own footsteps.

Later: Now, after several hours, it does have the "thin," sort of ascetic quality from the description—still sweet and woody and dark (mostly sandalwood now), but much less rich than it originally was, and now it's staying very close to my skin.

Overall: This is a surprisingly lovely scent. I'd call it gender-neutral, too; I'm comfortable wearing it, but I can imagine a man wearing it as well. It shares certain qualities with Cathedral, but overall, I'd rather wear this one—it captures the essential ambience of a dark, old church without smelling exactly like eau de choir loft. This has freshness from the lemon, lavender and sage, where Cathedral has the dusty mustiness of crumbling paper and old buildings.

 

 

[zankoku_zen]

Dark incensey resin blend. It was smoky and hot, but after about an hour... it's still that but there's a vague sense of emptiness. Utterly bereft of warmth.

 

It's kinda creepy that way.

[Lyrical]

 

In vial: rather nice, in a dark, masculine way. I bet it won't work on my skin, though.

 

Wet on skin: lemon and lavender in a fresh aftershave-type scent, but soooooo much better than any commercial aftershave I've ever smelled (which doesn't say a lot, because all of them stink!). I rather like this!

 

Dry on skin: I like this a lot, but in theory rather than practice! I won't wear it because it's way too masculine!