The Scales of Deprivation

[tinyvulture]

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

my skin has for once chosen to ignore the lemon (yes!) and allow the other notes to take center stage. the sage and lavender make this a sweet herbal blend, but the sandalwood and vetiver add woodsy and earthy notes, making it more masculine and complex. the frankincense makes me think of church incense and adds to the quiet serious tone of this scent. it smells good on my husband, but i can wear it too.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: A sweet frankincense--one of the sweetest I think I've smelled in a BPAL--combines with sage and lavender fougere. The sage makes it dry and gives it the strong herbal shot that one finds in Lear and Alecto.

 

Wet: The strong herbal influence of the sage goes away pretty quickly on my skin and the sweet frankincense is the most dominant note. However, this does not go straight frankincense, but it has a lot of other things contributing, like labdanum and the slightest hint of the fougere around it.

 

Drydown and wear: Frankincense and labdanum seem like they will last the longest here. The scent ends up being a very interesting take on resins, and even though I have quite a few resin blends, I'm going to hold on to the imp because I quite like this.

[steffanina]

The Scales of Deprivation-

 

In Bottle: Resinous, a little dry and sweet.

 

Wet: Sharp and dry and lemony.

 

Dry: An arid scent, a little masculine but powerful-smelling. Not bad!

 

Overall: I like, conditionally.

[Lunaratu]

I got this as a frimp from the lab quite awhile back and I thought I had reviewed it already but I realized as I was going through my new batch of frimps that I actually hadn't.

 

Well I'm glad I took the time to try it again. I must have tried it at a wrong point before because it didn't leave much of an impression. However, this time I had to keep sniffing as it went through all of its stages.

 

The Scales of Deprivation started out warm and slightly masculine with some spice.

 

And then the frankincense came out to play with the sandalwood and i fell in love. This is amazing and smells exactly like church incense! It's the smell of beautiful sleek wood that has soaked in the scent of the incense after many years. It's wonderful and comforting.

 

What's amazing to me is that I can't detect the lavender which usually roars on my skin to a horrible degree and the lemon note is probably what's adding that tiny sharpness to the frankincense.

 

The Scales of Deprivation is smoky and smooth and slightly spicy all at the same time. I just can't get over how it smells exactly like old wooden catholic art--my godfather collects it and this smells exactly like his apartment. Maybe I should get a bottle of this for him--he'd go mad for it.

 

Throw: light--it stays very close to the skin

Rating: 3.5/5

Edited October 9, 2007 by Lunaratu

[euterpe414]

This blend has a really dry and sunny feel to me. It smells of lemony herbs left out in the sun on a balmy day. There is also the tinge of frankincense that adds some lovely depth to it. Mmm. I am really liking this! It seems to be a bit on the masculine side, but is in no way a cologne-y type of smell. I would have no qualms about wearing this. I think also that it would make a lovely room scent since it has that warm, calm type of feel to it. I just love frankincense and herbs and this blend is a real winner for me.

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: foody sweet resins

wet: same

dry: It starts to get powdery. Ble.

SWAPS!

[ladybird]

I got this one as a frimp from the lab - I'd never have chosen it on my own. Frankincense and vetiver? Not me!

 

But this worked surprisingly well. It was dark and spicy and mature...kind of sexy, actually. I didn't get the lemon at all, just the spicier notes. Maybe it was the sandalwood that came out?

 

It was a fascinating scent, and I'm really astonished it smelled good at all. But it's not the kind of scent I'd wear everyday.

[melrose]

This one is not going to be easy to describe.

 

Upon initial application, it morphed through the following scents:

 

Fresh air and sunlight.

 

Herb garden.

 

Candied bananas.

 

Smoked almonds.

 

It finally settled into an absolutely gorgeous soft, clean, slightly powdery, slightly sweet, slightly citrusy note. It'd be bottle-worthy for sure if it didn't disappear so quickly, but I'm quite enjoying burying my nose in my elbow.

[ceiswyn]

In the bottle: This smells of fragrant woods - definitely sandalwood and frankincense - but is also unexpectedly bitter.

 

On the wrist: The wood-smell isn't as strong as the bottle scent had led me to expect, and neither is the bitterness. It's a gentle, fragrant wood, backed by a little musk and spice, still a little bitter, and surprisingly faint. I can't detect the lemon peel at all, but there's a faint something behind the wood that may be the lavender. It's very faint and subtle, though; if it fades from this I'll be very disappointed!

 

(15 minutes later) Oddly, though it's faint even with my nose against my wrist, I keep getting whiffs of it as I turn my head; a bitter, fragrant, slightly musky scent, with no sweetness to it at all. This is very more-ish... What is causing the bitterness? It's almost like dandelion milk now; that must be the lemon peel combined with something or somethings, maybe the vetiver?

 

One hour later: It's faded a little, but I think what remains has staying power. It's mostly sandalwood, backed by something a little musk-spicy, a little bitter (though the bitterness has now mostly faded into the musk).

 

This is actually really nice, but lost marks for being faint.

[Nia]

I have no idea how Beth has managed this, but it smells like a Mediterranean forest with plenty of cistus. It brings me back to my childhood and the weekends on a farm.

 

This is supposed to bring no comfort? ha. Maybe it's supposed to smell scary if you have never climbed a pine tree surrounded by cistus and near a house where burnt lavender or incense was their idea of room scenting. Seriously, I'm getting a craving of fre range eggs.

 

Anyway, if my childhood memories seem irrelevant to anyone reading this review, think of Scales of Deprivation as a window into one wonderful Mediterranean forest. A misplaced Wanderlust blend, if you like.

[QueenFae]

First Impressions: Clean, sharp, masculine, something in there smells scrumptious

 

Normally I wouldn't go for a scent with these notes, since vetiver is one of my mortal enemies. I actually do like this, though I think it would be much better on a man. On my skin; this smells mainly of frankincense, sandalwood, and lavendar. It has a woodsy, elegant base with spicy, bold overtones. The lemon is barely there, just a hint somewhere in the background. I am very partial to lavendar blends, and I think that's what redeemed this one for me.

 

This is not something I would wear, but I would very much like for my man to wear it.

[hellomoonglow]

This scent is so deep and full, I feel like I could reach in and grab it. If a person were wearing this, I'd want to hug them. It's just comforting and strong. I smell faint lavander and lemon. Whatever else is in there is just such a nice mixture. This is SO bottle worthy!

[darkblade]

Bottle: Faint floral bits and.. maybe that's sage?

 

Wet: Agh. Damn lavender. Hm. Is indeed unsubstantial.

 

Gh. This is giving me too much of a headache. Scrubby time.

[MaidenGenevive]

The Scales of Deprivation

 

This matches the description perfectly; it certainly is thin, dark, and shadowed. It's a light fresh citrus, with a slight mint feel to it. As it dries, it feels like a faint musky floral. It's a very weak scent, but it is lovely.

 

[3 - Like] It's so faint, I can barely smell it without putting my nose to it.

Edited October 4, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[aquazoo]

Floral but kinda salty. There are a lot of notes to it, let's see if they intend to cooperate... It is a nice blend overall.

[Iceblink]

Manly. I can pick out the lavender and sandalwood and something sharper that must be the lemon peel. This is really way too masculine for me but on the right man this could be dangerous.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Citrus

 

Wet: Herbally citrus with a background of flowers. It's very faint, but I like it. It would be better on my husband, so I'll be trying it on him later!

 

Drydown: Unfortunately it dries down to nothing. It completely fades

3.0 outta 5

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

I'm not sure that this one is really "a scent that offers no sustenance, comfort, or safety." To me, when it's wet, it smells like fresh pine needles, and that is a very comforting scent indeed. It's, of course, more complex that that simple desription, but it is so well blended that I cannot pick out any notes. The first impression that I get from it, however, is pine-y and wonderful.

 

As it dries, more notes enter in to the picture, as the pine scent fades to the background. Now it kind of reminds me of pine trees in the snow. It makes me think of winter - cold and crisp, but also foresty. I likey!

 

Edited to add that as this scent progresses it becomes much more floral, wispy, cold, and desolate...the embodiment of its name. I like this one alot! As I bond with it more, I could see it being one I reach for above many others...even possibly a top ten! Well done! A+

Edited October 28, 2007 by TheOneTheyCallLuna

[erraticprophet]

Although horribly stuffed up, I managed to find a day where I was able to breathe more often than not and quickly slapped this on for a review.

 

Initial Impression: lemon and lavender

 

On Wet: lavender comes out more, I smell sage and earthy vetiver

 

On Dry: incense, sage, vetiver. But its throw is so light that I have to put my nose to my wrist.

 

Final Impression: I love this so much. It's a masculine scent, but not overly so. The unfortunately light throw means frequent applications. I really love this one!

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): overall 3.5, for the scent itself 5

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle herbal and resinous

wet on skin soap and something a little spicy, almost like ginger. must be that sage again.

dry on skin the spiciness deepens a little and it remains herbal. to me, it's a very nice soap, but soap nonetheless. my daughter likes it, so she gets it.

[mooncityminx]

Wet this stuff is sweet and astringent and resinous. That's why I've had this imp for a long time and am just now trying it, because resins usually do the old-lady-powder thing on my skin, but let me tell you, this one is different. At first this is a man's medicine cabinet.

 

But after about twenty minutes give or take it becomes the most wonderful sandalwood golden comforting halo. This must be what resins are like for people who don't have wonky skin chemistry. It disturbs me a little that this is so beautiful and anything but bleak, and yet it's named after the horseman who is popularly considered a symbol of famine and scarcity. How can a symbol of inequality and opression smell so damn righteous and saintly? Maybe that's the paradox of holy war? It smells kind of romantic in a way.

 

On a more trivial note after blending with my skin chemistry this reminds me of Lush's Floating Island. Weird. I need a bottle or two of this for sure.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i remember thinking this blend could go either way on me... with notes i love and notes i hate.

frimpsniff: white sage or smudge sticks and a resiny-sweet something ... the labdanum?

on skin: this becomes a gorgeous masculine scent - upscale and subtle.

[hkhm]

imp: frankincense and sandalwood. no sign of vetiver at all, usually i can smell that note right off.

 

wet: frankincense, sweet and strong. i think i might be catching the barest hint of lemon but that's it.

 

dry: this dries to a sweeter frankincense than i'm used to, there's just a hint of citrus. this is truly sublime.

[filigree_shadow]

I think this scent is one of the ones that gets better with age. (My imp is one of the ones with the old phoenix style of art on it, and I'm pretty sure it's at least 18 months old at this point.) The first time I sniffed this scent was quite a while ago, and I thought it was foul. I've been putting off writing a review of it because I didn't want to smell it again.

 

I decided to finally buckle down and write the review, and... shocker! It is, in fact, not foul. It seems like a sweetened lavender fougere mostly, but it's also a bit earthy. (Not like dirt, earthy like ... uh, well, you know. Earthiness.) That's probably from the vetiver, although I'm pretty good at picking out vetiver and wouldn't have guessed it was in this.

 

I'm extremely surprised to find that I like this. It does seem quite masculine to me, so I'll see whether my husband likes this. I hope he does. I'd be pleased if he would wear this.

[VioletChaos]

oooohhhhh boy is this a goodie!

 

in the bottle: sweet, dark smoky and resinous. i pick out frankincense, amber, myrrh.

 

wet: it's all about the amber

 

dry down: amber still strong, the frankincense making a come back.

 

later: resinous without being over powering. like spending a day in church, reading old texts and coming out a changed person.