Olokun

[Lycanthrope]

The Lord of All Waters, Master of Wealth, Keeper of the Secrets in the Depths of the Ocean, Lord of the Lightless Deep, God of the Unknown. This secretive and enigmatic Orisha is symbolized by the Seven Seas, and the vast riches and unplumbed mysteries of the ocean are His. Though His reach extends over three-quarters of earth’s surface, He concedes the right to rule to Obatala out of respect for the age, wisdom and discretion of the venerable King of the White Cloth. Olokun is the depth of the ocean at which the sun’s light fails to penetrate. He is perpetual darkness, incomprehensible pressure, and his abode is the birthplace of mythical monsters. The ocean floor is also a Land of the Dead: in its darkness, all will fall to rest, and in this darkness is the Home of the Spirits, souls that, in the cold and dark, rest awaiting reincarnation. Olokun represents all things that remain unknown to man, and all questions may be answered in the halls of His Kingdom. In this, he holds sway over the power of divination. Though decaying matter settles in His home, the Kingdom itself does not decay or erode. He is represented by the mudfish and his favor is shown through red coral and shark spines. His ofrenda is the scent of the lightless deep: the glorious, unknowable gloom of the ocean floor.

This is a remarkably fresh, bright marine. It reminds me of Jolly Roger without the leather and wood notes, a fresher, saltier scent... which may be a good alternative when JR is too pirate! for me.

Over time this goes really, really grassy on me. Like fresh cut grass.

Edited to add description - clover Edited September 14, 2007 by Shollin

[nineveh]

Yep, it's aquatic. On me it's like a darker Lightning, but not as gloomy as I was hoping for. It's a soothing scent, but it's going soapy on me and giving me a bit of a headache, like aquatics tend to do.

 

Definitely try this if you're into fresh/aquatic scents.

[Heretic]

In the vial: Fresh green, light.

 

On my wrist, wet: A lovely, substantial aquatic with a very recognizable lily note mellowed and grounded by a grassy green base.

 

After 20 minutes: This is drying down to a grassy, salty, lily aquatic. I love aquatics, but they all tend to smell the same on me.This one has a little something extra in it.

 

After an hour: Definitely the most interesting aquatic I've tried. It didn't turn to pure lily and kept its green note through all stages. Olokun is bright, fresh, clean and not at all insipid. It's what I wanted Cthuhlu to be. I'll be picking up a bottle of this one.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: fresh is the word, followed by green

 

wet: yes green grass, fresh green, sweet

 

as it dries it goes a bit soapy, but not totally soap like, more like an herbal shampoo, yet it still retains it's fresh blade of grass likeness.

 

all in all of an ozoney scent not bad.

[kiio]

Clean, clear water, with a tiny touch of floral. As it dried on me it turned greeny and a bit soapy (My husband asked if I used a new soap), but still pretty and probably a future bottle.

[LiberAmoris]

Olokun's like a super-aquatic! If you love that salty, tangy, oceanic smell, this one is for you. I enjoy aquatics but like them when they're a bit darker or muddled with florals.

 

I think I might use Olokun in my oil burner, as I love the smell of this around me as a room scent, but on my skin it's just a little too potent and intense.

[Wyndi]

This is my first purely aquatic scent to try and did I ever pick a good one. Amusingly enough, I thought I was ordering Odin and got Olokun instead. This is what we would call A Very Happy Accident.

 

Sniffing the bottle, I'm hit with the cool, clear scent of water. The lazy stream winding its way through the darkened forest, the towering waterfall boiling and frothing where the land meets the sea, a long prayed for rain falling upon parched and brittle pampas grass, the heavy, foreboding scent of an impending violent storm, and the sharp, salty tang of the vastdeep ocean. They're all here, combining effortlessly to leave me with an awareness of a limitless expanse of inconceivable age. But it's not an "old people and soap" kind of age. It's more the 'been there, done that' kind of indisputable and comforting wisdom.

 

Once on, there's a faint floral that comes out. Possibly lily or something similarly light and cool. Please, for the love of all that's holy don't let the floral dominate. Florals and my chemistry typically do NOT get along. After only a few minutes, the floral is washed away by what I can only describe as purified water that's been delicately flavoured with a few drops of fresh lime juice. There are those who say water has no odor, no smell. Anyone who's ever been in marching band in a Houston summer when the temperatures can reach over 100 degrees will tell you differently. Water has a definite flavour and scent that every pore in your body cries out for. That first sip once you come off the field refreshes your body and your mind like nothing else on earth. And that's exactly what this scent is doing for me. This is simply divine. Refreshing and divine.

 

The staying power is phenomenal but it's not overwhelming in the slightest. One application has lasted me a good 6 hours or more and my body tends to eat up oils at a bank account-depleting pace. Several hours later it hasn't changed much. There's just a hint more of sea spray, about like what you'd experience misting across your face while standing at the bow of a ship heading out to sea. It's still very comforting and tranquil. You know you're at the mercy of the ocean but for now the waters are calm, the waves gently rolling, easing you along towards whatever destination might lie ahead.

Edited April 13, 2006 by Wyndi

[WaltzforZizi]

Mmm, this smells like the ocean without the bitter aftertaste. Olokun seems to see-saw between salty and sweet everytime I sniff my wrist, very tangy too. Which I have no problem with. This is literally making my mouth water for some odd reason. It does get a tad soapy, but it's hardly off putting. Like you just got out of the shower after you've been to the beach. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to last long on me, but that's just my skin eating the perfume as usual. I like this, if i had just gotten an imp of this I would have gone on and bought a bottle. Fortunately I trusted my instincts on this one and went ahead and got it unsniffed. Yay for good luck!

[slave1]

In Bottle: Extreme aquatic ozone

 

On Skin: Super soapy. I smell Irish Spring or something ovely soapy pungent like that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very fresh and clean, but it’s a bit overwhelming for me. If you like aquatic or ozone scents, try this one for sure. Personally, they seem super masculine to me, so I think I’ll be swapping this one. This scent is very pretty, and the sharpness wakes me up. I would love to use it as a linen spray because it reminds me of dryer sheets a bit as well.

[Meg]

In the bottle: ozone and a sweet aquatic, I think.

 

Wet: Ozone and the icy freshness of freshwater aquatics. It's slightly powdery.

 

Drydown: Very sweet ozone, not really oceanic... perhaps slightly boozy. The aquatic note seems to have vanished and I get a rather fizzy scent. I wish there were more for me to say about it, but that's all I smell. But when it's on my mother - poof! I get a much more complex scent, with bitter orange and a slight hint of grapefruit. But on both of us, it settles into a very generic ozone-toilet-deodoriser scent after a while - disappointing.

 

Overall: This reminds me irresistibly of Kingsport, which is probably going to be great for fans of that blend. It's a sweet, feminine ozone blend with some freshwater aquatics. On me it smells powdery and nothing particularly interesting, really - and certainly not gloomy. On others, it smells lovely. Damn my stupid skin chemistry.

[Babylon]

Olokun is CthulhuLite. >:E

 

It's a shiny, bright, salty, ocean smell, but much lighter than Cthulhu. You will love this if you dig marine scents or are looking for something fresh with absolutely no florals, woods, or green bits involved.

 

The best part of Olokun today was when I took a shower hours after putting it on, and smelling it wafting around with the real water for at least half the shower (it really stays!).

Edited April 19, 2006 by Babylon

[Little Bird]

All of the aquatic/ozone scents tend to blend together for me... my nose has trouble differentiating between them and they tend to go soapy and remind me of fabric softener after a while.

 

That said, Olokun is a lot brighter and happier than I had expected from the "gloom of the ocean floor." First on it smells like green grass and a hint of pleasantly sweet grapefruit. Grapefruit usually smells awful on me, but it stays sweet and energizing in this blend (if grapefruit is, in fact, what I'm smelling).

 

After an hour it reminds me a bit of fabric softener sheets with a charge of ozone... but still with a bit of zingy citrus and sweet green grass. It makes me think of bright summer days than it does of the dark, gloomy ocean floor.

 

Aquatic/Ozone scents are not really me. They always go a bit soapy and remind me of doing laundry. Still, Olokun is a nice scent, just not one that I would personally wear.

[purplegirl]

This scent is beautiful... it's crystalline and pure. I was hoping it was more gloomy and had a note that was intangibly.. foreboding. I don't know why, but it was a lot happier and cheerier than I hoped it would have been. I've got Sea of Glass, so I can pass on Olokun.

 

I envy the person on the forum who's skin chemistry turns this into a lonely, desolate, gloomy scent!!

[summer]

Olokun truly smells like the deep, masculine counterpart to Yemaya to me. Whereas Yemaya is the surface of the water, Olokun is the darker depths. However, it is not a still or desolate scent. It's still energetic and in motion! I smell a vague tinge of Yemaya's watery melons, I smell a vague tinge of grasses and herbs, and surrounding all this is deep, clear water. A beautiful, masculine aquatic that is not cold, like many other aquatics. I think of the heavy depths of the warm Carribbean sea.

[laochodia]

This is Ice Queen and Tempest combined, on me. Sweet, airy, icy, watery, slushy, a bit flowery....this is yummy.

[Celestyna]

It's a lot like Tamora but has a melon tinge and some aquatic note that don't subside enough for me.

[Rhowan]

Thanks purplegirl for sending this imp to me!

 

In the vial and wet on my skin - green and aquatic

 

Drying down - This becomes an even darker green and very familiar

 

Completely dried down - I know this! It's a lake I go to every summer. There is a spot near where we always camp that has an inlet to it that almost makes it a pond. The water is clear, it is surrounded with trees and swimming there is very tranquil since no one swims there but me. This reminds me of a time I was swimming and enjoying the green tranquil surrounding and a lightening storm hit.

 

Conclusion? Olokun is very deep, dark green aquatic with a bit of ozone. I love this scent! Great throw, long wear. This is definitely going on my bottles list!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet and very, very damp.

 

on: this smells very watery and dark, with a wonderful sweetness to it. i can't quite pick out any notes. there's something floral to the sweet note, though.

 

1 hour later: ozoney and sharp, but still very, very wet. definitely an aquatic scent. still slightly sweet.

 

2 hours later: a salty, watery ozone scent.

 

5.5 hours later: vaguely watery. the ozone note is gone.

 

overall: i like this at first, but i just don't get along with ozone scents.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Ozone, salty water with a slight linen feel.

 

First on: The linen comes out a bit more with an almost extremely watery water melon note, with salty clear water

 

After a bit: As my husband said, and I'd have to agree with him, it's like Cthulhu's clean laundry.

 

A bit more: This is slightly sweet, and light and fresh, and reminds me so much of Cthulhu and Kingsport merged with Dirty and Berenice. A wonderful clean aquatic scent and it's very gender neutral.

[brownbear]

Lately I've been digging the aquatics. Olokun is aquatic without being masculine like many of the others. Often aquatics feel very heavy to me, but this doesn't do that.

It is also airy. When it's wet there is a hint of sweetness to it. When dry it takes on a bit of a soap note.

ETA: After sniffing the imp again, I just had to say that I'd totally buy a bottle if it stayed just like it smells in the imp instead of changing on my skin.

Edited June 30, 2006 by brownbear

[PurringPulsar]

Olokun

 

In the imp: hmm, there's some dark residue at the bottom of the imp. The only other scents where I've seen that is Bliss and Virgo. The scent on the other hand…smells like Kingsport with melon!

Wet on skin: melon, but now with a bit more of the salty aquatic notes coming out.

Dry on skin: this smells of fresh honeydew melons and the sea. This is very similar to Yemaya (both GC and TAL) only with more of an emphasis on the marine notes, therefore making this slightly more gender neutral or masculine. There may be a bit of cucumber in here as well, but it's mainly melon and aquatic, salty, fresh notes, the scent of sea spray, maybe with a little bit of algae? Possibly some white floral notes too. I was expecting this to smell like Cthulhu but it actually smells very similar to Kingsport on me, it has that same sweet-salty thing going on.

After a while: yup, it's turned to Kingsport on me. Which is a good thing since I quite like Kingsport. It's slightly more melony and tropical though-like a sea breeze from a warm sea with delicious refreshing melons. It also has a resemblance to Dirty, thanks to the floral note I detect in the background mingling with the marine ozone.

Verdict: if you love Kingsport and are looking for a good GC alternative, then Olokun is for you. This is a bright, summery, breezy sea scent with a lot of melon thrown in for good measure. It has a very similar fruit-ozone, sweet-salty scent to Kingsport to it, there may be some floral notes as well, white and smooth, under that fresh, marine scent, and the melon note makes this scent very similar to Yemaya as well, though less sweet and melon-centred. This scent is refreshing and clean, almost effervescent and to me, this isn't the dark, unfathomable depths, but the breaking of waves and spray on a tropical beach. I don't know if I'll keep the imp since, as I said, it resembles Kingsport and Yemaya, but if I run out of the former I'll get more, this scent is another one that just screams 'summer'!

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Yemaya, Kingsport, Sea of Glass

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[edenssixthday]

Olokun is (scent-wise only) the younger and more timid brother of Cthulhu. This aquatic scent is almost exactly like Cthulhu without the strong and overbearing aspects of Cthulhu or the highly-perfumed quality that Cthulhu has. For an ocean aquatic, it’s really gorgeous. It’s still not the kind of scent I choose to wear for fragrance myself, but based on scent alone (as opposed to personal preference and wearability for me) this is a truly fantastic scent. Beth really did capture the scent of warm, tropical ocean in this blend. Although it’s not mentioned in the scent description, I can’t help but wonder if Beth didn’t throw a drop of melon in this blend because I definitely detect something very melon-like in this blend, and it gets stronger the longer it is on, reminding me more and more of Ogun, despite the fact that according to the scent descriptions, they are very, very different scents. It really is a gorgeous scent and I wish I liked wearing aquatics more because I’d probably find myself wearing it often. The level of throw is moderate to strong and the lasting power is a good 4 hours or more.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is the most beautifully, delicate aquatic...has a wonderful

sweetness to it

 

once applied this has a somewhat fruity gardenia note...quite lovely....a teeny

bit smoky

 

unfortunately, i have to slather myself in this one...the scent all but disappears

in 15 minutes...bummer...

[Voleuse]

This is a sweet and bright aquatic scent on me, the wide ocean and a stiff breeze over it. Gorgeous. Something, I think a floral, is sweetening it, but I can't discern what it is. There's the tiniest bit of ozone behind it, but not enough to make me sneeze. The blend is cool and calming, freeing.

[neuilly]

A bright aquatic with a dash of melon. I'm usually not big on the ozone/aquatic scents but I rather like this one. I'm goign to keep the imp and try it again...may be my first aquatic bottle!