Saturnalia

[WidgetAlley]

Unrestrained revelry, unchained licentiousness! Violet deepened with vetiver.

Caveat lector: I'm not keen on straight violets, usually. Vetiver is pretty iffy with me, particularly as the main component of a blend. But it was a frimp, so I am obliged-- nay, compelled-- to try it. Even if I am doing so just before a shower so I can wash it off if need be.

In the bottle: The colour's neat: it's a pleasant orangey brown, in a shade that's exactly between Highwayman and Hurricane (two other blends that contain vetiver.) Man, I don't really want to uncap this, I just know I'm going to get a snootful of pure vetiver.... oh well. Onward and upward. *sniffs*

Yep. That rotting-weed smell that I associate with vetiver, definitely. Not even a hint of violet... but Hurricane was all vetiver in the vial, too, and I ended up liking that, so I should try it, right? Right? *resolution wavers* I should hurry up and put some on before I chicken out.

Wet: Mmm, smell those weeds dusted with powder! Hmmm, now it's sweetening a bit to give a smell that isn't quite violets and isn't quite vetiver, either. It's almost fruity, in a weird kind of way. Maybe this won't be too bad after all!

Dry: Very much a second-skin smell. Could it be that some vetiver works on me, while others don't? The vetiver in Highwayman ate everything else in the blend and then turned into wet charred plants, but this.... there's a roundness to it, a slightly grassy, fuzzy quality, that I really like. I'm catching more violet now, to go along with it-- violet still reminds me of cosmetics, but the vetiver helps a lot. This is almost like Numb's Satan-worshipping older sister, or something.

Verdict: I'll have to think on it. This is actually quite nice, but I'm not sure it's something I'd wear very much-- and it's so similar to Hurricane that I probably don't need both.

Typical! I go to try something I'm sure I won't like, right before a shower, and I end up not wanting to wash it off! Edited December 18, 2005 by Shollin

[malabar]

This really didn't work on me at all. I love vetiver - Aureus and Umbra are some of my favourites - but this... no way. It smelled like something had died on me. I had to go and wash it off. I've only had to do that with one or two other scents before. I'll try it again at a different time of the month, but I don't hold out great hope for it.

Edited December 18, 2005 by malabar

[magdalene]

in the bottle: spicy violets.

 

wet on skin: this is such a clean scent, I really wasn't expecting that. It's a sweetly potted African violet, left out on the back porch during a full moon. Alone in the dark, with the stars shining.

 

dry: the greeness of this comes and goes, as vetiver tends to do with me, but the violets stay true and don't go all old lady-ish on my skin.

[theseagrows]

i get mostly violet from this, and the vetiver is very very faint in the background. violet plus an earthy/herbal scent. my skin eats it right up too.

[nekhbet]

Ooohhh.... nice!

 

In the bottle I get mostly vetiver... very strong and earthy.

 

But, once on, the violet comes sweetly out. It smells similar to a violet-flavored candy I liked as a kid. The vetiver is still there, barely.

 

As it begins to dry, the candy-sweetness of the violets fades a bit and allows the vetiver to come more to the front. It smells like lying on the damp forest floor in springtime with dozens of deep purple violets blooming near your head.

 

Later, the violet totally amps up and sweetens. Super-sweet as a matter of fact. Hmmm... I like it!

 

At the last, it fades so that the violet is no longer so sweet or strong, but soft and darkly spiced by the earthiness of the vetiver. Lovely!

[jazlyn]

I wanted to try Saturnalia because... well... I hadn't tried it and... This is a gray/brown scent to me. It's kind of bitter and woodsy (but unlike any of the woods I know--they don't smell like this) and makes me think of damp earth, rotting wood, shadows, bugs, perhaps some green grass and small wild flowers. Going to wash this off now...

Edited January 20, 2006 by jazlyn

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Violets, what else?

 

On me:

Guess what? Yup, you guessed it. Violets! Hehe this scent is extremely straight forward. It's violets. It's a powerful, heady, slightly wet violet with the tiniest twinge of vetiver.

 

Final note:

I wish I liked violets, but alas, I do not. However, I will say that for a violet scent, this is one of the nicer ones and it does come off as being something a very confident girl would wear to get the attention of some crush. It just sort of has a romantic vibe about it.

[quikslvr]

Hellooo Vetiver! While I appreciate you in small amounts, you know we're not really friends. Let's see if we can make this work. Your friend Violet over here is trying to make friends with me: why can't you be more like her? I mean, even when we get along, you're still kind of dangerous.

 

(aside, to Violet: ) He doesn't like me, I know it. I'm glad you're growing up and getting stronger than him. Maybe if you just talk to me for awhile, he'll go away. What? You like him? Oh, you guys are together? Really? Oh.

 

Oh, man. Oh. You don't need to prove to me how together you two are. Yeah, I got the idea, you don't have to go smooching on him . . . oh, keep your pants on! You too! Oh, gawd, I didn't need to see that. That's it. You're both fired, no matter how well you "balance" each other out.

 

To summarize: very well-balanced two-note blend. Unfortunately, neither note is my favorite.

[niter]

Imp

Wow. Violet and velvetier, no joke. This is mighty strong. It is extremely green too.

 

Wet

This smells very green and then very much like strong inscence. This is like using a bar of Lush's Gratuitous Violets soap (except stronger and more vivid!).

 

Dry

This is very strong and very gorgeous. It is not the type of scent I would wear outside my home as it is too bold for me. I love it like a guilty pleasure and want to make a hand cream of it to enjoy it but much lighter.

[fiddlehead]

Saturnalia

 

I don't have much to add to the other reviews, really. It's exactly as promised. Vetiver leads the charge and the violets come up behind. I didn't like it, then I began to like it because the vetiver gives the violets a bit of grounding. However, it was completely gone in 2 hours.

[squalorholla]

I didn't even bother trying this one out for the longest time; I got it as a free imp and it succeeded in perfuming the whole shipment with the odor of, as my husband put it, "OLD LADIES!" Nothing against old ladies, of course, but I always think of violet as being an elderly scent, and indeed the violets came barrelling out of the imp like some demented geriatric genie. Initially the vetiver imbues it with an almost rotting quality -- this is like a perfume that one of the women from "Grey Gardens" would wear.

 

Finally I got bored and tried it on, and it turned into something quite interesting. The violets come and go, as violets do, and the vetiver gets stronger. It brings an almost citrus note to the party, but not a fresh citrus -- it's a deep, oily, twiggy citrus that I feel more in the palate than the nose. The whole scent is deeply weird and very dark, but it's not corrupted dark -- there's a cleanness to it. On me, it hung around forever and was very strong.

 

Saturnalia is strange, and it's totally not me, but I imagine it would be just gorgeous on the right person.

[PurringPulsar]

Saturnalia

 

In the imp: holy moly, that is strong, strong vetiver! No violet here yet.

Wet on skin: now the violet starts to show it's face, but still with that all powerful vetiver trying to stop it from doing so.

Dry on skin: hmm, intriguing. This is a strange yet interesting mix of two contrasting notes-light, dainty, powdery violet, pale and delicate, matched up with potent, gritty, earthy, ashy and very dark vetiver. The effect brings to mind the image of a light frost upon dark soil and wood chips. It's a solemn, austere scent, a mixture of light and dark, delicate versus intense.

After a while: the violet tries it's best to soften the powerful vetiver, tries to calm it down…and it seems to have done the trick. The vetiver is still strong, of course, but violet has tamed it and brought out it's smoky, incense like aspects-yup, I get a hint of fragrant smoke and ash here, almost like incense, and a sweet, almost decayed scent reminiscent of wood chip soil. I think the notes are balanced nicely now.

Verdict: if anything, this scent excellently evokes aspects of Saturn-it's austere, restricted, cold and harsh, but also down to earth and deep, and stable. The dominant note is a powerful vetiver note-a vetiver with smouldering, ashy, almost incense like tones-in colour terms it is deep red-brown as opposed to green-yellow like lighter vetivers, and indeed it's very strong on my skin and lasts for ages, but I don't mind it. In here it feels appropriate. The violet tempers it nicely and at times seems balanced with it, but this light, delicate, dusty floral doesn't overwhelm-this blend is still all about the vetiver. It's not something I would wear-this seems more suited to an older man, but this seemingly simple combination of notes is very evocative of Saturn and his astrological and mythical attributes-another example that shows Beth's grasp of scent's esoteric aspects.

[feline.by.design]

My initial experience with Saturnalia can be summed up as follows:

 

"Violet? Where?"

 

I smell vetiver, yes, but this is heavier than incarnaitons. I think my imp may be a little older, but I'm not so sure, as the vetiver has a nuttier smell, like my bottle of Hurricane which had aged to smell a bit nuttier, but still good. Saturnalia smells similar, too similar, to really warrent another foray with this much vetiver. I'm not especially impressed with the woodsy fragrance of the vetiver.

 

It's weird, as I'm a fan of vetiver so long as it's mixed in with other notes to amp of the lushness of a scent. This, though, does not tickle my pickle.

 

Edited to add that the violet finally showed herself about ten minutes into the wear of this fragrance. The woodsier vetiver backed down a bit, but it's still a very "wet" fragrance. Although it smells nicer, Saturnalia is still not a favourite. Interesting, but not a favourite. Sorry.

 

-doreen

Edited April 10, 2006 by feline.by.design

[mermaidrage]

Oh, Saturnalia. I want to like you. I really do. I love violets. I want to find a violet that will work on me. The idea of a deeper, darker violet is SO encouraging. And I promise I will try you again another time.

 

But, oh first sniff all I can think if "HOLY FUCK WHAT DIED IN MY IMP"?!?!?

[Zeljana]

This is a screaming scent! Wild vetiver, poor violets drowning in the background. Vetiver killed the violets completely! All I can smell is vetiver and dirt, where violets used to grow.

 

But I like it! It smells fresh, like dewy grass in the middle of a cool night.

 

This is a scent not to wear, but to admire from the distance.

[juniperus]

Bottle: holy vetiver, Batman!

Wet: still all vetiver, all the time

Dry: the vetiver is still very strong, the violet a tiny presence behind it.

Later: cripes, the vetiver is totally insane. I can still barely detect the violet. Argh.

[themerrybaker]

Saturnalia and I have a love-hate relationship. I'd hoped for more violet, but love hot acrid weedsmell, too. This a very non-perfumey, don't mess with me tough gal scent for me.

 

 

 

It smells sweaty and dirty and makes me want to have hairy armpits and make guys kiss them.

[Ryvre]

Yup, Saturnalia is definitely violet and vetiver. Mostly vetiver in the imp, and the violet comes out more on my skin. Unfortunately, neither of those are scents I like. It smells like evil potpourri.

[Athena's Owl]

I had this on my wishlist, and it was frimped to me with my Premature Burial order.

 

I opened it, I sniffed it, and thought, "that's the strangest thing I've ever smelled." and promptly put it on.

 

I then spent the next hour saying to myself, "I don't think I like this," while compulsively sniffing my wrist. All I could smell was vetiver. that's it. all vetiver, all the time. violet? where?

 

when I woke up the next morning, I reached for SAturnalia and put it on. and then thought, "why did I do that? I don't like it."

 

I had it on my neck, and I was wearing a turtleneck sweater. I kept pulling the collar up over my nose and taking a deep breath snootful of vetiver. because of course, the violets were nowhere to be found. vetiver, and that's it. and I dont' like the way it smells.

 

Honest. I don't. I did not just sniff my wrist just now and feel this utter wave of relaxation rush over me. you've got me confused with someone else.

 

a week later, I put on a different perfume and immediately identified the vetiver. I'm obsessed with vetiver. enchanted by it - in the old sense. I don't expect anyone to understand this irrational desire to staple my wrist to my nose when I'm wearing saturnalia because I don't like the smell.

 

*sniff*

 

ahhhhh.

[ajcj213499]

I like violets, so I thought I would give Saturnalia a try. Unfortunately the vetiver completely overpowered the blend for me.

[gwyllgi]

I like violets, I like vetiver, but something about this blend... well. My original notes were that it came out smelling like sweaty leather. Trying it again, I've got nothing to change that impression.

 

Of course, I like the smell of sweaty leather. It's hot in all the right ways and makes me want to do things not able to be spoken of in mixed company. I just don't want to smell like sweaty leather myself, because the smell of sweaty leather on myself is inextricably linked with horseback riding - hardly something terribly sexy.

 

On myself, it leaves me nostalgic and wishing I could afford to board a horse somewhere. On someone else, it makes me want to strip them. With my teeth.

 

It's perhaps not something I necessarily need to get a large bottle of, but I'm definitely holding on to this imp. Heh.

[falcon in the dive]

In the bottle: It's a lot sharper than I'd imagine it to be. I have my own image of saturnalia. This is more the knife that cuts the sacrificial king and the moment when he is slain than the festival leading up for it.

 

Wet: vetiver, on me, is the love child of sandpaper and pinesol, the violet is a nice undercurrent, but the vetiver is amped up too much to enjoy the scent. It almost makes my stomach turn.

 

Dry: The vetiver calms down... a little. It's still really strong

 

Overall: I wanted more from this. I'm a little afraid the vetiver in highwayman will warp like this. Ah well. It was worth a try.

[urbanruralferal]

Hmm, well, I was really excited about trying this, as I am working my way down the list of scents with vetiver... plus intrigued to smell violet again. I'm on a definite learning curve here.

So, got this today and put it on right away.

the violet and vetiver were on an equal footing when wet, but as it dried down, the violet took over and it was cloying.

I thought of a manipulative woman, all sweet, with dark intentions.

The vetiver never faded out of the picture, but I lost interest. I can't stand it when women bat their eyelashes at me.

Many hours later, I am left with nothing but a faint, slightly more femme version of Bluebeard on my wrist. Same combo, go figure. deodorant-y.

 

I'm gonna swap it.

[dtp]

I really cannot for the life of me decide if I love this blend or hate it. It's certainly one or the other--it's loud and potent and screams to be heard. I've tried it about four times--twice, I've run to the bathroom to wash it off because it smells like a corpse stuffed with Parma Violets, and twice I've been compulsively sniffing my wrists and the open imp because I can't get enough of it.

 

In the bottle: Vetiver is pretty much all I can smell. It's smoky and earthy and musty--it makes me think of dark and haunted houses. It's spooky and mysterious and very, very strong.

 

Wet: More balanced. This is smoky and damp, with an edge of violets.

 

Dry: I can smell the violet come out, pushing the vetiver into the background, and so the fragrance is a lot subtler than when wet. It's got amazing throw--the whole room is permeated by the scent!

 

Later: Sugary, musty violets. The scent is very sweet--my skin seems to make any blend sweet over time, though. There's a definite edge to the scent still, and the throw and the staying power is amazing.

 

I think I prefer it in the imp, but I'm not certain. There's no rhyme or reason to days when I love it and days when I hate it, either. I'll be keeping this until I figure it out... and if I get through the imp before then, I'll just have to buy a new one! It's too 'touch and go' for me to invest in a bottle, though, even for the days where I adore it.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

vetiver, and maybe some violet….

 

overall:

I got it on my fingers and all I can smell is vetiver, and I can't stand it! Didn't try it on. (it may be the violets too as i'm not having good experiences with them either...)

 

rating: 2/10