Satan And Death With Sin Intervening

[filigree_shadow]

 

Satan and Death with Sin Intervening, John Henry Fuseli.

Opoponax, benzoin, orange blossom, mahogany, karakarounde, white tea and vetiver.

 

In the bottle: Orange blossom.

 

Initially: Orange and tea.

 

When drying: The initial blast of orange blossom fades out to just a vaguely sweet aura, and it starts to smell deeper and richer.

 

When dry: It smells exotic, dry, and rather dark. Not heavily dark, liltingly dark. I had some incense that smelled a bit like this. On me the throw is not very strong at all, but that's what I expected from a blend with opoponax and vetiver in it.

 

OK, to be honest, I don't know what mahogany smells like, and I had to look up karakarounde because I'd never heard of it before. (Apparently it's supposed to smell similar to jasmine... but I can't smell anything like jasmine here.) But I'm not having a lot of luck picking out individual notes anyway because it smells complex. Also, it wears very close to the skin, and I'm glad because it's exactly the sort of scent that would make people want to lean in a little. It's enticing.

 

edited to add image - clover

[aedes]

I'm so excited about this one. I have an unhealthy addiction to opoponax, so this was first on my list. And I have not been disappointed one bit. It's a bit of a shape-shifter, this one. At first, it had a bit of that dark and light juxtaposition I've found in some of the lab's more masculine blends. Black, but shining and slightly cruel. But what I think is the orange blossom, surprisingly enough, makes its way slowly towards center stage, lush and pale and sweet, against a profoundly dark backdrop. Surprising! Beautiful!

[themerrybaker]

Satan is so hot!

 

Although I am ass-deep in the Lab's tea blends, this is the pearl of the collection. Satan (or maybe it's the Sin) strikes a perfect balance between the tea tartness, the vetiver depth, and the incense/floral "perfuminess" that make something a wearable as opposed to a room scent/lotion. Definitely worth the gamble and the extra $$.

[parrot_suspect]

Masculine and dark. I'm finding that my skin really amps up vetiver, and that comes across as a masculine note on me. The opoponax and mahogany give this scent incredible depth and a dark, almost mournful feel. I say "almost" because the brightness of the orange blossom and tea notes help balance the blend and keep it from being all doom and gloom. Still, this is not what I'd call a cheerful or upbeat blend...it is deep, dark and thoughtful, almost religious. (I know that sounds odd, but I don't know how else to describe it). I keep thinking of candles burning in a darkened church with incense wafting around the wood pews and a basket of oranges as an offering on the altar.

[lysithea]

Wet, the orange blossom is apparent. I was so worried about it because this note has a history of turning really foul on my skin. In this blends, however, it was wonderfully grounded. With the sweetness of benzion, the orange really gave my nose a treat. As this dried, I got a nice mellow scent, almost mournful, with decent throw. Some part of it did amp up on my as the day wore on. I'm pretty sure that was the white tea. My nose wasn't quite sophistocated enough to pick out the more exotic ingredients. Surprisingly, the vetiver lent a understated smoky feel that I actually enjoyed.

 

I continue testing the Salon scents and as always, continue to be blown away by the complex art in what Beth has given us with this new category.

[quikslvr]

Mahogany/benzoin depth at first, a touch on the masculine end. Gets deeper and more masculine as it dries. I don't catch the tea and vetiver much, but it seems heavy on the mahogany and benzoin, with just a touch of the orange blossom. The opoponax and karakarounde may be noticeable, but I wouldn't recognize them. I do catch something powerful that I can't really place, so I suspect it's one of those two. I'm finding this pretty steady--not really a morpher on me. Ends spicy, dark, and masculine.

[Tesseljoan]

On me, this scent is definitely on the gingery tea side of things - I thought of Kumiho when I first applied it. When it's dry, I get mor eorange blossom adn sweet benzoin. Vetiver is in the background, but I notice it (in a positive way). It's a little sweet, a little powdery, a little masculine, and all in the good quantities. I'll have to give this some proper wear, but it is one of my favourites so far.

Edited July 22, 2006 by Tesseljoan

[Lycanthrope]

Wet, this is a bright tea note. It's slightly watery and citrussy, and then I get a hint of benzoin, sweet resins. The tea's acrid note then rises again to the forefront. Underneath it all there is a bit of smokiness, a darkness. Must be the vetiver. It's not too prominent, however.

 

Over time, it stays tea-bright. Interesting and sharp, but it's not playing quite so well on my skin after a touch of time.

[Little Bird]

I think that it's benzoin that always smells like very powdery amber on me. In the bottle this is a sharp orange blossom note smothered in a powdery amber-like fragrance. I do not like. Unfortunately, it smells the same on my skin.

 

In the drydown... sharp orange blossom, powder, and something that smells sickeningly like burnt rubber on me

 

I had to wash this one off after a half hour. It was way too sharp on me.

[flyingpizza]

Aw, bummer.

 

This was definately the Salon I was the most excited to try. In the vial, it was lovely, tart citrus and orange blossom. On drydown it was simultaneously sexy and fresh and the tea and woody smells came out. Then...

 

RED HOTS.

 

It just smelled like Red Hots or cinnamon Jolly Ranchers, and my love affair was over. Bummer.

 

But hey, at least it wore off almost immediately.

 

Wah.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is orange tea...

 

once applied i still get the orange tea but within 5 minutes something

turns this into an almost soury blend; and something

burning(??)...definitely not something i can

wear and love so off to a better home this goes

[jj_j]

Heavy on the ginger when I first put this on my skin, Satan and Death With Sin Intervening does a quick morph into a minty tea scent. Light, fresh, and lovely, it doesn't seem to match the scent description to me, but it's good in an unexpected way.

 

There doesn't seem to be a lot of shift on my skin, which is a rarity with my skin chemistry. I never smell the vetiver, which usually takes off on me, so I'm guessing it's the tiniest bit.

 

Final result is rich mahogany, white tea, and a hint of orange blossom. Warm wood, cool citrus tea, and just a bit of whiteness from the orange blossom to pull it all together (which is pretty amazing, considering these are such different scents - I expected them to be more contradictory).

 

Nice - very rich and warm without being heavy - but probably not something I'll purchase.

[PurringPulsar]

Satan and Death with Sin Intervening

 

In the imp: tea! And orange blossom. A bright, fresh, tangy scent almost like Tweedledee, but a tad darker…hehehe, evil Tweedledee.

Wet on skin: sharp white tea and orange blossom, a bright, effervescent scent. I get a hint of resin at the back.

Dry on skin: very nice! I get an interesting scent which is a mix of fizzy lightness and sweeter, smokier darkness. The tea and orange blossom on the top and nice and tart, but underneath I get a lovely smoky scent of vetiver smoothed out by the sweet, dark resins of opopanax and benzoin-they lessen the impact of the vetiver, I think. I get a dark woody scent, probably mahogany. This is a very intriguing scent.

After a while: the tea/orange blossom still hangs around on top, very nicely balanced with the dark, sweet resins underneath. I love those resins. deep, sticky, incense like. I can't really make out the mahogany or the karokarounde (I wouldn't even know what it smells like though-I'm guessing it adds to the lighter floral-tea scent though.)

The drydown is less tea, more resinous vetiver, and it's lovely.

Verdict: this is what happens when Tweedledee traverses to the dark side. It has a bright, sprightly mix of tea and orange blossom which also reminds me of 13, but with a much deeper, sinister but ever so delicious scent of resins, vetiver and wood lies underneath-not taking over the tea, but enhancing it, making a lovely contrasting layered scent. The vetiver is also very nice-not overpowering, it leaves that lovely green-yellow dirty scent upon drydown mingling so nicely with sweet deep resins with the tea always adding that lighter tang. This is my favourite of the darker, more gender neutral Salons so far, not sure if I need a bottle yet but I might consider it. A keeper!

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Tweedledee, 13

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[herbhealer]

This is my favorite of the Salons and my favorite BPAL scent so far! This is a fascinating mix of resinous, bright and floral/spicy notes. I don't get solemn darkness or anything somber, but it is a well-gounded scent with a nice balance of "flavors". This could be an exotic liqueur you've never heard of, or an incense with orange peel burning in the background while you dance happily in celebration. Though orange peel is not listed here, there is a definite citrus something in the mix. On me this is very rich and feminine, I'm definitely buying a bottle. Yes, I'm talking about "Satan & Death with Sin Intervening".

Edited July 30, 2006 by herbhealer

[sarada]

Upon first sniff I thought I smelled something citrusy over resins, and figured this must have been the one with lemongrass in it. But no, none of the ingredients in this match what I am smelling! Assuming my sample is labelled right I just have to wait to see how it develops.

 

It's actually beginning to make sense as it dries on me. The citrusy scent is tea, now that I think about it -- one of the pale teas like in Dormouse or Spirits of the Dead. It takes a bit of a golden-orange glow from orange blossom, but beneath this spike of sharp, bright scent is a warm valley of spicy resins.

 

It really smells a bit like Sheol to me as it dries. It has the same dignity and calm, and a very similar resiny drydown. I couldn't figure out what this one would smell like based on the description and I'm surprised and somewhat delighted. I don't think I need more than a sample of this to wrap my head around it but so far all of the Salon scents are fantastic, regal, refined and beautiful.

 

Later: Several hours later the Sheol similarities have faded and the vetiver is coming out a bit. It reminds me of the non-leathery part of Two Monsters now! At least the woody/vetiver part of it with that spicy resin undercurrent. Mmm mmm.

Edited July 31, 2006 by sarada

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Evil Orange Spice tea.

 

Pre-review thoughts: I'm really not sure what to expect with this one.

 

In the imp: Orange blossom, benzoin and white tea.

 

On skin, wet: Orange blossom, benzion, white tea and mahogany. Mahogany is a veru unique note, and very pleasant.

 

On skin, dry: Dry, it's a smooth, citrusy spiced tea with something dark far below the surface. The only thing I don't like about this is the bitter edge to said dark something-or-other. That edge, I'm supposing, is the vetiver, which has the habit of being very dark and bitter on my skin.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I'm not sure about S&D yet. On the one hand, it reminds me of Sol, but darker and spicier. On the other, the vetiver! Hmm. I'll have to give this one some thought.

[cranberry]

The first thing I smell is orange blossom and surprisingly enough, orange. Something tangy and fruity. I didn’t think there was orange in here so it must be some of the other ingredients that I don’t recognize (there a slew of them).

 

After it’s been on a minute or two, there’s something almost doughy in here. So now it’s orange blossom, orange, and raw dough. It smells like raw flour and eggs mainly.

 

Now the benzoin comes out. There’s still elements of fruit and flower. The dough element is almost gone by now, but not quite.

 

After it’s been on for a while, it’s a warm, resinous scent. I like this scent at this stage. Wow, this is wonderful. Warm, resinous, slightly spicy, slightly sweet.

 

Overall, this was an interesting scent. The dough scent was fleeting but it sure was a strange 20-30 minutes while it was present. The ending is wonderful, but maybe not enough to get past the beginning.

[czuba]

In Vial: Not much scent coming out of the vial, but what I do get is "green" florals (the tea, I think) and a little something sweet. Tried warming it in my hands and trying again -- still not much.

 

 

On Skin, Wet: Not much throw. Faint woods and incense smell that is a little sweet

 

On Skin, Dry: Throw improves as it warms on my skin. The scent really clings to my skin. Nice...Vetiver appear and later a bit of vanilla.

 

Quite pleased with it.

[teaketcha]

Ive been looking forward to this blend since it has opoponax in it and I once read that Angelica Houston loves opoponax and I guess that parallel enticed me.

 

It smells vaguely like orangy tea with a teensy bit of peppery-ness to it. It seems to mesh very well with my skin and stays close and lovely. I imagine that it is going to fade before too long but I really like this.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

The Good News:

 

This is one of the most beautiful scents I've ever worn. And it has a terrific throw and lasts a LONG tim. While most BPAL's last only an hour... this one stayed with me.

 

The "Bad" News:

 

This is one of the most MASCULINE blends I"ve ever worn. When the occassion suits, I actually like traditionally masculine blends and rarely take issue with wearing them. Satan and Death, however, forced me to meditate for a very long time on whether I'd feel comfortable in it.

 

I am still totally split on whether to order a bottle or not. Shame I haven't a beau to buy this for

Edited August 8, 2006 by Heavenlyrabbit

[BrightRedScream]

Another decant from the fablous SevenSins

 

In the imp: Wow - hello orange blossom and white tea! Vetiver is there as well - and it's making that orange blossom have some kick.

 

Wet on the skin: Pure citrus..I'm only getting the orange blossom and the vetiver. Maybe with a BIT of mahogany underneath it.

 

Dry down: As this dries down - the white tea and mahogany comes out a bit more..but the orange blossom, is really dominating it on my skin.

 

I'm really unsure about this..mainly because citrus like this isn't something that I would want to wear - it reminds of a citronella candle or something. But the white tea DOES tone it down...

I think I may have to let someone else have this.

Edited August 10, 2006 by BrightRedScream

[theshapeshifter]

Oh, I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, my skin decided to amp the hell out of the citrus and mahogany, so alas, it turned into something more like "furniture polish with wood intervening". Which surprised me, because I'm not one of those people who usually gets the 'lemon-Pledge' thing from citrus. *scratches head*

[Meg]

In the bottle: Orange blossom, tea and resins. Hmm!

 

Wet: A very waxy musky resin scent with orange blossom.

 

Drydown: It's a sensual resin, I think it's opoponax and benzoin, and then it becomes spicy and rather invasive. It gets hotter and hotter, all I end up smelling the the oppoponax/benzoin mix, none of the other notes get a chance of coming through, except perhaps the mahogany as a woody base.

 

Overall: To me it's rather a masculine resin scent, it's sensual, rich and spicy, a bit sexual even, but it's not something that I can see myself wearing. I'm really disappointed that my skin didn't bring out any of the other notes, too.

[cuervosueno]

I bought a decanted imp of this, got on my way to my boxing class, and put it on right then, not knowing whatt any of the notes were.

 

I loved it! It was a strong citrus on me, and yes, it reminded me of Tweedledee (or is it Tweedledum? the one with kumquats....) It is very fruity and rich, with a nice wood note under the fruitiness that grounds it.

 

After a few hours, I smelled something very like amber, and I kept trying to remember if there was amber in it or not.

 

Apparently not. But as others have noted, the fruity note seems to be a mixture of the white tea and the orangeblossom. I'm not sure where the amber-ish note is coming from.

 

In any case, I thought I would love this from the descrip., and I really really do. Too bad I have to be content with just an imp for now.

 

eta: how odd. I never wore it again, then decided to swap it, so before I did I tried it once more. Very Very different.

 

Now it smells like citrus right off....though more lemony than orange. After a few minutes I get strong orange blossom (a la Vixen) and then.....yikes! It has a sort of cat pee note like some of TALs. Something went horribly wrong.....well, glad I'm swapping it.

Edited January 8, 2007 by cuervosueno

[edenssixthday]

Satan & Death With Sin Intervening - The very first note I smell is white tea mixed with something that I am not familiar with and which, based on the ingredient list, is karakarounde, considering I've never even heard of it. This scent is followed almost immediately by the smell of deep, red woods and the dark huskiness of vetiver. About one hour after I applied this oil, it became very sweet in a way that reminds me a lot of honey and wood, which I'm guessing is the benzoin note starting to come to the forefront. I'm surprised that the orange blossom in this blend doesn't turn powdery as it usually does on me. Overall, it's a strange scent and not one I'd find myself drawn to as it contains too many notes that I don't normally care for in a personal fragrance. The throw is pretty light as is the staying power. It was completely gone by the 2 hour point.