Carceri d'Invenzione

[Hayet]

Redwood, red sandalwood, black pepper, blonde tobacco and frankincense.

As a frankincense and sandalwood lover...OMg this is to DIE for. So smooth and sexy, all the good qualities of the wood without the stinging dryness in some blends. I just sit here sniffing and sniffing. So beautiful.

[hkhm]

imp: tobacco and rich, creamy sandalwood.

 

wet: sandalwood with tobacco and frankincense. this is very creamy, not a hint of the pepper to my nose.

 

dry: sandalwood and frankincense mixed. this is creamy and heady and still pretty strong.

[septima_pica]

Haha, I knew I'd like this one. I wish there was a tiny bit more tobacco in here, but it's a really nice, solemn, sweet, dry incense scent. Can hardly detect the black pepper, but I think I can smell it in there somewhere. A few minutes later, the tobacco comes out more -- the same pipe tobacco smell from Perversion -- and now this is closer to what I was hoping for.

 

This is in the family of Sri Lanka, Magus, and Kathmandu, but doesn't (thank goodness!) have galangal in it, and the tobacco makes it sweeter. I'll have to see how much I use this before I decide whether to buy a bottle.

[GingerGunlock]

This is rather sweet, but peppery, when I wear it, and the frankincense really stands out. This is the only scent that I have that has frankincense without its buddy myrrh in it, and frankincense dries down into an almost salty scent on me, which I really enjoy as it reminds me of the beach and the ocean.

 

Which isn't to say that Carceri smells like salt and pepper shakers on me, as that would be a bit dismaying. It's definitely a winner.

[agnusdei]

I was hoping Carceri d'Invenzione wouldn't be too sharp or 'masculine'; I love every note listed but the boy wears all the woodsy blends as I am way too much of a frou frou girly ladypants to suit them usually. Thankfully, Carceri does wonderful things on my skin - I wouldn't call it traditionally feminine, but it has a quality to it that's very soft and gentle. It's easy for me to feel comfortable wearing it.

 

I get the same lovely, rich scent of redwood bark from Carceri as I remember from when I would go to the redwood forests near my home when I was younger, it's a grounded and inviting base for the other notes to build on. There's a glowing smoky sweetness winding through the trees from the tobacco, and the sandalwood adds it's own version of sweet creaminess to the blend. The frankincense is deep and resinous without being heavy, it has that sparkling, 'cola' quality which intensifies over the hours of wear. I can sense the pepper as well, it mixes fabulously with the frankincense to throw a sprinkle of spice into the mix.

 

Overall a very warm, slightly spicy blend of woods and resin that I can't help but think is 'just right'.

[Apple]

I'm finding this really hard to describe, actually. Sophisticatedly bubblegummy? The scent of well-manicured couch leather in the home of 10,000 young girls? Hawaiian punch spilled in a beautiful redwood tobacco box?

 

For me, it's more like Hawaiian Punch with a dash of black pepper, and it isn't a very pretty combination. Although I can smell the woods in the imp, they disappear on my skin and all I get is a strange, sweet fruity-ness. Not what I was expecting at all, and not a pleasant surprise, either.

[maribouquet]

I like the spicy pepper note, but the overall combination smells dirty on, and not in a good way.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: This is yummy in the bottle, rich, woody, resiny. The effect is of tobacco and incense, some Hermetic’s private laboratory or study. Studious and reverent, yet vaguely naughty. Wet: It is less elevated on my skin, though the tobacco and frankincense do lovely things with my natural scent. The redwood and sandalwood give a hint of dryness: old tomes infused with ancient incense. The pepper is understated, but present. Dry: Mostly sandalwood and frankincense, with the other elements soft in the background. Pleasant enough overall, but not as much throw as I’d have liked.

[inurbanus]

Mmm...this is a surprisingly sweet resin blend. It's more polished than I was expecting, and actually is what I was hoping The Antikythera Mechanism would smell like. The vibe I'm getting from this is "sexy librarian" -- while this is sophisticated, it's also sensual.

 

The sandalwood note in this is really gorgeous -- I like sandalwood, but it usually has a rough, dry quality. Not so in this one -- it's smooth and rich. The tobacco is non-existent and the pepper is very faint. This is a very lovely scent. It's a hard one to review because it's very unique. It's almost too rich to wear as an everyday blend, but I can't stop sniffing myself.

 

4.5/5

[Stephanie]

Yes, this is sweet resins and woods.

 

Very sophisticated...yet still "pretty". I definitely can sense the red sandalwood in this. Not so much the black pepper. Very nicely done and it melds beautifully on the skin. When this was new, it seemed a little harsh. But now it has grown into itself and become drop-dead gorgeous!

Edited July 29, 2008 by Stephanie

[greenranger]

Resin, wood, and pepper. It started off fairly spicy, and I looked for cinnamon on the list because that's what I thought I was smelling at first.

 

It sweetens up and the peppery spicyness steps back in a few minutes. I'm not finding the tobacco yet, but, I am liking the scent very much.

 

As soon as my budget recovers from the last splurge, I may get a bottle of this one.

[Miss Lynx]

This scent sounded quite appealling, but somewhat at risk of turning out to be a generic incense scent -- I like scents based on sandalwood, frankincense, etc., but have a fair number already, and at a certain point each new one is just mpt that distinctive.

 

When first applied, though, my initial impression was that it was very strongly a men's scent. It had a very men's-cologne feel to it. A really nice men's scent, but still a men's scent.

 

However, once it had settled in for a while, that feeling faded a bit and it began to smell more like just a really nice, warm, deep, slightly sweet incensey scent -- a little like Fenris Wolf, a little more like Schwarzer Mond. Seriously, anyone who's hooked on Schwarzer Mond and having trouble finding it (not so likely now that it's had a second run, but you never know) should definitely check out this one.

 

So, definitely an incense scent, but not all that generic -- however, given that I have half a bottle of the first Schwarzer Mond and a full bottle coming of the 2008 version, I probably don't need this one. It's good stuff, just not sufficiently different from the good stuff I already have.

 

Grade: B+/A-

[taramarie]

On me, Carceri d'Invenzione is just redwood and sandalwood. It's nice but not me.

[zankoku_zen]

This is redwood and sandalwood, with incense thrown in. It's a sweet incensey blend. It's good, but I'm not crazy about incense blends to begin with.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Dry woods and pepper.

 

Immediately on skin: This blend is very dry and spicy. I can smell the woods and pepper, and a touch of warmth from the sandalwood.

 

After a few minutes: Sweet, sweet, sweet. Darn, this is surprising! The frankincense has come out and mixed with the sandalwood to create a very bright scent. The redwood and black pepper are there too, but they’re adding a dry spiciness. It’s a surprisingly cheerful sweet and spicy scent.

 

Overall Impressions: If you’re expecting this blend to be woody and dry, think again… it is a very spicy and wood laden but sweet scent. The spiciness of it is really nice… there’s the deep, warm sandalwood accented by the sharp spiciness of the pepper which I can almost feel in my nose. I really enjoy sniffing this, but I don’t know if I’d want to smell like it.

[crebbsgirl]

Sweet musk is a very apt description here. This was a smooth woodsy blend. The redwood and the red sandalwood were blended pretty seamlessly here. For some reason red sandalwood tends to go a little off on my skin but that didn't happen in this case. The black pepper was very faint, and the tobacco lend a smooth sweet vibe. This was dapper and sophisticated. The frankincense was quite light in the background. This was like Schwarzer Mond's polished older brother. Yum!

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Man, it takes a LONG time for this blend to reach it's amazing stage. When I first put it on it was too cloying, and SLOWLY the sweetness started to burn off until twenty minutes later I was left with an amazing warm, woods with pepper and incense scent. That's usually my thing and while this is nice, it's not knocking my socks off, either.

[simpsonmeredith]

In decant: sharp and very sweet frankincense

Wet: Dry, sweet and spicy, cinnamon and pepper together. Sandlewood is definitely a player.

Dry: The cinnamon just starts to fade and it's becoming less sweet. Not getting any tobacco. (I'm not familiar with blonde tobacco so maybe I'm missing it.) This is much softer than I expected.

 

2 hours later: This is a powdery, sweetened incense on me, not in a bad way. It's much girlier on me than I had thought possible.

 

 

 

[oakmoss]

I hadn't worn this in a long time and dabbed some on as I went to bed. Lying there reading and huffing my wrist, I could not identify the notes other than perhaps something like red currant to give it that juicy note others have mentioned -- I actually had to get out of bed and get my perfume book to check out the notes. For notes that sound so dry when listed, this is a deliciously succulent blend, and one that is going to the top of my rotation list again.

[CreamyJade]

In the decant: Sandalwood, resins, redwood.

Wet on skin: Sandalwood, redwood, sweet resins.

Dry on skin: The same woods & resins, but with added sweetness and spice (I bet that's the pepper). So complex and sophisticated!

Final thoughts: If And there was a Great cry in Egypt was my first & only love from The Salon for a long while, this one is now the sexy temptress who's trying to steer me away from it. After going through two decants of the stuff, I think it's time for a big bottle! I'm really crazy about it!

[SophieCedar]

On me, it has a sweetness to it, however given time on the skin the tobacco does appear and the wood holds everything in place. I usually don't like black pepper unless it's paired with vanilla or tonka however the blonde tobacco and sandalwood work as a pretty good team! I really don't pick up any frankincense. Oh well.

 

I think this would be a lovely men's scent (I imagine..my sweetheart won't play guinea pig. I have to literally sneak up on him and slash him with the wand!) However it can easily be a unisex "come hither" for any woman aspiring to test her panther skills for the evening.. This is undeniably sexy.

 

 

[amritchie]

Imp - Very woody, with the black pepper adding a little spiciness. I get the tobacco as well, all mixing together. It's a very masculine scent, I think - makes me think of my dad, which is quite comforting. It's a little sweet, in a very natural way.

 

Wet - The tobacco starts coming through strongly. No surprise, since tobacco always seems to be strong on my skin. The wood notes are just about still there, now very dry. There's a hint of frankincense, but not much.

 

Dry - it fades to a very faint tobacco. There's not much throw.

 

This was gorgeous in the imp, and I'm disappointed that on my skin the tobacco overpowers the wood and pepper notes. It's quite masculine, I think, but still soft and sweet enough for a woman to wear. For me it's a comforting, quite fatherly smell, but I can see how it could also be quite sexy.

[ralenth]

Wet: It reminds me a bit of Smut. Lush, juicy musk with a slight tinge of grape.

 

Drydown: Gorgeous, warm, swirling scent, the grapiness has gone (unlike with Smut). It's red musk and cozy woods. So pretty!

 

Dry: And it's nearly gone within 30 minutes. It remains a faint, sweet, wooden presence, but I have to press my nose to my skin to catch it.

 

Overall: Very nice. I wish it was a little stronger on my skin. If it was, I could see it being a regular in my rotation.

[Vega]

I absolutely adore G. B. Piranesi's Carceri -- I own a folio-sized artbook of the entire collection. So of course I had to try this blend!

 

Sniffed: Woody, gentle, smooth, warm, very slightly gritty and smoky-spicy.

 

On skin: Mm-mmmm! Delicious, well-blended woods/incense/spice. Carceri d'Invenzione is sweet, rich, full-bodied woods and frankincense injected with the perfect amount of light, sharp pepper and gritty tobacco to make an interesting edge. Smooth and light, with a strong presence, and not dark at all. Colour impression is dark red-brown with a golden sheen.

 

Verdict: Beth's interpretation of the Carceri is very different from mine -- I would think the Prisons would be dark, dry, gritty, smoky and shadowed. But this doesn't stop me from loving this blend, which is incredibly beautiful in its simplicity. I don't think I'll go for a bottle, but I'm keeping my decant!

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: I get a smorgasbord of woods in the vial. There is only a hint of frankincense, and a small amount of pepper - nothing that would make you sneeze.

 

On: Spicy woods, and something that almost smells fruity. The scent feels a bit flat to me.

 

Later: Just a slight hint of spices is left. I don't think this is for me.