Danse Macabre

[fairywingmaker]

An allegorical expression of the ineffable, indisputable triumph of death, generally expressed in medieval artwork as a violin or flute-wielding skeleton leading a procession of dancers to their graves. Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut.

This is such an unusual scent. Woodsy, mossy, with just a hint of spice to it. It's one that I think will smell so yummy on my husband. Just a little too masculine for me. Edited September 12, 2007 by quantum spice

[byrdie]

Bottle ~ Pine. I think. Something sharp and green.

 

Wet ~ aaauuugh! My nose! My nose! ack. Um, Brut, maybe? Some men's cologne or aftershave -- one of the ones my dad used to wear. woofah. I'm guessing there's a musk in here. Or perhaps the entire musk ox. Who knew?

 

Drying ~ Still holding at Brut status.

 

Drydown ~ Ah, we have now come to the much anticipated "fading Brut" stage.

 

How dry I am, already ~ Et tu, Brute? This isn't changing, and it's certainly not getting any better.

 

Afterthoughts ~ blargh. Either this is a bad cologne smell, a bad pipe tobacco smell, or my personal chemistry is off today. Whichever, I'm not going to bed smelling like this. I would have been happier with just the pine. bleah.

[closedacct]

I think that if my body would let that sliver of hazelnut come out and play, I could wear this. But, It won't. What I wind up with is just way too sharp and masculine.

 

 

I can't stop wanting it to work... I think I may keep this a while longer...you know, give it a fair shot.

[Shimmershadow]

In the bottle: Musky, tart, very masculine. I get a sniff of burned tire for some reason. Some kind of pine in there, too.

 

On me: Softens up slightly, but only slightly. Still that burned pine smell, but now a more incensy note comes through. Smells a bit chemical to my nose.

 

And so... Not crazy about it, although I am keeping it in mind to use as a sort of mood-setter room scent for when I'm feeling particularly mad scientist.

[pekeana]

Hmm... in the vial, Danse Macabre is all cypress and wood/musk.

 

On me, it vanishes completely, then comes up a long time later with a mix of moss and something else that smells just like cheap unscented lotion.

 

*siiiiigh*

[Morgan]

In the vial: This smells very dark. I can't pick out any individual notes yet.

 

After 10 minutes: Spicy, woodsy and mossy. This smells like an enchanted forest during a snowfall.

 

Final Impression: I love this one! I never thought I would, but I do. It is a very comforting scent.

[oatmealneko]

Vial: I can't smell anything.

Wet: I thought it was kind of a floral, but probably not. It's green, & herbal, & there's a touch of something I can't place. Incense-like. The green is almost minty with a sharp bite to it.

Dry: Incense with a bit of herbal. The sharp edge is gone now.

 

It's relaxing & comforting. It's very unique. Danse Macabre is somewhere in the middle, not too woodsy, not too incensey. The frankincense might put off some people. It's got a lot of throw.

[bodegaselkie]

On me, Danse Macabre smells almost immediately like a huge wood-based bonfire in the distance... and stays that way. I love the smell of woodsmoke, but this is so consuming that it actually scratches my throat a little. I like this scent on rainy days, and will keep the imp but probably would not buy a larger bottle. Still, bottled bonfire smell? I like it.

[helarctos]

Sombre woods... I recall something on the DSH site saying that oude is known as the "fragrance of God," and I can definitely smell it here. Exquisite melancholy.

[Tournesol Noir]

It smells lovely in the bottle -- a nice, sharp, woody scent. But it turns to pure frankincense within a few minutes of hitting my skin. This imp is going in the swap pile.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Very faint frankinscense and cypress.

 

After 15 minutes- Hmmm, I wonder if the imp of this I acquired is really old? The scent is very faint and a bit musty. From what I *can* smell, I can make out a soft whisp of frankincense and a touch of cypress. I am not getting any of the hazelnut or oakmoss which usually knocks me off my feet.

 

Summery- I think my imp is past it's expiration date. I will order a fresh one from the lab and then review this one again.

[gangstaknitta]

In Bottle: it smells like incense and woods. I'm digging it.

 

Wet: uh oh...frankincense...I forgot how strong it is on me. But the woodsy scent is still there.

 

Dry: Frankincense smells like baby powder on me an it overpowers every other note. So sad. I guess I know what to stay away from now.

[olympia301]

There is a lot of fir-like resin in this blend. It feels tingly on your skin and it's hard to know what to make of it. This is one of the Lab's most individual scents and it contains the expensive and elusive ingredient, Oude. Somehow, Danse Macabre manages to smell medicinal, like the inside of a medicine cabinet, not in an unpleasant way. I guess it is herbal essences which were used for real medicine until recently are in this blend. Not a smell for a hot Saturday night date, but very contemplative and solemn.

[Finny]

Dry, earthy and a bit sweet, out of the imp.

 

On this becomes an earthy, woodsy scent, the oakmoss is warm and dry, the frankincense dry and resinous, the toasted hazelnut adds a subtle nutty sweetness. The cypress is lightly pineya nd a bit powdery, it balances the sweetness of the hazelnot nicely.

 

Very lovely, a merry dance on the way to the grave.

[tesao]

i'm not sure exactly what i expected, but this isn't it. it isn't reminiscent of death or grave yards to me. the dance of death......hmmm.

 

in the imp: resin and soft woods

 

on my wrist, wet: this grounds me. i would never choose to be buried in a coffin, but perhaps if the wood smelled like this, i would reconsider.

 

on my wrist, dry: this is the first time i've picked up a nutty smell. roasted chestnuts, perhaps. sitting in a circle, sky clad, giving thanks to demetre and eating nuts around a fire in the deep woods, beneath a starry starry sky.

 

dry down: all of the above, but subtle. the scents have faded and melded, as if to tell us that we are all one, that in the end, perhaps we will all realize that.

 

another one i want a bottle of!

 

ADDED Aug. 20:

 

this imp was lab lagniappe. i love that we get free imps! unexpected gifts always make me smile! and i get to try a lot of different blends that i would never select on my own.

 

this definitely falls into that category. i haven't had success with oakmoss to speak of. i have no idea what oude even is.

 

in the imp: sharp and unpleasant. rotting greenery.

 

on my wrist, wet: you know, this smells like rancid loup garou to me. loads of that juniper/cedar thing, except that something is off.

 

drydown: the scent has dissipated rapidly. is the dance of death fast?

 

perhaps it should be.....

[tempete]

Danse Macabre is initially a dry woodsy incense scent, with faint hint of dirt. As it dries down, I can smell something vaguely sweet coming through on drydown, probably the hazelnut note, though the cypress note still seems to be strong. The final drydown is a nicely balanced mix of woody, incense-y and sweet notes. It doesn't really suit me, but I enjoyed the experience.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bubble mailer: Mmmm... something smells good. Oh, it's because Danse Macabre spilled all over the place, despite being taped. It didn't get on any other imps because she rolled each one separately in the bubble wrap, but there's maybe 10-15% of the imp left.

 

On the label: I didn't even open this one, Just decided to rub the label on myself to save on oil. A floral musky scent.

 

First on: Ooh, this is like a crisper, cleaner version of Omen. I think it's the oakmoss.

 

After an hour: Definitely more floral, but I can still smell the moss. It's like they way you'd think a boquet in a masoleum would smell. Still fresh pretty flowers, but with a wet decay in the room that seeps in slightly. Very nice. I wish the imp hadn't spilt, I'll have to get another.

[voodoobaby]

In the vial: Sharp evergreen. Odd, I don't remember cypress oil smelling like this. It smells less like the woody scent I smelled and more like a Christmas tree sap/leaves kind of thing. Anyway, there's something lingering underneath here that I can't quite put my finger on.

 

Wearing: WOW! A sweet, earthy, almost floral scent comes out. Where did that come from? I definitely smell the oakmoss. It smells like the moss smell in Kweku Anansi, and I swear I smell the black pepper from that blend as well. It's tempered by that slightly floral scent, though. Dark, yet fresh. Gorgeous!

 

Later: It's mostly cypress now. There's a little oakmoss still, and some spiciness, and an almost creamy scent. It reminds me of a fir and nutmeg bath bomb I had once. Not as good as it was when it was first on my skin, but still nice. Will keep the imp.

[nineveh]

This one is dark, evergreen, and woody, a somewhat sharp, masculine scent. I also have a hard time smelling this one, for some reason.

 

There's a faint spiciness; maybe that's the frankincense, which I wish were more apparent. The scent as a whole loses its sharp evergreen note after a while and becomes warmer and spicier.

 

I like wearing masculine scents, but this one is a tad too masculine/foresty for me. I like it though, so I'll keep the imp for my boyfriend.

 

edit: My hairless cat is rubbing her face on my arm again. I guess she approves of this scent!

Edited May 28, 2005 by nineveh

[Phaedra]

This is bitter, peppery with a hint of nuttiness. After a couple of minutes I can start to smell the hazelnut. After about ten to fifteen minutes the oud develops and this is when I really start to like this blend. Oud is a favorite note of mine. This does have a dark quality to it when first applied but it mellows nicely. It seems to fade quickly on me but it could be that my imp is a bit old. I think this will be really nice to wear in cooler weather.

[Sara]

Initial Imp Sniff: Woody, slightly bitey, and with a clean sort of quality.

 

Swipe: Something soft comes out with the initial sniff to calm down the slight bite...definitely not what I was expecting thus far.

 

Drydown: Totally weird. I'd say this has really morphed from my initial impression. The only thing that's still the same is the slight woody bite, and it's mellowed and softened to the point where there is no bite. It's so soft and lightly spiced with a lovely sweetness.

 

Overall: This is pretty, not really me, but pretty nonetheless. It almost conjures the image of crystals...pure white, rough at the bottom, crystals. Dunno why, but it doesn't make me think of dancing skeletons like the name did. The only downside is that my skin seems to have swallowed all but a tiny whiff of it up. Poo.

Edited May 30, 2005 by Sara

[Loligo]

Not a winner at first -- the cypress smells sick or fake or rotting. Really unpleasant.

 

But as it dries down, the cypress gets tame, the hazelnut comes out, and it smells like a dry, scrubby woodland in the sun. I don't know that I would wear this often as perfume, but it's very evocative, so I may keep it for inspiration while writing.

[Em-]

I tried this on a whim in an LJ tranasaction and am *so* gld that I did. I was afraid that the cyprus/mossy/woodsyness would be a bit more than I could stand without some sort of sharp cirtus note (a la Nero) to help lighten it...

 

The scent in the bottle did little to allay my fears, but on my skin, this party belongs to that sliver of hazlenut and boy does it know how to have a good time. The woods are way in the background on my wrists.

 

Not only that, but the nut has stamina. Not Blood Kiss -I-can-smell-it-the-next-morning-like-I-just-put-it-on kind of stamina, but it sticks around to see what's for dinner.

 

In reading the other reviews for this one, I am struck by just how incredibly different oils are on different people's skin - I wish I could share my version with those of you who wanted the hazlenut...

[girlmadasbirds]

VERY woodsy on me, but something in it is just not agreeing with me at all. this might smell great on a guy.

[~AmusedMuse~]

Dry and incensy, maybe would make a nice room freshener, but alas it DOES not smell good on me