Incantation

[brsis]

A profound and entrancing potion. Deep, wispy, and unfathomably dark: vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind.

Initial thoughts: Great name. Awesome name. 'Incantation' is one of those really great words to say. Notes wise, this may or may not go vetiver mad on me, but even so - it could be a nice addition to my "Vetiver, with a hint of-" collection.

In the imp: The vetiver doesn't stand out so strong, actually - it's more of a lemony sandalwood. Tempting, but a little on the 'clean' side.

On the wrist, wet: Rich, well aged woods with lemon scented beeswax polish. It's not at all what I was expecting, but it's rather awesome. A moment or two later, of course, and the citrus is doing it's thing on my skin - should calm down in a bit - but the vetiver doesn't seem to be rearing it's head yet.

Twenty minutes later: Lemon is not my best friend and he's not placing nice in this one - it smells like lemon scented funiture polish. This isn't foul on me but it's not something I'm going to want to wear.

Verdict: Swap

Tl;Dr: Lemon scented polish on old wooden furniture.

[Andrea912]

I think I wanted to try this for the vetyver and lemon rind; I can pass on the sandalwood, so hopefully it's subtle.

 

Bottle: Strong vetyver; very woodsey; piney more than dark, though...At least I don't smell the sandalwood.

 

Wet: wow; really woodsey; I can't smell the citrus/lemon; sandalwood starting to kick in. I'll check back when it dries...

 

Two hours late: nope; reminded me of PineSol

Edited July 1, 2008 by Shollin
Removed Lab description --Shollin

[veronicafranco]

NICE manly-clean scent. now to get it on the boy, who has a fine relationship with vetiver.

[GhillieDhu]

This went on much lighter than I expected. It's a green lemony men's cologne with a woodsy vetiver base. This is what I expected Guerlain Vetiver to smell like. Probably a good BPAL for enabling manthings who are used to commercial colognes - it's unique, but still accessible to a "normal" nose.

 

Opens up clean, slightly bitter lemon (the peel, not the juice) cologne with a bit of a minty note and just a hint of what might be fennel. (This is actually the first mint that I've found wearable!) I can definitely smell the vetiver underneath - it's the clean woodsy-earthy kind rather than swampy-earthy. Not actually getting identifiable woods, just a general "evergreen" accord and perhaps a pinch of juniper, but it does have a foresty feeling. On drydown, I get a twinge of vetiver and dry sandalwood, but mostly a grassy bitter ivy scent, like undergrowth after a cold rain, with a barely discernable hint of something mineral like wet charcoal. This is somehow a damp scent. Like a freshly showered, shaved, and teeth-brushed man. No sweetness to this blend AT ALL. A little short-lived, but overall very nice.

[isisonearth]

In the imp: Vetiver, a bit of a burned note and a hint of lemon

 

Applied: Woodsy with a mellow sandalwood. There is something there that was burned a long, long time ago.

 

Drydown: Mostly the burned sandalwood with just a touch of vetiver to darken it. The vetiver really stays in check and doesn't take over which is great. When it amps up too much it makes a blend feel to manly for me.

 

This is very interesting...wispy is a good word to describe it. It smells ancient. I'm not sure it will be a favorite but I'm interested in getting to know it better.

[Iceblink]

The lightest vetiver blend I've ever tried--in color and in scent. This actually smells more like lemony dryer sheets than anything else. A tangy woodiness underneath it all but mostly, fresh clean lemon.

[Allumina]

The other reviews make me sad- I would love to get woods and lemon from this!

 

I get a hint of veviter, which I adore, and then it's all sandlewood in a bad way. It's well blended and it's hard to place the notes but it doesn't work on me.

[anardana]

I wanted to like this one, but it is too cologne-y/masculine for me. It is hard to describe.. sort of like dark, masculine lemon.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: This really does smell like I am getting ready to cast a spell, something green, and a little smoky...mysterious even.

 

Dry: This smells like well....the mouthwash from my dentist office. It's a pleasant minty, medicinal smell....I just don't think I want to smell like I came from the dentist!!!

 

ADDED 5/10/09:

 

This reminds me of a minty Crest toothpaste that has crossed to the dark side. Evil Crest....it probably helps the cavities win.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

Primarily I’m getting lemon. I can pick out vetiver and a little hint of smoke but the lemon is pretty powerful.

 

On My Skin

Lemon, lemon, lemon. Unfortunately this is pretty one dimensional at this point. Hopefully it will evolve into something a bit more complex.

 

After a Bit

Very masculine with a touch of lemon. It kind of smells like my grandfathers cologne.

 

Rating 1-5

Scent - 2 Throw - 2 Longevity – 2

Overall (not an average) – 2

 

Final thoughts

This would be nice on the right person, I just don’t want to smell like it. Off to swaps!

[ReikoSazanami]

In imp: At first I thought this was my imp of Herbert West! It smells like men’s cologne or aftershave, maybe with a menthol note.

 

Wet on skin: Soapy, almost like Irish Spring. There isn’t anything particularly dark about this blend, at least not yet. Though the description says a “drop” of lemon rind, at the moment it is nearly overpowering.

 

Drydown: The very clean scent is still there, but I can smell the sandalwood notes coming through. As it settles, it turns to a soapy incense on me.

 

Overall: Wispy is a good description of the scent, and the lab was right to describe it in that way. The vetiver has peeked through near the end, making the blend pleasant once it has settled down. It’s a little too clean for me personally, but not a bad scent overall.

[femmefatale]

I had such high hopes for this one. It sounded like something I would love. Dh tried it first and it smelled wonderful on him, though too feminine. So I expected it to be beautiful on me, right?

Nope. At first it's a lemony sweet incense, then it turns to manly soap, and ends up smelling like bathroom cleaner or that rough powdered soap they used to have in public bathrooms.

Definitely not for me and off to swaps.

[BelladonnaBarbie]

OMG I loved this right when I put it on for the first time. Right off the bat I think the lemon keeps the "drier" notes from seeming too dusty. It's slightly soapy, quite masculine (almost bay rum-ish) and just delicious. Once it dries down I get the wood and crispness, still touched with a soapy clean background. I can definitely see this as a summer scent, when it's windy outside and not too warm.

 

I think the name is very apt, as well. I wouldn't call this a traditionally feminine scent by any stretch of the imagination. I think it's the kind of perfume that would stay in the minds of others if they smelled it on someone of the fairer sex.

[blacklacestatic]

In the imp: This is the oddest thing. I get a big whiff of the produce department of a supermarket.

 

Wet on skin: Really weird stuff going on here. Green and rotting at the same time. Both fresh and sour. Almost floral, yet kinda woodsy. This is a big ol' paradox.

 

Drydown:I still am really confused. Lokking at the notes, I don't smell any of them in particular. It smells like a wet , rotting floral bouquet. Maybe a bit of woods too? It's sour, like some thing going bad or wrong.

 

Overall: Weird. I don't know what to think. It's not really good though.

[GeorgeJr]

Add me to the bummed out list . In the bottle it smells much nicer than on me . On me it almost immediately turns into soapy lemon . And mostly soap , not much lemon at all . I don't understand it , because I love all the other notes & usually they like me . I shall see if the GF likes it .

[thelaurenator]

smells exactly like it sounds-- mostly vetiver & burnt sandalwood, with a lemon undertone. this would smell great on a man!

[awesomeoverlord]

I don't detect the vetiver, which is a very good thing because the smell of vetiver oil usually makes me want to kill myself. There's a lot going on here...it's kind of cologney and fresh. My manperson sniffed me and told me it smelled like I just took a shower at a fancy spa.

 

I think I'll be passing this one on.

[ifinena]

This is a well-aged imp, with the old style phoenix-graphic.

 

This screams "guy" to my nose (vetivert does that to me). It's a bit lemony and when dry the sandalwood is a nice touch. It's perfume-y but really a great blend and would do wonders on a guy with the right chemistry. Gorgeous.

 

ETA: 3 hours afterwards, still going, still true to the scent and still gorgeous! Bottle-worthy!

Edited January 13, 2009 by ifinena

[rayvn1]

I tried this one awhile ago and only got cedar out of it. After a second try, I still predominantly get cedar, but there is a blossoming of incense that turns up later. Great throw and longlasting! Just a bit too heavy on he cedar - but I amp it like there's no tomorrow.

[iamblackbird]

Imp: YUM. I can smell the vetivert, which is probably one of my favorite notes.

 

On me: Hello, sandalwood! How are you? The vetivert and sandalwood are friends on my wrist. Love.

 

Dry: The lemon comes out a bit more upon drying, but for the most part, this remains true to what I smelled in the imp. Happy me! It's not a lemon-cleaner scent, which is what I was terrified of.

[hellomoonglow]

Wet I get the woody tone, with a little pine (? maybe ?) and lemon. On, it's lilke a man's cologne. After an hour or so, it drys down to a faint lemon balm with a bit of vetiver. While this is very nice, it's more for my husband.

I was hoping I could get more of the burnt sandalwood, because I'd really love to know what that smells like!

[zankoku_zen]

Incantation starts out as industrial cleaner - it's got a giant fume of LEMON and man cologne.

 

Pass.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Colourless oil. Fresh, clean slightly sharp cologne. Manly. The lemon and sandalwood come out, and some evergreen woods. Not nearly as dark as I anticipated, nor is it smoky or bitter.

 

Wet: Crisp. Drier on my skin, with lots of sandalwood. The vetiver here just adds depth, a sort of intense woodiness, and is very pleasant. More citrusy and zesty. The woods are well blended, smooth not piney.

 

Dry: Some gorgeous musk is emerging, and gosh this is becoming so sexy. There's something spicy in this, in a very refined and subtle way. It has gone a bit darker and slightly smoky.

 

Later: It reminds me of some high-end cologne I've smelled. It is a bit scorched after a few hours. Loads of woods now too. It's become very deep, too deep on my skin for me, as a girly girl.

 

Summary: Vetiver at its finest. If you think you don't like vetiver...try this. Deep, smooth, woody, rich, sexy, and yet shower-clean, light, fresh and indeed wispy. So well balanced! Good throw & great lasting power.

 

An expensive, luxurious masculine scent. I need a man so I can smell this as it should be smelled.

[Inventrix]

This one came to me as a magical frimp from the lab. I never would've picked something so dark and seemingly woody on my own, particularly not having ever tried vetiver.

 

This starts out as quite possibly the most evocative scent I've worn yet. The first sniff of it on my wrist vividly brought back the memory of the little garden back at my elementary school, with the dark shade of the low-slung evergreen over the rich soil and moss.

 

It smells like dark pine-like evergreens, lush moss, and damp earth for the first fifteen minutes at least, slowly drying as if the sun is rising and drying out the wetness from the nighttime rains.

 

At the thirty minute mark, the vetiver (which I now loveloveloveloveLOVE) and lemon rind have separated out a bit, no longer blending to make that crisp evergreen scent and instead just a dark earthy green with a dash of lemon. The scent of charred woods are coming through now, along with a softness from the sandalwood. While it isn't nearly as evocative anymore it still smells wonderful and intriguing. I think it smells more like the description now.

 

This is one of my new favourites, for certain. If I can find enough opportunities to wear it, I might even get myself a bottle.

[bluealvarez]

I tried Incantation because I fell in love with Chanel's Sycomore, but at $190 - $240 a bottle, I was wary. Plus it was EDT only, so it didn't stay as long as I would have liked.

 

I wanted to support BPAL instead of giving Karl Lagerfeld my grocery money for the month, so I decided to try Incantation based on the dark woods, vetiver, and citrus, hoping it would be similar to Sycomore. Indeed, it's better!

 

At first it seemed a bit masculine, but when I put it on that became part of the charm. Then as it began to dry down it smelled much lighter and more feminine, still woodsy but the lemon really comes out on my skin - which is great because I *love* lemon. This might be the first time I've smelled it in a perfume where it didn't make the scent feel like household cleaner.

 

I cannot say enough good things about this. It smells grounded and ethereal, earthy and sophisticated, all at the same time. A brilliant scent regardless of gender, really does evoke what the name says - like I'm dressed in ritual garb chanting incantations in the forest. Except the garb is designed by Akris and the forest is adjacent to a shining metropolis. It really find it both woodsy and strikingly modern. Hopefully it's around for a long time!