The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil

[LadyCrow]

Bourbon vanilla, benzoin, caramel, Mysore sandalwood, aged black patchouli, carnation, and iris florentina.

 

In the imp: Hmm, quite obviously foody!

Wet: Caramel and vanilla dominate. Sweet, sweet. After sniffing a bit, I can tell these notes are backed by benzoin.

Drydown: Amazingly long-lasting on me, with good throw. Once this is dry, the sandalwood comes through and makes a lovely combo (others have already compared this to Underpants); very late in the wearlength, I finally get a bit of the dry, almost burnt patchouli. I have a really hard time getting the carnation or iris, but then my skin tends to eat florals.

This is probably the foodiest Salon I have tried, and a potentially addictive one at that. The strong caramel reminds me of that note in Misk U.

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: Caramel and bourbon vanilla very strong.

 

On wet: Oh boy! Deliciously spicy and warm when I first put it on. Loving the bourbon vanilla too! mmmmm...

 

Later---still very lovely. The caramel and vanilla are quite sweet, but are balanced nicely by the gentle spicy notes. The iris, though a bane in other blends, is quite nice in this one. Rather ethereal, it lifts what would otherwise be a completely foody blend into a higher state and it adds a nice, very fragile, almost indistinguishable top note

 

PS---I agree with the suggestion by some folks that it has a slightly Monsterbait Underpants-y quality about it.

Edited November 17, 2007 by Dinerdulcinea

[hkhm]

imp: very boozy vanilla, like a very strong vanilla extract with a light hint of florals.

 

wet: the smells more like a floral vanilla liquor, lika a dessert cordial.

 

dry: this dries to a very faint vanilla.

[tartchef]

Whoa, caramel! I knew this would be a foody explosion, but hoped the patchouli & sandalwood would be enough to cut through the sweetness. Turns out its the iris I should have been worried about - Arrival... dries down to a very workable burnt sugar & incense scent, pierced by a horrible aerosol floral note. The end result smalls for all the world like a men's grooming spray my dad used when I was wee - aerated alcohol, benzoin & cloying iris.

 

Bleargh. NDcent kindly sent this to me, and I know it's one of her favorites, but I just can't wear this...

[Suu4LC]

In the imp this smells absolutely delicious! All I get is the vanilla and the caramel! Yum I'm a little worried about how this blend will work on my skin because I tend to amp sandalwood to where it overpowers every other note! Hopefully this won't happen!

 

As soon as it hits my skin the caramel and vanilla start to fade into the background and the florals start pushing to the forefront. This is...so weird. It's just an odd blend. Something about the boozy caramel and the florals just don't seem to go together to me. Interestingly, I don't really notice the sandalwood (shock!), but I do catch the patchouli in there. I need to see how this is on full drydown.

 

Newp. This isn't gonna work for me. It's not bad at all and in some ways it's a really nice caramel scent, but something about it just turns my stomach and makes me feel a little sick. It's just too much. I'm not quite sure of what exactly, but it just is. I think it reminds me too much of these caramel rice cakes I overdid when I was younger. Bleh. To the swaps you go.

[savage_rose]

In the imp, it smells like spiced bread of all things. Maybe the sabbath was potluck . And it just gets spicier...it almost smells like there's ginger in there. It's spicy and rich and reminds me of food without being too foody. It's quite nice!

[akiko]

I like this

 

Imp: strongly caramel, and some vanilla

 

Wet: Same, with a hint of sandalwood and presumably iris.

 

Dry: Almost entirely vanilla & caramel. No iris, no patchouli that I can tell, and no sandalwood, unless it's hiding in there. It hasn't gone plasticy yet or to the Yankee Candle shop (2 hrs). Let's hope this continues!

[tinyvulture]

An indulgent scent – rich and foody. It reminds me of Gluttony or Cockaigne, but more complex and sophisticated. I love the combination of sweet vanilla and buttery caramel. There’s also something slightly sour, which makes me think I’m smelling pineapple although it’s not listed in the notes. There’s the barest hint of dark patchouli and spicy carnation, but they’re easy to overlook because of all the caramel, caramel, caramel!

[lainevierge]

Well I'll be staying away from the lab's caramel note from now on. I find it incredibly cloying and I usually end up with a headache. That being said, this reminds me of a cross between Gluttony (vanilla, caramel) and Queen Alice (carnation) with a smoky finish to it.

 

Lovely, but not for me, or my head.

[maribouquet]

The combination of the sweet notes is divine, but the dry down is sour on me - maybe the iris or the bourbon part?

[Stephanie]

This is just gorgeous!! I detect a creamy caramel, iris, sandalwood and bit of spicy carnation.

 

The scent is very regal and "bright" and it depicts the painting perfectly. I love this! My bottle has aged wonderfully--it's gotten softer, smoother and richer.

 

I think I will need to stockpile.

 

(The Salons are well worth the extra $$. )

[greenranger]

In th eimp, vanilla and patchouli.

 

On me wet, vanilla and caramel.

 

Drying, the caramel steps back just a bit and lets the patchouli and sandalwood through. The vanilla and benzoin are blending with the patchouli and wood.

 

The caramel is fading even more(as usual on my skin) and the vanilla is taking its place with the wood and the patchouli. Ah, a whiff of flowers...Iris, I think? Carnation may yet show up.

 

So far, I am quite happy with the scent...and if it continues to behave on my skin, I may have something similar enough in feel to Red Lantern to make me happy when I am out of that. (of course, I thought that with Grog, too, but that vanished too soon to qualify)

[zankoku_zen]

Oh, the caramel and black patchouli do bad bad things on a bed of vanilla. This is foody, caramel and patchouli on me. It drowns out all the other components, although I have a slight floral overtone to this.

 

You like patchouli? You like vanilla? You like caramel? You want to see an extreme mash up? This is it.

[iiinterstate]

Oooh this is good stuff.

 

I bought a partial bottle off a forumite, aged about 1 year. Like everyone else, I get a ton of caramel/vanilla deliciousness. I picked up on the iris a bit as well, which made me nervous at first (I tend to amp florals all to hell, no pun intended) but the heavier notes keep it at bay along with the carnation, which adds a teeensy bit of spice but little more.

 

The sandalwood is what makes this blend a new favorite for me. It keeps the foody from running over into TOO foody.

[kawaiiferreto]

Oh the caramel. Wet and in the decant this is ALL caramel. Sickly sweet and buttery. It gets a weaker as it wears, but none of the other notes come out enough for me. I don't like caramel as the base of a blend and it's the main feature the whole way for me. So sad, as all of the other notes sound awesome.

[willowtreeling]

It smells delicious in the vial--all caramel and vanilla. Usually this type of stuff smells weird on me, however I think the patchouli and sandalwood keep this fantabulous on me:)

 

ETA: cinnamon french toast. nuff said.

Edited November 11, 2008 by willowtreeling

[crebbsgirl]

I think I have discovered tonight that my skin amps the crap outta caramel. I put this on, and it's all caramel, all the time. It's the caramel show!! I didn't get any of the complexity other reviewers were talking about. Many hours in, (we're talking about 4 or 5) the patchouli came out very faintly. I couldn't detect any sandalwood or carnation.

[vividdreamer]

OH. MY. GOD. This is seriously the best blend I've smelled from the Lab in a long, long time. Maybe ever. Here is the description:

 

In the bottle it smells okay. Not as strong as I'd expected. But once it's on my skin the bourbon vanilla just blooms and mingles with the caramel and sandalwood into something that is absolutely fucking gorgeous. It's rich and deep and dark and almost foody but not quite. The sandalwood and patchouli anchor it to keep it from smelling like food, but there's plenty of syrupy sweetness there too. Every once in awhile I catch a whiff of the caramel from Red Lantern (which I also like but can be overwhelming) but it is infinitely better.

 

GUH. This is so sexy! I want more bottles. And now I want to try And There was a Great Cry in Egypt, because I've heard it was fantastic too. I've only tried a couple other Salons besides this and neither of them wowed me, but this is perfection.

Edited February 13, 2009 by vividdreamer

[Indigo78]

In the imp this is all gooey caramel and salted butter - two notes of absolute fail on me. But... in the name of testing this generous forumite frimp, I'll sacrifice the crook of my elbow for the evening:

 

Of course it changes from the imp to my skin, becoming much more complicated and less suffocatingly buttery. The caramel note burns off, literally - I get a lot of smoke that is unlike other "smoke" blends I have tried. This smells like a campfire, where sugar from marshmallows and other odd bits of things have found their way into the flames. It actually smells the way one's clothes might smell after sitting campfireside all night, making s'mores and love and stuff . A little of the syrupy quality lingers in the drydown, and the overlay of smoke makes me think of the cruchy top of creme brule. I do not get much in the way of patchouli or carnation. Ingeniously crafted and evocative, this fits its namesake well.

[thelaurenator]

This is luscious. I get ALL the notes, even the sandalwood which makes me

 

Wet: mostly bourbon vanilla with a slight caramel undertone

Ten minutes later: luscious caramel, benzoin, and the florals. so light and beautiful.

Drydown: delicious caramel and warm, dry, EXPENSIVE sandalwood. the sandalwood also gives it a slightly infernal quality

 

I love the sandalwood in this blend and this is simply just MADE OF WIN. I need a 5ml of this.

Edited February 24, 2009 by thelaurenator

[mineralgirl]

This may have finally taught me a lesson. I have to stop buying things unsniffed unless they are a moon or something.

 

I was never interested in the Salon scents because I didn't think I'd ever pay $25.50 for a bottle but then Beth stuck the Velvets on the Salon page and as I was scrolling, this one sucked me in and I read every review and almost all of them said 'caramel' ... well, here I am, stuck with yet another bottle of unloved precious!

 

I was hoping for sweet.... I get a vague caramel scent but it's mostly a mature womans floral. All I get is the iris and i think sandalwood.

 

I feel incredibly stupid right now for buying this.

Edited April 16, 2009 by MineralGirl

[rayvn1]

Mmhmmm! Bourbon vanilla and patchouli. This is full-bodied and beautiful. Deep and dark. Keeper with a good amount of throw.

[TheOnliest]

I had to look up the notes to be sure but I ran into the same problem with The Arrival... as I did with Tiresias, the Androgyne:

 

patchouli+caramel+sandalwood+me=pee. Drink-some-water-wouldya pee. Vanilla couldn't save this from me and my skin loves to amp vanilla.

 

I'd rather get sexy cinnamon french toast. I'm a little jealous.

[Evilynn]

This is very foody on me, and I originally wasn't sure whether or not I'd keep the imp. I find that it's really nice in cold weather though, because on me it smells like slightly spiced bread, a warm sort of orange-y scent (the colour, not the fruit). I can't say I notice any caramel and only the slightest hint of vanilla. I seem to amp patchouli.

 

I don't think I'll get a bottle, but I am using up my imp.

[Ceisdein]

In Bottle: First and foremost there is a warm, thick, burnt caramel. Sharp, with a slightly boozy tang. A heavy smokiness hangs around in the background. Kinda smells like freshly scorched creme brulee.

 

Wet: Same as in bottle but without any hint of the buttery tone that had been present.

 

5 minutes: The caramel has softened dramatically and sandalwood has risen, deepening up the scent. It's not heavy incense scent that associate with carved sandalwood but more the smell of chunks of freshly chopped wood. A sharp, smoky tone is blending with the woods to read as bonfire. A bonfire that someone has dropped some candy in by accident. Quite a strong throw.

 

15 minutes: Same as above but the general spiciness has strengthened and is beginning to read as spicy flowers in particular.

 

1 hour +: The caramel has burned into the background and now only lends a subtle sweet note to a blend of warm but subtle woods, spicy flowers and a slight dustiness. Not girly but feminine and quite serious. Still a decent throw.

 

Overall: My skin eats caramel with impressive speed. Like a bully with a stolen horde of Halloween candy. So, on me, this scent didn't turn out to be the clingy blanket of burnt sweetness that the bottle promised. The final result was quite nice though, if unexpected. It had good throw but also didn't last as long as I anticipated, at about 4 hours. Since I liked the caramel of the early stages that's not entirely a bad thing.