A Countenance Forboding Evil

[lizabelle]

Patchouli, ylang ylang, blood orange, and vetiver.

 

This one is bizarre on me. The vetiver/patchouli combo is turning into a bonfire like it sometimes does on me, and the ylang ylang on top is overly sweet. The blood orange is strong and it's reminding me of a cranberry-orange relish my family always makes around Thanksgiving, which I happen to hate. It's kind of medicinal overall, and I think it just doesn't work with my chemistry.

[sarandipitee]

This is an odd one. Super duper vetiver and patch with this almost jarring sweet orange undertone. Orange always fades quickly on me but the vetiver seems to amplify it.

 

Not my thing when wet at all, but as it dries the orange blooms so nicely. It's a glorious citrus note but the BBQ vetiver is too much for me.

[Lucchesa]

I'm so glad this happened to someone else in the first few reviews or I would think I was nuts -- on my skin, this turns into cedar chips. In the imp I can smell the orange and the patch, but despite the fact that there are no cedar or other conifer notes listed, my chemistry makes cedar out of the various ingredients. As it also does with Cathedral -- I just assumed the ancient church was built with cedar beams or something. I have cedar scents I like more. Swaps.

[gloame]

Don’t let this one scare you off on first sniff–when it’s still wet it has a strong dirt note (patchouli galore), but as it dries down, it warms up really nicely. The patchouli’s always going to give off that earth scent, but the ylang ylang and orange sweeten it up. When it’s dry, it smells sexy and earthy. It’s balanced and subtle and clean smelling.

Would smell great on the man or woman (very unisex) who wants to smell like nature. Definitely a woody scent.

Where I'd wear it: A forest retreat

[cassiejaynebunk]

I usually hate anything with orange in it but here I smell mostly the patch and ylang ylang off the bat. Then the blood orange mixes with the woodiness and It reminds me of when I was a kid and I would polish my grandmothers wood dining table before the holiday dinner. Warm and woody and oddly comforting, given the name.

Edited February 13, 2018 by cassiejaynebunk

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Mainly patchouli and smoky vetiver, backed by some sweet ylang ylang and blood orange.

 

Wet: The patchouli and vetiver are the dominant notes, followed by the ylang ylang, and then the orange. The smoky vetiver note overtakes the patchouli. This is a dark, smoky vetiver that seems to be content to drown out the other lighter notes in the scent.

 

Dry: The smoky vetiver and earthy patchouli continue to reign, but the blood orange note is a little stronger in the background during this phase, and the ylang ylang note has calmed down.

 

Verdict: Blargh. This is way too strong on the vetiver for me.

[quigza]

IDK what happened here. But, it smells like an auto mechanic's shop on me. There's oil & grime & petrol smells co-mingling. I lasted about 5 minutes before my significant other demanded I wash it off & opened the window to air out the room. I may try this again when I'm alone, just to see if it changes. I'm pretty sure it's the citrus and vetiver making it too much at the opening.

 

Tried it again. The opening reminds me of Tokyomilk's 'French Kiss.' But, Fallen doesn't ease up enough to make it worth the muscle-through.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Lemonlife

[Ghost of a Rose]

Lab Frimp aged about 4 years.

 

In the imp: Incense and wood, a bit of patchouli. Total headshop!

 

On me, wet: The same, with a smoky aspect (no doubt from the vetiver) that suits the impression of incense. It's rich, and smoother than you'd expect from patchouli and vetiver. This is a very upscale headshop, if you can imagine such a thing. The patchouli and vetiver have a natural affinity for one another and blend together so well that it's difficult to distinguish them. There isn't a trace of orange (which for me is a good thing) or ylang ylang (which makes me sad.). But I could swear there is some sandalwood in this. Maybe there is - I've heard that Beth doesn't always list all the notes. Or perhaps it is just an association in my mind: Sandalwood incense + patchouli oil and patchouli incense = headshop.

 

At 10 minutes: The scent is the same. But when I put my nose right up close and take a big whiff, there is a sharpness that makes the insides of my nostrils tingle. Could that be from the orange? No way to know, because it's not a scent, just a feeling.

 

At 15 minutes: The patchouli is slightly more defined. Everything else is exactly the same. This patch is either the same one that I remember from the early 1970's, or something very similar. Which is quite unusual. I wore patchouli oil all through high school, and searched for that same scent for decades afterward. I bought bottle after bottle of patchouli oil, and they were never anything like I remembered. Often they were so different I didn't even recognize the fragrance as patchouli. Then BPAL came out with the Sumatran Red Patchouli SN and . . . voilá! One whiff and I was instantly transported 40 years back in time. This is the same one.

 

At 45 minutes: It's softer, and a little woodier now that the patchouli has backed off somewhat. But these changes are extremely subtle. It's still basically the same scent.

 

At 1 hour: All the notes I mentioned are still there: Sandalwood (or vetiver or whatever that wood note is),

patchouli, a little smoke, a little sharpness. The fruit and flowers are still MIA. They don't even contribute any sweetness to the mix. In other words: it's still the same incensey headshop.

 

At 1 1/2 hours: The wood now dominates over the patch, but the same notes remain.

 

At 2 hours: With the wood now more prominent, it smells even more like sandalwood. Still basically the same scent. Probably soft enough now to wear out in public.

 

At 4 hours: Still around, more in the throw than on my wrist. Same scent.

 

At 7 hours, I continue to pick up some faint patch and sandalwood.

 

Verdict: The patchouli and vetiver (and sandalwood, if present) blend together so well that this has the feel of a Single Note oil. The blood orange and ylang ylang never showed up. This makes the fragrance somewhat boring, but who cares when it is this lovely? It doesn't quite make me swoon, like florals and a few other feminine scents do (it probably would if the ylang ylang showed its pretty face), so it doesn't make my shortlist favorites. But it comes close, and this is a perfume I will wear often. It's rich, smooth, warm, mysterious, bohemian, sexy, nostalgic, and unisex.

 

I tend to believe that the lack of the fruit and flower may be due to the age of my imp. But looking now over the other reviews I am surprised to find that many people testing fresh vials had the same experience. While others detected ONLY the orange and ylang ylang. Skin chemistry is part of the explanation, I'm sure, but it doesn't explain the fruit-and-flower absence that I also noticed in the vial - it smells exactly the same on my skin as in the vial.

 

How very odd!

 

My rating: 5 out of 6 stars

Edited August 30, 2018 by Ghost of a Rose

[IoPan]

I don't get a single sniff of blood orange or ylang-ylang with this one--it's pure patchouli and vetiver, but I love patchouli and vetiver, so I'm not complaining. It's a very dark and masculine scent, exactly what I like to wear. But I'm trying to decide whether it has enough staying power on me to make it worth a full-sized bottle. Will have to test it a few more times to decide...

[DigitalCoyote]

Wet: Deep funky patchouli 

 

Semi-dry: Smokey vetiver is choking out the patchouli.  That's what I get for reading over the notes too fast. Fingers crossed it doesn't kick over in to the weird meat smell.  Itchy/burning sensation to go along with it. 

 

Dry:  How to explain....On both wrists, this smells "hot" kind of how mesquite gives barbecue a "hot" flavor.

 

L wrist - BBQ pit with a whiff of orange

R wrist - Orange and woody smoke

 

‐------

 

Skin twins: @savage_rose @zankoku_zen

[Cali]

Such strong vetiver, it's super overpowering the sweet ylang ylang and patchouli here. It has a red-hot feel to it thanks to the blood orange. Not my thing unfortunately.

[crystaltongue]

This scent was SUCH a surprise. I don't like either patchouli OR vetiver, so by all rights I should not like this. But somehow ylang-ylang and blood orange do some (heh) alchemy, turn this into something I quite enjoy. Orange is DEFINITELY the dominant note, but the others are certainly detectable. I would say that if you love patchouli and vetiver, give it a try. And if you hate patchouli and/or vetiver, maybe give it a try anyway - it might surprise you too.

[crow-toes]

This goes very one-note on my skin - I’m basically only getting the very sweet blood orange. Definitely a bummer, since without the incense to make it smokier and earthier this one’s just too fruity for my tastes.

[Rane.]

I first received this as an imp. It had a peppery patchouli smell. I bought a full bottle, & it doesn't have that peppery smell. It is a full on floral with some sweetness coming from the Ylang-Ylang, & Blood Orange. Much different than the imp, more full bodied, & I love it. When I smell this I instantly think about being at the lake here in summer surrounded by dogwood flowers. It's really amazing how this transports me to special times.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Rane.

[Fancyfetus]

I received this as a frimp. To me this is musty, dusty, and sickly sweet. My overall impression is that of being in an attic that's unfortunately not been kept totally dry over the years. Not quite mildew, just a bit of damp in with the unfinished wood and dust. Wholly bizarre and unpleasant. 

 

However, I am no fan of patchouli or oranges, and I might recall disliking ylang ylang as well. This isn't the kind of evil I can get into. Off to the destash pile it goes.