The Atrocious Attic

[melange]

A shadowy shrine filled with forgotten toys, broken dolls. The altar: a collapsing trunk distended by a rotted wedding gown. The air of the room is dusty, laced with the scent of a child's perfume and the remnants of a dried, crumbling bridal bouquet: tea rose, violet, white sandalwood, French lavender, and Calla lily.

My goodness, this is so, so dreamily beautiful. (I can't even name it, because it's not in the least a--cious for me.) The flowers balance each other so softly, and the comparison to TKO's little cousin—on the Antique Lace side of the family, possibly Regan's half-sister, unrelated to Hope and Faith—fits so well. Even as I type, every now and again, I get wafts of fragile flower-touched linen scent. This is wonderful, and I hadn't expected it to be. Thank goodness for decants! This needs to be a bottle. Edited October 22, 2007 by melange

[Stormslegacy]

This is my first review ever, so please bear with me, heh.

 

This is what I ordered for my first ever order after having fell in love with the description as my best friend/housemate showed me. I really love the art on the bottle, it's very cute.

 

When I opened the bottle I was suprised at the powderyness of the flowers. I don't have a good nose yet so I couldn't tell you which note is which but it's distinctly floral with a hint of powder.

 

The first time I wore it my boyfriend thought I was wearing babypowder *headdesk* I like the smell of it, the flowers are very subtle. Unfortunately it wears off rather quickly on me, though the scent of sandalwood lingers for quite a bit; 6 hours later it's still there. I wonder if I'm not smelling the flowers because I'm sensitized to them, but I'm not sure.

 

My one problem is that twice so far it has reacted with my body chemistry to produce a smell very reminiscent of dead rotting flowers (not in a pleasant way). It was only a whiff or two the sniffs I took of the perfume after about 10 minutes of application, and it lasts for about a half hour. My friend thinks I'm nuts but to me it was rather strong. It only happened twice out of 4 times wearing it so I'm thinking it might have been a reaction to the tea-tree soap I had used. I just figured I should mention it, although I hope it doesn't put anyone off from this lovely perfume. Honestly it didn't last long enough for it to be a major concern, and as far as I can tell I was the only one that noticed!

 

I've also burned this one with a bit of wax in my fragrance burner, and it smelled lovely. It's not strong, but it's very subtle and makes the place smell clean and feminine. Only 2 or 3 drops is needed in a bit of wax.

 

It's not my absolute favorite but I will definately be using the whole bottle. I'm trying to make a little bit of it into a solid perfume to see if that helps it last on me. It's nice for a soft, feminine feel.

[The_Merf]

When I first smelled this, I smelled rose, lilac and lily--none of the sandalwood or the linen note. Wet on my skin, this smelled very much like Faith, except the scent was a little creamier (Faith layered with a vanilla oil perhaps). That phase is very brief and the lily note "pushes" the violet out of the way. I'm really not sure what to do about this one--I love Faith and I only have one bottle of her, and this might not be a bad substitution (yes, I know I could buy the CD set, but Hope really doesn't sit well with me and I get the impression that she's hard to swap). As this one continues to dry, it strikes me very much like Antique Lace with a touch of Faith thrown in for a good measure. In the third stage that the perfume goes through, the violet and rose seem to 'triage' with the lily, but the lily is still the strongest note.

 

ADDED Oct. 30:

 

When I tried this on for the first time without remembering that it was 'the time of the month' it was a beautiful stand-in for Faith--sugared violets with beautiful, creamy lilies in the background. It was heavenly. Unfortunately when I tried it again, it was mostly tea rose, a very muted lily, a dash of violet and white sandalwood, which had the odd effect of tempering all the lovely florals while not providing the usual warmth and woodiness that I'm used to with the sandalwood note. This one has good staying power and the lilies and violets do end up outlasting the other notes, but the sandalwood makes this too much of a muted bouquet (though, given the scent description, that means that Beth, as usual is right on with her craft).

[LadyMedb]

I had actually thought, from the note description that it was going to go soapy on me, but it didn't (that's a victory in itself where lily is concerned...I love the smell, but it sometimes gives me soap-flakes).

 

Instead - my goodness, this is a bit like Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, and again a bit like La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, both of which I swapped for being a bit too powdery. However, I kind of perversely like this one, even though it's still kind of powdery. I don't know if it's that rose-dust kind of thing the lily-violet-rose combination has going on with the sandalwood, but this is really pleasant to smell - kind of addictive actually. It's a little like Bearded Lady, but I daresay the notes are even more distinct and pretty - I might not have sold my bottle of Bearded Lady if it had smelled a little more like this. It might be a nostalgic factor, as others have noted here - there's kind of a vanilla thing going on, which flags nostalgia.

 

I'm hanging on to at least this imp, and I might go in search of a partial bottle if I keep wearing it. I really like it - it's a spooky, sweet thing.

Edited October 26, 2007 by LadyMedb

[taramarie]

I was so excited when The Atrocious Attic came out since it seems to be inspired by the "bride in the trunk" urban legend. On me, all I get is tea rose and violet. The violet was stronger of the two when it was wet and the tea rose was a bit soapy around the edges. Dry, the tea rose is stronger and no longer soapy. I like this one a lot but I won't need another bottle.

[hellomoonglow]

Opened it, smelled it, knew I'd love it! In the bottle it reminds me of a mix of O, Regan and Bordello. As LadyMedB noted, I also get some Mouse's Long Sad Tale, but then again, all 4 of those scents strongly remind me of each other. I do smell some soap on my skin, but I kind of like that scent, so it's not a turn off for me. The thing I like about this is that it stays for awhile, doesn't fade. And I am very drawn right now to anything with violet, which I love immensly. This has a nice throw, and as usual, a very complex drydown with a chance to smell each note distinctly. I love this and am considering hoarding another bottle before it's too late!

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is creamy, violet, lavender vanilla...ZomG...

 

this is one gorgeous blend...applied this gets superbly whipped cream lavender...

the rose in this is perfect...barely there...

 

great sillage and phenomenally beautiful

[PurringPulsar]

The Atrocious Attic

 

In the imp: a gorgeous sweet floral lavender. Almost like Antique Lace or Hope with lavender. Very promising!

Wet on skin: mmm, sweet lavender and gentle floral notes.

Dry on skin: oh, I like this a lot more than I expected. The lavender is soft and sweet, like the one in TKO (but without the weird plastic smell I got there) or Yvaine. I smell a lily note, but it's not the cutting, harsh soapy scent I usually get with calla. I also smell rose and a gentle violet, and a hint of dusty sandalwood grounding the flowers. Over it all is a sweet, sugary vanilla scent-the child's perfume perhaps? Whatever this is, it is beautiful, not at all the stuffy, musty old-fashioned scent I was expecting. This is sweet, very much like Antique Lace.

After a while: the lavender is gradually taken over by violet, but this violet is not a dusty old violet, but a sweet, candied violet like Faith. The rose is gorgeous and the lily has gained a soft cleanness, but doesn’t smell soapy. I also smell more of the sandalwood. But it's the sweet vanilla sugar scent that I smell here that really makes this scent very endearing. It reminds me of a younger and more ghostly version of the Salon scent Monna Vanna.

The scent becomes powdery as time passes, but this is a good powdery scent, and it fits in with the theme of the scent, the dustiness and antique feel, but there's still that gorgeous vanilla perfume, which has now merged with the flowers. The sandalwood is also getting stronger, makes me think of the wooden beams of the attic and boxes that have stored perfume, vanilla pods and flower petals.

Eventually this becomes a beautiful blend of Hope and Faith with a hint of Fairy Market, with a touch of powder and sandalwood, and a delicious vanilla extract scent running through it. Fans of Possets Frou Frou should try this, as I get a similarity here to that scent. After a few hours it reminds me of a sweeter Bearded Lady.

Verdict: I wasn't expecting to love this, I feared a scent of dusty violet and dry roses with screaming lilies, but this is actually one of the most beautiful floral blends ever. Fans of the sugared roses or sugared flowers perfumes need to try this! It is a beautiful, soothing scent of soft, rounded florals with a delicious vanilla topping. The scent is dusty, but not in an unpleasant way-it's a gently dusty sandalwood, a soft powder that pops up every now and then. It's the kind of dusty smell I love, evocative and adding a feel of age. The lavender is gorgeous, the lily doesn't go sharp and horrible, and the violet smells like it's coated with sugar, and the rose binds all the flowers together so nicely with that vanilla perfume. It's a wistful vintage scent to me, there's a lovely feel of nostalgia, happy memories stored in the attic, now covered by dust. It's traditional but also smells quite youthful and also comforting. It's almost like a more floral take on Antique Lace. I love this one so much that I need at least two bottles of it.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes, and I want two bottles!

If you like this, try: Antique Lace, Hope, Faith, Bearded Lady, Monna Vanna, Versailles, Victoria

[kwsix]

This is a breathtakingly beautiful blend! The tea rose in particular is to die for. I'm typically not a floral lover, so I would never have guessed that this would be one of my favorites of the Halloween blends. I'm not very good at describing florals, so I apologize for not doing this scent justice with my review. I can tell you that it isn't sharp, cloying, or overly sweet. There's nothing artificial smelling in this blend. It's sugared fresh flowers over a clean, slightly woodsy base. I agree that it's reminiscent of Antique Lace plus light florals. The notes are well balanced, and the scent is delicate, soft, and feminine from first application through the drydown.

 

I absolutely love this scent. It's an instant top 10.

[sarada]

Looking at the note listing for this blend, I was not initially interested in all. Sure, I like sandalwood and French lavender, but these sort of Victorian light florals tend to be too light and, dare I say, powdery on me. I was really surprised when I sniffed it at ECWC and was blown away by how sweet and strong it was. I would swear there was a smoky vanilla and something like honey or honeysuckle in there as well. It definitely recalls some of the sweet creamy florals that the lab does so well that even ~I~ like them, like Hope and Faith, and Antique Lace (without the plasticky note that comes out in the latter sometimes).

 

This is a sweet, pure, honeyed floral over a pale wooden base with a slosh of exquisite smoky vanilla splashed on top. I don't like vanilla but I like whatever sweetness is in this.

 

I can't stop pouring this on me! Someone just said they thought it smelled spicy when I dabbed some on, and maybe that's the slight herbal bite of lavender.

 

Oh this also recalls Emathides somewhat to me, though with a touch more of the lighter rosy floral notes. This one isn't terribly atrocious after all! And it is not dusty, musty and atticky, if anyone is afraid of those sort of notes. I can see where it could have baby powder tendencies on some people but so far it seems to just be a lovely creamy floral on me, and this is coming from someone who does not like creamy florals -- but I love it!

[slave1]

THE ATROCIOUS ATTIC

 

In Bottle: Violet and lavender

 

On Skin: The sweet violet starts as the dominant note, with the sharp lavender piercing through it. As far as florals go, I usually love violet because it has a candylike quality to it. Here it truly is sweet and yummy, but after a few minutes turns slightly plastic. The plastic doesn’t last long thankfully. I see this as a violet version of Antique Lace. Quite yummy. The lavender chills out and the sweet sandalwood comes forth bringing with it a bit of a powdery feel. The tea rose has a slight sour tint to the smell and the lily adds a little more sweetness to this bouquet. All in all, this seems like the love child of Antique Lace, Hope and Faith… Very light throw and short wearlength.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Tea rose, lavender, and violet.

Wet: Sweet lavender and violet.

Drydown: Sadly, the sweet lavender fades, and the lily kicks in. Very muted, though, and very deliciously feminine.

Dry: Very muted floral bouquet, though with a subtle lavender and violet throw that makes me sigh.

 

My rating: 5/5. This I might need to get another bottle of before it goes away. For me, this is one step above The Emathides (the blue musk is iffy in that blend depending on the time of month).

[celestia]

The Attrocious Attic

Grade: C+ (1.5/5)

 

(Outside) Imp: Smells like floral dust and some very faint poutpourri ... lavendar? I usually hate lavendar, but this scent is really interesting. I think i got this as a frimp X3 so thankyou!!

(Inside) Imp: I get a sweet dewy flower scent. I take it's a very fragile tea rose?

Chemistry: It's all light dusty and dominant calla lily…maybe even a little lemony sweet. Kind of powdery... but the nice, light, airy mist of soft floral fragrance is cowering behind, bullied by the stench of wilted perfumed flowers whichis really close.

No crisp, dead flowers, no sweet faint florals. The sweetness of florals is sure as hell faint, but the dead, perfumed floral stench is on a roll.

[carbide]

in the imp: sweet, warm and floral, with lavender as the only note i can clearly pick out by itself.

 

wet, on me: lavender! whoa.

 

drydown: the lavender almost disappears, and the tea rose and violet come out. the sandalwood isn't obvious but there's an underlying warmth that i'm guessing is it - odd, because i seem to amp it in other blends. i didn't pick out the calla lily, to my delight. there is a dusty aspect but it's more like scented letters found in the attic than a dry, choking dustiness.

 

there's a similarity to Antique Lace, but this is much less powdery on me.

 

most notably, the wearlength on me is about 12+ hours, which beats my previous BPAL record twice over. the throw is moderate, and hugs have been followed with sniffing and compliments.

 

love this.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

sniffed from the bottle: a high, fragile, creamy-white sort of scent... strangely VERY similar to TKO.

on skin: this goes from fragile to faint, and only just baaaarely there.... and amazingly the only notes i get out of it are Calla Lily and white sandalwood -- the two notes that were the reason i bought it.

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Sweet, in a more fruity than floral way, like plum sauce or something like that. And a little spicy.

 

Wet:

So far, this is way prettier than I expected. I really expected to be bowled over by cloying florals, and while this is a floral blend, it smells more herbal to me than floral. I do smell the tea rose, which is soft and creamy, not sharp and in your face, although there are some soapy moments during the initial period as it settles into my skin. There is also something that reminds me of lemongrass, which I think is the "spicy" note I smelled in the bottle.

 

Dry:

For a blend with so many floral notes, it's not aggressively floral at all. Soft, creamy florals with a splash of spices. Very lovely.

[Tulliver]

I've been sniffing so many blends in the past 24 hours, I really should stop now while I still have a sense of smell.

 

However, Atrocious Attic - this was another one of the Hallowe'en blends which I had to wait for until money was in and I could finally get them. It's also the one that appealed to me from day 1. I loved the sound of the notes.

 

In the bottle it smells both floral and perfumey - an innocent child-like perfume rather than anything more sophisticated. It really is lovely.

 

Wet on the skin: Oh this is VERY lovely indeed. The florals are light but strong - oddly I don't get the lavender which I thought would be fairly obvious. All the notes are behaving beautifully with me, there's not a single "off" one.

 

Dry: Gorgeous. Lovely throw and a really warming comforting scent of flowers and something almost berry-like. It's dusty without a doubt, but not so much that it's overpowering. This is lovely. I'm actually sorry I only got one bottle. I may have to look for another one somewhere.

[alexandra]

In the bottle: I'm rather disappointed as all I get is calla lily over lavender.

 

Wet: The rose blooms now. It seems wistful. The lavender is soft and reminds me of a lavender cake I once had. The resemblance to TKO is clearest at this point (and I've got TKO on my other wrist for comparison purposes).

 

Dry: Rose, lavender and lily blended so beautifully. There is the slightest touch of sandalwood but I can't find the violet , I love violet. There is something very sad about the blend, soothing but sad: like a ghost comforting a grieving loved one.

 

And?...: It is lovely, even sans violet. I have anthropomorphised the beautiful, sad spectre Atrocious and wear her as a bedtime blend. She works just as well as TKO and gently tips me into sleep and comforts me when I wake in the night but will never take comfort herself.

 

Edited to add: After four and a half months of aging. The Atrocious Attic has really blossomed. It is now a beautiful, vanilla-sugared blend of violet, lavender and rose, with the lily in the background now. It is incredible, AMAZING and not sad in the least. And the throw wafts around my body, making me feel like I have a fabulous secret. I really want more of this and I just hope she comes out of the Attic again this Halloween.

Edited April 18, 2008 by labyrinthine

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

When the Haunted House launched, I looked it over and thought it was very clever and fun, but that I would need to order the whole darn thing to really have The Experience, and I couldn't afford it. Later, after it had come down, I re-read the description of Attic and kicked myself. Love the notes, and the concept--arrrrrgh, it plays to my whole Havisham fetish (er, the scent, not freaky old ladies). A different take on the crumbling wedding bouquet concept and I missed it. Thankfully, a dear Forum friend has sent me a decant!

 

Attic is really soft on me; I had to slather. Initially, it was mainly Calla lily, sweet and pretty. After a moment, the lovely sugared violet AND rose from Hope and Faith came floating up. It's the weirdest thing--if I snuffle my wrist, I don't detect it, but if I sit back it wafts beautifully.

 

Attic is very lovely and I'm so glad to have a bit, but I don't think I'll have to kill myself trying for a bottle. Havisham is still the crumbly bouquet to beat.

[Limelight]

Laurel's right - she nailed it with her observation of the sugared rose note from Hope coming up in this. Maybe that's what's driving me away from it I don't get the sugared violet impression of Faith so much, which is too bad, cause if I did, this might have been better. As it is, it is too much wood on me and with the lily/rose a little too sour, for lack of a better word. Very light, no heavy handedness here. It's not without it's charms, but this isn't a breakneck scent for me to acquire.

[olive]

This is an ancient feeling, decadent and creamy floral. I'm floored by how wonderful this is. Though the throw is not that strong, the feeling of this oil is massive and heaven-like. I'm typically not a fan of florals but this has such a royal and innocent aura to it. It is so inviting and I can't wait to see how it ages.

 

Edit: 4 hours later it has turned into a silky sweet smoke. It is such a haunting, ghostlike floral with a creamy dryness (much like the way a smoke machine smells) -- I simply love this.

Edited February 16, 2008 by olive

[Electric Maenad]

The Atrocious Attic is very reminiscent of Nocturne from the GC, only with less noticeable violet. It's still an old-fashioned, slightly dusty-smelling floral. It reminds me of a carefully-dried wedding bouquet kept in a hope chest with the wedding dress to keep it smelling nice. This is definitely not a modern perfume - I can easily imagine this being worn by a young Victorian lady. This one's a keeper, if only for wearing to _Vampire_ LARPs.

 

Edit: This is also yet another BPAL scent (along with Abhisarika) containing rose that doesn't beat me over the head with it. Fantastic stuff.

 

ETA: Wow - okay, after not wearing it for nearly a year, I was thinking of swapping it. I decided to test it on one arm and Abhisarika on the other because I don't need two elegant florals. Dayyyyyymn... this resembles TKO, Antique Lace, and the (current) love of my life, White Chocolate and Sugared Violets. The rose has all but disappeared, and the violet and sandalwood and a sweet, vanilla-ish lavender have come to the front. I'm keeping this, and I'm going to invent more excuses to wear it.

Edited June 18, 2009 by Electric Maenad

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Soft, dusty peach and rose.

 

On Me

Well, rose and I get along, and I amp rose something chronic. But this rose is different-- it's ashen and sedate, and there's something quite dusty as though it really has been in storage for a long time. But it's not that hideous thrift store moth-balls-and-sweat storage that makes me think of high school drama rooms, so I'm happy.

 

It's feminine, but... not especially girly. If I had to put an age on the attic, I'd say she's an elegant, sharp woman in her fifties who remains carefully aloof but has a secret hint of nostalgia tucked away in the depths of her brain.

 

I gotta say, too-- as far as roses go, this is INTENSE. But the dustiness gives it that kick of something else, and I'm sure there's some violet and a lily of some description hanging out there, too.

 

The throw is pretty good, but the LIFE... this stuff is AMAZING. Evidence? I wore it to work. I did an eight-hour shift. During that time, my hands were in water or cleaning products, I was sweating, and was indulging in donuts and coffee and cigarettes and energy drinks. But I could still smell it, and the moment I cracked a sweat... it became even more intense. Seriously, people, this is FULL ON, and that's the first time a BPAL has been amped by sweat for me.

But the life... by the time I was on the train going home-- a good, what, ten hours after I applied it-- I could still smell the stuff.

 

Absolutely AWESOME. I bought this as a bit of a "Hmm, I'll give it a go" thing from Brit on the forums, and I'm so pleased my curiousity paid off. YAY!!!1!!!one1!!! is an understatement here.

[edenssixthday]

The Atrocious Attic – The scent description described this perfectly and I don’t think I can elaborate on it. It’s totally the scent of a dried bouquet – softly floral, and dry and slightly dusty at the same time. It’s a pretty blend, and it is very soft and subtle. The throw is light and the staying power is a little below average on me.

[whinge]

Bottle: a comforting mixture of florals with a stronger scent hidden underneath, perhaps the sandalwood? It has a bit of a bite to it..

Wet: The Calla lily is the strongest, dominating all the other scents and putting that biting sandalwood back into it's place. The other florals come out from under the lily after a few moments, turning it into a dusted bridal bouquet.

Dry: The biting sandalwood has indeed been put back in it's place, it's not detectable at all now, and the lily is softening up a bit, letting the other florals come out to play. It's turning a little powdery too, unfortunately, but it isn't overwhelming.

 

It's a pretty scent, very floral-y which overtakes the sandalwood. I can still smell a little of it in there if I press my nose to my wrist but it's very, very light. The lily comes up in wafts, the strongest scent while the other florals mesh together.

 

I wish it kept up it's bite from the beginning, and that it didn't go powdery on my skin. It isn't baby powder but maybe talcum powder? *sighs* Oh well.