Anactoria

[CreamyJade]

The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk.

2010 version

In the decant: Fruity red currant, dragon's blood, lingering spices in the background.
Wet on skin: The tartness of the fruit is lost, I'm now getting faint honey also.
Dry on skin: Very well blended scent, I get amber, faint honey, some red fruits & barely there florals (?).
Final thoughts: I didn't know what to expect about this one, but I was hoping the honey would be more present than it is though. Faint on my skin, with not much throw. It's a nice perfume, but not my style.

[milo]

Wet, I'm getting a jasmine-like floral that is going powder pretty fast. (huh?) There is some strong, spicy musky thing going on here with some sickly sweet honey. Not for me. Again, the notes sounded like win, but I'm not getting currant or 'nice' honey. Not having much luck with the Lupers this year, I'm afraid.

[Molls]

I ordered a decant of this off the forum, because I forgot I ordered one from the decant circle I joined. I'm so glad I did, because I can never have too much of this! I put it on, just to test, and this was the first scent where I literally could not tear my nose away from my arm! It is amazing!

Something in it - the amber or the honey, or the musk reminds me of Jean Paul Gaultier Classique. I rarely buy back-ups, but I know I'll buy at least a couple bottles of this!

[ami226]

'10 Version

 

On the skin: This scent is kind of green. And musky. It isn't as sweet as I thought it would be...

[wl552]

Doing a full day wear for Anactoria '10 today...

 

OMG!! At first, it's floral and sweetish and bright, but after drying it becomes this wonderfully warm amber musk. I keep catching whiffs of it as I go about my day and I love it. Though it is warm, there is a vibrancy to it that makes this so perfect for Spring. I smell it and really feel alive. Very few scents make me want to actually skip.

 

Thankfully, I don't get much honey in this. That was one of the notes I was very worried about as honey inevitably goes rancid on me. Not so here. Perhaps the kush is giving this the subconscious vibrancy, but I can't say that I can smell it, also thankfully.

 

Overall, this is a great scent! I'm so glad to have my bottle. I love it and it isn't going anywhere!

[veronicafranco]

oh, wow.

full disclosure - i have not personally experienced the kind of wild night where i would be tasting blood. but i'm pretty sure that kind of night would not smell this great! the afterglow could feel a lot like this smells, though, in my humble opinion.

 

when first applied, i get how the sharply spicy dragon's blood evokes violence. normally i'm one of those people on whom dragon's blood goes to weird loud floral, but apparently honey and amber are good matches for the note and i am enjoying it for the first time! all the rest of the notes are generally win on me, and so i'm not as surprised that the amber-white honey-currant-musk is a gorgeous combination.

[fairestrocza]

In the Bottle: very light, both in feel, and in the sense that I can barely smell anything

 

Wet on Skin: gives the impression of an aquatic floral

 

While Drying: it must be the musk that is dominant at this stage… I am picking up a slight hint of something resiny/incensy, but mainly getting the aquatic impression. No honey, no currant, nothing that I recognize as kush

 

After a Little While: picking up a bit of the daemonorops now, not as sweet as DB can often be… seems a bit warmer and dryer now. Very low throw on this one.

 

Later: picking up a bit of sweetness, and just a touch of the amber, but something is also going funky - a bit sour; Surprisingly for such a light scent, there is a lingering fragrance even 12 hours later.

 

Final Thoughts: Reminds me of one of the GC blends - wish I could remember which. Not super impressed with this one. The low throw combined with the occasional funky note and the overall perfumey quality make this a no go for me. Yet, I'd be interested to see what happens to it with some aging.

Anactoria earns a 2.5/5 on my skin.

[CitizenBree]

Anactoria is super perfumey on my skin. I'm not doing a side by side comparison, but it seems like it smells like the "heady womanly perfume" that is being covered up by the bubblegum in Jailbait. That is exactly how I would describe it.

 

While I find this scent interesting when mixed with the bubblegum in Jailbait, I'm not too fond of wearing it alone. It doesn't feel that unique to me.

 

It is musky and not as sexy as I thought it would be. I'll stick with Smut and O for sexy.

[Suusje]

2010 version

 

This is just beautiful. It's an innocent and light honey with musk and a hint of amber. I'm really loving it.

[zankoku_zen]

2010 version.

 

I find this version less like O and much more perfumey and musky. The honey in this is very very light on wet, and it's more of a slightly sweet, musky amber blend. As it dries, the honey does come out more but still I find it less cloying and heavy than the 2008 version.

[Rshields]

This is a sexy sophisticated womanly perfume. It comes off a little strong and perhaps "Elizabeth Taylor" at first and then settles into something more siren-esque. Siren is not in reference to the perfume but to a gorgeous seductive woman. Luperci was simply too "grandma", Anactoria is much more feminine and pretty,more young and exuberant. I am terrible at describing notes and I am not well versed in components, so I could not tell you what this really smells like, one thing I do decipher from the aforementioned description is the golden amber and the Arabian musk. Pretty delicious but not on the light side if that is what you are looking for. This actually sticks around for a while.

Edited December 4, 2010 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[Menum]

In bottle: mellow, more sweet than fruity, but a clean sweet

 

On skin (wet): much honey and an almost honeysuckle smell. Going sort of smokey.

 

10 min: more soapy than I'd like, but not awful. Getting a little floral.

 

20 min: waaay soapy. I want to wash it off, but I must endure.

 

60 min: almost gone, too many high notes and soap (but just enough honey to make me sad). Had hoped the honey and musk would really shine through to make this a sensual scent on me.

[Aldercy]

2008 version.

 

Okay, first of all, I misread "kush" as "khus"-- which is vetiver-- and was very confused by this scent for a minute. But I don't actually smell kush either, so we're not going to worry about that note.

 

Aaanyway, Anactoria is really pretty. I get mostly bright, rich redcurrant (so much different than its heinous cousin blackcurrant), lovely rough Arabian musk (it does seem to have a distinct personality among the musks), and a bit of honey amber. It's powerful and womanly. Seems to come from a traditional place, but is just a little different. I'm a fan.

[Michi]

(Anactoria '10): Not at all what I was expecting, based on the notes! When first applied to the skin, Anactoria smells very strongly floral, with patchouli lurking underneath. Better than the bottle smell--which was sharp floral--but not my kind of thing at all.

 

Once dry, the florals sweeten up, and take on their own personality. I'm getting what I think is lily, jasmine, and a bit of honeysuckle. It's not bad, despite my aversion to florals. Later the florals retreat and the honey & amber make an appearance. I think this might be really pretty with some age behind it.

[sarielswish]

In the vial, it's rich and sweet without being sickening. Amber, musk, honey, and currant. Thankfully, the daemonorops doesn't overpower like it can. Color, red gold.

 

Wet on my skin, it's musky, sweet, and golden. Almost soporific.

 

10-15 minute drydown - It's musky-sweet, with an incense-y edge. Heaven.

 

6 hour drydown - This is a definite Pennsic Party Night scent. ;-)

[Invidiana]

This is amazing, the perfect balance of innocent and naughty. The whtie honey and golden amber contribute to the innocent part, but are soon deliciously corrupted by the ubersenual kush and musk which add unabashedly sexual undertones. The redcurrant doesn't exactly make it fruity as much as giving it a tinge of "red", ust adding to the overall feel that evokes the poem so well. When this is resurrected I'm definitely grabbing another bottle.

[angburfield]

The scent description does not match this scent to me..I get maybe the slightest hint of dragon's blood, but the first 3 descriptive terms that come to me are gorgeous, refined and elegant. This is a warm amber and golden musk. Not very sweet..exotic (I think the Arabian musk makes it so). Throw that you would notice standing close to someone but not across the room..a come hither scent. The honey sexes it up to balance the naughty-nice dichotomy. Not overtly in your face sexy..but more complicated and reverant..can't get enough of it.

 

Yes..still huffing myself..the longer I wear it..it just blends in to your skin..amazing

[Ishtar]

When I tried my decant of Anactoria back when it came out (2008 version), I remember being shocked at how very different it was from my expectations.

For all the talk of sultriness and promise of glorious resins, I ended up with a very clean unisex fragrance, composed of a high-pitched soapy note and a very light musk base without much substance or depth to it. Hmph.

 

Fast forward a couple of years, and I'm glad to say things have vastly improved. For some reason, the wet stage seems very floral to me - white flowers more specifically, maybe even white rose. Quite elegant and almost airy (a quality I often associate with Arabian musk), yet grounded by the honey and amber.

 

As Anactoria dries down, the sweeter and heavier notes become more pronounced, and for a while I am getting that sexy vibe other reviewers have been talking about.

 

After complete drydown however, Anactoria sort of reverts to its 2008 self - thin, clear musk with a slight soapiness. At least this time I got a hint of what other forumites love about it!

[imaginepageant]

2010 version.

 

In the Vial: Reminds me a lot of Dragon's Heart, so - immediate love! I get the golden amber, currant, musk, and a hint of honey. I had no idea what kush was until I just Googled it, and wow - I was not expecting it to be marijuana, and I definitely don't smell anything like it here. I had to Google daemonorops as well, and apparently it's dragon's blood resin - no wonder this is so reminiscent of Dragon's Heart!

 

Wet: Right away it goes very light and floral, and then powdery. Still vaguely fruity and sweet, thanks to the currant and honey.

 

Dry: This is so hard to describe. It's still floral and sweet, but less fruity. And a little... watery. And creamy, very creamy. And perfumey.

 

An Hour Later: Very much like Dragon's Eye: sweet, creamy floral. I can't exactly smell the currant, but it's there just enough to give the blend a bit of tartness. And the musk is still there in the background.

 

Overall: I'm one of the lucky people who dragon's blood is typically resinous on, instead of floral. There are a few exceptions, like Dragon's Eye, Ladon, and apparently Anactoria. I wish this blend had stayed a sibling to Dragon's Heart. It's a nice scent, and different enough from the others for me to keep it. I think this would be lovely for a romantic summer evening.

 

ETA: I tried it on my neck and cleavage as well, and the honey and musk were much more noticeable there, which made the blend a lot nicer. This will definitely be an oil to wear there instead of on my wrists.

[angelicreprieve]

I LOVE this I tried a decant of the aged 2008 version. Its so well-blended I can't pick out individual notes, so much as appreciate the contrast between the sweetness of the white honey and the earthyness of the kush and amber. This is definitely not sexy in a overpowering musk way despite the Arabian musk note. It is surprisingly sweet and light for such a "sexy" perfume, the amber/kush keep it from being a typical sweet innocent girly scent.

 

One of the above reviewers described it as "sweet skin" and I think that's exactly right. This is what I hoped O would be (I say that with every intention of trying O again) - it feels sexy in a decadent way, like the sweetness of honey clinging to your skin. Its a simply brilliant contrast of sweetness and earthy sexyness.

 

It leaves a soft amber glow on the skin after some hours of wear.

 

This is a very soft, subtle, clingy scent - I usually prefer stronger scents with more throw, but I think this scent is perfect just the way it is. That said, I think I will probably go through my bottle very quickly. This is my first "Will always take more" blend

Edited June 25, 2011 by angelicreprieve

[fetish911]

Aged 2008 version.

 

I had gotten a sniffie of this a while back. I fell in love and finally was able to procure a btl! This is all creamy, warm honeyed musk & amber. Smells soo sexy . Not terribly strong, so its a great skin scent. Love this, and I will treasure my bottle~

 

I do have a 1/4 imp of '10 that I will add to this when I have a minute to compare side by side. I do remember not liking it enough for more than a sniffie at the time though.

[lookingglass]

Sweet honey musk! I was expecting a very red smell from the berries and resins but not so much, really-it's more of a blush on skin. It actually smells like a more femme version of Hand of Glory which I am really thrown by and more than pleasantly surprised. It must be the musk that smells kind of leathery. Total win!

[donkehpoo]

(2008 Version)

 

Wet: Very light musk and honey.

 

Dry: Well HELLO! On me, this smells like it could be Snake Oil's younger, sweeter cousin. The amber and musk are doing amazing things on my skin. It's gorgeous.

 

 

4/5

Only complaint? I wish it lasted longer. But for this blend, I will gladly re-apply throughout the day.

[orata]

Gorgeous light waxy honey, amber, and clean Arabian musk (smells like Egyptian musk to me). Vaguely like O, but much lighter and cleaner, or The Lights of Men's Lives, but again lighter and without the smoky note. I really like it, but sadly, I can only smell it if my nose is practically touching my wrist--it's so faint! My color-impression would be a pale milky white tinged with the faintest drop of gold.

[waternight]

In the imp: Resinous and spicy-sweet from the red current.

Wet: Sweet, spicy musk, juicy red current, and heady kush. A slight drizzle of honey. Yummy! Sweet but spicy, slightly smoky, thick and resinous but not sticky. Really sexy!

Dry: Sweeter. Sweet incense, with an edge that is red musky. Sadly, red musk haaaates me. Sad face.

 

Edit: About 8 hours later I woke up and caught a whiff of my arm where I'd applied, and HOLY CRAP if all the iffy notes haven't burned away, leaving behind the most drop-dead-sexy musk ever. This is what I wanted Smut to be like.

Edited December 24, 2012 by waternight