Zombi

[shelldoo]

Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.

in the vial...ummm dirt


wet: yup potting soil

dry a bit of mossiness is saying hi, but no rose bummer. it is dirty and moss a warm sunny day digging on the shady side of a tree, moss and dirt i like dirty but this is too dirty man i am hard to please

[britgeekgrrl]

I received an Imp of this as a freebie with some others and felt a bit trepidatious after reading the description on the website but, what the heck, I'll try anything once...

 

To my surprise, I like it. I really like it. It smelled a little rosier in the imp than it does on my skin, but the rose note is still perceptible - if more subtle, now - and nicely balanced with the moss and damp-earth smell. However, it's not very strong, and (on my skin at least) smells like it'll make a good (if slightly incongruous) daytime scent.

 

This one's going on my get-a-5ML list.

 

- Johanna

[ViolentKitten]

In the vial, whoa, this certainly is potting mix and dried rose! On my skin it's pretty much the same except there is a hint of green and the rose begins to come out as a deep blushing pink rose with the potting mix drying a little into the background. It's an intriguing scent in that I've not really smelt such wet soil before (except in Ulalume at this point in time) and I'm glad to have tried it, but this one is not quite me.

[mmcfa2]

Wet on skin:

 

This smells exactly like Demeter's Earthworm on me. And I do mean exactly. The only difference is this is stronger. There's no change from bottle to skin, it's still fresh-turned black dirt. My mom says it smells like "dead dirt", which is appropriate given the name of this particular scent.

 

Dry down:

 

do you mean demeter's Dirt? I haven't found earthworm...

[Pixie-elf]

In the Vial: I can smell the earth, and roses...

 

Wet: First I smell the ground, soil, earth... With dried roses mixed in... but it's mostly earth, oakmoss, soil...

 

Dry: Almost exactly the same as wet except the roses are coming out more... A lot more, it's taking turns, the roses come up, then the soil, then the oakmoss... It's kinda grassy, very nice.

 

Conclusion:If you like dried roses, or, the smell of the soil, or grass, you'd like this. I won't be buying a big bottle of it because it bothers my allergies and isn't what I'm looking for... But it's nice nonetheless. I'll be putting this imp up for swap.

[antimony]

It smells exactly like that powdery, concentratedly sad smell of dried roses.... only 1000 times stronger, I spent all day in a *cloud* of roses. (dirt? what dirt? I smell no dirt.)

 

It's pretty but it's just too much rose for me.

[starrykitten]

In the bottle, there's a very sharp, browny green earthy note that I wondered might be too much. When I put it on, the really sharp note died down, leaving the scent of a dry, dusty, cracked rose covered with fresh wet dirt, and I found that beautiful.

 

Zombi was sexy in a surprising way. I felt like I wasn't generally smelling sexy, but that anyone I attracted would be really interesting.

 

Wears very well too; though the rose outlasts the dirt.

[NightRythm]

Zombi - Warm decay with a soft undertone of floral in the bottle. When I put it on, I could smell the rose, but the dirt and decay were the strongest scent. I asked for opinions and everyone identified roses, very few mentioned the decay. It faded fairly quickly (in a few hours).

 

Bottom line, not a lot of staying power, but I really like this scent.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

A bright, piercing floral

Wet

ooh I smell the moss, the earth and now the rose is coming in.

Interesting. It smells just like you'd think.

It is similar to Lush's Middle earth soap, not exactly but somewhat similar, they would compliment each other very nicely.

It's a medium/light scent with little throw.

10 minutes

As it dries it gets mossier, almost a fresh seaweed type of smell but darker.

The moss part is the primary note to me. It's sort of a dark green bitter herby smell.

The rose seems to be the middle note to my nose anyway. It lends just a smidgen of sweetness to the mix

The brown earth is the bottom note for me. I like the brown earth part the best.

Normally I wouldn't like this smell nor would I wear it to work or anything like that.

20 minutes

Oddly enough this blend is extremely grounding for me and I feel serene (quite a challenge).

In a nutshell this is a bitter, earthy rose scent.

It's very calming.

I can hear a frog croaking or a lone cricket chirping in the distance and the rest is stillness...

 

If this is no happy accident and this blend really calms me in this manner I would buy more just for the feeling of dark stillness more than the smell.

Edited March 11, 2005 by UltraViolet

[mobilejessie]

I got this one as a bonus in a swap after having ordered it from the lab. I'm glad that it got tossed in, because I need more! This imp is already half gone and I've had it for about a week now. I swear, I could pretty much drink this scent I love it so much!!!

 

In the bottle: very earthy and damp, like my backyard after a ferocious thunderstorm.

 

Freshly applied: my skin immediately takes those "dirt" notes and amplifies them by ten. This is a good thing for me - I love love love the smell of freshly turned earth and/or mud more than anything... I used to wear "Dirt" by Demeter almost constantly before I found BPAL.

 

Dry: the roses come out at last! I smell exactly like the description on the site, and I'm thrilled. The roses aren't too sweet - they definitely smell like decayed, dried-out roses that have been locked in a tomb for years. I smell musty, earthy, and a wee bit creepy... and I can't stop smelling my arm! I need a 10ml bottle ASAP, because these imps will be gone very, very soon.

 

This scent lasts all day on me. I wore it yesterday and didn't have to reapply once - it stayed strong from ten AM until ten PM. There is only one downside to this scent: I keep having Zombie nightmares because I keep working this scent into conversation.

Edited March 14, 2005 by mobilejessie

[renaissancerouge]

Oh, Zombi.

 

I'm so sorry it didn't work out, but I still want to be friends with you. Before my hellish job (which is about to end, hooray!) as a Skubrats coffee drone and the long, hard, industrial commute which it entailed, I thought of you as such a sweet, gentle, slightly undead confection. If I had been a ghost I would have worn you with antique pearls and yellowed lace to float disembodied down the hall of the 109-year old house I live in. I loved that your color is as creamy and off-white as the decaying wedding gown of a jilted Southern bride, with the bite of mosses and woods tempering sweet dreams with romantic wrath.

 

But alas, all those impings on the train and bus have replaced my perverse longing for you with a trace of malice, as I now associate you not with affianced ghosts and lacy folk myths but with the dirty Chicago winter whizzing by my caffeine weary and jaundiced eyes. I'm ever so sorry about that time that I imped you and then accidentally sat my backpack in a puddle of transient pee in the station, because I haven't yet been able to shake the urban angst I feel whenever I see your forlorn little shape at the bottom of my oil box.

 

I know you'll find lots of other lovers to share your wistful bite with, but as for me, I think I'll next see you when I move to sunnier climes and less hellacious occupations.

 

Love, renaissancerouge

[misfitroxy]

Straight from the imp I can only describe this as a kind of woody musk with definite dirt undertones.

 

On my wrist it really starts to smell of wet soil although it’s rather pine-like too, almost to the point of being lemony. Curiously, it quickly turns synthetic on me and is reminding me of ammonia mixed with something sweet, as when a cleanser tries to mask its active ingredient(s) with perfume-y scents.

 

That artificial sharpness morphs into... well, I hate to even type this but I’m reminded of a fresh compost heap (or manure pile) that’s been covered up with a dash of potpourri. It’s fading really quickly which might be a blessing. And I was looking forward to this one. ::pout::

 

Before I write it off completely, though, I must say that after fully drying, the rose takes over and turns Zombi into a fresh wet-rose floral. It’s not really my kind of rose, but it’s a lot more pleasant than what I was experiencing several minutes ago.

 

I might have to test this one again before I make a final decision either way. It's definitely provoking a whole bunch of different impressions unlike any I've experienced in the past.

[kmasden]

Rose scents are not my thing. Actually I should take that back, because I love the smell of roses, but went through a period in my life where I wore "tea rose" and then of course knew some old ladies that wore roses and somehow it just turned me off of wanting to smell like a rose.

 

That said, Zombi is gorgeous. It is such a deep and earthy rose. I really feel like I can smell the moist dark dirt that a lush red rose is growing in. Reminds me of Northern California, moist, crisp air, with dark, mineral rich dirt and deep red roses.

 

Although I won't yet wear the rose scents, this is on my list of "if I ever do..."

[mmcfa2]

I wanted to love this one. I love dirt smells and I love roses. This one had dirt with a hint of ozone, a metallic tang that lingers. The rose is sharp. I love it around me, but on me it is a mess

 

The metallic tang amplifies and throws wwhile the rose gets more and more harsh, not a gentle rose, but a high pitched one.

 

In the room this is fresh soil and roses. I'll let it stay in the room with me, but not ON me sniffle

 

After spending the day in the yard I tried this one again, After working with the dirt all day it's a winner! I feel like sun is falling across my shoulders and that I'm digging and pruning away without the sweat and the bugs

Edited April 5, 2005 by mmcfa2

[Mofo]

I was intrigued by this one so added it to my list.

 

First sniff 'urgh'!! this smells strange, sharp, alcholic? metallic like mmc said but I have to sniff again, I'm both repulsed and drawn by it I can smell the rose underneath but whatever it is that gives it the sharpness is putting me off.

 

On. Funnily enough of the six new oils I got this was the one I wanted to try first and see what happened with it on my skin.

It smells the same wet and dry on me as it does in the bottle but with the rose coming through stronger now.

 

I'm going to give it another try. I find it beguiling because there is something I like in this. A confusing oil.

[girlmadasbirds]

moss, rose, dirt.... i'm in love with this scent. it smells of decay and beauty.

[quimerula]

Wet it's just earth, moss and roses.

Intense but not cloying, a bit odd but nice... a lot of contradictions!

 

After a while the leaves are going stronger, giving this scent a green and fresh tone, and the earth gives it a powdery undertone (maybe dusty).

 

It's like a fresh bouquet of dry roses... I know, another contradiction.

Lovely, anyway!

 

ETA: it is a gift from the lab, thank you very much!

Edited April 6, 2005 by quimerula

[cormeretrix]

i admit it; i only wanted this imp because of the name. zombies are cool. terrifying, but cool. i'm also doing a paper on zombie movies, and i wanna put this oil on it. i should prolly use blockbuster or something like that, but the purist inside me insists on zombi.

 

it's a very dry scent; it does have a slightly floral note to it, but it's dry. it's not overwhelmingly floral. i wouldn't mind smelling this on a guy, just to get the effect.

 

fortunately, it does NOT smell like rotting zombie flesh.

[Aurelius]

I ordered an imp of this for the name alone. How could I not?! This smells just like dirt. Freshly upturned dirt. The rose must have stayed dead because I simply cannot smell it on my skin. As fantastic as this scent is in conveying zombiness, it's not really for me. Love the fantastic images and the smell, but it's not something I want to smell like. I'm really glad I tried it though.

[Galena]

to me this isn't a heavy damp Earth smell (which I love) but really really DRY.

 

it's DUST!

 

but like that dusty scent you get in the air when it's been dry a while, and the rain is coming.

 

and I love that smell.

 

 

I find this a very peaceful but very melancholy smell. I couldn't wear it if I was feeling fragile, I know that.

 

and after about an hour, I get the very first hint of rose. old dried roses and dry Earth.

 

 

this is such a sad smell. but I love it.

 

 

 

this isn't the sort of zombi that shuffles about with an appetite for brains, that's for sure.

[kimchi]

I'm not sure I can add anything that hasn't been already said.

 

This oil smells exactly like it said it would. Beth's wonders never cease.

 

Wet on skin- I smell earth and moss. Reminds me a bit of Demeter's Dirt with a kick. Freshly dug grave-I do like that smell!

 

After 5 minutes the roses bloom. It has an almost humid and moist quality to the scent- like a graveyard in New Orleans. Lush roses and fresh dirt.

 

I envisioned a New Orleans jazz band funeral march through an old graveyard. sigh...quite lovely.

 

I like this oil but I can't imagine wearing it because I do not like the smell of roses on me. I would like to use it as a room fragrance.

I love the smell of dirt and moss (but the roses ruin it) so I can't wait to try Graveyard Dirt. Maybe that will work better on me.

[Phaedra]

When first applied, this smells like flowers and dirt, very earthy. After a minute or two there's a hint of citrus. This starts to intensify and makes this ironically smell clean and herbal. It's more like freshly dug earth than old stale dirt. After about 30 minutes this sweetens and smells like roses! I really like this one. It does have a sense of sadness to it but it's also quite beautiful and not as "dirty" as I thought it might be. This might be one for the bottle list.

[gwynhwyfar]

This was tossed in by a kind forumite. Which I'm glad for, because I never would have tried it on my own and I quite like it!

 

In the vial, I was still with my initial impression from the description on the site -- heavy, too-wet earthy scent and the patchouli is going to kill me. Despite that, I could pick out a faint hint of rose and was intriqued enough to test it out.

 

Wet, it was the same as the vial and I was all set to wash it off when it started to dry-down.

 

With the dry-down, the patchouli faded to something that didn't make me feel like my lungs were going to strangle me and the rose got to be a lot stronger. When it was finally dry, what I ended up with was this amazing earth and rose scent that smelled to me like garden soil that was a bit damp from the rain and crushed and bruised rose petals.

 

I don't think that I'll ever get a big bottle of this, just because I don't know that I'd use a whole bottle before the oil got a bit off, but I do think that I'll be keeping an imp of it around. If it wasn't for the rose, then I wouldn't like it with just the earth, but the rose saves it for me and turns more into a garden scent.

[Nemesister]

i bought 5ml of this for my gothy 13yo son. He loves it. Neither of us can smell roses whether dried or not. All we can smell is an earthy mossy smell......it is similar to demeter's dirt spray but of course has more depth to it. it's freshly dug soil next to a mossy lichen covered rock

 

no one tell him it's got roses in. He'll never wear it again!

[aritei]

I smelled lots of dusty, dried roses. No dirt at all. However, roses rarely work with my skin chemistry, so this is off to find a new home.