Wings of Azrael

[Browneyes]

Azrael is the Angel of Death, marked as the last being to die in the Apocalypse. Though a harbinger of doom, his duties are an act of mercy: he curtails human life before world-weariness and despair destroys our spirits. Warm myrrh swirled with a bittersweet blend of violet, Lily of the Valley, juniper, cypess and cajeput.

Mmmmmyrrh... with floral notes and herbs. Soft and smoky and very very pretty.

[ashariel]

So far, Wings of Azrael is my favorite scent. It's a lovely floral, but it has these dusky, grounded, earthy notes that create a perfect counterpoint to the flowers.

[Rchll]

Bottle: pine and incense, which is the cypress and myrrh (I looked cypress’ fragrance up). Very strong.

 

Self wet: It is different form the first time I tried it (like Lillith) in that the "heavy perfume" is now discernable notes. This must be my nose learning. Starts to go slightly musty as it dries (darn you myrrh). The pine in this reminds me of Jabberwocky (even though its not pine but cypress). After a bit there are some soft floral notes in there, hovering on the edges that soften it. But the green wood and incense notes are the strongest on me, thankfully the mustiness goes away after a minute or two. Hubby’s comment is that “it smells nice”.

 

Half an hour later: hmmm, really nice dark and incense based scent. Makes me think of old cathedrals in forest clearings (cypress is still star of the blend). I could actually wear this seeing as myrrh is behaving itself.

 

Next day: went kind of powder-ish but still the woods and incense hovers on my skin.

 

Overall: I like. Maybe not a big bottle buy, but still a nice imp for myself to keep.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: More floral than resinous, I pick up on the violet and a hint of something that I would guess might be the lily note

 

Wet: This is immediately more resinous when I put it on my skin, and this is a lovely, smoky myrrh. It combines really well with the violet, and in the combination of resin/violet, reminds me of a more regal/feminine version of Faustus, one of my favorite BPALs.

 

Drydown and wear: The myrrh becomes stronger in this one as it dries, but it's really sweet and lovely and dark (befitting the collection, I deem). The violet is not necessarily the strongest secondary note anymore, as the cypress gives this a cool edge. I think I will hold this imp for further testing; this is a nice resin blend.

[Ahania]

I got this because of the name, confident that I wouldn't like it, as juniper and cypress and absolute deal-breakers for me.

I adore it. It is soft, dusky, and lovely. The myrrh is the only note that really stands out to me, the others are pretty subtle though definitely there (but not enough to identify as particular flowers). When I need something peaceful and gentle, this is what I'll be going for. It's headed for the big bottle wishlist.

[angelslurry]

I wanted to like this, it sounded really pure and comforting. Alas, it was not to be.

 

It went on quietly silky and sweet, like incense smoke. But when the florals started to rise, it became oddly unsettling and I found myself unconsciously holding my breath a little, and had to go wash it off. I had a similar reaction to an overly-sweet note in Tzadikim Nistarim (spikenard, perhaps?). It didn't leave a rash or anything, so I don't think it's necessarily an allergy.

 

I love myrrh and cypress, I have juniper incense which I burn occasionally, cajeput is another name for tea tree oil which I've used to treat a skin condition before, so violet or Lily of the Valley may be an issue for me. I'll have to seek out other blends with one of each to tell for sure.

[FallDaze]

This scent is a lot lighter than I expected. Not really bad, just lighter.

 

In the imp, the juniper and cypress are the predominant scents. Not bad, but for some reason this combination always reminds me of Christmas trees.

 

On my skin, the juniper dies down a bit and the lily really comes out to play. Which is a good thing, because I love the scent of lily, and apparently my skin does too. Like I said, a lot lighter than I had anticipated.

 

After a while the lily blends with the violet for a slightly powdery scent, very light and comforting, with the juniper and cypress providing a slight undercurrent of destruction.

 

Probably a keeper, but probably one I will only need an imp at a time of.

[hkhm]

imp: myrrh with violet and a piney scent i suppose is probably juniper.

 

wet: the myrrh jumps to the fore and stays there. i can still catch a faint whiff of florals but it's faint and difficult to name. no violet to speak of (which is probably good because although i love the smell of violet, violet doesn't love me back). there's still a nice sharp piney smell, more like pine sap than pine needles.

 

dry: this almost dries down to a candied myrrh on my skin. it smells far sweeter than myrrh usually does. very mysterious scent. i'm really tempted to buy a bottle.

[Brianne]

This goes on very violet on me, which is okay with me since I like violet even though I don't particularly like florals. It has a very greenish vibe behind it though - I don't know if the lily is making it seem that way or if it's something else. I'm not getting the sharpness of the juniper or the myrrh at all here. Which is strange because myrrh tends to dominate on me. In the later stages of this scent I do start to smell myrrh but it's in the background and this scent ends up being a very floral scent. A lot lighter than I expected, but very much in the same vein as the other Ars Morendi scents.

[Northernskygal]

This one kind of confuses me.. I usually stay away from myrrh, it tends to do bad things on my skin.. and I usually stay away from most woods (sandalwood, cypress, oak.. I don't discriminate here, as almost all of them just go nuts on me).. Wings of Azrael is.. interesting. It does end of wonky on me.. but it takes it a little while to get there. It's not a bad smell exactly.. it just kind of.. clashes... and I don't know if it is the notes clashing with each other.. or with my skin but this one is just not for me.. at all..

[jparrack]

I love lilies of the valley and greeted their blooming with joy as a child. The lilies of the valley smell predominated on application. Unfortunately this perfume faded to nothing in under an hour, my skin just didn't hold onto it. Ah well, back to the drawing board, ah smelling lab, um . . . imp box?

[melrose]

On, wet: Yummy - smells so fresh, but a hint of something grounded underneath - can't wait to see how it develops.

 

Uh, that's it - faded to nothing in 20 minutes.

[ouch!]

Florals....that are darkened by the Myrrh, sadly this is not a WOWZERS jumping out at me perfume...but..like 99% of the time with BPAL, it's still pleasant.

 

Once it's dry a bit more the Myrrh fades out and it turns....powerdy!! A very soft powdery floral. I don't know if that's supposed to happen because I never get the dreaded powder crazy chemistry thing, but it that's what i'm getting now...

 

Overall..it's nothing special...even though it's one of the most beautifully named oils I've come across!!!

 

Edited August 1, 2008 by ouch!

[iiinterstate]

I smell mostly myrrh and juniper, which is nice, but nothing to go crazy over.

 

I'm a little disappointed because I like Lily of the Valley and was hoping to find some here. Oh well.

[donnatron]

Imp: Herbs and violets touched with lilies.

 

Wet: Something, probably the cypress, goes incredibly sour. I get a touch of my beloved violet, so I wait it out.

 

Dry: The cypress is still sour, but the other notes have warmed over it. The main scent is a combination of violets and lilies. There's a general herbal scent, but it's more of a herbal medicinal scent than a lush greenery scent.

 

Throw: Average.

 

Overall: This is an intriguing scent and I think it might show up in my oil burner, but it's not enamoured with my skin.

[savage_rose]

This is predominantly spicy myrrh, with just a hint of flowers. It smells gorgeous in the way cologne does, but smells much more complex than your typical scent. It's somewhat masculine, and yet floral, and it works! Mmmm...and violet and I are getting along. So unexpectedly nice.

[goth_huntress]

Too sweet.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

I could swear, there is vetiver in there, and it pretty much dominates everything. Which is not at all what I expected, but still, I love the 'ver, so I'm happy enough with that! I'm also getting a hint of something else-- florals-- but they're hazy and way overshadowed.

 

On Me

Can we say MORPH, ladies and gentlemen??! Seriously, this changes. What was a somewhat masculine, strong blend heavy on the vetiver (I'm assuming it was the myrrh/cypress blend?) pretty much goes, but I'm getting instead a dry rose, sugared violet, and lily. It's like it's completely reversed from what it was in the imp: there's still the warm musty myrrh, but it's now in the background instead.

 

And damn, this is pretty and has gone to my 5ml list. (Just as I was crossing a lot of things off!!!) By the end of the day-- and yep, it has a good life on me-- I can still smell it (my partner likes it, and my oldest son likes it!) though it's changed again. It's like a tea rose with a breezy men's cologne in the background. Seductive, individual, and classy. I like it a lot. It's complicated, though, and the more it dries down, the harder it is to pick the individual notes.

 

But yes: it's lovely.

Edited May 1, 2008 by LadyLuckDoubt

[LadyLuckless]

Oh how beautiful! I'm not familiar with many of the notes in this one, but it all adds up to one gorgeous, sophisticated scent. It actually reminds me a bit of Crow Moon, but this blend suits me much better than CM did. It calls to mind being alone in the deepest part of a violet-carpeted forest just after sundown, as the dusky violet of the flowers, shadows and sky all blend together. The edges of the notes seem to blur together so that the edges are imperceptible: is that myrrh doing that? If that's the case, I have a real liking for it. The icing on the cake is when I held out my wrist for my fiance to sniff, he grabbed it and made a little "nom nom nom" sound while nibbling! And he's a hard sell as far as scents go! I can see this being a signature scent of mine, I actually love it as much as Faith. What a frimp!

[jehrichardson]

In the Imp: Deep florals and wood

 

On the Skin: Complex florals. Very pleasant, but too floral for me I think. The myrrh is giving it a touch of resinous and musky sweetness - a low sweetness compared to the high sweetness of florals.

 

After a While: Wow. I don't have to lean in to smell this one at all. Quite the vapor radius. Strong strong florals.

 

Verdict: It's lovely, and would be perfect for a floral lover. However, that's not me. Not a keeper. Also, too darned strong. Wooee... gonna have to wash before bed.

 

In the Neil Gaiman universe, I imagine that this is what Mrs. Dunwiddie's home smells like.

Edited August 1, 2008 by j4r

[Acedia]

In the bottle and on a cotton swab: sweet, rich, florals and greens. Very vibrant and organic (i.e., like living flowers and plants, not just flower-scented oil).

 

On me: instantly turns to powder. Within a few minutes, it fades to a thin, vaguely floral, scent. The powdery essence fades, as well, but what remains is a very bland violet.

 

This could be one for a scent locket, but I can't wear it directly on my skin.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

Lily of the valley is the dominant scent with a slightly bitter smell lurking in the background.

 

On My Skin

The lily smells beautiful and is balanced nicely with the juniper and cyprus. The mryyh seems to round it all out making these disparate scents blend seamlessly. It is very light on my skin. I have to hold my wrist up to my nose to get a sniff.

 

After a Bit

My skin ate this oil up. 30 minutes later with my wrist next to my nose I can hardely smell a thing. The tiny bit I can smell is awesome though.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Overall - 2.5

Throw - 1

Longevity - 1

 

Final Thoughts

I loved the way this smelled when I first applied it, too bad it didn't last for very long. I'll have to re-test or maybe try it in a scent locket because the smell was pretty fantastic.

[Iceblink]

What begins as strong, strong myrrh fades into soft myrrh with violets and lily of the valley...it's very pretty and perfumey. Could border on old-lady, not that there's anything wrong with that. Stays close to the skin.

[Bamels]

I adore myrrh and violet so was hopeful for this one. Sniffing the bottle I can smella bit of myrrh but mainly florals, i presume the lily. Let's hope things change when i put it on!

 

Once on, the lily is pretty much all I can smell even when my wrist isn't against my nose! On closer inspection I can smell juniper, but only with my nose attached to my wrist.

 

When dry it's just too floral for my nose and gives me a slight headache. I won't be wearing this again, however I think floral lovers will really really like it.

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: Lily of the valley, juniper and a camphor-like scent

 

Wet: herbally cajeput, myrrh and juniper

 

Dry: Subtle violet and lily blended together with cypress and warmed by myrrh. The flowers have a resinous ethereal base. The cypress and juimper give the florals a wispy presence.

 

Light and illusory. The resins lift the air. It's as if I have effortless deeply cooled breath sweetened with subtle flowers. As much as this is an enjoyable experience for myself, DH has an adverse reaction to it. I'll be wearing it in my scent locket next time.