The Antikythera Mechanism

[LiberAmoris]

Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.

 

I've received more than a few frimps of The Antikythera Mechanism over the years with Lab orders, but it wasn't until I tested one that was a few years old that I understood the mad love. Woods, vanilla, and tobacco. It's so simple and yet very satisfying. Like freshly polished furniture in sunlight, with a bit of sweetness and smoke. I grew up in a Scandinavian household, and all the furniture was teak, so I always get a kind of nostalgia from the teakwood note. This smells like my childhood—teak furniture, smoke from my father, sweetness from my mom.

[Soupy Twist]

Tobacco and a little smoky sweetness in the bottle. Goes on as tobacco with a touch of smoky vanilla. Eventually a little amber softens the edges, but mostly it's just... tobacco. A really nice tobacco, with plenty of longevity, but nothing else. I think my skin just amps tobacco to the point of drowning out all the other notes. Disappointing, because I saw all the love here for this scent and I really wanted to like it more than I did. I'll use the imp again, but it's not FBW.

[vanilla323]

This scent is a sexy, oaky, vanilla and tobacco scent. It's not masculine per say but I want to smell it on my man not myself. Not sure why. Maybe because it's not a foodie scent at all and that's my thing. But it is a gorgeous scent none the less.

 

The vanilla is lovely here mixed with the oak. Maybe because it's a black vanilla that's what makes me think of a man. Who knows. Great scent though and everyone needs to try this one at some point.

 

Had good throw and staying power too for a GC scent.

[Malaena]

I got this as a frimp from my wishlist from the wonderful Alainn. It just arrived yesterday so I gave it overnight to settle.

 

In the imp: Wood and tobacco.

 

Dry: At first it's woods and tobacco with just a hit of sweet vanilla. The dryer it gets the more the wood and tobacco shifts to the background. Fully dry the woods disappear altogether and what is left is a wonderful, lightly sweet vanilla with a hint of tobacco.

 

Verdict: Mmm, sexy.

 

ETA: I retested after it had a chance to rest. Its a very light vanilla with a hint of tobacco that clings to the skin. I can only smell it if I put my nose at least an inch away from my skin. I will keep the imp but it's not a bottle purchase for me.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Malaena

[Shaeori]

Vanilla must have a tendency to turn musky on me, which I don't like, and sadly means I don't think this one is for me.

 

I'm terribly envious of those who are getting tobacco and wood and libraries, all I get is sweet powdery vanilla, which seems more like something I'd use as a house scent, not on myself. It refuses to transform, wet or dry and though occasionally I've tried tricking myself into believing there's a wood scent in there and it might coax out... it doesn't.

 

Obviously, I am an anomaly!

[DoktorDandy]

In the imp: Bitter, acrid, bright. Oily? What on earth is that?

 

Wet: Pretty strong right off the bat. Weird note now- Lotion? Skin? Salt? Salty metal? Bitter and oily. Sweetness that isn't sugary or sweet. The oil is a little sticker and thicker than the others. Takes it's sweet time drying. The throw is pretty good. I keep getting wafts of it.

 

Dry: Yeah this is a coppery smell. A dry, ashy sort of incense is there, almost dusty but I really have to huff my arm in order to get any of it. Starts to fade though. In Mechanism leaves an odd sour-bitter-sweet trace, almost powdery. The impression of Oil is pretty strong. Overall this is like licking a penny- or has that memory to me. Oily golden thing. Meh- I'll trade this. Too much of a bitter tang for me, though it's very interesting.

[Teamama]

Sweet, dry Tobacco leaves and vanilla, with wood peeking out in the background. No smokiness on me, thank heavens. This is sweet and butch, so I want to try it on my honey.

[jacarandaz]

Wet: Very sharp teakwood. It's pretty overwhelming.

 

Dry: The teak calms somewhat and the tobacco comes out. It's very woody and smoky with a hint of sweetness from the vanilla.

 

2 hours in: Teak is still the predominate note, but it's mellowed out. The tobacco has become less smoky and more of a cured tobacco scent. If you built a tobacco barn out of polished teak and cured slightly vanilla flavored tobacco in it, it would smell like this.

[LizziesLuck]

Frimp from the lab!

 

In the imp it smells like patchouli, and I had to check the label again.

 

Wet on skin - no patch at all, so my nose is crazy. It's such a warm scent. Tobacco (but not ashtray) sweetness, bit woody. Hmmm. Very different. Like a lot.

 

Dry - this is so well blended. I can't pick out the notes anymore. It's really beautiful, and kinda sexy. I worried I would find it too masculine, but not the case. It's sweet and has enough vanilla to make me feel I could wear it. I'll be doing a full day test, but I may need a bottle!

 

 

EDIT:

 

I have to re-review, because after this has settled for a couple months and I am re-testing, I am BLOWN AWAY by how it smells wet.

 

Wet: This is the best tobacco I have ever smelled. I can't even describe how rich and fragrant it is. I think the teak and oak are just blending seamlessly with the tobacco to make it richer and more nuanced. It's sweetened by the vanilla, but I can't really pick the vanilla out as a note.

 

Dry: Still amazing tobacco supported by woods (but not the fir kind I don't like) and vanilla. Unisex. Amazing. Need a bottle!

Edited January 3, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[Musamea]

I ordered this sample because so many people in their reviews of Haloes (one of my BPAL Holy Grail scents) likened it to the Antikythera Mechanism

 

In the imp: smoky tobacco and oak

 

Wet: very softly masculine – strong woods and smoky tobacco

 

Dry: on me, The Antikythera Mechanism dries down into the inside of an oak and teakwood cigar box, excellent staying power and moderate throw—overall, I can see the comparison to Haloes in the wood note, but Haloes overall is much sweeter and more feminine and golden to my nose. I never get the vanilla from the Antikythera Mechanism, which I think would have dialed down the masculinity a good bit. I'll either swap my imp or give it to my husband and see if it wears well on him.

[freyasfae]

It does smell a bit gearish right off, maybe its the teakwood and tobacco, but the gearish element disappears pretty quickly to be replaced with a truly gorgeous scent. I really cannot stop sniffing it, and it has a good throw. I tried this before and was skeptical, but nope, not anymore! That black vanilla is gorgeous. It's sweet without being cloying. I think I am going to try it on my guy, too! It has an almost bourbon quality to it without the booze note, and he loooves bourbon.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

At first I got a delicious burnt-honey topnote, but there's something under it that isn't so good on me while wet...I think it's the teak, but it's almost more like motor oil than woods. Very strange. It settles into a sweet drydown with a hint of tobacco. Better, but rather masculine for me.

[Casablanca]

Bottle: A deep, reddish-brown wood smell.

Wet: The wood is there but the tobacco comes to the fore. I'm not usually into tobacco scents, but at least this says "new bag of Drum" rather than "ash tray." There's a slight impression of oil that reminds me of Oil Fiction from Juliette Has a Gun.

Dry: Smoky, dirty vanilla against a background of wood and tobacco. This is my favorite stage for this blend. It feels more like a dark brown scent once dry.

A lovely blend for those who like all the notes, but not a blend that converts me to tobacco. I'll see how it ages.

 

Addendum: Actually this smoky vanilla is growing on me. I can see getting attached to it.

Edited April 25, 2016 by Casablanca

[Cali]

Without looking at the notes, I thought there was black liquorice in there!
It's pretty sweet, smoky and warm. Lots of wood.

Unfortunately it just amps up what I'm guessing is that vanilla in there which I can't un-smell and think of anything not-liquorice... Which is not something I'd want to smell like. However I see how this is a crowdpleaser as it's kinda sexy and intoxicating.

[roseus]

Dark, burnished, and heavy. It's a woody tobacco scent. The sweetness is there, but the overall scent is deep and dark. It's smoky but not in an ashtray way. Teak comes across as super slick and polished to me, but the mahogany and tobacco have more dry qualities. I really like it, but it's just a touch too woody and not quite sweet enough. I really like layering it with Paladin and Snake Oil.

Edited September 5, 2016 by roseus

[SmilesSunshine]

rich deep golden and assured notes of woods vanilla and a most fragrant pretty tobacco. the balance of all components is very impressive and certainly deserves celebrity status.

 

however, for me, once again, this will not make the cut to be in the rotation box. i find it to finish quite androgynous. neither feminine, nor masculine. i should adore it, but i just do not. sad.

[Convallaria]

Well, I heard that tobacco is well-behaved in this one, but I didn't expect it to go so well! I can see why it's everyone's favorite, it's so smooth and balanced and well-blended. A true classic. I agree with "androgynous" assessment - it's a true middle-of-the-road, not a masculine you could steal. I was worried that woods would be amped, but it's not a case for me - tobacco is the star of the show. This reminds me of a whole dried leaf rather than a cigarette. In the drydown, the vanilla comes out, though the tobacco still doesn't disappear.

[bulletslc]

The first time I tried this as a frimp from the lab it was way too sharp for me, but I was very much into honey notes at the time. Flash forward a couple of years and I'm much more into woods.A lovely swap partner decided she wanted to swap her brand new bottle, and I decided to give AM another chance.....and so glad I did!The teak does start the show with a blast of bitter woods, but it soon settles down into the most comforting vanilla tobacco ever. Definitely worth the second chance.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Bulletslc

[maudlinrose]

This smells very cologney to me - the tobacco is a bit too dominant, in my aged imp. I think I prefer St. Clare's tobacco which is blended with a powdery sweet vanilla - its adds some complexity and softens the sharpness of the tobacco note ...

 

This would be gorgeous on a man.

[Bassmastadroog]

I am so glad I waited to make this review. Before sitting through the initial 20 seconds of the extreme blast of wood in this blend, I had tested it twice and felt pretty heartbroken because I wasn't getting the beauty it is claimed to hold. I can say now, that this is a warm, sexy, interesting scent. I have truly not smelled anything like it, (haven't tried GV) is not uncommon for Bpal, but I definitely fell in love with this. Can't get over that tobacco note.

 

Strong initial wood note, but it quickly simmers into a perfectly balanced blend. Black vanilla sticks around strongly, and polishes the wood so warmly.

[puellacaerulea]

Got this as a frimp with my last order. It's like a less foody/boozy version of Miskatonic University -- the wood notes stay front and center on me even after drydown, with the vanilla very subtly sweetening it. The tobacco note is a little more prominent, but has the same function of adding a little sweetness to the wood notes. I really love this -- it's sophisticated, androgynous, and not overwhelming in terms of throw. It's close enough to Miskatonic University that I don't know yet if I need a bottle, but I'll definitely be thinking it over as I go through the imp.

[Spaztic]

On me this smell's like a mix of Saje's Yoga blend + mens cologne + a little bit of anise (weird)

It's nice but I wouldn't want to wear it often, I'd like it more as a room diffuser actually

No full bottle for me, but I like having the imp!

Edited January 13, 2017 by Spaztic

[Joyleaf_]

I got this in my last order. I had been putting it off because I knew that it would probably be an instant love, as I have never found a fragrance with teakwood I didnt like.

I was right. This is amazing. The vanilla and tobacco play a perfect back up to the warm fullness of the teakwood. Its one of those fragrances that I want to wear and also my make my partner wear at the same time. Looks like a big bottle purchase is in my future. I will say that this is in the vein of The Black Rider, and The Two Old Men for others looking for similar scents.

[lizabelle]

I'm suddenly questioning whether I've actually smelled teak on its own before, or even oak. This is dark and spicy and has a really strong, chewy tobacco note; it's almost boozy, like a cognac note. In fact my skin is amping the tobacco so heavily that it's making me cringe, and I will probably have to wash it off. Tobacco has been in a number of perfumes I enjoy, but I tend to like it much drier and further in the background--I'd rather not go around smelling like the real thing.

 

I thought I would like this but it's wetter/sweeter than I tend to like my wood notes and it's not vanilla-y enough for me to really enjoy it as that, either. Also very heavy on tobacco, which I tend not to like as a main player. Overall it's a pass from me but it is interesting--I'd like to smell it on someone who doesn't amp tobacco as heavily as I apparently do.

[Lucchesa]

Antikythera Mechanism is lovely, a soft vanilla not going all weird but held in place by tobacco, teak and oak. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long on me, fading quickly to a soft generic vanilla. I wanted to love it because of the name, and I will definitely use up the imp, but I'm not sure I need more.