Ashlultum

[VioletChaos]

Babylonian musk, vanilla tea, tonka, tobacco, coconut, hyssop, and lilac.

in the vial: lilac.

wet on skin: sweet lilac. it's nice. reminds me of being in a field somewhere, full of wildflowers.

dry down:lilac, but with some other floral peeking in from under it.

in all: i sadly didn't get any of the musk or tobacco notes i was hoping for. this read to me as a pretty straight up floral scent. if that's your cup of tea, you'll adore this one. for me, though, i think i'll pass. :shrug:

[lanablade]

In the bottle: This is very faint. Tea and sweet and just a touch of lilac.

 

Wet: Lilac and an undercurrent and aftertaste of sweet vanilla and tonka. GORGEOUS!

 

Dry: Soft, gentle lilac floral over a sweet base of goodness. No tobacco, sadly, but I'm betting that'll come out more with aging.

 

I received this bottle yesterday, straight from the lab, and I usually don't make a final ruling on Beth's creations till they've aged at least a month, but even raw, this one is amazing and delicate and feminine. Very contrary to what I usually wear, but I find myself loving it.

[zankoku_zen]

Oh man, this is a vaguely watery aquatic kind of floral - but then it becomes this tobacco/coconut dominated suntan oil.

 

With lilac perfume sprayed on it.

 

This is basking on the beach with suntan lotion and lilacs on your skin.

 

Yeah, so not me.

[dzurlady]

The florals totally take over this scent, suppressing all the other notes and leaving me smelling like soap. This is ruined by skin chemistry, sadly. Throw is good and I think wear length would also be good, although I washed it off after a few hours. Still, it was as strong as when I first applied it when I did.

[TereFaerie]

Suntan lotion with lilac baby powder! What?!

Not for me.

[voodoocatwoman]

Oh, oh, oh! Beauty in a bottle!!

 

This starts out with musk and tobacco as the strongest notes. It dries to the most perfect lilac I have ever experienced. It is sweet without being cloying.

 

One of my new favorites. Indeed.

[auburnette]

Ashlultum

 

In the bottle: Sweet, strong floral. The lilac really grabs me - I wonderered why this scent caught me so much and then realised that it reminds me of a lilac bush in my parents' garden, climbing trees next to it as a kid. Very nostalgic.

 

Wet, on skin: Much of the same.

 

Dry, on skin: I am still noticing the lilac scent because it's such a powerful scent memory for me. It is a very powerful lilac, but from a slightly greater distance I notice a depth and warmness which I think is the tonka, and also the coconut (more like gorse bushes, though). As it continues to dry down, I've already decided - YUM, I like this a lot, and will seek out a partial or buy a 5ml. Gorgeous, heady, powerful floral. And I'm not even so crazy about florals!

[rayvn1]

This is another great one - I need to try more of these Grindhouse ladies! Lots of vanilla and some coconut, but not overpoweringly sweet. Very well tempered by the musk and tobacco. Gorgeous!

[PurringPulsar]

Ashultum

 

In the imp: a gorgeous rich jasmine/gardenia like floral. this is beautiful and tropical-scented.

Wet on skin: lilac and a white jasmine-like floral. The lilac is turning a little bitter now.

Dry on skin: I don’t know what to make of this. The lilac note is really harsh and piercing and bitter for now, like it was in White Moon. But underneath I smell hints of vanilla and coconut and musk, a bit of smoky tobacco as well. I also smell a white floral, which, when mixed with the coconut and vanilla, reminds me of Tiki Queen. I’ll see what the lilac does and then make my mind up.

After a while: ah, that’s better. The lilac has toned down a bit (still lingers though) and now the sweet white floral musk scent is much more apparent. Is this mysterious floral Babylonian musk? If so, I want to see more blends with it. I can also smell the coconut note, which is gorgeous and reminiscent of Eden. The vanilla note doesn’t smell tea-like to me but it smells wonderful, probably enhanced by the tonka. There’s a wonderful summery ‘beachy floral’ scent to this, exotic and fresh, but not as heavy as other ‘island flower’ scents. It actually smells like a variety of jasmine, or like how I wish most jasmine scents could smell on me.

The scent eventually loses that lilac sharpness and turns completely into that wonderful white floral scent edged with coconut. It smells like a cousin to Black Pearl, a similar pale musk, coconut and floral combination.

The scent then turns into a much more floral scent, losing that rich vanilla-coconut and becoming more lilac-centred, a tiny bit powdery, though the lilac now is a lot nicer than it was at the start.

Verdict: I really wanted to love this scent but I’m still not sure about it. I will need to retest my decant (now aged) because I really love the white floral, sensual musk and tropical coconut aspects of this scent, almost like a sister scent to Tiki Queen, a sultry exotic floral goddess scent. but then there’s the lilac. A tricky note. especially this lilac, which goes all harsh, screamy, piercing and brash on me, before going wilted-smelling. It stays like that for about an hour before becoming more tolerable as a floral-musky-coconut scent. I really love that feminine, summery floral scent, but the lilac seems to get in the way. will need to try this one again-I don’t want to give up on it.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Not sure. I want to love it, despite the lilac.

If you like this, try: Tiki Queen, White Moon, Night Thoughts, Upa Upa, Black Pearl

[lainevierge]

Grr, this is way too sweet and floral for me, even with the coconut.

 

I was hoping the musk would give it an edge, but it smells like something my mom would wear. Nice, but too straight and respectable. I like my scents evil, sexy and smutty!

[jencallisto]

In the bottle: Complex, dark. Vanilla root beer with lilac and tobacco around the edges.

Fresh on the skin: A complex, lilac-y floral, dark and sweet and a little smoky.

5 minutes later: Oh. Oh, I really like this. I wonder what hyssop smells like, if it's what's adding the slightly spicy jasmine-ness to the lilac and creamy-sweet-dark vanilla tea.

20 minutes later: This is freaking gorgeous. It's mostly a spicy floral, but there's a seductive depth to it that's just amazing. It's also reminding me of something, but I don't know what. Something good. And the waft is effective, but not insistent. _Very_ nice.

1 hour later: Fuzzy warm sweet lilac. Love love love.

2 hours later: Light, warm, lilac-y goodness.

3 hours later: Fading down the laundry, but really delicious laundry.

6 hours later: Faded to just a wisp of sweet, soft lilac. God, I adore this.

8 hours later: Still there and lovely.

14 hours later: The faintest whisper of lilac, but basically long gone.

 

Verdict: I love this madly -- it may well be my ultimate lilac scent, something I didn't realize I was looking for but am utterly grateful to have found. I am so glad I have a whole bottle of it! (Thank you, Maidenhell!)

 

One phrase: sweet, complex lilac.

[Dark Alice]

Vanilla Lilac tea....I don't know about this one.....it also has flashes of coconut in it....I dont know yet...we will see

[hkhm]

bottle: tea, musk and tonka.

 

wet: spicy coconut floral.

 

dry: spicy coconut with musk and tonka and far away in the background there's a bit of lilac.

[waternight]

In the bottle: Musk with a strong dollop of vanilla tea and coconut.

Wet: A light, sweet, golden musk, bright and shiny! I sense the tobacco far in the background, grounding the scent and making it a bit smokier and dirtier. Vanilla tea adds a to the sweetness, which here is lovely and not cloying. A ribbon of hearty, meaty coconut winds through the blend. I barely get an lilac from this at all, which is sad, since I adore lilac. I get faint, fleeting whiffs of it every once in a while, though.

Dry: The musk and tobacco add an amazing smokiness to this blend. It's incredibly sexy and is very much a close-to-the-skin scent. Perfect to wear out on a hot date. YUM.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Sweet sun tan lotion

 

Wet on me – Warm, oddly soapy coconut

 

Dry on me – A sweet, soft powdery vanilla, with a hint of musk

 

Overall – I like this a lot

 

[donnatron]

Bottle: Slightly astringent. I get a strong hit of tea and tonka with a little whiff of lilac.

 

Wet: Surprisingly, Ashlultum reminds me a lot of Kubla Khan. I think it's the coconut in Ashlultum, God only knows what it is in Kubla Khan, but there's something sweet, creamy and almost cold cream-esque that hits me in the back of my throat. Any of Ashlultum's astringency is buried for the present.

 

Dry: The coconut is the dominant scent for a really, really long time. But after the coconut dies down/gets wrestled down I get a really pretty vanilla/musk tempered with a bit of (Dorian's?) tea and some tobacco. This smells very pretty and a little sensual. Not as aggressive as some of the other Grindhouse gals but definitely seductive.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: I don't know. I like it, definitely. I think Ashlultum is one special lady. I will be keeping the bottle and it will probably see higher rotation once it warms up here. I think I'll wait until when we find the carnival is leaving town before I decide if she's an absolute favourite or not.

[GardenCat]

Interesting notes, I wouldn't have picked it up & tried it, but, again, after I sniffed it and got the lilac vibe, I had to get it. The coconut rounds it out so it's not overpowering (or maybe that's the tonka). I LOVE IT! So springy & pretty!

[Ceri]

In the vial: Lilac & tobacco

 

Wet: Lilac.

 

Dry: Soft lilac and tobacco.

 

Overall: Not a big fan of floral scents, not for me.

[aedes]

A strange one on me that I think I'll be keeping! I'm obsessed with coconut at the moment, and in that department it did NOT disappoint. That creamy, exotic smell really bloomed in the first few minutes. It was accompanied, though, by an odd sort of semi-bitter tartness, though, that I can't place. Like rhubarb, blood orange or grapefruit (actually, it reminds me of Campari, which in turn reminds me of those things) and I was surprised to find none of those notes in the blend. Maybe the lilac + tonka? Nah, that doesn't make any sense. But I like it! It faded fast, though,and I can barely smell it an hour later. Perhaps good for a scent locket, or just rapid re-application.

[hellomoonglow]

Hyssop? Lilac? What's the STRONG smell I'm getting from this? And what the hell is Tonka, anyway? I always snap up blends with "tonka" and most times, it smells like funk on me. This is super strong, and I'm thinking it'll headache me before it leaves me. Swap!

[asciident]

Wet: Plum? I'm not sure where that's coming from. Lilac is strong, too.

 

First on: Something about this is sweet and creamy like opium.

 

Dry: Soft florals, very creamy. Lovely scent.

[Andrea912]

I don't normally like musk, so I don't know about Babylonian musk. . . vanilla tea, tonka, tobacco, coconut, hyssop...that all sounds good...but I don't like lilac...well, let's give it a go...

 

Wet: at first the lilac is kind of gross, but the hyssop and vanilla tea and coconut is trying to come out...

 

Dry: hmmm...not horrible; coconut and tobacco and vanilla becoming more prevalent, but that darn lilac is still lingering

[empi girl]

This is far lighter than I was expecting! I smell lilac and perhaps the tobacco at first, but the tobacco fades and is replaced by coconut, and it becomes a soft lilac-coconut combination. The coconut doesn't turn dry or dusty or plasticky the way it sometimes can on me. Someone earlier mentioned suntan oil, and while it doesn't smell at all like actual sun tan oil, the cocnut does bring back the memory of warm sun and sand and blue water. It fades fairly quickly to a soft sweet scent-this might be a prime candidate for a scent locket. I consider this a definite keeper!

[crebbsgirl]

I had to try this one a couple of times, but it ended up very non-descript on me. I got vague hints of a floral vanilla tea with light undertones of musk but really, this wasn't very spectatcular. I can see how it would be full of win on other people with better skin chemistry than I.

[FallDaze]

In the imp-> An interesting blend of coconut and lilac. Usually coconut doesn't do too well on me, but this one seems a little different somehow. A little smoother, I think.

 

Wet-> A smooth lilac and vanilla blend with an undercurrent of coconut. As it dries though it seems to take on a slightly plasticy coconut scent.

 

Dry-> The lilac is by far the dominating note. Surprisingly though, it's not a cloying lilac. It's more like a sharp, fresh wild lilac. I rather like it so far, but I'm not sure if I would wear it.

 

After a while-> It's softened up a bit into a light vanilla-lilac with a hint of coconut and a slightly note underneath. A light, slightly dusty exotic scent. I still really like it, but I still haven't decided if it's something that I would actually wear. I may have to re-test this one to decide.