Aeronwen

[Miss Lynx]

Fig, dark myrrh, amber, redwood, nutmeg, tarragon, black musk, and sweet orange.

This looked like such an odd and interesting combination I couldn't resist ordering a decant. It smelled quite promising in the vial - warm and ambery and complex - but on, it's a little... odd. Not unpleasant, just a bit confusing to the nose. Like all the various notes are vying for dominance instead of just playing nicely together. And the redwood note (at least, I think that's what it is) seems a little funky in that way that wood notes can sometimes go on my skin.

My first impression apart from that is that while this might be one of the Ladies of the Grindhouse, it would really fare equally well on a gentleman. On me at least, it's a pretty gender-neutral sort of scent, with a strong woody-herbal-earthy undercurrent tempering the sweetness of the orange and fig (and fig is one of the less sweet fruit scents anyway).

The longer it settles in, though, the more the notes seem to blend and harmonize, and the sweeter and spicier notes come out a little bit more. The amber and musk seem to draw everything together and mellow it all out a bit. Now it's turning into more of a rich, warm resinous scent, a bit reminiscent of Haunted, but more complex and interesting. But there's still a bit of a dry, slightly "off" note that bothers my nose just a little.

On the whole, not bad, but I have enough other amber-musk scents that I like better that I think I'll pass on this one.

Grade: B Edited August 21, 2008 by Miss Lynx

[Nachtwulf]

Cold, chilled figs.

 

I'm a bit of a fig fiend... one of the very first BPALs I ever got was Freak Show (and I LURVE it), but I didn't like Strangler 'cause of the icky wet green notes in it. When I first tried this, I actually didn't like it. It came off with that weird sicky-sweet sort of 'pine' thing that is an instant deal-killer for me in scents.

 

But I let it sit for awhile, and retried it. This time (for whatever reason), I actually got fig! (Well, more the wtf about the first go.) It's a 'brighter' fig, though... Freak Show was murky sweet candied figs (and wood and stuff), this is chilled, almost minty figs. I like it... I'm not sure I'll wear it a lot, but it's definitely managed to take itself off the 'ick' list and assume a place in my bottle rack.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Tangy, woody, a bit sweet.

 

Wet: Herby at first, then fruity-woody. Then the resin starts to come up, and it smells like it's going to be mostly myrrh.

 

Half an hour: Sharp wood first, then myrrh. Amber-musk also present, and something sharp. This almost entirely lacks the sweet I expected the fig to provide. Instead, it's dry and almost astringent, although complex.

 

One hour: This has turned into the typical amber-musk-myrrh blend on me, but with one difference. I don't know if it's the tarragon or the redwood, but there's a strong tangy bite to this one as well. Still very dry, but nice.

 

Two hours: Sweeter now. That dry pungency has died back some, and the orange and fig are more obvious now. I like it better this way.

 

Three hours: Warm sweet amber-musk; familiar territory. This one smells more vanilla-ish than some, although there's no vanilla listed.

 

Five hours: Sweet and amber. Amber lasts forever on me, but apparently so does fig.

[zankoku_zen]

This is figgy amber. It's slightly sweet, slightly musky. But it's pretty much fig and amber. It's pretty tasty, but the amber goes a leeetle powdery on me.

 

If you love figs, you have to try this.

[Wwindy]

I get mostly fig and amber from this, too. It's a lovely combination -- very warm and rich, not particularly foody. The orange is there at first, a bit sharp and tangy, but it burns off quickly (a good thing, says this anti-citrus person!);a lingering trace of something herbal remains.

 

Like most of the Grindhouse ladies I've tried so far, this one doesn't stick around long, unfortunately.

[QueenFae]

I was very excited to try this one as the notes sound just lovely. I like all the notes except the myrrh, and I was hoping it wouldn't show up on my skin. Unfortunately, the myrrh is the dominant note on me. Go figure!

 

This is still lovely: deep, rich myrrh complimented by a sweet fig note, and warmed over by the amber and black musk. The combination of the myrrh and the amber goes a bit too powdery on me, and ends up reminding me of a churchy incense scent. That being said, this has lovely throw and nice lasting power.

 

Ahh well, not all the ladies can work out for me.

[ravenrigan]

In the bottle

Figgy, and incredibly fresh smelling

 

Wet on skin

Figgy, and herbal. I also get orange.

 

Drydown

A hint of orange, a hint of fruit, a hint of spice, lots of herbs (I blame the tarragon) , but mostly really yummy men's aftershave. It's a strange combination of spicy, fruity and herbal I like men's aftershave much better than most women's commercial perfumes, so I'm happy. She's hard to define, she's definitely her own self! But she fades waay too quickly, at lunchtime I'm reapplying, and by teatime she's gone

 

Finish

Soft powdery musk and amber with a hint of herbs.

 

Wearlength

Not great

 

Throw

Good while it lasts

 

Mood

Airy, breezy, but sexy. Aeronwen may touch you, but you can never touch her, she's her own self, brash, breezy and far away.

 

Verdict

Keep the imp, and try in a scent locket and on the boy! Unfortunately my scent locket brings out the sharp metallic qualities of the tarragon, so that's a non starter. On the boy she also smells metallic, but she throws like a bastard, and is still strong, in the morning! I think poor Aeronwen might be off to swapsies.

[jade_starlight]

This is mostly myrrh and amber with something a bit piney. I can't really smell any fig, but I still really like it. *g*

[voodoocatwoman]

Lovely wonderful amber abounds in this scent. Combining that with the myrrh and fig that are the primary notes that I detect, Aeronwen is voluptuous and sexy.

 

Love...

[EdenIris]

Wet: Sharp, spicy herbal.

 

Drydown: This has serious throw on me. Must remember to use less next time. At this stage it's reminding me very much of Lancome's Tresor, one of the very few commercial scents that don't give me a headache. I just looked it up and they don't seem to have any notes in common, go figure.

 

Later: Calmed down somewhat and is predominantly amber-myrrh-musk with a fruity-green overtone. Very sweet and lovely. Not getting the nutmeg or orange, but they may be there undercover, acting on the amber and myrrh. The fig combines with the other notes, making them better and more enticing, but not really standing out.

 

Verdict: Almost all amber and myrrh blends work on me, so this was not a big surprise. I may very well want a bottle.

 

ETA: Still smells beautiful nine hours later.

Edited October 19, 2008 by EdenIrisMae

[lainevierge]

I love the lab's fig note, so I had to get a decant of this one.

 

I'm getting two very different scents on my arm, but this happens sometimes.

 

On my wrist, I definitely get the redwood and some myrrh. It's really spicy and dry.

In the crook of my arm (a warmer spot) I'm getting a ton of the fig, plus the nutmeg and tarragon along with the redwood and some other stuff I can't make out (orange?). The scent is a lot more fierce and moist here, if that's possible.

 

I can't say I'm a huge fan of this strange blend. I don't hate it, but I probably won't be hanging on to my decant when there are scents like Inez & Clemence to stock up on.

[Salsa Shark]

This scent isn't at all what I expected, since I was expecting something a lot darker and resinous. Instead, the blend was something sweet light and fruity - mostly fig (LOTS of fig) and sweet powder from the black musk with a bright halo of orange. The fruits stick around for ages and do very little morphing, though after a couple of hours into the dry down the nutmeg does start to make an appearance.

 

It's a nice scent, the fruits are just a bit too loud for me to really love it, especially when I know they're squishing down the notes I really want to smell.

[Saya]

In the Imp

To my nose this smells like a man’s cologne. It’s masculine and a bit musty smelling, I’m interested to see what it does on my skin.

 

On My Skin

It really hasn’t changed that much from the scent in the imp. It may have lightened up a touch and a hint of citrus is now detectable, but it’s very similar to the original scent.

 

After a Bit

This has developed into a beautiful scent. It’s mostly amber, fig and musk but blended together in a great way. Amber can sometimes turn a little funny on my skin, but in this blend it's behaving.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent - 3.5 Throw - 2.5 Longevity – 3

Overall (not an average) – 3

 

Final thoughts

It’s a nice blend but I don’t think I need a bottle. I’ll keep the imp and use it up, but I can’t imagine needing a full bottle.

[ouch!]

Hmm..!

 

The wet stage of this is SO much different thant the rest...

 

The wet stage is figgy, with a bare hint of the wood and a slight hint of the sweet orange on me. At this point I'm thinking..mm. Nothing special really.

 

HOWEVER....The drydown to dry stage is stunningly beautiful. Aeronwen is so so pretty. It changes to a very feminine (On me anyway) light delicate smell, some musk with a tiny bite of something I can't explain.

 

It's kind of fruity, and floral...and there's something really really gorgeus there too. This is in the same vein as some of the Haunted House blends.. namely The Atrocious Attic. I say this because it has that sort of ethereal feel to it to my nose. I wouldn't say this was a slutty scent at all. *giggles* It's got punch but it's not the actual smell of the blend that's strong..it's just the throw. It's a light smell that travels far...Ok that probably doesn't make sense..but nevermind.

 

This scent is a winner! And the first of the grindhouse ladies I've tried. It's gorgeous.

Edited December 30, 2008 by ouch!

[waternight]

In the bottle: Dark and sweet, with a dry herbal tinge.

Wet: Deep, smooth resins with a bright top note of sweet orange. Fig and amber combine to produce a drop-dead sexy scent. I get just a hint of nutmeg, calming and smoothing the orange, which stays bright and almost agressive. A bit later, black musk shows up, but behaves itself (a rarity, on me!). Tarragon adds an edge of herbal dryness.

Dry: Difficult to describe. Dark and spicy, sweet, musky, herbal. This scent is deep and mysterious. It has power, the kind you yearn to touch but never can. This is the scent of ancient knowledge and women's mysteries, both nurturing and deadly. Incredibly evocative of the art and inspiration. A very different and unique scent, and definitely a keeper.

[rayvn1]

This is an oddball scent For all those dark notes I was hoping for I get light airy, sweet, cool figs with a bit of tarragon. This is very outdoors-y without smelling of trees. Smells of night air and figs is the closest thing I can think of. Strange, refreshing and nice. Not sure if it's a keeper yet.

[marared]

This started out very spicy-figgy, but it loses the fig as it dries, and it's picked up something that I don't like very much. I want to point my finger at the amber, but I don't think it's the amber alone; possibly the myrrh is the other culprit. Whatever it is, Aeronwen starts out nummy but turns to powdered carpet deodorizer on my skin. Not BAD, but not something I really want to smell.

[ami226]

In the bottle: Smoky, fruity with a hint of some spice. Already not really my kind of thing...

 

On the skin: Definitely smell the fig now. It is not so much a fruity fig rather than a smoky fig. It really tickles my nose.

 

I don't think this is quite right for me. I can't really stand any scent with a smoky scent. Not sure where the smoke came from though. Ah, well. This one is going to a better home.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – A dark, juicy, but slightly peppery blend, which I can only put down to the combination of the fig and the spices

 

Wet on me – Thick black must with just a hint of citrus from an orange

 

Dry on me – A soft green, musky blend, which starts out warm and inviting, but settles into a clean linen sort of scent

 

Overall – It was different to how I expected, and the only note I was worried about, the black musk, didn’t come through, but overall the blend isn’t really me

 

[Monster]

Out of the bottle: This is a dark (yet sweet) figgy smell.

 

On my skin: Very complex! I'm getting smoky woods mixed with a sweet herbal scent. This is rich and mysterious smelliing. I'm detecting a bit of a powdery amber note...but it's not going completley baby powder on me like some ambers do.

 

Dry: The black musk is more apparent now, it's settled in as a nice, dusty base note mixed with myrrh, redwood and a pinch of sweetness from the tarragon. There's even something fresh and clean smelling about this...along with being dark and smoky. Very unique!

 

Overall: Another winner for me! So far all of these Gridhouse ladies are fantastic smelling. Aeronwen particularly stands out as being very unique and mysterious. This something I'd wear to an evening event or when I'm feeling especially sexy.

Edited February 6, 2009 by Monster

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Deep fruits and amber--smells wonderful, but seems similar to Hymn to Proserpine, which turned to hairspray on me.

 

Wet on skin: Uh oh. The fruits are being overtaken by something herbal (?), but they're not going down without a fight.

 

Dry on skin: Hello, hairspray. I was afraid you would show up. One or more of these notes doesn't like me. Is it you, fig?

 

Might have to try it out in my clocket...

Edited February 14, 2009 by Mezzo

[Andrea912]

Well, the only thing that draws me to this initially is fig, nutmeg, and orange; seems like I'd want to balance this with a cream note...

 

wet: dark; kind of musty, dirty...

[isisonearth]

Imp: Rich carnal fig, a bit of tarragon, sweet orange like my favorite tea and something smoky like cigars.

 

Wet: More orangey and sweet a bit syrupy even.

 

Dry: As it dries the scent is still a bit fruity but darker. The fig is really wonderful and the amber and myrrh give it some depth. There is also a drier back drop lurking. There is something compelling about her that says I should keep the imp and wear it some more.

[crebbsgirl]

Oh gods when I first put this on this is absolutely RANK. I think it might be the tarragon. I forced myself to keep it on, to see if the drydown was better, and it was! Immeasurably so!! Dry this is gorgeous myrrh with a hint of fig. I'm not detecting any orange here, and the amber and musk are staying pretty well in the background. This is really really nice, and a little reminicent of Lycaon on my skin. But slightly sweeter.

[milo]

This is quite sharp on my skin. I get some citrus as well and the combination is pretty much one of those medicinal, masculine soaps. It kind of reminds me of Khrysee for some reason, before the lovely drydown. I think it's the orange-iness of it. I'll see if this changes over the next few hours, but for now, it is kind of a miss.

 

eta: I did end up liking this! It is definitely bottle worthy to me. The sharpness does fades, and a creamy, sweet fig comes out. The myrhh balances the sweetness beautifully. There still is something missing. I wish this blend was "warmer" somehow, maybe the amber will come out more with age. If so, this will be my holy grail scent.

Edited July 8, 2009 by milo