Chant D'Automne

[Argentwolf]

The scent of the year's fall and the setting sun, ominous and foreboding: dried leaves, charred wood, blood musk, amber, khus, and Nicotiana tabacum.

This scent did not work on me at all. Aside from smelling burnt, it smells sharp and shrill and peppery, like the little black dots of mold that you find on the underside of leaves, and the spent brown papery galls that once harbored wasps. Ick.

[lacyjae]

My bud Eyeska sprung my birthday gift on me early - today, in my greedy little hands, a bottle of Chant D'Automne. She read after buying of the vetiver, and I'm sure everyone's heard me bemoaning the 'shrimp sauce' scent of evil vetiver, but like Blood Kiss, it's not at all apparent in Chant.

 

I LOVE IT. In the bottle, it's kind of weird, and not all that appealing. On me? Oh, my god. It's a bonfire of dry autumn leaves, smokey and full of the smells of fall. Utterly gorgeous and perfect for autumn, I imagine I'll be wearing it a lot as I walk around playing in leaves and wrapped up in my wool coat and pashmina. It is PERFECT. I adore it.

 

I love smoke scents, so I'm not surprised. I *am* surprised at how different it smells on from in the bottle. I think I get the same quality of vetiver as in Blood Kiss, the slightest tang that is almost more a feeling than a scent, and is very nice. I think the blood musk sexes it up a little for me, but it's mostly a perfect fall bonfire scent.

 

I may need to stalk up for the coming years.

[gwynhwyfar]

This oil fascinates me! It doesn't suit me, I wouldn't want to wear it, but the oil is still absolutely fascinating.

 

I couldn't test it on my skin because it gives me a headache, but that didn't stop me from sniffing it several times. Because apparently, fascination overcomes pain.

 

It's a very dark scent -- very smokey and heavy. Definitely not for the faint of heart! It reminds me of the spirit bonfires we used to have before football games back in high school. I think that might be the source for the fascination -- since it reminds me of one of the few good memories of high school. It's very autumnal and interesting! Did I mention that, yet?

[forspecial_plate]

I'm afraid I made the wrong choice in going straight for 5ml of this. It just doesn't work for my nose. I really thought I was all about darker scents, but this is just too rooty. I smell a big galbanum component, which isn't listed, but it really stands out and smells a lot like galbanum essential oil. It's a rooty, dark brown and green kind of scent that lasts and lasts, and doesn't seem to lose much strength, until I'm just not interested in wearing it any more. I do get the comparisons to Death Of Autumn, but I far prefer that blend. This one will most likely have to find a new home!

[jenen]

1st whiff: Oh! Very masculine; musky; piney (maybe that’s the vetiver?) .

 

Applies: Masculine cologne smell tones down a bit; hint of sweetness of nicotiana; vetiver is loud and clear.

 

Drydown: tiniest impression of dried leaves here; the powdery smell is too soft and light to evoke “foreboding “ for me ; have not noticed amber.

 

Few hours later: smells like my mom’s every day scent (B&BW Night Blooming Jasmine Splash - don't ask me?!?), which I don’t like; powdery smell has toned down slightly and become more herbal. Can just barely detect the amber now.

 

Beast’s reaction: “Strong.” Which means he doesn’t like it.

 

Verdict: this one is too powdery for me, I think. Maybe I’ll try again in a few months . . .

 

EDIT Later in the day: Beast commented that it smelled nice once it wore off a little. Too bad i really did not care for the powder reaction.

Edited October 25, 2008 by beastsbeauty

[crebbsgirl]

I wanted to like this one soooo badly. It has everything I could hope for in a scent. Woods, amber, musk. Unfortunately, this smelled like woodsmoke. Not the sweet kind. Like the stale, stagnant scent of rotting woods. This is the only blend I have ever tried that my fiance asked me to wash off. Immediately. I let it sit for about 2 hrs, but it was causing him grief so I got rid of it. Off to swaps.

[Miss Lynx]

When first applied, this scent is bitter and dry -- very much getting the dry leaves and charred wood and not much else, which kind of sucks since it was the amber and musk that were the main attraction for me. Amber and musk are kind of like my personal hieros gamos in scent -- perfect partners, and where they occur together, it's really hard for things to go wrong. Still, I was hoping they'd come out more as it settled in.

 

But about 5-10 minutes later, after I finished writing my review of Mictecahuatl which is on my other wrist, I sniffed the wrist I'd applied this one to and the scent was practically gone! The little bit that remained was pretty nice, and definitely had the amber and musk now, but whoa -- where'd it all go?

 

Reapplying: bitter-and-dry is back. Sniffing more frequently in case it does a disappearing act again, within a few minutes the scent is a bit softer and sweeter, the initial blast of bitterness having faded and the other notes coming out to play. It's fairly nice at this stage -- warm and woodsy and very autumnal, and a scent that would probably work equally well on either gender, or even as a room scent for that matter. Wood very much seems to dominate, but now it's an intriguingly fragrant, slightly smoky wood -- maybe an antique chest made from some interesting fragrant wood, that's also been used to store incense or rare herbs. Lasted a little longer this time, but not a lot longer -- maybe 20 minutes or so.

 

So, final verdict: a reasonably pleasant scent, but not a keeper, because I really don't have the persistence to keep reapplying it every 20 minutes.

 

Grade: B

[Jilara]

At first, wet leaves and smoke. I suppose it's supposed to be charred wood, but I get smoke, fairly rich smoke. It's the strongest note.

 

Drying, the leaves are less wet and more crunchy, but they're still not a fully dry leaf. Something floral but bitter lurks in the background. Kind of nose-twisting, not fully unpleasant, but not really a comfortable scent. Bitter herbs? Still smokey, but very faint after an hour or so, while the bitterness take center stage. There are leaves still, but very in the background.

 

Overall, I don't think this one is a good one for general use. I could see wearing it to a meeting where you need to feel somewhat harsh and mean, but not as a general thing. As mentioned above, not comfortable.

[Deyja7]

This one doesn't work for me.. At first it's very it's very strong, and as others have said, bitter. The nicotiana and charred wood notes are the strongest while wet, kind of like being next to a fire and getting a face full of smoke.

Once it dries down it's much more mellow, the bitterness remains, but looking at the notes again it's more about the dried leaves and charred wood. So in a way i suppose it's a realistic evolution for the scent to make. It starts off with the sharpness of a newborn fire, the heady smoke as it catches, and the earthy smell of the charred wood and matter as it smoulders.

[gchris]

in vial: old leaves, bitter herbs

 

wet: aged perfume with dried herbs and grass.

 

dry: very herbal

[savage_rose]

This smells like a smoky, charred, coals still barely smouldering, wet bonfire pit. It's got that smoke note from Moai. Eh...it's okay. It's not me though, sadly.

[Schmoozy]

Hmmm. The sweet smell of smiking wood, dried leaves and blood musk.

While I love musk, this scent really confirms my dislike of blood musk. Unfortuantely Amber takes a backseat in this blend which is all dry leaves and charred wood.

Not for me.

[blu°]

I'm apparently in the minority here, because I really think I love this blend.

 

While there is a similarity to Death of Autumn (which I like/love), Chant has a much crisper dead leaves note (like the one in L'Autunno room spray ). I think November and October had a smiliarly crisp dead leaves note, but they were so heavy on the ozone/rainy notes, they didn't work for me at all.

 

On application, the dead leaves note is pretty much all I can smell, and it's instant love. Then there's a woody, dry and, I agree, bitter smell, that I read as a non motor-oily vetiver. The over-all feel is crisp and breezy, yet dark and smoky.

 

After 10 minutes or so, I seem to be smelling something floral, and it confuses me until I re-read the description and can identify it as the nicotiana. It is very light, by far not as heavy as it is in Arachnina, but it is the same or a very similar note. It is supported by the blood musk. Together they lend a dark red metallic hue to the scent, and almost take Chant to be on the feminine side of perfume, but it still would be ok for a guy to wear, I think.

 

This is my perfect scent for late autumn/early winter from mid-October to mid-December.

 

I must agree with MissLynx, though - the stay length is not so very long. After 20 minutes, half an hour, the louder notes have mostly evaporated, and only a faint scent-trace is left. That's, however, me sitting at home, busy sniffing after the scent on my arm. Maybe if I was at work, or somewhere outside, the scent would be coming back in short wafts as I'd move outside doors, around corners, etc.

[MCS4096]

In the Bottle: VERY bitter, but sweetness lurks beneath the surface. To me this is not a dry autumnal scent, but a wet one. This is crawling through the undergrowth, the spicy bitter scent of decaying leaves and the green floral of crushed weeds. I get no smoky aspects.

 

Wet: The florals and spice immediately come forward and the bitterness dissipates some. The musk is finally visible.

 

Dry: This goes completely floral drier sheets on me. Nothing left but drier sheets, which I actually find kinda nice and clean smelling.. but completely opposite of the initial vibe.

 

Overall: Short wear time, as others mentioned. And I was hoping for more of a dry/smoky feeling, which is what fall smells like to me.. so I'm a little disappointed. But still glad I got to try this one as it's one of the more interesting things I've had the pleasure of smelling.

[tinyvulture]

The rich brown hue of this oil gives the first indication of its deep, earthy scent. It’s a combination of wild vetiver (khus) and crackling autumn leaves, similar to The Death of Autumn or Samhainophobia, but lacking the grassiness of the former and the herbaceous qualities of the latter. The scorched, “coffee grounds” aspect of the khus is enhanced by tobacco and charred, smoky wood notes. At first I wondered if this was too heavy for my taste, but it’s grown on me. It’s one of those scents that is a true and poetic embodiment of autumn, my favorite season.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

Decant: sharp, almost bitter sharp with the burned wood, smokey

Wet On Me: a slight bit of sweetness from the amber but mostly the sharp burnt wood and bits of the tabacum and smokey

Drying Down: Oh wow is this nice! The musk and charred woods, the dried leaves, the tabacum….oh man this is dying down awesome!

Dry: ooooo another one that I did not amp the amber to baby powder. I am sooo kicking myself for NOT getting a bottle of this. I love this to pieces. This is autumn. A smokey bonfire of leaves in autumn.

 

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, so on wet it smelled like green smoky bacon.

 

As it dries, it's still smoky (ah... vetiver) although less obnoxious. It's like cigarette smoke.

 

Pass.

[PurringPulsar]

Chant D’Automne

 

In the imp: vetiver and a hint of spice or musk, and tobacco.

Wet on skin: a nice vetiver with a smoky feel to it.

Dry on skin: as I expected, this is 2008’s Death of Autumn. It has that same wonderful and exotic mix of kush (a strong vetiver that I prefer to the usual stronger vetivers) and amber with autumn leaves, except in here it lacks the spicy notes and instead has more smoke and a rich red musk background. This also has a smoke note which is spot on, it smells just like ‘that autumn air smell’, the smell of burning leaves and woods wafting. The leaf note in here isn’t as cologne-like as the one in October, this is a lot drier, more authentic. The musk is dark and almost like black musk mixed with red musk. This really is evocative of those blood red sunsets that are so often seen in autumn, when sky and earth compete as to which can be more colourful.

After a while: the scent becomes muskier over time. The blood musk is almost like blood accord in here, it has a hint of that iron-like bite to it, but with a musky undertone which is almost feral, but not in a bad way. the kush has calmed a little but the smoky smell is still around. The leaves are more obvious now, and they smell very genuine, almost a mix of green leaves and dead ones.

Verdict: the poem is beautiful (especially the French version), and this scent captures it perfectly…however overall this is a little too burnt on me, but it does capture the scent of autumn bonfires very nicely. It’s the smokier sibling of Death of Autumn. It starts off heavily smoky with vetiver leading the way through thick clouds of bonfire smoke, and once those clear a little, I smell a dark rusty musk note with something almost like tea and incense to it. This musk is very much a blood musk, rather wild and deep, shadowy too…at this point I get a resemblance to Lunar Eclipse, but I prefer that scent because it’s a little less burnt-smelling on me.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? probably not.

If you like this, try: Death of Autumn, Bonfire Night, Blood Moon, Contract of Theophilius of Adana, Lunar Eclipse

[inkaddict]

I included this in my first bpal order back in November, then evil customs blocked the package and it was finally delivered yesterday, with sping already knocking at the door.

 

One sniff of this and I'm back in autumn: wet soil, dried leaves, a touch of sweet smoke from my father's pipe. Everything's still, waiting for the first snow.

 

In the bottle: Sweet. Not at all what I was expecting, I guess it's the nicotiana.

 

Wet: Oh, wow! Leaves and soil! Nothing sharp to my nose, it's a lush, deep, wet scent. Humid. There's a faint cologney smell when I first put it on, but it's the best cologne ever so I don't mind

 

Dry: A little spicey, no more cologne, still deep, brooding, humid. I wouldn't mind a touch more of smoke (apple and smoke are what autumn smells like to me, and it's my favourite season) but I like this. A lot.

That's how I want my forest scents to smell like: no pine, no sharp greenery. Dark and mysterious and still.

 

Notes: For the first time ever my mother nailed the concept behind a bpal bland without suggestions or prompts. "It's the first snow. No, it's waiting for the first snow".

 

Verdict: Def. a keeper, probably worth a back-up.

 

 

[Usagi]

imp:green, tangy, and slightly smokey. Pine and herbs.

 

wet: pine and bac-os?!

 

dry: pine sap and cologne with a strong skin miasma of liquid smoke.

 

This is not me. The throw is a very nice men's cologne, but I keep catching whiffs of bac-os next to my skin.

 

[Monster]

Crunchy leaves smashed with some dragons blood, vetiver grass and a bit of spice (??)

 

Smoky, airy feeling...not as dark and smoky as I hoped but still really nice. I THINK there's dragons blood in this, I could be wrong but I do smell it and I surprisingly like it in this blend

 

This dries down to a dry incense on my skin. Love

[Aldercy]

Sometimes I wish Beth wouldn't use totally different terms for the same note (i.e. khus/vetiver) but it does provide me with a bit of an education.

 

Yeah, vetiver. Bitter, black vetiver. Even being last year's vetiver, this hasn't mellowed much. Maybe Chant d'Automne will be wearable for Halloween 2011 (and I may actually hold on to it until 2010 to see if it starts turning). There are also some crunchy sticks, dry orange leaves and tobacco tar. Smoky, dirty and outdoorsy. Not for the faint of heart!

[voodoobaby]

Smells like October with extra vetiver. It seems to have this unexpected airy quality to it -- like smoky autumn air. That is really unique, it but doesn't come out until much later. I really like it, but it smells so similar to October that I think I'll sit this one out.

[HerbGirl]

Oh, I was SOOOOO excited to try this... Vetiver and I are like cats and essential oils: everything's ok as long as one of us can leave the room if needed. I feel awful - I mean, it's an Autumn perfume for crying out loud and I can't wear it. I'm hoping to find this a good home... it's just all Vetiver on me. With all of the BPAL I have tried (and need to get reviewing!!!) I guess it's hard to complain that one or two don't work on me.

Edited January 27, 2023 by HerbGirl

[megank4]

Only kept this so I would have a decant of each halloweenie. Gotta go. Reminds me of why I hated Falling Leaf Moon so badly. I keep wanting "leaves" to work on me and they just do not.