Mictecacihuatl

[MeiLin]

Copal, precious woods, South American spices, agave nectar, cigar tobacco, and roses.

In the imp: Green. A little wood in the way back.

Wet: Roses and copal. oooh.

Dry: Copal, tobacco, roses, spices, holy crap! This is killer! I even get a little honey, but I think that's the agave nectar.

This is a definite bottle. It's AMAZING.

[tartchef]

I feared the rose, but this had to be tried...

 

In the vial & wet, Mictecacihuatl is really fresh & sweet, almost fizzy. It reminds me of the prickly pear sorbet we used to make at the restaurant... hot pink, equal parts unctuously sweet & bitingly tart. As it dries, Mictecacihuatl relaxes a bit, and the copal peeks out. The rose is very clean & subtle - just a perfumed edge to things. I'm finding it really hard to pin down this scent - beyond the agave, it's a really seamless blend... tobacco, copal, something just a bit sweet & spicy & woodsy...

 

I really can't stop sniffing this. I don't love it, but it is fascinating...

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, I may be right out to lunch here but on my skin, this is very similar to Lyonesse. I get a fairly bright scent (I'm assuming the copal), warmed by spices. The woods temper the sweetness of this blend nicely. I'm not getting very much rose at all, which is a good thing, as rose does NOT smell right on me ever. It's a little fruity for my tastes though.

[Miss Lynx]

This was by far the one I was looking forward to the most out of this year's Halloweenies, and it's certainly living up to my expectations. A rich, heady, earthy-spicy-floral scent with an intoxicating edge, it's reminiscent to some degree of Gypsy Queen from Carnival Noir, and The Masque from the Poe collection.

 

I was curious how they'd render agave nectar as a scent -- because real agave nectar, at least the kinds I've bought (it's available at health food stores, and used as a sweetener like honey or maple syrup, but is apparently lower on the glycemic index) has no detectable scent at all. But there seems to be a strong honey-like overtone to the scent, so I'm guessing that's it.

 

Copal is one of my all-time favourite notes -- it's a rich, warm, slightly spicy incense resin that gives any scent it's in a luscious, warm, almost musky depth, and it's perfect here. Wood notes can be hit or miss on me, but here they're full-on hit, adding a bit more deoth and earthiness to the scent, but without ever edging into that weird dry funky feel that they can sometimes have on me. And tobacco I've long since learned not to fear in scents -- while I hate the scent of cigarette smoke with a passion, tobacco as a perfume note is actually kind of nice in moderation - sort of a sweet earthy herbal. It's definitely a background presence here, and gives the scent a faint resemblance to my beloved Red Phoenix.

 

And the rose -- which is often troublesome on my skin, amplifying itself beyond all reason -- is perfectly behaved here, blending beautifully with the other notes and making itself unmistakably felt without actually dominating the scent, making this one of that rare handful of rose scents that actually work on me.

 

The only flaw is that here and there I catch a whiff of something a little waxy, in a not-entirely pleasant way. I've gotten that from a few other scents, usually those that contain fig, but that's not in here, so I don't know what it is. But it's only a very minor, occasional presence, not much of a problem at all.

 

All in all, a beautiful, exquisitely well-crafted scent! Intoxicating, sexy, earthy, mysterious and a little dark... Really, the only thing that could possibly stop me from buying a bottle of this would be if I try it side-by-side with Gypsy Queen and The Masque and decide it's too similar -- because I love, love, love this scent, but am trying to avoid redundancy in my collection. Then again, considering that Gypsy Queen is a long-gone LE, maybe a bottle of this might make a good backup.

 

Grade: A

Edited October 29, 2008 by Miss Lynx

[Argentwolf]

The rose note made me super-leery, but the other notes sounded so appealing that I had to at least try a decant. As anticipated, the rose amps hugely on me. However, it never really gets all that obnoxious. There's a fresh, wet side to it, and that may be the agave nobly leaping in and keeping the rose from ruining my day. I don't smell the copal too much, alas, but it is there, lurking in the background along with the woods. It's really lovely, and after my SO complimented me on it, I'm convinced that I need a full bottle.

 

If rose doesn't normally work for you, don't be afraid...this could be one of those pleasant exceptions, for you.

[anastasia]

I have been having difficulty with the review for this because I like it so much in a very personal way. For me it is VERY girly and gives me a huge feeling of ancestral connection. I wear it to bed a lot and absolutely see using it for ritual purposes. I get a lot of copal, agave, spice and rose with the tobacco in the background or just sweetening things up a lot but sometimes I drink tequila and hot chocolate and it also reminds me of that. I know that there is no cocoa in it but when I wear it to bed it is like hot cocoa made with dried pink rosebuds with tequila in it and Mexico dust. It is a little dry, arid, spooky like when the wind blows in the lowlands. Not the verdant Mexico but the dusty Mexico. Dusty ruffles and sun faded pink ribbons. I think the agave, spice and tobacco are fresh enough to keep it from being too much like the cemetary. It is still lively but a little spooky all the same.

[tdgnika]

My switch witch gave me a whole bottle of this as part of my reveal, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Prior to opening the box, I had never even heard of it or considered it. But, in short, this is heaven in a bottle.

 

On sniffing it in the bottle, I was a little wary, because it's got kind of a thick, floral scent of the type that usually betrays once it's on my skin.

 

But on my skin, this is long-lasting decadence. I love it. This is autumn and ritual in one place. I don't know what note or combination of notes is making me so happy, but this is very likely to become my signature scent. This is everything I like about the heavy incense scents, but it's got enough spice and depth to give it enough chutzpah to be more versatile.

[savage_rose]

This is the most interesting Hallowe'enie blend I've smelled. There's a resiny incense vibe to it...a bit of sharp tobacco...a bit of sweet rose...something fragrant and powdered. It smells like a lightly cologne-scented powder, but also like a lovely, substantial, fragrant offering to the gods. And if you were wearing this blend, they would definitely listen!

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Spice and incense.

Fresh on the skin: A dark, complex spice and subtle floral mix. I definitely get a little tobacco and rose in there, too. Sweet and fragrant.

5 minutes later: Oh, oh, I'm getting a distinct almost honey-like sweetness from the agave nectar, and it's mixing with the rose into this incredibly gorgeous top note, anchored by the darker spice-and-wood base. There's a little sour in the sweet that I'm not sure I love, but overall this is amazing.

10 minutes in: I tried a little in my hair, and it makes me imagine I'm in a high class wild west bordello or something. This is a good thing.

20 minutes in: God, this is amazing, heady and sweet and still a little sour. It kind of reminds me of Kali -- also a good thing. It's a little less foody, but the essence is similar. Yes, I might have a thing for complex rose blends, I admit it.

1 hour later: There's something very green about this. I think it must be the agave giving the rose a very different feel than usual.

2 hours later: Oh. Hrm. This has gone rather soapy.

4 hours later: So, so soapy. It's pretty nice soap, but.

5 hours later: Serious soap. And no longer pretty.

8 hours later: Soap soap soap. If I put my nose to my arm and sniff around the edges, I can catch a little bit of the sweet rose. But mostly, it's soap.

 

Verdict: I'm so sad about the soap. So sad. I wanted to love this, and I did love the initial stages. But I don't especially want to smell strongly of soap for hours on end. I'll try this again at a different time of the month and hope it makes a difference. Mrph.

 

One word: soap.

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: oh my LORD that's good! a mix of sweet, resinous copal, fresh roses and a hint of tobacco. LOVE!

 

wet on skin: the rose has been replaced with the sweet agave nectar, the copal is still strong, that's mostly what i'm getting at this stage. there's a slight powder note, too.

 

dry down: the powder has vanished (whew!) and the scent is much more blended than it was before- i can't pick out any one note now, it's become this beautiful well-mixed experience. that's the only way to describe it!

 

in all: like walking through a market square in a dream world full of dried flowers, talking skulls and creatures from a Brian Froud story.

[MCS4096]

In the Bottle: Chocolate and roses The chocolate aspect must be a combo of the wood and spices. Yes, the more I sniff, the more it's like I have my nose up against a beautiful old carved wooden dresser warmed in the sun. I get a bit of an alcohol component too. And of course those roses.. lovely understated roses. Nice!

 

Wet: The tobacco comes forward, and I'm getting a dried flowers and dried grasses vibe. Theres a slight mint tang here too. Very strong, almost single note of what I guess is copal (although I'm not familiar with it except in principle)

 

Dry: Pretty much dried grasses, roses and spices.. kinda sorry I lost that chocolate and rose thing, that was interesting. But this is really nice. The agave is FINALLY coming forward, tempering that weird minty note I was smelling (and didn't care for). Mmmmm... This is unlike anything I've smelled before. I can't wait to try it slathered all over for maximum effect!

 

I bought this bottle pretty much on a whim, and I'm glad I did, I think this is one of the more exotic scents I've tried that is still wearable, and I'm guessing it will illicit compliments!

 

ETA: Ok, a little while later this becomes even more wonderful! I'm getting a beautiful powder aspect (I luuurv powder) and the sweetest spicy tobacco. Man oh man.. I'm in love!

Edited November 22, 2008 by MCS4096

[tehriaz]

a first, this is a headache in a bottle. my nose burns for about 20 seconds after a single sniff.

 

on - super sweet - I'm having a lot of trouble sniffing past that, and the burning. just sweet, nothing more.

 

drying - it's starting to settle down, and I think I can pick out the tobacco. and hey! that MIGHT be the copal, the note I was most hoping for. I looove copal. there's a bit of the rose, but this is already turning bitter on me.

 

dry - something's hitting me in the back of the throat a little unpleasantly. I really want to like this one, but it doesn't particularly jump out at me. it just has an overwhelming "dry" impression, and that's not really my style.

 

it's pleasant enough, but I never find myself reaching for it. also that initial blast of nose burning sweet is way too much for me to handle, and I barely put any on!

Edited November 25, 2008 by tehriaz

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Roses and tobacco, and an undertone of spices and wood. There is the tiniest hint of the agave nectar. Overall this doesn’t smell like I thought it would but it smells nice in the bottle.

 

Wet on skin - Spicy roses and tobacco with wood.

 

Dry on skin - Wow I think I finally found a rose blend that works on me! The roses are dark and sweet, not cloying and powdery like they usually are. I think they are being tempered by the obacco, spices and agave nectar. The more I sniff it the tastier it gets.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

The dreaded roses really stand out in the vial. But I also get nectarand a hint of lovely copal.

 

First on:

Roses, roses, roses – and tobacco.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it'sa soapy rose with tobacco. Guh, not impressed so far.

 

50 mins after appliation, it's still all rose and tobacco on me. Damn it.

 

Finally:

I'm really disappointed. Blasted roses... Giving this one up.

[ealasaid86]

Bottle: Spicy cigar smoke

 

Wrist: Tobacco why do you love me so! I wanted this scent to work so badly but once again tobacco shoves its way forward and starts screaming. I have learned my lesson, never again will try anything with tobacco in it.

[PurringPulsar]

Mictecacihuatl

 

In the imp: mahogany and tobacco. This is a deep brown scent.

Wet on skin: a honeyed note which I’m guessing is agave nectar, with tobacco and brown woods.

Dry on skin: here comes the copal! Now this smells like a wonderful mix of copal and tobacco backed by rich woods (I’m sure mahogany is in here) and rose and honeyed nectar, with a spicy mixture which, to my nose, contains pimento or pink pepper, maybe even chilli? The copal is a gorgeous resin note which is a little bit gentler than frankincense, and also a bit more ‘crumbly’ in feel (I can’t describe it better, sorry), and the tobacco is strong but not obnoxious.

After a while: the agave is interesting, it is sweet but not too much, almost like honey but not quite. Over time I smell similarities with this note and the sweetness in Sturgeon Moon. Sadly, SM went soapy on me and it seems that this too is going the same way. I never thought that agave could be a soapy note but that’s what seems to be happening here. It does smell a bit more honeyed now, but I also smell less of the copal and tobacco, and more of the spicy woods. I love the dark, spicy resinous notes here but I’m not so sure of the soapy smell.

Verdict: this starts out as very promising, a strong tobacco scent with glossy brown woods and spices and a lovely copal note, with a hint of honey which I assumed was agave nectar. But then it did something I really didn’t expect in a scent so heavy with resins, deep woods, spices and smoke-it turned soapy! I really love the rich exotic Aztec spices and resins and the tobacco is lovely, but the soap? Not so much. I have a feeling it may be the agave doing this. I got a reaction like this in Sturgeon moon, though in SM, the aquatic notes made it soapier. I will retry this scent again, just in case aging gets rid of that pesky soapy note.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I’ll keep the decant for retesting.

If you like this, try: Tezcatlipoca, Ogun, Greed, Santa Muerte, Sturgeon Moon

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Decant: ROSE!

Wet on Me: woah! Rose and tobacco

Drying Down: went straight to rose on me. And bad rose.

Dry: no love for Coldie as this went straight to rose. It passed go, did not collect any other notes for me and sat at rose from start to finish. I just can’t do rose scents , my body won’t let me.

 

[Pika]

This is a very interesting scent. Smelled very rich and intriguing in the vial, then on my skin it was sharp and icky... I thought sure I was done with it.

 

A while later though, this has a really "hot" smell to it, as in sandy, desert-y flowers, almost. Definitely reminds me of some kind of incense as well, although not the usual variety. It's starting to go a little powdery now, possibly the rose, so I don't think it likes me well enough to keep. But there's a phase in there that is really gorgeous... I imagine those lucky few with the right chemistry will find an absolute treasure with this one!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – I’d have said honey, and possibly the copal and a hint of the roses

 

Wet on me – At first that honey (the agave nectar?) and an incense scent, but that burns of quickly to a powdery, sickly baby sort of scent

 

Dry on me – The warm dry spices and the tobacco come through

 

Overall – I like the dry down, although I felt it was a little unsettling. A work colleague, whom I am attempting to enable, greatly admired it so I may pass it on to her

 

[MisterShrapnel]

I had this review lying around in my excel sheet (hahaha) and I'm posting it before sending my bottle off to another home.

 

Lots of agave! Similar to honey, though lighter and more "dilute," if one can actually smell that. The agave is drizzled all over the roses (the slightly green tinge makes me think of Rose Red), which sounds romantic but makes me smell a little soapy.

The spices and "precious woods" are the base, making this feel nice and warm. I do like that part.

Overall:

I really did want to parade this one around (roses, cigar tobacco, and the inspiration herself are all fantastic) but the general syrupy greenness on my skin is so strange, and I can't take this scent for long. She belongs with someone more worthy, I think!

Has impressive wear length and smells quite strong, though.

[Gin]

Mictecacihuatl 2008 (Michtecacihuatl 2008)

 

Warm, warm, warm. This is all sun-warmed resins and agave and cigars.

[Monster]

This one just never seemed to work out on me.

 

This is all copal (which I usually love) but the other notes create a sort of "old people" odor.

It ends up as a warm, powdery...eldery smelling scent with a sweet note that makes me wanna hurl. I know that's harsh but that's how I feel! ><

 

I REALLY don't like this one. It just violently disagrees with my skin. I remember showing this to my husband when it first arrived, he liked it and I was appalled.

[angelicruin]

Wet on the skin, I'm getting wood, spice, and cigar tobacco notes immediately upon application. Reminds me more of pipe tobacco than Cigar tobacco.

 

As it begins to dry, I'm picking up spicy roses and tobacco. So far, no stinky cigar smell on my skin.

 

Dries down to muted spiced roses and sweet tobacco. I very much like this scent.

 

 

[jizatt]

When its wet, I get the green deserty smell pretty strong, but that settles down very quickly. What I end up with is a spicy very soft rose over wood. Its a little like Seance I think, except with the spicy touch.

 

long dry: soft, spicy, southwestern rosy wood.

 

I like this WAY better than I had anticipated. I try everything out of curiosity and for the notes. The copal is what I think I'm loving here, maybe the way it combines with the tobacco. The spicy touch over the wood, and just a hint of rose. I saw a bottle of thsi up for sale on the forum, and am really considering snatching it up!

Edited August 23, 2009 by CaudaPavonis

[lucy]

in the bottle- sweet sticky honeyed tobacco with spice and a touch of rose

 

wet on skin - sweet honey, tobacco, spicy woodsy. after a while rose

 

dry on skin - bleh! sickly sweet old ladies soap, spiced rose, yukky soapy, powdery, headache inducing horribleness. Very Very strong smell seems to get stronger and more powdery and more old ladyish. This is giving me a headache and cries of 'who's sprayed fly spray' come from the kids and hubby in the front room!!! definately a no no for my skin!!!!

 

after scrubbing i can still smell it on my skin...blehhh!!