Ol' Roswell Cemetery

[totheo]

A blend of native Georgian flowers, graveyard dirt and loam.

Ooooh....

Little precursor - See, I tried Graveyard Dirt '08, because I like the scent of earth. Not so much dirt, you understand, but earth. I kind of classify earth as the rich, growing, reddy brown stuff. And dirt is everything else. I am Australian, so earth does tend to come across as 'red' to me (our deserts = RED).
And Graveyard Dirt is DIRT. Like, zomg dead things and blegh. Not for growing, for burying. And covered in old, wet mushrooms and decay.

When I sniffed Old Roswell, I was like "Ick! DIRT!" I'm not a huge florals person, either, so florals instead of funky mushrooms didn't really help.

Straight on, it smells like BPALs 'dead' note. You know... Graveyard Dirt, Nosferatu... that kind of dead. It's very hollow and kind of offputting. Then it started to morph into more of a cologne. So it becomes like what a smartly dressed live-dead guy would smell like. I kind of imagine it to be the scent of a man in an undead Gentleman's club, sitting in his leather armchair, reading a paper. Either a vampire or a non-putrefying zombie.

Um. Yeah, maybe that's just me.

But it does smell a little like Graveyard Dirt, with florals. After it sits for an hour or so, it loses the 'dead' note and becomes dirt and florals. It's actually quite a nice scent but I'll be swapping it for something a little more alive and up my alley. If you smelled this one someone you'd just met, you wouldn't be like OMNOMNOMNOM but quietly pleased with it.
Very glad I got to try it!

[filigree_shadow]

Eek. I should have looked at the description before I put this on. My skin amps dirt notes like you wouldn't believe. Whoa. I smell no flowers, no nothing except sweet black dirt. That's it. And there's a lot of it. I can't wear dirt scents for exactly this reason. I'd love it if my skin would tamp that down to a slight undercurrent rather than OMG YAY A DIRT NOTE JOY JOY JOY WE LOVE THIS AND WANT TO SMELL LIKE NOTHING ELSE EVER, which is what my skin always does. Sadly my nose does not appreciate the dirt scent so much.

[theseagrows]

the floral-dirt scents all sort of smell similar on me. this reminds me of a subtler premature burial. it doesn't really smell like the orchid in that, but gives me a similar feeling. it's softer too and more wearable. the flowers take awhile to come out though-at first all i get is the dirt.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: This has a strong, sharp, watery dirt/loam note. The florals are very understated, so I have real hope. Wet: I am finding the loam edge fascinating. It stays watery dirt/loam dominant. The flowers come out a little more, but aren’t too intrusive. It’s weirdly decadent. Dry: More floral now, though gently so. The dirt softened and the loam nearly disappeared. It’s a lovely, delicate thing, and an excellent use of the dirt note.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Partial bottle from ivyandpeony.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Anyone who knows me knows I love the smell of dirt and really don't like florals. I've been waffling on trying this one since the flowers scare me, but since I've got my hot little hands on it now, I'm definitely trying it and hoping for the best!

 

First sniff:

 

Dirt and flowers. More dirt than flowers, though. This isn't quite the heavy loam note of Graveyard Dirt and it isn't quite the red clay smell of Penny Dreadful. It's somewhere in between. Kind of like Zombi, if I had to compare it to something. The florals are sweet and wild smelling, not tamed and heady like a flower shop. I think if I'm going to do florals, this is the sort that it will be.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Lots of wonderful, dirty dirt with a low, sweet undercurrent of flowers. It's more like Graveyard Dirt now, but with a little bit of red clay thrown in. It still reminds me a bit of Zombi, but much dirtier and sweeter, with wildflowers instead of rose.

 

Dry down:

 

Pungent, loamy dirt and red clay mixed with wildflower petals. I'm actually really enjoying this. It has more depth to it than Graveyard Dirt (which I love) and it's probably a little more interesting and appealing to those who don't normally do dirt scents.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm not going to suddenly become a floral convert, but I can wear this without the flowers ruining it for me. A great scent for dirt fans like me, especially dirt fans who also like florals.

[RoseThornAndOak]

I wore this on the same arm as Graveyard Dirt SN, with Yorick on my other arm to compare. Wow this is lovely! Is that magnolia? Tragedy nailed it, bright dirt with Spring flowers. The earth note is kind of light, too and innofensive. It's pretty and feminine, not too powdery, surprisingly clean but all that said, decidedly gothic and romantic. Gorgeous!

 

For fans of Zombi (its lighter than Zombi), Graveyard Dirt, Deep in Earth, Whisper Sisters Fresh Grave or Blood Red, and Deep Midnight Perfumes The Crypt. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by RoseThornAndOak

[torischroeder9]

In the bottle: Loamy dirt with flowers. Not roses or carnations, but sunflowers or daisies, the ones that are sweet with just a faint earthy, bitter note. 

 

On my skin: 

 

Wet, the flowers are instantly headier -- I'd peg them as more the jasmine and magnolia type -- but then the gentle earth note comes back, balancing them out. It settles down as it dries. Though the far throw retains some jasmine, the floral note is more varied now, with the loam and earth detectable as well. These are flowers growing in moist soil, where the dirt scent is part of the overall experience. 

 

This is very interesting. It captures a feeling of an outdoor place. It's also nicely balanced, with the grounding of the dirt keeping the florals from going too heady, and the sweetness of the florals keeping the whole thing from smelling like... well, dirt. I'm not sure if this bottle has found its forever home, but I'm definitely appreciative of the chance to have tried it!