PX23

[midnight_aeval]

This is my second favorite of the prototypes that were available at the trunk show. It fills a need that is the non-foody lover in me; the side that loves all things dark and sexy like!

 

I compare this scent to the best Chaos Theory I managed to get my hands on which is a perfect blend of leather and amber. There is no leather in PX23, but the amber is very much there; and it's sensual. I detect a dryness to the blend which I would peg to possibly be Sandalwood.

 

I wore this yesterday to a wedding, but before I left the house I thought that I really needed a slightly sweeter scent so I added a bit of Lyonesse to the places I already applied PX23 to and it did the trick. So, if you fear sweet amber scents, this one will not let you down.

 

ETA: probably the reason why I picked Lyonesse to "sweeten" it up is because they are fairly similar in scent families.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Midnight Aeval

[nursekins]

This one is quite lovely...a dry old church like incense...the kind that hangs in the air with old wood...not smoldering or smoky...there is also a distinct amber note..It is not a golden type amber...this one is old ...the whole scent has this aged feel to it...I would also say I am getting a slight linen note..maybe a very light touch of vanilla...not foody...not fresh...aged...yes this one is quite nice on me thus far

[edenssixthday]

PX23 - This is a very dry, woody, incense-like scent. There's definitely amber, but it's not the bright, golden, powdery amber that I usually love so much. It's drier and deeper... older. I also smell woods, possibly sandalwood, possibly not. Maybe even the tiniest drops of cedar and dust. As this sits on my skin and warms up, it takes on the slightest hint of something sweet, like vanilla or sweet cream, but it's barely there. This scent reminds me of visiting old European chapels that are full of ancient wood, and dust-motes dancing in the rays of diffused light shining in through stained-glass windows. It's a fairly subtle scent once it dries down, but it has decent staying power. I think I really like it! Edited July 14, 2009 by edenssixthday

[zankoku_zen]

Definitely incense, but there was this 'clean linen' note on me... esp. on wet. It dries to a much 'drier' blend. I think this has a bit of amber, but it doesn't turn powdery and just remains resinous.

 

My skin eats this up. Like fast.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from Midnight Aeval.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I've been looking for this one for a long time. I love all things incensey, so PX23 was a must-have proto for me. I'm expecting dry incense, amber and linen, based on reviews.

 

First sniff:

 

I'm not sure of how strong PX23 is right out of the bottle, truth be told. The first time I smelled it, when it was fresh out of the mailbox (and hot, thanks to my being away from home all day and the summer weather we're having at the moment) it was pretty strong, but the second time (when I went to test it after it had cooled down) it was very faint and I almost couldn't smell it. It's entirely possible that my nose is just fatigued since my allergies are acting up, though.

 

Scent-wise, this is lovely. Definitely an incense blend. Dry but slightly sweet. Not church incense, exactly. It makes me think more of deserts and pyramids for some reason. I can see this being an Egyptian themed Excolo scent, maybe.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I'm still having trouble smelling this, but what I do smell is very pretty. There's definitely amber here. It's soft and slightly sweet, a bit like aged Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, but drier and very slightly powdery. There are also some lovely resins here, but I couldn't tell you exactly what they are. Sandalwood, most likely, maybe a touch of myrrh?

 

Dry down:

 

Still very soft, but it seems a little more noticeable than when it was wet. The drydown is soft and slightly sweet, but dry. It reminds me of a sandalwood incense I used to burn when I was in high school, but there's more to it than just sandalwood. I get amber and unidentified resins. I don't get any linen or wood from this, but it is rather ancient smelling somehow.

 

The bottom line:

 

I really like this and I'm glad I manage to finally track down a bottle. I'd prefer it if it were stronger, but I'm more than willing to wear it as is. After all, I don't need a super strong scent every day. And, who knows, maybe my nose is just on the blink and I'll be able to smell it more strongly again soon.

[ellebelle]

Yeeeessssssssssssssssssssssss! I would classify this as a "sandy resin", in the same general family as Ra, Cat Allingham and Hatshepsut v11. Please note that this doesn't smell the same but has a note and a feel in common. This is a gorgeous, sweet amber/incense blend that will be in heavy rotation in my collection.

[ami226]

Oooh! Lovely! Definitely a sweet amber of some kind mixed with.... incense and something kind of dry. I really think it is a dry sandalwood in there, but I could be wrong.

 

A very interesting scent. I don't think I have ever smelled anything quite like it!

[Little Bird]

PX23 smells like warm, slightly powdery amber, creamy sandalwood, and wafts of light, sweet incense on my skin. It smells delicate, softly woody, and incensey. The blend doesn't have much throw, but it lasts about 3 hours and is sort of warm and comforting to me.

[mymymai]

ITI: I get something slightly astringent on first sniff, like lemon Pine Sol. When I sniff longer, I get amber and frankincense (heady incense / resin type scent).

 

Wet: Resinous (Benzoin! That’s what it is) with a touch of lemon and hints of amber. I want to roll around in this scent for some reason. As it starts to dry, there might be just a little carnation as well. Apparently this is what playing in the cobwebs might be like for cats.

 

Dry: Oh, it’s soft and sensuous with a sweet middle layer. I love it!

[unlaced]

Let me just say that this is a beautiful scent! I usually kind of ignore the protos because if there's only a very small number of bottles in existence, why torture myself by falling in love with something I won't be able to easily get. But, I'm glad I took the chance on this one and swapped a wonderful forumite for it because it is SO good. Also, this is a huge morpher.

 

In bottle: Incense-spicy.

 

Wet: This blooms right away into a light incense scent with a light woody component. It smells like an incense stick, wood and all. This scent also brings to mind that pagan-bookstore scent that's so distinctive. In the wet stage this smells just like that bookstore scent.

 

As it's drying it gains a slight berry note, like a berry-scented incense stick. And soon after it gains very slight floral undertones.

 

This is a seamlessly blended, very smooth blend. It moves through all its different stages so fluidly. Within maybe 10 minutes of application an ever-so-slightly floral cinnamon note comes to the forefront. In another few minutes the blend smells like cinnamon candy (like Red Hots, but less burny-spice) with the incense behind and a soft pink floral component.

 

Dry: this is so different from the bottle and wet scent. It's more of a soft pink floral than anything. It's not the kind of floral that amps to screeching high heaven on my but the kind of softness that the florals on Mouse's Long And Sad Tale have. (except this isn't sweet pea. I don't know what it is, but it's not sweet pea.) This ends up being a scent that doesn't throw terribly far. It sticks close to the skin.

 

Long wear: This ends up as a soft berry-floral. It seems like it's going to stay here. Overall, very nice! I kind of with it kept more of the incense note from the beginning, but it's a beautiful scent I am looking forward to wearing.

[Bluestblood]

Once this dries on my skin, it smells exactly like old piano.

 

I can see where people are getting the church comparison from. It kinda reminds me of The Coiled Serpent's more conservative cousin.

[Suusje]

I agree with the 'sandy resin' description. It's a simple scent, and somewhat light, but very pretty.