Manus Dei (or the Typewriter Incident)

[angelicruin]

MANUS DEI (or the TYPEWRITER INCIDENT)
Weeds, dirt, red clay, scattered groceries, inked fabric ribbon, machine oil, and cast steel.

This one is mostly machine oil on my skin. As it dries, I get a bit of the weeds note, but it fades completely by drydown and I'm just left with the machine oil once more.

Hoping maybe this will become more complex on my skin once it has time to settle & age more.

[gingiemay]

I get the same sweet grass note from this that I get from Dog Days of Summer, with an inky, metallic twinge that is surprisingly intriguing and pleasant. This is a favorite for me! Sweet grass and a typewriter... love it!

[penemuel]

You really don't get the full effect of this one unless you're old enough to remember actual fabric ribbons and typewriters with keys that struck said ribbon, instead of plastic film ribbons and typeface balls.

 

This is the smell of those fabric ribbons with the ink, the metal of the typewriter keys, and the oil that keeps them clacking away smoothly. It's missing the slight banana fragrance of a freshly cleaned typewriter, though, so it must be one that's been used for a while. Wow... nostalgia attack! (By the way, I like it!)

[milo]

I better review this one before it fades away! Yes, it disappears fairly quickly.

At first, there is a bitterness that kind of reminds me of orange blossom, but it the bitter doesn't fade like orange blossom. Instead it sticks around, and is more like, say, stinging nettle or that really poky plant with the purple flowers on top. Thistle, that's the name!!

This fades, and it smells like sewing machine oil, or perhaps the typewriter oil. My mom had an old typewriter from the 40's/50's, and it doesn't smell like that at all to me.

Not really something I'd wear, and thankfully, it fades quickly, as it doesn't meld with my chemistry very well. Very glad to have tried this, though!!

[lilacea]

This starts with a gorgeous fresh ozone note, but not the type of ozone I come to think of in perfume, rather the fresh air like ozone you'll smell with winter rains. There's a touch of dandelion and it is a little soapy. I'm really enjoying the uniqueness of this, it's light and vaguely sentimental. I can make out a faded ink ribbon accord, it's really quite soft. It's almost like new carpet, vaguely chemical, but I quite like it.

[Ravenclaw79]

Weird. This started out metal and grease, mechanical grease. It quickly went to straight oil and stayed there for a while, like motor oil or axle grease.

 

After an hour or so, I got a brief whiff of grass.

 

Hours later, it's now more cologne-y, but still with a touch of grease. Interesting. Not bad, that's for sure. It reminds me of... The Lady on the Grey, Black Butterfly Moon ... something dark and perfumey. But I'd rather hoped for something more like ink and graphite, from the early reviews. In that sense, I'm disappointed.

[boxinghelena]

Well goodness, this one had me very intrigued. I do believe I smell typewriter ribbon. Is that even possible? I don't get any of the other components. On me, it's a very light scent. It's pretty pleasant but I think the decant I have will last me a long while.

[Dark Alice]

Okay...this scent goes under the "weird things I like the smell of" This is dead on for type writer ribbon and metal. The problem is that with the real ribbon...it always made me sneeze....this is so doable. I love it and I am so glad I get to own this bottle.

 

ADDED Dec. 10:

 

Who knew that the smell of typewriter ribbon and metal would smell good? On me it's all ribbon and ink all the time with just the barest hints of metal from the typewriter keys. I love it and oddly enough it is wearable.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: That’s a lot of machine oil, right there. It is mostly oil and steel and soil. The weeds add a green note and the groceries add a faint, unexpected sweetness, to what is mostly the scent of dirt floor garage. Wet; It is much nicer on the skin, with the industrial scent damping down. I’m now guessing there might have been a touch of cake in the groceries. It is much sweeter on the skin, though doesn’t loose that motorcycle leaking oil smell. It is wearable, but only just, being vaguely unsettling. Dry: The oil gets less aggressive, and the various earthy smells come out more. It’s a little strange still, but easier to deal with.

[zankoku_zen]

I do remember typewriters and typewriter ribbons. My mom was a secretary and I remember being maybe like three and I was there at her work, and this is the smell of them. I also get a fairly strong motor oil component to it - so it sort of smells like a Phoenix Steamworks line blend, with a hint here and there of something else (could it be the groceries).

 

My skin eats this one right up.

[manusdei]

oh i would like this, wouldn't i? i'm not young enough to not remember type writers, but i can't for the life of me remember what ink ribbon smells like. i wasn't sure if i'd like this at all but i picked up a decant for the name alone.

 

it goes on pretty strongly sharp and green - yikes!

after a minute or two the oil/metal notes come out, still pretty strong but it gets a lot better. decidedly masculine and a bit cologne-y, it does remind me of a greener, weedy phoenix steamworks at this stage - oily, polished metal, sweet. i don't remember why i couldn't do steamworks and i ended up gifting my bottle - however, this is is really nice (if not a bit strange smelling!) i can't believe something masculine actually works on me for once, maybe it's because it is a little off.

 

agreeing with whoever said there must have been some kind of sweets in with those groceries. after it dries down, the other notes are still there up top, but up close it's a kind of incense-y, dirt/clay & a light vanilla/cake smell? reminds me of the cake in eat me after it fades away, a very dry white cake.

i don't know, but i like it!

 

can't decide if i'll hunt down more but i am definitely going to be holding onto my decant and keeping it in mind.

[Saya]

My great-grandfather was a watchmaker, this smells like he did after he worked on watches. Metal, oil and a bit of green sweetness.

 

This is going into my swaps pile.

[symphonyinsilence]

Okay, so I don't remember what a typewriter smells like but I smell lots of baby powder, incense and clay. This one smells exactly like Kenzo Amour Indian Holi. I have no idea why. It's quite pretty.

[tartchef]

Wow, this one's all grass & dandelions on my skin.... there's a faint smear of oil & metal, like engine parts scattered in the yard on a spring day. An odd but pleasant hybrid of Blade of Grass & Mechanical Phoenix...

[Geminirubyshoes]

Who knew that the smell of typewriter ribbon and metal would smell good? On me it's all ribbon and ink all the time with just the barest hints of metal from the typewriter keys. I love it and oddly enough it is wearable.

 

100% this.

I am obsessed with this right now.

So good. Seriously. Need actual bottle ASAP.

[Little Bird]

I have no clue what typewriters or inked fabric ribbon should smell like, but I love this scent. It really is a dark scent that reminds me of writing and the smell of pen ink. It almost has the feel of a manly cologne (like black musk, chypre, and hints of earthy vetiver or dark, powdery incense - but not exactly smelling like any of those things). I find it really unique, comforting, and wearable, though. It clings close to my skin and lasts about 4 hours.

 

This and Unexpected Golf Hazard are my favorites of the WKAP scents.

[moon_lemming]

OH MY GOD THAT'S INK. And . . . rubber? It smells like burning. With a squish of some floral mess.

[voorishsign]

In the imp - ink! Definitely, ink. And oil.

 

On wet - Oh wow, that's intensley mechanical. Not bad, mind you, because that's exactly what I wanted! Ink, oil and metal. It reminds me of another BPAL oil that's on the tip of my tongue but I don't know what. Argh! Either way, so far, so good.

 

Drydown - stays very close to the skin. Ink, metal, oil and clay. I wouldn't really call it a suitable perfume because the oil is very sharp, but as a scent impression this is very nice.

[edenssixthday]

Manus Dei (or the Typewriter Incident) - Wow, this scent takes me right back to high school and learning to change the ribbon in a typewriter. It's amazing how much it smells like typewriter ribbon! I can't get over how that scent has been duplicated! The other notes in the blend definitely make it a wearable scent, so much more than if it were a purely ink scent. I think the steel is probably the second strongest note. The dirt is not strong, but I do think I smell the distinct scent of red clay, which I'm just loving! I really love this scent. I don't know if I'd choose to wear it over my other favorite blends, but it's really fun in a nostalgic, scent-memory kind of way. I also think it would smell awesome on a dude.

[doomsday_disco]

I get a blast of ink at first, along with some clay and a metal note. The clay ends up winning out, and I'm getting both Crimson Peak and OLLA vibes from it. It think there may be some sweet, dry, Mysore sandalwood and/or some powdery benzoin mixed in with it, but it's definitely clay-like. By the end of the day, the clay note and resins are still present, but there's also a plastic note from the groceries.

 

It's wild how realistic the ink and clay notes are in this one! It's a very interesting scent experience, and more wearable than it sounds, but I wish the plastic note hadn't shown up on me!

[starbrow]

This is wild! Right away, Manus Dei reminded me of No. 93 Engine, so I had to go put some on to compare them. And that first wet stage really is identical, except that No. 93 has what smells like more benzoin to me, a poky resin that reminds me of bandaids. Manus Dei has far less benzoin in it, but still the same very appealing mix of grass (weeds), dried herbs, and machinery. The ink is present too, a bit like sniffing a Bic pen after you've been chewing on it. For once, no pickles in this ink. It's very authentic.

 

The longer the drydown, the more Manus Dei outstrips the competition. Maybe I amp benzoin these days! All I know is that Manus Dei's earthy, herby notes bring lovely witchy vibes, while the machinery smell and wisps of ink make me think of a 1940s writer pecking away at her typewriter on a summer's day, the smell of sun-warmed grass and clay earth drifting in from the open window. It stays close to the skin but stays true once it's dried, a gentle writerly scent. I am definitely keeping this one and putting No. 93 Engine in time out!