But Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light

[MamaMoth]

The world will love its darkness: cistus labdanum, ginger, East Indian patchouli, pimento berry, oakmoss, saffron, smoky vanilla, sage, myrrh, and bitter clove.

I had some expectations about this scent that didn't match the reality at all. So I was a bit disappointed and unable to judge my decant accurately when I first tested it. Upon trying it a couple of weeks later, I can approach it with a fresh perspective and I realize that I quite like it after all.

First and foremost it is a spicy resiny scent. The clove, pimento berry, and labdanum are up front, giving it a mulled kinda holiday kind of feeling. There's a smokiness behind that, and a woodsiness propping it up. It's sweet, but not overly so. The likening to Raven Moon is spot on, even thought the two don't really smell terribly alike. But they both have the same kind of complex smoky-resin thing going on. As a side note, it has the same kind of slight chemical undertone that Raven Moon had when it was fresh, that is especially apparent if you accidentally put too much on like I did. But that is going away already in my Raven Moon so I feel pretty confident that it'll smooth out in Men Loved Darkness as well.

I wish I'd had this for the holidays, it would have been absolutely perfect to wear for seasonal gatherings. As it is, I've ordered a bottle. I'll probably cellar it until the next holiday season for the most part, and I cannot WAIT to see how it ages in that time. Edited November 7, 2012 by grrrlennyl

[Cheri]

I'm wondering why I waited to get this now instead of with my first Yule order. Its so resiny and spicy. Kind of like a smoother version of Sunbird. I love the clovey smell of it, and should have gotten two right away. Its one of those scents that keeps your wrist glued to your nose, so not a whole lot of throw, but complex and beautiful.

[porcelina]

an instant favorite. rich, slightly spicy, with a note like sweet, dark fruit and warm woods. i adore this and i think i need a second bottle. (also my bf just walked over, smelled me and proclaimed "that is HOT.")

[donnatron]

Bottle: Dark and sweet with a tinge of... not sour,. but tart from the berries.

 

Wet: This is strongly pimento and sage when it's first on. It's not unpleasant but is also not what I was expecting. The patchouli is a bit murky.

 

Dry: That's the ticket. I love patchouli/vanilla combos and this one delivers like crazy. A very smoky, sweet base of patchouli, vanilla and myrrh tinged with the tart berry and then crisped up by the sage. Borderline unisex but still very sexy. A dark, dreamy resinous blend. Almost woodsy.

 

Throw: Moderate.

 

Overall: Simply lovely. This is an amazing blend. Very sexy and fun and easy to wear. Can dress it up or dress it down. Will definitely be treasuring this bottle.

[ImperatrixMundi]

But Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light probably was the scent I was looking forward to the most of all the decants I got. But it was not to be. I love all the notes but obviously that does not have to mean they cooperate to form a nice scent on my skin

 

What I was expecting was a smooth, dark and slightly sweet scent with maybe a little spice. But the clove is very dominant on me, like it was in Samhainophobia. And under all that clove the other notes form a background that is stale and a bit sour, why I have no idea. From reading other reviews I guess that other people were luckier with it, maybe my chemistry is a bit off track right now. The bottle is already on the way to a new home and hopefully a happier owner. But I still feel rather heartbroken right now

[heathercaley]

 

Oh... my... god

 

This is AMAZING!! Easily one of my top ten right off the bat. Once applied, I smell spicy, smokey, incense soaked vanilla berries. Holy molly I'm going to need a big bottle of this stuff. I can imagine what it will age into. It's just a touch spicy, and the perfect amount of sweetness. This isn't the same vanilla found in most vanilla blends. This is a sexy sultry vanilla wanting to go out and hump the crap out of the closest hot guy you can find. Mrow!!!!

 

As it dries down, the berries pop out just a little more, and the patchouli makes it just a little earthy but keeps it warm. This isn't the hippie dirty patchouli. This is sexy patchouli.

 

Once it dries, it stays spicy and sweet. Throughout the night, I kept getting small whiffs and would have to stop and realize that it's me that smells this good. I haven't had a winner in a bottle like this in so long!!

 

:love!:

Edited January 29, 2010 by Purrsnikety

[fairnymph]

Dark reddish cola-brown oil. Dark, earthy, dirty, spicy, resinous and harsh....eek. The smoky vanilla is a smooth, sweet pinpoint amidst it all, and the ginger and cistus brighten it a bit too. The patchouli is SO dirty and rooty and headshoppy, the myrrh bitter and dusty, the clove & saffron spicy and sharp, and the sage is that harsh dry kind.

 

Much softer and sweeter! The cistus and ginger take the fore, with smoky vanilla (and it really is smoky, in a lovely way like a bit of tobacco has crept it, reminds me of the vanilla note in Storyville)...wow, a lot of vanilla! Much sweeter and almost creamy on my skin. The ginger is the same fresh, sparkling note from Loaded Gun. And the saffron smooths out into something pleasant and cola-ish. Still, the other notes are all-too-present in the background.

 

Sweeter and smokier. The smoky vanilla is really forefront (and the sage, which won't die), followed closely behind by the spicy, vegetal pimento (a note I clearly amp), super-earthy sorta-dirty patchouli/oakmoss combo, and loads and loads of dusty, incensey myrrh. The clove and saffron are both distinct but they're mellow notes here. The cistus has burned off and the ginger faded. Ubermasculine.

 

Smoky, spicy vanilla and earthy incense. Much too dry/dusty/dark/dirty/spicy for me, but I am impressed by how the scent comes together on my skin, and turns into something quite unisex. It smelled absolutely vile to me in the bottle but improved greatly on my skin. Lower throw, good longevity.

[Phades]

I got this one as a mostly-empty freebie with a forum order, and it's quite a pleasant surprise! A bit incensey, maybe a bit fruity? (I'm terrible at picking out notes, hopefully I'll get better at it with time and practice!) Not one I would have tried of my own volition, but I'm glad I got the sample.

 

I did get a sinus headache after wearing this for a few hours, though. Hopefully it's unrelated - I'll have to test it again later to see for sure.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Phades

[Voleuse]

This is more incensey than I expected, which is silly, because half the notes are incensy in one way or another. I like the way the vanilla sweetens the blend, so it's not quite overpowering, and combined with the spices, I find this quite intriguing. Over time, the incense-slam fades, leaving sweet, spicy vanilla and a kiss of patchouli. This has decent throw, but I'm more impressed by how long it lingers.

 

[sarandipitee]

This is love. On me it's a sweeter, softer and more spicy version of Raven Moon. My little decant will not be enough ~ I am definately going to have to track down a bottle.

[theseagrows]

holy ginger! i am getting mostly ginger, berry and a bit of the smoky vanilla. a little touch of clove makes it smell yule-like. it reminds me of this xmas craft fair i went to with my mom when i was a child. it was out in a barn and it smelled of pine and apple cider. this scent is reminiscent of apple cider to me, actually but with that drop of berry instead. very pretty and yule-like. since it's spring, i'll probably save this for next winter-it's a very cozy, nostalgic scent.

 

 

[aquazoo]

A little fruity, a little cinnamon. Incense and spice. The patchouli gives it an earthiness, but not dirty.

 

[Ishtar]

But Men Loved Darkness is a strange beast, at least to my nose. One day I love it, and the next day I find it almost offputting.

 

When it's good, it's amazing: warm, deep, rich, spicy yet surprisingly sweet given the components listed. It's a rather unusual scent, in an "alluring and interesting" sort of way.

 

When it doesn't play nice, there is a smokey and rather sour note that I cannot pinpoint exactly, but that I don't enjoy at all.

 

I probably won't go through my entire bottle + decant - now the question is, how much is enough to keep, since it can be stunning on a good day...

[milica]

I really don't have much luck with Yule scents, this one was also disappointing.

 

In the bottle, it smells earthy and really spicy, with some sweetness to it.

 

On the skin, it kind of turns into a mess. So many notes that I love (big fan of any patchouli, ginger and oakmoss, smokey vanilla yum!), but none of them is working for me here. This spiciness and earthiness from the bottle mellows down and it turns to something not very pleasant, a bit of sour and harsh, and in the end it's all sweet clove.

 

Few times I've tried it I was hoping that it would settle into something that says that it's working with my skin, but every time it goes wrong. Or maybe I'm just not that big of a fan of Yule scents.

[mymymai]

ITI: It wreaks, in a positive way, of patchouli and myrrh. I can smell them when I pick up the imp without opening anything. When I open it, it's much sweeter from the vanilla and pimento berry, but I can also detect the subtlety of the saffron.

 

Wet: Myrrh, vanilla, pimento berry, hints of ginger and clove under a veil of patchouli swirl together to create an intoxicating scent.

 

Dry: Myrrh, labdanum, patchouli, hints of ginger and clove, and a lightly floral undertone. It fits the darkness aspect of this scent, but it isn't a frightening darkness...it's comforting and secure.

[Alaeidrel]

I get mostly the smoke, sage, and patch from this. I can't seem to find the vanilla on my skin, but that's fine by me. It's dark and gritty and reminds me of the smell of a fire after you've burned ceremonial herbs in it. The base notes that I can't differentiate remind me of Sunbird, for some reason. I'd guess the clove, saffron and smoke? It's beautiful, whatever it is. Definitely one for the dark of winter.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Robust, smoky clove and slightly tart sweetness.

 

Drydown: Sinowy, seductive, and exotic. Tingly clove, incense, and the combo of pimento berry and ginger - interpreted through my nose as a zingy, boozy, bright fruit. A nice, earthy bed of labdanum and patchouli lend support through the middle and just a hint of creaminess from the vanilla and fuzziness from the sage can be detected in the background. Lots of depth from the myrrh. There's a lot going on, but somehow it doesn't get muddled. This is such a great scent!

 

Dry: Smoky, resinous, spicy, sort-of-fruity, and earthy. There's a pull in the rootbeer-ish direction, thanks to the labdanum, ginger, and clove. Every note is contributing and working well together. Dark and delicious without being too foody. It somehow crosses holiday festiveness with a darker, sexier vibe. And that's a winning combo for me!

 

 

I hope the lab brings this one back at some point!

 

9 out of 10 bones

Edited July 28, 2022 by BoneBone24
(updated to include more recent impressions)

[tinyvulture]

I'm getting a combination of sweet, spicy cooking scents (clove, vanilla, saffron), with a background of herbal (sage, and I guess pimento berry?) and myrrh notes. So it's foody, but without smelling like any specific food. No ginger or patchouli to be found. I like it okay, but I'm missing the patchouli.

Edited March 2, 2014 by tinyvulture

[filigree_shadow]

Most everyone else seems to really like this one... why is it bad on me?

It shouldn't be bad on me. I don't have any death notes in there, except sometimes sage. I like patchouli and oakmoss and saffron and vanilla quite a lot.

But on me this is kind of a bitter/sour patchouli scent with maybe a tiny hint of vanilla. Possibly a slight whiff of clove if I sniff really hard.

I was getting excited to try this after looking at the reviews, so this is pretty disappointing.

[stubbornfire]

I think I can pick out patchouli, ginger, and sage. There is something sweet-like to this too, however, and I guess that's the berry? I'm not crazy about the thread of sweetness that's just sort of plopped in the middle of this otherwise incense-y smokey goodness. Hm.

 

The more it (the perfume) dries, I sometimes catch a whiff of it (the sweetness!) and sometimes it seems like it's gone - the closer my nose is to where I applied it, the more I pick it up, so it's becoming 'there but not too prominent'.

 

It's..okay. I don't need a bottle, but I appreciate having gotten to try it! Now I'll have an idea of what pimento berry is about the next time I see it listed in a scent! Thanks again Blue

[tauntonlake]

This is lovely, and the scent reminds me quite a bit of a LUSH product. Not that that's a bad thing !

[Lucchesa]

I enjoyed But Men Loved Darkness enough to swap for a partial, but apparently never reviewed it.  Wearing it today, I was trying to figure out what was in it.  I would have guessed opoponax (dark syrupy resin - I guess that's how I'm reading the cistus labdanum), myrrh, blackened vanilla, and other stuff.  I would not have identified patchouli or ginger.  Nor did I come up with saffron, sage or bitter clove, though now that I know they're there I can kind of make them out - there's a dry earthiness that tempers the dark sweetness. And I have no idea what pimento berry might smell like. 

 

Despite the presence of ginger and clove, this is not a pumpkin pie spice kind of blend on me, nor foody in the least. It's a dark sweet resin kind of blend, which is one of my favorite kinds.  Obviously my bottle is well-aged, which may mean the spices have become exquisitely subtle.  I get no throw from this (which is typical for my skin chemistry) but good wear length.  It's really beautiful, unisex, the kind of dark sweet blend I love in cold weather, and I feel beautiful wearing it. 

[Casablanca]

This is quite sumptuous, to start.

 

But Men Loved Darkness goes on as a sweet, dark resin that's also herbal, spicy, woody, and a little smoky. It's a lot to unpack.

 

I seem to get labdanum most, but I also get the patchouli, ginger, clove, allspice, sage, and smoky vanilla, a little of each. This labdanum doesn't smell like cola, but instead dark and sweet, even a little syrupy.

 

The sage fades quickly and, in drydown, a little saffron and myrrh replace it. The clove strengthens.

 

Once dried, the whole blend softens a lot and becomes much simpler and less rich, but it hasn't been here long, and likely needs to settle more. 

 

I like this and suspect it will age wonderfully.

[VetchVesper]

A very nice spice scent with a resiny depth and no cinnamon.  😊  It does have a certain holiday vibe, but I think you could get away with it off season too.  There's a nice, smoky/sexy edge to it, but it's understated and very comfortable.  If you like spice scents, this one's definable worth checking out.  It's different and very wearable.

[sprout]

This is all about the base on me.  Just a hint o' spice, no cinnamon detected, and no skin (weal) burn.  At first a bit sour but that is not unusual for my experience with labdanum--YMMV.  I had sort of written this off as having too many questionable notes--myrrh I can take in small doses or the whole thing becomes bandaid smell or generic powder, allspice is usually a hard pass on me, clove tends to try to take over, and I am not a fan of pimento.  So, is this the case of death notes all cancelling each other out, methinks.

 

Drydown, I am getting a hint of the spice, nothing standing out as dominant, so I cannot really pick out ginger, saffron, allspice, (and none of these notes are wallflowers for me, usually, so they must all be singing in perfect harmony) but the sage is present and adding a mystic quality (which may just be my idiosyncratic way of relating to the note) the clove is subdued (the bitter clove tends to work much better for me) and the vanilla is beginning to round out and sweeten the composition.  Patchouli is also a bit sweet to my nose but this is a very mellow patchouli and not dirty or woody.  I get zero wood notes from this.  The oakmoss sort of came and went (as I tend to amp anything powdery, oakmoss is also a risky inclusion).  I do catch a hint of the pimento berry, which I only recognize from the list of notes--not really a stand out and definitely melding with the bitter clove which is becoming a bit more evident as the fragrance hums along.  The so-called smoky vanilla is not a woodsmoke  or sulfur note.  This is like baby bear, just right in many, many ways.  

 

I expect this composition will come together even better with age and become fairly seamless.  Does not lean particularly feminine or masculine to my nose. I have many, many resin blends especially patchouli ones and wish this one either kicked up the spicy aspect or better yet had the labdanum go more cola-ish if I was being choosy.  What I like about this is that it is not too spicy, sweet, or powdery.  Damn the torpedoes, I may be talking myself into a full bottle of this.  The dry down gets better and better and that is how this will smell in a year or so.

 

TL;DR: Old school BPAL with smooth patchouli, vanilla myrrh bridge, a hint of bitter clove and other spice, pairing with syrupy cistus labdanum .  This gorgeous, classic, androgynous resin blend is skillfully balanced and unquestionably will age into bass note perfection.  It's pretty timeless too, could be worn regardless of the season.  

Edited January 25, 2019 by sprout