Clermont

[Invidiana]

Opium tar and Damask rose.

Do NOT be afraid of the rose in this one; on a blind sniff without looking at the notes, rose didn't even come to mind, but wonderfully sinister opium with a backdrop of something soft and feminine to balance it. It could be I'm amping the opium, since I do amp resins, which of course I don't mind one bit. The opium and rose just blend so well that it really just seems like a softer and more feminine version of opium rather than a distinct opium and rose blend. It's definitely an intoxicating scent, conjuring images such as a well-reputed manor overshadowed by specters of the past and a wholesome-looking socialite with dark secrets up her sleeve. This is already darkly lovely adn only going to get deeper and more mysterious with age. Edited June 4, 2010 by quantum spice

[Venneh]

In the bottle (artwork on this is BEAUTIFUL, btw), I'm getting rose-tinged opium. On my skin, it's ROSE, with opium underneath. Damnit. Had a feeling this wouldn't work out well... (in fact, I have a feeling this entire line is going to haet me, sadly). Oil itself is a beautiful gold color, though.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Venneh

[fairnymph]

Lots of dark, dark opium and sour, old-smelling, soapy ROSE.

[angelicruin]

Lots of opium on my skin...and the rose. Keeps threatening to go soap on me, but never quite reaches that point. I'm really just trying to decide whether or not I like this. I'm kind of on the fence with this one.

[edenssixthday]

Clermont - The instant I opened the bottle, I smelled the beautiful, honey-sweet, smokey opium note that I love so much in my beloved Chrysanthemum Moon. It's the exact same note. The rose is strong, but does not overpower that gorgeous opium scent. The rose seems like a dark rose, maybe even a dried rose. This is really gorgeous. It loves my skin and smells like pure, heavy, dark, smokey, opium-lade, rosey sexiness on me. This is a keeper.

[AliBabble]

i was craving a good opium scent, and here it is. i agree that it has the same soft, smoky opium that chrysanthemum moon had. for some reason i sold that one off, but this one is a keeper. it also reminds me a bit of sleepy moon - one of my favorite blends. it's pretty straightforward - opium and rose - two notes that i love a lot, but that don't always work on me. maybe it's the simplicity of this blend - there's not a bunch of other things to muck it up - or it could be the nice balance of the two notes, but it just works perfectly - i can slather, and (to me, anyway) it's not "too much". a sensual, dreamy blend.

[Little Bird]

If you love opium, then I'd definitely recommend this scent. The rose seems to be very soft and well behaved, and the opium stays strong and central. Rose notes usually amp up like crazy on me, and I can only detect a faint whisper of sweet, girly, pink smelling rose here.

 

Unfortunately, I don't really like opium. The opium here isn't as sharp as usual, but there's this hint of cheap, chemical-y, 80s hairspray underneath the creamy, white smokiness that I can't stand.

 

I could see this being really lovely on someone who can pull off opium notes, though.

[FathomBelow]

This is a beautiful, haunting scent.

In the bottle and wet on my skin: it's pretty much pure opium. This is my first experience of BPAL opium, and I'll describe it as dusty and ever so slightly sweet; it manages to convey both a "dry" and a "wet" feeling at the same time. It smells exactly like the my aunt's house: shadowy and opulent, full of mysterious old paintings, delicate antiques, lace, and sculpted glass. As it dries, it sweetens even more, going through a honeylike stage that somehow reminds me of dirty diapers (I've heard honey does that on some peoples' skins but this is the first time it's happened to me). Fortunately, this stage passes quickly.

Once dry: the rose becomes much more distinct, blending beautifully with the opium. This is warm and seductive yet a little sinister and truly gothic, imo. I've never tried any of the Lucy Westenra scents, but to me, this is what vampire Lucy would smell like, coming back to her tomb with the kidnapped child the night Van Helsing and the others kill her.

All in all, a wonderful scent that I rejoice in possessing! I probably will save it for winter, though, as it might be too heavy for summer.

Edited July 1, 2010 by AmberApple

[countessmouse]

Smoky rose. Actually, rose, rose, rose! And rose in a good way -- wonderfully full and fragrant and not at all soapy or sour.

[Poenari]

I took a real leap of faith to order Clermont, because rose is a note of doom for me, though I adore opium. Rose Cross was just too soapy on me, even though I love frankincense. But I work in Clermont county, and this is the first (and likely the only) time I've ever ordered a scent based only on its name. I might have finally unlocked the key to wearing rose. The opium is definitely the stronger note on me, and it wraps around and mingles with and tames the rose into a beautiful dark floral. This is just a beautiful scent, rose or not, and I'm happy I bought it.

[zankoku_zen]

Honey sweet opium and slightly sour rose powder. The opium in this is glorious, and I think I may actually be an opium fan. Hmmm.

[voodoobaby]

Wet, all I smell is opium. It's sweet and almost acrid, but not unpleasant. As it dries, the Damask rose comes through; I recognize it as the kind of creamy rose scent from Maiden. Here, however, it's made darker by the opium. Though this is very reminiscent of Maiden to me, I think I'll probably keep it just because it is darker and more "me" than the other.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: Did my grandmother smoke opium? Seriously this smells like her house as I remember it! Maybe the opium tar smells a bit like the lacquered wood and wicker that filled her house. I think the rose was a perfume she was fond of. This is fascinating and comforting!

 

Drydown: ok this is traveling it's way out of memory lane. Now that the notes have settled it smells more like opium tar and damask rose. I feel like I'm using Lush's Turkish Delight body polish and burning opium incense while in the shower. Very soothing to the system.

Edited September 10, 2010 by SophieCedar

[ravenscanary]

Source: Untouched decant

 

In the decant: All opium, all the time.

 

Wet: Sweet opium and somewhat soapy rose.

 

Dry: Smoky, mysterious and sweet. A very intoxicating scent that's more evocative than perfumey, though at the same time I think it's something my mother would wear and enjoy, oddly enough.

[bloody sore]

Oh man, this is the stuff. I'm a huge fan of opium, my past favorites being event horizon and chrysanthemum moon.

This is a lighter, softer opium. Like beginners opium. Unfortunately, this is also the blend that helped Lace realize that what she hates in most of my perfumes is opium. I'm not sure if this one is good enough to still wear, we'll see.

Overall, very sweet opium, you can sure smell the rose, but it blends in nice, and is a tolerable kind of rose. Not at all like the nastiness of fresh picked roses.

[theseagrows]

damnit damnit, opium sometimes works on me, rose usually does, but rarely it doesn't. i thought if anything, opium would be the culprit, but noooo, it's the rose! it smells good on top, but there is a sourness underneath that i often get from white florals, and occasionally get from rose. other than that, this is a beautiful scent, if it did not have that rosy-sourness, i would love this. so sad.

 

ETA: ok, after about an hour, this is a dark rose scent and i it. if only it weren't for that supreme sourness in the beginning...i'm not sure i could deal with it for as long as it lasts.

Edited June 10, 2011 by theseagrows

[Blithgunde]

Clermont has a clear bitter opening that slowly develops a rosey sweetness. The rose builds and blends seamlessly with the opium tar create a bitter-sweet scent, evoking Autumn twilight. So lovely! The rose is definitely a Damask Rose, rich and intense, and an equal partner with the opium. Once the scent develops it stays the same for several hours, then fades gently away.

 

Clermont has become one of my favorites this summer. It's refreshing in the heat and humidity, undemanding, and gentle without being bland.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Light, inorganic opium infused with gentle rose.

 

On skin: If I didn't look at the notes list, I would've thought that Clermont contained leather. Is opium tar this flat, inorganic note? I'm not sure, it does smell like leather... Regardless, Clermont is sweet inorganicity -- sheer, black tar infused with light, pale, pink rose. Rather simple and flat.

 

Verdict: I was quite disappointed to discover that Clermont's opium tar smells very much like black leather, a notes which tends to go inorganic and flatten out the entire scent. I was lucky enough to get Vamp.Goth, and it smells similar yet so much better. Clermont won't be staying.

[Chatoyant]

I tend to amp rose into soap, but the comparisons to Chrysanthemum Moon's opium made me seek out a decant. Clermont smells almost EXACTLY like the rose-beads my grandmother indulgently allowed me to make one summer from her beloved roses (along with an orange-and-clove pomander and candied mint leaves - I was on an olde-tyme crafts roll). This is a deep red-black and bruised dried rose scent, with maybe the opium buried somewhere underneath keeping things from going soap. It's the kind of rose scent you imagine a fantasy or historical romance heroine making in a still room from the roses growing over the stone of the family keep.

 

Not sure I'll seek out a bottle, but I'll probably keep the decant for nostalgia reasons.

[rosedamask]

Alas, Clermont started out with so much promise, but now I think I may have to destash. When I first tested it fresh out of the mail, it was a beautifully smoky, velvety rose, with both notes perfectly balanced. After leaving it to rest, though, the opium tar takes over entirely, and now it goes soapy-smoky on my skin. And so the search for the perfect rose incense continues on! Fingers crossed for Heavenly Spark from this year's Liliths.

[Lucchesa]

Rose and incense can be a lovely combination on me, but sometimes the rose goes sour (All Saints). Unfortunately, this is one of the latter cases. It is lighter and brighter than I expected of opium tar, and I think it would be lovely if the rose behaved, but the rose has a sour tinge that doesn't make me happy. I will pass this one on.