The Night-Raven

[hlemonds]

"You are invited to the elf hill for this evening," said she; "but will you do me a great favor and undertake the invitations? you ought to do something, for you have no housekeeping to attend to as I have. We are going to have some very grand people, conjurors, who have always something to say; and therefore the old elf king wishes to make a great display…"

"Croak," said the night-raven as he flew away with the invitations.

THE NIGHT-RAVEN
Indigo musk, wild plum, rose geranium, benzoin, night-blooming jasmine, and patchouli.

Neato, my first time being first! (i think, anyways)

In the bottle this is a wierd one. Nearly the only note I can detect when sniffing the bottle is the sharp benzoin. And that's nearly all I smell when wet. But, for those who find this initial wet phase too harsh, please hang in there, because it fades away extremely quickly. Once this dries down I'm getting a base of the benzoin in it's drier (there is a hint of powderiness here, but not enough to be bothersome or bad) and somewhat vanillic incarnation. Over that is the spicy-sweet wild plum mixed with what I think is a fruity patchouli and a whisper of night blooming jasmine.

Unlike other jasmine notes, night blooming is lovely, subtle, and a bit creamy on my skin, so it is really lovely here! I'm not certain yet is I'm detecting the indigo musk. I'm sure it's there, but since it isn't a musk I'm familiar with, it's probably hard for me to pick it out. Overall this is beautifully blended and a really nice variation on more traditional incense scents. The patchouli and plum do give it an incense vibe, but the night-blooming jasmine and (i think) the indigo musk and benzoin help steer this towards a "perfume" as opposed to a perfume that makes you smell like straight up incense in a new age shop. Not that smelling like incense is a bad thing, I quite enjoy it, but sometimes I'm in the mood to smell more like perfume that has an incense quality instead of smelling like incense straight up.

I'm sure that last bit made no sense. Ah, well. If you're frightened by the jasmine here, please still give this one a try! While ymmv, I do find that night-blooming jasmine smells quite different on my typically jasmine amping skin. Traditional jasmine tends to give me a headache and take over any blend I try that contains it, but that isn't the case here. As this dries further I'm getting a hint more of the floral notes with the incense, this is just lovely!

ETA: I had to return to say that after further dry down and a subsequent attempt at a full day's wear, this one just doesn't work on me. I'm beginning to think that Benzoin doesn't like my skin very much. Unfortunately benzoin seems to become high-pitched and perfumey on me (I think this was also the culprit in Bette Noir). Hopefully this one will work better on someone whose skin chemistry can handle bezoin. It is sad, because in my initial test I very much enjoyed the plum/patchouli fruitiness. Edited August 18, 2010 by Hillary

[Dark Alice]

Right now this is all rose geranium on me. I think that I am trying this at the wrong time. The jasmine doesn't even peek through and that is saying something b/c my skin amps the bejesus out of night blooming jasmine. Every other note in this blend should be pure win and wonder and glory and glitter...but right now...all I get is rose geranium. So I will have to report back later on this one. *sigh*

[whisperstilled]

In Imp: Hmm, not too good so far. Some musk, very herbal and sort of medicinal. The patchouli makes for a weird, slightly incongruous background note, and I don't particularly like the combination with the jasmine. I was hoping the musk, plum, and floral notes would be more intense.

 

Wet: Musk and patchouli with just a tiny, tiny bit of plum and a good amount of jasmine. Weird on the skin, as well. It smells exactly like the potpourri at my grandparents' house, and that is not a good thing. The geranium isn't helping - I was hoping for something sweeter, but this combination of notes creates a weirdly strong grandma blend.

 

Dry: This has not gotten any better as it dried. Bad potpourri smell, definitely not for me. 1/5

[edenssixthday]

The Night-Raven - I had such high hopes for this one because it's full of notes that I love. The only one I wasn't sure of was the indigo musk. Sadly, it's evident from the get-go that the indigo musk is destroying this blend. I know this is crass, but this smells like someone just went #2 in a bathroom that otherwise smells really good. It's a weird combination of poo and pretty floral scents. I could cry not because I wanted to like this so much, but because it smells so utterly attrociously like B.M. on me.

[Little Bird]

Reading over the reviews so far, it appears that I am the only one who actually likes this scent, lol. I didn't think that I would like this, because I have trouble with jasmine and plum notes, and I figured that indigo musk would be like black musk, which I hate. But I can't pick out any jasmine and this doesn't smell musky on me at all.

 

This is pretty much all benzoin and rose geranium on me. I love rose geranium. It's a spicy, herbal, almost minty scent that I find so rich, soothing and pleasant. Benzoin smells like sweet vanilla and myrrh on my skin. The combination is lovely and smells a lot like Brotoloigos on me, with a hint of glossy, dark plum.

 

The Night-Raven reminds me very strongly of L'Examen de Minuit and Brotoloigos. I love Brotoloigos and rose geranium, so this makes me very happy. I'll have to see how my decant ages before I spring for a full bottle (I'm afraid the jasmine might pop up with some aging), but right now I really like this.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Here's how The Night-Raven went for me, in sequence:

 

Open the vial - hmm.. rose soap?

Dab on skin - eek.. rose soap!

Lean in 10 minutes later - rose soap, oh hello - is that you, plum? Geranium, nice to see you.

Lean in 20 minutes later - rose potpourri of the cheap and nasty variety

Take a big whiff 30 minutes later - rose soap, pongy geranium and stinky jasmine. Reminds me of those awful fragrance cake things you find in gas station bathrooms.

45 minutes later - time to wash this off.

 

Such is the tale of rose and I. Bummer - what happened to the wild plum, I never found that at all. I was hoping the patchouli and musk might have won the good fight against the rose. But no - nuh uh, rose wins. And when rose wins, I lose. I'll be saying bye-byes to The Night Raven.

 

Edited to fix rose-induced spelling errors. Yes, rose hates me that much it causes typos.

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Edited August 27, 2010 by sunshinedaisybliss

[spiresinthesnow]

Just wanted to pop in here to say how much I love the Night Raven! Dash of plum and patchoul imixed with a kind of dark dry musk, that reminds me a lot of violets, a touch of bitter rose. A little sweet, a little dusty, but definitely dark feeling. I wasn't sure I'd care so much for this one because of the strong rose note I got initially, but it tones down after about 10 minutes in on me. It reminds me a lot of Parliament of Monsters in its drydown, except much more feminine and elegant. It makes me feel like I'm wrapped in huge glossy black wings.

[angelicruin]

Rose geranium is the only thing I can pick out. Thankfully, the jasmine is not there for me, but it's still too floral for my tastes.

[SophieCedar]

I ordered The Raven and the labbie was kind enough to include a frimp of this. Very thoughtful!

 

Wet: rose geranium right off the bat. The indigo musk, night-blooming jasmine, and plum start to twine with it quickly. Meaty warm benzoin is lurking in the background..

Drydown: a poignant patchouli joins in.. color impression is definitely an inky fluid blue black. The rose geranium stays dominant. Smells like a strange soap. I'm just happy that I don't smell urinal cakes or BMs like some other people!

[Iceblink]

I'm intrigued by the indigo musk in this--it's very light and pretty and I don't think I've smelled this in anything else before. Unfortunately the rose geranium and the jasmine in here are quite strong and doing that powdery ick thing on my skin. I do get a bit of plum and benzoin, but those flowers, they do not like me.

I'd love to see this musk used in another blend, though!

[zankoku_zen]

Rose, musk, plum and a spot of patchouli. Oddly enough, without the patchouli it sort of has a Queen of Spades feel.

 

Dark, mysterious, female.

[crebbsgirl]

This. Is. Awesome.

 

The jasmine stays very subtle here. There also doesn't seem to be a very prominent rose note on my skin. There's dark fruit and a vanillic benzoin. Dark, sweet and mysterious, just as z states above.

[plainjean]

When wet, this is predominantly rose geranium. Which apparently translates to rose soap on me. Not promising. But when it dries down..it's actually quite lovely! A sweet and creamy floral with just a touch of spice, way in the background. I also finally get a hint of plum, which I was missing from the wet stage. I think I need to try this one a few more times.

 

ETA: After wearing this for several hours, it has dried down to the loveliest smoky, sweet plum. I believe it's the same plum in Prunella, though that can be too sweet for me sometimes, what with the added cream.

Edited November 14, 2010 by plainjean

[hkhm]

imp: jasmine and rose and patchouli.

 

wet: rose. soapy and terrible on me.

 

dry: still pretty strongly soapy. darn, i really had hoped this one would work on me.

[Venneh]

Geranium, patchouli, and jasmine in the imp, and benzoin, maybe a bit of blue musk, geranium and jasmine and patchouli on my skin. Probably not gonna end well.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab (which is awesome since it was on my list of scents to try).

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This one scares me a little. I love patchouli with a passion and I like musk (never tried indigo musk, but it sounds intriguing), plum and benzoin. The rose geranium and jasmine scare me, though. I hate florals and jasmine has been known to give me migraines. I'm really hoping this leans more toward the musk and benzoin end and away from the florals.

 

First sniff:

 

What a weird scent. I definitely smell musk, but it's not like any musk I can remember smelling before. It's soft, slightly powdery and kind of fuzzy (or maybe feathery, which would be appropriate). It's unique and I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet. I swear I'm also smelling pennyroyal (or mint; it's minty, but not like a true mint), even though it's not listed in the notes. I'm not really getting much of anything other than pennyroyal-ish musk.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Powdery, dusty, kind of fluffy musk (it really does smell kind of dark blue to me, but I think that's the power of suggestion) and even stronger pennyroyal/mint. I have no clue where that's coming from. I'm not sure what rose geranium smells like (roses?), so I guess that could be it. I don't get any rose like other people seem to be getting, which is a really good thing.

 

Dry down:

 

This was just okay during the wet and bottle stages but I really like it on the drydown. It takes a while, but The Night-Raven turns into a medium-dark musk scent with just a touch of patchouli. It's still a bit powdery, but maybe powdery isn't the right word. Fluffy, maybe? It reminds me of dusty feathers, actually, but that might be the power of suggestion.

 

The bottom line:

 

The Night-Raven is a really unique scent. I don't think I've ever smelled anything quite like it and I definitely don't own anything similar to it. I think this one might be one of those scents where skin chemistry plays a big part in how it smells, because I'm not getting the same sort of scent that other people are getting. And I'm glad about that, because rose soap would be made of fail.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: Most of the listed notes seem to be present in the imp. Well balanced, maybe a bit heady.

 

Wet on Skin: Rose geranium, plum and musk are the most prominent notes. The benzoin and jasmine are pretty subtle, and the patch is just a soft base for the rest.

 

While Drying: Rose geranium and indigo musk are still on top, sweetened slightly by the plum. The musk is a little dry for me and I wish the patchouli had a bit more presence.

 

After a Little While: A bit sweeter than in the wet stages. There is something about this that draws me in, but I can't make up my mind how much I like it.

 

Later: The fruity sweetness reminds me a bit of Lady MacBeth. Medium throw. Lasts for quite a while.

 

Final Thoughts: I think I'll have to hold on to this imp and give it a few more test runs. It will be interesting to see what happens with a bit of age. I enjoy this blend, but I'm not sure how often I would reach for it over other blends.

 

The Night-Raven earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Very, very interesting. Lightly sweet, but not nearly as heavy or heady as I'd expected, based on the notes. The patchouli isn't strong or out front, and yet it makes its presence known by grounding everything and adding just a touch of darkness and bite. Other than that, it's so well-blended that I have a hard time picking out individual notes, although I do get a familiar tang from the rose geranium. There is a sense of darkness here that makes me think of the night sky and blue shadows… or maybe the sheen of moonlight on a raven's feathers.

On, wet: Oh my god, the geranium! It's just… perfect. My grandmother used to grow rose geraniums, and this is like being in her garden. This has that distinctively tart smell of fresh geraniums, with a very faint breath of jasmine to add sweetness, and a smooth, woody patchouli that makes this feel deep and dark. The musk is very subtle and makes it all silky-smooth. Beautifully blended, beautifully balanced.

On, dry: This has become even smoother and better-rounded as it's dried down and the benzoin has come out and added a hint more sweetness, but the geranium, patchouli and musk are still here, doing their fresh-woody-smooth thing. I only get a slight hint of something juicy and fruity from the plum—again, it's very subtle, which is interesting, because I tend to amp plum. Still very beautiful and different, and not overly sweet at all. I'd swear there was rosewood in here, which is a favorite note of mine, although that's probably just the combination of patchouli and rose geranium. It reminds me, oddly enough, of the woody not-quite-floral of Séance. (Another fave of mine.)

Later: Light, spicy-sweet benzoin and woody patchouli, with a slight fresh bite from the rose geranium.

Overall: This one intrigued me when it was first added to the general catalogue, and I have to say that it's more than lived up to its promise. (For me, at least. Looking over the other reviews, it seems like I'm one of the few who feels that way!) It's such an unusual floral, very sleek and elegant and darkly beautiful, without being too heavy or brooding or sickly sweet. It's mysterious, and it strikes me as definitively feminine, though not at all girly. Your mileage may vary, but I found the jasmine to be very light and restrained, and ditto for the plum. This patchouli is dry and woody and deep, just the way I like it. The musk isn't heavy or overpowering, and I'm frankly kind of in love the with rose geranium note, which places distinct emphasis on the geranium.

 

Would definitely consider this one for a bottle purchase, and when I wear it, I will feel like a dark sorceress, wearing a cloak made of midnight.

[naeelah]

This goes on a bit strange, very cool, dusty, and dry. I thought that it contained frankincense or myrrh from this initial impression, but I suppose that was the combined effect of the musk and patchouli.

 

The musk is not too musky. Like the ebony musk (as opposed to black musk, which is a different type), the indigo musk is quite glossy and cool. Perhaps it's most like green musk, as they act on my skin. There is something bright and chemical about it, but it has a more substantial character than the pale musks. However, it lacks the oiliness of heavier musks, such as black, brown, or blue. (Blue musk lies somewhere in between the black and indigo musks, oddly enough -- you'd think "blue" would have a brighter character than "indigo", but, for me, it doesn't.) If you wonder what the indigo musk is like, think of the sheen of raven feathers, and truly, it smells a bit like that.

 

It doesn't have the weird fluffy bird-ness of something like Fledgling Raptor moon, but it is slightly peculiar. I ignored it for about 10 minutes while it dried, and next time I got a whiff of it, it had turned into a wholly new scent. Suddenly, it's 10 times sweeter and fruiter. There's the plum! As it dries, I can the flowers, but once dry, the plum is so dominant on my skin, it's difficult to pick out such delicate flowers. (Night blooming jasmine is very light, and faintly sweet. It's not nearly as heavy and cat-pee-inclined as normal jasmine.) The rose geranium is there, but doesn't stand out. I can't quite pick out the benzoin yet. I think it's being overpowered.

 

Behind it all is dry patchouli. I tend to amp patchouli, but here it behaves itself pretty well. It's not a very dirty patchouli. It does smell very much like a church resin to me, so on the whole, this blend has a quality reminiscent of incense, without being overtly smoky.

 

After an hour or so, the plum recedes, and now it's plum tinged, pale flowers anchored by patchouli and glossy musk. Somewhat like a more substantial Midwinter's Eve. The scent faded quite quickly for me, so now it's very light.

 

So in a sentence, this is a dusky, cool plum and patchouli scent. It isn't dark like Lovecraftian incense, it's dark like the night sky -- smooth, chilly, expansive.

 

It's quite similar to Kitsune-Tsuki, but the inverse; Kitsune-Tsuki is a light, airy, sunny, plummy floral and the Night-Raven is a dusky, cool, floral plum. If you wished Kitsune-Tsuki had more plum or were a little darker, give this a try. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish the plum was a little less prominent. I seem to be amping it, and it drowns out the other notes. I'll hang onto it and test it again in the future. If the balance of notes works well for your skin, I think you'll find it a sweet, well-rooted nighttime floral scent. Definitely worth checking out if you're a plum fan.

[Suu4LC]

Haha, I've been waiting to test this one! I still remember seeing "indigo musk" and being like 'O_o baroo?'Hmm...in the imp I mostly smell the rose geranium actually-definitely musky...not sure how to describe it though. I'm hoping more plum comes out on my skin b/c I lurve the lab's plum note.

 

Oh, this is kinda nice on my skin-definitely still mostly rose geranium to my nose but it's got this sort of musky/mintiness that is very pleasant. I just barely notice the jasmine (jasmine haters, fear not!) or the patchouli. A sort of hazy rose geranium scent. I wish I got a bit more plum though tbh.

 

Yes, a hazy rose geranium is how this blend ends up to me. Doesn't go sour or weird. If you don't like rose geranium, I don't think you will like this, but if you are a fan, you have to try this out. And if you aren't sure, give this one a shot. It's very interesting.

 

One last note-I found this faded a bit fast-is one that would need some reapplying.

[Gin]

The Night-Raven reminds me so much of my mom. She always had incenses and weirdly-scented wooden boxes and she'd take me to pagan bookshops, and I think that's what this smells like, a pagan bookshop. (One shop especially--Evenstar, formerly on University in St. Paul, MN.) I got a whiff of plum that's now gone or receded and blended in, a bit of patchouli and musk, and rose geranium. I don't know if I can wear this as a personal fragrance, but it might be interesting as a room scent.

[grrrlennyl]

On: Smooth, dark, and heady. Very nice.
2 hours in: There's a sharp, soapy edge to this now.
Overall: I think the rose geranium went oddly soapy in this one, so it didn't work on me.

[Wwindy]

Rose pastilles! I dunno why, but all I'm getting from my test swipe is sweet rose candy -- not fresh roses, not even fresh geraniums, but those little pink French candy things. After drydown, I do get a hint of a very pleasant, moderate patchouli underneath. Just a hint, though; mostly this smells like I've been rolling around inside a giant tin of rose pastilles.

 

ETA: Aaaannnd... this is why I need to wait to review blends until I wear them for real, not just take teeny test swipes! After a stronger application and longer drydown time, I'm finding I *love* this. The rose geranium is strong and true but not overpowering, and it's deliciously shaded by the musk and benzoin. I don't notice any jasmine, and I don't think I'm getting any plum either. I *am* getting that nice smooth patchouli again today, but I may have helped that along by using patchouli soap this morning.

 

This really does seem to have a deep, dark blue vibe to it -- as such it fills a hole in my collection, and I'm pleased to have it!

Edited July 25, 2011 by Wwindy

[kirsten]

I have no idea what note it is that I'm smelling, but for some reason all of this combines on my skin to smell exactly like blueberry muffins.

[Incendiare]

I'm not a patchouli fan, so for me, that note automatically jumps out at me. But after getting past that, the plum and rose geranium makes this a bit more sweet and floral. The rose geranium especially gives this a hint of freshness. Once I apply the Night-Raven to my skin, it's definitely all over. The patchouli runs rampant.