Shroud

[PurringPulsar]

Shroud

Dry white sandalwood wrapped in thin woods, soft grasses and the lightest white flowers layered over cajeput and the warm, deep scent of embalming herbs.

 

In the imp: a dry, herbal scent, like dry woods and sun dried grass.

Wet on skin: dry sandalwood with dry grass and a hint of herbs. This scent is surprisingly warm.

Dry: hmm, interesting. I get more floral notes now, I think it could be geranium or rose in here, maybe both. The scent is warm, almost like it’s bathed in sunlight on a hot, dry summer’s day. This is the scent of the warm afternoon after the scorched heat of midday. I smell grasses that have turned to straw and a solid and grounding wooden backdrop. I’m surprised at how this scent is almost comforting, its warmth is laid back, but there’s also a sense of barrenness, stillness and emptiness here, it makes me think of the desert…it’s very interesting.

After a while: there’s a note in here that I’m very fond of that comes out after a while, a soothing herbal-floral which may be, or may be a combination of, lavender, geranium, sage and/or thyme, with the aromatic, almost mildly spicy quality of the sandalwood. It’s a calming warm scent…this shroud seems more like a blanket, wrapping you with a comforting herbal fragrance.

After an hour or two, a pleasant sweetness develops. This scent is very gentle now, and I get more of the dry grass note, as well as good, strong, exotic sandalwood. I think there may be saffron here too? This is what I hoped Scarecrow would be on me (that turned to a vegetable oil smell on me, for some reason!!), it also makes me think of a cloak that has been lying on top of herbs and aromatic woods and has absorbed the scent. There’s something meditative about this, it’s calming and very, very silent.

The final drydown is something I love. It smells identical to an 'Egyptian Sandalwood' scent I tried from another etailer...it's a warm, exotic sandalwood.

Verdict: this scent was a very pleasant surprise for me. I was expecting a harshly dry, lifeless scent, but what I got was a delightful, comforting warmth, a gentle, soothing and pleasant scent. It’s dry-almost barren and silent at times, but not in a bad way-to me, it evokes the solitude of the desert. Soft herbs and dried flowers and fragrant sandalwood with sun dried grasses…the scent is reminiscent of being in the desert in the afternoon just before sundown, when the sun is no longer fiercely hot, the heat is now very bearable and you want to bask in it, lying in a bed of golden straw and soothing herbs. It’s not a shroud of death, this is a protective cloak, a warm blanket which has been lying on sun drenched woods and grasses and has absorbed their fragrance, wrapping round you and surrounding you with it’s gentle scent. This scent is quiet yet moving and with subtle poignancy. That’s what I get from this anyway. I think this is a keeper.

Edited February 15, 2006 by Shollin

[kettu]

When I first smelled the imp, I thought, "Oh, my, no. This is not good. This is totally not what I was expecting!" *pout* It smelled hideously floral and I had to wash off the teeny little bit that I got on my fingers. It was so very bright and loud and brash. I didn't understand at all!

 

And I got to thinking... this Really doesn't sound right. So I smelled it again today and it smells totally different. It was only a few days ago that it smelled awful! And then I realised that I was on antibiotics when I first smelled it and my sense of smell was completely horked. I mean terribly bad. Penny Dreadful, which is one of my favourite scents, suddenly smelled like cat piss. Ew!

 

So, yes, Shroud.

 

Shroud is a light, dry floral with woodsy undertones. There is a vague soapy element that unfortunately makes me feel like I'm snorting soap bubbles.

 

While it's not the hideousness that I smelled early last week, it's a bit more floral and soapy on my skin than I would like. Off to the swaps it goes.

[Wench457]

Shroud ITB: spicy and a bit sharp.

 

On: a sandalwood base under light florals - pretty.

 

Dry: All sandalwood, which is no surprise, as sandalwood tends to amp out of control on me. It was lovely in the wet phase, though.

[loves_requiem]

awww....i loved the description, but white flowers + my chemistry = soap.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sweet woods

 

On Skin: The sandalwood is dominant, very dry and sweet. The white florals are semi-bright and delicate. The herbs have a very soft spice to them, nothing strong or medicinal. I get a slight soapy note as well. This scent is pretty, very light and gender neutral. It has a low-medium throw and is a nice all around scent that could be used for any occasion. I like that it doesn’t overwhelm. It’s very clean and the woods notes have a warmth to them that is comforting. After the drydown, the grasses surface and semm more dried out than fresh. I get a white/gold/beige feel from this scent. Very neutral… nothing stark or colorful. Not a really a scent for me, but I wouldn’t mind smelling it on someone else.

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: A very soft incense with a hint of rose. Lovely!

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- Sandalwood, incenses, and moss

Dry -- Incense, sandalwood, and rose again.

 

Conclusion: I like the rose note in with the incense and woods. I think I'll keep this for a meditation focus. It does evoke death well, but it's a merciful, gentle, sleep-like death, rather than the description's cruel one. It's more like the description for Wings of Azrael. (So don't worry about me using it for meditation!) I'm definitely keeping the imp, and possibly having this be one of my core incense-blends.

[tereshkova2001]

The sandalwood is warm and rich, as ever. It's warmed and gentled by all the plants, giving it depth and subtlety. Remarkably good, and not something I would have picked myself. Yay, Beth!

[juniperus]

Bottle: very light, white flowers..not sure if I can pick out which, although there is definitely a lily there

Wet: a hint of green grass and herbs behind the floral

Dry: the floral is still a high and light component, but heady and enveloping..which makes no sense, I suppose, but there you go. a bare hint of the sandalwood behind, and the green notes have stepped back a touch.

Later: not much longevity on me. faded to a pleasant, light, vaguely woodsy floral.

[Medici]

In the imp: Purple popsicle!

 

Wet: Sandalwood and purple popsicle. There's a slightly powdery white floral below there with a touch of herbal greens. Visual associations: unbleached muslin cloth.

 

Drydown: This blend didn't last five minutes with my chemistry. i still get a lingering bit of sandalwood, but my wrist has gobbled up all the subtler bits (and the popsicle smell) that made this blend enjoyable in the onset.

 

Verdict: Pretty, soft, and short-lived.

[storme]

In the imp: sandalwood and sharp florals.

 

On me, wet: sharp, dry, bitter green herby florals.

 

On me, dry: Oh, good, this is becoming less bitter, but it's getting to be pretty dusty somehow. Yup, definitely getting sweeter and warmer. Now I can smell dim sandalwood and sweet, warm florals over the top. The longer this stays on me, the nicer it gets.

 

Verdict: Man, this is nice - warm and soft. It does *verge* on becoming powdery, but never quite succumbs. A surprise hit!

[abberlaine]

Ugh! Jesus! Never again! I think Shroud just managed to top Burial as my least favorite BPAL.

 

In the imp, it smells faintly of nutty mushrooms. Fresh on the skin, Shroud explodes into the smell of tupentine and rot. It's not even evocative -- it's just bad.

 

Dry, it smells a little bit better. The flowers and the herbs come out a little bit and sweeten the blend. It's... a hazy vision of stumbling upon an embalming house deep in the woods. I can smell the odors wafting from the embalmers at work.

 

Still, it's not a pleasant smell in the least. Get it away from me!

[joiedecombat]

I wonder if lemongrass accounts for some or all of the "grasses" mentioned in the lab description. Initially I get sandalwood and lemongrass... and then I mostly get lemongrass, or something like it. It's not entirely unlike Embalming Fluid, but it's drier and not as definitely citrusy. More of a light, dry herbal scent. I kind of like it, but I don't know that I'd want more of it. (The copious throw from Scherezade, which I tested at the same time, may also have tainted my perception of it some.) I will have to see how it grows on me.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

herbs and floral

 

wet:

sandalwood and herbs…

 

dry:

very dry scent - really nice! Mostly sandalwood, hints of herbs

 

overall:

really like!

 

rating: 8/10

[edenssixthday]

Shroud - Oh wow, this is a gorgeous blend! It’s so soft and pretty, yet very somber. Not having read the description before I tested it, I was way off when I tried to guess what notes are in it. I thought for sure there were roses and incense. Then I read the description which says it contains “Dry white sandalwood wrapped in thin woods, soft grasses and the lightest white flowers layered over cajeput and the warm, deep scent of embalming herbs.” Well, no matter what is in it, it’s beautiful. And it’s lovely when layered with a tiny drop of Cathedral, as well. It has moderate throw and lasts on me for several hours before fading.

[brownbear]

I get dry, hot woods from this. Like sitting in a sauna made of sandalwood with some already dry herbs drying out in there with you. After a while it goes from hot to warm and a little sweeter.

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Dusty cloth; maybe fabric that's been sealed in a box in the attic during a long hot summer.

 

Wet: Still dusty seeming, very powdery. There is a slight touch of flower under the crumbly old cloth smell.

 

Dry: The first dry down stage reveals a light woodsy scent, with a bit of peppery herbs also. Very light and breathy, and strangely enough, evocative of something long dead. It's rather limp in depth of smell, I guess. There's a few moments of high thin flowers again and then something that smells to me of spent fireworks. That smoke-sulfur-paper smell. Interesting.

 

Throw: This is a light perfume and so the throw is not substantial.

 

Overall: It's what the name would indicate, but I'm not really in the mood currently for light perfumes. The powdery notes in this don't take over completely, and that's nice, but it's still just too powdery for me.

 

Rating: +/- (neutral)

 

[Mountaingrrl00]

This is at once dry and refreshing. It's got a dry heat, like a wooden attic, but there's also a breath of flowers and herbs that makes me feel cool. There's a bit of green sharpness - thyme may be it. The sandalwood and cajeput are the most readily identifiable notes. The other notes blend well and give me an overall grassy-herbal impression. I really enjoyed wearing this on a hot, humid day. It's light, not too sweet, different and somehow just right.

[fairy]

Since, so far, the funeral oils havent been working on me I wasn't sure what to think. Surprisingly I really liked this one. Very soft with a little zing to it. Not too strong, but a pleasant smell to those who don't like to overpower people with their perfume smells. The only bad thing with this was its staying power. It seemed to vanish rather quickly. Still, I liked it. Just means you need to keep re-applying it

[mountainwitch]

Something about the florals reminds me of Antique Lace and, oddly, a bit of Odin or The Unicorn: a warm linen smell with traces of herbs. Warm, pretty, but not outstanding, this scent would make a very nice soap (although it’s not necessarily soapy itself). If I wanted a lovely linen fragrance, I would much prefer it married to the rich vanilla of Antique Lace; if I wanted a delicate floral with the fresh greenness of herbs, I prefer The Unicorn. Shroud is nice, just not something I need or can muster much passion about.

[copyshopclerk]

In the imp: The scent of autumn in the woods or fields - dry grass, fall-turned leaves

 

Wet: Not green but golden - like a fall sunset on a field of hay and wheat, or the pale gold color of dried wheat. There's a faint floral but this is mostly woody/grassy - definitely autumnal! It's very pretty.

 

Dry: Same as above, but occasionally something in it reminds me of a faint whiff of smoke, almost like a candle that was just extinguished. Very intriguing.

 

It sweetens a bit over time. This one is complex - not sure if I want a bottle, but I really do like the imp.

[Faeried]

Spicy herbal scent, as soon as I uncapped it. In the background, I smell cut grass and a faint floral scent.

 

Reminds me a little bit of La Petit Mort, but just a bit stronger and with more herbs. I think I will keep it around for a while.

[strangemusic]

The scent of this imp reminds me of Whitechapel - it has that sharp quality to it - and if I didn't know lilac wasn't a light, white flower, I'd swear this compound had the aforementioned in it. This is lucent, sweet, resonant, and a perfect embodiment of the winding sheets used to enclose and protect the dearly departed. There's a broad juiciness to this oil, as well-- nothing heavy-handed, but definitely there, and a delightful complement to the dopplering depth of the herbs. Not the grief of death, but the reverent preparation of the body for interment.

 

On my skin... mmm. Light, airy, just gorgeous. The herbs and grasses smell as though freshly crushed on a board of white sandalwood, melding with its fragrance; the florals dance on top, a celebration of the art of preparing for the next world. I can't explain it better than this, so I won't try. I'll just say two things: one, I wish I could pick out the florals better, and two, this is definitely going on my next mondo Lab order.

 

Weak-to-mild throw, but lasting, for a more close-in scent.

 

C&P from me LJ, dated 4 July 2006. Since then, I have learned of the floral beastie that is 'white lilac', so perhaps I wasn't so far off after all...

[ND¢]

Yeah.... rose scents? Yeahhhhh. I'm gonna need you to.... NOT smell like dill pickles on me? Yeahhhh.

 

In this case, the dill pickle is very gentle, peeking out from behind mostly-rose and a bit of sandalwood (which didn't go out of control.) Herb and grass scent might be adding depth to this, but not enough.

[pkwench]

Shroud

In the vial, I'm not really sure what's going on with Shroud. It smells sort of murky, but bright at the same time. There's a note in there that's sharp and dangerous.

 

On, though, it lightens, softens, and brightens to smell very clean and very soft. It's a little perfumey, a little soapy, but not obnoxiously or commercially so. It smells like something you'd want your sheets to smell like as you take a nap.

 

 

A very long, eternal nap. LOL

[themerrybaker]

Shroud - apologies to Green Day

 

Well, you know you make me wanna

(Shroud) Throw my hand up

(Shroud) Kick my heels back

(Shroud) Throw my head back

(Shroud) Come on now (Shroud)

 

 

Well, I guess you could perform the above Shroud-wearing-ritual but the scent is fine on its own. After dry for a while it smells like dying embers/bonfire smoke. Before the bitter end, the dry grass/herb is apparent. Shroud is an interesting blend which I like a lot. It's something to wear when you want to be unique, rather than an OMFG sexay thing,