Magic, Do As You Will

[tartsquid]

MAGIC, DO AS YOU WILL
Cully smiled impatiently, and Jack Jingly dozed, but it startled the magician to see the disappointment in Molly Grue’s restless eyes. Sudden anger made him laugh. He dropped seven spinning balls that had been glowing brighter and brighter as he juggled them (on a good evening, he could make them catch fire), let go all his hated skills, and closed his eyes. “Do as you will,” he whispered to the magic. “Do as you will.”

It sighed through him, beginning somewhere secret — in his shoulderblade, perhaps, or in the marrow of his shinbone. His heart filled and tautened like a sail, and something moved more surely in his body than he ever had. It spoke with his voice, commanding. Weak with power, he sank to his knees and waited to be Schmendrick again.

I wonder what I did. I did something.

He opened his eyes. Most of the outlaws were chuckling and tapping their temples, glad of the chance to mock him. Captain Cully had risen, anxious to pronounce that part of the entertainment ended. Then Molly Grue cried out in a soft, shaking voice, and all turned to see what she saw.

The ecstasy of magic and the power of transformation: frankincense, guggul gum, onycha accord, styrax, and deep purple fruits.

The description sounds great - purple fruits and frankincense are typically good notes for me. When I first put it on it smells strangely chemical and a bit like ... nail polish remover? How strange. As it dries down it begins to remind me very much of The Midnight Carnival - they seem to share a peppery incense sort of feeling, but Magic, Do As You Will is sweeter and the purple fruits are definitely there. It actually strikes me as a mix between The Midnight Carnival and Nahemoth, which is one of my favorite blends. I think this is a blend to sit on and let age - the complexities might reveal themselves after it's had more time to settle (and my nose isn't fatigued by trying all the things!).

[gniwle]

This will probably sound a bit odd, but on my skin this smells exactly like pizza spice. You know, that stuff they sell in a jar that they recommend you put on pizza and breadsticks and the like? That stuff. Even when it had all dried down it still smelled like the stuff. I never got anything fruity, either. I think it was just a freak combination with my skin, but still- weird!

 

Though, pizza spice or no, it still smelled pretty darn good.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[edenssixthday]

This is a scent that is really heavy on the frankincense and smells like a heavily incensed church. I had to Google guggul and onycha and it seems guggul is a resin that smells similar to myrrh, and onycha is something (?) used in incense. Well, all of those notes plus the styrax = an extremely heavy-on-the-resin type of scent. It's a bit on the dry side, from the frankincense, but not as monotone as some of the incense-type scents like Midnight Mass. I don't smell the deep purple fruits at all, as the resins have amped to the Nth degree (as resins tend to do on me - they love my skin!), but I'm pretty sure there's no blackberry or black currant in this, or otherwise my skin would smell like a heavily incensed church that's been sprayed on by a tomcat. Overall, it has a general feel about it that's both mystical and ecclesiastical in nature. I really like this scent, but as with many BPALs that I like, I probably wouldn't reach for it over other scents in the same category that I like more.

P.S. Even with the power of suggestion in place, I don't remotely smell the pizza spice the previous reviewer notes!

[zankoku_zen]

Purple fruits and frankincense. This dries down to a sweet, resinous blend.

 

Not a fan of frankincense, but all of you incense lovers, take this out for a spin.

[countessmouse]

It's...Silly Putty. Not that I mind really, but totally unexpected.

[Little Bird]

I like resin/incense blends and I was hoping that the purple fruits would mean black currant, but I don't think that this really smells fruity at all.

 

First on, I get a whiff of something sharp and chemical that made me think this had opium in it, but that quickly disappears and I'm left with a sort of dusty incense and sweet resins scent that's slightly powdery on my skin. I also keep thinking that I smell something like cedar chips every once in a while (almost peppery, dry wood).

 

It's not bad, but I don't like the baby powdery edge that this has on my skin, and I don't think that I'd ever wear this over my other incense/resin favorites.

[blu°]

I might amp plum, because this is very plummy on my skin. It's almost a dead ringer for Oya, and it's making me slightly nauseous. I think while plum amps on me, it also tends to smell a bit off when I wear it. Sometimes I catch a whiff that I love, but if I sniff my skin close it just smells weird.

 

ETA: just realizing that I'm on my period. Might have to edit later.

Edited June 11, 2011 by blu°

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from a LJ seller.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I've wanted to try this one since it came out, but kept putting it off because of the fruits. I adore resins/incenses and I do really like some fruits (all of them are purple, actually), but I'm really not a fan of fruity blends. So I've been reading reviews and hoping a frimp would come my way before I committed to a bottle, especially considering how expensive the Last Unicorn line is. So now that I've got a decant, I'm really hoping to love this because I don't mind paying the price if it's a scent I love. Fingers crossed!

 

First sniff:

 

I definitely agree that this smells like a heavily incensed church. I'm not really getting any fruit here. Instead, the fruit is adding a dark purple feel in the background, rather than an actual fruitiness. It's along the lines of the fruit in Mme. Moriarty. It adds color, depth and texture more than it does actual fruit scent (for me, anyway).

 

Wet on skin:

 

I love this. It's definitely a resin-heavy blend and it's on the churchy side, rather than the headshop side. It's a dry resin blend, but not so dry that it's unpleasant. It has a certain sweetness to it that makes me think of Penitence, but it's drier than Penitence is and more complex.

 

Dry down:

 

Now I'm starting to get a very faint touch of fruit. Something dark and slightly heavy smelling. Mulberry actually comes the closest to what I'm getting here. It's more of a dark sweetness than an actual fruitiness (which is what real mulberries smell--and taste--like to me). It's still mainly a church resin scent. I really like this now, but I think it's going to get even better with age.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm glad I got the chance to try this one. I've already got a bottle coming my way now that I've tried my frimp and I can't wait to get it. Fans of churchy incense blends (Cathedral, Penitence, etc.) are going to love this one.

[Invidiana]

I don't know exactly what it is but something in this goes strangely off on me. I do get the Lab's lovely frankincense with its deep resiny woodiness but that's not what goes awry; I think it's the combination of that and the other resins with the purple fruits that ruins it on my skin. I amp sweet notes and sometimes I ultimately end up amping them too much. All in all it smells somewhat like nail polish remover wet and then dries down into a sickly sweet chemical scent on me. Sad.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Invidiana

[lookingglass]

Resiney...yep. It's nice. It is purpley, but not FRUITY, more like a...purple haze. Dried out it smells a lot like my beloved Medea without the green complexity and a little more oomph.

[calivianya]

This is very resiny and especially heavy on the frankincense. Frankincense is usually a wonderful note on my skin, but something about this blend is going vaguely cleaning fluid-ish on my skin. I'm wondering if one of the deep purple fruits might be pomegranate, because that usually goes wonky on my skin. Oh well, I'm very glad I got to try it.

[Dgrrrl]

So nice! Rich, churchy incense deepened by a gloss, the faintest hint of fruit. It goes on pale, but stretches into something strong and piquant as it's warmed by my skin. Makes me want to loll around in my sheets all day. Although I don't think this smells "masculine," per se, it's definitely something that a man could wear as well.

 

Beautiful.

[ajansuz]

In the imp: Fairly light and sweet, more floral than fruity.

 

Wet: Something in this smells like gardenia on me, and I was worried because gardenia will send me into headache territory every time. But it always manages to skirt just shy of that, even as it dries and whatever this floral note is amps further.

 

Dry: This is a very weird one for my body chemistry. On my wrists, it's that almost sickly sweet floral, nothing else. In the crooks of my elbows, it had a grassy, green-ish edge to it, fresh and a little juicy but more like stems, not fruit. Behind my ears is where it was strong incense, to the point my husband said it was reminding him of Catholic mass as a kid. I like it. If my wrists smelled like my neck in this, I'd like it even more. Not really a bottle purchase for me, though.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): This is a rather complex scent, so it has taken me longer than usual to write the review. There is a strong honey-lemonish musk, that first jumps out at me. It's less sweet and more of a slightly sour mixture. After I concentrate a bit more, there is some hint of incense behind the muskiness from the onucha.

 

Wet: The muskiness is still the first impression I get, and I still get a little bit of lemon for some reason. There is a little bit of Frankincense under it all. It's certainly interesting and reminds me of scared temples and ancient mystery.

 

Dry: Ah, so there's all the incense - guggul gum and frankincense more clearly, with the sweetness of styrax and just a little undertone of soap, which makes me sad. I like this one much better wet on my skin.

[somacat]

I'm fascinated by this scent as it completely transform from a scent very much like Midnight Carnival to a more complex version of Molly Grue. Super cool.

Edited March 7, 2015 by somacat

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Sweet, sweet frankincense and fruit juice.

Wet on my skin: It's all frankincense and fruit juice. Almost overpowering.

Dry: This is a sweet, powerful incense with lots of sweet fruit and something I can't identify. It's something almost pollen-like. I actually really like this scent! It reminds me a little of a couple other scents I adore which have frankincense and/or dark fruits, but it's unique enough that I don't feel like I am wearing something I already have. Very purple.

Edited May 3, 2015 by DiesMali

[Anita]

In the imp: It's actually... bitter? There is nothing in the scent description that should be doing this.

 

Wet: No, this can't actually be the imp I have. I have sour cleaning product, no resin, no frankincense, nothing that I wanted to smell in this is on my skin right now. But the label says that's what it is, so it must be. I have never ever had one this so far off of what the description says it has in it and what I am actually smelling.

 

dry: I couldn't wait that long to get it off of my skin.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Anita

[filigree_shadow]

A very resiny blend on me -- almost sticky. The frankincense is quite sweet, and I don't really smell any fruit. I'm not usually much of a fan of frankincense, and I feel like I'd probably like this better without it. I enjoy those deep smooth types of resin scents, and this one for sure isn't dark enough for me.

[savage_rose]

This DOES smell like the ecstasy of magic--yellow and glowing. It smells like honey and frankincense on me, and the frankincense powders out after a bit (as it does on me sometimes), but it's still such a warm, sweet scent. It makes me smile.

[t_for_tau]

frankincense, guggul gum, onycha accord, styrax, and deep purple fruits.

 

In the imp: flowers...lilac? *checks note* Huh. I guess I'm picking up the purple, and styrax can be floral...

 

Wet: Resin! Purple resin, if such a thing is possible? And a sickly-sweet flower like lily, noooo. Come on, resins, you can do it!

 

Drydown: oh noooo, here comes that plastic/band-aid note that's dogged me through the whole of this line so far. Go away, go away. As this settles in, it's alternating between delicious delicious purplish churchy resins and...band-aids & lilies, yeah.

 

Dry: purple fruits, flowers and faint plasters. Sigh. It might work on someone, but not on me. The resins, alas, are lost completely.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mmm! Dark fruity resin magic. Lovely.

 

 

 

Dry: This fades quite a bit. It's mostly dark fruit, which I do love, but I'm not sure it has enough throw or lasting power on me to be something I would wear for a whole day. May need further testing!

[Dancing Raven]

What I get both wet and dried is Trident wine flavoured bubblegum (no, that doesn't exist,  but it's what I'm smelling) and gardenia. I don't think gardenia is a listed note, but it is definitely gardenia I am getting. I adore frankincense, but I don't get any of that . It's fresh from the mail, so I think I will retest once it has a chance to settle. I really, really like how it smells regardless. This one is a winner for me.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

[starbrow]

I was so surprised when I first smelled Magic, Do As You Will and realized there was PLUM in it! My alltime favorite note! SCORE! Those deep purple fruits most certainly include plum, grape, and perhaps blackberry, and they stay wafting and swirling throughout the duration of this scent's wear. Almost the way a plum musk or plum oudh would. However, Magic stands out in my plum collection for a few reasons.

 

Firstly, there is a spicy floral here. The way carnation has spice to it, amidst the creaminess of the floral. I am not sure if it's exactly carnation, or a sassy orchid, or a very very delicately blended dragon's blood or even rose, but the spices are of a gently flowery nature and not (to my nose at least) of a savory variety.

 

The other thing that's so interesting here is a layer of resins that reads to me like opoponax: a little rubbery, like a slight whiff of a fresh tire store, and a little woody, and sweetly smoky. As it dries, and lingers for 6-12 hours, it manifests as a true plum oudh, sweet and creamy-woody and beautifully fragrant. It keeps the tinge of carnation-spice to it throughout, but it lingers in the realm of Shadow Lace, Euterpe's Ukelele, and other plum oudhs. 

 

From reviews, this scent was a gamble for me, but once I tried it, it was a total win. I think if plum works well on your skin, it's worth a try at least, and esp. if you know you like rubbery resins or something a little carnationy. I've been singing the praises of my bottle and hope it works well for others too!

[roseus]

This is surprisingly bright and fruity in the imp, very plummy. On my skin a bit of spice comes out, not enough to make this a stewed winter fruit scent, the fruit is still juicy and fresh. The resins stay very much in the background on me.