Malediction

[roseus]

Evil incarnate. Revel in your dark side with this romantically cruel scent. Contains red patchouli and vetivert.



With patchouli scorning me and my general dislike of vetiver I was expecting to hate this. And sniffing the wand I was jarred by intense, smoky vetiver. Though as I sniffed the vetiver seemed a bit grassier. I could detect smooth earthy patchouli underneath. On my skin the patchouli remained true, and the vetiver while still green and smoky was not as sharp and intense as usual. It's gritty and dark. I don't hate it, but it is still definitely not my thing. But hopefully this is a sign that patch and I have smoothed things over. 

[Mister Azure]

Deep and sharp is the best way I can describe this scent. The patchouli gives it the body but the vetiver gives it an edge that provides a looming sense to this scent. 
 

in not usually a big fan of patchouli because of how overwhelming it can be, but this one, with just a little dab, goes a good & long way. While not for me, anyone that is a patchouli lover will adore this. I have gifted a couple of imps so far and everyone has been very happy for them. 

[IoPan]

Malediction

 

In the bottle: Oooh, this is reminding me of my all-time favorite, Sri Lanka, with its resinous, incense, woodsy-green sharpness.

 

Wet: Mmmmm, yum yum yum, a sharp, almost astringent resin, which might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I absolutely love it. My dad was a painter and the wet application smells very much like his studio, with the smell of linseed oil and various resin-derived solvents. A clear cedar notes comes through toward the end of dry-down.

 

Dry: On my skin, this is definitely a cedar-forward scent. I can definitely detect the subtle dark-greenness of vetiver and the smoky/resinous patchouli, but they are for sure well underneath the cedar. I love this combination, though. I can’t stop huffing my wrist. It smells great on me.

 

After 30 minutes: Still a cedar/resin/woodsy fragrance on me with just a tiny hint of patchouli. Not much of a match for my beloved and sorely missed Sri Lanka, but with some of its familiar notes. I like it enough to get a full bottle!

[Estamets]

Wet: pure, unadulterated mulch.

 

Drying: spice (clove? sage? something tangy), menthol or eucalyptus, clearing the nasal passages - that'll be the vetivert, I guess. 

 

Freshly dried: bright. pale green. still menthol-like, but I'm not mad about it. Like digging through the dry dirt and needles at the base of a pine tree.

 

An hour later: still very bright, herby, effervescent, with a lovely summer camp dirt smell at the base.

 

I added a swipe of Dana O'Shea and it's an addicting combination!

[Llanval]

Love this one, even though to my nose it starts out with a cloud of very very fresh pencil shavings and lead. BUT I like that?! And that's only because my nose is so overwhelmed by the beautiful red patchouli combined with the grassy vetiver.  This is a mega long distance runner kind of scent, perfect on my skin, resinous, woody and a dire sort of green. Malediction also has a long and enjoyable dry down.  This is a patchouli show piece and by the third hour in, that just takes off into this heady, airy but deeply earthy, grounded and sinister experience. Deep, sharp, captivating and echoing. But so beautifully evocative of patchouli I find that the last hours on my skin are simply, purely patchouli and nothing else. These are deceptively simple notes that come together really well, and I think Malediction would be an incredible layering tool for anyone interested in doing that with their bpal.

 

I put it on my GC bottle purchase list.

[donnaehm]

Goodness, I had no idea Malediction had such an infamous reputation! But that's okay, it has definitely found a home with me. <i>YES, YES, YES!</i> was my exact reaction when this hit my skin. A wonderful bloom of patchouli that dried down into a smoky cedar (someone earlier mentioned mesquite which is a great comparison).

 

I agree with Llanval's comments above that Malediction is a deceptively simple combo and also a great scent for layering (which I love to do).

 

This will be a bottle for sure.

[vthesiren]

This is one of those scents I could never wear out because it's just so strong and evocative, but I love having it to myself. Very strong red patch and vetiver with a touch of cedar - yeah, I get the burning grass/gasoline comparison, but it makes me feel weirdly powerful. Like the drydown of a super-"manly" cologne. Dirty and delightful. 

[asoursweetsixteen]

~~frimp review~~

 

romantically cruel indeed. no need to beat around the bush, it's a very dirty, strong, and firey scent. on wet, it's completely dark and masculine, not a hint of sweetness in sight. it smells like something burning, or burnt, or like gasoline. I can't put this scent into words but it's almost chemically and alcoholic. it's so strange to me, especially since I'm one for sweet, fruity, and floral.

 

after some time to settle on my hands, it's calmed down but the essence of the smell is still there: dark, evil, unsettling. the herballyness has come out a bit more but it doesn't do much for me at this point. I'm really glad I got to smell it because it is very very interesting. It's one of those scents you're not  ~supposed~ to like the smell of, such as gasoline or smoke or rubbing alcohol. I don't really enjoy it, but it does have its place and people I'm sure.