Nightmare

[jizatt]

 

NIGHTMARE

Nightmare, Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard.

Vanilla-soaked linen accord with lavender, opium poppy, Moroccan jasmine, golden amber, white honey, and blackened fruit gums.

 

I'm a little surprised this one doesn't have reviews yet!

 

Ok so the first impression, wet and bottle was a very dry vanilla, something like linen, and the dark fruit - black currant maybe.

 

On, very wet, I get the lavender, and the linen and that same vanilla. This is not a sweet vanilla - the fruity part is far sweeter. I'm getting vague wafts of what might be the jasmine mixed with opium. Very faint on those though.

 

drying -- I get the opium stronger now -- the overall impression if a cool, dark, sweet opium (probably the lavender/dark fruits contributing to that effect since I dont smell them specifically now), and a truly lovely linen

 

eta: a bit drier and its mostly lavender/dark fruit/linen with a very undercurrant of opium

Edited October 6, 2011 by Silvertree

[Invidiana]

Nightmare reminds me of the Smashing Pumpkins song Behold! The Nighmare! in that it has that same dreamy yet sinister quality. It' not exactly the eaiest thing to describe but it's almost like drifting off to sleep with the remnants of your consciousness picking up on fragments of ominous thoughts that will end up swirling together into fantastically frightening visions. There is that dreamlike airiness of linen and lavender coupled with the innocent sweetness of vanilla and honey, tainted by the deliciously dark stain of opium and the blackened fruit gums. I don't really get much jasmine, but it definitely isn't hte cat pee type or else it would have shown up.This is a truly otherworldly scent brimming with mystery and unlike anything else in my collection.

[HerbGirl]

I love this blend. The only worry for me was the honey, and it plays nicely here because it understands that the Vanilla soaked linen accord, lavender and jasmine are the stars. Kind of sweet, but this is one sultry blend...I'm always a sucker for lavender, and this lavender blends so well! The Opium poppy even likes my skin for a change. I think I will be wearing this one quite a bit this season, and late spring.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!)

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright golden yellow. The scent is sweet and reminds me of Juicy Fruit chewing gum with some flowers. On the wand it is cloyingly sweet, mostly jasmine with honey, the Juicy Fruit gum, and some vanilla.

 

On me, wet: On my skin it is much the same, but gentler. At first it is a mixed floral scent, but within moments the jasmine takes over like it did on the wand.

 

On me, just dried: I can't smell anything but jasmine. Still, I can tell that other things are lurking in the background since the jasmine smells a little different than usual - less sharp and soapy.

 

After 10 minutes: Jasmine is still the primary note, but this has already gone through a lot of changes in the supporting notes. First the honey came in strongly, nicely toning down the jasmine although adding even more sweetness. But it was very short-lived. Then I got a faint whiff of lavender, which was a beautiful blend with the jasmine. Then that floated away too, and now the undertone is fruity - no longer the chewing gum, but now more like berries.

 

After 30 minutes: Jasmine, vanilla, and berries; in that order of strength. Considerably less sweet than it was at first, and the whole fragrance is already much faded.

 

After 1 hour: Now the jasmine has backed down and it is a blended scent, without any particular notes that stand out. But if I try hard enough, I can pick out vanilla, jasmine (now secondary to the vanilla), and perhaps a bit of the amber starting to appear. It has gone a little powdery - another clue to the presence of amber.

 

After 1 1/2 hours: Now mostly powdery amber, with a very muted smokiness - could that be the "black" from the blackened fruit gums?

 

After 3 hours: The smokiness is gone and the sweet, powdery amber lingers on alone for one more hour.

 

My rating: 4 stars

 

ETA: I don't know what opium poppy smells like, so I could be smelling it without realizing it.

Edited October 18, 2011 by Ghost of a Rose

[angelicruin]

Very soft linen and vanilla (but not too creamy), fruit, a trace of lavender, and opium. No jasmine for me either. And I cannot really detect the honey or the amber on my skin. Damn, another decant I might need to turn into a bottle.

[Honey]

Bottle: Lavender with a hint of (non-marzipan) almond? Definitely creamy and not too strong.

 

Wet: This is.. interesting. Lavender with fruit and a note that reminds me of.. jasmine rice. Very nutty. This is a creamy floral scent with soft spikes of lavender and fruit.

 

Dry: The fruity note doesn't let this go too tart. Lavender and poppy seem to be the strongest floral notes in this one, but I am sure the jasmine will show up after a while since it's a strong base note. Alas, I don't detect any honey in this one. The longer it stays on my skin, the more it turns into "lavender with blackberry gum drops." I think this would make an awesome linen spray, but I will have to test this for a whole day to see if I can wear it as a regular perfume oil.

[Ashmedai]

This is mostly lavender with a dark-fruity note (dried plum? Something like that) and Moroccan jasmine that I hope doesn't ruin it for me. A while later, the fruity note has disappeared and I get some amber and a real wallop-o-jasmine - Moroccan jasmine yet, one of my death notes...but I wait it out. Fortunately, the lavender overtakes the jasmine eventually, and alongside that, the vanilla and amber combine to make this very sweet and soft - "golden lavender" if scent had a color. This vanilla isn't the type that turns to plastic on me, at all - in fact it's beautiful. All in all, it reminds me of one of the Somnus blends, just very much milder, sweeter, more vanillic and without that sharp edge of lavender - it's very soft in this blend. I think people who liked TKO or (especially) TKO v3 will love this - I like it better than either, and it's going to be a fantastic bedtime scent, for nights when bedtime means sleep-time.

 

ETA: Very much later, the fruity note comes back very subtly, smelling a bit spicy like plums with mulling spices. Faint, but it's there, and it makes this blend even better.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Ashmedai

[Little Bird]

Nightmare morphs a lot on my skin, but always seems to have some note that's not quite working for me. It starts off with a slightly sour, yellowy jasmine, cool & slightly soapy lavender, and maybe a bit of extra sweetness from the honey. As it dries down, I catch the sharp poppy every once in a while, and the jasmine starts to fade. It settles into a slightly powdery lavender with a pale, fruity sweetness (not blackened or black currant, as I was expecting, but maybe the powder is overwhelming the fruitiness for me). My husband kept telling me that this smelled like medicine on me :/ which is maybe the lavender not playing so well for me here.

[valnillarose]

I bought a partial of Nightmare from an awesome forumte because the notes screamed "Nightmare!" to me but this is my first Weenie update and I have to have them all!!! I'm glad I gave it a chance, because the opium behaves and instead of being sharp, just makes the blend richer. I'm sensitive to lavendar but it all but disappears after a few minutes and leaves sweet dark fruit and opium. I don't get much jasmine if any. Definitely a surprise love!

[angelamaria]

In tester: linen, vanilla, dark fruits, lavender, jasmine...uh, well, reading through the scent list, I can pinpoint each of the notes, but on its own I would probably have difficulty describing the notes. It's floral, herbal, faintly unsettling.

 

Wet on skin: largely the same in the tester, but something is kind of alcohol-ly--thankfully, this burns off fairly quickly. Mostly a sharp lavender on my skin, with the other notes there in the background. Somewhat dusty...*looks at amber suspiciously*

 

Dry: argh, it's gone to dusty lavender. I blame the amber. Dusty lavender, sweet fruits and flowers, and a creamy vanilla. It's very pretty, but for some reason it still has that dark, menacing vibe to it--I'm not sure if it really is the blend or my "knowledge" of what the name of the scent is

 

Verdict: I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed, and I may try aging it and seeing where it's gone after a year. I am not holding much out for my skin and amber, but it's worth a shot.

[blu°]

Uh, this one is a skin chemistry nightmare for me!

 

Very soapy with something smelling off underneath it. I usually like the linen note, but in here it does a great job to amp the soapiness/off smelling part, so it's not making me happy at all.

 

I think I was playing my luck, since there are several notes that don't usually work on me: jasmine, golden amber, honey, poppy, and if there's plum in those blackened fruit gums, that's another culprit for soapiness. Anyway, glad I got to test it.

 

ETA: After about two or three hours the soapiness and off smelling note have worn off and I get a soft vanilla-linen floral that is quite nice.

Edited November 4, 2011 by blu°

[Antoinette]

Dark and sweet. Mostly jasmine and a sweet, dark fruity smell on my skin. I like, but I think my decant is enough.

[Dark Alice]

I write this in all seriousness but while wet this smells just like the kitty litterbox when the overlord had freshly used it. Urnine and deodorizing crystals.

 

Dry: this doesn't improve as this is the kind of jasmine that turns to cat pee on me. *sigh* Off to the swap with this one.

[a_llb]

In vial: Melted down plastic. How odd..

Wet: Thankfully on skin it becomes tart fruit and lavender. Jasmine is present, adding a tangy freshness.

Dry: The linen supersedes everything but the opium poppy, and it actually reminds me of a much lighter, unequivocally feminine version of Tattered Lace. The amber steps up after a bit, causing the blend to become slightly out-of-focus, hazy and plush, fading all too rapidly.

 

Verdict: Much lighter than I expected- too light to last on my skin, so not worth tracking down but nevertheless, it's a nightmare I wouldn't mind so much. I'm not head over heels in love, but not running screaming either

[zagadka]

Cinnamon gum, that's all I get. Sticky sweet cinnamon, why?! All but one of the Weenies this year have turned cinnamon on me and I can't stand it, totally struck out.

 

EDIT- no. Sorry, that was the Gorobble overpowering everything in sniffing range.

 

NEW REVIEW: sharp herbal notes and cool white flowers, the jasmine is definitely a powerful force. It dries down and sweetens a bit, but I was expecting this to be much softer, creamier and have more vanilla notes. There is a bit of a strange sour, tangy note to this as well. If you are looking for what I was, I would probably find something else.

Edited November 9, 2011 by ECLECTIC

[angelmecha]

In Imp: I get sharp and bitter florals. I think the opium and jasmine are my main first impression. I can pick out linen, as well. Overall it's dry, dusty brown, sharp.

Wet: Ew. Jasmine. The vanilla is trying to make it play nice. It's turned from a dusty brown to a creamy white smell.

Drydown: I amp jasmine, and I amp it in the bad way. It smells like monkey house at the zoo. And it's got a hell of a throw. There's something sharp and something mildly sweet down there (fruit and vanilla, is that you?) but mostly the jasmine is tromping on them.

Verdict: Wah! I thought this was such a cool concept and the notes seemed like they'd be really cool... Unfortunately I've got to give this a 1/5. At least I know now that I should probably just stay away from blends with jasmine if it's not night-blooming.

[WidgetAlley]

Every note in this except for vanilla and honey (which can be tempermental) is a winner on my skin. I can't wait!

 

Bottle: Sharp lavender, deep delicious vanilla, and that frackin' gorgeous linen note. Honey, amber, and jasmine all muck about in the background but they're definitely second-tier. Even further down is a deep dark opium note and just a hint of delicious berry-like fruit... but not "bright" as BPAL berries tend to go, more like blackberry jam.

 

Wet: Honeyed lavender, amber in combination with a mild jasmine and just a hint of opium smoke. After a moment the vanilla and linen warm and lift and the whole thing becomes sweet and lovely and a bit mysterious and just slightly powdery but not enough to ruin it. No fruit gums yet. Mid-way through the drydown, though, they show up, in a burst of dry fruity wonderfulness that's halfway dark berries and halfway dark berry wine. Sexy!

 

Dry: Eventually this turns into a perfectly balanced linen-vanilla-fruit gum scent with a lovely dose of lavender. The opium smoke, jasmine and amber aren't tremendously noticeable, but they're in there, deepening and making the whole thing much more complex. This is already gorgeous and I simply adore it, but I think aging will make it even better. It's got enough of the dark, complex vibe of Lunar Eclipse, but it's much sweeter, more accessible and way more feminine.

[CrazyPretzel]

I think this one definitely isn't a winner for me.

 

While it's wet, I can smell dark purple fruits combined with a strange dry, papery note that might be the linen.

 

On my skin the fruit remains prominent and I can smell the opium poppy as a distinct note. The lavender is soft and pretty, a little powdery, but there's still that odd paper smell that's making it a bit off. As it continues to dry a spiciness comes out - it doesn't smell like cinnamon to me but it definitely makes it sharper.

[calivianya]

I am very excited to finally try this one out!

 

Wet on my skin, I am getting the fruits and lavender. The combination reminds me strongly of a chemical smelling fruit candy. I start to get some jasmine almost immediately. I was hoping this wouldn't happen, or if it did, that the jasmine would play nice... so far it isn't. Wow, this does not smell good on me right now. I think I'm going to have to echo Dark Alice on the kitty litter. It is a really uncanny imitation - the jasmine smells pee-ish, and the lavender is astringent like the litter itself. Weird. o.0

 

You know, I think I'm just going to stop here. I don't really keep scents unless I like all stages of the scent, so I can already tell that this is not going to be a keeper. I was hoping for something like Tattered Lace since that's a favorite, but this is just epic fail on my skin.

[Sangria2]

In the imp: A whole lot of lavender, with linen peeking around the edges.

 

Wet: The vanilla takes center stage, dances with the lavender a bit, and welcomes some of that dark fruit. The fruit doesn't smell like plums to me, but some sort of juicy, dark blackish purple fruit. Blackberries come to mind.

 

Dry: As it begins to dry, this one seems to morph with each breath. Jasmine happens next, takes over for a minute and then retreating. Now it's more of a fruity floral with a touch of spice. Not exactly cinnamon, but more of an incense spice. The vanilla comes and goes, sort of drifting in and out of the blend. It's really beautiful at this point. Nightmare is more of a wafting presence, less of a wrist sniffer. If I breathe really deeply, I get the linen at the end of the sniff.

 

After a couple of hours I can smell smokey undertones, but the smoke smell is very close to the skin. I got about four hours of wear time out of this one, with a pretty good thow. I wish the lavender was more prevalent, but it's my only complaint. The honey and amber never showed up for me, for which I'm thankful.

 

This one's another winner!

[edenssixthday]

Nightmare[\b]- When first applied, I mostly smell the sweet fruit gums, honey, and lavender sweetened by vanilla. I don’t like lavender at all, and even though it’s evident, the other notes around it are so pretty that I don’t dislike the scent, and find it very interesting. Once the blend dries down, , it sticks close to the skin and is very, very soft – mostly a lightly sweet linen scent with a hint of floral. It’s very, very pretty, and actually a lavender scent I would wear if the dry-down had greater sillage.

[JLH]

I wanted to love this one, because I love the painting it's inspired by, and the notes all sounded perfect. When I first put it on, this was mainly lavender, with dark fruits and linen and just a touch of sweet vanilla. Sadly, after a couple of minutes the jasmine came out and completely took over this scent, and it turned into a very strong perfume-y jasmine. How sad.

[yukinohana]

I was so excited about this one! Something told me that it would be awesome. It is, just not on me. Stupid golden amber & quite possibly the Moroccan jasmine. This went sweet yet yucky old lady on me.

[zankoku_zen]

I amp up ALL the florals in this blend. So I get mainly jasmine, poppy, lavender with hints of linen and honey. None of the vanilla or dark fruits, which is what I really wanted.

 

Feminine, floral, clean.

[Poenari]

OK, this is the strangest thing I've experienced with a BPAL scent. Almost all of these notes should work on me, but when applied, all I get is celery. An hour later, still nothing but celery. Yup, you are not working out at all and would definitely give me Nightmares if I didn't wash you off right now.