inhumation Report post Posted September 26, 2014 East Indian black patchouli, red sandalwood, dark musk, peru balsam, ambrette seed, vetiver, and ambergris accord. this smells like pot in the bottle. it smells like pot when applied. it smells like pot and dirty bathwater during the drydown. a few hours later, it smells sort of okay - like dirt - but this did not work for me, to say the least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeni Mullen Report post Posted February 7, 2015 About my skin: My skin loves sugar and cakes but any chocolate and many vanillas turn plastic and powdery. Booze gets amped (but wonderfully) and will tone down the plastic smells of vanilla but NOT chocolate. Wine, creams and honey often turn sour immediately. White, red and dark musks are love. Vetiver and Civet are not. I can also be sensitive to cinnamon in a blend but a little Snake Oil almost always takes the burny away. About my nose: Kitchen spices (peppers, ginger, cardamom and sage) make me sneeze. Frankincense reminds me of sage. I dislike the smell of leather. Almost anything floral or wood (including sandalwood) gives me a headaches but I can do bergamot, rose and sweetpea in small doses. I don't like licorice either. Forest smells are great, decay is not. I really love linen and clean smells. Citrus is hit or miss. Imp: Death...death in a vial. I can't even be nice about it. I can smell nothing but the vetiver. Skin: I knew about the vetiver and sandalwood going in, but dark musk! Black patchouli! Plus, I have to try everything. I really should have held off, though. Ugh. This is getting washed off. Right. Now. Verdict: Vetiver! I really should trust my nose! I wish I could give a better review. I was hoping that the musk and patch would be fuller since they were listed first in the notes but alas, that little addition to vetiver ruined it for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malaena Report post Posted July 6, 2015 This is all sandalwood all the time. I'm starting to think sandalwood is not my friend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ethaisa Report post Posted July 21, 2015 When I first got the decant, it wasn't too my taste at all, even though all the notes are in my ballpark - it was just too much, too raw, too mary. But now, with a few years aging.. wow. The vetiver has turned to smoke and the black patch and SW have mellowed with the musk into this deep, comforting darkness. Just a hint of balsam, and a drift of ambergris, to round it all out. I'll be moving this into more frequent rotation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Veronica Report post Posted December 7, 2015 Dark, smoky patchouli over a deep woodsy base. Exotic, very spiced, not for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starbrow Report post Posted October 14, 2022 This is the same East Indian black patchouli - an aggressive, punchy, dirt-streaked patch - as "But Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light" (Yule). Combined with the vetiver and the peru balsam, it is truly menacing here. A growling dark, ready to swallow you whole. A gritty, smoky vetiver, and a scratchy wood (balsam), plus a thousand resins swirled down into oily pitch. This is like dirty motor oil. Viscous. Full of grit. Wow. I think you have to be in a Big Mood to enjoy this one. That said, there are some glimmers of amazing things here. I recognize the smooth woody red sandalwood of Anne Bonny peeking through the gloom. And the friendlier smoke of ambrette seed, combined with the thicker soot of the vetiver/patch. Keeping! I can't picture myself being in the mood to wear it much, but it paints the picture of darkness too perfectly to let go. I would wear this while: dressed to kill, in ass-kicking boots Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
