Crypt King

[ami226]

CRYPT KING
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

The Crypt Queen’s dapper consort: pomegranate juice, black pepper, oakmoss, coriander, black ginger, patchouli, dracaena, and a splash of lilac fougere.

This scent is very interesting!

On the skin: Hello, pomegranate! This is a lovely, slightly sweet pomegranate with a hint of mossiness and cologne. I want my guy to smell like this!

After a bit, the cologne and pomegranate back off a bit and I can definitely smell a lovely, spicy almost earthy greenness.

I feel this would be perfect on the right man, but isn't quite right for my girly self! It is blended amazingly though!

[Aldercy]

Crypt King has a slightly fizzy feeling to it at first-- like a carbonated pomegranate drink-- but it quickly settles down in that respect. The patchouli begins to come out, and its advanced age is definitely apparent... it’s very thick, mellow, and sensual without the sharp dirty tang that it can sometimes have when really fresh. If it were always so mild and rich I'd probably buy a lot more patchouli scents. I love the juxtaposition of pomegranate/patchouli, and the overall feel of Crypt King reminds me a little of Mme. Moriarty.

 

After patchouli and pomegranate, oakmoss is the strongest note for me. The accompanying coffin (which is lovely) is packed with some fragrant dried oakmoss, so I’ve gotten a much better idea of what it’s like as an individual note. It’s sweetly earthy and musky and a little ominous. I think it’s what really sets the “crypt” mood for this scent. There’s a bit of spice in there as well-- more pepper than anything else, but it's still very subtle. There’s also something that reminds me a bit of cedar though I know that’s not a listed note.

 

I don’t personally smell any dragon’s blood (assuming dracaena is similar or the same as dragon’s blood) or lilac. If anything, there’s just a tiny, almost imperceptible hint of floral cream in there. I don’t even normally like lilac as a note, but if that is the lilac peeking out, it’s unusually nice.

 

While Crypt King is very dry, dusky and serious (though I don’t think it’s set-in-stone masculine or remotely cologney), it’s pretty unassuming. I applied about my normal amount of oil, but it doesn’t have a strong throw. It’s a shy, gentle, almost bookish scent with a drop of sexiness and a slightly larger drop of death. Really masterfully blended.

 

Love it!

[izile]

In the Bottle: Very juicy and pomegranate and fruity with a kind of cologne back.

 

Wet: Almost immediately the pomegranate and fruit/juice starts to fade and oak and baby powder start coming forward on me. I did test this on the fella, and while it was wet on him, it stayed very juicy and fruity, the cologne-y part just got a lot stronger.

 

Dry: Almost entirely baby powder on me, maybe a little oakyness to the baby powder, but that's pretty much it. On him, the juice started turning really sour smelling, no oak or other woodsy notes, just like bad cologne had turned or pomegranate juice got old and went sour.

 

Dry HOURS later: Several hours later it smells like a pomegranate version of Cykranoshian Catnip. It's got a very similar woodiness, hint of something "spicy" but not "spices" like cinnamon or clove or nutmeg, and a pomegranate edge. Took a long time for it to turn decent on me, but I still get too much baby powder to want to keep this one around, esp. since it goes wonky on the fella and it is definitely a more masculine scent to me.

[eml298]

I am horrible with reviews, and I think I start them all that way, but I owe Crypt King a try...

 

In the bottle: OMFG. Brilliant. Mild patch, oakmoss, very vague pomegranate, and wood?

 

On skin in first few minutes: As usual, I amp cologne-type notes. However, while I often amp them to the point of having to wash them off, this one remained enjoyable.

 

On the drydown: Cologne note dissipated, and there's this sexy, very well-blended, slightly dry, slightly spicy NOM left behind. There's vague pom in the background, but only if I'm looking for it. I actually really, REALLY like this. I agree with Aldercy about this being unassuming yet deadly sexy.

 

*On a side note, this is the kind of scent that often morphs into CRAZYSEXYDOMENOW on Mr. EML298. He is eager to test it, and is a huge fan of it in the bottle but had already applied Schwarzer Mond (his signature) when I presented this to him to sniff.

[boxinghelena]

Crypt King is a masculine scent on me. There was a woodiness that was the dominant note. So much so that I really couldn't detect much else. My husband said he liked it but being that it's a masculine scent, I figured he would. It was also very long-lasting on me. I dabbed it on my wrist, took a shower that night, the scent still lingered and I could even smell it the next morning.

 

I definitely prefer Crypt Queen. I'm going to let this age before I try it again.

~

[Antoinette]

Crypt King smelled amazing to me in the bottle. I got the juicy pomegranate right away and upon a deep inhalation, the lovely lilac showed up with patchouli throughout.

 

I skin tested just a drop and it did what patchouli does on my skin - takes over. It also went cologney on me. It's not that those were bad things, but not enough to make me love this blend or make me feel justified in keeping it. I very happily rehomed the King to a lovely forum member who I know will covet it the way I could not.

 

I can only imagine that it must be gorgeous on the right skin!

[Dharklady]

Wet, this is a lovely blend of smooth patchouli with a bright burst of true pomegranate and tamed by the combination of spices and oakmoss.

 

As it dries the pomegranate fades and leaves behind a gorgeously blended mix of moss and spice over some of the best patchouli I've ever smelt. The moss and black pepper are the strongest notes at this point.

 

This is more of a skin scent on me, with only a light throw, but the staying power is decent which is nice.

[cfrancesca]

In the bottle: I'm surprised at how and juicy this is, I think it's the closest to a true pomegranate scent I've encountered yet, to me it smells like a slightly boozy, softly spicy, crisp dark pomegranate juice. On my skin it's mostly strong dark pomegranate juice with some patchouli (which is surprisingly very smooth and smells amazing here, it adds a really nice darkness to the blend), oakmoss and soft woods. I actually like it quite a bit and it's very nicely blended, but I was hoping it would be more masculine-type scent (I'm not getting cologne) and that it would have less pomegranate, since I'm not a fan of very fruity scents. I think it smells very appropriate for autumn with spiced dark fruit juice over earthy dark woods.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Wow! Rich, complex, and unusual. Pomogranate dominent. The oakmoss, ginger, fougere, and an unfamiliar note that I’m guessing is dracaena come in a strong second, with the other notes all distinct and present. It’s quite heady and powerfully peculiar in a masculine way. I do think it would go well with crypt Queen, and is subtly dangerous and a touch disturbing in a thrilling sort of way. The dracaena smells sharply plantlike and goes really well with oakmoss. I am thinking if you like one, the other will probably apeal. Wet: Still pomegranate dominant, though now the oakmoss is second with the other elements fading back just a little. I really like the earthiness of the aged patchouli under the spices and moss, which definitely suggests mummification and the grave. As it warms, the ginger rises back up dragging the other spices with it. It has less throw than I expected from the bottle, but it’s still intriguing. Dry: Dry and sharp, it’s moss, dracaena, spices, fougere, and a touch of patchouli at this point, very reminiscent of tombs and an even better match for crypt queen. I love this and it breaks my heart that all I have is a decant, because it’s glorious and different. I am not normally a patchouli fan, but it’s understated and oh so right here. I’m in love.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

A very generous forumite gifted me a nice sample of Crypt King, so here I am to review!

 

I'm surprised at how light this is. It doesn't have a lot of throw and wears very close to my skin, but the oil is incredibly smooth and well blended. Wet, it's sweet pomegranate juice with a subtle hint of dirt-like oakmoss (yum) and a very green-smelling patchouli. I think I recognize coriander because I had coriander perfume from Kiehl's and it's the same note, and a teeny bit of pepper. I've tested this for 2 days straight, and you know what? The finished product reminds me a lot of the very late dry down stages of Mme Moriarty. The dry stage is not as sweet with red musk and plum, but there's that unmistakeable pomegranate-patchouli scent lingering on my skin. To my delight, I amp both of those notes so this makes me incredibly happy.

 

While I was expecting it to be darker and grittier, it's gorgeous and I can imagine it'll improve with age. I hope one day I can find a reasonably-priced (heh, arm + leg + kidney...) bottle.

[Dark Alice]

The Fabulous Cfrancesca shared some of this with me and others and I can't thank her enough for that cause...now I know that I don't need anymore. Seriously. I don't.

 

Wet: Gorgeous wet pomegranate, patchouli, and barely there ginger.

 

Drydown: Lilac Fourege with the barest hints of pomagranate and it turns into generic men's perfume on me.

 

This would be amazing on the soon to be husband but alas it is rare and I don't feel like trying to sell my first born just for him to try it.

 

But thank you once again cfrancesca for letting me get a chance to try it!

Edited September 30, 2011 by Dark Alice

[stellans]

My oh-so-fabulous Switch Witch arranged to have a full decant sent to me, and it arrived today!

 

I really, really love the pomegranate note in this blend, but even more I love how this blend morphs: it starts out as really juicy pomegranate, then a slight woodiness begins to emerge plus maybe a slight floral hint, but then the scent descends into a dark incense-y patchouli with just a bit of the fruit still evident, but then the pomegranate comes back strong, and the patchouli and pomegranate finish in a very pleasing duet. I wasn't able to pick out lilac as an individual note, but there is definitely a floral sweetness (unidentifiable by me) in the middle of this blend. I think I got the spiciness of the pepper there at the end, but I'm not sure what dracaena smells like. If it's a form of Dragon's Blood, that has always reminded me of lilac and I just didn't smell lilac. To my nose and on my skin, this blend is a very wonderful combination of patchouli and pomegranate, which are two of my favorite notes. The Crypt King is a fabulous blend, and a perfect consort for Crypt Queen. Maybe some day I can hunt down a bottle.

 

ETA: Four out of 5 stars for Crypt King

Edited September 30, 2011 by stellans

[calivianya]

I am so thankful that I got to try this. Major props out to the forumite I swapped with for a decant! This may not be the most reliable review, as I have pretty severe sinus congestion, but I can't take it any longer! I've had it for three days and I haven't tried it yet; something had to give.

 

In the vial: Fruity, fruity, fruity pomegranate! I can't really pick out anything else.

Wet on my skin: Pomegranate and pepper! The patchouli slinks in almost immediately - wow! I can tell the difference in this patchouli and in other scents with fresh patchouli that I've bought from the Lab. This is really smooth. The fougere starts to show itself after a few seconds, making this slightly more masculine. It is still sweeter than I was thinking it would be with so many masculine notes. The pomegranate is a little stronger than I would have liked it to be, but it isn't doing horrible things on my skin yet. I'm surprised.

Drydown: The pomegranate is still there, and still not nasty! I'm really surprised now. Every scent I've worn where the pomegranate is a major player has gone a bit rancid on my skin. Dragon's blood in all its incarnations also amps and goes rancid on my skin, but I was never able to detect that at all. Huh. What I do have is a very incensy blend with pomegranate. I am still getting the patchouli and perhaps a hint of ginger, but I can't pick out much else at the moment. I really like what I'm smelling. I think I'll keep my decant, at least for now, and do a re-test when my sense of smell is less impaired.

 

Now, I wish I had tried for a bottle on Etsy. I just refreshed the page and enjoyed watching the numbers go down...

Edited October 4, 2011 by calivianya

[gniwle]

This is intoxicating. It's fruity, and a little bit dirty, and definitely sexy. This review will be absolute crap, because this is so well blended that I can't even begin to break it down properly. I will note that there's very little sillage and it stays close to the skin... but that's ok, I only look a little bit like I'm trying to eat my own arm!

[sfsassy]

I can finally review this. I have tried it now 3 times on my skin. The first time I made the mistake of testing it with a few other scents, so I could not tell which was which after the dry down.

 

But here it is: In the bottle it's a very juicy pomegranate scent. When first applied to the skin it sparkles with a slight fizzyness to go along with the juicy fruits.After it dries it's a very soft powdery scent. Maybe a light floral accompanies the fruit.

 

Some have called it very masculine, I would call it more unisex. It would be wonderful on a guy or a gal. It's definitely not too manly.

I also find it pretty unique. I don't have anything else in my collection that is close to it.

[kirsten]

This smelled, oddly enough, like pine pitch in the vial, which I suspect has something to do with how my nose is interpreting the patchouli. If this had smelled on my skin like it had in the imp, I would have been sold---highly unusual, considering my typical reaction to patchouli! Unfortunately, my wrist sucked it all up and left me with only the faintest trace of that smell.

[zankoku_zen]

Crypt King for me is a dark pomegranate and patchouli male cologne. I definitely amp up the cologne notes, the pom (especially on wet) and patchouli which seems to base it all.

 

Attractive, but not for me.

[angelicruin]

Wet on my skin, I get that "fizzy pomegranate" note that Aldercy referenced above. I'm definitely picking up the black pepper and oakmoss as well. I actually don't find this to be too masculine on me. The patchouli begins to emerge as it dries further.

 

Fully dry, the pomegranate, black pepper, and patchouli notes are strongest in that exact order.

 

I love this scent! I'll have to try to make this one last.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Pomegranate cologne! Refreshing and tart with a musky undertone.

 

Wet: Earthiness comes out a bit more, but it isn’t overwhelming. This is the first pomegranate blend I’ve tried that isn’t too sweet or plastic. This is really well balanced, a clean, light, playfully rugged cologne with hints of flowers and fruit. It reminds me of a sharp wind rushing through a harvest field.

 

Dry: Interesting, this has a tobacco-like flavor when dry, and I can detect a spicy note as well. It’s definitely more dusty when dry, though it still retains some sharpness mixed with a pleasant earthy base. Though this leans on the masculine side for me, it’s a mellow inviting scent that I wouldn’t mind wearing on a regular basis!

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Thanks to the lovely devilot for sending me a tester of this!

 

When I first dabbed the oil on, the most prominent note for me was lilac. It smelled sort of like some kind of men's cologne/aftershave had just been sprayed in the air. Ten minutes in, and the pomegranate makes an appearance but it's oh-so-light - hardly there at all really. Where's the spices? Where's the patchouli? Hmph I say, Hmmmmph!

 

I waited thirty minutes before leaning in for another sniff, but by that point it was almost gone completely - all I can smell now is dry, dusty remnants of lilac.

 

So overall, this is really lovely in its own right.. but not for me at all. I was expecting a lot more depth and warmth from the patchouli and spices, something dark and menacing, and that's just not happening on my skin. Sadly, one me - this is no Crypt King... it's more like Crypt Boy

[Little Bird]

I was so sad when I didn't get a bottle of this in the mad etsy rush, but I actually don't need more of this, now that I've had a chance to sample it. I love black pepper, oakmoss, and patchouli (especially on my husband), so I thought that this would be dreamy, but I don't get any black pepper or oakmoss, and only a tiny hint of earthy, dry patchouli in the drydown. I mostly get the bitter, sweet tarts feel of the pomegranate (and, as other people have mentioned, an almost fizzy/sparkly fruitiness), a powdery, sweet lilac, and an edge of musky cologne. It goes clean, powdery, and sweetly floral rather than dark and earthy/spicy on both me and my husband. I think that it actually smells rather girly more than masculine. And it only lasts about an hour or two. Not what I was expecting, but I suppose I'm happy to not have to try to find more of this one.

[IridiumFlash]

This one started off as a floral for me. I actually thought it smelled a bit funereal, rather like a wreath of lilies instead of the lilac that the notes call out. The throw was fairly decent while it lasted. The floral aspect eventually went away, leaving a faint, musky remainder (possibly the patchouli) that went a little bit plastic-y on me. By the 4-5 hour point there was almost nothing left.

 

I liked the early phase better than I thought I would, but don't really love this scent.

[subtlesiren]

In bottle: Juicy pomegranate with earthy patchouli and just a whisper of ginger and lilac.

 

Wet on wrist: Pepper emerges, along with dusty coriander. The oakmoss is indistinguishable from the patchouli, blending to deepen the scent.

 

Dry on wrist: The pomegranate has faded, leaving behind an earthy scent with a classic perfume feel to it. Something a wealthy gentleman centuries ago would have worn.

 

I have to admit, I was a little scared of Crypt King. It was a complete impulse buy, and soon after purchasing it I regretted it. It's actually quite a lovely scent, however it's just not me. Plus, it's kind of giving me a headache.

[grrrlennyl]

Crypt King

On: This smells amazing on me. Lots of something pink-like (the oakmoss, maybe?), darkly sweet pomegranate, and an assortment of other various delicious and beautiful things. I'm loving this one.

1 hour in: Sweeter now and, unfortunately, there seems to be an odd/vegetable note coming forward. It's mostly covered by the fougere and the bit of fruit, though, so that's something.

12 hours later: One of my partners said, "You smell like hippie," when I got to her place. It was a complement.

Overall: This is a definite keeper for me.

[SurrealReality]

To be honest, I really really wanted to try this (I mean, 10 yr old patchouli.... I gotta know what that smells like), but I didn't expect to like it since I am mostly a foody girl

 

In the Bottle: Pomegranate juice, oakmoss, coriander, patchouli, and lilac cologne.... masculine and a little astringent. Pretty much what I had expected

 

On my Skin: Pomegranate juice and a soft, sweet lilac cologne with black ginger, black pepper, and a hint of patchouli. It's definitely less astringent/masculine than it was in the bottle. In about 5 minutes, this scent becomes pretty spicy. It's not a hot spice at all.... it's a softer, darker spice: black pepper, black ginger (most ginger notes turn to lemon on me, but there isn't even a hint of lemon in this... only spice), pomegranate juice, and a hint of patchouli. The lilac cologne is totally gone and the patchouli is, surprisingly, very soft. At this stage on my skin, I would call Crypt King a unisex scent

 

I don't care for it in the bottle (too masculine), but I do like it after a few moments on my skin. I wouldn't say I love it enough to keep it (I only keep bottles I absolutely love and as I mentioned above.... I'm a foody), but this was a surprisingly pleasant scent

Edited February 6, 2012 by SurrealReality