Senelion

[Ashenrook]

SENELION
Against a velvet black sky hangs a blood red moon and a dusky midnight sun: Nepalese amber, twin red musks, Indian black vegetal musk, lotus root, star anise, orris C02, Himalayan cedar, hops, mallow, Roman chamomile, and zdravetz.

When I saw this as one of the WCWC exclusives, I was mighty tempted to give it a pass going by the notes. I have a rather poor history with red musk and CO2, and other notes tended to be hit-and-miss for me. I would not have tried this out if it were not for Nachtwulf asking me to sniff it for her, so a big thanks to her – as well as Usagi and her friend, who helped me get a second opinion at the Lunacy.

This scent is something special...


In the Bottle
Both the red and black musks were front and center for this, but it was oddly....appealing to me. Normally if I smell too much red musk, I instantly turn away since nearly all blends that include it are critical failures on me. Senelion, however, was enticing... The amber, ceder, star anise, and the CO2 provided a dryness to counteract how wet and drippy red musk can become – the flowers and herbs breathing life into the black musk, as well.


On Skin: Wet
Well... First of all, my imaginary hat goes off to Beth and crew for crafting this lovely perfume. The scentscape really does play out like the blood-red lunar eclipse we had this morning!

It started off as crisp and clear, with the star anise, amber, lotus root, and the background herbs/flowers setting the stage with the dry Southern California air – the black musk providing the backdrop of the night sky with their stars blotted out by harsh urban citylight.

Then bit by bit, the black musk starts to feel like it is encroaching upon the other notes (and I mean this entirely in a good way). The eclipse is starting...! The wetness of the red musk helps with this effect since it makes the black variant feel more and more ink-like.

Thankfully, Senelion does not go into liquid musk funk like other blends have for me in the past.


On Skin: Dry

Black musk gives away into red, the CO2 note becoming way more prominent as the moon turns to blood. I will admit... I was really scared that this is where Senelion would fail on me. The red musk was so prominent and CO2 just turns into acrid disgustingness on me... but not here. But as I mentioned before, the other scent notes keep these musks extremely well balanced – the dryness of the cedar, the airy CO2, and the dusty lotus root keep everything in check.

This is simply glorious! This is everything I have ever wanted in a red musk scent. It is dripping with sweetness, and the CO2 keeps it light, if not fizzy - electrifying the air.


Afternotes

Senelion is sweet, slightly floral, but deliciously dusty and earthy. It is also very warm and snuggly, due to the amber sun lighting up the sky as the moon slowly retreats. It has fantastic staying power, too!


Verdict
On an American scholastic grading scale, I'd give this an A+. Seriously. This scent has been an absolute triumph on my skin, which is super high praise on my part since red musk was, until now, considered a "death note" of mine. Thank you so much for this wonderful tribute to lunar eclipses.

[porcelina]

in the bottle, the red musk combined with maybe the anise and something else remind me of my beloved elephantine colossus. on my skin, though, it's something different!

 

there is, of course, a lot of musk, with the sweet resinous amber to back it up. the red musk, which is SUPER strong in the bottle, is softer and less of a stand-out on my skin. there is a slight, ticklish dryness from the cedar and orris and chamomile.

 

it fades to a sweet, musky skin scent. my husband loves it on me! if you like musks and resins, this is a must-try.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

I was iffy on this blend because I haven't had much luck with chamomile and definitely no luck with orris. They always funkify any blend they are in, but I figured with red musk, Nepalese amber, cedar, lotus, and star anise--what could possibly go wrong?

 

In the bottle, it's a murky red musk with sweet star anise. On my skin, the red musk has a sharp metallic tang that reminds me of The Elephantine Colossus, but it's quickly smoothed out by the amber and lotus. The black musk is definitely "vegetal", and the star anise makes me think of root beer sometimes. I don't get any cedar, perhaps it'll come out another day or as the oil ages. Also MIA are chamomile and orris, (which is a good thing).

 

I'm pretty wowed by Senelion fresh from the Lab, and I can imagine how gorgeous it will be in 6 months!

 

ETA, now that I've had more time wearing this. Every time I wear this, I notice at the end of the day a sweetness mixed with amber that always makes me wonder what I'm wearing because there's no red musk, and it takes me a few seconds to remember that it's Senelion. I know it's the lotus note. It's so beautiful.

Edited January 8, 2012 by mxtine

[hlemonds]

This is beautiful. I absolutely love it. I am so grateful to the Angel who snagged this for me. Initially there is a lot of red musk, as it dries down I get the warm sweetness of the amber, a hint of the cedar, and perhaps a smidgeon of the dusty/dry quality I usually get from orris or chamomile. This is so deep and warm, and it is rich, but not in an overwhelming way.

 

Edit: After a couple of days of rest I went back to this one for another full day of wear. HOMG. This has become my HG scent. This is what I wanted Smut to be on my skin, but Smut just hasn't ever wanted to work on me. The musks and smber in this are so amazing. It is unbelievable the way this sings on my skin. The only bad news is that my other BPAL are being neglected so that I can wear Senelion.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Hillary

[VioletChaos]

Of all the 2011 Yuletime Will Call scents, THIS was the one I was willing to sell my soul just to try. A HUGE thank you to ALL the angels that made it possible for me to get a whole bottle!

 

So let's see if it's all I'm hoping it'll be!

 

In the Bottle: The Red Musk I adore in Smut is here, alright. but in the bottle, she's hanging back a bit, yet lending a good sweetness. In the fore is the Black Musk for sure. BM is usually a Death Note for me, but I was willing to bet on this because of some of the other notes, and so far, so good- the orris is providing a good balance, yet not coming across as too powdery.

I'm hopeful!

 

Wet On Skin: Wow. This is really going somewhere. I'm getting the amber and the musks all playing nice now, and the orris lending this just lovely sweet, dusty note to the proceedings. It's like everything that normally gets too overpowering is being held in check by all the *other* notes that normally get too overpowering.

 

Dry Down: Holy. Crap. This is just...beautiful. I can totally get what Mxtine was saying about how great this is fresh from the Lab- but I can't WAIT to find out what it's going to be like in 6 months! This is really just extraordinary.

 

In All: Solid medium throw, and a soft, sweet musky blend that's like all the best parts of all the favorite scents I ever encountered as a child- my aunt wearing White Shoulders, my mom wearing Ambush. My grandmother's kitchen, snuggling into my warm blankets at the end of a long day, sleep overs at my sister's house, pinky swears with my cousin. Not since Antique Lace have I encountered a scent so nostalgic, so evocative of so many things. I'm really just floored.

 

This is easily now in my Top Ten of All Time.

 

 

:wub:

[boxinghelena]

Senelion:

 

I need to let this age. The red musks are beautiful but the amber is powdery on me. Maybe combined with the chamomile. So it's a bit too much for me right now. Not a fan of powder at all.

 

I'll try it again in six months.

[angelicruin]

Heavy red musk on me initially that turns powdery. Not sure this one will work out for me, but I'll let it sit for a little while and see...

[Lucretia]

I'm in love with this one. Perfectly balanced musk and amber with a touch of sweetness. I've been keeping the bottle on my desk to put it on when I need grounding to get some work done. It's cozy and warm and magical. Medium throw. It stays close to you, which is nice because it feels like more of a personal moment than something to be shared with the people around me.

[bibliophile]

Nepalese amber and I are BFFs, and I am a red/black musk lover, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to snag Senelion from Etsy (thanks again, Lab!) and even more thrilled with how well it works on me. The amber + musk combo is as lovely as I hoped it would be on my skin. It reminds me of a winterized version of L'Estate - the lilies and sunflowers of that blend have withered, the golden light has faded, and the lovely Nepalese amber is now grounded by deeper musks and drier notes of orris and cedar. This doesn't have a lot of throw on me, which surprised me somewhat, since I tend to amp amber as well as red musk; it stays nice and close to the skin, so I could see myself wearing this in lots of different situations. There is no sharpness to any of the notes and they blend together seamlessly. I love it now, and imagine that it will only get better with age.

Edited January 3, 2012 by bibliophile

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Usually I can discern individual notes, but with Senelion I'm finding it's just so well-blended that it's difficult to do that. On my skin, the amber is very noticeable (dry, dusky, slightly powdery but in a nice way) - and the combination of musks also gives a very soft/snuggly and dry tone to the overall scent.. so the amber + musks together lay down a beautiful foundation that really does feel like a dusky velvet night sky. The red musk is definitely there, and I would say that Senelion overall fits in the red/warm category, but it's not all HI I'M RED MUSK like it sometimes can be - the black musk is toning it right down. I was worried about the chamomile, which generally goes horribly wrong on me, but I'm not having any problems with it here.

 

On the not-so-wow list - I was hoping the star anise would be more of a feature, but it's really not all that noticeable at all once the oil has dried on my skin. The cedar is adding a slightly sharp/bitter tone, as cedar tends to do on me, but I know that it will tone down with some aging so that's OK. I'm also picking up something flower-y and earthy here - not floral as such, but just a general kind of smell - I guess that's the lotus root, orris and zdravetz influence. The red musks are definitely the most dominant here.

 

Side note - Senelion reminds me of Glowing Vulva but without the cream... also it's similar to Elephantine Colossus but without the sweetness/foodie factor of the root beer.

 

Overall, this is a lovely scent that stays pretty close to my skin - minimal throw, but it smells good up-close. And as others have said, I'm sure this will get even more sensuous with some age on it.

 

Edit a few weeks later.. my earlier comparison to Elephantine Colossus still holds true - except where before I said it was similar, now it's more than that - it's almost the same on my skin. And where before I thought the red musk wasn't too strong a player.. I was wrong about that (or possibly just these couple of weeks of age have changed the musk balance). I'm beginning to think that red musk might not be a good note for me

.

.

Edited January 28, 2012 by sunshinedaisybliss

[SophieCedar]

There are a ton of win notes in here: nepalese amber, red musk, black musk, hops, mallow and chamomile. All blended perfectly. The lotus root is really the keystone of this scent, I think. It brings out the resinous, sweet nepalese amber, which on it's own places me on cloud 9. It's bizarre but I keep smelling traces of cinnamon, a la Chimera. It could be the star anise. The lotus addition reminds me of Kali. Even though Himalayan cedar is a death note on me, its perfectly grounding here. The chamomile is winey and soothing, perfectly mixing with the penetrating musks and sweet dry blue grey tinged orris. Mallow is something I wish I could curl up and go to sleep on. Need I say more? I'm in love.. unexpectedly.

[PurringPulsar]

Senelion

 

In the bottle: rich, dark, sexy red musk. Mmmm…

Wet on skin: ohh, is that Nepalese amber, with its hint of cardamom?

Dry on skin: the scent still has that raunchy musky undertone with an amber glow, but what I smell now is the camomile-quite a lot of camomile, the lotus root and orris, maybe the mallow, and a tiny, tiny hint of anise. This is really lovely-there is a hint of some of the lunar scents to it, like the Blue Moon or Black Moon scents, with those pale floral and herbal notes, but there’s that wonderful deep musky scent underneath. Very unusual and delightful.

After a while: the musks get stronger once more after that moment with the floral/herbal/pale and dusty lunar notes. The red and black musks are fantastic-rich and dark and slightly sweet, there’s something almost reminiscent of Infernal Lover and Panther Moon to the musk notes here. The camomile sticks around too but I really like how it interacts with the musks. I’ve not smelt this combination of notes before.

The drydown is just the most perfect sexy red musk ever. Oh yeah. The amber adds a hint of sweetness and golden luminosity but it’s really dominated by the musks, red musk with a shadow of black musk underneath.

The red musk and amber then become the dominant notes, the sweet golden scent of the amber with an almost fruity darker musk underneath. This musk is the same gourmand red musk that’s in the Soldier and Red Lace, it seems almost like it’s got hints of raspberry or some other kind of red fruit to it as well as vanilla. I agree with comments about it being a darker L’Estate too, because of the amber.

Verdict: warning, lots of superlatives coming up…this is my favourite of the lunar eclipse scents so far! Take the most delicious of musks and the most gorgeous spiced amber, put them together with a sprinkling of lunar and solar herbs and you get one of the most beautiful scents from BPAL. It starts out with the herbs, predominantly camomile and orris/lotus, but gradually the musks strengthen, merge with the amber, and the drydown turns into the best kind of ultra-sexy exotic gorgeousness that Beth excels at. That’s no exaggeration, it really is that good. In fact I’m lucky I managed to find a reasonably priced backup bottle because I have a feeling it’s going to age amazingly well.

Is it a keeper? hell yeah, I’m so happy I’ve got two bottles of this!

If you like this, try: Lunar Eclipse, Penumbra, Labores Solis, L’Estate, Blue Moon (especially Brian’s, or the 07 version), Black Moon (any), Midnight Kiss, Schwarzer Mond, Red Moon 07, Red Lace

:love!:

[midnight_aeval]

Red musk scares me, so I was almost glad to see that it had TWIN red musks as it was pretty impossible for me to obtain this oil! However, I arranged a swap for a decant and am regretting it. The red musk is the GOOD kind that works for me (Mme Moriarty, The Soldier, Red Lace). I liken this blend to Snake Oil with a shot of red musk. I also think there are some similarities to Haunted, one of my other favorite GCs. The drydown is sweet and [sexy] powdery. Great blend, I'll be on the hunt for more!

[grrrlennyl]

Senelion

 

Note: This oil has some of the notes that smell worst on me (Cedar? Lotus Root? Two red musks?!?) and some that smell the best (amber, black musk, Roman chamomile), so we'll see how this goes.

On: Musky, but light. A bit sweet, and I can definitely pick up the star anise.

1 hour in: I keep getting hints of anise wafting up at me. It's nice.

6 hours in: Still mostly anise with a base of black musk. Much nicer than I thought it would be on me.

Overall: I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but I'm going to keep it around for a while.

[Little Bird]

Senelion isn't as dark and sexy as I was hoping it would be. Mostly this is just baby powdery on me (reminds me of Playful Wooden Mallets, so not sure if they have a similar black musk that smells like super powdery + a hint of vetiver), which is either the black musk or amber at play, or maybe both. Light, powdery, and slightly reminiscent of vetiver :/

[zankoku_zen]

Dark, murky red musk, hints of amber, cedar, and anise. Oddly enough - think of a pitch black night - and if you could distill it into a MUSK, this would be it.

 

Dark, inky, sexy.

 

Not my type of blend, which makes me happy to dodge a bullet. Since Senelion is incredibly hard to get your hands on.

[Verios]

I get a lot of red musk (which is awesome, as that's a winning note on me!), but it's so much deeper than that...I get hints of the amber, as well, but I can't even pull out a lot of the notes (sorry, I'm not as good at that as I wish I was, lol), but this scent is amazing--I definitely see the similarities mentioned to Panther Moon, or The Infernal Lover on the musks..it's that kind of sexy (but also soft, and sweetened by the other notes) musk. I can't seem to stop sniffing at my wrist, it's just that lovely.

 

It's got a floral tone to it, as well, which initially had me worried--however, these ones are nicely grounded, and not at all overpowering! Sooo glad a very kind forumite swapped me a bottle of this, as it was one of those blends that sounded like it could be amazing, but I didn't think I really had a shot at ever getting to try (plus, a number of these notes are ones I'd never tried before, so I wasn't sure how well they'd play with the notes I DO know and love)--to find it's as amazing as I could have hoped, and to actually have managed to snag a bottle makes me very, very happy!

 

So far, it also has a fair bit of throw--not so much that I'm worried about offending anyone with the strength of my perfume, but enough that I catch lovely whiffs of it as I move about (I've only had it on for a couple of hours, however, so while I'm hopeful, a lot of scents fade fairly quickly on me!)

 

This was a total winner, on me!

[parrot_suspect]

This is an incredible dark, musky, powdery, sexy fragrance. A little bit sweet, in the way red musk can be sweet. It's not a light fragrance -- it's heavy and strong, with good throw. Not floral in the least, but not masculine or gender-neutral either; this is feminine. There's a bit of a sassafras/cola type of note present as well. I wouldn't wear this on a hot day; it strikes me as more of a cold-weather fragrance.

 

Other BPAL fragrances that I find similar to Senelion in some way are: Scherezade; Debauchery; Tarot: Judgment; The Infernal Lover; Hygeia; Old Demons of the First Class; Elephantine Colossus (minus the foody notes).

 

If you like deep, rich musks, and you're not put off by a powdery drydown, chances are you will like Senelion.

[Nachtwulf]

This is indeed predominantly a musk blend... though to me, I mostly get black musk with undertones of red. There's something about it that reminds me of sweet woods, too... probably the amber, if anything. Amber can go powdery, but on me, this fails to do so. There's hints of wood notes too... that my nose reads as 'polished mahogany'... no bitterness or sharpness at all.

 

I hate florals, and there are a lot of scary notes in this blend (lotus and orris, I'm looking at you) and yet I can't pick out any of them. It is basically 'musk blend with some other stuff in it'... a very reddish-black and almost furry scent (if that makes sense). I'd put this aside during the hot days of summer but now that it's cooling off, it has waited for me like an old familiar friend.

 

It also lasts. And last. And lasts and lasts. Without being overpowering, I might add. That soft reddish sweetness just hangs around in the background, periodically reminding you that it's there. Last night I put it on at about, on, 6pm, and it was still detectable some time after I got up.

[JazzieCazzie]

Ohhhhhhhh yes.

 

Nabbed an imp of this on eBay and wasn't sure what to expect ... I LOVE musks and ambers, especially BPAL's musks and ambers, and especially especially BPAL's musks and ambers blended together.

 

But I'm not a big fan of anise, and lotus has a tendency to not only be stinky on me but to make everything else stinky on me too, even if it's only the faintest of notes.

 

But indeed, Parrot_Suspect's comps of this to Scherezade and Old Demons, two of my Top 10 BPALs, gave me hope (and now I'm gonna have to go track down the other scents she mentioned, though I know Judgement is as hard to find as any of my precious Tarots -- I was lucky enough to have the lovely Carmencita decant me a sniffie at the last Meet-N-Sniff).

 

Anyway ...

 

IN THE IMP: Musk and amber. Amber and musk. Sinuous, sexy, grounded, calming. DEEEEEElicious.

 

Just out of the shower after way too many hours cleaning out the laundry room, unpacking decades-old boxes and hosing down ant-ridden crap, I was definitely enthusiastic about application. Both wrists, both crooks of arm, cleavage. This better be good.

 

WET: ... And indeed it is. And indeed, the first scent it reminds me of is Scherezade. This wonderful combination of incense and amber and musk and sweetness and clean, dry loveliness. On my wrists, it is just amber/musk. In the crook of my arm, though, I get something lightly minty which I actually think is the anise and it's WONDERFUL. If I didn't see the list of notes, I would have thought there might be lavender in this.

 

DRYDOWN: Just fantastic. A true dream BPAL scent. It's very true to the imp/wet scent as it dries, clean and lovely and uplifting and peaceful. It's such a comfort scent.

 

On a scale of 1-5, an easy 5.

 

OVERALL: Divine. Delicious. Depressing because I only have a partial imp. Bumping this up high on my DISO now.

[Monster]

In the bottle, Senelion is pure red musk. The oil color is a dark brown/red color which means this is definitely heavy on the red musk and I'm totally OK with that since it's one of my favorite notes. When first applied, this is almost a red musk single note on my skin…but only briefly. After a few moments, the black musk, amber and chamomile make an appearance. There's a bright, glowing quality to this. It makes me think of music festivals and sun-warmed skin covered in resin-based perfume oils. It's a head shop in the sun. Something about this is reminding me of Schwarzer Mond, Senelion could be it's brighter, warmer and less sweet sister. S. Mond is deep, dark and lightly sweet while Senelion is glowing red, warm and dry. There are some similar elements though such as the zdravetz, amber and the dark musk. I'll have to compare them side by side but, while they smell different, they are definitely related or could even be sold as a set.

 

The final stage of this is a beautiful, glowing resin. It has an amazing throw and great longevity. I slept with this on one night and could still smell it on my skin the next morning. Senelion is by far one of the most beautiful BPAL oils I have ever smelled, is full of so many win notes and is going to be another one of my signature scents. I am SO happy to have a bottle of this. Back-ups are needed.

 

If you love red musk, resin, incense or head shop scents, this one is worth tracking down!

[porcelina]

i can't believe i never reviewed this; it became a favorite since i first picked it up at WC. it's a gorrrgeous red musk. the star anise makes me think of root beer somehow, which combined with the red musk evokes the elephantine colossus (my all-time favorite), but less foodie... more musk/maybe incense. it's so well-blended and complex! the musks here are just wonderful and i love the amber and touch of cedar. really really really nice!

[LiberAmoris]

Senelion has only gotten better with time. That Nepalese amber is almost buttery, the 'twin red musks' (!) are warm and gently animalistic, and the vegetal black musk is mineral-y and starchy in a way that's really satisfying. I pick up almost no lotus, but the star anise and orris and cedar I do get right out of the gate. The hops, mallow, chamomile, and zdravetz offer a sweet, tangy, and herbal tinge. Dry, this is a red musk blend with something earthy and herbal and sweet in its orbit. It smells different to me at different times of the month, and (appropriately) although it smells great every time I wear it, every once in a while it strikes me as stunningly gorgeous.

[LizziesLuck]

I needed to try this because of the Nepalese Amber (one of my favourite notes ever, and seen so rarely!) and mixed with red musk!! So I had to.

 

 

Wet: WOW. This scent is like a party. A sexy party. I get a surprising amount of lotus. But it's sexy lotus, with lots of musk. It's sweet and floral, a touch herbal, very musky. Just sexy somehow! Goes a bit powdery on my wrist, but stays true in the crook of my elbow. Sweet musky goodness! It reminds me of...something. Only better? Apparently this scents also defies description, I am stumped. It's good though.

 

 

Dry: Mmm. Lotus (which I am loving in this!) red musk, a hint of pleasant powderiness. Still very sexy. The amber is not as prominent as I hoped, but this is still gorgeous. It feels really classic and classy. Really happy to have it!