Calligraphy Practise

[GoldenRubee]

White sandalwood, beeswax, clary sage, olibanum, opoponax, violet leaf, and oudh.

Wet on my skin, it smells like light clean sandalwood with an underlying floral. It is very uplifting and almost pure smelling. This has a lot of balance because it doesn't veer towards too much wood or too much floral. There is a very light hint of sweetness and almost a very vague creamy base which I suspect is from the beeswax. This doesn't feel too clingy rather it's like a EDT. It wafts hints of something, simple and pretty, every time I move my arm. As it dries down, I notice more of the wood in that it has more depth and softness. Even with these deeper wood notes showing up now, it still remains very fresh in some way, like you could see through it. This is a good anyday scent. I can imagine wearing this during an interview or around a friend who hates scents. Overall, a beautifully optimistic well rounded scent.

[Invidiana]

I initially get an herbal burst of clary sage and violet leaf from this, but they take a backseat as it dries down and allow the beeswax, woods and resins to take center stage. I do get some lovely beeswax from this, much like that in The Lights of Men's Lives, and I do like the shadowy resinous backdrop. However, the Bony Moon-esque white sandalwood is the decisive factor in keeping this from being bottleworthy; I amp it considerably, and it's just much too dry for me.

[Mellifluous]

From this, I definitely get the clary sage and a green sweet resinous scent. After about 5 minutes the beeswax muskiness comes forward a bit, but is not overly strong. Overall this stays a round and resinously-sweet clary sage perfume, with only the background changing from a green note to a beeswax base. This smells nice, but is still not quite a winner for me.

[Circaea]

Calligraphy Practice goes straight up sandalwood on me. Very nice, very reminiscent of Dancing Koi. I like it a lot, but it's too much like Dancing Koi to make me seek out more.

[surlygurl]

Okay. THIS is why I get decants, especially ones that are iffy.

 

In the vial, it's kinda scary & unpleasant. On my skin, it's the loveliest dry, woody, warm scent! It's sweet from the beeswax, fresh from the clary sage, bright and dry ('sere' came to mind - great crossword puzzle word) from the woods & opoponax. The violet leaf gives it the barest thought of a floral. Pretty!!

 

As it dries, the oud comes out and gives it a sour note when smelled up close. The throw, otoh, is balanced between clean/sour, sweet/woody. It's not a traditionally 'pretty' scent. It's more understated and mysterious. And it may be bottle worthy.

[strahlend]

I've already got a couple bottles of this stashed, it's fantastic!

 

The sandalwood is dry and smells authentically woody, not perfumy. There's a sweet resinous feel to it from the olibanum (frankincense) and opoponax (myrrh). Just a little hint of green in here, maybe the violet leaf?

 

This scent makes me feel centered and confident when I wear it.

[Wwindy]

In the winter, I like to layer Cathedral and The Lights of Men's Lives -- this reminds me so much of that combination, but a lighter, springier version! It's perfect for this time of year.

 

This blend is a little jumbled-smelling in the vial, and definitely takes a minute or two to settle on my skin. While wet, the creamy beeswax and the sharper resinous/woody notes fight it out for a bit until everything dries down and opens up; once that happens, I mostly get the clean, sharp, dry sandalwood and the warm, round waxy note, rounded out by a touch of crisp greenness. This is really, really lovely after drydown -- it has a very well-balanced, clean, upscale feel while still being pleasingly resinous (oudh gets me every time! mmmmm).

[zankoku_zen]

Beeswax, clary sage and sandalwood. This is a bit of a jumble - with the resin/wood notes and then the beeswax lending it a touch of sweetness and warmth.

 

In general this a a clean, dry sandalwood. Very gender neutral.

[Little Bird]

Calligraphy Practise reminds me of a bunch of other scents (Templum Victoriae atmosphere spray, Light of Men's Lives, Thousands of Lights, Luperci, The School). It's lots of slightly powdery, warm, woodsy sandalwood with a creamy, sweet beeswax and hints of bright, sweet resin & herbs. The beeswax and opoponax are a little too sweet on me, but I might keep my decant of this one for aging. Powdery sandalwood, sweet beeswax, resins and clary sage.

[The Planet Queen]

I got this as a frimp and thought I'd try it. The sage is very strong. I tried it and put a dab on my hubby. It turned sour smelling on me. On him I could smell the beeswax and other notes. It smelled nice on him. I think it's a unisex oil leaning more toward males. I won't be buying a bottle sadly.

[porcelina]

aahhh i love this. clean sandalwood, beeswax, a touch of resin and sage. it gives an impression of light woods and bright sunlight. like a sunny, modern library. beeswax, herbs and pale wood. lovely.

[milo]

Very sandalwood heavy at first, with a touch of beeswax. Dry, less of the gritty sandalwood, more beeswax with kind of a resiny vibe. There was a bit of sour vibe wet, but that did fade away very quickly. Quite nice, a spicy, beeswaxy resin is the end result. I like this, but not enough for more.

[theseagrows]

another frimp i received. this starts out quite bright and herbal, with the white sandalwood and clary sage at the forefront. it has a white musk feel to it a bit. after awhile it gets a bit more floral and resiny, it blossoms nicely. there is a slight sweetness too, which must be the beeswax and adds a nice element. also, i am thankful to have the beeswax in this work for me! often times it doesn't with my weird skin chemistry. the violet is beautiful on my skin, which is good with florals. i like this more than i thought i would. it's more herbal than what i usually wear, but that adds an interesting element that usually isn't present in the florals i wear.

 

[megank4]

This is what I wished L'encre noir femme was, a dark feminine inky scent with a bit of cedar.

[Katlastrophe]

I swapped myself a decant of this, and argh... It's beautiful!
Sugared wood in a soft, almost vanilla-creamy, way.

[Lucchesa]

I had the option of buying a tester or a bottle of Calligraphy Practise.  I should have bought the bottle.  I was worried about the violet and the oudh, but apparently violet leaf does not go old lady on me, and the oudh is very much in the background.  On me this is primarily a beeswax scent, right in my wheelhouse (Lights of Men's Lives is possibly my favorite GC).  It's not as sweet as LOML; the sage and white sandalwood keep it dryer, and the opoponax is not as syrupy as it can be.  Herbs, woods, resins and beeswax all play beautifully together here, and while there's not much throw (normal for me), it lasts a long time.  Absolutely lovely and I'm sorry not to have more.  

[starbrow]

A dreamy, non-floral Shunga that is gorgeous for writing. There is something that conjures paper and pencils and stony towers for writing in, lit with beeswax candles and incense. The beeswax is silky smooth and creamy (that's probably the oudh!), but I kept smelling something both bright and soothing - duh, it's the clary sage! I *love* how strongly I can smell its presence here, twined with olibanum (frankincense) for even more dreamlike intoxication of the senses.

 

I get almost a cedar-esque whiff of woods - perhaps violet leaf combined with the opoponax and oudh? Those notes might be playing cedar tricks on my nose. In any case, it's a bookish cedar like old chests around a writing desk in the attic. There is no poudh in sight. I would not have guessed there were any florals in here either. The beeswax and clary sage are certainly the stars, and I adore both of those notes, so it's no wonder that Calligraphy Practice is a huge winner in my book.

 

I'm not saying this one smells like books per se, but it smells like an atmosphere made for reading or writing, and that's my jam. In spite of all the thick resiny notes, it is light and uplifting, hugging the skin but curling around you for hours. If you can get your hands on a bottle, count yourself fortunate!