Sic Erit

[VioletChaos]

Slender arrows lodged in my heart: red amber, benzoin, red musk, bourbon geranium, oak bark, Atlas cedar, and 13-year aged Sumatran patchouli.

In The Bottle: The bourbon geranium is by far the most dominant note when opening the bottle. When I take a few additional sniffs, I also get a trace of the benzoin. but that geranium is hands-down the most dominant note.

Wet On Skin: The germanium is still present but *much* less front and center. With this wet on my skin, I'm now also picking up the red amber and red musk (which are playing together in a really sexy way, and the patchouli, which is of the variety that has been in such favorites as Mme Moriarty Misfortune Teller and also Snake Charmer. Patchouli of the 'dirty hippy' variety this is not. Not a patchouli to fear, in other words.

Dry Down: Very much the same as when still in the wet stage, and in the same proportions.

In All: Medium to Strong throw, this scent has a deep, layered quality. There's a lot going on here, and because of the intensity of the individual notes, I really think this is one that will require some aging. That said, I'm *slightly* uncomfortable with how much geranium is coming through. However, I think there's a strong possibility, given the top-note quality of the geranium, that it'll fade further into the background, once it's had a chance to marinate further with the other notes. I'm really glad I have this bottle, but I think the one bottle will likely be enough. Still, I'm glad I have a few months to order a second, as that will give me a chance to see how this ages at least a little bit.

[violetblue]

I am awful with notes. But this is dark, resiny almost incense like heaven to me! It's a heavy scent, I think I'd wear it for a night out, maybe not so much during the day as it's quite strong on me and could possibly offend those who don't like earthy/resiny blends. It's super smooth, not sweet, but not sharp or dry either. VERY NICE!!!!

[boomtownrat]

The review that I originally wrote for Sic Erit didn't do justice to how it has aged, so I decided to change a lot. This is for the 2013 release, but I've got a review of the 2015 release later in the thread.

 

Edited on 2/1/2018: After five years of age, Sic Erit is still one of the most wearable BPALs for me. It was an instant favorite and it's always been in my top five. Though I might have flings with shiny, new scents, I always come back to Sic Erit.

 

When the oil is wet on my skin, there's a peppery and earthy quality like a live geranium in a pot. As it dries, Sic Erit mellows into a sweet, woody, ever-so-slightly-peppery patchouli that's a mellower cousin of Banshee Beat. I think of highly polished wood that's such a deep shade of red-brown, it's almost black. It's truly astounding how Beth managed to create something that, years later, really does make me think of arrow shafts.

 

It seems to become one with my skin and it lasts for hours. If it returns, I'm going to buy at least one bottle every time.

Edited February 1, 2018 by boomtownrat

[Balame]

I wanted to love this one so much. It's got that same beautifully aged patch as La Mano del Destino, and the resins are stunning. But the geranium ruins it. Silly as this sounds, it makes Sic Erit too "perfume-y" for my tastes.

 

For those not familiar with geranium, it's sort of like a muskier, spicier rose. I can handle it in smaller doses, but it's just dominating this one and taking away from the woodsiness I enjoy.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Balame

[naeelah]

Doing quick and dirty reviews tonight. I'll flesh this out once the scent has aged a little.

 

Sic Erit is not entirely what I was expecting. It's a little bit flat and bland, fresh out of the box. However, I have no doubt that this is due to the freshness of the materials, and that it will age spectacularly.

 

As it is, like I said, it's a bit flat. Not very complex. The strongest notes are red musk and geranium. As it wears, the patchouli gradually warms up and gives it some depth. The patchouli is nice -- it's smooth, earthy without being a down and dirty patchouli, but not so light and cool that it doesn't provide the richness you'd want from an aged patchouli. But it doesn't seem as spectacular as "13 years old" promises.

 

I never really notice the cedar or bark, in particular. This definitely is not a very woodsy scent -- yet. As it is, it reminds me very much of Krampus. A light, clean red musk scent. Where Krampus is cold and dusty, Sic Erit is warmer and more spring-like, thanks to the geranium. It's nice. I like it, and I will wear it. But it's not as beautiful as it might someday be.

 

However, I don't think any amount of aging will change the fact this is a red musk and amber scent. The musk is very forward. It is not as wood centered as you might anticipate. Good news, maybe, if you were afraid this would be too dirty a scent. It's definitely a cousin of Hygeia, with patchouli in place of the resins.

 

 

EDIT 11/17/13: Just pulled this one out for the first time in a while, and it is still very geranium heavy. Poop.

Edited November 17, 2013 by naeelah

[CapricornSister]

Oh my

 

I am so glad I ordered two bottles of this as It should age superbly! I get Geranium right off the top, mixed with a bit Red musk. The geranium seems to fade on me pretty quickly with the musk coming through more. On drydown I am left with that wonderful patch, blended with the amber/benzoin/musk. I love it!! Well done Beth, truly beautiful

 

Just need to add that this is the scent I was hoping for when I first discovered BPAL back in 2005. So in love.

Edited February 17, 2013 by CapricornSister

[Lycanthrope]

I'll have to see how this ages.

 

I have always had problems amping rose geranium when I make aromatherapy blends, and this is no exception - I am not getting too much patchouli at this time - definitely TONS of red musk, a type that crescendos over time as I wear it. The two dominant notes on my skin are a very herbal rose geranium, and red musk. The sweetness and sharpness don't do too well on my skin at this time but, like all things in my collection, this will be set aside and in a year I'll probably fall in love. Maybe a re-review at that time?

 

Spicy, herbal red musk, with a little thrummy base, but not as much as I hoped when I read the patchouli.

 

For some unknown reason, this seems like the color yellow green in my head :| WTF, brain?

[Aldercy]

Hm. I was really hoping for lots of resinous red amber, benzoin, oak, and mellow, ultra-aged patchouli, but...

 

I'm getting everything but that. I'm getting a flat red musk, sharp herbal geranium, cedar, and a rather cheap, headshoppy patchouli. I don't dislike any of those notes (or I wouldn't have bought the scent, obviously), but they seem to all be the worst versions of themselves here in Sic Erit. It's really... pretty bad on me. Very one-dimensional and just... brown. A little musty. I'm considering washing it off, which I almost never do. I let it settle for several days after receiving it, knowing it would probably need it the most, but I'm thinking this is either just not for me or it needs to age A LOT. I may give it a couple months to see if it shows any signs of deepening, but otherwise I think it needs to be re-homed.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Aldercy

[cherrycherry]

Not as keen on this as I thought I would be. It's straight-up Geranium and not much else to me. As it happens, I do like Geranium but not as a perfume. I like florals on the oil burner or in the bath but not on my skin. This will probably end up being a swap. Shame!

[elka_knits]

Sic Erit reminds me of Heretic on it's deep dry down. I ended up decanting and then gifting/selling away all my Heretic because it was too strong for me for first several hours so Sic is nice in that regard. I have no idea why I put it on and thought Heretic right off the bat~ they don't share any listed notes at all.

 

Starts of slightly citrus on me which fades within half an hour. My nose is so confused by this scent. Nothing I am smelling makes sense. Did I get a wonky bottle?

[tinyvulture]

Random association, right off the bat: Sen-Sen candies! At first application, the similarity is uncanny. Licorice and spice. As it dries, it grows in complexity. The red musk, lovely woods, and floral notes make their appearance. And then there's the amazing aged patchouli. Words are not enough to express my love for this aged patchouli. This scent feels like it was made for me. Red musk sometimes overpowers me, but it's tame here and blends in beautifully. My favorite Lupercalia ever.

[GoldenRubee]

This was the first bottle that jumped into my cart, all the notes in it seemed to be calling out my name. Smelling the bottle I get a very sharp greenish garden odor that is more like the geranium stem than the flower. Not quite what I was expecting at all. After applying though that green calms down and the red musk and the patchouli come out along with the cedar note that always changes everything on my skin. I was hoping that it would be more of a minor player here but even after an hour the cedar is more of a dominate note on me. This is also slightly spicy and I think that this is one that will really age well. For now I think that it is one bottle that I will put to the back of the closet and see if perhaps some aging and time will be more to my liking.

[liquidtrance]

I was hoping Sic Erit would have stand-out wood and patchouli notes, but alas that is not the case.

 

In the bottle, the geranium (?) does seem to be dominant, though I am not familiar with it on its own. It smells warm and floral.

Wet on skin: The patchouli couples with the red musk. This is still a very lush, warm smell. Amber, benzoin, geranium, woods... No sign whatsoever to my nose. Boyfriend comments that it smells like clean laundry.

Drying and hours later: This is ALLL red musk. Normally I amp cedar to high heaven, but apparently, red musk takes the cake here. All other notes are absent.

 

Overall, rather disappointing. Sometimes the notes don't work in your favor. If you like red musk, this is a scent for you. If you're searching for a dark patchouli/woods scent... Continue searching

[HerbGirl]

I'm actually disappointed with this...geranium is the star the entire time and I was really hoping for red musk/patchouli...maybe its my decant? ALL GERANIUM all the time.

 

I will not give up hope though! Will test again in a day or two...fingers crossed.

 

ETA:.well...still sharp geranium till late dry down and even after the patch, red musk and benzoin(?) Come forward geranium says "yeah...I'm not going anywhere honey". That's when I step away from the decant. I will just put it away to age and try it again in a few months. Has anyone seen that commercial where the cheese needs to mature? Yup.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Herb Girl

[Dark Alice]

I love this scent! Red musk, hints of wood, and rose geranium! All the Sic Erit shall belong to me!

[crebbsgirl]

I had the same experience as Herb Girl with the geranium. It was pretty much all geranium all the time in the wet stages. Much later into the dry down other notes began to assert themselves, mainly the red musk and woods. It stayed sharp on my skin though, and I'm not a fan of that feel in my scents.

[skyelyric]

In the imp and wet the geranium is very much dominant, but since it's a floral that doesn't go completely wonky on me, I can deal with this. The red musk follows close behind, and underneath that I can just make out some wood notes peeking through.

 

After the drydown, I'm still amping the red musk, which is only a bummer because I hang around with people who can't stand it, but coming up through the musk, the woods and amber are blending into that import-store-incense-that-sinks-into-everything-aura that I was hoping to get with Chintamani. Since I can't wear it often I won't need more than my decant, I think, but it's definitely a winner for me, and it should age beautifully.

[hlinspjalda]

Of all the Lupers, this was one of the two that appealed to me most for its array of good notes.

 

In the vial: Geranium, amber, patchouli, musk in that order. I hope it loves me because it smells great in the vial.

 

Wet: Geranium, cedar, patchouli. So far, so good.

 

Half an hour: Hello red musk! So the BPAL holy trinity of red musk, amber, and patchouli is back together. There's a bit of bitter geranium trying to ride herd on the stompiness but I'm not sure it will survive. So far it's still good.

 

Two hours: This actually worked out better than I expected. Usually it takes fruit to tame red musk into cooperating on my skin. Instead, though, the holy trinity is working together nicely, with nothing trying to take over the scent. I didn't particularly get the cedar, but there's still detectable geranium in it to give this version of the holy trinity some individual personality.

 

Even though it doesn't share a lot of notes with any particular one of them, this scent seems to be in the same family as Snake Charmer, Madame Moriarty, and similar heavy scents. Yet it's got its own identity. I like geranium, so I'm very tempted to get a bottle of this.

[HighPriestessIce]

Right off the bat I get a strong honeyed red musk and something incensey. Then the patchouli starts to peek out and blends nicely. It's a dry patchouli and it tempers the sweetness just a little. To me this starts to smell identical to The Infernal Lover with added patchouli. I can tell this is going to age beautifully.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

I wanted to love this one so much. It's got that same beautifully aged patch as La Mano del Destino, and the resins are stunning. But the geranium ruins it. Silly as this sounds, it makes Sic Erit too "perfume-y" for my tastes. For those not familiar with geranium, it's sort of like a muskier, spicier rose. I can handle it in smaller doses, but it's just dominating this one and taking away from the woodsiness I enjoy.

 

OK.. so Balame has already said pretty much what I was going to! It's peppery and sweet, musky and waxy, just.. too much dissonance for my poor nose - it's like a big red sticky noise. Oh woe, 13-year aged Sumatran patchouli - where are you? Woe.

 

This is red, like seriously... RED on me. It smells like a cross between a bathroom freshener spray called something like "Berries of the Forest", and what I would smell like if I were trampled in a field of geraniums by a big red lollipop monster. You might wonder how I know that, but I was once trampled in a field of daffodils by a big yellow lollipop monster and I can still remember how I smelled afterward. This is just like that time, but in red.

Edited March 6, 2013 by sunshinedaisybliss

[zankoku_zen]

Red musk, amber, and patchouli.

 

Warm, musky, sensual.

 

Meh.

[marared]

As most everyone else has said, the rose geranium is dominant right out of the imp - it's pretty sharp, and there's this high-pitched note that's almost like mint but isn't. I can smell the patchouli in the background, and if I really inhale the red musk is there too, which is unusual because that's a pretty loud note and very distinctive in BPAL blends. It definitely needs to be revisited in a few months, maybe a few years to let everything smooth out.

 

ETA ten minutes later: oh, THERE'S the red musk. Just needed time to warm up...

Edited March 15, 2013 by marared

[Little Bird]

I actually love geranium and wish that it were stronger here (I get a slight spicy-herbal tone from Sic Erit, but not much, and it fades away in the drydown). I'm getting mostly red musk and a dry, sharp, slightly sour smelling patchouli from this blend. I was hoping for more benzoin/resin and geranium, but the red musk overpowers all of the other notes on me.

[OctoberGwen]

I love scented geraniums, and bourbon is not one I've encountered IRL. In Sic Erit, it is what keeps this scent from being too dry and woodsy or too red musky - but it's by no means all geranium, all the time. I definitely get the wonderfully aged patchouli, just a hint, and I bet this note will come out as the scent ages. I like the red amber, too; it's a bit deeper in tone and goes very nicely with the musk and wood notes. The geranium sort of swirls through it all and lifts it up a bit.

 

I'm contemplating a bottle, despite my limited last-minute Luper budget. I think this blend will age magnificently.

 

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Geranium and traces of gorgeous patchouli.

 

Wet: I don't find the geranium as pervasive as others seem to. I can definitely make out the red musk (but I amp that like crazy) and a beautiful, earthy patchouli. This is not a dirty-hippy-feet patch, it's oh so smooth and rich. I find the whole thing a tad astringent/medicinal at this point.

 

Dry: Almost a red musk SN. Almost. I can make out the rich vanillic benzoin and smooth patchouli with perhaps the barest hint of geranium. I never at any point got any of the woods. I wasn't impressed at first because I have so many red-musk-heavy blends (can you tell it's a favorite note? ) but the drydown has that magical vanilla-patchouli that makes me want to weep with joy. I think I have to get a bottle.