R'lyeh

[CCretarolo]

The sunken city of the Great God Cthulhu. A hellishly dark aquatic scent, evocative of fathomless oceanic deeps, the mysteries of madness buried under crushing black waters, and the brooding eternal evil that lies beneath the waves.

To me, R'Lyeh is a very dark, romantic scent. Reminds me of the N. California coast at sunset. I like it but was expecting a little more... Madness.

I was able to get the effect I wanted when I mixed it with Jazz Funeral though. I also mixed it with Incantation and it turns into a very dark, seductive floral.

Overall, when I have the money, I'm stocking up on it.

[Invidiana]

I don't know about black waters and eternal evil, but my skin at least turns this into pure cantaloupe Not only does it come out as cantaloupe, a note of doom for me in itself, but cloyingly sweet cantaloupe. I'm clearly not a chosen one of Cthulhu.

[impolight]

:::R'LYEH:::

 

Well, the very first reaction to R'lyeh was one of mild disappointment... There was nothing to smell. When practically snorting a drop from the newly opened bottle resulted in a near nosebleed, the conclusion was that half a dozen drops on the old wrist would incorporate body-chemistry and yield different results...

 

Le sigh.

 

Rainwater would rival the fragrances potency.There was much glaring and harrumphing. There was storming about the house muttering, scowling, and treating the laundry to some excessive force.This was chalked up to experiencial value and R'lyeh was carefully placed in a dark and lonely time out.

Well, every three months or so, there are these...withdrawls that are only cured by rereading Lovecraft, and the most recent bout resulted in pangs of guilt; and, so, R'lyeh was taken down from the shelf and given another go.

So THIS is what's meant by an 'aged' oil! The process has obviously worked it's magic in this particular circumstance! R'lyeh is without question, an aquatically vainglorious perfume worthy of summoning visions of Cthulhu as he lay dreaming below.

R'lyeh is a crushing, abyssmal fragrance, implying inconceivable undersea terrors that miss their terrestrial playthings.Rl'yeh smells like the first hint of the ocean as you exit the freeway and drive toward the beach... Proof positive that you're on different turf.

R'lyeh not only smells irrefutably marine, but also hints at fear-sweat, spices, wood, gunpowder and canvass remembered from a dream of crushed tradeships and the seafarers who rode them... The men screaming trails of bubbles as they were snatched into the depths as though shot from a bow.

R'lyeh is every bit the Lovecraftian masterpiece hoped for. The only possibility of even a speculative challenge would be "lightless" used as a descriptor.While R'lyeh is a far cry from the light of day or even a single candle, there is a queer, unsettling lamp of eerie bioluminescence that flashes andpulses from the creatures of the deep who share Cthulhu's home... The light is not a beacon of comfort in the darkness, but a reminder that there are far worse things than being alone.

R'lyeh is an enchanting fragrance that evokes reverence and unearthly, prehistoric power.

Prepare to be impressed.

4/5.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting a really dark fruity sort of scent, kinda similar to Fruit of Paradise. Iiiinteresting. On my skin, I'm definitely getting a fruity scent... grapefruit? Hurm. And definitely a salty edge. We'll see what happens here. Like Calico Jack, not sure what to think of this, so it's getting a wider skin test.

 

On the full skin test, I'm getting that darker fruit with an edge of salt and sea weed. Hrm. We'll see how it goes. Ends up being very similar to Selkie, except stronger on the salt and whatever kind of fruit that is, not really for me. Salty shampoo, basically.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Venneh

[ami226]

Definitely dark. Slightly aquatic and sweet. Strange.... Not bad, but definitely not me.

 

[diBenjamin94108]

I got this as a frimp. It's very interesting because it is aquatic or ozonic, but also rich and spicy. Those two styles are usually not found together. The oil itself is dark brown in color; it is the darkest of the oils I have.

 

In the imp I just smell the watery scent, but when it's on my skin, the rich herbal/spicy scent comes out. I do not get grapefruit at all. After a few minutes the two are blended together.

 

I think this scent would work better for a man than for a woman.

[milo]

At first, this was quite nice. A brooding musk, with just a touch of aquatic. Not sure what happened after it dried, but it went very powdery. In fact it's pretty much like a jasmine powder to me. Thankfully, it fades pretty fast. Off to swaps.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Strong, heavy musk.

 

Wet: It still smells heavy and like there’s bergamot in it.

 

Dry: During the dry down it started to smell like there was a bit of leather in it too, but faint. I did not get 'aquatic' from this at all. Eventually, a sweeter note of earth developed.

 

My Reaction: The color of the imp was a good clue as to how this would smell: dark reddish brown and murky. It would probably smell good on a male as it’s got a thick smell. It does not evoke images of the bottom of the ocean for me though, more of mud, darkness and decay instead. It’s an earthy smell, dark, damp and foreboding.

 

Rating 1-5: 2

 

[meredevachon]

Frimp from the Lab. Tried this without reading the reviews. Am shocked to see so much grapefruit, and glad I didn't get that as grapefruit has never been something I liked.

 

In the imp: sweetish aquatic

 

Wet: Still slightly sweet, but with the tang of salt water.

 

Dry: Like walking along a beach in the late afternoon after spending the day in and out of the surf, warm breeze coming off the ocean, salt water drying/dried on the skin.

 

Not as dark, evil, or mad as I would have expected, but at least I avoided the dreaded grapefruit. It's never going to be a first love, but it's one I'll wear.

[lamenteuse]

This turns soapy within a few minutes. It's very nice soapy smell, but soap none the less.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Citrus with a salty, oceanic tang.

 

On skin: R'lyeh turns more citrus/floral than aquatic, and any water notes present virtually disappear upon drydown. It's pure citrus and sharp florals -- intense, almost bitingly tart, thick. However, it also smells dark and brooding in a deep-water fashion. (Or maybe that's the imagery that comes with knowing that it represents R'lyeh?) It feels like a darker, more intense version of Y'ha-nthlei, with more tang and no milk. Given the blend themes, that seems quite appropriate!

Oddly, my colour impression is an intense tangerine encircled, whirlpool-like, by dark blue-greens of varying shades.

 

Verdict: I'm discovering that floral aquatics can be hit and miss on my skin. R'lyeh misses. I've tried it several times, but it's dominated either by citrus or by sharp florals. If only the aquatic notes were stronger... but really, not a fan.

[strahlend]

I randomly pulled this out of my imps to test last night before bed and discovered that I really like it. I enjoy the idea of aquatics but very few of them work for me. Most of them seem soapy and that's not something I particularly like. R'Lyeh is different though. It really does come across as a dark aquatic. This isn't soapy at all. Most soapy aquatics remind me of a kind of aqua blue sort of greenish color, R'Lyeh though reminds me more of a deep marine blue with swirls of black and dark green. On my skin there's something that's reminding me of standing on a river bank and smelling just a hint of pine sap in the air. Oddly enough after a bit of dry down I start getting a sort of light warmth of spice or woods coming through. I'm surprised how much I like this scent, it's another to add to the bottle list.

[Suu4LC]

Yergh. I'm not huge fan of aquatics or "dark" scents, so I don't hold out too much hope for his. In the imp, it's sort of what I'd expect-a dark, salty aquatic.

 

Ohhhhh yeah, this is WAY salty on my skin. Super duper salty aquatic. Rather sharp. Oh, and did I mention salty? Yeah, as this dries it is SO salty. I don't know why it is going SO salty on me, but it really is one of the saltiest bpal aquatics I have tried.

 

On full full drydown this went to a sort of cologney aquatic-not quite SO salty as before, but still definitely on the salty side. Damn, this was salty on me But the full drydown isn't bad, and I actually imagine this would smell nice on the right guy as a dark aquatic cologne, as long as he didn't amp the saltiness like I did.

[Rho]

After smelling next to nothing out of the imp, I started worrying about this one.

 

On me, this is still pretty faint. Early on, I get the dark aquatic, but it smells so far away I can't feel properly terrified of R'Lyeh.

 

A little later I'm getting the saltiness and a vague waft of something that seems ozoney to me.

 

Slight soapiness happening here, but that seems to be the norm with me and aquatics.

 

My associations:

Color: Dark purple.

Mood: Brooding.

And, the scent makes me think about the original Bioshock, though I'm sure the name is helping me make that connection to a degree.

 

Overall, not my favorite, and way too weak. 2/5

[DeCuvieri]

The imp I received was purchased from a fellow forumite, so I can’t account for it’s age. I have a suspicion this particular sample has been in circulation for a little while, and that may be why I’m not getting the all-powerful grapefruit note everyone else is. R’lyeh on me is way more herbal than it is tart-fruity.

 

To my disappointment there’s something in this blend that doesn’t agree with my skin: The application site itches so much that I have to wash it off, and that’s the only ‘terrible’ quality of R’lyeh in my opinion. Otherwise it’s sort of a flat herbal without any distinguishable character.

[whataboutprom]

Wet: I can smell the grapefruit a little. Mostly this smells like a voodoo oil I bought when I was a kid, and not really something I would want to wear. I think it could work for someone who like a more unisex or masculine scent.

 

Dry Down: Not much change. I was intrigued by the description, and despite my usual love of grapefruit, this just doesn't work for me at all.

[Grimwitch]

In the bottle: water, ozone and grapefruit. A hint of rotting seaweed, but in a good way.

 

Wet: more of the same, but saltier.

 

Dry, a couple of hours later - I can still smell grapefruit on my skin if I sniff my wrist, but the throw is all generic aftershave.

 

I'm going to give this one another chance later. I'd put Blood Countess on earlier and washed it off, so it's possible that some of the weirdness is something lingering from that. I'm not hopeful, though.

[iamzuul]

In the imp: A huge number of previous reviewers mention grapefruit... but honestly, I pick up nothing citrus-y about this scent whatsoever. It has an aquatic odor with a hint of bite, possibly from just a touch of pine, but I would suspect the aquatic odor comes more from a mild melon (not cantaloupe, perhaps honeydew). It also makes me think of cucumber, but it's not quite cucumber-y enough to be positive. The description talks about oceanic depths, but there is no fresh or even old sea-scent to this, no saltiness at all; aquatic, yes, but a freshwater sort of aquatic. Brackish at best, like being near the mouth of a river where it dumps into the sea. And perhaps, as a few other people mentioned, some ambergris or ozone. There is something about it that reminds me of Hurricane.

 

On application: No real difference between the imp and the initial wet/dry-down stage on my skin. This seems like a very fresh and clean scent to me, not at all dark, brooding, or evil. If I were to ascribe a sense to this, I'd say 'unknowable/unfathomable'. It isn't so much that the scent is evil, but that you know nothing about it, and so that not-knowing may scare you. A lot like the ocean, actually. Clean, fresh, and vaguely frightening both in it's size and what you don't know is in it.

 

After first hour: No real change, other than that the scent is fading. The throw was apparent for the first few minutes, but quickly lessened.

 

After four hours: Almost gone entirely, even when I put my nose right up against my wrists. But still, it hasn't done anything funky or even changed much in scent. I just wish it lasted longer.

 

Final impression: I really, really like this. I could see myself wearing this quite frequently. But if I do, I'll definitely need to carry an imp around for touch-ups throughout the day.

[rhubarb3point14]

A lot of people seem to smell grapefruit in this, but that's not what I get, exactly. It’s a piney aquatic on me. I suspect what a lot of people are experiencing as grapefruit is the odd, assertive tartness of it.

 

It also has airy alkalinity in it to balance the acid. Someone said ambergris, and I wouldn’t be surprised… after all, that goes nicely with the deep-sea-realm theme!

 

Unfortunately, even though I usually like ambergris-y things, this one doesn't quite mesh with my personality.

[relax]

I don't particularly like it myself, but I do think that the description is bang on accurate. It's very detached, otherwordly, aquatic scent. On the edge of madness. Quite fascinating.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): It smells like the ocean (salty, deep water, and a little kelp) with…grapefruit? How odd.

 

Wet: Rolling waves, briny kelp, some oud, perhaps, and just a touch of citrus. I really enjoy this while wet. I would love to take a bath in it.

 

Dry: Slightly aquatic, but pleasantly so. There is still just a touch of sweetness, which makes this scent appealing to me. Finally, an aquatic I like!

 

Other Impressions: Specialized soap dish soap with something else according to Tony. When I explained to him about aquatics, he commented that he liked it – it smelled nice. Keep pile it is!

[yakiguri]

Very dark, deep aquatic with a dash of spice. Too bad it turns to Cool Water in half an hour.

[SlySionnach]

Imp: Oh god, it's rotting. It's some rotten, salty mess.

 

Wet: Still rotten salty mess. Like bad BO mixed with garbage. It may be the ambergris, but it usually plays well with my skin. Ugh.

 

Dry: After the wet phase is over, the aquatic scents come out, but it is dark. Like dank water instead of something refreshing. And it still has so much salt. Definitely not grapefruit!

 

Verdict: No, no, no, no.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: The oil is very dark brown. I'm not sure if that's typical or not. In the bottle it smells sweet and bright.

 

Drydown: A light aquatic with a splash of citrus. After ten, fifteen minutes it begins to amp. Now it’s an incense-y aquatic. A little bit powdery and spicy.

 

Dry: Darker and more complex now. As far as notes go, I’d guess saltwater, melon, grapefruit, black patchouli, and a touch of tobacco. Maybe some ambergris too. It’s spicy and salty with just a hint of aquatic fruit.

 

 

 

 

This really changes from start to finish. It’s very bright and light at the beginning, like water would be at the surface. And as you dive deeper it becomes spicier and more powerful and complex. Very nice.

 

 

 

 

9.5 out of 10 bones

Edited June 21, 2013 by BoneBone24

[Zorra]

To begin with: I would never think of this as a dark scent, nor as fathomless ocean deeps. It smells like a round, rather clean citrus. I love grapefruit scents, but I think there might be lemon in this too. And mint. I seem to smell a hint of mint. But I could be wrong, it could be something else acting the same, anise perhaps. It is probably the aquatic part of the scent, I have tried very few aquatics.

 

So I would say that R'lyeh is an aquatic citrus scent. I fail to smell brooding evil or fathomless ocean deeps, I smell lemons and grapefruits that have floated on the ocean and are now washing ashore.

 

R'lyeh is not my scent. I like citrus scents, but this one is too aquatic for me to feel comfortable with.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Zorra