Haute Macabre

[bergamot_bliss]

Oak leaf, bourbon vanilla, almond husk, and black leather accord darkened by a 13-year aged black patchouli.

In the bottle: Wow, this smells delicious. I can smell the almond immediately, and leather that is warm and broken in.
Wet: Still very warm. Dark patchouli and well-worn leather.
Drydown: The almond is coming out again, with a hint of sweet vanilla. The patchouli and leather are lingering in the background. Something earthy is emerging...the oak leaf? It's definitely still settling down; at this stage, it smells a bit chaotic.
Dry: This has gone very dark on me. The patchouli is very strong, but mixing beautifully with the leather, and there are a few hints of sweetness from the almond and vanilla, with the oak leaf whispering in the background like an afterthought. Absolutely gorgeous.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Exactly as I hoped. The vanilla and almond float above a heady mix of oak and leather with the aged patchouli dancing between them tying the factions together. The result is scrumptious. The contrast between the heavy, masculine elements and the Ariel sweetness of the vanilla and almonds is mesmerizing. Patchouli this old is wonderful in a way that fresh is not, blending better and containing in itself an earthiness and an incense feel. Wet: Lighter on the skin. The vanilla and almond move into dominance with the leather a strong second. Patchouli is a weaker third and the oak mostly blends with the leather and patchouli, though it is still discernible as a separate scent. As it warms, the leather reasserts itself to become dominant, with the oak separating out and passing the patchouli in strength. I think it is delicious at this phase and even better than in the bottle, though a touch less subtle. It is worth waiting past the first blush. The result is a sweetened leather. Dry: Mostly lether with a touch of oak and patchouli.

[malibusunny]

This is so familiar. It's reminding me strongly of something I absolutely love, and already have, and I cannot believe I don't know what. At first, it's leather leather leather, with a bit of sweet vanilla and that background of patchouli that doesn't smell like dirty patchouli, but makes it not foodie.

 

ps. not western diamondback LOL. I just checked.

Edited June 9, 2013 by malibusunny

[Little Bird]

I wonder if there are variations of this, as it seems like some people aren't getting cherry almond and others are. I definitely smell that cheap, sharp, fakey cherry-almond smell in this, unfortunately. It starts off really strong on that almond note, though it does fade into the background after about 15 minutes (doesn't disappear on me entirely, though). I don't really pick out any vanilla from this, but it has a chemical-y leather note, slightly powdery oak and hints of dry, earthy patchouli. With a smidge of cherry almond. Surprisingly, this doesn't have a lot of throw or staying power on me, and fades a lot within an hour. It mostly leaves behind a powdery patchouli on my skin. I'm glad that I tried a decant, as I don't need a full bottle of this'n.

[ziggystardust13]

Oh this is soooo good! Smells almost exactly like my MAC MV3 perfume which sadly was discontinued. I've been saving what little bit I had left. This starts out very unisex, but turns sweet and more feminine as it sits on my skin for a while. The leather in this is so sexy. This one has made its way into my top 3!

[Alaeidrel]

By all accounts and purposes, this should have been an insta-love. All the notes work beautifully on my skin on their own or in other combinations, and yet... this was such an uber-fail. In the bottle it was delicious, but the moment it hit my skin it turned into rancid almonds and leather - viscerally enough so that I was actively distressed and nauseated by it for hours. Finally, eventually, it dried down to almond-tinged leather but at that point I was already so far gone that it just wasn't worth keeping. I braved another skin test a week or so later, just in case of body chemistry, and it was exactly the same. Not worth keeping for a vaguely pleasant drydown after hours of keeping my wrist as far away from my nose as possible.

[Monday]

Woah vanilla! Fluffy vanilla, almond and something spicy at the back, I think it's the oak mingling with the leather and patch. Lighter than I had expected and rather elegant. The vanilla is actually very noticeable on my skin it's very sweet and turns the blend almost into a foody blend. I must say that I don't get a lot of leather, it's barely there which suits me just fine. The patchouli and oak are nicely subtle too and give a woodsy backdrop to the vanilla and almond.

I like that it's somewhere between toffee and elegant vanilla-ed woods.

[jolarocknrolla]

dirty leather (this is not a bad thing), patch is very much in the background bit it adds the "dirty" part to a VERY strong leather scent. I also would have guessed theer is vetivier in there due to the woody sort of note, but that is also in the backgound. No vanilla to my nose. Mostly LEATHER.

[Udit]

OOOkay. Here goes my first review. Wish me luck.

 

When I first open the bottle, it always reminds me of some kind of soda, perhaps cherry cola or dr. pepper. Spilled on a leather jacket.

 

On, it's immediately, deliciously worn leather. Like putting on someone beloved's well-worn jacket. It's beautiful.

 

Cherries, almonds, softly sweet, but oh so leathery. SO leathery.

 

I need more of this. I crave smelling it.

 

It lasts longer on me than any of the others I have tried so far. And stays true the entire time I wear it. Yessssssssss.

[Katlyntje]

In the bottle this is all sexy black leather jacket, well worn but lovingly cared for, with a touch of vanilla and patchouli cologne that has rubbed off on the collar. On the skin the scent gets warmer, fuller, as if you are snuggling into said leather jacket and the warmth of your body brings out that sexy, delicious smell on the collar.

[yakiguri]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet. Haute Macabre is everything I had hoped VILF to had been--a dark spicy black leather sweetened by something thick and slightly dirty. All the notes come off beautifully on my skin, none competing with the other. The black leather behaves superbly and doesn't have a hint of the chemical edge the Lab's black leather note tends to have on me. I can imagine this becoming even richer with age.

 

Definitely need to grab a backup at some point.

Edited September 14, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[Smaragdina]

In the bottle, this is a blast of syrupy slap-in-the-face cherry-almond. Which just proves how important it is to skin test stuff. This dries to a sweet, deep, leather-wrapped wood scent on me. I suppose it's a combination of the almond and oak leaf that's giving me such a strong 'wood' impression. But that's what I'm getting: grainy, soft, lovely almond-y bark wrapped in luscious well-worn leather with the almond/vanilla hanging around for sweetness. Cozy and dark. It's close to the skin and doesn't really morph much.

 

Not quite what I was expecting, but I'm going to be reaching for this a LOT.

[mymymai]

ITB: It's warm and slightly resinous, but sweet as well. It reminds me of a body wash I smelled and coveted some 10 years ago, which was honey, coconut, and almond. I know that must be from the bourbon vanilla, almond, and patchouli. It makes me nostalgic, actually.

 

Wet: Strong almond, bourbon vanilla, middling leather and patchouli, with a very faint impression of oak leaf. It's a little more complex on my skin, but it still evokes the same fond memories as in the bottle.

 

Dry: As it dries, the black leather amps on my skin, but it's a nice combination with the bourbon vanilla and almond on my skin.

[MiasmaResonance]

Yummy marzipan patch, UNGFH! There's a hint of something else there too, but I don't really mind it much.

[surlygurl]

When this bottle was fresh, the oil was scary. I applied once and thought "eeeek! I hope this ages well!" And it has.

 

Sniffing the bottle, it's still quite scary - sharp patchouli with almond. But the moment it hits my skin, the vanilla pops out and does a dance with almond. Very lovely. There is still dark patch, but it's no longer in charge . Leather is next to the party - warm and cozy. Oak comes in with it's dry powdery wood. It reminds me of Oak Moon with leather and patch.

 

This oil has aged beautifully. Almondy vanilla with a dark side. Not sure if this will attain Banshee Beat or Glowing Vulva status, but it is very nice!

[brilliantcat]

Every note in this is one I adore. I planned to buy a bottle unsniffed but was able to get ahold of a decant in a swap. Almond is the strongest note in the decant, followed by leather. On me, it blooms into a sumptuous black leather vs. a soft, suedey brown leather. I catch hints of patchouli and the vanilla and almond swirl delightfully around the strong leather. Though I qualify this as black leather, it's not harsh or chemical. It puts me in mind of super-soft, leg-hugging black leather pants. Supple is the adjective I want. Comfortable, broken-in leather that's sexy as hell. The vanilla has just a teeeeeeny hint of plastic-ness which I know from experience will quickly soften into rich vanilla. I've yet to find a vanilla note that doesn't work on me, though the other notes in a blend can ruin it. None of the oak leaf at this point. The almond has either given up the fight to the stronger notes or my skin has just sucked it up. I'd have liked it to last longer, but I'm ok without it. It's actually sticking pretty close to my skin and has low throw. I slathered pretty well too, expecting this to be as wonderful as it has turned out. The more time passes, the more it just seems to meld with and become part of my skin, like paper-thin leather driving gloves.

 

Absolutely buying a bottle as soon as humanly possible! This is as fantastic as I had hoped and while it will never unseat Banshee Beat as my favorite, this is a knockout blend and is absolutely me in every way.

[unlaced]

In bottle: WHEW! That is strong! Some kind of very dark leaves/plant. The oak, I guess? And a hint of leather.

 

Wet: Still dark green plants and leather. Maybe a hint of patchouli?

 

As it's drying something... sharp? joins the mix. I'm not a fan of this scent.

 

Drydown: Yeah, I'm pretty sure this one goes into the swap pile. I wish I was getting more leather ans patchouli from this. It is soooo strong! When I put a little on to test and walked into the room where my mother was she said "What do you smell like? from across the room. I told her the scent description and she said she smelled the almond the most. I didn't get a whole lot of almond from this but, different noses.

[HerbGirl]

I love this oil.

Leather, patchouli, oak, vanilla and almond fabulousness.

Love.

Why does it have to be sold out?

 

ETA: so glad i have 2 bottles! This is aging so well...leather, smooth patchouli, touch of almond and creamy vanilla. GORGEOUS.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Herb Girl

[InThePines]

Unf. This is amazing. I bought this from the forum so I'm not exactly sure how aged it is, but it's sooo beautiful! In the bottle and on my skin, all the notes are so well-blended they just mesh into this glorious, creamy, sweet, leathery scent. If I concentrate, I can pick out some cherry-ish marzipan while the leather (creamy, rounded and not sharp) remains the most dominant and recognizable note. I luh this so much.

[neddykapoozle]

On me this is Antikythera Mechanism plus leather, which I am totally okay with

[porcelina]

in the bottle, i'm getting ALL almond out of haute macabre, and i am crossing my fingers that the almond does not ruin it for me because i love pretty much all of the other notes. unfortunately, once it hits my skin, i'm still getting 90% almond. as it dries, more of the leather comes out and it is a really lovely leather scent, like soft and well-worn black leather, i think, with a gorgeous earthy patchouli in the background and a lot of vanilla (the vanilla/leather combo makes me think of tombstone). once it is fully dry, the almond no longer dominates but combines with the vanilla to create a delicious creaminess (not foodie though). this is really good stuff.

[dottie_doom]

Recently received a decant of HM. I was hesitant at first because I'm not normally a huge fan of leather scents, but this one is winner. On me the leather isn't too strong and is mellowed out by the lovely bourbon vanilla and almond. The first day I wore it I got several compliments on how great I smelled, always a plus! I might have to purchase a bottle at some point.

Edited August 4, 2015 by dottie_doom

[paperdollsandbpal]

On me Haute Macabre is all vanilla, leather and oak. It is blended so nicely and gives me the sense of being in a forest.

 

When it dries I'm mainly left with vanilla and oak and I LOVE IT.

 

I need a full size bottle!

[lady_pandora]

Oh, this is fantastic. It starts out cherryalmond and is a lot like As Above. Then the leather comes out, until leather is the dominant note. This is big sexy leather, a little smoky. Then a little more almond comes back, and then it gets incensey with the patchouli. The vanilla shows up more in the throw for me, while it's more patchouli close to the skin. Love it. Haute Macabre is 4-for-4 with that imp set!

[LizziesLuck]

This is the 2016 run, which just arrived in the mail today!

 

In the bottle this is alllll leather.

 

 

Wet: Mmm. Leather, for sure, but the almond is so creamy and gorgeous! Almond can be terrible on me, but this is AMAZING. Everything is so well blended. It gives me the same feel as So Below, which is so not a bad thing. I don't know how something with no musk listed can be so musky, but it is, and it's dead sexy. I can get the hints of patchouli, nose to skin. I was not expecting this to be so creamy and glorious. Smelling it makes me happy and I want to slather in it immediately. And then buy a back-up bottle. It really does feel similar to So Below, I am curious now to test them side by side, since they have such different notes.

 

Dry: This is freakin amazing. Don't ask me to pick a note out - I seriously can't. They all combine to make a bottle of sex for me. So happy to have this, can't believe I waited so long to snag a bottle. Can't wait to compare it to So Below, they smell so different in the bottles, but I swear so similar on my skin. Not the same, but they both have...something about them that's hard to describe but makes me very happy.