Slipping Into Madness

[ralenth]

A slow, murky sojourn into bedlam: slick, black Arabian musk, aged red patchouli, tobacco absolute, wild salvia, and a sliver of screeching, high-pitched zdravetz.

Slipping into Madness is warm, dark, and lovely. How appropriate. It slithers across my skin, whispering eldritch secrets.

Intially, the red patchouli dominated, but as the hours tick by, it melds seamlessly with the inky dark musk and traces of tobacco.

Why must I always fall in love with the impossible scents?

[Mellifluous]

Fresh, this smelled very heavily of vetiver. Dark rooty earth, and smoky. It did clean up a bit as it dried into more of a patch blend. Surprisingly a patch blend that is not too dirty.

Although not directly present through any of the dry-down, the sage and zdravetz are just there enough to barely brighten up the musk and patch.

Wet, this was far too smokey for me, but dry, it is a nice darkish, yet clean patchouli scent.

[doomsday_disco]

I bought the plaque for my boyfriend, hoping he would also like the scent. I knew from the scent description that it would not be for me, so I didn't test it. My thoughts on this scent are from getting him to test it (although he did so reluctantly).

 

In the bottle

 

Me: Wow, that is some STRONG patchouli! Fans of the Sumatran Red Patchouli will probably love this. I personally can't stand patchouli.

 

Boyfriend: Old tequila.

 

Wet

 

Me: It is still very patchouli dominant. Earthy and smoky.

 

Boyfriend: *not liking it*

 

Dry

 

Me: The patchouli is still the dominant note, but it has calmed down a bit, and I think some of the other notes (not sure which ones, though!) helped to round out the scent in the end.

 

Boyfriend: *still not liking it*

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Note bene: I have no idea what zdravetz is or smells like, and I have limited knowledge of what salvia smells like. This is strongly patchouli dominant with musk in support, and an herbal edge that is likely the salvia, with the tobacco bridging the dominant scents and the herbal edge. There is also a very faint touch of something lighter, vaguely floral and blended with the herbal scent which I’m guessing is the zdravetz. This is assuming they went with salvia leaves and zdravetz flowers. It’s possible that they did the opposite or leaves and flowers both. The scent is creating a peculiar vaguely psychotropic effect when I get too close to the open bottle. It consists of a headachey feel and a sort of rippling, like staring into a fish tank from close up, or as if my brain is trying to fold itself down the center line between the right and left lobe. I suspect I’m having an allergic reaction either to the zdravetz or whatever they did to make the salvia scent, so YMMV. However, I have to give them credit for the Lovecraftian Slipping into Madness feel this gave me. Dayumn. Weirder still, I could move away from the bottle and feel fine, but closer in, the effect kicked right back in. On! Off! On! Off! Uncomfortable but weirdly compelling and fascinating. As my eyes are itching, I’m just going to take an anti-histamine and not skin test it, as clearly that way madness DOES lie.

[cfrancesca]

First, a big to Mellifluous for sending me some to try. You rock!

 

This is a very murky, moody scent. I get lots of heavy earthy patchouli with smoky tobacco and traces of sage in the background. Hmm... this actually might be one of the darkest scents I've tried and although I wouldn't particularity seek some out, I find myself strangely allured by it.

[Monday]

On my skin wet: Vetiver, musk and patchouli. The vetiver is very obvious and smoky at this point.

On my skin dry: As with Death Adder and Desmonema the vetiver recedes to the background when it dries down. The blend is elegant and mysterious, I like how the arabian musk and zdravetz blend into the patch, it smells dark and voluptuous after a while.

 

It doesn't fit its name, if it had been named something else I would have believed it too but that's the only thing I don't like about this blend. Overall: very elegant.

 

Zdravetz is geranium macrorrhizum btw.

[absinthetics]

HUGE vetiver in your face when this comes out of the bottle. There's a sharpness to it like wine. And then it's smokey and patch. It's like an alcoholic vetiver first, though. There's a strong sort of BBQness that lies in the bacground. Burnt alcoholic vetiver. It is not patch-dirty but there is a 'great depths'ness of it. It's hard to explain. But for me, the vetiver is just way too much to really get into this scent. I have yet to try it on.

[zankoku_zen]

Vetiver, rooty earthy patchouli and a smidge of black musk and tobacco.

 

This smells deep, dark, and manly.

[Trickster]

It's strange to me that so many of us are smelling vetiver in this blend when it isn't even in the list of ingredients. It really does smell like vetiver, though.

 

In the bottle: deep, dark vetiver with a hint of dark alcohol.

Wet: A little brighter, almost aquatic. The tobacco comes out just a little.

After a bit: Mellows back out into what I like to call "evil vetiver" - vetiver tempered by dark musk and dark patchouli.

 

Overall, I really love this scent and I'm glad I have a backup bottle of it.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Trickster

[milo]

Thanks to absinthetics who did mini impact of this scent:). I'm getting rooty, smoky vetivrer at first. Dries to a more muted vetiver, less smoky. There is something a bit high pitched, not sure what. At any rate, I wish I got musk and tobacco and patchouli, but no, it's all vetiver all the time. Not my kind of blend, I wouldn't even like this on a guy. I do like vetiver for its aromatherapy properties though.

[Ordo_ad_Chao]

I'm with everyone who smelled vetiver in this. The first half hour of the scent for me smelled exactly like Malediction. Vetiver and red patch. Very dark, very fierce, very in-your-face.

 

After a while the tobacco starts smoothing it out just a bit (side note, this is the only blend I've tried with a tobacco note where it hasn't amped to obliterate all other notes). Weirdly, I'm really not picking up the musk.

 

Conclusion: on me this is a smoother, more well-rounded Malediction with the tiniest hint of herbal bite hidden away in it. Malediction is one of my favorite blends when I'm in a take no prisoners mood, and this suave older brother is stealing my heart.