Noctiphobia

[Invidiana]

NOCTIPHOBIA
Fear of nighttime. The vast, endless canopy of the night sky, dotted with cold, harsh pinpoints of light under a bulging white moon:

If there ever was an "essence of night" captured in a bottle, this is it.

I cannot begin to express in humble human-derived words how amazing this is. I don't normally spring for bottles of scents that don't have notes listed, but anything with that has the general idea of all-encompassing darkness is the big exception. This is so well-blended to capture that feeling of thick, dark night that it's difficult to pick out notes but I'll make some feeble attempt. There is no single note that dominates from the wet stage all the way through the drydown. I can detect lavender, but not the kind of gun-toting lavender that pierces your nostrils with no mercy. This is a soft, mysterious lavender that spins itself into a veil of what I'm assuming to be a dark musk. Definitely a subtle backdrop of dark woods here too, but while I can't tell exactly what they are (might be a bit of teak or sandalwood somewhere in here) I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that there's no cedar or cypress because my skin amps those to eleven. Possibly a hint of black amber or something close resin-wise anchoring it; there's a very slight smokiness on the drydown. There must be some night-blooming florals here too, not jasmine, but I feel it shares a few things with Midnight and I have no idea what a lot of the floral notes in that smell like on their own. Maybe evening stock, maybe nicotiana. Educated guess. In fact it is kind of like Midnight's older sister, kind of like Death is to Delirium in Sandman.

In other words, if you like Night's Bridge, or my discontinued first love Midnight, run.

[Klepz]

This smells so much like Incantation on my skin. It's deep, dark and velvety. It probably has oak, because it's reminiscent of Antikythera Mechanism/Haloes, but much deeper. There's a crystalline, night-air kind of feel to this, but it borders on too clean and almost soapy on me.

 

If you liked the three scents I mentioned, I think you'll love this. It's so sophisticated. Color wise, it's definitely a deep, midnight blue.

[Lycanthrope]

One of those very well blended scents that is hard to put into words, and definitely squishes into one of those olfactory squibblies that ends up making me sound like I'm just spouting out notes. Overall, this is interesting. Much sweeter than I expected. For some weird reason I keep thinking 'Big Red Gum.'

 

It's very smooth, and I am getting a very inky musk out of this. Maybe 'indigo musk,' as I feel like I've smelled this before. The scent is not woodsy, or terrifyingly sharp or bright. It has a moonflower like fleshy floral, and maybe some other really 'wide' white flowers (oh, God, that made no sense). It also has spices running through it, almost like a whisper of pepper that makes this whole fragrance edgy and not cold. It's a warm, visceral type of night musk. I wasn't sure what to expect.

 

I agree that this is like Night's Bridge, but without the stone and cologne like notes. Noctiphobia stays very close to the skin but it makes me think of menacing moments in the darkness. I'm not sure I need more than what I have, but this is a very evocative scent that pulls off the fearsome, pulsing heartbeat in the evening feel.

 

Plox to wear with: a deep burgundy and violet crushed velvet dress with blood garnet and silver rimmed necklace and earrings.

[yakiguri]

*sigh*

 

Came looking for a replacement for my beloved Zorya, instead I get men's deodorant. Indeed very clean with prominent lavender, but whatever else is in this blend turns it into "sporty male wash." I have no desire to smell like I swiped Mr. Elf's body wash, thank you.

[Ohyeathat]

It most certainly makes me think of a man's scent, right away. A very sexy man. A slight musk with 'clean' notes coming through. Sadly I am not able to place the notes.

 

While I do love this, I think it would smell better on my husband.

[Rshields]

I can't explain this properly or break it down, Poison Queen?

All I can say is that it is beautiful and for me evocative

of a very expensive woody oriental perfume, classy distinguished

and elegant. I don't know why i'm getting "a woody oriental"

it just feels thay way to me. Sorry for the terrible review

but I recommend trying this. I want a bottle, it's gorgeous

and perfect for cold winter nights! You will feel like a diva

in this oil.

[becca_s]

I love this!

It does start out a bit sharp and I can kind of see how it might smell masculine in it's beginning stages, but after a few minutes the sharpness fades away and it smells lovely.

I can't really pick out any notes in it though, but the scent definitely softens in to a pretty oriental kind of scent, which reminds me of cold, clear winter nights. It smells a little bit like Mourning Lace, so perhaps they share some of the same notes, and the same kind of mood too.

I need to get a bottle of this

[tziporra]

In the bottle, straight outta the mailbox: I bought this untested after I sniffed a friend's and it put me exactly in mind of a very familiar commercial perfume. Can't for the life of me think of what it might be, but the associated emotions were very positive. Still smells like that.

 

Wet on skin: oh oakmoss. Hi there. No one warned me you were here. I guess that is what all those deodorant people were talking about up thread. It's funny because on the back of my hand where I am testing this it's all OAKMOSS, but on the finger I used to apply it I'm getting a strong velvety perfumery floral. Something night blooming, one imagines.

 

If I sit and concentrate on this I feel like I get the labs wine note as well, or something related. So, oakmoss, floral, wine, maybe something woody or resiny at the bottom, plus oakmoss.

 

I'm going to retest and see if I can get the finger scent to be the whole scent, instead of the oakmoss. Will update.

 

Tzi

 

ETA: well, I rested the bottle and rolled it between my hands, and it is now a completely different scent. Very like Event Horizon, which makes a lot of sense given the description. Still can't find the flowers, which makes me sad, but maybe it will change again in a week! Who knows?

 

I think the resin is opoponax which is why people are getting a lavender impression.

 

ETAA: I gave this to the man and he smells absolutely divine. I can't stop sniffing him, it's embarrassing.

Edited November 1, 2013 by tziporra

[OctoberGwen]

NOCTIPHOBIA

 

Oh, this smells sooooooo familiar. I agree with Tzi; I have most definitely smelled something very similar to this in the commercial world, and I think it was a men's cologne. I wish I could think of the name of it.

 

Anyway, this is a very well blended scent that I have a hard time picking out notes from. (Although let's face it: I'm no expert even when the notes are listed.) It definitely evokes a vast blackened sky and chill night air. I quite like it. It would smell like win and awesome on my husband, I think.

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I love the night sky, though I prefer the nights where it looks like "the silver pepper of the stars", to quote my favorite line from The Great Gatsby. And yet, a scent that evokes the inky blue of a cold night lit by the moon and stars sounds like a wondrous thing indeed.

 

In the Vial: There's something musky in there to my nose. It's lighter, softer and sweeter than I would have expected given the description. I can also pick up the lavender among the notes.

 

Wet: It goes slightly herby, but unlike most herby scents it's a soft green rather than a harsh one.

 

Drydown: While I can't tell if it's something that just happened to be on my hand or something in the scent, I'm getting a bit of sourness in "unwashed body" mode. It's not the skank I get from rose or violet nor the screaming ampitude of musk/amber/patchouli. But it's there enough to throw the scent out of kilter.

 

Verdict: I'll test again. The decant is very good for a scent locket; we'll see if further testing helps the sourness.

[Gateau]

In the bottle I smelled so,etching clean and lavendery, and that's how it starts on my skin. Then I start to smell what I think is oakmoss, maybe a little oak wood and possibly grassy vetiver. It goes from a sharpish cologne, very masculine, to something a little mossier and mellower. Then it picks up a powderiness that I tend to get with mosses, vetiver, and some dark musks.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: I’m picking up mint, lavender, musk, ozone, musk, amber and some sort of incense, with a hint of floral. It is deep, dark, and velvety with a chill to it. Wet: My skin eats it. What’s left is mostly lavender and amber, with something that reminds me of iron accord, though it could be another metallic. Dry: Mostly amber and musk with a touch of incense.

[tinyvulture]

I was so curious to find out what this one smells like! And now that I know, I'm quite pleased with it. To me, it's very similar to one of my all-time favorite Halloweenies, Autumn in Meditation. I get that same scent of a candle flame being extinguished (waxy and smoky), plus clean ozone. Noctiphobia is a little sweeter than AiM...is that sweet lavender I'm smelling? For me, AiM has always evoked a stormy fall day, cozy indoors with candles burning and a good book (the perfect fall day.) Noctiphobia evokes that same image, but at night.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Somewhat cologne-y, slightly soapy, and a bit herbal-y.

 

Wet: Sharp, very cologne-y (for lack of a better description). I can't detect any specific notes, but it seems to be a very masculine scent. It is very soapy on my skin.

 

Several minutes later, the scent is starting to soften up a bit, but it still is rather soapy and holds that cologne-y vibe.

 

Dry: This is very soft now. It is still rather soapy and possesses a cologne-y masculine quality to it. I wish I could pinpoint what this reminds me of, but it's just not coming to me.

 

Verdict: Definitely not for me... I don't foresee myself testing this one again, so I don't intend to keep the decant!

Edited November 5, 2013 by dementia_divine

[MCS4096]

Begins as a masculine cologne with well blended lavender and soft musk. As it dries down I get a lot of mint. Not menthol, clear your nostrils mint, but soft herbal mint. Eventually it actually shifts from masculine-leaning to feminine-leaning, in my opinion. It becomes slightly sweeter and powdery, maybe that's some amber coming out?

 

I find it hard to describe, but I enjoy it quite a lot. I feel it's in the same camp as Villain, so I may have to compare them before deciding on a bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Masculine cologne, with lavender, soft musk and a minty top note. This is a clean, ozone type cologne. I'd think this is a very clean, sophisticated, blend. Very appropriate for the office.

 

I'm actually quite excited about this, and will try this on mr. zee_zee, and hope it doesn't go all femme on him.

[patina]

This is unpleasant in the vial, sort of cleaningfluid-esque. It softens up on my skin, turning into the softer, maybe slightly floral relative of Night's Bridge. Am I crazy? No one else has mentioned that scent, but to me it's almost entirely alike.

 

Edit: okay, so other people already mentioned Night's Bridge. I fail reading comprehension. Also I get champa from this rather than lavender.

Edited November 17, 2013 by patina

[surlygurl]

Oooh! I like this! It is a deep crisp blue smell, like a chilly night. Bluish purple, like crushed berries. Musky, sexy, close to the skin. There's something familiar, something..... Tobacco flower! AHA! A very soft clean bright scent made deep by the tobacco flower... and clove? Maybe? This is stunning. If you ever smelled Raven Moon, this is in the same family (but more upbeat and a little warmer). I wish it lasted longed and/or had better throw.

[Magycmyste]

A little scared of this one, since I don't generally do that great with dark scents, but the description captured me.

 

In the imp: A pretty floral - it reminds me of jasmine and rose and something else, but I'm not sure what. It's definitely not a sweet scent.

 

Wet on skin: Oh my. There's a bit of incense or myrrh peeking out now. This is beautiful!

 

Dried down: Hmmm..... The myrrh note disappeared, and the floral has gone a bit sour on me. Not unpleasantly so, but it's what makes me seem to prefer the sweeter scents to the darker ones.

 

Throw: There's a bit of throw here, but not a lot.

 

Verdict: **** I thought this was going to be a 5 until it dried down. Maybe I'll change my mind as I let it sit today, but the drydown doesn't feel as special anymore, especially after that incense note popped out during the wet stage. ::sigh:: I was kind of hoping to find a dark scent to really love, as I haven't found one yet that fits those moods for me.

[CiaoBonefish]

In the Decant: Wet cool and slightly minty, not the peppermint kind but more of a fresh snowy mint if that makes any sense. I also detect a hint of something floral, it isn't lavender though, something slightly warmer than that. Right now this watery mint note is dominant.

 

Wet on Skin: The mint immediately dissipates into more of a cool snow scent which is clean and ozone-esque. There is something slightly musky about this, a green or blue sparkling kind of musk, may be white musk in combination with something else or may be some kind of blue/indigo musk that Lycanthrope mentioned above? This warms up considerably on my skin and the floral note is far more prominent now, it is kind of like a soft warm floral. A white warm floral? It is sparkly and musky with whips of clean floral and now after a while right before this dries down completely the mint is making more of an appearance.

 

Dry Down: Weird. Toothpaste. Inky blue musky kinda thing with may be a hint of papery dry floral. This one does not like my skin apparently.

 

Overall: This isn't for me. My skin doesn't like it and the floral and toothpaste is just not doing it for me which is so sad because for a while this seemed promising and the musk is pretty, but that toothpaste mint is just not going to work.

[Monday]

Skin musk, lavender, the mint in here is very soft. There is something woodsy in here too. I see how pple would get cologne from this it is a bit unisex but no more than say the Coil.

Skin musk can go a bit sour but it's holding up well. Very soft and evocative.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Something soft, something herbal, a hint of lavender.

 

Wet: The ozone, as I had hoped, comes forward: night-time air w/ night-blooming flowers and herbs.

 

The dry-down: Light lavender, mild herbs, a breath of ozone.

[theseagrows]

This is a very very soft scent. Starts off with a milky-cottony scent that is very comforting. There is a very slight hint of something sweet, most likely soft floral. It definitely invokes the idea of the scent well. After awhile, the ozoney-ness comes out more, though it is very very subtle. It becomes even more soft and more floral, less cottony. Very interesting scent, but I will probably swap it.

Edited November 27, 2013 by theseagrows

[Atrous]

This one is so hard for me to pinpoint. I get mint, dark (maybe blue or purple) florals, wood. It's so well blended.

Smells sophisticated. I get an image of a cool breeze on a crisp night. That breeze carries the scent of the locale with it...herbs, flowers, leaves, ect...

A soft scent. I love it.

[milo]

This one seems kind of like an aggressive musk at. Maybe musks with resins? It dries to a totally different scent, though. Kind of soft, white, slightly musky. Reminds me a bit of Jovan Musk. I don't like the beginning stages, and the soft musk phase fades pretty quickly.