So Below

[murqmaid]

i'll have to admit i was a skeptical reading so many before me mention the coconut. i don't like the sun tan lotion coconut, and most coconut scents have always smelled somewhat artificial and cloying to me. if you feel the same way, i think you should give so below a chance before writing her off.

wet: very, very sweet. just on the edge of OH GOD NO sweet, but please remember i tend to be sensitive about these things .  i'm loving this warm amber and i'm fine with the patch being an afterthought, since i've already got a ton of it and are seeking more variety. there's something adding a complexity here that i don't recognize, which must be the copal and cardamom, as those are notes i have the least experience with. i wish i could turn up the volume on those two, because i'd love to know more..

drying: so below becoming less sweet, allowing the other notes to come forth and shine. i'm getting more resins, which i freaking LOVE. the coconut is dark, husky, and compliments the musk perfectly. it *is* noticeably coconut, but it's not typical, obvious, or screaming at you coconut. this is starting to remind me of Kabe Ni Mimi Ga Aru, Shoki Ni Me Ga Aru, but i prefer this (kabe was beautiful, but there was something too nutty? about it for me. i'm not sure if that was the vanilla husk, but there's a similarity here, and i'm suspecting it might be the copal or husks).

HM scents are becoming a regular hit for me, and i understand why this is part of the collection, with it's sexy, broody allure. no doubt i'm going to keep my bottle, and i know this will age beautifully.

Edited November 6, 2020 by murqmaid

[monocainsheresy]

UGH this is so good Meaty, vanillic coconut and chewy patchouli drenched, dripping, in liquid resins and golden musk. No cardamom. Cozy yet tropical, and intensely nostalgic.

[Jenesis]

All the HM scents morph strangely on me. I do get a bit of patchouli but a rather unpleasant 'curried sink' scent after. I'll have to let it rest more.

 

Edit: 2 days later, still get 'curried bleach' on initial application.  I'm willing to give this more resting time but there's a truly unpleasant note in there for me, which is such a shame as coconut and patchouli are very me, but all I get is curry (must be the cardamom!) with the coconut, amber and patchouli waaaay underneath. Let's give it more time...

Edited April 23, 2021 by Jenesis

[witchytwitchygirl]

I wish I were as enthusiastic about this one as so many others seem to be! I think something about the way the amber and coconut mix is not sitting completely right with my nose. It’s not horrible and not unwearable, and the cloying sweetness seems to blend into the background after a while, but I keep trying to understand this one and I think my nose is not cooperating. I definitely don’t get smoky or sexy from this, which is what I was hoping for. It’s growing on me, but not a favorite.

[LavenderCoffee]

Amber and black copal with black coconut, Sumatran red patchouli, green cardamom pod, and golden musk.

 

So Below has been in my collection with its counterpart for a year now, but I have not reviewed either - time to remedy! Although I must confess I usually wear them together, so even though I feel like I know them, smelling them separately feels a bit new.

Wet on my skin, SB does have a bit of an unctuous stank to it that I never really noticed when layering, but I kinda like it. Black coconut and red patch, plus copal and musk are all immediately apparent. As it dries, it softens and becomes less "in your face" as I get more of the amber and cardamom. It's darkly enticing and warm. So Below gives me the good kind of "bad guy" vibes where you are not sure if you are gonna like a character, but then you find yourself rooting for them and maybe sketching some fanart.

 

Wearing As Above and So Below together seems to somehow tame and showcase the prominent notes from each: leather sidles up to copal, oak brings both patchoulis to the table in agreement, vanilla/almond/coconut relax alongside amber ...it's tremendous. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by LavenderCoffee

[MamaMoth]

once in a blue moon, you hit upon a perfume that makes you feel like you found what you didn't know you were looking for. 

 

this is that perfume. 

 

sweet, musky, creamy, resiny, and just a breath of warm spice. the amber is the star of the show here, but it's SO well-behaved.  it's very meshed with the copal to me, just coming off as the most absolutely perfect sweet resin.  the amber is not powdery or cloying at all. the coconut gives it just a little bit of creamy sweet gourmand edge, filling the space where you oftentimes find vanilla.  the patchouli is glorious, rich, and earthy.  it's applied with a very deft hand here.  you can definitely detect it's presence, but it's not forward at all... it make me go unconsciously hunting for it, but it's teasingly just out of reach in the best possible way.  i wasn't sure how the cardamom would play out here, but it's so subtle, i probably wouldn't be able to pick it out if it weren't listed.  but there is just the barest hint of not-quite-spice there, keeping all these potentially heavy elements from becoming too stodgy.  and then that musk.  my favorite kind.   golden and sheer, close to the skin, feminine and sweet and light.  somehow simultaneously enriching the blend, while keeping it light. 

 

it's just so goddamned beautiful, and i feel like it was made for me personally.