The Memory of Primal Secrets

[kashmira]

It was the Yuletide, that men call Christmas though they know in their hearts it is older than Bethlehem and Babylon, older than Memphis and mankind. It was the Yuletide, and I had come at last to the ancient sea town where my people had dwelt and kept festival in the elder time when festival was forbidden; where also they had commanded their sons to keep festival once every century, that the memory of primal secrets might not be forgotten.

Corrupt incense twinging through the huddled roofs of Kingsport on winter solstice night.

To my nose, this has a salty, almost cold aquatic note to it, with ominous incense running through it. While it does turn a bit soap-like on my skin, it is not an unpleasant scent. Instead, it is strangely reminiscent of a perfume I used to wear a long time ago, but it has a darker edge to it. This perfume almost seems to have up a forlorn, secretive energy to it: it has not forgotten the rituals from elder times.

[pinkstardust420]

This is very unique! The incense is sweet, but dark. Hard to describe!

[tinyvulture]

A salty aquatic/ozone, worthy of Kingsport. At first I also thought I smelled the lab's "slushy snow" note, but it quickly faded, if it was there to begin with. I don't really get any incense from this blend! Just that creepy, aquatic atmospheric quality. I'm not really into aquatics, so I'll try to swap it.

[Dark Alice]

This is clean with a hint of incense or something cookie. I like it...cologney...but I like it. I will stick to my decant for now though.

[Atrous]

The only way I know to describe the smell of this is Rotting Incense - if that makes sense? There is something aquatic underneath but it's dark, stagnant aquatic. The combo of notes is literally making me sick to my stomach and I have to scrub it off.

[zankoku_zen]

Salty aquatic ozone, touch of incense, woody background.

 

Okay, this definitely smells like an evil sea. There's something 'off' about it. It smells like an ocean with teeth.

 

In other words, very similar to Kingsport and the other Picnic in Arkham blends.

 

*runs away*

[Dark Alice]

ZZ said it right: Aquatic, wood with a touch of ozone. I like it. And my decant will be loved.

[stellamaris]

The aquatic thing that many of the MU blends have, it's here, but with a lovely incense under it. This is surely a Big Bottle, as my Halloween at MU is truly loved

[forspecial_plate]

I think this is beautiful.....I think it's interesting how there are so many aquatic scents that are different, and I'm glad Beth doesn't get tired of making them!

 

This is best when I first put it on and it hasn't dried yet, it's this elegant, arcane, mysterious incense-y aquatic. I get just a hint of something like hazelnut, too....only in the very first opening stage. Sounds weird and it is weird, but it is so good, I wish it stayed like this forever.....

 

After a while it dries and ozone comes forward, a pretty strong ozone component that almost tips the balance but not quite. Watch out if you amp ozone because that could be a problem here (not a problem for me).

 

I was wondering how this compares to Kingsport and I think it's clearly related, but also different. It is less sweet and I don't pick up on any citrus or anything fruity (like I get from Kingsport). It's colder and drier, definitely a night-time scent. I'm picturing a beautiful woman with jet black hair, pale skin, stepping out of an old black limo, in a dark green fur coat with a few snowflakes landing on the fur coat. I don't know where she got a dark green fur coat but that's what she's wearing. Lol!

[JazzieCazzie]

Chose to get an imp of this in a Yule decant circle because of the description as "incense."

 

IN THE IMP: Soap.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Just, ugh. Ick, No incense at all. Soap, salt, aquatic, all death notes for me.

 

DRYDOWN: ZERO incense. Completely nasty on me. Soap, sweat, salt.

 

OVERALL: I need to learn my lesson to only get blends that actually list notes because I did not get any incense, corrupt or otherwise. Fortunately, I test drove this with another Yule decant that I had my concerns about, both of which smelled kinda nasty in the imp but in the name of science I was still testing, and I tried them simultaneously right before a shower. Good thing, because both are total washoffs.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: A men's aquatic cologne w/ a kind of unpleasant incense.

 

Wet: Now the incense is even stranger, and not in a good way. Fishy?

 

The dry-down: Even the cat, who loves all things fish, wrinkled his nose at this and backed away. That seals the deal for this fishy scent that is past its shelf-life. Sprinkling w/ weird incense won't help, either. Bizarre--now it's turning sweet! Just a really different men's aquatic cologne. Not for me, but a perfect evocation of the concept.

Edited January 29, 2014 by thekittenkat

[Ethaisa]

Both more ozone and more salt than I was expecting. A very cold aquatic, over all - reminds me of walking into a cold wind, trying not to slip on a slushy salted road in the middle of the night. Wispy incense in the late stages. Very atmospheric and evocative, but not something I'd really wear.

[Jangzonrice]

Wet:strong cologne scent with salty dark ocean waves. Dry: strong dark aquatic...no incense though actually, after about an hour or so, a little incense comes out, but is still dominated by the aquatic.

This is not my favorite, but it is not the worst. It really smells like the boundless vista from this year's Yule release without the coconut though. I happen to really love boundless vista so the same scent without the coconut is kind of a let down. I will keep it to layer probably. Throw is good and I'm sure lasting power will be similar to boundless vista, which was pretty good in my opinion. Maybe some aging will make the incense come out....

[milo]

At first, I'm getting the incense, but as it dries, it turns more of a green scented aquatic, like rain in a tropical forest. Quite similar to other aquatic blends from this years Yules. Hmm.

[Nicnivin]

Every time I think I've found the perfect scent for my chemistry, I come across something new that absolutely blows me away.

 

The Memory of Primal Secrets is rich and gorgeous beyond measure. Dark and aquatic, with a strong undercurrent of wood notes and incense, it makes me think of an ancient, battered boat slipping through black water in the middle of the night. As another poster mentioned above, there is something like hazelnut in the opening notes, but then it darkens to rippling saltwater waves and creaking timber.

 

Breathtakingly beautiful, and now in my top 5.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Nicnivin

[aquazoo]

I get the chilly part of this. A little bit tart, a little bit salty.

[ralenth]

Wet: Deep, dark aquatic, with a flash of ozone, and something like hazelnut. 

 

Drydown: It definitely gets saltier, like a swirling storm at sea. The note that reminded me of hazelnut bells out a bit, and is supported by wood notes, transforming into a storm-tossed ship. 

 

Dry: Gorgeous, dark aquatic cologne.

 

Overall: This has aged quite well. It is quite pleasant, with none of the ominous teeth of earlier reviews.