Quintessence of Dust

[Monday]

What a piece of work is a man!

What is this quintessence of dust?

 

The passing: beeswax and smoke, yellowed paper and well-worn leather books, droplets of spilled ink, faded incense, blood-tinged salty tears, and the metal of the knife that skewers that illiterate zombie philistines portrait.

Lots of beeswax and honey with a little bit of dust. The beeswax/honey note does what it always does on my skin after a while which is smell bad and won't scrub off. If you can pull off honey/beeswax you might like this for me it's a no go.

[zankoku_zen]

Quintessence for me is about the brown leather. I get brown leather that dries down to a slightly salty brown leather and metal blend.

 

Menfolk into steam punk and brown leather lovers should check this out. In some ways, it makes me think of Indiana Jones.

[tinyvulture]

A rich, luxurious leather note hits me first. There's also beeswax and something sweet and fruity, a plum maybe? The notes are woven tightly together but my overall impression is someone with a lot of money and time. Ancient, wealthy, decadent.

[yewberry]

A bit of "In the Forest" with beeswax. Lovely!

[Gwydion]

In Bottle: This is delicious and complicated. The beeswax is a pervasive canvas on which the other elements play. The incense is the strongest note, with ink and tears in support. The leather is second strongest with smoke and metal seasoning it. The beeswax is third with soft paper support. Wet: Leather is now strongest with ink as strong support. (I amp leather and do well with ink, so this is a skin chemistry thing and YMMV). The incense and metal are more background on my skin, with the rest mostly being accents. I still really like this, but the in bottle balance was more interesting. Dry: Leather and incense, with ink and a sharp metal edge.

[azurelunatic]

Immediately after I put it on, the beeswax dominates. The incense shifts in and out for a while, but the wax always remains sweetly, smokily ascendant. I smell like the aftermath of a very complicated magical ritual that used nearly unsafe numbers of candles. It's glorious.

[milo]

I'm getting the beeswax right away. This note is similar to the ones in no 93 engine, Hunter, Liz, Door, The Light's of Men's Lives, though this has more beeswax than any of the above. I really like this, it's lovely, with a touch of smoke, though I'm getting very little leather. Reminds me a bit of O too, it's got a sexy honey vibe going on.

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: sweet, sweet, slightly smoky beeswax and aquatic dragon's blood. The smoke and water gives this a little etherealness (ethereality?) out of the bottle

 

Wet on skin: Almost the same, but just a bit darker - more smoke, maybe, or the ink. Or a very dark, well-used leather. It doesn't go quite as sour as vetiver usually does on my skin, but it's leaning that way a little.

 

Dried down:I think this is primarily beeswax, smoke, and dragon's blood on me. The other notes might be there, darkening it a bit, but they're hiding behind the smoke.

 

Throw: This has a pretty strong throw on me! Not quite enough to give me a headache, thankfully, but I've only got this on one wrist, and I can easily smell it as I type.

 

Verdict: **** I don't think I need more than one bottle of this - I don't think I'll be using this too frequently. But when I do.... mmmmmm................ I think I love the lab's beeswax note, and this perfume is so complex! This is definitely a contemplative perfume for me, I think.

[Atrous]

Beeswax is a dominate note but it's the note that permeates all the others. Worn, brown leather and parchment are also front and center. At the edges incense smoke swirls and teases my nose. At the very bottom and close to the skin is a salty, cold metallic smell.

 

The notes stay in their respective layers except the beeswax, which runs through all the layers of this lovely blend.

I'd say this is a quiet, contemplative blend.

A must try for those who love beeswax

[annemathematics]

salty brown leather, spiced with ink and smoke, encased in dusty wax. this is a strong dry scent. there's something slightly medicinal lurking in the background.

 

it's honestly a little bizarre but I find it completely addictive. not something i'd wear on a first date. more a scent I put on at home at night working on creative endeavours. I love all the OLLAs and this is one of my favorites.

Edited October 31, 2014 by annemathematics

[Monster]

Out of the bottle this is all soft, brown leather (just like the one in Edgar Miche). When I apply it to my skin, the leather fades, ages and becomes dusty. I feel like time is passing by right before my…nose. In the background I'm getting beeswax candles, a soft dance of incense and something vaguely metallic.

 

As this dries, it's beginning to remind me a bit of a milder Tombuer (which is strange seeing as how they don't share the same notes). The final dry down is all beeswax, incense and leather on my skin. This is exactly the type of blend I like to wear and is one of my favorites from the OLLA series.

Edited October 30, 2014 by Monster

[Ryan Hemphill]

When I first put this one my first though was that is was a very comforting smell--but I couldn't place quite why I felt that way.

 

Was beeswax-heavy at first, but that dried down to a perfectly blended mix of beeswax, brown leather, and the parchment scent, and a little incense way in the background. It's a bit of a morpher for me--keeps coming back and surprising me.

 

The throw on this is great- it's strong but not overpowering.

 

Definitely has that "dusty" note that I get from a lot of the OLLAs and adore. Makes everything smell aged and refined.

 

This is another lovely addition to my OLLA collection.

[DevilsCandyCane]

This has serious wow-factor freshly applied! It's like the pinnacle of book scents, note after note rushing past, 100% true to life - dusty old paper, leather, ink, beeswax, all in this swirling torrent, and my instant thought was, 'Well, I guess I'll be selling my Buggre Alle This Bible, then!' because this surpassed it in every way, but the book-smelling paper and ink tend to fade down quite a bit. The next stage brings out a little of the metal and the saltiness of the tears, almost becoming aquatic against the leather, but I actually quite like this stage - the metal and the tears were the notes I feared, but they don't ruin it, and they don't last long on my skin.

 

As it continues to dry, the leather takes centre stage, and it's a leather note I've rarely encountered before - it is very close to Edgar Miche, but in this it feels like the oldest, softest, crinkliest leather that's almost falling apart with age. The paper and ink are becoming detectable again, lurking in the background. There is a hint of beeswax and smoke, feeling just as old and soft with age as the leather. In terms of imagery, what I see is a well-loved library filled with tattered, ancient volumes, and a single candle smoking on the desk as though the room has only just been abandoned by its vampiric occupant - it feels like a room that's empty, but still has the lingering aura of someone's presence, a tell-tale candle still smoking.

 

I really, really love this scent! The first time I tried it, fresh out the mail, I was unsure about the drydown - though it smelled great close to my nose, I was catching all these whiffs of Scotch whiskey, very close to the Whiskey, Candlesmoke & Musk linen spray that I hated so much. it was as though the leather note had crumbled into nearly rotten decay and I was not a fan of that. But testing it again now, everything's behaving itself, the leather's staying worn-but-clean, and I really love it. Just from this little progression, I get the feeling it will age very, very well, and I'm wondering if I need to grab a second bottle...

 

tl;dr - absolutely perfect book scent! Buggre Alle This is almost purely paper and dust, tinged with mildew, whereas this has everything - the leather, the paper, the ink, the candlesmoke, and it's much more elegant and wearable I can't wait until my mum gets back from holiday - she's a lifelong librarian, and I get the feeling she might love this!

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: WOW LEATHER. The chemically kind that makes me make my, "ick" face. And maybe some metal? I was really hoping for some beeswax.... this stinks. Lol. So either it's a real morpher and will be awesome once dry and warmed by my skin, OR my skin chemistry has once again ruined for me something that everyone else swoons over. Gosh, the LEATHER! This smells like Paladin did on me, all metal and leather and chemicals and YUCK.

 

Dry: It takes forever for this to turn into anything I even remotely want to wear. Eventually it's a sort of soft incense. Still nothing amazing on me, and not worth the horrid chemical leather/metal stage on me. I am just going to have to face the fact that leather is iffy on me. Boo.

[freyasfae]

My impressions:

 

In the bottle: Holy crap, this smells like old books! This is what all the BPALers are talking about on the forum when they talk about the old books smell.

 

Wet: Almost immediately, something sweet jumps in, which I think is the beeswax on me, maybe some of the incense which my skin does not hate in this because it's subtle.

 

Drydown: Reading books by candlelight, not good for the eyes, but terribly romantic.

 

I don't think I want to smell like old books enough to buy a bottle, but I definitely will be keeping this for the occasional moments when I do.

 

Update: After a few hours, this becomes a sweet beeswax on me with a little smoke to it, almost caramel-y. This just got bumped on my list to favorites.

Edited February 3, 2016 by freyasfae

[spikyfairy]

I knew I needed at least one of the OLLA oils, as I adore the film. I am also a massive book-nerd so this was an obvious choice . This review might be a little inarticulate, as I think I am still getting my head around this very complex scent..

In the bottle: This is confusing! It's almost unpleasant, but I can't stop sniffing.. I can smell the incense, and blood and tears - a slightly salty aquatic note.

Wet on me: Wow, indeed! I can smell all the listed notes, but the ink & candle-smoke come out first and very strongly on me. Leather, blood, tears and metal are all there, with a slight incense-y sweetness way in the background. There is also a bitter fruity smell which I am pretty certain is dragon's blood, which I don't like - but there is so much else going on here, it's not that noticeable, and doesn't last long.

Dry: The dust, parchment & wax emerge as it dries, and the sharp ink & smoke settle down a bit, making it much nicer. Quite strong still. Leather can be very iffy for me, but I like this version. Beeswax comes out more and more the longer it is on, tying all the other notes together. It is wonderful but quite odd, not sure how many situations this would be wearable in. The throw is mostly beeswax and leather at this point, with a dash of ink and incense. But closer to my skin the ink is stronger, and I still get a little of the blood/tears/metal.

 

It's a very long dry-down, and it kind of cycles through different stages.. I get a blast of candle-smoke and ink at first that makes me feel like I should be writing a grimoire (fabulous, but freaky!). Then it's beeswax backed by incense, then all the notes combine into a glorious beeswax-y whole, then finally, hours later, I am left with mostly beeswax just flavoured with a little leather and ink. Very bookish and magickal and pretty much all I had hoped for.

[BeyondBad1313]

This blend is odd so far. Needs to settle more, but as i am smelling it, it is chilly air and dusty old attic. To me this is a very nostalgic smell. Can't wait to see how this morphs as it settles.

[Poenari]

Beeswax dominates and drowns out everything. This is the same beeswax note that has ruined these other scents for me: Young Edith's Bedroom, and Whiskey, Candlesmoke, & Musk atmo sprays. Something about this particular note makes me wrinkle my nose. I can get by without washing it off, but I will be happy when it is faded and I can apply something else that I prefer. Fortunately I don't find that problem with honey. QoD however, is not one for me.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Poenari

[SongOfStark]

I'm not the best at articulating notes I smell, but I'll try for this one! Especially since it morphs so dramatically for me.

 

In the bottle, it's fairly sweet. Fruity, almost? With a hint of saltiness. Very strange.

 

On wet, I smell the leather first and foremost! The saltiness comes out in that it kind of smells like salted hide. Hmm.

 

As it dries, it's DEFINITELY dusty though, in an old-book way. Enough that I instinctively feel like I'm gonna sneeze when I sniff my wrist (but in a good way!) As time goes on, the dust is fading into the beeswax... and then finally back to leather with a little of the incense, I think? I'm so used to my skin just instantly amping ANY incense that sometimes I have trouble identifying it when it plays nice with the other scents.

 

This scent was a wild ride from start to finish. But it really morphs into something subtle and nice. Good for a rainy library day I think, or when you're going through old photo albums. Nostalgia in a bottle!

[Casablanca]

The first impression on my skin is soft, worn brown leather. A splash of salty tears follows, and then together come the beeswax and smoke, incense, aged paper, and a thin needle-like note of metal. A musty, unhealthy blanket of dust covers it all: what a friend sniffed and called "moth balls."

Once dried, the blend settles mainly into a musty, incense-dusted leather book. The tears dry and leave traces of salt, but the other notes change less than they just fade and integrate.

I could do without the salt and musty dust but like the rest. Unfortunately, if fittingly, the mustiness of the blend grows on my skin with the passage of time.

[Little Bird]

In the vial, this is metallic, a bit peppery, and has undertones of dry wood and barely-there leather. On my skin, it's sweet and quickly turns into a beeswax single note. A sweet honey-vanilla aroma, actual wax, and a swirl of candle smoke.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Little Bird

[theseagrows]

i smell the saltiness in the beginning, followed by beeswax and the yellowed paper. it does bring to mind a candlelit room full of books, golden yellow reflecting on white pages and brown leather. it gets saltier and saltier and i sense a metallic edge with some smokiness in the background. paper and salt notes don't really do well with me, so i am disliking this because of those. i like the beeswax though and the golden-ness of this scent. it's interesting and evocative, even though i personally don't find it very wearable.

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: Sweet beeswax, a whiff of smoke, a bit of salt.

 

Wet On Skin: The beeswax gets lighter, and the salt remains a grounding force. Possibly some tears drizzled onto the whole affair.

 

Dry Down: A smoke and light beeswax combination that becomes nearly leather. Which, for me, sadly, is not great. I traditionally very much like the Lab's beeswax note, but I'm feeling rather disappointed with my skin chemistry this time out. I'll hold on to this to see how it ages, but this might wind up on the swap pile...

[doomsday_disco]

2018 release.

 

In the decant: Well-worn leather, beeswax, smoke, yellowed pages, and a bit of the salt.

 

Wet: The leather and beeswax are the strongest notes on me, followed by the yellowed pages. Far in the background, I can smell some of the salty tears and the metallic knife. It becomes smokier and less sweet as it sits on my skin.

 

Dry: The smoke has calmed down. The well-worn brown leather of the books continues to dominate the scent, followed by the beeswax, and then a bit of smoke. The dusty, yellowed pages are not as prominent as before, and while I can still smell a bit of the salty tears, I’m no longer getting the metallic note in the background.

 

Verdict: This is a nice leather and beeswax scent. I don’t feel the need to obtain more of this, as there are other leather scents and beeswax scents that I’d reach for before this one, but I am glad that I was able to try it. I may end up hanging on to my decant for a while to see how it ages and try it again before deciding to swap it away.

[Lucchesa]

Quintessence of Dust is primarily beeswax and dust on my skin, with soft leather in the background. The leather and dust notes and the sheer complication of the scent remind me of Adam. I have tried a number of BPAL "library" scents, and they tend to be very faint on me, but while Quintessence is a skin scent on me, I can make out a lot of the notes behind the beeswax. Parchment, a little smoke, a coppery tang that might be bloody tears or metal. This is gorgeous and evocative - definitely not a night on the town scent, much more introspective.