Channel Snow

[Lycanthrope]

Television static made manifest, with a glimpse of perversions hidden beneath: benzoin, black pepper, white sandalwood, olibanum, ambergris accord, galbanum, and O3.

So, definitely not what I was expecting, this starts off very sappy and green, the galbanum coming the the forefront. There is not a very strong push towards 'aquatic/ozonic/O3' and definitely no mint or slush notes (I think the snow refers more to television static more than any kind of atmospheric suggestion, my bad). The scent also has a strong resinous feel to it, and it becomes a very spiky, spicy resinous and deep scent on my skin. It has a strong kiss of woodsiness. I kind of think of a classic 50s TV made of walnut or some type of polished wood with the fuzzy sound of static in the background. Starts off really strong but then becomes a mild inobtrusive background scent. Just like channel static!

[ralenth]

Warm, polished wood with resinous overtones. After about thirty minutes, it has faded to a background inviting woodsiness.

[windbourne]

Ahhaaaaa, oh god. So I learned with the SN that I -love- galbanum. This opens with a strong green galbanum that I just want to wander around in and huff and roll my eyes back in my head like a shark. Except then, thirty seconds in, suddenly there's this intense black pepper kaboom. And I am not a fan of black pepper. ~___~;; It's like watching late night TV and drowsing off and then the show ends with a BZZZZZZ. (That doesn't happen anymore, I don't think? Maybe it does. I used to watch public access as a kid and that was it, around 3 am. BZZZZZZZ)

 

If I am patient and don't sniff for a half hour or so, it is absolutely amazing. The pepper retreats and the other notes rise and it's gorgeous. Soft and woody with a grey fuzziness from the ambergris and a little sharp ozone under it all. It has a little bit of a peek-a-boo aspect to it, where it seems to fade in and out, not unlike television static. I put it on last night before I went to bed and my wrists still wafted a little sandalwood and ambergris.

 

I think I need a bottle of this despite the pepper. I love Kabuki anyway, so I was predisposed, but. Seriously, if you like galbanum, give this a try.

[annemathematics]

my experience is similar to windbourne's up above.

 

the initial scent is heavy on the galbanum, then bits of pepper and vanilla (my nose's take on benzoin) come dancing in and run around and make mischief. then everything quiets back down and there's only galbanum. the galbanum is lovely, but the highlight of this scent to me is the black and white static which is a very fleeting part of the perfume experience.

[zankoku_zen]

Strong, green galbanum, bits of pepper, benzoin, and just something that smells sort of chemically.

 

This one is a very discordant clash of warm and icy notes on me. The warm is the benzoin, galbanum and pepper. The icy being whatever smells sort of inky/chemically on me.

 

It smells and gives off the vibe of something SMASHED TOGETHER. Literally smashed together.

[mymymai]

• ITI: It’s almost smoky in the bottle, like vetiver surrounding benzoin, musk, and something slightly tangy and almost minty, which might be the O3. I wasn’t anticipating the smokiness of the scent, but I can certainly see

Wet: It smells clean and dangerous – the O3 and olibanum are light ephemeral when paired with the headier elements like the benzoin and galbanum, that yield a metallic, dangerous vibe. The pepper is present, but only enough to add an interesting depth to the scent.

Dry: The sandalwood and ambergris are the notes that settle down for the long haul, casting the smoky, metallic notes into a more resinous and slightly sweet role. This gets a positive rating from me, but I wish the ambergris was more apparent.

[Jangzonrice]

Smoky vetiver, but with a clean cologney edge...sweetened by benzoin. It goes on sharp at first, then mellows to a spicy sweet musk. Very nice, but I'm happy with just a decant. I think it reminds me of a Lancôme perfume, but I can't remember which one- I think it's the cognac colored one in the pyramid shaped bottle. This is nostalgic because that was my mother's signature scent when I was little.

[milo]

Somewhat offensive to me. I got something like vetiver, smoky and unpleasant, along with woods. Not digging this one, but it fades fast luckily.

[Little Bird]

I think that I don't like galbanum. It often smells weirdly green and reminiscent of Pine-Sol on my skin. Bitter and pine-y. I usually enjoy black pepper, but I find it off-putting with the bitter green and sour, musky ambergris here. The drydown is a little smoky and a little powdery from the sandalwood. I find this to be a bitter, sharp, spiky sort of fragrance, where I tend to wear sweeter, smoother blends.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Really interesting! Spicy and woody. Very dry, but also warm. It totally does remind of static. So interesting and unique. I like it a lot so far.

 

 

Dry: I waited too long to review it dry, and it disappeared! So not long lasting (a couple hours only). I liked it while it lasted though, it was warm, woody and spicy. I can see wearing it in the summer on hikes.

[whipwaif]

spiky with a hint of sweetness. the initial description really spoke to me, but i had a visceral reaction to this in the bottle. on the skin, it comes alive. 

 

this blend has a sharp tarry kick, but i think the benzoin and sandalwood really aid in keeping that at bay. close to the nose i do get the sneezy black pepper and galbanum. it is a very green scent, but i also get the ~cool blue television static~ as well. the image, description, and scent ALL match perfectly. imho, this is also a thunderstorm in a bottle.

 

i do quite love this scent, but i'm not sure i'll go through the bottle too quickly.  i can see myself only wearing this on a hot and rainy summer night. the one downside too is that the throw and longevity isn't fantastic. still, such a gorgeous blend.