Claircognizance

[bheansidhe]

Dr. E. S. Packard, of Corunna, Me., in the Eastern Star, states that Mr. David Prescott, of South Sangerville, over ninety years of age, “wandered away into the woods, and not returning, a crowd of over a hundred men hunted for him nearly two days; the mill pond near his house was drained. Search was made in every direction but to no success.

 

“A gentleman of that place decided to call in the aid of Mrs. Stevens; she told him somebody was lost, and not being able to visit the place she drew a map or chart of the locality, giving directions, by which, on his return he was immediately found alive, but died the next day. The day following I was at South Sangerville, and stopping at this gentleman’s house, examined the map, which was perfect in every respect. The house and shed were correctly drawn, the mill and pond near the house were marked, the field and woods, two fences over which Mr. Prescott must climb, even to the swinging of the road by the house was definitely given.

 

“The spot where she said he was, was shown by a large black mark, and he was found exactly in that place. When we consider that Mrs. Stevens never saw this place in her normal condition, it is to me a wonderful test of spirit power.”

 

Absolute and perfect clarity: rockrose, white amber, Corsican immortelle, Siamese benzoin, white sandalwood, and life everlasting.

 

Sniffed, I get clouds of sweet sandalwood incense and white cotton -- not "clean laundry," but something white and cottony and opaque. I think this particular iteration of white amber is doing the powdery thing. It's not floral-forward, though the flowers advance as the blend wears down. Mostly, it's reading as benzoin/sandalwood dusting powder. There's a non-foody but vanilla-like sweetness (probably the benzoin, which contains vanillin). Also, somehow, the blend smells white.

The vanilla-resin-powderyness makes me place it in the XYZ Lace family of Lab blends (e.g. Antique Lace, Black Lace, Red Lace). So this is... Psychic Lace.

[LiberAmoris]

I think bheansidhe nails it here—Claircognizance smells like clean linens and sandalwood. It's definitely reminiscent of Antique Lace minus the sweet vanilla. On its own it's like white flowers and white linen plus something mind-clearingly bracing...not like mint but with the same effect on me. It smells very pure, very white, very clean.

 

I think I'd enjoy wearing this on its own if I wanted to feel focused but it would also be great as a blender. I can imagine this with all kinds of scents that could go lace-y. I'm looking forward to doing some experimenting.

[stellamaris]

This!!!!!!!!!! This has the same thing that I don't know what it is, the same strange creamy but fizzy note that is in Stardust and Wretched Rose Window. Whatever it is I love it. Love it.

[Ashmedai]

Shortest review from me, ever: this smells exactly like the Chanel No. 5 my mother used when I was a kid.

 

Edit: I think I'll gift it to her since it's too feminine for me to wear as a guy. But to me it smells like a dead ringer for this classic (and beautiful) perfume.

Edited December 28, 2014 by Ashmedai

[Dark Alice]

I have no idea what this smells like. Slightly Sweet. Powdery. A little floral. Not bad. But not for me.

[zankoku_zen]

White, cottony, florals on a bed of sandalwood.... and holy crap, Ashmedai is right. I totally get Chanel No 5 from this. It's that classic, white floral perfume. Kinda powdery, kinda cottony.

 

I think its the benzoin giving that vanilla powder combined with the sandalwood.

 

Classic, feminine, perfumey.

 

Would be great for enabling BPALista's mothers.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Sweet with a little bit of sharpness - the benzoin is taking center stage in this one.

 

Wet on skin: I'm picking out what could be a nice blend of the rockrose, amber and sandalwood - it's got a soft, almost floral, almost woody tinge to it beneath the benzoin, and round out to a beautiful soft sandalwood. This reminds me a bit of the sandalwood powder I used growing up.

 

Dried down: This is getting prettier with every passing minute. Like sandalwood and incense. And I'm definitely getting that lace-y attitude from it that others have been getting.

 

Throw: This one has a pretty mild throw on me, but I'm getting a bit - light sandalwoody air.

 

Verdict: **** I think I want a bottle or two of this, but I think I'd appreciate it more as a room fragrance than as a perfume - Maybe put a drop or two into the humidifier at night. I'm a little undecided at the moment.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Magycmyste

[sprout]

I really have little to add to bheansidhe's wonderful review. For me, the sandalwood is less incense and more powder. Also, my skin tends to amp rose and I guess rockrose is no exception. I nearly skipped this due to the rose note, but decided to give it a chance and I am so glad I did.

I for certain get a non-foody vanilla mixed with fresh laundry--not fabric softner, there is no ozone or detergent/soapiness in this--just like the breeze through freshly laundered clothing or the waft of fresh linens just out of the dryer mixed with a lovely vanilla. It has been too long since I sniffed Antique Lace, so any reference to that would be highly speculative, but I agree this has an Antique Lace "feel" for wont of a word. The benzoin reads as fresh, nonfoody vanilla on me and is a billowy support of the florals which are very subdued and almost minty (rose tends to go minty on me) but the florals are very fleeing and the dry down is cottony vanilla without any cake, floral, or powder. The amber here is very restrained as well, I don't get any incense or golden notes. This is just billowy clouds of translucent vanilla resin with moderate throw. I completely agree with the XYZ Lace family comment and the monikor Psychic Lace works given the transparency, theme of the fragrance, and the bouyancy. This was insta bottle purchase. Since I want to bathe in this, I got an extra, this from a girl who is relatively restrained with getting back ups--only 3 (now 4) in my collection.

[milo]

Dry sandalwood and dried flowers. This is too dry to be an Antique Lace dupe, but I do see the similarities. If it were sweeter, maybe it would be a bit closer, without as much sandalwood, a lot closer. So yes, more sweet vanilla and less sandalwood. I'm going to put a touch of Madagascan Vanilla Rum on here to see what happens....

 

eta: OK, so I couldn't find my MVR, but a little dab of Morocco on Claircognizance equals Antique Lace!

Edited February 4, 2015 by milo

[mooncityminx]

Powdery and herbal, and something screaming white that is very clean.

 

I mentioned this in a previous review, but I tried several decants from this collection, and they all have a very otherworldy evocative scary vibe, like horror movie smell-o-vision.

 

This one is harshly clean, with a little sage. Sinister.

 

I envision a character from a horror movie. She's an older woman who wears expensive perfume, but something old fashioned, she cleans constantly, and she has a very dark secret.

 

I have no idea why my review is so different than the others, I blame my skin chemistry.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Tempest

[tinyvulture]

Think Antique Lace + woodsy resins. Powdery vanilla and sandalwood, and also a slightly medicinal, disinfectant note...the benzoin?

 

As it dries, I also get a "clean linens" note, and a gentle breath of rose thanks to the rockrose. It's a fluffy, light scent, very mild. It may be a bit too delicate and restrained for me to need a bottle, but I like it.

Edited August 2, 2015 by tinyvulture

[tharsei-thanate]

This is pretty! Clean linen, sandalwood, powder, and a smattering of florals. It's definitely similar to a Lace. It's stronger than I expected but it's not overwhelming, more of a moderate throw. It smells very white, but like Tempest I get a sinister vibe from it. Images that come to mind are pearly white ghosts, blinding light flashing off snow, and the light in the closet from Poltergeist. This one is definitely a keeper!

[Little Bird]

The white amber and white sandalwood go straight to baby powder, mixed with some sort of soapy floral.

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

A white resin blend rather than dark. The round ambery resin of the rockrose against the dry white sandalwwod is fascinating. Elegant

On the Skin:

This takes quite a while to warm up on the skin but when it does it is a refined sandalwood with a dry floral facet.

On the Drydown:

I was hoping the sandalwood would be more restrained in this blend. Further into the drydown the benzoin tames the sandalwood slightly. The white amber is slightly noticeable in the deep drydown. A little ageing will make this more rounded

[patina]

Sniffing: Gentle white florals and burnt soap?

 

On: Better than that sounds though it does smell like Ivory soap and I'll forever have an association between soap and sandalwood. I think the "burnt" part is more like incense ashes. Must be the resins + sandalwood. This would work well as a Halloweenie scent.

[roseus]

A bright white resin blend. Clean, soft, and burning bright. Comforting but not cuddly to me. It's mysterious. Mostly getting sandalwood, cotton, dried flowers, and resins. Smells a bit like salty air, but not aquatic.

[LizziesLuck]

This has been on my list to try for ages, so I was excited to see it return.

 

This is the 2017 version

 

Wet: Very creamy, and sort of soapy? But not quite. It smells like some sort of old-fashioned cosmetic - maybe cold cream? It's very classy and elegant. As it warms it's turning more into a classic perfume and smelling less like a cream, though it is still very creamy. I'm enjoying it. It immediately makes me think how wonderful it would pair with a costume - this would be a perfect scent to wear to a Renaissance Fair!

 

Dry: I really do like this. It's classic, elegant, clean - slightly powdery, but in a good way. Slightly creamy. Very old fashioned, but in a wistful, sweet, nostalgic way that I enjoy. It reminds me a bit of Closet Raid, and that is the only reason why I feel I don't need a bottle - Closet Raid already fills this particular niche for me.

[annemathematics]

I took out my imp from the 2014 release while revisiting my evening with the spirits decants, and it completely rocked my world.

 

the opening makes me think of a classic department store type scent but a classic blend from decades ago that one "discovers" either on one's grandmother's dresser or via the vintage sellers on ebay. very strong and rich as though all of the alcohol/filler evaporated away and one is left with a sweet concentrated sticky syrup in a spritzer bottle.

 

as it dries down, a sense of it's youthful spirit returns and I'm wearing a labdanum/rockrose-focused cloud of beauty. the throw is good and it lasted overnight. not only is it a gorgeous scent, but one that "fits" me in terms of mood and chemistry. I adore the little wafts I get throughout the day. they brighten my mood and make me feel elegant.

 

unlike some folks above, I don't get an aldehyde-heavy chanel number 5 blast of prefume, but something far deeper and richer, more vanillic, but in the rockrose/benzoin/amber sort of way (aka not foody). it also feels very different to me than the lace scents. and I don't get anything soapy or powdery (I do like powdery perfumes, but this isn't playing that way on me)

 

 

eta the 2017 bottle I ordered arrived, and indeed as mentioned above it does smell like the aldehydes in closet raid. not sure if it's a big change in formula, if it's because of different components, batch variation, OR if this was why I tucked the 2014 unloved into my imp box and three years has morphed it into the incredible scent it is now. fingers and toes crossed that my 2017 bottle will age into what the decant has become.

 

eta: after a bit of aging, the new bottle ended up getting deeper and richer and smelling like my old beloved decant. so gorgeous!  so, if the bright high-pitched note in the intro is not to your liking, age this a bit and it will mellow. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by annemathematics

[mishi-bear]

2018 version.

 

This blend is interesting at first. It has a clean linen quality to it, sweet and clean, a little powdery. A hint of sandalwood and a lightly resinous benzoin. 

 

Buuuut then there's a white floral, I'm guessing the immortelle, and it's in my face shrieking. Sweet, white, a bit soapy. Way too strong, and giving me a headache.

 

[Lucchesa]

My grandmother had this rose dusting powder in her bathroom, in a pink box with a ribbon. This smells uncannily like it.

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: Predominantly rockrose. 

 

On my skin:

 

Rockrose is still at the forefront, though there's a powdery note that might be the white amber. As it dries, the powder comes to the forefront, so it's largely amber -- and maybe a bit of benzoin -- tinged with rockrose. There's something grounding this, which I suspect is the sandalwood, but it's a feeling rather than a true discernable note for me. 

 

This stays soft powder with just a hint of rose. Low throw. 

[LadyLuckless]

I got a bottle of this in a swap with the lovely Cinnabar. This one is soooo calming. If you remember the before times in the long, long ago, LUSH used to have a wonderfully relaxing bubble bar called Temple of Truth that I always thought smelled like sandalwood incense and laundry drying on a line in the fresh air. Claircognizance is a dead ringer for it! It just calms your mind, it will be great for relaxing and bedtime. Love it!