Cuchulain’s Fight with the Sea

[susurrous]

Grief and rage battering upon the waves: salt-crusted clove stem, flayed kelp, juniper, and white patchouli.

Do I have to be first? Alright fine.

The moment I unwrapped the bottle, I smell something salty and a little creepy and I haven't even opened the bottle. Promising already.

ITB: Salt, kelp and juniper are the main notes jumping out at me. There's a bit of heat in the back of my nose that must be the clove, and I'm not getting anything distinctly patchouli, but I expect it's contributing to the deep feel of this perfume.

Wet: The clove is much more apparent now, but it still maintains that salty seaweed sort of vibe. It really is amazing to be how salty this perfume smells, but not in a foody way. The clove has a bit of an orange feel to it, somewhat like cloved oranges in potpourri, and it keeps this scent from being gloomy. The juniper is present, but very much a background note, and I still can't get anything distinctly patchouli from this, though I expect the throw and slightly dirty vibe I'm getting are the patch in the background.

Drying: The clove is much sharper, and the complexity of the blend has faded back a bit. I'd say most of what I'm getting is the clove and salt, with a bit of muskiness from what seems like the seaweed. Throw at this stage is all clove all the time.

Dry: Oh this is just stunning. This has dried down into an aquatic without the aquatic note, and the salt and seaweed combo I loved from the wet stage is the prominent player now. I think I can pick out the earthy feeling of patchouli now, but it's still very much a background note. Don't let it scare you, because my skin amps patchouli to high heaven and I can only find a smidge of it in this blend. The clove is almost entirely gone, leaving just a trace of the orange warmth.

This really was everything I had hoped it would be. The clove's warmth keeps the blend from feeling gloomy, and it has a sharp aquatic feeling without the aquatic note that often goes commercial perfume on me. It's bold enough for winter, but the dry stage especially has a very delicate feeling about it that I think I'll enjoy in the summer too. I get a really wonderful North Atlantic feel from this, and I think this is the closest I've come to pinning down a scent for the craggy seasides of my childhood summers.

[zankoku_zen]

Manly aquatic cologne. I get sea spray, juniper and a hint of patchouli. UGH.

 

This is what mermen smell like. Rough, clean salty water, and just a pinch of cool.

 

Off to try this off on mr. zee_zee. Watch it not work.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

So when I first smelled this one I was pretty sure I wouldn't take to it. It's a bit too rough, mostly patchouli and juniper. The sea spray does freshen it a bit. I tried it on Mr. Sionann and he actually likes it, and it smells good on him (as long as he goes easy). It now resides in his medicine cabinet.

[puellacaerulea]

I wasn't sure about the clove and patchouli, but the sea salt and kelp was a whole lot of yes, so I took a chance on a secondhand bottle. In the bottle and on application, sea salt is the most prominent note -- I can't quite pick out the clove and patch. It's mostly sea salt and seaweed, an oceanic aquatic without the soapiness you can get from some aquatic blends. The clove starts to peek out a little bit as it dries down, but it's still very much a background player. It's the kind of "ocean" scent I love -- salty and fresh and a little green without being soapy, cool, a little moody. Agreed with the above review that it's evocative of chilly North Atlantic waters. I'd call this more unisex than traditionally masculine. Glad to have come across a bottle.

[Ennikar]

At this age, the clove and patchouli seem to have basically smoothed out in favor of salt, kelp, and juniper. I don't think that's bad  - it seems like they wouldn't mesh very well if the clove was prominent. What remains is somewhere between a realistic cold ocean and, well, soap in the vein of Irish Spring. Maybe it's the name, but I do feel a sense of power and drama in it. I might keep it if it were a bit louder, but it's pretty low throw and I don't think I'd reach for it much.