Witches' Kitchen

[d0gbones]

Frans Francken II
Belladonna accord, sprigs of rue, crushed hyssop, white sage, beeswax, mandrake leaf, bay rum, black honey, hemp, and myrrh.

In the bottle: Nothing like I'd imagined. A very sweet and delicately herbal.
Wet: A bit like air freshener - light and airy and very "clean".
Dry: Sweet herbs and the syrupy side that myrrh sometimes turns to on me, which is probably exacerbated by the honey. Another win for the Pickmans!

[DevilsCandyCane]

This one is such a dilemma for me Freshly applied, it's very close to Nosferatu, which to me just smells like soggy bread bordering on detergent, and my immediate thought is always blehhhh! But if I apply this to my arm and cover it with my sleeve, so that it's cooking on warm skin for a while, the final drydown suddenly turns into this gorgeous beeswaxy-smoky-musky scent. I've had the bottle a couple of days now, and I will say that in the wet stage, the beeswax and the honey are becoming a little more prominent, which is exactly what I wanted from this, so I'm going to hold onto my bottle for a while in the hope that it balances out with age, and the awful Nosferatu wet bread thing goes away. But sadly, I suspect it'll never turn into quite what I wanted it to be

[elbow]

The blend conjures up a happy, comforting place for me, but it's full of subtle complexities.

 

It goes on fresh, sweet, and a tad bright, almost-but-not-quite fruity, with a faint suggestion of dried spices. I'm not familiar with all the herbs, but I think I'm smelling the white sage, bay rum, and hemp early on. It's the golden hour at day's end, and the setting autumn sun through the window is lighting up the dust motes in the air, making the rows of canned fruit glow, and warming the bundles of dried herbs hanging from the ceiling while the witches gossip, tease each other good-naturedly, and discuss plans.

 

Beeswax becomes more prominent as the sun drops below the horizon and candles are lit, filling the room with a cozy, flickering glow. I picture these witches calling the four corners for a brief ceremony, and adding pinches of herbs to a flame to purify their sacred kitchen space.

 

It dries down to a warm, richly honeyed myrrh: conversation slows as sleepy witches enjoy comforting spiced beverages and the peace of one another's company at day's end.

 

Okay, so maybe my mental image is not quite what the Francken painting depicts. Either way, this is definitely a kitchen I will be hanging out in!

 

ETA: I didn't really explain the "subtle complexities" part well, but at every stage I detect some other interesting note that I don't know how to describe or name, making me ask, "What is that? Ooh, and what is that?"

Edited October 26, 2015 by elbow

[strahlend]

When scents have this many listed notes I sometimes worry that it will be more of a cacophony than a wearable scent. Such is NOT the case with this scent. There is a very real, sweet, herbaceous, soft, green feel to this scent. No note in particular sticks out - it reminds me of a mild, leafy, green, sweet sort of scent that feels like a blend of lettuce leaf and sweet pea flowers. I would never pin this as a honey, bay rum, or myrrh scent. The whole really is an amazing effect. I would say that is it soothing, gently refreshing, and amazingly beautiful.

[Alaeidrel]

This is really bright - it's the only word I can use to describe it. I get some herbs and some leaves but mostly just overwhelming brightness that makes my eyes water.

[annemathematics]

beeswax prominent, honeyed myrrh adding richness with a hint of sweet, herbs adding complexity.

when the lab makes a scent with herbal notes, whether they are used heavily or subtly, it tends to be a win on me.

here they are light but noticeable. bpal's beeswax note is a beauty, but it tends to dominate and take over on my skin, making all scents with it feel incredibly similar. so of the ten or so waxy scents that I've worn, this is very wearable and a favorite.

Edited December 21, 2015 by annemathematics

[Haltija]

Started out extremely herbal and bitter but ended up being the most lovely blend of beeswax, hemp, myrrh and honey. I like it a lot!

[zankoku_zen]

Sage, beeswax, honey and a touch of myrrh. Green herbs and beeswax. Good throw, good wearlength. This smells like it should be a medieval ointment. For cuts and bruises.

 

I'd be super happy if Tiger Balm smelled like this actually.

 

Medicinal, herbs, beeswax.

[Little Bird]

Starts off as a green, medicinal, slightly bitter, herbs and honey mix. Goes through a strange, soapy phase. The drydown is mostly beeswax and honey, but still has an herbal bitterness to it, and it's reminding me more and more of candle wax. This one is not for me.

[sprout]

In vitro-herbal, green, medicinal, and honey

 

Wet- heavy on the honey, but the bella donna or mandrake (bitter, astringent, green herb) and rue (bitter, citrus like) are present. No bay rum. It smells like a Rapaccini scent with herb laced honey. It is sweet, mild citrus, green and herbal

 

Drydown- Sweet honey and myrrh base. Waxy honey, musty hemp, a hint of resin.

 

Final analysis- Very nice honey dominant scent with green herbs accenting. Just right balance between botanical, sweet, resinous and astringent. I'd like more of this, I'll have to match it against the Apiary scents from Rapaccini, especially Hemlock Honey but I think this wins due to added complexity with the mixed herbs, hemp and wax notes. Witchy kitchens smell divine!

Edited November 30, 2015 by sprout

[milo]

Promising at first. Airy herbs in bloom. After a bit, something sweet and unpleasant, like stored urine for God-knows-what kind of concoction. Whoah, this may be a scrubber.

[Catcircus]

I amp beeswax so this is beautifully creamy and wax with hints of spice and sweet honey. It's very well blended on me. It's light but lasts a long time.

[Aviatrix]

This seems very well blended because I have a hard time distinguishing between the different notes.

It goes on kind of clean and a little sharp, but quickly dries down to a nice beeswax-resin scent with a little whiff of rum.

The throw is decent but not super good; it stays close to the skin. Wear length is pretty good.

 

A nice evocation of a witch's kitchen indeed!

[VetchVesper]

Bust'n out some old Weenies! .... waaaaait.....

 

Anywho, it's been a few years since I got a decant of this one, and I wanted to revisit it since I'm more acquainted with the lab's beeswax note. This is a nice example of it. I get dry, green herbs supported by beeswax at first. I can smell the mandrake as sort of a sharp, dry earthiness that's kinda similar to ginger. After it start warming up on my skin, the beeswax takes the lead, but there's a singed sort of smell going on, like I'm smelling the candle and the snuffed wick and smoke. There's also a sweetness that strikes me as the bay rum, but is probably a mix of the rum with the honey and myrrh. The last thing on my skin is myrrh and beeswax, gentle, warm, and glowing. It only lasts a couple hours on me.

Edited September 12, 2018 by VetchVesper

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Somewhat soapy herbs, hyssop (which I recognize from Against Idleness and Mischief and Ashlultum), and a touch of beeswax.

 

On me: Yep, the herbs are reading as soap to my nose. They dominate at first, with a touch of beeswax and honey in the background. The honey ends up increasing in strength over time, so that it's mostly a honey scent on me after a few hours backed by a smattering of herbs.

 

Verdict: I didn't particularly enjoy the soapy wet stage of the scent, so I will probably pass this decant on, even though it settles into a nice honey scent.