Shadows and Reflections

[rayvn1]

A shadow? Oh, darling, all that lives in this house are shadows and reflections and creaks and groans.

The scent of menace, an inexplicable dread: Somalian myrrh, black poppy, gloom-shrouded musk, and wispy sandalwood.

I snapped this one up because I love the lab's black poppy note, and I wasn't disappointed! I'm amping the poppy at the moment, but the musk and myrrh are definitely players in the mix. It's dark and decadent with a dusty tinge to it. Just fabulous. As soon as it went on I knew this was one of the winners for me. There's a hint of sweetness to it that cuts through all that rich scent. Yep, lots and lots of poppy on my skin which is just what I was hoping for - like a more menacing On Darkness.

[Atrous]

First off I want to say WOW. This one's my favorite from the CP scents I've tried.

The combination of Myrrh & Musk gives this blend a bit of a Streets of Detroit vibe but the scent as a whole doesn't actually smell like SoD.

SoD is gritty where Shadows and Reflections is smooth.

 

The musk is gloomy smelling and it smells black or dark green...maybe a combination of the two? But the predominant thought I have is that this musk smells like its shrouded in fog. That's the only way I can describe it.

 

On to the Poppy because this scent is all about the Poppy and how the other notes affect it. This floral isn't shy. It's heady and bold and permeates through the whole blend. Myrrh and Musk add a dark, brooding quality to the Poppy. The Sandalwood is the most subdued note in this scent but it is there. Poppy can smell sharp and dry to me so the sandalwood comes in, smooths out the edges, and lends a touch of sweetness.

 

This scent is dark musky resin clouded in fog with a heady floral leading the way. If you love Poppy I think you will love this scent.

[absinthetics]

This gloom of dark resin has a fog of sleepy poppy over it. It very much sets a tone, which is exactly the point of the scent. Poppy lovers will like this if they are more inclined for dark scents.

[Little Bird]

The opium/poppy thing is always a bit too sharp and dry (like white smoke, sharp white musk and notebook paper) for my tastes. This blend is like that poppy note with black musk and hints of smoky, charred wood around it. Very heavy, black, musky, smoky and inky smelling on me.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Sharp, tangy poppy.

 

Wet on my skin: Black poppy and myrrh and just a wisp of sandalwood.

 

Dry: Dark, smoky, incensed opium poppy. The main notes on my skin are the poppy and myrrh, then the musk, and then wisps of smoky sandalwood. It's not a terribly thick smoke, more like...the remnants left behind. Haunting, foreboding, and just a little bit melancholy. Dark grey and maybe a hint of the deepest green. This is not a perfume for everyday wear, but definitely one requiring I keep it around for those days when I feel morose and brooding.

Edited December 19, 2015 by DiesMali

[zankoku_zen]

Musk, myrrh, touch of sandalwood and a ton of poppy. This is a slightly soporific musky resinous blend. Except its not restful. It's the sort of sleep that happens in a horror movie before the ghost shows up. Just as you're about to fall asleep, something creepy happens and then you know you're not alone anymore. Decent throw, good wear length.

 

Musky, resinous, creepy sleepy.

[Haltija]

Absolutely stunning in the decant.

 

On me though it's just myrrh and sandalwood. I really wanted to get poppy and musk out of this. I have let it age for a while now and tested it twice with the same result. It's nice because I love both of the notes that dominate on me, but I will not upgrade to a bottle.

[LizziesLuck]

I wanted to try this because of the Myrrh/Musk combo - it doesn't quite work for me in Streets of Detroit, but the idea has always sounded lovely.

 

 

And this is lovely. A real stunner. Myrrh forward, lush poppy, with undertones of musk, grounded by sandalwood. Gorgeous. Dark, and feminine, which was what I was missing from Streets, which smelled really masculine on me.

It's kind of like Streets meets Event Horizon. It's syrupy and sweet, a little heady, but not cloying. I am loving it and already itching to order a bottle.

Edited February 22, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[SophieCedar]

Oriental fans, snatch this up.

 

Its a wonderful, medium throw, soporific, misty, dark perfume. Nothing goes mealy, baby powdery, or excessively spicy. Its just sweet resinous myrrh, prominently dark/non-stemmy poppy, and musky sandalwood. .....WIN.

[porcelina]

wow, i wasn't really expecting to like this one, but i do. the black musk is beautiful and works so well with the sandalwood and myrrh. i don't know what poppy is supposed to smell like but if it smells anything like this, then i definitely like it. dark, maybe a little smoky, but smooth and rich. mmm.

[Poenari]

This is a beautiful myrrh-dominant scent on my skin, but a darker myrrh than the one in Little Egypt, for example. This myrrh doesn't turn as powdery on me as myrrh can. I think it's due to the poppy, which my skin loves. The musk and sandalwood are so nicely blended into this that they don't stand out as individual notes, but complete the scent of darkness and shadows. Perfect representation of the name!

[OctoberGwen]

Opium is often not my friend, and when I first tried this scent the poppy seemed to be doing a similar sharp thing on my skin. I put it away (I actually thought I had swapped it), and pulled it out today after finally seeing the film a few days ago.

 

Can I just say that I am so glad I didn't swap this one? After several months, whatever wackiness was happening has completely smoothed out, leaving a stunning, darkly beautiful scent that falls firmly in my wheelhouse.

 

There's very little not to like about a myrrh/musk/sandalwood combo, and the poppy lends an Oriental air to all that dark goodness.

[lady_pandora]

Shadows and Reflections definitely has a shadowy, smoky effect! The two most prominent notes on me are the poppy and myrrh; I can't really pick out the other two. The poppy is dominant at first, and it's a little "chemicaly" in the early going, but calms down shortly thereafter, and as the day goes on, the myrrh comes out to sit alongside it, sweet and incensy. This is a lot like Event Horizon. I like it, but I probably don't need a bottle because of the immense amount of Event Horizon that I have. But it's a well-blended scent and it suits the concept well.

[MuskWitch]

O. M. G.

 

This is a must have if you love myrrh and musk. They play together so well in this blend, balancing one another perfectly. The poppy isn't all that prominent on my skin, and the sandalwood just adds a base of warm wood for the rest to settle into. Y. U. M. I sometimes have problems with the "black" notes whether it is black poppy, black musk, or black whatever. That is not the case with this blend.

 

I tried an imp and LOVED it! So I ordered two bottles. They have arrived. I may need two more. WOW. I think this one is going to age beautifully.

[hiddentwilight]

I got a decant of this months ago and set it aside. I just put some on and had to double check it was the same scent. It smells very vintage and powdery - certainly accurate for the time period, but not what I remember smelling the last time I opened this bottle ...

 

It reminds me very strongly of Bourbon French's "Voodoo Love", if anyone has happened to every stumble across it.

[Guest Caroline]

I get lots and lots of black musk in this and very little floral/poppy. It reminds me a bit of Haunted at first. The myrrh adds kind of a sweet thickness to the whole thing, and the sandalwood lingers in the background adding a bit of soft smoothness. The whole thing blends into a rich, thick blanket of blackness that is both opulent and oppressive to my nose. It is some how evocative of being trapped in the dark, and I'm not sure I like it, but I can see why others do. I will not be getting a bottle, but I will enjoy my imp and bring it out during the winter months when I want to feel like sexy, smothering darkness its self.

[Sio Bhan]

I purchased a big bottle blindly, some may say foolishly, but this turned out to be so good. No regrets. I don't get as much opium as I expected, in fact hardly any. The myrrh and musk dominate on me and sandalwood keeps it nice and soft. It is a very feminine perfume and does have a sexiness to it. It isn't spicy, though described as an oriental. The whole atmosphere it conjures up is soft and dusty. It reminds me a lot of my old buddy Haunted and may replace Haunted as my everyday go to. To me it smells like something an aristocratic, learned woman would wear. Very impressed with Shadows and Reflections, my only grievance is the need to reapply it after 3 hours.

[HerbGirl]

This is beautiful. If you've been missing Vechernyaya, this is in the same vein! Powdery myrrh, dark musk and dark poppies.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Herb Girl

[annemathematics]

dry, rich, deep, gritty, stunning. the musk and myrrh are the main players on me. I ADORE this scent. I've been having a love affair with dark musks and the gloom-shrouded beauty in this bottle is fantastic. sophisticated and unisex. nomnomnom

[Cali]

From the imp I'm getting a general vintage old lady perfume scent, bah.
Thank god this goes a little sweeter on my skin thanks to the poppy; however it's so weird, from a distance it smells like a day at the beach to me!

Getting closer, this is a heady, evil scent. But not unpleasant. The sandalwood is really amping up on me.

This could be black moths little brother?

Don't need to keep the decant but certainly interesting!

[VetchVesper]

Used up the last of my sample of this. I thought age might make me like it better, but nope. Ditto on the old lady vintage perfume thing, which surprises me since the listed notes should be right up my ally. This is VERY powdery to my nose, in the bottle and on the skin. The musk smells like black musk to me, though maybe there's some of the labs "dark" musk too, which seems to be it's own thing. It's in the same family as Haunted and The Velvets to my nose. Shadows and Reflexions doesn't change much on me in the dry down. One of the few CP scents I wasn't impressed by.

[tinyvulture]

Sandalwood and sweet myrrh, and a bold poppy note. Very strong poppy. The woods, resin and florals are all bound together by warm musk. Smells expensive and luxurious.