Desert Places

[Dark Alice]

Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
In a field I looked into going past,
And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
But a few weeds and stubble showing last.

The woods around it have it – it is theirs.
All animals are smothered in their lairs.
I am too absent-spirited to count;
The loneliness includes me unawares.

And lonely as it is, that loneliness
Will be more lonely ere it will be less –
A blanker whiteness of benighted snow
WIth no expression, nothing to express.

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars – on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places.

– Robert Frost

A blanker whiteness of benighted snow: white sandalwood, dry vanilla, white tea leaf, and orris.

Gorgeous white tea leaf! I love it the snow note plays gently in with the vanilla and orris. I hope this will age well....cause I am digging it

 

 

[TijuanaBible]

I get a huge tea note on this, which is unusual because tea notes normally disappear on me, at first there was an almost minty note-- don't know if that was the tea or orris but it disappeared after about an hour. The vanilla also comes out more later. Really digging this blend.

[Happicuppa]

White tea is reading as mint on me in this blend?? I'm ending up with minty orris as my main notes. If I smash my nose against my wrist I can smell the tea better and some dry vanilla. However the throw is pure minty iris.

 

It's lovely but I don't think I need the blind bottle I bought. I had really high hopes for this one but minty iris is too dominant. Le sigh.

[VetchVesper]

Very pleasant, unisex, clean and chilly. I get mint too, along with a lemony edge that comes from the white tea. The other notes play a supporting role. I think people who enjoy scents in the Embalming Fluid family would enjoy this one as a wintery cousin.

[SmilesSunshine]

pale sandalwood and white ti is the foundation on me. slightly chilly. negligible vanilla at moment. hint of orris rounding the higher pitched heart of this. unisex to me.

 

i would like it more on me, if and when the vanilla is more active. at moment, i did not need a full bottle

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant from Trailer Trash Princess' circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I can do white sandalwood without amping. I love vanilla, though I'm not sure about "dry". I have some tea/tea leaf scents around. I know not from orris.

 

In the Vial: Sandalwood and the tea leaf, I think. Maybe a bit of vanilla. Definitely a "dry" scent - the mental image is dusty/woodsy.

 

Wet: A very strong whiff of tea. Something in the background is tilting ever-so-slightly spicy.

 

Drydown: It sweetens up some, probably from the vanilla, but this is still predominantly a quiet tea scent on me. Almost no sandalwood, which is a surprise since it tends to amp on me.

 

Verdict: A dry, understated, unisex blend. I may try it out on my husband - it's kind of a day version to the much sexier Dorian.

[Mountaingrrl00]

This doesn't smell anything like I thought it would. It reminds me of CK One, or fancy men's soap, or dryer sheets. Despite the description of dryness I'm smelling aquatic/ozone. At first I get almost an Egyptian musk note, then something like water lily, then finally I do get a tannic whiff of the white tea -- it's there if I really huff my wrist. Whatever vanilla is in here doesn't play with my skin chemistry. The overall effect for me is not unpleasant, but not distinctive, at least on me.

[Jenjin]

What a surprise! I have to say the name on this one isn't a good fit to me. I'm not getting anything like the frozen, dry desert I was expecting. It's very pleasant, but more of an aquatic overall. Fresh, delicate orris is the highlight here, and it doesn't disappoint in that respect, but goodness, it's coming across as "dewy" rather than "snowy" to my nose. I'm also reminded of the herbal shampoo from my childhood and think this just might be AMAZING on a manbeast~

[Melani Robison]

I love this one. It starts out a little acrid and astringent (not in a bad way at all) from the tea. There is a woody sharpness from the sandlewood mellowing the tea a little. As it dries the sandlewood fades and the vanilla comes to the forefront making it smell exactly like vanilla tea. It's got really good lasting power, so glad I risked a bottle.

[Casablanca]

I got to sample this with my friend as one of her decants.

 

On the wand, this smells to me like a soft, white orris-sandalwood blend.

 

The first impression on my skin is of dry, cold, astringent white tea leaf and sweet orris. The tea really comes forward. The orris is only slightly powdery on me. I think there might be another flower in here besides iris... There’s a coldness note here, too. This is an essence of a cold desert, the scent of Mongolian steppes. I find the vanilla only when I hunt for it; it’s flat and subtle. I can barely pick out the sandalwood.

 

As Desert Places dries, the white tea marshals all its leafy forces and takes over. It smells like the white tea in the White Tea and Sage HG and the two would pair well. The orris is still present, but secondary. Once dried, this is a blended floral white tea on me, just a hint of vanilla.

 

I like this, but it might be too much orris for me. It would be an easy bottle buy with less orris and more vanilla.

[zankoku_zen]

White tea, white sandalwood and a touch of mint. This is clean, unisex, and very bright. It sort of reminds me to Cool Water. This is more like an oasis than a desert on me.

 

Good throw and wear length.

[theseagrows]

i'm pretty sure this is all orris and tea to start off. it's a sharp, watery tea scent with a bit of greenery. after awhile it softens and i get some warmth from sandalwood and vanilla. after about 20 minutes i am liking it, it's still a bit too green for my tastes but i like the combination of vanilla and tea, though it's very different than something like dorian, for example. still, i think it's too aquatic for me, so i am probably going to swap it.

[sunlitgarden]

When I sniffed this, I immediately thought of two of my favorite GCs: Mouse's Long and Sad Tale and The Dormouse. The vanilla/sandalwood combination usually reminds me of Mouse's Long and Sad Tale because that's where I first experienced it. I also smell a lot of light, fresh tea like in The Dormouse. The orris also gives this a sort of powdery-sweet aspect that reminds me of a candy like (American) Smarties.

 

The sandalwood is lightly aromatic and "spicy" here, but not nearly as potent as in some other scents (such as He Came in the Radiance of Paradise, for one I've tried recently). In the decant and wet on my skin it's really drowned out by the tea. This is a LOT like The Dormouse on me minus the peony.

 

Okay, as it's drying I'm getting more sandalwood. And eventually more vanilla, though not a whole lot. White Tea is still the #1 note on me, making this smell clean and fresh. Overall, I enjoy this blend. I think I like The Dormouse a little bit better though (peony/tea rather than sandalwood/tea).

[sailthetethys]

This isn't what I expected either. It smells a bit more green than I expected, slightly more aquatic than one would expect a desert to be. The white tea leaf is very similar to Eldritch Drunken Constellations, which might be making this seem green to me simply by association, as EDC is more of an aquatic tea scent.

 

There is also a cool cucumbery wood and snow scent, similar to the one that I get from Ded Moroz.

 

As it dries, it becomes warmer and spicier - the sandalwood and dry vanilla make it a bit more desert-like.

 

Honestly, I really love this. Two very different biomes blended together - a cool wet forest and a dry warm desert. Also, I bet this would make me accidentally misplace my pants if I smelled it on a man.

[HerbGirl]

Ha! This is so evocative of being in a tundra / taiga area in Autumn!!! I sniffed it wet on my skin and really wasn't a fan so I waited an hour before I sniffed it again. I would say the white tea is most prominent of the four notes but it is soft and atmospheric. Wow. I was instantly transported to the Exit Glacier in Alaska. I visited last Spring and apparently, my brain says it smells/feels similar. Funny, this would have been my one blind bottle purchase if I hadn't decided to try decants and it certainly is a keeper. Definite bottle purchase in my future.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Herb Girl

[lizardskin]

Desert Places starts off with a blast of white tea and orris, and those remain the dominant two notes for at least an hour. I did get a bit of the minty note others mentioned, but it doesn't last very long. At some point the tea/orris fades completely, leaving sandalwood incense with a touch of vanilla. This is much more of an early spring scent than a winter one to me, especially in the early stages--it's light and bright. The dry down suits the name much more, as it feels less fresh and wet. The sandalwood reminds me of the residual scent of incense, like the ash leftover after you've burned it.

 

As it is, I like it a lot, although I'm interested to see how it will age. It's very different from most of the other scents I have, and I think I'll enjoy wearing it throughout the spring.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: A light tea note, faintly sweet and dusty

 

Wet: The sandalwood is coming out now, it is muted and not very sharp, it plays nicely with the tea. Overall, this is rather fresh and slightly woodsy. I think the orris is contributing a dusty, woodsy feel and there's a little creamy note, which I assume is the vanilla. It's very pleasant, light and airy without being too sharp, unassuming and gentle and peaceful.

 

Dry: Mainly sandalwood, dusty with just a hint of sweet. It's quite pretty at this stage, although very faint and a tad generic sandalwood.

[kattalog]

Wet: White tea leaves (quite fresh) with a floral edge.

Dry: During the initial dry phase its very much like its wet: the fresh white leaves are dominating, with back up from something floral. There is something that gives Desert places a dry feeling: not dry as in dry wood, but rather dry… air. As when the air is cold and dry, but without any cold mint or snow.
At two hours in, Desert places is still going strong. Its fresh white tea leaves, but slightly colder and drier. As if the air got colder. Its sweeter, and just a bit less floral, than the initial dry phase but not a bright vanilla.
At the end, Desert place fades as a fresh green scent. Which reminds me of the fresh, crisp scent of cucumber.

The most interesting quality of Desert places is the feeling/scent of cold air without actually being cold, minty, snowy or including ozone as a note.

Dominant notes: White tea leaves. Yes.
Type: Green/floral
Lasting: 4.5h

[Kay Torres]

Unisex bordering on masculine.

 

Sharp, piercing greenery, and dry tea with dusty wood. Not picking up any of the vanilla. Something in this smells OFF on me. I can't place it. Just a hint of sour wrongness.

[LizziesLuck]

I split this decant with a friend, and when I was splitting the decant into two, this smelled so horrid that I have avoided testing it. Time to give it a shot though! Maybe it's settled?

 

 

Wet: Good lord! I thought it would be the orris that killed this for me, but it's the white tea note that is so incredibly bitter and astringent and nose wrinkling! Whoa. However, I must say, as it warms it does get better, losing some bitterness, however it is still really high pitched! And strong. I only dabbed a bit on, and I can smell it wafting from my arm as I type. Not getting any other notes, just high pitched, perfumey white bitter as hell tea.

 

 

Dry: The tea finally dries down. The sandalwood amps up, but I think mixed with the orris it is just soooo dry and powdery. Almost dusty smelling. Not nearly enough sweetness for me to enjoy it. Not for me! Glad I tried it though.

[Failmingo]

I am just getting around to trying this one now.

 

This is one of those examples of scents where Beth gets so deep down into the poetry the scent is referencing. Fresh on the skin, this scent is like a rolling dive from a white, clean space into a very mournful dark place. The passage back and forth in between evokes the earthy greenish imagery of the weeds and such mentioned by Frost.

 

Not picking up on the vanilla at all until the last gasp of the drydown, which reads to me like it's meant to be something of a consolation, leaving you in a softer and more tender place than you were before -- the end of the path leading out of those woods, and back to the (relative) comforts of home.

 

Terrific interpretation of literature into scent!

[Aviatrix]

I was expecting a dry scent based on the sandalwood and "dry" vanilla in the description, but this is a delightfully fresh white tea scent that is just grounded enough by the sandalwood to not disappear entirely. I am not getting much of the orris, if you are worried about that.

This makes me think of The Unsteady Governess, although this one may be a bit sweeter.

[lucycat]

The first three notes in this blend are among my favorites—and I like orris just fine; I just don’t usually get excited about it—so Desert Places was an almost guaranteed winner.

 

It’s primarily a white tea scent, given some sweetness by the vanilla and grounded by the sandalwood. It’s light, fresh, clean, and pretty.

 

Though this is a Yule, like most white or green tea scents, it feels like more of a warm-weather blend. I think it will really shine in the summer.

[Little Bird]

I expected powder from the sandalwood and sweetness from the vanilla and orris, but I can't pick out any of those notes. The white tea is there, very crisp and with a hint of sharp citrus and sour cucumber sort of feel to it. The snow is more bracing and minty than usual. It's a harsher, more crisp version of snow note with a weird, sour cucumber undertone.

[Cali]

I'm getting the snow note from bpal that I don't like? Like the one in winter-time. But I'm not a huge fan of orris either so that's a shame.

The vanilla in there is like a lovely veil around the harsher notes. Dry, sweet, cold. Allyear-round type 'a scent.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Cali