Zorya Utrennyaya

[zankoku_zen]

“Why you are standing at the door?” asked a woman’s voice. Shadow looked over Czernobog’s shoulder, at the old woman standing behind him. She was smaller and frailer than her sister, but her hair was long and still golden. “I am Zorya Utrennyaya,” she said. “You must not stand there in the hall. You must go in, sit down. I will bring you coffee.”

Sweet black coffee and a touch of ambrette seed.

I get sweet dark coffee, and as it dries it becomes more about the ambrette seed, which is slightly musky nuttiness to me. So more like roast coffee and hazelnut musk. However, the description doesn't do much to really convey how subtly magical this is. It has an oddly Russian vibe to it (I think its the ambrette conjuring some old-timey Czarist decadence), and the impression that what you see isn't the whole story. Not even close. It smells comforting, like grandma offering you a cup of tea, right before she goes and chases down a chicken and kills it with her own bare hands. Decent throw and wear length.

 

 

[Numanoid]

Got a decant of this... I have to try anything with a coffee note in it. Love coffee scented anything!

 

In the decant I get a whiff of freashly roasted coffee, but it isn't strong. Also smell what I guess is the ambrette. I have no idea what that is supposed to smell like, but I do get a slight....perfumy vibe from it.

 

Applied, the coffee is there, but the other note gets a bit stronger on me...I wouldn't say it's an "old lady" vibe, but almost. But, looking at what I am guessing is the label art on the Lab website, it fits.

 

Not a fan of this one... the ambrette (if that is what it is) gets a little too perfumy to me. Takes over the coffee note...it's kind of there, but I have to sniff deep to detect it. Has a good throw. So, if you are looking for a coffee note that isn't too coffee strong, then you might like this one. As for me, being a foody lover, I will stick to my Bah!!

[mrsrevshamwow]

I'm really looking for a good strong, unsweetened coffee scent, and ... this is not it.

 

This is the smell of my husband's high school bedroom - many layers of Nag Champa (none burned earlier than yesterday), a little musty teenaged-boy funk, and cool air conditioner. I get nothing warm from this, despite all the notes.

 

However! I've slapped it on right out of the mailbox. I'm hoping that resting at the very least but more likely some decent aging will help develop the coffee note.

 

One month edit: OK, it's still my husband's high school bedroom, but it's absolutely captivating. I don't care that I don't get any coffee from it.

Edited June 19, 2017 by mrsrevshamwow

[Soupy Twist]

Opens as a sweetened black European-style coffee — not Turkish, but with that strong bitter undertone I love so much. It's definitely not American brown coffee. This stays for about two minutes before devolving into amber and powder. No nuttiness.

This is what an old gypsy fortune-teller would smell like. I can practically hear her bangles clinking.

[LizziesLuck]

Love coffee scents, can't resist trying them all!

 

 

Wet: Holy Hannah that's good! Really sweet coffee (like the kind you slug back when you REALLY need a kick start) and something more. I always find ambrette really subtle, and hard to describe, but I generally quite enjoy it and this is no exception.

 

It went weird and "dusty" smelling, as sweet scents sometimes do, but I made the mistake of testing on my wrist. Trying the inside of my elbow, hoping for better results! Mmmfg. gosh this is so good wet! Can you ever have too many coffee scents? I don't think so.

 

Dry: In my elbow this stays true and gorgeous. The ambrette comes out more too, and shines. Gorgeous. I feel like those who enjoyed Dusky Shroud might like this also. I sure do. *sigh* another AG bottle I need!

[sarandipitee]

Sweet, dark coffee that poofs after a few moments.

 

Then a dusty afterthought.

 

Weird, but while it was wet it was nice.

[Little Bird]

The first time that I wore this, it was like roasted, dry, slightly burnt and bitter coffee beans. It read very sour and strangely spicy on my skin. I've liked it a lot more every other time that I've worn it, though. Now it reminds me of the smell of just barely roasted marshmallows (burnt sugary and a bit smoky) and black coffee. Like roasted marshmallows dipped in black coffee. Warm, dark, slightly smoky, sugary fun...

Edited June 26, 2017 by Little Bird

[sprout]

Very mellow, slightly sweet coffee, like cold brewed. The ambrette is sweet, not quite nutty, and slightly dusky, like soft, fuzzy amber.

 

Unfortunately the coffee note doesn't last and the ambrette becomes more powdery. I'm a fan of ambrette, so I really like this, but I wish the coffee lasted longer. The ambrette does become a little perfumey.

 

I'm not sure I'd like a whole bottle of this but it's very compelling. I get single note ambrette after the short lived coffee note poofs. (Actually, if my nose is flush with my wrist, I can still smell coffee) I will age the decant a little and see if the ambrette matures. If so, this could become bottle worthy.

Edited June 19, 2017 by sprout

[rayvn1]

Omg. Where have you been all my life?!? This is like a sweeter version of Bah! It's beautiful, rich and sweet coffee on me with great throw. Doesn't last long on my skin, but this is totally bottle-worthy. Wow!

[rawgirl75]

The coffee note disappeared almost instantly on me... and what's left is an incredible, slightly sweet ambrette musk and ancient soft dusty spice. Not at all what I was expecting, and yet probably one of the best scents I've ever smelled.

 

If this passes the slather test next for allergies/migraines, I'll have to start hoarding multiple bottles of this one.

Edited July 11, 2017 by rawgirl75

[whisperstilled]

I always like cofee notes more in theory than in practice, but the description on this one was just so alluring that I had to try it.

Wet: Sweet coffee, unsurprisingly, but surprisingly complex due to the ambrette seed. Reminds me a little of a chicory coffee.

Dry: This is a dark European coffee, almost black, with a ton of sugar. A little like 'rocket fuel' coffee. If you're a fan of Cafe Mille from the OLLA set, you'll love this one.

[agirlnamedfury]

I get barely any coffee from this, unfortunately... just the tiniest bit of ground coffee beans in the background. The dominant scent is a kind of nutty herbaceousness, almost slightly methol-y, that must be the ambrette seed.

 

I've been searching for another great coffee scent for when my beloved bottle of The Worst Pillow runs out. Unfortunately this isn't it, as it really doesn't smell anything like coffee on me! It's more like... foresty sawdust? I do like it, but it's not at all what I expected from this one.

[doomsday_disco]

In the (carded) imp: Sweet black coffee, but it hasn't been freshly made. It doesn't smell warm.

 

Wet: Sweet, but cold, black coffee, with just a bit of ambrette seed in the background. The coffee seems to be getting sweeter as it sits on my skin, and the ambrette seed is becoming more prominent as well.

 

Dry: Super sugary black coffee and musky ambrette seed.

 

After a while, the ambrette seed ends up playing a greater role, adding a powdery, perfume-y quality to the sweet coffee (which is still the main player on me).

 

Verdict: I like this. Some coffee scents can be too strong on the coffee for me, but this isn't one of them. I don't think I need a bottle of this, as I can't see myself reaching for it often enough to warrant one, but I am really glad I was able to try it. I think I'll hold onto the imp.

[follis]

I tested this on both myself and my partner who has a different skin chemistry. Normally we differ but he had an extremely similar result to me. 

 

Bottle: Espresso coffee with a bit of cream or watered down. Oh so slightly spiced and amazingly delicious. 

On: This starts becoming more of a perfume smell, perhaps the ambrette? I'm also getting a plastic note unfortunately. Darn. I've noticed the coffee accord doesn't always sit well with me but I hoped it was other notes and pure black coffee would be ok. After a while it starts to shift a bit so I'll check it again after 30mins +

Drydown: The tiniest hint of sweet coffee and plastic. Sadness! Very little throw. 

A few hours later: If I huff my wrist I still get a touch of plastic but also a light floral vanilla base, again likely the ambrette seed. 

 

Verdict: I love this fresh from the bottle so I'm going to try it as an ambient oil or in a scent locket.. Will update later, but gosh I wish I had that initial coffee scent throughout. 

[roseus]

Sweet black coffee in the imp, has a beautiful cacao undertone. On my skin the musky ambrette really blooms and this become very perfumey coffee. It has a really nostalgic effect on me, everything becomes sepia toned. There's something so rich and elegant about this combination. Great throw on me, but in a soft way. This will be a bottle in the near future. 

[alterosen]

On 7/10/2017 at 6:54 PM, rawgirl75 said:

The coffee note disappeared almost instantly on me... and what's left is an incredible, slightly sweet ambrette musk and ancient soft dusty spice. Not at all what I was expecting, and yet probably one of the best scents I've ever smelled.

 

If this passes the slather test next for allergies/migraines, I'll have to start hoarding multiple bottles of this one.

 

My experience is similar to rawgirl75. I'm not much of a fan of coffee-scented things so I passed on Zorya Utrennyaya when it first came out. I wish I hadn't because the musky base of this is incredible! It works so well on me that I've been wearing as my default goes-with-anything scent when I don't know what to wear. I've never been particularly drawn to ambrette before so I suspect it's more the unnamed musk. Well worth trying.

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by alterosen

[Rayleigh]

Sweet, musky, heady coffee. This is a strong, brooding, captivating scent. The coffee isn't too bitter, and the ambrette adds an interesting, nutty musk without veering too perfumey. It reminds me of one of my teachers, who kept a charmingly crowded, dusty office and always had a massive carafe of strong black coffee at hand. It's a little too sweet for my tastes, but I love the vibe.

[biggnerd]

Starts off as sweet coffee and fades into sweet ambrette. It's a warm, caramel colored scent that hangs around all day. It's a sweet, musky, golden amber.