Seven Word Story: Envy

[theseagrows]

The subject of our latest #BPAL7wordstory contest was Envy. The winning entry was submitted by Tyler Butler:

Galatea wept as Pygmalion carved new statues

Marble-white sandalwood, vanilla blossom, and orris root veined with whorls of ambergris accord, rose-touched with life, slowly shattering tears of bitter carrot seed and cistus.

this starts off with sandalwood, hints of ambergris and orris. it's slightly woody and i think there's a hint of carrot seed as well. after a minute or two i get a bit of something floral, but it doesn't seem like rose. maybe cistus? after about 10 minutes it's mostly orris root and carrot seed-kind of earthy and rooty, though i can still sense the sandalwood, it is subtler than it was in the beginning. there is a tiny hint of vanilla , and no rose that i can detect. i do like this, but was hoping for more rose. i also think i amp sandalwood so it's kind of taking over. a nice scent, but i probably won't be needing a bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Slightly woodsy sandalwood, with orris and carrot-seed. The carrot-seed as a mournful note, and there's a tiny bit of vanilla on the drydown. This one smells like cold marble, sandalwood, and mournful florals. Beautiful and haunting. Medium throw and wear length.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Oooh. That's niiiice. Smooth sandalwood. Slightly musky ambergris. This is very soft. I THINK I pick up some of the vanilla blossom, but it's very light. This is all about the sandalwood, and it's one of the most beautiful sandalwood notes I have smelled - smooth and sweet, rather than sharp or harsh like it can occasionally be. This is actually quite beautiful - a soft, subtle skin scent. Somehow clean, without being even marginally soapy. This is different than anything I have. I haven't had the best luck with the 7 Word Story scents, but I think this is the one that works for me. So far it is bottle worthy.

 

 

Dry: Once dry, I can smell the carrot seed, which is a very clean, almost glittery sort of scent to me - always hard to describe. Maybe crystalline is better word for it? The descriptor of "slowly shattering tears" is quite apt. It combines beautifully with the ambergris. The sandalwood provides a lovely back drop - it's still very smooth. I really love this, it's very different. It's soft, low throw, a skin scent. I am going to get a bottle, as I think I can get away with wearing it to work. I think z_z might have summed it up best in the post above - this is definitely hauntingly beautiful.

[torikitty]

I'm glad I got to smell this, but I'm glad it's going to a good home. First, I get a kinda powdery note, then a closer sniff smells a bit like a bitter weed. I can smell the smooth sandalwood in the back, but I'm guessing I'm amping the orris root, which seems kinda boring to me. It's pretty, clean skin kinda smell, and would be lovely on the right person.

[roseus]

Had so much hope for this but on me this is dusty orris and sandalwood, with a little something bitter in the background. Envious of all the people it does work on!

[joopjoop]

Envy is lovely but a bit frustrating. I would describe it as having a melancholy quality - pure and cold - very evocative of a statue come to life! It has that beautiful white sandalwood that the lab does so well, and that dreamy, slightly salty quality that ambergris brings to the table.

 

After about an hour, however, something a bit dusty and a little bitter emerges and I am not crazy about this stage. Later it settles down and smooths out, and eventually becomes a primarily sandalwood scent.

 

All in all, a wonderful interpretation of the inspiration, but I have so many perfumes at this point that I don't think I will be bringing more Envy into my life.

Edited January 18, 2018 by joopjoop

[Lucchesa]

Envy captures the terrific SWS brilliantly. Dusty orris and dry sandalwood stand in for marble, and the faintly oceanic smell of ambergris reinforces the feeling of tears. (Poor carrot seed, always doleful.) I get only the lightest breath of rose, as if Galatea is still barely human. This is dryer and dustier than my tastes run, but a beautiful picture in scent.