The Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow

[themerrybaker]

I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself — “It is nothing but the wind in the chimney — it is only a mouse crossing the floor,” or “It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.” Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel — although he neither saw nor heard — to feel the presence of my head within the room.



Unutterable dread: thick black patchouli, shadow musk, myrrh, and threads of hot saffron mired in sweet, viscous labdanum.

Mournful Influence reminds me of Midnight Mass plus saffron (paella on Christmas Eve?). The saffron and myrrh are very pronounced with an overall vibe of dark, dusty, and slightly sweet. I believe it needs to age some; right now there is very little throw.

 

I like this scent a lot and shall certainly wear it when striking fear into old men's hearts and chucking.

[JazzieCazzie]

Thought I was going to go away from the Weenies empty-handed until I stumbled across the notes in this one.

 

IN THE BOTTLE: OMFG. Glorious golden resiny awesomeness. Something ever-so-slightly "soda" (probably for me the labdanum).

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: One of the most divine (no pun intended) ecclesiastical scents this nice Jewish girl has sniffed. The saffron, I suspect, sets it apart (since that is also a note in Scheherezade -- sorry for misspelling of the scent but that's how I'm accustomed to spelling it so not even sure what is CQ -- and Schehwhatever is one of my favorite GCs and I have two beautiful bottles, one to wear and one to age).

 

DRYDOWN: Stays true to its wet beauty. Pure resiny glorious gold.

 

VERDICT: The first blind bottle buy that's been a keeper in YEARS. It somehow stays strong and true and yet also light enough to not get overwhelming later on.

 

I won't buy a second bottle because I do have many scents from this "family" (I loves me the churchy resiny stuff) but do hope this might be released in some similar forms!

[zankoku_zen]

Labdanum, patchouli and musk. This is a dark, inky, musky blend. Touch of saffron. If you're into dark, resinous blends, give this a whirl. Medium throw and wear length.

[annemathematics]

on my chemistry, this is mostly patchouli. the most gorgeous, soft, dusty, soothing, warm, snuggly patchouli ever. at least that's what wafts about me in the air. if I huff my skin, I get a beautiful gentle blend of saffron and labdanum. a little bit of musk dust.

[strick9]

This is incredible. It is very evocative of place for me, and it’s most definitely dark, ecclesiastical, and rings of ceremony. JazzieCazzie described it super well- to me it’s a cross between Catholic Church benedictions and grown ass, sexy person. I got 3 imps of this and I’ll grab a bottle.

[lady_pandora]

This started out unpromising--the patch was just too dank for the first few minutes. But then it calmed down into something I really like! This feels like it's in the Sin family. Earthy black patchouli, with some dry spices and a touch of sweetness. I wish it went more ecclesiastical on me, but it's pretty great as-is!

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Sweet, sticky labdanum wrapped around chewy, slightly gnarly patchouli. Dark, sweet musk. This is a strong, heady scent. I like it way more than I expected to. Lovers of dark, sweet scents ought to give this a shot.

 

 

Dry: I really like this. The labdanum is dominant - very sweet and sticky. The musk and patchouli swirl through it. There`s maybe a slight kick of saffron (but very subtle). I bet this will age fantastically. A dark, sultry, slinky scent.

[degaussingcrown]

I am not a fan of patchouli in ANYTHING... but this is the exception. The sweetness of the labdanum and the dark musk are definitely in the forefront, with patchouli leading up the back.

Lasts a good 6 hours on me but turns into a close-to-the-skin scent. I'm contemplating a back up bottle

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Hello patchouli! With sweet labdanum and a whisp of saffron

On the Skin:

Really nice patchouli and rich ambery labdanum. The myrrh kicks in a little to cut through the sweetness. The shadow musk (which is always a pure win note for me) lifts the blend to a more refined level a little later on.

On the Drydown:

This is a lovely dark blend - all resins, inky musk and earthy patchouli. The saffron adds a little spice but isn't overpowering. At times there is a fruitiness that emerges but I am sure that will disappear with ageing and this will age magnificently

[LiberAmoris]

The Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow has that same cola note that I get from Sin—it must be the black patchouli. I adore 'coca cola' patchouli! This is patchouli untethered, dark, sweet patchouli that you fall into like a swoon. 'Shadow musk' is an amazing note in a note list and I think we should pause and appreciate that on its own. The black patchouli, shadow musk, labdanum, and myrrh super-collide to form a dark, resiny-vegetal wave wall that comes so fast that the saffron is practically swallowed up. But it persists, bringing warmth and a slightly leathery, bittersweet, red-orange currency. This is definitely and without question a patchouli blend, and I love it.

[patina]

This is everything I hoped it would be. A smooth dark patchouli and golden labdanum are most noticeable. It's cola sweet, but not like I spilled rootbeer on myself.

 

Dark resin lovers who can do patchouli, try this! I'm considering a backup myself.

Edited January 6, 2018 by patina

[ramblingrambler]

Gnarly, glorious patchouli for daaaays. It's deep, dark, and... fuzzy (AND fizzy?!) almost. Patch lovers need this.

[tinyvulture]

At first, this is a sexy combination of dark patchouli and sweet cherry-cola labdanum. But what it dries down to is exactly the same as a 10-year-aged amber SN oil that I have. Warm, incredibly resinous and grainy, so sweet. Of course I love it. 12 hours later it's still there, wow!

[Lucchesa]

I wasn't sure The Mournful Influence was going to work on me at first. It was nice, but not outstanding. But the longer it has stayed on my wrist, the deeper and more beautiful it has gotten. The patchouli comes more and more to the forefront, and the resins get warmer and sweeter. I don't find this melancholy at all, and it is more hippie than ecclesiastical on me, but it's gorgeous and I will get a lot of wear out of it this winter.

 

EDIT 11/13/24:  This has aged SO BEAUTIFULLY!  Not a surprise, with these notes, but I'm so glad I hung onto it.  I have been wearing it a lot since the election, initially for the title and then because it's just so lovely and is making me feel better.

Edited November 14 by Lucchesa

[Pinewoodtea]

The image I get, wearing this:

You're braving a night in an ancient cathedral, long abandoned. As the night drags on, you could swear the walls drip black, sticky tar, but it disappears into mist when you touch it. You brought along a gold censer of consecrated incense, sitting in the reach of its warm scent is what keeps your resolve alive. You take a deep breath, assured that you'll last until dawn.