The Earth Mother

[Lycanthrope]

The personification of nature itself: patchouli and clary sage with a host of dark mosses and lichens, wild grasses, warm acorns, dammar, burgundy pitch, pine needles, mandrake root, hay absolute, and sweet vetiver.

From the bottle whiff, I get immediately a pine scent, with a swirl of very verdant, wet and sappy greenery. Not foreboding, but definitely a lot going on. The image I get is a glossy mix of obsidian and emerald. There's a bit of a 'Tramp' feel from this, for you LUSHies.

Immediately on the skin it's patchouli and pine, both vying for attention. Around this vacillation between airy, clear and klaxon pine, patchouli grumbles and gives everything a loamy, soily feel. I'm now getting the hay, which is of a slightly damp persuasion. This is all forest, a coniferous one. Not too heavy on the soil and dirt notes, although there is the patchouli, but what makes it so foresty is the combination of all the subtle, woodsy/oak, gummy, rooty scents. The moss and lichen does add a bit of an ashy/rocky feel to it.

As time passes, this actually gets a touch drier, more of a solid wood, with pine needles gracing it but not dominating. It settles on me into a very smooth, non-cacophonous 'forest.'

Although this isn't a dead ringer for the sadly discontinued LUSH Tramp, it has the similar feel of moss, patchouli, and nymphlike greenery.

I like it! I think one bottle is enough for me since this is very environmental. Lovers of Black Forest or similar aromas, please try this!

[VetchVesper]

The Earth Mother brings to mind soft brown pine needles under foot, dappled sun light, and soft, rich loam. If the Wolves Howled, the Ravens Screamed is a fairy tale forest on a winter night, this is the same forest in the daylight of late summer. It's less green, (the pine was not harsh or sharp on me) and there's no definitive "dirt" note, but it's still got that feel of an ancient forest floor. E.M. is well blended, and there's a gentleness and warmth to it. The patch and vetiver are present, but restrained. I wanted a mellow, calming, forest scent, and I think I got it, but I'm still not sure if I'm in love with it. I'm fickle with forest blends. I'll let it settle a bit before I decide whether or not to put my bottle up for swaps.

 

Brown, contemplative, foresty, unisex.

Edited July 17, 2018 by VetchVesper

[spookyumbrella]

Smells brown without smelling dirty. Acorns, pine needles, moss and all good foresty things being crushed underfoot with a swirl of patchouli in the air. It smells like a forest in late summer.

[Atrous]

This smells like Black Forest married Dark Rosaleen.

In other words really, really good.

[Casablanca]

Warm wood-stuff on the forest floor.

 

When first applied, Earth Mother gives patchouli and pine on a background of soft, warm acorns and other woody plant things. It smells like many shades of light, organic brown and an occasional dark pine green.

 

In drydown, a little chewy hay warmth emerges, well blended and not calling much attention to itself. I'm cautious with hay, because it can get crazy, and I'm like, Calm down; you're hay. But it's so nice when blended and mild. Harmonious hay.

 

After the blend dries, a sweet, dark vetiver trickles in, but it also stays well blended. From the dried Earth Mother I get dark vetiver, hay, patchouli, and woody plant things, in that order, but they're all very close and blendy. The patch is fuzzy and a bit earthy, but not really dirty, and it plays nicely.

 

I wish the blend were a little less soft, but I like it more than enough for a bottle.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: I can smell the clary sage, pine needles, moss, what I believe is the same mandrake note from Anesthesia, and some burgundy pitch.

 

Wet: The pine needles really stand out to me, but the scent is warmer and more mellow than I expected on my skin. I am also getting the clary sage and moss.

 

Dry: This is more of a mix of green and brown notes now, as the pine needles and clary sage have calmed down a little, and I am getting some warm hay now. After a while, I get the vetiver, but it is a grassy, slightly smoky variety, not a super smoky one, more moss, and some patchouli. The clary sage remains a main player on me.

 

Eventually, the vetiver ends up becoming the strongest note, followed by the clary sage, and the patchouli is more prominent as well.

 

Verdict: I was curious about this because it was a forest scent, but this one ended up being too masculine for me in the end. I vastly prefer The Forest of the Empress.

[Lucchesa]

The Earth Mother smells to me much more like the Sierra Nevada in summer than the mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest. It's a conifer forest all right, but a dry one -- dry grasses, dry lichens, dry twigs snapping underfoot, silvery sage instead of the verdant ferns I have come to be used to. It is incredibly evocative of time spent in the California mountains as a child. This is darker than Theoi Nomioi, drier than This Is Your Wilderness. In addition to pine pitch and patchouli, I get a lot of vetiver in The Earth Mother, so if you fear vetiver, you may want to steer clear. But if a summer forest approaching the timberline appeals to you, add this to your cart.

[JMorgynWhite]

This one reminds me of a graveyard style scent on dry-down. It has all the forest/grass elements with a gorgeous dirt note - which I agree is dry - I want to say baked clay. The wet is almost boozy on me and masculine, but the dry down has the wondrous dirt with the pitch/pine that lingers.

[zankoku_zen]

Patch, moss, grass and assorted bits and bobs. This smells like a forest garden outside, dark green, and full of life. Medium throw and wear length.

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Hay, pine and earth

On the Skin:

Warm, dry earth and wood with pine. I agree that the pine needles are dry rather than super green. Very complex and the pine is really soft but also bright. I do get some clary sage way in the background with it's tea-like mintiness.

On the Drydown:

As this dries, there is a herbal quality emerging. Possibly the mandrake? Lovely dusty grass, herbs and pine needles. Delightfully late summer/early autumn, IMO

[annemathematics]

this reminds me of the soft brown of fallen needles and fertile earth and moss at the foundation of a forest's mighty trees, signalling their strength and health. it's cozy and comforting. a shade of burgundy not achieved with notes of musk or wine, but instead from bark and root and berry. the throw is solid without being brash or showy. my only [minor]quibble is that after about five hours, the scent morphs and the forest becomes kind of rubbery, with an unexpected sweetness emerging that isn't as engaging as the earlier versions of the scent. regardless I am still a fan of this.

[starbrow]

With four years of aging, what has really emerged to my nose is sage and PINE NEEDLES. The two form a potent needly effect of greenness that I wish was darkened by patchouli more strongly. I do love clary sage essential oil, but this smells more like a perfumer's sage, which to me is manly and reminiscent of cologne. That's probably the mosses at work! This does smell like oakmoss to me too, and very fresh vivid greens. I pick up the combined effects of the green elements, and not many of the darker ones (patchouli, burgundy pitch, hay, warm acorns, vetiver) that would make The Earth Mother very wearable for me.

 

Later on, a nice soft vetiver does emerge, along with a poofier sage and more fuzzy greens, and it is indeed sweet and lovable. I think the acorns are coming out with the vetiver for a really yummy nutty/grassy effect. I do have plenty of vetivers that begin a little more comfortably than this one did for me.

 

Mostly, The Earth Mother is a perfume for someone who loves the green blends and can't get enough of them, I think. I can let my bottle go and know it will be loved by someone.

 

I would wear this while: daydreaming about an upcoming camping trip

Edited July 16, 2022 by starbrow