S^*T

[zankoku_zen]

Cacao and vetiver.

Okay, so this one is a super dark sludgy chocolate oil. I get a smoky cacao. This is the pure, bitter, cacao. You know, the stuff without the additional sugar, not an ounce of milk. It's like 99% cacao bitters.

If you like your chocolate bitter, give this a whirl.

[quigza]

I may need to update, as my surprise SDCC fairy just got it to me (they lucked out and were working the next booth over at SDCC). I may add to this after I have let it settle for a couple of weeks.

 

Completely sugarless, waxless, unprocessed dark chocolate, with a grit to it. I like dark chocolate. I like rooty vetiver. I had no idea that the two would go well together. But, they do .

I love this. I love this so much.

 

 

In comparison, Bliss is much more like a Hershey bar.

This is also much more dark than chocomania by TBS. (Including the limited edition home fragrance in the green bottle that was darker than the regular chocomania)

 

 

Update:

It's been a few months, still love it. That said, the oils separate and you have to shake it up. It doesn't smell bad- it hasn't turned. But, I need to shake it before using to get the original scent. Otherwise it leans more to a greener vetiver with a background note of chocolate. Somewhat reminiscent of Angel by Mu,gler (but not as strident & nerve jangling). I'm not sure how I feel about having to shake up the oil, as part of me worries that I'll hurt the perfume's longevity somehow. But, I do love it when it's mixed up.

Edited March 10, 2019 by quigza
adding slightly aged info

[Dark Alice]

I may need to update, as my surprise SDCC fairy just got it to me (they lucked out and were working the next booth over at SDCC). I may add to this after I have let it settle for a couple of weeks.

 

Completely sugarless, waxless, unprocessed dark chocolate, with a grit to it. I like dark chocolate. I like rooty vetiver. I had no idea that the two would go well together. But, they do .

I love this. I love this so much.

 

 

In comparison, Bliss is much more like a Hershey bar.

This is also much more dark than chocomania by TBS. (Including the limited edition home fragrance in the green bottle that was darker than the regular chocomania)

Lemonlife hit the nail on the head with this review. It smells like fancy, dark german chocolate. Smooth, bitter but lightly sweet. I want to eat this. It's delicious.

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: As other mentioned, a dark, bitter-sweet chocolate is front and center. But the vetiver is present too, taking this scent away from being strictly gourmand and making it earthy, root-y and smoky.

Wet On Skin: The cacao and vetiver are now neck and neck. I was hoping that one wouldn't overpower the other. Hopefully, that stays consistent through to the end.

 

Dry Down: The smoke of the vetiver has been largely tamed by the cacao and the bitterness of the cacao has been smoothed down by the vetiver. I knew that chances were excellent that this combination would work well for me, since I favor both of these notes. In combination, they are magical love.

The only thing better is to see what happens after some aging!

[samanare]

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly, it feel a little short.

 

At the beginning, as it dries and for a bit after it is fully dry, it's this great mix of chocolate and vetiver that smells like melting, dark chocolate with the rooty, earthy edge to it. As time goes on, the chocolate fades faster than the vetiver until it's this especially rooty, fresh vetiver, with the sweetness of the chocolate as an afterthought.

 

Overall this is much more of a vetiver scent, and I was hoping it would be more equal parts chocolate as well. I'm glad I have it in my collection, to me, it isn't as much of a KO as I expect exclusives to be.