Awake

[zankoku_zen]

A sunrise shimmering like abalone, struck through with beams of red musk and amber.
 

[VetchVesper]

A sweet, syrupy, heady floral-musk.  My brain keeps jumping to neroli.  The red musk is apparent, but it smells more neon pink, with its sugary aspects played up more than its lusty aspects.   The amber comes out more as this dries down, warms it up and cuts the sweetness a bit.  A good thing, in my view, as I'm starting to think "abalone" is too sweet as a main player for my tastes.  

 

If you liked Clinichlore and/or sweet red musk, check this one out.  If you like Abalone Vulva, this shares the shimmery pink vibe and the soft amber, but lacks the cream and the salty aspect.  This is the mermaid's more flirtatious sister.

[zankoku_zen]

Sugar, red musk and amber. This one is a sweet amber and musk blend. Good throw and wear length.

[white_jenna63]

This is *perfume*. Far too sophisticated for the jeans and t-shirt I tried it with. It's not a Red Musk scent and it is gorgeous. Definitely good throw.

[RoseThornAndOak]

This is straight from the beautiful Lab, which I'm convinced has some aquatic wonderland off the coast somewhere where they trade with mermaids for Very Pretty Things.

 

 I agree with what has been stated above, Awake has a very sophisticated and sexy perfume vibe, only without the alcohol and plasticky notes. I'm trying to think what perfume it reminds me of, but is better than. When first put on it is dark, sweet amber with a smidgen of red musk, but doesn't have that oudh-like edge that red musk can have sometimes. The red musk is just slight enough to not stomp out the other notes. The amber is that rich, expensive perfume type, but not crazy powdery. As it dries down a slight, soft, smooth, silky aquatic note comes out that is not screechy or reading masculine at all, but just adds another...I don't know how else to put it, sexy expensive dimension?

 

You know what? If this was a flanker to Dior Poison it would be called Mermaid Poison. It kind of reminds me of what I remember Amber Romance smelling like, too but with more depth and intrigue. It is not as heady as Midnight Poison, but Awake puts me in the same moonlight tryst sort of headspace. And yes, far more sophisticated than my pants and casual shirt  *slips into velvet skirt* and I know there is a conventional that is closer to this in profile, but that is what's coming to me.

 

I'm really enjoying this A LOT and think it will age well. If you miss wearing sexy, dark, classic night time, date night, noir type scents or found them to be a bit too much and wanted something similar that is not headache inducing or wanted something with more of a Gothic tone, give Awake a go. This is a soft, more wearable gothic Poison to me and I will cherish my bottle! ❤️

 

Edit: Next day Awake is still going strong and beautiful, and now reminds me of Narciso Rodriguez for Her, reading as a sweet, deep, musky amber with an orchid-esque floral. I've been wanting something similar to NR4H for a while and this is perfect! So pretty. 

 

Edit: year and a few months later, I totally get the similarity to Black Opal now, that sort of smoothed out shimmery stone vibe. I was a dummy andthe got rid of my bottle of Black Opal back in the day, but I think Awake works even better! @HerbGirl

Edited September 13, 2021 by RoseThornAndOak

[puellacaerulea]

In the decant: Sweet red musk and heady amber. It has an expensive, sophisticated, traditional perfume vibe to it, and for some reason my mind keeps jumping to the color magenta when I sniff it. It goes slightly powdery on me as it dries down, but otherwise morphs very little. Think what you'd wear for a fancy night out, date night, etc. This isn't the kind of thing I'd wear often enough to justify a full bottle, but will hold onto my decant for special occasions.

[Casablanca]

This is Red Musk dressing up in a gown of shimmering pink shantung and mermaid pearls.

 

It's kind of Red Musk in Abalone Vulva cosplay. You know it's not the real Vulva, but it's a good bit of fun.

 

The Lab's red musk usually turns sour and bad on me after a while. I get a little of that here, but this iridescent mermaid note -- and the amber that intensifies after drydown -- do a very pretty job of hiding it.

[starbrow]

THIS ONE, Y'ALL. THIS IS THE ONE. It's so, so me. I am a red musk lover and an amber lover, so already I had a good chance of loving it.

 

Let's dive deep.

 

From a single whiff of my decant, I knew this would be an instant bottle. It smells aged to perfection, and it's only a few weeks old. Holy yes. Onto the skin it goes.

 

This is sparkly amber. S P A R K L Y. It's Alleviate the Frenzy, Elle Est Heureuse, Galerie Des Glaces, House of Mirrors Atmo, amber. She glances at her reflection in a glassy pool, fluffs her hair, and spins into a bright cloud that is magnificent to linger in. Divine. Her bestie is a playful and dressed-for-springtime red musk. You may be used to heavy, thick red musks. Well, she's barely clothed here. It's delightful. Somehow, she brightens up the amber even more while also singing a high, piercing call that might just beckon some wayward sailors.

 

If Abalone Vulva is pink mermaid musk, Awake is red siren musk. She smells like she could kill, and you would die happy.

 

Red musk fans need this in their life. Amber and glass-note lovers need this in their life. If you liked Abalone Vulva and could picture yourself wearing a more sultry version of it, don't hesitate, take the plunge. I just want to sing the good news that is Awake. 

 

[paperflowers]

So lovely!  The red musk smells a little grape-y, which is my absolute fave.  Am I the only one who finds red musk similar to dark, deep wine/grapey-ness?

[feyofthefellwood]

I tend to amp red musk, which goes bitter on my skin without some sweeter note counterpoints, so the mentions of this being a sweeter blend, along with the favorable comparisons to Abalone Vulva, sparked my curiosity. And this really is beautiful - a more playful and sultry mermaid. The red musk stays silky and light on my skin without going bitter, and the amber is more creamy than powdery. Gorgeous. 

[supreme_c0rt]

This one is really hard to tease out, it's so well blended. I get the red musk part of it, but it's like no other red musk I've met before. It's very toned down. Dark pink musk, maybe. I get that wonderful "tanning lotion" favor that I like in standard red musk, but it's so smooth here, like it's been distilled. The most prominent note on me is a citrus melange that makes the whole thing electric and bright. If this were a drink it'd be an ice-cold bubbly grapefruit spritzer with a twist of clementine rind, sitting on top of a dark pink musk syrup base. A big pinch of salt on top, garnished with a heady pink flower. Sweet but not too sweet. Refreshing and sophisticated. Smells expensive and lush but airy and floaty at the same time like a silk robe. 

 

It's not quite "me" because I tend to go darker and growlier than this, but I understand why folx like this so much. It's a stunner. Perfect summer scent, bright and pretty and complex. Sexy but not overtly so. I'm delighted I got to try it.

 

edit: even after a few hours, this still smells like a cold grapefruit mimosa. I don't think I have ever had citrus last this long on me. It's quite nice. 

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by supreme_c0rt

[HerbGirl]

I love this so much. It was an 11th hour purchase and I am so glad I took the chance. I thought, I have plenty of red musk and amber blends, this one probably isn't gonna wow me. Well, it did. I wonder, am I the only one who smells a component of Black Opal here? Seriously. If I huff, about 5 minutes after applying, I smell a similarity and it makes me smile. No, they aren't similar scents (obviously) but there's a fleeting moment of oooh I know that from somewhere. Anyhoo, this is gorgeous and I wasn't planning to review but wanted to add my 2 cents. 🙂