Song of Hope

[zankoku_zen]

A warm amber carnation with patchouli root, ambergris accord, balsam of Peru, vanilla absolute, black pepper, clove husk, ochre leather, and pimento berry.
 

[zankoku_zen]

Carnation, spices (pepper, clove, and a whiff of patchouli), and a touch of leather and amber. This one is a warm spicy carnation blend. More sophisticated than a Luper. I would categorize this as gender neutral oriental, and I think it would be absolutely banging on the right fella with the right skin chemistry. Medium throw and wear length.

[Casablanca]

First impression: Spiced (clove-heavy) amber carnation and warm red pimento. A little worn leather and ambergris linger around the edges, mingling frontier and sophistication.

 

In drydown, this softens and blends. The warmth of the carnation and red pimento play well with the spices. 

 

This is a dichotomy blend, a scent for someone who has liked rugged scents long enough to become refined in their choices to represent that. 🙂

 

 

[starbrow]

Surprisingly soft and skin-hugging from the start. With these notes, I would expect something really popping, but fresh, Song of Hope stays close and quiet. I can tell this one will intensify with age. I kind of want to be here for that.

 

To me, this smells like a sultry, carnation-tinged version of Resuscitation's drydown. They share peru balsam, a dry and fragrant wood, along with the musky ambergris and (arguably) the choya ral and ochre leather, both earthy leather-leaning notes. Song of Hope is more traditionally pretty, not a shocker with the carnation giving some feminine spice, but it is not a carnation bomb either. The clove is unusually subtle. I think I get more pepper and berry, piquant and rich from the back of the spice cabinet. Whatever vanilla is here is just here to sweeten things up a bit rather than gourmand the joint up all the way.

 

It's really cool. It just doesn't throw past like an inch right now. I want more than a .5ML, maybe less than a bottle. Huff.

[Rayleigh]

Spicy, earthy carnation, given some grit around the edges by the leather, patchouli, and balsam. Unexpectedly fleeting. I had to search for it on my wrist to smell it, and it stayed quiet the whole wear time, though it ended up lasting a long time.

[artisjok]

Song of Hope is very skin-close on me, and I’m getting primarily ambergris and, I think, Peru balsam, with a tinge of spice. Where are you leather?! 
It’s pretty, but so fleeting that I’m not sure I should bother keeping the decant.... 

Might see what aging accomplishes. 

[Dancing Raven]

I get an initial blast of smoky leather. I suspect the smoke may be due to vetiver because I get a very faint, but distinct barbecue smell which worries me. This type of vetiver tends to overpower everything else on me. However, my fears were unfounded because this is very well behaved. 5 minutes in the clove (with some cinnamon, maybe?) appears. A brief menthol note shows up, which is probably the balsam. It disappears within a minute. Drying down, the smokiness persists. The drydown is a cinnamony, smoky, slightly dried grass/leathery scent. It takes about 2 hours for the carnation to show up. By then it is very close to the skin. What remains a few hours later is mainly clove with a touch of sweet, dried grass smokiness, and some carnation and vanilla to sweeten it and smooth things out. I really like it, but I wish it kept the same strong throw once it dries that it had at the start.

4 out of 5 stars. Beautiful final result, but a little too light.

[Lucchesa]

Song of Hope is a cousin to another recent love, Pleasure Boat.  Both star my favorite floral, carnation, backed by amber and vanilla.  The ambergris here is quiet on me -- actually, this is a quieter blend than you might imagine from the notes.  It wears close, and the leather and spices are subtle.  Like Pleasure Boat, this one melds into something you can't easily pull apart, more of a russet carnation brocade than Pleasure Boat's golden one, and it's absolutely lovely.  

[katharina]

This scent, along with Clémence, has shown me how much I love a good carnation scent. Who would've thunk it?

 

The spices here really support the natural spiciness of the carnation, and the vanilla and amber give it all a warm, golden bed to lie on. 

 

It is quieter than it might seem if you were just reading the notes. Beth's genius is showing its hand with how masterfully, and yet delicately, this is blended. It's not overwhelming, although I wish it were. I want to bathe in it so all around me can smell the deliciousness.

 

ETA, 11/22/2023 Lovers of Sylvia would also love this. The carnation, leather balsam, and clove give them the same feel. Both are incredibly lovely. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by katharina