The Witch/Strega

[zankoku_zen]

Leatherbound tomes and rose cream, flickering flames of twin ambers, and a cascade of shadows: black oud, teakwood, black beeswax, 13-year aged patchouli, cinnabar, balsam, sweet labdanum, tonka bean, and smoke.

[Seajewel]

This won't be very descriptive, but here's what I'm getting: it's a quiet, skin-close blend. The rose is undetectable to me, which is a good thing, the leather is also behaving very well, the oud is not bathroom cleaner oudh, I think it's mainly the black beeswax I am getting right now after some smoke and leather in the wet stage (not bbq smoke). It reminds me of something.. I think Loved to Death, but without the strong anise note (not sure what it was that came off that way to me as anise is not listed) that really turned me off of LTD.  There's a shadow of that anise note here too but it is much less prominent. The jury is still out on this one: I definitely don't dislike it, but I don't know how I feel about it yet either. Will retest! 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Seajewel

[artisjok]

I was very excited about this Witch, yet I’m getting the same experience as Seajewel- a skin-close beeswax scent, much like Loved to Death.
It’s almost got a skin musk note to it. I’m detecting the patchouli after a while, but it’s only enhancing the skin-like quality, a little woodsy sweat. 
I’m really missing the leather and other woods listed.... maybe it needs more resting? I’m going to give this witchy lady some time to go inward with herself. May she emerge in full strength with the notes I lust after! 

[theseagrows]

in the beginning i get a lot of balsam and oudh which kind of reminds me of bpal's black musk a bit. after a minute i get a bit of smoke, then later some amber, warming things up. it's mostly a smoky balsam on me. i get the cinnabar and maybe some woods later, with a little hint of beeswax. the rose finally comes through after it's been on the skin several hours. it's quite pretty. but for me, it's a resiny balsam for most of the time.

Edited December 6, 2020 by theseagrows

[storme]

This went on sort of woodsy and leathery, and then vanished completely for about an hour, and then blossomed again into a warm, skin-hugging beeswax-smoke-and-leather scent with the faintest tinge of rose in the background, not enough to sweeten it much but still just there. I like it but it's a 'jam your nose in my wrist or you can't smell it' sort of affair.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Mysterious, resinous, multifaceted.. The oud and smoke stand out to me in their unusualness, but really everything is well balanced. Resins, woods, mineral, animalic and floral notes blend beautifully. Not an extroverted scent, but one I love smelling on myself, and will be nice to share with someone close.

 

 

 

[monocainsheresy]

Mostly the patch and labdanum on me, with hints of rose, balsam, and beeswax. A quiet scent, sweeter and lighter than I expected given the contents. Like Practical Occultism without the wine.

[patina]

Immediately I get patchouli and saffron (the saffron must be the oud). There's a suggestion of beeswax and indistinguishable dark resins. This is smooth and dark and a bit like skin musk.

 

Very luxurious and as other reviewers have said, very close to the skin.

[puellacaerulea]

This one seems very well-blended, such that the notes that stand out the most are a soft, slightly smoky leather and rose, with a mix of balsams and resins underneath. The rose goes through a brief powdery phase on me, but otherwise behaves, and works surprisingly well with the leather note -- the overall post-drydown effect is almost like a skin musk. It stays fairly close to the skin and is weirdly cozy. Not 100% sure if I need a bottle yet, but I'll definitely be using my decant.

[supreme_c0rt]

Wet: a pungent slap of raw teak and rooty patchouli. Teak can sometimes read almost like turpentine, and that's what I'm getting here. Sharp as a knife. As it dries, cream and beeswax begin to surface, softening the edges of the raw wood. It takes a minute though. Rose is sorta there but not overly so. Just a hint of smoke, quite faint.

 

Fully dry: the volume drops suddenly to a whisper of creamy rose-beeswax with a breath of patchouli and teak. I'm cheerleading for the leather and smoke but they're still in their seats. I'm not getting a ton of the other notes either. This is maybe the first time ever that black oud hasn't stomped the whole house down. I'm not even really picking it up at all here. I'm surprised how this scent almost vanished given how strong the opening was. It's nearly undetectable.

 

I might have to rest and re-test to see if it finds its legs, since this has a lot of potential to be great but is struggling to find its voice, at least on me. 

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by supreme_c0rt

[AirimirOfGondor]

In the bottle and wet, the teak and patchouli hit me first -- it's rich and slightly sweet, with a chewy feel to it, but also a fair deal of astringency.

It almost reminds me of Ad Montes Oculos Levavi, but a bit more complicated than that.

 

When applied, I get vaaaague shades of Banshee Beat, but it's lighter, much more dry, and way less sweet.

 

As it continues to dry, I get hints of smoke, and a whiff of sticky beeswax, as the teak continues to be the main star.

 

I cannot smell any rose, cream, amber or tonka. I keep thinking I can smell them ever so slightly as it continues to dry, but I tend to amp earthier notes so the teak and patch and smoke keep vying for first place. So I may have to wait a bit and see. :D

[doomsday_disco]

I predominantly get deep resins, cinnamon, and patchouli from this. I'm thinking it's black amber, black oudh, dragon's blood, and patchouli, with just a touch of the leather from the tomes. It is very dark and resinous on me. In the background, I smell the cola-like labdanum and a bit of the black beeswax, but they mainly serve to slightly sweeten the dark resins.

 

This is a little too dark to be in my wheelhouse, as I was hoping for more books and beeswax, but fans of incense-y resins should definitely give this a try.

[zankoku_zen]

Black leather, oudh, resin, and did I mention black leather? Yeah, this smells like aged black leather, whiff of oudh, sweet resin, and a touch of beeswax. Definitely masculine on me. Great throw and wear length.

[gothteacup]

This has a few of my “oh no” notes in it. But I have been drawn to it still, and am pleasantly surprised.

 

When first applied it's oude, and not much else. Maybe a touch of leather. Those are two notes I can’t usually hang with. 
 

Then on the dry down everything pops out: soft, smooth patchouli, smoke, a whisper of rose, woods, beeswax. They all seem to be balanced well, the oude backs down a lot, as does the leather. 
 

It becomes one of those oddball mixes that just works. For me. I can see this being off putting for some people, but if you like weird scents that you get whiffs of and it’s kinda puzzling yet pretty in a creepy way, The Witch/Strega is one to try.

Edited February 2, 2021 by gothteacup
words are hard

[rawgirl75]

The Witch/Strega is another reminder for me that perfumes need time to settle down from postal-shock.  I didn't care for it at all when I'd first smelled it straight from the mailbox. The initial blast of oud then was way in my face and the beeswax note was all over the place.  I'd initially thought I made a mistake blind-ordering this, but....

 

What a HUGE difference a little bit of aging/settling makes for this blend.  The scent in the bottle now has calmed down significantly.  It's still a little bit odd when wet, but as it dries down, it really comes together and that hint of beeswax gives it a nice touch of sweetness.  I totally love this now and am wondering if I should find another bottle.

 

Edit: Months later, this has moved to possible swap pile.  Honey notes are problematic for me (over-amping), and it looks like this one isn't an exception.

Edited August 14, 2021 by rawgirl75

[rivetted]

I absolutely love this one, it is now a new all-time favorite for me.

 

I have no idea what smells so "odd" to others in the comments here, but It is absolutely possible that I have weird tastes (scents!)

 

This smells like honey, wood, amber, leather. Woodsy, dark. Maybe the "odd" smell is a hint of the patchouli. But it smells far too sweet to me to be off-putting.

 

I think it somehow manages to last on my skin all day, and when I take my bra off at the end of the day (or even when I put it on the next morning!!) I just want to huff the lace it smells so good. 

 

I definitely grabbed a second bottle of this one.

[lipstickonmyteeth92]

I adore this one, it smells exactly like the local witch store I used to frequent in university. Definitely one of my new favourite scents. 

 

In bottle: Leather, incense, books with a hint of beeswax and rose (I'm IMMEDIATELY transported back to the witch store, it's honestly uncanny. I'm there, in the shop,  on the Persian carpeted stairwell with the swirly iron railing, looking at all the lanterns hanging from the ceiling.) 

 

Wet on skin: Sweet patchouli, beeswax, and a smokey rose. LEATHER, and someone's lit candles in the background. 

 

Dry: It turns into this beautiful patch/leather/books sort of cinnamon rose/sweet beeswax candles scent that is just AMAZING. My only complaint is that it doesn't tend to last more than 6/7ish hours on me, it gets very faint. 

[groovyrooby]

One of the things keeping me chipper in the colder months is busting out scents like this Year 2 and the green pepper of the balsam has calmed down, but it's still lovely woody spicy. This feels very sophisticated and mature. Reminds me of a beloved elementary school teacher who was warm but firm, wise and intriguing. She used to play Carol King songs on the piano and lead us in singalong with her rich, smoky voice. Thinking back, I would totally believe she led a second life as a lounge singer. She smelled like powerful, fancy, grown ass woman perfume + a waft of cigarette smoke from the teacher's lounge (yeahhhhh if that doesn't say 'back in the day'...) - very distinct, striking, and I loved the smell of hugging her.

 

This dries to a very woody but not outdoorsy scent. The dead leaves note doesn't work for me - too bitter - but this is what I wish it did. With a hint of sweetness and smoke. I wouldn't exactly call it masculine on me - I wouldn't suggest my husband wear it. But it IS powerful, confident, in charge, and bold. Leather can rub me the wrong way. Cream can go foul on me. But this blend is wonderful. Definitely wear to work when I'm feeling like taking care of business.

[roseus]

A beautiful smoky, rosy scent.The leather is soft on me and melds really well with the patchouli. It is all really well-blended. All of those base notes are making a complex but somehow singular note. The beeswax adds a glowing warmth. Rosy is the best way to describe this, the rose is present but it's not big and fresh and super floral. It's more like dried rose, soft and muted.