Astarte

[zankoku_zen]

A flash of silver, a shriek of ecstasy: gilded frankincense and indolent oud, red benzoin, temple incense, white musk, apple peel, crystallized cedar, and woody aged patchouli.

[Penance]

I was intrigued by the notes in this one, but confused about exactly what it would smell like.  Heavy notes mixed with light, airy ones. 

 

This is lovely and so well-blended.  The description is spot-on, even though I have a hard time identifying exact notes.  It's strange.

 

I get airy, light golden resins and Incense, a touch of apple peel (something golden-green), a little musk and the most gentle, subtle bed of cedar and patchouli.  Patchouli haters have no fear, though, it's not a big deal.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Penance

[zankoku_zen]

I mainly got incense and whiff of apple peel. It's like a golden incense blend, slightly smoky, and apple blossom. Good throw and wear length. More feminine than Morphine.

[whipwaif]

I agree with the above posters in that I mainly get incense and a very sweet apple. slightly boozy and very vintage smelling in my opinion. 

 

I thought I would enjoy this more but i'm honestly not a huge fan. there's something a little bathroom soap about it that isn't working on my skin. I was hoping to pick up more of the stinky oud if anything!

 

this was a blind buy off of etsy, womp womp.

[starbrow]

In the bottle, I can catch a lovely glittery apple, sweet and fancy. Once it hits the skin, an old-fashioned vibe starts to come out with the cedar. It reminds me of something you'd spray out of a cut-glass bottle from around 1900, like an apple blossom perfume that I could picture Anne Shirley admiring. This is a beautiful stage. Indolent oud is a scary phrase, but this is very gentle; I think the oud is helping it smell fancy.

 

I don't really smell any frankincense, but the white musk is present, just in a light and non-dryer sheet form. I wonder what is giving this blend its floral nature? I speculate that the incense is champaca. It doesn't smell like the yummy incense I love in All Souls etc. I confess that the patchouli is missing in action for me, whereas the red benzoin begins speaking a little too loudly. If benzoin cooperates for you, you're in luck. This particular resin plays poorly with my skin, the infamous "bandaid" smell that's a little rubbery. 

 

Ultimately, this was a gorgeous blend when it arrived, but doesn't work for my current chemistry. I think I will put my bottle in timeout for a year and revisit!