Rickety Staircase

[zankoku_zen]

Once the grand foyer’s elegant centerpiece, now its winding curves creak treacherously, the handrail dull and splintered under decades of dust: fossilized amber crackling over dry oak.

[forspecial_plate]

I wore this on its own for a good while today.  I'm getting quiet amber and woods which is expected.  It has a "smoldering", sultry quality.  I could be wrong but I am also detecting a really noticeable aldehyde note, the same that's in Lady Hatton.  Reminds me of the aldehydes in Chanel No. 5.  Overall this smells chic and elegant, but has very low throw on my skin (a good thing, for me).  I think it's perfect for a crisp fall evening.

[Casablanca]

Staircase opens on me with glorious, wood-dusty oak but, like Forspecial, I soon get an aldehyde, almost champagne-like note. The aldehyde pretty much takes over on me, diminishing the lovely oak down to the barest background wood impression.

 

After the potent amber of It Was Just a Cat, I'm surprised not to find any amber. 

[groovyrooby]

Fascinating smells and an impressive feat. Tested from a decant that rested over a week.

 

This one has a lot going on! Starts with a green woody smell, freshly cut wood. Gets a marbly cool polished stone vibe and turns into a high-end shampoo smell, very clean and foamy. Ended kind of waxy, just like lacquered wood with a hint of varnish. Overall had a nice amber glow with that legit polished wood smell up close. Husband was impressed when I told him the name - "it's cool they can actually make something that smells like that idea."

 

I say sm

[AirimirOfGondor]

In the bottle, this was mild, kind of...nondescriptly-sweet, and soapy.

 

When I applied it, a resinous quality kind of came out, some notes reminiscent of bitter citrus oils, and something almost-creamy(?).

But, the big star bloomed as well - dry, dry wood.

 

Honestly, it actually reminds me of an old instrument cleaner/polish I used to use on my cello back in high school! <3 I can't remember the brand anymore, but I definitely remember the same kinds of fragrances after I had used it - wood, something creamy, something citrusy, and a kind of sharp quality.

 

It's a little too-sharp for me to wear all the time, but I definitely still like it! :)

[supreme_c0rt]

The oak here is distilled, clear, and light; quite different from the chewier oak varieties in Étienne De Boray Oak, et al. I'm also getting a lot of aldehydes (soapy-waxy-lemony-white floral) with a refined and gentle amber. This is a high-class, breathy kind of oak. Sophisticated, airy, gently woody and beautifully blended.

[Rayleigh]

This staircase may be rickety, but it's also spotless. Oak and the faintest fringe of amber. This smells like just-mopped hardwood. I like that smell, though it's odd to have it emanating from my wrists instead of, well, hardwood. If you are ever fleeing an eldritch monster and need to take cover in a well-maintained wood-paneled room, this is the skin scent you apply to help you blend in with your surroundings.

[Lucchesa]

Rickety Staircase went on a little soapy, and it gave the sense not of old oak but of polished oak.  This is not the warm amber of It Was Just A Cat, which I was testing on the other wrist, but something much cooler, more standoffish.  Overall, I got polished wood and a bit of cool amber.  This was very quiet on me, and not terribly long-lasting. 

[zankoku_zen]

Light golden amber and oak. This one is a much quieter blend. Medium throw and wear length.

[LizziesLuck]

In the bottle this makes no sense to me - so much so that I have avoided testing it. It smells like laundry in the bottle. Makes no sense!

 

Once it's on my skin it does still have a really weird "clean" vibe. The oak is reminiscent of the oak in Haloes on me. The amber makes zero sense here. On me, amber is rich, sweet and syrupy. I love it, and it loves me. This is not that note on me. All I can think is soap when I smell it. It's not sweet or warm or rich. It's pale and light and clean. Not sure what to think here, it's not at all what I expected reading the notes. It's a very dry scent. Dusty almost.

 

If I had been looking for a light, clean scent to wear to work this actually would have been perfect, but I had my heart set on rich amber and wood and so I find I am disappointed.

[tinyvulture]

It’s cool how these are all haunted house blends, but they are all different and have their own vibe. Rickety staircase is clean, polished wood (oak?) and soft, warm amber. It’s not screaming “old and abandoned” to me, more like well cared for but still spooky. You feel the elegance but sense something’s a little off kilter.  Others mentioned the aldehyde fizziness and maybe that’s it.  Maybe it’s cared for by ghosts.

[alyelle]

In the imp: Oak. Spooky, sexy oak.

 

Wet: Almost single note Oak. A soft sprinkling of sunlight on stairs, polished oak boards, and faint music drifting from another room.

 

Dry: Really really lovely - a gentle amber, dust motes, and old oak shelves glowing in the afternoon sun. Mild and short-lived.

 

Stars: ★★★★½

[LavenderCoffee]

Freshly applied, the fossilized amber strikes me as powdery, but that dissipates as it wears and I get some of the aforementioned aldehydes. I really like how this translates to the concept, and I find this easy to wear. 

[KaelKitty]

Starts out as a strong amber on me and fades into a soapy, antique oak.  It's very spooky, yet kind of sophisticated?  Like the dark and sultry master of the manor welcoming you into his home.

 

Side note: Wet, it reminds me of, in a weird way, Estee by Estee Lauder.  Which is what my mom has worn for decades so, in a way, this fragrance reminds me of my mom

[Shattershatter]

There’s definitely red musk and vetiver up in here! The amber sort of coats everything with a gorgeous sugary blanket. I don’t really smell oak? Just vetiver. It’s gorgeous though. Big and poofy personality with a dark sexy vibe. Kinda like if OG Sanguinem Menstruum was your mom, Rickety Staircase is your outspoken, witchy, single, man-eating aunt.