The Grey Columns

[zankoku_zen]

A perfectly balanced blend of grey and white amber, touched by a hint of smoke.

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

This might be a skin scent, its fresh from the mail. However, its the prettiest amber. So cozy and on me very feminine. Its like how you feel on a cold blustery day and theres a plush warm robe to wrap yourself up in. It just feels so cozy to be surrounded by something feminine,  soft and comforting. One of the ambers reminds me a bit of the amber in Kit thats sweet. But, overall just a light, pretty amber. Not getting smoke just yet, not sure i need to appreciate this. Very different from richness of the amber in black amber and sugar cane, for reference. This has a definite nuance thats similar to sandalwood. The dry down is becoming more of a feminine cousin to Kit, to my nose. Lovely.

[feyofthefellwood]

This is so pretty! I was a little worried sniffing from the bottle that I was anosmic to it; it starts out very very light, even on the skin. But the scent blooms as it warms up; it's stealthy and subtle, but gains power as it wears instead of fading. I wore it to bed last night and woke up to the beautiful scent enveloping me this morning. This isn't a typical white amber type scent, IMO (it lacks that almost melon-y quality white amber can have), and the grey amber isn't as musky as ambergris (I've always been curious about the difference, so now I have a frame of reference!). This is going to sound weird, but to me this smells like if someone took vanilla soft serve and magically turned it into a moonstone amber, then burned it slowly over time so it produced only the faintest, wispiest smoke. I do detect the smoke if I really look for it, but it's sooo delicate. It's in the same vein as the smoke note in Fir Needle & Smoke and Shadows and Light (which according to people more well-versed than I is from a type of champaca), but even lighter than in those. Blink and you might miss it. I'm really excited about this one (I wonder how it will age?) and will likely be getting a backup if I can afford it. ❤️

[VetchVesper]

Reminds me somehow of Antique Lace, but paler and mixed with a strange dustiness that evokes old stone. The grey amber is most prominent to me, reminding me of the one in Gloomy Day. Something smells vanillic to my nose as well. This is pretty, but understated and a touch somber. 

[rivetted]

WOW! Smoke! Oh my goodness I knew this one would be an instant winner. This scent gets stuck in my head. I will likely need a second bottle of this. Or a third. It's simply that beautiful. 

I love amber, and I was almost worried about the smoke, as I wasn't sure what kind of smoke it would play as.

 

This is the scent of the jacket you wore out all night to the bonfire (but you were standing upwind not downwind), mixed with strong ambers. Love.

[doomsday_disco]

On me, the grey amber is the standout note, bringing to mind scents like Lyonesse and Zorya P, and it is paired with the sophisticated white amber found in scents like Schönperchten and Hohensalzburg Fortress. I am not getting any smoke, just a really lovely, smooth, ambergris-touched pale amber combo. I agree with Missanneshirleyofgg's description of this feeling being like being enveloped in a warm, comforting, and soft... but there's also a coolness to it, like you're bundled up in fluffy fabric and looking up at a clear night sky. If you're a fan of the ambers in any of the blends I mentioned, I think you will love this. It's so pretty.  

 

I can see this one being very popular. It will be sought-after once it is no longer available. (You've been warned!)

Edited July 5, 2021 by doomsday_disco

[zankoku_zen]

Sugared amber. Yup. That's it. I get very little throw or wear length.  It's mainly a skin scent on me. If anyone amped this puppy up though, I can see it being amazing. Unfortunately, my skin just ate it up.

[Threemoons]

Like lots of other folks, this registers as almost nothing in the bottle.  In the bottle:  Am I missing something?  Super light whiff of a soft neutral amber with the tiniest bit of aldehyde and smoke.  On, wet:  More kind of a wet stone and amber?  Again, tiny bit of stone, a few wisps of vanilla?  Drydown:  Takes a long time to dry down and sink it.  This stays very close to the skin and is almost a background scent--you won't even realize you are wearing it except for occasional pops of smoky vanilla and a floral skin amber.  This would make an amazing layering scent.  Don't get frustrated with this one, it sinks right in and then takes a while, sometimes a few hours, to even start to register.

 

[Seajewel]

Believe the hype. This is gorgeous. It's more beautiful every time I wear it. The main downside is that it feels like it is so close to the skin that no one else can smell it. It feels like grey amber to me with just a hint of sweetness. 

[puellacaerulea]

On me, this is a very soft, neutral amber. It's almost more of a skin musk than traditional amber (and weirdly, reminds me of Like A Girl). The smoke is blink-and-you'll-miss-it subtle, and it's more snuffed-candle than campfire. Long wear time, and sticks close to the skin. Pretty and understated. Probably a bottle purchase for me.

[Jenjin]

Umph wow! Silvery, slinky amber. Literally PERFECT amber. This is the amber of EVERYONE's DREAMS. I have Slathered this all over my shoulder and OH GODS it is SO BEAUTIFUL! If only I could somehow turn up the volume because I have to "nose to the rose", it is sooooo soft. I would kill for this in a body oil. Something I could splash all over myself and glow like a luminescent jelly fish. 

Edited July 17, 2021 by Jenjin

[Estamets]

These are the prettiest rocks I’ve ever slathered on my wrist!!

 

This is a fresh tingly clean reminiscent of cedar chips, but a grey version of that smell. It’s that smell, but powdery rocks. 
 

This is like… like an elegant princess in a shiny white dress who you think is going to be stuck up and terrible but then she’s actually really friendly and gives the best hugs but is still absolutely an elegant princess. The best soon-to-be-a-monarch best friend ever. 
 

ETA: I put this on a couple-few hours before bed, and I woke up in the middle of the night to my wrist smelling of the most gorgeous, glowing golden scent. Absolutely stunning the way this morphed from grey to gold. This morning, my wrist still smells wonderful. 
 

This has been a skin scent the whole time. 
 

ETA: husband says it smells like tree bark dipped in chocolate. He also agreed with my “vanilla rocks” description. On my mom it smells like stony cookies. We all like it!

Edited July 26, 2021 by Estamets

[Casablanca]

A lovely grey shimmering amber wreathed in smoke.

 

This smells like shimmering, silver-grey vintage lingerie, a little sultry with faint smoke. Lovely.

[Area51Fugitive]

Soft, lovely amber.  Not much throw, like others have said, but it makes it a bit more intimate, somehow.  Very lovely amber.  If you like the Lion from the Mad Tea Party, this is the moon to the Lion's sun.  Soft and silver rather than bold and gold.  I like the Grey Columns just a little bit more, to be honest, but it probably  comes down to preference.

[hhelix]

I almost blind bottled this, but thankfully scored a decant in a swap to try first. This is not my preferred style of amber. It’s very light, almost ghostly, with underlying vanilla tones. Smells like commercial fragrance to me. I will stick with heavy, opulent oriental beauties like Jacob’s Ladder for my amber fix. 

[marared]

It is indeed very pretty, and very faint. I can only smell it when my nose is pressed to my wrist. On a really deep inhale, I get the smoke, otherwise it's a very warm amber with a slight hint of creamy vanilla. It's not a complicated scent, just calm and pretty.

Edited January 5, 2022 by marared

[LavenderCoffee]

I get a subtle smoke in the bottle from Grey Columns, but it is difficult to tell what kind. It isn't very acrid at all. A pale smoke for a pale scent. 

Wet on my skin, the smoke is gone, but the blend of pale ambers opens up, and I also get a slightly creamy vanilla effect from this stage.

Dry, it becomes a soft, sweet amber scent with no throw to speak of. 

 

Could be good for layering, bedtime, or anytime you want something unobtrusively sweet and close to the skin. Very pretty.

[wolf_truffles]

Very, very light amber. There's almost an aftershave aspect to this. Also vanilla? I think my nose is broken. No smoke for me.  I'd probably layer this with something as it's not strong enough on its own.

[theseagrows]

this is a very soft amber with a slight sweetness that smells kind of like vanilla, as some people mentioned. i get a hint of smokiness but it's very subtle. this is so soft-it seems like a perfect bedtime comfort scent. it definitely smells grey to me.

[Tamarinda]

In the bottle: Nothing

 

Wet: More nothing.

 

Dry: Ghost perfume. A beautiful ghost. I can jam my nose next to my skin and smell nothing, but if I pass a mirror, I get the faintest whiff of something absolutely lovely and compelling. I slathered this one day, determined to smell it. I still couldn't, except when the wind was blowing north north east or something. BUT. This was definitely smellable to other people. I shouldn't like this because it is so ephemeral, but I do. I like it rather a lot, actually. Go figure!

 

On a test strip: Ok, I smell it now. A gentle, sweet amber. I don't get much smoke, just a teeeeensy bit. The way Grey Columns smells on the strip is more or less what I vaguely smell on my skin.

 

UPDATE 8/1/2022: Another perfume lost to the Great Skin Chemistry Change of 2022. This was so lovely in the spring. But when I wore it this weekend after not having done so in a few weeks, it was... not pleasant. I think my new skin chem is rejecting anything that is amber forward since my aged bottle of Gelt smells weird on me now too. Less at powder, more at dust. Bah!

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Tamarinda
Update

[zipegs]

Absolutely love this one! Like some of the other commenters have said, I can't really pick out the smoke. That being said, I definitely have no problem smelling it! Sticks well on my skin and has good throw. It's a very heavy, warm scent on my skin. The grey amber absolutely shines, and I get a lot of vanillin (without pulling too sweet) both from the bottle and on my skin. 

[Apple]

Holy batch variation!
 

My first bottle of The Grey Columns was all sheer vanilla amber, and I'd echo many of the comparisons made above: it was like being treated to an elegant dish of vanilla soft-serve topped with a pear-ginger compote while wearing the softest, fuzziest, cream-colored cashmere sweater - with just a hint of woodiness in the background. Clean, sweet, and snuggly. No hint of smoke.

 

*This* was the sheer vanilla amber I had been hunting for. It's an extremely light fragrance with low throw, but nevertheless, it has a tenacious longevity. Like others have said, it is a skin scent that is very faint in the bottle that then blooms with body heat and clings close all day. When I saw how quickly I was going through my initial bottle (I usually apply fragrances sparingly, but this one required a heavier hand and I was wearing it almost daily), I promptly bought several back-up bottles.

 

After finishing off the first bottle, I immediately cracked into a new one - and to my surprise, there was the smoke! And a much stronger woodiness, like cedar. It almost reminds me of De Sade - if De Sade were eating a vanilla ice cream cone. The first bottle was very soft and more traditionally "feminine," but with all its smoke and wood reading like leather, this new bottle leans more traditionally "masculine." 

 

I still love it (I'm a huge fan of De Sade), but it's wildly different. Curious which way the other bottles will swing.

[spaghettysburg]

This one smelled faint but lightly pretty in the bottle- a kinda rainy, clear type of amber, but it all but completely vanished on my skin. If I really, really sniff, like nose to the skin and huff, I get a faint whiff of slightly powdery amber, but otherwise this one is non-existent on me.

[MamaMoth]

this is some of the best amber ever to me, hands down.  it's resinous and almost syrupy, in that sweet-resins way.  it smells like it might have labdanum and possibly benzoin as components? it has what some people identify as that "cola resins" quality. no smoke that i can detect.  it's not light on me, either.  ugh, SO GOOD. 

Edited August 1, 2022 by MamaMoth