Signum Crucis

[Seajewel]

Rosehips, ambrette seed, leather, and mushroom.

[forspecial_plate]

I just got this yesterday, so it's possible it will change after resting longer.  But in the interest of those waiting for reviews, here are my first impressions.  

 

This smells more like a Shunga scent to me than Halloweenie - in a good way!  Yesterday the mushroom note stood out more, very realistic, the scent of cutting up fresh mushrooms.  Today that's more in the background.  Basically it's a soft ambery glow with a hint of rose, and the leather and mushroom are more supporting notes, stronger if I sniff up close.  I don't think rosehips = rose but someone else mentioned it somewhere and I agree.  It's a hint of rose, on my skin.  I recognize the ambrette from the Ambrette Seed and Prune duo.  Leather doesn't stand out here, but that could come out stronger with age.  Again, "soft" is the word I keep thinking.  I really like it.  

 

Edit: wore this again this evening, this time there's no rose, and the leather is stronger.  Smells more like an expensive men's fragrance now, but still a quiet scent.  I think it's a stunner.  

Edited November 24, 2021 by forspecial_plate

[Threemoons]

I got this one because I LOVE the Lab's mushroom note and I also usually love their leather note.  This one played out a little weird on me at first but turned out well in the end.  In the bottle:  VERY bottle-tight; getting a hint of white roses and a bit of leather and a teeny bit of the mushroom note.  On, wet:  Blargh.  Once in a very rare while the Lab's leather note goes to black vinyl on me instead of leather, and this one did.  Got an overwhelmingly sickly-sweet blast of cheap fake black leather vinyl.  This persisted for some time, until the rose notes started to peek out. The rose note, btw, is a sort of freshly-snapped wild white rose flower and branch.  After a few hours, everything settled down and I was left with a dry, almost powdery smooth black leather balanced with greenish fresh white rose and a pops of earthy fresh loamy mushroom.  Maybe the powder/dust that I'm getting is how the mushroom note plays out with the ambrette on this one?   Starts out very aggressive but then on drydown stays very close to the skin, with a long wear length but low throw.  A keeper if you like the mushroom note but be careful if you have any issues with the Lab's black leather.

[roseus]

In the imp I get a dusty, yet bright rosy scent. The rosehip has a rose quality but brighter and a bit more vegetal. There's a soft smokiness underneath from the leather and soft dustiness that I think is the mushroom. On my skin it similar, a bit muskier and warmer as the ambrette comes out. The mushroom gets less of a dried dusty quality and a more pronounced earthiness. It's such a gorgeous scent. Faded blooms and worn leather. Makes me think of a long forgotten study. 

[Tamarinda]

UPDATE 6/6/2023: I am kicking myself for not wearing this more when it worked for me. My skin chemistry has changed for a third time. The second time, I started amping rose like a mo'fo and it became very unpleasant on me so I couldn't wear it. Eventually, that went away and I could wear rose again, but now? NOW. I can't wear leather. I could never identify the leather in this but boy howdy. Leather notes now go "industrial chemicals" on me and there was a sharp thread of that wafting off my skin when I tested it. *sigh*

 

It just really goes to show what a difference skin chemistry makes.

 

Original Review

I love this. Then again, it's a rose dominant scent and I love smelling roses. It's definitely rose hips as opposed to the petals. Like the difference between tea made with rosehips as opposed to tea made with rosebuds. It's something with a bit more bite to it.

 

Aside from the rose smell, I get an earthiness, which is probably the mushroom. It's a bit of a "gray" scent, a grounding smell that takes this beyond just another rose scent. There's a vaguely sweet perfumey smell, which must be the ambrette seed. I'm not getting any leather that I know of.

 

The "not-rose" elements in this perfume combine to make a beautiful substrate on which the rosehips sit. On my skin chemistry, they sweeten after a bit of time.

 

This is a rose scent for anyone who wants the smell of roses with a twist. I am a fan.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Tamarinda

[zankoku_zen]

Rosehips, mushroom, and it basically smells like budding flowers and a whiff of leather. Medium throw and wear length.

[a_bear]

MUSHROOM MUSHROOM. Ok, so I was expecting mostly rose with a bit of the other notes, but the mushroom is suprisingly prominent. Very earthy and reminds me a bit of Etienne de Boray Oak (probably because that's the only other scent with a mushroom note I've tried). I do get the rose initially, but it fades into the background. There's a bit of sharp leather as well, and I'm still not really sure what ambrette seed smells like, but there is a sweet musky perfumey-ness happening.

 

The art for this scent is so pretty and soft, but the actual scent is giving me bouquet mouldering in the graveyard vibes.

[Lucchesa]

Signum Crucis starts out overwhelmingly rose on me.  This is disappointing because I don't believe rose hips actually smell like roses.  I was hoping for the tart tang of rosehip with three notes I love.  The leather and mushroom did peek out eventually, but they didn't stand a chance against the roses.  I never got much in the way of ambrette.  This is definitely intended for rose lovers who want something less overtly femme.  It makes me want to go out and cut into a rose hip and see if I smell rose.  

[LavenderCoffee]

I must have got the bottle intended for Lucchesa, because I am getting the lovely tart rosehip note. The leather reminds me of the soft brown book cover note from the Skull/Music book/Snuffed Candle Vanitas, but it has a much better pairing here with the rosehips, in my opinion. Never got anything distinctly mushroom-y from it, but there is a pleasantly earthy touch to the scent.

I love how wearable this blend is. It has an effortless elegance, and it also has a ton of staying power on fabric.

[theseagrows]

this smells more like roses than rosehip, which i thought was more herbal (?) but maybe i'm wrong. i get a slightly watery rose with greenery along with ambrette at first. it  brings to mind rain on fresh flowers. the scent gets more and more earthy and bitter-this must be the mushroom note. however, in the past the mushroom note smelled different on me-more soft and almost musky. then the leather comes through last, tempering the sourness of the earthy notes. however, this is still overwhelmingly rosy on me. it's like a watery, clean rose, very springlike. 

[deepquietvoice]

Aged about 8 months in the imp.

Wet, this is a dusty billow of rose petals with tangy rosehips beneath: as it dries a strong base of cool leathery earth rises up from below to support the rosehips.

 

Rose is usually one of my death notes, but this is aged enough that the rose note throat itch isn't striking me. I recall this being rosier when I first got the decant. Now, the tart rosehips and earthy ambrette-leather-mushroom notes define the perfume instead. There's just the faintest breath of florality contributing to the dusty impression of the mushroom accord. The dustiness is impressively fitting for the art which inspired this scent, and the sharp tartness of the rosehips keeps it fresh and interesting. I'm rather fond of this in its aged form.

[starbrow]

Aged at least six months, Signum Crucis is BIG MOOD mushroom green-rose that must be the rosehips. I feel as though these mushrooms and rosehips have been dried, pulverized into a powder, and stuffed in a worn leather pouch. There isn't much separating the leather from the smoky ambrette seed, because they're both just this smooth smoky backdrop for an almost salty mushroom and a very strong lotiony rosehip.

 

This is quite different than rose in how green it leans. You'd better love rosehips and mushrooms if you make this Signum Crucis on your skin, because they hit hard in a kind of dusty incense. It stays spooky and crumbly-floral rather than any kind of happy sweet flowers mood. I think the leather is the least prominent note here for me.

 

Dab this one first if you try it, since I find it has quite a lot of power to it. Happy to hang onto my bottle for now and see where another year brings it.