Shadow Self

[Seajewel]

Myrrh, opoponax, smoked lavender buds, Australian sandalwood, clary sage, copoiba and tolu balsams, hyssop, self-heal, and rue with a glimmer of frankincense, green tea absolute, white lotus absolute, and pink lotus petals.

[HerbGirl]

I love this. There is an obsidian chip in the bottle! 💜

I have worn this a few times and it seems like the first application highlights the notes in the first half of the description - myrrh, opoponax, smoked lavender, etc., and the other notes - green tea, frankincense, etc., are more pronounced during the reapply. Very interesting. 

I don't get bubble gum from the lotus. I have several varieties of lotus essential oil and I don't pick any up here, which is just fine. To me, this is a smoky ala incense smoke wisping around (does not smell like champa/champaca, etc at all) scent and the green tea really shines when I reapply. I am curious to hear what other folks say!

 

Eta 28 Feb '22 Some note combination is bringing forth an Inez type amberish scent that is incredible!

Edited February 28, 2022 by HerbGirl

[heathercaley]

I am

 

This is beautiful in all the right ways. 

All of the notes meld beautifully together to create a soft, warm, and sweetly fresh scent.

Not one note stands out on its own, instead it's created it's own lovely blend.  

The green tea and lavender play together to create something unique.  The resin notes stay put and don't interrupt any other notes at play.

Myrrh, green tea and frankincense can usually turn nasty on me, and in this one - I can't pull them apart at all.

Hoard worthy, for sure! 

[artisjok]

Here to join team “love this” and “this is beautiful”!
Shadow Self is sultry smooth smoked lavender and sandalwood and myrrh on me. There are complex gems hidden beneath, waiting to be dug from their earthen house, to be seen in the light, washed and polished. I cannot sense the identity of these gems, I can just feel the power and complexity they impart to this lovely scent. A humming beneath the primary notes. Movement behind the theater curtain. 
 

It reminds me a lot of A Noiseless Patient Spider, but that one was too faint on me, and it was a sadness. This one has throw! 
Shadow Self is a gladness. It is glamorous and comforting. I would wear it anytime, all the time. Embrace the shadow and you will find the light hidden within~

🖤💜🤍🖤💜🤍🖤💜🤍🖤💜🤍🖤💜🤍

Edited February 16, 2022 by artisjok

[Diesis]

I just want to jump on the love train for this. I always second guess retail exclusives because no free shipping if I buy enough, but HM scents. Have never disappointed & Beth knocked this one OUT of the park. 
 

On me, this is almost soporific in the best way. It feels a little heavy, a little dreamy, a little sexy, with peacefulness in your essence. This is that cute black silk sleep set that you wear for yourself & feel delicious. 
 

The myrrh, oppopanax, sandalwood, & frankincense are the openers, which take a step back for the lavender. It’s one of the few lavender’s that doesn’t turn dryer sheet on me & with the resins/sandalwood standing behind it, it’s a warm, subtle blend that feels a bit decadent. The subtlety is merely in how well it all starts to mesh, but the throw is very nice, not too much but enough & the wear time is great (I can usually smell it still when I wake up). 
 

That little cola hint you can sometimes get with some of the notes is only there for me at the very start. 
 

This feels dark & alluring, but stays comforting & splendid all the way through (with a bit of dark & alluring present too  )

[zankoku_zen]

Myrrh, sandalwood, frankincense, and then I get a sweet lavender hit, and it ends up in a sweet resin with floral whiffs here and there. Medium throw and wear length.

[starbrow]

Recent Haute Macabres have not been wins for me but Shadow Self is almost there. Blindly smelling, I guessed plum blossom or sweet pea, a gentle purple floral backed by some kind of smokiness the way my favorite plums are. When I looked at the notes, it made sense. The smoked lavender is truly gorgeous. It totally transforms the lavender from the herbal punch that it usually is out of the gate, into something mysteriously sexy, like a 1920s silent film star, purple and smoky-eyed and alluring. I really wish she was allowed to be the star here.

 

But instead, it's the double lotus that dominates for me. This blend is for lotus lovers! There is a ton of that sweet Asian floral, elevated beyond bubble-gum territory here, but so so so sweet. The effect is only enhanced by the myrrh, which backs up lotus like the perfect Gretchen Wieners to lotus's Regina George, a sweet and powdery resin. I smell too the same sandalwood that was used in some of the recent RPGs, so I went digging. Drow Yoga Instructor is indeed very much a cousin to Shadow Self, but wayyyy more powdery, to the point that I got "WHOA baby powder" comments when I walked in the room. So if you loved Drow and want something more in that purple vein but with more complexity and smokiness, Shadow Self is a great option.

 

I like too how this blend winks at me with herbal twinkles, keeping it from being strictly a floral blend. It's a really nice balance of the two. I can smell the tea and the petals and the sprinklings of herbs, like some mad scientist's concoction of Mad Tea Party blends and Shungas and a witch's garden.

 

Ultimately, I might have considered upsizing this one if the smoked lavender was more present, or if the lotus was more buried (gone?). I don't like powdery blends, even restrained ones like Shadow Self. I am fine letting this one pass me by, but also it is really beautiful and the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a good lotus. This is a good one!

[doomsday_disco]

I've tried this several times, but I've neglected to review it each time. Time to change that.

 

This decant of Shadow Self has deepened over the past few months, but it still is more of a bright scent than a shadowy one on me. The clary sage, green tea, and airy, non-bubblegum-y lotus are all main players on me. I get a whiff of lavender in the beginning, but I don't get the smoked aspect from it, and it quickly gets buried under the above notes on me. The frankincense has gotten more prominent as this has aged, and it is a really smooth variety. The myrrh in this is really smooth as well. I'm not able to pick out the opoponax, which usually reads as cola-like to me, and I'm not familiar enough with the balsam and herbal notes to be able to pick those out.

 

I don't usually gravitate towards a lot of the Haute Macabre scents (Mummies of Mexico City and Esbat are my favorites), but I think this one is nice. That said, I know I won't reach for it over Venus Caelestis, which shares some similar notes (Blue lotus absolute, grey amber, white myrrh, frankincense, and sugared lemon peel), so I'm going to pass my decant on to someone who has been wanting to try this.  

Edited July 12, 2022 by doomsday_disco

[RoseThornAndOak]

This is from a sample bought directly from Haute Macabre about 10 months ago. The sample looks like your conventional BPAL imp. I believe this is my first time trying it and I'm pleasantly surprised! 

 

In the imp, I get a mostly herbal, kinda zesty blend. On the skin for quite some time I get dark red fruit musk, which I was not expecting at all. That might be the lotus at play, as it can have a fruit vibe. It then turns even more shadowed, musky, and dare I say mostly floral, but this isn't powdery.

 

There's that dark undercurrent of soft, sweet resins that is quite magical and intruiging (no frankinstomps here, yippie!). Yet at the same time, the resins seem to take this blend out of strictly magical purposes and out into society. Very wearable, and conventional, but not?

 

As odd as the notes sound, this would make a lovely, dark-toned every day wear or evening blend and is very versatile, although I will say, there is something shadowed and ritualistic about it. The visual I get is a sexy witchy lady who is refined, pairs black and grey knitted cloaks with pointy leather knee boots, and more than dabbles in the occult. Feeling cute, might Gnostic Mass later.

 

I will definitely use up my sample, if not go for a bottle in the future. I think it is worth the price, personally, as this is a deep, rich blend that projects and sticks around quite a bit.

 

Hard to compare to other Lab blends, but I think fans of Dracul and Event Horizon might enjoy this? Well done, Lab!

Edited December 29, 2023 by RoseThornAndOak