The Light Betwixt the Horns

[Seajewel]

Scorched amber with a core of pulsating red musk, thick with dark, sweet aged patchouli root, cypress bough and juniper berries, blackened dried fruits, and clove husk.

 

[starbrow]

Look at those NOTES! This is one blend where you can have fun picking out each every note, for sure!

 

Each time I go to smell this, I immediately get a vivid sense of essential oils; the bright swamp of cypress wood, the woody juice of juniper berries, a thick spicy clove, a grounding patchouli. I think The Light Betwixt the Horns does a great job of taking very natural scents like these and elevating theme into a perfumery context. The blend smells fancy and designer, while at the same time deeply connected to its components.

 

The first hour goes a little powdery-resin for me, no doubt thanks to the amber. The second hour is when the sexy red musk truly emerges. There is a smoky (blackened?) quality to the sweet-fruity layer, and I couldn't quite tell you which fruits are in here, but I might guess currant, berries, a touch of plum or grape? Combined with the red musk, it's sultry and smoky-eyed. Damn, this is going to age like a champ.

 

A cousin to A Savage Veil, though more complex and less rooted in patchouli-plum depths. More complex is not always better, it's just a different take on a darkly spiced resinous sex bomb. If you're worried about the smoke or the scorch, this does not go BBQ or headachey at all. There is a tone of corruption that I like a lot. I suspect Light Betwixt will find a home in many gothic-loving collector's hoards. Including mine.

[Lucchesa]

I am totally delighted by everything about the Light Betwixt the Horns except for the fact that I didn't spring for a bottle.  Red musk predominates as it always does on me, but the supporting players are so great here.  I don't get the sense of specific fruits, just a fruity red musk, and it's spicy from the clove.  There's a background of deep rich amber and patchouli, two of my favorite notes.  I honestly don't get any juniper, which is fine, it can go awry on me.  Despite the "scorched" and "blackened" of the description, I'm not getting any kind of charred vetiver, just  a rich, slightly smoky depth.  This has been going strong for eight hours, very rare on my dry middle-aged skin.  Why did I only get a decant?  Why?  TLDR: spicy red musk, eminently wearable, sexy as hell.  Totally hoardworthy.

[zankoku_zen]

Patchouli, resin, musky clove, and fruits. This to me is a deep scent with patchouli and musky clove, and then an overlay of resins and fruit. Medium throw, great wear length.