House of Night

[kettu]

A sorrowful graveyard bouquet of somber blooms, funereal boughs, dismal green and laden with grief.

Green, then spicy green on skin. Dries down to floral, but not headache-inducing floral. Light, warm, wet florals with a green underbelly.

Haven't tried Samhain yet, so I can't compare. But that's next on my to-try list, so maybe I'll have more to say in a couple of days.

Regardless, it's a lovely scent, and I approve.

[alicia_stardust]

First sniff: very nice. A light floral.

 

On my skin: Whoah, this changed. I still smell florals but in the first 15 minutes on my skin it kind of turned into this white pepper sort of smell. It was kind of gross.

 

After a while: This shifted again after a while. I started to smell something mossy and green with the florals. I also was surprised because I thought it smelled like Samhain 05! Sure enough, for the next hour or two it was just like Samhain on me. Still has that slight fir/green/apple scent. I know House of Night doesn't list apples but I sure smell apples.

 

I like this okay but the first while was gross, and I love Samhain which doesn't do that. So, 2 out of 5 stars. I'll swap it.

[Naamah_Darling]

In the bottle, this is coolly piney/woodsy, with an undertone of floral. The smell is cool and redolent of cypress or the woods. Appealing and clean, almost medicinal. Not unpleasant, by any means, but not particularly my thing.

 

Wet on the skin, the pine moves up, accented by something almost citric, perhaps lime. As it dries, the woodsy topnote stays foremost, but a hint of floral comes out. Lily, maybe. This is a little harsh for my tastes.

 

About an hour later, it's smoothed out to a woodsy/citrus purr with a smooth underscoring of cool florals. This is very pleasant and while I don't think I'll order more, it does seem to fit the image of a graveyard at night.

[fiddlehead]

On me this starts out with a definite green note, pine or some kind of other evergreen. That disappears fast and I smell....violets? Some kind of dark floral, anyway. Nice, but they only hang around for about 20 minutes. Then it's all gone, leaving the barest trace of powdery floral. I see where the Samhain comparison comes from but that stage is also very fleeting on me.

 

I'll hang on to this and see how it ages. I was hoping for more greenery!

 

 

ETA Tried this again and this time the later stages of the drydown are very much like Samhain, only not as intense. I still want to say I'm smelling violets, but there's something else in there too. Anyway, it'll be a good decent substitute for Samhain if I should run out. Just not as complex.

Edited February 24, 2006 by fiddlehead

[LunaDragonGirl]

In the imp: Green with an edge..maybe pine or cypress?

 

On wet: Green and slightly piney or woodsy...sharp...then the dreaded lotus kicks in...at least I'm assuming there is a lotus note in this...that sickly sweet, cloying, bubblegum scent that lotus always does on my skin...*sigh*

 

Dry: lotus, lotus, lotus. I'm not getting any of the nice florals that others have mentioned.

 

Wanted to like it, but just DOES NOT work on me.

[strawberry_star]

I can't stand green/herbal scents and that is exactly what it did with me. I'm detecting pine or something very similar in it. Just a matter of taste, I'm just not into this kind of fragrance.

[Wench457]

House of Night ITB: Floral with a hint of spice.

 

On: Bitterly and strongly floral - and not pleasantly so.

 

Dry: A nice rich floral throw, herby as well. Faded fast on me, which is surprising given how strong it was.

Edited February 19, 2006 by Wench457

[gingersnapp]

I know this is weird, but the throw to me, with its sweet sharpness, smells very much like honey.

 

There is a crisp green scent underlying my phantom honey note, almost like evergreen intertwined with a soft white flower. My nose doesn't really know what to do with this blend, but I know that I really like it.

[Heretic]

In the vial: Sweet floral-- a white flower or two?

 

On my wrist, wet: Sweet and floral but not cloying. There's something a little...twisted and green in there.

 

After 20 minutes: Dark, green, floral. Perhaps a touch of honey? Not a lot of throw, not heavy. A very hushed and quiet scent.

 

After an hour: This is lovely. House of Night leaves an impression of something that was once bright and vibrant, but from which all the light and joy is gone. This is a personal, introspective fragrance, not one that demands (or even wants) attention. Another bottle-worthy blend.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I understand why people are comparing this with Samhain--it has the dark earthen notes topped with spice. However, it has none of the luscious apples and pumpkins, etc. Instead there's a faintly sickly floral, reminiscent of how Bayou acted on my skin. Not bad, but not great. I'll swap it and continue to hoard my preciousssss bottles of Samhain.

 

ETA: maybe it's the power of suggestion, but it *did* seem like I got a whiff of apple after 15 mins. or so. Huh. Well, I'm still swapping it, but I guess it does have more of Samhain's notes than any other GC I've found. Interesting.

Edited March 11, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[Medici]

In the bottle: This is where I rub my hands together gleefully. House of Night is one of my ranking favourites and has been for several months now. Bully me for not writing a review sooner. In the bottle - sobered florals, an undercarriage of something a bit woody, the ghost of something that would lend to just a touch of sweet and a touch of tart.

 

Wet: Love! My love! Perfect balance of shaded, night bloomers, snipped and wilting and laid out over a park bench that is cooling as twilight takes over. There's a woody base to this which lets the blend settle nicely.

 

Drydown: Florals come up, sweetening it slightly. Just slightly/ For me its just sweet enough, and with that dry, woodsy note centering the blend, this is probably why its one of my favourites. It's exceptionally well-balanced.

 

Verdict: I have a 5ml but I want a 10ml.

 

5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrrve

[yeahbutnobut]

House of Night

 

In the imp: a muted, dusty, faded scent…I can’t pinpoint exactly what this is but I get hints of floral and green in there. It’s very well blended.

Wet on skin: now I can smell herbs in here-maybe rosemary or sage? Something herbal and soft, that’s for sure…and also something floral, perhaps rose?

Dry: mmm, this is lovely! I can’t really tell what’s in here but I’m sure I’ve smelt some of those notes before, I just can’t say what they are for now, though I can guess…there’s a soft white floral in here, maybe tuberose, or jasmine? I also smell something that may be wisteria. Perhaps a little bit of iris? But the overall impression I get here is of heady nocturnal blooms, fragrant and potent, blooming as they hit my skin. There are also herb notes in here, and perhaps some lavender, and maybe something which may be something woody-white sandalwood perhaps? I don’t know but for now, I really like this scent.

After a while: the scent becomes a pure white, shimmering floral, the herbs have faded. I think there may be tuberose in here, maybe iris as well? It actually reminds me of other scents…maybe Evening Star, or even Euterpe and Stardust? Yes, I think it seems to be between Evening Star and Stardust. I think it’s iris/orris and tuberose and possibly moonflower, and maybe white poppy? And I definitely smell a white musk note in here. It’s a lovely scent…very ghostly, luminous and ethereal, with a definite feel of night time about it.

After about two hours, the drydown really reminds me of Euterpe, Stardust, and also of Dreamland. I swear this has a light/white musk component...and a slight tang or effervescence to it (what’s causing this, I don’t know-maybe the musk) and also a hint of smoke-either from opium/poppy, or a bit of tobacco?

Verdict: this scent has really grown on me. At first, it’s a muted herbal floral scent, so well blended that I couldn’t recognise any individual notes. The scent had a feel of age and dust to it, it was a faded scent, almost mournful yet comforting. But gradually, the floral notes blossom and the scent changes, the herbs fade and the scent becomes a wispy white floral scent, at this point I think I can recognise some of the notes-I’m guessing iris/orris, tuberose, moonflower, perhaps a pale poppy note, and I’m pretty sure there’s white musk in here too. This is when the fragrance reminds me of two of my favourite LE scents-Evening Star and Stardust (so when I run out of those, this will be a good substitute), and also Euterpe and Dreamland. It’s a shimmering, ethereal, quite narcotic scent, reminiscent of moonlight and heady nocturnal blooms with a hint of something ghostly…and I’m growing very fond of it.

[QueenFae]

Ahh, very complex and alluring. Very dark, creeping, spooky florals; this is about as ominous as florals get! The undertone has that amazing, aged, creepy note that Beth so masterfully manages to create time and again in these dark blends. Although this is a floral, I think it would be nice on either of the sexes. It's very sinister, but so darn addicting at the same time. Conjours images of wicked nymphettes and dark Faery folk. Great blend!

[GemmaCat]

Wood and spice at first, possibly sandalwood is in here somewhere? There's also a fresh note, like cold night air, and a mossy green note begins to emerge as this warms to my skin.

 

It ends as all moss and sandalwood. Nice, but not for me.

[rainbow]

In the bottle- biting herbs. I am absolutely feeling the "dismal green" of the description.

 

On me- it's so much softer than in the bottle. The tremendous bite that I smell in the bottle pretty much disappears. It's so much softer. I swear there's sandalwood in this. Immediately after application this smells just like sandalwood on me, almost pure sandalwood. Unfortunately sandalwood and I don't get on so well. I wish I was getting the florals other people seem to, and not the sandalwood.

 

After a bit of wear this morphs a bit more, there's still some sandalwood but it's complimented by something I'm having a hard time pinning down, that smells alternately like spices and lemon (I know, those two smell nothing alike, it's odd)- it's not unpleasant, but it's hard to pin down what it is. The sandalwood is still there.

 

The final stage- this basically becomes a sweet sandalwood scent on me.

 

Overall- this is a very smooth, often soft scent. For me the issue is the sandalwood- that's just not a note I care for.

[juniperus]

Bottle: both sweet and oddly smoky. sweet greenness and heady floral, and an almost smoky woodiness behind.

Wet: something sharp coming out a bit, but otherwise much the same.

Dry: smoky impression has passed, and the almost-rotted-sweet green has calmed significantly..good, as I was concerned it would only get worse as sweet often does on me.

Later: It's not got much staying power on me, unfortunately, as it faded down to a, yes, somber floral..but still something I was enjoying..it was a really appropriate for a gray day sort of blend.

[Eunice]

In the bottle: This is green like a freshly cut branch from a tree. And the sweetness of pear.

 

Wet: Still that biting green scent. There is a smoky quality to this now. I wish I knew what the sweetness was. It reminds me of eating a sun-warmed pear.

 

Dry: The flowers are in bloom! Now I am getting the dismal gloom. The smoke is wonderful with the flowers and there is a tangy scent in there.

 

Overall: This is a very interesting scent. It changes every time I try to figure out what I am smelling. I want my mom to smell this. This reminds me of her.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A bitter green floral

Wet on me - Still green, but harsh and peppery.

Dry on me - A very soft green, floral. Sweet and surprisingly cheery.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Based on the catalog description, I would not have thought I'd like House of Night, but got a sniff at a meetup and it really grabbed me! (Thanks, jejunery!)

 

It's got a nice foresty top note, green and woody, very natural, refreshing.

 

Then I get a bit of sharp floral - lavender, maybe? - which doesn't last long. There's just a hint of powder, but fortunately that doesn't last.

 

Then a light honey sweetness joins the green notes, and sticks around for hours. I don't find it heavy. It works nicely for summer.

 

House of Night does not have a lot of throw, but it has good staying power. You can apply it in the morning and sniff your wrists from time to time during the day, without having anyone ask what you're wearing.

[portalkat]

IN THE VIAL - I could smell the greenery of the bouquets and wreaths, but mainly the strong floral notes.

 

WET ON THE SKIN - This was so beautiful that I was overwhelmed. I could still smell the greenery mixed with the the florals, but something like violet stood out and the whole effect was bright and gorgeous.

 

DRYDOWN - It softens up quite a bit on me and the floral tones head to the forefront. I can no longer smell so much of the violet as the other florals have come forward. It starts to smell very musty and sad and I'm left feeling rather depressed. Maybe I would wear this to a funeral, but if I wore it any other time, I would have to layer it with something brighter. This scent was so gorgeous, but for me it evoked a sense of loss and despair.

[edenssixthday]

House of Night - This scent is incredibly soft, subtle and very clean, almost watery. It's a barely-there scent that consists of boughs of soft greenery, and very light florals. This scent doesn't leave me with much of an impression at all. It's pretty, but so incredibly subtle I hardly know it's there. It also fades quickly -- within the first 30 minutes I can barely detect it, and after an hour, it's completely gone.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Green.

 

On me: This is absolutely, pure green. It smells like plants. And musk. Green musk. And now, florals are coming out. Ooh, I like it!

 

Verdict: What an interesting blend. A keeper, though I probably won't wear it all the time.

 

Rating: 3/5

[theseagrows]

in the imp it smells very herbal, once it fades it's a beautiful, slightly mossy floral. i swear i smell tobacco or something that reminds me of it in this, but i'm not sure what it is. i like this a lot better than i thought i would.

[fiddledragon]

From the GC Circle Swap.

 

House of Night -- This one is an herbal-floral blend that I intensely dislike. It feels cold and sour and is perhaps very well-named that way, but it's going away now. I can't identify any individual notes except what might be lily of the valley...I'm not very good with most individual florals.

[fairy]

Here is the classic example of body chemistry reacting poorly to different oils. In the bottle this smells wonderful. Exactly how a cool, crisp, autumn night smells like. Winter approaching. Walking alone on a deserted street. Once I put it on all I smell are wet cigarettes with a slight perfume smell. Didn't work on me at all