Shub-Niggurath

[SeaMonkey]

The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices.

This is definately evil Gingersnaps

It makes me want to dress naughty and dance.
Don't ask me why, it just does.

Vanilla, Ginger, and spices

[kettu]

I have two imps of Shub that are WILDLY different from each other, and I love them both.

 

One is definitely evil gingersnaps. It's all about the ginger. Bright, piercing ginger, singe my nosehairs and warm my body with gingery embers.

 

The other one is musky, mother-goat goodness. It has a comforting, spicy, every so slightly gingery warmth. Absolutely splendid.

[malanna]

Like everyone else said, this smells like Ginerbread Poppet, but with less dough/cookie. However, after an hour, Shub-Niggurath doesn't smell like Gingerbread Poppet. It just smells drier and darker. The ginger isn't so spicy, but is more like real ginger. It doesn't actually smell plastic-y, but I thought, "Plastic!" because it smelled less real and natural. This makes me think that maybe I shouldn't have given up my bottle of Gingerbread Poppet. Perhaps I shall have another spin with it, even if it probably won't work out.

[thefaeriegirl]

Others said it well; evil gingersnaps...but with a touch of sexy.

 

I adore this. It's completely unique and comforting with the odd juxtaposition of the sexy element.

 

So sad I have only a mere imp of it! *pout*

[Polly]

OMG who said Satan's Gingersnaps? Perfect description. Biting wonderful gingery stuff!

 

I can't elaborate more because it's all been said. This is wonderful. And here I am with a lonely imp of it... MUST have a bottle. OH YES.

[em_h]

Okay, so I worked up the courage to try one of the Lovecraft scents, having heard good things about it from various people.

 

This is one that's very consistent from wet to dry -- a deep musky powerful ginger smell, with a hint of something mossy. Weird and fascinating. I like it lots, and I'm glad I got my hands on an imp, considering it's a hard scent to get.

 

It's quite persistent; I put it on in the morning, and went swimming in the afternoon, and I could still smell it a bit through the chlorine into the evening.

[LittleGreyKitten]

One of the sweet ladies I swapped with sent me an empty imp of Shub Niggurath to sniff, which I appreciated mightily. Much to my delight, since I've loved *way too many* hard to find expensive BPALs, I hated Shubbie. I hate, hate, hate gingersnaps, which probably explains this. I'm a huge unfan of sweet ginger things, and fresh ginger. I don't mind it in savory stuff, or cooked, but raw and/or sweet just icks me out. And Shub Niggurath smells sharply of sweet and raw ginge. Bleh. Thank god!

 

I'm too biased against ginger to even bother rating it. It smells like it's description.

[Brianne]

I got a pretty much empty imp from LittleGreyKitten - but it had a drop or two left so I could actually test it, and I was really thankful for that.

 

I would have to say that I don't really get "evil gingerbread cookies" from this scent at all. In fact, it just wasn't all that foody to me. I really EXPECTED it to be. And in a way, I suppose it WAS foody in that it made me think of an old world kitchen - full of unique spices from all over the world with an air about the kitchen that smells of very earthy ginger. The ginger wasn't really as biting in this blend as it is in some others for me - it seemed like it was fresh, grounded, and earthy instead.

 

It was a really unique blend, I detected some green herbal bits behind it too, and it wasn't sweet as I thought it would be. The green herbal flavor behind this has a definite "tang" to it, and that was back by a definite citrus zest. It was like a very dark citrus - and not the juicy part of the fruits, but the rind of it.

 

 

I wouldn't have purchased a bottle of this based on the idea that I thought it would be sweet and foody and I don't generally care for ginger anyways. And it ended up different but I still wouldn't have purchased a bottle based on this test. It wasn't really for me but it WAS really very interesting and I can understand why some people were so drawn to it!

[GemmaCat]

I wasn't around when this was first released, and have only heard about it in the past month or so as a Holy Grail BPAL scent, so, of course, I needed to try it for myself to see why it is so special.

 

In the imp I can definitely see why people love it so. It's spicy with a mellow undertone, soft and yet crisp, with the merest hint of something herbal.

 

On my skin, however, the ginger turns dirty and sour, and is really quite unpleasant.

 

The good news is that this imp was shipped off to a new home where it could be properly appreciated.

[summer]

I will never forgive myself for not ordering a bottle of this when I had the chance.

 

Shub is glorious warm, golden, spicy, smooth ginger. Not foody. It is just phenomenally delicious and beautiful. It stirs the energy in my center and makes me feel warm and alive. I apply it after yoga for grounding, and I apply it throughout the day because it's just so yummy and happy-making.

 

One of my favorite blends ever!

[Rhowan]

I wasn't around when this was released and didn't actively go looking for this as with all DX'd scents I am always afraid that I will fall in love and then not be able to order it. Well, guess what?! I am in love with this and .... well you know the rest.

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Shub smells like very sharp gingerbread cookies to me. This is what I expected Gingerbread Poppet to smell like.

 

As Shub dries down I am expecting some dark resinous notes to appear but not here. I am still getting the wicked gingerbread. mmmm... I LOVE GINGER!

 

Conclusion - Do not get me wrong when I say gingerbread - this is the ginger in gingerbread but not the sweetness. All of the other notes just blend in perfect. I cannot smell them except a quick end note of a dry herbal-y scent. Of all of the DX'd scents out there, I would have to say, this one needs to be remade. I would BEG Beth to make this again if I had a chance. This is definitely a 5ml. (but , where would I get one...)

[fiddledragon]

On me, this goes through stages of gingersnap, dominating clove, and then highly sexual spiced musk. It's beautiful, but it's a little too well-named. It scares me. "Evil gingersnaps of fertility", it has been named by my boyfriend.

[smallvoice]

Thankfully, this one does not remind me of Gingerbread Poppet, which was nearly retch-worthy on my skin. Shub was generously gifted to me by my Spring Switch Witch, and I was so excited to try it. To be honest, when I opened it up, I was sort of... underwhelmed? I had really high expectations for it, I guess, and it sort of smelled like... well, incense. Lots of resiny smells- don't get me wrong; I'm fond of resins, but again, I had really high expectations. So I dabbed some on my skin, as I've learned I must always do, and found myself in the warm embrace of Shub Niggurath.

 

It's spicy and warm and not terribly foody on me. There's even a clear note that sort of surfaces elusively now and then. It's really quite remarkable, and the ginger is mingling and it smells very... natural on me. It's subtle (fades rather quickly, though I only dabbed), so it's almost an afterthought on me. I will savor this imp, for sure.

 

I can see what all the hype is about now!

[Medici]

Origins: An imp from a long time ago when SiA was live, that's been gathering dust in my LE decant box.

 

In the imp: Gingerbread, a hint of floral, a hint of citrus.

 

Wet: Gingerbread Poppet meets Sugar Cookie meets the lemon in Dorian. It has aged well, though. Originally it was a lemon-soaked Gingerbread cookie.

 

Drydown: Gingerbread Poppet soaked with lemon juice. (It's at this juncture that I pucker my lips and squint.)

 

Verdict: Too much gingerbread for my liking - the notes stand by themselves and don't swirl together as seamlessly as I'd like.

 

2/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

[blu°]

Opposed to almost everyone else, who says this isn't all that foody, I was immediately reminded of cooking asian food, roasting fresh ginger, making a coconutmilk-ginger-spicy sauce for rice and vegetables, when sniffing the imp. It was a nice smell, but seemed a bit of a very unusual perfume to wear. Actually the most foody BPAL I've ever smelled, not foody like sweets and dessert, but foody like an Indian dish.

 

Fresh, I get the same impression. Sweet fresh ginger, roasting, with something molassy in the background. It's a bit as if you roasted ginger in a pan with brown sugar, getting caramelized ginger, but at the same time having the fresh ginger smell from cutting it still on your fingers.

The molassy part then faded a bit and the scent turned fresher, sharper, with a breeze. Lovely Ginger in this.

I don't usually wear spicy scents well, they always turn way to dry, and a bit dull/bland on my skin, like they didn't come alive or something. This, however, is quite nice. The ginger is really fresh and biting, but there's something sweet, something darker in the background.

 

Whatever else spices are in Shub Niggurath, do turn dusty again, but in a nice way, mixing with the sharpness of the gingers.

 

Despite the resemblance to Indian food, it's got some elegance, and is quite feminine and lovely. It feels almost like a floral in that it's sort of delicate and breezy, yet full-bodied and a bit sweet, in a fresh way. Like, it doesn't smell like a floral, but it has something that isn't typically spicy, nor resiney, nor fruity, nor woody...

 

I quite like it, not sure, if I would have gotten a bottle had I first tried this when it was still around.

While I wouldn't buy it for a horrendous amount of money on Ebay, I probably wouldn't reject if somebody offered me a bottle in a swap (as unlikely as that is).

 

I find this a very comforting and cozy scent.

 

I'll yet have to wear this during day-time. I never really understand a scent from testing at home alone.

 

Before I close the review, I want to add that, now, after a while, I get some sweet resin or amber with it. Somebody mentioned vanilla, and I can see that as well.

 

Shub-Niggurath is actually turning more and more beautiful, and I find myself thinking that I just might change my mind and spend a lot of money for a bottle if I should ever have the chance. Sort of wish I hadn't tried it, now.

 

Sorry for confuddled review, my head's a mess today.

[nevermore]

I've been trying to track down an imp of this since SiA went away, but hadn't had any luck ... until now. I managed to get a decanted imp from Thursdae, and I'm so glad I did. Shub-Niggurath is positively delicious. It smells somewhat like Sugar Cookie (minus the "flour-y" note that ruined it for me), plus a good dash of fresh ginger, not candied or dried. In the vial, there's something else spicy that I cannot place (not one of the spices I'm used to smelling), which unfortunatly disappears on my skin. All in all, lovely scent, though I don't know if I'd use any more than an imp. Which is good, because it'd be damn hard for me to get more.

[harmonyfb]

I'd heard tales of the fabled Shub, so I was really happy to get to review it.

 

It went on all gingery-spicy, like something good to eat, strong and interesting. "Whoa", I said.

 

It dried to ::sob:: cinnamon brooms. But underneath that, I can still smell the ginger, and it gives it a complex base that keeps the cinnamon-smell from being overwhelming. I don't know if I'd be able to stand wearing it as a personal fragrance - it's just too aggressive - but it is one of the most unusual scents I've ever come across.

[Ryvre]

Everybody seems to be in love with Shub, so I figured I'd give it a try. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't cookies.

 

In the imp: Very spicy. The ginger is overwhelming.

 

On my skin: Gingerbread cookies. It reminds me of Christmas.

 

Dry: Gingerbread cookies and cleaning supplies. I don't see lemon in the list of notes, but I certainly smell lemon.

[Reedsong]

Does anyone else remember the episode of Seinfeld that aired shortly after the Today sponge was pulled from the market?

 

If not: the character Elaine was horrified that her favourite contraceptive was being discontinued, so she hoarded all the sponges she could find. (The Today became an LE, basically. ) Her dates for the rest of the episode became hilarious as she was forced to judge each potential partner "spongeworthy" or "non-spongeworthy."

 

Well, I have one full imp of Shub-Niggurath, so the rest of my life events will now be judged as either Shubworthy, or Non-Shubworthy.

 

This was another, "Hey, let's hook Lindsay on the LEs! The first hit's free!" sniffy gift that sent me on a mad quest to find more. The oil itself is warm, alluring in a way I always imagined the kyphi of Egypt and the fabulous spices of the Far East to be; this is a remote, mysterious scent, not quite primordial but not entirely recorded, either.

 

On my skin, it glows; this fragrance is very feminine in the sense of the ancient goddess of great power. I actually feel more female wearing this than almost any other BPAL scent (including the florals, aquatics, and other 'lighter' notes more stereotypically associated with womanliness).

 

Shub was also an opportunity for much mockery. Everyone I knew who read the "corrupted Astarte" description wasn't surprised in the least that this scent worked for me. I guess I really do come across as just that evil.

[Alchemy21599]

I am a huge fan of ginger so I was thrilled to finally get to try this scent.

 

In the vial: warm ginger and herbs. I agree with the reviewer up-thread who said this reminded her of Asian spices (in a good way).

 

Wet: a very well rounded warm ginger scent. Resinous.

 

Dry: exotic and lovely. I understand why many people love this scent because I love it, too.

 

I am going to see if I can approximate it by layering Bagdahd and Kumiho.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: spicy and delicious.

on: spicy and foody. this is making me hungry.

4 hours later: fresh and gingery. still a bit sweet, too.

overall: this is really gorgeous stuff. i'm glad i was able to get an imp of it, but i'm a bit wary of the spicyness of it.

[edenssixthday]

Shub-Niggurath - This is one of my very favorite BPAL blends. It’s also among the BPALs that get me the most compliments and have people asking what I’m wearing. When I first apply it, it is a deep, dark, rich scent full of the crisp, sweet, scent of ginger and spices. It’s almost foody, but not quite (which is good since I don’t care for most foody scents). I have discovered that I can’t apply this scent after I shower, or the spices burn my skin. However, if I wait until my skin reaches normal temperature, I have no trouble with the spices on my skin. When I wear Shub, I can still smell the scent about 4-5 hours later, although it has started to fade, and is time to reapply. If I don’t reapply, as the scent fades, it becomes overly-sweet and rancid on my skin. As long as I reapply in time, I avoid the cloying scent of “dead Shub.” I’m thrilled to have been able to get a little more of this and once I’m out, I’ll be on the hunt for it again. It’s a fabulous scent and I definitely understand all the hoopla that surrounds this particular blend – it’s well-deserved.

[absinthetics]

In the vial you get all the ginger and spicyness and clove but for me... on my skin, it turns to nearly red-hots and reminds me of Uranus. But Uranus didn't have any depth to it, Shub does.

 

I am pleased to have been able to try this, and I anticipated adoring it.. but I think I will be passing it on to one of its better fans.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: This smells like milk chocolate covered ginger and spices. Delicious!

 

On me: Oh, wow. It's true to the vial. This is truly an incredible scent. What I thought was chocolate is getting spicer and more resiny, and I'm starting to smell the herbs and spices in this blend, as well. This is so exotic - just smelling it makes me feel sultry. It gets ever so slightly powdery on me after a bit, but it makes the ginger smell very milky, which is actually perfect - it's almost like a very gingery chai tea, but way better. I'm totally love.

 

Thank you SO much Wendy for gifting me with this little bit of Shub! You are wonderful!

 

Verdict: Oh my GOD, I want a bottle!

 

Rating: 5/5

[juniperus]

Bottle: dark gingerbread, fresh out of the oven.

Wet: still heavily ginger with a sweetness I can't quite place.

Dry: I can just barely catch a glimpse of the resins behind the almost-foody ginger and spices. no herbal anything happening yet.

Later: NOW I get the resins - very nice! Now I wish I hadn't missed it! Warm and dark but sweet and spicy (but not sweet enough to give me a headache!)...I won't call this yummy, but I will call it delectable!