Shub-Niggurath

[Diana]

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

Wet application: very spicy ginger, but also warm, just-baked gingerbread.

Drydown: this lasts and lasts all day. The aroma doesn't really change much over the course of the day, just the intensity. The resins play a quiet background note which serve to deepend & intensify the gingery goodness. Yummy & beautiful.

[filigree_shadow]

Definitely ginger. The lemony scent I could do without. And after it dries it becomes very spicy... something that reminds me of cinnamon. That kind of spice.

 

Honestly, I prefer Gingerbread Poppet. I think this scent is okay, but it's definitely not a scent I'm in love with.

[midnight_aeval]

This is a great warm, spice scent; definitely one I would wear!

 

In the vial it smells like ginger snaps. The ginger mellows and the spices come out a bit after a long dry-down on my skin.

 

I wish I would have caught this oil when BPAL sold it because now I really can't afford it lol

[nightbird]

I only have a sniffy of this - a friendof mine threw it in as a freebie during a swap.

 

It smells like gingerbread. Dark, dark gingerbread. Gingerbread with a bite to it.

 

Now I'm understanding why people are always looking for this one. It's gorgeous! Too bad I'm sure I will never find a bottle of it, but maybe I can get my hands on a decant at some point. Yummm.

[solcita]

In the bottle: I get fresh-cut ginger pieces rolled in cinnamon, just a hint of sweetness. It smells nice, but not really something I'd anticipate liking -- Three Witches and Bengal both were strong like this, and neither one worked on my skin at all, so I'm wary. And more than a little skeptical, because of all of the hype I've seen around this scent.

 

On the skin: The initial application smells quite herbal, surprisingly green. Very unexpected! Not sweet at all, initially, but very peppery. The cinnamon scent is strong, but this one doesn't burn my skin like Wrath and Inferno. There's also just a tiny hint of soil, but rather than being harsh like vetiver, it's soothing, like working in the garden on a warm spring day. And then... it starts to warm up, and suddenly it's so delicious that I want to gnaw on my wrist. I get the scent of fresh-out-of-the-oven gingerbread squares, the kind my aunt used to use to make gingerbread houses during the holidays, heady with molasses and spice. The spiciness is like Sugar Cookie, but it's not as sweet. I want to say that I smell amber, too.

 

Verdict: This is incredible. I want to bathe in it right now, it's so good. I'm kicking myself for even trying it, because it's so rare and expensive, and I do not need to start coveting yet another Springtime in Arkham oil (too late!) .

 

I had Gingerbread Poppet 05 on my other wrist, to compare them.. and I could not stay away from the wrist with Shub on it. GP was nice and all, but... wow.

[storme]

In the imp: red ginger and incensey resiny darkness.

 

On me, wet: very red-ginger, sharp and spicy and hot. Slightly fusty somehow, though - I think that's the incense and herbs.

 

On me, dry: mrf, gingerbreadish sweet cakey cloying fusty enh. This is okay, but I was somehow expecting a little bit more bitterness and less cakeiness. What I can smell of what I think of as ginger is nice, mind you.

 

Verdict: I know this is the One True Love of many folks, but I'm not one of those folks. At least it won't be hard for me to trade the imp away, I guess.

[maijasu]

 

I love Shub. Alas, I have only a sniffie with one drop left in it, but that drop is to be treasured.

 

The "evil gingerbread" description I've read in many other posts is a good one, but to me, this is a much less foody blend than Gingerbread Poppet, which I also love. This is a gingery, spicy, sexy, notice-me scent. It smells very warm, and if it had a color, it would be red.

 

Considering it's going for insane amounts on ebay, it looks like it might be pretty difficult for me to obtain but I'll keep searching for it anyway. It's my Holy Grail and I'm on a quest!

[sofiaviolet]

This smells like a stale, scorched ginger snap. I don't like it. I think I may be the only one...

[lilfaerywingz]

bottle: sweet spicy ginger

 

wet: gingerbread and cinnamon (makes me feel warm and cozy and to think of autumn)

 

dry: this was suuuch a good scent, but it dwindled down to a cinnamon gum smell

[finecurvedhips]

oh my - yum.

 

in the imp - cookies! lovely, amazing gingerbread cookies. full of spice and warmth and all sorts of good stuff.

 

wet - still seething with ginger. i don't get any of the incense mentioned in the scent desription.

 

dry - this pretty much dies to cinnamon with a hint of ginger on me. i was a bit disappointed this didn't keep more oomph.

 

verdict - though this smells good enough to eat, it reminds me of craft stores at xmess time. *sighs*

[dawna]

In the vial: Ginger, ginger and more ginger

 

Wet on the skin: Fresh ginger, sugar and citrus!!! The citrus is like a spicy citrus peel though that is dipped in ginger and sugar. This is OMG amazing.

 

On drydown: The citrus goes to the background and almost disappears completely. What is left is the scent of warm ginger cookies with sugar sprinkled on the top. This is the most amazing scent and I can't stop swooning over my arm.

 

It has now been an hour and I can still smell the strong ginger cookies scent wafting up to my nose. This has great throw and is just so gorgeous. I am in love!

[fairy]

I have a lonely imp I aquired through a sale and decided to be decadent and wear it tonight...just because.

 

This is going to sound weird but I smell coffee initially. Then the ginger comes out. Kind of spicy. It's a lovely scent but not one I'll go crazy searching for more of, especially at the prices I've seen! I'll keep the imp though

Edited August 31, 2006 by maddi

[tindome]

Deana was so kind to gift me a sniffie of this.

 

imp: wow gingerbread with a spicy kick to it

 

wet: I see where people get the evil gingerbread from. This is gingerbread gone bad in a sexy good way.

 

Drydown: For a second there was a smell mixed in like sweat. A sweaty gingerbread man who just got in from the gym? Odd, I really hope it doesn't stay like that.

 

Dry. The sweat stage passed on quite quickly and the scent settled down into the most wonderful gingerbread smell. It is like the oil had an apiphany and decided to turn good. This dried down to a light sugared gingerbread with a hint of spice. I can see why people hoard this. If I can ever get my hands on a reasonably priced bottle imp then I will be all over it.

Edited September 1, 2006 by tindome

[steffanina]

Shub-Niggurath-

 

In Bottle: Straight straight straight straight ginger.

 

Wet: Lemon pledge, ooh, really strong. The ginger's just the littlest undertone.

 

Dry: Lordy, I can't sort out whether this is lemon or ginger. It's peppery, too. If I keep sniffing it's a little cloying. Well, it's a hard-to-obtain scent, apparently; I should be happy it's not for me.

 

Overall: Novel but not for me.

[Meg]

This review is for the original formulation AND the 2006 reformulation which I find particularly similar.

 

In the bottle: Curry. No, I'm not kidding: to me, these are the delicious spices of a curry: ginger, turmeric, cumin and cardamom (2006 is particularly heavy on the cardamom, which smells citrusy).

 

Wet: Spices, still, getting richer and a bit darker. It still reminds me strongly of Pilau rice, from all the ginger I suspect.

 

Drydown: One of the gingers reminds me of the candied ginger served with sushi... sweet and deep, yum! There's something sweet and sinuous with the spices, probably resins, that bring a smoky element to the blend. I think it's opoponax or something that was in Medea, as I recognise it vaguely, there might even be some myrrh. As time goes by, the sweet resin develops to balance perfectly with the spice.

 

Overall: It's a highly sensual blend, and I understand a lot of the raving over it. It's a soft, slightly foody spice, with a very beautiful resin base, and everything is well balanced. It took a long time for it to really grow on me, because at first it mainly made me think of curry, and that took away quite a bit of the darker associations I could make with this blend. But then, after the re-release, I tried my aged imp again, and found something really delicious and beautiful in the deep resins and sweet ginger (also, it was winter, I felt more in the mood for warm blends). Now I wear it from time to time, and I've tried the 2006 version - to me it's is indeed heavier on the citrusy cardamom, sharper, but it's the same blend deep down and I'm sure some ageing will make it the wonderfully warm resinous scent I enjoy.

Edited January 31, 2007 by Meg

[crescentwench]

hmm.. smells like gingersnaps w/a sharp bite in the bottle. The same on me for about an hour, witha bit of cardamom (i think) peeking its head out as well as some sort of citrus scent or herb with a citrus-like bite.

 

Now it's dried down to an almost totally smoke -incense scent, with all of the sweetness of the ginger gone.

 

i can understand the attraction, but sadly this one's not for me.

[forspecial_plate]

I was so excited to see what all the fuss was about! Shub really is good stuff. Starts out with a nice *poomf* of warm spicy ginger, kind of like baked goods but not quite as sweet. After a few minutes, the ginger backs off, and the spiciness comes forward. At this point it reminds me a lot of Port Au Prince's clove and spices, with a little of the sweetness of Aureus (amber or resin, but without the wood of Aureus). Actually at this point it kind of reminds me of Greed also. This lasts for an hour or two. Then the ginger comes back, only this time it's mixed with the resins and maybe I can smell the herbs too. Doesn't have a whole lot of throw on me, but it really is delicious. However....I'm not so obsessed that I'll go to great lengths to get a whole bottle. It will be nice to use the rest of the imp!

 

(edited to add slightly more detailed descriptions...)

Edited October 6, 2006 by Forspecial Plate

[supremegoddessofall]

I was hoping I wouldn't like this, because this stuff is worth its weight in gold. And...it's way too strong. It's okay, but not something I'm going to drop money on. It's definitely ginger, but the herbs are actually the top note to me.

[LadyKitsu]

Edited since I tried it several times after the original first time....and I'm doing 2 reviews since I've tried 2 differant Shub's (both purchased from reputable sellers that purchased from the lab...and both types have been described in the thread)....Damnit and I was trying to stock up because my man the first one Damnit Damnit

 

1st one - I really like it...but...it dosn't have alot of throw, which is good sometimes. It smells like fresh cut ginger...wet, peppery and a little sweet . Has a touch of incense to it...Dry down the ginger is still strong, but doesn't quite have that "fresh cut - wet" smell to it. I can't really smell the incense until it settles down after about 1 hour, however it is still *ginger*

 

2nd bottle - smells like sweet sugary gingerbread (first impression). I went ahead and tried it out..against my better judgement because I *hate* foodie smells...it did get better, but I really don't like this bottle. It does warm up and get a slightly cinnamon-pepper note to it...with maybe a hint of incence...but still smells overall like gingerbread

Edited November 26, 2006 by LadyKitsu

[minaloush]

oh dear lord. unh. this is an amazing scent. This is what I wanted gingerbread poppet to be. :/ I would stockpile this if it ever came around again. I'm hoping it will be added to picnic eventually.

 

this is ginger ice cream with bits of shaved ginger in it while sitting next to your sexy girlfriend wearing fresh's lemon sugar perfume. but better.

[wikkidraven]

this message is brought to you by maijiasu, who sent me a testable sniffy of shub-niggurath.

 

damn her eyes.

 

this is SO GOOD. i know as a newb i have a snowball's chance in hell of tracking down more, because it's hoarded like gold. but i've been sniffing the ginger goodness of my wrists for damned near a half hour. i admit i panicked for a minute when the scent went from ginger to straight up lemon, but it slowly died down to a smouldering ginger after a bit that i am now in love with. out of all the arkham scents, this should definitely be the one that is more readily available, at least for another limited run. oh well, a girl can dream.

[chrisann]

I bit the bullet and shelled out some major moolah for this baby. Here's my humble review.

 

Wet: Fresh sugared ginger, and woven in, is a crisp citrus note. Kind of like lemon poundcake, because I do smell vanilla in here too.

 

On for a while: Lemon holding hands with ginger rinds, sprinkeled with nutmeg/allspice

 

Drydown: I swear this reminds me of spicy Ginger icecream. Total mouth watering goodness. I can see why there's so much lust for this perfume. This totally appeases the love for the foodie fragrance. Yet, it's so much more than that. The spicy notes lend it a sexiness, that takes it to a whole other level of YUM.

 

Verdict? Money well spent.

 

 

Bring it back Beth!!

 

*edited to add review of 2006 re-release

 

I have the 2006 re-release on today. I do not smell more lemon, in fact, i smell MORE ginger, pumpkin spicy, smokey goodness. To me, this is less candied ginger in the dry down. I love both of my bottles, and wonder if this will resemble my 'aged' bottle more with time. Regardless, I'm happy all round!!!

Edited February 9, 2007 by growwild

[The_Witching_Hour]

In the bottle: spicy ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon.

 

On my skin: very spicy ginger, but also warm, just-baked buttery gingerbread. Such a warm feeling from this blend!

 

Drydown: this lasts ALL DAY LONG. Shub doesn't change over the course of the day, just the intensity. A scent not to be slathered or taken lightly! A 'must have' if you're a foody blend person.

[tamburlaine]

Bleugh. Even though this is a GC now, I'm not feeling so bad that it smells truly awful on my skin. Shub-Niggurath smells like gingerbread vomit on a linoleum floor that's slowly being cleaned up by lemon cleaning solution.

 

Maybe foody scents and I just weren't meant to be! I can acknowledge, however, that it is very expertly blended. It almost seems like there are two layers of scent that never merge: warm spicy ginger and a sophisticated citrus/herbal. Though it doesn't work on me, I know a good blend when I see it, and Shub is one of them.

Edited December 26, 2006 by tamburlaine

[abejita]

I am seriously having trouble coming up with anything to say that isn't a mass of incoherent moans and expletives. This scent makes me feel like a sex goddess and I swear I want to bang myself raw and keep going.

 

I had tried Gingerbread Poppet a couple weeks ago and thought, "Eh, sokay." I almost didn't get Shub because of the comparisons I'd read. But oh, they are nothing alike. Or, rather, they are alike in the way that deep, vibrant, sunset red-gold is like a dainty, blushing dawn. Poppet is cute and bakery-esque, Shub is almost violent sexuality in a bottle.

 

This has shot up to my top five blends ever and I now understand fully why people were shelling out $75 for used bottles of this.

 

edit to add: Aside from my swooning, there is a small side effect with this oil. It doesn't bother me, I just thought it might be interesting to note. A bit after applying the oil to my skin, I notice that my heart rate picks up, I sweat just a tiny bit, and I feel more alert. Ginger herb is a blood-mover and I think it's having that effect in this blend.

Edited December 27, 2006 by abejita