Yog-Sothoth

[Nightgaunt]

The perfume of eternity in vast, unknowable space. A glittering oil, ephemeral, iridescent, and horrifying in its immeasurable emptiness. This is the scent of air and darkness.

Yog-Sothoth is my very favorite SIA scent. To my nose it is a subtle, delicate floral with a breath of musk in the background. It gives a sense of distance and serenity; this is definately Yog-Sothoth's most benign avatar, Umr At-Tawil. It reminds me that I should spen more time with ol' Umr. He's a real cool guy.

[SnornL]

Sniffing from the bottle, Yog is fresh and citrusy, and on first impression a bit cologney. But strange as it sounds, this perfume leaves the feeling of darkness in your nose, especially on my skin when it becomes a cool, salty kind of emptiness.

 

Luckily, I got Janie's bottle of this just in time for the warmer months, and I agree with her review that it'll be great for summer. I can definitely see myself wearing this on those 40°C days to cool down, as it evokes the feeling of floating through cold, dark space.

[Fefferbella]

First Impression: Smells like dryer sheets and something light and musky. Not bad.

 

On my skin is turns quickly to a soapy, musky smell. Not unpleasant, just not something I'd want to wear.

 

This one is headed to the swap pile.

[des]

This is my very first exposure to a BPAL scent, and I love it. It definitely had an odd... grandma's eau de toilette air when I first put it on, but after a little while it turned into this lovely warm, daydreamy sweetness. I can't stop smelling my wrists.

[sookster]

hard for me to put my finger on just what notes are in this puppy but

it is very masculine and "airy" .... unfortunately the lasting power was nil

on me and my man ...

[byrdie]

Note ~ this came as part of a payoff I had coming for being bumbjorn's decant beeyotch: helping with the labels and the actual decanting when I can. This was about a half-full imp, which is just fine with me.

 

TMI ~ At the time of this writing, my period was just turning heavy.

 

Vial ~ Woody, spicy and somewhat ... effervescent? Tingly? Whatever the actual term, it feels as though its trying to bubble up my nose.

 

Wet ~ This is sweet the way a middling dry wine can be "a little sweet." Mainly, the wood and the spice are battling it out.

 

Drying ~ Something similar to vetiver may be creeping into the gray. The fizzy quality is merging with the dry grass to create an almost -- but not quite -- alcoholic-perfume-like experience.

 

Drydown ~ At this point, the oil is a warm, spicy vetiver. Yep, the evil of the Old Ones can reach us through the Lab. yeech.

 

Dry ~ Whether there's actually vetiver in the oil or not, it still smells like it, all the way down. The spice is pretty much gone.

 

Fade ~ A dusty, powdery, somewhat dry and grassy undertone.

 

Summary ~ I think this oil is helping me to understand why I don't like vetiver: it lends a rancid, cheap, store-bought perfume edge to these oils. I'm not a fan of perfumes that use alcohol as a carrier anyway, and I think that there's something about the dry grass that triggers the connection for me.

 

5ml ~ Heck, no.

 

Postscript ~ Oh, crap. I was resting my wrists on my journal as I took these notes. Now my bound journal smells like vetiver. The unknowable horror keeps making itself known.

[malanna]

Yog-Sothoth is Dirty if it was made from the cleaning liquid from Mordor. Perhaps there is some dirty, dirty ginger in this, not ginger a la Shub, but ginger swirled around in dirty water. I can pick up some ozone, but again, this is dirty ozone, the smell of smog idealized (so it wouldn't smell completely horrific). Dark scents aren't my sort of thing, so off it goes!

[Meg]

In the bottle: hmm, I'm not familiar with the notes... it smells a bit like burnt wood, but in a pleasant way. Pretty masculine and powerful.

 

Wet: it becomes subtler, there's still this warm burning wood scent... that's it: not burnt wood, but a fire still crackling on a branch.

 

Drydown: Pretty much the same as before, though I get hints of Play-Doh, as with Djinn, from time to time. There's a spiciness in there, not a notable spice in particular, just a pleasant mix. There's also citrusy tone to this with what I think could be ozone. And of course it's gone quite sweet on me.

 

Overall: woody and spicy, with a touch of ozone... I'd nearly imagine this is how a Phoenix's nest would smell like, with sweet-smelling woods and spices mixing with smoke and ashes, preparing for a resurrection. Funny, though, to me Yog-Sothoth is mostly fire, and varies between flashes of light and dark smoke, generally I see it as a very orange-yellow and black kind of perfume. However, it's much too masculine for me, though it would be absolutely delicious on a man.

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: There was an odd black cloud at the bottom of my imp. When I held it up to the light, it was gone. Weird haw? It smells fantastic though. Sharp, pungent, crisp and clean. I love it.

 

Wet: Oh my…..still clean but now very manly. Appearantly the god decided to take a shower after partaking of his supplicants offerings.

 

Drydown: Oh I want this….I want this on my husband NOW. I have to say that if my husband put this on, he’d probably NEVER leave the house….and probably wouldn’t have the energy to go to work the next day too.

[LittleGreyKitten]

This just doesn't smell appealing on me. Evil dryer sheets is about what I would call it. It might smell OK on the boy, but I'm not entirely convinced of that. It may just make him smell of Satan's Laundromat or something. I really can't pinpoint the notes, and I didn't really leave it on all that long to contemplate them either. I didn't get floral, or aquatic, or spicy, though, that's for sure.

[Abbie]

In the bottle: Kind of ucky with a fruit undertone. It's sort of dark and old-man smelling, with the fruit popping out at odd moments.

 

First on: Wow, that's weird... on my wrists, it's all old man uck. On the tip my finger that I rubbed the scent in with... all fruit.

 

Dry: Actually, dry, this is very nice. Sort of reminiscent of scarecrow, which is a big favorite of mine. Very hot, dry grassy scent. However, it's a bit... butch for me. This might be really good on a guy, but it is STRONG and needs someone who it doesn't overpower.

[atropine]

wow, the scent of air and darkness indeed. i'm not sure what's in it, but it smells clean and almost glittery (how? i'd dearly love to know, or i'd settle for a second bottle of this - if this wasn't a limited edition, it would make fabulous linen spray.

[absinthetics]

The best comment I have heard about Yog was the response the person I traded it to gave me. For the life of me I forget who exactly it was... maybe Ry. But as they said: "This smells like Babies, not baby powder, babies."

 

I can't beat a review like that.

[kuanyin]

Oh joy, I finally found a bottle of this I could afford, the Springtime in Arkham series has been CRAZY high at eBay. Youch. Mine came today, which I got for Mr. G Spot, who is a huge Lovecraft fiend. Yea, it is a winner and how. I can't distinguish any one note, not that I am that good at it...I get an impression of spice, but I would love to know what is in this. I gave this to Mr. G Spot with the caveat that he let me use it once in a while, it is on the masculine edge but still qualifies as gender neutral to me. Definately not girly girl, but it doesn't smell like I hit the men's fragrance counter either. I love that. If it wasn't Lovecraftian, I would probably not have gifted it over...

 

I LOVE the description of it smelling like the nest of a Phoenix. That nails it for me.

[edenssixthday]

Yog-Sothoth - This is a strange little scent. It’s very dark and musky on my skin and despite being clean and slightly soapy, I distinctly smell a hint of vetiver in this scent – something I usually associate with dark, murky, and volatile scents. But this one isn’t. It’s clean and pretty, but not like clean laundry, as many reviewers have noted. Rather, to me, it smells clean like the forest or the woods after a warm afternoon thunderstorm. Slightly damp and earthy and warm, yet crisp and fresh. It’s very nice and pretty, but it disappears on my skin within the first hour, and for that first hour, it’s very light with virtually no throw. This one isn’t for me.

[sofiaviolet]

I think this smells quite a bit like Numb!!! It's a lovely sort of violet smell. I love it!! I don't think I'm going to hoard it the same way I hoard Numb, because I think it's more expensive, but I'll hold onto my imp and probably acquire some more.

[hologhost]

This is a tough one. I definately smell myrrh. And wood and smoke. *sniffs again* Lots of dark things. The burning forest smell is not dominent, but it's strong. Also a hint of mint.

[supremegoddessofall]

Light but pretty aquatic bath salts. Touch of light florals. Nothing distinctive, and my skin is eating it quickly.

[The_Witching_Hour]

This has been a hard blend for me to put my finger on as to what notes are in it but it has such a masculine feel to it and somewhat in the ozone category. I can't pull this one off but maybe my man can.

[ClareN]

Yog-Sothoth is a close relative of Djinn, both soapy clean vetiver scents; Djinn is more of a lemony vetiver, while Yog-Sothoth is not lemony and features some of BPAL's "dark aquatic" or "ozone" notes. It smells like a shower gel marketed at men. I am learning to appreciate vetiver, but aquatics? Try me when hell freezes over. This scent is emphatically Not For Me.

 

If you do like vetiver and aquatics, you might enjoy this. It is also a good choice for those who prefer to wear scents traditionally marked as "masculine".

[zankoku_zen]

Yes, I can see the comparisons to Numb in that cold, powdery violet way. Except I get a little more ozone.

 

But I also agree that this is like Dirty, if you took Dirty and made cleaning fluid out of Satan.

 

I mean, it smells like vast air... and just menacing threat. It's like something you recognize, but utterly corrupted and non-human. At all.

 

If I found an animal that smelled like this, I'd run far far away.

 

If some other human smelled like this, I'd also run far far away.

 

 

ETA: Apparently, the review above is NOT for Yog-Shoggoth (although I maintain it is), and I have since received another decant that is in fact, vastly different. This one is NOT cold and powdery. It is in fact, ozone, airy and with a bit of vetiver thrown in. On wet, it kinda reminded me to certain blends that have the word 'goat' in the description. Definitely masculine. It dries down to a very masculine blend. Again, perhaps I should dab on the hubby.

Edited August 4, 2009 by zankoku_zen

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Light brown oil. Sharp, sour, a little bitter and acidic. Slightly soapy edge, and definitely some vetiver.

 

Wet: Less sharply sour, more airy, some ozone, still clean but not overly soapy. It's a masculine, but pleasant vetiver. The scent becomes smoother, more coherent, and more classically manly as it dries.

 

Dry: Fading rapidly, losing all sourness as it becomes sweeter and sweeter. Still a little ozone, but much more air, in a luminous, cloudy, ephemeral sort of way. Very clean but barely soapy any more, and still towards masculine, but without the heavy vetiver presence.

 

Later: Faint, airy, slightly clean and slightly sour cologney masculine vetiver. It's a little sweet on my skin, and a bit darker/woodier on my male roommate's. Pleasant, but poor throw and longevity and rather simplistic. It's not anything special.

 

Summary: Final drydown reminds me of a cleaner, lighter/gentler and much more 'airy', slightly ozone-y version of Hessian of the Hollow. Quite pleasant on my male roommate and this really doesn't work for females well, I think. Moderate throw and good longevity.

Edited July 12, 2009 by fairnymph

[ChaosKitty]

I normally am able to pick out notes in perfume blends, but this one baffles me. There is no note I recognize, no floral, no musk, no resin or anything else I can identify. What it does smell like is going outside on a warm spring night in the country, just after a rainstorm that has washed the air, that "clean" smell in the atmosphere. It sounds like a paradox, this is somehow genius, but it's a scent I know I won't wear, it is too "blue" and airy. Not airy-light, mind you, it is a very dark scent...but like dark night air. Nnff. Perplexed ChaosKitty is perplexed!

 

[surf-tormented]

I never tried this one new, but just got a bottle in a swap. It is dirty, swampy and humid. It has an almost stinky darkness to it at first then becomes more oceanlike and clean...yeah this one is dirty and clean at the same time.

[mymymai]

ITB: It smells like old musk, light floral perfume, but it is ephemeral as I can't seem to pine down the notes with any certainty.

 

Wet: Okay, I've nailed down must, which is almost civet-like, something slightly powdery...it's so confusing. There are no florals, no fruits. It does remind me of air when trying to describe it.

 

Dry: It's clean like Ivory soap and airy but with the same tones of musk as when it was wet. How intriguing.