Arkham

[kmasden]

Behind everything crouched the brooding, festering horror of the ancient town, and of the mouldy, unhallowed garret gable where he wrote and studied and wrestled with figures and formulae when he was not tossing on the meager iron bed. His ears were growing sensitive to a preternatural and intolerable degree, and he had long ago stopped the cheap mantel clock whose ticking had come to seem like a thunder of artillery. At night the subtle stirring of the black city outside, the sinister scurrying of rats in the wormy partitions, and the creaking of hidden timbers in the centuried house, were enough to give him a sense of strident pandemonium. The darkness always teemed with unexplained sound - and yet he sometimes shook with fear lest the noises he heard should subside and allow him to hear certain other fainter noises which he suspected were lurking behind them.

He was in the changeless, legend-haunted city of Arkham, with its clustering gambrel roofs that sway and sag over attics where witches hid from the King's men in the dark, olden years of the Province.

A shadowy, unapproachable forest of maple, birch, dogwood, cypress and pine softened by a garland of New England wildflowers: bergamot, columbine, rue anemone, blue violet, creeping phlox, bloodroot, toadflax, and pixie moss.

I am not the most sophisticated of posters or sniffers, but I have been loving this scent so wanted to start the topic.

Beth has done an amazing job with the Springtime in Arkham scents. I'm a picky scent person and the four I acquired from the Black Broom are surprisingly magnificent! Not because Beth ever does anything less, but because I am a picky scent person who didn't think I would like any of them. WOW.

In the bottle this almost smells like "pink" to me. Almost sugary sweet with the scent of delicate petal flowers. The wildflowers and violet are most noticeable and i don't detect the woody notes that are listed.

I would call this a supremely blended scent. I don't feel like it morphs much from bottle to wet to drydown, just becomes richer and more "you." It stays sweet and very lightly floral. Not a headachy perfume, not white or red flowers but the delicate petals that you would expect from a field of wildflowers. The peony and phlox stand out for me, but then I am familiar with them so it is recognizeable.

Within the first fifteen minutes i start to detect what to me smells like possibly the maple and pine. Just enough to keep this scent from being overly sweet and make it warm and inviting and even mysterious. To me this has the same uniqueness that i find in Alice, yet is totally different - the comparison comes only in that it is an unexpected mingling. Can you imagine laying in a field of flowers in the middle of a forest on a warm spring day? You will when you smell Arkham Revisited.

This is a truly warm and soft scent. Not overbearing in any way. Not soapy, just floral and sweet but tame and balanced. If flowers and woods could be carmelized - this would be the scent. It is absolutely gorgeous. There is not a foody note and yet I want to say it is absolutely edible.

I have a feeling that many may not try this in fear that it will be too floral or too woody. It is neither. It is balanced, soft yet with throw, perfect for a warm summery scent. It's something I want to spray on my pillow and wear with a flouncy skirt. It embodies spring for me and is both innocent and sexy.

Wow, just wow. As i said with Shub-Niggurath, this is a must try. Don't sniff it, wear it. It's quite an experience! I fear that i don't do it justice as I am not familiar with H.P. Lovecraft. I can say that because of Arkham Revisited, I plan to get very familiar!

PLEASE NOTE: This is the formerly limited edition scent formerly known as Arkham Revisited, and is not the same as the long-ago discontinued scent known as Arkham. Those reviews are here. Edited September 15, 2007 by Shollin

[AlectoNox]

I was really really looking forward to Arkham Revisited because the notes sounded incredible. It was a little bitter in the bottle when I sniffed it, and when I wore it it turned into what I can only describe as cheap wine poured over rotting flowers and old pizza. It was really heady and thick, and made me a little nauseous to wear it. I wish I would have gotten the 'pink' and wildflowers from it that kmasden describes - that would have been lovely! I am very sad that my skin chemistry turned this scent from a forest of wildflowers into cheap wine. I have to point out though that this is 99% probably the fault of my kidneys making my pH balance wacky, and making me super sensitive to certain scents. I can't even wear this one in a scent locket because my allergies can't handle it.

 

I hope everyone else enjoys it and posts nice reviews though, I'm looking forward to reading them. Mine will go into the swap pile soon and maybe I can score another Arkham blend to try out.

[spark]

This is really beautiful.

 

I received an "advance" imp of this from the lovely Syringa so I could see if I want more before the order cutoff. OH YES.

 

Arkham Revisited IS the springtime in "Springtime in Arkham." It's actually a bit fruity to my nose when wet, and I can pick up the bergamot. It it dries to a very pretty light floral -- actually probably the first "light floral" from the Lab that I have really loved. It lasts fairly well for such a light scent, too.

 

And it got the thumbs up from a local Guy, who pretty much never comments on my perfume apart from "Mmmmm... rosy" (whether it has roses or not). He liked this one a lot.

 

I can't specifically ID any notes when it's dry, which (in this case) basically means that it's not overpoweringly violet.

 

I love this.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Very sweet, Fruity and lightly floral underneath.

 

On

Smells a little like a citrussy kind of dragon's blood.

It's passed the 5 second rule, meaning it hasn't turned from citrus to chokingly floral on me.

It's not at all as intensely sweet as in the bottle.

I dont' know why, but this smells a little Bordello-ish on me as well. Yes, really.

I expected to smell the marvelous wood that I've smelled in other bpal blends but this has a little something extra, a light, dried leaves smell.

Primarily, I smell dried leaves that still have a leaf scent to them (probably from the maple, birch and dogwood) and the cypress, pine and pixie moss, blood root and bergamot are primary notes as well.

I don't smell the blue violet nor the other florals.

 

30 minutes

This hasn't changed much since I put it on which is good. It has a better than average staying power and a nice touch of throw.

As it dries it turns into more of a golden brown deep autumn woods smell

It smells as it would smell in the woods of Arkham.

 

Throw:

medium

 

Scent category:

Floral/Fruity/Woody

 

Summary

Eve though there are no berries in this blend, I can't help it, my nose smells a little Bordello or Skadi like but with just a blush more of a floral woody twist.

This is a definitive "walk throught he woods" smell.

It also sparks a definite imagery, one that matches the images in my head after reading about Lovecraft's Arkham long, long ago. Well done Beth.

 

Purchase again?

Yes

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[shelldoo]

in the bottle fruity yumminess, very very sweet

 

on it is still a tad sweet, but has a green twist, and a hint of something spicey. i am getting alot of phlox very fresh summery floral, but has that green twist

 

 

this is longish lasting and has a medium throw it is sweet and floral but not sickeningy so, it has that green twist i am thinking is a pine of some sort i do get the lightest hint of something berry like, i am wondering if one of the floral components i am unfamiliar w/ has a berry type scent? hmmm

 

all in all i would place this among the top 3 of the gibbering madness pack

[clover]

Arkham Revisited

 

First impression: Ah, that's right, it's springtime in Arkham!

 

Upon application: Green, green, green - an almost Apothecary-like greeness, and lots of colorful flowers. I almost feel like I should take a Claritin. The impression I get is a field of brightly colored tulips.

 

After a few minutes: The florals are really soft and sweet though, not flashy at all. I can definitely sense the violet (my favorite floral), but I don't get any of the woods at all. Just soft florals with a hint of citrus.

 

Conclusion: Lovely.

[sarada]

Another blend that proves that there are ways to make florals work on me!

 

The combination of soft woods and an unusual blend of flowers makes for another that reminds me something of Dublin or Skadi, though this is a little less cold and green to me, and puts me more in the mind of pale blue, violet, pink and white flowers growing in field overshadowed by a forest.

 

The mixture of wildflowers is really incredible because they do not become powdery nor do they have a heady pungent fragrance that makes my nose itch or my sinuses ache. Roses and jasmine can be overpowering in that way, but these delicate flowers just suggest a breeze carrying the distant scent of flowers through the woods.

 

As it dries it becomes slightly sweeter, slightly warmer and slightly woodier. It makes me think of the flowers and herbs we used to grow in the backyard. We had bergamot and a variety of wildflowers that my mom loves, growing alongside evergreen trees. Although it does come across as floral on me it is a very beautiful one -- pale and retiring, ghostly. It's the breath of sweetness that rushes past you as you walk from the sun into the shade of a dark wood. As usual this dried differently depending on where I applied it. On the left hand it dried quickly and faded to a pale memory of flowers and a hint of wood. On the right hand it is almost like a hint of candied flowers. I can't explain that, but there you have it. It goes through many transitions but I enjoyed all of them!

 

eta: I hadn't worn this for a few months and sold it, but then found myself wanting to sniff it again so I re-obtained a small amount to keep around for next spring. As it turns out this blend really ages quite nicely! Now it's a much more incensy floral though there's still a strong feeling of pinkish fruit. This blend strikes me as incredibly pink, but not in a sugar-sweet kind of way...more in a flower-fruit way. I am so glad that I have enough to last into next spring, because this is a perfect April/May scent and smelling it just takes me right back to the beautiful spring that I had this past year.

Edited November 30, 2005 by sarada

[oakmoss]

I tried this one for the first time last night before bed, but in sorting the imps I got a bit of Miskatonic Unversity on my fingers first, which may have been the reason that when I applied Arkham Revisited, I couldn't smell it at all. I mean, at ALL. The deep gooey coffee-caramel goodness of Misk. U. masked it completely. Trying it again today...

 

This is a very soft, green gathering of flowers, an airy scent, with a hint of sweet fruitiness underneath. There is a certain faerie quality, elusiveness -- that first impression of *nothing there* may have been prophetic in terms of its essence. It's like food offered in the faery realm -- it vanishes as you bring it to your lips, leaving only the faint scent of the most delicious fruit you never quite tasted....

 

I need more!

[tropicalstorm]

A perfect scent. Totally unique and beautiful. My Mom liked it so much she requested her own bottle, which will be her first BPAL!

 

In the bottle: Sweet, floral scent. Rather different from most florals though. A very natural sweetness.

 

Skin: Wet. The woody notes come out when it first hits my skin. I can smell the maple the most and it is a great note to include in a perfume. My younger brother commented that I smelled "like maple syrup". To my nose, this isn't entirely inaccurate, but the sugar in the blend is from florals.

 

Skin: Dry. Ah! Now more the the wood notes emerge. I love this because because it is SO well blended- a unique floral and beautiful wood notes perfectly combined. Also, it stays true for several hours.

 

I love this. I want to like floral scents but they always sit in their bottles unworn. However, the combination of wood and florals is perfect, this blend is a keeper.

[ivyandpeony]

This one is really gorgeous - such a nice balance and contrast between the sweet wildflowers and the mossy woods. I picture this one being the forest at nighttime... there isn't anything sunny or bright about it to me, more of the feeling of being in very deep woods and smelling the mosses and flowers that grow with just a bit of sunlight each day. On me, it is definitely more floral than woody, even several hours after applying. But that's not a complaint because the florals are lovely and I am a staunch fan of most all things floral and BPAL. This will likely prove to be one of my favorites from the SIA collection.

[rainbow]

In the bottle- mmmmm....fruity! Berries! Yum!

 

Wearing- This smells like cool green and pine. It's a bit reminiscent of Skadi. This is a very well-blended floral that smells almost fruity to me. Beautiful and unique, it really is the spring version of Skadi. As it dries down it becomes woodsier. Then I get fruity undercurrents again.

 

Overall- I LOVE this. I'm so happy I got a bottle. It's extremely reminiscent of Skadi to me, and it's lovely, cool, and fresh, perfect for a spring day.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Juicy floral.

 

Second Impression: The second this dried, Arkham was instant nostalgia for me. Wafting from my skin was the scent of my favorite Yankee candle of old...Hearts and Flowers. My first apartment back in 1994 was full, end to end, with everything Hearts and Flowers; room spray, tarts melting, votives and housewarmers burning. It was my signature house scent and I'd always hoped they would make a perfume of that wonderful pink scent. But then they discontinued it and I've never smelled that scent again until now.

 

Final Analysis: Amazing.

[Splendid Molerat]

Arkham Revisited.

 

I was expecting a tree-and-flower distant cousin of Vinland, and happily this does have the same kind of complexity. Much darker and thicker woods, and a warmer array of wildflowers.

 

I'm finding this can be strongly masculine or strongly feminine, depending on which notes you focus your attention. Beautifully done.

[Koumori]

I'm still not certain whether Arkham Revisited seems to agree with me or not. It's the only one of the Springtime bottles I picked up. Wet, it is a very sweet green floral; my heart sank a little as I am not a big fan of sweet scents, but I gave it a chance to mellow out on drydown, and it did. I hike quite a bit around southern New England, and this really is very much the scent of a New England meadow, or an abandoned road. I know this scent, and it's captured perfectly here. I just can't decide whether it's right for me to wear as a fragrance - I can be too picky!

 

To sum up, this is a subtle, complex, pink/white floral, definitely on the sweet side and moderately long-lasting on me. I wish I'd been able to pick up more scents from this series, and I hope I'll be able to snag some decants of others.

[Rheliwen]

Oh, my lord! This is one of the most beautiful scents BPAL has ever shared with me!

 

Right out of the bottle, it has a holiday spiciness to it. It goes on warm and slightly sweet, but not sickly sweet. It has more of an Alice type of sweetness to it. It feels like a billowy cloud infused with understated and creamy florals whipped around a soft woodsy center.

 

I can't really make out any of the particular woodsy or floral notes in this. They are packed and blended so well together that they are simply one with each other. It isn't soapy, cloying, dry, candy sweet, piney (the woods are barely noticeable really), etc. It makes me feel happy and warm and beautiful.

 

The first thing I thought when I sniffed this was, that it smells like Skadi a bit. To me, it's Skadi's summer sister. I this one.

[lorajc]

This is a very pretty, well blended floral. I cannot pick out any of the single notes, as they are unfamiliar to me. The only complaint I have about this is that it fades very quickly on me and disappears into thin air. It only lasted for about 2 hours. I'll have to try moisturizing well before I wear it next time. It reminds me ever so slightly of Beltane, but I'd say it's a bit weaker and the florals are definitely different. Very unique floral. I'm glad I have 2 bottles.

[gingersnapp]

This is a beautiful spicy green scent on me. Yes, it's mostly floral, but looking at the list of notes in this blend, my unsophisticated nose isn't really sure what it is that I am smelling. There is a warm underlayer of woods that gives this blend real depth. It truly does smell like a valley in springtime.

 

Absolutely gorgeous!

[Northernminx]

Initially this reminds me a lot of blood rose, something deep, fruity and wine like that gives this a definite richness. this isn't anywhere near as rosey as blood rose though, there's a earthy richness to this, and a touch of pine and light floral to ground this. This is feminine without being powdery or soft for me and I suspect it's rich enough that a guy could get away with it too.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Fresh and green.

 

Just On: Fresh, crisp, and green, possibly evergreen.

 

An hour or two later: Very fresh, and green.

 

Around 6 hours: This gets a little sweet, as well as still being fresh and green.

 

12 hours: The last bit of scent is a little bit sweet, and still pretty green.

 

Overall: This is a beautiful creation, and I'm very happy I got to try it.

 

After reading other reviews: I can smell all the trees, but it's not dry wood, rather trees in the prime of their life. I didn't really get the flowers, which was fine by me.

[JazzieCazzie]

BOTTLE: Not what I expected at all. Fruity and deep.

 

WET: Again, I was looking for something piney and woody and slight floral and fresh and got surprisingly fruity and deep. There is a rich forest scent but more like an apple orchard than the pinegrove I'd been hoping for ...

 

The best I can put it is sort of Samhain Lite. No drydown notes, I confess, I had to wash this off because it was just far too fruity for me to stand.

 

On a scale of 1-5 I give it a 2.

[mmontgomery]

This one started very sweet on me but then quickly became more green. If it's Springtime in Arkham it's when the crocuses first put their heads out from the frosted ground and green shoots start to appear everwhere. It's not cloying on me and even has astringent qualities.

[isyche]

Arkham Revisited in bottle: pretty, sweet green/floral, nice.

 

Arkham Revisited on me: Still fresh and green, but the wood notes come out to deepen it, and it ends up as a lovely balance between leaves, branches, and wildflowers, just like a springtime deciduous forest. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and delicate, not overpowering. (This is what I imagined Hamadryad would smell like before I got it and found out it was cinnamon.) I really like it.

Edited June 15, 2005 by isyche

[northatlantic]

In the vial - very, very sweet. Cherry-sweet. In a nice way, pie filling, not cough syrup, but...cherry. Weird.

 

Wet - Yep. Grandma's cherry pie filling, and just a tiny hint of pine. Um, delicate spring blooms, where be you at? Maple?

 

Dry - Still cherry. Faint, but still very fruity. Sweet, syrupy fruit. Not unpleasant, but soooooo not me off to the swap pile with you, pet.

[Muppetk]

Wet: mmm. Must be the wild flower blend, 'cause my first thought was "yum! Does this have mango in it?"

 

Drying: I still think it had mango, because the sweetness is disappearing fast and my skin does that to fruits. But aside from that, very pretty, and the notes are blended so well it's really tough to pick anything out.

 

Dry 30min: Faded a lot. Alot. My skin ate this for breakfast It actually smells a bit like wild flowers now and all that yummy mango-like-scent is gone.

 

Ah well. It was so pretty in the initial stage. Stupid perfume-eating skin.

[Celogrl]

I was lucky to receive a decanted imp of this, and it is amazing. Beth has done her usual job of making complex, luscious wonderfulness in a bottle! To me, this fragrance just smells "green"- very green. After it has dried down a bit, I get a touch of violet, a bit of woods, but mostly that green foresty feel. It is a great unisex scent; my husband and I both have it on tonight. Another wonderful production from the lab.