Cthulhu

[lunchboxmonkey]

A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters.

in the imp: salty, briny sea with dark undertones! just what i was hoping for!
this is the first aquatic i've tried, and after reading the reviews of this one, i was a little concerned. soap? no way does cthulhu end up smelling like soap. especially on me! it will stay just the way it is in the imp: murky and salty like a good slithering monstrosity
sigh. i don't know what possessed me to believe a mere mortal such as myself could make demands of the mighty cthulhu. he does what he wants, and apparently he wants to smell all fresh and clean. which isn't a bad thing, just not what i was hoping for
i hope i don't do this with all aquatics

[KesHiro]

Frimp in one of my orders.

 

Urmmff . . . I'm not really the biggest Lovecraft fan out there. His stories happen to highly disturb and unsettle me (which was probably his goal/point), but I love reading and so am game to try any literary inspired fragrance. In the vial, I get perfumey seawater. It's actually quite pleasant and just about the last odor I would associate with Cthulhu (well, the perfume part), but it's nice. Wet, it smells the same but with the addition of seaweed -- still nice and pleasant. Sadly, it turns at the drydown and becomes pure soap, staying that way once dry.

 

I like the initial stages of this scent, but the soap makes it a no-no.

[Blithgunde]

Cthulhu was a disappointment. I can't say it any better than my husband did when he exclaimed, "You smell just like a giant box of Tide!"

 

I have to agree with him. This oil turns to laundry soup on me. Very pleasant laundry soap but I can't get past the Tide association and I don't want to smell like wash day all day, so I won't be wearing it. Maybe it will work as a room scent.

[heleng]

Wet-aquatic

Dry- aquatic/herbal soapy shower gel, is that a little mint too?

Overall - not what I was hoping for, pleasant but too much like generic aftershave for me.

[Lysi]

My very first BPAL order and I generously( ) chose 2 oils for hubby instead of grabbing more for myself. I'm pleased to say my selflessness paid off! I swiped some on his neck and sniffed him as often as he'd let me, even if I interrupted him to do so!

 

Wet: Mmmm...crisp, sharp, MANLY

Dry: Cold, dark, still that crispness, it smells sorta ocean-y but in all the right ways. I don't know if he's completely sold on it just yet (though he loves the name!), but this is how I want my husband to smell all the time. Like he's just gotten out of the shower but wouldn't mind getting dirty again!

[Leah703]

I'm reviewing this one from memory as I had slathered myself in this oil on a night that I got food poisoning and I can't stand to smell it anymore due to bad scent associations.

 

Wet: ooooo this is all Irish Spring!

 

Dry: This becomes less Irish Spring and more of a swirling deep blue-green salty aquatic. Beautiful.

 

I really loved this. Sigh....

[raisin]

Finally, an Arkham scent that doesn't smell like cookies!

 

This is actually a pretty nice aquatic. It's not as sour as some of the other ocean water blends I've sniffed, and there's a nice green freshness to it. It's a little Irish Spring... I could see the comparison. But it settles into a very nice and clean water scent.

I think I'd kind of adore this on a guy, and we'll see if I can come up with a use for it for myself that Sturgeon Moon can't fill.

 

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Soap/washing powder, abrasive

 

Wet on me – Soap powder with a tiny touch of citrus

 

Dry on me – A soft citrusy scent

 

Overall – Ozone scents don’t really work on me and this is no exception

[zmulls]

Mmmmm. Urrrgggh. Ahhhh. Ewwwww.

 

I do like aquatics on me and was looking forward to this one. And I have to say it gives what it promises (at least on my aquatic-friendly skin). You smell the water and ozone, you smell the vegetation, the power and nobility of Cthulu.

 

However the “rotting vegetation” note, which is absolutely right for the scent, is, well, a bit like rotting vegetation. Sickly-sweet and slithery. And while in concept it sounds like fun, it isn’t what I’d want to wear all that often.

 

So this one goes on the list of scents that work the way they are supposed to on me, but that being said, don’t strike the kind of note that I particularly want.

[ravenzwart]

meh..its an aquactic so it's not gonna be something that i'll ever enjoy to wear..

 

wet it's like a strong soapy dishwater! thats always what i get from aquatics, guess that olfactory group isn't for me

 

maybe mummy will enjoy it

[ajansuz]

This was a sweetly gifted frimp!

 

In the imp: Very strong, sort of Irish Spring-ish, a little lemony and briny.

 

Wet on my husband: The salt water really amps. This is a damned sexy, briny scent on him. Even better than Calico Jack, although he doesn't agree.

 

Wet on me: Clothing detergent. Sadly, brine doesn't seem to be a note that works for me at all.

 

Dry on my husband: Still very sexy and briny. Kind of like I would expect a pirate to smell if they bathed.

 

Dry on me: Generic sport deodorant soap. It's a very clean scent, but it's not something I want to smell like at all.

[Pyewacket]

I received this one as a frimp with my first order and I was very interested to try it as I've dabbled in Lovecraft.

 

In the imp it's VERY STRONG - like a salty men's cologne.

 

Once on however the slightly unpleasant men’s cologne disappears. It smells like dark green, reminds me of windward passage but instead of breezes over tidepools this is the tidepool itself.

 

Dark, fathomless, still, murky. I’m liking it as it's a good antidote to sweet and fruity.

 

I didn't order a bottle in my second order as I went for lighter aquatics (its very hot in Australia at the moment and this is more of an Autumn/winter aquatic to me) but I'd like to have a 5ml of this around soon. I've been putting it on to sleep as I miss living by the sea and it's oddly comforting.

[Suu4LC]

Deep blue aquatic in the imp. Salty and dark. Not a bright fresh aquatic but deep and foreboding.

 

Aquatics aren't my thing, but there is something just...fascinating about this blend. Such a deep dark aquatic. Dark unfathomable waters indeed! With a sharp spray of salt on some sniffs.

 

I never got a rotting vegetation note or even too dramatic of a seaweed note. Just a deep blue aquatic, that lost its saltiness quite a bit on drydown. This isn't something I would wear, but I think it would be a sexy aquatic on a dude. A very unisex scent. I actually quite enjoyed this more than I thought I would! A very evocative scent.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: A salty expanse of ocean waves comes to mind. Straight up aquatic.

Wet: This smells very very clean- I can definitely understand the soapy vibes. It's a ringer for Irish Spring!

Dry: The detergent phase lasts awhile before the tangy murkiness emerges. It almost always pays to be patient! It is very interesting- it has turned dark & unsettling. I am still getting a bit of Irish Spring- but when I sniff closer I get the slithery, slimy horror or Cthulhu.

 

Verdict: Glad I got to try it, but I don't think this is me. If ONLY I could convince my hubs to wear it! I will prevail one of these days...

[Helas]

This is the scent that convinced me to place my first order. The name alone would have guaranteed it a place in my cart, but I was also thrilled by the idea of a dark aquatic.

 

That being said, doom and gloom seem to be difficult concepts to express in aquatic scent form. Aquatics are associated in my mind (and probably in most people's) with beach-themed sprays and athletic colognes. They generally smell cheerful, sparkly, sunny, a little citrusy, and full of energy. Cthulhu is no exception. The mysterious "seaweed" note does its hardest to evoke sunless ocean floors but eventually fails to overcome the relentless lemony freshness of the blend. This is closer to the cute cuddly Cthulhu of "Hello Chtulhu" than the unspeakably evil alien god of the Lovecraft mythos.

 

As far as peppy aquatic scents go, though, this one is a flawless and a good essential-oil substitute for mainstream men's athletic colognes. My father ended up stealing my vial from me and eventually asked me to buy him a bottle for his birthday, which makes me suspect that it would be a great entry-level drug for manly men reluctant to drop their heady aftershaves for hippy essential oils.

 

Madness-inducing slithering good cheer! Four out of five stars.

[mxtine]

This is a lot less threatening as it sounds. Olukun was murkier and more Cthulhu-like. It's actually a bright aquatic men's cologne. I can imagine it smells nice on a clean shaven man but I prefer resiny musks on my men.

[Honey]

In my first order, the Lab included just the right frimps. But the more I order, and the better they "get to know me," the worse their scent suggestions.

 

 

Imp: Aquatic, sour, ozone.. gherkin. Salty! Salty sea with ozone in the air and.. gherkin and citrus toilet cleaner? Eh. Yes, that, and cheap men's aftershave.

 

Wet: There is this citrus note that reminds me of a cleaning product.

 

Dry: Now I can smell something like clean laundry coming though. It's still mostly bright citrus to me with a hint of saltiness and aftershave. Meh.

[KittyHawk]

I really liked this in the imp: salty and dark with a powerful masculine edge. It reminds me of Old Spice, but obviously much more complex.

 

On, it was awful. I amped salt water like there was no tomorrow and I had to scrub it off my arm within minutes; I couldn't wait to see what it did upon drydown. I guess heavy aquatics and I just can't get along.

[bpalscentsual]

1/10/2012: Cthulhu (A Picnic in Arkham)

 

Previous scents: Dove ‘fresh’ scented women’s deodorant/antiperspirant.

 

In the bottle: Smells like one of my brother’s aftershaves or shower products. Masculine.

 

Testing method: Two swipes of the wand across my collarbones, two swipes of the wand on the inside of my left wrist, knocking the vial against my right wrist twice, rubbing together.

 

Immediately: Yes, this is sharp and masculine. I don’t know if it’s because it’s an aquatic that it’s doing this to my skin, but wet? Definitely a man’s cologne. Aqua di Gio or something.

 

Fifteen minutes: Okay, now I’m getting the more briny parts of it. Something’s tempering the ‘clean’ scent I normally associate with aquatics into something more like the ocean. The masculine bits are still there, but this hasn’t had time to sink in. Besides, I like smelling masculine every once in a while.

 

One hour: Yes, this is turning into ocean water and brackish seaweed. Reminds me of vacationing at the beach and the smell of the seaweed that washed up on the shore. I’m not sure that the ‘waters’ are ‘dark and unfathomable’ but it’s still very ocean-y. If I had to associate this with anything, it would be House Greyjoy from the A Song of Ice and Fire series: a gold kraken on a black field. We Do Not Sow, indeed.

 

Several hours: All that really remains of this is the smell of wet sand in the crotch of my bathing suit after a long day at the beach. And honestly? I like that smell. I understand that it’s not for everyone, though.

 

Overall: I have an imp of this that I'm probably going to use until it runs dry, but I don't think this is a re-buy for me. Not for now, anyway. This seems more of a 'summer' scent than a 'winter' scent, if only for the overall beachy tone to it.

 

DISCLAIMER: Due to differences in skin chemistry, inherent olfactory powers, and other scents that an individual might use throughout the day (i.e. scented deodorants, shampoos, room sprays, cooking odors), these oils will smell different on every individual. This review is only intended to illustrate my personal experience wearing it throughout the day.

 

Edited to add my customary disclaimer.

Edited January 11, 2012 by bpalscentsual

[KissleMeNow]

Ooh, I was so looking forward to this one. I sniffed the imp unopened, and it smelled gorgeous salty-wet with a bit of citrus. But wet and on my skin, it was dish detergent, and faded quickly. I guess Cthulhu is just not for me.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Vaguely aquatic shaving foam?

Wet: And one day we will die/ and our noses will cry/ from the scent of shaving foam coming from over the sea...

Dry: This reminds me unfortunately of the Lynx body spray (which I believe is called Axe overseas) that boys I knew in my youth used to bathe themselves with. This would fit into their range perfectly (ooh, harsh!). I can see the ad now: some dude would spray himself liberally with the stuff and then he'd get a million mermaids flopping about all over him. Blech. Not a scent for me at all.

[karykeion]

Yes! More Lovecraft scents! The first Arkham scent I tried was the first to go on my bottle list and I LOVE aquatics, so I am really looking forward to this.

 

In the imp: ...Cologne? Cologne and dryer sheets and sea plants. I...what? Okay. I trust you, imp.

 

On me, wet: Huh! Plants and murky seawater! It's still kind of cologne-esque, though, which really cracks me up because the mental image I'm getting is that of Cthulhu looking all dapper for a night out or something. Basically I'm not sure whether this smells EXACTLY like the ocean or EXACTLY like cologne and dryer sheets--this is weird, but it could go either way. I think in order to find out, I'd have to go to the beach again. I'll get a second opinion from Best Friend, since I genuinely think this smells like seaweed and brine but I could see where other people would think "aftershave".

 

On me, dry: Cherries?! I'm getting...a tiny bit of salt, some seaweed, but mostly smooth, silky, floral cherries. Or at least, every other huff.

 

 

I really don't know. This is confusing me quite badly. I think I'll keep it, but I really need a second opinion--there's no way Dread Cthulhu turns to cherry and flowers on me, I have to be imagining it.

[Rho]

In the imp, and fresh on the skin, this is LOADS of salt in midnight waters. It is also soap. Dial soap, I believe.

 

As it's drying down, the salt disperses and is gone entirely. I still have all this Dial soap to huff on though. Mmmmm... Dial soap...

 

And now Cthulhu's dried down! And what do we have? (drumroll) Dial soap! Inconceivable!

 

In conclusion: Yeah, my chemistry turns this into straight soap. This doesn't smell like Cthulhu to me, but I can tell that what was in the imp had a different quality than what my skin morphed this oil into.

 

Ah well. Not for me.

[catalyst]

I pretty much just get mint and aquatic from this. The mint starts off strong, a little overpowering. Someone else in the house started looking around and said "Did someone spill laundry soap?"

 

After about five or ten, the mint died down and it was more of a bright aquatic. Nice, but still a bit minty for me. Not bad, but not a keeper.

 

After about a half hour, it's mellowed into something like a woody aquatic which I like a lot, maybe with a hint of salt, it's hard to tell.

 

Sadly, it's disappeared completely now. I liked that last part, but it's not worth a half hour wait for an hour of something nice. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. (Hey, a pun or something.)

[ianastar]

This is very fresh smelling, but sadly it reminded me of the Arm and Hammer Pet Fresh Carpet Deodorizer. Which is good for the carpet but not to wear.