House of Mirrors

[wickedgoddess]

Antique amber frames a series of distorted, eternally warping clear crystal and glass notes.

A note to readers: Several bottles of House of Mirrors were mislabeled as Snake Charmer, and vice versa. Many of the reviews have been sorted out; there are undoubtedly a few that haven't. Caveat lector. --Shollin

Wet - this smells citrusy in the bottle.

Dry - this is an incredibly light scent. This is not at all what I expected. I know that some ambers and musks are hit or miss for me. I am afraid this might be one of the ambers that disappears into my skin, because I can smell amber ever so slightly in the bottle.

Hmmm, this seems to be one of the odd scents that gets stronger on me the longer it's on, because now, about an hour in, it's putting out some throw. The citrus is getting stronger, almost tropical. There really not much spice at all, perhaps a bit of the "wafting on a breeze" spiciness I get from Morocco, but certainly nothing at all like Snake Oil. I have a feeling this will be much nicer on people who's skin doesn't hate amber, but for me it's only fair. I going to have to test this a few more times because I haven't really decided what I think of it yet.

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3 .

Edited to clarify my coconut comment. Edited November 25, 2007 by Shollin

[kmasden]

OH MY GOOOOOOODDDDDDD!

 

I had scratched this off the list, sure I didn't want it. Now mind you I love amber when it doesn't turn powdery, but really wasn't attracted to the glass notes.

 

I bought it cause I had to...You can't look at something so accessible and not buy it!

 

It is sooo flipping gorgeous...please, please, get a bottle! It is exactly a milder snake oil, it is sexy, warm, skin with vanilly type of goodness. Mother of God, it is good if you like those warm scents.

 

For me this is i am woman hear me roar. It's that sly smile, the man sniffing your neck not even sure if it is perfume or you that smells so delicious....must taste...

 

Really, i think this is the very best of the carnivale noir line and i was not expecting that at all. Beautiful.

 

This is probably Snake Charmer, but I don't know for sure so I'm leaving it here. --Shollin

[slave1]

EDIT: I found out this was a mislabled bottle of House of Mirrors... I will do another review for the real Snake Charmer...

 

In Bottle: Perfumey soap.

 

On Skin: This is so pretty and feminine, not at all what I was expecting. I pictured a dark, spicy, sweet scent like Snake oil, but instead it is bright, clean and sharp. It smells like an expensive perfume, very elegant and lady-like. I don’t smell coconut or plum… but I do smell the sweetness of the vanilla and benzoin and it’s not a sugar sweet, it’s more of a note that evens out the sharpness of amber and labdanum. An interesting blend that does charm….

Edited April 12, 2006 by Shollin

[Imbrium]

Snake Charmer smells to me like nothing I expected, based on the notes listed and the reviews.

 

In the bottle it's citrussy and light, and rather cool smelling.

 

On, this smells to me very light and crisp, though minus the perfumey note that others have mentioned. It's quite similar to Dirty, at this stage, though more aquatic.

This doesn't change much as I wear it, either. It's actually very reminiscent of a rain scent to me, very much like what I'd hoped Storm Moon would be. I live in the desert, and last night we had wonderful weather - it was frighteningly windy, and you could smell rain in the air (though sadly, we never actually got any - stupid desert). Snake Charmer reminds me very much of that scent.

 

ETA: After several wearing this several times, without change - there's now a light vanilla smell several hours after this has dried. Interesting.

 

EDIT: This is really House of Mirrors --Shollin

Edited August 10, 2005 by Shollin

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Citrusy.

 

In the imp/bottle: As someone said, perfumey soap.

 

On skin, wet: This reminds me of Storm Moon in its dryer-sheet--esque overtone.

 

On skin, dry: This stays a very light, crisp, almost citrusy soap. It lasts for quite a few hours before gradually fading away.

 

Conclusion: Not a bad scent, but not my thing.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Aredhel

[Lucretia]

Like the others, not what I was expecting at all.

But while my search for a dark and insency scent continues, this one is nice too.

There is no rose listed, but it smells almost exactly like moon rose to me. In that dewy citrusy floral way. I can sense some amber maybe. Definitly a very light scent.

I'm gonna keep this one. Again, not what I expected, but I found a really nice dewy amber-floral instead

 

ETA: thought this was snake charmer at first.

 

This is really House of Mirrors --Shollin

[Scylla]

Very citrusy/crisp to me in the bottle.  Same on and then goes way perfumy.  Headache perfumy   I've had it on for not quite three hours and the strong, designer perfume thing is all I'm getting.  Quite a bit of throw. 

No vanilla, no coconut, no amber, etc.

ETA: Hubby's review~

"Clean, fresh, like an after-shower spray.  Not getting any of the notes in the description but still, very nice!  A little soapy smelling but like this very much.  No sneezing, gagging or headache."

 

So, looks like this one is a keeper after all, for Him.   <---He picked the emoticon 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I had very much the same experience as Eros. Snake Charmer was not at all what I was expecting! It is light, green and fresh. From the description, I guess I was expecting something slithery, sinewy and deep--like Venom. No vanilla, no coconut or amber here. Or musk, for that matter.

 

However, I think my husband is gonna LOVE this one. He loves soapy, clean fresh scents for himself. Time will tell!

 

ETA: It seems that what I received was actually House of Mirrors, and not Snake Charmer at all! So this review will be moved to House of Mirrors.

Edited August 8, 2005 by Scylla

[olympia301]

Wow! I am getting something completely different than anyone else got. I smell: grapefruit and then it turns into Incantation! I love Incantation, love it! Sometimes it gets a bit too strong for me but this is the perfect strength with an opener of grapefruit.

 

This one is also giving me an insight to Beth's scent shorthand. Sea of Glass was loaded with grapefruit. Glass-Mirrors-Grapefruit. Wouldn't be a bit surprised if there wasn't a bit of lily of the vallery lurking around in the background, too.

 

Really a nice blend with a summer addition that is fabulous.

[tempete]

Please note: This review was originally in the Snake Charmer thread, but it has since come to my attention that I received a decant of House of Mirrors, not Snake Charmer, because of mislabelled bottles (HoM labelled as SN and vice versa), so I've edited the review accordingly.

 

I got a decant of House of Mirrors from wickedgoddess. This scent is light, citrus-y and perfume-y. If I inhale deeply, I think that I can detect faint whiffs something that smells like Liquid Tide, which I originally thought was Arabian musk (yes, Beth's Arabian musk smells like detergent on me) but I now think that is probably ozone. The citrus-y aspect seems to be fading slightly during the drydown, but the perfume-y part is lingering. Much later in the drydown, House of Mirrors becomes a rich resiny amber finish with the aquatic/ozone notes poking through a little bit, which matches the scent description perfectly.

 

Unfortunately, the initial citrus-y and perfume-y phase isn't enough to make me want to order a bottle or keep the decant, which has fortuitously already found a home with someone who was expecting a Snake Charmer decant but was also looking for a House of Mirrors decant!

Edited August 8, 2005 by tempete

[mobilejessie]

I'm such a foody that I instantly opted to ignore this blend. I associate "clear, crystal glass notes" with "soap, soapy, soapiness" on my skin and instead ordered three bottles of Midway. However, after reading the reviews of this I HAD to get a 5ml in a swap. I mean, come on... Snake Oil's more ambery sister????!?

 

It is indeed very much like Snake Oil, and I adore it. If Snake Oil is a spiced vanilla, this is a spiced amber with a touch of some kind of resin that I know I have in some other scents... but can't for the life of me name. It's deliciously sweet and incensy... the perfect combo of my two favorite scent categories.

 

I'll wear this when I'm sick of wearing Snake Oil every day, but deep-down want that sweet/spicy goodness.

 

This is probably Snake Charmer, but I don't know for sure so I'm leaving it here. --Shollin

[joseybird]

Yeap--this is Snake Oil infused with a sweet golden amber! It's definately lighter than Snake Oil, which I found to be almost oppressive in intensity. It reminds me a bit of The Lion, except less..."orange" smelling, if that makes sense?

 

One of my fave LEs in recent memory I bet this would smell amazing with Milk Moon!

 

This is probably Snake Charmer, but I don't know for sure so I'm leaving it here --Shollin

[oakmoss]

I'm getting something completely different from what others are describing here. I would LOVE to have amber-creamy-warmth, but what I'm getting instead is sharp and ozone-aquatic, very much "glassy" like Sea of Glass -- I'm wondering if my mirrors are missing their amber frame? I don't dislike it, really, I just don't love it, and I really, really wanted to love it. I'll try again later and hopefully it will magically change as carnival mirrors sometimes do!

[Lorencita]

I just wanted to update my review, since I got mislabeled bottles. This is a little citrusy, but nice... it is very unique because I doubt I have ever smelled citrus with Amber. Beth can make poop smell good though. I like it, but it really sucks that I have 2 bottles of it, cause I thought I was buying Snake charmer

Edited August 15, 2005 by Lorencita

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Vanilla and spice, like a creamier more milky spicy version of Snake Oil.

 

On

Oh my God...it's a...rootbeer float.

It seems to have vanilla, spices, sassafrass (maybe) and maybe amber.

 

30 minutes

Oh about 5 minutes it turns a little more piercing and less yummy...but it's still good.

Now it's just bad. I smell amber, and sassafrass and smoke. Dangit, why can it smell good one me?

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

foody/spicy

 

Summary

It's foody and yummy on me at first and then it turns kinda weird on me.

My skin hates me.

 

Purchase again?

No.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

3

 

This is probably Snake Charmer, but I don't know for sure so I'm leaving it here --Shollin

[pekeana]

wickedgoddess was a goddess and sent me an imp of House of Mirrors (labeled Snake Charmer)...

 

I'm kind of ambivalent about this scent -- I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. It's very sharp and clean to me -- I don't smell any of the listed notes at all. It's very well blended, but so very, very sharp. And it lasts forever -- and stays sharp and very sibilant the whole time.

 

 

(Edited to swap House of Mirrors and Snake Charmer reviews.)

Edited August 10, 2005 by pekeana

[pranashakti]

I had no plans to order this at all. Amber has just gone to powder on me lately...but boy, was I wrong!

 

This goes on with a very crystaline note...a bit sharp and cutting, but sweet. That phase only lasts a moment and the amber comes out strong and glorious. And it doesn't turn to powder on me!! When I say strong, I mean strong and bright, not heavy. This is bouyant, uplifting and yuuuuuuummmmmmmy. It has alot of throw and lasts forever on me. Just as an aside - I don't get any Snake Oil spices from this. It had a certain sweet purity that you have to smell to believe.

 

This is like bathing in buckets of warm sunshine reflected in every direction from the House's mirrored maze after a long, long time in the dark. Genius.

 

 

(edit to add: yes, this review is from a confirmed bottle of House of Mirrors. I DO get warm and sweet but light/bright amber on the drydown...no "soap" or "perfume" on me. )

Edited August 7, 2005 by pranashakti

[Red_Hot_Mama]

The bottle of Snake Charmer that I have is entirely citrus/perfumey/aquatic. No resemblance to Snake Oil whatsoever & no coconut.

 

I ordered this when the CN scents first went up.

 

 

Update: Turns out my bottle is really House of Mirrors. I'll pay more attention to this blend & update my review; now that the lab has confirmed this is HOM.

 

EDIT: This is really House of Mirrors --Shollin

[LiberAmoris]

The Carnaval’s favorite spot for lovers was the House of Mirrors. Here, you could disappear down a passageway in which every way you turned the mirrors threw back your own warbling image, as if from behind a sheet of running water, or doubled or tripled you, until you were unsure of whether you were coming or going, leaving or left. Standing in front of one mirror, the image of your person was thrown back into space ad infinitum, like at the end of the card trick where the master flicks his wrist and the same card repeats itself again and again in a fanned deck…

 

House of Mirrors on my skin is an aquatic submerged in amber. The aquatic note is really similar on me to that of Tempest. It’s a citrusy ozone with a fresh tangy seaside note. The amber makes a really unusual counterpoint to the watery elements, and the overall effect on me is of a clean, salty, citrus-infused amber. This is not a dark or brooding blend, but one that truly mimics the bright flashes of a mirrored reflection.

[Northernminx]

Light, shining amber almost vanilla but not quite, and reminiscent of Oisin's brilliant clarity. This is amber without the oppressive weight and intensity that some ambers can get. As this dries down it gets a faint earthy note to it - vetivert or patchouli I'm not sure which. For me that's dissapointing as it's souring the blend with my chemistry but it's an intriguing mix that makes this both complicated and elusive. Still, not quite me so this one is off to a new home.

[Eros]

08/10/05: Since I actually got a mislabeled bottle of House of Mirrors, I'm editing/moving this to it's proper place...

 

Very citrusy/crisp to me in the bottle. Same on and then goes way perfumy. Headache perfumy I've had it on for not quite three hours and the strong, designer perfume thing is all I'm getting. Quite a bit of throw.

 

 

ETA: Hubby's review~

"Clean, fresh, like an after-shower spray. A little soapy smelling but like this very much. No sneezing, gagging or headache."

 

So, looks like this one is a keeper after all, for Him. <---He picked the emoticon

[sitanpu]

my HoM smells like Sea of Glass, only with a slight warm note. It lasted for ages.

[parrot_suspect]

The bottle of Snake Charmer that I have is entirely citrus/perfumey/aquatic.  No resemblance to Snake Oil whatsoever & no coconut. 

 

I have to agree. I love incense, vanilla, amber, musky, etc...and the early reviews for House of Mirrors were promising. However, my decant is nothing even remotely like Snake Oil, or anything I'd consider a warm, amber-y skin scent. It's kind of citrusy, but not in a fresh, zesty way...on my skin it's kind of a bland, synthetic fresh smell, like fabric softener or the hand soap in public restrooms. I had high hopes for House of Mirrors, but clearly it's not for me.

 

I am so glad I didn't buy a 5 ml unsniffed.

[girlmadasbirds]

wow.. i got nothing like the amber/spice/vanilla that some of you have mentioned. this is almost all ozone on me with a citrus hint. it kind of reminds me dryer sheets. this is defnitely not for me.

[phoefromelsewhere]

Hrm, I don't get any vanilla or spice. There is a few seconds in the drydown when it smells like the perfume equivalent of a window frame (glass, wood) but then it starts screaming sweetness. This is definitely closer to Sea of Glass for me and thus, completely unwearable.

[blaqpearl]

This is very pretty and light. I love the cleanliness of it. It does smell kind of like a commercial perfume, but I am okay with that. I might try this on my hubby and see what he thinks. I really like this. I may get a bottle of it at the next lunacy update.

 

I imagine myself wearing a sundress in the middle of summer twirling in a field of wildflowers.