Lenore

[jupiternf]

A dark and bellicose scent that speaks of loss, lament, bitterness and breast-beating woe: thick black vetiver, sharp white musk and lemon peel, smoke and saffron, patchouli, thyme and black plum.

The last of my Poe Decants:

In the Imp: the vetiver is on top, but I also get the spice of the saffron and a faint floral/rose feeling as well

Wet: This is throwing vetiver for miles. I get an amazing blend of the lemon, plum, and herbs melding with the darker notes.

Dry: Now I am getting the patchouli!!! The other notes settle in behind it, lemon coming across in second place.

Overall- I adore the patchouli and saffron in the dry down- it retains the complexity of the wet period for a long time- 6- hours so far.

[ceiswyn]

A very short review, since I put it only quickly just to find out if it was a must-have scent and haven't analysed it...

 

Pure vetiver to start with, then vetiver sliced through with lemon and a hint of thyme, then a blend of musk, smoke, lemon, thyme and wet earth that gradually fades away. 8/10

[Iceblink]

I'd never have thought based on the notes that this would be so light and pretty. I'm getting lemon peel like crazy from it, with white musk underneath. It's the same lemon peel that's so yummy in Bess, methinks. There is vetiver here, especially when the oil's freshly applied, but dry it's just sort of an earthiness far in the background. Really soft and quiet, this blend.

[SarahScent44]

This is the new retail-only Lenore.

 

In imp, this is all smoke and patchouli.

 

On my skin - ooh, it's not good, like too-strong campfire smoke.

 

Nope, it doesn't get better when it'd dry. It's all smoke, patchouli, and vetiver. No go.

[djsiberia]

this one surprised me a bit. i liked it when it was wet, then dry had me puzzled. the vetvier didn't pop out, it turned to a very light lemon floral scent.

 

i doubt i will purchase a bottle.

[Inanna9]

via the Civet Evangelism sniffing circle (courtesy of Moonarcana)

 

I thought this would be major vetiver based on a sniff of the imp, but there's no vetiver to be found now that it's on.

 

I'm catching thyme and something lemon-like but dark. The bottom note is thick, so I guess that's the vetiver, but overall this is high and a bit sharp on me. Oh, of course...it's the white musk. It doesn't care for me much, and it tries to turn everything into aftershave. At this point I can't detect the difference between a drop of civet and white musk throwing a wobbly.

 

Striking out with Lenore.

Edited March 4, 2008 by Inanna9

[SueDonym]

Lenore loves Moonarcana and the Civet Circle:

 

Impie: A little dark, a little floral.

 

Flesh fresh: Ah! An immediate opening up. Fleshy! Slightly bitter, but not unpleasantly so...oh wait, maybe. A definite harsh edge. Faint traces of floral dancing around. Old, flat florals. I'm thinking funereal wreaths or wedding bouquets kept in old drawers and then released.

 

Dryer: I was a bit worried but it looks like this one dried down and the various component amalgamated. At this stage it really feels like winding sheets and old old florals to me. Almost linen quality, really!

 

It starts to break up a bit and seem a little powdery, but not much, and then the powder shifts to be that almost citrus edge. It's an interesting ladder when you sniff, going from something stale and dark and yes, death-like, at the bottom through that winding sheet and on up to the light crisp edge of lost love, longing, and belabored pain.

 

I have to say this is growing on me as it dries. It's not something I'm going to seek out, but it's strangely fascinating. So no, not nevermore. Just not now.

Blows a kiss goodbye.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the decant I can smell vetiver, but it's not strong enough to be off-putting (I enjoy vetiver in small doses). As it dries this scent makes me think of old, slightly rotted but lovely wood cabinets. I was surprised by the note listing; I swore I could smell sandalwood in here. Wednesday Addams would smell just like this. Beautiful goth girl in a haunted house scent!

[mgrazulis]

I was apprehensive about the vetiver being a dominant note and fearing warp speed ampage, but the other notes sounded lovely, so I dabbed it on.

 

What an intriquing yet mournful scent!

 

In the imp: very dark colored. Opening it--patchouli and musk, a bit of lemon. Very resiny.Wet: Lots of herbs, almost overpowering. They are mysterious, dark.

 

Dry: Gorgeous! Mostly the vetiver, thyme and herbs; and the patchouli is back. Very melancholic, beautiful. The musk gives it a dreamy feel, preventing the vetiver from totally taking over.

Another unusual fragrance. I'm going to cherish. it.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is also pretty dark - I get the patchouli, with hints of thyme, a little smoke and a little plum. The plum gives it a sweet, fruity edge, but underneath it's all smoky patchouli.

 

If that's your thing, this is dead sexy.

[violetgrimm4]

i swapped for a bottle of this because i have become a vetiver junkie and now i am trying to get another bottle i can never be with out this again!

 

when i first sniff the bottle it smells resin and incense and thyme.

 

when its on and wet its thyme and vetiver with a smoky edge

it has an amazing throw i have had so many compliments from wearing this one more than any other bpal in fact even my oh who doesnt like patchouli remarked on how amazing i smell!

 

once dry it lingers for hours and hours wafting sweet smokey patchouli and vetiver with an earthyness from the thyme.

 

this is one of my all time faves this and death adder yum yum!

[stellans]

My nose, untrained as it is, can discern no lemon in this blend at all. For me, this is a good thing, on the whole. The vetiver and patchouli are together a dark heavy base from which the musk and plum try vainly to escape. They do not succeed, managing only to lighten the darkness slightly, adding sweetness (the plum) and sex (the musk). Bottom line: I love this blend. I love its dark sinuous beauty. I love that it lasts practically forever, and I don’t have to bury my nose in my arm to smell it. I love that it smells just as good in my locket as on me.

As with The Masque, I have a bottle from both releases: the Demon in My View, and the Retail Exclusive for Dark Delicacies. They smell exactly the same in the bottle, just like the Masque, so I’m looking to have Lenore with me a good long time. Yay!

[Lamia]

A gentle vetiver and a divine patchouli combine with the musk and the plum to create a delectable red magnificence.

 

Unfortunately, this faded quickly on me as I was running in circles, sweating a lot and washing my hands.

 

Must find more!

[brownbear]

Dark! It gets very soft after just ten minutes. At first I wasn't so sure that I liked it, but now it is pretty interesting and pleasing. I really like the lab's patchouli. I don't really get any plum though. I was just going through my bottles deciding which ones I had to get rid of (I'm moving and need the space. I have too many unused oils.) This one was almost sent out, but now I have to keep it after one last try.

[JennyGardener]

sharp and sweet

quickly melting away

into a dry dusty moldering shroud

mildew, mixed with the sweet decay

of rotting flesh

strangely not unpleasant

just disquieting, and a little sad,

as if I am the Poet,

watching over the decaying body

of my lost love.

All that is left is

the rose-sweetness

of my memory

[bheansidhe]

So what happens as this venerable lady approaches her first decade of aging in the imp?

 

My decant of Lenore is liquid darkness. When I sniff her from the vial I get a papery top note, like a faded photograph of vetiver, but on the skin she's plum and patchouli, boiled down to syrup and poured on a stack of earthen loam pancakes. The final base note is a matte and blackened rose musk, but this is primarily a soft, dark, rounded patchouli syrup.