Death on a Pale Horse

[storme]

The End of All Things: empty white musk and mint seeped with solemn lavender, doleful patchouli and vetiver, scythe-sharp yuzu and lime, with geranium bourbon, white sandalwood and calla lily.

In the imp: patchouli and sharp herbal cologne.

On me, wet: whoa, really, aftershave, with just a trace of patchouli warming up behind the sharp alcoholic bite.

On me, dry: a hint of lavender, a fair amount of patchouli, but mostly just the mingled morass of cologne that I sometimes encounter in department stores. Sigh.

Verdict: Grr, no mint, no lime, no yuzu - none of the notes I was hoping for came out to play, and what's left isn't really to my taste. Alas.

[lady_pandora]

Wow, this scent and my chemistry just do not get along.

 

Wet, this reminded me a lot of an expensive department store perfume. It felt a little like something I might envision on an older woman, but not bad.

 

About ten minutes after putting it on, it was more of an expensive department store men's perfume. I think this was the vetiver coming out to play; every time I sniff my wrist and think "Eau de Man!," vetiver is the culprit. And my skin is amping it like crazy, drowning out the rest of the notes. It's not as aftershavey as vetiver sometimes goes on me, but still pretty masculine, and my skin is amping it way too much.

 

Ten minutes later, I smell like expensive men's cologne plus CIGARETTE SMOKE. I was expecting to see tobacco among the listed notes, and thought Beth had made a bit of an olfactory pun (smoking=death), but I can't find it in the list, so I'm guessing this is yet another unfortunate thing that vetiver does on my skin.

 

Occasionally, I can deal with smoke in a perfume if I like the other notes enough, but in this case the smokiness is smothering the rest of the perfume as my skin amps it beyond all reason. It's kind of icking me out and giving me a headache, and it's so strong on me that I'm having trouble getting it off.

 

I think this would smell pretty good on a man, or on someone who liked vetiver or had skin that didn't amp vetiver as much.

Edited December 6, 2006 by lady_pandora

[femmefatale]

Wet: Very masculine cologne. Luckily it doesn't last too long.

 

Drying: Once again, smells different on each of my wrists. My right wrist amps the musk, my left amps the patchouli. The florals are beginning to come out, as is the sandalwood.

Not getting any of the yuzu or lime. I think the lavender may be lurking underneath it all, but it's more of an impression.

 

It's a really lovely scent, though I think it might be better suited for hubby. Can't wait to try it out on him!

[filigree_shadow]

Lavender for sure, and it's very soft. There's something really sour in this (yuzu?) that's distorting that nice soft lavender. It was reminding me of one of those potpourri sachets until it started going powdery. A tart powder. It just keeps getting worse as time goes on.

 

I'm not getting along with this scent very well.

[alliekat13]

This would be a really nice fruity sharp scent perfect for summer, if my I didn't hate patchouli so much and amp it up to HIPPIE of DOOM!!!! However for someone who can wear pachouli, especially a man, this would be a good scent, because I can smell the other notes in the imp....it's just that the pachouli devours the other notes and amps up until i had to go scrub it off....and after that it was still there....and after that I took a shower.....and it was still there.....

[The Perfumed Ferret]

This is the calm before the storm, the silence that is louder than any voice could be.

 

 

One of my very favorites, this scent is pale with a deep backround. The description Beth gives is perfect.

 

10/10

[goth_huntress]

I wanted to like this a lot more than I do, since it's made of stuff I love. I might just need to try it again when I'm more in the mood. The name and story kick ass though.

[Shahmeran]

Doh, trying to write this out again from memory as my internet connection flaked out and I lost my post...

 

I originally ordered this imp with the intention of trying it on the boy since several reviews called it masculine. But since he's not getting to London for another month, I decided to try it out on myself first.

 

In The Bottle: Sandalwood, musk, pachoulli and dirt. But it has a very outdoor scent to it, not woodsy, more like a cold, dry, snowless winter day on the prairie.

 

On Wet: o.O Completely changed. The sandalwood and pachoulli have been overtaken by something very very citrussy. I'm guessing yuzu and lime? I'm not sure whether I like this yet or not. The dirt has dissapeared, which is a shame, because it was kind of interesting.

 

Dry: The citrus is still there, but not as strong. More like my hands after peeling an orange than a sharp, fresh citrus. I can sort of smell the lavender, although it's hiding behind the citrus. I can see why the musk is called 'empty', it really does have that kind of feel to it. It becomes more complex with time, the citrus still sits on top with me, but all sorts of interesting things are going on underneath, lavender, musk, pachoulli. Empty, hollow, but interesting. I like this scent, but I think I would like it better as a room scent or on someone else (so the intended recipient may get it after all ). I wouldn't call it masculine though, to me it's more neutral. As I said I do like it, but unfortunately it's just not 'me', so I'll have to continue my search for an oil that is...

 

(edited as I remembered something from my original post and added it)

Edited April 11, 2007 by Shahmeran

[forspecial_plate]

How weird...what I'm smelling doesn't match the notes in the description, at all! And for a long time I thought I must have a mis-labelled imp of Bow and Crown of Conquest. The throw here smells like sweet vanilla to me. If I sniff up close, I can smell something herbal, which must be the patchouli and/or vetiver.

 

Overall, this is a faint, sweet scent, not powdery, but reminds me of vanilla, and without the cedar of Bow and Crown. It smells good, but doesn't have a lot of throw at all. Not at all what I was expecting, and a lot of the notes in the description are nowhere to be found, so I guess they are just supporting. But there's nothing tart like I would expect from yuzu and lime, and I would think I could pick up on the sandalwood, but I can't. So I guess the sweetness is the musk.

 

It does smell good, don't get me wrong, and I have enjoyed wearing it. I think for a 5ml bottle I would pick Bow and Crown over this, and I really don't think I would need both.

[LiberAmoris]

Death on a Pale Horse smells so clean and fresh on me that I have a hard time imagining it in the terms of its inspiration---until I remember that it's death on a pale horse, and then everything falls together. This is indeed something dark traveling on something light. The musk and mint and lavender are surprising and uplifting, herbal and bright. At the other end of the scale, the patchouli and vetiver keep this balanced with their bass notes. There's tension between them, and the citrus helps buoy the conversation, while the calla lily refines it.

 

This may not be something I'd reach for often, but I'm really intrigued by it. I think I'll be passing it on to one of the BPAL-wearing men in my life for further testing.

[luna65]

Thanks to the Lab for the frimp.

 

Imp: A sort of dry, green quality; mostly the vetiver, geranium and sandalwood.

 

Skin: Normally white musk goes rather sharp on me, but this has a pleasant freshness to it, I think the citrus gives it that impression. I get the suggestion of mint rather than the actual note.

 

Drydown: This has a very nice woody evocation in the end, with some traces of herbal and citrus. This is a great scent for a man, IMO, it has all those great qualities of classic men's scents but with more obvious depth and craft.

[hipslike___cinderella]

This scent sure is barren. At first, before it's on my skin, it's difficult to understand that there are so many components to this blend because as soon as I pull off the cap to my imp, emptiness pours out. It's a scent devoid of color and devoid of temperature. Only on my skin can I name any notes: a definite patchouli and vetiver base, white flowers, a hint of lavender and just a tiny touch of lime. This continues on lightly, the white musk, patchouli, sandalwood, and lavender all playing gently. I find this blend to be very feminine. A notable blend as far as craft, although I would have no interest in this if it weren't for the backdrop of patchouli/vetiver.

[Emera]

I was frimped this in my first BPAL purchase, and was immediately intimidated by the super-commercial scent coming off of what I THOUGHT was this, but I now suspect that the culprit was The Darkling Thrush, which ironically I thought would be “my” scent.

 

IN THE IMP: I know almost none of these notes, so this is going to be very hand-wave-y. Sharp and clean (the citrus?) in an incensey way (the patchouli?), with a sere, earthy grounding scent (vetiver?) and a tiny bit of something creamy-sweet. I'm imagining wilting white lilies and crumbled incense on dry, bare earth.

 

ON MY SKIN: I'm liking this much more than I thought I would. Something votive-sweet like beeswax, a very creamy note (the white musk?), under the clean, clear citrus [edit: the sharp, clear note is actually calla lily, I've realized]. A very pale scent. It's losing the beeswaxiness as it goes on.

About 15 minutes in, the white musk, if that's what the creamy note is, is getting incredibly rich, almost overwhelmingly so - think half-melted butter with sugar mashed haphazardly into it. Ack, no! Come back, prettiness!

 

LATER: After two or three hours, the buttery scent is gone, leaving just an astringent smell [edit: again, calla lily probably] -- not objectionable, but not particularly pleasing, either. Definitely better than I thought it would be, at least initially, but the last stages just don't work for me.

Edited June 7, 2007 by Emera

[Diana]

wet: pale indeed. it's fairly faint, but there's a bit of a citrus note that i can detect, and just a hint of vetiver

 

dry: this is so incredibly amazing. it's clean, fresh, slightly manly. but absolutely no throw. I'd be all over a 5mL if I could smell it other than when my nose is pressed directly up against it.

[Trish]

In the Imp: *sniffs in deeply* Wow this is nice! Warm and smooth, a tad dry. I can smell the sandalwood mostly, with a touch of musk and floral (but no lavender thankfully!).

 

Wet: God I love sandalwood and this is loaded with it! The lovely warm smooth and dry variety.

 

Drydown: Sandalwood, a bit of patchouli, a hint of mint, a little floral (mainly lily), and the tiniest dash of vetivert.

 

Dry: The mint has gone, and it's now predominantly a musky sandalwood and lily on me, with just a little patchouli and vetivert in the background (and it is just a tiny amount of vetivert at that). There's no sharpness at all in this on me, instead it's warm and smooth and rounded. It is quite dry also. Actually it's quite a calming and soothing scent (but then sandalwood has that effect on me). A welcomed Death, not the type to be feared and fought.

 

As I typed that I got something else too, way underneath everything else. However it's buried so far underneath it's near impossible to say exactly what it is. And it disappeared nearly as quickly as it emerged.

 

No lavender, no green (except that very brief hint of mint in the drydown), no herbal, no cologne, no sharpness, no yuzu that I know of (I have nfi what it is). Just lovely warm dry musky woods and florals.

 

This ws a frimp from the lab that I never would have picked for myself because I HATE lavender with a passion. But I'm so glad they sent me this since I never got the slightest whiff of it at any stage. This is a definite keeper and possibly a bottle at some stage.

[tuesdaynexxt]

When I put this on this morning, it smelled slightly floral in the imp. Immediately after I put it on, I got a whiff of powder that quickly turned aftershavey. It's settled into something spicy/herbal, probably the patchouli/musk and just a hint of lavender. Oddly (to date myself) it's reminiscent of a perfume I wore in my disco days!

 

Which is not really a good thing.

 

I don't have to go wash it off, but I'm not loving it.

[MaidenGenevive]

Death on a Pale Horse

 

The first thing I notice is patchouli and musk. It quickly warms. There's a sharpness and a coolness that is strange against the warmth. Floral notes weave amongst the background. This is complex, not easily describable. After some wear, it eventually becomes patchouli baby powder.

 

[ 2 - Dislike ] The first stage was okay, but not for me. The second stage is not so great.

[alicia_stardust]

DEATH ON A PALE HORSE

 

This is strongly masculine, wild, earthy. I get a strong sense of patchouli vetiver that is twisted by the lime. They really meld together well. Sandalwood and musk are underneath those stronger notes. I really like this even though it's too masculine for me to wear myself. The muskiness of this smells really great on a guy!

[samarablackcat]

Death on a Pale Horse

 

Divine! In the bottle...light, refreshing

 

On skin..lavender, with just of touch of sandalwood

 

Dry...as the lavender slightly recedes, I am reminded of wafts of scents from censors in church, smells of renn faires and have decided to use this as a scent-to-go-to-sleep. Takes me to my happy place. Or maybe a head shop from back in the day

 

I am so glad maidengenevieve didn't like this one, as I received it in an imp purchase!

 

I tend to like smells that are not too feminine, per se, that lean more to masculine. This fits the ticket perfectly.

[grashopper8]

All I smell is a dry patchouli and sandalwood.

 

It is awesome.

 

I am not getting the subtleties of the florals out of this, the lavender is hitting my nose too similarly to the woods, I think. I really like it, though.

 

Not necessarily a masculine scent - I've worn patch/sandalwood before many a time, it brings back a lot of memories!

 

4 out of 5

[aestien]

Bottle: Whoa. Comet? Probably the mint and lime

Wet: thankfully the cleaning powder smell fades quickly into predominantly sandalwood

Dry: mostly sandalwood and patchouli, a little vetiver, a little lavender, I can’t smell the lily, it is sweet though, probably from the mint and yuzu

 

Interesting blend, it’s earthy and ethereal at the same time, slightly powdery, in a bone dust kind of way. The sweetness kind of kills it for me, as well as the mint, as there are other blends of this type that I prefer, but well done in capturing the idea.

[waternight]

In the imp: Incredibly layered and complex. First whiff is the musk with patchouli lurking underneath. As I inhale more deeply, I get a flash of cold mint, followed by a coy hint of the bourbon. Fascinating.

Wet: First on, this is a really interesting patchouli/lime combination. Strange, but addictive. The white musk is drifting around, not too in-your-face, but lovely. The lavender adds a sharp, herbal bite, and gives this blend a "green" feel to it. Now the florals are showing up but taking seats in the back of the room, while the lime decides that it wants to blend with a drop of the vetiver now. Luckily, the vetiver behaves itself. The patchouli isn't quite leaving the room, but it's got one foot out the door.

Dry: The sandalwood takes center stage, smoothing out the blend and giving it a creamy quality, as sandalwood always does on my skin. There are still hints of the lavender, musk, and mint, but they're well blended with the sandalwood. Ultimately, this becomes sandalwood/white musk. I like it, but I wish the sandalwood had let the other notes play a bit more. If this had stayed in its wet stage, I would love it, but as it is, I just like it. All in all, an INCREDIBLY complex and morphing blend - VERY interesting.

[Iceblink]

This reminds me of Dr. Pepper and I don't know why. Mostly I'm getting sandalwood, and something sweet and tangy--the yuzu?? It definitely does not remind me of death or pale horses. Very cologne-y and masculine.

[Dracoo9]

I liked the smell in the imp and right after putting it on I ran to jump in the car with my boyfriend and his brother and after closing the car door a few seconds later his brother immediatly commented that the car smelt different now that it was inside. A few minutes later I found myself practically choking and drowning in the scent. With DoaPH a little goes a looonnnggg way. So I grabbed my boyfriends arm and rubbed it on my neck to try and lesten the headache enducing strength.

 

I like the smell of it, its incensy and pleasent but because of the incident of my first experiment I havent had the strength to wear it again.

[hkhm]

imp: what an interesting interpretation. i sniffed and sniffed from the imp and while there was definitely a perfume there, it's like it was made up of nothingness. i can't pick out any notes, it's there yet insubstantial.

 

wet: very light musk, sandalwood, mint and lavender. this is a very gold-to-white fragrance with the green of tarnished copper around the edges.

 

dry: i'm getting a little more of the citrus scent once this dries, but it is still very light musk and sandalwood overall.