Sheol

[Trish]

The final burst of the soul’s light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth, and into the cords of Sheol; Sheol, who is never satisfied, and who makes wide her soul to all. Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka.

I got this in a swap even though I'm not sure of the florals, Iris is the only one I'm at all familiar with.

In the imp: floral with something else I can't distinguish. Bit of resin too I think.

Wet: soft warm floral. Deep and a little dark, not light sweet florals. Oh it's the labdanum I'm picking up!

Drydown: Oh wow is that copal? It must be, it's like a note I can detect in King Cobra. Warm resin that's a bit smoky. Labdanum is present also, which I love. There's a floral coming up as well, goodness knows which one except it's not iris. It's lending a bit more light and sweetness to the darker notes, but it's still a sombre melancholy scent. I've got a horrible suspicion the flowers may go powdery on me though.

Dry: It's become a lot more floral on me, although it's still quite resinous and smoky as well. A warm, feminine, sophisticated, complex, and mature scent. Definitely melancholy too, which is my kind of thing. Doesn't have much throw, then again I only have a little on one wrist. I rather like this, although I'm still worried about the flowers and my skin.

Later: No powder! The iris has appeared too, with it's soft almost watery scent. This is quite floral now with the other notes underneath ensuring it retains that darker melancholy feel that I Iove.


If this was less floral on me it would probably be a bottle. That early drydown where the copal dominated was absolutely superb! Having said that however it's still lovely and I'll be hanging on to this imp for the odd times when I feel like wearing something a bit more feminine and subtle than my usual blends. Actually this could be a creeper, one that I decide I need a bottle of when I finish the imp.

[euterpe414]

At first this one scared me immensly- I got musty old lady floral smell! However, once it dried completely the copal came out a lot as well as the labdanum and I was left will a floral incense scent- very smoky, with hints of floral rather than the extracts of an old lady's toiletry cabinet. Sheol is, after all, a really gorgeous and mysterious scent. I definitely see this as a good representation of an underworld. Actually, it reminds me a bit of Hades once it has been on my skin for a few hours.

 

I really like this one, but not enough to get a bottle- if it behaved from the opening stages I think I could have found a bit more love for it...Actually I wonder if it will skip the old lady stage once it is a scent locket? Time for some experimenting!

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Sickly sweet old flowers

 

First on: That resinous oil is making it really sickly sweet, I can barely smell anything else. It's a sweet earthy scent with a hint of floral behind it.

 

 

Drydown: The floral has come out more but it's still really sweet & earthy as well

 

Overall: Not for me. It doesn't make me sick, but I wouldn't want to wear it all day either.

[sh1mm3r]

I keep trying floral blends in an attempt to find a true lily smell.

 

This turns sickly sweet like carnation blends do, and it is STRONG.

 

At the same time aquatic. I will probably wash this one off. I only put a tiny swipe and I can smell my wrist from here (and it's busy typing!)

[Extispex]

I've worn this a couple of times since purchasing an imp from the lab, and I'd have sworn there was fruit in this. Berryish, maybe currant. But no, when I see the description there's no currant in sight.

 

I get more resin than floral when I wear this, though I suspect one of the flowers is creating that lovely currant smell. Sheol is very strong and sharp on me, without too much darkness. I like it a lot though not for daily wear.

[mspixieears]

At the beginning, a slightly medicinal smell – that could be the labdanum? I get a hint of the gladiola and the other florals which seem so similar to my nose – I can pick most of them out and as they begin to dry down they gradually amplify in strength. I would prefer for the tonka to be more prominent, and for the composition overall to be more sweeter. That initial woodsy medicinal smell has calmed down but still not as much as I’d prefer. Something pleasant came out after a while, not sure exactly what it is but it could be amber-ish…it happened after I got all hot and sweaty! Alas, otherwise this is a tad too masculine for my taste and off it goes in the swap pile.

[RemAkimichi]

In the Bottle: Sweet, slightly alcohol-like flowers. I worried for a moment that this would go powdery on me, since that kind of scent usually does.

 

On me (wet): Light floral with something sweet and smoky. I'm not sure what labdanum or tonka smell like, so I can't really be sure whta's coming out, but it's a smoky smell.

 

On me (dry): This goes to incense on me when it's dry. I'll assume thats the labdanum and tonka together, but it reminds a lot of catholic church incense. Ironic, considering.

 

Overall: This is a beautiful scent with be story to told. It beings on a dusty path lined with white flowers and a white sun, and decends slowly into a warm, dusky darkness. It's a mellow scent, not too much throw or any sting, but it lasts and leaves you feeling good. Grade A

Edited April 19, 2007 by C O U R T of M I R A C L E S

[cassandrakfreaq]

from the bottle its a very dark sweet incensy smell to me.

 

On my skin I keep getting small whiffs of cinnamon in the background but it might be the time of the month im at right now haha. I barely notice the florals in this because they go to the background as well. the labadnum makes this a super deep smell for me and the tonka sweetens it up perfectly

 

I am not normally someone whol ikes the smell of incense at all but even though I do get that sort of a smell coming through its really rather lovely.

 

also it has good staying power for me. I washed my hands a couple times while making breakfast and it still has a nice strong aroma.

[ariosa]

Sheol was a frimp from the lab, and not something I ever would have ordered for myself just going by the description. I do not consider myself an overly floral girl. I generally can tolerate some florals if they're balanced by other things. The flower I generally make an exception for is gardenia. So when I saw lily, I shuddered, because usually lily doesn't behave on me. Heliotrope I think might, because I've liked it in other blends, and iris works for me in Florence, and gladiola? No clue. But this one looked scary to me upon description.

 

Initially in the vial, my fears came to the fore. Florals! Ack! When first on, though, it smells floral, yes, but also incensey. As it settles, though, I agree with previous reviewers that it smells like very high-end perfume, but not obnoxiously so. I do like it, though it will never be one I wear regularly, as it feels entirely too formal to me. Still, I'll keep the imp, and bring it out on special occasions!

[Diana]

wet: very faint. kind of an incense + light floral, but it's barely there

 

drydown: a bit perfumey... it reminds me ever so slightly of aquanet hair spray. i rather like it—it's kind of a nostalgic scent for me.

[blu°]

Sheol is a true beauty if you ask me. It comforts my soul in an incredible way this morning. The feeling it transmits is one of hollowness and some wide open vessel, and I find that calming right now.

 

From the imp I smelled primarily strong resins with that almost alcoholic sharpness to them - probably the labdanum, it tends to smell a bit bitter and sharp to me.

When applied, the soft flowers in this appeared. Elegant, almost regal. No lushness here. Somebody said this was too much a formal blend for them, and I, too, think that it's got some formal feeling to it.

The flowers are of the kind you could find in a hotel soap, alas this doesn't go soapy on me. The florals would just fit well with a soap.

 

However, the florals aren't the main player for me neither. From the very beginning the labdanum and copal are there and they grow stronger with time. This is primarily an incense blend, not a floral, for me, with the tonka peeking out somewhere in the back. The feel of the incense is solemn. It's dark but not hopeless. It seems to talk of eternal peace and of exactly what it is supposed to be about as far as the description goes. That last moment of the soul in joy and the outlook on Sheol.

 

I really like this right now, but will have to wear it again to decide about a bottle purchase.

[CiCi]

I received this as a frimp from the lab. This is a very dark floral that has a strong odor of decayed leaves. After thirty minutes the floral scent has disappeared completely and I am left with an incensey type fragrance. I keep hoping this is going to morph into something more but it never changes from this state. While it is nice, it is not fabulous on me. I will keep the imp but won't need to get a bottle.

[Mimicake]

I blindly grabbed this one last night from the imp box to try it. At first whiff I thought holy eww batman, this smells like Youth Dew from Estee Lauder. Which is horrible to me. I put it on anyway (thank goodness!) and after a moment, I fell in love. Instead of my Grandmother's much hated Youth Dew it became my Grandfather's much loved scent. I didn't stop to look at the notes before I tried it, but wearing it I could have sworn it was a delicious recreation of Jamaican Bay Rum that he used to wear. It is a very masculine scent to me, but that is what makes me like it all the more. I couldn't get the boyfriend to try it because of how it smelled to him in the imp, but I am going to sneak wipe some on him later just to test. I want a big bottle of this one!

[PersephonesChild]

This oil is very resiny and somber on me. I assume the resin is from the labdanum. There's a hint of sweetness-- I think from the tonka. There's also a touch of flowers that smell like a funeral bouquet to me. I like it, but it doesn't suit my mood just now. I'll keep my imp for the time being, but probably won't be buying a big bottle.

[jasmine]

You know, I read the scent notes. I really did. Based on the scent notes, I thought this ought to be all shimmery and floral. I don’t know what to say, because my experience was far from it.

 

The scent off the wand is downright unpleasant -- I had one of those balking moments where I asked myself, "Am I really going to put this on my wrist?" The answer is "yes, yes I am, but I hope it doesn’t linger on my keyboard." The Lab is metamorphic enough that I’m curious... and if it stays unpleasant, then I don’t have to keep wearing it.

 

Sheol is severely weird. It smells a bit like root beer and a bit like red musk, and it tingles in my nose. There is no upper layer -- it exists solely as a warm, dark medium quality. It’s animalistic, and not in a good way -- there’s a faintly sweet undercurrent that reminds me of bagged rabbit droppings. Smelling my wrist makes me cringe on some inner level.

 

I’m convinced already that Sheol isn’t going to do anything that I’m going to like. I’m giving it another ten minutes to be on the safe side... but if it hasn’t sorted itself out in ten minutes, then I’m done, because I’m not enduring this for more than ten minutes.

 

After ten minutes, in addition to its prior bizarrities, Sheol has developed an undercurrent that smells just like Ivory soap. The longer I wait, the soapier it gets, and I can’t help considering this a huge improvement over what it smelled like before. That’s the first time I’ve been happy about a scent going soapy.

 

I’m all done here.

 

...except that I wasn't. It lingered on my desk for well over a week from where I rubbed my wrists on it as I typed. URGH.

[wikkidraven]

very strong and fruity, almost fermented. something dark in this, must be the copal.

 

lots of throw, a heady scent. may re-test.

[squintywitch]

Sheol:

was a frimp, but I liked the description.

 

In the bottle: Tantalising, intoxicating, wonderful florals with a musky, dark undertone.

Wet on skin: Very musky. Some light florals. Incense becoming more prominent.

Dry: Only musky incense, with an increasingly soapy note.

 

Overall: not one for me. Made me smell of soapy hippies!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Bright, heady florals, with a dirty copal beneath them

 

Wet on me – Soft sweet iris with a soapy background

 

Dry on me – Very faint, light spring florals

 

Overall – This was pleasantly crisp, but disappeared very quickly on me

[Mixxi]

In the imp: Dark, alcoholic smelling & sort of insensey.

 

Wet on skin: Ah this is very floral & I can definately pick out stargazer lily but I'm not too familiar with the other floral scents as I'm not really a floral person. What's different about this is that it is very much a dark, sad floral.

 

Dry on skin: This has pretty much completely faded on me. I just get a light whiff of the dark florals. I think this is way too 'grown-up' & mature for me (I'm 16 in case you were wondering ). It has a very formal quality which is interesting but so not me.

[jaeyne]

I did not read any reviews or description of elements in this blend before trying it, so I'd be wondering if I had a mislabeled bottle if it weren't for the couple of reviews that are similar to my experience.

In the vial, I smell patchouli or vetiver.. On the skin wet it smells like fresh moist dirt, dark and damp. Dry, it softens and smells incensey. No floral at all on me. I'm starting to wonder if whatever it is that gives me the incense smell amps on my skin.

[aquazoo]

Somber indeed. Let's see what it does as it warms up on my wrist. Unusual flowers. Light spices. It's pretty, but very light.

[Czarina]

In the imp: resin and smoke. It's a deepish red.

 

Wet: Urgh. It smells like powdered bricks. Very odd. As it settles down it starts to smell more like an actual perfume, but not at all floral on me. I'm getting resin/incense but the smoke is fading away.

 

Dry: the iris is emerging. This is quite the morpher, but I don't really care for anything that it's changed into.

 

ETA: As time goes by this is developing a nasty note that is reminiscent of the ugly mess that Chanel No. 5 always becomes on me. I wonder if that's the copal.

Edited September 19, 2007 by Czarina

[Shollin]

First sniff: Sweetly, lightly resinous, a little bit churchy but sunlit, brushed with bright flowers.

 

Wearing: It’s a lot more floral than I expected, bright yellow and orange florals touched with sunlight. It seemed to develop an incensey aura… but I should note that I was burning Great Africa before finishing this review and it’s entirely possible that what I’m smelling is the incense smoke clinging to my clothes! The wrist-scent is still very much flowers.

[MaidenGenevive]

Sheol

 

A bouquet of light flowers, heavily floral but with a surprisingly airy touch. As it dries, it begins to transform into something entirely different. I'm not familiar with these notes, but it does have a somber feel to it. Somehow, I'm reminded of tea.

 

[3 - Like] I love the light florals, but together, they are a bit too much.

[The_Merf]

This is a weird sort of scent on my skin. The copal and labdanum go very weird very quickly because they are mixing with the floral notes. The result is not quite "headshop" and not quite "rotting floral," but somewhere in between, if you can imagine it. It wouldn't surprise me if the tonka was contributing to this, as it can sometimes do very weird things on my skin. However, this is definitely copal dominated, and it smells much different than other copal scents.