Sheol

[Miss Lynx]

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.

This is a strange scent -- sort of dark and dusty, and at the same time sweet. It's not as overpoweringly floral as I'd feared, but the non-floral parts of it smell darker than I would expect from copal, labdanum and tonka. From the scent I would have expected myrrh and maybe a drop of vetiver.

It's sort of strangely delicate and pretty, at the same time as having that dark side... Quietly elegant, and for some reason I could really see wearing this to a funeral. Which I suppose is quite appropriate given its inspiration.

It's not a terribly strong scent even to start with, and fades down fairly quickly. But it's surprisingly nice while it lasts -- soft and subtle and a little eerie/bittersweet. Not likely to be a top favourite, but definitely a keepr, as there will probably be occasions it's perfect for. Maybe even other than funerals...

Grade: B

[maribouquet]

imp: dark and gilded, like brandy in a decanter

wet: resinous - that must be the labdanum? No florals yet, just a richness like a liquor

dry: sweet, rich brandy

 

This is so classy and makes me think of 1920s decor, lacquered wood, rich wines and browns, dark satin. However, it's too much for me and there is something in here that hits the back of my throat in a very prickly way.

 

Something I will re-test down the road, as I think it is really intriguing...

[dixiehellcat]

In the imp, a rich spicy flowery smell. Maybe that's the lily. I'm terrible at picking out notes unless they slap me upside the head.

 

On, more of the same. I swear I thought I caught a whiff of cinnamon, cassia, something like that.

 

It lasts a long time on me, and I like it. It's one of those scents that wafts up to my nose while my hands are doing stuff like typing or knitting. love that.

 

The cosmos must really want me to have this, as I got 2 frimps of it in the Lab order I just opened. lol. It's very nice. *nodnod*

[etienne]

I got an imp in a swap and I don't know how old it is but I have a feeling it's aged - comparing to some of the other reviews on here, I don't really smell any of the floral notes.

 

Very, very heavy in the imp and when wet. It is a sweet, smoky heavy-ness.

 

Gets a bit more pleasant when dry but still very heavy, and I can't really distinguish any of the notes. There is something sharp and slightly spicy in it, and it definitely fits the lab description very well.

 

Not for me but certainly an interesting blend.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Dry resins and a touch of herbs.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very resinous scent, but it’s not very heavy. The copal seems to be blending with the heliotrope to create something resinous, but slightly warm and floral too. There’s also a slight dry, earthy quality to this.

 

After a little while: This has lightened up a bit… it’s now an earthy but effervescent fragrance, if that makes any sense, and there’s also some nice soft floral notes. The copal and labdanum combination is resinous but slightly dry and powdery, but it’s earthy without being too much like dirt. The heliotrope lends a nice warm floral tone, and the stargazer lily lends a light freshness that I’m identifying most as being what’s adding that effervescence.

 

Overall Impressions: I thought I may like this from the notes, but unfortunately the tonka stayed hidden (it’s one of my favorite notes) and the copal and labdanum came out more. The hint of floral notes is nice, but I found this to be a bit to earthy for my taste. I can see it turning gorgeous on the right chemistry though.

[tziporra]

OOOooooooooo..........

 

In the imp this is strongly dusty with a sweet background. I'm most motivated to try it RIGHT NOW of all the imps I got.

 

On my skin it gets dustier and dustier, like descending into the pit. Then the flowers come out, a whole explosion of them, so well blended that I can't distinguish any one from the other. At this stage Sheol is very sophisticated, as others have said, like a boutique fragrance from a fancy french boutique. The floral explosion dies down after a bit, and the whole thing just becomes the most beautifully blended elegant perfume.... Very mature and utterly feminine. It's amazing. I want to wear this every day.

 

I've really liked every laudanum blend I've tried from the lab, it's a great note on my skin. But this one takes the cake since the florals manage to stand up to the resin -- usually the laudanum runs away the scent (Event Horizon, sob). It's definitely my laudanum blend. While I can't smell the tonka in here, it must be supporting the sweetness, keeping the laudanum in it's lovely place.

 

I'm definitely getting a 5ml of this, without a doubt. I just promised myself that I only would order during a lunacy so it'll be a loooooong wait.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

 

ETA: Five years later this is still my absolute favorite GC scent and I have gone through multiple bottles. I get compliments every time I wear it, which can be awkward since most everyone I know speaks Hebrew and doesn't understand why a perfume should be named after the grave (it's kind of a goth thing and, oh, never mind)

Edited February 25, 2013 by tziporra

[Ravenclaw79]

In the imp: Earthy (and I'm not just saying that because of the strange color)... sort of like dirt and Lava soap.

 

Wet: Dust, dust and Lava soap (y'know, the strong pumice-y industrial soap mechanics get their hands clean with). I think there might be something flowery going on underneath... that might be the Lava soap smell.

 

Drying: It's like an old bouquet, left lying on a table for a long time to get all withered and dusty. I get a hint of warmth now, which I'm guessing is the tonka (my brain's saying "vanilla, but not quite")... there's almost something Antique Lace-y about it, in a way.

[hkhm]

imp: this is one seriously dark, opressive scent.

 

wet: this has the sour-sweetness of over-fermented wine, it's a dusty, wine scent. there is almost a myrrh-like scent. no florals whatsoever.

 

dry: this is so dark and unusual. it's not bad but i can't see myself ever wearing this again. on the right person, in the right mood, sheol would be awesome.

[Emerrific]

On me this is earthy and dark with a hint of floral...there is something about it that reminds me of Penny Dreadful (maybe it has to do with the 'grave loam' in that blend) but darker and moodier. I like this a bit better I think.

 

Wet on my skin I get a blast of floral and something sweet and resin-y. There is something sharp about it at this point, and for a second I worry that it will be a cloying sweetness, which is not always my style. As it dries though it gets dustier, a little more earthy, the florals seem drier. It is lovely and feminine, but also somber.

 

Every now and then I get a whiff of something that reminds me of dried flowers. This lasts for a couple hours on me.

 

I like this a lot and will definitely use my imp up.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Sophisticated floral

 

Wet: Very floral, but not your typical flower shop scent. Grown up and classy, and feminine without being blowsy.

 

Drydown: It got heavier as it dried, which made it more lovely.

3.0 outta 5

[grashopper8]

Hmm, this is almost too sophisticated for me. It reminds me of classical commercial perfumes, but it doesn't stoop that low - it's still got BPAL class to it, don't get me wrong.

 

An interesting sweetness emanates from the copal and tonka, which nicely balances out the old-ladyish florals, which I'm not wild about.

 

I could see this working very well on some people, but it's outside of my range.

 

3.5 out of 5

[savage_rose]

This smells like a sweet, spicy floral incense. Smoky, deep, and delectable! There's almost a wine quality to it...it's a very sexy, complex blend.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Air freshener

 

On Application

Oh god no

 

Dry Down

Wash off

 

Rating (0-5)

0

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Light amber/dark honey color. Quite sweet, very rich and velvety, heavily floral. Labdanum, sort of honeyed resin, rose-like florals, sweet golden heliotrope, light lily, heady iris.

 

Wet: Iris amps, as does that rosy note, but generally all the florals amp and remain quite distinct. The labdanum still reigns though. Tonka emerges, vanilla'ed but not overly sweet, and there's a very distant smoky copal note.

 

Dry: Slow to dry, but the copal note strengthens in the process. The labdanum is still the strongest note, though, and gosh it smells a lot like rose, but much sweeter and deeper, as if rose were a sweet resin, or this were some cousin of amber.

 

Later: The iris lends slight headiness only a hint of powder; the lily is very soft and delicate. The heliotrope seems merged with the labdanum and gladiola. I think much of what I'm registering is actually gladiola - it's sweet and deep, sort of like a rose-scented fresher iris, with the powderiness of a lily.

 

Summary: A well-balanced, sweet floral blend heavy on the gladiola, touched with iris, and more faintly with heliotrope and lily, over a strong foundation of sweet, resiny labdanum and less potent, incensey copal that doesn't overwhelm. It's a sophisticated, womanly scent. Good throw, but fades quite rapidly.

 

Not my style, but I enjoyed experiencing the gladiola, and it was nice to see that copal doesn't always amp out of control on my skin as it has on other blends.

[writergal969]

In the imp: whoa....dark...

 

On my skin: *cough* *cough* Ugh. Very intense incense. I'm getting tonka and copal and also a headache.

 

Dry: *washes off*

 

Fail.

 

0/5

[mgrazulis]

A few years ago, one of my clients sent me a thank you bouquet of stargazer lilies...exquisite red, pink and white lilies, petals turned upward....the aroma was like no other and lasted so very long.

 

In the imp: dark sweet florals, rich and resinous

 

Wet: the florals are bright, sharp

 

Dry: the depth of the lily is out front, along with the sweetness from the gladiola and iris. A smoky background from the copal, labdanum and a vanilla note from the tonka give this an incense-like musky crackle. After a few minutes, the sharpness tones down and all of the scents unite into a sweet, dark and sophisticated blend. The stargazer lily is still the highlight of this blend on me. The iris and heliotrope give this a powdery smoothness.

 

Very fascinating...I love how this morphs. It starts out dark, brightens sharply, then becomes a very light shimmery blend. It is somber, enlightening and elegant.

[Suu4LC]

In the imp this is a heavy and dark and a bit spicy scent over florals.

 

It was actually quite nice when I first applied it to my skin. Very rich and deep and resinous and the florals aren't too strong or cloying or perfumey. I had expected this to be a somber scent, but it's actually a bit sexy!

 

Unfortunately, that drying phase is where this blend really shines, and then it's quickly over and I lose all the spicy goodness and the flowers...heck, I pretty much lose everything. All I'm left with is sort of a generic woody/earthy scent. My skin just sucked up everything else. This may be a nice blend on someone else-so I'll be passing it on!

[stillalive]

musty and herby... it really reminded me of ramen noodle spices. lol!

 

Again, maybe I just need to try these scents on when it's not that-time-of-the-month... sigh. Yes, I know, I am imp-atient.

[Iceblink]

I'm getting the spicy/resinousness from this too. No flowers (not that I mind as lily doesn't work on me). It's perfumey and dark, but not heavy and overpowering. Hmm...maybe the merest hint of florals is poking through now. Will be interesting to see how this wears over the course of a whole day sometime.

[cyphersushi]

Initial impression: I have no idea what this will smell like.

 

In the imp: Nice rounded florals... not sharp at all.

 

Wet: It is so nice! Can't really separate the notes as I am unfamiliar with them but it is nice and cheery and soft.

 

Dry: There is something woodier now with the soft florals as a nice background.

[melrose]

I'm floored at all the florals in this - I get woods, patchouli, maybe?, and spices. I love this - it's got some powder going on as well, and I'm in love. Lasting power too.

[theseagrows]

this is a slightly sweet floral with a darkness behind it. it's glittering and bright but there is definitely something dark underneath. i can smell the lily and heliotrope most strongly, and there is something in this that slightly reminds me of apricot, but not as fruity. the copal adds a nice background. very pretty but smells like a lot of other scents on me, so i will swap it.

[skepticism]

In the vial it smelled like hothouse flowers and white florals with an abundance of rot and decay. It smells like I'm drinking plum wine, but it's a little off. I actually like rotting/decaying florals because they usually just smell like over-ripened hothouse blooms and have a throw the length of a sports stadium. However, this scent had a little too much of it ... kind of like decay mixed with fermentation. When it dried a lot of tonka showed up, which kind of added some much needed dryness to this spell of humidity. Don't really like this scent.

[nightbiscuit]

I, too, was fooled by the deceptive heliotrope into thinking I had another jasmine failure on my hands with this one. But do not despair, the description by the lab, "The final burst of the soul’s light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth," is quite accurate. The florals are only screechingly prominent when this blend is wet, then it relaxes, and resigns itself to the descent into darkness, dominated by tonka and amber.

[mochi227]

When I was frimped this and smelled it in the imp I thought "god, no!" and threw it back in my imp bowl. It kept staring at me though, so I decided to give it a shot. It is much better on than in the imp. Dare I say, I even like it? It's a very heady floral, thick and powdery, but there's something appealing about it. I can't pick out any individual notes, except maybe the stargazer lily (which I actually hate; way too potent and sneeze-inducing). The total effect is resinous and floral, like a very potent incense I used to burn that smelled of lotus and sandalwood.

 

Sheol comes off far too heavy for me. Not heavy scent-wise, because I love heavy, resinous scents, but heavy vibe-wise. Living in New York, I think I have too many negative connotations to the black-clad, seemingly oppressed women of the Hasidic sects that populate certain parts of the city. In their black skirts and black knee socks and black sensible shoes, I imagine them smelling like Sheol when they go to their various religious and familial obligations. This is not anything I would ever want to be a part of or smell like, so while I can appreciate Sheol and even like its scent, the associations I draw to it are not positive.

 

3/5 for scent construction

0/5 for desireability

 

Average to long throw when wet, average throw when dry, lasts about 4-5 hours on my oily skin.