Alecto

[Venneh]

Olive leaf, raspberry leaf, vetiver and cedarwood.

Got this as a frimp in a decant circle order. In the frimp, I get pretty much straight up cedar and vetiver. Uhm. That's probably not going to go well.

On my skin, it's pretty straight up cedar and... something else at this stage, not sure. Raspberry leaf, I think, it's starting to creep in.

This ends up smelling like wood and vetiver. The wood note would be good if it was paired with something else, I think. To the swaps. Edited October 26, 2009 by Shollin

[Janegodzilla]

Well hello there, vetiver! How nice to see you!

 

Alecto is an odd little scent. In the bottle, it smells overwhelmingly of wood, dirt, and greenery, all of which are completely overwhelmed by vetiver the second it hits my skin. Thankfully, the vetiver calms down after a while, and what emerges is wood and something that's kind of dry and leafy, like a tangle of bushes in high summer. There's also a sweeter note that comes out after a while, which I guess is the blackberry leaf? It smells exactly like a tomato plant to me. It's a sweetish green pulpy scent, like the way your fingers smell after you've touched tomato leaves. Alongside the cedar and dry greenery, it makes for a really interesting scent overall, but it's definitely not me.

[Redillon]

I was looking forward to the olive leaf and the greener smell of Alecto that many on the reviews raved about. But unfortunately, on my skin the only smell I got was Eucalyptus & menthol. And I'm sort of allergic to that. It smelled like Ben Gay. I kept it on for as long as I could stand it, but it didn't morph into anything but Bengay for me. So I had to wash it off. Oh well, on to other scents!

 

 

 

[Aldercy]

Alecto smells like a charcoal fire... and Cajun spiced meat sizzling on a cedar plank. Wow. Um... it's not revolting, but I don't want to smell like it! People would be forever asking me if I'd just left a BBQ. On the other hand, I can't stop sniffing it because it's just so fascinatingly weird.

[lilwhiterabbit]

I couldn't pick out a single note in the vial, but on me this smells like paper that's been left out of the rain, molded and then dried in the sun. In other words, not pleasant and vaguely like garbage. Blech. I've never tried anything with vetiver in it, so maybe that's the cause and I've found another note I can't wear? None of the other notes gave me pause.

[HKB]

Usually berries including raspberries go too sweet and Kool-Aid smelling on me, but in this blend its balanced by the woody notes. The olive leaf is subtle and interesting. I can pick out everything but the vetiver.

The raspberry leaf note gets stronger on me as it dries, I think I amp berries and that's the problem. I wish it would step aside and smell more woodsy like it did initially.

[CitizenBree]

Vetiver in the vial. On the skin, it's all cedarwood. There's a teeny tiny bit of the fruitiness from the raspberry leaf, but not enough to play well with the wood. Not much else to say except that it smells like fresh cedarwood that was just made into sawdust. Not for me.

[RhinestoneHousewife]

In bottle: Fresh and green! Like herbs drying out to use.

 

Wet on skin: Fresh greenery. Maybe some cedar?

 

Dry on skin: Ew. I once had a stray cat that came in a pee'd in my fireplace. That's what it now smells like. Cat urine and smoke. I'm going to have to wash this one off.

 

Verdict: Not for me....off to swaps!

[ami226]

Very earthy with a bit of green! Smells like the earth of a garden. The vetiver is a bit too much for me...

[impolight]

:::ALECTO:::

 

 

By the Lab's notes, Alecto seemed a bit fearsome and intimidating as a first impression; I mean, Vetiver AND Cedar? C'mon!

Let's see what the contents of this lovely Imp has to say for itsself...

Not fearsome in the slightest at this phase.

Pleasant, more like.

Comforting.

Imps of both Tchotchkie (sp?) and Bauble were picked up during the last Naughty & Nice Inquisition, and, so far, Alecto smells a great deal like one of them... Remembering which one is a problem.

Blast!

Digression!

Anywho, Alecto smells like roasting nuts, salt, and butter at this phase. There is nothing here thus far that even remotely resemble Cedar, Vetiver, Olive Leaf OR Raspberry Leaf...

Alecto is more of a... Holiday snack.

Skinterpretation: Much the same. If anything, a little Raspberry has drifted by on an errant breeze, and there might be a grain or three of sawdust from a Cedar tree that was cut down on your first birthday...

No Vetiver.

 

*sniff*

 

Those who rally against Vetiver will most likely wet themselves for this blend.

The Vetiver in Alecto is much like the Rose note in an egg-salad sandwich.

After roughly 10 minutes of wear, the caloric feel of this blend has abated and you're left with a very slight Cedary theme with a mere hint of Berry. Alecto is a clean and comfortable fragrance.

Alecto is subtle enough for those of a more timid temperment to wear without fear of making a huge impression with an aura of scent.

Alecto is a pleasing fragrance that would work well for Him or Her.

4.5 out of 5.

[crebbsgirl]

This smelled pretty much exactly like the Red Raspberry loose-leaf tea I've been drinking as of late. It was nice and herbal with the cedar undertone. The vetiver was very light here. It smelled a little dry and earthy. It was nice, but not anything I would wear regularly.

[sarielswish]

In the vial, it smells like furniture polish. What is it with me and cleaning products today? I think it's the olive leaf - Olisbos gave me a very similar feeling. Color - olive.

 

Wet on my skin, it's nowhere *near* as unpleasant on. This is a pretty masculine feeling scent, IMO, though. I think the cedar is giving that impression. Hopefully it doesn't turn to straight pencil shavings on me.

 

10-15 minute drydown - Now, it's almost all cedar and vetiver. Not a bad combo, either. I think this would be nicer on the hubby, though.

[milo]

This ends up being predominantly vetiver, though it isn't 'loud'. I do love cedar, and I get a bit here as well, but that is it. Vetiver and cedar, but maybe the olive blossom is sweetening it up a bit. It does kind of remind me of Olisboos, but without the leather. I like it, but not enough for a bottle.

[undream]

at first whiff, this very much smells like a woman wearing a lovely, subtle perfume & sitting in the midst of a bustling, aromatic italian restaurant. this is the scent you'd be picking up if you were to be sitting next to her.

 

on the skin, the throw gives off something very sweet, like a candy? or some kind of ripened, pulpy fruit that would practically melt in your mouth but that no one has yet had the fortune to try. (i am going to guess that this is the raspberry leaf.) however, up close to the skin, this smells, on me, exactly like pencil eraser; not necessarily an unpleasant scent, but not a thing i'm wanting in my perfume!

 

alecto is so unique & interesting that i almost want to keep it, but sadly, i am not entirely keen on smelling like pencil eraser. off to swaps!

[countessmouse]

Masculine, very woody, and very gone. Not a bit of it left on my skin an hour after application.

[Leafy Sea Dragon]

Wet: Vetiver is a really confusing hit-or-miss kind of thing for me, and with Alecto, it's really a hit! I don't get the smoky... smokiness that I expected, rather, it's more like a wooden crate full of delicious fresh berries. It also kind of reminds me of my aunt's house, which is a very good thing!

 

Drydown: If I stick my nose right on the spot where I applied it, I can detect the vetiver. Vetiver strikes me as something of an "angry" scent. When this oil was wet on my skin, I didn't get the impression of "unceasing in anger," but now the scent is starting to get a bit irate.

 

Later: Well now it's just up and turned into the inside of one of those pleather pencil cases I had as a kid. I kinda like it though. And I suppose you could say it goes well with the concept of anger, since I was a pretty angry kid.

 

Conclusion: I don't think I'll be springing for a bottle, but I'll whip out that imp any time I want to feel a little nostalgic about elementary school.

[Teaotter]

Wet: green and herbal

 

Drydown: Uh-oh, the cedar is making its presence known. There is still something lovely and green, but it is falling into the nasty cedar shavings.

 

Dry: Fresh green leaves and cedar shavings. I'm not getting much from the vetiver at all, and the cedar is not my friend.

[surlygurl]

This is interesting. The imp is very aged, and at first it smells like raspberry - a juicy candy raspberry. Then something dark shows up and weaves in & out. Something grounding and a bit evil (yeah, cedar & vetiver). Just when I think it's going to all come together, it goes bitter herbal pencil shavings on me. It's strange, because I usually love cedar.

 

All in all, it's not a bad scent, just... disjointed. Until the end, when the raspberry goes away. *sigh*

[griffonner]

In the imp- Cedar with something juicy yet green.

Wet- Cedar backed by something sweet, maybe the raspberry leaf?

5 minutes- Still cedar, but the sweetness has mellowed and green leafyness is making a presence.

Dry- Slightly dusty cedarwood with a hint of green growth.

[Scorianelle]

Out of all the imps I tried, this one was the most disappointing. Not because it was the worst, but because it was the one I most wanted to love. But fate it seems...

 

All I wanted from this was vetiver, and strangely that was the only scent I didn't get. When I opened it (the first imp I opened ever) and smelled it I actually laughed with joy. The whole scent was very cold, a lot cooler than I'd expected but still lovely. The cedarwood was at the fore and from the first sniff I had the picture in my head of sunlight on a bramble of bushes way up in the craggy mountain heights, and I impatiently waited till I arrived home before trying it.

 

On me the only two scents I can make out are Raspberry and Olive, and they do not mix well. The raspberry is the dominating scent. It isn't plump and juicy, but tart and sour, from a sparse, mean and thorny bush clinging to life in the crags. The olive is the background note. It is the sooty, oily residue left to congeal at the bottom of a sacred lamp in the nearby temple. Together they just do not work on me. I'm not really sure what to do with this imp, as I can't quite let go of my desire for it to turn out right. I guess the best I can hope for is that one of her sisters will favour me instead.

Edited July 6, 2012 by Scorianelle

[waternight]

I admit, I did NOT have high hopes - or hopes at all - for this blend. Vetiver is usually a note of doom for me, and most fruits don't work on me at all.

 

Oh how wrong I was.

 

Imp: Cedarwood and olive leaf. Very woody, with the light oily creaminess of olive leaf. A light sweetness running through it that might be raspberry leaf.

Wet: Initially, almost identical to as it is in the imp. I get the raspberry leaf, and it's definitely sweet and fruity, but it's not going all sticky-candy like so many fruit notes do on me. I also get a thread of vetiver's dirty darkness, but it's behaving for once.

Dry: I'm very pleasantly surprised with this blend! Based on the notes, I would've sworn this wouldn't work on me. But it's a beautiful dry, woody, slightly dark-spicy, planty-sweet blend. If you're a woods lover and generally shy away from blends with fruit notes, try this one out. She breaks the rules.

[kaberett]

Yes. Yessssss.

 

In the bottle: beautifully rich and multi-layered: dark green, olive, and a sharp, sweet high note that must be the raspberry.

 

Wet: This smells rather like I've put an olive oil-raspberry vinegar salad dressing on my wrist. In ALL THE BEST WAYS.

 

Dry: Mellows pretty much instantly - the cedar and the vetiver are beautiful anchors. Sweet, beautiful, dark green, complex - yes, yes, yes. This goes on the "can I have a bottle" list. And there is an acrid tinge to it that I can read as a slow-burning, violent anger, just barely kept in check - it is beautiful.

 

And it's got throw - it's identifiable all the way up from my wrist, and wafts in ways I am delighting in. Yes, yes, this. (I will report on how long it lasts when I have a sense, rather than just inhaling it rapturously. )

Edited April 9, 2013 by kaberett

[fufu_berry]

Wet: vetiver. Mmmm, I love vetiver.

 

Drydown: Something a little thin and woody - not like the cedar I've gotten in other scents, must be the combination of the cedar and the leaves.

 

Dry: A faint sweet note I imagine is the raspberry leaf. It's nice, but nothing remarkable - I like my vetiver a little stronger and earthier. Something is going just faintly soapy, so I probably won't need to hang on to this.

[Zii]

To me, this reads like a cedarwood SN dispersed in really fragrant green and fresh pressed olive oil. It has that sweet, clear almost non-scent that I associate with fresh olive oil and a little extra kick that has to be the vetiver, though it's not overwhelming the more delicate notes.

 

YUMMY!

[brilliantcat]

It smells AMAZING in the imp, herbal and green and lush with just a slight bit of raspberry. On me at first whiff it hasn't changed at all, yay! Juicy, sweet raspberry with a tiny bit of cedar and herbs. I don't get vetiver or grape leaves as distinct notes so I think they're combining to give that lovely herbal scent. It's gradually becoming more and more raspberry and is a bit too B&BW for my tastes now. I loved it when it had the woodsy/herbal nuances and was considering a bottle. There's still enough left that I will keep the imp because I think it'll be lovely in the spring/summer though.