Nephilim

[keileya]

... Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.

 

In the bottle: oh god that's a conflicted mess to my nose. Um, fig and a bit of pine or juniper or something, and some patchouli, but not the rancid BO that patchouli usually reminds me of.

Wet on skin: the pine-ish note (having looked at the description, it's probably the cypress) is coming out to the front like whoa, with the fig and hyssop behind it. Occasional flashes of the lavender as it dries down.

Dry on skin: ripe fig and a hint of the frankincense coming out to play. I took a chance on this one even though it had patchouli in it -- patchouli generally smells like the body odor of someone who's been smoking pot and forgot to shower for a few days, and not just because of scent-memory and associations; it usually does turn rancid and armpit-like on me -- but it doesn't seem to be doing that this time; it's more spicy than pot-like. There's a little hint of line-dried laundry, of all things.

I like it so far. It's not something I'd wear regularly, I think -- it's a very inoffensive and neutral scent on me, oddly enough, and I think it's going to go powder in 45 minutes, but it's not something I'm scrubbing straight off.

Fifteen minutes later: it took a detour through smelling like obscenity case law (413 US 15 Miller vs California, the to-date best-smelling BPAL on me and alas a LE from '09), which is the fig that they have in common, and now is a kind of soft spice that's fading like whoa.

An hour later: Yep, apparently the Nephilim have been hanging out their laundry by the fig trees and then folding it and tucking it away in their drawers with a few sprigs of lavender. Not long lasting on me at all. Pleasant, inoffensive, short-lasting, nothing special.

Still, I'm kind of amazed that the patchouli in this worked on me; usually patchouli is a death note, not only because of skin chemistry but because of associations. As I go through the GC picking stuff I'd like to try, I'd been automatically writing off anything that mentioned "patchouli" or "black herbs" unless every other note in it was something I knew I'd love, but Nephilim convinced me I should be more willing to give stuff a chance. I still don't think it's ever going to be a favorite note, and I've tried a few other BPAL blends with patchouli as a note, but apparently I can wear at least one of them. Good to know! And while this particular oil is in the "nothing special" category on me, it's really warm and spicy and homelike on my wife.

[blacksh33pboi]

My experience:

 

VERY resinous and herbaceous to start out with! Most def the frankincense/hyssop/lavender/rosemary. Smelling a bit of sweetness five minutes later, which I would think would be the fig and cardamom, as the sweetness, while a little fruity, also has a tinge of warm spiciness to it that cardamom would likely be the 'culprit' of. Has a pretty nice 'throw'! Don't have to keep sniffing my wrists; every turn of the head or every time I reach for something I get a whiff. Yay! Anywho. The herbaceous-ness has died down a lot half an hour in (but is still noticeable close to the skin), and it's mainly the resin/wood/fruit. An hour later and it's wood/fruit. 3 hours in and it's woods with a touch of patchouli and a teeny bit of the fruit left. And now, 4 hours in, it's sweet woods with a touch of vetiver and patchouli. Rather subtle on my wrists, but still has a pretty decent throw surprisingly. I really like this one! It's quite the morpher and doesn't *exactly* follow the common pyramid construction of perfumes because at times, I catch the herbaceous-ness of the top notes even now... and then they disappear. Rather fitting considering the 'fallen angels' sort of ghostly/spirit motif. I definitely need to grab a full bottle of this once I have money again.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Very very herbal and almost medicinal.

 

Wet on my skin: Earthy, herbal, and a little evergreen.

 

Dry: This is a strange, almost chaotic scent on me. It's very strongly herbal, with an earthy base from the patchouli, and I don't get much fig or frankincense until it's been on for several hours. At that point, it's a deliciously herbal dried fig with wisps of incense. Very nice once it's reached this stage, though it's a little strange earlier in the wear.

[Malaena]

In the imp: Dirt.

 

Wet: Dirt and fig.

 

Drying: Dirty fig with a bit of plastic. Eventually I pick up either patchouli or vetiver (I can't tell them apart!).

 

Verdict: I love patchouli/vetiver but I'm not putting up with that awful smell just for a throwless drydown.

[LizziesLuck]

I am so excited to try this, it has many notes that I love!

 

Wet: Mustard...followed by Vicks. Not what I was expecting at all!!

 

Dry: Eventually the fig comes out, and the cardamom. But there is something in there that remains a little medicinal, I'm thinking the hyssop. Unfortunately it turns this into something I wouldn't wear, though I don't dislike it. It just smells like medicine instead of perfume.

[roseus]

When I sniffed this in the imp and on wet it smelled dry and clean. Like sandalwood and lavender, and there was some eucalyptus too. Dry it still smells the same, very clean, herbal and interesting. I could not have guessed the other notes except maybe oakmoss. It reads clean and masculine to me.

[sarandipitee]

Very medicinal upon application - Vick's vape-o-rub or tiger's balm and the like. I really like the fig in this (fingers crossed for a fig SN one day) and the lavender as well but the hyssop and cypress stomp all over everything else.

 

Off to the frimp pile.

Edited March 11, 2018 by sarandipitee

[achildoftime]

The lavender are the notes I most readily pick out, but the combination does not work for me. It's a little sour and quite medicinal. It's going straight to my head and I can't leave it on. It's a scrubber for me.

[cassiejaynebunk]

in the imp it's kind of tangy and sharp and stings my eyes. on my skin it's still tangy, but the earthiness comes out, and i smell some of the fig. it's a little jammy, like a really ripe fig. and i smell some earth, like dirt. maybe the oakmoss? it's a very interesting scent, not one i will wear but i love how the scent conjures up the Nephilim in my imagination.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: The fig, frankincense, and hyssop notes stand out to me the most, and I can smell a bit of of cypress in the background.

 

Wet: The fig note is the first note to emerge. I can also smell the hyssop, tamarind, and cardamom. Behind the fruits and spices, I get a bit of the cypress. And then some lavender decides to join in on the fun? Curiouser and curiouser. But it is mainly a spiced fruit scent on me.

 

Dry: The fig note still reigns, along with the cardamom and tamarind. After a long time, the vetiver and patchouli end up adding a bit of earthiness and smokiness. Behind all of notes, I can smell some of the green notes, but they're pretty far in the background.

 

Verdict: I didn't expect this one to be so figgy the whole time! My imp was aged and only contained a small, testable amount of oil, so I suspect that it would be quite different if it were fresh. This one was okay, but not really something I'd wear.