The Smiling Spider

[shelldoo]

 

The Smiling Spider, Odilon Redon.

Bitter clove, black musk, mahogany wood, and patchouli.

 

in the bottle: cloves and patchouli. this actually reminds me of my clove cigarettes.

 

on: big surprise here, cloves and patchouli. and smells more like my clove cigs, although not like the smell of them burning so much as the smell of how they taste against my lips.

 

on me this is a true to the bottle scent it is spicey, and gritty, and i find it amazingly alluring. of course i love my cloves, so that could be why. the musk becomes just a bit more noticible on drydown, but it is still mostly clove and patchouli. man it is a perfect me scent, and i do love the wee spider on the label.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Clove and patchouli being featured in this, I should hate it. Not that I don't like clove but it can really, really overwhelm.

 

But this is clove entangled with a musk that makes for a warm and sort of cozy feel.

[vylit]

Clove.

 

Wet and dry, it's clove and black musk. If you like the smell of clove cigarettes (you know, the scent/taste that you lick off your lip when you smoke one) and want to smell like them, this is definitely the scent for you.

[clover]

Wow. I was not expecting to like this one at all, but when I tore into my Salon imp pack it was the one that jumped out at me the most from the vial.

 

This perfume is truly gorgeous, and really surprising. I don't get even a hint of patchouli (yay!), and the dominant notes are a strong-but-not-foody clove and black musk. I'm a huge black musk fan - I love the powdery sweetness - and it smells great in this blend.

 

I was expecting a very earthy, dark and gothy perfume...but this reminds me of a very, very traditionally beautiful, French scent. Straight out of the 1930s or 40s. Powdery, warm, slightly fizzy and sensual.

 

Much love.

[Alchemy21599]

Who knew that spiders could be sexy?

 

In the vial: soft musk with a hint of cloves.

 

On skin: When the oil is wet the cloves were in the foreground. As the scent dries down it becomes a soft, spicy musk. I often have difficulty wearing musk (it turns to an unbathed smell on me), but this scent is gorgeous.

[Medici]

Before Even Opening the Bottle: This is going to be a strong one. I can smell it a foot away on my desk. Banging off those hollow wood notes, and battened down by a heavy patchouli.

 

In the Bottle: Cloves - sharp, pungent, and medicinal.

 

Wet: Please to note that my arm is presently on fire. Clove, patchouli, a little on the dirty side, but tempered off by the musk.

 

Drydown: Very nice. Very aggressive, but nonetheless, lovely. It's a dark, heady clove-musk-patchouli swirl of yumminess. I do get the impression of unlit clove cigarettes as well, this smells exactly like that. It's a little dusty, a little dry, and very warm.

 

Verdict: Something cozy for the fall.

 

4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

[lapetiteflower]

in the bottle is smells of straight up bitter cloves. i dab a goodly bit on my skin and indeed, it smells like the taste of clove cigarettes...enough so that i start to crave a good clove ciggie, even though i swore off the things years ago (a bad case of pneumonia will do that to ya). as it dries down it starts to develop a warm, goldenness and after about two hours? ::fans self:: this is a need-a-cold-shower scent. warm and musky with a hint of almost-amber and faint patchouli with the clove hiding behind all that. this is a black-satin-sheets-and-lots-of-candles-and-ravishing-peter steele-until-he-begs-for-mercy type of scent. oh my! i have the urge to track down a pretty twentysomething goth boi and have my wicked way with him *ahem*

but here is the funny thing~i wore this scent to work today and i had to stop at my mom's on the way to help her medicate her cat (definately a two person job!) and my mom is a devout patchouli-hater. as in all the patchouli fields in the world should be razed, the earth scorched and covered with salt so the patchouli can grow no more. and you know what my mom said? "ooh! you smell really nice this morning!" *dies laughing*

[supremegoddessofall]

Mostly clove. Barely getting the patchouli or mahogany at all. Mildly musky.

[cuervosueno]

I got an imp pack of these new salons, and so I decided to try the ones I was most interested in at the same time.

 

That meant Smiling Spider went on my left hand and Mad Meg on my right.

 

I say that because in the imp these are very very similiar. A lot of bitter clove....that is definately the topnote.

 

But this one is more clove than Mad Meg. I agree very much with Shelldoo....this is very true to what it smells like in the imp, and on me it is mostly clove cigarettes. I get clove and patchouli, and that's nice.

 

Still, one of the things I like is the complexity of the Salons, and I'm afraid on me this one is not very complex. It does remind me of Count Dracula without the leather, so I suppose I like it more than the Count, but I'm not seriously enamored of it.

[Blood onmy hands]

I'm terribly afraid of spiders, but I love bpal's spider-themed scents (this, Arachne, and The Obsidian Widow are all favorites). This is gorgeous, and it's especially amazing as an aged scent. I don't generally care for the black musk note (smells like cheap men's cologne on me), but I don't get a lot of musk from this. I get tons of sweet, spicy clove and a bit of dry, spicy wood. It's very rich and warm. It's a sexy, deep sort of scent, but it's also sort of cozy, like a warm hug. This smells dreamy on my husband, but he also loves the scent on me.

Edited December 1, 2009 by Little Bird

[Jilara]

In the imp, I get a woody clove scent. My housemate smokes clove cigarettes, and he sniffed and said "not so much like clove cigarettes as just the spice...food."

 

Wet, it's very CLOVE to the exclusion of almost everything else.

As it dries down, the musk mellows it out, and the woody backnote adds depth. It pretty much stays in this state for hours. It's nice, because I really like clove, but I could see how some might find the clove note overpowering, it that's not what they are into. But I really like it.

[dawndie]

Wet: clove-flavored cough syrup

 

On skin: clove + wood wood wood

 

Half-hour later: syrupy-sweetened up with some black musk and a bit of spice. The wood receded, thank goodness

 

In conclusion: this is a sticky concoction. The wood was too sharp at the beginning, but I really liked the end result.

Edited June 12, 2007 by dawndie

[penemuel]

I'm back to wondering if my nose doesn't work right. In the bottle I get none of the scents that are listed, and instead get something that's vaguely like some cheap men's cologne/after-shave. I don't understand. However, I like the description too much to not try it on so...

 

On my skin, the clove comes out right away. I LOVE the scent of clove, so this is a good thing. I'm still waiting for any of the other notes to show up, though...

 

And now about half an hour later, there they are. Oh this is a LOVELY blend if you like the spicy-woody types of scents. Mmmmm... must take nose from wrist to type...

[chrisann]

At first glance at the scent description, I though, "eh.. not for me." When I went to C13 and was checking out the Salon testers, I wasn't even tempted to open this bottle. What changed my mind? Cathy, aka "Wickedgoddess" did. She had this delicious scent wafting around her, and when she told me it was Smiling Spider, I had to go try it on.

 

It has bumped Count Dracula for my new clove love. I actually prefer this blend minus the leather notes on me more. It's sexy, warm, a little powdery sweet on me. Like wearing a seductive warm blanket all over my skin. I smell damn good and have nabbed 2 bottles of this fuzzy spider love.

 

Little goes a long way, and it lasts and lasts on my skin. Thank you Beth that this is not an LE!

 

5/5 easily

[sarada]

This was such an obvious one for me I didn't hurry to order a bottle and I didn't rush to try on my imp. I knew what it would smell like and I knew I'd love it! What I didn't know was whether it would be too much like Count Dracula to warrant bottles of both.

 

Oh hell everything always warrants its own bottle who am I kidding?!

 

Just as I expected this is a nearly perfect clove scent. At first I thought it was a particularly sweet clove, but I think that sparkling sweetness might be coming in a little from the wood and the musk. Dark musks sparkle just a bit. What a lovely woody spice. I don't like cinnamon-spice, I like clove-spice. And the natural pure clove scent is perfectly grounded by the dirt-like patchouli and smooth woods.

 

It's like a long lost clove incense I've been pining for, for years. Now I can wrap myself in it again. It's similar to Count Dracula, sure, but if you like clove and woody/patchouli scents, the more the merrier. I only have an imp right now, but I suspect that will be remedied at some point in the future.

 

Oh, and the funniest thing is, it really does smell like this scent is smiling. The wicked twists of soft black musk, spiking the sweetness around the edges, curls it up in a dark little smile.

[euterpe414]

This is a wonderfully strong clove scent It's almost single note clove on me, but there is a slight smokiness around the edges that really makes it unique. It lasts a long time and has quite a good amount of throw as well. I know people are comapring this to Count Dracula, but on me this is much more clove centric, whereas in CD clove was only a small part of its makeup. But perhaps that is my skin chemistry... Anyhow, I like this a lot although I will wait a while for it to age to see if that brings out the wood notes a little bit more.

[edenssixthday]

The Smiling Spider - The first time I tried this on, Shelldoo was standing right there and commented that it smells just like a fresh pack of clove cigarettes. I had The Smiling Spider on my arm, and she opened up her pack of clove cigs, so I could sniff for comparison purposes, and sure enough...she was right (of course!) When I first apply this, it really does smell like a fresh pack of clove cigarettes. However, as it dries down on my skin, the musk becomes more and more evident, as does a tiny hint of patchouli, but no other wood notes. It lasts on my skin for hours, but after drydown, the throw is about average. Overall, it's a nice blend, very gender-neutral, but it doesn't really strike me as something really amazing. I will always choose my beloved Count Dracula over this blend, but that's because I really dig the leather in Count Dracula. I think The Smiling Spider could add a fascinating touch to Mad Meg, which is my next experiment.

[forspecial_plate]

I also get strong clove from The Smiling Spider, above all else. I can just detect the black musk, and couldn't really smell patchouli at all. The clove really dominates and lasts for hours on my skin, to the point of making me slightly queasy. In those long-ago times that I actually smoked clove cigarettes, they made me feel the same way, so maybe I'm just not a clove kind of guy.

 

I really wanted to love this scent! I even made an iron-on tshirt with the painting. Oh well, 'twas not meant to be. I definitely understand the Count Dracula comparisons, and I love that scent, so I'll stick with him. I may keep the imp and try it again in a few weeks or even months, though.

 

quick edit: I want to let this age for a few weeks or even months, just because I know patchouli can get better with age. I want more patchouli out of this scent, and maybe could even layer it with something else. Basically I don't want to give up on it.

Edited July 10, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[black_and_bloom]

The Smiling Spider is pretty much all clove, all the time on me. I can detect a little hint of musk and wood underneath, but no patchouli at all. It's a delicious scent with lots of throw, and one that I will be saving for the cooler months - it doesn't seem quite suited to July!

[alicia_stardust]

Wet, I smell a touch of clove but mostly a gritty patchouli.

 

Dry, the bitter clove just blooms and it's amazing. It actually makes me miss my days of clove cigarette binges at night clubs after 16-hour workdays on my thesis. It's alluring, earthy, and has that clove bite!

 

After 45 minutes I can smell the musk and I think the wood is mixing with the patchouli; they're almost indistinguishable from the other. After a couple of hours my skin amps the patchouli and it's definitely gritty.

 

I love this for the first couple of hours, and OH the clove! But the faded patchouli smell does not play nice with my skin chemistry.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Smiling Spider

 

In the imp: clove! This is the clove-iest BPAL I've smelt, it's clove soaked in patchouli.

Wet on skin: wonderful smoky clove and rich patchouli.

Dry on skin: wow, this is good. It's dominated by patch and clove, warm and spicy and rich and deep, with the musk adding even more richness and a sensual, feral touch, and a hint of mahogany and something smoky as well. I've never smelt a clove cigarette (don't laugh), let alone smoked one, but I'd imagine they smell something like this.

After a while: this is like clove incense now, smoky and dark, with the shadow of patchouli ever present. I love the clove in here, it smells very true, that piercing spice with a creamy and sweet undertone. Like in the old Three Witches, it develops a hint of milky chai, but the patchouli and now slightly more animalistic musk prevents this from smelling too foody or cosy. Now I get a hint of Minotaur thanks to the musk, but without the golden resinous sheen. Indeed, I get a Schwarzer Mond vibe after some time, like SM with resins replaced by clove, but a similar patchouli smoky scent, this then changes to a darker Port au Prince scent. The patch-musk and clove seem to swap places every now and then, sometimes clove is dominant, at other times it's the black musk. the mahogany really comes out after a few hours at drydown, a spiced musky wood.

The scent lasts and lasts and lasts…the next morning the patchouli is still there and has turned a bit fruity, like Hellion.

Verdict: whoa, this is good stuff! This is the cloviest clove of all, mixed with the most powerful patchouli. The sweet creamy yet biting scent of this gorgeous spice is given a wonderful earthy-shadowy backing of patchouli, and this is patchouli with a punch, really strong stuff. The musk and mahogany help to darken the tone of the scent even more and the musk comes out more at the end, making for a sexy and smouldering scent, swirling and brooding. This is pure tangible darkness in scent. Thick, rich, atmospheric and moody darkness with substance. This is unnerving yet oddly approachable-much like the scary critter in the painting. This is smoky and mysterious and intense-definitely a goth scent-and a simple combination that works well. It already smells wonderfully richly deep right now and also sticks around for ages on the skin but I can just imagine how incredible this will be with a bit of aging…this is a little too dark for everyday wear but for the colder months? This will get a lot of wear then.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? the imp, definitely. Maybe I'll get more when my imp is done.

If you like this, try: Dracul, Minotaur, Count Dracula, Three Witches, Port au Prince, Hellion

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Clove! Bright, clear, bitter clove.

 

Wet: Clove! Oh, hey, my skin is kind of burning. There's supposed to be patchouli here, too, but wet, this is almost a clove SN.

 

Drydown: The clove gets smokier, and, as some have observed, fuzzier (yes, that's a highly technical term, I'm sure) with wear as the musk warms. Weirdly, it seems to me like the patchouli is more present in the considerable waft than close to my skin. If this is indeed as accurate a scent experience of Djarum Blacks as others have indicated, then as an asthmatic, I'm grateful that I didn't actually have to smoke any to get this scent combo... because it's nice.

 

With time, this becomes really friendly. That's an odd word for a fairly Gothy perfume inspired by a large, creepy painting, but you know, the spider is smiling. Gorram it, now I need more of this!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Mainly polished wood

 

Wet on me – The dirtiness of the black musk and patchouli, cut with an odd sort of soapiness

 

Dry on me – The blend softens and becomes warmer, more inviting, but still it retains a dark bitterness

 

Overall – An unusual scent, it seems to be uneasy with itself, which in turn made me uneasy

[moon_lemming]

OH NO NO NO I DON'T THINK SO. Freaking spider. That painting just creeped me right the hell out.

 

The oil creeps me out, too. Black musk and I do not get along, patchouli is sometimes okay, and clove amps to Godzilla proportions on my skin.

 

So on me, The Smiling Spider smells like... ew. Everything that could go wrong does. I'm going to wash it off.

[aine]

Clove-aliciousness.

 

I agree with previous reviewers that this is similar to Count Dracula, but The Smiling Spider is more straightfoward with a more biting clove note. The clove most certainly dominates, and the black musk tempers some of the almost-smoky spiciness. The woods add layers and depth to the fragrance rather than standing on their own.

 

I love The Smiling Spider and the label art is fabulous. It's an oil for days when you want to be noticed.