The Death of Autumn

[filigree_shadow]

Dark amber, dead leaves, khus, saffron, bitter clove, chrysanthemum, camellia, galangal, and a drop of oud.

Very dark and dank. Reminds me of vetiver a bit -- that smoky dank almost grassy scent.

I like the saffron and leaves in this, but I'm not crazy about that root-y smelling galangal. The smokiness is kind of odd -- it doesn't smell like a burning leaves scent, and I'm not sure exactly what it does smell like.

Hmm. I can't figure out what I think about this scent. I sort of like it but I sort of don't. I think I'll have to try it again later. Edited October 6, 2007 by filigree_shadow

[cuervosueno]

Whoa--serious smoke! On me this begins sort of like a barbeque, and then turns to pure smoked vetiver. In that way it reminds me just slightly of the Great He-Goat, with it's mixture of vetiver and smoked ginger. This is darker, however, and very very smoky and acrid. Not like a bonfire or even a fire in a woodstove, but like burning wet leaves that are smouldering but not burning.

 

After about 1/2 hour, it turns to smoke with a perfumy note that I recognize as Mums.

 

Interesting. I might try it again before I swap my imp, but I'm not sorry I didn't get a whole bottle.

[Lunaratu]

This smells like extremely strong cologne when first on. As it dries this transforms into warm but with a hint of a chill autumn air with fallen leaves on the ground that crunch so crisply underfoot. It dries down to be quite warm with a tiny hint of apple in the background. This becomes very subtle, warm, spiced, and a tiny sliver of fresh apple somewhere. Next to All Souls on my other wrist this is a perfect pair and I love these two to no end. It just evokes such a wonderful feeling of fall and reminds me of walking near my high school, tramping through the leaves, with a definite feel of warm things in the background. It makes me smile and feel very calm just as if I were strolling back through those leaves.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Phaedra]

Wet there's a sharp hit of oud with something warm underneath- amber maybe. When first on this is oud and something sharp and sweet. There's also an earthiness to it. After a couple minutes a smokiness comes through. After a half hour it's become a very perfumey blend with hints of creamy, earthy notes in the background. This becomes an earthy/floral mix- almost like Queen of Clubs at times but lighter and less fruity. Very nice!

[The_Merf]

Black amber ruins another one for me--black amber is iffy on me, my skin chemistry makes it smell sort of "off" and stale (same thing happens with black musk), but I thought that the other notes, including khus (vetiver), which is strong on my skin, would balance it out. However, Death of Autumn always holds a dominant note of black amber, even though I can detect really interesting things going on underneath it, like the earthy vetiver and the oud and something else (the galangal? heck, the saffron even?) combining to create this very enticing spicy smoky scent--if that scent had been able to emerge as the dominant part of the blend, then I think it would have been one of my favorites. Alas, the black amber on top makes it always smell just a little bit off. This one will have to go to swaps.

[angelfish323]

This is gorgeous and so . . . evocative. It's a little overpowering at first, however. I had a reaction almost like I do with strong vetiver blends.

 

But very quickly, it calmed down. It became a strong smokey, amber blend over dead leaves. The clove hiding in the background.

 

It quiets down quite a bit. It's like walking through a dying forest on a chill fall evening with a bonfire in the distance. Leaves, wood, smoke, fire, with a very faint hint of amber in the background. Someone smoking a clove cigarette several feet away.

 

I was hoping for more chrysanthemum, but it's only been a half hour or so.

 

I'm not sure I need a bottle, but will definitely be keeping my imp. It's very wearable and another beautiful fall blend!

[Lethran]

Think woods in late Autumn, damp leaves, the faint smell of a bonfire in the distance, probably also made with damp leaves. The cloves add a bit of spice, hinting at cider for later. It is brash out of the bottle, but soon softens into what I'm described. I strongly suggest giving it time to mellow before deciding how you feel about it. It reminds me a bit of Aziraphale's slightly wilder and more outdoorsey cousin. On me, the amber and galangal are quite strong (making a musky wood scent), and the plants smell of crushed or broken stems, rather than the actual flowers. I do think this one is aptly named. Whether one likes it or not is likely a matter of taste.

 

unfortunately the khus gets more aggressive with wear.

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Something faintly smoky.

 

Wet:

Burning leaves! Like everyone else already said, this totally reminds me of the song "Black #1" (I'm so dating myself here, but when I was about 16, that was the coolest song EVER to me... ha). After a few minutes, I definitely smell spices. I have no idea what vetiver smells like, but if I had to guess, it's earthy and I am smelling the khus only a little. My skin tends to amp clove, but it doesn't seem to be doing that today. It's that time of the month, though, so I'll be careful when I try this the next time (even though I like clove).

 

Dry:

This is sort of like October's darker, deeper cousin. I love October, and I love this blend as well.

[ceiswyn]

In the imp: When they say 'dead leaves', they're not kidding. This is bitter, like leaves and woodsmoke and earth, with a faint hint of velvety warmth.

 

On the wrist: An initial smell of dying flowers gives way to bitter khus, backed by the warm smell of woodsmoke. This smells exactly like autumn; not the glorious turning of the leaves, but their fall. Bleak rain and wind. The hint of woodsmoke that seems to hover in the air throughout late October and November. Bitter, bitter, and smoky with just a hint of spice.

 

One hour later: On my right wrist it's a little smoother and spicier; my left wrist is more bitter. It seems to be fading quickly but oh my, it's lovely...

 

Two hours later: It fades into a faint scent of bitter flowers warmed by clove, which lasts for the rest of the day.

[clockworktomato]

From reading the reviews here and understanding that Khus is something like Vetiver, I skipped this scent with my first order, instead opting for October. October just sounded like it would be the epitome of what I wanted a fall scent to be.

 

And then I received October and it failed on me. I only got the faintest hint of the crisp, crackly leaves before the whole thing faded away.

 

So then I read some of the reviews of Death of Autumn and thought, "Well, that SOUNDS more like what I want, but, well, vetiver hates me, so won't the khus react the same way?"

 

I put it off and thought about it and thought about snagging a decant, then the Beaver Moon update came and I said "You know what, let's just go for it." So I bought a bottle.

 

Last night when I applied it, I was almost squeamish in doing so. I waited for the burning cat ass smell that vetiver turns to on me. I waited for the throbbing headache and...

 

Wait.

 

This. This WORKS!

 

It starts out similar to October -- very green, like vase water, but not quite as decay-scented as October. This green overlay VERY quickly releases into smoke. At first it's JUST smoke, but then the smoke opens up to reveal wood and leaves and cool autumn forest floor.

 

It lasts far longer on me than October did, too.

 

I adore this scent, and for those who are avoiding it due to the possibility of vetiver -- there is a chance that this one could work for you if you're intrigued by it. Vetiver is my absolute worst note, but the khus seems to either fade into the background on me or doesn't morph into SCENT OF HATE.

[maribouquet]

Aww, this smells like my dad! That makes me happy. But you know, I don't really want to smell like him.

 

Must echo what others have already said: this is very nice, the vetiver surprisingly subtle and balanced, the clove giving just the right hint of spice, and yes, I think I do smell smokiness in the background. Good stuff!

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

In the vial, it's stingy florals with something rotting in the background – peculiar.

 

First on:

It's a wild mix of notes at this point, and I can't make anything out specifically, but it's full of... withering or decomposing leaves, and it's not a cold scent at this stage – it's as if I've taken shelter in a pile of partially wet autumn leaves and its all warm and comforting and safe.

 

Dry:

20-30 mins after application, it's warm and slightly spicy – probably the amber and saffron. It's still a ”comforting” type of smell.

 

Finally:

Mm, a keeper – a comforting and lovely autumn blend, not nearly as morbid as the title suggests.

[FallDaze]

At first sniffle I get a lot of amber. It smells like a potion being brewed outside on an autumn night, with the smells mixing with the cool and crisp autumn air. Pretty nice

 

At first it is pretty strong on me, and turns kinda icky, so I'm really hoping that it gets better, cause I REALLY want this one to work for me!

 

Well, I didn't really like it on me at all, but it started softening out, and I keep catching whiffs of some underlying scent that I can't quite place that is absolutely gorgeous and is starting to make itself known. Soft, loverly and haunting on me! Definitely a keeper!

[steelxrose]

I hadn't tried any of these notes before, so it was a real shot in the dark.

 

In the bottle, dead leaves. Very dark, almost forbidding.

 

Wet on skin, still very dark..almost nauseating ( ) I can't pick out any single note, it just smells like rotting leaves on me.

 

Drydown: Spicy, which was surprising considering I had to fight not to wash it off right away. A pleasant surprise.

 

I'm not sure if I'll keep this one yet. Have to decide if I can handle the drydown period before it starts to smell gorgeous on my skin.

[porcelina]

death of autumn is what i hoped october would smell like. in the bottle all i get is wet foilage but on me it's driving on a dark road through thick woods on a cool autumn night with the smell of burning leaves thick in the air. it's amazing.

[TheIceMaiden]

I was initially wary of trying this scent, but then I caved in and ordered it after the many mentions of the song "Black No. 1". What can I say, I love Type O Negative.

 

In the bottle and on my skin initially, this smells very green and BITTER. As I was debating scrubbing it off, the bitterness went away. The green notes faded out and yes, it DOES smell like burning leaves. The drydown was smokey leaves grounded with amber. MUCH better.

 

This is indeed the girl's perfume in "Black No. 1" and I loved it after that bitter stage went away. I have a feeling this will age beautifully as well. The Death of Autumn is a keeper!!

[AmyAngel]

I was hoping this would be a lovely Autumn scent on me, but no. It is vetiver, and STAYS vetiver. Vetiver always smells like BBQ smoke to me. There's something under that vaguel reminisecent of Devil's Night, but not as sweet or boozy. Unfortunately it is just barely there under the BBQ smell. This could have been wonderful if the vetiver had faded, but no such luck.

[zankoku_zen]

This is a very dark scent on me... at the beginning it smells like I've just crushed a plant open. Literally. Then I set it on fire. Dark, whispy smoke, the smell of dying plant material.

 

As a perfume, a total no go at this point.

 

As a scent experience, wow.

 

After a couple of hours, it eases up and the amber isn't so much resinous but more powdery and it becomes more 'perfumey'. But in general, it brought to mind man, smoke, dying leaves and other fall stuff.

[Miss Lynx]

This was the one I was most looking forward to of the Halloween scents this year, but I can't figure out whether I like it or not. It's definitely a very complex and interesting, multilayered shapeshifter of a scent, but not altogether pleasant.

 

On first contact it's kind of scary, and not in a good way. There's a dry mustiness to it that works very well for conjuring up dead leaves, with maybe a bit of decaying wood as well, but it's not a note I'd really want on me on purpose. It almost leans a bit towards the decay-note in Zombi, although thankfully nowhere near as severe. It also bears more than a passing resemblance to the singularly bitter and nasty sort of vetiver that's in Malediction. Did I mention that Zombi and Malediction are two of my all-time least favourite BPAl scents?

 

However, things change a lot as it settles in. The amber, saffron and clove, all notes I dearly love, start out fairly soft in the mix, just slightly mellowing the bitterness enough to make it nicer than it might otherwise have been. But after about 20-30 minutes, they rise up and become more dominant, and it morphs into this really nice dark smoky amber scent.

 

If only it would start out like that, this would be a bottle purchase for sure. But the initial stages of it are seriously un-fun, and I don't know if it's really worth suffering through them to get to the good part.

 

Grade: D initially, A eventually, averaging B/B- or so?

Edited October 22, 2007 by Miss Lynx

[Poenari]

Death of Autumn is the perfect fall scent. The ground is covered with fall leaves crunching underfoot and I can smell the smouldering fire from the pile of leaves already burning. There are decaying trees and branches nearby, and a slight chill to the air. I really love this! Must order a bottle before it's gone.

[euterpe414]

This scent is very, very dark and autumnal. It definitely reminds me more a falling leaves and fading greenery more than October. All of the notes seem to blend together very well, and the only one I definitely detect is the amber, as it holds the other notes together. I find The Death of Autumn to be very true to its description, and perfect for fall and also winter- it evokes chilling air, crumbling leaves, and fading sunlight. It's also definitely a unisex blend, and would probably smell wonderful on a man. This one's yet another great Halloween creation that I am happy to own.

 

[Sasha]

When I open the bottle, a swirl of black smoke wafts out, followed by dark, cold vetiver. This is not woodsmoke, it is the dark smoke of old, damp leaves burning.

 

When I first put this on, it smells like black smoke and cold, dark vetiver. The smoke fades away quickly. At this stage it reminds me of a dark, deep primeval forest with the scent of thick, damp, rotting leaves underfoot.

 

As it dries, it still smells cold but the smoke is gone. Now it is all dry leaves and spicy amber.

 

I am in love! This is absolutely amazing, dark, deep, woodsy and spicy. It is just what I was hoping for. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and this is it in a bottle!

[themerrybaker]

...Like aged warriors westward, tragic, thinned...

Maybe you have to be a skinny, aged, warrior to fully appreciate it but Death of Autumn is great on me. It starts out "dirty" like my pal Death Cap (what's in a name huh?). After about 4hr or so it loses the earthiness and reminds me of old prayerbooks and immortelles. Perfect for my favorite time of year.

[penemuel]

I like everything else in this blend, but... I didn't realize Khus = Vetiver.

 

 

I'm still waiting for the vetiver to calm down and not be Attack!Vetiver. There's definitely a sweet, dark undertone to the scent that would be fantastic -- if the vetiver would just mellow out.

 

Later: on the right wrist, the vetiver is finally fading and the dark sweetness is coming out. On the left? The whole thing went *poof*. I don't get it...

Edited October 26, 2007 by penemuel

[Nisaba]

I this. I can't pick out any one note, it's all just smoky dry leafy warmth. It's a smoky bonfire, burning leaves, the dry crackle of twigs underfoot as red leaves drift down around you as you walk towards the warming flames. Love. It.