A Countenance Forboding Evil

[Indigo78]

Patchouli, ylang ylang, blood orange, and vetiver.

In the Imp: There is something in the unapplied, unaltered, raw state of this one that tickles my gag reflex. Can that be Vetivert? I don't think so...but something is palying with the orange note and making it smell mouldy. I hesitate to apply, but perservere. Everything morphs at least a little...right?

Wet: More woodsy, a bit of Cedar. Cinnamon or perhaps Cassia note threatening to emerge, even though it isn't listed. I also smell the earth notes, and something about this reminds me of an old Virginia cabin.

Drydown: Different than any blend I've tried so far. Cautionary, dark...hmm. Difficult to describe, and blended expertly...the listed notes are indistinguishable. Keeping my imp close-at-hand. Edited June 18, 2008 by Shollin

[jiggahava]

Smells like mulch. and I don't want to smell like this. This scent manages to be both dirty/woodsy and citrus-y at the same time. I think I'm smelling cedar, which always smells like pencil shavings to me-- but I'm totally wrong! It's the patchouli and vetiver togeather that are playing tricks on my nose. The citrus smells all wrong with it...it just doesn't blend well on me at all. I'm swapping it.

[Iceblink]

The patchouli and vetiver together make this smell really...dirty. Unclean. I smell the blood orange and ylang ylang too but the patch and vetiver are stomping them waaaaaaaaaaay down in the blend. This is way too earthy for me.

[tinyvulture]

A dark, truly forboding blend of powerful vetiver and head shop patchouli. I don’t smell the ylang ylang or orange. Strangely, I smell something minty and medicinal when first applied. It may just be a facet of the patchouli, which seems more sharp and bitter than usual. I love both of these notes so of course I’m a fan of this combination.

 

Oh, and it reminds me of one of the Dark Candles scents, probably Crypt Moss or Graveyard, I can’t remember which. It’ll be perfect for Halloween.

[suki]

in the imp: patchouli, ylang ylang and vetiver: rather true to it's description.

 

wet on skin: those three are all still present, though the vetiver and patchouli seem to be duking it out for top dog...er, note

 

dry down: patchouli wins!

 

in all: this patchouli-heavy blend is good for those that like this essence. there is a touch of sweetness to temper it, making it wearable for lots of daily use and something i'd personally wear in all seasons.

 

 

[ErinZ]

Aaaaaack! The vetiver.... it's tryin' to kill me!

 

Wet in the imp, all I can smell is the patchouli and vetiver. Once on my skin, even the patchouli disappears and it smells like straight vetiver.

 

(disclaimer: I'm not a vetiver or patchouli fan, so this may not be as unpleasant to others as it is to me)

[taramarie]

In the imp, A Countenance Forboding Evil is just patchouli. On me, it's patchouli and vetiver. This is definitely not me, so I'll pass it along.

[carbide]

Immediately, I'm getting screaming, gritty patchouli. Single-note, doused-without-regard-for-human-life kind of patchouli. I'm good with vetiver and orange, though, so I apply it, optimistically.

 

The vetiver never appears, which is a first. Orange turns up, but only to add a slightly rancid edge to the patchouli, kind of like it's masking an unwashed smell. I have no idea where ylang ylang was, but it hasn't really had a chance.

 

Sadly, this is a miss, but it was interesting to see what patchouli must smell like to people who hate it. It's normally fine as a supporting role for me, but as astonishingly loud as here, it's not so good.

[crebbsgirl]

In the bottle: Hellooooooooo vetiver! And patchouli, thanks for smacking me in the face! I love you too.

 

On the skin: Almost immediately I am reminded of Voodoo. The patchouli/vetiver combo here is very reminiscent of that blend. On the dry-down, they both mellow out and I can detect the blood orange making it's sweet appearance. This is a very bold blend. A little too loud for my taste.

[angelicruin]

Imp: Musky orange

 

Wet: Orange and patchouli notes dominate

 

Dry: mostly patchouli and vetiver. Not a good combination on me.

[stillalive]

It doesn't smell evil at all to me... mostly I just smell the patchouli and vetiver (neither of which works on me, of course) and it's not really something I want my boyfriend/fiance to smell like... so I'm not sure what to do with it. It's a little spicy, but not in an exotic way; it reminds me a little of earl grey tea, actually.

 

not so much for me or my boy, but I could see it working well on someone else.

[Jia_Mekare]

I had to get an imp of this for two reasons: One, I wanted to see what vetiver did on me, and two, how could anyone not want something called "A countenance forboding EEEVIL?

 

In the imp: Hi patchouli!

 

Wet: Patchouli and incense, with a slight hint of sweetness. VERY slight.

 

Dry: I used to have an incense called Oakmoss and Vetiver, and that is exactly what this smells like on me. And Whooboy, is it lasting. This stayed strong from the minute I put it on until about 5:30 today when I developed a raging headache (Hopefully not from this) and I had to take it off. Or try, anyway. It's 8:17 and I can still smell its ghost.

 

Overall, it's an interesting scent, but way too strong for everyday wear for me. It might be worth trying in an oil burner, though.

[steffanina]

A Countenance Foreboding Evil-

 

In Bottle: Bone-dry vetiver and orange.

 

Wet: The orange is prominent; the dryness of the vetiver makes it smell like a dried orange. Pleasant!

 

Dry: Vetiver overtakes. Dry dry dry. Vetiver lovers will dance.

 

Overall: A very nice vetiver scent.

[lioness]

in the imp it smells like nail polish...

 

on my skin, it turned into cedar chips I like patchouli, I think I like YlangYlang, and orange is nice. But never tried Vetiver before..

 

I'm sad this didn't turn out well, though I didn't give it enough time before washing it off, I think I'll try it again when I don't have a headache.

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp: smells like fingernail polish remover- I smell acetone.

 

Wet: Patchouli primarily.

 

Dry: Dreaded Hamster Cage odor. Bleccch.

[jade_starlight]

This smells mainly dark and chemically to me. I think it's in large part due to the blood orange, which makes it smell vaguely of Pledge surrounded by hamster cage. Off to the swaps.

[auburnette]

A Countenance Foreboding Evil

 

Wet, in imp: vetiver?

Wet, on skin: more vetiver?

Dry, on skin: warming up now into quite a pretty woodsy scent. I'm writing this without looking at the notes.

 

This is nice, but I've not really found a woodsy scent that appeals to me yet. I think I prefer the idea of cold woods rather than warm woods, and this is definitely warm; fragrant wood (thankfully not pencil shavings like Magus), but not my cup of tea. Frimping along with Magus as this is a similar sort of scent to my nose.

[tacey]

Um, no. This doesn't work on me at all. I'm assuming that's the vetiver taking over? Never met Mr Vetiver before, but it's quite unpleasant. To the swaps with ye!

[waternight]

I am greatly afeared of vetiver, and a lot of the reviews for this one make me think that this will be All Vetiver, All The Time, so I approached this one with trepidation.

 

In the imp: Patchouli and vetiver for sure - a slap of dark earthiness, though a hint of orange peeks through.

Wet: The orange sits high on the blend when first applied - a very fresh, juicy orange. It cuts the dry earthiness of the patchouli and vetiver and sweetens up the blend. The vetiver, to my surprise, is behaving nicely. The patchouli in this is much more herbal, much less "dirty hippy". At this stage, the blend is dry herbs with a squirt of orange juice. The orange fades quickly though, and the vetiver gets a bit stronger. It never takes over though, and I never wrinkle my nose at it. It's behaving in a miraculous manner. I never get any ylang ylang.

Dry: This stays a dry herbal blend, not heavy or overpowering as vetiver has a tendency to do. Rather, this is warm, dry and pleasant. A surprise hit for me.

[cymbeline]

Swap test!

 

Smell alike: Gasoil and alcohol!

 

Color impression: Sticky black

 

On me: Agrh!!! Vade retro!!!!! Something in this one *deeply* hates me… I suspect patchouli

 

Wearing: To this day the worst bpal scent I ever smelled

[rayvn1]

Mmm, vetivery goodness. That's all this is at first, but it eventually fades to a light manly smell with hints of cedar. Nice - but not much throw or staying power.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Strong patchouli and vetiver almost as strong.

 

Wet: Eeuw, vetiver! Sharp and dirty.

 

Twenty minutes: The vetiver has turned to nasty black leather now, and the patchouli smells dirty. This is the blackest smelling scent I think I have tried so far. Where is the fruit or floral?

 

One hour: It's a lot better balanced now that the vetiver has died back. It still smells dirty, but not so black any more. I can make out a trace of something sweeter than patchouli now, also.

 

Two hours: Wow, now it smells really enticing. I could sniff this for hours, trying to figure out what it is that makes it smell that way. There's something almost medicinal about it, but it doesn't smell sharp, or bitter, or sour. I can't put my finger on it, it's almost like thyme.

 

Three hours: Patchouli and I swear it smells like thyme. I really like this; it's just a question of whether I want to try to live through that first hour of vetiver or not.

 

Four hours: Light patchouli/herb. There's never been any citrus or floral in this. Weird. But at least I can add it to the small group of things with vetiver that I can conquer enough to wear.

 

Five hours: Now it kind of smells amusing, like mentholated patchouli.

[zankoku_zen]

The orange never stood a chance. This was citrusy vetiver and dirty patchouli ---- which just ended up smelling like citrus dirt with a hint of bacon smoke.

 

Yeah, my skin doesn't do pretty things with vetiver.

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: Woah, dirt!

 

Wet: Some kind of juicy soda pop spilled in the dirt. Tang mixed with mud. Hmm.

 

Drydown: So much dirt. The blood orange note reminds me of vitamin C tablets. This was very strong at first and seems to be getting more subtle. I really don't get any sense of evil from this, which is a shame. What a great name. But it does make me think of my grandpas old shed that was full of antiques and decaying organic matter.

[mgrazulis]

In the vial: vetiver and more aromatic grasses, slightly camphorous, yet pleasing

 

Wet: definitely vetiver, still alone

 

Dry: hints of cedar, warmed woods among the vetiver which has a singed edge

 

Interesting indeed...I may revisit again at a later time. A fairly new imp from the lab. Back in the imp box to age.