Looking for a mahogany - scent

[Lupelele]

hi all,

you might already suggest by reading the topic title that my search is a bit complicated...

i´m searching for something that is pretty hard to describe:

 

a BPAL scent that evokes the smell (or how i imagine it) of dark polished mahogany.

it should have depth, but a rich, sweet (not cloying) edge.

like a good aged red wine, nothing sour, just a feeling of something very precious.

 

oh well, maybe i´m asking too much & you have no clue what i´m talking about but i cannot put it better.

...i´d be very happy if you could recommend me a blend that comes near to the picture/the smell i have on my mind.

 

lupelele

[portalkat]

Have you tried the Forbidding Foyer from this year's Halloween offerings? Here is the description:

 

*THE FORBIDDING FOYER

Thick shadows hang heavy across fungus-smeared, dilapidated wainscoting, cobwebs hang like fine lace across sagging mouldings, rats scuttle past gaping doorways. The faint scent of brimstone, ghostly breath laced with cognac, neglected mahogany panels, and rot.*

 

I found it to be mainly the cognac and mahogany.

[elphaba]

Your description immediately brought to mind The Red Queen for me.

 

"Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant."

[pugmom]

I thought red queen also - although I get a heck of a lot of cherry early on, it turns to more woods quickly.

[sarada]

Definitely the Forbidding Foyer! Especially after it dries. It might be a little strong in the bottle. The Red Queen also is very strong in the middle (almost turpentine-like to me) but mellows into something entirely different. Those two recommendations are excellent!

 

If you like something that has a dark, polished wood sense to it but with a bit of sweetness, that is how I perceive vetiver. Scents that are woody with vetiver in them might give you that impression as well.

[portalkat]

Actually, I agree with the suggestions of Red Queen as well. I love dark woods and it is one of my favorites in that category.

[4492]

I'd recommend Crowley from the Good Omens section. I've not tried Red Queen or Forbidding Foyer though!

 

Crowley is listed as "Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk."

 

I get a fair amount of vanilla from it, but it always brings to mind the colour of our family bookcase (Mahogany!) However, it's quite a masculine scent. Whilst it works well on me it may be different for you.

[ivyandpeony]

I immediately thought of the King of Hearts - the description reads "rosewood and black cherry with white musk, red rose, red musk and a spark of lavender" but I got tons of wood with deep fruity notes from it. Much more woody and less sweet-fruity than The Red Queen, to my nose (and on my skin). But you should try both of those!

[Lupelele]

thank you for your recommendations

i´m already searching for a decant of the forbidding foyer on the sales/search forum. this one sounds wonderful.up to now i had completely overlooked the haunted house scents - shame on me

 

the red queen seems like a must-try, too, though i´m a bit worried about the cherries being too heavy - but i should definitely give it a try, though!

 

i put crowely on my list, too, hopefully i won´t get too much lemon. my skin amps up fruits & most flowers & that isn´t always a pleasure...masculine scents don´t scare me at all. not every one of them works for me (e.g. i loathe the "aftershave" note some of them have), but i already have some masculine/unisex non-BPAL scents in my collection that i adore.

 

ivyandpeony, the king might work better on me than the queen, less sweet sounds better too me (i like sweet, but i´m picky when it comes to sweet scents ).

 

sarada, though i like vetiver in some blends (sometimes it can have an almost chocolate-y - not foody but dark - smell which i love), cedar (or even rosewood) evoke for me the smell of mahogany. both notes don´t always work for me, but i think of them as having some "bite" without being too heavy or dark.

Edited October 16, 2007 by Lupelele

[sarada]

Oh thank goodness someone else understands the non-foody chocolate vibe I get from vetiver! I have been trying to explain that one for years!

 

My favorite cedar blend is Lear btw, if you do like cedar...Alecto as well, though neither of those matches the deep dark stained glossy mahogany you described, they are a bit more of a greenish wood.

[portalkat]

You also might want to try Magus in the Bewitching Brews category. The galangal and frankincense give a sort of sweet top note to the woods. It's another of my favorite wood blends.

[Lupelele]

Oh thank goodness someone else understands the non-foody chocolate vibe I get from vetiver! I have been trying to explain that one for years!

 

yeah, i absolutely get that chocolate vibe as well

 

i added your cedar suggestions to my looooong wish list!

by the way, you like the lurid library, don´t you (i read your review)?

it sounds like it´s right up my alley, though it doesn´t seem to be mahogany-like.

[kenjari]

How about Pulcinella & Teresina from the Carnaval Diabolique? It's quite woody, and, at least on me, the rose is very much in the background. It's kind of similar to The Red Queen, but a little drier and darker.

-Carol

[Koukla]

Monsterbait: Ventriloquist Dummy was also mostly wood on a lot of people, including me. The description doesn't specifically list which woods ("Savage apricot, depraved dry woods, and psychopathic patchouli covered by a disarmingly sweet mishmosh of caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut, and butterscotch") but many people got a cedar vibe from it, and I thought I got some Mahogany from the wood notes as well. You might like it.

[Lupelele]

i added both monsterbait: ventriloquist dummy & pulcinella & teresina to my list & i already found a decant of the latter.

 

kenjari, i really hope pulcinella & teresina will work as good as it does for you & i wo´t get a lot of rose from this one!

 

proginoskes, i nver paid much attention to monsterbait: ventriloquist dummy, but the notes seem to be very intertesting, indeed. time to find a decant of that one as well...

Edited October 18, 2007 by Lupelele

[flyingpizza]

Typhon!

[Ishtar]

I would also recommend Intrigue. Once the top notes dissipate, it is all mysterious, dark polished wood with a sweet undertone... wonderful!