Fascinum

[Altaira]

Golden amber, golden musk, litsea cubeba, cedar, and saffron.

This was a strong lemon with an herby background. I could not test for long because it made my wrist start to itch and burn very quickly.

[Aevie]

This smells like straight-up lemon on me for the first two hours, before mellowing down to a lemon-and-amber combo. I really like it, but it's a bit strong and sharp for me to wear on a regular basis.

[coulrophobe]

I'm one of the ones who amps litsea cubeba, apparently. In the imp, Lemon Pledge. Wet on my skin, Lemon Pledge. After 30 minutes or so it starts to settle down a bit, but the sharp lemony madness in the beginning is a bit alarming.

 

That said, it's not one I got for myself - I got this for a boy (I'm trying to convince him he should smell like something other than just "boy" once in a while - he seems to be humoring me in this endeavor). Maybe it will work better with his chemistry? If it's just as lemony to his nose, I can't really imagine him having the patience to wait for the dry-down, though.

[brittanywut]

In the imp: Immediately I smell a lemony musk.. the litsea cuebeba (had to look that up, lol) and golden musk stands out in the imp to my nose.

 

Wet: Amber starts to come through, warming it up. Musk is gone.

 

Dry: A very warm amber and citrus-y scent, with a barely detectable hint of cedar. It's quite nice, I think by the fall it'll be aged where it'd be great for chilly autumn days (if we even get any of those...) despite the lemon in it.

[PumpkinGuts]

I don't wanna say what this reminds me of while it's wet. Let's just say it lives up to its inspiration.

After letting it sit for a while, it ends up smelling a lot like LUSH's Sandstone soap. Pretty spot-on, actually. Zingy litsea cubeba and spicy saffron are the dominant notes. No pencils here! The wearlength is rather short.

[WidgetAlley]

Hell yeah phalluses!

 

Imp: Sweet, nose-tickling, slightly ashy and woody incense. Mm, lovely. Lots of amber and musk and cedar and just a leeeeettle saffron.

 

Wet: Oh, yum. A perfect balance of musk, amber, dry wood, and incense. Smells like a golden treasure chest or the inside of a magical wooden box or a hot wheat field in summer. Dry and sunny and absolutely lovely-- perfect for summer. It's a little bit sharp and powdery at the moment but it's also fresh, and amber has a tendency to get better on me as it ages. After a bit of quick Googling, I see that litsea cubeb is an Asian citrus; maybe that's what's making this smells so bright and happy!

 

Dry: This ends up a simple but beautiful golden incense on my skin. It's not harsh, overly resinous or woody, or overwhelming-- it's just liquid sunshine. I love it! I will certainly keep the imp and may invest in a bottle for summer. I'm so glad I like the penis perfume!

[Maleficium]

I generally despise lemon/citrus in all of its various forms but this one...does it for me somehow.

 

I was hesitant to try it out, due to the screaming sharpness in the bottle.

 

It is strong, but delicate. It's got a woody musk to it, which is probably why I like it so much despite its lemony essence.

 

"Smells like a golden treasure chest or the inside of a magical wooden box or a hot wheat field in summer." hahahah what she said!

 

Goodness, I might even entertain the possibility of buying a whole bottle.

[milo]

Something in here smells sweet and fruity, like peach. Along with it, is a strong, fake, musky cologne. This really doesn't work for me at all, and will be passing this one off.

[Opulence]

This was a free imp, and I had two very different experiences wearing this.

 

The first time, it was sophisticated and golden, with a strong note of lemon that made it more accessible. It was the scent of an elegant woman with strength, confidence, and ambition. It smelled appropriate for a 40 or 50 year-old, or a woman in her 30's who really has it together. However, it was too unisex for my personal tastes, perhaps because the wood notes were too strong for me. It also had a smokey edge to it that I don't care for--I'm not much of an incense type.

 

The second time I tried Fascinum was just a few days later. I was facing a very demanding workday, and thought this scent might make me feel more powerful! But all the depth I'd noticed previously had disappeared. This time, it smelled like lemon scented pledge. And it made my skin itchy.

 

I don't know what to make of the change, so I guess all I can do is put it out there for you to draw your own conclusions. The first time, I'd have highly recommended it to someone with different tastes than mine, but the second time I wouldn't have recommended it to anyone.

 

An upside is that if you do like the scent, it seems to have decent throw and good staying power.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Opulence

[JazzieCazzie]

Received this as lagniappe from a lovely forumite who saw it on my wish list.

 

Maybe I should have read the reviews in full instead of just the notes that appealed to me. Hey, I love amber, musk, cedar, saffron and incense. What could go wrong?

 

IN THE IMP: Resiny, round, rich with cedar lurking below. So far, so good, right?

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Oh. No. Just, no. The first note I get is SWEAT. Sweaty stinky icky. Not very pleasant. Then the Lemon Pledge amps up below it so it's industrial strength cleanser combined with old sweat. It is shockingly nasty on me.

 

OVERALL: Well, in a way I'm relieved since this is hard to find and if I'd liked it I'd just have yet another holy grail on my list.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

[LexieBlom]

Fascinum imp

 

Wet/Bottle - Amber and saffron, with a touch of pepper which is most likely the litsea cubeba. Very light, golden and airy.

 

Wet/Skin (5 minutes) - There's the cedar. Amber and saffron are still present, but the pepper is gone and there's still no sign of golden musk. The problem I have with cedar is it usually turns to Lemon Pledge on my skin, so fingers crossed that doesn't happen.

 

Dry/Skin (30 minutes) - Lemon...candy? Maybe it's the saffron, but it's taken the Cedar from Lemon Pledge to Lemon Candy scented candle.

 

Damn, cedar ruins another blend.

[Lucchesa]

Golden amber, golden musk, well-behaved cedar and rich saffron -- I love it. Of course I do, because it's discontinued. I only get a quiet citrusy feel from the cubeba, nothing like the blast of lemon in Crib Girls, which I tried this morning. This is beautifully blended, long-lasting, cozy and warm, a perfect everyday autumn blend. I'm going to find me a bottle.