Mort de Cesar

[jessu]

Conspiracy and murder in the Theatre of Pompey: balsam of Peru, bitter clove, motia attar, amber musk, opoponax, cypress, red wine grapes, tagetes, spikenard, and blood accord.

I have had some seriously good scent karma lately. I didn't order this scent because cypress terrifies me, but later reading reviews I did some serious self-kicking. I did manage to find a bottle after some very intense sales-watching

Helloooooooo clovey wonderfulness!!!! This goes on all clove spice, but the clove settles down after a few minutes. The blood accord, wine grapes, and musk come out to play, but they never overpower my beloved clove. No trace of the evil cypress!! It has sort of a solid quality that I usually associate with resins. Very grounded. My only gripe with this scent is that it doesn't last quite as long as I expected it to.

This is dark, dark, dark. Samhain and Count Dracula are favorites of mine, and this is def. part of that gang. Sort of my power trio of darkness.

[yeahbutnobut]

Mort de Cesar

 

In the bottle: mmm, rich clove incense and musk!

Wet on skin: whoa, I smell the spikenard straight away. A rich dark earthy musky incense, with clove.

Dry on skin: this is strong stuff! There’s a really strange, rather sour smell to it like sour camomile with sage and saffron, I’m not sure what that is (maybe the tagetes?). It reminds me of something I disliked in Delphi, but I find it more tolerable here. I also get a ‘savoury spice’ scent from this, rather like cumin or turmeric. I see why others say it reminds them of meat…I don’t get meat but it smells savoury and strange, I hope it tones down. I also smell the blood, which is a much rawer blood note than usual. It smells unusual, a bit sweaty (almost unwashed at times), feral and musky, unsettling…but also exotic. I also smell the earthy spikenard incense and the clove note, which adds a sweeter spiciness to the scent. I smell a soft amber-musk too which adds a smoothness to this dark scent, but no jasmine, opoponax or grapes.

After a while: the sour-savoury smell eventually goes, and what I am left with is so beautiful! it reminds me of a cross between the original Three Witches (that same creamy clove) and Diwali (floral sweet spicy incense) with a dark, metallic-fruity note of blood-tinged wine, and a beautiful amber glow. I love the amber musk in here. This now doesn’t smell uncomfortable or dirty, but cosy and spicy and enchanting.

Eventually this smells like a darker, less fruity Diwali, the clove note is so lovely here, so strong and not bitter at all, but sweet and smooth, and the amber musk is velvety and golden, and I just love the smoky-dirty-incensey note of the spikenard underneath it all. I don’t get much of the jasmine attar.

This then mellows into a comforting clove and amber musk scent with incense. Now it reminds me a bit of Longing and Morocco, maybe also Bastet, but more intense…almost masculine at times, but not too much. It smells strong and powerful and entrancing. And full of clovey goodness.

Verdict: at first, I really am not keen on this. There’s a spice note here, not sure what, that smells so pungent, so strong and a little bit off putting. Kind of like a dirty sour sweat smell mixed with a savoury spice-herbs. But underneath I smell the sweetness and warmth of the clove, the musk, the rich spikenard incense. thankfully that pungent scent does disappear quickly and the scent that remains is incredible. Sweet, velvety, rich and decadent, a scent of cloves and warm amber musk with incense and a hint of wine. I adore the clove note here and the amber musk is so gorgeous. It smells a tiny bit like a very good manly perfume, but a bit more unisex. It gets smoother and more delectable as the scent develops, that wonderful creamy clove and musk scent with a hint of incense smoke that has amazing throw and makes me want to sniff my wrist compulsively. I really love the drydown, despite that wet stage that I really don’t like, because of this I am unsure as to whether to keep my backup bottle, but I know that I’m keeping at least one bottle of this.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes! Not sure if I’ll keep two bottles, but certainly one.

If you like this, try: Diwali, Count Dracula, Lycaon, Dracul, Smiling Spider, I Married a Vampire from Planet X

Edited May 3, 2008 by yeahbutnobut

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Something like red wine and something bitter...

 

First on:

Wet, it's spicy red wine and cypress. Dark and full of ill intentions.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's all mulled wine on me.

 

Another 20 mins later, it's still all mulled wine. That's not a bad thing, not by any means, but I was rather hoping to get something else.

 

Finally:

Lovely to try, and very refined, dark and sophisticated. Swapping/selling, however.

[zankoku_zen]

This is a very clove and amber scent on me. Very rich, velvety and almost savoury but it has a sweetness to it. And yes, I can see people saying this is full of evil intentions.

 

This is not the type of scent I'm attracted to, but it would be dead sexy on the right guy. Not my guy, since he doesn't really do the spice thing. But it's an extremely sensual blend, very stirring to the senses.

 

Mmmm.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Mmm... this is a delicious clove touched with watery amber--amber always smells watery to my nose before it hits the skin.

 

Wet: I pout a little because this smells almost exactly like Lycaon. It's spicy and exotic, but in a manly sort of way. It's a very masculine scent. The amber blooms and goes a bit sour on my skin before settling down. The blood accord is peaking out with a tinge of metal.

 

Dry: OMG. This is Lycaon but BETTER. It still reminds me strongly of Lycaon, but it's wetter and more sensual than Lycaon. This is definitely a heavy, creepy scent and the blood accord is AMAZING. I'm a little creeped out that I'm so in love with smelling like viscera, but I don't care. This scent is amazing.

 

Throw: Really good. I put this on around 12-12:30 and it is still wafting off my arm in great clouds.

 

Overall: Blood accord. Seriously. Who would have thought it would be so amazing? This is definitely going to get serious attention after summer (or on cold days).

[anardana]

This definitely has similarities to Valentine of Rome. I LOVE VoR, and I love this. It's clove-licious, but nowhere near a single note clove- the other notes really make it interesting. I also agree that is is very dry- great for those who don't like sweet scents!

[naeelah]

This is so predominately clove-y that I have a hard time picking out the other notes. They are definitely in play, but they blend very well.

 

I think this is a lot like I wanted Count Dracula to be. Black musk and I don't get along that well, it turns out. I find the amber musk here much more agreeable. It smells a lot like you'd expect -- not dark, not bright, not feral, just...ambery -- although with everything blending together, from a distance, I think of red musk.

 

I almost never get a sense of grapes or cherries from this. (Grapes from the grape note, cherries from the blood.) There is a very faint sweetness that helps round out the scent, but I don't get a specific sense of fruit. I also never detect any vetiver (which I was afraid might be a component of the blood accord). The woods blend really well with the clove. I think this is my favorite use of cypress so far in BPAL, because I never sniff and think "oh, evergreens". The evergreen quality really complements the clove, so instead of smelling like pencil shavings, it's just wonderfully crisp and woody. Something in this provides an almost leathery quality.

 

This is, by far, a dark, bitter clove blend, rounded out by resins and woods. It's lighter than I expected, which is really nice. It's definitely unisex, but nowhere near as maculine as, say, Calico Jack, Count Dracula, or even Smiling Spider. I shy away from overly manly blends, but I find this one very wearable. It lasts forEVER too.

[forspecial_plate]

At first I wasn't sure about this one. I put it away for a couple months and now, I'm glad I have it! It's reminiscent of a couple other scents like Minotaur and even Tiki King, a little bit. But this scent definitely has its own personality separate from those others.

 

It's a deep scent that I would call masculine, with spices, musk, and a little wood. The throw is really strong for me and lasts a long time. When I first wore it, there was something almost powdery but thankfully that aspect has backed off since I received my bottle. Definitely a scent I'll be wearing again.

[QueenFae]

Very spicy, deep and complex. The clove is definitely on top, and gives this blend a very masculine feel to me. There is a dark, incensey undertone that nicely compliments the hint of wine grapes I can barely detect. This is a very brown/ dark red scent for me, and it would be very, very sexy on your favorite guy. This is very strong, as clove blends often are, and I would imagine it will last for a very long time on my skin.

 

Very rich and complex, not quite my thing, but great on a man.

[jentifer]

Definitely "balsam-y", with a hint of the clove. After a bit, the cypress comes onto the scene. It's lighter than I expected from a "death" scent. I think it may be the blood accord, which I tend to like anyway.

[theal8r]

in imp: warm, spicy and masculine -- sort of an elder uncle or grandpa smell.

 

wet: HOLY AMPING MEN'S COLOGNE! It isn't unpleasant, but I expected a deeper scent. This is really difficult for me to pick individual notes from.

 

dry down: 4 hours later and this is still going strong, but not amping from here to Tennessee anymore. The amber stood up and introduced herself, without going terribly powdery -- it lends a nice, incensey note to what otherwise has been a men's cologne smell. I don't get any grapes or anything remotely clove-like in this on me.

 

I wish I had a nice orange scent to layer on this, I think that would be divine.

 

Not for me, this little impy. Maybe the boy?

[Dark Alice]

Bitter clove with light red wine notes. That's it. That's all i get from my imp. I am so glad that I got to try it though, its nice to know that blood accord and wine can behave themselves on my skin.

 

This imp is definitely on its way to the swap pile!

[GingerGunlock]

In this blend, I can't really pick out individual notes. Amber, perhaps? Cypress? My lovely clove? I love this scent in the bottle, on my skin, in the drydown, in my clothes the next day. Mort de Cesar is what I wear in a variety of moods, often if I'm going for a "classy vintage" sort of look that day at work. It's got good throw without being the typical spicy blend that I sort of like, and it, ironically, is nearly a comfort scent. Political assassination with knives, comfort, sure, that makes sense. Right? I'm sorry that I can't really talk about the notes, but they really blend together so well it leaves me with more of an impression of the scent, rather than "ooh, clove!" or "grapes".

[Lamia]

I'd had such high hopes for this! I debated for about a year before buying one for myself, and tested it it Saturday. It started so well, thick and rich, and deliciously clovey in the bottle and on me.

 

Alas, it turned to a tobacco'ed hamster cage

[asciident]

Wet: Smoky resin.

 

First on: Incense and cinnamon.

 

Dry: Fading away already. Too bad, since I liked it.

[tragedy]

I was assuming this would be a masculine scent from the notes and that it would be yet another bpal I would have to pass on to my husband... and in the imp it smelled that way as well..

On skin it instantly turns to a type of incense I used to burn, it doesn't smell like the incense in the package, but being burned.

It also smells of crystallized amber resin which I used to crumble and wear on my skin.

Very strong! It has huge throw.

Nice... but a tad too incensey for either of us.

[djsiberia]

it reminds me of valentine of rome. only this is much better. it's mostly spicey cloves with wine.

 

[GeorgeJr]

In the bottle , the cloves aren't as noticeable . However , upon application , look out for cloves beating you up for your lunch money . I do really love this scent , as it does wind down a bit to be this wonderful smell almost like spiced wine . As other have said , the throw is quite strong . Try just a little at first before slathering . This is a great scent that captures the feel of it's name quite well . Maybe a bit more masculine , but that could just be me .

[edenssixthday]

Mort de Cesar - This one comes so close to being perfect on me...but misses the mark by a hair. It's dark and woody and sexy, full of bitter clove goodness, deep resins, and dark fruits. And then there's the blood accord, which just turns it all to hell. It's so close to being a GORGEOUS scent on me that I really, really wish that I could wear blends with blood accord in them. I think there are a lot of people who probably love this one, and even though it doesn't quite work on me, I'm surprised I don't see more ISO's for it.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Deep yellow oil. Balsam! And cypress. A bit of bitter clove, some resins and sort of pleasantly bitter herbs. Masculine and woodsy and spicy-resiny. STRONG.

 

Wet: Sweeter - definitely some grapes and some musk, too - it's more balanced, less EVERGREEN BRUTALITY. Actually, I can get the blood too - it reminds me of iron metal notes, or the note in the Blood Garden. The cypress is a little citrusy.

 

Dry: Muskkkkkkkk, delicious musk! The resins also come out in a really nice way. There's a bit of sourness though to this that I don't really like - maybe one of the herbs? The clove has amped on me as it often does. Still loving the balsam and blood accord, though!

 

Summary: Now it smells like rotting diapers. Powdery and sort of fishy and foul.

 

 

[ralenth]

Wet: Hot bitter herbal, with dark overtones.

Drydown: Spicy, earthiness following into the drydown, then a blast of something akin to sweat. Then, it shifts again to sweet, but bitter sweat.

Dry: Sweet, sour and hot all at the same time. I suppose I should have expected that this blend might be a bit jarring, but it does not work on me at all.

 

Overall: A little goes a long way here. I'm sad this one smells so off on my skin as it really appealed to the Classicist in me.

[aquazoo]

Creamy. Skin, honey and musky, really beautiful.

[cuervosueno]

Huh. I'm surprised this wasn't more popular, though I have to admit I didn't ever try to get it myself, though it has a number of things I like (all those spices).

 

But now I have an imp, and I like it. I guess three years later, the clove has died down some, as it is certainly not what I thought of when I smelled this. On me, this is a powdery, somewhat masculine blend, also somewhat herbal and astringent. I definately get the cypress and the balsam, and I was somewhat surprised there wasn't lavender in it--it has that kind of herbal astringency. I don't get the jasmine at all. There's something slightly musty in it after it's been on awhile, but that fades. And this LASTS! Still going strong, but softer, and more powdery, 12 hours later.

 

I like it but don't know that i need to find a bottle of it.

[500ml]

I skipped this back in 2008, apparently like so many did. The mention of the bitter clove turned me away and heck, I had enough other scents to order. A while ago I got a sniffie and I was sold. The cinnamon is gorgeous, never overpowering, but smells incredible. Slightly sweet and musky, this reminded me of a body lotion I bought several years ago and I loved that scent as well.

 

I tracked down a bottle and it arrived today, my new scented love <3

[LexieBlom]

My new favorite! I found a bottle on ebay, and picked it up on a whim. Man, am I glad I did! It's the perfect unisex scent, woody and spicy, yet somewhat sweet.

 

The throw, though, just blows me away. When I tested this, I went to eat Thai food with my SO about an hour later, and just sitting at the table I could smell MdC more than I could smell the food -- and it was ONLY on my wrists.

 

I absolutely adore this bottle, I might actually cry when it eventually runs out.

Edited September 22, 2015 by LexieBlom