Faustus

[twilighteyes]

An infusion of incalculable power and irresistible temptation. Truly an exercise in megalomania and self-gratification: frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet.

In bottle:
Soapy violet. ack.

Wet on skin:
Skin immediately warmed up. Still soapy violet.

Dry on skin:
Now the cinnamon is coming out a little bit, layered under the frankincense. Still a lot of violet but much much nicer now. Soap is gone. Now it's spicy but still too floral for me.

[Reaver]

Faustus

Sin and Salvation

Dark, makes my entire world collapse for a few moments. The violet tries to come to the front while drying, but the frankincense kicks it back smoothly. A devil-tongued demon tempting you. Slightly medicinal, a clinical cover-up for explicit needs.

It’s one out there on it’s own, and likes it that way.

 

Conclusion: Sechs now please.

 

10/10. Bottle please.

 

FYI: The stickiest oil yet. Almost makes it even more foul but sexual.

[megank4]

Frankincense: No

Cinnamon: Maybe

Violet: Maybe

 

Two maybes and a no do not a love make.

Reminds me of something with vetiver in it, perhaps Highwayman or Azathoth.

[kizery]

In the bottle, this smells like cinnamon syrup with something smoky – frankincense, maybe? I’m not sure I’ve ever smelled frankincense before so this will be a first. Wet: Strong, dark smell of cinnamon and what is probably frankincense. Not sure I can detect the violet. This is a “dark” scent that might work on me because it doesn’t have strong musk or vetiver. Having smelled cinnamon in conjunction with soft roses in Harlot, this is a more sinister take on my favorite spice . During dry-down, I think the frankincense is strengthening, but I’m not sure. Still can’t smell violets. I’m surprised that I like this perfume, because I’d been beginning to think that only soft, light, girly-girl florals work on me. Maybe Faustus will disprove that! About 15 minutes after applying, I can smell the violet; it now dominates over a pleasant undercurrent of spice. I’ll add more when I’ve worn it for a longer length of time, but I think I can happily say that I’ve found darkly-themed blend that finally works for me!

[whisperingmachines]

This SEEMED like it would work on me- but it does the same really weird peanut-y smell thing that Smut did on me

Edited March 26, 2008 by whisperingmachines

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Very sweet, floral incense-resiny. Frankincense overload.

[Browneyes]

Very resinous in the imp, sweet and smoky on the skin. It's mostly frankincense to me. The floral (violet) and spice (cinnamon) only underscore the frankincense from time to time, flitting in and out of that sweet smoky haze. Those subtle hints makes this smell like a cunning smile in a sacred setting.

It's very transclucent but dark, and grey-brown-purple in "colour". Probably won't use it, but it was interesting to try, and I generally like this type of scent.

[Iceblink]

Masculine cinnamon. I suspect the frankincense is what's making this feel so manly. Where's the violet? I like the cinnamon note but the overall effect is just too aftershavey.

[Suu4LC]

Gahhh, this smells SO smoky in the imp! I don't get cinnamon at all, and only the tiniest hint of violet under the strong smoky frankincense. I like frankincense, but this is definitely too overpowering, at least in the imp. Hopefully the other notes will come out on my skin.

 

Ok, I do get the other notes on my skin. It's a very deep violet, with splashes of cinnamon and loads and loads of frankincense. This is a bit masculine for my tastes. But still almost too feminine for a man. Hmm. Let's see how it is on drydown.

 

Ok, this is far better on drydown that it smells in the imp. I kind of lose the violet, but the cinnamon really jumps to the front and it's a very solid, rich cinnamon on me. But for some reason, combined with the smokiness of the frankincense, this becomes almost a woody smell on me. So odd. This isn't bad, but it's not for me.

[Tilby]

I don't really get the cinnamon from this one, and the smoked out frankincense is burning out any hint of violet I might have gotten. It is very masculine, and while I do like it I cannot imagine being able to wear it. I do find myself sniffing the imp often so I will keep it for when I'm feeling like wearing leather and being tough.

[nellieburger]

In the imp: Now THAT'S a wake-up call for my nose!!! The frankincense definitely dominates. The violet is attempting to creep along-side of it. It's spicy!!!

 

Wet: The frankincense is playing with the violet much more nicely now.

 

Dry: This scent fades VERY quickly, and I'm having a difficult time detecting it anymore - even after dragging my nose across the back of my hand!!!

 

I bought an imp of this scent hoping to get a waft of some cinnamon, but no such luck. As a fragrance this doesn't do much of anything for me, but it has some aromatherapy potential - especially if I'm in need of revival!!!

Edited August 22, 2008 by nellieburger

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, I have no idea what happened here. In the bottle the violet is predominant, adding a sharpness to the cinnamon and frankincense. On my skin... play-doh.

[ReikoSazanami]

In imp: Evil flowers! Those are violets, but there is something rather off about them.

 

Wet on skin: There’s something between headshop and malignant sharpness in this, though the notes are hard to nail down. The violet is fighting with the frankincense for domination…where did cinnamon go? And what is with the powder?

 

Drydown: It’s gone from menacing dark florals and burning incense to…powder room. I blame the violets, they amped up and blocked out everything else. On me, this has turned sickly-sweet with a dark undercurrent.

 

Overall: I love how it smells in the imp and possibly in my hair, but my skin chemistry grabbed onto the violets and wouldn’t let go. Florals aren’t my thing, so I may have to skip out on Faustus for now despite my love of its namesake. Powder room just doesn’t fit well with dealing with demons.

[tacey]

Not quite what I'd hoped for, but an evocative blend, somehow.

 

Started off with the violets, which somehow suggest a sense of loss and emptiness. I'm not sure where that's coming from, but it makes perfect sense with the character of Faustus, anyway. Changed to all frankincense later, and the cinnamon never appeared for me.

 

I might try this one again, but right now it's not really speaking to me.

[Electric Maenad]

W00t!

 

This smells almost exactly like TAL White Light! A little less complex maybe, but the resemblance is uncanny, and I White Light, so this is a Very Good Thing.

[smokey188]

hmm i was a little worried about this one because of the cinnamon but no cinnamon burn in sight or smell. this was straight frankencense and voilet on me. It was a beautiful sweet incensey smell that worked beautifully with my skin chemistry and my body shop rich plum body butter.

[Magpie]

In imp: OK, I can't smell cinnamon, frankincense or violet in this. It's just kind of woody weird.

On wet: Mmmm, violet but with an almost foody note in it. Kind of reminds me of a hippy headshop.

Drying: This is a slightly cinnamonny violet soap with a touch of grainy incense that grates at the back of the throat.

Dry: This has dried to be a slightly darker, more complex scent, but still dominated by violet. Basically, I wore this about all day and man, does it last. It's kind of a dark violet with a hint of spiciness or foodiness, which isn't what I was hoping for but is pretty damn nice as a violet scent, of which I have none. Certainly, it's likely to be the violet scent I'm most likely to accept, as I'm really not a fan of the whole candied violets smell, delicious as they are.

 

It actually fits with the theme of the scent strangely well, though I wouldn't call this a masculine scent at all. Megalomania? Perhaps. Self-gratification? Definitely! I was hoping for a scent dominated by frankincense and cinnamon (which would be wonderful for me!) but it's a good strong scent. Not a regular, but I probably won't be swapping it unless I can give it a very good home. Of course, according to some, this may be very different on a man, so I might try and bribe the bf into trying a girly flowery scent.

[CrazyPretzel]

Strange - this is a sharp, slightly bitter scent on me. I don't get any of the sweet incense that I usually wind up with from frankincense. Dark, twisted violets for the most part.

[milo]

This is a very nice, cozy scent. At first I thought that it was too masculine, but it dried into a warm, floral cinnamon. I like this very much, and I foresee a bottle in the future after my imp runs out.

[tajana]

It didn't smell like anything special in the imp, but I decided to put it on anyway because I love violets and enjoy cinnamon. For the first few minutes, it was pure frankincense. Frankincense can be good in a blend, but it was straight-up churchy here. I never got any cinnamon out of this, and the violets were almost completely smothered by the frankincense. Smoky and nice, but it's practically a single note on me. I'll pass on this one. If the violet and cinnamon hadn't been lost in the haze, this could have been really nice.

[serafina pekkala]

The combination of violets and cinnamon is delightful at first, so original! And not at all masculine. The vetiver(?)-tinged frankincense that appears after, unfortunately, is.

[RedRoseMaze]

In the bottle: What I smell is mostly frankincense, with a little bit of violet, and a drop of cinnamon.

Wet: My skin has just been attacked by frankincense in big quantities… And some dark violets are pushing from underneath.

Dry: It settled down to a mix of cinnamon and violet. It’s spicy, and a little bittersweet.

Verdict: I have to admit spicy cinnamon is very sensual and playful; but man, do I dislike frankincense on me… Also, it’s quite different from my usual feminine perfume oils, but it certainly is empowering and self-gratifying! It’s somewhat masculine, but I think it would fit better on a young man, filled with sexual energy; or as a neutral scent for a woman with an aura of power. When my mother smelled this on me, last December, she asked me where she could buy “a gallon of that stuff”, so I know to whom I can give my sample.

[rayvn1]

Argh. Turns to powder. It takes about an hour to do it, but goes to heavy powder where before it was a dark and dusty blend. Not great on me even before the morph.

[awesomeoverlord]

Megalomania is right -- on me, this is basically frankincense and cinnamon engaged in a fierce battle for world domination. Not sure what happened to poor violet...I don't think she ever made it out of the imp. Not bad, but not me either.

[catattack]

Imp: smells shiny and earthy at the same time.

Wet: woods

Drydown: Woods and something sweet. Although it seems like a contradiction, there is something "sparkly" about this scent. After several minutes, a floral note appears. It's got to be the violet because it's a "nice" floral. Not sharp like many florals are on my skin.

Further drydown: This has turned into a sweet resin scent. Some scents with frankincense can become too sharp and head-achy on my skin, but this is a great blend. Not too masculine. Love the way it smells on me.