Sir Hugh Ockram's Winding Sheet

[Josh]

No single thing holds secrets so well as one's shroud.
Rotting linen, white sandalwood, hyssop, and dust.

At first this goes on as a super decayed/antique perfume that smells confusing and mysterious. I can't pick out individual notes here at all, but I definitely get the rotting linen reference. It is really old and ghostlike smelling to me, dusty, old perfume, expensive linens, dim hallways. Very stately.

After the first hour the perfume-y element fades drastically and the rotting linen note is exactly what I hoped it would be. This is a very comfortable scent to me and one I'll definitely use as a room scent.

[sarada]

One of my favorite notes/concepts that has come about in the past year or so of BPALdom is the 'rot' smell. Forbidding Foyer is one of the most unique and wonderful things ever, for example, and lovely lush rot has cropped up in Worm Moon and some others as well.

 

The Winding Sheet is less rotty, but there is still that hint of lovely subterranean dankness, beneath the scent of perfumed dusty linen. White sandalwood is a very musty, dusty smell to me, wood bleached by sunlight through a dusty windowpane in the attic. That clean, bleached whiteness has moved into the shade, for this scent, layered by a powdery dust.

 

With time I get a stronger sense of the wood beneath, and the basement-like musty notes just add a hint of strength and pungent staying power to the blend. It moves quickly through these stages on me, into the mellow dusty wood (with a dab of sour darkness) that I like, but I imagine it would be slightly more of a perfumed linen scent if I had it in a locket.

[alicia_stardust]

This starts out as a dusty, dry sandalwood and linen. It's almost sharp to the nose, but only until the oil dries. Then it gains a touch of mustiness before it sort of lightens into a more ethereal and sweet linen-like scent. That is most likely the hyssop's contribution.

 

I find this blend both beautiful and creepy. It stuck around for quite a while and once it settled it seemed to stay true with no further morphing. I don't get any sort of sharpness or laundry-like reminders in this at all. It's really nuanced and evocative in terms of all the subtleties of the linen sheet, woods, floral, and the creepy story behind Sir Hugh Ockram.

[neuilly]

Bottle!!

 

I only got a sniffie, just enough to get a bit of oil on my skin, and man do I wish I'd gone ahead and bought the whole bottle!

 

I don't get much rot from it but there is a bit of dampness which I like. It's a light linen scent - with that dash of moisture. It's ethereal yet comforting and actually rather hard to describe. I'm just so happy I got to try it and find out how much I love it! I don't have any scents like this so I'm going to have to stock up!

[savage_rose]

This is really light and nice! Not at all what I was expecting. It starts out a bit darker (something smelled faintly of grape to me ), and it's like linen that's a bit "off", clean but with something dusty. And then that herbal grapiness (hyssop?). And then it dries to this light, breezy fragrance that's clean without being too squeaky about it. It just smells fresh and a bit herbal. Really nice!

 

ETA: 5 minutes later I can smell a hint of that grapiness again. I'm not sure where that's coming from, but I like it a lot! Mmmm.

Edited June 24, 2008 by savage_rose

[slave1]

SIR HUGH OCKRAM'S WINDING SHEET

 

In Bottle: Light wood

 

On Skin: This is a very gentle scent… all of it’s notes so subtle. The sandalwood is dominant, a clean note very white in tone. The linen is next, also white… but tarnished, and yes, starting to rot. I am amazed how “rot” is so perfectly captured here. It’s a bit of a wonky smell, not sure it’s one I’d like to smell like, but this scent for me is about the experience. Another mood evoking scent… The dust is very powdery and makes me almost sneeze, while the hyssop is very bright and sharp. The throw is extremely minimal… you have to lean in close to smell this. It also has a short wearlength.

[filigree_shadow]

Very sweet and dry linen with a soft floral note over the top. This actually smells more clean to me than rotting. Is the "rotting" part supposed to smell a little bit like dandelions? That's kinda what it smells like to me. Or is that the hyssop? (I don't know what hyssop smells like, to be honest.)

 

It's a soft, dry scent, but it doesn't smell like a dry wood scent to me. Definitely "linen." Unexpectedly pretty. I like this one.

 

This whole Wunderkammer is really impressing the hell out of me. I've liked every single one I've tried so far.

[Dark Alice]

Today is a two for two failure for the perfumes that I thought I would love!!!! Sandalwood and dust! That's what I get from Sir Hugh Ockram and then it blends into a dusty soap on my skin!!! Grrr! I so wanted this one to work!

[Blood onmy hands]

I like the sandalwood in this at first, but not much else about this blend. It smells powdery, but not baby powdery - a nice, dry, soft, wood sort of smell. I'm not sure about the rot or rotting linen. A few of the haunted house themed blends smelled sort of dank and rotten to me. With this, I get maybe a hint of dank, molding fabric that reminds me of moldy curtains I once came across. In the drydown, I get a weird, moldy-damp smell mixed with the dry dustiness over the base of grounding sandalwood. However, the longer it's on my skin, the more it starts to give me an impression of baby powder and dust. It's dry and strange on me, and I probably wouldn't wear it again.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is perfumey sandalwood...

 

once applied the heavy perfume notes amp up immediately and take 30 minutes

to settle down ...

 

there is definitely a dusty note to this as time goes by and the lovely sandalwood

peeks through now and again...

 

while this is potent, it is by far the best perfumey blend the lab has to date

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Almost fruity herbal.

 

On Application

Aromatic herbal (the hyssop) and sandalwood.

 

Dry Down

This becomes drier and dustier as it dries down. Like most of act V this is complex and unusual. I'm not sure I would wear it but it is lovely.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

[edenssixthday]

Sir Hugh Ockram's Winding Sheet - This opens up a bit dusty-smelling, but soon the scent of linen and light hyssop are noticeable. There's just a touch of white sandalwood, too. It's surprisingly pretty, nothing like I had expected. It has a low level of throw and wear length.

[zankoku_zen]

I'm beginning to think that the BPAL linen note likes me. Alot. Because I get a very strong linen note, and then an almost spicy/woody kind of whiff to it. But yeah, smells like linens. Woo.

[tinyvulture]

this does indeed smell like dusty linens. not the #1 thing you want to smell like if your allergies are bothering you in the morning! but i do give points for originality and realism. others mentioned a damp, musty note, but on me it’s actually extremely dry, thanks to the dry woodsy spice of the sandalwood. feeling sneezy now – time to wash it off!

[Czarina]

In the bottle: hyssop.

Wet: hyssop, sandalwood, dust.

Drydown: the linen scent emerges.

 

I can't smell the "rot" note at all yet. Stay tuned and I'll see if it morphs through the hours.

 

This is a fine scent but reminds me a lot of its brother, The Contract of Theophilus of Adana (but less sweet).

[grashopper8]

In contrast to the description, this smells fresh and clean on me!

 

It's a lovely, soft, soapy scent, along the lines of Wensleydale and Dirty.

 

Quite nice, I'm a fan!

 

4.4 out of 5

[voodoocatwoman]

I wasn't too sure about this one and I am certainly glad I tried it anyway... because I like it muchly.

 

It starts out almost a sickly sweet and dries to a soft sandalwood, which I adore. The linen smells old and dusty but is lovely.

 

Very nice.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Smells surprisingly like berries. I’m guessing that’s the hyssop. It’s very sweet and shampoolike. The linen/dust is indescribable, but interesting. Wet: very berry/herbal shampoo. It’s pleasant enough, but nothing special. Dry: Sweet, dry, floral/berry scent.

[yeahbutnobut]

Sir Hugh Ockram’s Winding Sheet

 

In the imp: I can smell something green and herbal which must be the hyssop, and sandalwood.

Wet on skin: now I smell clean linen and dust.

Dry on skin: a clean, lightly floral-white musky scent of clean white linen. And yet, this clean smell is very old-smelling too. Like linen that’s been clean, but also dust-covered and eaten by moths. It smells aged, yet also fresh. Interesting contradictions here. I also smell the dust note which is so realistic, I’m surprised I’m not sneezing yet. The sandalwood enhances the dryness of the scent and the hyssop adds a hint of dry herbal to it all. The linen reminds me of Dirty, and I’d be inclined to call this one Dusty because of it’s old dust-covered feel.

After a while: there’s a moment when this veers dangerously close to smelling weird, developing a sourness which is a bit funky on me. but then the scent turns into a really lovely sandalwood-linen-floral scent which, unsurprisingly, reminds me strongly of Shroud. The linen note here is much more pronounced whilst in Shroud it was just hinted at, and Shroud had a smoky note which this lacks. But the sandalwood is lovely now, a little bit spicy as well.

Verdict: an intriguing scent. it smells of laundered linen, but with a coating of dust. Like a decades-old tablecloth with a vase of flowers on top, that hasn’t been cleaned or dusted for many, many years. Old and worn, but oddly clean, almost soapy, too. It’s almost like Shroud, but even more cloth-like. There are moments when the scent turns strange and sour, and I’m not so keen on that. But other than that, this is a pleasant linen fragrance-not sure if it’s me, but it’s unusual enough to warrant keeping the decant. I do prefer Shroud though, when it comes to ‘cloth’ scents.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? The decant, but not bottle-worthy.

If you like this, try: Shroud, Zephyr, Veil, Dirty, Eshe

[GardenCat]

A delicate scent, light & a bit dusty, but the sandalwood keeps it from veering into something overwhelmingly rotten. Very nice spring scent!

[fisharescary]

In the bottle: not getting much

 

On skin: Like a big open bowl of potpourri in a linen closet. It's only got an average throw, but something in there is really making me feel nauseous. I am not a fan of potpourri-ish scents. Oddly enough I can escape the nausea by pressing my nose right up against my wrist, where it is far clearer, sharper without being dry and cutting, more of a rugged woodsy spice man-smell. Not a fan, I will pass this on.

[jizatt]

this goes on super sweet for me -- sweeter than Dirty or Wensleydale (my other linen experiences), but relaxes into a very nice linen/woody scent

[SophieCedar]

I received this as part of a super generous swappers giftie set.

 

I read the description and was puzzled as to how it would play out.. this isn't bad for a linen scent. Considering I collect vintage clothing, I've become fond of the smell of musty fabric. However this smells better than that. Like if I wore my favorite vintage piece with some elegant perfume and hung it back up without dry-cleaning so I could preserve the memory of when it was last worn. Surprisingly enough, the element that takes forefront on drydown is the hyssop.

 

Enablers! Now I have yet another scent to go hunting for. hahaha Thanks!

[raisin]

Goes on very perfume-y and sweet, with a lot of floral and something powdery. This stage isn't enough to make me nauseous, but it's always enough to make me question putting this on in the first place. It reminds me of soap, and it doesn't smell particularly dry, wet, rotten, or dusty to me.

It dries down to something a lot more pleasant that reminds me a bit more of cloth. I like that it isn't totally squeaky clean, fresh-from-the-laundry cloth, but something a bit more relaxed. Depending on the staying power, this may work as a nice, neutral scent, but does walk that "overly perfume-y" line.

[whisperstilled]

Rotting linen? Doesn't sound too inviting, so I'm a little dubious. Let's see how this goes!

 

In Imp: Linen, sandalwood, and dust that I recognize from Parliament of Monsters. No rot so far, which is an excellent sign!

 

Wet: Very faint, almost nutty from the sandalwood. I don't know hyssop as a note to pick it out, but it's got a powdery linen quality, like clean linens folded in an attic. Something faintly floral, as well, like a scented soap used to clean the linen. Clean, very nice. Wow, the linen note is so distinct. I can smell the cotton fibers going up my nose, it's really evocative.

 

Dry: Clean linen smell! Sweet, a touch dusty, no rot to be found. I'm totally surprised by how good this is! 3/5