Othello

[aquazoo]

Arabian musk with two roses and a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices.

Another pretty, soft rose. The rose gives way to light spices, and masculine enough — the elusive masculine floral?

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Othello is reason #5,000 why I need to read every single description--I skimmed right past him for years, thinking "Guy scent!" Then I noticed...roses and spice? Sign me up! Othello's rose is a soft tea-rose with spices underneath. It's very soft and romantic, a lot like Lucy's Kiss with musk, but I'm not truly loving the musk here--it takes over the rose on my skin. I *do* think a guy could wear it, but the musk is a tad too sharp for me.

[QueenFae]

Delicious! I didn't understand how roses could be used in a masculine scent, but Othello really pulls it off. It's a clean, heady, sexy man scent. The roses show themselves first, but the are evened out by the soft musk notes. The secret spices are what really make this one great; they are there just enough to leave you wanting more. I have no idea what kind of spices they are, but they remind a bit of the spiciness in Bathsheba. This is a beautiful, gorgeous scent. I bought my hubbie a 5 ml long ago

[fiddledragon]

I'll join in the crowd of "manly floral -- wow!" people. :-) The musk makes this very sensual and masculine, the spice is lovely and subtle. Roses are kind of iffy on my skin, so I don't get a good sense of how they work here; I'm sure it's unbelievably wonderful on the right guy who can wear rose. Alas, not only does it not entirely work on me, but my boyfriend can't really wear rose either; it's a nice but unexciting musk on him with a somewhat musty rose note.

[supremegoddessofall]

Ooh, pretty! A floral spice, but more delicate than I would have expected. It's rich and luxursious. Moderately musky.

[darklorelei]

In imp: very sharp, slightly cologne-y, but in a warm non-offensive way. My little brother might like this. The musk comes off a bit like leather.

 

On skin: Dude...weird. BAM! It's gone. A tiny bit of the sharpness remains (but not particularly rosey, to me, more soapy). It's completely not there. Kind of surreal.

 

eta:

 

On full drydown, some true rose scent does begin to show a little, but it's still barely noticable.

Edited January 5, 2007 by darklorelei

[tinyvulture]

a simple scent – soft roses with light musk. i don’t really smell any spices. i like this on me, but i can see how it would be nice on the right guy, too.

[Bangles]

My first impression: Perfumey. Matter of fact, it reminds me of my mother's perfume.

 

As it dried, I got past that first impression. Deep, wine-like rose scent with a dark musky background, yes, this does somehow manage to be a masculine floral. Unfortunately, that perfumey quality is giving me a slight headache, though I'm not sure how, seeing as the scent is so faint I could forget I'm wearing it.

[terrierhead]

To me, Othello qualifies as a foody scent. The roses, spices and some creamy note (maybe my nose's odd interpretation of musk?) mimic a favorite desert of mine - rice pudding with rosewater - from a local Middle Eastern cafe. Yum.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is sleek and dark, a husky, musky blend with a thoroughly sexy edge. It's roses and musk, but it's a warm enough scent that it's gender-neutral despite the roses.

 

It goes on in a throaty moan of musk and rose, its sweet roses backed with a licking, fiery warmth. The spices are an influence, not a demand, but they are definitely present under the musk. And this musk is beautiful – it's smooth and sultry, heavy-lidded. As it ages the musk and rose blend together seamlessly into one silky scent, indistinguishable, sublime.

 

What with the musk and spices, it is just a tad reminiscent of Spellbound, but where Spellbound comes on strong and heavy, Othello is subtle, wooing rather than ravishing, relying on atmosphere and subtlety to seduce rather than brute animal sex appeal.

 

This is overall just a tad feminine, but a man wearing it would be an instant god of sex. Please, all you gorgeous boys out there, I know you are listening: put this on and come to my house. With a scent like this, you don't even have to bring me flowers. I'll just spank your butt and we'll call it even.

 

Ahem. Pretend you didn't read that.

[The_Merf]

This really is quite the blend--it is, as many others have commented, a masculine floral. It's a superlative blend of the musk, which makes me think of the color gold, the roses, which are barely there, and the spice. This is one of the those scents that has a slightly dual personality and you can smell one of two things on each whiff: sometimes you get a very creamy edge and sometimes you get a sharper, more classical cologne edge. I'm quite fond of the former, and I'll have to see if that's what other people get from the blend when they smell it on me. This is a really interesting one--folks should give it a try.

[waternight]

I didn't find Othello to particularly masculine, but that could just be because I have a hard time thinking "rose" and "masculine" in the same sentence. Anyway...

 

In the imp: Rose with something extra.

Wet/Drydown: Spicy rose. Rose with spices. Yup. The warmth of the musk is starting to bleed through the rose. Yeah, the rose and the musk are blending beautifully, and the spices are backing it up. Now the spices are backing down and this is primarily a musky rose.

Dry: Musky rose! Gorgeous and sexy and I love it.

[CiCi]

I received this as a frimp from the lab with my last order. I can smell the delicate rose, some yummy spices and also the musk. Blended together they form a unique soft floral bouquet that would be perfect on my dinner table but unfortunately do not work on me.

For some reason, rose and I just do not get along very well. I don't think I would like this on my husband either since I associate roses with my aunt. Although I have tried many of Beth's rose blends, I do like this one the best. My daughter likes roses so I will send this one to her.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Very gentle musk with a hint of rose.

 

Wet: The same, it's a very "skin" kind of musk, nearly salty.

 

Drydown: I get a very soft, slightly sickly rose that wafts up mixed with spices. This smells very much like something know, but I can't remember what. Definitely a commercial perfume. It gets richer and deeper, and nearly has an orangey tang to it, it's a bit sharp from the musk and possibly some spices.

 

Overall: A unisex blend, one that would suit a man rather well, even. Arabian musk is a little bit like white musk, but with a warmer feel to it and less citrus. It's soft and sinuous, sensual but clean and... somewhat regal. I see it better on a man than on a woman, really. Not my thing, but I like the imagery I associate to it.

[neuilly]

Musky rose soap? I wouldn't personally call this a masculine scent but a really confident male could definitely pull it off because of the musk. It's a nice scent but I sort of feel like I just used nice soap...and I do have nice soap so no need for a similar oil! It's is quite nice though.

[mspixieears]

I applied this immediately after a disasterous outing with Haunted which I had high hopes for. Othello is a fresher, airier musk and the roses equally so. Not at all cloying, and almost aquatic in nature. I can smell the spices not long after – perhaps things like patchouli and saffron, and similar such things. The rose is lovely but I’m not yet sure if this is worth keeping. I think it probably makes it through by a hair.

[steffanina]

Othello-

 

In Bottle: A tiny bit floral but mostly like really delicious laundry detergent--all fresh and breezy! Like Tide Original Scent (which I use).

 

Wet: Strong rose bloom, but I don't find myself shying away from the fear of sourness as I usually do. I guess I'll see what it does!

 

Dry: This is one of the nicest rose blends I've encountered--I say that every so often, like with Whip, and Persephone, since rose tends to go sour on me and I'm not that enamoured of florals. But if I needed a rose scent, this would be one I'd consider! I don't think I'll be getting a 5ml of this but I'll keep and enjoy my little imp.

 

Overall: Very nice!

[Nia]

I don't feel the musk at all. Not new, as on me musk tends to become the invisible enhancer of the other smells. The roses are fantastic and the fear of smelling of room freshener is gone after a minute, when it warms up to my skin. I would have never thought that cinnamon and roses made a good combination; there's a hint of vanilla to sweeten and mellow it down.

 

A friend said that Othello could not possibly smell like this, but to me it is a unisex scent, for men and women in a romantic mood and a taste for exotic stuff. A man smelling of this is definitely mysterious and sophisticated. The feel is also very Middle Eastern: this goes straight with Queen, Kali, Wanda and Bathsheba in my mental category of "bellydance class and performance scents".

[500ml]

Oh well, this is just plain gorgeous. This is so my scent, musk, roses, spices, this is so stunning. Must have more!

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Distinctly floral, though I can't pin it down to anything in particular, not being a flower expert.

Wet: Now the rose starts to come out, and it's a bit sharp, but I can't yet smell the spices.

Later: The flowers have mellowed out; I'm very happy that the rose hasn't gone talc-y on me, and the spices have warmed up wonderfully. I'm pleased with this one - not too floral, quite light, and a wear length of about 3 hours. Don't know if I'd get a bottle, but I'm keeping the imp. Didn't know this was an especially masculine one, so I guess it didn't come out that way on me. Maybe that's why this floral works when some others turn to old lady talc.

 

Overall 7/10

Edited June 19, 2007 by PurpleHeather

[CrazyPretzel]

Another frimp from Wren08; thank you

 

In the imp: rose and musk, but subtle.

Wet on me: a little rose, but barely there. This takes a minute or two to really bloom.

Dry on me: Strange! This keeps shifting back and forth between pleasant and unpleasant. The unpleasant side of it is bitter, faintly pee-like and reminds me of the really 'off' note that I hated in Skuld. Then when I sniff it again a minute later, it's the loveliest soft, dark, spicy rose.

 

 

I'm going to hang onto this and experiment with it a bit more!

[cadenza]

In the bottle: I think I remember this being described as masculine rose? I mostly just smell rose, although the "masculine" notes could be hiding at the back of the scent.

Wet: Goes on very rose and then immediately becomes something not quite so rosey. Pleasant scent, but not something I would wear. Definitely not very masculine, though. (And a-ha, thank you, Forums! It's "perfect dryer sheet" scent. *g* )

Drydown: Sadly, my body amps up the rose and swallows the spices, so it's not even a scent I really like for dryer sheets anymore. There's a little warm something lingering under the flat rose scent, but not much.

 

Verdict: I don't think I would call this a masculine scent, really. It seems like it would have the potential of being a nice warm scent (that "dryer sheet" scent) on some people, but the all-rose-all-the-time that it turns to on me is not anything I'd ever wear.

[taramarie]

I wasn't sure how Othello would mix with my skin chemistry -- the spices had me convinced it would burn. Instead, it turned to floral soap. If I were looking for a floral soap scent, this would be great. Unfortunately, I'm not so I'll pass it on to someone else.

[Rouge]

In the vial there are roses and spices combining to form a deep, rich scent that isn't too sweet. My skin chemistry tends to amp many kinds of rose and turn them rather cloying, so I'm glad there's a dryer feel to this scent!

 

Initial appplication - A sombre, well rounded scent full of gravitas and dignity. The musks and spices dominate.

 

Development - This scent lingers close to the skin; it's exotic but unobtrusive. The rose note is clearly identifiable but stays well in the background, allowing itself to be blanketed by the dry, deep spices.

 

Dry down - This blend doesn't have as much staying power as some others, but it's warm and soft and very regal in an understated manner. An hour into wear it's faded to a soft, dark musk.

 

If you like this, try - Jezebel, Seraglio; both rose-and-spice scents but much stronger, with greater throw.

[tarotbydiana]

Othello is a union of musk and tea rose drawn together by spice. In the guise of Shakespeare, it conjures Othello and Desdemona's passion before his unravelling. The rose is fair with a gentle sweetness and the musk is proper and almost courtly in it's elegance. The spices provide a brush of warmth like an unexpected touch.

 

While Othello could certainly be viewed as a gentleman's scent, I think chemistry is a vital element in its wearability as a true gender neutral. I have read that rose is a common note in commercial men's cologne. Who knew? Othello is in keeping with Beth's handblended artistry. I find myself intrigued by her gender neutral blends and Othello will certainly be increasing my collection by another 5ml.