Psychological Horror

[PurgatoriX]

It smells perfectly normal: a lovely, unassuming, traditional mid-20th century musk with something not quite right lying underneath.

Ok, my second review! (I know, I'm quick )

In the bottle: Vanilla musk, very light & sweet, and plain. But there's something I can't put my finger on in the background.

Wet on the skin: Baby powder, but not like in-the-bottle baby powder; more like on-the-baby baby powder, which is weird. And the something is still there, just under the powder, an almost... aquatic? scent, like looking into what seems to be a clear pool of water, but you SWEAR you see something wriggling at the bottom, in the shadows.

Drydown: There's much less baby powder & more Little Old Lady scent now. Like old withered flowers & vanilla perfume. The aquatic thing has now turned almost, I dunno, metallic? Like dear old Norman got dressed up as mom again & went to the knife drawer...

Verdict: I'm not 100% sure about this scent as of yet, but it certainly has left me guessing. I like it, but enough to invest in more? I don't know... Still, quite a masterful job!

[MCS4096]

There is a note in this that I've experienced in a few blends, and I'll be darned if it doesnt smell just like celery! Up close this is a nice powdery floral as others have said, but in my opinion the throw is all celery verrrry weird

[ralenth]

I've tested this one twice now. The first time, I got so uneasy that I didn't end up reviewing it. The second time, I was a little braver (a dabbed even less - a little goes a long way).

 

At first PH is softly floral musk. I feel drawn to it, as it is very understated. As it dries, it gets a little more animalistic to my nose, with tinges of that soft floral. I also start to get the dreaded baby powder note. Dry, it's mostly baby powder and something sinister which makes me skittish. I love this one, but it creeps me out!

[ljaylh]

This is a really nice musk - not as deep and mysterious as Creature Feature - on me, this one's quite a sweet/clean kind of musk. It's quite pretty - I would agree with a previous reviewer who said it's "ethereal" - I have to lean in quite close to really get a good feel for this, and there's definitely something lying underneath but I don't think it's anything scary

 

[milo]

Wet and dry, this is a soft, powdery musk, very similar to Creature Feature, as mentioned above. It kind of smells like the powdery drydown that jasmine often goes on me, but without the initial blast of jasmine. This is 'OK', but I like Creature Feature better for when I want my retro musk fix.

[Asafoetida]

This smells SO MUCH like Snow White in the imp, soft and floral and pretty. On, it still smells like that... but something is lurking underneath, playing peekaboo, something sharp as a knife. As it starts to dry that subtle hint gets less and less subtle, first matching the sweet, pretty floral and then starting to overwhelm it. I can't see myself wearing this one much, but damned if it doesn't exactly capture my idea of a psychological horror film. My psychology major brain approves of this muchly, and I plan on hoarding it and using it as inspiration for important tests.

[BuxomM]

It smells powdery with a little something sweet.

Edited March 16, 2010 by BuxomM

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

my only notes when i tested this at the last DSWC were "Creepy & Clean"

 

but when i try it again today - in a not quite so fragrant environment - i get a little more detail.

 

at first it smells almost like Jovan musk (in the plastic spray bottle. because that just screams class, dunnit?) but then again there's something almost Stardust-like in there, too, verging on old-school White Rain (or maybe Aqua-net).

an almost powdery, almost perfume-y, almost smells like something i can't quite remember the name of....

and coffee. overpercolated coffee.

 

so, yeah, this is the "funny uncle" scent. normal enough at first glance or casual acquaintance but creepy and unsettling the more time you spend around him.

 

also, oddly, this oil made the top of my hand (where i tested it) itch.

[Schmoozy]

This is the one I was most looking forward to from the new series. It is soft, powdry, musky and then there is something almost electrical, yellow, and very jolting afterwards. I can't describe it, but I have images of a metallic buzz or the look of lemon lime gatorade.

Very weird.

[zankoku_zen]

Yeah, for me this was sweetly powdery (Violet, is that you?) musk, but there was a touch of spice to it that did smell like curry. And I thought I was going crazy. Oddly enough, it keeps the blend from being too sweet or powdery, and in my mind, makes it wearable.

 

Unfortunately, it makes me hungry for curry.

 

ETA:

Prototype: Oddly enough, just violet powder, sweet and innocent.

Edited September 5, 2010 by zankoku_zen

[Lyrical]

 

In vial: smooth, rich, sweet and powdery. Violet? Orris root? White musk, I think, and some iris. It reminds me strongly of Black Pearl, Blood Pearl and Florence.

 

Wet on skin: pale, sugary musk. Perhaps a hint of fruit? The pale, sweet, powdery musk is similar to Alien Invasion.

 

Dry on skin: very sweet, powdery, pearlescent musk. Definitely similar to Black Pearl, Blood Pearl and Florence. Pleasant, but it's not wowing me. No throw at all. Short wear length.

[crebbsgirl]

I agree with whoever said this was the same musk from Buck Moon. Pretty and light and soft. There is definitely a rose tinge to this, I can smell it quite sharply against the musk. This is pretty powdery too. Someone said this had an ethereal feel to it, and I would have to concur. It floats around you. Nice and classic smelling, but not for me. Rose and I don't get along, and I can smell that it's starting to amp and take over the blend.

[kerikeri]

This smells like hairspray and violets on me, very chemical and powdery. After a while there is a slightly odd spice scent peeking in and out, but it's mostly overwhelmed by the headachey chemical note. Unfortunately I think I have to scrub this off-- guess I'm not an old-school musk fan, and I don't think the "horror" I'm getting from this is quite what was intended.

[aiko]

Psychological Horror is so well blended that I'm unable to identify any note. It is a light, sweet scent that makes me feel warm and homely. However, there is a sharp floral note in the background that makes one feel that something isn't right, but you can't place your finger on what it is. I find this scent beautifully ethereal and comforting. The sharp floral note is so well blended that it just gives the scent an edgier side.

 

I love it!

[ellebelle]

This was not soft, floral or unassuming on my skin. It was sharp and astringent and it almost smelled sour. I put it on and I tried really hard to wait for it to dry but I had to rinse it off as it was almost burning my nostrils. The boyfriend walked in and asked what the horrible smell was. I don't know what all the notes are in this, but something in it does NOT like me.

[lucy]

Well it's Horror alright.

 

My nose and skin are clearly nothing like anyone else's. There is no Ivanushka musk here for me.

 

It smells of CURRY. It's a kind fenugreek/cumin smell over violets. So glad I did not spring for a bottle of this. On me this is blech.

 

ETA, the next day the residual white musk that is left is kind of nice but not worth waiting for the curry to leave for, it has staying power though!

 

Hmm yes it was a curried scent for me too

maybe it doesn't travel well??

[starfish327]

in the imp: musk and powder

 

wet: skin musk, slightly sour, and powdery

 

dry: the same. but the throw scent is much better than up close- not nearly as sour. something underneath the sour white florals.

 

not really my thing, it's getting better the longer it's on and it's loosing its sourness. maybe i'll try layering it with something.

[reynardine]

First whiff—NO, just NO. “Something not quite right” absolutely dominates and it is making me nauseous. Trade pile.

[Deiicide]

From the bottle, the first sniff brings a bit of silver glint almost with soft musks. I'm pretty intrigued. It's faint when I put it up upon my skin, with the silver flash/ozone lending it. It tends to fade quite quickly so a generous slathering may help. The musks are soft and warm, I definately sense white musk, red musk, and I think blue musk too to lend a soft eerieness to the whole vibe. This seems very understated but very ethereal so to speak. Definately befitting of the name. I'm loving this too. Basically soft musks with a silver hint. I love it!

[moviegrrl]

I haven't been able to test this on my skin yet, partly because I've got a really bad cold, but mostly because the reaction of my other half was so intense that I've promised to never wear it around him.

 

He sniffed it, shuddered, put it down and retreated to the other end of the room, twitching slightly.

 

What I can smell in the bottle is powder, cumin and possibly a bit hit of oakmoss. What he can smell is earth that's had dead things in it! We both agreed that Sadako would smell like this. I think this is an amazing formulation by Beth, can't wait to try it on my skin, although I may have to wait until he's away for a few days

[edenssixthday]

<b>Pyschological Horror</b> - Let me just get this right out of the way: I HATE THIS. Okay, now that's over with, I'll tell you why. In the bottle, I smell one of my worst death notes ever -- caramel. Lots and lots of caramel and something powdery and musky. When applied to my skin, the caramel is still quite strong and the musk becomes obvious as the animalic musk from Buck Moon and Ivanushka. The musk is awesome, but that damned caramel note is just killing me. There's probably only a single drop of caramel in the whole bottle, but I'm highly sensitive to it, and my skin amps it like crazy. It's just awful. As the blend dries down on my skin, the caramel thankfully fades a bit. The big poof of powderiness also settles, revealing iris and/or orris root beneath it. I can actually see now why people would like this scent, as the powderiness of the iris/orris and the velvety musk work really beautifully together....but there's still that damned caramel that I have to deal with, and I just can't get past it. It smells absolutely raunchy on me. And so, this has to go in the same category as every single other blend out there with caramel in it (with only one exception), my "BPAL Stinkbug" category. <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fear.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="fear.gif" /> Good thing so many others seem to love it. They can have it!

 

 

ETA: So, after reading this review, parrot_suspect PM'd me and told me there's a non-caramel version of Psychological Horror out there, and then she was sweet enough to send me an empty bottle with residual oil in it for testing. Sure enough, she was dead-on accurate: there is not the remotest drop of identifiable caramel in this particular batch variation. It's so dramatically different as to be kind of bizarre, because I HATE the caramel version, and the non-caramel version is true, musky love. It smells like all the good things I mentioned above, and none of that nasty, evil, dastardly caramel.

Edited September 26, 2010 by Edens Sixth Day

[forspecial_plate]

Subjectively, Psychological Horror is hairspray single-note and nothing else. I would guess there is some form of opium or poppy in this scent, because those notes often remind me of hairspray.

 

From a perfume standpoint, this is kind of nostalgiac, like something from the seventies. It works pretty well for the concept. I can imagine the leading lady in a seventies movie like Don't Look Now.....she might wear this, or something like it. Me? Not so much.

[sarielswish]

In the vial, it smells like celery and coffee?! WTF?! I'm almost afraid to try this one. Color, light green.

 

Wet on my skin, it's a crisp musky aquatic. *Almost* smells like celery, but not quite, thankfully. Man, that threw me for a minute.

 

10-15 minute drydown - Ech. There's some weird aquatic floral in here that smells like celery and I don't like it. No thanks.

[grrrlennyl]

Psychological Horror

 

On: An incredibly pretty musk with a tinge of sweetness.

1 hour in: A sweet musk with a hint of tartness to it.

1.5 hours in: This has an almost candyish feel to it now. Like dry, slightly tart, sugary candies.

2.5 hours in: A very pretty, slightly powdery, sweet musk.

3 hours in: Still a pretty musk.

Overall: This is really, really pretty on me. I'm not sure if it's a keeper, though, since I have other musk scents.

[revinn]

Very simple. A light, indescript, slightly powdery musk. It makes me think of Antique Lace, minus the vanilla. I think this will be a great layering scent.