A Fit of Artistic Enthusiasm

[edenssixthday]

Electric jolts of mania: a salt-crusted coffin bobbing through tumultuous ocean waves.

 

This is another proto/preview (? - not sure which) that was out for testing at the Cobwebs III/Convergence events. It's very fresh and outdoorsy in a Victorian garden kind of way. It's grassy, warm, and herbal, with maybe a hint of wildflowers. This one makes me think of an artist setting up an easel in the countryside, taking off his coat so his suspenders are revealed, unbuttoning his shirt, rolling up his sleeves, and spending a sunny afternoon crazily splashing paints on a canvas in a desperate attempt to catch the beauty of the scenery around him/her. It's too grassy for my personal preference, but it's quite evocative and those who enjoy grassy and outdoory scents will love this one. I see it being potentially unisex for it's lack of overt florals.

[Lycanthrope]

Forgive if this has been elsewhere, I looked and did not find.

 

I was very intrigued by this as it had both salt and ocean, as well as ... a floating coffin! The artwork is by Gris Grimly, and I'm not sure, but it's some kind of skeletal fish critter with a deranged skull, which is adorable.

 

Anyhow... onto the scent.

 

Bottle - marine, in the ocean way, maybe a hint of seaweed, but this is a cool dark sea-blue aquatic without the sharpitude of Lightning nor the frank melon-green-wateriness of Tempest. There is a familiar saltiness which is kinda like Pool of Tears, but this is ... saltier.

 

On skin this is very salty indeed. It has a little sticky quality to it, but the majority of the scent remains a citrussy marine wateriness which, if I had to compare it to other oceanics - is closer to Y'nathlei, Deep Ones, and Olokun, versus scents like Cthulhu (more violaceous). The woodsiness comes out a hint but it's mostly salt and water.

 

Drydown is soft, not obtrusive at all, and the marine waters soften a good deal. Throw is subtle but it's there.

 

I'd say it's not as sweet and bright and misty as Kingsport, but quite nice and a great addition to the marine family.

Edited August 29, 2009 by Lycanthrope

[angelicruin]

Inside the bottle, this is a very aquatic blend.

 

On my skin, I pick up the salty ocean spray, marine plants, and wood notes. This one doesn't morph much from wet to dry stage.

 

It always amazes me how spot on Beth gets these scents. It really does smell like a wooden coffin floating in the ocean.

[zankoku_zen]

Very aquatic. It reminds me to a couple of blends in PiA with the strong aquatic note. It also reminds me heavily of Tempest, as its got that same aquatic/ozone note that my skin loves. It definitely dominates my skin. If there is wood in there, I would have no clue.

 

Great throw and great wear length (which I also got from Tempest).

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this smells like a crisp men's cologne. Aquatic, salty, and with a bit of woods. There's also a chill here that makes me think of pine and menthol, though that doesn't transfer over on to my skin.

 

On my skin, I'm delighted that this doesn't instantly morph into laundry soap, as most aquatics do. It actually smells like a complex cologne on me. It's masculine and clean (and definitely has that salty-ocean smell), but also cool and has a slightly spicy feel that I get from a lot of men's colognes, with a hint of dry wood.

 

Cold, salty ocean spray, dry wood, and that generic men's cologne base smell that makes me think of menfolk. I'm surprised at how much I like this. I don't know if I'd wear this much myself, but I'll love this on my husband.

 

A Fit of Artistic Enthusiasm makes me fantasize about being on a ship in the middle of the ocean with my man. Not too shabby .

[Schmoozy]

Ooohh this is good. Aquatic with hints of ozone, salt to cure the masculinity that threatens to overwhelm. There is something inside that is sweet, woodsy and perhaps minty. Definitely bottle worthy and will smell especially awesome on B!

Edited September 17, 2009 by Schmoozy

[femmefatale]

So as much as I wish I could wear aquatics, I usually can't and it saddens me.

 

This though I really really like! It doesn't turn into soap, air freshener, or cologne on me. It's watery with a touch of sweetness and salt, blended with some smooth woods. This is an aquatic I can wear without worrying that I smell like a bathroom scent or a mens cologne.

I can't keep my nose away from my wrist. I am so happy I picked up a bottle tonight at the Poe event.

[jennnina]

in the bottle i got WHOA MINT! which is also what i got once i put it on. it does dry down to a lovely salty aquatic scent without the mint really sticking around. it is a bit masculine for my taste, but i'll probably still wear it.

[Monster]

In the vial: A salty aquatic note.

 

Wet: Ohh! There's mint in here! This is a really interesting salty ocen scent mixed with mint. It feels a bit cooling on the skin.

 

Dry: As this dries I'm detecting more wood notes. The aquatics and mint are still dominant. The wet stage is very strong and chilly but as this dries, it's like the calm after the storm. The sun comes out, warms the water a bit and bakes/bleaches the coffin wood. Really nice!

 

Overall: Like Femme Fatale said, this doesn't dry into soapy residue at all. Aquatics generally don't work for me but I can't stop sniffing my arm right now. I wasn't planning on trying this one but I'm really glad I did! Next to Hideous Heart, I'd have to say this is my favorite out of the Gris Grimly scents.

[ian]

cool aquatic and dry wood, this was love at first sniff for me. basically A Fit of Artistic Enthusiasm is Jolly Roger minus the spiciness of bay rum.

 

(edit: Grammar)

Edited October 3, 2009 by ian

[Xanon]

I have a very specific image in my mind as I sniff this one: a coffin drifting at sea with the funeral flowers still resting atop the lid. It's freshly set to sea and you can still smell the cologne of the men who bore the coffin lingering on the wood.

 

In the Imp: Oh man! This is seriously aquatic! Almost citrus... that is a little odd.

 

Wet: This is really smelling like deodorant to me. Crap.

 

Dry: Wow! giving this some air and it gets the chance needed to smell divine! Now I am getting the wood and the floral notes as well as the aquatics. I am pleasantly surprised by this one.

 

[rayvn1]

It was interesting to try this on one arm with Abe Sapien on the other. They're both aquatics, for sure, but sooooo different! It's amazing how much variation the lab can get on an element. Where Abe was dark, murky, bottom of the ocean water, Fit is the opposite. This is the surface of the ocean, glittering and glimmering in the light with salt clinging to your skin from the wind blowing the spray against you. It's sweet, clear water! Very reminiscent of Calico Jack or The Phoenix for me, thank god since those are my two favorite aquatics. Keeper. For sure.

[ellebelle]

This reminds me very much of a more feminine version of Jolly Roger ... sort of Jolly Roger and Olokun combined. My skin loves salty aquatics and I have a bottle of Jolly Roger already, and I actually like this better. There is a nice floral high note in the perfume that tempered the woody salty aquatic smell. This is definitely a keeper for me.

[Xaila]

My first thought upon reading the description was that this might be similar to another aquatic favorite of mine, The Phoenix. I was not disappointed

 

This is most definitely a marine aquatic and reminds me of the smell of salt water on the wind, minus the funky low-tide sludge. There is definitely a touch of mint in here that adds a nice sharp freshness. I also feel like there's SOMETHING floral, but way in the background. It gives a sense of long-faded cologne maybe. The woodsiness of the 'coffin' is also very nice and actually reminds me a bit of old driftwood.

 

If you like marine aquatics or any of the "pirate" blends, try this!! It reminds me of a "cleaner" booze-free Jolly Roger and a less citrusy The Phoenix. Very unisex too, IMHO. I definitely love it!

[Heeroluva]

In the bottle it's a strong aquatic with tiny hint of mint and citrus. Wet it's just a strong aquatic note. All aquatic scents normally smell the same to me. But as this dried I was pleased that there was a bit of sweetness that cut through and mellowed the normally strong throw that aquatics seem to have on me. It's actually quite lovely.

[Lethran]

In bottle: It’s a lovely sea aquatic with a rich wood note and something I’m reading qas moss, but may not me. It’s stronger and richer than Jolly Roger. Wet: The aquatic softens a bit and the wood blends better, being part of the overall ambiance. It’s less striking though. It’s more salt spray and less wood. Dry: Mostly Sea salt. I’m a lot less impressed than I was. Heartbreaking.

[surf-tormented]

This one is definitely in the "snow" category,a long with such notables as Hypothermia and Snowball Fracas. A Fit of Artistic Enthusiasm would be sub-categorized as "snow/lake" as opposed to the "snow/mint" of Hypothermia and the "snow/dirt" of Snowball Fracas. Of the three, Fit is the least strong.

 

The "snow/lake" effect is basically a mix of icy slush, aquatic notes, fresh mossy lily pad sort of greens and wood, be it from the woods around the lake or maybe a tree limb floating in the lake.

 

It's very nice and if I didn't have the other two snow scents, I would love this one. I am not sure if I want to keep this one. It might be nice to have a snow version not as strong for social situations and work, but at the same time, a lot of these begin to smell the same and why do I need three bottles of the same thing?

 

I didn't get much Poe from this, what I got was a nice childhood memory of wooden sheds for ice fishing on a bed of frozen ice with a slight whiff of winter plants and water in the air. It's cozy instead of being cruel.

 

I recommend it if you don't have Snowball Fracas or Hypothermia.

[evilbee]

I got this on a whim because it might possibly interest a friend of mine. However, I tried it on my skin and immediately became glued to my wrist. My friends thought I was insane. This glorious scent I can only describe as sweet cream poured in the cleanest ocean wafted into my nostrils as I sniffed ever so gently. And it only blossomed from there into something musky, maybe a bit woodsy, sweet, creamy and a little salty. I tested it on my husband's finicky and insensitive nose and he actually loved it.

 

As it develops over the hours, it becomes almost exactly late-Queen Mab on me, only not so in-your-face I AM A SEX GODDESS.

 

I NEVER expected this smell from the description, or even from the other reviews...

 

In to my top ten it goes!

[Venneh]

In the decant, I'm getting salt and cologne; don't have high hopes for this. On my skin, it's the same salty cologne that I got with Calico Jack. We'll see if this changes at all. No change, and not quite for me, sadly.

Edited June 12, 2010 by Venneh

[Sultaana]

Oh my god, this is SO good! Salty, wet, woody, minty! It's cold, almost creamy and it's so...sexy. It really is a salt-crusted coffin bobbing through tumultuous ocean waves. Well done.

[jizatt]

this starts out as a salty sweet acquatic with a hint of woods behind it, but the dry down is mostly woods with a touch of salty/musk to it. I was on the fence about it, but the dry down convinced me AND the bottle hunt is on!

[brilliantcat]

This is SO lovely! I finally managed to get my hands on a bottle after falling in love with a sniffie and was thrilled to finally be able to skin test it! Wet I get salty, slighty sweet aquatic which is pretty much how it smells in-bottle. As it warms, it gets a bit of spiciness from the wood note and remains a nice salty-sweet aquatic that does not go men's cologne on me. It's often hit or miss with me and aquatics, though I love sniffing them they often don't work on my skin. I am happy to report that this one DOES, and works beautifully. I am so thrilled I found a bottle!

[hanabi]

I was looking for a strong, salty aquatic and I found it here. I was hoping it would smell a bit more "cold" but I think I just need to accept that my skin makes everything smell warm. I get mostly salt and woodsiness and not much of the floral, which makes me think this is a fairly unisex scent. Not too manly but not overtly feminine either. I love it and I'd love to try it on a guy.

[torikitty]

Watery mint? Sweet mint? It's not overpowering, and it's not the seaspray I was expecting. More sweet herbal than something I would categorize as aquatic.