Rubedo v4

[edenssixthday]

Rubedo v4 - This is definitely a keeper! It opens up as bright, red rose and strong, aromatic herbs. It smells a lot like a scent that would be part of the Voodoo or Chakra line of blends, but it could be because a certain quality of the herbs reminds me of Sahasrara, and a certain quality of the herbs reminds me of Lobban. It's got the best parts of Venus, Sahasrara, and Lobban. After about 20-30 minutes on my skin, the strength of the opening notes fades just enough that I pick up a sweet, candy-pink note. I have no idea what it is, but it smells kind of like a cherry Jolly Rancher, only... softer. This is a lovely scent and people who like rose and herbal blends will probably find this one is is quite lovely.

[tarotgirl99]

In the bottle: Rose and ferns

 

Wet: Rose and ferns, the sequel. While I don't normally like green in my rose (Rose Red broke my heart), this smells so vivid I can see (and smell) the red roses and greens in a vase in my kitchen, when I'm first arranging them. You know, when they give off their strongest scent.

 

Drydown: This does get sweeter, pinker, a bit more candylike.

 

It's beautiful--hardly any throw and short wearlength. In some ways like Thanatos, but I like it more...it's beautiful and mysterious and compelling. I could not stop inhaling my wrist.

 

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Floral but sappy, like garden flowers rather than perfume. Smells a little like one of the Conjure Bag florals.

 

Wet: Yup, definitely like a Conjure Bag floral, sweet, heady. Wonder if it's lilac? I've noticed I tend to get lilac where other people say "dragon's blood." That's probably because the scent "Dragon's Blood" in Ars Draconis smells strongly of lilac. But I haven't noticed the scent of lilac in other things where dragon's blood is listed as an ingredient. Puzzling. And this oil isn't bright red like the ones with dragon's blood: it's more the color of iced tea.

 

Half an hour: Now that's strange, it's gone kind of candyish. I suppose that's a red fruit. It might be pomegranate, as it reminds me a bit of Candy Phoenix. There's still an impression of lilac, too, but it's greatly diminished.

 

Hour and a half: The lilac impression is gone, although it's still floral. Yup, definitely related to what Candy Phoenix did on my skin, but with floral. I wonder if that's the floral pear note I'm getting?

 

Four hours: This faded quicker than I expected it to. But it had a lovely beginning and an intriguing middle game.

 

[angelicruin]

Thank you edenssixthday for the testable sniffie.

 

On my skin, this is all roses and dragon's blood on my skin. Pleasant enough, but I can pass on searching for a bottle.

[grashopper8]

Huge thanks to sunshinedaisybliss for this testable sniffie!!

 

This starts out herbal with a hint of rose, not at all the strong rose scent I was anticipating from reviews. The fresh, green, herbal notes are almost minty, just without the actual bite of mint. Eucalyptus? I can see where someone said lilac, there is a softness to this blend that makes me think of lilac as well. And a hint of sweetness that reminds me of gardenia, but not the lab's usual gardenia note - something softer and less sugary - magnolia? linden blossom? I'm horrible out picking out florals when they're not obvious. It's probably just dragon's blood in here giving that overall soft sweetness to the scent, but it's not a dominant incense note at all - it's just a hint. Very well blended.

 

Rubedo (v4) is unique, fresh, soft and lovely. I really really love it, and if I had the chance, I would definitely buy a bottle. If Beth releases this scent, I hope she doesn't change a thing!

[benthic]

I got frimped a testable sniffie of this, which was either very lucky or very unlucky, I can't decide.

 

 

In the imp: It took me weeks to figure out what this reminded me of. It was something very specific and unmistakable, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally I realized that it smells like starfruit. It's a wet, watery, fruity smell, but it's more like the skin of a fruit than the flesh of a fruit, which is what I associate starfruit with. A juicy red rind with some of the fruit still clinging to it. I actually don't get rose at all when this is wet.

 

Wet on skin: the same, only now the rose begins to emerge. It's all very red and pink, with the watery aspect fading and the floral aspect coming out. But overall it is the same fruit-skin smell.

 

Dry on skin: the wetness is all gone, and it's all rose and red fruit and just a touch of spice, present but barely noticeable.

 

 

I can't get enough of this! It's not like anything else I have. I'm doomed to forever wander the Earth in search of a bottle, I think.

[moonstonemama]

 

in the vial: Pink floral. Roses and white flowers. Also something sweet.

 

my best guesses are Rose, Gardenia, and Lotus.

 

it's a floral hat-trick.

 

 

 

hmm, now that it's dry on my arm, I think there's a bit of musk and vanilla in there too.

[bheansidhe]

I won a bottle of Rubedo v4 in the Dirty South Will Call raffle to benefit Georgia Organics' Flooded Farm Relief fund. After I'm done reviewing it, the bottle is going on Ebay with proceeds from the sale to be donated to charity.

 

Rubedo v4 is a solid, heavy scent, which would fit the concept of manifesting tangible form from inner Light. The first day I tested it, it was an overwhelming bloom of rose or rose geranium backed by another white floral (maybe magnolia), with a middle sweetness that suggested lotus. As the florals aged they became metallic, like a rose carved from copper and steel, but somehow still alive.

 

I tested it again after the bottle had rested for a day. That time it opened with a sinus-clearing green camphor note married to the floral. It reads a bit like Red Devil or Schwarzer Mond at this stage. There are resins, but I can't decide which ones. Benzoin? Galbanum?

 

On drydown, it has a earthy herbal sweetness laid over a resonant, resinous metallic finish. I like this stage the best, and it lasts for a good long while.

 

This blend is insanely hard to describe. It's not a metallic or a floral or a resin, but it has all those components. It really does smell weighty and complex, like alchemy in motion. I can't wait for this line to be released.

Edited December 9, 2009 by bheansidhe

[zankoku_zen]

This is definitely red rose. It's the same kind of rose as in Peacock Queen - big, red, voluptous. I think there is gardenia or lotus in it - I get a tiny hint of bubblegum.

 

HUGE throw.

[Dark Alice]

My nose is kind of broken but there goes....

 

Rose....gardenia...with some kind of mintiness going on. Must. Wash. Off. NOW!

[fairnymph]

Peachy-pink coloured oil. Sweet, spicy and floral. A little fruity, and a soapy/powdery type of rose note, as well as maybe another stronger floral. Ahhh I know what is giving me all that - dragon's blood, ugh.

 

Dragon's blood galore, it's very very strong, totally dominating right now, and turning awfully on my skin as it always does. The fake cherry note is much stronger here than usual in DB, so I think there is cherry in this is well - cough syrup, medicinal, mentholic. Wow, this could not be any worse.

 

This has insane throw on me and even from a foot away it's utterly revolting. Off to sink - I can't even let this one dry completely. Of course, it won't wash off. One of the most horrible scents I've ever tested. Evil cheap cherry air freshener.

[Blood onmy hands]

When I first tried this, I kept thinking that it smelled like rose and cough syrup. After reading the reviews, maybe that off, slightly fruity smell is the dragon's blood, and I'm getting something like mint or eucalyptus that makes this seem medicinal. At first it's like sweet red rose mixed with a handful of dying flowers and a drip of red cough syrup. It dries down to a sweet, powdery rose on me. My skin amps up rose-y notes like crazy, so that's to be expected. I definitely don't need more of this blend.

[savage_rose]

Sweet rose and something bitter that is trying to balance the sweetness of the rose. It doesn't quite work though . It ends up just smelling off, like potpourri gone bad

[myth]

A very realistic rose scent from the vial, dewy and fresh, with a bit of cut stem in there. On me of course it turns powdery instantly, and the green aspect amps. Floral *and* green is double doom, so it's always fun to see two doom notes trying to death match each other. Green seems to be winning this one, but powdery floral is on its heels. Somehow both of them manage not to soap, and this stays identifiably rose, albeit a heavy cloying one, in contrast to the light dewyness I get from the vial. As it dries further I do begin to pick up some sourness that could be the Dragon's Blood other reviewers are getting, which always kind of smells like hairspray to me. Getting worse as it dries, and it wasn't for me to begin with.

[voodoocatwoman]

This blend is pretty but not wonderful. Rose is a bit strong. I also get herbs. Since I am paring down and only keeping things that make me weak in the knees, this one heads to the sale bin.