Faunalia

[BoneBone24]

Held on December 5th, this is the festival of the Horned God of the Forest, one of the di indigetes of Rome, god of cattle, fertility, wild, untamed nature, and prophecy through dreams. The scent of a thick, starlit, unspoiled forest, with a burst of wild musk, opobalsamum, black bryony, mandragora, and hemlock.

 

2014

 

Wet: Oooooh, tingly-spicy greens with a bit of creaminess!

 

Drydown: I can detect the lime-iness of the hemlock, which is reading as sparkly and effervescent, like a lemon-lime soda. Beneath that is a blend of darker, woodsy notes that are borderline earthy, maybe even a touch resinous. Tying things together is an unexplained creamy note. Is that the musk?? I’m not sure what it is, but it is beautiful and melting into the green and foresty notes in the most delicious way.

 

Dry: Considerably lighter now, which is a bummer. A shadowy musk with layers of fresh greenery, earthy spice, creamy ??, and a hint of citrus. One of the most beautiful forest scents I’ve come across. I’m angry at my skin for absorbing the crap out of it, for this is a scent that I’d love to amp!

 

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2014 version.

 

In the decant: Forest scents aplenty.

 

Wet: A dark forest full of musky and planty scents.

 

The dry-down: There's the bitterness of the hemlock, the herbal scents of bryony and mandragora, all in the forest, w/ hints of musk and opobalsamum. A lovely dark forest.

[milo]

Eeks, this is not the Faunalia I remember. I'm getting soap, and acrid pine soap gone bad. I am glad I didn't get more than a sniffie. From what I remember, I really liked this from another year. Not this time...

[agirlnamedfury]

This one doesn't really work for me. I actually can't detect any individual notes, but it's all soapy and floral on me, not the dark woodsiness I was hoping for.

 

Nope.

[Veronica]

Very pretty. I get dark evergreens and pine mixed with an almost champagne-like effervescent note and a lovely skin musk.

[aquazoo]

Starts out champagney-fizzy. Then I get the wood. It’s woddy and it’s spicy, and I really want to like this but it’s just not nice on me.

[Atrous]

2013 version

From a decant I found yesterday (I have no memory of having this but it makes sense given the notes)...

 

Dark, thick forest and animal fur with herbaceous undertones. This is sweeter than other forest scents I have but not too sweet.

think Black Forest, Coyote, and Hell Hound on my Trail had a baby.

 

I need a bottle of this!

[dementia_divine]

2015 version.

 

In the decant: A very green forest. There is a bright aspect to it that almost reminds me of the Lab's fizzy champagne note, that I suppose is representative of it being a starlit forest. It's more forest than musk in the decant, and I'm hoping it will be that way on my skin, too.

 

Wet: There is a burst of the champagne-like, bright, fizzy note, followed by trees. So yes, it smells like a party in a forest.

 

Dry: This is mostly just champagne single note on me. I'm not surprised, as I amp that note – but I wasn't expecting that bright, fizzy note here! The musk note is lingering in the background. Perhaps it's a brown one? It's nice and soft. There's only a tinge of the forest.

 

Verdict: Well, that was unexpected! I was hoping for forest, but my skin chemistry had other plans for this scent. I'm glad I tried it, though!

[Nyx_DevineNight]

2015 Version

 

In the bottle: Woodsy with a hint of musk.

Wet: A really musky forest.

Dry: The woodsy smell has died down some, but there is still a lot of musk. I like it, but not an absolute favorite. The wet stage was my favorite.

​

[Wilddog]

2016 version!

 

In the decant: A forest composed entirely of old pine trees.

 

Wet: This has more to offer than pines. Something herbal is coming around, while the pines become lighter and sweeter. No musk yet.

 

Dry: A sweet, but dark, forest. There's a light herbal note and the faintest trace of musk. I'm reminded of Burial, but lighter and without the florals. This is a very nice unisex scent, and I may have to get a bottle.

[Casablanca]

2016

 

I got to sample this with my friend as one of her decants.

 

First impression on my skin: what a rich brown forest musk! It’s like walking in some woods where a snuggly brown mammal has made itself happy against every tree. Musky fur covers every bark surface, and there’s something cozy about the place.

 

As Faunalia starts to dry, more of its wood comes out on my skin. I don’t smell any specific wood, not even the hemlock. It’s just musky, fur-covered forest. After a half hour, I smell even amounts of skin-soft wood and musk.

 

This is like a richer, more forested version of Coyote’s musky grass plains. When I sniff Faunalia side-by-side with Gloomy Day, the two smell pretty good together.

[Soupy Twist]

2009 decant.

 

A high, cold pine, with a little sweet fizz around the edges like 21's gin. Surprisingly nice. No musk, which is great for me.