Nepthys v2

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Spicy, slightly woody, resiny. Smoky, a little astringent - tobacco? Frankincense for sure, and some sort of sweeter resin, maybe some benzoin. Very much INCENSE.

 

Wet: Even smokier, heavier and darker incense. A little earthy/dirty - maybe a patchouli note? Strong frankinsence and a sweet, rich delicious tobacco note. There is also something a little citrusy-piney which I'm almost positive is balsam - very strong and lovely. This reminds me of a cross between No. 93 Engine & Minotaur. Definitely some black musk, and I do think there are some other citrusy notes like elemi or litsea cubea. This is both bright/fresh and dark/intense.

 

Dry: Increasingly peppery - a black pepper note, I'm pretty sure, and there's the dark, bitter dustiness of myrrh (though it's light), and definitely a strong honeyed benzoin based. I'm pretty sure the citrus is litsea, and not elemi. The benzoin is really amping and it blends with the litsea beautifully. This is also getting more smoky - I think there's something beyond the noted resins and tobacco, and actual smoke note of some sort. It's almost waxy, like the candle smoke note in Gypsy Queen.

 

Summary: Smoky resins, black pepper and BALSAM over a lightly citrusy, earth incense base. The first three notes really dominates here, making it a very masculine scent IMO. More like Minotaur than No. 93 Engine in the final drydown, though it's definitely a mix of both. Great throw and good longevity.

[crebbsgirl]

I agree with the Minotaur and No. 93 Engine comparison. I can't detect frankincense in here, normally it goes to playdoh and it doesn't seem to be doing that, but I am getting pepper and resins and balsams. Sweet and dark and rich. Myrrh is definitely in there somewhere too.

[zankoku_zen]

I seem to have neglected to post my review here...

 

In any case, unlike v4, this one has no orange but rather more of a lemon citrus overlay over a darker, richer incense. Again, the comparison to No 93 Engine springs to mind.

 

And then it gets bitter with pepper and myrrh. Poo on them.

[myth]

I sorta get something piney in the background if I sniff the wand, but on my skin it's pretty astringent, and moves immediately toward perfumey. Whatever is making this perfumey is the same note from Nepthys v4 I think. It's perfumey bordering to soapy. Any pine or resin that may be here is completely covered by whatever this perfumey note is... a floral? A musk? A combo of both? I dunno, but it does not play nicely with me.

[bheansidhe]

Tobacco (both wet leaf and smoke), a hint of sweet sandalwood, a light woodsy balsam, black pepper, and dusty dusty dirt. It develops an oddly orange-blossom note as it ages that is possibly cypress.

Edited June 28, 2010 by bheansidhe

[edenssixthday]

Nepthys v2 - Frankincense/incense, resins, and woods. Really lovely, husky, and warm.

 

ETA: Oh wait, yes, there's a bit o' musk in there, too. Warm, sweet, fuzzy musk...but just a tiny bit!

Edited July 28, 2010 by Edens Sixth Day

[Roogna]

super faint! really, really hard to smell it, even with nose to wrist. I definitely get a tinge of something brown, maybe woodsey, but it's just too faint to tell. the notes are soft though - not harsh or sharp. it's a bit like insence and there's a "brown" note in there.

[Blood onmy hands]

This is my favorite of the Nepthys protos (doesn't have the bitter citrus or dry, powdery, soapy qualities in the other protos), though it's probably still not something that I need a full bottle of. This is pretty much all light, sweet incense on my skin. I can't pick out any one note, it just melts into an incense and dry wood type of smell. It's pleasant enough, but doesn't have much throw and only lasts about an hour on me.

[Kamanjah]

Wow, it doesn't even sound like I'm reviewing the same scent here!

 

I got this from the lab on Etsy in July '11. Wet, it's slightly bittersweet, and dries down into a white floral on my skin. The white to me is more like narcissus than orange blossom. I say that because the narcissus flowers have a bitter undertone to my nose. I don't smell any similarity to No. 93 Engine, which I love.

 

I'm terrible at identifying notes, but I don't get any frankincense, myrrh or anything incensy from this. This is totally floral on me. I amp myrrh like crazy, and I love frankincense and tobacco and incense fragrances, and I get none of them here.

 

This has very little throw, and fades very quickly.

[JazzieCazzie]

Purchased a bottle on Etsy and decanted imp to test ...

 

IN THE IMP: Incense and medicinal comfort scent.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm

 

WET: Oddly enough, upon application the note that jumps out at me is one I have no name for but recognize where I've smelled it before ... it smells like Oneroi to me, a note I identify as "sugarless bubble gum." I can't remember the brand but a specific one. It's not unpleasant per se, sweet and light, but that note just blots out all the rest of it for me.

 

DRYDOWN: As much as I like, or would like to like, the rest of the notes which all work for me, the bubblegum scent is just too much for me. And though the drydown does make the lovely incensey part amp MORE -- it's the closest thing to a good old-fashioned headshop smell I have found in awhile -- in the end, it's just too sweet.

 

OVERALL: Disappointed, I admit, because I love everything else about this scent. I wish there were a way to just take out whatever the bubblegum note is.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 3ish.