Ekhidna

[lookingglass]

All the corruptions of the earth: mandrake, dark myrrh, seaweed, swampy moss, black pepper, pimento, opoponax, tobacco absolute, and tarry clove.

FUNKY! It's almost a chypre without citus topnotes-a dream come true! It's a punch in the face with sharp resins and fresh spices and wet earth that almost reads like a heady, dark floral, greenish brown, not too sour. It's reminiscent of the Caterpillar, but with less floral, and add clove, lots of myrrh, and GREEN...sweeter, sticky, and kind of leathery. It feels like a classic Caron but more...wild-swampy, yeah..like, primeval. Ooooh, another add to my heaping myrrh pile!!!! I gotta have a full bottle. Edited September 18, 2011 by lookingglass

[Victory]

I smell something a little smoky, a little vetiver-y, and a lot sweet in Ekhidna. Fortunately, once the oil is dry, the vetiver goes away and takes the smoke with it, just leaving that sweet scent. At first I thought it was melony, but I think it's the clove that is sweet, and while clove is often a sort of baked goods note, it isn't here. Ekihdna is showing me her lovely face, I guess. There are notes lurking behind the clove, but they're not particularly dark or sinister, surprisingly enough. I put this on thinking it would be too malevolent for me, but it is sweet enough that it is quite wearable.

[invisible iris]

In the imp: Sweet, spicy, resiny darkness. It’s hard to describe. It smells like oozing resins in a dark seaside cave.

 

On skin: The seaweed gets saltier for a moment, and it reminds me of men’s shower soap, but the tobacco and clove come out too, and then the peppers, which counter the aquatic-leaning seaweed. The more it dries, the more assertive the myrrh and opoponax become, and the more the seaweed mellows.

 

Dry: Predominantly tobacco, and peppery clove with sweet resins. Some darkness comes from the peppers, but it also has a sticky sweetness from the opoponax and tobacco that dominates the bitter elements. There’s some note at work that I don’t care for, and I’m guessing it’s the seaweed (or possibly mandrake), that makes it smell just a little wrong, kind of herbal or salty or chemically. The word narrow comes to mind, a narrow scent, but I realize that’s not very helpful at all.

 

Verdict: I thought I would really like Ekhidna, but in the end I think it’s just okay. I’ll keep my imp for a while and give it a few more tests, but right now it’s not for me.

[snapesgirl34]

In the Bottle- Sweet and spicy, and full of musk.

 

Wet- I never thought I’d like the scent of tobacco, but this actually smells pretty good. Hmmmm. Also the myrrh and clove (no idea what opoponax is so I can tell if I’m smelling that or not). This is a pretty masculine scent though, not sure I can pull it off, but I really hope so, so far I’m loving this! It’s really complex, and it smells like the kind of cologne a pirate might wear.

 

Dry- Yummy, warm, dark, sexy and amazing. Like leather and clove and sea soaked ships. Reminds me of pirates!

 

Overall- I am so getting a 5 mL of this. This is one of those rare scents that actually last more than 20 minutes on me, and smells amazing. Reading the notes this is something I would’ve never thought to try, so what a lucky twist of fate I got it as a frimp!

[rhubarb3point14]

Wet, Ekhidna is assertively black-peppery, licoricey, and clovey. It has a dry, dirty, and slightly green smell. I was sure it was going to be a keeper for me, because it was so mysterious and sharp-edged and intriguing.

 

Dry, on me, it's nothing but clove and myrrh, and is sickeningly sweet. *sigh* This is not the right fragrance for me, although I bet there are people out there that this is totally incredible on.

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like kind of a bright chypre. Peppery and sweet, but mossy and bold, too. It smells very complex, and to be honest I assumed this was an LE until I looked it up -- I was surprised to find out it was a GC. Super nice addition to the catalog. Great scent!

[Dark Angel]

This is...weird. Where to start? Certainly it is very dark. I am kind of having a love-hate relationship with it, actually: sometimes I think I really like it, and then I think maybe I really don't like it. Also I kept thinking "why does this remind me of Darkness?" because I know Ekhidna doesn't have any opium in it, and I was thinking that Darkness was primarily opium. But now I realize they both contain myrhh. So it must be the myrhh I am getting (yeah, I am not so great at detecting notes.) It does smell... corrupted: sweet but so dark and somehow a little bitter at the same time. Not sure this works for me. But it fascinates me, too. Probably I will hang on to it and test it again in a while.

[Kayah]

the moment I smelled this, I was in a dark damp cave.. The pungent stench of mildew eminated from the wet dungeon..er, .. cave walls. I had an almost irresistible urge to cast Magic Missile...

 

Because this smells like something Dark. Dangerous. Menacing. It also smells like something that will start oozing towards you and grasp at you with its tentacles.

 

It's scary not in the way that ghost or campfire stories are, ha ha scary not really true. The smell touches something deep down, where you remember that there are dangerous things in the world, and that we all just make illusions of happy safe places, and happy safe lives. Smelling this.. I remember, that life is dangerous, and darkness hides things that not always want to be seen, and there are things in life best left ignored, lest you drive yourself mad thinking about all the evil and wrong and true terror that exists in the world.

 

 

Now, don't get me wrong. It's a beautiful scent - but I must be in the right mood to wear it, for it does make me think of dark and dangerous things that sometimes are best contemplated only in the perceived safety of light.

[mxtine]

This is one of the weirder perfume oils I've smelled! It's peppery, Schwarzer Mond-like (opoponax), but with a dark aquatic side spiked with cloves. I dislike almost all aquatics because they make me sneeze but this is so interesting regardless! Further drying leaves myrrh, opoponax and cloves. While I'm not sure if see myself wearing it often due to the weird aquatic sneezy phase, I want to keep the imp to see how it ages.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: strongly tobacco! And myrrh, drowning in swampy moss. I was expecting some sweetness with the clove, but there's none that I can find. It's another one of those incredibly masculine scents that I think would smell great on somebody else, but not on me. It's a little like the ashes in Djinn, but not quite as smoking hot.

 

On my skin: it turns into more myrrh once on, with tobacco in the background. Still no sweetness. The moss and seaweed come through later, as it's drying, though it doesn't exactly scream ocean. It isn't a Tempest smell-alike, since there's no wetness. Just smoky darkness here.

 

Last thoughts: darkly smoky, with seaweed and brittle mosses. It's a little spicy with the pepper, but it's in the background.

[Mokiefraggle]

I feel I must review this quickly, as the frimp I received today had a break in it and was leaking everywhere, and thus had to be discarded. Therefore, I'm reviewing before the remains have a chance to fade, and I forget it.

 

In the imp and while it's wet, I get a strong whiff of myrrh and clove, with a thick, dark scent behind it that I presume is the tobacco, as it smells a bit like a cigar. There's a dry, biting note as it just begins to dry on my skin--likely the pepper--but I don't get anything mossy or aquatic at first. It's only when it's dry that I get a thick, salty smell of ocean mingled with a dense, wet earth scent I presume is the moss, and a murky, woody scent I think is the mandrake. It's dark, heavy, and the scent feels thick, like every time I smell it, it's settling way down deep in my lungs and hanging there like a fog. I feel like the only word to describe it would be potent.

 

Not sure what I think of it, and unless I get another imp of it, I won't get another chance to test it. Definitely not one I'd buy for my own use, but it's definitely interesting. Never had a perfume that smelled so potently of seawater before, especially not this particular seawater scent, with its intermingling of muddy earth.

[ajansuz]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

This is so strange. In the imp, it smelled a lot like gum. I've been wracking my brain trying to recall which brand it reminds me of and drawing a blank. I think Hubba Bubba had a flavor a long time ago, some sort of cola flavor, that smelled a lot like this. I just can't remember.

 

Wet: Pepper pops up. It's a lot like the pepper in Burning Vulva, very spicy, tickling the nose a little bit. The myrrh is very sweet, but it's kept out of cloying territory by the gorgeous dark aquatics. This is what I had hoped some of the Picnic in Arkham aquatics would be. It would be right at home in that collection. It's dark and slithery but also beautiful.

 

Dry down: The aquatics take over for a time. Sea water and salt over incensy clove and waterlogged wood. This scent lasts for several hours. After about two, the myrrh came back and played really nicely. The pepper faded away, but it never fully lost its spicy tinge. Something in this also reminds me of ambergris. It's just so pretty. I would never have picked this out based on the listed notes. I'm so glad I got it as a frimp.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Resiny, peppery, swampy sweentness.

Wet: Clove and tobacco. Quite lovely!

Dry: Clove with aquatic notes, which start out okay but turn a bit sickly after an hour or so (I don't like aquatics though so ymmv). Sticks close to the skin.

[lavenderfrost]

Another frimp I'd never have ordered for myself. The description shows it's really not my thing at all, but I gave it a try in the name of being a good sport.

 

Starts out surprisingly sweet, almost...minty? IDK. I'm having trouble picking things out. More things come through, idk what is what since I'm not sure what most of it smells like, and in the end it ends up smelling like the home fragrance section of every craft and sewing supply store ever. It's got that same sweetness and spice thing going. (O HAI CLOVE HOW YOU DOIN?) No idea what notes are causing it, because again, idk what most of this stuff smells like on its' own.

 

Definitely not for me, but not as OMG HAHAHA NO THANK YOU as I was expecting? ^^;; (Not that I assumed it'd be bad, I'm just a florals and aquatics girl, myself.)

Edited January 4, 2013 by lavenderfrost

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): It's surprisingly light when considering the scent notes. I get light clove, myrrh, pimento, tobacco, and just a touch of moss.

 

Wet: I get spicer clove, opoponax, pepper (although this reads as pink, not black), pimento, thick clove, tobacco, and mandrake. It's certainly stronger on the skin.

 

Dry: After 12 hours, the myrrh and clove with hints of mandrake are all faintly detectable. A rather enjoyable scent.

[JazzieCazzie]

Purchased in February as part of my "impapalooza" purchase from the Lab based on interesting notes. This is the first time I've tried it, as I work alphabetically through ALL of my imps and bottles as a current project.

 

IN THE IMP: Sharp, masculine, busy. On second kick up comes the seaspray scent and something else that is oddly sweet and bubblegummy. Maybe the myrrh which tends to go sweet and funky on me on drydown but usually not something I pick out in imp or when wet.

 

Dabbed on one wrist. Scares me a little.

 

WET: So complex. Each time I sniff I get something else ... a note, an image, an odd idea. Seaside. Driftwood. Bubble gum. Cologne. A lot of cologne. Dial soap. Food. Juice. More cologne.

 

DRYDOWN: Interestingly enough, I don't get my usual myrrh-powder-funk. But the cologne note, whatever that is, is just wayyyyyyyy too strong and masculine for me.

 

OVERALL: I think this is a great guy scent, what with the seaspray and cologne. It just isn't for me.

 

On a scale of 1-5, about a 2. For me.

[MtMoonKitty]

In the imp I got what seemed like sarsaparilla soda pop! Dry I still get just a whiff of that but it has an earthy quality and something aquatic that I think might be the seaweed and/or moss. I didn't read the description until after testing so I am pretty amazed by the wet smell I got! I would never have thought to try this one (though I am quite fond of moss), but thanks to the frimp fairies I got to try something unusual. Thanks! I really like this one. There is something distinctly witchy about this that endears me to it. I don't know about a bottle, but maybe it could make the wish list once the frimp is used up.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet and sort of earthy. Lighter than I was expecting.

 

Drydown/Dry: Sweet, spicy, and resinous. The pimento is behaving as other olive notes do on my skin, and giving off a pale fruity vibe. It smells like pineapple with a touch of candied orange. Beneath that lies a shifty mixture of earthy spices and smoky resins. On the outskirts is a hint of briney seaweed. All in all it’s quite delightful. Enveloping, sensual, and exotic.

 

 

 

This smells a bit like a combination of Anubis and Tzadikim Nistarim. With some extra smoke and spice thrown in. It's definitely a keeper!

[calivianya]

Whoa, hello warm and sexy! I was not expecting this for some reason. I'm getting myrrh and some very warm pepper and some green notes backing him up - maybe the seaweed and moss? Either way, this is straight-up hot.

 

Well, it was straight-up hot. It's getting greener as it dries down, to the point that the bitter green bite I get behind the myrrh and pepper is straight up unpleasant. It's a real shame - I really liked this at first.

[Zii]

Wet: There is an almost medicinal wet herb scent to this. Heavy on the swamp aquatics. It mellows almost right away on my skin though, rendering it a lovely green swampy scent.

 

Drying: This is a lot spicier now and drier to, but still has that sea spray ozone and rotting (but not in a bad way) green scent about it. Every time I smell it something is different. Sometimes I swear it smells like chai.

 

Dry: Now I'm getting the exact same smell as from the potpourri my family used to have that was oranges, cinnamon and clove. The aquatic note that I enjoyed so much is completely gone.

 

This is a HUGE morpher on me. While I like all the stages, it doesn't stay in the cool aquatic long enough for my taste. happy to have the imp, won't likely hunt down a bottle.

[Jangzonrice]

Wet: dark and herbally..mandrake, vetiver, ginseng??? Dry: herbally with a little resin. I personally like it, but not sure if I need a bottle. It reminds me of chinese apothecaries my parents would take me to as a kid so it's more of a nostalgic scent for me.

[MCS4096]

I'm really digging the clovey, resinous part of this, but the sweet dead swamp plants kind of turn my stomach. The throw is all spicy, myrrh goodness, but get your nose too close and there's that creepy floral bog stench. I can definitely see how this could lean towards bubble gum-- it's quite sweet.

[Deliciousness]

Dark and sweet, yet spicy and a little aquatic. The is an interesting mixture of scents!

 

When first applied, I get spices ... mostly myrrh and clove. After a little bit, the tobacco starts to peek thru, which lends a nice sweet complexity to this blend. I think I'm also smelling the "swampy moss" note which may be coming off as the aquatic I think I'm smelling. This is a nice blend, although it reminds me a bit of Medea (which, oddly enough already tested today). I should do side by side comparison and see how these two compare. If you like myrrh and or slightly spiced blends, I'd say to give this one a try.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Sweet, musky myrrh.

Wet: Myrrh.

Dry: Oh no, it's gorgeous! I got it as a freebie from a very generous forum member and didn't realise it was discontinued. It's pretty much just myrrh and black pepper and I'm surprised I love it so much. Hopefully I can pick up a bottle some time.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i'm surprised by the notes listed here, it is a little sweeter than i would have thought. on me, once it settles in, it reminds me a bit of The Other Miss Spink, which makes no sense but it does. like a dusty, fuzzy brown, clove-y, swamp plant. with pepper. and how i hate pepper. on the right person, though, i can see how this would be amazing.

 

something about it also reminds me a bit of some 80s power-perfumes, like Passion, Poison, or Palmoma Picasso... or other perfumes starting with P?