The Arbor

[Invidiana]

THE ARBOR
He seems to be a god, that man
Facing you, who leans to be close,
Smiles, and, alert and glad, listens
To your mellow voice

And quickens in love at your laughter
That stings my breasts, jolts my heart
If I dare the shock of a glance.
I cannot speak,

My tongue sticks to my dry mouth,
Thin fire spreads beneath my skin,
My eyes cannot see and my aching ears
Roar in their labyrinths.

Chill sweat glides down my back,
I shake, I turn greener than grass.
I am neither living nor dead and cry
From the narrow between.

(Sappho, translation by Guy Davenport)

Shuddering, thundering, passionate: red musk, East African red patchouli, tonka bean, white gardenia, black narcissus, champaca flower, Roman chamomile, and massoia bark.

This throbs with passion like the poem: the initial thunderclap of red musk remains prominent throughout, but as it dries down it allows the beauty of the other elements to shine. The floral element here holds its own, with the shadows of black narcissus counterbalanced by the lovely humid exotic feel lent to it by the white gardenia and champaca flower, all shot through with a vein of sensuous red patchouli. The tonka and massoia bark make for a warm, slightly sweet and slightly woody undertone. I don't really amp chamomile, so it isn't that prominent on my skin; it's probably intermingling with the florals. Red musk lovers, you cannot miss this one. Cannot.

[boxinghelena]

The Arbor has most of the notes that I love... musk, patchouli, gardenia and champaca flower. Yes, yes, yes and yes. So then, what happened? I thought this blend would be absolutely beautiful on me. Something is just off. I bet it's the freaking massoia bark that is killing it for me. It turns into generic old lady cheap cologne. Wah!

 

Damn you woody-type notes!

~

[edenssixthday]

The Arbor - I thought I was going to :heart: this... and I almost do. It's really lovely. It's a dark, woody, dirty red musk scent that's so close to being pretty, but the gardenia gives it a weird, bitter, soapiness on me that just isn't going to work for me. So sad!

[cherrycherry]

Now THIS is sexy. Out of all the Lupers I've tested so far today, this one has really grabbed me. I absolutely love red musk with a passion, I should probably point that out right now, and so this one is just perfect. I get the patchouli and florals also, especially in the drydown. This is going to become a staple in my scent wardrobe, I can tell already. Definitely need more of this. I bet it will age incredibly well.

[lahdeedah]

I, too, am a confessed red musk lover, so there was no doubt I'd at least give The Arbor a go. It was a plus that I love love love the poem. At first I was a bit put off by the gardenia, which is strong, but as the hours passed I couldn't stop sniffing, trying to catch more of the wafts from my skin. This one seems to be one of those where placement matters a bit. On my arm, it's somewhat faint, mostly red musk and a hint of champaca. On my neck, the gardenia blooms first, then the champaca and patchouli come along to dirty it up, and finally glorious red musk rides in to carry this scent into seriously sexy territory. Lots of throw, and long lasting. It is most definitely passionate and thunderous. I really like it, and can't wait to see how it ages.

[cfrancesca]

This starts off as a sexy red musk, patchouli and champaca blend. The red musk here has a sweet, slightly fruity, almost juicy quality on me. As it dries I start to get some gardenia, but the red musk and champaca are still the main players. I find this a sexy, sultry blend that's also a little young and playful.

[Geminirubyshoes]

Red musk lovers unite! This is probably the most red musk-red musky Bpal I have ever put on. It's pretty strong at first but I've been sitting here with it on for about 10 or 15 minutes and now its turning into this creamy, sweet but still some sexy grime red musk. I can't really pick notes out from this but I agree with other reviewers that this will be out of control when it gets some age to it. I might wear this all day today..

 

Note: almost 2 years later this is still ridiculously red musk sexy time. It's gotten smokier...so good.

Edited January 16, 2013 by Duskinhereyes

[countessmouse]

I have to agree with boxinghelena here. The Arbor has all the elements to be a beautiful, rich scent, but all I'm getting is old lady cologne. Blech.

[strahlend]

In my decant and on my skin this reminds me a lot of BIEN LOIN D'ICI. The Arbor has just a touch more of a dry bark element to it, but other than that they have a very similar feel. Which is great, I really love both of them. The Arbor is musky and lightly sweet with a bit of spice and a touch of earthiness. For some reason I get the feeling of jasmine but it's not listed, so maybe I'm confused. It's one of those scents that feels both sexy and really comfortable. I think it's lovely.

[Blood onmy hands]

I like red musk (though it's a bit overpowering on my skin), gardenia, and tonka, and the other notes in this are all iffy for me.

On me, the red musk instantly amps up and is the dominating note for about a half hour. The narcissus adds a sharp, perfumey, chemical-floral undertone and the chamomile and red patch give it more of a sour, bitter edge that makes it rather unpleasant. The gardenia is there, but the other notes turn it into a sharp floral that I'm not really enjoying.

 

The drydown of The Arbor is just very floral, heavy, and perfumey-sharp on my skin with sour, earthy edges. I usually can't pick out the tonka in bpal blends, and I don't smell it here either. All in all, this isn't a keeper for me. There are red musk blends and floral blends that I like a lot more than this'n.

[cyberpuff]

The notes listed here are all of my favorites. It's hard for me to not just instantly purchase anything that has red musk listed first. Champaca flower is another drool worthy scent, and The Lab has cured me of my patchouli aversion. The other florals looked really good too.

 

Wet: I get spicy and warm, definitely red musk. A Sunbird kind of feeling. Something seems not right though...

 

On my skin: Okay, something is not right at all. I'm having flashbacks to Fledgling Raptor Moon, which did not work for me. At all. Comparing the notes, I see the culprit- Massoia Bark.

 

Twenty minutes later: I'm keeping this on for the sake of reviewing only at this point, because I really want to wash it off. I can sense potential- the musk/patch/champaca trinity is starting to come forward, and that massoia is starting to back off, but it's still stuck in my nose.

 

Overall: Since I can't make it to the hour or longer stage with this one, I can say that if you like woods, Fledgling Raptor Moon and red musk, this one is for you. It's not for me. At least I now know that massoia bark is a Total DealBreaker for me, even when it's surrounded by notes that I love.

[Mae]

I've had such good luck with the red musks, lately, that this one really sounded wonderfule to me. My first smell in the bottle was woody- not the piney, resiny woods but a dark, hard wood- which wasn't what I expected but I still thought I might like it. After a few minutes on my wrist, it turns incensy- heavy on the nag champa. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for from this. An hour later, it's all patchouli and champaca, and very faint, at that. I'll try on my neck/behind the ear tomorrow and update. This one may be put in the 'aging' stash, as a few months of dark, quiet meditation may be necessary for this one before I make a final judgement.

 

Mae

[msbcozad]

The Arbor is an odd morpher. It starts out pretty dark and heavy, but as it dries the oil becomes soft and girly thanks to the gardenia. I thought this might be the perfect perfume for a little girl. A few hours later, the perfume has morphed to a skin-close musky-woody scent.

 

I don't know how often I'll reach for it, but this is a lovely, soft scent. Actually, this may be my "I don't know what I want to wear" scent.

 

ETA: It's been another three hours and the perfume has morphed into full-on gardenia. There's absolutely no throw, but I love gardenia so I'll simply huff my wrist.

Edited March 9, 2011 by MelanieSuzanne

[femmefatale]

Starts of off a rather sharp narcissus with patchouli and hint of what I think is the champaca. It's almost headache inducing, but never quite gets there. Once it's fully dry it is almost entirely red musk with just the barest hint of floral in the background.

Pretty, but not something I would reach for often. I'll keep my decant though.

 

 

[lookingglass]

Wet this is RED MUSK! brightened with the herbs. Drying out, the florals are head-y, and yeah, a little tart, but it's ok, it's ok...the red musk is backin' it up. It has a very Indian feel. The patchouli is deep and woody, but the massoia/tonka/white flower thing it has going on gives it a gently creamy, almost buttery sweetness on the drydown. Mmmmm...sweet patchouli musk, my favorite kind of blend. It feels like Phantom's sibling in in how it is a rich, musky, floral incense scent. I'll be wearing this out in the Spring and Summer- it has a freshness that is undeniable, but it's still dark and sexy. I think she'd cut through a bar crowd like a bitch on wheels, too.

 

I love it enough to have back up!

Edited July 21, 2012 by lookingglass

[Deek]

Bottle: A lovely floral that's slightly spicier than usual, but the patchouli does not seem to be very strong.

Wet on Skin: Oh man, I love the red musk with gardenia combo.

Dry: Definitely gets a little more spicey, more patchouli... Not as a wet as before, more of a woody scent.

Overall: 4/5. High on my bottle list for sure.

[dreamingjune]

This would be so fabulous if it was not for the white gardenia and perhaps the black narcissus. The Arbor reminds me of Dancing Koi, only a more feminine version. The patchouli is subtle, and the massoia bark and champaca are doing amazing things-- just not amazing enough to compensate for the florals.

[Katherynne]

Like many others, I bought this because it's full of notes I really like. That said, it's very... sharp. I think there is a rawness to the red musk that is going to have to age a little before this becomes the scent I really thought it was going to be. The Arbor is very pretty and the floral notes are present, but for me, the red musk is really overpowering everything else and I have difficulty picking out the subtleties in the blend.

 

Of course, THAT said, don't get me wrong: I like it! it's just not what I thought it would be. I'm going to give it some time to age, and then try again and re-review. So I'm 'on the fence' on this one.

[wl552]

I'm wondering if my bottle was mislabeled, 'cause all I get is a very, very heavy rose. Rose isn't a listed note, so this confuses me. I'm bitterly disappointed. I would've taken anything but this. Wood, yes. Red musk, yes. Spicy patch, why not? Woody florals, sure thing. But rose??? I amp rose like crazy and avoid it like the plague, I would've never ordered it if I knew there'd be rose. Not sure what to do with it. ugh

[violetblue]

Wet I am amping the gardenia and champaca. It's reminding me a bit of WILF with florals. I wish I could smell the patchouli more. I like this one, but not enough to get a bottle at this time I think, since I have so many WILFs already.

[zankoku_zen]

Red musk, mixed with champaca and patchouli. Sensual, woody... and did I mention the red musk?

 

...

 

So, yeah, not my type of blend at all.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Musky patch.

 

Wet: Musky patch, now flavoured with tonka, champaca, and gardenia, but only lightly so.

 

The dry-down: This slowly becomes more sweet as time goes on, but not in a fruity or foodie way, so to speak. The chamomile and the massoia bark have also come into the mix, but they mostly serve as a basis for the other notes. This essentially remains a musky patch with some sweetness. I like it, but not sure that I like it enough to get a bottle.

[Sabir]

This has turned out to be really nice on me. It's heavy on the Red Musk, which I like, but there's enough going on with the other elements that's is an interesting and sexy scent. Patchouli is hit and miss for me, but it's behaving! The florals blend in nicely and eventually quite down, leaving this woody, musky scent... kind of like an Arbor covered in spring flowers that haven't opened yet.

 

Very nice, but the decant will do.

[midnight_aeval]

Red musk. The smutty red musk that smells horrid on me Sadly, The Arbor doesn't work for me at all.

[brilliantcat]

Though the chamomile note concerned me as I usually amp it into powdery hell, the rest of the notes are right up my alley so I gave this one a try. I am SO glad I did. Definitely a smutty musk with gorgeous earthy patch, and the florals complement the blend beautifully. Gardenia happens to be one of the florals I actually like and lends some creaminess as well. The narcissus stayed true rather than turning powdery or dusty and the chamomile behaved itself, I heard not a peep from it. Tonka does amazing things on me, perhaps even better than actual vanilla. As it warmed, the massoia bark added more earthiness. I ended up buying a bottle.