The Arbor

[SueTigger]

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

I had been stalking the Lupercalia page for a while and kept coming back to The Arbor. The description was so seductive and alluring... but I couldn't justify placing an order. I sadly lamented the fact on the last day of the Lupercalia offerings, but satisfied myself with possibly getting to sniff it at a swap or a meet and sniff sometime soon. So imagine my surprise when it was gifted to me this weekend! And oh, the notes did not let me down. On me, it's a seductive, heady scent with just enough of a floral note to not overwhelm the senses. Love, love, love!

[maika]

In the decant: Musky gardenia with an undercurrent of patchouli. Nice!

 

Wet: Florals and chamomile, plus an earthy note. I don't know if it's the patchouli or the massoia, but it's good.

 

Dry: Mostly musky patchouli. It actually reminds me of what a Lush store smells like, except a bit less sweet. This is not a bad thing. This is intriguing...

I think if it ages as well as I think it might, I'm going to need more of this.

[milo]

To start, red musk with floral, with emphasis on the red musk. Dry, the gardenia comes out, and though I'm not a fan of heady flowers, the red musk tempers this somewhat to make it more bearable. I'm also getting something like cassia here as well, adding a bit of spice and the patch also adds a 'bite' to this blend. This kind of reminds me of Marianne, The Grindhouse and Mircalla, other 'bad ass' red musk blends. I like this, but have other red musk blends that I like more. There is a fruity sweetness about this that I'm not really liking, but I will say that this is well blended, and red musk fans should give this one a try.

Edited June 7, 2011 by milo

[Vega]

Sniffed: A dark, full, slightly gritty mix of red musk, patchouli, champaca and woods.

 

On skin: This is gooooorgeous! One of the blends where I can smell virtually all the notes: sensual red musk, darkly glowing patchouli, smoky champaca, spicy massoia bark (a note that I'm growing to love), and the clear, bright florals. I can also smell how they blend and contribute to the greater whole, becoming a complex scent that's darkened yet clear, full-bodied, glowing and smooth, but slightly smoky and gritty. The Arbor has a bold presence, but is not blatant. It resembles War -- both contain red musk and patchouli -- but War is brighter and a bit sweetened by its florals, whilst The Arbor is definitely darker and smokier. Colour impression is a deep, blackish red; I'm reminded of dark, living blood throbbing through arteries.

 

Verdict: The Arbor is one of my favourite red musks, and in my Top Ten permanent collection. I love every part of it: the depth, the dark clarity, the pulsing glow, and the gritty smoke. The scent absolutely fits the Sappho poem: it is a more "cerebral" Lupercalia blend, capturing the emotional force and fury of infatuated love, rather than mere animal lust. The instant hit out of Lupercalia 2011!

[subtlesiren]

In bottle: Wow, that's a lot of floral. I can't begin to tell them apart, but they are mingling with the creamy red musk and gritty patchouli nicely at the moment. Hopefully they will fade to the background a bit.

 

Wet on wrist: This group of flowers is playing nicely. The patchouli and red musk are tangoing on my skin - one sniff smooth musk, next classic patchouli.

 

Dry on wrist: The floral notes are stepping down as the stars of show, letting the musk and patchouli shine.

 

I love when floral scents work on me, because so few do. This is gorgeous, soft and sensual.

[tinyvulture]

For a time, I got kind of burned out on red musk blends. Now, smelling The Arbor, that seems crazy. It's making me love red musk all over again. There’s something grapey about this perfume, even though no grape is listed in the description. It also reminds me of gas station incense. You know what I mean? Where you can get 10 incense sticks for a dollar and there’s 20 or 30 different types to choose from, each designated with a dot of color on the end of the stick, but they all smell basically the same, like patchouli and fruit. Well, anyway, that’s what this reminds me of. I can’t pick out any of the other specific floral notes -- it’s all red musk and patchouli to me. And I love it.

[malibusunny]

This is a light grapey floral vanilla more than it is a red musk patchouli, but that is there too. I love this a ridiculous amount in the bottle, and this is v good with my skin, but it stays very close and it dissipates quickly.

 

I alternate between wanting 15 bottles more so I can slather it, and thinking I don't need the bottles I have.

[filigree_shadow]

I was hoping this would be a knock-it-out-of-the-park scent for me, because I like almost all the notes. Red patch tends to be a no-no on me, and I don't like gardenia. Other than that, I was hopeful. As with all red musk blends, this smells very strongly of red musk on my skin. Apart from that, only kind of a dry floral overlay. It doesn't smell as complex as I expected. Kind of like just a particualarly dry red musk. Another reviewer mentioned a grapey scent, and I get that too. I have like a billion red musk blends because it's a favorite note of mine, but this isn't my favorite combination so the decant will be moving along to another home.