Apatouros

[Aldercy]

Deceptive One
Black fig, green tea, opoponax, ciste absolute, myrrh, carnation, nutmeg, and Brazilian vetiver.

Apatouros is definitely not what I expected!

I'm getting mostly green tea (kind of warm and vegetal, not light or clean) and fig (thick, chewy, dry) with a bit of dusty nutmeg. So it's a green and fruity scent (but neither fresh nor sweet) with spice. Rather an odd combination. The darker resins and vetiver are, surprisingly, almost entirely absent (maybe a bit of myrrh peeks through). Not a sign of carnation either, as far as I can tell. It doesn't seem to change very much between the bottle and my skin.

Well, it's not really what I was hoping for (a smoky carnation resinfest), but I like the black fig note. I can't see myself wearing it often enough to warrant the bottle, but I'll hold on to it for awhile to see.

[Dark Alice]

The vetiver makes the fig bitter while wet. So it's fig and vetiver most of the time while wet. Drydown...the fig sweetens up with hints of tea. And then poof...it dries down to the most luscious and soft figgy myrrh scent. I love this and will enjoy this wholeheartedly.

[akw]

The first time I tried Apatouros, I got pretty much green tea and vegetal. I let it sit for a couple of days, and whoa, carnation, nutmeg, vetiver and fig are there too. I can barely detect the myrrh which is fine for me. I wondered if it might be a little too spicy, but a day or two after that, everything seemed really well integrated. It's interesting to have something change like this so quickly -- and exactly in the direction I hoped it would.

 

Love it!

[edenssixthday]

Apatouros - It's too bad that aldercy doesn't have my skin chemistry, because on me, this is most definitely a "smoky carnation resinfest." It opens up with the strong, spicy scent of carnation and the smokiness of myrrh, with a hint of spicy nutmeg and just the faintest drop of vetiver. The vetiver dries really nicely on my skin, leaving a soft, gritty, smokiness behind and the myrrh, carnation and vetiver work together to keep the fig from being too strong on me, although I can still smell it and it's not my favorite note (it rarely works on me). I don't smell the green tea at all. If it weren't for the fig, which I dislike in general, I'd probably buy a bottle of this, as it's a gorgeous "smoky resinfest" that could be super awesome (without the fig).

[filigree_shadow]

At first it's just WHOA FIG. Then it's a smoky almost powdery fig, and then it settles into a spicy sweet dark carnation scent. That initial blast of fig backs off a whole lot, and the scent blends together very prettily. When it's totally dry it smells like a fairly traditional perfume scent to me -- a good one -- and it smells familiar. I think I used to wear one that was similar to this, and I liked it. Since Apatouros is reminding me quite strongly of whatever it was that I used to wear (Prada perfume, maybe?), I automatically like it.

 

It's slightly bitter, slightly floral, slightly spicy, and resinous. It smells expensive.

[strahlend]

This is a lovely, sweet, lightly spiced carnation. I get no impression of vetiver or nutmeg at all. There's a warmth and round sweetness to it that when I look at the notes I suppose are the fig and myrrh, but mainly this is carnation. I'm not easily won over by predominantly floral blends, but this one has something special about it.

[lahdeedah]

Hey, where'd my review go? I know I posted a review here a couple of days ago, but I can't find it, so I'll try again!

 

 

Based on the concept I was really hoping this one would work for me, and I'm pleased to find that it does! It is definitely unlike anything else in my collection. On my skin the scent is dark, chewy, figgy, incensed with myrrh and opoponax. I don't smell much tea or vetiver for that matter, the latter is surprising because I amp vetiver generally. Perhaps it just helps contribute to the dark, purple feel of this scent. Carnation I'm sure is there, but is one of those notes I sense rather than really smell in a defined way.

 

 

Really apropos of "deceptive one," this is one for the mysterious woman with a lot of secrets.

[countessmouse]

Wow! What a rich scent! Lots of carnation, black fig and nutmeg.

 

I smell yummy!

[cfrancesca]

This is a dark scent on me! At first I get resins, dark figs, green tea (which is tart and citrusy) and dark, but not gritty, vetiver. It settles into a earthy dark fig, green tea and vetiver scent that's a little smokey, bitter and slightly astringent on my skin.

 

ETA: This one didn't last very long on my skin.

Edited February 22, 2011 by cfrancesca

[Blood onmy hands]

Apatouros is mostly vetiver and opoponax on me at first (after it goes through its weird phase of citrussy tea), with more of a dry, spicy carnation and sweet, woody fig in the drydown. The vetiver and resins give the spiced fig a darker, slightly smoky, earthy edge.

It's a very heavy scent on me for about an hour, and the opoponax is slightly cloying, and then it softens a lot go a light, spicy fig. It's okay, but at times I find this a bit too sweet and a bit too spicy on my skin.

[Invidiana]

There was some hope for this in the beginning from the syrupy black fig backed by the resins; however, as it dries down a lemony green tea plus a strong carnation dominate with a bit of smoky vetiver in the background. That shouldn't really be a surprise to me since I amp both carnation and anything remotely lemony. Ah well.

[DifferentDances]

Decant!

 

Imp: Soured fig, overtones of paint fumes.

 

Wet: Nowhere near as strong. Slight tart fig, mild carnation, an airy pass of tea.

 

Drydown: Fig newtons?

 

Dry: Perfumey figs. Meh.

 

My rating: 3/5

 

Not bad, not great. Not for me.

[theseagrows]

this seems like a yule scent to me...it smells a lot like apple cider. i think i am mostly getting fig and nutmeg, which are the notes i hoped would be more subtle, actually! i love carnation and green tea, and fig if it's not to sweet, so i thought this might work, but the nutmeg is so strong that this scent registers as way too foody for my tastes. after it dries down a bit, it turns to a plasticky-fruit scent. off to swaps!

[surlygurl]

I'm not sure what the combination is, but I've smelled it before in a 2010 Yule and, possibly, Intrigue. It must be Fig +?. Whatever it is, it's dark and bitter and steals the whole show. I keep hoping to get carnation or tea or nutmeg or vetiver even. No such luck.

 

The drydown isn't quite as bad. I may keep the decant and test it again in a few weeks, but at this point, it seems destined for the swaps pile.

[wrestlingentropy]

This works well on me, and I like it a lot, but it is very, very figgy. I wish I got more of the carnation or vetiver (at this point I get none at all). The opoponax goes a leeeeetle bit hairspray on me from time to time, but not too strongly (and not every time I wear it). As it morphs after a few hours (4+), the myrrh blooms a lot more (as it always tends to on my skin), and becomes so prominent as to almost smell like skin musk. Very sexy and sophisticated without being too heavy. My biggest success from this years Lupers!

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: A very dusty and musky green tea.

 

Wet: The fig warms up the tea and brings it back to life.

 

The dry-down: This gets a little sweeter as it goes along. The myrrh and the nutmeg add a touch of spice, but not too much. I like this, as a tea note is usually good, but don't know if I need more than my decant.

[cuervosueno]

this is an interesting one. Slighty citrus green tea and something spicy in the imp and when it's wet, but on me, it pretty quickly shifts over to spice and resin, but it is never entirely resin. The fig gives it a sweet fruity quality, and there is something slightly dusty in there too (maybe the myrrh? BPAL myrrh doesn't always play nice with me). I do get a bit of carnation/nutmeg too, but not a lot. Everytime I decide this is mostly a dry scent, though, something green and juicy pops up.

 

It is indeed, a deceptive scent.

[ljaylh]

Mmm.. this starts off full of dark, mysterious fig with a touch of sweetness but then the nutmeg and vetiver join in and it all gets very dark and mysterious. Myrrh pops in a few minutes later, and the carnation also makes an appearance around this time. Fifteen minutes in, and what I have is a lot of carnation going on - by far the most prominent note, to the exclusion of almost everything else. Even the vetiver! Carnation beats vetiver, who woulda thunk it?!?

 

So although I can detect the other notes, albeit very subtly (the green tea is particularly nice), ultimately this ends up being a dark version of carnation on my skin. Nice, but not particularly interesting.

[zankoku_zen]

Bitter, smoky fig and carnation. I think between the carnation and the vetiver they cut down on the fruity aspect of fig, and the carnation lends a certain powderiness to the blend. Good bit of nutmeg on the drydown.

 

More wearable than what I would have given it credit for.

[Jenesis]

Haven't reviewed a scent for ages, so here goes... This is a surprisingly complex blend. I can smell the vetivier in the background but it's just "there" rather than being the overpowering cat-pee smell that it usually is. The sickly sweetness of carnation is beautifully balanced by the earthiness of the fig and the green tea, while a delicate smell in itself, works well here to round the blend off. The opopanax (possibly my favourite note) grounds the whole thing.

 

A gorgeous dark, mysterious scent. A keeper!

[Sabir]

I don't think I would have ever picked this one out for myself due to the vetiver, so I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out so well on me! Apatouros is rich and smoky sweet. I'm pretty sure it's the fig and myrrh doing most of the work but the spice of the nutmeg also shines through.

 

I'm not sure if "Brazilian vetiver" is all that different from the usual vetiver, because normally I find vetiver overpowering and headache inducing. I can't pick out any of that note however. I wonder if this vetiver is a part of that green spicy smell going on.

 

I get zero opoponax from this. There may be a hint of green tea and carnation n the background, but like the vetiver it's hardly noticeable.

 

Overall I have only good things to say about this scent! It's rich and sexy, with a bit of spice thrown in for good measure. I tend to think of it as a black-brown scent with green undertones.

Edited May 26, 2011 by Sabir

[captainecchi]

Well, hello, little decant that has been sitting in my imp box since the Lupers came down, along with the 72 other scents I still need to try (!!) You came to me from the lovely Jenova in a decant circle, and there you were, lonely and forlorn, still wearing plumber's tape. How could I forget you?

 

In the vial/on wet: This is an amber oil. A sweet muskiness greets me when I open it - maybe that's the fig + vetiver? If so, it's not at all like the fig I've come to love in Nemesis and Carnal. If anything this sweet muskiness reminds me of Smut or The Soldier.

 

In the drydown: Yes, there's that smell I recognize from Hod - Beth's carnation note. Myrrh peeks out, too, lending the scent a smokiness. All in all, I'd say the notes blend together supremely well.

 

I would agree with whoever called this "smoky fig and carnation." Despite unassuming beginnings - and especially given that myrrh and carnation can sometimes go soapy on me - this one is quite pleasant. I'll at least be keeping the decant for my collection. 4 out of 5.

[milo]

I could have sworn there was something like mango in here. Wet, very much like juicy mango, with a bit of dust. This must be the fig, as sometimes fig smells a bit dusty on me. Very fresh, a tad bit resiny. I can smell the vetiver at first, but it fades into the background as it dries. This blend is very fruity and summery to me, but a little too much so. I'd probably love this as a room fragrance though.

[SophieCedar]

For anyone wondering how this aged... its GLORIOUS. If you love fig scents this is a must-have. The green edge and the nutmeg settled down. Its this warm, syrupy, chewy fig and myrrh scent with a touch of creamy spicy carnation. The green tea just keeps it from going flat and into straightup "brown" scent territory, I would say.