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Elegy IX: The Autumnal

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ELEGY IX: THE AUTUMNAL
No spring nor summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnall face.
Young beauties force our love, and that's a rape,
This doth but counsel, yet you cannot 'scape.
If 'twere a shame to love, here 'twere no shame,
Affection here takes Reverence's name.
Were her first years the Golden Age; that's true,
But now she's gold oft tried, and ever new.
That was her torrid and inflaming time,
This is her tolerable Tropique clime.
Fair eyes, who asks more heat than comes from hence,
He in a fever wishes pestilence.
Call not these wrinkles, graves; if graves they were,
They were Love's graves; for else he is no where.
Yet lies not Love dead here, but here doth sit
Vowed to this trench, like an Anachorit.

And here, till hers, which must be his death, come,
He doth not dig a grave, but build a tomb.
Here dwells he, though he sojourn ev'ry where,
In progress, yet his standing house is here.
Here, where still evening is; not noon, nor night;
Where no voluptuousness, yet all delight
In all her words, unto all hearers fit,
You may at revels, you at counsel, sit.
This is Love's timber, youth his under-wood;
There he, as wine in June enrages blood,
Which then comes seasonabliest, when our taste
And appetite to other things is past.
Xerxes' strange Lydian love, the Platane tree,
Was loved for age, none being so large as she,
Or else because, being young, nature did bless
Her youth with age's glory, Barrenness.
If we love things long sought, Age is a thing
Which we are fifty years in compassing;
If transitory things, which soon decay,
Age must be loveliest at the latest day.
But name not winter-faces, whose skin's slack;
Lank, as an unthrift's purse; but a soul's sack;
Whose eyes seek light within, for all here's shade;
Whose mouths are holes, rather worn out than made;
Whose every tooth to a several place is gone,
To vex their souls at Resurrection;
Name not these living deaths-heads unto me,
For these, not ancient, but antique be.
I hate extremes; yet I had rather stay
With tombs than cradles, to wear out a day.
Since such love's natural lation is, may still
My love descend, and journey down the hill,
Not panting after growing beauties so,
I shall ebb out with them, who homeward go.

- John Donne

Red maplewood, plum leaves, fir needle, wildflower honey, patchouli, hazelnut, and green cognac.


I'll be honest, I didn't like this when I tried it yesterday. But I knew I wanted to try it again today. It's a strange scent but I am compulsively bringing my wrist up to my nose, like I can't leave it alone. The throw from a foot away is really nice, yet it becomes odd when sniffing up close. Yesterday I thought smelled very weird, metallic or something. But this may be that wonderful kind of scent that I don't like at first but end up loving in the end.

So what does it smell like? I am thinking of a green ectoplasmic mist in a dewy forest. None of the notes stands out; it all seems very balanced. If I concentrate, I can pick out the honey and fir, and possibly patchouli. The balance is a little more fir than wildflowers, and for that reason, I think some people might call this masculine, whereas I think it is completely unisex. It really isn't girly but it's not exactly dude-fume either. : )

I always thought Samhain had a hidden note of honey, and that is what this honey reminds me of.....Samhain but with a shot of green, and something like the sake note in Men Ringing Bells. There's something almost fruity but I think that might be the cognac. It almost seems like it should be a spring scent, but it's not....it's very much a fall scent despite the green-ness. It's like an early fall morning when you wake up and realize it's getting cold already, and even though summer is still in the air, you can't deny that autumn is on the way.

Still not sure if I love it. I'm curious about what others will think of it.

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This makes me think of the woody, earthy scents I pick up biking outdoors at this time of year. I live in a pretty heavily wooded area and the wood and leaf notes, along with a gentle hint of fir needle, really hit home. Obviouly patchouli doen't grow in New Jersey but it also adds to the earthy quality. The fir needle doesn't scream cologney pine, but adds to the ambience this creates like a dusting of pine needles on the forest floor. These elements are made even better with the sweet wildflower honey and toasty, nutty hazelnut that add some autumnal comfort. I don't really pick up anything boozy from the cognac but since it's green cognac it's probably tying in with the leaves somewhere. It's one of those lovely "fall in a bottle" scents that's anything but stereotypical.

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You know, I put this on and it just KICKED ME IN THE FACE and I thought, wow, no. But as it started to dry, the notes really began blending, and it's turned into the beautifully autumnal scent I'd hoped it would be.

 

The honey and maplewood blend sweetly with the cognac. The patchouli dirties it up a bit and overall this is a sweet, earthy, pretty autumnal scent. I don't know if it's bottle worthy, but I do like this.

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Right out of the bottle, The Autumnal reminded me of the magnificent Samhain, with its fir, patchouli, spicy kick. And I adore Samhain, thinking it Beth's most evocative, complicated scent yet, as it sashays, swirls, brews, morphs from one end to the other of its note spectrum. First strikingly piney, then patchouli kicking in, then cloves, then apples, on and on into infinity. If you're a Samhain fan, you know what I'm talking about. Trouble with Samhain, at least for me, is that I can't wear it everywhere (like to work!)because it's just SO intense a fragrance that I fear scaring small children, and your average muggle on the street. So I save it for special autumn occasions and leisure time, where I can happily stuff my wrist up my nose and revel in its complicated witchiness.

 

What does this have to do with Elegy IX: The Autumnal, you righteously ask? Well, I'm smelling in Autumnal that same complicated, magnificent evolution that is Samhain: the piney kick, the swirling patchouli, the Fall spices-but with a touch of that plum and honey mellowing it a bit, adding a sweetness to it that makes it a little less dried leaves and more autumn fruit. Less apple spice and more grapes. And this makes it a phenomenal substitute for Samhain in a less intensely dark scent.

 

I'm thrilled I got a bottle of The Autumnal, because when the weenies came out, I'd seriously contemplated getting a backup of Samhain right off the bat, just in case (the horror!) it takes a break Halloween 2012. But now I know I can alternate between the two, I'll save my Samhain for those Fall, high-holy days, and rely on The Autumnal for more casual use. A solid two thumbs up from me on this provocative autumnal scent.

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I'm so glad to see others comparing this to a Samhain vibe...that's what I smell too. But...I can't wear Samhain, and I can wear (and enjoy) this. It starts off really sharp and menthol-y and dries down to a lighter, smoother cousin of Samhain. I don't love it, but I am glad to have a bottle. Good stuff!

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This is a really complex scent that gets better and better as it develops. Wet, I got something between Cathedral and Samhain--leaves and strong incense/patchouli, a bit confusing to the nose really. But drying, I suddenly have what must be hazelnut but on me is more like cocoa, plus honey! Now it's foody with some spice and incense and I really love it. Mmmm.

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I love the artwork! My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decants (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.)

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and a pale peach color. The first scent I notice is wood, then the fir needles, then hazelnut.

 

On me, wet: Fir needles and wood, with the wood a little stronger. It is a somewhat sharp pine scent, but not nearly as astringent and sinus-clearing as pine scents usually are. The wood calms it down considerably. A very nice tree scent - more like pine lumber rather than Christmas trees. There are also delicate touches of hazelnut and patchouli to keep things interesting. I don't know what plum leaves smell like - like regular leaves, I would think? Or leaves blended with plum? I don't notice any fruitiness in this. I don't know what green cognac smells like, either. I didn't even know there was such a thing. This doesn't seem boozey to me, at least not at this phase.

 

After 10 minutes: No change. This is a unisex-to-masculine blend. It's very nice - warm, woody, spicy (from the sharpness of fir), comforting rather than aggressive. I would love to smell this on a man. But I like it a lot on myself, too.

 

After 20 minutes: I'm starting to pick up a little honey and some very subtle florals beneath the main notes. They are causing the scent to sweeten up just a bit.

 

After 30 minutes: From a few inches away, I notice the honey, and then closer up - aha, there's the cognac, together with the fir which seems to be getting stronger, and the wood note which is now very realistic. The florals seem to be gone, after a very brief cameo appearance.

 

After 45 minutes: A beautiful and totally realistic scent of fresh-cut pine lumber up close. With a layer of delicate honey floating a couple of inches above it. This may not be the most exciting blend in the world, but it certainly is gorgeous.

 

After 6 1/2 hours: Not only is it still going strong, but it is even more beautiful and interesting, because the honey and floral notes now have equal presence with the wood. At this point, it is unisex rather than decidedly masculine.

 

Verdict: My favorite wood scent. The leaves, patchouli, hazelnut, and cognac are all understated and short-lived. The florals don't have a significant presence until extreme drydown. This is basically a unisex wood, balsamic, and honey fragrance.

It is beautiful at all stages. I might end up getting a full bottle of this.

 

My rating: 4.5 stars

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Lots of fir needle right after application. As it dries, I'm still getting mostly pine and patchouli. Completely dry, pine is still the strongest note, with patchouli and maplewood being the other 2 strong notes. I'm not getting any of the cognac, plum leaves, or hazelnut, unfortunately. :(

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I was wary of this because of the green cognac note, but unnecessarily so, as it turned out. It's initially mostly fir with an additional "green" note that's indeed sharp, and that I assume is from the cognac. Still - it's not bad, in fact even for me who doesn't like booze notes, it's surprisingly good. Fifteen or so minutes later, the fir and green notes become very subdued and it sweetens considerably with the red maplewood, which smells almost sap-like (but not like maple syrup...could be the honey in combination with the hazelnut adding to that impression). I do smell a bit of patchouli, but it's very soft and subtle, more a slightly earthy backdrop for the maplewood, honey and the increasingly evident hazelnut. Nutty notes are kind of dicey on me, they either work or smell horrible - here it works, and it works *gorgeously*, it's a very realistic, white nut-meat note that doesn't do that porridge-type thing some nutty scents do. There's also something very slightly smoky, but it could be my nose playing tricks on me, since the fir reminds me a lot of Hexennacht (although it is very different, I'd put Elegy IX in the same category). Dried down, I smell sweet maplewood, hazelnut, fir and honey, in that order. It's a beautiful, beautiful autumn scent and I might need a back-up bottle...in fact, I'm pretty sure I need a back-up bottle.

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Wet: stinky dirt

 

Initially on skin: lots of light wood and dark dirt

 

Half-hour later: hazelnut has sweetened this up just a tad, but still very "outdoorsy"

 

In conclusion: I'm glad others mentioned Samhain and original Hexennacht, as I'm getting echoes of those in this blend. This one belongs more outside with the patch and wood, but I like the ending with what ends up being slightly sweet tobacco on me.

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I'm not a fan of this one, but my husband likes it and has adopted my decant. I get a sharp, cool, green fir/pine note from this, with hints of earthy patchouli. Maybe a bit of a dry woods scent as well after about an hour when the scent has mostly faded away. I like forest/earth scents when they have something to sweeten them up a bit, but I don't smell any of the honey or hazelnut here.

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I wanted to like this one so much, but on me this is straight pine. And a STRONG pine, too! I love smelling like a Christmas tree, but this one was too much even for me. :(

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The fir and patchouli in this make me cringe, but I'm not surprised. On me, it's dry and woody. The fir is as strong as ever and the patchouli makes it extra earthy. To my nose, there isn't a drop of honey in this, nor cognac. Due to the fir, this is very medicinal and almost makes me tear up. If earthy notes and/or fir is up your alley, give this a try, but if you don't like those notes and amp them, like me, it'll mostly likely be a no-go.

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Gruesome. Absolute furniture polish, which I did not love, as I am not a hutch or a teak piano. That said, it was very pleasant and somewhat intriguing.

I gave this one away to my friend who loves lemony even Lemon Pledgey things.

Don't get me wrong, no lemon here, just Pledge, and maybe some (shudder) apple. I don't like the smell of apples.

No stars for you, I wish I got pine, I longed for pine, but no. Alas, it was not to be...

Edited by stellamaris

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This scent is quite unlike any I think I've tried so far. It's got that woodsy vibe of course, but instead of being some dark, damp, green or leafy forest this scent is light and kind of... tingly.

 

The strongest notes are the fir and honey but the maplewood, wildflowers (and I think the plum leaves) give it that light airy feeling of a fall forest. I was a little afraid of the patchouli, but it's playing nice with the other notes and hasn't come out to punch me in the nose. I can't find the hazelnut. I think the cognac is blending with the honey and fir needles which is why I don't really notice it. Overall the scent is well blended.

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This was high on my list of anticipated scents to try, and it was probably the biggest disappointment. Wet, it's very foresty, but off kilter. Oddly alcoholic tones with turpentiney pine and a general crisp decidious leafy feel, and just a tint of underlying fermented fruitiness. The dry down makes me think of wet soil, full of worms, but not in any good sense, especially since there's an odd sweetness to this scent, like a glaze of really weird, toxic honey, which in turn clashes with the hint of nuttiness. Quite frankly, this smelled rancid on me. I barely made it through half an hour before I had to wash it off.

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In vial: Evergreens, sharp and well, green.

Wet: This is a unique forest scent; basalmy, pollen-tinged & slightly boozy.

Dry: The throw is much nicer than close to the skin - whiffs of honeyed leaves, vibrant autumn wildflowers and a nutty earthiness, as well as a fruity tree-bark scent. Up close, it's pine, pine, all-the-time. Eventually it blends out, and becomes a relatively sweet, non-descript forest scent.

 

Verdict: It's not something I would enjoy wearing particularly, but it would make a fantastic room scent!

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Another Weenie from 2011 that just did not work out for me. There is not much that I can say about this one except all I am getting is Pine Sol, a lot of cleanser solvent type pine is bombarding my nose. The other notes don't even have a chance to appear on my skin as this dominates the whole blend for me.

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The pumpkin in Samhain turned the whole thing into a weird dirty mess on my skin, so I'm hoping this will be the fall scent I wanted!

 

Bottle: Fir, patchouli! Also a little bit of hazelnut and maplewood, backed by honey and a slightly fruity touch that must be plum. The whole combo feels very similar to Samhain but less sweet and more woodsy.

 

Wet: Definitely maplewood and fir and patchouli at first, and an odd sweet bright note that must be the cognac. Then honey, sticky and sweet and quite strong, with the tiniest hints of fruit at the very back. No hazelnut, which is too bad since I quite like hazelnut.

 

Dry: This dries down to a soft but not terribly attention-grabbing honey-and-woods scent. I like it, it's what I wanted from Samhain without the pumpkin, but I feel like it's missing some depth or complexity. I think aging may be the thing that brings this forward into full glory, so I'll hold on to it for now.

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In the imp and wet, this is very sharply evergreen -- bit like Thanatopsis, actually, though without the musk beneath. There's a bright greenness here that almost makes it feel summery.

 

Drying down, the wildflower honey takes over very quickly. The floral quality of the honey almost threatens to veer into dryer-sheets territory on me, but mercifully it pulls back -- I think it's the cognac cutting underneath. The nuttiness is not at all pronounced; it adds a wet-earth-and-decaying-acorns note instead of anything foody. About half an hour after application, the patchouli comes out, but stays very much in the background, and works to turn the scent into that sort of generic-BPAL blend instead of standing on its own. As time wears on, the earthy note amps back up a bit: the plum leaf, maybe? It smells very much like cold, wet, fallen leaves. Yum.

 

I love earth and woods, so this is definitely my jam. The honey gets a bit sticky-sweet, but it backs off in the drydown. This is a less piney and more complex Thanatopsis to me, and I quite like it, though I wish it were just a bit pine-ier.

 

[eta: seems to be settling into a honey-and-cognac scent. Nice, and fortunately not too boozy, but I like the woodsy stage better.]

Edited by halation

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In Imp: In the imp the only similarity that I get to Samhain is the fir needle (which is somewhat cloying in Samhain, IMHO). There's a bit of almost minty greenness as well. It's a fresh and brightly woodsy; not dry, orange leaves like other Fall scents (i.e. October) are. I detect a little sourness, and I suspect it's hazelnut? It's got a nutty edge to it; or possibly it's a mix between that and the cognac? I can't detect a cognac note that I'm familiar with; this one isn't anything like Miller vs. California (my only other cognac experience!)

Wet: Green green green! I still get a lot of *mint* in this, though it's like a minty cedar? A bit of patchouli calms and pulls it down. It really is very woodsy; I can detect a "leaf" smell and a dose of booze. It's very unlike other woods scents I've tried; this one seems almost neon-green, rather than dark, dry, etc. Not something I'd expect from a Fall blend, but somehow it fits. This is like having a fall party in the woods with some absinthe. :P

Drydown: Wow, I can definitely get the Pledge (albeit bitter/sour Pledge) likeness here. In fact, now that I've noticed it, I don't know if I can ignore it... BUT, this is only a few minutes into drydown, though, so I'll wait. ** Yay, no more Pledge! (Sometimes it's a good thing that my skin is a mad-morpher.) After about 15 minutes this really is a softer ringer for Samhain; I get the cloying apple-ish note that's in Samhain (but I don't know where it's coming from?) but I have to say I like this *better* than Samhain. It's slightly smoky and woodsy; all the things that other people say about Samhain but I don't get.

Verdict: This may very well be a big bottle purchase. I'll re-test, but as it stands this is a better Samhain; it's all the things I wanted Samhain to smell like on me, and it's very similar but geared towards A-Mech Specific. ;) Honeyed woods and patchouli. 4/5 for now...

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Definitely a much softer version of Samhain! Which I had the worst experience ever with lol.

 

It must share a smiliar note (or two) that give it a "pee" smell for me :(. Perhaps the evil patchouli. Or fir needles? :S besides that i get cloying resin... kinda smells like mulched up leaves and slate. A bit of warm firey cozyness from the cognac and hazelnut comes into play a while later. Reminiscent of embers and a low fire without notes of cinnamon (which i noticed is in alot of bpals 'fire' type blends).

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my initial reaction to elegy ix was not a positive one. in fact my first thought was AAH WASH IT OFF NOW!!!!! there was something super strong and sharp when i initially put it on. but then i calmed down and read over the notes and the real scent started to emerge.

 

this is like, autumn forest concentrate! amazingly, the fir does NOT take over like piney notes usually do to me in every perfume ever. there is fir, there is wood, there are leaves and nuts and sweet honey. once it calms down, it's actually quite nice. i get the comparisons to samhain- this is like that, but without the spice (which pretty much takes over samhain on my skin). i am very happy to have this in my collection!

Edited by porcelina

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Elegy IX: The Autumnal - When I first put this on, all I smell is the fir needle, and while it's really, really strong and not something I'd wear for a perfume, I am pretty sure I'd love it as a candle scent. As it warms up on my skin, other woody notes come out, but something in it (could still be the fir) starts to really smell like Pine-Sol. It's the scent of strong, artificial pine and it's highly astringent. It's getting washed off right now!

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I ordered a decant of this because of the woods and the green cognac. I've loved cognac in other scents, and I was excited to see it in this one.

 

I loved how this smelled in the imp. It was autumn, chilly winds and crisp leaves. It's how I wanted Samhain to smell!

 

When I initially put this on, I was overwhelmed by the smell of Pledge. I suspect this was primarily coming from the note of fir? I was regretting putting it on my skin for about 15 minutes.

 

At that time, my skin and the perfume suddenly decided to start working together. I'm left with an earthy-woodsy scent which is utterly gorgeous. I can still pick out the fir, but it's become so much softer.

 

As far as purchasing a bottle... at this time, I'm still undecided. I was ready to write this imp off in the first minutes, but now I really like how it smells. More tests are necessary to make a final decision.

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