Nothing But Death

[Dark Alice]

NOTHING BUT DEATH
There are cemeteries that are lonely,
graves full of bones that do not make a sound,
the heart moving through a tunnel,
in it darkness, darkness, darkness,
like a shipwreck we die going into ourselves,
as though we were drowning inside our hearts,
as though we lived falling out of the skin into the soul.

And there are corpses,
feet made of cold and sticky clay,
death is inside the bones,
like a barking where there are no dogs,
coming out from bells somewhere, from graves somewhere,
growing in the damp air like tears of rain.

Sometimes I see alone
coffins under sail,
embarking with the pale dead, with women that have dead hair,
with bakers who are as white as angels,
and pensive young girls married to notary publics,
caskets sailing up the vertical river of the dead,
the river of dark purple,
moving upstream with sails filled out by the sound of death,
filled by the sound of death which is silence.

Death arrives among all that sound
like a shoe with no foot in it, like a suit with no man in it,
comes and knocks, using a ring with no stone in it, with no
finger in it,
comes and shouts with no mouth, with no tongue, with no
throat.
Nevertheless its steps can be heard
and its clothing makes a hushed sound, like a tree.

I'm not sure, I understand only a little, I can hardly see,
but it seems to me that its singing has the color of damp violets,
of violets that are at home in the earth,
because the face of death is green,
and the look death gives is green,
with the penetrating dampness of a violet leaf
and the somber color of embittered winter.

But death also goes through the world dressed as a broom,
lapping the floor, looking for dead bodies,
death is inside the broom,
the broom is the tongue of death looking for corpses,
it is the needle of death looking for thread.

Death is inside the folding cots:
it spends its life sleeping on the slow mattresses,
in the black blankets, and suddenly breathes out:
it blows out a mournful sound that swells the sheets,
and the beds go sailing toward a port
where death is waiting, dressed like an admiral.

- Pablo Neruda

A dark purple river swelling with tears of rain, damp violets, and specks of bone thick with green scents that speak of mortality: black dried fruits, opopponax, moss, violet leaf and petal, tobacco absolute, saltwater accord, niaouli, and brushed sage.

Wet: Wet dirt with hints of violet and water..

Drydown: Gorgeous, violet, water, and green. As it continues to dry there is the barest hint of fruit in this. And now the tobacco is starting to peek it's head out. This is a clean, violet slightly aquatic scent with some fruit and tobacco. Oddly...this is wonderful...I hope that it will age beautifully.

[Invidiana]

The violet, moss and green notes in this are obvious right away, but a darker and smoky background reveals itself on the drydown. It isn't fuity per ses; I get more of the tobacco and oppoponax and sage, but I can pick up a slight sweetnes from the fruit. I'm taking the "specks of bone" note to have white sandalwood somewhere in there because I believe I'm picking some up. There is something reminscent of saltwater or salty tears here, but it isn't a cologney type of aquatic and stays subdued in the background. This is a mournful and etherweal scent that quietly speaks volumes.

Edited October 6, 2011 by Invidiana

[gniwle]

Holy crap. This is amazing. It's a blast of violets, all mixed up with greenery. It's just a touch aquatic (I love aquatics), but it never goes to that masculine place a lot of aquatics end up mired in. It's got just the tiniest bit of citrus/fruitiness to brighten things up, but I don't feel like that's a big factor here. This is a very dark purple kind of scent and omg I love it so much. *O* I want to bathe in this!

[angelicruin]

Violet, moss, and aquatic while wet on my skin. As it dries, I smell the sage and tobacco notes emerge. Sharp, earthy, and watery describes this oil on my skin.

[maoric]

The notes seemed so different from anything else I've tried, so I had no clue how this would work for me (the lack of any reviews before my order was placed didn't help). I had hoped the bottlebrush/sage/aquatic/tobacco/resin/moss would make it passable as a guy scent on me, but.. well....

 

In the vial: I've never smelled anything like this, and have difficulty categorizing it. It's sweet, almost sickly so, with a not quite alcohol-ish scent, but also some deeper scents on the edge grounding it.

 

Freshly applied: Sweet and aquatic, but still beyond the range of my ability to describe well enough at this point.

 

Drying: Totally vanishes, then starts coming back with what I'm guessing are some of the dried fruits. As it dries some more, it starts going into a soapy territory on me, oh nooooooo. When it veers out of the soap land, it veers into a territory that's walking a very thin line between being a perfume and a cologne. It does have a watery, almost cologne vibe, and I can detect some earthy/warm notes that might make it masculine, but then there's a sweetness from the fruits and violet that are conspiring to take this to the feminine category.

 

Later: Really not a scent for me, ultimately. This pendulums between soapy/fruity/floral and a too-sweet aquatic on my skin :c

[Mountaingrrl00]

I can't stop huffing my wrist. This is so mysterious and compelling.

 

In the vial: Soft and grey and otherworldly. I get the aquatic vibe, except I don't have the words for it. It's a rain/mist/fog kind of aquatic, not the marine/waterlily/citrus kind I'm used to at all.

 

Wet on wrist: Sharper, greener. Moss and violet leaf.

 

Dry: Soft slightly sweet wet violets, soft greenery and deep secret resins.

[rivercitylizzy]

As opposed to A Nocturnal Reverie--another "purple" scent--this is truly a "dark purple" blend, the sort of purple that's almost black like a midnight-hued iris. Amazing how a scent can so definitely evoke a sense of color.

 

In the Decant: My first hit is dark purple fruits, like black cherry and something reminiscent of bitter almond, though I know that's not in the notes. If I huff it for a while, I can pick out some of the tobacco (which might have been lending itself to the "bitter almond" impression), sage, and aquatics, which to me are not so much saline as brackish.

 

Wet on Skin: Thankfully the "cherry/almond" recedes here (those tend to be no-nos) and I get more of a dark plum/blackcurrant note as well as more of the aquatics and the sage, sweet violet, sweet/herbal opopponax, and earthy moss. It's very pretty.

 

Dry on Skin: Nothing But Death stays pretty consistent on my skin; after about 30 minutes of wear it's fairly similar to the wet phase. If anything, the fruits are now in the background sweetening things up and the florals/herbs/earthy notes are more forward along with the clean/fresh aquatics. An hour in, the tobacco is much more forward but not overpowering. It's a nice blend, but it's not knocking my socks off (especially compared to OMGILOVE A Nocturnal Reverie) so the decant may have to suffice

[Blood onmy hands]

This is mostly sweet violet, sharp green moss (reminds me of Bayou), and soapy aquatic on me, with smoky sage in the drydown. I have the worst time with aquatic blends, and this one doesn't fit right on me either. None of the notes seem to mesh well on my skin, and it feels very sharp.

[V294]

fascinating and far more aquatic than expected. I like it, some sharpness, but not overpowering at all. Very intriguing!

[Incendiare]

Damp and earthy in the vial, yet a bit sweet, maybe from the fruits. Initially, there was something in here that turned me off but my nose quickly adjusted and whatever it was mellowed out. There is a sharpness to it that reminds me of lavender though, although it isn't actually so. The herbs are palpable but the tobacco is absent for me. This is a lot classier than I had imagined but still not something I would personally wear. Very original!

[coldandsleepy]

Nothing But Death is Nothing But Violets on me. I like violet quite a bit as a scent but am sad that my skin seems to eat everything else that's in here.

[tajana]

Of all the "dark purple" scents in this Halloween update, this one is my fave. The sage adds an interesting herbal twist that goes well with the black-purple, pruney fruitiness and soft blend of violets and subtle aquatic touches. Gets a bit darker with the dry-down, but neither tobacco nor opoponax nor anything else in particular really stand out, it's more of a dark, damp, just slightly cologney scent, with perhaps a bit of earthiness from the moss. The herbal-floral-smoky-aquatic balance is unusual but still comes off as cohesive and wearable. I don't think I need more of it personally, but I did enjoy testing it out.

[calivianya]

This one's a bit of a reach for me - violet and aquatics tend to kill a blend for me, but I'm still looking for a blend where they work well, and I think this may be it.

 

In the imp: Sharp aquatic, with something herbal in the background.

Wet on my skin: Still aquatic and herbal, but mellowing out a bit. Within a minute of putting this on my skin, it sweetens - likely due to the dried fruits and opoponax. There is something bitter in the background, grounding this and preventing it from being truly sweet, maybe a combination of the moss and sage? I'm not exactly sure. This is a little too overpowering and in my face at the moment. We'll see if it mellows.

5 minutes: I can definitely smell the violet now, and this fragrance has not yet turned to soap. I'm impressed thus far. At the moment, it is indeed very green smelling. The deeper, darker notes have receded to the background a bit and I'm left with the aquatic, green violet. Very interesting!

Drydown: This has calmed down a lot from that initial stage. I'm still getting the perfumey violet and aquatics, but not really much else. It smells more complex than that, so the other notes are likely still in the background, but they are very faint. Surprisingly, I like this, even though the notes that I had hoped would take the forefront are missing. Huh. I'm not sure this is bottle worthy, but I am glad I got a decant. It's interesting.

[countessmouse]

Mmmmmm, perfumy violet and aquatics. Love it, but I think my skin is eating it up. Not much throw at all.

[edenssixthday]

Nothing But Death - This is a really strange scent on me. I expected it to work really well, but it's just...odd. It's kind of heavy and murky, and the tobacco doesn't blend with it well on my skin at all -- it gives it a weird, warm, dust-like undertone that seems to clash with the other notes. It's fairly subtle on my skin once it dries down.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Oil is clear and amber-colored. I smell the green scents (moss, violet leaf, and sage), then a bit of fruit.

 

On me, wet: A beautiful fresh note of saltwater. Then the green scents, violet, and fruit. I can imagine the specks of bone as well. Very flowery and sweet.

 

After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same. So far, the fruits are just a hint in the background, which is just the way I like them.

 

After 20 miinutes: Ooh, really beautiful now. Violets!

 

After 30 minutes: The violet note has backed down, and the fragrance is less sweet now. There's a bit of saltiness again. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's no longer really flowery, but nothing else stands out either, as a note that characterizes the scent. Maybe it's just a blend of everything in equal balance. It is mild and pleasant - would be a good choice for a woman to wear to work.

 

After 1 hour: Similar to above, but now I can faintly detect the fruits and the tobacco.

 

After 2 hours: Tobacco is now the strongest note, with some faint florals and fruits, and a hint of other things in the background.

 

After 3 hours: Just a gentle breath of tobacco and perfume.

 

Verdict: Since the violet note is strongly present only for a short time, this isn't quite enough of a realistic floral scent to make it into my 5-star category. Nevertheless, it is very pretty, and comes close.

 

My rating: 4.5 stars

[ami226]

On the skin: Definitely a purple scent. Dark, tart and slightly fruity. Florals start to take over soon after.

 

Definitely not for me.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: It's a misty day in the early spring, when winter can still return. Some green things are braving the cool winds to push their way out of the moist dirt.

 

Wet: The sharpness of the green plants takes center stage, but the lovely violets crowd in the background.

 

The dry-down: Nicer than expected, since the Lab's violet note usually does not work on me. This is pleasing to me. Although I suspect those black fruits may be adding to the lovely but faint sweetness. It will be a late winter/early spring scent for me.

[filigree_shadow]

Kind of a dusty violet scent on me. Not super strong on the violets (which is surprising because that note tends to amp a lot on me), but it smells like a watery violet... except it also smells dusty. It's a little bit of an odd combination. It's not bad, and I don't object to it -- I'm not rushing off to wash it off or anything. It's nice enough. Just not really my thing.

[zankoku_zen]

Violet, moss and water. And dirt.

 

And my skin likes to eat this up.

[84trillion]

I can definitely smell the violets and dried fruit... in a bad way. This scent goes very grandmother-y on me when dry. I'll have to try it in a scent locket, but so far, this is a 3/10 scent for me (don't need to wash it off right now, but won't be reaching for it again anytime soon)

[milo]

Dark, but a bit 'dirty' and slightly florally with the violet. It's kind of odd, and reminds me of Saturnalia, another dark violet blend. Though it's dark, it fades fast and is pretty much gone after half an hour.

[porcelina]

to start, nothing but death seems… complicated. it has so many notes going on at once that it's more like "everything but... the kitchen sink." [/bad joke] anyway,

 

when i put it on my first impression is a dark aquatic with heavy dried fruit notes. something smells kind of metallic to my nose but i'm not sure what that would be. the tobacco is very thick and grounding; it muddies the water. as it dries, it smooths out and the individual notes are not as discernible, except for the sage, which floats to the top.

 

it's definitely a dark purple scent… murky water and dark fruit, hints of salt and sage. the metallic notes i get never seem to quite go away, and aquatics are not my friend. not a keeper for me!

Edited August 8, 2012 by porcelina

[catalyst]

This is really interesting. I'm not getting violet much at all, not specifically anyway. It's very dark, complex aquatic. It's an earthy aquatic, if that's possible.

 

I'm definitely getting a dark, thick, chewy fruit, exactly as described in the notes. I'm also getting the tobacco which I think is the earthiest note in here, holding everything down, which is a good thing. You wouldn't think it would work, but it completely does, because it's not tarry or like a cigar at all.

 

There's something kind of vaguely floral in the background, but the dark green notes are much stronger so it doesn't smell "girly" at all. Definite keeper, might even try to find a bottle of this if it's not too expensive. I like it a lot, it's throwing as really sexy on me, I'm being told. Ahem.

[MonkeysInk]

I only ordered a decant of this because it had violet in the description. Otherwise, everything else about this is a total no-go for me: I don't like "death" scents, I don't like purple fruits, I don't like tobacco scents.

 

I should have stuck with my gut on this one - it's really unpleasant to me. Something about it (maybe the way the fruits smell so boldly) makes me think of sniffing a balloon. It's a big, round, dark, scent. I did get some violet on the dry down, which was nice, but not enough to make it palatable. This one is off to the swaps!