Thanatopsis

[ImperatrixMundi]

A meditation upon death. Inspired by William Cullen Bryant’s poem. A deep, solemn earthen scent containing pine, juniper and musk.

This is heavy pine at first and while I like pine in general this is one pine scent where I get the pine cleaner association. On drydown the pine fades fast and I am left with a dirty musk that reminds me of Czernobog and is the only type of musk I intensly dislike.
On my boyfriend Czernobog was actually bearable and he also wanted to keep this because he loves any type of pine. I guess it is ok on him but when he put it on and some of it gets on me I have to rush and wash it off. And this does not wash off willingly at all I tell you.

[Zeljana]

this is very masculine on me. also very perfumey. mostly harsh notes of woods and musks. boi will like this, that's for sure. I like the musky part of it, that's what makes it bearable to me. Othewise I would have washed it off immediately.

Overall unremarkable on a woman, might be good on a man.

 

edit: when it dries it is MUCH better than in the first phase. worth waiting!

Edited April 22, 2009 by Kosyena

[milo]

This smells like a fruity evergreen wet, and dries down to just a mixture of the evergreens. This would be a great Christmas scent in the oil burner, but I probably wouldn't wear it.

[tragedy]

Powerful at first, this dries down to a nice piney musk. I also smell something sweet (?) in the background, its so background that I thought it may have been something in my house.. but its definately there.

While its nice, I'm giving this one to hubs, whom I put Jersey Devil on today, as far as pines go I think I would like this better on him.

 

 

(P.s. I think the sweet might be the 1 - 2 combo punch of Water of Notre Dame and Thanatopsis. I have WoND on my wrists and Thanatopsis on elbow creases, and while I smell nothing sweet in either, its wafting up from the combine, strange!)

[March]

This was a frimp from the generous Sunshinedaisybliss!

 

Thanatopsis is mostly pine in the imp and wet on skin. I believe the juniper's peeking out a little later. The musk keeps it from getting really light, like Jabberwocky and Loup Garou get on me. Here's to hoping this has a great wearlength! If it's anything like the musk in Czernobog, which it reminds me of a little, I'm betting it will.

 

 

[donnatron]

Bottle: Primarily juniper. I have a love/hate relationship with juniper. Sometimes it's all sorts of amazing and sometimes it smells like bathtub gin. But under the juniper I get a nice, fresh pine note and a hint of something darker. First time I sniffed this I thought it was amber but then it turned out to be musk. No idea what type of musk from the bottle sniff alone.

 

Wet: JUNIPER EXPLOSION!!! NO ONE HAS EVER SMELLED THIS MUCH JUNIPER!!! Seriously. Thanatopsis is one hell of a head clearer when I first put it on. Very energetic and bright--lots of juniper and almost as much pine. The drydown is astringent and bright--it smells more like an aromatherapy blend or something I'm wearing for medicinal purposes than a straight up perfume blend.

 

Dry: The musk warms up and comes out to play. I wonder if this is a combination of two or more different musks? I have nothing to back me up but ye olde sniffer but I get distinct hints of both red and black musk. Definitely that sultry, sweet incense scent of red musk and something a bit more fuzzy and animalistic. It might even be a red musk/civet combo? In any case it's absolutely gorgeous and the musk lingers for a long time after the pine and juniper dry down. Very sweet and warm.

 

Throw: The pine and juniper throw a lot more than the musk but the throw is definitely sweetened a bit by it.

 

Overall: I really like Thanatopsis. It's both a little recalcitrant and a little classical. Like a professor who teaches all the approved books in lecture but is tossing Marx and Bakunin at you when you stop in during office hours.

[bubblefish]

While I generally like the smell of pine, this was too much. It was like a distillate of pine sap to my nose, rather than a blend that had a hint of pine which is what I really like and prefer. Maybe layered with something else it would be nice, but on its own it just does not work for me.

[ephemera]

Scents with pine and juniper and "dirt" scents don't often work on me. This was no exception, sadly. It's got a really interesting mix of notes. There's something almost minty in it, and it smells fresh without smelling too green. Sadly, it just isn't my thing.

[Monster]

Wow, there must be a lot of musk in this, the color is a really dark, rich brown color. Very pretty!

 

In the imp this smells of musky juniper. Whew! This is bright and strong!

 

On my skin I'm getting fresh, earthy notes (Christmastree-like) with a very dark, brooding black musk. Mmmm

 

As this dries it turns into a thick, pine resin scent on my skin. This smells like I just rubbed my wrist up against a damp pine tree. I absolutely LOVE this! I bet this would smell gorgeous aged a few months to a year.

 

Thanatopsis is very masculine smelling to me but works well on my skin. I will be wearing this one a lot in the coming cooler months

[Tanya]

Got this as a frimp at my last Will-Call spree. Not my scent to wear, but I burned it in an amphora and it is fabulous. Definitely a 5cc for this purpose.

[claudia6913]

Without even opening the imp, I knew I'd smell pine (more like Pine Sol >.< in the imp).

 

On my skin, the juniper comes out and seems to temper the pine a bit, but I'm not getting much musk. It's not bad ... but it's trying very hard to hold onto the Pine Sol scent. As it's drying I'm finally getting hints of musk and the juniper is coming out a bit more, driving away the Pine Sol. I still don't like the smell though. Earth Phoenix is heavy on the pine as well, and on my skin, it eats through everything and has such a huge throw that I've been turned off from pine scents I think.

[devilot]

Thanatopsis

In the Vial: Piney.

 

Wet: In your face pine. And something even stronger. I'm guessing it's the sharpness of the juniper. Ick.

 

Drydown: The super duper astringent juniper is all but gone (thank goodness), but it's still very piney, which I am NOT a fan of. It doesn't smell inherently musky to me, but it's gone a bit sweeter, and it's probably because of the musk. Yay for the musk!

 

Verdict: Yeah, I'm really not a fan of piney smells. Off to swaps!

[Ishtar]

Oh wow, this is a surprise BPAL hit for me! I would NEVER have ordered Thanatopsis for myself - too dark, too masculine-sounding, and I am not into earthy scents.

 

But this? This is fantastic!

 

Wet, it is all pine, all the time. Thankfully, this is a very true pine note, not "cleaning product" pine or pine pitch (thankfully, as the scent of pine pitch makes me queasy).

 

The juniper makes its presence known upon drydown, making the blend airier and fresher. There's also a tiny hint of saltiness in the background, or maybe I'm just imagining this because the overall feel to me is that of a sea breeze, refreshing and bracing.

 

This is the smell of sitting by a cliff by the ocean on a breezy afternoon, surrounded by shrubs and low vegetation, with the edge of a pine grove right across the path. It is a wonderfully natural and outdoorsy scent - Thanatopsis could be the piney counterpart of my beloved Tombstone's cedar.

 

Just lovely, and I have a feeling it will lend itself beautifully to layering experiments.

[reynardine]

Oh, no, this fragrance has forced me back to the dialect of my youth:

 

In imp: Whoa, Hello thar, Piney woods! How you doin'?

 

Wet: Yessir, this here is PINE. And maybe Juniper, I dun know that fur sure.

 

Drydown: Gittin' a mite bit 'o musk in here, yes.

 

An hour later: Dries down to a mighty fine pine scent, yes it does.

 

It's too manly a scent for me, but I am surely keeping this imp to try on the Man. It has a very nice woodsy smell but does NOT kick off the allergies like so many of the others do (yay no Cedar!). Actually, on a guy this might smell downright sexy.

 

[EDIT] The Husband tried it on last night and WOW. It was very strong on me but didn't even throw that much on him--just at a medium rate. He gives it two very high thumbs up. Will use up imp and is maybe thinking about a bottle.

Edited November 25, 2009 by reynardine

[biocarolyn]

Funny- I wanted something dark. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before I tried the imp... at first it was pine-ish, which I usually like. (I actually love slobbering pine, if that tells you anything.) This is not like the pines in Jersey Devil, slobbering pine, or even Black Forest, although Black Forest is probably the closest. It is strongly musk, a dark musk. Dark musks & I usually don't get along, and red musk especially hates me. I can smell the kinship to red musk, but its not exactly that. It approaches it, and on the dry down after a few hours its more strongly musk, in fact pine is almost gone. But somehow not offensive. Really well blended and interesting, and definitely evocative of the poem for me. Great experience. Not something I'll wear all the time, mind you, but really cool.

 

Also, gender neutral to masculine...

[impolight]

:::THANATOPSIS:::

 

 

This one had arrived quite some time ago as a Frimp, but had rolled behind a desktop canister and had lay in wait until rediscovered yesterday... Novel!

Thanatopsis: Meditation upon Death?

Maudlin!

Loving this by title alone thus far!

Being a simply constructed formula lends a great deal of promise (any and all of the Evergreen notes presented by the Lab have been, so far, nothing short of stellar).

From the Imp: Scary-delicious at this point. The Musk was much more prominent than originally anticipated given the potency of the other notes in this blend.

Pine is a close second, yet moreso in it's wooden aspect than the sharpness of needles or resins. Thanatopsis seems to be more about freshly cut timber at tyhis phase.

Juniper is but the slightest suggestion here; something more carried on the breeze than outright asserting itsself alongside it's arboreal cousin and Musk.

Goodness, this is terribly swoony!

The Musk has this... Clay-like element that is very posh;kind of like getting the royal treatment at a very exclusive Cascadian spa. Perhaps a Scandanavian feel...

There is this mental image of vast storm windows, turbulent, grey skies, and polished woods... There is a melancholy feel here, but at this phase it's too high-end to be really devastating.

On the Skin: Ahh... Here, the trees become otherworldly, mournful sentinels.

Here, the darkness truly sprawls akimbo. On the skin, Thanatopsis has much the same effect as staring too long into the glamors of a downpour only to realise, too late, that you look a fright, sopping-wet and ready to catch your death.

Thanatopsis evokes a shiver and inspires yearning to don layers and bundle up against the chill. Thanatopsis is crisp, clean and full of mighty and respectable power.

Ideal for Him or Her.

Thanatopsis is an easy 5 out of 5.

[loubric]

In the IMP it’s very woodsy and masculine. With a strong medicine and eucalyptus smell.

On me it’s less manly and very herby. The pine and musk are fighting for center stage and I can’t decide which is stronger. It’s a pleasant and almost sweet (the juniper perhaps) but not for me. Would be nice in a bath or an oil burner.

[Suu4LC]

In the imp, this is a deep, musky pine and juniper scent. Pretty much what it sounds like.

 

Mmmm...a lovely pine/juniper musk! More juniper than pine, which is fine with me because I prefer juniper. And just a touch sweet. Very lovely!

 

On full drydown it is a bit drier, and more piney than juniper, and I do prefer the juniper to pine. The fresh wet scent of it on my skin was definitely my favorite. This was a lovely lovely blend, but I could not see myself wearing it. I would HIGHLY recommend it to those who are a fan of pine and juniper-it is pretty perfect. Might also make a lovely room scent in an oil burner.

[stellamaris]

OMGosh. Piney, deep dark greeney, turns to resiny heaven.

This satisfies my Jabberwocky/Ya Te Vo loving self. To the top of the Big Bottle list with you!

 

It was so dark in the imp I was scared...

[jkfagtongpun]

I bought this for my husband but uh, he's not even going to get a look in. The notes are not scents I would identify as 'me', with the exception of musk, but pine, nah, juniper, nuh uh. But, all together - YUM. The description 'deep, solemn earthy' is so right. I love this.

 

Upon application it's mainly pine but not an in your face pine, it's a lovely, 'I'm walking alone through the forest in the winter (and I can see my breath but I'm wrapped up and loving the crisp air) with a soft pine needle carpent under my feet and beautiful pine trees towering above' kind of pine, just sort of there and comforting. It eventually fades ever so slightly and the musk becomes a little bolder and this is where the scent remains.

 

Great throw and lasting power - I could still smell it when I woke up the next morning.

 

Sorry hubby, I'll share but I'm not giving this one up!

[sparkleyturtle]

Nice juniper and pine. I can see how this would go masculine, but right now it is a nice scent for just mellowing out.

[Ghost of a Rose]

Thanks for the frimp, labbies. You scored another hit!

 

In the imp: Oil is slightly cloudy and dark brown. The first sniff gives me an note of slightly sweet musk. And then . . . whew . . . suddenly it's 100% Vicks VapoRub. I'm almost afraid to put this on. I was going to wear it when going out for an appointment, but after smelling it, chose something else instead. I tried it later when I would be able to stay at home.

 

On me, wet: The same thing happens on my skin, but fortunately it's much softer. And within moments some woodiness appears to further gentle it and take away the impression of Vicks. This is so much nicer than it smelled in the imp.

 

On me, just dried: Astonishingly soft and subtle considering the way it smelled in the imp. Pine, wood, and earth, with a layer of sweet musk that keeps it from being too Christmasy. It's a lovely mild forest scent. It is solemn, yes - but much too pleasant to make any association between this and death. I'm so glad I gave this a chance. It actually would have been perfect to wear to my business appointment.

 

After 15 minutes: Same as above.

 

After 30 minutes: Same as above, but already noticeably weaker.

 

After 1 hour: No change.

 

The scent remains consistent until late drydown, in about 3 hours. At that time, only a faint sweet musk scent remains.

 

8 hours after application, I can still detect the sweet musk, although very faintly.

 

Verdict: Don't let the smell in the bottle scare you away from this. It's completely different - and quite lovely - on the skin. A unisex scent that would be ideal for wearing to work or for spiritual practice.

 

My rating: 4 stars

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Strong pine and juniper, but with hints of moist soil. I don’t smell the musk yet at this point.

 

Wet: yes, lots of juniper, hints of freshly picked pine needles, and a faint dusting of much are a melodious symphony for my nose. I adore smelling like this.

 

Dry: It’s a sweet wet dusty mingling of juniper and pine. I liked it wet as I enjoy the pungent aspects of the green notes, but it isn’t bad.

[Scorianelle]

Thanatopsis was a Frimp I received in my first order from BPAL. I checked the description before trying it and was quite excited because of the Juniper note.

 

I couldn't make out anything particular in the bottle, just a nice clean scent. Then when I put it on, for one glorious minute it was a beautiful strong pine with a hint of Juniper to stop it from smelling completely like disinfectant (it should be noted, I like disinfectant but not necessarily smelling like it). After about sixty seconds it all turned to musk. Just musk, a sweet musk like those little pink lollies I got as a child.

 

This was the most feminine scent out of all the ones I've tried so far, which in conjunction with the reviews above feeling it is more of a masculine scent, leads me to believe it is actually gender neutral. And all though it wasn't bad, was sort of nice even, it is definitely not for me. Both my mother and I are very sensitive to perfumes and cheap or overpowering scents give us headaches. Because of this, she only wears musk scents and I must say I don't really want to smell like my mother (though it should be noted that whilst I was wearing this my father commented on how nice and feminine I smelled). I hope I can give it to someone who'll enjoy it more than I.

[ajansuz]

I received this as a frimp with my latest order. In the imp, it's very sharp pine with a sweetness beneath it and a bit of an earthy undertone without smelling like dirt.

 

Wet, the pine stays strong. When it combines with the other evergreen note, to me it smells a lot like cedar and maybe even a hint of cypress. The musk in this doesn't seem to be black musk, because it doesn't go to baby powder. It stays sweet, though.

 

Dry this is an earthy evergreen with a nearly frankincense sweetness. On me it's more feminine than masculine, and while nice I have a few evergreen scents I like much more, like the Jersey Devil and Golden Priapus.