Hothrun Dath

[Caper]

Hothrun Dath, Sidney Sime.
White sand, blue musk, ho leaf, oudh, mugwort, bamboo, white myrrh, and opium tar.

Imp: dark amber oil that smells like opium tar and myrrh maybe? I feel like I know what most of the notes should smell like but I can't pick them out here. It smells enticing though and I'm excited to see what it does on my skin.

Wet: definitely myrrh and opium tar. There is something slightly sweet and woody hanging around the edges, maybe the musk and bamboo? My dh says it is slightly medicinal and I think it smells like the woody herbs my acupuncturist had me drink when I was pregnant.

Dry: this mellows into a dry woodsy sort of scent. I can definitely make out the opium tar, possibly because it is one of my favorites, and I feel like the blue musk is kind of settling the blend like musk usually does. Throw is moderate.

All in all, I really like this. It is very different from any other blends that I have and the only thing holding me back from a bottle is if it would be work appropriate. It might be a touch masculine for work.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Intense and fascinating. I am not sure I approve of the mugwort, which is a little overwhelming here. It does smell like sand, though I can’t tell you how. The Myrrh, musk, and opium form a faction with the mugwort. Another, more subtle faction is formed by the sand, ho leaf, oudh and bamboo. I love the second faction, and am fond of much of the first, but all together, it may be too confusing and overwhelming for me. Wet: It settles down a bit on the skin, though is sytill strong. It creates the feeling of balsam without containing it. The musk moves into the strongest position, though the mugwort stays strong. The second, more delicate faction makes its move with the wood striking out hard together to become nearly as strong as the musk. After an awkward five to ten minutes or so, it becomes a quite lovely oudh dominant blend. Unfortuneatly, the mugwort strikes back and ends up coequal with the woods again fairly quickly. It’s heartbreaking as I fall in and out of love as it morphs. Dry: Still a bit too much mugwort, but mostly woods with a bit of myrrh.

[Aldercy]

I don't even... what IS this?

 

Hothrun Dath is weirdly cold and warm at the same time. The opium is very, very apparent right off the bat, and is strongly related to that found in Red Lantern-- blackly sweet and sticky. The grainy myrrh and woodsy oudh float sedately underneath, but are not very noticeable. And then I suppose it's the sand and bamboo notes that form the cool, wispy top notes. It's not really aquatic or ozone-y, just "fresh." Which is distinctly at odds with the heavy, drippy, musky opium base, but it works.

 

Overall, it's kind of "in your face" and a little bit masculine, but I like it. I'll definitely hold onto the decant at least.

[zankoku_zen]

Sand, bamboo, opium tar, oudh. This is a warm, woody base that contrasts with some cool wispy top notes.

 

Odd, warm, cool.

[Monday]

Every time I test this I end up with something that smells like black coconut. Which isn't a bad thing but there isn't a coconut mentioned anywhere in this scent.

Anyway I have no idea what to do with this scent.

[calivianya]

Weird. I get a caramel/coconut from this... which isn't in the notes at all. It smells a little like Red Lantern right off the bat. I think it may be the sand note in combination with the myrrh and opium tar, as I get a similar kind of warm sweetness from Cat Allingham. This is a lot stronger and much more in-your-face than I was expecting from the notes.

 

Overall, on me it's like a slightly lighter, less cloying version of Red Lantern. I like it so far, but I may just need a decant. We'll see.

[ladymeag]

This was a mis-ship. An interesting mis-ship - I never would have tried it on my own.

 

In the bottle: Cologne-y Antikythera Mechanism - I'm not smelling the mugwort at all and that's a scent I love and know well.

On Me: Wet it initially holds as a sharper, dryer Antikythera Mechanism. I think the opium tar is lending a sweetness to this which drives the comparison in my brain. Dry, this smells like a really dry west-Texas cowboy cologne - I can smell the sand now. Can definitely smell the mugwort at this point, it adds a "dry weeds" type scent. This is nice but I find the opium tar doesn't play well with my skin and makes it far, far too sweet.

 

My spouse said it smelled like: maple flavoring and Antikythera Mechanism (and I had not mentioned my own immediate jump to this comparison.) I gave a suspicious look and it was amended to: Antikythera Mechanism in an IHOP.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Soap? Clean, sweet, resin-y soap, and linen stored with the incense sticks, and sunshine through the window. Not at all what I expected!

 

Wet: Green crushed stems and soap (the bamboo, probably), opium incense smoke, warm clean laundry, smoky green tea, herbs sprouting on the windowsill and faint, sweet, white florals. Oh man, this smells like a really wonderful Sunday afternoon in the late springtime, full of sunshine and laziness and beautiful blue sky. I get no cologne, no Antikythera Mechanism, just something that's indolent and wonderful and cheery. I kinda get the coconut connection, but it doesn't actually smell like coconut, just sweet and happy.

 

Dry: Okay, I can definitely see coconut. A sweetly fruity smell has developed, and along with the herbs and opium incense it turns it into an almost foody scent. This one was a definite surprise, I expected smoke and stone and dry herbs and got sunshine, linen and flowers instead. It's a surprise hit and I will enjoy my tester!

[milo]

Wet, sweet woods, kind of odd, masculine definitely. Dry, there's still sweet woods, but there's a lovely spice along with it. This kind of reminds me of Atlas Moth, and that marshmallow burnt blend from last year's Pickman's, I think it was The Gorroble, and more like Dolly Kei as time goes on. This is sweet and mellow on me, and very wearable, and it's somehow turned less masculine over the course of the hour, even though I'm getting a tobacco vibe here. Think Perversion meets Haloes. I may seek down a decant or partial, this is really nice.

Edited December 11, 2012 by milo

[Blood onmy hands]

I'm not a fan of bpal's opium scents (the opium note smells like cheap hairpray and sharp, white smoke on me) and I kinda like the bamboo, but it always turns a bit too soapy on me. It's like wet, pulpy greenery mashed up and mixed into dryer sheets. So that combo is very high-pitched and soapy to my nose. I was curious about the white sand, blue musk, oudh and myrrh, but the opium & bamboo part is too strong for me to really pick out the other notes...

[brilliantcat]

Imp: What the? I don't even... it smells FOODY. I can't even figure out how but it does. And then a few seconds later I can taste soap on my palate. Very intriguing, this one.

 

Wet: I think the opium tar is giving me the sense of caramel, cause my brain is definitely dinging FOODY. I've always blamed the caramel for being too sickly sweet and causing me to dislike Red Lantern, but I think the opium tar was giving it a bit of a boost because I get a similar vibe, though not nauseatingly so. Then, buried far below, I get the blue musk in combination with some of the other notes to create an almost aquatic vibe. This blend is a hell of a little trickster and I love it!

 

Dry: Sweet, dry tobacco. Morph more, why don't you? Still sweet and a bit foody too.

[mymymai]

ITI: Opium tar, blue musk (and it does smell blue), oudh, myrrh, and ho leaf. It's sweet but oddly exotic.

 

Wet: It smells very similar wet as it does in the imp, although the opium is a bit stronger, and I do get a little sand.

 

Dry: Blue musk, opium tar, oudh, and myrrh - it does not have a whole lot of throw after 30 minutes, but it is an interesting scent.

[Balame]

I concur with the weirdness, this was not what I was expecting. But it's really nice!

 

I'm not even sure what I imagined. I guess something much lighter and herbal. Instead, I'm immediately hit with a sticky sweet opium (I guess I'm not too familiar with this note; the only other time I've smelled it was the previous Pickman's).

 

Everything comes together as a cologne-y caramel, which probably sounds gross, but it isn't. I can smell the dry sweetness of the myrrh at the tail end of a sniff, and just the slightest bit of green.

 

Even though it starts out strong, the sillage quickly draws closer and the opium/myrrh become smaller players. Almost to the extent that I wonder if this is the same oil. Overall I'm left with a deep caramel, incense and wafts of woodsiness. It's quite dark, which I usually don't mind, but it may be a bit too sweet. Great, unique blend though.

[bellumed]

Ooh! I… what is this?? The white and blue are spot on: this actually makes me think of those gummy sharks. It does, somehow, smell like the beach, between the sand and the blue musk. But there’s none of the typical suntan lotion and salt spray you would associate with a beachy scent, nor the murky, planty scent of a lake. This is super interesting. In a good way! A very “full” scent.

 

 

Opium becomes more obvious on my skin, but the sand and musk are still playing in the background. Unusual, but really agreeable. A little sweet and even foodie, yes. I wish I were better at describing this because it is weird and great! Once it’s been dry about 30 minutes, I start to get the ho leaf and bamboo as well. A lovely, comforting scent.