Arana

[ladymeag]

ARAÑA
Sharpie on copier paper, 2012
This is araña. That's spider in Spanish. She's big and has one thousand million babies.
Vanilla-infused agarwood, oak bark, and Laotian benzoin.

Arana

This was the scent from this update I was most excited about. I am not disappointed.

In the bottle: Huh, did Antikythera Mechanism's vanilla come along to play?

On Me: Wet - yep, much of the sharp vanilla from Antikythera Mechanism. It brings that cologne-y note with it. There's something sweeter lurking, though. As it dries down, the oak comes forward a little bit. Full dry down and the benzoin is clearly detectable separately from the vanilla that was up front. Sweeter, a little sharper. There's definitely a note in there that makes me think of a vanilla ice cream cone but it's not so sweet or foody to be off-putting. I think this one is going to age wonderfully.

On my spouse: Far, far sweeter from the beginning, this smells more like a sweet oak vanilla. Still not cloying somehow, though, but not quite as easy to pick out the individual notes.

You might want to try this if you like (or really, really wanted to like): Antikythera Mechanism, Feed Me and Fill Me With Pleasure, Hothrun Dath, or if Detestable Putrescence was too sweet.

[Dark Alice]

This Antikytherian Mechanism's younger sweeter sister. The oakwood,agarwood and vanilla make this scent gorgeous! As it dries the oak steps back and the agarwood and benzoin come forward making it sweeter. This...unlike antikythera doesn't make my stomach turn as much. I do love it! So glad I took a chance on this bottle.

Edited April 19, 2013 by Dark Alice

[windbourne]

Pretty much what they said? It does remind me of Antikythera, except that AM has teak and I hate teak, it does have a slightly cologne-like aspect at first, but that fades after a bit, it's a wood and vanilla scent, and it actually works on me, so far at least. The throw is pretty distinct, but not room-clearing.

 

3 out of 5 noms, and I expect it to increase as it ages. Vanilla, oak and agar? Yes. Definitely.

Edited April 20, 2013 by windbourne

[SadariEvenstar]

Oak Moon and The Antikythera Mechanism had a beautiful, beautiful baby called Arana. AM is amazing on my husband, but goes sickly sweet syrup on my skin. This does not, this is everything I hoped AM would be on my skin. This is vanilla and oak in perfect balance. It's a little cologney, especially at first, but in a good way and it does tone way down on the drydown. I'm thinking I'm going to need more of this one.

[ccelaya]

ARAÑA

 

This is araña. That's spider in Spanish. She's big and has one thousand million babies.

Vanilla-infused agarwood, oak bark, and Laotian benzoin.

 

Wet - in the bottle this scent smells like chocolate. It must the vanillas infused agar-wood.

 

On Skin - hints of vanilla and benzoin. I still smell the chocolate in this.

 

As it dries the oak bark comes out still with hints of vanilla.

 

This scent is for anyone who likes sweets scents, particularly vanilla.

[heygraycatbird]

Similar to what others have reported, Araña starts out with the sharp cologney/perfumey woodiness of Antikythera Mechanism. On me, the wood in AM dominated throughout and the vanilla never really came through, but it comes through in Araña. It's a sweet vanilla-type scent... the first adjective that popped into my head to describe the vanilla was 'thin," which may sound like a bad thing, but it's really not. What I mean is that it's not a warm golden vanilla. To me it's a light, almost "cooler" vanilla, perhaps due to the benzoin.

 

Throw is reasonably strong at first, then fades after about an hour. I can still smell it on my skin for several hours after though.

 

Araña is definitely worth a try if you wanted to love AM but thought something was a little off. I will be using my decant to see if I end up needing a bottle.

[FriedaLove]

This one is just a no-go for me, which is sad because I had such high hopes for it. I was thinking it would be a grounded vanilla but it's just too woodsy for me.

 

In the vial: Vanilla!

 

Wet on skin: The wood notes come out to play but the vanilla is keeping them soft.

 

During dry down: I feel like I'm walking through a forest full of trees.

 

Dry on skin: The benzoin came out a tiny bit, but this is pretty much just woodsy on me. It's been two hours and I think I'm just going to scrub it off before I leave the house This would be absolutely beautiful on someone who likes woodsy scents.

 

Edited to add: I went ahead and left it on and I'm glad I did. Now that it's been a few more hours, it has turned into a very nice vanilla/benzoin blend with a hint of woods to keep it from being too sweet and still has a good throw. This is how I wanted it to be to begin with and what I was hoping for when I bought the decant. This is very nice now but I don't think I'll buy a bottle because the full on woodsy part lasts a few hours on me and I just don't like it at that point.

Edited May 7, 2013 by FriedaLove

[Blood onmy hands]

Arana smells similar to Atlas, Antikythera Mechanism, and Haloes.. which all share the oak + vanilla combo. It's dark, dry, slightly powdery oak wood paired with a creamy, sweet vanilla and a hint of what kind of smells like root beer on my skin. It's okay, but it goes a little too powdery on me in the drydown. I prefer Atlas, Antikythera Mechanism, and Haloes to this one, which are all a little more complex and a bit sweeter on my skin.

[urbantravels]

I like this. Of course I would; it's a lot like Antikythera Mechanism, which I am a big slutty slut for. In fact I couldn't really get a handle on the full difference until I did a side-by-side test.

 

Compared to Antikythera Mechanism, Araña is lighter and sweeter, and AM is darker, spicier, heavier, more bitter, and the leather note really comes forward when you're comparing AM to a very similar scent without it. The AM leather to me right now smells like a belt - with its buckle. Don't ask me why I'm getting a notion of a metal buckle in there...it's really not a metallic note, probably something my smeller-brain is synthesizing on its own.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with either one if I never knew the other one existed, but now I go "Hmmmm." Araña would probably be more palatable to more people, which is neither a good thing or a bad thing. To my still-noobie nose, they are both very BPAL but AM is in the much darker shade of BPAL. AM is also more "masculine" if that's a useful category to you.

 

I was about to buy a bottle of AM but now I must think on it a little because I'm not sure which to choose. I would get too far ahead of my budget if I got both, on top of the other things I want to get next...and I'd hate to get hooked on a LE scent. Too much like my checkered romantic history.

 

Edit 5/29: I wound up grabbing a bottle of Arana, and putting off getting a bottle of Antikythera Mechanism until a later date. Ultimately I want to own both, but I feel like Arana is a little more wearable in more situations, less "challenging" than AM. After a few more tries of Arana I really started enjoying the sweetness of it, though I don't care for "candy" or "sugar" notes, this is a sweet vanilla note. At times almost syrupy, although I really truly mean that in a GOOD way.

Edited May 29, 2013 by urbantravels

[stellamaris]

Well, I have never tried AM, although I love many of the other scents at the Steamworks (Obsidian Widow, I am looking at you, and yes, you Galvanic Goggles), but this is very warm and cozy, vanilla and sweet, without being cloying. This is a bottle.

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant circle by Absinthetics

 

Initial Thoughts: I love vanilla. I like some woodsy scents. This was something of a shot in the dark.

 

In the Vial: Very woodsy and a bit of vanilla. It's a cool scent, like the chill of a dark forest when you work your way in far enough.

 

Wet: Wood and more wood. The vanilla, if any, is deep inside the scent.

 

Drydown: The vanilla emerges, but remains a quiet presence behind the wood notes. It's working more to soften and sweeten the other notes rather than take over.

 

Verdict: Pleasant, but I honestly don't see myself reaching for it much. We'll see if the decant gets used up.

[Missy_killer]

To my nose: Smells like men's cologne and smokey wood in the bottle.

On: This has been compared to as a softer version of Antikythera Mechanism and I can only agree. The difference between the two are that Araña has a strong cologne-vibe and AM made me smell like a burning campfire..

I prefer the cologne, actually.

 

After about 10 minutes the cologne/alcohol dies down and the only thing I can think of is that this smells like a man.

A very sexy man, nontheless...

 

..And then I stop thinking about sexy, vanilla scented-men and realizes that Araña smells lovely! It's a creamy and soft wooden vanilla that I can use and not suffer terrible migraines from.

 

45 minutes in and it has started to fade a little, sadly. The vanilla is still soft and smokey, which I love. It is what I wanted AM to be, but the tobacco killed it for me. So, if you wanted to like AM but your skin just like mine, loves to amp tobacco to the high heavens and make you smell like you enjoy bathing in ashtrays/setting your wooden self on fire, try this instead. It's lovely!

 

It lasted about 4-4.5 hours, but for only making one drop on my hand, I'm happy with it's staying power!

[Monday]

Yep I recognize this note from Tree of Life and the Antikythera Mechanism.

On my skin wet: Softly polished wood, vanilla and just like in Silver-Haired Bat the benzoin smells a bit like cotton-candy.

On my skin dry: I'm glad that the oak bark is behaving. It does give the blend a bit of a liquorice smell but it's way in the background. This doesn't morph a lot, the vanillic scent goes a bit powdery but overall it's a smooth cuddly blend.

Like Missy-killer the Antikythera Mechanism was too harsh-smelling for me but this maybe a good stand in.

[lookingglass]

A agree that this smells like Anti Mech (my little pet name for her) and Haloes because of this apricoty sweetness that I can't quite figure out. The wood notes smell slightly like band-aids, and, yes, a bit "cologney", but it is so sweet with a dark, yet fluffy, vanilla, it's hardly offputting.

[zankoku_zen]

Did Antikythera and Haloes make babies? Because that's what Arana smells like. Woody vanilla, hint of musk.

 

Slightly masculine, woody vanilla. Yeaaahhhhhh....

[milo]

I think that ZZ nailed this. It is a cross between Haloes and Antikythera Mechanism. It is more like AM wet, but becomes more Haloe-like as it dries. I find it a bit more softer, and suited more for cooler weather. Resinous, sweet and unisex, I like this, but have both Haloes and AM, so don't need anymore than the decant I have of this. I'm going to layer Haloes and AM just to compare, as I really do like this.

[girasol]

Wet: Sweet to start with! The vanilla is attention-whoring, the woody notes are lurking shyly in the background but hinting at depth. I have no idea what benzoin smells like, presumably it's along for the ride but I really wouldn't know.

 

Dry: Somehow, this smells kind of coconutty to me now, even though there is obviously no coconut note. It has a lingering sweetness, and the wood notes are very soft. It's a fuzzy kind of scent.

[girasol]

Double post, whoopsie.

Edited May 29, 2013 by girasol

[Antoinette]

Blissful! Oak bark, I love you.

 

I get a warm vanilla that is swirled through with the grounding and earthy oak bark. It's comforting and calming. I am so glad I ordered this one. It reminds me of Atlas, the oak bark being the common component. I find both of them to have a tranquil effect on my mood. Lovelovelove.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I really like Antikythera Mechanism, but I amp the tobacco note almost unbearably. Arana's note list reminded me a lot of AM without the tobacco, so it was a must-try immediately.

 

Wet: Very similar to AM but without the tobacco. And just like that blend, it's nearly all sharp biting woods and slightly unpleasant for me at this point.

 

Dry down: Well heeeeellllllo there vanilla! The woods are grounding it and this might be one of the best vanillas I've smelled recently. It's smooth and creamy without being foody or sweet and is just lovely.

 

Dry: Mmm, loving this vanilla. The woods are still just hanging out in the background to support that lovely vanilla and it's beautiful.

 

Final thoughts: I'm so glad to have this! Araña works much better than AM on my skin, and it lasts for hours (as I type this, it's been going strong for nearly 6 hours).

 

Verdict: Keeping the bottle!

[Alainn]

Arana was everything I was hoping it would be, and more. I was heartbroken when The Antikythera Mechanism was way too dark and slightly sour on me--I think the tobacco + teak combo combined to create something weird and sharp, but even though it didn't work for me, I fell in love with the black vanilla note used, and I've been looking for it ever since.

 

Arana is basically black vanilla single-note on me, which sounds like it would be boring...but is isn't. It's wonderful. It has just enough benzoin to keep it from smelling too cologne-y, which this vanilla sometimes does. Benzoin can amp to saccharine-like proportions for me and ruin things that I would otherwise like, so this is a surprise victory for me. I really get no discernible oak or agarwood, although I'm sure they're working in the background to deepen and ground the blend. Hopefully some age will bring out the woods a bit more, but if it doesn't I'm already perfectly happy with it as it is. It also makes a fantastic layering note. I'm debating buying a backup before this one vanishes.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Alainn

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Vanilla, but not foody, woodsy, creamy resins.

 

Wet: Much like the cold sniff, but there's something bright about it. Not exactly warm, though.

 

The dry-down: Moving towards a subtle blending of all the notes. I do like it, since it is woods, resins, and a non-foodie vanilla, a nice change of pace. This could be good for late summer/early autumn, evocative of when nature starts to dry out for the coming cold.

[bellumed]

Like a lot of others, the strength of the “cologne and wood” scent surprised me. I can absolutely see this on a man, though there’s also something feminine and spicy in that keeps it from being totally masculine. Araña is a huge morpher ,though. Dry is so much softer. Not quite snuggly but a comforting dad-ish smell. I’ve tested this for a least four days trying to figure out if I even like it, and I think my conclusion is that it’s nice, but it's not what I want to smell like.

[Amoraexcena]

Interesting. This is much less sweet, especially just out of the box, than I was expecting. It's got a slightly medicinal sharpness that reminds me of fresh Snake Oil. SO takes three years of aging before I can wear it... I wonder if this is going to take as long?

 

That said, this isn't unpleasant as is, not at all. I would just love if it were a little sweeter. It layers well with Banshee Beat so that's how I'll be using it for now!

[aphrodite]

I love araña. Like everyone else says, it does start out very similar to the Antikythera Mechanism. And I do love AM; it's the only scent I've ever applied in my cube and had coworkers flock to sniff me. But AM can sometimes go wrong on me during different parts of the drydown depending on my chemistry that day, the weather, etc. I don't mind wearing masculine scents when they're incredible, but AM sometimes turns masculine in a bad way.

 

So if AM is a sort of confident, androgynous type, araña is its younger sister that has inherited all of the same family allure, but with a more distinctly feminine and somewhat youthful vibe. I lose the wood notes in araña after a while; they might still be there to other people's noses, but with AM I smell the oak throughout the drydown, whereas araña just becomes a fluffy vanilla. It's the same vanilla as Love from this same collection, and at times I get the same fluffiness from the vanilla in Feed Me And Fill Me With Pleasure. I absolutely love this perfume.