Nemesis

[donnatron]

... Cypress, ginger, fig, dried rose, red patchouli, tonka bean and cyclamen.

Imp: Predominantly cypress with a touch of rose and patchouli.

Wet: Cypress is all over this lending it a very woody quality. The florals fade instantly and the patchouli joins forces with the tonka and fig to make this a sweet woody scent.

Dry: This is a very evocative scent. It reminds me of walking on the wood chip trails at the bird sanctuary. The woods are the heaviest scent but there's a certain light airiness to this. The florals are just hints of floral--like walking by a particularly lush flower.

Throw: Average.

Overall: I've always been fond of Nemesis ever since I discovered her in the Ancient Greece portion of grade six social studies. Unfortunately I don't love the scent as much as I love her but it's definitely something I'll reach for when I'm in a true-to-life sort of mood. This smells so much like our local bird sanctuary it's insane. Edited February 14, 2009 by Shollin

[crebbsgirl]

Dirt Rose. I'm not kidding that is exactly what I get from this blend. There is a predominant dirt note when I first apply this and as it dries, the rose takes over for me. Gah! Stupid skin chemistry.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Madame Moriarity with some cypress

 

Wet: Cypress and patchouli and a touch of fig

 

Drydown: I kinda like it. Cypress and I are buddies, so it's not stealing the show. The red patchouli is a god complement. There's something creamy that feels more coconut like than fig. You'd never know there was rose in it, and I have no idea what cyclamen is.

 

Overall: Gotta say, I'm a fan. It's a nice "red" scent with the patchouli and the cypress is giving it a cleaner feel than I would have expected. It's pretty nice, but I don't think it really does anything for me that Mme. Moriarity doesn't.

[selchie9]

Wet: Hello patchouli! There's some cypress there too (the wood, not the needles), and a bit of dry old rose petals

Dry: Still mostly patchouli and wood, but the fig brings in a bit of sweet fruit, the rose has faded, and the patchouli has gone more smokey. It reminds me a bit of walking through a cutblock: dry and hot and full of old conifer stumps.

Drydown: It gets a bit sweeter and fruitier and the rose comes back a bit with some cyclamen, but I wouldn't ever call it a fruity or floral smell. The patchouli and cypress keep it solidly as an earthy smell. It's not a bitter earthy smell, though, making it the first woody BPAL fragrance I can wear as wood + the sweet BPAL base usually makes me sick.

[tragedy]

Ut oh something smells like vetiver.. red patch and cypress?

It stays calm but remains murky and pitchy while wet on skin, something smells sweet in the background, the tonka and a little fig, which keeps me sniffing thinking it may be promising through the murk.

Drydown brings out the sweetness more blending nicely with the murk, a very confusing but likeable blend.

I think this is more suitable for hubby as I get none of the floral.. maybe he will though

[isisonearth]

I know Nemesis and I have crossed paths before but I can't find a review...

 

Imp: Strong cypress and vetiver with a sweet bit of rose.

 

Wet: Mellow patchouli and a very complementary floral note. Warm, lush fig and a gingery bite.

 

Dry: The good news is the cypress doesn't amp...the bad news is that red patchouli sometimes goes bad on me...and it did.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Shollin

[caffinatedangel]

Wet - Cypress and Ginger dominate.

Dry - rose and fig, dash of tang.

 

Overall- I wasn't hugely impressed by this or anything. It was nice though. Tangy floral, with a warm undercurrent for the base notes. Tonka is always a delicious drydown for me. It's nice, just not omg WHOA. Throw isn't so great on me, a close scent. But the endurance, counting tonka, is forever. That note just clings on me till the morning. Yum.

[Monster]

In the imp this all cypress to me.

 

On my skin the patchouli jumps out at me right away. The cypress adds a fresh, green note. It really pairs well with the patchouli. I'm not getting much of anything else.

 

As this dries it remains unchanged...just cypress and patchouli on my skin. I think there might be a hint of rose but it's pretty much just a nice, cozy woody scent.

 

Really nice! I will be keeping me imp

[bubblefish]

Reading the scent description, I can now pick out the dominant note: cypress! It's slightly toned down though, which is probably due to the ginger. I don't get much of the rose, though there is a slightly "dried flower" smell in the background, but I do get the patchouli. I like the darkness and depth to this blend. It has a little kick, too.

[rayvn1]

Oh my, this is good on me! This started out wet as a slightly sharp, earthy wood scent. When it dried it amped into billowing clouds of scent that jerked my head down to arm, womdering "what is that amazing smell?!?" This smells just like a forest on a sunny summer day. It is the exact scent of sap, growing things, and fruit laden berry vines with the sun slanting through gaps in the forest trees. Vaguely reminiscent of Geek This is bottle worthy to the extreme. Summer hiking and camping in a bottle. Wow!

[jamethiel]

In the imp: Cypress and patchouli

 

Wet: patchouli and something fruity. And honey.

 

After 5 minutes: ROSE. Okay, I amp rose. Where has the patchouli gone? There's something vaguely fruity underneath.

 

After 10 minutes: Urg. This is almost sickly sweet. Rose and something honeyed and perfumed. Dates? Maybe that's the fig.

 

The drydown: This is so sweet. All I smell is rose and fig.

 

Definitely one for swap.

[London]

Bottle: Fig. Strangler Fig without the green. yay!

 

Wet: Here comes the green >.< Ack. Cypress. The fig, like me is hiding from the green-ness.

 

Dry: sweet and green, with a hint of fig.

[devilot]

Nemesis

I definitely smell something green. Cypress, yes, but I'm not sure what cyclamen smells like. I also detect the rose. Whoa. Got a dab onto my fingers when opening the imp and as usual, my damned skin chemistry amps the rose. Get a hint of the fig, too, for some fruitiness. Overall, it's not all that bad, and would be amazing on the right person, but I'm afraid Nemesis isn't for me.

[tajana]

Wet: I slathered on a fair amount, but this is still pretty faint. Cypress, mostly, with some florals, mostly rose. Dried rose seems to behave better on me than a lot of other rose notes.

 

Dry: As this dries down, the patchouli deepens the cypress, and the fig steps in to sweeten things up, but stays relatively subtle. The rose and probably the cyclamen are still present, but the floral aspect is secondary to the woody one. Tonka strengthens slowly but surely with time, and in its death throes, Nemesis is primarily tonka with undertones of cypress and the faintest hint of patchouli, tart rose, and round fig. Ginger never showed up to play, which is a pity.

 

Overall: Not bad, but it's just another wholly inoffensive, well balanced floral-woodsy fragrance. I'm sure I'd like to catch a whiff of this on someone else, but it's not really shining on my skin or capturing my imagination.

[pzb]

In the Vial: Sweet and green. Definitely getting the fig and cypress.

 

Wet: Holy ginger, Batman! Okay...a little cypress in there too, but certainly very sharp.

 

Drydown: Goes very, very sweet. No hint of the patchouli that usually causes the "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" effect on me.

 

After about an hour: All rose, all the time. Not bad....just not....great.

[milo]

Wet, very pungent and slightly medicinal with the cypress. As it dries, this is a pleasant, soft woody blend. Hard to describe, but a bit sweet, maaybe a bit of floral. It's a fast fader, though and practically disappears after only half an hour. I'll certainly use up the imp, but don't need to upgrade.

[starfish327]

lab fresh imp

in the imp: sharp wood and vetiver. notes aren't listing it but it's fresh vetiver.

 

wet: same. some green wood and smoke.

 

dry: settles and smooths a lot. still sharp though- pine/cypress, a hint of vetiver and a slight touch of something smooth and a touch of tonka. definitely not a strong blend, it's actually rather faint. luckily there's not a lot of rose which is a death note for me.

Edited February 7, 2010 by starfish327

[Vega]

Sniffed: Green and dark, but with an "alcoholic" brightness.

 

On skin: Lots going on here, all very fragrant. I detect deep, glowing patchouli and hint of greenness, possibly from cypress. But Nemesis is quite well-blended and I can't quite pick out the other notes. The brightness tones down over time, and the scent ends up mellow and dark. Nemesis is bold and strong, but dark and smooth. I don't get a clear colour impression, but this feels dark red/maroon.

 

Verdict: Still uncertain about Nemesis. It's a lovely dark, rich blend, but it's not really standing out, and I have a hard time remembering how it smells (but my scent memory isn't so great anyway). Will have to keep testing, and will edit this post if I discover anything new.

[Lorna Brigid]

I got this as a frimp from a sweet forumite.

I would never have picked it out for myself... I've been uncertain about woody scents on me, as well as fig.

But I love this! I was nicely surprised. It's like a dry, spicy floral.... I've never smelled Scherezade, but this is what I would imagine something called that to smell like. (even though by the notes it says they are different). It feels very Mediterranean or middle eastern to me.

It's edgy without being masculine. I really like it!

[Incendiare]

In the vial, I can automatically pick up on the fig, and there is a touch of cypress and patchouli in the background. Wet, BAM, this blend goes über woodsy. That cypress is pwning everything else. It's fairly dry but slightly warm, and very outdoorsy. Interesting how the patchouli is cowering away because usually my nose is ultra sensitive to it. I was hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the tonka bean and cyclamen, but alas, I cannot smell even the slightest traces of them for the life of me. Although the cypress is a bit too much when I sniff up close, when I wave my hand in front of me, this blend smells fresher and more lush. About ten minutes later, I swear I just caught a whiff of rose, but it's gone. There now seems to be a hint of sweetness mingled in with the cypress. Tonka, is that you? It's not for certain, but it's quite possible. I actually like this one more than I thought I would. I was dreading the patchouli since that note usually ruins everything for more. I'm not incredibly fond of how this smells up close. Even on the dry-down, it's just a little too dry for me, but the whiffs I'm getting from afar are better.

[Venneh]

Figgy wood in the imp, and much the same on my skin. Ehhh.

[tallan]

Cypress. Sweet cypress. Something floral, but not explicitly rosy, so perhaps the cyclamen? I think I can smell the patchouli.

 

As this dries, the notes blend to the point that I can't even try to identify them anymore. I get a blast of ginger for a short while, but other than that this is quite sweet and girlish, a deep pink. Inoffensive, something up-thread wrote, and I totally agree with that. Not at all what I expected from the goddess of vengeance. A bit bummed about it.

[invisible iris]

Backstory: At first I was really optimistic about Nemesis. I like her, or I feel a kind of closeness to her, if you know what I mean. However, reading the reviews, it seems that Nemesis is one of those blends that can develop differently depending on skin chemistry. And I'm afraid me and this one just didn't work well together.

 

In the imp: I smell patchouli and rose, both of which I like, especially when they balance each other out.

 

On wet: It begins as rose, cypress, and patchouli. A nice, laid back rose blend. Rosy floral, but also a bit woodsy and wild and creamy and fresh in a way that I like. A few minutes in and it's rose, cypress, fig, patchouli, and tonka, all blending together really well. No whip-wielding retribution, but pleasant nonetheless.

 

Dry: As it dries, however, it turns all figgy rose on me. I’m discovering either that I amp fig, or that I dislike fig as a note. After half an hour, the cypress, tonka, and patchouli have disappeared, and Nemesis gets the same “blech, fig” reaction from me as Carnal. I’ve tried wearing Nemesis several times now over about a month, and every time it dries down to be just too figgy syrupy sweet.

 

Conclusion: On me, Nemesis is "whip-wielding fig", "fig whom none can escape", or "implacable fig". If justice = fig, then Nemesis = right on.

[theasylph]

My first impression of this was that it was very sharp and green smelling. This rounded out to a soapy smokiness within 5-10 minutes. I found that the cypress and rose in combination remind me of cleaning products and soap shops. Unfortunately, this is one blend that has really given me a headache.

[Honey]

Imp: Cypress, rose and patchouli. Very intense, sharp, medicinal. Rather dark green and fresh.

 

Wet: Sweet herbal and medicinal notes.

 

Dry: Almost minty. Sweet, resinous and very woodsy. Like a nice old chest that has been polished. A chest that is filled with dried roses from a past love affair. Very faint on me and rather tart. Meh.