Vain Sorceress

[LiberAmoris]

Mad with power, madly in love, or just mad: a dark, spellbinding, seductively narcissistic mix of tuberose, blackened vanilla musk, caraway, white gardenia, red amber, black velvet accord, and jasmine sambac.

 

I meant to review Vain Sorceress last year, but didn't get around to it. But I should have—it's gorgeous. Definitely one of my favorites from 2013. The blackened vanilla musk and black velvet accord alone...! Tuberose, gardenia, and jasmine sambac can go either way on me, but here they're so pretty. The red amber warms everything up and the caraway adds a very slight anise note that's more herbaceous than licorice-y to my nose. It's definitely powerful (and I don't mean the throw), so there can be no sitting in the corner when you're wearing this one. This is a big personality in a bottle.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle: Whoa! I can definitely smell the 'black velvet accord' in this, and it is very realistic! I also smell the florals, blackened vanilla musk, and what I think is the amber note. Fortunately, I don't get any caraway from this in the bottle, and I hope it remains that way on my skin.

Wet: I'm mostly getting the floral notes from this. Although the jasmine is quite prominent on my skin, it hasn't turned into a stinky jasmine yet. The black velvet and the amber are lingering in the background. This scent is strong! The blackened vanilla musk is present, but it is not a main player on my skin. I think it's main role is to tie everything together and keep the floral notes in check.

Dry: The black velvet accord is now the dominant note, and the amber is still present. The floral notes have now taken a background role.

Verdict: I am sad that I didn't get more of the blackened vanilla musk from this, but I am glad that the caraway wasn't problematic for me. It definitely has a regal feel to it. I am going to keep it because I have nothing else like it, and I am curious to see how it ages.

[whisperstilled]

Rediscovered this one in the imp pile, and finally getting around to test!

 

Wet: Ooh. Strong wet rose, and not in a good way. Something underneath is not working here. Cherries? Maybe it's the ambeer combining with the other floral notes, but something in the vanilla has gone weirdly fruity.

 

Drying: Nope.

 

Dry: Some of the weirdness is burning off, but this one s maybe too well blended, and these notes, which sounded great on paper, are intensely not working on the skin. Sickly sweet.