Ashmedai Report post Posted December 25, 2014 The Lake of Sorrow: the plaintive wail of a bleak, pale chypre with carrot seed, lugubrious opoponax, and wormwood. Wow, wormwood is really strong in this blend, alongside carrot seed and something that smells like lemon peel. The pith, not the zest, very astringent and a bitter. I hope this calms down a little, because on initial application, it's like an ice-pick to the sinuses that almost brings on a sneezing fit. It does settle down pretty quickly as it warms on my skin. The sharp bitterness fades and a beautifully resinous opoponax develops, there's a bit of carrot seed (one of my favorite notes), and just a little of the lemon-peel-like note left. This is getting better and better the more it dries down, warmer, sweeter and more resin-like. I think there's some labdanum in the chypre too; or something else giving this more resiny sweetness (it's too subtle to clearly identify). Finaly dry-down is something I'd describe as dark, deep, sweet resins with a bit of carrot seed, with a sparkle of lemon zest and wormwood, though the wormwood is so faint now I'd have to know it was there to smell it. I'm really digging this, so I'm glad I snapped up a bottle! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites