Hot, arid scents

[Balame]

Hi all, does anyone have a blend that make them think of dry heat? I was going to request something that smells like a desert, but it seems like a lot of people associate certain plants with the desert, even florals (like poppy). What I want is just straight-up hot, dry sand/plains. A barren desert, more focused on the heat than the life within it.

 

I think the scent that comes closest to what I'm after is The Coiled Serpent. It's a very dry, warm patchouli on me. (Dance of Death is also extremely dry, which I love, but it's too floral.) I was wondering if people had any other recommendations that are less woodsy? The Robotic Scarab is also good at creating that "warmed" feeling, but it's definitely on the metallic side. I've tried Coyote which was too musky/cologne-y. While I like Tombstone it's way too sweet and woodsy for what I'm after. Something like The Ifrit it too spicy.

 

I know I'm being picky, but I don't want "embellished" sand, just... hot sand. I guess it might include something like a light musk, minerals and mellow resins? I'm open to recommendations from other sellers as well, if there's something that springs to mind. Thank you in advance!

Edited December 20, 2016 by Balame

[Erinofhere]

Nothing comes to mind with hot sands. But for hot, scorched plains...scarecrow comes mind. Sorry I'm not more help.

[vox pop]

hi Balame

i would like to suggest Paduan Killer Swarm, on the last page for reviews there is a

member paperrose who perfectly described my own personal impressions of this scent ) i love it!! )

This is the first that comes to mind and then The Trackless Erg Atmosphere Spray from the Post which is on my

wish list but by description it may be what you are looking for

best of luck

Edited March 31, 2015 by vox pop

[jazzvampire]

Ozymandias, for sure! Also Larrea from La Curie perfumes; it has creosote, so perhaps not exactly what you're looking for.

[Bluestblood]

Hothrun Dath, Three Swords, and I agree with The Coiled Serpent.

[Dark Alice]

Capela Dos Ossoss v5. Hot, dry, bone. I love it so much. And Arabian nights (not the Tal) Arid, fragrant dry desert incense.

[aniemel]

Sunbird smells like straight desert to me!

[Balame]

Thanks everyone, these are great recs! Already adding some to my wishlist so I can hunt them down.

 

I don't know how I missed Ozymandias in the GC. Based on the description it sounds perfect, though reviews seem all over the place so it'll be interesting to test that out. I did try The Trackless Erg, but sadly it ended up smelling fairly powdery and floral to me.

 

The LEs/unreleased blends sound really nice, so here's hoping I can find them without too much difficulty. Paduan Killer Swarm sounds like something I'd enjoy anyway due to the coconut, so definitely have to make that one a priority.

[Mellifluous]

The 1st thing that came to my mind was Little Metalmark form the metas last year. The notes are "Nagarmotha and sweet musk."

There is a subtle sweetness, but it is really a super subtle sweetness (on me). Like how some woody notes can have a sweet aspect. Overall its an arid desert musk cloud.

[Fuhrankie]

Kathmandu for an arid mountaintop scent? It's full of cedar and dry notes.

[Seismogenic]

Gosh I have not logged in in forever. But desert scents happen to be a thing toward which I gravitate, so!

 

In terms of GCs:

*Lear is very arid to me. Dusty, dry, not hot but certainly not cold. The sage note in there is hugely reminiscent of the Mojave Desert.

*51 is meant to be desert. The initial juicy green notes counter the aridness to some degree, but they disappear quickly on me, leaving dry salt flats and heat-steeped sand.

*Ozymandias has already been suggested, I see.

*To me, Aureus is desert-y. I understand that some people get more incense out of it, so your mileage may vary, but on me, it's the sun-baked cedars and Joshua trees on the eastern side of the San Gabriel Mountains.

*This may be more scent association for me than for many other people, but Santa Eularia des Riu is very much the Inland Empire desert (ok, fine, coastal sage scrub) in spring. Arid, warm, with citrus on the breeze.

 

As for LEs:

*Sailing Stones of Death Valley legit smells like Death Valley. It's a yellow and tan rocky desert with just that hint of dry alkaline lake. I love it.

*Kinnabari (prototype) is a red desert, a la Utah.

*Windy Moon smells like dry hot Santa Ana Winds sucking the moisture out of everything and threatening it with smoke. I hear that some people get something aquatic in it, but to me, it is dry dry dry.

*In logical sequence, Halloween: Los Angeles is a chaparral brushfire. Doesn't get hotter and drier than that.

*Amicitia has sage and chaparral as notes, and is spot-on SoCal desert on me.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Seismogenic

[sprout]

Scarecrow!

[lady_pandora]

Yep, Scarecrow--if your chemistry is like mine, you'll have to get through an initial weird nailpolish phase, but on the other side there is dry hay. I'll also mention the Lion, oddly--it's one of the few ambery ones that strikes me as dry.

[stellamaris]

Possets Arizona Honey and Sage.

 

51 smells like the desert outside of Las Vegas to me, at night, outside a gas station convenience store with bats flying all around the lights in the parking lot.

Edited April 1, 2015 by stellamaris

[Balame]

The 1st thing that came to my mind was Little Metalmark form the metas last year. The notes are "Nagarmotha and sweet musk."

There is a subtle sweetness, but it is really a super subtle sweetness (on me). Like how some woody notes can have a sweet aspect. Overall its an arid desert musk cloud.

 

I was fond of Little Metalmark myself, but while there was a mustiness about it, it also felt kind of rainy to me. Like a coming storm (which is a great, evocative thing but not quite as dry as I wanted).

 

Gosh I have not logged in in forever. But desert scents happen to be a thing toward which I gravitate, so!

 

In terms of GCs:

*Lear is very arid to me. Dusty, dry, not hot but certainly not cold. The sage note in there is hugely reminiscent of the Mojave Desert.

 

Lear is actually one of my favorite GCs! It's definitely dry and warm, makes me think of a sun-kissed log in a forest surrounded by little herbs.

 

I'm taking notes on the other recs btw, just wanted to mention my own experiences with these in case anyone else wanders in curious about the same thing.

[themeaningofV]

Brimstone - might be a little more smoky than what you're looking for, but it's always reminded me of burning sage in the middle of a desert.

[stellamaris]

While squandering my time on the World Wide Waste last evening I came upon this

http://alchimia-apothecary.com/product/sandstorm/

[Balame]

While squandering my time on the World Wide Waste last evening I came upon this

http://alchimia-apothecary.com/product/sandstorm/

 

That sounds beautiful, thanks for posting it! Haven't tried Alchimia yet but now I'll have to give it a shot.

 

Also, with the new Plague line out it sounds like these two might fit this category nicely:

 

All the Dust of the Land

An infestation of Ceylon cinnamon bark, black patchouli, tonka absolute, bitter almond, and frankincense.

 

Blood Throughout All the Land

Olive wood, acacia, and juniper, stone and clay, all thick with blood and crusted with dust.

[sprout]

Djinn and The Ifrit smell fiery to me.

Al Azif smells hot and dry to me.

[ModderRhu]

goblin (and to a lesser extent, tiki king), morocco, wooden mallets. hasty post, sorry! on my way somewhere

[TallGrrl78]

Well, scarecrow falls in the same family of what you are looking for, but it's more dry grasses rather than sand. Just figured I'd add my thoughts since I'm testing that one along with Coyote today.

[Circaea]

Tombstone, Halloween Los Angeles, Cairo. And I find Eve (OLLA) to be evocative of a dry, hot place. Also, I second Playful Wooden Mallets, which I think of as warm, spicy and dry.

 

(ETA: sorry, I just reread the original post, and Tombstone was mentioned as being too sweet.)

 

Sri Lanka comes to mind, too. And Katmandu and Kubla Khan.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Circaea

[sarandipitee]

Unknown (Cat Allingham) : Distilled shadows, a bleak desert landscape at midnight: Myroswelia balsam, gaïac wood, obsidian musk, green cumin, patchouli, myrrh, Siamese benzoin, frankincense, champaca, and sand.

 

It's subdued because it's at night but it's very dry and sand like.

[Balame]

After all the wonderful recs I wanted to drop by and give another update -

 

First off, All the Dust and Blood Throughout ended up being total busts on me, as were most blends from the Plague line unfortunately. Dust was icky cherry almond and candy cinnamon while Blood was an overwhelming mix of red musk and ozone.

 

I ended up finding a bottle of Paduan Killer Swarm and yup, it's fantastic! A nice dry heat with just a hint of spice, followed by a delicate coconut sneaking into the base notes. It's not a direct interpretation of the desert but it definitely provides the feeling I was after. Also, vox was kind enough to follow up with me and mentioned Ma'at (currently unreleased), with all the reviews describing it as sand. She's on a roll with the enabling so that's next on my hit list!

 

I also tried Arcana's Shambhala recently and it scratches the same itch. I posted a short review here but basically I find it similar to Lear (mentioned upthread) with the bonus of rich honey dribbling over the resins.

[Lorna Brigid]

I know I'm late to this party, but I'm throwing in a rec for Nemesis, in the GC.

That smells like arid dry heat to me for sure!