Dark and Weary

[Ryan Hemphill]

Somber oudh, grey benzoin, raw bourbon vanilla, and tobacco.

This one scared me right out of the bottle- it was strong and a little off-putting. But, I gave it some time to settle in and I'm glad I did!

(I like to call this the Callidora effect--that's one of my all-time faves, but for the first 1/2 hour or so I STINK, lol! But again, sooooo worth it in the end.)

At first, the benzoin is so strong. Once this one has a chance to settle and dry down for a bit (like on hour or so?), it starts to become a gray, sharp, fuzzy scent. That's the image I get when I smell it--almost like static.

There's something very familiar about it, too--but I can't place what it is and it's driving my crazy. I know I've smelled something like this before

It's got great lasting power and a decent throw, too.

[annemathematics]

There is something kinda musty/sweaty from this when fresh. (My guess is the oudh?)

It soon dries down to something a little smokey, a little sweet although neither to dramatic levels. Very much feeling like a classic old fashioned perfume.

[LiberAmoris]

Dark and Weary is really interesting...such a difference from wet to dry! The oudh and benzoin lead on my skin when wet, and it's a really strong dose of both. The effect is of something appropriately unsettling. That lifts after about ten minutes and I'm left with a new stage, one that's driven by the oudh and bourbon vanilla. The tobacco also emerges more strongly, adding a chewy, leafy, smoky feel. I like this stage, and the stage that follows—that's mostly like grey smoke with a touch of vanilla and oudh. I would definitely need to be in the right mood to wear this, but I can imagine such a mood!

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: When this first arrived, it reminded me of a store like Third Planet with a bunch of incense sticks, and I wasn't looking forward to trying it. Now that it has settled for a few days, I can pick out the oudh and tobacco, followed by what must be the grey benzoin. I'm not getting any vanilla from the decant.

 

Wet: The oudh still reigns, but I'm getting more of the benzoin note on my skin than I did in the decant. The vanilla note isn't a main player, but it is present, and it's helping the grey benzoin soften the really strong oudh note.

 

Dry: Vanilla and benzoin, where did you go? The tobacco note is the most prominent note now. It's a really dirty, smoky tobacco, and I'm not a fan of it. The oudh note is second in prominence. It's kind of like walking through a smoky casino.

 

Verdict: Not for me.

Edited January 11, 2016 by dementia_divine

[lookingglass]

Dark and Weary is a "difficult" perfume, and it took me a few wears to really "get" it, because it's not just the sum of its parts. Wet, it reminds me of Midnight on the Midway: zingy, sharp, (I would guess ambergris or ozone, but none is listed...) and incensey, but kind of strangely sweet as well...almost fruity, which I didn't expect. Then, yes, as it dries, their is a distinctive bodily note: musky, kind of grassy, and earthy, yet still sweet, and it seems to thicken and darken with the tobacco notes. It's how I imagine a vardo would smell: very lived in, with piles of incense and campfire smoked belongings, dried fruit, and herbs hanging. I really like it.

 

ETA: I put a few drops in my incense warmer, and TADA! I'm completely transported! It filled the entire house in a matter of minutes!! I think this would fit well into the Carnival.

Edited February 13, 2016 by lookingglass

[LizziesLuck]

Testing this right out of the mailbox! I blind bottled a few of the Snow Queen scents and have been so thrilled with them! I almost blind bottled this too, but ended up with a decant instead. Still have high hopes for it though! Vanilla and tobacco is a favourite combo on me, just wasn't sure with the other notes.

 

 

Wet: Not really anything I can identify....so I guess the oudh? It's not very nice on me so far...actually kind of smells like..poo. Quite literally. Ick! Maybe this is what I get for testing right out of the mail. The throw is pretty low, so I am just going to let that settle on my wrist for a bit and come back to it. Blarg.

 

Dry: Well, the poop smell totally went away, thank goodness. But this still doesn't smell like benzoin, vanilla, or tobacco. I've never really been able to pinpoint oudh in anything, but I have to assume that's what I'm smelling here. It's very light, a bit woodsy, a bit smoky. Almost a bit salty too. There's something almost aquatic about it, or maybe ozoney. It's really not at all what I expected, but it's by no means bad (after dry down, it's nasty on me when wet). I can't really see it being something I would wear. I'm glad to have had the chance to try it though!

[theseagrows]

right off i get something kind of almost animalic and musty. i think it's oudh. it smells like opening a wooden box that's been shut up for years. something smells almost slightly aquatic here. dunno what that could be, maybe the benzoin? it gets sweet and as others have noted, kinda stinky, for lack of a better word. this is some earthy oudh! i love all these notes though, so i'm hoping for the best in the drydown, though i probably would not make it through this stage for long. it turns into an ozoney-aquatic perfume with hints of oudh. i'm getting absolutely no vanilla or tobacco. just disappointed because this is quite different than i thought it would be!

[DevilsCandyCane]

I'm glad somebody said poop before me! I have no idea what note is to blame for this, I've found it in other BPALs before (possibly Darkness?), but it's this perfumey stench that really, literally smells like poop or a dog's ass, and it just never gets any better. The perfuminess is a little similar to Opium Poppy, but that one stays in the 'dark and sexy' area without falling over into asshole-town, whereas this one, sadly, goes right to asshole-town and crawls inside it. Scrubbed off, thank god I didn't go for a full bottle!

[SophieCedar]

Wet, this is kinda frightening because the combo of oudh and grey benzoin blasts into space.. Its super dry with an embalming fluid feel (like real embalming fluid, not the bpal perfume) and a wet dirt note.

 

Dry: a true morpher. Like the biggest morpher I've ever experienced! Much more musky, bourbon vanilla, and tobacco happening now and pretty pleasant. Beth could sell this as a magic trick, along with Encroaching Madness (remember the pee to beautiful flowers thing of EM anyone?).

[zankoku_zen]

Musty musky oudh, tobacco and a touch of vanilla. This one is very potent on me, and not the kind of thing I enjoy at all. It's dark, rooty, musky.

 

Great throw and great wearlength.

[Blood onmy hands]

I don't think that I'm enjoying the lab's oud notes. This is funky and bad on me, like Phoenix and Dragon, with a rotting mulch and cigarette ash thing, but also a chemical cleaner vibe. Harsh, jumbled and strange. After reading the other reviews, I can see how some people thought it was fecal. Oud is in everything now, but I don't like most companies use of and interpretation of it.