Aradia

[bridgetvoid]

And thou shalt be the first of witches known; And thou shalt be the first of all i' the world; And thou shalt teach the art of poisoning.

The silent and mysterious sister to Haute Macabre's As Above, So Below collection, Aradia. Our homage to the mother of the Witches casts her spell around you, wrapping you in her enchanting embrace. With forward notes of midnight invocations, and a subtle undertone of lingering enchantment.

A veil of smoked patchouli, sweet oak, and opoponax sweetened by bourbon vanilla.

Oh man, this is the first time I've been the first to review something! intimidating! (even moreso because i have a cold). I was so psyched that I was able to snag a bottle of this and i've been watching the tracking number like a hawk.

In the bottle this was straight up patchouli, dark and musky. In general it sort of have a similar vibe as As Above & So Below have, were they are dark and sensual while being fairly unisex...they smell and feel complex and deep even if only one not hits your nose when you open the bottle, you know that you've just begun to scratch the surface of something wonderful.

on - the second i put this on, something sweet appears though it's hard to tell what it is. it's not obviously the opoponax, vanilla, or oak. It's not overpowering and it weaves in and out of the fog of the patchouli in perfect harmony.

after about 10 minutes i could really smell the sweet oak emerge and it is great, it reminded me of being in a woodshop or a barn in winter, when you can really smell the wood and sawdust, the note is very distinct and to me very homey as my father used to be a woodworker. (this isn't meant to sound offputting, it's actually really pleasant and homey)

20 minutes in: ok so for me, even with a cold but too eager to NOT wait to try this out, it's great. The oak has retreated a little bit to share the stage with the opoponax which is also woodsy, but warmer and richer. Overall this scent very woodsy and warm without being overbearing. I haven't gotten any of the vanilla yet, or if i have it's very faint. The main stage definitely seems to belong to the patchouli, sweet oak, and opoponax. I feel like it's still morphing as time goes on, but yeah, overall it's got that same dark and sexy smell that I tend to associate with the Haute Macabre scents.

 

edit - 3 hours later and this has settled down to a warm and musky vanilla, i can barely smell the patchouli anymore, but it's still really gorgeous.

Edited March 5, 2016 by bridgetvoid

[annemathematics]

This is amazing. If so below, banshee beat and antikythera mechanism made a magic baby. Patch/oak sweetened with non-foodie vanilla with a tiny resiny zip from the opoponox. So good.

[zankoku_zen]

Again, Aradia is like So Below/As Above in vibe - dark, mysterious, gothic. It does sort of smell like a hybrid baby of Banshee Beat and Antikythera Mechanism. I got mainly a ton of oak, with a non-foodie vanilla, and some patchouli thrown in as a ground base. I can see this aging very well. Good throw, good wear length.

 

I'm very torn on whether or not I actually can see myself wearing this. In some ways, it reminds me to Depart Pour Le Sabbat from the recent Weenies, without the goat milk, so for some of you that are wanting something comparable, that may feed the need.

[aphrodite]

fresh out of the mail: this is like Feed Me And Fill Me With Pleasure, but with a deeper, darker vanilla that doesn't threaten to turn cloying on a hot day or anything. It's a very sweet patch, which is great, because I don't much like patch but this kind I can do. I will add to this review after it's sat for a week, a month, etc., as it's the type of blend that will likely deepen with age.

Edited March 8, 2016 by aphrodite

[LizziesLuck]

Fresh out of the mail! So excited to have lucked in getting a bottle!

 

Wet: AMAZING. This smells a lot like Black Vanilla and Cardamom Hair Gloss on me (which is actually really heavy on the tobacco and oudh, on me). I LOVE it. It is a bit reminiscent of Antikythera, a bit reminiscent of Revenant Rhythm/Banshee Beat. But it's totally it's own thing at the same time, and it is glorious. This is so sexy, and I am likely going to slather in it (well, sparingly slather) before I go out tonight.

 

Dry: Doesn't morph much. This is really sexy. Not like, in your face sexy. It's subtle, and dark and just makes me feel really good. The sweet oak and bourbon vanilla are strongest on me, and blended together so well that I am actually loving the oak, I usually find it too masculine. This is not masculine, but not overtly feminine either, it's just sexy as hell. Don't know how else to describe it. *swoons*

[sarandipitee]

Thanks to a great BPAL friend I've got a tester of this baby.

 

First impressions have me placing this very much in the Haute Macabre family - if you didn't tell me that this was one of their retail exclusives, I'd know when I first sniffed it.

 

I agree with the above reviewers - it's so much a Banshee Beat and Antikythera Mechanism love child. Lots of oak and woody patch with some dry vanilla sweetening everything up.

 

It's very lovely, but not for me. Which, considering the rarity I may have dodged a bullet

[paperdollsandbpal]

I am so happy to have acquired a bottle of the beautiful Aradia. She totally smells like Antikythera mechanism & Revenant Rhythms love child as others have mentioned. The patch and oak stand out above all...kind of reminds me of BPTP's luper, Loveswing.

As above and so below are still my favorites of the haute macabre scents but Aradia will get lots of love (as sparingly as possible hehe)

[SmilesSunshine]

It's been so much fun to read this thread. Aradia is like a Darwin genetic selection of banshee, antiK, haloes and antique lace on me; mending my favorite quality of each scent. It's deep, it's rich, it's golden. It's assured with the oak. And it's voluptuous with the bourbon vanilla. I would have always guessed this is a haute macabre retail exclusive. There are defininitely many many bpal's which has tremendous olfactory win. However, nothing speaks to my soul more than each haute for their respect give generes.

 

I love this. It's warm, it's woody, it's sweet, it's dark. It's grounded. It's ethereal, it's perfection. Much in the way rhatvdirian is a perfect gc. There is neither time nor space. I come back to this and Dorian. I smile, I sigh. Because, love.

[celestia]

♔ Aradia

 

In the Bottle: Sweet, dark, smooth patchouli

 

Wet: Dark sweet and woodsy. Is this the same oak note from Haloes? The vanilla must be doing this, even though I don’t smell it, it has to be there- because that’s what gave the oak its sweet vanillic woodsy creaminess. Although there is no amber, it smells rich and golden, like hints of warm, resins…only a lot darker, woodsier- but equally as refined and smooth.

 

Drydown: I really like how this blend settles and reacts to my chemistry. I get more of the vanillic sweet woodsiness from both the bourbon vanilla and oak, tempered by the smoooooth patchouli- a rare feat for me, as I can’t often appreciate patchouli blends. The patchouli does remind me of Banshee Beat, but a lot more refined, a lot smoother, and leaps and bounds more wearable on me. I must say that the bourbon vanilla used in this does not smell as dry as other blends carrying this note either. It’s definitely creamier and richer. It shares the same general feel as So Below. Perhaps a coupling between So Below and Haloes. I thought my only favourite dark scent was Black Lace, but this has officially made it too.. a rare accomplishment! I'm impressed.

 

TL;DR: Darker, woodsier Haloes, blended with smooth patchouli and a glimmer of warm, golden resins

Edited May 4, 2017 by celestia