LadyLuckless Report post Posted February 24, 2017 The subject of our latest #BPAL7wordstory contest was Gluttony. The winning entry was submitted by Crystal Rose-Thompson: The Sirens Eagerly Beckoned the Approaching Ship Sea splash on murky labdanum and gleaming olibanum, veiled in lavender, diaphanous osmanthus, gilded saffron, and honey incense. I guess it's fitting I'm the first to review this one, since I was super lucky enough to have the winning entry! (Thankyouthankyouthankyou Beth!!!) This is absolutely glorious: my favorite oceanic scent I've ever smelled! They tend to lean too far on the masculine side, or have that dryer-sheet twinge, or turn into salty melons, but this is pure magic! It opens with a cold blast of salt straight from the inky depths of the Atlantic, then gradually warms up to a sea-sprayed incense-clouded, honeyed glow. It makes me think of emerging from a stormy ocean into the cold night air, and coming across a salt-crusted temple just brimming with magical mysteries! It's wild and beautiful and magical, and I am so, so honored to have had a hand in it's creation! PS- My mother tried it too, and she said it was like being transported to a tropical island. Beautiful and very refreshing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LizziesLuck Report post Posted March 24, 2017 ^ Congrats, LadyLuckless! I don't know why I felt the need to try this - it sounds like it'll be aquatic, which is never good on me, but honey incense and saffron....hmmm. Wet: Yep, aquatic. Hello dryer sheets. Golden floral dryer sheets is how I would describe this right now. Dry: All-in-all it's a lovely aquatic, but it's still aquatic, and gradually gives me a headache, as much as I want to love it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zankoku_zen Report post Posted March 29, 2017 Aquatic lavender, tinges of incense, and resins. This one is more masculine than I expected. Medium throw and wear length. This is a very clean, sailor/pirate blend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blood onmy hands Report post Posted April 3, 2017 I get no incense or lavender it's all salty, soapy aquatic and floral osmanthus. I like the edge of saltiness, but the drydown is too soapy and makes me smell like a floral scented laundry soap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
achildoftime Report post Posted April 14, 2017 It's like a warm sea breeze. It feels light and airy, but is an aquatic for sure. I get wafts of lavender and osmanthus, and they do become more prominent with time. I was hoping for more honey incense, but I really don't detect that note at all. If I had to paint a picture for this scent, it would be a line of clean sheets drying in the breeze on a cliff by the sea. It is quite pretty and stays close to the skin, which is nice. It's going to be a lovely spring scent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lizabelle Report post Posted June 12, 2017 I wanted so much to love this! It sounded more floral/incensey than aquatic, so I tracked down a decant. The osmanthus/honey/labdanum combo is rich, sweet, and gorgeous for approximately two minutes before the aquatic notes take over and turn it to soap on my skin. I thought for sure they wouldn't, but this is making me think I amp those notes in addition to turning them bad. I get no salt or florals in the drydown, either. What a shame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VetchVesper Report post Posted April 21, 2018 (edited) This is indeed an aquatic. It's a nice one though, and one of the few that behaves on my skin. I think it belongs in the same family as Y'ha-nthlei, but is a tad darker. I don't really get the individual notes strongly. It smells very well blended. I bust this one out occasionally on hot days and find it refreshing. ETA: Now that this is aged, I get a lot more of the frankincense (olibanum) and incense notes. I also think I'm getting ambergris. It's still got the aquatic vibe over the top, but there is a dark weight to it, sort of dragging you down into the oceanic notes. Like a siren! O_O I think I smell the lavender mixing with the aquatic notes giving it a dry bite, but it's very well blended. I have never gotten any honey from this, nor does it smell floral to me. It's all salt spray aquatic over dark, golden brown resiny sweetness and frankincense. Anywho, if you sort of like this fresh, I'd hang on to it and see what you think once it ripens a bit. Edited June 25, 2018 by VetchVesper Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juliamon Report post Posted August 26, 2018 This reminds me of a beachside motel I stayed in on an overnight trip to Maine. The freshly-laundered sheets, the flowering bushes outside, the salty breeze coming in off the ocean. This is the sort of thing that comes to mind when I think 'vacation.' There's a dark, bitter--no, biting--undercurrent that I think is from the lavender, but as I'm very much not a lavender fan I don't mind it being so suppressed by the rest of the blend. I expected it to be a bit sweeter than it is, and I think that's what's keeping me from really being head-over-heels for it. Maybe layering it with some myrrh will help? Keeping my decant, though I don't know that I can justify the full bottle purchase. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites