Mors Syphilitica

[boomtownrat]

Saffron oudh and red sandalwood.

If you're like me and you can't wait to smell your BPAL as soon as you get it into your hands, don't worry about Mors Syphilitica. Yesterday she was still upset from what must have been a rough journey, but she had a good night's sleep and now she's sweet and well behaved.

I know there's no orange blossom listed in this, but somehow that's what I get at first. That must be the saffron. Just one dab on one wrist wafted through the air beautifully, all sweet and feminine, but not exactly girly. By the time I got to work the woods emerged. Now it's closer to the woody skin scent that I was expecting, so I added a dab to my throat to see how it might smell on a different part of the body. The sweet, orangey overtone is still there, but it's much softer now. I suspect that it's going to morph into the woody undertone over the course of the day.

Even though there's something familiar about Mors Syphilitica, it isn't like anything else I wear even though I have fragrances with all of these notes. Red sandalwood comes out in Mors Syphilitica the way it does in Wanton, but I can't wear Wanton because it's too heady. Saffron is also in Scherezade, but takes a back seat to the screaming red musk--Mors Syphilitica is closer to what I wanted Scherezade to be, I think.

Most of my favourite fragrances have only a small number of notes, and this turns out to be true again. Mors Syphilitica is a red sandalwood scent that doesn't shout. It's sophisticated and wearable even for someone like me, who can't take a strong perfume.

[roseus]

In the bottle: all saffron. Almost delicate, lightly spicy and sweet.

 

Wet: This does almost smell like orange blossom. Saffron, a little sweet sandalwood, and I swear I catch the tiniest bit of red musk. The oudh comes out a little too strong for a moment, but smooths out beautifully.

 

Dry: This is the truest saffron scent I've sniffed, it's hard to describe but it's exactly like sticking your nose in a little jar of those golden threads. The oudh and sandalwood gently support the note and make it even more dimensional but definitely do not detract. It's subtle and exotic, and makes me think of summer evenings as a sweltering day cools into night.

[suki]

In The Bottle: The slightly spicy touch of saffron and nothing more.

 

Wet On Skin: This is very incense-y. I know there's no incense note listed, but I believe the oudh is acting as an incense in this regard. It's unexpected, but I like it.

 

Dry Down: I get no sandalwood from this. While I'm a tiny bit disappointed, I agree that this is a pretty great saffron. It's rich and red and spicy and is STILL maintaining that incense vibe and there's something in the dry down that's almost like a tiny of a campfire without being smoky. Campfires in the summer take on a sweet earthy density that they don't at other times of the year, and that's what I'm getting from this scent. It's a low to medium throw, but this isn't something to slather. When the weather gets much warmer, I suspect that this will be a "hot sultry night" kind of scent.

 

I can't wait to see how this ages.

[absinthetics]

I do get the impression that this is primarily saffron. It doesn't last all that long on the skin but the saffron note is delightfully complex. I've been looking for a saffron heavy scent for a while and this definitely...well, just wow. I can't wait to age it.

[LiberAmoris]

Red sandalwood is one of my favorite notes, so Mors Syphilitica was a must-try. I get exactly what's described, red sandalwood and saffron oudh. The oudh here is the kind that goes tangy/earthy on me. The red sandalwood is incensey and wonderful as usual. Saffron also has a bit of a tang on me, so the result is a smooth red sandalwood with something a bit pleasantly sharp (or at least sharper than the sandalwood). It's simple and very nice.

 

This one has a lot of throw and is really strong...I put on what seemed like a normal amount, but it's so strong it's actually making me a bit queasy! A little dab'll do ya.

[patina]

This is spicy, but in an earthy way, not a hot spice at all. The oudh and saffron are strongest at first. Saffron to me smells pollen-y and yellow green. The oudh is earthy. It's almost a green scent initially. Then the red sandalwood comes out. It's kind of a powdery incense. I can't help but be reminded of soap when I smell sandalwood but not everyone does that. This smells exactly like my red sandalwood incense.

 

I can't describe this to someone that doesn't know the notes. Earthy, dusty, powdery wood, pollen and soft spice? Faintly tangy?

Edited March 16, 2017 by patina

[Haltija]

Agreed with other reviewers.

 

The oudh in this one is very earthy on me and the red sandalwood is woody, spicy loveliness. I honestly don't get a lot of the saffron but maybe that will emerge with some aging. I like it, not bottle worthy for now, but I will come back to it and give it another test.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Haltija

[lizabelle]

On me this is heavy on the wood and light on the saffron, which is a shame. It's a rarity for me to say this, but all the heavy woody notes here could use something to balance them out. The oudh is earthy and dark and the sandalwood almost fakes me out as a different, darker, and smoother wood--maybe even a lacquered one. Maybe my skin is eating the saffron here, but sadly that means it's not a favorite for me.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Blah, oudh is doing that fecal thing it does on me sometimes. One of these days I am going to have to accept that oudh is really not good with my chemistry...smells like dirty diapers.

 

 

 

Dry: I don't get any red sandalwood, which was why I wanted to try this, and hardly any saffron (red sandalwood and saffron sounded so amazing!). Sadly, on me, this is all about the oudh, and oudh is all about poopy diapers. Thanks, skin. That's super. This is clearly not for me. Sad! I had high hopes.

[AmyO'Shields]

^^ Yup. Exactly what happened to me. I was so much looking forward to Red Sandalwood and Saffron (two of my very favorite notes and, together?!) and they must have been suffocated by the oudh. Crappers.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Herb Girl

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Super woody saffron

On the Skin:

The oudh and sandalwood are awesome and the saffron is very present, adding that unique medicinal spiciness. Extremely rich and powerful

On the Drydown:

It was inevitable that, with the play of the saffron against the oudh and sandalwood, this would go through a band-aid phase, which it does briefly and then it goes limey (?) to eventually dry down to a spectacular subtly spiced rich wood. Very awesome and will age to perfection.

[Balame]

This is not what I expected. Syphilitica starts out in a sort of "sweet cherry cough syrup" territory, which is not fun.

 

Then it takes a right turn at the "woodsy" junction and almost reminds me of nag champa incense, but much lighter than the real deal.

Still with a backdrop of the cherry cough syrup though.

 

I guess the culprit is the red sandalwood? And maybe whatever type of oudh/oudh accord was used (which typically works on me)?

Kinda' sucks because I normally love sandalwood, but this is very medicinal, and feels at once airy and oppressive.

 

That's all I get. Sadly, not working for me at all.

Edited April 13, 2017 by Balame

[zankoku_zen]

Oudh, saffron and a touch of sandalwood. The oudh is kinda aquatic and super overpowering on me. And it doesn't smell great. This is a solid pass on me.

[Fjaer]

I expected to love this seeing as Sandalwood and Saffron are both gorgeous notes.
However, I'm not getting anything like Saffron or Sandalwood at all... both of those scents are real common over here (I live in Delhi at the moment, moved here from England recently) they're used a lot in food and fragrances used for worship etc.

I'm getting something quite sharp and sour, not a fan of this. It reminds me of these really sour candies we get in England.
Part of me thinks they've still not settled from the journey in the post, I had them delivered out here to India and they were stuck in customs for the longest time, most likely in sweltering heat... I hope this one ages well, I guess I'll keep it for a few months and wait and see! .

[gloame]

I was so desperate to love this because I once had a cat named Saffron and oudh is always goudh. Plus sandalwood makes everything better. I love where this is going, but I don't love where it ends up. It's just a bit too dry, sorry red sandalwood.

Where I'd wear this: To a bordello in Amsterdam

[Lucchesa]

The saffron oudh in Mors Syphilitica reminds me of the golden oudh in Nevertheless She Persisted and is the dominant note here for me -- I applied about 30 minutes ago and am still waiting for the sandalwood to make an appearance. Apparently I amp oudh because both this and NSP are quite strong on me, which is true of very little BPAL. Fortunately it's very pretty on me, and I don't get the poopy effect that some people experience.

 

I was afraid this would be too sharp and dry. Red sandalwood can go to pencil shavings on me, and saffron can be almost dusty sometimes. But it is instead deep and rich, and too heady for work -- more of a sultry nighttime perfume. Given the potency, I suspect the imp will last me a while, and if I'm reaching for it a lot, I will be on the lookout for a bottle.