Zorya Vechernyaya

[Falathwen]

You see, I am the only one of us who brings in any money. The other two cannot make money fortune-telling. This is because they only tell the truth, and the truth is not what people want to hear. It is a bad thing, and it troubles people, so they do not come back. But I can lie to them, tell them what they want to hear. So I bring home the bread.

Red musk and wild plum, orange blossom and jasmine, juniper berries, sweet incense and vetiver-laced sandalwood.

My favorite character in the book (other than Shadow himself) and so many of my favorite notes. I could not resist this one.
I had been a big fan of the discontinued Vechernyaya blend, but this shares no notes with that. Amusingly, in the book there are many aspects of a particular god/dess so this seemed appropriate.
First impression: This is a complex mature scent, matching the character well. There is bitterness as well a subdued sweetness. As usual, the red musk and wood notes come out strongly and linger all day long. The florals and other notes soften and blend the stronger ones.
Lingering impression: It reminded me of staying in a church or sanctuary after a ceremony has ended. The light is falling and the candles are blown out. There are flowers in the shadows you can smell but not see. Old wood and incense warm the air.

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Red musk, juniper, vetiver and jasmine. A little jasmine-scary in the bottle, Dark and dirty

On the Skin:

Sweetens up with the plum on the skin. The juniper is very present and initially jars with the other notes but eventually smooths out. I think the orange blossom is the funky note I get (it usually is if it's in a blend).

On the Drydown:

Dry and sweet red musk incense with jasmine. Reminiscent of Mme Moriarty with jasmine. Overall I like it even if the jasmine is challenging at times. I am sure it will age beautifully.

Edited May 19, 2017 by galahad

[torikitty]

Very nice, and somewhat reminiscent of other catalogue scents heavy on red musk. I feel like I've smelled something similar. Debauchery, perhaps? Or Morocco? It's mostly a spicy musk on me, with a bit of the jasmine in the background. Overall, this feels very one-note heavy on me, but it's a sexy, come hither note. I think this reminds me of a heavier, slightly sweeter version of Snake Oil.

Edited June 21, 2017 by Carrie

[Blood onmy hands]

I love this for the first half hour, because it starts off very well balanced. The red musk doesn't overpower or turn as sweet as it usually does, and I smell lots of sweet, dark plum with hints of orange blossom and jasmine, with a soft smokiness from the vetiver and incense (and not the weird bbq smoke that vetiver sometimes has). It's mostly plum and vetiver on me, held together with red musk, with the other notes dancing over that base. Dark and not exactly as sexy as most red musk scents feel to me, but smells confident and a little dangerous. Very bold, with swirls of lighter notes giving it some lift. By about the one hour mark, though, the vetiver in this has amped way up and starts to smell like woodsmoke and ashes on my skin. Very strong, smoky, blackened, ashy vetiver.

[happygoth]

To me, this smells a lot like Scherezade wet, or at least what drew me to that initially. But then on drydown, it smells like what I wanted Scherezade to smell like and didn't. It's soft, smoky, incensey, with the best of the vetiver.

 

After a while, it softens to a warm floral, with a little hint of that lingering incense.

 

A very grown-up, mature, complex scent. Nice throw, good wear length. Another I may have to buy a backup of.

 

Also, is it just me, or do the Zoryas end up resembling one another, a little, after a while? This one and Zorya P are so different at first, but start so smell like each other after you wear them a bit.

 

*love*

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Horrible chemicals. The vetiver and red musk are combining to smell horrid on me. Too bad, because the bit I spilled when the imp broke and I had to decant it into a fresh one smells really sophisticated and awesome. Clearly this is not good on my skin. May also need some aging.

 

 

Dry: Really unpleasant, the way leather sometimes is on me. It just smells like a bunch of chemicals. Sometimes when I age leather scents that issue goes away, so I'm going to age this and hope it does too. I have never had musk or vetiver do this to me, makes me sad. I thought the orange blossom and jasmine would be the issues, but I can't even detect them.

[joopjoop]

I almost blind-bought this one, but I'm glad I waited for the decant.

 

Wet this is STRONG on the vetiver-laced incense and the juniper berries (I'm beginning to realize that juniper or gin in any form is a no-go for me). Combined with the red musk, it smells medicinal - old world medicinal - and certainly makes an impression. After it dries down it settles into a rather pretty plum, red musk and neroli scent with a hint of incense. But it takes a loooong time to dry down and get to that phase.

 

This Zorya V is a strong goddess who is not to be fucked with, but as a perfume she is just not for me.

Edited June 13, 2017 by joopjoop

[zankoku_zen]

Red musk, jasmine and a touch of sandalwood. Zorya V smells like an older kickass grandmother. You know, who used to be a sharp shooter for Mossad, and probably can still kill you with her right hook if she didn't have trouble making a fist on rainy days because her arthritis is acting up. Give her an hour or two of yoga, and she can probably crush you like a bug though.

 

It smells strong, female, and older. She knows what she knows, and she knows enough that she isn't to be fucked with. Great throw and wear length.

[rayvn1]

Hm. I could have sworn this had poppy in it, but it must be the jasmine going powdery on me. Lovely scent. I think it will age well!

[Lucchesa]

Zorya Vechernyaya is a red musk blend I can wear. (Happy dance!) I generally amp red musk to the exclusion of everything else, which means it has great throw on me, but with the plum, the incense, and the one-two punch of vetiver sandalwood, there are enough other strong notes here to keep it in check. I frankly do not perceive any orange blossom or jasmine at all. Sexy, dark, a little smoky, a little jaundiced about human nature in general -- I had almost written this one off because of the primary note, and I'm so glad I didn't!

[dementia_divine]

In the (carded) imp: Lots of orange blossom and red musk, followed by the plum and jasmine, with some juniper berries and incense far behind those notes. Orange blossom and jasmine are problematic on me, and I'm not very fond of red musk, plum, or vetiver, so I do not think this will go well... but I want to try all of the Zoryas.

 

Wet: The red musk, orange blossom, and plum are the dominant notes, followed by the jasmine and incense, the latter of which I get far more of on my skin than I did in the imp. I can smell the vetiver-laced sandalwood as well. Overall, it's really musky and fruity, but there's a darkness lingering beneath it.

 

Dry: The red musk, orange blossom, and plum remain the strongest notes. The jasmine is still present, but even it is not able to compete with the power of those three notes (they're super strong on me!). The incense and vetiver-laced sandalwood continue to reside in the background.

 

Verdict: This Zorya isn't for me, but those that enjoy strong red musk, orange blossom, and plum should give this one a try.