In Hideous Darkness

[sprout]

The elements manifested their sorrow at this great man’s departure from England. For the Sun on that day at the 6th hour shrouded his glorious face, as the poets say, in hideous darkness, agitating the hearts of men by an eclipse; and on the 6th day of the week early in the morning there was so great an earthquake that the ground appeared absolutely to sink down; an horrid noise being first heard beneath the surface.

– Historia Novella, William of Malmesbury on the death of Henry I

Golden amber and ambergris, sage and white cedar, rockrose, bourbon tobacco, and vetiver.

This is predominantly tobacco and ambergris on my skin.

 

The tobacco is the note from Bulgarian tobacco single note. It's a little chewy, in a good way. The ambergris is in support, less perfumy than usual, adding a bit of sweetness and salt.

 

Drying, I still smell tobacco mainly but the amber and rockrose make a nice base. This is earthy and sweet. The cedarwood is quite mellow, there is an absence of the hamster fluffy material, for which I am grateful.

 

Overall, this is very well blended. The vetiver and cedar are quite restrained. I am enjoying the tobacco and ambergris pairing with the earthy resinous under layer: Like leaves of drying tobacco strewn over a forest floor. I'll be keeping the bottle. It should pair well with Hag Grey hair gloss, but the gloss is heavier on the ambergris and the tobacco in the gloss is floral, whereas this is exactly like the dried plants.

[Chatoyant]

I was hoping for a darker, dirtier Jacob's Ladder, but instead I'm getting cumin?! Possibly the sage/vetiver combination is going weird.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Chatoyant

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mmmm, tobacco. Can one have too many tobacco scents? No, no one cannot. The sweetness of the amber and the floral notes from the rockrose are lovely with the tobacco. This tobacco has an almost fruity note to it. It's interesting. It is also fresh out of the mailbox today, but I have no idea how long these will be up for, so I am testing them now.

 

Dry: This is beautiful. I ADORE tobacco scents, and this is one of the best I have come across. I also love amber, so the combo here is amazing for me. The ambergris isn't really identifiable, but adds a muskiness. The florals fade completely. This is all about the tobacco (which is chewy, rich and sweet) and the amber. I need a bottle!

[zankoku_zen]

Cedar, vetiver, tobacco and amber. I agree that this smells like a smokier, dirtier Jacob's Ladder. Instead of it being golden, this is a much more gritty, smoky, dark grey sort of blend. Whiff of sage. Actually, I think this would make a fantastic male amber blend on the right guy. UGH. Medium throw and wear length.

[Christina Huizar]

Oh my goodness. I nearly passed up this bottle because I was scared of the sage and cedar, but I'm so glad I gave it a test. This is everything I wanted Jacob's Ladder to be, but JL went sharp and perfumey on me. This amber is darkened and grounded by the tobacco. It's warm and sultry and just a teensiest bit musky. It's truly gorgeous! I'm so happy I was able to score a bottle from a friend who said it was all pencil shavings to her. It's delicious on me! This is going to be a favorite.

[roseus]

In the imp: a dark greeness I read as pine or some other evergreen but looking at the notes I think is cedar and vetiver.

 

Wet: a cloud of ambergris, and then a tumble of other notes. Vetiver and cedar still dominating the conversation.

 

Dry: while still vetiver and cedar foreword, the amber and tobacco add sweetness and warmth. I get a little sage over the top. I definitely agree this is a smoky gray blend.

[stubbornfire]

Vetiver hits first, but is followed quickly by cedar and..what I think is sage + ambergris. The amber and tobacco kind of wait in the background, quiet and sticking very close to my skin.

 

After the first half hour or so, the vetiver starts to lay low and what's left is a low throw* smoky mix of...mostly everything? Tobacco/amber/sage/cedar. It's a gorgeous mix - soft and comforting but with strength. A very comforting Don't Fuck With Me; I'm really in love with it. I definitely have to try to get my hands on some bottles.

 

*ofc, ymmv with throw - everything ever sticks close to me.

[strick9]

In the bottle: I get a lot of cedar, sage, and tobacco. Tiny bit of vetiver tinge on the end.

 

Wet: there's a lot of sage, cedar, and some savory notes, probably coming from the combo along with the ambergris base. It smells like Djed at first, which I love in theory but in application doesnt quite work on its own. I hope this gets better.

 

Dry: It got better. Tons better. Everything here is beautifully in balance, except for the rockrose, which only peeks thru as a semi-floral sweetness. The tobacco is sweet and chewy, the ambergris anchoring, and the amber really comes through. The sage, cedar, and vetiver play nicely together and lend a slightly piquant edge to this.

 

Thus far, this is a definite contender for my favorite out of this group. Man, is it good.