I Heard Many Things in Hell

[dementia_divine]

The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

Hearken and observe: black iris, French lavender, Roman chamomile, and frankincense.

 

In the decant: Mostly black iris, followed by lavender and chamomile.

Wet: The black iris note reigns, still followed by the lavender and chamomile, but then the frankincense emerges and starts gaining strength pretty quickly. But then the lavender reasserts itself, so that it's mostly the iris and lavender.

Dry: The black iris note continues to reign, and it's so strong, and it, combined with the sharpness of this particular lavender, are threatening to give me a headache, sadly.

Verdict: I was hoping this might be a wonderful sleep blend, but alas, it's not really for me. Still, I think it the iris and lavender certainly make this loud and sharp and fitting for its namesake. If you're a fan of iris, you'll probably enjoy this, but it's just too much for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Iris, whiffs of lavender and chamomile and a slightly myrrh base. This is probably one of the best iris blends I've ever tried. The lavender and chamomile prevent it from being all iris or powder, and its just delicate, green, and haunting. It reminds me to the smell of the thin thread of sanity. When you're hanging on, but just barely. Low throw and wear length.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Iris (which smells almost identical to violet, on me) mixes with lavender, and the whole thing is sickly sweet and powdery. There's something a touch sour in there too. Overall, so far this is extremely unpleasant on my skin. Blarg.

 

 

Dry: Mostly iris once dry, with hints of lavender. I don't get the other notes. It's very sweet, and a bit powdery the way violet/iris often are. I actually don't hate it once it's dry, but I know it's not something I would wear.

[LiberAmoris]

I Heard Many Things in Hell is an herbal iris on me with an underpinning of frankincense. The chamomile and lavender combo makes this very calming, and the end result is something like a meditative, herbal cologne that I imagine a viscount might dab on as part of his morning toilette. I don't know that this is one I'd reach for often, but I really admire the use of iris here.

[Lucchesa]

I really don't know what black iris smells like. For me, this went on in a blast of lavender, like so many lavender blends. Then it settled in to be a wonderful resiny herbal. From this mixture, I would say black iris smells green? The lavender-frank combination was what I was really interested in, and it is lovely, dry, a little sharp, herbal from the chamomile, but like so many lavender blends, my skin eats it up in short order.