Romans 13:8

[Nepthys]

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Almond, wild fig, red rose petals, cardamom, and oudh.

Absolutely beautiful. At first sniff, it reminded me of Bastet but then it became more complex and turned into a very warm smell dominated by almond and cardamom, with a hint of red rose. If it evokes anything, it's a Middle Eastern bazaar on a warm desert night.

I normally don't do rose well and I worried about this working - but this is an occasion when the rose takes a back seat and lets the other notes dominate. I just love it.

[mari4212]

On, wet: Hello almond! This is an almost cherry almond, and on wet it reminds me of Fruitcake, the imp-with-purchase I forget how many Christmases ago.

 

Initial drydown: The cherry undertone dies down, and there's a bit of rose peaking through. It's not a heady, overwhelming rose, it's a bit softer. Very much the rose petals, beginning to dry out for potpourri. I'm searching for it, and I get a hint of drier spice right at the tail end.

 

later drydown: soft rose and spices, with maybe a hint of fig in the very background. The almond dissipated faster than anything else.

 

For me this ends up being a rather gentle scent, after the initial kick of almond. I want to see what happens as it ages a bit, and on a slightly cooler set of days to see if that changes how fast the almond goes away. As it is, this ends up being a softer, more backdrop scent than the other one I picked up from this series.

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle

ALMOND, like sweet almond, not blossomy almond. Candy almond, thanks to the fig and cardamom.

 

Wet on skin

True to form, because I amp rose like no one else can, I smell rose as soon as this hits my skin. It's a sweet, full, red rose that blends nicely with the spices and sweets I smelled in the bottle. This is still a bit candy-like, but not a typical sweet shop candy. This is the candy you bring back from a trip abroad.

 

Dry on skin after 30 minutes

This gets more rosy the longer it's on my skin, but the rose stays well-blended rather than taking over. The spices and fig keep the rose sweet while the almond kind of fades and becomes a background note instead of the forefront like it is in the bottle.

 

Thoughts

This was one of the two Deliver Them From the Hands of the Wicked scents I knew immediately would work when I looked at the notes. Almond, fig, rose petals, and a bit of spice and oudh? Yes please. This is really, really pretty. One of my two favorites from this fundraiser.

[Lucchesa]

I've had a run of bad luck with oudh lately, so I didn't order Romans 13:8 initially, but I was persuaded to get a decant. I'm so glad I did. This is absolutely beautiful. The oudh is just a deepening note here, not indolic in any way. It starts out with a sweet blast of almond, but that never lasts long on me. It settles into a gorgeous, almost heartbreakingly realistic rose, with a whisper of almond in the background and some chewy fig and on me just the faintest hint of cardamom. Rose does not always work on me, but it's stunning here.

 

I got good throw from this when it was wet and excellent wear length as a skin scent thereafter; I reapplied once today but can still smell it ten hours after the second application. I had Job 31:32 on the other wrist and they seem to be related scents and are amazing alone or together. I am floored by how Beth has taken her outrage and righteous anger and transmuted them into these things of beauty.

[mizliz2176]

Damn chemistry. Wet this was beautiful on me, and I immediately was contemplating multiples. Then my hormones ruined it and it turned to soap. This is fresh out of the mail, and it is a bad time of the month. Retesting is in order at a later date. I'll be back...

[roseus]

This started out as a syrupy cherry-almond, and I was very sad. But luckily the almond softened and all the cherry tones disappeared very quickly. This ended up being something similar to what I hoped OLLA Eve would be (I didn't get any rose). I get prominently a dark, velvety rose with a bit of fruitiness that I think is the fig since I do not get that note distinctly. The cardamom is light and adds a mysterious spice and melds well with the warmth of the almond. The whole blend is darkened and deepened by the oudh, which adds a nice woody-incense without being heavy.

 

 

Edit: as this has settled the rose has strengthened a little and so has the fig. Bold juicy fig that blends perfectly with the rose, the throw is quite gorgeous.

Edited September 7, 2018 by roseus

[mishi-bear]

A mixture of the fig and rose quickly rise to the top on application.

The fig is a lovely fruit note, a mixture of tartness and sweetness with a tiny bit of bitterness. It has a marmalade like quality to it.

The rose is great too, more sour than sweet, and because it’s on equal footing with the fig it has an almost jammy and fruity feel to it.

The almond in this is a BPAL almond that I do like. It’s bitter with a cherry like undertone, not at all that lotiony sweet almond. It does fade rather quickly on application to the background, where it loses that cherry like smell. It just adds a faint bitter nuttiness.

The cardamom spices this blend up as a whole, but isn’t too distinct otherwise.

The oudh mostly adds depth here. It has a musky, woodsy, and almost nutty quality of its own. So it is a very good fixative for the almond at the base and the spice of the cardamom. It also grounds the fruity fig and rose.

Overall I rather liked this one, it's quite pretty! It also had excellent longevity for me, I was still able to smell it 18 hours later.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: The almond, fig, and rose stand out to me the most, but I can also smell the oudh and a bit of cardamom in the background.

 

Wet: The almond leaps out at me first, followed by the rose and fig. I get a little more cardamom on my skin than I did from the decant, and the oudh is stronger on me as well. The almond calms down pretty quickly, and it becomes a rose, fig, and oudh scent on me with some cardamom (it tingles my skin a bit but does not burn) and what remains of the almond.

 

Dry: This is mostly jammy rose, fig, and oudh on me, with the fig and oudh notes coming out some more over time. There is only a hint of cardamom in the background now.

 

Verdict: I’m glad the oudh in this did not misbehave or take over, but I wish the almond had stuck around longer!

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, so maybe its whatever else oudh is with. Because I get almond, figs, and a whiff of roses. It's a beautiful, redolent, rose blend. Good throw and wear length.