The She-Goat

[le-champignon]

Wild juniper, dry grasses, California sagebrush, Monterey cypress, and California lilacs.

I received this today. I had to order, despite my fear of florals, because I'm collecting all goat-related scents.

Initial impressions: This is extremely soft. Like, I dabbed it on my arm three times before I could really smell it.
This is very much the scent of dried (and drying) vegetal matter in the sun, sweetened by the lilacs.
I've had it on for over an hour and so far, thankfully, the lilacs do not jump out and hammer me on the head with blossoms.

Update: doing some research: "California lilac" is in the genus Ceanothus, not the main lilac genus Syringa.

The leaves of some Ceanothus species have been used as a substitute for black tea. The Ceanothus Wikipedia article linked above says: "A few species are reported to be intensely fragrant almost to the point of being nauseating, and are said to resemble the odor of "boiling honey in an enclosed area"."

That may explain why I don't hate this. I love honey scents, and it is striking me as much more of a sweetness than an floral.

[hammy]

In the bottle - This smells kind of like Amicitia with a little coastal flavor. I LOVE Amicitia (seriously -- I have 6 bottles) so this feels like a new spin on an old favorite.

 

Wet - I'm getting sage for sure, along with a whirl of other things I recognize from my time in California but can't quite place. Herbal, slightly floral, green-brown smell.

 

Drydown - It stayed pretty true to my first impression: a breeze full of local summer vegetation. The floral component has disappeared, though I suspect that's just my skin chemistry at work.

 

Verdict - Sage is the main player in this blend. It's not as sweet as Amicitia, not as resinous as Chinigchinix, and not as dusty as Djed. It's just the dry sagebrush aspect of those. Think Halloween: Los Angeles without the fire/smoke notes. Man, this has some serious layering possibilities. I think it'll bring scents "home" for me, since it smells so much like the area where I grew up.

[Antoinette]

I was born and raised in California and this smells like home. It's beautiful and gives me an overall sense of joy and peace when I inhale deeply.

It's like a little piece of home I can visit anytime I like. Love it!

Edited September 17, 2018 by Antoinette

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Sagebrush, juniper and the strange but lovely California lilac.

On the Skin:

Initially, sweet and round but then becomes almost a rich caramel with dry grass and sagebrush herbalness. The California lilac lends it's almost floral note to the blend. Lovely, with the impression of heat and aridity.

On the Drydown:

Has a fairly linear drydown and ends as a sweetish herbal sage and dry grass which stays close to the skin. Would be delightful to cuddle up to on a late summers evening

[zankoku_zen]

Sage, juniper, and cypress. This smells sunny, and like the outside. Medium throw and wear length.

[Casablanca]

I tried a bunch of decants from a friend this weekend. I can resist bottling them all, even the ones I liked, but I can't resist this.

It was just enchanting, the sort of naturalistic scent I've been loving lately. It also took me back to some of my kid years living in the Southern Cal valley.

"Kid." Goats. Hehe.

California lilacs wafted over woodsy sage, grasses, and other summery vegetation, all well-blended and sun-warmed. I agree with earlier comments on the lilac; it seemed to add some floral tone without going super floral at any stage. It felt like a floral with maybe some herbal/grassy tone, if that makes sense, and that tone merged into the other notes. It also seemed a bit like honey.

All notes felt like they could be growing together on the same arid slope in the backyard, a treat for California bees. The blend lasted longer than most do on my skin.

Edited September 25, 2018 by Casablanca

[kscha2017]

This smells like a very specific spot in my area (far from CA) where pine, cedar, birch and oak trees give way to juniper and grasses, then sun-warmed sand dunes leading down to the cool lake. We used to visit this spot on field trips in grade school and it takes me right back to those memories. Love it.

[Lucchesa]

Count me in on the She-Goat lovefest here, from another native Californian. The evergreen notes (juniper and cypress) are most prominent when wet, along with the sagebrush. As always, they soften as it dries, and then I get a warm, dry, sunny outdoor scent that evokes the California foothills in summer, with bees bumbling all around, maybe some dragonflies buzzing, and it doesn't morph much from here. Though I think I can smell the California lilac, this is not a floral on me by any means. I get a little throw from this (more than is usual for me) and good wear length. The She-Goat is a beauty!