Anubis

[Argentwolf]

... His scent is a blend of holy myrrh, storax, balsam, and embalming herbs.

In the imp, it's pretty light and unobtrusive...but once you lift that wand up and expose it to the air, it reaches out and latches onto your senses. It has a very sweet, almost candy-like scent to it, yet there's also an herbal touch to it.

As it goes on, it morphs rather dramatically again. To be quite honest, my first thought as it touched my skin was, "Oh god...it's mummy parts and wet jackal butt." Not exactly the most charming scent...and yet it seemed so appropriate, somehow, to the theme of this particular god...and don't worry, it gets better.

The scent becomes dry -- still pungeant, but there is a sandy sort of air to it. The incense and herbs are quite fragrant and there is the sweetness of the balsam all around the edges. This scent has a pretty healthy throw -- the first day I wore it I may as well have worn a sign that said "HEY, COME MEET ANUBIS!"

As time passes, the scent retains these same qualities, just with gradually-decreasing strength. The sweet tones are at times reminiscent of sacrificial wine, left in a bowl on an altar all day long.

Now, when I say that those rather unflattering components are appropriate, I mean that it really does conjure up funerary rites, an ancient temple, bandages scented with myrrh and packed with spices. It is *very* evocative.

I'm reluctant to set this scent aside, but ultimately I don't think it's for me. I would highly recommend it to any Egyptophiles, however, or to anyone who likes to conjure up a little sweet, dry decay now and then. And I definitely give it kudos for its strength and longevity. Edited March 24, 2008 by Shollin

[djsiberia]

it smells ok in the imp, however when i put it on it changes into something i just can't describe. i'm not sure what's creting the smell i don't like, but i had to wash it off right away...i wish i couldfigure out what in anubis i don't like.

[poisons_sanity]

Oh wow, what an unbelievably sexy scent. It's sweet and spicy, but also pretty light and refreshing at the same time. It also smells Egyptian, I don't know how to explain it. I'm definitely getting a 5 ML of this one.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Sounded lovely. It goes on as a dry and sweet and very herbal scent. Nice. Unfortunately my skin never likes "herbs" in broad general and changes these notes to something sharp and unpleasant while the resin background goes very very sweet.

I am sad to have to list this as a chemistry failure.

[sirsaber]

I just got this about......10 minutes ago. In the bottle it was overwhelming and was almost noxious but being the adventurer I tried it out. At first it was just like the old gonesh incense but as it settled in it took on a style of its own. The myrrh is definitely there but not overpowering...it has an almost eerie quality to it I find endearing. Definitely the scent of the Underworld.

[savage_rose]

Whoa, how can a scent be this sexy and this mellow at the same time?

 

It smells like freshly ground stems and light cinnamon, incense and something like bread. I know none of that sounds particularly sexy, but it is. I can see this smelling just as good on a man as it does on me. Mmmmm...

[scarletgenesis]

My friend had me sniff her arm when she tried this at a MnS, and it was gorgeous on her. So today I decided to try my imp of it.

In the imp, it is incensy and resiny goodness, with something slightly sweet, but not overpowering.

 

Wet, and on drydown....ok remember a second ago when I said the sweetness wasn't overpowering? I was wrong...It morphed into something like decaying roses, which I hate b/c I used to be a florist and have to smell them all the time. I'm not sure what is making it smell like that on me, because resins, and myrrh and such are usually great on my skin. I guess it must be the embalming herbs. It was so strong and nauseating that it started to give me a headache and I needed to wash it off my skin.

 

I guess I'll give my imp to my friend who's skin doesn't turn this to scary rotting roses.

[eatingthesea]

anubis has fast become one of my favorites. looking at the notes, it seems suspiciously too herbal, but i was so pleasantly surprised to learn it worked on me. i have no idea how storax and balsam are supposed to smell, but all of it works together on me. and it lastssss a very long time -- a definite bonus, since i seem to have a problem retaining scent. i don't know how, but it ends up having a slightly "bittersweet" tinge -- that's one of the best adjectives i can think of to associate with anubis, bittersweet. like another reviewer said, this is very "egyptian" indeed. i also perceive it as a very dry scent, very desert-like. very similar, to me, to another egyptian scent i love, nefertiti. almost stoic, sophisticated...nothing playful about these. but then again, not stark. there is a lovely, soft and quiet brightness about this that a friend of mine says reminds her of the scent of candlelight. now, how wonderful is that, a blend that can "smell like" candlelight. i can't wait to upgrade to a bottle of anubis

[ladyver]

surprise love!

 

i got this frimp in my last order. i would never have even considered trying this because because of the herb note. i thought this would be either an overpowering herb scent or boring. i was SO wrong!!

 

in bottle: very herbaly!!

 

wet on: herbs - but a nice blend, no one herb is dominant - phew!

 

as it dries the other notes come out - and it develops a beautifully balanced scent - YAY! applied more!!!

 

interestingly i found the herbs more dominant for longer on warm points. also, drying my hair activated a really warm/sweet note that was dominant for a short while

 

this is so beautifully balanced - perfect for evening / night. i will definitely be using up this imp & will consider getting more!

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Honey-sweet (storax?) and herbal, with a touch of light resin. A delicate scent.

 

Wet: Darker - incensey myrrh and resiny balsam emerge, but are held at bay by the potent honey note in the fore. The fresh green herbs remain.

 

Dry: Sort of oddly soapy or powdery (amped myrrh?), and less fresh-green herbal. I'm still loving the darker green resiny balsam note and the honey-sweet storax.

 

Summary: Slightly resiny, delicious HONEY after a few hours. Decent throw and great lasting power.

Edited April 30, 2008 by fairnymph

[alicia_stardust]

I don't know what storax is, but Anubis smells warm and golden, with a twist of balsam and sweet resins that glitter like the sun. This has an ageless, ancient feel to it and comes across as regal and strong. Lovely.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

The Lab kindly frimped me, and this was most awesome because I've been wanting to try this for AGES.

 

In the Imp

Florals-- jasmine of some description and a deep smokey violet, and spices and resins. Purdy, very feminine-- not really what I expected.

 

On Me

I amp the jasmine and-- is there rose in here, too? I love it. It's got a sandy, earthy edge to it, somewhat dry but without being too weird or boring. Initially the throw is strong, but it calms down: a few hours later I still have it and it does down to something smelling like equal parts jasmine, rose, and red wood of some type. I can't believe how floral this is!

 

Still, it's very pretty, and the herbs or the wood or whatever we've got going on don't make it an entirely floral blend.

 

I may buy a bottle-- it's not as pressing as some others, but still, this is lovely.

[starwild]

This is WEIRD. I mean, good weird, but WEIRD!

 

I don't think I've ever smelled anything quite like this, and yet it's somehow very familiar. Dusty and slightly spicy, with what smells like...ok, I give up, I don't even know what the heck that is. It's unlike anything I've smelled in the BPAL catalogue to date.

 

Maybe, kinda-sorta a bit like The Lion, but without the amber? That kind of warmth, but a dry, dry warmth. This makes me think of flickering candlelight on stone walls. Very evocative. Kind of sweet. Maybe honey.

 

I'm not sure I like it as a perfume, per se, but I'll give it another whirl. I do like it, and might try it as a room scent.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: If this doesn't work on me, it'll be a bleedin' miracle. It's got myrrh. It's named after an afterlife god. It's an Excolo scent (That section LOVES ME). That does, however, mean that it's up against stiff competition.

 

In the imp: Mmm... that's more herbal than I was expecting, but a sweet, dry kind of herbal. It's almost reminiscent of over-ripe fruit (I know it sounds weird, but to me, the two scents are the same colour). And of course, there's the myrrh. It's got no incense to it, though, which does surprise me - I was expecting incense from the resins and herbs, but this smells more like an apothecary's cupboard. It's an old scent, if that makes any sense - like something that's accumulated over a long time. A VERY long time.

 

On the wrist (Uh, bicep?), wet: There's a potent, bitter herb in there that immediately comes to the forefront. I can just detect the myrrh underneath, but that herb really needs to calm down a little. Good thing it seems like it's already fading.

 

Fifteen minutes later: There's that almost fruit-like note back - this distinctly reminds me of dried apple! The myrrh has softened right to the back of the scent and the herbs are quite prevelant, but it's lost some of the 'interest' it had in the bottle. This smells less like an apothecary's cupboard and more like one of his unguents - probably the balsam and storax at work. I think I'd like this one more in my hair or on a scent locket, but it's certainly wearable.

 

Verdict: Keeper, but not sold on a bottle yet.

 

Tl;Dr: Dry, sweet herbal ointment with a hint of apple. Old, patient and unreadable.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

A soft balsam and incense scent

 

On Application

Almost buttery incensey scent on application. Colour me surprised (and concerned).

 

Dry Down

This one is so hard to describe. I expected it to be dark and brooding but it is actually quite warm, almost fruity and light. Lovely.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[GeorgeJr]

This is surprisingly sweet indeed . Not really rose though . My body is like Spinal Taps amps with rose , it goes to 11 ! This however does not have that effect , so I vote against it being rose . Honey , on the other hand , is a definite possibility in my mind . It reminds me a bit of a honey liquor I drank once ages ago , Drambuie . Drambuie is all honey & herbs & spices . It's very nice to have a sip or two on a cold winters night . Especially by a fire with your honey ( ironic that ) . So , back to Anubis . This has a pretty strong throw & lasts quite a while on me . Took several hours before I actually had to " try " to smell it on me . Even now , over 8 hours later , I still can catch the ghost of it on me .

So , I do like it , but would probably not wear it often . Not a bottle for me , though I will go through the imp I have for sure .

[maika]

In the imp, this is interesting...it's basically sweet and comforting. Not what I expected at all.

 

Wet, the myrrh is obvious now. This is closer to what I was originally expecting.

 

Dry, this is deep and ancient smelling...I can smell old wood, and loads of spices, but they're dry, and almost acrid. This is not a bad thing though. It's not at all what it was either in the imp or wet. This is coming across as being very masculine. It's not really me, but I do know just the person I want to try it out on.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Deep, dark resin and herbs.

 

Immediately on skin: This is resinous, herbal, and green in a dark, stem-like way. It’s warm, but has a slight bitterness from the herbs. The resin smells almost burned and dark with a gentle wafting smokiness.

 

After a little while: Grape or champaca? Where did those come from? I can’t tell which it is, but there’s something in this now that has a sweet, deep, purple feel to it. I find there’s a very similar note in Dia de los Muertos, actually. Otherwise, this blend is gorgeously blended with resins, incense smoke, and herbs.

 

Overall Impressions: This blend has a very dark feel to it, but the sweet note that appears after a few minutes livens this up a little. The other notes are very dark and rich, but the sweet, almost fruity note I get gives this almost a purplish cast in my mind. This is a very deep blend, but sexy and feminine. It has something a little bitter though that is keeping me from wanting to wear this again.

[girl_android]

In the imp: sweet in a honey/sap kind of way, slightly green, resiny.

Wet on skin: the green is still there but way back in the mix. The first hit is the sappy sweetness.

Dry: The resiny things (storax, myrrh, balsam) round out the sweetness. From a bit of a googling, the embalming herbs might include basil, thyme, chamomile, marjoram, cinnamon. Can't say I can detect all or any of those; I seem to get a slightly soapy green mingling with the resiny sweetness on my skin.

 

I rather like this, perhaps not enough to get my hands on a bottle, but definitely enough that I'll keep the imp about.

[isisonearth]

There is a golden honeyed scent that first rises followed almost immediately by a herbal conglomeration. The resins are present only as a wafting bit of temple incense.

 

I'm just intoxicated with this . The imp belongs to Mr. Isis but I think I need to get one of my own!

[Nagash]

My first review, and my first Imp choice due to Anubis being my patron Deity.

 

In the Imp

A beautiful light golden amber in color, honey almost, very beautiful. The scent is strong in the Imp, honey-like, the storax, balsam, and herbs truly jump out at you. I was concerned at this point, that perhaps it might be too sweet for my chemistry/taste.

 

Boy was I wrong.

 

On Wet

On me, as an Aries, resins and the like explode, and this is no different, a little goes a long way with this on me. It does go on wet as sweet as honey, literally and figuratively, and yet it is not overpowering. The herbs and other components make this lovely, I always get compliments when I wear this. I picture an embalmer's workshop, the priest wearing the mask of Anubis as they finish preparing another body for the Halls of Osiris.

 

Dry Down

The sweet note fades, but never completely, and the longer I keep it on the myrrh gets to be more and more prominent, turning as a light, aged, very ancient scent. That of a tomb laid undisturbed for millenia, to be opened and see Ra's light again after thousands of years. The scent of a time long past, and the embalmer's art lost to the passage of time.

 

Recommendation

As a follower of Anubis, I had to try this first, and I am very glad I did. The combination is unique, complex, and I would wager that it would vary quit a bit depending upon body chemistry. I could wear this every day and not grow tired of it, I continually get wisps of different components. Definitely a keeper for me!

[Vespar]

In the imp: Very sweet,like golden honey almost.

 

On Wet: Sweet,but not candy like.Smells like honey,sweet frankincense and other sweet resins.

 

An hour later:This has softened and now the embalming herbs become more prominent,though the sweetness's still there.I get a powdery scent aswell somewhere amongst the herbs.

 

Verdict:It's nice,but not me.The smell after 4 hours has completely vanished.It smells like a mix of I Married A Vampire From Planet X and Blood Kiss,and these are my least favorites.I wanted it to be a keeper.

[hellomoonglow]

This is such an odd blend! It smells like autumn candles, pumpkin, with something very clean underneath. A strange mixture. While I like it, I would never wear it as it's too strong and masculine for me. It would be very nice in an oil burner, however.

[sqwook]

Wet: Sweet green herbs.

 

Dry: Dries to be nice, cool, clean, but the herb twinge goes away,leaving it kind of nondescript. Clean, a pure-white spa might smell like this. Not me.

 

A scent locket might have saved this for me maybe, because I like the greenness when it's wet.

 

Comparisons to other scents: Clean like Embalming Fluid (but no lemon) or Phantasm (but no floral).

 

ADDED Oct. 26:

 

Wet: Sweet green herbs. Lovely fresh & green!

 

Dry: Green, sweet herbs. Dries to be nice, cool, clean, but the herb twinge goes away, leaving it kind of nondescript. I wish the tang of the green herbs had lasted!!!

 

Comparison to other scents: This is "clean" like Embalming Fluid or Phantasm, but with no lemon or floral.

[Methos]

Upon first sniff, I almost sent it off to the share pile. In the imp it smelled kinda perfume-y and not something I'd usually like. I'm glad I waited and put it on. On me, it smelled rich and resin-y with herbs. And it's STRONG. A little bit will go a very long way. O.o I'm re-reading "Alhazred" by Donald Tyson, and it reminds me of the scene where he comes across a dead woman, preserved with honey and spices.