Fallen

[shadith]

... A regal scent, glowing darkly, elegant and patrician, but unfathomably desolate. Cherubic white sandalwood and golden musk with a dark halo of amber, a breath of imperial florals, unbending woods, and the shadow cast by vetiver and violet.

 

 

I'm comparing two versions- I have an aged and a fresher one here (unfortunately I don't know how old the aged one is, but it seems very different). I always like to review both when I get the chance, to see if it pays off to stock up on a scent and let it sit for a while before use (or if I have to use it up fast).

 

The aged version smells mostly like violets after applying, in the fresher one I can nearly only pick up amber and a little musk instead. It seems violets get only better and stronger with aging, I've already encountered this effect with Saturnalia. I don't get the sandalwood in either of them.

 

This scent is very light and does not have much throw, after 15 minutes there is only enough left to catch a waft when I bring my nose near my wrist. Now the fresh version gets a little deeper and the violets come out, the notes are quite balanced although I still don't get much sandalwood.

The aged version is still heavy on the violets, but it becomes also little deeper and more 'creamy' now.

 

After one hour the aged version is faded, I don't even smell it properly anymore when I press my nose to my wrist. The fresh version stays nearly as before, the amber sticks out the most, and the vetiver came into play too.

 

This is a scent that I can imagine more on a guy than on me, although it does not have a very masculine feel by itself. The fresh version has more variety and interesting nuances to it, while the aged one seems to smell mostly of violets and fades very quickly.

 

 

ETA scent description as I didn't realize I'm going to land on the top of a new page.

Edited June 20, 2006 by shadith

[midnight_aeval]

I wanted Fallen to be my perfect violet scent, but I didn't smell a bit of violet!

 

In the vial it's very sharp, almost too strong for me as it gave me a headache. I tested it tonight on my skin and although the sharpness dulled, there was a heavy floral scent. I kept waiting for the floral to go away or at least fade a bit, but it didn't happen. I smelled no amber, no golden musk, just the "imperial floral" (and it is by no means a "breath" on me!)

 

Given that florals aren't my thing, Fallen isn't my thing.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

in the imp: i can't even begin to describe the smell. sortof like dried flowers that have gotten wet.

 

on my skin, drying down: violets, gardenia and sandalwood.

 

the violets fade quickly, the gardenia* gets amped up and a woody, resiny base note lingers.

 

hate the first hour, but after that it's pretty.

 

 

*my skin seems to think lots of things ought to smell like gardenia.

[edenssixthday]

Fallen - Oh no. Did I accidentally let a hippie into my house again? Oh wait, that's no hippie. That's me wearing Fallen. This is a perfect scent for a new-age hippie -- male or female. The sandalwood is heavy and predominant. The violet subtly swirls beneath lending a very slightly floral hint to the sandalwood. The musk and amber peek through briefly on occasion, but overall this is 98% sandalwood. It's actually one of the few sandalwood scents I like, as I'm very picky about sandalwood. Phenomenal throw (i.e., be careful how much you wear!), and acceptable staying power. Unfortunately, it's way too heady for me, and way too hippie for me. This is going in the swap pile.

[provocateur]

In bottle: Dark amber with a hint of sandalwood.

 

On skin, wet: Amber and musk. A hint of the imperial florals kick around a bit.

 

On skin, dry: A generic musky amber.

 

Conclusion: Where's the woods, vetiver and violet? Disappointing

 

Rating: 2/5

[Eunice]

I keep thinking there is a bit of a bubblegum scent to this but that's not quite it. I think it's the violet that pops up through sandalwood and musk. This was a frimp from the Lab and now it goes on my large bottle list. Simple and simplly lovely.

[Nekomata]

This is like a tame version of Infero, all the yumminess without the cinnamon bite. A sweet combo of musk and wood; the throw is great and it has staying power. I really like this blend and may soon add more to my collection.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I'm detecting the musk, the amber and some sort of earthy note (is it the vetiver or the woods...I can't tell).

 

Wet: Whoa floral! That was not what I was expecting. Florals and musk.

 

Drydown and wear: The imperial florals (because I do not smell the violet) and the golden musk (perhaps also the amber) dominate this blend. The musk gets stronger and stronger, and while it's not as bad as some musks are on me, I don't really like musk-dominated scents unless they are red musk scents. I think I'm going to swap this one.

[Celogrl]

This is absolutely lovely...violet, darkened by my friend vetiver. Amber is very subtle to my nose in this one. It is a very inspired mix, and the description is just perfect.

[audesapere]

In Imp: sweet-I can't define it

 

Wet- sweet, floral, feminine

 

Dry- wood, floral, sweet and creamy. Cinnamon, somehow.

 

Lasted a good long time. I really like it. This is fairly gender neutral, but I see this on me, not on Jeff, know what I mean ?

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is amber, vetiver and violet~~~

 

once applied this gets very strong....the violet and sandalwood compliment each other in the most beautiful way...

 

30 minutes plus, this doesn't change too much ... although the violet is simply amazing .... this is just such a gorgeous, womanly perfume....

[Babylon]

Vetiver is a note that really amps on my skin, and turns into a burnt tire smell. Oddly, Fallen doesn't do that to me at all.

 

Fallen smells like powder, pretty violets and ylang ylang on me. I smell *something* heavy that's darkening the whole thing. Is this vetiver? This isn't bad. Why isn't vetiver always this kind, taking the backseat and letting the lighter notes poke out?

 

After half an hour, Fallen has fallen off my skin, and I can only smell it on the bit that got on my shirt collar.

[Tesseljoan]

My nose is probably way off, and my skin is probably doing something ungodly nasty to this oil (especially in this heat), but I smell Dragon's blood. It's probably the violet though, since my nose tends to put those two in the same category (same thing as with cherry/almond). Perhaps amber, but that's it on my skin.

[Myaru]

The first time I tried an imp of this, it was all musk. Six months later, after trying it again, the 'imperial florals' are so strong they try to strangle me. No amber, and no wood. Absolutely floral + some of the original musk.

 

While I can see how this embodies the description the lab gives, it isn't for me. Instead of inspiring images of haughty pride and unearthly beauty, it makes me think of a herd of little old ladies with wrought-iron canes and a will to use them.

 

I had such high hopes for it, too, but florals just die when they come in contact with me.

 

 

-Ja.

[aestien]

Bottle: jasmine? violet? Definitely floral

Wet: jasmine?, violet, rose? A hint of vetiver, predominately floral with hardly a hint of any of the other notes

Dry: this dries down gorgeously, the florals rest on a bed of sandalwood and amber

 

This was an interesting floral, elegant, complex, and didn't go through the soapy phase that florals sometimes do on my skin, I could defenitely smell the violet, which was beautiful over the amber and sandalwood, and the musk was not overwhelming or too powdery. This was definitely a little haughty and slightly withdrawn, and I would definitely wear this to match that kind of mood.

[fairy]

This one was LIGHT at first. To the point to where I had to really slather to smell anything. Once on it transformed and got quite heavy...so my advice...let it settle before thinking you need to put more on. It'll get there

 

 

I had to add this to my "favorites' list because its LOVELY. I think I smell amber and violets. Its flowery and golden...perfect combo. Clean and sophisticated. A winner!

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: ok, I can tell you it won't work on me. Sandalwood is far too present.

 

On my skin: yep, sandalwood curse... I don't smell the musk, I certainly don't smell anything floral.

 

After a couple of hours: it went all soapy... yes, now I recognize some violet (I'm a violet fan), but more like an old-lady-soap kind of violet. Pity :/

 

Verdict: well, no, of course. I even had to wash it off, it was rather nauseating on my skin

[Meg]

In the bottle: Violet and other florals through a vanilla-like amber and musk blend.

 

Wet: A white floral, a bit tart, and sandalwood over it. The vanilla smell lingers and comes back to the front.

 

Drydown: White sandalwood and vanilla, which is really peculiar when I look at the description. There's the powdery presence of vetiver and violet, but they're not too violent. This is a soft woody blend with a breath of white florals. The amber comes out more obviously after a while, making the blend more forceful.

 

Overall: It's a pretty and regal scent, there is an angelic quality to it, a certain innocence, but also a very domineering and regal amber that makes it take on all it's meaning - the fallen angel. Unfortunately the violet, vetiver and amber ally on me to make it into a powdery smell that's not all that different from talcum powder.

[seamor]

Right out of the bottle, this is very golden, spicy, and gorgeous - lots of amber, woods, and that mysterious wonderful note I haven't been able to identify yet, but absolutely adore (could it b the musk?). I'm gonna love this!

 

Later: I can still smell the great scent I started out with, but it's overlaid by a violet that has amped to gag-me level. (It's amazing how a shy gentle violet can become Violetzilla on my skin.)

 

Beth, may we please have a version of this with no violet in it?

Edited September 2, 2006 by celtimor

[forspecial_plate]

This starts out rather cloying on me, and too.....I know this is lame, but 'perfumey' is the most fitting word I can come up with. I think it's the combination of everything that's just too much for me. To its credit, it is very well blended as I can't pick out individual notes. And the violet isn't out of control as I feared it would be.

 

Later, after an hour or two, it has mostly vanished (I know my skin is dry today), leaving behind......cake? What the hell? I think it's the amber and/or musk but it's undeniably smelling sugary and foody on me now. Not a lot of throw, it's a very close-to-the-skin vanilla cake-y smell. How strange. I might try this again just to see what other tricks it plays on me. But eventually I'll be swapping it most likely.

[sofiaviolet]

I smell some significant sandalwood in the imp, but on my skin the entire scent vanishes. After a moment, it makes its return, the sandalwood mingled with a urine sort of smell that's faint but present nonetheless. Dead god, I wonder what note has taken such a violent dislike to me this time? I am going to guess golden musk.

[supremegoddessofall]

Initially - nothing but violet. Pretty much all the violet scents start out on me as nothing but violet. Drier, I start to get the vetiver. Eh.

 

Score: 2 out of 5

[storme]

In the imp: hm, musky sandalwood with a hint of powdery violet.

 

On me, wet: whoa violet powder and sandalwood and amber. This is quite masculine.

 

On me, dry: florals and musk and amber and very light woods. Still masculine, but it's faded very fast.

 

Verdict: This is nice enough if a bit light and undistinguished. I think I can pass on it.

[amyberries]

In bottle: Yet another traditionally perfumy one. I'm beginning to think I should stick solely to the less complicated scents. Has a promising sweet woody tone to it, however.

 

Wet on skin: A darker, more mysterious tone. Light but slightly musty, that's really quite good... Going light on the florals seems to have worked, as I can smell the musk and amber notes clearly.

 

Dried down: A bit nose-tickly, this one. The dry scent isn't possibly for me, but it does smell nice, and interesting too, the way it balances the softwarm notes and the drier woody ones.

 

Decision: Possibly try again some time.

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

I smell the musk, amber, florals and violet. Pungent, but soft - not too harsh.

 

Wet:

Pungent, harsher. I mostly smell the florals, vetiver and musk.

 

Dry down on me:

Hmm. There's a little bit of that note that I didn't like in Delphi... or maybe Venice... well, one of the scents that didn't work for me. It's probably something in the "woods." It smells very dry. I'm getting the sandalwood, the vetiver, some florals (including violet). The longer I wear it, the more it evens out, but my skin just doesn't seem to be doing anything very nice with it.

 

Dry down on the boy:

Smells a lot better on him than it does on me... though I put much less on him than I put on myself. His skin doesn't amp the vetiver in this the way that mine does - on him, it's much sweeter, but not in a girly way.

 

Final thoughts:

Might work for the boy (I'll have to test it in higher quantities, but the little bit that I put on him smelled really yummy), but doesn't really work for me. It might if I let it sit for an hour, but I get impatient with blends that demand that much time for my skin to temper them. It just has the same element that didn't work for me with Delphi/Venice. It's just harsh, pungent floral. Pity

Hours later: I'm still not a fan, but the boy thinks it's "tangy" on him and he likes it, so...