DSH reviews (very long post).
I went in with tidesong and jettcat on an order of three DSH sampler packs, so with the order having arrived to me yesterday, I've made myself positively ill sniffing things. There are so many imps that I'm going to break up these reviews into two posts! Here's the first.
Almond Blossom: Bitter almond, jasmine, muguet, amber, musk. Despite the description, this smells like almond extract to my nose - a really lovely extract and one that I would be pleased to use in cooking, but not something I would put on my skin. Luckily, this one wasn't in my part of the order. Hardcore almond fans will adore this. (Better hurry - it's being discontinued.)
Ancient Air accord: Frankincense, benzoin, Himalayan cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, Arabian myrrh. This is a thick, dark oil with a very strong, clean, "Eastern" sort of scent in the imp, like a wind full of resins and spices. On my skin, it keeps that clean quality for only a few minutes before the cedar and myrrh go bonkers, producing a high, sharp, almost celery-like tartness. Gorgeous in the vial and would likely work for someone with better skin chemistry. (Again, being discontinued.)
Baroque: Bal à Versailles type: Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, muguet, orris, balsam fir, benzoin, sandalwood, vanilla. I've never smelled the original Bal à Versailles, but this type gives an impression of gilded decadence and lavish excess - a bright, heavy, sweet spicy floral that needs someone far more assuming than me to carry it off well. The dry-down on my skin is somewhat less spectacular, but that initial onslaught of fragrance is magnificent.
Bois du Chocolat: Sandalwood, dark chocolate, vanilla, musk, patchouli. I had originally tested Fleurs du Chocolat (reviewed in a past entry, btw, so I won't be reviewing it though it was part of the order) and found it too grown-up for my taste, but Bois is perfect - a deep, thoughtful, vaguely sweet woody-cocoa, wonderfully simple and lovely. It stays close to my skin but lasts for hours. One of my two favourites from my part of the order, and definitely keeping this imp, possibly investing in a bottle later.
Cardamom and Khyphi: Cardamom seed and khyphi. I had expected to hate this one, but what a surprise; raisin-honey kyphi perfectly balanced with astringent cardamom. It's rich and should greatly satisfy any lovers of kyphi (like me) and/or lovers of cardamom (tidesong, this imp's ultimate destination).
Ceylon: Black pepper, cardamom seed, cinnamon bark, clove bud, fresh ginger, honey, musk, vanilla. Hey, this smells like milky chai! DSH captured every fragrant nuance of a nice warm cup of invigorating chai tea. I don't often want to smell like chai, personally, but if I did, I'd go crazy for this blend.
Civet: Civet, civet, and civet. :P This was for me, the consommate civet fan. It goes on my skin very clean, smelling like that "clean fur" smell you get if you rest your head next to a cat. For about five awful minutes, it goes to this weird overpowering muskiness that smells almost like poo freshly deposited on a lawn, then returns to that clean fur scent, and goes back and forth between the two until dry-down. I'm spoiled by BPAL civet, I think. This one isn't meant to be worn alone, though, so I may have to try and layer it a bit before giving up on it.
Cuir de Russie type: Bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, Bulgarian rose absolute, carnation, jasmine, orris, amber, Brazilian vetiver, leather, moss, opoponax. Rrrrow! This is based on an L.T. Piver (the Rêve d'Or people) scent from 1924 and is a marvelously sexy Russian leather. It's less overpowering than many leather scents and more subtle. The scent description mentions a "smoky resinous dry down," but I get a more peppery-sweet-leather dry-down. This is the first leather I've encountered that I think could be worn by a man or woman with equally sexy results.
Jicky type: Lavender flower, lemon, rosewood, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, orris, amber, patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla. Based on an 1889 fragrance now known as the "great grandmother of Shalimar." I didn't order this, and thank goodness, because all I get is rose-lemon powder with a whiff of old lady. But I wish it had been more appealing, because say it with me: Jicky. Jicky Jicky Jicky. Wouldn't you love to tell people that you were wearing Jicky?
Lush Honey: Bitter almond, muguet, violet, hazelnut, honey, honey beeswax, ambergris, French vanilla, heliotrope, musk, tonka bean. Looking for an acceptable BPAL Honey SN substitute? Folks, we have a winner. If the BPAL honey is more syrupy-sweet, and the CBIHP a cleaner, more true honey, this falls somewhere between the two. It's got the sweetness of a nice honey dessert and a somewhat sexy edge. Yummy!
Old School Musk: Sweet birch, musk, musk X, sandalwood, amber, ambergris, civet, musk, tonka, tonka bean. Okay, that DSH Musk X formula needs to seriously fuck off. I hate it with an unholy passion. It smells like clean skin musk, which is a godawful scent to me because nobody actually smells like that except powdered old people. So anytime I put on a scent with Musk X in it, I smell like I'm borrowing my grandmother's perfume and playing dress-up. I'm 28 years old. I do not need that. Anyway, back to the Old School - if it weren't for the DAMN MUSK X, this would be the best scent ever, and right now I would be extolling its virtues and recommending that you all buy vats. It's a sweet birch musk, very old school indeed and reminiscent of New Age shops and all of the good, resinous, musky smells associated with 70s culture. UNTIL THE DAMN MUSK X COMES OUT, it's wonderful.
Scandal type: Bergamot, clary sage, lemon, mandarin, neroli, Bulgarian rose absolute, leather, orris, ylang-ylang, ambergris, civet, musk. A type of a Lanvin perfume from the 1940s, this is an intriguing scent marred only a bit by my skin chemistry. I get whiffs of lipstick, sass, intrigue and whimsy. The scent itself is hard to describe, only that I smell it and think, "Oooo, something naughty is going on." Only at the very end of its dry down do I get a bit of strange plastic-ness. This is smirkingly sexy, the kind of perfume that makes people do a double-take.
Sensual Spice: Honey, nutmeg, and vanilla. I don't know if I would have called this one "Sensual Spice," since nutmeg makes me think of spiced milk drinks instead of sensual affairs. But whatever. Honey, nutmeg, and vanilla. It smells spicy and sweet. Like, open jars of all three in your kitchen? Yeah. It smells like that.
Sequoia7: Caraway seed, coriander seed, cypress, liatrix, elemi, ginseng, guaiacwood, patchouli, sweet birch, tobacco absolute, Brazilian vetiver, brown oakmoss, Peru balsam, sequoia, teakwood, woodsmoke accord. I never thought I'd find a fragrance too tree-y for me, but in Sequoia7 I've met my match. It starts out as a natural sappy-resinous scent, the sharp leafy-herbal notes balanced by dark woody undertones. Suddenly, the worst notes possible emerge dominant - caraway, cypress, and elemi - and what I'm left with is a crazily sour-sharp woody-herbal that reminds me of Bitter Moon. Yikes. This is like watching a fight in a movie where the bad guys inexplicably win.
St. Valentine: Bergamot, nutmeg, Parma violet, Bulgarian rose absolute, centifolia rose absolute, raspberry, tea rose, amber, Bourbon vanilla, dark chocolate, French vanilla, vanilla absolute. Wow. I may give tidesong her imp of this, or I may say it was lost in the mail and then sit back and enjoy it with a mwahahaha air of bliss. This is fabulously rich and velvety, a sweet berry-rose-vanilla deepened by chocolate. Oddly, though, it doesn't smell like something I'd want to eat; it never dips into the realm of overly dessert-y. Just the kind of scent that makes you bury your nose in it, over and over. My favourite so far of the stuff-that-isn't-mine, and I'm contemplating a bottle purchase of this somewhere down the line. Edit: Thank goodness I decided to actually test this one. On my skin it's all Play-Doh, all the time. SIGH. :/
Toast: Cinnamon bark, amber, moss, vanilla. It's toast! It's, like, cinnamon and sugar and sweetness, but manages to avoid being Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I would never have thought to make this perfume, but it's fun.
Vent Vert type: Galbanum, Bulgarian rose absolute, muguet, amber, orris, sandalwood. This is where I'm going to become slightly psychotic, so please bear with me. It's Easter, and I should be doing something constructive, like getting laid or eating Cadbury Crème Eggs or both simultaneously, but I'm not, so you get to suffer through the forthcoming description.
I've been mildly obsessed with trying Vent Vert since CB mentioned it in a blog post, and finally decided to order DSH's type. It was the first imp I tried on and the only one I've continued to apply for pretty much a day straight. It is the single most unique 'green' smell I have ever tried and one of the most unique perfumes I can imagine. It is truly in a class of its own.
Many green scents dip into overly leafy, woody, or even powdery; I have a special hatred in my heart for the ones described as "clean," "fresh," or "marine." Vent Vert type avoids every one of those pitfalls. From start to finish, it is a sharp, radiant, memorable green that indeed reminds me of a biting green wind. I think it's the wind that blows through the Emerald City and controls weather patterns in the Labyrinth. It's That. Damn. Good.
I'm going to keep my imp of this type and track down some of the original from Balmain. I have to know what the original Vent Vert is like, now. And I can't recommend the type highly enough.
More reviews forthcoming - I still have twelve imps here, awaiting sniff-testing, but actually made myself nauseous yesterday sniffing perfume. Apologies for the lengthy post.
Almond Blossom: Bitter almond, jasmine, muguet, amber, musk. Despite the description, this smells like almond extract to my nose - a really lovely extract and one that I would be pleased to use in cooking, but not something I would put on my skin. Luckily, this one wasn't in my part of the order. Hardcore almond fans will adore this. (Better hurry - it's being discontinued.)
Ancient Air accord: Frankincense, benzoin, Himalayan cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, Arabian myrrh. This is a thick, dark oil with a very strong, clean, "Eastern" sort of scent in the imp, like a wind full of resins and spices. On my skin, it keeps that clean quality for only a few minutes before the cedar and myrrh go bonkers, producing a high, sharp, almost celery-like tartness. Gorgeous in the vial and would likely work for someone with better skin chemistry. (Again, being discontinued.)
Baroque: Bal à Versailles type: Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, muguet, orris, balsam fir, benzoin, sandalwood, vanilla. I've never smelled the original Bal à Versailles, but this type gives an impression of gilded decadence and lavish excess - a bright, heavy, sweet spicy floral that needs someone far more assuming than me to carry it off well. The dry-down on my skin is somewhat less spectacular, but that initial onslaught of fragrance is magnificent.
Bois du Chocolat: Sandalwood, dark chocolate, vanilla, musk, patchouli. I had originally tested Fleurs du Chocolat (reviewed in a past entry, btw, so I won't be reviewing it though it was part of the order) and found it too grown-up for my taste, but Bois is perfect - a deep, thoughtful, vaguely sweet woody-cocoa, wonderfully simple and lovely. It stays close to my skin but lasts for hours. One of my two favourites from my part of the order, and definitely keeping this imp, possibly investing in a bottle later.
Cardamom and Khyphi: Cardamom seed and khyphi. I had expected to hate this one, but what a surprise; raisin-honey kyphi perfectly balanced with astringent cardamom. It's rich and should greatly satisfy any lovers of kyphi (like me) and/or lovers of cardamom (tidesong, this imp's ultimate destination).
Ceylon: Black pepper, cardamom seed, cinnamon bark, clove bud, fresh ginger, honey, musk, vanilla. Hey, this smells like milky chai! DSH captured every fragrant nuance of a nice warm cup of invigorating chai tea. I don't often want to smell like chai, personally, but if I did, I'd go crazy for this blend.
Civet: Civet, civet, and civet. :P This was for me, the consommate civet fan. It goes on my skin very clean, smelling like that "clean fur" smell you get if you rest your head next to a cat. For about five awful minutes, it goes to this weird overpowering muskiness that smells almost like poo freshly deposited on a lawn, then returns to that clean fur scent, and goes back and forth between the two until dry-down. I'm spoiled by BPAL civet, I think. This one isn't meant to be worn alone, though, so I may have to try and layer it a bit before giving up on it.
Cuir de Russie type: Bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, Bulgarian rose absolute, carnation, jasmine, orris, amber, Brazilian vetiver, leather, moss, opoponax. Rrrrow! This is based on an L.T. Piver (the Rêve d'Or people) scent from 1924 and is a marvelously sexy Russian leather. It's less overpowering than many leather scents and more subtle. The scent description mentions a "smoky resinous dry down," but I get a more peppery-sweet-leather dry-down. This is the first leather I've encountered that I think could be worn by a man or woman with equally sexy results.
Jicky type: Lavender flower, lemon, rosewood, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine, orris, amber, patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla. Based on an 1889 fragrance now known as the "great grandmother of Shalimar." I didn't order this, and thank goodness, because all I get is rose-lemon powder with a whiff of old lady. But I wish it had been more appealing, because say it with me: Jicky. Jicky Jicky Jicky. Wouldn't you love to tell people that you were wearing Jicky?
Lush Honey: Bitter almond, muguet, violet, hazelnut, honey, honey beeswax, ambergris, French vanilla, heliotrope, musk, tonka bean. Looking for an acceptable BPAL Honey SN substitute? Folks, we have a winner. If the BPAL honey is more syrupy-sweet, and the CBIHP a cleaner, more true honey, this falls somewhere between the two. It's got the sweetness of a nice honey dessert and a somewhat sexy edge. Yummy!
Old School Musk: Sweet birch, musk, musk X, sandalwood, amber, ambergris, civet, musk, tonka, tonka bean. Okay, that DSH Musk X formula needs to seriously fuck off. I hate it with an unholy passion. It smells like clean skin musk, which is a godawful scent to me because nobody actually smells like that except powdered old people. So anytime I put on a scent with Musk X in it, I smell like I'm borrowing my grandmother's perfume and playing dress-up. I'm 28 years old. I do not need that. Anyway, back to the Old School - if it weren't for the DAMN MUSK X, this would be the best scent ever, and right now I would be extolling its virtues and recommending that you all buy vats. It's a sweet birch musk, very old school indeed and reminiscent of New Age shops and all of the good, resinous, musky smells associated with 70s culture. UNTIL THE DAMN MUSK X COMES OUT, it's wonderful.
Scandal type: Bergamot, clary sage, lemon, mandarin, neroli, Bulgarian rose absolute, leather, orris, ylang-ylang, ambergris, civet, musk. A type of a Lanvin perfume from the 1940s, this is an intriguing scent marred only a bit by my skin chemistry. I get whiffs of lipstick, sass, intrigue and whimsy. The scent itself is hard to describe, only that I smell it and think, "Oooo, something naughty is going on." Only at the very end of its dry down do I get a bit of strange plastic-ness. This is smirkingly sexy, the kind of perfume that makes people do a double-take.
Sensual Spice: Honey, nutmeg, and vanilla. I don't know if I would have called this one "Sensual Spice," since nutmeg makes me think of spiced milk drinks instead of sensual affairs. But whatever. Honey, nutmeg, and vanilla. It smells spicy and sweet. Like, open jars of all three in your kitchen? Yeah. It smells like that.
Sequoia7: Caraway seed, coriander seed, cypress, liatrix, elemi, ginseng, guaiacwood, patchouli, sweet birch, tobacco absolute, Brazilian vetiver, brown oakmoss, Peru balsam, sequoia, teakwood, woodsmoke accord. I never thought I'd find a fragrance too tree-y for me, but in Sequoia7 I've met my match. It starts out as a natural sappy-resinous scent, the sharp leafy-herbal notes balanced by dark woody undertones. Suddenly, the worst notes possible emerge dominant - caraway, cypress, and elemi - and what I'm left with is a crazily sour-sharp woody-herbal that reminds me of Bitter Moon. Yikes. This is like watching a fight in a movie where the bad guys inexplicably win.
St. Valentine: Bergamot, nutmeg, Parma violet, Bulgarian rose absolute, centifolia rose absolute, raspberry, tea rose, amber, Bourbon vanilla, dark chocolate, French vanilla, vanilla absolute. Wow. I may give tidesong her imp of this, or I may say it was lost in the mail and then sit back and enjoy it with a mwahahaha air of bliss. This is fabulously rich and velvety, a sweet berry-rose-vanilla deepened by chocolate. Oddly, though, it doesn't smell like something I'd want to eat; it never dips into the realm of overly dessert-y. Just the kind of scent that makes you bury your nose in it, over and over. My favourite so far of the stuff-that-isn't-mine, and I'm contemplating a bottle purchase of this somewhere down the line. Edit: Thank goodness I decided to actually test this one. On my skin it's all Play-Doh, all the time. SIGH. :/
Toast: Cinnamon bark, amber, moss, vanilla. It's toast! It's, like, cinnamon and sugar and sweetness, but manages to avoid being Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I would never have thought to make this perfume, but it's fun.
Vent Vert type: Galbanum, Bulgarian rose absolute, muguet, amber, orris, sandalwood. This is where I'm going to become slightly psychotic, so please bear with me. It's Easter, and I should be doing something constructive, like getting laid or eating Cadbury Crème Eggs or both simultaneously, but I'm not, so you get to suffer through the forthcoming description.
I've been mildly obsessed with trying Vent Vert since CB mentioned it in a blog post, and finally decided to order DSH's type. It was the first imp I tried on and the only one I've continued to apply for pretty much a day straight. It is the single most unique 'green' smell I have ever tried and one of the most unique perfumes I can imagine. It is truly in a class of its own.
Many green scents dip into overly leafy, woody, or even powdery; I have a special hatred in my heart for the ones described as "clean," "fresh," or "marine." Vent Vert type avoids every one of those pitfalls. From start to finish, it is a sharp, radiant, memorable green that indeed reminds me of a biting green wind. I think it's the wind that blows through the Emerald City and controls weather patterns in the Labyrinth. It's That. Damn. Good.
I'm going to keep my imp of this type and track down some of the original from Balmain. I have to know what the original Vent Vert is like, now. And I can't recommend the type highly enough.
More reviews forthcoming - I still have twelve imps here, awaiting sniff-testing, but actually made myself nauseous yesterday sniffing perfume. Apologies for the lengthy post.