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juushikaABOLISH ICE (LE, Activism)
Smoked toffee and patchouli with coffee bean, caramelized oudh, clove, and bourbon vanilla.
In vial: Sweet, smokey coffee.
On me: Toffee + patchouli, which reads as burned patchouli; I'd almost say there's vetiver in here to provide that smokey feel. Coffee and clove come out to play during drydown. Sometimes this feels like an older cousin to Miskatonic University (the scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls), a warm, spiced coffee, smooth and sweet and a little more complex. But the primary impression I get from this is the overwhelming caramelized note I got from a few 2018 Halloweenies and Yules (Zoe and the Goat; Twelfth Lash). Here's it's probably the toffee: cloying, not quite foodie, almost burnt, very brown, overpowering, homogeneous, borderline nauseating.
Verdict: This absolutely fits its "warm" inspirations; I like the creamed coffee and touch of clove. But I've learned my lesson to steer clear of toffee/caramel, especially in conjunction with patchouli. I don't know if I amp it, but I do know it's strong and unpleasant.
CONSTIPATED ELEPHANT ALCHEMY LAB (LE, 16th Anniversary)
Ambergris accord, Mysore sandalwood, ambrette seed, cypress, nagarmotha, and grey agarwood.
In vial: Cypress, thin and clean and airy.
On me: Warm, salty ambergris with a touch of woody, terpenic cypress, drying down to a warm, slightly salted ambergris over an amber-like base. This functions a lot like Haunted (soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk) on my skin: a warm, velvety base, touched with a bright note (in Haunted it's lemony; here, it's woody/pine), deepened with an indistinct but pleasant incense/perfumyness; very slightly sweet; multifaceted in gentle, unconfrontational ways. Constipated Elephant's salty ambergris makes it unique, and it's a khaki to Haunted's gold tones—a warm gray. Low throw, ~5 hour wear length.
Verdict: Interesting! This really suits the accompanying image, particularly in colorway. This is pleasant, although the salt doesn't always vibe with the skin-level amber-resin vibe. But it feels too much like Haunted, despite the differing notes. I don't need a bottle.
MOPEY BOAR ALCHEMY LAB (LE, 16th Anniversary)
Truffles and clove bud with smoky incense, cardamom pod, and ginger.
In vial: An earthy, broad, dirty spice.
On me: A deep, broad, prickly brown scent: strong clove (the other spices are here too, but secondary) atop distinctive truffle and grounded in incense. Not at all sweet. It can go medicinal, especially it overapplied. The truffle is earthy but with a perfumey quality, especially as the scent wears or if overapplied. A light touch benefits this; throw and wear length are otherwise moderate to strong.
Verdict: It can be easy to project name or description onto a blend, but "boar" really fits this deep, prickly, brown scent—it's large and unique, but from a shadowy, earthy direction. Three tests in, I'm still not sure how I like it. Not worth a bottle, but I've also not smelled anything quite like it and I imagine sometimes I'll reach for it on account.
MIDNIGHT MASS (LE, Yule 2018)
This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass.
In vial: I got cedar and incense on one test, cedar and resin on the next.
On me: Upon application: cedar! As it dries down, incense and resin come forward, a smokey/airy/smooth contemplative blend against a warm, woody cedar base. It's hugely reminiscent of Cathedral (Venerable and solemn: the scent of incense smoke wafting through an ancient church. A true ecclesiatical blend of pure resins.)—I could probably differentiate if I tested side by side, but they're functionally dupes. Lasts ages and ages.
Verdict: I feel about this like I feel about Cathedral: it's fine, but I like the intent more than the execution. I think it's the cedar, and I don't even dislike cedar—it keeps the register a little higher, a little more dry woods than deep, solemn incense and resin.
Smoked toffee and patchouli with coffee bean, caramelized oudh, clove, and bourbon vanilla.
In vial: Sweet, smokey coffee.
On me: Toffee + patchouli, which reads as burned patchouli; I'd almost say there's vetiver in here to provide that smokey feel. Coffee and clove come out to play during drydown. Sometimes this feels like an older cousin to Miskatonic University (the scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls), a warm, spiced coffee, smooth and sweet and a little more complex. But the primary impression I get from this is the overwhelming caramelized note I got from a few 2018 Halloweenies and Yules (Zoe and the Goat; Twelfth Lash). Here's it's probably the toffee: cloying, not quite foodie, almost burnt, very brown, overpowering, homogeneous, borderline nauseating.
Verdict: This absolutely fits its "warm" inspirations; I like the creamed coffee and touch of clove. But I've learned my lesson to steer clear of toffee/caramel, especially in conjunction with patchouli. I don't know if I amp it, but I do know it's strong and unpleasant.
CONSTIPATED ELEPHANT ALCHEMY LAB (LE, 16th Anniversary)
Ambergris accord, Mysore sandalwood, ambrette seed, cypress, nagarmotha, and grey agarwood.
In vial: Cypress, thin and clean and airy.
On me: Warm, salty ambergris with a touch of woody, terpenic cypress, drying down to a warm, slightly salted ambergris over an amber-like base. This functions a lot like Haunted (soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk) on my skin: a warm, velvety base, touched with a bright note (in Haunted it's lemony; here, it's woody/pine), deepened with an indistinct but pleasant incense/perfumyness; very slightly sweet; multifaceted in gentle, unconfrontational ways. Constipated Elephant's salty ambergris makes it unique, and it's a khaki to Haunted's gold tones—a warm gray. Low throw, ~5 hour wear length.
Verdict: Interesting! This really suits the accompanying image, particularly in colorway. This is pleasant, although the salt doesn't always vibe with the skin-level amber-resin vibe. But it feels too much like Haunted, despite the differing notes. I don't need a bottle.
MOPEY BOAR ALCHEMY LAB (LE, 16th Anniversary)
Truffles and clove bud with smoky incense, cardamom pod, and ginger.
In vial: An earthy, broad, dirty spice.
On me: A deep, broad, prickly brown scent: strong clove (the other spices are here too, but secondary) atop distinctive truffle and grounded in incense. Not at all sweet. It can go medicinal, especially it overapplied. The truffle is earthy but with a perfumey quality, especially as the scent wears or if overapplied. A light touch benefits this; throw and wear length are otherwise moderate to strong.
Verdict: It can be easy to project name or description onto a blend, but "boar" really fits this deep, prickly, brown scent—it's large and unique, but from a shadowy, earthy direction. Three tests in, I'm still not sure how I like it. Not worth a bottle, but I've also not smelled anything quite like it and I imagine sometimes I'll reach for it on account.
MIDNIGHT MASS (LE, Yule 2018)
This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass.
In vial: I got cedar and incense on one test, cedar and resin on the next.
On me: Upon application: cedar! As it dries down, incense and resin come forward, a smokey/airy/smooth contemplative blend against a warm, woody cedar base. It's hugely reminiscent of Cathedral (Venerable and solemn: the scent of incense smoke wafting through an ancient church. A true ecclesiatical blend of pure resins.)—I could probably differentiate if I tested side by side, but they're functionally dupes. Lasts ages and ages.
Verdict: I feel about this like I feel about Cathedral: it's fine, but I like the intent more than the execution. I think it's the cedar, and I don't even dislike cedar—it keeps the register a little higher, a little more dry woods than deep, solemn incense and resin.
