Briarthorn

This opens with a frightening plastic doll head punch. I can’t think of how else to describe it. It’s terrible. Thankfully, this mess is very short lived and within five minutes that train wreck has been cleared from the tracks.

The next train carries a very heavy, yet clean patchouli accompanied by a heavy and waxy rose. It’s the same patchouli this house uses in their scent Lady Vengeance. On the skin, is where I find the oud and patchouli, while the rose dances heavily on the cloud around me. I’m also getting a lot of an almost minty/citrusy/rosy brightness that I am attributing to the geranium. In fact, as I sniff and think on it, the geranium note is equally as strong as the rose here. The oud and Patchouli almost become one note as the oud is really faint in this composition. Oud for non-oud lovers. This scent is beautiful but so very heavy in this stage. It’s almost like a physical weight you can feel pressing down on you.

When I reach the heart the oud /patchouli note is not as strong. They are still detected against the skin but you need to hunt a bit to find them. The rose and geranium are the main event now. I think a combination of roses was used here from the east and west, it has the feel of a Taif rose but also the touch of the European rose. The entire composition feels a bit lighter and not as dense as it did forty minutes ago. It’s a beautiful and harmonious moment to breathe in.

When you hit the dry down the amber-sweetened patchouli comes out and dominates the rose. That’s all I can really detect at this point, the roses and the sweetened patchouli. No geranium, no oud.
I could no longer detect the scent on my skin after six hours, but it was still very strong on my clothing. I actually think I like it better on my shirt. The amber is stronger and everything feels a bit more balanced. Weird.

Overall, because of how incredibly heavy the roses are in the beginning, I need to be in the mood to wear Midnight Oud. When I do reach for this scent I really enjoy wearing it. It’s beautiful. If you are looking for a serious oud scent, I would not suggest this one, however. The oud is faint, almost like an afterthought.

This Review is from a mid-1960s bottle of EDT.

This opens with a very green and soapy aldehyde punch that is followed by a whisper of an indolic jasmine. The soap, however, is more strongly ylang-ylang and lilac scented. After this initial punchy opening the lilac and rose fully open up. It’s a pretty and slightly powdery rose. The lilac seems to have a sharp edge as it is blended so well with the Jasmine. It’s more of one note (Lilasmine?) instead of two distinct ones. It takes a while for this scent to fully settle. I feel like I have arrived at a floral class reunion where I need to meander around saying hello to everyone and exchanging pleasantries, “Oh. Hello powdery rose.” “Good to see you again peppery carnation.” “Lovely day Lilac.” Eventually I sit down with a group near the door and settle in for a more in depth conversation in the heart.

Here in the heart a powdery rose comes forward and sits close to the skin. The rose joins up with some ylang-ylang and they blend together to make one of my favorite note combinations in perfumery. I love the way these two florals sing together, both lovelier together than they could ever achieve on their own. Clinging to them is the soapiness from the aldehydes which are still persistent though muted. This soapy bite will follow us to the end of this scents evolution. There is also the lilac still floating around brightening everything up a bit, taking the edge off the soapiness, and dampening down the powder so that we are left with a perfectly balanced composition. I cannot find the words to convey how magical this scent is. It’s expertly balanced and blended, almost heart-stopping in its beauty.

After about eight hours it becomes a skin scent. The dry down has sweetened up a little bit, most likely from the addition of sandalwood. The rose is still very prominent and is more powdery now than it was in the heart. It is incredibly beautiful and once again I am at a loss for the right words to describe it. After fourteen hours I can no longer smell it.

This was a beautiful piece of art to wear and experience. It’s the vision and child of a true master of his craft.

This opens with a bright green, dew touched wisteria and lilac. I remember a citrus punch in the opening that fades quickly, but time has removed that from the opening in this bottle. There is, however, still a heavy dose of lily-of-the-valley behind the purple flowers. The lily-of-the-valley always stands out in my mind with it’s bright and sweet song. It has that white floral “thing” about it, without the harsh indolic sharpness. Forest Lily is my go-to scent for lily-of-the-valley. Behind the bright green and dewy florals there is a nice woody, almost bitter oak note. You have to search for it in the opening, but it is there. The opening leaves the impression of a cool morning, just before the sun begins to rise. It’s nippy and damp, and the air is sweet.

After a time the scent has warmed up, the dew has evaporated, and the sun has fully come out. It’s still a cool and chilly morning but a bit of the edge has been removed from it. The lily-of-the-valley becomes the dominant floral. The wisteria and lilac are still there, just quietly so, lazily dozing in the background. There is a slight, sweet zing from what I think is Ylang-ylang. Normally, I feel that Ylang-ylang warms up a composition but that’s not the case here. It’s still has that cool morning bite, even with the zing of the ylang-ylang jumping around energetically. This ylang-ylang zing, however, gives a nice edge to the lily-of-the-valley, even if it doesn’t remove the chill from it. The oak base can now be easily found. It’s dry, rich and has a bit of a mustiness to it, that makes me think of the bark dust I’d inhale while climbing trees in my youth. I think it may be orris root that supplies this nice mustiness. I find the use of oak here a really interesting choice. It gives this scent a uniqueness in the woody/floral category of scents. There is also a hint of pepperiness (for lack of a better word) floating around in the heart. Perhaps from the wisteria. The oak and this peppery tinge give the scent some depth and keep it interesting.

The dry down is soft and woody. The florals are now blended pleasantly behind the oak, which has been joined by a sweeter wood (most likely Sandalwood). After about four hours Forest lily becomes a skin scent and it’s completely gone after seven hours.

I find this scent to be very unique. I’ve never really smelled anything like it. There are some things that remind me of it but, unfortunately, I have not found anything that I could think of as a good replacement. This is a shame because Forest Lily has been discontinued for some time now.

This scent will always have special place in my heart. It was my signature scent when my husband and I were courting back when we were seventeen. I can’t wear it and not remember the blush of young love and memories of the marriage that blossomed from it. It’s a very special scent from a very special time.

It opens with a strong sour punch which is quickly replaced by an incredibly loud and heavy Taif Rose. The rose is accompanied by a very distinctive note of black lime. For those who don't know, black lime (limoo) a sundried lime that is used in Persian cooking as a seasoning. It has a very distinctive sour lime scent that lacks the usual sweetness of lime but still has that limey citrus zing. I've never smelled it in a perfume before this, and I really like it's use here. It's very fitting to have it paired with a Taif rose and I appreciate the uniqueness of this pairing.

Overall the scent is very intense and almost overpowering in it's strength. It is rather short lived, about four hours. I'm not sure I could handle it much longer than that, so it's not a bad thing that it fades as quickly as it does. There is no evolution on the skin. It's linear without any changes after the initial sour punch fades.

Just a quick note: Persian Rose is reminiscent Prima Ballerina by Strange Invisible Perfumes, though Prima Ballerina used a sweet lime and powdery, light European rose; the lime used here is all sour with no sweetness accompanied by a rich and heavy Taif rose. Like Prima Ballerina this isn't a scent I can wear very often but it's one that I do gravitate towards from time to time because of how incredibly unique it is. I've almost used up the bottle I have.

This is for a 1980s vintage formulation.

Youth Dew is not an scent you wear. It’s an experience, sort of like a roller coaster. Some people love the intense rush and others despise it and want off before the ride has really begun. Youth Dew is a concoction of extremes. The extreme power of it’s projection (It’ll fill a stadium) the extreme reaction it invokes (I LOVE it or I HATE it, never just “eh”), the extreme evolution it takes on the skin, the extreme color (it’s so dark it’s almost black), and the extreme difference in how it smells on different people and how they, in turn, perceive it’s scent. I happen to be on the “I love it” train. It just works for me.

When I first spray it on I think, “Beautiful”. It starts off a bit sweet with a citrus punch. It’s a surprisingly cola like sweetness with a peachy edge, I suspect the orchid is also part of that sweetness. After a few moments a slightly soapy, powdery, mixed floral begins to sing. It’s a yellow floral mix, with ylang-ylang, narcissus, and a touch of lavender. The oakmoss is hinted at here with a moist earthiness and a bit of a bite to calm the sweetness. My overall impression of the opening is that it’s magical and intoxicating with it’s floral brightness and the slighty sweet zing that sends me over the moon.

After about thirty minutes the balsam pair comes out to play and the florals are less evident. The balsams give the composition a nice earthy woodiness. This pairs very nicely with the slightly bitter spice mix that is also coming forward. I get more of a cinnamon spice than a clove based one. Also, in this spice mix, there is something I can’t name but that I find in many of the classic orientals that give them that oriental “feel” that they are known for.. There is also a slight vanillin sweetness (most likely from the Balsams). The Frankincense blends so well with the spices and Balsams that after a time they become a single note together, making it difficult to pick their individual notes apart. It’s muddled, but perhaps that’s not the correct word to use here. That implies something negative and this blending is anything but. It’s absolutely lovely. It is, however, intense. Individuals not used to this of classic powerhouse could easily be overwhelmed. The patchouli is strong in the base. It’s not a clean patchouli but dirty, almost fecal but not quite. It balances on that line. It’s not normally how I like my patchouli, but here is works. It adds a needed element to the incense and spices to bring them together in harmony. There is still a slightly floral hint but it’s more lavender and cassis at this point. There is still a memory of that cola sweetness too. Overall the heart and dry down give a feeling of contentment and coziness. It’s all working together to be warm and easy in it’s brash loudness. A contradiction but true all the same.

This scent seems to evolve so quickly on the skin. Or perhaps it’s just how my nose perceives it at any given moment. It made piecing this review together from my wear notes rather challenging to read as anything other than a stream of consciousness essay.

Youth Dew walks a very careful and well developed line. Her components are balanced perfectly to provide the amazing experience that only she can. However, if for whatever reason, your skin/ chemistry projects any component too much it can ruin the entire effect. Youth dew is persnickety and doesn’t always play nicely. If she likes you, she is an amazing ride. If she doesn’t, well, you’ll write a negative review and swear her off forever.