Arcanum

4 thoughts on “Arcanum”

1. a straight up incense smell. I’m getting dragons blood and sandalwood (maybe patchouli?) incense. I’ve seen people describe this as “hippie shop” or “record store” and I definitely agree.

2. I agree with Astrogeeks about this smelling like the original 1970’s version of YSL’s Opium. On my skin I immediately get OG Opium and a sweet note that just doesn’t seem as if it belongs with everything else. I’m not sure what it is, maybe the Dragon’s Blood (which can be tricky on me) or one of the eastern spices in the mix. I’d enjoy this much more without that strange sweet note. After about 60 to 90 minutes that sweetness disappears and I’m left smelling of Opium until it disappears on me at the 5 hour mark. I actually wanted to try this one for the Nag Champa but I can never pick it out at any stage on my skin. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Dragon’s Blood isn’t jiving with my chemistry. This is a like and not a love for now but I’ll age this longer and see if that sweet note mellows into the oil. Only time will tell!

   1. I’ve aged Arcanum for quite some time and that strange disjointed sweet note is still there on my skin. It’s not a gourmand sweetness but it definitely doesn’t smell like it belongs. Reminiscent of YSL’s original Opium ruined by sweet Dragon’s Blood. In fairness Dragon’s Blood and my chemistry rarely get along. If not for the damn Dragon’s Blood, Arcanum would probably fall into the love category for me. As it stands, I don’t care for the end result on my skin.

3. I’m not picking up any of the scent description.. I get a sweeter version of OG Opium with a hint of incense burning..