Unbaptism

3 thoughts on “Unbaptism”

1. This smells like the candle aisle at Ross in October. It’s fine. It’s not something I personally want to smell like. It’s perfectly fine for a room spray or maybe a body oil, but as a perfume, it’s a bit clunky and unnuanced. I get pumpkin more than anything. It isn’t particularly incensey, and it isn’t at all smokey. It’s simply a spiced pumpkin, to my nose. Quite pleasant, not super original, not great for a perfume but good for a candle.

2. This one is faint to my nose at first sniff. There is definite booze on the top, which is nicely spicy and sexy, in a rich and refined way. I next read something deep and incense-y almost, but without smoke. It’s just raw heat. Intriguing. I also smell something like… charred pumpkin? It’s not foodie, per se. It’s more like the smell a hot grill adds to food, grounded in the flesh of a gourd. After a few minutes on my skin, there’s a sense of the outdoors, teetering on sweet tree sap. It must be the resin; it’s not at all pine-y though (thankfully). It’s polished and almost clean. There’s so much depth here too! It’s revealing itself layer by layer, drawing me into the scent as it wears. There are elements to this that remind me of Dark Shadows, but without its sweetness. Then I’m reminded of Kentucky Bourbon and Woodsmoke. It doesn’t have the smoke though, like I already mentioned, but it’s in the same family and could be labeled masculine. I’d also be comfortable wearing it year-round. This grew on me exponentially. I considered swapping it away, but I couldn’t stop applying it. It’s literally addicting. The firewood embers make it pop, burning something deep and primal in my soul. I don’t know what else to say, but I highly recommend that you try it if you’re at all interested. Spend some time with it too. I’m glad I did! This and Dark Shadows are must haves. They share some characteristics, but I love each so much that I don’t even care. Both!

3. This is fire and smoke and rebirth. I don’t get campfire so much as a raging furnace – I can smell the heat radiating off of me as I wear this. That specific aroma of a furnace kicking on in an old building. Clearly my chemistry amps the embers – not a complaint! I love dirty atmospherics and I’m getting that up front. The resin and frankincense come up under the embers, building that fire scent, adding layers and a feeling of ritual. The earthy stink of the embers is tempered by the liquors and pumpkin – I get a taste of them, but just a taste. A spicy-sexy, lightly sticky-sweet finish to the all-consuming, purifying flames. I’m reminded of my own journey of self-discovery and self-improvement – I always picture it as my hand clawing my way out of darkness, or out of a patch of dirt to rise from the earth, drawn to the flame of possibility. That’s what this smells like to me.