apostates:

Super duper bumper Scent of a Warden post #7

Scent of a Warden can be found here! (Including the new KOTOR range) 

Previous reviews
Here (Sebastian, Anders, Nathaniel, Carver, Alistair, Fenris)
Here (Ashley, Garrus, Thane, Zaeed)
Here (Kaidan, Varric, Tali)
Here (Isabela, Cullen)
Here (Anders candles, Traynor, Bann Teagan, Javik, Liara, Saren, Andraste, Legion and Flemeth)
Here (Highever Castle, Duncan, Morrigan, Leliana, Zevran, Sigrun, Justice, Velanna, Bethany, Merrill and Aveline) 

Reviewed in this edition - 

Mass Effect -

SSV Normandy / The Illusive Man / James Vega / David Anderson / EDI / Miranda Lawson / Mordin Solus / Jack / Joker

—————-

SSV Normandy: Cyclonic barriers, THANIX cannons, and a few of the comforts of home.  Steel, amber, ozone, leather and linen with hints of coffee, black tea, honey and musk and  the barest trace of gunpowder.

This is home. It’s mechanical yet fluid, bright glowing screens and a soft leather pilot seat.  It’s clean, precise, yet there’s a warmth that only comes from the imprint of souls, from love and laughter  shared amongst friends and crew. It’s moving from level to level; the little blast of  gunpowder and steel bringing you to the shuttle bay, the ozone seeping like a cool breeze  from engineering, the familiar warmth of black tea and honey from the crew quarters and the linen and musk linger as the backbone, conjuring memories of the Commanders cabin, of close skin and murmured sighs. It’s  organic, metallic, it has memories of its own. The Normandy isn’t just a ship, she’s as alive as all that sail on her.

The Illusive Man: Sharp, dry and clean with notes of rough and dark. Amyris wood, rosemary,  coriander and ice with hints of black pepper and Tuscan wine.

If a smell can be both dark and light, both parts of one man coming together which lay a path to an unwavering  stance born out of both mind and soul, then it’s this one. The ice is chilling, a cold blue unnatural glare straight at you. The amyris intertwining with the rosemary give it depth and a twinge of something that snakes round your throat and demands you listen. But this isn’t a full force heady scent, it lingers and leaves imprints and traces that you’ll revisit later. The Tuscan wine almost pulling at your lips whilst the black pepper is the reminder not to let your guard down. It’s complex and  brimming with class and the scent, much like the man himself, is never what it seems.

James Vega: Strong and earthy with spice notes. Cedarwood, musk, nutmeg, leather and  coffee with notes of gunpowder and chili.

Vega, in all his glory. It packs a punch, a fierce nutmeg and chili infused delicious punch, the  sort that’d make your head spin for days. But it’s filled with warmth, all rumbling chuckles deep within and a sweet smoke that lingers for days after. The leather and coffee start your mind racing, the bitter strong notes tickling your nose and wanting more, whilst the musk and cedarwood  are unashamedly masculine, with a quirk of a lip and a grunt of approval. But Vega is more  than that and the deep seated comfort that comes from this scent says it all. Whether it’s  a hearty pat on the back or a well needed bear hug; it’s inviting, real and heartfelt. It’s a  scent that you’d be happy to sneak up on you, it’s a scent that’d drive you loco.

David Anderson: Solid, smooth and slightly gruff with underlying passion - cedarwood,  frankincense, hazelnut, oakmoss and amber with hints of nutmeg and gunpowder.

Age and wisdom, a man that doesn’t need to command respect - he deserves respect. It’s a  firm handshake and a nod of approval from an old friend. Gorgeous hazelnut softening with amber  turns to something almost warm and foody, like a hot cup of creamed coffee steaming next  to reports. It’s grounded, mellow, yet strong. It’s soft spoken but not weak. Gunpowder and frankincense turn slowly into memories of battlefield smoke, of long lost stories that’ll wait for another day.  It’s still clean though, still Alliance born and Alliance bred. This is for a man who’s seen it all,  the good and the bad, but never failed to have soul when it meant the most. 

EDI: Sharp, sassy and cool. Lemon, bergamot, spearmint and steel with notes of orchid and  a hint of cypress.

Alive. Learning. Living. This is bright, almost innocent, but awash with intricacy and  intrigue. The lemon and spearmint leave a cool, calm wash over your skin whilst the  bergamot and orchid lead to something more, to the little gaps and questions, little tilts of her head, to the little  parts of herself that she needs to find. It’s metallic without being alien, it’s someone you welcome and love, someone you’d be happy to have at your side to hell and back.  There’s a pulse too and it may not be sweet or skin made but it’s there, warmth slowly  seeping into her joints, a small smile creeping on her face when no one is looking.

Miranda Lawson: Engineered perfection with a soft spot. Rose, benzoin, sandalwood, leather  and steel with threads of sweet spice.

Clean and precise with every note leading to perfection, every note working in unison. The rose and the steel are at the forefront, two pieces of her that fit so close together, the homed skills  which snap necks and the measured smile that leaves her lips after. Benzoin and sandalwood  are the woman behind the engineering, the warmth behind the cold facade, one side of the coin needed to balance the other. After all she may be many things but she’s still human, her  chest still rises and falls, her skin still warm to the touch. This is as complex as Miranda  Lawson herself and that’s a feat to behold.

Mordin Solus: Sharp, clean and electric. Bayberry, peppermint, palmarosa, coriander and  ozone.

Chipper! Intriguing! Definite medical kick, perhaps consider inhaling quickly, fear you may  miss something otherwise!
Electric ozone fizzing and popping against bright peppermint, reminiscent of white science lab  surfaces and scientific jargon that makes your head spin. Coriander and bayberry give a  gorgeous green undercurrent, calming the white bright fierce snap. This is all omni-tools and  thought processes working quicker than your eye, or nose, can keep up with. All erratic  movement and uncertainty around each corner. This matches Mordin’s idiosyncrasy perfectly and you just never know where it could take you next.

Samara: Clean strength with shadowed undertones. Rosewood, palmarosa, ozone and a  touch of violet with an undercurrent of myrrh.

This is a smell of restraint and distant worlds. It’s calm, cool and deep much like still waters  leading to bubbling dark seas. Violet swirling against myrrh make this deliciously smooth and velvety with rosewood adding age and palmarosa adding a soft floral hum to the back of your  senses. Ozone is her control, biotic blue waves lapping against skin and bone, a warning of lines not to be crossed. It’s certain in it’s femininity, not afraid to be sleek and sensual, but never overt or brash. It’s soft spoken and you’ll force every one of your senses to take heed and pay attention to each step it takes.

Jack: A sharp, harsh and volatile scent nearly masking an earthy warmth. Chili pepper,  gunpowder, palmarosa and coriander with hints of hazelnut and cinnamon.

Heat and flames. Volatile doesn’t even come close but it has good reason and you need to  be ready for the full hit because it’s worth it. Gunpowder is the scorch left  wherever Jack has been, the impact that many face head on. Cinnamon and chili pepper - blood red lips and  inked memories as far as the eye can see, with a snarl and a flash of teeth as a warning.  When this isn’t dripping fire it’s instead burning under the surface, almost like your soul is ignited.  This is menacing and it will fight but you’ll know from the tinge of the palmarosa and the hazelnut that there’s something deeper within that needs to be sought and let free.

Jeff ‘Joker’ Moreau: Bittersweet and smooth. Coffee, fennel and leather, sweetened with a  hint of clove and honey.

Deft hands running over week old stubble and bitter coffee with no hint of cream as he’s smooth  enough. Leather seats surround and that smell of home, the smell he wouldn’t change for the world. He sits at the helm and drinks everything in. The clove gives spice and warmth, something that emanates from Jeff Moreau that many don’t see. Honey is as sticky as the sarcasm that drips from his tongue, the sort that you can’t stop from making you smile. He may not be in the line of fire, may not have torn up armour and spent clips but bitter smoke and strength still linger around him as he himself has witnessed many battles alone.

Reviews commissioned (sort of - apparently getting the perfumes to review was payment enough to do them) for the Scent of a Warden scent booklet (for MCM Expo this weekend) from @apostates, whose way with words always humbles me a little and lets me know I’m doing what I set out to do with Scent of a Warden. Part two of two.

apostates:

Super duper bumper Scent of a Warden review post #6

Scent of a Warden can be found here! (Including the new KOTOR range) 

Previous reviews
Here (Sebastian, Anders, Nathaniel, Carver, Alistair, Fenris)
Here (Ashley, Garrus, Thane, Zaeed)
Here (Kaidan, Varric, Tali)
Here (Isabela, Cullen)
Here (Anders candles, Traynor, Bann Teagan, Javik, Liara, Saren, Andraste, Legion and Flemeth)

Reviewed in this edition - 

Dragon Age!

Origins Collection : Highever Castle / Duncan / Morrigan / Leliana / Zevran / Sigrun / Justice Velanna / Bethany / Merrill / Aveline
—————-
Highever Castle - seat of the noble House Cousland. Ambegris, leather, hay, sandalwood and steel on a base of amyris wood.

Close your eyes and you’ll swear you’re wandering down one of the many stone corridors  within Highever. The taste of steel in the back of your throat; deadly, cold and menacing.  It’s warmed slightly by the lingering note of dry hay and leather, reminiscent of bales stacked  head high for archery practice and the silent and gentile guards whom patrol every last inch of the Castle. Wood and dust snake around you lastly whispering of locked rooms  storing wooden chests and armour stands sturdy and strong. There’s something so  comforting about this scent, yet not sweet or terribly warm. It feels well weathered,  respected and honourable. This is Highever before the treachery and this will be Highever  for many moons to come.

Duncan: Heady but solid with hints of comfort and regret. Cedarwood, sandalwood, oakmoss  and myrrh with hints of woodsmoke.

A deliciously strong scent which for me sums up Duncan perfectly. The Cedarwood and  sandalwood give it depth, age, resolve. They represent his grasp on his future, the  little wrinkles that dance around his eyes with a tired smile and a strong hand on ones shoulder.  The oakmoss lays the way for images of green underfoot, of travel in the dead of night over  brooks and through trees. A master of the nature around him because that’s survival. Myrrh  and woodsmoke invade your senses and place you right by the roaring fire at Ostagar, the  scent clinging to your skin like a protective shield. It’s calm, sure spoken and tempered but  it isn’t to be taken lightly much like Duncan himself.

Sigrun: Vivacious sass earthed by the Stone. Mango, spearmint and freesia with notes of  pine and a hint of benzoin.

Perky! Death! Perky death! That’s Sigrun all over for me. The Mango and spearmint give a light from within, a defiant spark to keep going at all cost no matter who may have fallen  behind you and no matter if you’re already dead yourself. The freesia flows through it tempering  the sweetness with a cold bloom, of merciless twin blades. The pine leaves you with a taste  of murky green walls, damp and unforgiving and somehow home. This is soft without comfort, jovial without laughter, it’s a round face full of stories staring back at you and a quick flash of a smile.

Morrigan: Dark, sharp, elegant and wild. Oakmoss, chestnut, vetivert, pepper and musk on a  base of rose.

The vetivert makes this unashamedly wicked and dripping with sarcasm. It’s damp and thick deep green moss and foliage underfoot oozing with life and almost clawing at your  heels. It’s alive, natural, haunting and you will be intrigued. The pepper gives a harsh bite, a snap of a tongue or the crack of a staff. Chestnut and musk are her skin, warm and soft unlike  every inch of her persona and unlike what she wants you to think. This is not tempered, not  calming or subtle. This is a Witch of the Wilds and you will not get in her way.

Leliana: Chantry incense, flower meadows and knives in the shadows. Frankincense, myrrh  and benzoin, cut grass, freesia and white musk with notes of steel.

A divine floral with a deep secret. The cut grass, freesia and white musk flow together to  create the most elegant smell of delicacy, of freedom and of travels. The frankincense and  myrrh give way to something that seeps in to the very bones of your being; a calm, a  resolution and an understanding. Both sides of Leliana coming together to form something  nothing less than beautiful. Steel lingers subtlety, a small blade passing before your eyes  in a moment of violence but then disappears into the breeze as the benzoin soothes your  senses once more. It’s love and song and laughter with a purpose and a reason brought  forth maybe from the Maker himself.

Justice: Bright, light uncompromising with notes of melancholy. Neroli, ozone, oakmoss and  citronella with notes of tea tree and white musk

An unnerving shimmering apparition with one path and one word that falls from his lips :  Justice. This is bright, vivid, stark, filling your lungs and screaming at you to understand. This  is not sweet and certainly not comforting, more akin to static electricity pulsing through you. This stays true on each note, each sting of citronella mixing with each mouth watering note of tea tree and ozone. It oozes strength, Justice’s strength, unforgiving and unrelenting. Bright white light  and nothing else because that is who he is and he will not bend to your world or your will.

Zevran Arainai: Sultry, spicy and sharp. Sandalwood, musk, coriander, cinnamon and spice  with hints of chocolate … and leather, of course.

A scent, for me, that keeps me wanting more. It’s beautiful aged leather, soft and pliable  under fingertips and the most sensual skin close musk, like burying your head in  the warmth of his neck. It’s flirtatious like it’s being spun by wicked lips and age old tongues. The deep warmth from the chocolate and cinnamon almost give you butterflies, like  the assassin himself is whispering in your ear. The coriander and sandalwood add an extra  touch giving you yet another layer to discover, another part of him that makes up the  mystery that is the assassin who fell before your feet.

Velanna: Bright sharp herbals with a bittersweet undercurrent. Bergamot, palmarosa, lemon  verbena and marjoram with a touch of lavender and cedarwood.

Revenge and bitterness straight from the wild undergrowth. The twang of the Bergamot pulls  at you, with the lemon verbena itching to get under your skin. Appearing through twisted  vines with a hiss and a snarl, unforgiving and absolute in her choices. Lavender and cedarwood give  her heart because amongst all her pain that’s what drives her, her love for her sister.  This is sharp, prickly, judging and full force, a scent that stands brilliantly on it’s own and  won’t tame itself for anyone.

Bethany Hawke: Sunshine and roses with a core of inner strength. Rosewood, lemon  verbena, orange blossom and mimosa.

Soft rosy cheeks, rounded faces and plump lips. Rosewood bringing almost a  Turkish delight taste to your tongue, all pink petals and soft comfort. The mimosa is the  white delicate sugar coating, powder fresh and gentle floral. But amongst the love and the blossom there’s a bolt of a vibrancy unknown to most. A wide eyed fierce woman who  will fight, all thanks to the sharp flash of lemon verbena. It’s sparks dancing off milky flushed  skin, a strength that rivals the most trained warriors.

Merrill: Sweet forests with a hint of the dark. Cut grass, pine, lily and bergamot with a tinge  of oakmoss and patchouli.

Innocent yet dark, tales of stilled waters and deep green growth underfoot. The pine melding with oakmoss and patchouli give off an otherworldly tinge of nature and of calling to something older than we understand. The lily and bergamot brighten, giving way to big wide eyes and  beaming smiles and of an innocence that still isn’t lost. It’s wet, tangible and ever changing. Natural  yet anything but, blurring the lines between something you think you’ve witnessed before  and something that touches you deep within. Old magic with a new heart and the world pulling in between.

Aveline: Strong and steadfast with solid-sweet undernotes. Rosewood, cedar, amber and  hazelnut with hints of cinnamon and orange.

Warmth and strength bottled. No sharpness, no hidden bitterness and nothing to unsettle  the water. Warm hazy sunshine falling across freckled cheeks and fire lit hair, illuminating  muscles and kind eyes in the same breath. Rosewood, cedar and amber keep this smooth,  almost like liquid honey enveloping you, whilst the hazelnut, earthy cinnamon and orange lift  and add extra strength. It’s a dry scent, not wet and morphing, instead coated in sun  soaked sand and dust kicked up by sturdy well worn boots. Good natured, well mannered and  always by your side.

Reviews commissioned (sort of - apparently getting the perfumes to review was payment enough to do them) for the Scent of a Warden scent booklet (for MCM Expo this weekend) from @apostates, whose way with words always humbles me a little and lets me know I’m doing what I set out to do with Scent of a Warden. Part one of two.