Cloven Sand-Halloween 2019

[Beccah]

A devilishly sensual and exotic unisex blending of sandalwood attars and EOs whose sources span the globe, plus a few drops of aged patchouli attar, dashes of fiery Arabian spice and clove bud and leaf, further ignited by woodsmoke accord and smoky Arabian wood resin.

There’s a hint of devilish mischief in his smile
even as he might be acting proper all the while.
It’s always those who charm their way into high society
reeking of propriety
yet possess an undefinable allure lurking beneath
like a shadow.
A conflagration dampened to embers
seeming to imbue him with a glow
is it the mystery which leads you to take his hand
as he invites you to places you should never go.
But this is all merely fantasy
for the Devil surely has better things to do
than lounge among the decadents
no longer bothering to hide his malevolence
you can smell the fire of his words and deeds.
And the heat is so inviting
that you decide to stop fighting
and cozy up to his sinful propositions.

Scent: Smooth and sultry spiced sandalwood, for any gender to wear.

MAGICKAL MEANINGS OF INGREDIENTS:
SANDALWOOD ~ Love, exotic, sensual atmospheric; aphrodisiac. Healing, spirituality, exorcism.
CLOVE ~ Money attracting, deflects negative and hostile energies.
VANILLA ~ Aphrodisiac, inspires happiness, playfulness, sexual arousal, lust, vitalizing.
PATCHOULI ~ Soothes and uplifts; sensual, sexually stimulating, lust, fertility, money. Meditative and transforming.
SMOKE ~ In addition to the attributes of whatever is being burned (resins, woods, etc), smoke is for cleansing, purification, renewal, consecration, concealment and celebration. It is also the foremost mode of communication from this world to the realm of spirits and the gods.
OAK ~ A wood of masculine and projective energy. It symbolizes endurance, triumph, strength, power, prosperity, and heroism.

[luna65]

So again, I'm just going to review this on its' own impression rather than comparing it to the original.  I think this is pretty popular with the guys overall, so I'm sure they're happy it's back.

 

I really like the sandalwood in this one because it's specifically woody.  Sometimes with sandalwood it lends a smoothness or even a creaminess which binds and grounds everything and it's wonderful, but I often enjoy a particularly woody type of sandalwood, and I assume that the oak is maybe amping the overall impression in this case.  It blends really well with the clove but also provides an interesting contrast.  Behind those two things is the smoke and it's a great accent, like it's threaded through the other notes to bolster them.  This is the scent which actually has sort of a dusty impression to me.  But that whole smoky-woody-resinous-kinda spicy thing is totally made for a guy to lure the ladies and I'm here for it, lol.

[tyvey]

Yummmmmy

 

Yet again: in vial I thought “this is the kind of sandalwood I don’t like” and “too masculine!”  But when I put it on, I thought of melted gold, and golden cashmere wraps, and for some reason Estée Lauder ?? Maybe one of their perfumes has similar notes.  A smooth, self-assured, commercial feel (without any of the alcohol sting or chemical-y fakeness I now dread in many commercial scents).  

 

I get how it could be unisex, but with my chemistry it comes off pretty classically feminine. It lifted my mood and made me feel positively queenly.  

 

As it’s drying it’s also intermittently quite sweet! Maybe it’s the vanilla.  It also periodically gives me a white flower feel.  

 

Anyway, even if sandalwood isn’t your favorite, try this- it’s gorgeous.  It reads on me as the skin scent of someone who, to be crass, is made of money but doesn’t need anyone to know it.  

[greenappletart]

Having compared this to the 2017 Cloven Sand, this one is still not that strong, but I can definitely smell it more than the previous version. It's predominately sandalwood, with some cool spiciness from the clove. Spices can often seem warm, but I think the other notes, along with the nature of clove, are keeping it more cool feeling. As with the other one, it is unisex, but would work particularly well on a guy. It has a nonchalance about it. A not trying to hard, because you don't have to, that I think sort of fits in with what Tyvey was saying. I think for me, that has something to do with how little throw it has. Sort of an "I smell good, but I don't have to let the world know it. You only get it if you come to me."