Dans L'Ombre

[luna65]

 

Scent: Dark and dusty cofee incense.

 

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MAGICKAL MEANINGS OF INGREDIENTS:
COFFEE ~ Focus, stamina, concentration, determination.
DRAGON’S BLOOD ~ Entices errant lovers to return, increases power of other ingredients. Love, protection, exorcism, potency.
NAG CHAMPA ~ A mix of ingredients for spiritual awakening, purification, and stress relief, and a sensual atmospheric.
PATCHOULI ~ Soothes and uplifts; sensual, sexually stimulating, lust, fertility, money. Meditative and transforming.
VANILLA ~ Aphrodisiac, inspires happiness, playfulness, sexual arousal, lust, is vitalizing.
CHOCOLATE/COCOA ~ Lightens emotions, evokes feelings of love.
MUSK ~ Self confidence and strength, sexual attractant, heightens passions and arousal.

[asterism]

I won't be able to smell this for a few weeks, I can't wait to hear about this one! coffee AND incense AND chocolate??? yes please

[cheeseburger79]

Mmmmmm-MMM! THAT is the STUFF! I lamented the inevitable discontinuation of Mourning Glory from a couple years back before I could get a full size spray of it and was hoarding the rest of my oil, so when I saw this pop up I sprang for a spray of it instantly. No regerts,lol. 

 

  This is soooooo amazingly delicious and sexy and androgynous and deep. Its blended very well, and out of the mail, the dark chocolate sits right on top, joined by some swoony, smoky champa and a few minutes after developing these melt and deepen into a pool of somewhat 'dusty' (in a dry autumn leaf way, not dusty attic way) dragons blood, dark, full bodied coffee and chewy patch. I don't pick out musk on its own, but I imagine it's what's making this gorgeous philtre waft and throw and move through the air in such a sensual way. The overall effect is a real showstopper for anyone who loves gourmand cool weather scents. This one is a true dark delight and I'm so happy I had the good sense to grab a big bottle right away. It is absolutely on par with my dear Mourning Glory. 

 

 For anyone who has tried both, how does this compare to last year's Earth and Urn? The 'earth' note kept me away from that one because I'm not really a fan of soil notes, but if it's not prominent, I may want to give it a shot. 

 

[luna65]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:47 AM, cheeseburger79 said:

 

 For anyone who has tried both, how does this compare to last year's Earth and Urn? The 'earth' note kept me away from that one because I'm not really a fan of soil notes, but if it's not prominent, I may want to give it a shot. 

 

 

I would say that there's not an incense impression to Earth and Urn, it's more earthy/smoky, but not, like, dirt, just elements which come across as earthy, which coffee can do as well depending on the type.  So if you want that specific coffee incense combo, Earth and Urn is not that specifically.  But I think it's wonderful!

[cheeseburger79]

Hmmmm. Might at least have a sample in my future then. Thanks Luna! 

[Onyx]

This is one of those scents that I'm somewhat curious about though not enough to buy a trial, but @cheeseburger79's review makes me more interested. I also think the label is gorgeous and the name fits it very well.

 

I'm curious how this compares to Kahve if anyone has both to compare? I remember @Femmefatale said that she got coffee and incense from that one. 

 

I'm also curious what you think of the coffee in this one if you have it @Kayla. I remember you mentioned the Kahve one smelled somewhat citrusy for you too. 

 

 

[Femmefatale]

I actually just ordered the new samples, so they have not arrived yet, however I will say Earth and Urn was one I love a lot and own a bottle of. My fellow also found Earth and Urn very sexy, but to be fair, I don’t think I wore Kahve in front of him. I liked it as a sleeping scent. I enjoyed Kahve, but it wasn’t quite me. I’m pretty sure @Mila is the opposite and prefers Kahve. I do mostly go for the creamy and foody scents, but Mara makes some sexy spicy scents that just knock em dead, so I try to try as many scents as I can because I never know what will work. Even testing can be tricky, if I use too little I might not get the full effect and you know all about resting and changing chemistry. 

[Kayla]

6 hours ago, Onyx said:

 I'm also curious what you think of the coffee in this one if you have it @Kayla. I remember you mentioned the Kahve one smelled somewhat citrusy for you too. 

 

I didn't get a sample of it because of the patchouli, which generally smells awful on my skin.

[Onyx]

Thank you, @Femmefatale! I also mostly go for the creamy and foodie scents but try ones that interest me outside of my normal preferences because I like being pleasantly surprised! I just looked at Earth and Urn's notes and while they do not interest me and some I even avoid (like tobacco), the reviews and what you said make me consider getting a trial along with my next order.

 

Oh, I see. I didn't even notice the patchouli until you pointed it out, @Kayla!

 

[asterism]

ohhh this is SO GOOD! I love the chocolate note. I was worried about the vanilla taking over on me but for the first few hours it just smooths things out in the background here. the slight bitter earthiness of the cocoa makes this feel almost spiced in a baked goods way. the incense feels the most forward, smoothed out by the vanilla and with a nice cocoa haze keeping things spooky, and the musk gives it that sexy perfume vibe. I'm seven hours in and so far so good... I've been wanting a nice sexy chocolate that resonates with me for the longest time.

 

since everyone seems interested in comparisons, here are my thoughts:

 

mourning glory is a very striking incense+coffee scent, a fragrance with two faces that doesn't feel perfumey in any way. but dans l'ombre is smoothed out and a bit creamy, and blended into a unified whole that reads like a perfume. they have some ingredients in common, but very different characters, so it's absolutely worth trying both if you're into this kind of scent. but also if mourning glory wasn't sweet/wearable/idk enough for you, or you're afraid of smelling like a crystal shop or whatever, give it to me this might be a bit more accessible.

 

as for earth and urn, I don't think they're similar at all except for the coffee. earth and urn is a bold spicy earthy coffee scent, more like a shot of bourbon and a kick in the neck. your friend's sexy uncle (gender neutral) with a dangerous smile who does cocaine, idk. the impression of dans l'ombre is more gourmand and silky, like a knife between the ribs. maybe your friend's hot goth sister who plays violin and dances in graveyards.

 

as for kahve, I don't think they're similar. kahve has a sort of barber shop vibe that puts it in a really different category for me. I got a sample but it wasn't my thing so I can't compare them more than that.

 

no one mentioned garland latte but I think of the coffee scents in the past few years I've tried, that one is the closest in nature. dans l'ombre is more perfumey than gourmand and it's not as creamy, but it's halfway to gourmand and the cocoa strikes a similar chord for me as the autumn spices in garland latte. not at all that they smell the same, just that I'd personally rank them as most similar. it has been a while since I've worn garland though.

 

and unfortunately, I can't compare this to the pumpkin latte weenie (yet!)

 

those are just my impressions as a coffee scent lover, I hope it helps anyone who has been waffling. but definitely give this one a try!

[luna65]

This one definitely comes down more on the incense side of things for me.  As a somewhat sweet incense type I think it's nice, but not my thing in particular.  The drydown is very lovely, though, the musk really tempering the other notes.  I honestly didn't get any coffee from it overall, in a distinct sense.

[greenappletart]

Dans L'Ombre goes on chocolate. Then the resins hit and dominate for about 10 minutes until they smooth out a bit. At that point, it settles into a milk chocolate (think Hershey's kiss) resin. A resiny chocolate bar. Smoky, but not dry. There's a sweetness that I'm not sure if it's coming from the chocolate, but it sits at the same level as the chocolate. If you think of different layers in a scent as a ladder, they would be on the same step. The patch is really loud on me, but I amp patch like crazy. So, for patch avoiders, beware that it might take over. Though it wasn't so bad I had to wash it off, so for everyone else, the patch is probably well balanced. Then about 5 or 6 hours in, I get something akin to sandalwood. Despite the patch, I like this one enough that I'm considering getting another trial or two.