Apep--The Snake God

[Maya]

Don't be sad Maya! There's always retour, right?! Just add it to your mental list of things you must have in the next retour

The problem with the mental list is that I keep losing my mind.

[Petticoats]

I have mad love for Apep too, especially in fall weather. I hadn't yet become a Possetier when it was available, but our kind hill78 (hi!) fixed me up with a bottle, which I am treasuring and carefully meting out while I await a retour. It is wonderful stuff! Warming, cheering, but also sexy and mysterious. Le sigh.

[gypsyjolie]

This one really is as wonderful as the hype says. It's golden, spicy (in a resin-y way, as most of the Egyptian collection was, not foodie spicy despite clove listed as an ingredient) and complex and warm, and yes, sexy. Warmer than most chypres. I wish the patchouli was a little stronger, actually, more like it is in Morgan le Fay, but this is still so beautiful. It has a lot of depth and nuance, despite being blended almost seamlessly into this golden scent. It's sweetish, and sort of caramel-y, but without being foodie or sugary. I guess that's an amber or other resin.

Unisex in the best way. Good throw and longevity. One for the resin lovers!

ETA: after an hour of wear, this does soften and I can smell the patchouli grounding it. It's a very refined patchouli, almost golden and slightly powdery, not very dark or earthy. The clove is there but understated next to the resins. This reminds me a lot of Melchior, plus light clove and the weight of patchouli. I used to love Melchior, but now I think Apep is a step better. lasts longer with more throw too.

[amberosmanthus]

I adore Melchior and I adore Apep! I never thought of them as similar, but gypsy just summed it up so wonderfully. It suddenly makes sense!

I do think Apep is more versatile. Melchior has that violet thing going on which I love, but it is pretty distinctive.

[Boudicca]

Ooh, I was kind of regretting not ordering Melchior but I did order this. So, that narrows down the list of those-I-regret-not-ordering.

[Narcisse]

Apparently my chemistry does something very odd to this perfume. Where Morgan Le Fay is not sweet or foody on me, more of a worn in leather and light spice scent, this is silver gingerbread. In fact it's sweeter and more gingerbready than Gingerbread Whorehouse. I realize I have not had it for a week yet, so change may still come, but it is the opposite of what everyone else is getting. I had been hoping this might be a replacement for Traveller's from Solstice Scents which got discontinued. I think with enough aging and time the clove and patchouli will become more pronounced or so I hope. In any event not at all how I expected this scent to go. I have to say it does not morph at all really on me, the scent softens the longer it's on my skin, but it starts and stays with sweetness of the silver line with a kiss of gingerbread. I don't know if I like it really only because it went into the one realm all reviews said it did not tread. I am not really a foody scent person so it will take me sometime to talk to Apep and get to know him a little better and I may wake up in love next week, right now I am not so sure.

Update: Roughly 2 weeks since arrival at my doorstep, the weather has been hot and humid and last night and today it is low 70's into the 50's at night so chilly for here and more dry. I am still getting gingerbread for the 1st 4 hrs than if I smell upclose I do get a waft of the chypre reminiscent of Death and Silver Chypre. I have just come to accept that what Morgan LeFay is on others Apep in on me and vice versa.

[Maya]

I had been hoping this might be a replacement for Traveller's from Solstice Scents which got discontinued.

Oh yes, this is definitely not going to be a replacement for Travelers. That one is much more resinous, and more dry than this one, imo. The caramelized essence (as I think of it) along with the chypre in Apep makes this much more sweet/soft than clove/patchouli although those do help to lay a base in this (but for me, never really rise to the surface and become dominant).

SS does such a good job of wringing out certain aspects of some notes, and the spice/resins from what I've found tend to be very different there than here. I was trying to think of what might be a good comparison here and hmmmm have you tried Beethoven's Fifth? It's going to be different than Travelers because of the tea note, but if you added some clove (perhaps one with a touch of vanilla) I'm wondering if it might evoke the feel without being the same as Travelers. It's definitely going to be hard to replicate that one. Since you liked that one, others to try (won't nearly be the same, but may be in the same family or bring back the memory of it without being it) may be Angelic Host (6th--Dominions) (although that one is going to be softer, too, but the frankincense may be worth it), and Holy Holy Holy. That one is also going to be much softer, and neither of those will have that beautiful clove note, but may have some aspects that you enjoy.