The Arrow of Love

[Boudicca]

Possets description: Sandalwood, sweet oude, golden amber, a touch of mint (the leaves not the blossoms). An appropriately cold but not harsh musk for staying power.

Cold and fresh, like the first piercings of the fateful shaft, the arrow of love shows off sandalwood in an oriental showcase of oude and amber but manages to remain modern with the touch of mint and edgy musk. This perfume is a wonderful day blend and easily handles any stuffy winter indoor atmosphere. If you are getting tired of overcast days and heavy perfumes but want one with class and substance, this one is a wonderful choice.

[hill78]

Pretty, very soft. Smooth and clean. Maybe the tiniest bit powdery and smelling of freshly washed skin. I can't pick out any one ingredient, except it may be the musk that is giving me the soapy, fresh scrubbed skin feeling. This is a lovely clean fragrance for a day when you're trapped inside.

[Maya]

I wore this one today. For the first hour or so, it smelled like a man who had just brushed his teeth, splashed on some high end after shave, then dropped a kiss on my forehead (so all of the scents lingered close in the air) before going out the door adjusting the perfect Windsor knot in his tie. I kept getting this waft of minty toothpaste and classy aftershave. I wasn't sure if that's really what I wanted to smell like (although, I will admit it was rather sexy thinking about the kind of man that would smell like that mingle of scents), but after about that hour the scent softened down and became something a woman could wear without feeling too masculine (or like she'd just wandered out of the den of an affair). The initial pungency reminded me of Arc of Venus, although the fragrance itself is totally different. The way it softens is very pretty, and even about 12 hours later, it still is lingering on my skin.

This wouldn't have been my first pick, but it definitely grew on me.

[hill78]

Revisiting this one this afternoon. I find it quite soothing. Unlike Maya, I get very little mint. I catch maybe a hint of it upon initial application, but that's about it. On my skin this ends up being a lovely blend of the sandalwood, oude, and musk. I would call it unisex, leaning towards femme (on me at least, ymmv). I think oude is one of those notes that can be VERY variable depending on skin chemistry, so while this is sort of soft and feminine on me, my experience is very different from Maya's. It is reminding me of something, I think a non-posset, but I can't quite put my finger on what that something is!

Anyhoo, this a much more modern take on oude. Even if you don't normally gravitate towards oude fragrances, I think you should consider trying this one, it is very unique!

[gypsyjolie]

I also don't get much mint to this, but perhaps a little that makes it feel fresh. This is a musky fragrance, very soft and feminine and well blended, pillowy soft... akin to fragrances like 301. Really big throw due to the oude (which doesn't smell as woody/leathery like Olde Time Religion's oude, so maybe it is white oude?). The sandalwood is soft and a bit powdery and also helps with the longevity. The full drydown is a sort of cross between 301's soft musk and Field of Reeds' soft sandalwood, with a touch of a vanilla-ish sweetness.

This perfume is rather heady, with big throw and lots of longevity. It makes me think of cashmere and white florals (though there isn't a floral component). It is overwhelmingly feminine, even grandly feminine on me. Use sparingly! This bordered on cloying on me in my little office with all the windows closed for winter. I'd prefer it for spring when there is more air movement.


Isn't it fascinating how differently skin chemistry affect scents on different people? Maya and I had very different reactions to this one.

[Angewl]

I wore this one today. For the first hour or so, it smelled like a man who had just brushed his teeth, splashed on some high end after shave, then dropped a kiss on my forehead (so all of the scents lingered close in the air) before going out the door adjusting the perfect Windsor knot in his tie. I kept getting this waft of minty toothpaste and classy aftershave. I wasn't sure if that's really what I wanted to smell like (although, I will admit it was rather sexy thinking about the kind of man that would smell like that mingle of scents), but after about that hour the scent softened down and became something a woman could wear without feeling too masculine (or like she'd just wandered out of the den of an affair). The initial pungency reminded me of Arc of Venus, although the fragrance itself is totally different. The way it softens is very pretty, and even about 12 hours later, it still is lingering on my skin.

This wouldn't have been my first pick, but it definitely grew on me.

Maya. Yes yes yes. This is a perfect description of what I get with this scent.

[Boudicca]

I put this on this AM and though, "Whoa! Minty Fresh!"
After a couple hours or so, that had gone away. In fact, most everything had gone. There was just a suggestion of musk and maybe sandalwood left on my skin. So very very very faint.

Well, obviously that would not do so I reapplied. Generously. Not so minty this time. So far it's pretty much all oude with the mint providing just a bit of freshness. I'd call it unisex but leaning towards masculine. I'll let it settle and report back maybe.