Nocturne Alchemy: Pyramid of Khafre

Nocturne Alchemy is in interesting concept e-tailer; all of their blends are tied, some more loosly than others, to Egypt. This isn't the blend I'd have chosen for my first review--I've just gotten involved in a decant circle for some of their newest LEs--but it happened to be tossed in as a freebie along with some other stuff I picked up from somone on LJ.

Pyramid of Khafre -- Lavender, limestone, chai spices and amber. (This was dug out of the perfume copy, which is a couple of paragraphs, including one on just who Khafre was--builder of the second of the Great Pyramids of Giza.)

This starts out as lavender and a soapy lavender at that, although there is in fact, a weird dusty undernote that I assume is the limestone. As it progresses, the spices come out and that soapy note goes away, although the lavender is still a little sharp. It's a strange scent, which is kind of what I'd expect given the notes involved. Eventually it settles into a faintly powdery but spicy lavender that still has that faint note of limestone.

It's not an easy scent and while it doesn't morph once it settles down, I can't quite decide if I like it or not. I'll sniff it and think "nah, not really working" and then a few minutes later, I'll sniff again and think "actually, I kind of like this." What I don't get is any sense of Egypt at all; the spices just aren't enough to take me there. In the end, it's that limestone note that defeats this; combined with the lavender, and even in spite of a very powdery amber, it's just a little too sharp.

PS Dear Nocturne Alchemy, 1998 called and they want their web design back. Love, Me.

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Also, Loreto of Funkier Than Thou, has renamed her shop. It's now Loreto Aromatica. I'm in the process of dropping her a line to see if she can do something for Darkrose and I for our upcoming wedding.