Spell 125 Papillon Artisan Perfumes 2021

With her seventh fragrance, released on 7/7 of this year, Liz Moores of Papillon Parfums has clearly come full circle. Because undoubtedly Spell 125 takes reference to one of the first fragrances of this house: Anubis.

The name Spell 125 refers to the longest passage in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In the presence of the god Osiris, the soul of man is weighed there, and only if it weighs lighter than a feather can man's journey towards paradise continue. But before that, he has to appease 42 (divisible by 7!) other gods. No wonder that the spell No. 125 is the longest of the Book of the Dead.

But back to the scent. Right off the bat, a wonderful blend of pine needles and incense floats around the wearer. But I'll say it right now, this is not just any incense. This is some of the best frankincense (green frankinscense or in this case, Ottoman green frankincense) I've smelled to date. It has all the nuances, from citrusy tones at the beginning to light smoke in the middle to darker tones at the end.

The forest notes have already been rightly compared to a spruce needle bath here in the statements. Together with the incense, they form a never cheap-looking, very valuable fragrance. Swiss stone pine is also known to promote falling asleep - so that also fits the theme. I haven't come across hemlock as a scent before, here it's quite beguiling and I like to let it take me to North American forests. There is also some citrus involved at the beginning, as I said, which I attribute largely to the high quality incense. The myrrh also contributes some sweetness, but the fragrance never becomes too sweet.

I've always had my problems with Anubis, and especially with its afternoon marmaladey note. I like dark scents, but this was too humorless even for me. Spell 125 now is Anubis in something lighter for me. Spell 125 is also dust-dry, where Anubis tends to greasiness.
Only from the afternoon, it also becomes a little greasier, ambery and even a little dirty, which I find very successful (but I'm also into dirty scents). By the evening, this rather wicked undertone has evolved into the actual theme - very well done. Nose sticks enthusiastically to the wrist, so it should be.

For a long time I've been looking for that one scent that smells like sun baked dry woods, the kind you get from the west coast of the US. I'll keep looking, but this one is close again.

Verdict: A very big scent from Liz Moores, perhaps her best yet