Smellemental

An even deeper iteration of Lvnea’s classic shadowy pines. If Ghost Pine puts you in the midst of a misty pine grove, then Hemlock Shade transports you to the depths of a Northern evergreen forest, towering spruces and firs swaying in the night sky overhead, a mysterious, sweet smoke crawling through the valley...

Opens fresh, green, coniferous, a tad bit minty/mentholic, with a fleeting medicinal funk which is difficult to place. Soon a soft, leathery smoke begins to echo, painted in subtle streaks of caramel, fruits and moss, with a rich and warm, sweet woodiness welling up from below. I wasn’t able to notice as many of the nuances my first couple times, but this is actually superb. Like Ghost Pine’s sexy, mysterious cousin who sleeps out under the stars every night.

Although dark, the impressive freshness keeps it from becoming too much, evoking the atmosphere of an old growth pine forest lit by the glow of a full moon’s light. I also find that the warm, woody and slightly caramelized features keep it from being too solemn a scent, bringing to mind cozy evenings spent among company rather than by oneself. Sandalwood also provides a fitting creamy backbone for the scent to settle down onto.

Sillage intimate to moderate, longevity great. While sharing similarities to Ghost Pine, the wonderful addition of Hemlock makes the blend worth seeking out for fellow forest aficionados. As a limited edition it’s priced a little higher than their standard line, but still relatively competitively in the niche market especially considering the desirable all-botanical nature of their scents.

Bravo, madames!!! Long live Lvnea!!!!

Sweet flowers, mosses
Adorn tall firs & lindens
Fruity blossoms fall
Shady groves, sun dappling through
Violet afterglow
Woodland flora and fauna,
Soft incense below…

A beautiful fantasy forest blend by the imaginative Mr. Maher, to me this scent evokes a serene glade hidden away in the depths of dark woods…

The purple hue of hyacinth pervades among the greens, whites and yellows, reminiscent of violets or even possibly grape, and also, to those in the know, a certain mystery marker of years’ past which I can only recall in some vague memory of a memory… though with that inexpensive relation being made I should say I don’t personally find this overwhelmingly synthetic—cloying, or persistent to the point of irritation, potentially, but applied conservatively again I find not.

Longevity, as of all MO’s blends, very high, sillage moderate, priced competitively among American niche. For me the main selling point of Mr. Maher’s scents are their novelty, each having their own unique twist or flair that separate them from other conventional iterations on different genres.

Bravo, good sir!

Very impressed with this one! Incredibly accurate to the note description. Starts with coffee laced with maple, cinnamon and other holiday spices and reveals rich, creamy liqueur and fresh boughs of pine as it dries down. Definitely huge fall and winter vibes. A rare gourmand that fulfills every expectation rather than going awry at any point. If I were to provide any caveat it’d be that the cinnamon and coffee aspects might be too strong for some, but since I personally love that combo I don’t mind at all. In that vein while this is unique in my large collection it does occasionally bear some resemblances to Motif Olfactif’s De Zouma à Toma, another spiced coffee/cacao that’s a favorite of mine that however lacks the apple, maple, pine and other facets that make this an impressively three dimensional scent.

Again, I’ve smelled a lot of things and own a few other Statik Olfactives, but this is the first that’s compelled me to write a review immediately—albeit likely due to my disposition towards nostalgic and spiced coffee/fall/winter scents—but that is just to say, this one hits!!! Bravo Chris, Hez, whole team.

Prices are great for the pristinely packaged 12mLs, though I must admit I would’ve preferred a spherical cap to the 3D-printed-rock one I received. Very nifty and cool, just not the most fitting for the theme. I’ll cherish my bottle nonetheless and think up some cool mythology for the rock in the context of the scent, haha.

Sillage great, longevity yet to be seen but indications say it’ll be superb—will update if not. All in all, I could hardly recommend more!

Bravo, good sirs!!!

Post-script: Not to be disparaging in any way, but it also essentially smells just like a great Dunk’s order, cinnamon-spiced coffee, maple doughnuts, apple fritters and other assorted confections included… and longevity did end up being superb. Creamy, white musk also becomes prominent in the deep drydown.

Amazingly smoky, boozy, oudy and citrusy, for me l’Hombre is a hidden gem, a diamond in the rough, though this isn’t terribly out of the blue given Mrs. Waddington’s near-historic renown.

Opens up bright, warm spices complementing effervescent & zesty citruses—primarily bergamot, orange and orange peel to my nose—pairing perfectly with the scotch whiskey accord accompanying them.

The bold heart and base notes waste no time in making themselves known, dark roasted coffee balanced out perfectly by fresh frankincense, anchored into further depths by oud, amber, patchouli, musk, oakmoss & vetiver.

Superbly blended overall, coming across dark, brooding, mysterious and seductive, and simultaneously flirtatious and playful. I rank this and New York Man highly among American niche.

Sillage moderate, longevity excellent, very competitively priced.

Bravo, madame!!!

Beautifully juicy, realistic, tart-sour plummy apricot and a tamed trio of ouds, their precious, dusty woodiness accented by a robust cedar, the fruits adorned by a gentle green-earthy floral & spice courtesy of white lotus and saffron. Superb.

Nearly candied, reminiscent of decadent fruit gummies—sweet, citric, tantalizingly edible. While on fabric those notes dominate, on skin the focus soon becomes the ornate woodiness, brightly resinous, almost powdery at first, with some slight smoky & leathery undertones that gradually increase over time. Spice still lingers from the saffron, white lotus and cedar. I find there to be some very interesting frankincense-like facets conjured between the citric, spicy and smoky aromas present. Further in the heart a very subtle almond, amaretto nuance to the apricot is slowly revealed.

Designated “Legato” for the symphonic harmony Mr. Maher was able to weave between the eight main accords here, though a bold declaration I consider it warranted by the deft & discreet alchemy on display in this charming limited edition blend.

Sillage moderate, longevity great as is to be expected of MO’s extraits. At $80/10mL it’s priced considerably higher than the very reasonable standard line, but still rather conservatively in the world of artisanal niche fragrances which I daresay this belongs to. Greatly hoping to see more of what Shawn is able to do with oud in the future.

Bravo, good sir!!!