Bittersweet Symphony

I'm a newcomer to HOM, and the house often has an apothecary aspect to many of its perfumes. The notes never seem to indicate the full "herbal essences" that have to be part of the compositions. Aside from the hype, they do smell of the occult or at least a bit medicinal. (I recently "armored" myself with one of the scents, The Longing). I ordered this on a special with other "gourmand" scents--thank goodness they're not. Coco Blanc comes the closest, but this! This is not gourmand, not to me. It is chocolate, but not a candy bar, not something edible. It is a hyper-distilled chocolate, the essence of chocolate. The way that Serge Lutens took tuberose and mentholated it by focusing on a single molecule reminds me of the chocolate here. It's treated as organic matter, something like wood, so that it really is not a "tasty" treat--but--bitter. I suspect this also has heaping doses of patchouli which can really amp up chocolate notes, and it's reminiscent a bit of SL Borneo 1834 which if you sniff long enough smells of chocolate patchouli. It also reminds me (again) of some of Tom Fords' noirs and darker wood scents (pour femme). But this house always has (variously) a bitter accord or herbal quality that is striking and different from mainstream houses and sets it apart. I ordered a larger bottle of Alpha (which I adore--and I'm a woman and all the reviews talk about how it's the ulta-man scent...ha!), but this bottle of BSS is a travel-sized 15 ml that I know I'm going to have to go big FB. The woods and what little "oud" may be in it accentuate the bitter chocolate aspect; eventually the dry down is both warm and amber while still retaining bitter-chocolate wood. I was pleasantly surprised too at the longevity and silage. Many natural perfumes just don't make it to the five-hour mark. This one does, and keeps amplifying and changing subtly. Whereas the lovely Coco Blanc is fantastic for a few utterly sublime minutes with its salted butter, it only lasts two-three hours as a skin scent (I want to eat my arm the entire time, but it projects so low). Bittersweet Symphony does project with a few good squirts and then just keeps coming back off the skin. I highly recommend. I'm not sure if I think it's ground-breaking, but I think it's different enough to warrant trying. The price on these is prohibitive for many, and it's best to get on sale and sample. The samples are more generously sized than most. I'm slowing falling for this house which has an aesthetic that I admire, and so far they keep getting better. I'm growing addicted (I wonder what else she puts in there...hmmm). Edit: 15 ml was not enough; FB on its way! Edit again: FB arrived, wore it--got a ton of compliments!

HOUSE OF MATRIARCH Bittersweet Symphony (Liquid Music Series) 2015, Christi Meshell Notes (per HoM website): henna, dong quai, spikenard, bittersweet Dutch process cocoa accord, alluring spices, bourbonesque charred woods, hints of warm amber and a touch of OUD *sighs* I have been wearing this non-stop for the last three days!!! Love LOVE LOOOOOVE This! (5-7 June 2016) Without any of the usual suspects (citrus, springy flowers, ozonic or aquatic notes etc) Christi Meshell has wrought a simply magnificent perfume, that becomes neither cloying nor too heavy in these early June days with temperatures ranging from 55 to 80 Fahrenheit; yet warms you up on chill evenings and comforts one softly on rainy days (my first full wearing was on a damp rainy afternoon). Though originally orchestrated for a bespoke customer, this is so lovely HoM has decided to share it with the world...and I am sooooo glad! This is a dark (almost somber initially) fragrance that has a bevy of exotic herbs and spicy dry floral notes woven into a sturdy base of rich woods and resins with a contrasting (and utterly delightful) dulcet cocoa accord twisting throughout it. I heard The eponymous Verve song on the radio on Thursday and said "DAMN SEASONAL GUIDELINES" as Beauty knows no season sex or age. Less oppressive than your typical woody oriental, this "gourmand" fragrance takes a few hours to unfold before reaching a drydown that lasts all day (or overnight). It's projection is just right: people notice it yet it is nowhere near overpowering...despite the heavy hitter list of notes. What it leaves behind on the skin are traces of oud, amber and 100% natural cruelty-free musk-in just the right quantities that none overpower the others. They work together creating an opulent yet dignified oriental foundation that sustains and incorporates the herbal/floral top notes and maximizes the spiced yummy floral heart. Sillage: moderate, then slightly softer Longevity: very good (long lasting) Overall: 4/5 Though NOT the biggest gourmand guy, I am an oriental and woody fanatic! This is woody and oriental; but so much more than that. It isn't exactly "gourmand" either-though many ingredients are edible and potable-and I like that about Bittersweet Symphony (and that the scent is the perfumer's hypothetical "outcome" of The Verve's music video of the same name). Thinking outside the box is something this House does well, and I can't wait to see what is next...

House of Matriarch makes such wonderful olfactive gold! Bittersweet Symphony has notes of deep rich chocolate and dark woody notes. It opens with a vetiver like sharpness that lingers as the sensual chocolate takes over, turning it into a gourmand experience ever so delightful! As the heart rests on your skin, subtle sweet amberous resin notes appear, ever so delicately. The amber mixed with rich woody notes creates a smooth blend that is tantalizing! The fragrance also contains notes of spices. My nose picks up cardamom, nutmeg and black pepper and curry, which to me gives this an oriental love which adds to the sweet chocolate, making this fragrance edible! Sillage is about arm length and you can smell this well in the trail around you. Longevity is beast mode on my skin and last about 8 hours. Great work @HOUSEOFMATRIARCH

Very deep and dark - it has a noticeable resemblance to desert morocain - not as dry and has more depth. A very pleasing smell. night time scent. edit - I think the note lineup above is very misleading. this is not a fresh scent, nor does it come across as "green" - It's very full, deep and dark. 8/10

A sweet yet bitter chocolatey masterpiece, bottle and all. Love it.

This is yet another beautiful creation by Christi Meshell - I only first heard of House of Matriarch in 2019 and since then I've acquired five of her scents. Not full bottles yet, just the 16 ml. And 3.3 ml. to sample because they are on the more expensive side. I heard about HOM through Peter's channel on YouTube (Fragranceview) and his review on Coco Blanc on top of a mountain really did lure me in to check it out. And I can't say I'm disappointed. All of them are amazingly well balanced and blended. The packaging is exquisite. I really feel where my money went when I bought them. Bittersweet Symphony is a deep and luscious scent, like another reviewer said, this does remind me of some of Tom Ford's deep and woody scents. Particularly Noir de Noir. In no way are those two alike as scents, but they do share the same depth and smokiness, they're both intoxicating in the same way without being alike at all. If you like Tom Ford's Noir de Noir and other similar scents, definitely check out Bittersweet Symphony. Again I have to agree with the same reviewer when they say HOM smells a bit like the occult, a bit medicinal. That is right on the money. Whereas TF is more mainstream and "easier" to understand, there is this mysterious and magical aspect to HOM. On me I get more wood than chocolate, the wood and spices take over in the beginning, but in the dry down the spices die down and the chocolate gets amped up a bit. But mainly I smell smoky woods with chocolatey nuances. Longevity is beast mode on me, I can still smell my wrist after 12 hours, sillage and projection are good, especially in the first 2-3 hours. I'm not sure if I'm going to get a FB yet, I have my eyes set on Noir de Noir for now but once I run out of my 3.3 ml. spray, who knows, I might be tempted to get it. I don't know why but I see myself wearing one of my Led Zeppelin t shirts, short leather skirt and black opaque tights, a black and deep red burnout velvet kimono with my black thigh high suede boots, accompanied with a dark brown, slightly smudged eyeliner and glowing skin when I wear Bittersweet Symphony. It's cool and different and deserves a special getup to be worn properly. This perfume demands the right outfit. And I love that kind of a personality in a perfume. It knows what it wants.

This is one of the better composed scents from HOM with 'decent usable longevity'. An original 'weedy' take on cacao. When I bought my mirror ball 100ml bottle, it was way cheaper then what is being charged for the blue bottles. It is somewhat unrefined and lacking the development and complexities of a full length feature, but with the price I still think it was a good buy. I've heard that its now packaged in the USD 330 blue bottle. A bit too expensive for what it is. Best to sample beforehand.

Chocolate and woods is an interesting combo for a man that wants to wear something masculine. The woods and spices prevents the chocolate to become too sweet so this is not gourmand at all. Masculine and sexy.