Forbidden

I guess not many people tried this yet -perhaps because the list of notes is filled with potential stinkbombs??? Whoever has ever even touched a Lantana will know what I'm talking about. Of course cannabis doesn't help attract the masses either... or mushroom, or wormwood. The opening is vaguely familiar. A bit strong, herbal and fruity at the same time. After squeezing my head for days I think I can safely say it reminds me a cough syrup from childhood (no my mom did not slip me pot for the cough! We are very respectable!). It is a very quirky opening but nowhere near stinky or... illegal. In reality, the whole composition is arranged around an accord of tuberose and papyrus (nagarmotha). This is the central theme and peeps through the top a few moments after application and never leaves the stage after. Tuberose here is not portrayed as narcotic or voluptuous as we have come to expect but it plays out its hidden medicinal aspect. Papyrus is green, earthy and raspy, and scars the silky petals of the flower. In this battle however the flower ultimately prevails as in the drydown it seems to be more prominent than any other note (strange I know). This is definitely the strangest tuberose fragrance I have ever encountered because of the unexpected route Christi Meshell chose to follow. It was a submission for a natural perfumers guild project and her theme was an interpretation of Ophiuchus (not Oephiucus, I've had it with the misspelling and mispronunciation of Greek names on the net lately) the "serpent bearer". If you keep that in mind then the quirkiness of the perfume immediately makes sense. This tuberose is the serpent. Its white glistening skin is reflecting the moonlight as it moves through the mossy vegetation. The trail it leaves behind smells of poison, but a poison that can also be used as a remedy. The duality of poison and cure is evident in Greek culture as the snake, a universal symbol of danger and death has become (through the mythical doctor Asclepius) a symbol of cure. The same stands for the essences used in this perfume. Most of them have an intoxicating effect deemed illegal but have been used in shamanic rituals as means to attain cure. On with the practical stuff. This is strictly a nocturnal perfume, ideally worn at an outdoors event, garden party, stroll in the woods, seduction on mossy surfaces (!!!). Unisex yes, but seems to have been designed with an occult priestess in mind so if you want to showcase it, evoke the power of the serpent, wear a white revealing dress and a mask and lure your mate with a dance in the moonlight. Use him up and then throw him away before the perfume magic starts to fade (I get at least 6 hours from this with very light application but it is quieter after the first hour or so. I can still detect traces of it after 10 hours).

I had to do some research on these ingredients because I had no idea what I was smelling. I think this damiana (“Damiana: Sweet, fruity, bright, with earthy undertones.”) must be the star of this fragrance along with the tuberose. Forbidden opens as a very warm, almost fruity, moist, and mildly sweet absinthe fragrance underscored by an (unsweet) incense base. The mushroom gives it a great savory wet quality I just love. It really develops quite a bit so give it time on your skin. A year later: This fragrance is delicious and addictive if a little weird. This is one of the few of this brand I've tried that has a clarity vs the dustiness that people associate with HoM. This really smells like nothing else. It's floral, sweet, fruity and ripe, yet also savory, smokey and earthy. I love the marijuana smell in this. This fragrance, and all of the HoM fragrances I've purchased to sample, have 'matured' after sitting for a year; they all have gotten smoother and more delicious the longer they sit. I highly recommend Forbidden, and also, to take your time with this one. It’s definitely grown on me with multiple tries. This is Art.

I’ve not once thought about liquidating my entire collection immediately after smelling a fragrance, but this one did exactly that for me. Note-wise I get illicit-smelling botanical notes that last forever, as well as damiana, with a base of dust, dirt, snuffed resins, and a really unusual and airy leather note. It has a smell that sent me immediately to a thrift/witchcraft/bootleg record/headshop I hung out in all the time in the 90s/early 00s as a teenager. I’ve been slapped in the face with nostalgia before, but the combination of memories, tantalizing dangerous notes and the surprise that it is in fact, an objectively beautiful piece of art— made it an immediate full size for me. I have not smelled anything like this in perfume, and raised the bar for me in my “witchy smells” category. Don’t wear this to the office, but I’d recommend a sample of this to anyone interested in fragrance as an art.

This is absolutely stunning. It is like a white floral version of Blackbird (Black No.1) minus the leather, with better performance. It is a white floral fragrance, but a moist, dirty, quiet one. It’s not one of those heady, sweet ones mostly seen in the market today. On me the dry down is earth and cannabis. In humid weather this lasted 6+ hours through drinking and smoking. Slight cannabis smell still detectable after showering. I hope Christi releases 100ml options because this one is a keeper. Edit: I think performance differs greatly for each person, so test first. I have worn this several times now and on me it lasts 10+ hours, however most reviews here claim poor longevity so I think this perfume relies heavily on skin chemistry.

Of all scents in the HoM sampler pack I received, it was to Forbidden and Coco Blanc I attached my little silver sticker and etched a pentagram. (Silver sticker means good/possibly buy a FB, and silver sticker with a pentagram means excellent/buy a FB. I still don't know exactly what it is with this one for it to merit FB status (especially at their prices!), but it's mesmerizing; definitely one of my faves from HoM, and definitely not just for women. I'm a 37-year-old man and I say this stuff is simply incredible. Christi really knows how to make a fragrance ascend.