Sonnet XVII

There is a reason that this brilliant, wonderful fragrance has far more fans than it does reviews. It's a difficult to make real criticism of something that's stylistically an outlier in any particular artform. It is like seeing The Holy Mountain as a teenager. Without a point of reference it is difficult to make any substantial criticisms and even more difficult to convey its characteristics in a review without any real point of reference. How does one explain the art of Adolf Wölfli to someone who is totally unfamiliar with his art? One can only either attempt at great lengths to explain minute details that will miss the big picture or use overly simplistic language that can only describe the experience of seeing his art without actually describing it. Sonnet XVII is just like that. Extremely nontraditional and violently beautiful. I strongly recommend anyone sample this fragrance and not assume my review is enough. To offer a very simplistic impression of the fragrance: It's dry and fruity with leathery floral characteristics underpinned by a strong fizzy-fresh and overtly moldy foundation with a heft of upturned damp earth and lichen. Comparisons are quite useless, but Mitsouko and 1000 certainly share an ethereal something with Sonnet XVII. The cherry on top is that it's quite wearable in any weather.

Sonnet XVII is an extremely underrated and underappreciated gem from Ellen. The overall composition is stunning, quite complex, and very well blended, to my nose it is resinous and intriguing, with the main accord of beautiful ambergris, vetiver, and floral notes. There's a hint of exotic fruits and earthiness in the background but they are inoffensive to my nose. Absolutely zero funkiness, no manure, or barnyard type funk, most definitely not as animalic or funky as Rania J's stuff, which I also love. The price per ml to Performance ratio is absolutely unbelievable, like many other of her creations this gem is also a beast mode on my skins, has great projection and longevity over 12hr+. The perfume rating of 3.20 out of 5 from this site is absolutely garbage fake news, so glad I went with my instinct and gave this one a go! You could wear this one all season long, anytime and in any occasions! It is potent enough to cut through the cold but not cloying or overpowering in the summer heat. This one gets 4.5 out of 5 from me, just as great as the Devil Scent project lineup, if you're a fan of the Dev series you should sample and try out this one, highly recommended!

Looking at the previous reviews and comments, I'm glad of the way Sonnet XVII develops, or rather blooms, on my skin. On me it starts with a very heavy helping of recently-dried cow dung (once a country bumpkin, always a country bumpkin...) and upturned roots. I see how it would present a challenge for many people. However, something fruity soon starts snaking its way across, until it unfolds into gloriously dry, apricot-y, leathery osmanthus. This stage lasts for hours and radiates moderately around me. At the end of the day I still get tea and apricot whiffs, along with roots and mosses. Wearing this is like making a journey from soil to flower to soil again, and this is probably why I keep being drawn to it. I think you can still get a 3ml spray sample from the Olympic Orchids website if you fancy trying it out. If you are after a comparison, perhaps think Patou's 1000 on steroids, less perfum-y and more natural.

Many of the ingredients in this are so far out of the realm of my experience that I really have no idea what I'm smelling. It does open with a strong whiff of dairy farm on a warm day and then I get a very rich, unusual floral. This lasted over 9 hours for me and might have gone longer had I not showered it off. The far drydown is what I'm guessing is the ambergris (still a bit fecal), spikenard and a musk I can actually live with, not liking 'white laundry' musks. The drydown is very reminiscent of some high end Tibetan incenses I have. This perfume is very earthy, animalic and yet fresh at the same time. A very strange and very beautiful perfume. This is going straight to my want list! edit: I have got it bad for this one. If you can wait out that super indolic opening (which I happen to love), you will be rewarded with a stunningly beautiful fruity-floral heart.

It is a beautiful fragrance, I would agree with a breath in and breath out comment. It is champa and spikenyard, and osmanthus that play it together, interchanging with each breath. It is a sweet fragrance, spicy, outwordly, it is extroverted in nature. I loved the concept, and wanted to try it. I love Ellen's ambergis, and each component ofthis perfume is something I would look forward. Spikenard is one of my favorite oils, calming in nature, and strangely familiar in smell. No farm smell here to me, and i would not call it animalistic, strangely it is more heavy honey rich flower smell just right before they are getting ready to fully bloom. I love Patou 1000, so I am in. I might even consider getting a full bottle. I just need to wear it more. Another perfume I am thinking here is Memo Inle, probably because of osmanthus note, and musky and woody accords.

I don’t get manure I get like the funk that emits from gym clothes if u let them sit on the moist bathroom floor for a week. Or like dirty soccer shin guards coated in scum. So yeah piles of sweat rotting in fabric I gasped. But I’ll let it sit and return to it bc the notes list is so interesting I want to understand this. But this shit is nasty edit: oh wow on skin this doesnt take as long to become gorgeous. i put off applying it to skin for ages bc on paper it was filthy for a full 2 days before dying down. on skin it has this tropical mist aura i adore if u hang in there for about 30 min. idk if id wear this often bc im worried its too much for most people but its lovely to me

یه معجون عمیق و استاد ساز فضای گلی خاکی با میکسی هنرمندانه کاملن یونیسکس و بدون هیچ محدودیت برای استفاده ----------- Scent & Quality: 10/10 Longevity: 9/10 Sillage: 8/10 Creativity & Uniqueness: 10/10 Affordability: 4/10 ----------- Overall: 8.2+ 0.5= 8.7/10

Big big love!! This scent place me on a morning hike thru the wet woods on a damped earthy path with bushes and trees. calming, meditative. On my skin I pick up tinge of animalic. This is so interesting! LOVE!!!

Wow. Was sure I was testing an natural oud fragrance when I blindtested this. Deep, complex and animalic and a bit buttery, just like some real ouds.

The opening does smell a bit like manure, but this goes away after 15-30 minutes. Then the osmanthus comes out with its peach, tea-like smell and slight leather-like facet. The perfume moves back and forth between the osmanthus and the ambergris. The vetiver and nard give an earthy, herbal vibe. Overall, this scent leans slightly towards the feminine end of the spectrum. I think this would be beautiful on a bride at an outdoor wedding. It smells like lovers frolicking outdoors surrounded by flowers and fruits, very romantic. Sillage is moderate, longevity is excellent 6+hours. It can be worn year-round, but I think it would be interesting to retest this in warmer weather.

When first tested you immediately get an almost manure or indolic note but you must wait. This quickly disappears and then its gorgeous. I get the the jatamansi then the osmanthus and ambergris. Its fresh and zingy from the jatamansi, mastic and vetiver. Its sweetened and rounded by the osmanthus, champaca and musk. For a fresh and herbally juice this has a decent sillage and longevity. A great warm weather fragrance.

Sonnet XVII has a rather piercing, ethereal floral opening with a realistic rainy-earth and moss undertone. It settles into a dry, fragrant dusty-golden base. Sometimes there’s a barely-there fruitiness; but mostly it’s abstract and hard to pin down. Wood? Incense? I’m not sure. Some kind of ancient golden artifact. I’m a fan. It wears very naturally, sort of a “my skin but better” aura, subdued but glowing.

I was expecting manure. I actually wanted manure! But on me this smells like generic body lotion... a fruity floral body lotion. No indolics, no manure. I guess this clashes with my skin chemistry somehow...

This opens exactly like a vodka based tincture of Blue Vervain. Heavy, rich, concentrated, and deeply bitter. As it quickly dries, it morphs into an austere floral I could only describe as ancient. Curling parchment, rotting lace, and lacquered paintings are all at home here. This is more Elizabethan than Modernist. I think this would work for you if you wear ruff collars and work as a clergyman. As it continues to dry down on my wrists, I smell whiffs of manure that complete the Renaissance scene.

Kind of a damp and mossy woods with champaca with a touch of peachy osmanthus. Not bad, but as people have noted it's got some crossover with Bat/NF. It's not as damp cave as that and its a beachy floral rather than the fruit you find in Bat however. This makes it easier to wear, and a touch more feminine imho. It's OK, I won't upgrade from sample on this one.

A much more innocuous and unisex version of Night Flyer - the ripe tropical banana and damp cave accords have been removed and replaced by quite the earthy floral scent of champaca. It is also animalic thanks to the hyraceum and ambergris, which keeps it from leaning too feminine. Not doing much for me as it is definitely outshone by its sibling. 6.5/10

Sonnet XVII on application is incredibly dry on my skin. Spikenard introduces itself as earthy, rooty, papery, parched, like potted soil left out in the sun too long. Then the union with cubeb and mastic gives rise to some harsh acridity on my skin and for whatever reason, reminds me of superglue. Perhaps because mastic is an aromatic gum resin used in varnish. I detect ample dry, woody vetiver and even some leathery notes and oakmoss. Patiently I wait to experience the same "violently beautiful" transformation that lovingthealien below reports. Eventually as the acridity subsides somewhat, a little apricot-like osmanthus peeks through but she is devastatingly reclusive. Her little friend, champaca is equally shy and both refuse to leave their shadowy refuge. Sonnet XVII remains dry and earthy on my skin and hauntingly penetrating. For me, I find this fascinatingly unwearable and one that I want to revisit while the sun is shining to see if maybe the flowers might want to come out and play.

this is indolic, fetid, powdery, woody and floral to my nose. it is reminiscent of manure/decay/earthiness. I'd prefer the proportions to be a little more wood, resin or floral to the powder. I actually have no problem with the fetidness of it. I like it. but I cannot stand powdery scents at all. and this on my skin is a powder puff practically! I like it. I will have to try this many more times. Will get back to you fragranticans! Edit: tried and sadly this animalic offering does not work on my skin. I think it's the spikenard, it turns powdery and bitter. the lovely fetidness does not stay and play sadly.

Oh my gosh—pop my balloons if you must—but this smells like manure mixed with Desitin diaper rash cream. It is disgusting, and I cannot believe people want to leave the house and go out into public smelling like a cow pasture. I had to scrub really hard to get this off, and then I sprayed something floral and pleasant over it. Everything I’ve tried by this brand thus far has been a total scrubber, and I am done with it.

Holy cats this smells like cow manure when first applied (at least horse manure smells good, cow not so much). It is beginning to smell like mostly dirty hay after a few minutes. And from there, it just had to be scrubbed. UGH.

nauseating and overwhelming, it floods my nose. from afar this scent is more tolerable to me. its like standing in a farm with manure and flowers around.. x100 it makes me feel sick 。゚(TヮT)゚。

This is an overly animalic, fecal, heady floral nightmare. Only to be worn to a cow farm visit maybe.

I found it absolutely repugnant. Sickly sweet manure. Immediate scrubber. Made me feel nauseated.

Too indolic for me, smells like horse stables. I have the 5ml version if anyone wants to swap.

Smells exactly like a petting zoo from start to finish. Not pleasant at all.

There are perfumes I don't like that I can still find some redeeming qualities in (such as, I don't like this, but I would if I liked x ingredient, etc). This is not one of those. I'm not sure I've ever been so averse to a perfume before. I sprayed a test of it on paper and couldn't bring myself to try wearing it, I nearly gagged smelling it.

Wow. I’m an Ellen Covey fan but Sonnet XVII has crossed a line. The only image this conjures is an industrial wasteland next to a sewage treatment plant. I waited for any kind of transformation and now I have a headache, I have no other option but to push the hate button.

Ditto, incredible. To me, the essential fragrance is equal parts osmanthus, ambergris, and hyraceum. My nose does not find this fecal or manure-y, but rather "goaty." The goatiness of this aura reminds me very much of Oudh Infini. The profoundly natural and suggestive glow of this one is very on part with the Dusita -- just swap rose for osmanthus. The mysterious sea-halitosis vibe of ambergris is a genius match for the osmanthus (her not so peachy, rather more overripe banana peel) and the goat-hair quality of the african stone. The result is a mouthwatering, fruity ripeness on the verge of hot rot in steamy-moist and hidden tropical shade. It's like a jungle Mitsouko, or a grotto Diorella. It also reminds me of my oud oils, and a lot of Phoenicia's RealOud, the Dusita, and distantly of Rania J's Habanero and Assam. Except -- it's much, much stronger. (The Dusita in particular I found extremely timid relative to it's reviews.) In other words, I recommend Sonnet XVII to Hindi/Assam/Indian oud enthusiasts because, for the money, I can't think of a more auric, mysterious, funky-natural and warm smell. I can only assume this one is not widely known, because it never seems to get fair mention in the animalic and quality-for-price oud conversation. Genius! Most definitely an acquired taste, and one that took me nearly three years of occasional sniffing to understand. Ultimately, it was RealOud then my Hindi oud oils and finally Oudh Infini that together unlocked this perfume for me. I could wear everyday now. NOTE: Must say, although for some reason my Sonnet samples have never evaporated, nearly all my other sample vials from Olympic Orchids have evaporated in their packages in short order.

This is incredible. The opening is extremely indolic and I do get the manure references. To me it smells more like hyper concentrated hay and dirt - it’s very earthy. As the initial shock of the top notes wear off, you’re left with a gorgeous earthy/fruity/milky scent. This smells like if you could take the scent of a meadow and concentrate it 1000 times. I like this a lot more than Tropic of Capricorn by Olympic Orchids (one of the other two scents I own) but I do appreciate this brand. I think Ellen Covey is an amazing perfumer and I am so happy she stood up for herself when Zoologist tried to buy her formula for Bat. Every single one of her creations I’ve smelled is incredibly unique.

Little did I know this fragrance was crafted as an inspiration from Pablo Neruda's Sonnet XVII. Neruda is my all-time favorite poet and love his minimalistic yet deeply moving words. His work never needed any adornments since the images he painted with his words were enough to conjure absolute beauty. As is this perfume. What an absolute stroke of luck to find it. On my skin it opened in a herbaceous way more like a fougere. The subtle orchid started to come through and it is pleasantly aromatic without overwhelming...a flower that is not cloying but simple and fresh and sweet. I get notes of damp earth as well.

I see a lot of people saying the opening smells like manure. I get it, but what I smell there is wool and lanolin. I do wool preparation and spinning as a hobby, so this really brings me some fond memories. After that starts to fade, it turns more floral and fresh-earthy. I am not a big fan of floral, but this is growing on me fast. I love how well it mirrors its namesake sonnet. Who knows how long I will feel the need to read it every time I put this on.

Smells a lot like subdued musk khabib... almost 90% similar in opening and mid... bang for the buck... very well executed... a musky, heady, chamapaca led yellow floral... kudos Dr Covey..

If you're wanting an indolic fragrance from the Olympic Orchids range, Tropic of Capricorn is the much better choice. Nothing wrong with this one though, it's just not the best on offer.