Arsenic

Tried it on a strip in Sephora more out of curiosity than anything, the description made me roll my eyes. "Oh, sure. SURE it smells like absinthe and salt. Uh huh." Kept putting the strip back to my nose despite myself. Got a small sample to take home. And over the next week, became obsessed. I usually want my perfumes to be subtle, inoffensive, but attractive. I lean toward Guerlains. I want to smell like the sexy feminine scion of old money, frankly. Nothing about this perfume hits the points I usually gravitate to. But it is spellbinding. A major factor by which I judge perfumes is how well the scent holds up to and cooperates with the various smells I come into contact with and sometimes pick up throughout my day. Those smells are, in no particular order: cigarette smoke, office coffee, phenol, formaldehyde, decomposition, hot metal, crematory smoke, flowers. Some of those smells (cigarette smoke and decomposition, namely) cling to a person and her clothes more than others. Have you ever tried to find a perfume that manages to transform the smell of death which clings to your hair into something which doesn't disgust and frighten people you come into contact with? It is not an easy task, I can tell you that. This one, though . . . wow. I can't stop smelling myself. It's embarassing, frankly. It smells like something you want to eat but shouldn't because you found it on a path in a dark wood with somebody else's name written on the gift tag and a shadow scurried off when you approached it. And the shadow was chuckling. I hug people a lot in my job. People who need a hug, and who also aren't in the best place emotionally. Certainly not people you expect to give you compliments. But they do. They have not once said "your perfume smells lovely" while I was wearing Arsenic. Instead, they always say, "you smell so good!" Even when I realized I was in love with Arsenic, I never expected it to be a scent that was appropriate for daily wear. But it's turned out to be one. It is somehow comforting and disconcerting at once, delicious and dangerous, and always just barely beneath conscious notice.

Arsenic - such a suitable name for this poison! I've never smelled anything like this. It's intense, sharp, but of a smooth, green quality that swirls with salty vanilla absinthe once it settles down. It smells like the smoke of a witch's brew crawling out of a chimney somewhere deep in the Black Forest. The fennel is unmistakable as it hurls itself out of the nozzle with force into your olfactory senses. However, the fennel is only there to unveil the sleeping beast beneath: absinthe. Absinthe calms the fennel with an herbaceous lullaby that will put you sound to sleep... maybe forever. The vanilla keeps it from falling flat, and the salt prevents it from turning sweet. Wicked, spell-binding, and deviant. Beware. It's deadly when overdone; don't shower yourself with it. Two sprays is enough to last you a full day. It sticks to you like sap, with sillage wide enough to cast a spell on nearby souls. Arsenic hangs in the air like your breath on a frigid winter evening. My ultimate poison for cold weather...

Compared to many other perfumes, this could be strange- but I say strange in the most affectionate and complimentary way. I had did a blind buy on this years ago based on reviews. First time I smelled it, I reminded me of the town I lived in not far from Denver when I was a little girl. Describing that is something like- a bookstore/magazine stand, fresh green grass, and something of a clean brewery that makes their root beer/cream soda. It is a linear scent. And while some people have a thing against linear scents, I think it can be great for many people that have sensitivities. Linear is pretty straight forward and if you do or dont like it within five minutes, you know whats in your hands. I love this but unless "strangeness" appeals to you, maybe dont blind buy. It is lovely tho and I have received many compliments when wearing this fragrance.

Arsenic was my introduction to Tokyo Milk and frankly it was the name and bottle design that caught my attention. It is a very unusual scent. Although it is decidedly vanilla, it is not your pop princess sweet vanilla. This is wild vanilla that spent the night cuddling with a wormwood plant in the herb garden. Near the ocean. Such different notes and yet somehow they blend into a delightful scent unlike anything else I've ever smelled. It opens with a strong burst of green/wormwood/fennel. Then it slides into a vanilla overlay to the wormwood. Finally, well into the development, a distinct, clean scent emerges that I can only identify as sea salt. Unique. Contradictory. Delightful. Its not a scent I want to wear every day but for those times when I'm feeling a bit....different this scent is perfect.

This is my go to scent. The first time I smelled it, I did not enjoy it. My mother received it as a gift, sprayed some on, and offered her wrist to the table. It smelled weird and licorice-y. Months later, I stopped by while on vacation and spritzed some on. The rest of my trip I could not stop smelling my wrist. Then the whole weekend I obsessively smelled the scarf I had been wearing. intriguing. I started wearing it when I was 24. I wear it daily in the cool months. In summer months I save it only for my neck. There is a sweet vanilla, with a dark bitter undertones. I love the fennel. It's sexy and sophisticated, and although there is a warmth it is nothing like amber. It invites one in closer to smell it again and again. Love it.

Got this for my "edgy" teen. The promise of a dark experience and of course the bug on the bottle was what she wanted. But it turned out to be a very pleasant and light scent. I was waiting for the sharp green absinthe smell.It is there but very faintly. It reminds me of a barn filled with newly cured mixed hay. Vanilla from cured clover and other dry green smells from the various wild field herbs. The scent is light and close to the skin. Not a real sweet perfume. Good for work or anywhere you want to smell nice but now overpowering or giving off a come hither aroma. Comfortable and happy. Fair (4 hour) longevity. Not a bad blind buy at all for me. But the search for dark and edgy continues for the teen.

this was my absolute favorite; i still have the bottle but once it runs out i will be so sad, i can't believe they discontinued it!! i love the green notes with the salt and spice and absinthe, and how it turns more vanilla over time. it's aromatic but not in an overly herbal way, which i love because i don't like to smell like a massage parlor, lol. i have yet to try the other margot elena tokyomilk perfumes, but maybe i should branch out since mine will be running low sometime soon! only issue i have is the longevity; it's weak to moderate at best but it's a good scent if you don't care about that, or can be home and re-spray.

Arsenic is...strange. Typically I think of vanilla as a more feminine scent, but arsenic makes it unisex. It is, like many others have said, a darker vanilla. I would say it smells like vanilla mixed with the crispness of rain in the forest and a lingering kind of spice I can't place. I bought this off of Ebay, the only place this can be purchased now, and I'm glad I did. If I were going to try to create this scent or dupe it, I would say method men's sea + surf body wash with dossier aquatic vanilla on top would get the closest to replicating it. I am going to have to stretch my bottle thin....

Huh - I had no idea so many people hated this fragrance. Arsenic and Bulletproof in the TokyoMilk Dark line were my first real, adult forays into the world of fragrance. I LOVE Arsenic. The spicy, salty green is so appealing - fresh, wet, green vanilla. I am not a fan of sweet fragrances and over time I've discovered that my taste in scent leans unisex to masculine. I guess it just depends on what you like! It seems like this one has been discontinued, so I'm going to have to read up on what I can replace it with when my bottle runs out.

Notes: Absinthe, Vanilla Salt, Cut Greens, Crushed Fennel I absolutely love this scent. The first one I got of it was actually the hand cream version, but I loved it so much I bought the Eau de Parfume, and it was definitely worth it. It's the perfect mix of vanilla, spicy, and freshness. The cool-down is much calmer, kind of like a lingering vanilla and a very light spiciness. I actually spray it on my pillow. The scent is really chill and unisex. Would definitely recommend for just about anybody. I'd say it's a safe blind buy.

This is super weird in a totally delightful way. I can't stop smelling it. I've never smelt anything like it! It truly does smell 'poisonous' and has this strange fizzing sensation in the top notes. Witches Brew indeed, In fact it reminds me of these candies I had as a child called witches brew that where dark green and foamed up in your mouth - they had a very similar green, salty cola-ish flavour/scent. My one worry with this is that I'm not sure how much other people will appreciate this smell. But to hell with them!

this? I LOVE THIS. someone further down absolutely hated arsenic... said it smelled like root beer and it DOES. she pretty much nailed it. i could not for the life of me figure out why i was so obsessed with this unusual scent and now i know why! it reminds me of root beer... fizzy, sweet and refreshing with a splash of vanilla. i know it sounds odd but it WORKS... i wish i could bathe in arsenic and smell like this 24/7 but for now i'll settle for a dab of my wrists before i sleep and smile and dream and ahhhhh....

This one from the Tokyo milk dark series is one of the best 2nd or 3rd tied with pretty rotten which would be 2nd or 3rd for me. It's simply unique and original. It doesn't smell like the typical fragrances. Notes on the bottle - Absinthe - vanilla Salt - cut greens - crushed fennel I love it, It's beautiful and special. I do not think any particular note dominates this one. Instead they all blend quite well together.

Such a strange perfume - sharp, cool and urban. The vanilla warms up the scent just enough to keep it wearable, but without pushing it into a traditional sort of pretty. This scent is addictive and indefinable, with a sillage that envelopes those you stand near with an intoxicating waft, without overpowering them. Two sprays in the morning and I'm still casting spells twelve hours later.

This scent opens up salty and herbaceous. As it dries, the salt fades, the greens turn slightly bitter, and a creamy vanilla appears. This is what I imagine an old-time apothecary smells like. When I wear this, I can't stop smelling myself. The vanilla makes it soft, the greens keep it fresh. Love this stuff.

Lime is not listed as a note, but on my skin, salt and lime are the primary notes I detect. The overall impression is sharp and green. This is a little too strong for daytime, but I wear it on summer nights

one of my most fave scents! the best blend of fresh, clean, crisp and warm at the same time. yet to find an adequate dupe to it.

Vanilla and absinthe is what i smell most. what a beautiful combination.

This is such an interesting and unique fragrance, and I am very sad that it is now discontinued, I would have bought a full bottle of this immediately if I had known of its existence before a few weeks ago. I was gifted a small decant that I now treasure, and only put a drop on one wrist when I want to carry this feeling with me all day, because it does last incredibly well (8+ hours) and it actually has quite strong sillage, at least on me. If full bottles weren't so expensive on eBay, I would purchase one in a heartbeat. This is a vanilla fragrance that smells like it will cut you in half. It's chilly and sharp on the opening, with an almost mentholic greenness that feels cold, damp, and like it's going to snow any minute. You can see your breath in the air, and the earth is frozen beneath your feet as you crunch through the grass of a quiet forest. After the greenness dissipates, you get an inviting, yet somehow evil unisex vanilla that is more herbal than sweet or gourmand. This vanilla is a dark ghost in the distance of the falling snow, carrying a scythe, for cutting the grass you're walking through, or for cutting you, you're not quite sure. This is the vanilla I have been searching for, and alas, like the ghost it is dead and gone.

Just arrived in the mail today, I must say I was kind of skeptical on weather or not I would like this, I bought this on a whim out of pure curiosity for the fragrance. I must say this was a good whim, this is absolutely beautiful!, I can not stop smelling my wrist, it's so uniquely different, What you have is a nicely balanced green herbal vanilla. On me it started off a little intense, but then quickly faded into a fresh green vanilla with just a smidge of spice. Honestly to me its like smelling fresh cut spring grass that was coated with Vanilla && I'am just loving how it's reacting with my body chem. I do also pick up the musty book reference mentioned in the previous comments, though I don't mind it I feel it just adds to the unique-ness. Funny when I put my nose up to my wrist I get the full effect but when I walk I just pick up the subtle hints of vanilla, Loving it! My mom evenly likes it surprisingly lol. I'm wondering how this would do with layering I think it might pair nice w/ my Gaultier Summer, their main accords list is fairly similar, we sha'll see :)