Whispered Myths
Imaginary Authors (2017)

Dominant celery seed; melons - honeydew; Asian supermarket -- somewhat soapy floral, metallic, plasticine, grain bags. Feel is lightly sticky, tacky. This is very creative. Melon is fleeting. Stuck with celery seed, supermarket. Please no. I don't want to smell like this.

Maybe I'm jaded enough that anything gently peculiar can be of interest, but I quite like this. The contrast between fresh melon and marine tones and that dry, herbal, musky oud is unusually appealing.

It's probably my favorite entry in the Imaginary Authors lineup.

The opening is a mix of melon and woody sea notes. The smokey oud comes in not too long after the opening and fully takes over, leaving nothing of the interesting opening. Later, it all gives way to the musk. This is not a clean musk. Dirty and animalic musk. This drydown reminds of the musks in Muscs Koublaï Khän or even the opening of Musc Ravageur.

Projection is average but the longevity is quite good, lasts 8-9 hours.

Whispered Myths is a whole different kind of scent, it has a lot going on. At a first whiff of the atomizer I'm drawn in by a luscious mix of melon, honey and wood. What I get on my skin (at least right away) is a whole different situation. The opening is quite smokey, and strongly woody, to the point that the sweetness I was looking for is hard to find.

Given an hour or so to warm up on my chest, some of that smokiness drifts away and I get a nice mix of the two halves. Mixing the sweetness of melon with this dark woodiness does a good job of creating that "shipwreck" feel. If I was to wear it again I'd forego spraying my wrists, since those don't seem to warm up as much. I wouldn't be surprised if that smokiness I get is authentic oud, and that things I've smelled before have been smoothed down approximations. Like all things from IA I think this is an interesting piece of fragrance art. Not sure it's for me, but definitely check it out.

Wow, got WM in a sample pack awhile back, and now I'm not sure if I ever tried it?!? Found it in the drawer today and used a good amount...and glad I did! It's real, quality, Oud! It's easier for me to decipher between real and fake Ouds since I've been purchasing a few real Oud oils lately. The cedar and honey aspect really balance out the medical sharp edges of the Oud. FB worthy imo!

Oud isn't my jam, but even I stood to attention. Well done, incredible longevity, easy on the nose, a much softer and woodier oud. The cantaloupe and honey notes really help to smooth this one out too.

Brought this sample into work for the guys to try out (and I'm a gal) and it was quickly snatched up, very much loved by others in the office.

I stumble with describing this one because oud is new in my own repertoire of scents and I don't have a good frame of reference. Great longevity, it lasted close to 9 hours on my skin.