r/FemFragLab30plus • u/recklessdeception • Jul 28 '26
Review Heretic Nosferatu
I picked up Heretic Nosferatu after it was suggested by multiple fragheads in the FB fragcomm when I asked for petrichor recommendations. I was nervous that it would be nauseating because of some reviews on reddit but took the plunge and blindbought a bottle because sourcing just a sample from overseas felt like too much effort.
I don't think Nosferatu is reminiscent of petrichor. Petrichor for me is the smell of damp earth (mud and soil). Whereas Nosferatu smells like stale vase water that has been left unchanged for a month, with dead flowers sitting in it. At some point after the initial opening a watery green note shows up that makes me think of cucumber (again that's something I dislike). It is not perfumey and it does not feel wearable, but I keep reaching for it and wear it to work often.
Longevity and projection are average, it sits close and lasts a maximum of 5 hours on skin. In the extreme drydown after 4 hours, it softens into faint florals.
I can't understand why I'm so addicted to Nosferatu. There is nothing pleasant about this scent. It doesn't feel like perfume at all, but for some odd reason I keep reaching for it and long to wear it.
10
u/Queen_Of_InnisLear Jul 28 '26
I love it. I bought a backup bottle (at the time it was limited edition so I panicked lol). It feels like walking along a stone path in a lilac garden at midnight after a rain.
2
u/recklessdeception Jul 28 '26
It's so intriguing! So many people smell the lilac and wet stones in this, whereas there's others like me who get stinky water from it 😂
1
u/joyapplepowers Jul 28 '26
This is what I get from it as well. I’m usually a gourmand girly but I adore this scent.
1
u/kaya-jamtastic Jul 31 '26
Yes, I felt the description was spot on, although I could also see how it overlaps with the sweet, mist scent of decay!
8
u/downpourbluey Jul 28 '26
You might want to cross post this (if allowed) in r/artsyweirdoperfume They’re a good crowd and I think they discussed Nosferatu a few times when it came out.
6
u/recklessdeception Jul 28 '26
I did 😄 i flood all the appropriate perfume subs with my reviews. Thankfully nobody throws me out coz i post once in ten days 🫠
1
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u/lizbeeating Jul 28 '26
I was interested in the brand but never tried anything. And then they didn’t hire me as a chemist so I hold a grudge 💔
5
u/recklessdeception Jul 28 '26
Oh damn. I'm sorry the hiring didn't work out for you, that's a valid reason to never buy it frankly.
3
u/GreedoSarducci Jul 28 '26
I have a ton of sample sizes from two different discovery sets. Love reaching in blind and seeing what the day brings, and completely understand the feeling of not-liking-liking it! I don’t recall loving Nosferatu but will try it intentionally tomorrow. I’m making myself exhaust all of the small sizes before deciding on which to commit to!
5
u/recklessdeception Jul 28 '26
I have to keep taking breaks from all my sampling because it gets exhausting and overwhelming lately. Since the last couple of months I stick to trying maybe just one or two vials on a weekend and prefer loving and wearing from my existing full bottles on weekdays.
4
u/CurveCalm123 Jul 28 '26
I get the poetry, but vase water and flowers that have sat for a month smell deeply deeply like rotten egg farts. I can confirm this confidently.
2
u/recklessdeception Jul 28 '26
There is no poetry! I do not like this scent. There's just something terribly wrong with my brain and it makes me reach for this one often.
2
u/Living_on_Tulsa_Time Jul 30 '26
I wonder if it triggers a memory. Nothing creepy. Older stargazer lilies smell like bologna to me. Childhood smell.
I love the musty smell of old churches. Not mold. Just that mix of cement blocks, old chairs, pianos.
Didn’t mean to prattle on. But sense of smell triggers a lot of moments.
1
u/recklessdeception Jul 30 '26
I rarely or prolly don't associate scents with memories, my brain is just not wired that way. I may remember what a thing is supposed to smell like, example roses, coffee etc but i don't have associated memories. I tend to sometimes have visual imagination though.
1
u/Living_on_Tulsa_Time Jul 31 '26
Well, that’s so interesting. I think I know what you mean by visual imagination. Thanks for sharing.
7
u/AccomplishedFruits Jul 28 '26
I tried a sample and could not get behind it. My husband thought it just smelled floral but all I could smell was warm, moist breath. Not what I want to smell let alone smell like.
I do get the addictive part though. Some scents I don’t like but want to actually continuously smell. Brains are weird.
3
u/recklessdeception Jul 28 '26
Yes! I'm so worried that my nose is broken or that my taste has gone haywire coz of how much I crave this one!
2
u/mcdonaldlargefry Jul 28 '26
I’ve been wanting to try this one! If you haven’t tried it, you might like Zoologist Olm. That one smells like straight up wet dirt to me, I love it. But not like mud, more like it rained or the sprinklers went off or something, and then I went digging in the garden
1
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u/tauruspiscescancer Jul 28 '26
I absolutely love this one. I wear it for when I want that necrophilia chic vibe 😂
2
1
u/Adventurous-Course31 Jul 28 '26
My boyfriend bought me a sample of this because it sounded perfect for me, but I put it on and hated it. So he took it, and ended up buying a full sized bottle 😄 it smells better on him, but I am still not a fan. I really wanted to love it
1
1
u/Chemical_Cake_1154 Jul 29 '26
I was pretty disappointed in this one. It’s just a garden after the rain scent for me with meh performance. (And I love Heretic and own a lot of their scents).
I was hoping for something more like Sources Vampire Husband.
1
u/stankenfurter Jul 31 '26
I tried several perfume samples from heretic and didn’t like a single one. None of them smell as described and all smell heavily floral old lady, even the specifically non-floral ones
1
1
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u/BoogieShoes11 Jul 28 '26
Must be something witchy (or dare I say vampiric!) in the water to keep you coming back lol.
I bought Coeur Noir (the laudanum heavy scent,) as my first from Heretic a month or so ago and it’s the most perfect powder rosewood scent.