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Feb. 9th, 2015 09:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydionMost of a year of BPALs. I ran out of money after Only Lovers Left Alive, so after that is mostly trades/decants/gifts. Thanks again to tibicina for the coveted rares.
The Frimps:
BARON SAMEDI (Excolo): (Company says: In his honor, we have created this scent: our spin on traditional Bay Rum.)
In bottle: Surprisingly sweet, well nuanced, spicy Bay Rum. Wet: Less sweet and more spicy. Dry: faintly spicy faintly rum.
BATTY 2011 (LE, Retail Exclusive Oils, Dark Delicacies, Halloween): (Company says: If Fred Astaire was a werebat, he'd totally smell like this: dark chocolate, black oudh, tonka absolute, cassia, white oleander, sandalwood, and free-tailed bat musk. Artwork by Manda Lander!)
In bottle: Lots of sandalwood with strong tonka support. Oudh and musk are gentler, but also good support. The dark chocolate makes a lovely counterpoint with cassia support. The Oleander is barely there, but distinct. Wet: The chocolate and cassia come out more on the skin, becoming strongest, with the sandalwood a close second and the musk third. The oleander weaves through everything as it warms up, delicate, but clear and clean. Dry: Mostly oudh, with some musk and sandalwood.
L’ECOLE DES FILLES (Discontinued): (Company says: This is a libertine’s celebration of decadence, debauchery, and sexual freedom: orange blossom, ambergris, orris root, white rose, lemon balm, jonquil, carrot seed, and benzoin.)
No, just no.
SCHRODINGER’s CAT (Bewitching Brews): (Company says: A paradoxical scent experiment! – tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint).
In bottle only: Very, very citrus. Tangerine is a canvas for the grapefruit tang and the hint of lime zing. The lavender and geranium blend beautifully with the dominant citrus, the oakmoss grounds it. The chocolate peppermint is understated, but detectable.
Strangler Fig (Rappaccini's Garden): (Company says: Rooty, woody, with deep green tones.
In Bottle: Slightly chalky roots, with a touch of fig and a hint of green. It’s softer than thorns. Wet: Sweeter and mildly figgier the roots are sharper. Dry: Rich juicy fig with a touch of roots.
Ordered:
ADAM (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Character Scents): (Company says: His scent is a palette of somber colors, melancholy memories, and lupine, savage beauty: black leather, pale sandalwood, ambergris accord, and the memory of a long-lost Victorian fougère. His internal life seems to be reflected in his lair, so his perfume also possesses the scent of the wood of his guitars, the rosin from his violin bow, the musty wool of neglected Oriental carpets, the plastic, metal, and magnetic tape of his reel-to-reel, the dust that permeates everything.)
In Bottle: Leather Dominant with strong wood, fougere, and rosin in second. Sandalwood blurs the line between Leather and sandalwood. Ambergris enriches the rosin. Wool is soft, but easy to detect. Hints of plastic, metal, tape, and dust. The dust supports wool. Wet: Sexy and masculine on the skin. It’s still leather and fougere dominant. The rosin and ambergris are a bit softer and supported by wool and dust. The metal, plastic, and tape are sharper and more distinct, giving an ozone/electrical feel to this. This really does suit Adam. Dry: Mostly leather with some fougere and a touch of resin.
AMICITIA 2014 (LE, Lilith 2014: Princesses, Ghosts & Superheroes): (Company says: A tribute to true friendship, and love that transcends distance and time: white sage and chaparral with sweet cedar, caramelized honey, warm fig, and carnation blossoms.)
In bottle: This is lovely and more delicate than I expected. White sage and what I’m guessing is chaparral are strongest, with the cedar and carnations providing a striking accent. The honey and fig sweeten and soften it. As one of my favorite single note combinations is white sage and carnation, you can likely guess how much I like this. Wet: A bit chalkier on the skin. The chaparral really pops, with the cedar in strong support and sage softer. The honey and fig form the second strongest faction. I liked it better in the bottle, but it’s still interesting. Dry: Mostly sage on the dry down.
AUBIN GRANDPIED BUNMANCHI, CHILDHOOD PLAYMATE 2014 (LE, Emerald City Comicon, Event Exclusive Oils): (Company says: Quiet, moody, and reserved, his love for Lady Cecily goes unspoken and unrequited: pale fur, lavender water, Corsican immortelle, white thyme, benzoin absolute, ambergris accord, and sorrowful carrot seed.)
In Bottle: I am assuming the immortelle listed is Xeranthemum, which is a flower I’ve seen, but can’t recall the scent of, so there will be some guessing in this review. The blend is mildly lavender dominant, with the lavender complicated by what I’m guessing is the immortelle. If so it’s a delicate floral that goes well with the lavender. The benzoin also supports the lavender. The ambergris accord functions here much the way vanilla often does, buy smoothing scent transitions and tying things together. It is pervasive, but unobtrusive because of how well it works with everything here. It softens the lavender’s edges. It turns up the sexy on the fur. It helps the thyme kiss the lavender. The carrot seed is understated and enriches the thyme more than stands on its own. This is pretty androgynous to my nose. Wet: Not as much throw as I’d hoped. I do like the way the immortelle comes out on my skin, and it’s slightly spicy, dusty sort of feel. It remains delicate, but somehow really changes the way the lavender feels, transforming it in ways I’m having trouble to describe. The androgynous florals sweep up the ambergris and fur like a little whirlwind, drawing them into the complexity of the dominant faction where the benzoin already resides. The thyme and carrot seed fade into the lavender, complicating it further, still detectable, but more as part of the whole, than as parts. I do like this, even if it occasionally forms brief accidental accords for redwood and playdough to my nose. Dry: I actually kind of like the way this goes redwood adjacent on the dry down. It’s like if redwood were a floral and an androgynous after shave, which I know makes no sense to brains that aren’t mine, but it’s sexy and I really want to lick it. Again, I suspect none of this is helpful, but I’m calling it a win.
AUTUMN OVERLOOKED MY KNITTING 2014 (LE, Halloweenies): (Company says: A warm scent, as delicate as lace and as soft as cashmere, and as cozy as wool, punctuated with red currant for the blazing red of cochineal and surrounded a border of soft grey ambergris and a swirl of autumn leaves.)
In bottle: Autumn leaf accord dominant, sweetened by a strong red current note. There really is a soft yarn background. This is cozy and delicate and really suits its concept. Wet: The red currant becomes dominant as it warms, though the leaves stay strong. The knitting ties things together remaining a gentle background. Dry: It stays fruit dominant, but the various sorts of clothing come out as it wears. It ends up smelling a bit too much like my Grammy on me for me to be comfortable with it.
BEWILDERED IN A DREAM 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: A disorienting eddy of French lavender, black tea, orange blossom, sharp green tea leaf, pink flowering thorn, and a blot of inky resins.)
In bottle: Lavender dominant. The tea notes work beautifully with the lavender, providing excellent support. The resin is soft background, the other florals are understated and go well with the lavender. Wet: Still lavender dominant, but the resin is a strong second now. The teas are better differentiated as it warms. The flowering thorn is really interesting and gentle. The orange blossom stays understated. Dry: Tea dominant with gentle lavender support and a hint of resin.
BLACKER THAN THE RAVEN WINGS OF MIDNIGHT 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: The scent of Ligeia reborn: black tea leaf fougere with black sandalwood, opalescent vanilla, osmanthus,18-year aged Indonesian patchouli, and the suggestion of ancient incense smoke.
In bottle: Vanilla and Patchouli dominant. They do rather well together. Sandalwood supports the patchouli. Osmanthus and tea tie things together and smooth the edges. Incense threads through it. It may be a little too much incense for me. Wet: Chalkier in the skin, with patchouli strongly dominant, the other incense lining up in support. The tea is second strongest with vanilla and osmanthus in support. It is too strong for my skin, but would go well on someone with a gentler natural scent. Dry: Mostly sandalwood and patchouli.
CHRISTOUGENNIATIKO DENTROPHOBIA 2014 (LE, Yule, The Phobias): (Company says: Fear of Christmas Trees. Ghastly misshapen branches casting long, twisted shadows and clutching at you with prickly needle-like fingers: pine pitch, bone-white dried fir, and spruce tar with opoponax and blackened tobacco.)
In bottle: The opoponax is the puppeteer here, sweetening and taming the fresh cut evergreens. The tobacco paints a soft cozy background. This is beautifully designed. I was expecting the evergreens to be overwhelming. Instead they are strong, but beautifully set off by the opopnax and tobacco to make something truly lovely. Wet: Smokier and less sweet on the skin. The evergreens differentiate more clearly with fir dominant with the pitch and tar in support. The opoponax lends a hint of sex appeal, while the tobacco lends balance. Dry: The opoponax strikes back on the dry down and the evergreens soften. It’s gentler and more resiny and less sexy.
DIAMOND’S GONG (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Soundtrack): (Company says: A celestial hymn, singing to Earth from fifty light years away: ten billion-trillion-trillion-carats of glittering white musk, with cognac, tagetes, white champaca, Gum Arabic, and davana.)
In bottle: I am not familiar with a couple notes, so the following review is approximate. It’s clearly musk dominant with cognac support. I think that may be the tagetes combining with the champaca to make the second strongest impression. The gum arabic is third, with what I’m guessing is davana haunts the background. Wet: Avoid this if you are not an incense fan. The probably tagetes really brings the floral, and while it works well with the still marginally dominant musk and cognac, it’s a little much on me. The gum arabic is strong support, with the davana still lurking in the background. Dry: Reminiscent of nag champa. Absolutely lovely incense blend.
DEIPNOPHOBIA 2014 (LE, Yule, The Phobias): (Company says: Fear of Dinner Conversations. Wine spilled across freshly pressed table linens, a wilted holiday bouquet, and a furtive hint of whiskey and baked bread.)
In bottle: Wine. So much wine. Wine nearly overwhelming the other elements. Of the other elements, the bouquet is most noticeable, with the bread blending well with the wine. The whiskey is a ghost.
DUMB CAKE 2014 (LE, Yule): (Company says: This is the scent of an awkward encounter with a Yule-evoked doppelgänger mate: spectral cologne, blurry herbs, fireplace ash, and a dusting of crumbs.)
In bottle: This is strangely compelling. The ash and crumbs combine to make something dry, ashy. And sweet. The herbs lend a sharpness. I’m guessing there is evergreen in the cologne. It invokes Yule and a touch of masculine sexiness. Wet: The herbs really come out on the skin, bringing out the dark green sexiness of the cologne with them and becoming the dominant impression together. The crumbs are a background sweetness with the ghost of ash hanging over it. This is shockingly sexy on the skin. I was intrigued with the virgin scent, on my skin? Wow! Dry: Fast fading, alas. The cologne remains lovely and mingles with the cake crumbs.
ECTOPLASM 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: A luminous, viscid blend of white amber, lemongrass, white oakmoss, and davana.)
In bottle: Lemongrass dominant with strong davana support and lighter oakmoss support. The white amber softens the sharpness of the dominant coalition a scootch. Wet: Mostly lemongrass with some davana and a kiss of amber and oakmoss. This is too much for me, to bright and sharp and lemony on my skin, but likely would ride better on someone younger. Dry: Mostly Amber and oakmoss.
EDGAR MICHE, MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURER 2014 (LE, Emerald City Comicon, Event Exclusive Oils): (Company says: Brown leather, dusted by the spices of his many voyages: cardamom, red sandalwood, sweet clove, white mastic, mandrake powder, and galangal.)
In bottle: Leather Dominant, with the mandrake adding a hint of corruption. The sandalwood is pervasive, but very well blended with the leather. The clove, cardamom, and galangal are understated, lending an air of travel to far off places without screaming spice. Wet: Sweeter and much spicier on my skin. If the bottle scent was a baritone, this would be a particularly rich tenor. The spices really come out on my skin in their own right, sailing over that slightly disreputable leather as if to distract from it’s darker depths. In the bottle, it bellowed its masculinity; on my skin, it wears lighter and more subtly masculine in its sexuality. Here, the sandalwood is a bridge between the leather and the spices, blending with both and keeping them thematically linked. This is sexy and a little dangerous. Warning, I am getting a very mild skin reaction, so this might not be good for people with sensitive skin. Dry: The slightly mandrake corrupted leather with a wicked hint of spice.
EUSAPIA 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: Pale lilacs, white tea, and candle wax.)
In bottle: The lilacs and white tea are stunning together, very feminine and suited to the concept. The candle wax is a gentle background on which the lilac and tea shine. Wet: If anything richer and prettier on the skin, the lilacs and tea twining and dancing. This is not even vaguely me, but is so painfully lovely I wish it was an atmosphere spray. Dry: Gorgeous. All the edges soften into a lovely water colour wash. Seriously, this ought to be an atmosphere spray.
FETTERED IN THE SHACKLES OF THE DRUG 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: Sweet opium smoke, neroli, yellow bergamot, and piquant, strange star anise.)
In bottle: Very sharply yellow. Bergamot dominant with strong neroli support. The opium is gentle, but pervasive. The anise is a sharp accent. Wet: Much as in the bottle, though now the neroli is dominant with the bergamot in strong support. Dry: Mostly opium and anise with some neroli.
GOSSIPS OF GHOST LAND 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: Idle poltergeists and truant phantoms loitering in darkened corners and shadowed hallways: black cedar, patchouli, and tea leaf spiked with a tittering cackle of pink peppercorn, mate, and lime rind.)
In bottle: This is quite interesting. Cedar dominant with patchouli support, the cedar having a burnt feel to it. The mate is a soft background. The peppercorn and lime are bright accents, beautifully bright against the darker dominant notes. Wet: Still burnt cedar dominant with patchouli support. The pepper is surprisingly strong, with the mate and lime soft echoes. This suits it’s concept, but is less exciting on my skin than in the imp. Dry: Mmmmm….Cedar. A hint of patchouli lingers.
HANS TRAPP 2014 (LE, Yule): (Company says: Tattered leather, dry straw, matted hair, sharpened sticks, and a bundle of switches).
In bottle: This is one of the more worn and buttery leather notes. It is strongly dominant, but the leather smells like it would be soft to the touch, if that makes sense. The wood notes are unusual and good support to the leather. The straw and hair work together with the hair being vaguely alarming. I’d actually call the straw about coequal with the woods, with the hair being an accent more than a stand alone. Wet: The hair is stronger on the skin, lending the dominant leather a vaguely rotting air. The woods are second strongest, with the straw fading to background. I think it was more interesting in the bottle. Dry: Mostly leather, more hair than I’d like, touches of wood.
HARD CIDER CAKE 2014 (LE, Yule): (Company says: A thick, spongy white cake spiked with hard apple cider and frosted with whiskey-laden buttercream.)
In bottle: I am not sure the whiskey and the buttercream will work for me properly in combination. It might be a little too heavy for me, for all I love the lab whiskey note. The apple cider is lovely support for the whiskey The cake supports the butter cream. Wet: The apple cider comes out more strongly on the skin with the whiskey in support. The buttercream backs down enough to let the white cake shine. I was dubious in the bottle, but to my pleased surprise this looks to be working, and working well. I love the way the booze dances with the cake. I wish I could eat this. Dry: Cakey heaven with a bit of booze.
KIT (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Character Scents): (Company says: Kit’s scent is soft and dry as bone: Mysore sandalwood, a tattered and patched 16th century waistcoat, inkstained, still scented with the marjoram and benzoin dry perfumes of his youth.)
In Bottle: Strong Sandalwood sweetened by benzoin. The ink and favric go really well with the dominant notes and are easily picked out. The marjoram is a delicate bridge tying the other notes together. This is beautifully formulated and well suited to it’s concept. Wet: Smoother on the skin. The ink really comes into it’s own in support of the dominant sandalwood. The benzoin pulls back to dance with the marjoram. The waistcoat is a soft background. Dry: Sandalwood and benzoin, with the ghost of ink.
MAGNIFICENT AUTUMN 2014 (LE, Halloweenies): (Company says: A scent that wanders through the Ages of Autumn, from the last green leaf to the first breath of winter.)
In bottle: This has a lot of familiar elements, some of which are hard to place. It has a strong almost ivy, vaguely ozoney feel to it with what I strongly believe are berries and a touch of rotting leaves. Wet: Green an ozone one second then berry and maybe pomegranate the next, then dead rotting leaves, then pine and ozone again. This cycles very quickly, so you want to be smelling all of it. It settles much as in the bottle, only with the fruit dominant and the various leaves second strongest. I like a lot of this, but something in there doesn’t quite work on me. Dry: Mostly fruit with a touch of wood and leaves.
A MOMENT IN TIME 2014 (BPTP, LE, Fatherhood): (Company says: A tranquil scent, illuminated by joy and warm with the serenity of love: bourbon vanilla and soft sandalwood with tiare, white fig, sweet benzoin, guiac wood, French lavender, and a touch of warm patchouli.)
In bottle: This review is a bit tentative as I’m not as clear on which scent is called which thing in a couple cases. I will do my best guess. That is a lot of benzoin with lavender in support. The woods blend well with the benzoin and are the second strongest faction, with a touch of patchouli in support. Vanilla is next strongest, with fig support and what I’m guessing as taire, filling in the cracks and tying it all together. Wet: The elements differentiate on the skin better, but function about the same, with the main difference being that lavender overtakes benzoin gradually as it warms, the bourbon vanilla is richer, and the thing I am pretty sure is taire stands out much clearer. The affect morphs rather as the lavender comes out, making it less aftershavey and more foody. Dry: Lovely and surprisingly ladylike: lavender, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, mostly.
(NOT SO) PENITENT (MINI) MAGDALENE 2014 (LE, Lilith 2014: Princesses, Ghosts & Superheroes): (Company says: Candle wax, smoke, red sandalwood, a dusting of kitchen spices, and a dribble of vanilla ice cream.)
In bottle: Oooo! I love the spices in this! So gingerbread type spices over vanilla is the dominant impression, the wax supporting the vanilla. Sandalwood gives a soft grounding, with a hint of smoke wafting over. Wet: Much as in the bottle, that lovely spice/vanilla combination being most of the affect, with sandalwood grounding it and that kiss of smoke. The smoke comes out staonger as it warms, blending beautifully with my natural musk. I often have trouble with smoke notes, but this so works. Dry: Vanilla and Sandalwood.
Palus Nebularum 2014 (LE, Lunacy): (Company says: The Marsh of Frogs: weedy green musk, three boggy mosses, water lettuce, and water hyacinth against a backdrop of glittering moon rocks.)
In bottle: Fairly subtle. It has a softly aquatic feel, with a sexy musky mix of green things. It really does suit it’s concept. The musk, mosses, and what I suspect to be water lettuce, blend beautifully with each other and the hint of rocks. The water hyacinth gives a floral kiss without intruding on the prevailing green impression. This is lovely in a water colour landscape sort of way and androgynous. Wet: It remains subtle and well blended on the skin, though the elements pop more as if the details have just come into focus. It remains musk and moss dominant, but the nexus of rocks, water lettuce, and hyacinth are doing some unusual things together now that they are standing out from the background a little more. It hasn’t much through and it creates an atmosphere rather than trying to draw attention to itself. If you are looking for something subtle that evokes a place and a mood, this should be about right. It’s a lovely little scent poem meditating on a marshy landscape. Dry: Mostly moss and musk with a touch of floral.
PEACH VI 2014 (LE, Event Exclusive Oils, Dragon Con, Peach Pit): (Company says: Peach and blackcurrant with aged patchouli, red sandalwood, benzoin, and blue musk).
In Bottle: Rather more patchouli than I’d hoped. The patchouli and sandalwood face off against black currant and peach, with the soft blue musk tying them together. Wet: Patchouli dominant with sandalwood in support, rather chalky. Musk second, asnd my skin has swallowed most of the fruit. Dry: Mostly patchouli with some musk.
PEACH VII 2014 (LE, Event Exclusive Oils, Dragon Con, Peach Pit): (Company says: Dried peach, black musk, and North African spices.
In Bottle: Wow! This is rather intense. The musk and spices are strong and dark, reminding me of wooden travel trunks. The musk is dominant, possibly too strong for me. The peach is gentle, but pervasive. Wet: Less overwhelming on my skin. The peach comes out to gentle the musk a bit, and the spices back down to become a gentler influence. Normally, I can’t support black musk as I tend to amp musks, but as this warms the peach twines around it, transforming and taming it. This is still a heavier scent than is wise with my skin chemistry and sinuses, but I really like it, and I can just carry this without getting a head ache. This is beautifully designed and blended. Dry: Mostly musk with a bit of spice.
Quintessence of Dust (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Story Points): (Company says: Quintessence of Dust The passing: beeswax and smoke, yellowed paper and well-worn leather books, droplets of spilled ink, faded incense, blood-tinged salty tears, and the metal of the knife that skewers that illiterate zombie philistine’s portrait.)
In Bottle: This is delicious and complicated. The beeswax is a pervasive canvas on which the other elements play. The incense is the strongest note, with ink and tears in support. The leather is second strongest with smoke and metal seasoning it. The beeswax is third with soft paper support. Wet: Leather is now strongest with ink as strong support. (I amp leather and do well with ink, so this is a skin chemistry thing and YMMV). The incense and metal are more background on my skin, with the rest mostly being accents. I still really like this, but the in bottle balance was more interesting. Dry: Leather and incense, with ink and a sharp metal edge.
SHARK TOOTH 2014 (LE, Event Exclusive Oils, Dragon Con, Peach Pit): (Company says: Pale, stony ambergris with oudh, patchouli, white cedar, and ambrette seed.
In Bottle: Ambergris dominant with strong oudh and softer cedar support. The patchouli and ambrette are distinct, but play well with others. Wet: The Ambrette is strong on my skin, moving into strong support of the ambergris accord. The oudh, cedar, and patchouli form a nice counter weight. The result is pleasant and much gentler than I expected. Dry: Mostly Cedar with some patchouli.
SKOOCOOM HOUSE 2014 (LE, Emerald City Comicon, Event Exclusive Oils): (Company says: The Sasquets ancestral estate: vast dark halls of stone threaded by cascading rivulets of beeswax, and the scent of snow-laden fireweed, Pacific silver fir, thick mounds of vibrant green moss, purple lupine, Pacific bleeding heart, and lava ash).
Review: This is very purple and not what I expected at all. This is strongly lupine and bleeding heart dominant. I am not that good at picking out which flower scent is which, so let’s just call the dominant faction purple flowers. The green elements come out once the initial shock of the purple wears off. These give the stronger purple factions some grounding. The moss and fir work well together and form a nice setting for the purples. I honestly don’t know what fireweed smells like and there’s enough confusion here with those purples, that I don’t feel confident as to what is the fireweed and what is part of something else. It may be the bridge scent between purple and green, but again, I’m not sure. The beeswax burns off fairly quickly, being soft and delicate generally, but mostly supports the purples when it’s there. The stone also breaks down quickly, but supports the green. The ash is an understated darkness lurking around the edges. I haven’t done well with the ash note in other blends, but here it gives the right touch of haunting darkness without overwhelming the blend. This is a rich, decadent mid-Spring floral. I can think of no other blend to compare it to.
STAGE BLOOD 2014 (LE, Halloweenies, Single Notes):
In bottle: Very, Very cherry and orange candy, likely with dragon’s blood. There is no chance of this working on me so no skin test.
TABLE-TURNING 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: A heavy, tactile scent that thrums with voices from beyond: black polished teakwood, gullies of ectoplasm, and ghostly white musk.)
In bottle: Sharp white notes over musky wood. Surprisingly sexy, but I suspect too high octave for my skin chemistry range. Wet: Very white musk dominant with wood support. The ectoplasm adds sweet pale mildly ozone spikes, but this works on me way better than I had any right to expect. I really can almost wear this and I think this would be lovely on someone with slightly different skin chemistry. Dry: Mostly musk with some wood to balance. Still sexy.
There’s Water Here (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Story Points): (Company says: This place will rise again. The wisdom of eternity imparting a glimmer of hope through the grace of eternal renewal: the wild glory of nature bursting through cement, metal, and urban despair, purified by the waters of Lake St. Clair.)
In Bottle: Unusual florals (dandelion with something else I think) and greens over an aquatic base. The metal and cement are understated. The “glory of nature” is very like my garden and gives the aquatic note a sharpness that I like. Wet: The green growing things really differentiate and pop on my skin. The floral becomes aquatic support. The hints of metal give it extra edge. The cement is very understated. Dry: Slightly sharp aquatic.
VERDANT DECAY 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: A claustrophobic thicket of yew, cypress, and drooping oak grown wild with dense mounds of bittersweet nightshade, gleaming white foxglove, creeping black ivy, clusters of marshy false morel and fly agaric, and a smear of crushed, overripe baneberries.)
In bottle: Ivy dominant, with the woods in strong support, with a complicated herbal underpinning. Wet: The woods really come out on the skin, with the Oak most prominent and the yew and ivy second strongest. The nightshade and baneberries pop beautifully as it warms. I really like this, but it’s odd enough that I suspect it will not be to everybody’s taste. Dry: Mostly ivy and wood.
VISIONS OF AUTUMN I 2014 (LE, Halloweenies, Seven Visions of Autumn): (Company says: White cedar, black pepper, golden amber, bay leaf, and 4-year aged oudh.)
In bottle: Lots of bay, supported by agarwood and cedar. The pepper gives it a sharpness. The amber softens it a little. I can tell this isn’t going to work, so no skin test.
Wooden Bullet (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Story Points): (Company says: A .38 caliber bullet fashioned from cocobolo wood and brass.)
In Bottle: I have no experience of cocobolo, but it’s definitely dominant here. It’s hard to describe and utterly gorgeous. It’s very hardwood, complicated, juicy, and sort of floral. It is as strong and distinct and cedar, but doesn’t smell like cedar. If you like woods, this likely needs to be in your collection, because there is nothing like it. The brass is a beautiful compliment to the wood and I’m betting this is about to become a staple. Wet: If anything, the wood is even more exciting on my skin, with that rich brass support. I’m in love with this. Dry: The wood softens in some absolutely lovely ways as the brass fades out.
BPTP:
CACAO-DUSTED SUGAR SKULLS 2014 (LE, BPTP, Halloweenie): (Company says: White sugar and meringue sprinkled with cacao).
In bottle: Mmmmm. What it says on the bottle: sugary meringue blended with cocoa. In use: Waaay more cocoa. So cocoa with some sugary meringue in it. Still gorgeous. I would buy so many bottles if I had the money.
FULVOUS SNOW 2014 (LE, Yule, Snowballs, BPTP): (Company says: Snowballs of hay absolute, tonka bean, honeyed oak, patchouli, chestnut blossom, and oudh).
In bottle: So much patchouli, with the wood in support. Tonka bean is soft, but gentles it a little, with hints of the other bits. I can already tell this is way too much patchouli for me. Wet: Still patchouli dominant with wood in support, but the tonka, honey, and oudh come out as it warms, which gives it a better balance. The hay and chestnut blossoms are very understated. I like this better on the skin, and the honeyed oak and tonka are lovely together, but it’s still above my patchouli threshold enough to get a minor skin reaction. Dry: The patchouli stays strongest all the way down, gentled by tonka and oak.
GINGERBREAD JOLLY ROGER 2014 (LE, Gifts with Donation or Purchase): (I assume: Gingerbread + Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods).
In Bottle: Gingerbread and leather dominant, and oh do they go well together. Bay rum is sexy support to the leather, with the woods in gentler support. This is less salty than in plain Jolly Roger in feel, the salt giving an edge to the gingerbread. Wet: The wood finds the salty gingerbread and does glorious things. The leather is still twined in a startlingly compelling embrace with the gingerbread. The Bay Rum really pops, the rum bringing out the sweet cakiness of the gingerbread. I’d call this gingerbread and rum dominant by about five minutes in. It is a masculine sexy sort of foody in feel. Dry: Mostly leather and sea spray.
HONEYED PEACH BATH OIL 2014 (LE, BPTP, Thermae, Dragon Con, Peachgasm): (Company says: With peach bark and oakmoss for a hint of earthiness.)
Review: Rich peach, masculinized by the oakmoss and bark, with a touch of sweet honey. I was pleasantly surprised by how dark and sexy this is.
KRAMPUS’ CHAINS 2014 (LE, Yule, BPTP): (Company says: Black licorice and rusted musk with tobacco absolute and myrrh.)
In bottle: Fascinating. Licorice dominant, but beautifully blended with the strong musk and gentler tobacco. The myrrh pops, but plays well with the others. There really is a hint of rust about this. This is really different from other licorice blends I’ve encountered, being a musk/incense blend rather than foody. Weirdly sexy. Wet: Somehow completely different on my skin. I think we’ve wandered into the land of accidental accords where my brain mis-parses components, so odds are you won’t experience this. If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was a citrus blend as there is a tartness to it. The rust becomes blood. The licorice, tobacco, and myrrh swirl together by some strange alchemy to make something…almost floral, as if a carnation was licorice instead of spice, if that makes sense. The musk and blood say rough sex to me. It’s sweet and disturbing and darkly sexual all at once. It does stay licorice dominant, and with time the disturbing dials down to a licorice floral sexy. Dry: Licorice stays stong with a sexy musk undercurrent.
A LADY TALL AND WHITE 2014 (LE, Yule, BPTP): (Company says: A fur and cap all made of snow: frosted vanilla sandalwood.)
In bottle: Ozoney snow with a mint edge, sweetened with vanilla, kissed with a hint of sandalwood. This used to be my favorite snow note, but I can’t wear it any more due to skin chemistry changes. No point in skin testing, alas.
SWEET POTATO MUSK 2014 (LE, Gifts with Donation or Purchase): (Company says: Weirdly wearable! Brown sugar-glazed sweet potato musk with honeyed ambrette, pulverized pumpkin seed, white oats, toasted cardamom, and sugared clove.)
In bottle: Musk dominant with ambrette support. Very sexy. The brown sugar, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seed form a strong second faction together. I often have trouble with lab pumpkin, but it’s soft and well blended here with the much stronger sugar and gentle sweet potato notes. The cardamom and clove are sharply drawn accents. The oats are gentle and tie it all together. This is beautifully designed. Wet: Everything gets more distinct as it warms. The cardamom really pops. Something in the sweet potato accord really brings it out. I often have trouble with strong musks, but the sweet potato musk goes well with my skin chemistry without being overwhelming. The clove and oats stand out more clearly. The effect is both sharper and shallower than in the bottle. I still like this, but I’m not the ideal skin chemistry for this. It is so unusual and compelling in the bottle, but I flatten it. Dry: Mostly musk and some amberette.
YULE BUDDIES 2014 (LE, Yule, BPTP): (Company says: Frosted gingerbread, leather, pipe tobacco, and fruitcake crumbs.)
In Bottle: Heavenly. Leather is dominant, but twines beautifully with a strong gingerbread note and it’s candied fruit dominant fruitcake crumbs. The tobacco is particularly rich and ties it all together, but really, the combination of the leather and baked goods elements is heady and resplendent. I want to smell like this. Wet: Ginger moves into dominant position, with the leather second. Cake supports ginger; tobacco supports leather. I still really like it, but it is not as compelling on my skin as it was in the imp I can’t tell you why ginger leather isn’t as exciting and leather/gingerbread fruitcake, but it isn’t, somehow it is thinner on my skin instead of rich and bright in the imp. Dry: Candied fruit over tobacco.
Winners: Edgar Miche, Wooden Bullet, Adam, Cacao-Dusted Sugar Skulls Bath Oil, Bewildered in a Dream, Hard Cider Cake, Ginger Bread Jolly Roger
Runners Up: Aubin Grandpied Bunmanche, Skoocoom House, Honeyed Peach Bath Oil, (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene, Verdant Decay, Dumb Cake, Eusapia
The Frimps:
BARON SAMEDI (Excolo): (Company says: In his honor, we have created this scent: our spin on traditional Bay Rum.)
In bottle: Surprisingly sweet, well nuanced, spicy Bay Rum. Wet: Less sweet and more spicy. Dry: faintly spicy faintly rum.
BATTY 2011 (LE, Retail Exclusive Oils, Dark Delicacies, Halloween): (Company says: If Fred Astaire was a werebat, he'd totally smell like this: dark chocolate, black oudh, tonka absolute, cassia, white oleander, sandalwood, and free-tailed bat musk. Artwork by Manda Lander!)
In bottle: Lots of sandalwood with strong tonka support. Oudh and musk are gentler, but also good support. The dark chocolate makes a lovely counterpoint with cassia support. The Oleander is barely there, but distinct. Wet: The chocolate and cassia come out more on the skin, becoming strongest, with the sandalwood a close second and the musk third. The oleander weaves through everything as it warms up, delicate, but clear and clean. Dry: Mostly oudh, with some musk and sandalwood.
L’ECOLE DES FILLES (Discontinued): (Company says: This is a libertine’s celebration of decadence, debauchery, and sexual freedom: orange blossom, ambergris, orris root, white rose, lemon balm, jonquil, carrot seed, and benzoin.)
No, just no.
SCHRODINGER’s CAT (Bewitching Brews): (Company says: A paradoxical scent experiment! – tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint).
In bottle only: Very, very citrus. Tangerine is a canvas for the grapefruit tang and the hint of lime zing. The lavender and geranium blend beautifully with the dominant citrus, the oakmoss grounds it. The chocolate peppermint is understated, but detectable.
Strangler Fig (Rappaccini's Garden): (Company says: Rooty, woody, with deep green tones.
In Bottle: Slightly chalky roots, with a touch of fig and a hint of green. It’s softer than thorns. Wet: Sweeter and mildly figgier the roots are sharper. Dry: Rich juicy fig with a touch of roots.
Ordered:
ADAM (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Character Scents): (Company says: His scent is a palette of somber colors, melancholy memories, and lupine, savage beauty: black leather, pale sandalwood, ambergris accord, and the memory of a long-lost Victorian fougère. His internal life seems to be reflected in his lair, so his perfume also possesses the scent of the wood of his guitars, the rosin from his violin bow, the musty wool of neglected Oriental carpets, the plastic, metal, and magnetic tape of his reel-to-reel, the dust that permeates everything.)
In Bottle: Leather Dominant with strong wood, fougere, and rosin in second. Sandalwood blurs the line between Leather and sandalwood. Ambergris enriches the rosin. Wool is soft, but easy to detect. Hints of plastic, metal, tape, and dust. The dust supports wool. Wet: Sexy and masculine on the skin. It’s still leather and fougere dominant. The rosin and ambergris are a bit softer and supported by wool and dust. The metal, plastic, and tape are sharper and more distinct, giving an ozone/electrical feel to this. This really does suit Adam. Dry: Mostly leather with some fougere and a touch of resin.
AMICITIA 2014 (LE, Lilith 2014: Princesses, Ghosts & Superheroes): (Company says: A tribute to true friendship, and love that transcends distance and time: white sage and chaparral with sweet cedar, caramelized honey, warm fig, and carnation blossoms.)
In bottle: This is lovely and more delicate than I expected. White sage and what I’m guessing is chaparral are strongest, with the cedar and carnations providing a striking accent. The honey and fig sweeten and soften it. As one of my favorite single note combinations is white sage and carnation, you can likely guess how much I like this. Wet: A bit chalkier on the skin. The chaparral really pops, with the cedar in strong support and sage softer. The honey and fig form the second strongest faction. I liked it better in the bottle, but it’s still interesting. Dry: Mostly sage on the dry down.
AUBIN GRANDPIED BUNMANCHI, CHILDHOOD PLAYMATE 2014 (LE, Emerald City Comicon, Event Exclusive Oils): (Company says: Quiet, moody, and reserved, his love for Lady Cecily goes unspoken and unrequited: pale fur, lavender water, Corsican immortelle, white thyme, benzoin absolute, ambergris accord, and sorrowful carrot seed.)
In Bottle: I am assuming the immortelle listed is Xeranthemum, which is a flower I’ve seen, but can’t recall the scent of, so there will be some guessing in this review. The blend is mildly lavender dominant, with the lavender complicated by what I’m guessing is the immortelle. If so it’s a delicate floral that goes well with the lavender. The benzoin also supports the lavender. The ambergris accord functions here much the way vanilla often does, buy smoothing scent transitions and tying things together. It is pervasive, but unobtrusive because of how well it works with everything here. It softens the lavender’s edges. It turns up the sexy on the fur. It helps the thyme kiss the lavender. The carrot seed is understated and enriches the thyme more than stands on its own. This is pretty androgynous to my nose. Wet: Not as much throw as I’d hoped. I do like the way the immortelle comes out on my skin, and it’s slightly spicy, dusty sort of feel. It remains delicate, but somehow really changes the way the lavender feels, transforming it in ways I’m having trouble to describe. The androgynous florals sweep up the ambergris and fur like a little whirlwind, drawing them into the complexity of the dominant faction where the benzoin already resides. The thyme and carrot seed fade into the lavender, complicating it further, still detectable, but more as part of the whole, than as parts. I do like this, even if it occasionally forms brief accidental accords for redwood and playdough to my nose. Dry: I actually kind of like the way this goes redwood adjacent on the dry down. It’s like if redwood were a floral and an androgynous after shave, which I know makes no sense to brains that aren’t mine, but it’s sexy and I really want to lick it. Again, I suspect none of this is helpful, but I’m calling it a win.
AUTUMN OVERLOOKED MY KNITTING 2014 (LE, Halloweenies): (Company says: A warm scent, as delicate as lace and as soft as cashmere, and as cozy as wool, punctuated with red currant for the blazing red of cochineal and surrounded a border of soft grey ambergris and a swirl of autumn leaves.)
In bottle: Autumn leaf accord dominant, sweetened by a strong red current note. There really is a soft yarn background. This is cozy and delicate and really suits its concept. Wet: The red currant becomes dominant as it warms, though the leaves stay strong. The knitting ties things together remaining a gentle background. Dry: It stays fruit dominant, but the various sorts of clothing come out as it wears. It ends up smelling a bit too much like my Grammy on me for me to be comfortable with it.
BEWILDERED IN A DREAM 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: A disorienting eddy of French lavender, black tea, orange blossom, sharp green tea leaf, pink flowering thorn, and a blot of inky resins.)
In bottle: Lavender dominant. The tea notes work beautifully with the lavender, providing excellent support. The resin is soft background, the other florals are understated and go well with the lavender. Wet: Still lavender dominant, but the resin is a strong second now. The teas are better differentiated as it warms. The flowering thorn is really interesting and gentle. The orange blossom stays understated. Dry: Tea dominant with gentle lavender support and a hint of resin.
BLACKER THAN THE RAVEN WINGS OF MIDNIGHT 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: The scent of Ligeia reborn: black tea leaf fougere with black sandalwood, opalescent vanilla, osmanthus,18-year aged Indonesian patchouli, and the suggestion of ancient incense smoke.
In bottle: Vanilla and Patchouli dominant. They do rather well together. Sandalwood supports the patchouli. Osmanthus and tea tie things together and smooth the edges. Incense threads through it. It may be a little too much incense for me. Wet: Chalkier in the skin, with patchouli strongly dominant, the other incense lining up in support. The tea is second strongest with vanilla and osmanthus in support. It is too strong for my skin, but would go well on someone with a gentler natural scent. Dry: Mostly sandalwood and patchouli.
CHRISTOUGENNIATIKO DENTROPHOBIA 2014 (LE, Yule, The Phobias): (Company says: Fear of Christmas Trees. Ghastly misshapen branches casting long, twisted shadows and clutching at you with prickly needle-like fingers: pine pitch, bone-white dried fir, and spruce tar with opoponax and blackened tobacco.)
In bottle: The opoponax is the puppeteer here, sweetening and taming the fresh cut evergreens. The tobacco paints a soft cozy background. This is beautifully designed. I was expecting the evergreens to be overwhelming. Instead they are strong, but beautifully set off by the opopnax and tobacco to make something truly lovely. Wet: Smokier and less sweet on the skin. The evergreens differentiate more clearly with fir dominant with the pitch and tar in support. The opoponax lends a hint of sex appeal, while the tobacco lends balance. Dry: The opoponax strikes back on the dry down and the evergreens soften. It’s gentler and more resiny and less sexy.
DIAMOND’S GONG (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Soundtrack): (Company says: A celestial hymn, singing to Earth from fifty light years away: ten billion-trillion-trillion-carats of glittering white musk, with cognac, tagetes, white champaca, Gum Arabic, and davana.)
In bottle: I am not familiar with a couple notes, so the following review is approximate. It’s clearly musk dominant with cognac support. I think that may be the tagetes combining with the champaca to make the second strongest impression. The gum arabic is third, with what I’m guessing is davana haunts the background. Wet: Avoid this if you are not an incense fan. The probably tagetes really brings the floral, and while it works well with the still marginally dominant musk and cognac, it’s a little much on me. The gum arabic is strong support, with the davana still lurking in the background. Dry: Reminiscent of nag champa. Absolutely lovely incense blend.
DEIPNOPHOBIA 2014 (LE, Yule, The Phobias): (Company says: Fear of Dinner Conversations. Wine spilled across freshly pressed table linens, a wilted holiday bouquet, and a furtive hint of whiskey and baked bread.)
In bottle: Wine. So much wine. Wine nearly overwhelming the other elements. Of the other elements, the bouquet is most noticeable, with the bread blending well with the wine. The whiskey is a ghost.
DUMB CAKE 2014 (LE, Yule): (Company says: This is the scent of an awkward encounter with a Yule-evoked doppelgänger mate: spectral cologne, blurry herbs, fireplace ash, and a dusting of crumbs.)
In bottle: This is strangely compelling. The ash and crumbs combine to make something dry, ashy. And sweet. The herbs lend a sharpness. I’m guessing there is evergreen in the cologne. It invokes Yule and a touch of masculine sexiness. Wet: The herbs really come out on the skin, bringing out the dark green sexiness of the cologne with them and becoming the dominant impression together. The crumbs are a background sweetness with the ghost of ash hanging over it. This is shockingly sexy on the skin. I was intrigued with the virgin scent, on my skin? Wow! Dry: Fast fading, alas. The cologne remains lovely and mingles with the cake crumbs.
ECTOPLASM 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: A luminous, viscid blend of white amber, lemongrass, white oakmoss, and davana.)
In bottle: Lemongrass dominant with strong davana support and lighter oakmoss support. The white amber softens the sharpness of the dominant coalition a scootch. Wet: Mostly lemongrass with some davana and a kiss of amber and oakmoss. This is too much for me, to bright and sharp and lemony on my skin, but likely would ride better on someone younger. Dry: Mostly Amber and oakmoss.
EDGAR MICHE, MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURER 2014 (LE, Emerald City Comicon, Event Exclusive Oils): (Company says: Brown leather, dusted by the spices of his many voyages: cardamom, red sandalwood, sweet clove, white mastic, mandrake powder, and galangal.)
In bottle: Leather Dominant, with the mandrake adding a hint of corruption. The sandalwood is pervasive, but very well blended with the leather. The clove, cardamom, and galangal are understated, lending an air of travel to far off places without screaming spice. Wet: Sweeter and much spicier on my skin. If the bottle scent was a baritone, this would be a particularly rich tenor. The spices really come out on my skin in their own right, sailing over that slightly disreputable leather as if to distract from it’s darker depths. In the bottle, it bellowed its masculinity; on my skin, it wears lighter and more subtly masculine in its sexuality. Here, the sandalwood is a bridge between the leather and the spices, blending with both and keeping them thematically linked. This is sexy and a little dangerous. Warning, I am getting a very mild skin reaction, so this might not be good for people with sensitive skin. Dry: The slightly mandrake corrupted leather with a wicked hint of spice.
EUSAPIA 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: Pale lilacs, white tea, and candle wax.)
In bottle: The lilacs and white tea are stunning together, very feminine and suited to the concept. The candle wax is a gentle background on which the lilac and tea shine. Wet: If anything richer and prettier on the skin, the lilacs and tea twining and dancing. This is not even vaguely me, but is so painfully lovely I wish it was an atmosphere spray. Dry: Gorgeous. All the edges soften into a lovely water colour wash. Seriously, this ought to be an atmosphere spray.
FETTERED IN THE SHACKLES OF THE DRUG 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: Sweet opium smoke, neroli, yellow bergamot, and piquant, strange star anise.)
In bottle: Very sharply yellow. Bergamot dominant with strong neroli support. The opium is gentle, but pervasive. The anise is a sharp accent. Wet: Much as in the bottle, though now the neroli is dominant with the bergamot in strong support. Dry: Mostly opium and anise with some neroli.
GOSSIPS OF GHOST LAND 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: Idle poltergeists and truant phantoms loitering in darkened corners and shadowed hallways: black cedar, patchouli, and tea leaf spiked with a tittering cackle of pink peppercorn, mate, and lime rind.)
In bottle: This is quite interesting. Cedar dominant with patchouli support, the cedar having a burnt feel to it. The mate is a soft background. The peppercorn and lime are bright accents, beautifully bright against the darker dominant notes. Wet: Still burnt cedar dominant with patchouli support. The pepper is surprisingly strong, with the mate and lime soft echoes. This suits it’s concept, but is less exciting on my skin than in the imp. Dry: Mmmmm….Cedar. A hint of patchouli lingers.
HANS TRAPP 2014 (LE, Yule): (Company says: Tattered leather, dry straw, matted hair, sharpened sticks, and a bundle of switches).
In bottle: This is one of the more worn and buttery leather notes. It is strongly dominant, but the leather smells like it would be soft to the touch, if that makes sense. The wood notes are unusual and good support to the leather. The straw and hair work together with the hair being vaguely alarming. I’d actually call the straw about coequal with the woods, with the hair being an accent more than a stand alone. Wet: The hair is stronger on the skin, lending the dominant leather a vaguely rotting air. The woods are second strongest, with the straw fading to background. I think it was more interesting in the bottle. Dry: Mostly leather, more hair than I’d like, touches of wood.
HARD CIDER CAKE 2014 (LE, Yule): (Company says: A thick, spongy white cake spiked with hard apple cider and frosted with whiskey-laden buttercream.)
In bottle: I am not sure the whiskey and the buttercream will work for me properly in combination. It might be a little too heavy for me, for all I love the lab whiskey note. The apple cider is lovely support for the whiskey The cake supports the butter cream. Wet: The apple cider comes out more strongly on the skin with the whiskey in support. The buttercream backs down enough to let the white cake shine. I was dubious in the bottle, but to my pleased surprise this looks to be working, and working well. I love the way the booze dances with the cake. I wish I could eat this. Dry: Cakey heaven with a bit of booze.
KIT (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Character Scents): (Company says: Kit’s scent is soft and dry as bone: Mysore sandalwood, a tattered and patched 16th century waistcoat, inkstained, still scented with the marjoram and benzoin dry perfumes of his youth.)
In Bottle: Strong Sandalwood sweetened by benzoin. The ink and favric go really well with the dominant notes and are easily picked out. The marjoram is a delicate bridge tying the other notes together. This is beautifully formulated and well suited to it’s concept. Wet: Smoother on the skin. The ink really comes into it’s own in support of the dominant sandalwood. The benzoin pulls back to dance with the marjoram. The waistcoat is a soft background. Dry: Sandalwood and benzoin, with the ghost of ink.
MAGNIFICENT AUTUMN 2014 (LE, Halloweenies): (Company says: A scent that wanders through the Ages of Autumn, from the last green leaf to the first breath of winter.)
In bottle: This has a lot of familiar elements, some of which are hard to place. It has a strong almost ivy, vaguely ozoney feel to it with what I strongly believe are berries and a touch of rotting leaves. Wet: Green an ozone one second then berry and maybe pomegranate the next, then dead rotting leaves, then pine and ozone again. This cycles very quickly, so you want to be smelling all of it. It settles much as in the bottle, only with the fruit dominant and the various leaves second strongest. I like a lot of this, but something in there doesn’t quite work on me. Dry: Mostly fruit with a touch of wood and leaves.
A MOMENT IN TIME 2014 (BPTP, LE, Fatherhood): (Company says: A tranquil scent, illuminated by joy and warm with the serenity of love: bourbon vanilla and soft sandalwood with tiare, white fig, sweet benzoin, guiac wood, French lavender, and a touch of warm patchouli.)
In bottle: This review is a bit tentative as I’m not as clear on which scent is called which thing in a couple cases. I will do my best guess. That is a lot of benzoin with lavender in support. The woods blend well with the benzoin and are the second strongest faction, with a touch of patchouli in support. Vanilla is next strongest, with fig support and what I’m guessing as taire, filling in the cracks and tying it all together. Wet: The elements differentiate on the skin better, but function about the same, with the main difference being that lavender overtakes benzoin gradually as it warms, the bourbon vanilla is richer, and the thing I am pretty sure is taire stands out much clearer. The affect morphs rather as the lavender comes out, making it less aftershavey and more foody. Dry: Lovely and surprisingly ladylike: lavender, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, mostly.
(NOT SO) PENITENT (MINI) MAGDALENE 2014 (LE, Lilith 2014: Princesses, Ghosts & Superheroes): (Company says: Candle wax, smoke, red sandalwood, a dusting of kitchen spices, and a dribble of vanilla ice cream.)
In bottle: Oooo! I love the spices in this! So gingerbread type spices over vanilla is the dominant impression, the wax supporting the vanilla. Sandalwood gives a soft grounding, with a hint of smoke wafting over. Wet: Much as in the bottle, that lovely spice/vanilla combination being most of the affect, with sandalwood grounding it and that kiss of smoke. The smoke comes out staonger as it warms, blending beautifully with my natural musk. I often have trouble with smoke notes, but this so works. Dry: Vanilla and Sandalwood.
Palus Nebularum 2014 (LE, Lunacy): (Company says: The Marsh of Frogs: weedy green musk, three boggy mosses, water lettuce, and water hyacinth against a backdrop of glittering moon rocks.)
In bottle: Fairly subtle. It has a softly aquatic feel, with a sexy musky mix of green things. It really does suit it’s concept. The musk, mosses, and what I suspect to be water lettuce, blend beautifully with each other and the hint of rocks. The water hyacinth gives a floral kiss without intruding on the prevailing green impression. This is lovely in a water colour landscape sort of way and androgynous. Wet: It remains subtle and well blended on the skin, though the elements pop more as if the details have just come into focus. It remains musk and moss dominant, but the nexus of rocks, water lettuce, and hyacinth are doing some unusual things together now that they are standing out from the background a little more. It hasn’t much through and it creates an atmosphere rather than trying to draw attention to itself. If you are looking for something subtle that evokes a place and a mood, this should be about right. It’s a lovely little scent poem meditating on a marshy landscape. Dry: Mostly moss and musk with a touch of floral.
PEACH VI 2014 (LE, Event Exclusive Oils, Dragon Con, Peach Pit): (Company says: Peach and blackcurrant with aged patchouli, red sandalwood, benzoin, and blue musk).
In Bottle: Rather more patchouli than I’d hoped. The patchouli and sandalwood face off against black currant and peach, with the soft blue musk tying them together. Wet: Patchouli dominant with sandalwood in support, rather chalky. Musk second, asnd my skin has swallowed most of the fruit. Dry: Mostly patchouli with some musk.
PEACH VII 2014 (LE, Event Exclusive Oils, Dragon Con, Peach Pit): (Company says: Dried peach, black musk, and North African spices.
In Bottle: Wow! This is rather intense. The musk and spices are strong and dark, reminding me of wooden travel trunks. The musk is dominant, possibly too strong for me. The peach is gentle, but pervasive. Wet: Less overwhelming on my skin. The peach comes out to gentle the musk a bit, and the spices back down to become a gentler influence. Normally, I can’t support black musk as I tend to amp musks, but as this warms the peach twines around it, transforming and taming it. This is still a heavier scent than is wise with my skin chemistry and sinuses, but I really like it, and I can just carry this without getting a head ache. This is beautifully designed and blended. Dry: Mostly musk with a bit of spice.
Quintessence of Dust (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Story Points): (Company says: Quintessence of Dust The passing: beeswax and smoke, yellowed paper and well-worn leather books, droplets of spilled ink, faded incense, blood-tinged salty tears, and the metal of the knife that skewers that illiterate zombie philistine’s portrait.)
In Bottle: This is delicious and complicated. The beeswax is a pervasive canvas on which the other elements play. The incense is the strongest note, with ink and tears in support. The leather is second strongest with smoke and metal seasoning it. The beeswax is third with soft paper support. Wet: Leather is now strongest with ink as strong support. (I amp leather and do well with ink, so this is a skin chemistry thing and YMMV). The incense and metal are more background on my skin, with the rest mostly being accents. I still really like this, but the in bottle balance was more interesting. Dry: Leather and incense, with ink and a sharp metal edge.
SHARK TOOTH 2014 (LE, Event Exclusive Oils, Dragon Con, Peach Pit): (Company says: Pale, stony ambergris with oudh, patchouli, white cedar, and ambrette seed.
In Bottle: Ambergris dominant with strong oudh and softer cedar support. The patchouli and ambrette are distinct, but play well with others. Wet: The Ambrette is strong on my skin, moving into strong support of the ambergris accord. The oudh, cedar, and patchouli form a nice counter weight. The result is pleasant and much gentler than I expected. Dry: Mostly Cedar with some patchouli.
SKOOCOOM HOUSE 2014 (LE, Emerald City Comicon, Event Exclusive Oils): (Company says: The Sasquets ancestral estate: vast dark halls of stone threaded by cascading rivulets of beeswax, and the scent of snow-laden fireweed, Pacific silver fir, thick mounds of vibrant green moss, purple lupine, Pacific bleeding heart, and lava ash).
Review: This is very purple and not what I expected at all. This is strongly lupine and bleeding heart dominant. I am not that good at picking out which flower scent is which, so let’s just call the dominant faction purple flowers. The green elements come out once the initial shock of the purple wears off. These give the stronger purple factions some grounding. The moss and fir work well together and form a nice setting for the purples. I honestly don’t know what fireweed smells like and there’s enough confusion here with those purples, that I don’t feel confident as to what is the fireweed and what is part of something else. It may be the bridge scent between purple and green, but again, I’m not sure. The beeswax burns off fairly quickly, being soft and delicate generally, but mostly supports the purples when it’s there. The stone also breaks down quickly, but supports the green. The ash is an understated darkness lurking around the edges. I haven’t done well with the ash note in other blends, but here it gives the right touch of haunting darkness without overwhelming the blend. This is a rich, decadent mid-Spring floral. I can think of no other blend to compare it to.
STAGE BLOOD 2014 (LE, Halloweenies, Single Notes):
In bottle: Very, Very cherry and orange candy, likely with dragon’s blood. There is no chance of this working on me so no skin test.
TABLE-TURNING 2014 (LE, Yule, An Evening With the Spirits): (Company says: A heavy, tactile scent that thrums with voices from beyond: black polished teakwood, gullies of ectoplasm, and ghostly white musk.)
In bottle: Sharp white notes over musky wood. Surprisingly sexy, but I suspect too high octave for my skin chemistry range. Wet: Very white musk dominant with wood support. The ectoplasm adds sweet pale mildly ozone spikes, but this works on me way better than I had any right to expect. I really can almost wear this and I think this would be lovely on someone with slightly different skin chemistry. Dry: Mostly musk with some wood to balance. Still sexy.
There’s Water Here (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Story Points): (Company says: This place will rise again. The wisdom of eternity imparting a glimmer of hope through the grace of eternal renewal: the wild glory of nature bursting through cement, metal, and urban despair, purified by the waters of Lake St. Clair.)
In Bottle: Unusual florals (dandelion with something else I think) and greens over an aquatic base. The metal and cement are understated. The “glory of nature” is very like my garden and gives the aquatic note a sharpness that I like. Wet: The green growing things really differentiate and pop on my skin. The floral becomes aquatic support. The hints of metal give it extra edge. The cement is very understated. Dry: Slightly sharp aquatic.
VERDANT DECAY 2014 (LE, Ligeia): (Company says: A claustrophobic thicket of yew, cypress, and drooping oak grown wild with dense mounds of bittersweet nightshade, gleaming white foxglove, creeping black ivy, clusters of marshy false morel and fly agaric, and a smear of crushed, overripe baneberries.)
In bottle: Ivy dominant, with the woods in strong support, with a complicated herbal underpinning. Wet: The woods really come out on the skin, with the Oak most prominent and the yew and ivy second strongest. The nightshade and baneberries pop beautifully as it warms. I really like this, but it’s odd enough that I suspect it will not be to everybody’s taste. Dry: Mostly ivy and wood.
VISIONS OF AUTUMN I 2014 (LE, Halloweenies, Seven Visions of Autumn): (Company says: White cedar, black pepper, golden amber, bay leaf, and 4-year aged oudh.)
In bottle: Lots of bay, supported by agarwood and cedar. The pepper gives it a sharpness. The amber softens it a little. I can tell this isn’t going to work, so no skin test.
Wooden Bullet (Unimpable, Only Lovers Left Alive, Story Points): (Company says: A .38 caliber bullet fashioned from cocobolo wood and brass.)
In Bottle: I have no experience of cocobolo, but it’s definitely dominant here. It’s hard to describe and utterly gorgeous. It’s very hardwood, complicated, juicy, and sort of floral. It is as strong and distinct and cedar, but doesn’t smell like cedar. If you like woods, this likely needs to be in your collection, because there is nothing like it. The brass is a beautiful compliment to the wood and I’m betting this is about to become a staple. Wet: If anything, the wood is even more exciting on my skin, with that rich brass support. I’m in love with this. Dry: The wood softens in some absolutely lovely ways as the brass fades out.
BPTP:
CACAO-DUSTED SUGAR SKULLS 2014 (LE, BPTP, Halloweenie): (Company says: White sugar and meringue sprinkled with cacao).
In bottle: Mmmmm. What it says on the bottle: sugary meringue blended with cocoa. In use: Waaay more cocoa. So cocoa with some sugary meringue in it. Still gorgeous. I would buy so many bottles if I had the money.
FULVOUS SNOW 2014 (LE, Yule, Snowballs, BPTP): (Company says: Snowballs of hay absolute, tonka bean, honeyed oak, patchouli, chestnut blossom, and oudh).
In bottle: So much patchouli, with the wood in support. Tonka bean is soft, but gentles it a little, with hints of the other bits. I can already tell this is way too much patchouli for me. Wet: Still patchouli dominant with wood in support, but the tonka, honey, and oudh come out as it warms, which gives it a better balance. The hay and chestnut blossoms are very understated. I like this better on the skin, and the honeyed oak and tonka are lovely together, but it’s still above my patchouli threshold enough to get a minor skin reaction. Dry: The patchouli stays strongest all the way down, gentled by tonka and oak.
GINGERBREAD JOLLY ROGER 2014 (LE, Gifts with Donation or Purchase): (I assume: Gingerbread + Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods).
In Bottle: Gingerbread and leather dominant, and oh do they go well together. Bay rum is sexy support to the leather, with the woods in gentler support. This is less salty than in plain Jolly Roger in feel, the salt giving an edge to the gingerbread. Wet: The wood finds the salty gingerbread and does glorious things. The leather is still twined in a startlingly compelling embrace with the gingerbread. The Bay Rum really pops, the rum bringing out the sweet cakiness of the gingerbread. I’d call this gingerbread and rum dominant by about five minutes in. It is a masculine sexy sort of foody in feel. Dry: Mostly leather and sea spray.
HONEYED PEACH BATH OIL 2014 (LE, BPTP, Thermae, Dragon Con, Peachgasm): (Company says: With peach bark and oakmoss for a hint of earthiness.)
Review: Rich peach, masculinized by the oakmoss and bark, with a touch of sweet honey. I was pleasantly surprised by how dark and sexy this is.
KRAMPUS’ CHAINS 2014 (LE, Yule, BPTP): (Company says: Black licorice and rusted musk with tobacco absolute and myrrh.)
In bottle: Fascinating. Licorice dominant, but beautifully blended with the strong musk and gentler tobacco. The myrrh pops, but plays well with the others. There really is a hint of rust about this. This is really different from other licorice blends I’ve encountered, being a musk/incense blend rather than foody. Weirdly sexy. Wet: Somehow completely different on my skin. I think we’ve wandered into the land of accidental accords where my brain mis-parses components, so odds are you won’t experience this. If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was a citrus blend as there is a tartness to it. The rust becomes blood. The licorice, tobacco, and myrrh swirl together by some strange alchemy to make something…almost floral, as if a carnation was licorice instead of spice, if that makes sense. The musk and blood say rough sex to me. It’s sweet and disturbing and darkly sexual all at once. It does stay licorice dominant, and with time the disturbing dials down to a licorice floral sexy. Dry: Licorice stays stong with a sexy musk undercurrent.
A LADY TALL AND WHITE 2014 (LE, Yule, BPTP): (Company says: A fur and cap all made of snow: frosted vanilla sandalwood.)
In bottle: Ozoney snow with a mint edge, sweetened with vanilla, kissed with a hint of sandalwood. This used to be my favorite snow note, but I can’t wear it any more due to skin chemistry changes. No point in skin testing, alas.
SWEET POTATO MUSK 2014 (LE, Gifts with Donation or Purchase): (Company says: Weirdly wearable! Brown sugar-glazed sweet potato musk with honeyed ambrette, pulverized pumpkin seed, white oats, toasted cardamom, and sugared clove.)
In bottle: Musk dominant with ambrette support. Very sexy. The brown sugar, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seed form a strong second faction together. I often have trouble with lab pumpkin, but it’s soft and well blended here with the much stronger sugar and gentle sweet potato notes. The cardamom and clove are sharply drawn accents. The oats are gentle and tie it all together. This is beautifully designed. Wet: Everything gets more distinct as it warms. The cardamom really pops. Something in the sweet potato accord really brings it out. I often have trouble with strong musks, but the sweet potato musk goes well with my skin chemistry without being overwhelming. The clove and oats stand out more clearly. The effect is both sharper and shallower than in the bottle. I still like this, but I’m not the ideal skin chemistry for this. It is so unusual and compelling in the bottle, but I flatten it. Dry: Mostly musk and some amberette.
YULE BUDDIES 2014 (LE, Yule, BPTP): (Company says: Frosted gingerbread, leather, pipe tobacco, and fruitcake crumbs.)
In Bottle: Heavenly. Leather is dominant, but twines beautifully with a strong gingerbread note and it’s candied fruit dominant fruitcake crumbs. The tobacco is particularly rich and ties it all together, but really, the combination of the leather and baked goods elements is heady and resplendent. I want to smell like this. Wet: Ginger moves into dominant position, with the leather second. Cake supports ginger; tobacco supports leather. I still really like it, but it is not as compelling on my skin as it was in the imp I can’t tell you why ginger leather isn’t as exciting and leather/gingerbread fruitcake, but it isn’t, somehow it is thinner on my skin instead of rich and bright in the imp. Dry: Candied fruit over tobacco.
Winners: Edgar Miche, Wooden Bullet, Adam, Cacao-Dusted Sugar Skulls Bath Oil, Bewildered in a Dream, Hard Cider Cake, Ginger Bread Jolly Roger
Runners Up: Aubin Grandpied Bunmanche, Skoocoom House, Honeyed Peach Bath Oil, (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene, Verdant Decay, Dumb Cake, Eusapia