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Halloween breakdown 2024

All Hallows Oud Perfume Oil Black oud spookied up with pumpkin puree, amaretto, scorched caramel, almond paste, cacao nibs, and honey. Wary of oud, especially black oud.  Also I generally avoid both caramel and honey.  Interest level rating: 2/5    Bonfire Toffee Perfume Oil Our spin on a traditional Guy Fawkes Night treat: treacle toffee soaked in rich, dark bourbon. I think I've tried this before but I can't remember for sure.  At any rate, it's not really calling me.  2/5   Bourbon-Soaked Pumpkin Peanut Butter Fudge Perfume Oil Gooey. I just have no interest in nuts or nut butter in perfume.  1/5   Dry Ice Cocktail Perfume Oil A sparkling absinthe martini swirled with a glow stick and overflowing with cascades of dry ice fog. I like absinthe notes but dry ice fog makes me think of one of the "fog" scents that I tried a few years ago, I think it was a Yule series?  And I didn't like that one much.  Anyway this one isn't calling to me.  2/5   Pumpkin Latte Perfume Oil Espresso, pumpkin syrup, smoky vanilla bean, milk, raw sugar, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. This sounds like a candle scent to me, which isn't necessarily bad, but I just never had much interest in this one.  2/5    Pumpkin Musk and Black Oud Perfume Oil A strangely romantic, disturbingly erotic perfume. Has this come out before?  I feel like I've tried it.  Pass for now.  It wasn't bad (if it was the same scent), just not calling me right now.  2/5    Pumpkin Spice Everything Perfume Oil Literally everything! Pumpkin spice it all with this traditional brew of cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and clove. I have a decant and like it, don't need more.  2/5   Pumpkin Spice Halo-Halo Perfume Oil With apologies to my ancestors. Ube halaya and ube ice cream chonked with mango jelly, flan, boiled taro, evaporated milk, sweetened kidney beans, dried coconut, kaong, gulaman, tapioca pearls, and a copious shake of pumpkin spice.  Sounds interesting, I wouldn't mind trying a decant.  3/5    Pumpkin Sugar Perfume Oil Crystallized glittering shards of lightly spiced pumpkin sugar. I have an old decant and like it, but not sure I need more or not.  I will retest it in the near future.  3/5    Samhain Perfume Oil Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein. I love Samhain, but I don't need more.  2/5    Sugar Skull Perfume Oil Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. I love Sugar Skull but don't need more - although I'm curious if it's different this year!  It seems there are some different versions of it in the last few years.  Maybe a decant.  3/5    Vintage Pumpkin Blow Mold Perfume Oil A grinning, glowing gourd gleaming with 40 watts of radiant white musk, sweet orange, crystalline amber, and pumpkin rind. I have this in my cart, Vintage Ghost was so good, I'm interested in this too.  4/5    Halloween 2024 - Carmilla   A Glare of Skulking Ferocity Perfume Oil Scorched oud, bitter resins, black musk, a torn shred of gossamer vanilla, and a clang of metal. Not sure about oud, bitter resins and metal.  Possibly a decant.  2/5    Carmilla Hair Gloss Sweetness shadowed by danger: dark amber and ylang ylang gleams through smoky chestnut, cacao, mahogany, blackcurrant, and vanilla bean. No hg for me, I have enough.    Chocolat Viennois Perfume Oil Turns out this is a thing that vampires are into. A warm mug of dark chocolate and cream with a dribble of blood. Chocolate perfumes aren't usually my thing.  2/5    Come With Me, Loving Me to Death Perfume Oil
Black orchid, cacao, bitter almond, and black musk. It depends on the orchid, but really, I can probably pass on this, unless I get really curious from reviews.  2/5   Darling, Darling Perfume Oil
Sugared pear and wild violets with orris butter, coconut milk, white musk, and vanilla silk. This combination doesn't sound appealing to me.  Edit: it kind of sounds like a Luper scent!  I would definitely try it if it crossed my path.  2/5    Die, Sweetly Die Perfume Oil
Inevitable surrender. Opening with a heady blend of blood orange and black cherry, the heart of this perfume pulsates with narcotic jasmine, sinuous tuberose, blood amber, vanilla silk, and deep red labdanum. I was on board until red labdanum, I have a questionable history with that note.  2/5    Indescribable Solemnity and Fear Perfume Oil
The crescendo of a phantom’s caress: golden frankincense and cardamom smothered by honeyed kisses of labdanum, red rose, merlot, black oud, and myrrh. Couple of iffy notes for me, and labdanum in general can turn sour on me.  2/5   Laura Hair Gloss An ode to delicate femininity, evoking an image of a golden beauty bathed in sunlight: delicate sandalwood and white musk shimmering with neroli, yellow amber, pear blossom, peonies, and iris. No hg for me.   Melancholy Fire Perfume Oil
A luminous cold flame: chilled bergamot, Ceylon cinnamon, white clove bud, amber, and incense smoke. Sounds kind of interesting, maybe decant.  3/5   Millarca Perfume Oil
White lace, blackcurrant, and tea roses. I'd like to smell this.  3/5    Mircalla, Countess Karnstein Perfume Oil
Black velvet, blackcurrant, and black roses. Definitely interested.  4/5    My Soul Acquiesced in It Perfume Oil Melancholic white rose petals drifting in a pool of white musk, bitter almond, and icy vanilla. Hmm.. possible decant.  3/5   My Wild Heart Bleeds With Yours Perfume Oil A fierce rush of pink pepper, carnation, pulsating red berries, and crimson musk. I'm interested but wary of pepper and carnation.  3/5    Resembling the Passion of Love Perfume Oil
All-consuming, relentless desire – deceptively luscious, murderously brooding, and blindingly sensual: blood musk, black cherry, crimson amber, 21-year aged patchouli, golden saffron, jasmine sambac, and black rose. Not sure but could be good.  3/5    Ruins of Karnstein Perfume Oil Palatial grandeur in ruins, its decrepit majesty poised in the liminal space between decay and beauty. A haunting memory of all-consuming desire: the rich, earthy depth of oud, vetiver, and moss, grounded in the untamed wilds of the forest, echoing the ancient stones that remain. Wary of oud and moss.  2/5    Seven Inches of Blood Perfume Oil
A shimmering pool of coppery red musk, Dracaena cinnabari, clove bud, cacao, and lead. I want to love this but wary of "coppery" and wary of lead.  4/5   Sinister Restlessness Perfume Oil
Fear and fascination: blackened vetiver, amber smoke, clove, and oudh. There's that oudh again.  3/5    Smiling Melancholy Perfume Oil Distant, enigmatic, shadowed: delicate heliotrope and pale rose petals, muted and soft, resting atop a chilly, intimate base that blends white musk, cashmere woods, and a touch of tonka bean. Might be good.  3/5    Strange Paroxysms of Languid Adoration Perfume Oil
Parasitic intoxication: narcissus, opium poppy, and red orchid veiled in heliotrope, blush sandalwood, and crushed violet. Narcissus is a deal breaker for me.  2/5    That Silvery Splendor Perfume Oil Moon-kissed petals of night-blooming florals aflame with hypnotic opium tar, fae tuberose, and a sliver of metallic aldehyde. I'd smell it but it will probably be soapy on me.  2/5   The Fading Crimson of the Sky Perfume Oil A scent both bright and subdued: bergamot shuddering through lime leaves, ruby-tinged amber sunlight, violet leaf, oak bark, and sandalwood smoke. Sounds kind of interesting.  3/5    The Great and Titled Dead Perfume Oil The haunted stillness of a long-decayed cemetery plot choked by ivy and wild blackberry thorns. Very interested.  4/5    Troubled by Revenants Perfume Oil
A paean to ancient malevolence and the unseen forces that grasp and scratch at the living like gnarled roots clawing through blood-stained soil in midnight forests: patchouli, mandrake root, black pepper, and fossilized amber. Somewhat interested.  3/5    You Are Mine, You Shall Be Mine, You and I Are One for Ever Perfume Oil
The consuming intensity of a passion that claims body and soul, blurring the boundaries between longing and obsession, lust and loathing. Ylang ylang and clove evoke the heat of skin against skin, bruised by bittersweet blackcurrant honey kisses. I like the concept a lot but wary of some notes, especially "honey kisses".  3 or 4/5   Halloween 2024 - Freak in the Sheets Pt. II   Lavender Silk Sheet Ghost Perfume Oil A sleek, seductive eternal slumber: silky ripples of spectral lavender cascading around the labdanum-shadowed absence of a living being. Wary of labdanum, otherwise sounds good.  3 or 4/5   Motel Sheet Ghost Perfume Oil Chills and thrills, but certainly no frills: a polluted, rough-riding version of the Traditional Sheet Ghost: cool white cotton, marshmallow fluff, and lemony Oman frankincense, marred with suspicious blotches of coconut oil and a cigarette burn. Pass on this one.  2/5    Traditional Sheet Ghost Perfume Oil Boo! Cool white cotton, marshmallow fluff, and lemony Oman frankincense. My bottle from last year is enough.  1/5    Tropical Print Sheet Ghost Perfume Oil Does the carcass match the drapes? Cascades of banana Leaf, bamboo fiber, mango, papaya, and hibiscus, streaked with ectoplasm and sticky tears of strelitzia sap. Not for me.  2/5    Halloween 2024 - Halloween Atmospheres 2024 Pass on atmo sprays.  1/5    Pumpkin Nut Bread Atmosphere Spray Pumpkin puree baked into a walnut-studded loaf, steaming with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.   Halloween 2024 - Halloween Beard Oils 2024 Pass on beard oils.  1/5    Bonfire Smoke Beard Oil Woodmoke, glowing embers, drifting ash, and the memory of bones.   Pumpkin Spice Beard Oil Pumpkin spice EVERYTHING.   Type AB-Beard Oil For the most discerning vampires. Dragon’s blood resin, black cherry, clove, cardamom, black leather, and kyphi smoke.   Halloween 2024 - Halloween Hair Glosses 2024 No hg for me.  0/5  Autumn Bouquet Hair Gloss Carnations, sunset roses, hydrangea, and sunflowers bound in a clove-tinged pumpkin-orange velvet ribbon.   Halloween 2024 - Heloise & Abelard’s Spooky Single Notes   Black Lipstick Perfume Oil A goth awakening: waxy drugstore lipstick and clove cig residue. Pass for me.  2/5    Blood Squib Perfume Oil A sanguinous firecracker of cherry simple syrup and dragon’s blood resin. Might be nice but I already have Blood.  2 or 3/5   Bonfire Perfume Oil The perfume of withering leaves, their brittle forms surrendering to the flame, releasing a sigh of bitter smoke that is flickering with the ghosts of summer’s memory. Probably pass, I have some scents like this already.  2/5    Candied Apple Perfume Oil Sour green apples encased in a sticky shell of iconic glossy red caramelized sugar syrup. I don't like green apple perfumes, usually. 1/5   Clown White Perfume Oil No joke! Greasy petrolatum, lanolin, and titanium dioxide accords smeared with vanilla cream.  Please note: this product contains no clowns or clown-derived materia. Pass for me.  2/5    Datura Blossom Perfume Oil Corpse white and bruise-purple, sacred datura is native to my west coast homeland. A seductive, heady, hypnotic bloom, as poisonous as it is beautiful. I'm interested, but just have no idea what it smells like.  It could go either way.  4/5   Graveyard Dirt Perfume Oil This is the scent of pure graveyard dust, spattered with grave loam and dusted lightly with tombstone moss. I have a bottle already.  1/5    Insulation Board Tombstone Perfume Oil A fragrant melange of foam insulation board, PVC pipes, jigsaw grease, stone-textured spray paint, and polyurethane sealant. Pass for me.  2/5    Halloween 2024 - Nightmare Novellas Pt. II   Fuchsia Eyes Perfume Oil
Blood-tinged raspberries oozing into globs of blackcurrant and red plum. A "fruit notes only" scent isn't that interesting to me, it needs to have something else.  2/5    Hatman Perfume Oil Scarlet musk, red oud, opium poppy, and tobacco absolute. Sounds too red.  2/5    Hollow Hallow Perfume Oil
A suffocating pumpkin kyphi soaked in dark red wine and darkened by vetiver, opoponax, and black oud. Possible decant.  3/5    Jolly Perfume Oil
Pumpkin cream, caramel-coated marshmallow, crushed candy corn, lemon peel, and belladonna honey. Doesn't sound like my thing.  2/5    Leaf Spirits Perfume Oil
Smoky vetiver, flaming sparks of black pepper, clove, and nutmeg, charred wood, and dark amber. Sounds too dark and raspy, but I'd try it.  2/5    Sleight of Hand Perfume Oil Incense-tarred patchouli, opoponax, blackened cloth, frankincense resin, and black moss. Hmmm... Sounds a little rough but I'm somewhat curious.  3/5    Slowly She Turned Perfume Oil
Flaming amber, queen mandarin rind, yellow peppercorn, scorched yellow roses, and a hint of decay. Interested, likely decant.  3/5    Sweet Tooth Perfume Oil Scorched candy corn and melted toffees Pass for me.  2/5    The Autumn Folk Perfume Oil
Hay-dusted oak, honey mead, pumpkin rind, vetiver root, corn husk, and maple leaves. Couple of no-no notes for me, the combination doesn't appeal very much.  2/5    The Bell Witch Perfume Oil
Rusted iron, mandrake root, burnt vetiver, and patchouli leaves Sounds very cold and raspy.  2/5    The Treat Keeper Perfume Oil Dried apples, sour apple mash, and molasses. Not an apple perfume fan.  2/5    Halloween 2024 - Pile of Leaves 2024   Copperhead Snake on Dead Leaves Perfume Oil Snake Oil slithering through a scattering of dead leaves with amber, cardamom, cistus, hops, white sandalwood, neroli, orris root, and smoked vanilla. Hmm, could be good.  Possible decant.  3/5    Dead Leaves and Honeycomb Perfume Oil Not for me.  1/5    Dead Leaves, Black Tea, and Bergamot Perfume Oil Possible decant.  2 or 3/5   Dead Leaves, Blood Orange, and Neroli Perfume Oil Probably pass.  2/5    Dead Leaves, Burnt Marshmallows, Clove Cream, and Whiskey Perfume Oil I'm strangely interested.  3/5    Dead Leaves, Dried Lilacs, and Labdanum Perfume Oil Pass.  2/5    Dead Leaves, Incense Smoke and Oud Perfume Oil Probably pass.  2/5    Dead Leaves, Lavender Buds, and Golden Sandalwood Perfume Oil Interested in a decant.  3/5    Dead Leaves, Oakmoss, and Pine Needles Perfume Oil Probably pass.  2/5    Halloween 2024 - Pile of Leaves 2024 - Pile of Leaves Hair Glosses 2024 No hg for me.  0/5 Dead Leaves and Pomegranates Hair Gloss   Dead Leaves, Nag Champa, Tunisian Patchouli, and Vanilla Bean Hair Gloss   Halloween 2024 - Pumpkin Patch 2024   Embalmed Pumpkin Perfume Oil Pumpkin rind encased in white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. Mildly interested.  2/5    Knave of Pumpkins Perfume Oil Crushed roses, red currant, and pumpkin tarts. Very interested to at least try it.  I actually have a bottle in my cart.  4/5    Moroccan Pumpkin Perfume Oil Pumpkin spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. Interested but I already have bottles of Morocco and Pomegranate Morocco.  Not sure about this.  3/5    Pumpkin Bliss Perfume Oil Honey-dusted milk chocolate pumpkin bites. Honey and chocolate, no thank you.  1/5    Pumpkin Blood Perfume Oil Pumpkin pulp and dragon’s blood resin, thickened with myrrh, black cherry, and a trickle of clove. Somewhat interested, but I already have a bottle of Blood.  2 or 3/5   Pumpkin Kisses Perfume Oil Sloppily sexy: sweetly spiced pumpkin juice with vanilla cream and wildflower honey, smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. Very interested, 4/5    Pumpkin Lust Perfume Oil We don’t judge. Red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang, myrrh, and pumpkin guts. Probably pass 2/5    Pumpkin Smokestack Perfume Oil Burnt pumpkin skins, creosote, coal, and industrial waste. Pass 1/5    Pumpkin Tombstone Perfume Oil I’m yer pumpkinberry: dried pumpkin leather with vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar. Probably pass 2/5    Halloween 2024 - Wild Hearses Atmosphere Spray Series No atmo spray for me, 0/5  Convertible Hearse Atmosphere Spray The cadaver, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind: a chilly whoosh of dead leaves seasoned with the perfect amount of smog.   Headless Hearseman Atmosphere Spray A bottomless swirl of black leather, dead branches, and flaming pumpkin guts.   Hearse of Pancakes Atmosphere Spray There’s still a little time to kill before the viewing… surely it wouldn’t hurt to stop for a short stack? Black coffee, syrup-drenched buckwheat cakes, and a crusty cruller for the road.   Hiss and Hearse Atmosphere Spray A dribble of Dorian and a squiggle of Snake Oil, delicately stirred with a moss-crusted muddy shovel.   Hot Pink Hearse Atmosphere Spray A dream hearse for anyone who grew up presiding over numerous doll funerals: flashy pink guava, strawberry jam, sugared pink grapefruit, blackberry, bergamot, and pink champagne adorned with a gleaming chrome Landau bar.   Lime Green Hearse Atmosphere Spray A shiny, genteel, vintage ride for all those who feel dead inside: lime rind, citron, petitgrain, white musk, a swish of bay rum and a bit of black pepper.
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Halloween 2023 update, thoughts

I already ordered bottles and decants, so I don't really have to narrow anything down this time.  Just some thoughts and predictions while I wait...   All of Their Heads Fell Off Perfume Oil Oozing cactus flesh, creosote, dusty boards, and gruesome globs of blood musk.  Will the cactus be planty?  For some reason "oozing cactus flesh" sounds kind of fruity.  Anyway, I ordered a decant.  Nothing here sounds bad to me and it could be great.     Bonfire Toffee Perfume Oil Our spin on a traditional Guy Fawkes Night treat: treacle toffee soaked in rich, dark bourbon.  This sounds way too sweet and I skipped it, although I do like booze scents.     Dia de los Muertos Perfume Oil This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.  Decant ordered - I might have smelled this once before but I've never owned it, and I'm excited to try it again!     Hand-Knitted Witch Gloves Perfume Oil Wooly and witchy, fuzzy and scuzzy, long green fingers tipped with ruby-red nails: raw wool, sweet oakmoss, and cranberry brandy.  I ordered a bottle, the combination sounded too weird to pass up!     Is He, You Know Perfume Oil
Sweet 13-year aged patchouli, peru balsam, white oakmoss, French lavender, spikenard, bourbon vanilla, and sugar cane.  I don't see anything not to like here, so I took a chance and got a bottle.     October Perfume Oil Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.   Decant ordered - I love my old bottle, and wanted to compare old with new.     Pumpkin Latte Perfume Oil Espresso, pumpkin syrup, smoky vanilla bean, milk, raw sugar, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Sounds a little too sweet for me.  I like sweet scents sometimes, but I'm picky about them.    Pumpkin Spice Everything Perfume Oil Literally everything. Pumpkin spice it all. A rich blend of traditional spices: cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and clove.  Never have tried this.  I feel like Plunder is the only spice scent I really need, although I would try this for sure if I crossed paths with it.    Pumpkin Trash Bag Perfume Oil A crinkly, crunchy, cartoony jack-o-lantern scent, stuffed full of leaves and eager to please: orange blossom, blood orange, and orange hard candy with pumpkin pulp and smushed leaves.  Bottled - sounds too fun to pass up and can't really imagine it disappointing in any way.     Samhain Perfume Oil Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.  I have a few different vintages, in bottle or decant form, and decided to get a decant this year.  I never get tired of this scent!     Sugar Skull Perfume Oil Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.  See Samhain above - same with this!     Things are Fine Perfume Oil The blissful contentment of committing to exist in the moment: white sandalwood smoke, hinoki, white tea, and falling leaves.  I went for a decant, it sounds great but white sandalwood went out of control in another scent recently (on my skin)... I think it was The Queen and The Page?     Vintage Frankenstein Blow Mold Perfume Oil A shell of milky plastic surrounding a puff of mint chocolate chip-scented air, illuminated from within by 40 watts of glowing amber.  No chocolate chips for me thanks!  Well, not in perfume form.   Vintage Ghost Blow Mold Perfume Oil Milky-white plastic and a hollow gasp of candy-corn breath, illuminated from within by 40 watts of glowing amber.  I'd try this if I crossed paths with it, but decided to skip it for now.  The 40 watts part kind of worried me, sounds kind of ozoney?   Dusk in Autumn   A Little Silver Scimitar Perfume Oil Foamy orris and ambergris accord pierced by a sliver of white fir needle, moonflower, and cypress.  I can pass on this for now, sounds like it would be soapy on my skin.    A Timid Twinkling Golden Star Perfume Oil Tuberose and sweet amber.  This sounds lovely but I'm not too certain about bpal's tuberose note.  I ordered a decant, we'll see.     The Witches Have a Fire Again Perfume Oil Smoldering spiced oak boughs and pine pitch crackling with golden sap.  Decant!  I like oak, I just hope the pine pitch doesn't do anything weird on me.     Witches’ Currant Cake Perfume Oil Red currant and rosewater gooseberry cake with a sugar-dusted gingerbread crumble topping.  I almost blind bottled this one too, but went for a decant instead.  This kind of scent can be unpredictable on me but it does sound lovely.    Witches’ Tea Perfume Oil Blackberry thorn tea.  I ordered a bottle.  I have been enjoying the lab's blackberry scents, and this sounded great.      Halloween Atmosphere and Linen Sprays 2023 Passed on all of these - already have enough home scents  Fig, Autumn Amber, and Tobacco Atmosphere & Linen Spray October Bonfire Atmosphere & Linen Spray Burning leaves and smoldering applewood. Pumpkin Incense Atmosphere & Linen Spray A caramelized pumpkin kyphi.   Halloween Bath Oil 2023   Hard Candy Bath Oil Release your cares into a warm, soothing bath of liquefied hard candies. Passed on this, the scent didn't sound that exciting to me.    Halloween Hair Gloss 2023 Passed on these because I have tons of hg already  Autumn Fougere Hair Gloss A campfire cologne with a cluster of musk-sweet leaves and a hint of leather. Maple Leaves, Golden Moss, and Amber Hair Gloss Palo Santo and Patchouli Hair Gloss Pumpkin Buttercream Hair Gloss Pumpkin puree whipped into thick folds of buttercream. Samhain Hair Gloss Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.   Heloise & Abelard’s Spooky Duets   Belladonna Berries and Mandrake Root Perfume Oil Pass for now..it sounds a little like Screaming Mandragora (if I got the name right?) which I already have, even though it's just an imp.    Congealed Blood and Oozing Viscera Perfume Oil Passed on this, just wasn't calling to me.    Grave Moss and Bone Splinters Perfume Oil  Decant!  Sounds like Hessian of the Hollow which I love.    Human Animals   Bringer of Evil Perfume Oil A foreboding tremble of poppy leaf, cerulean musk, violet grapefruit, mimosa, orris butter, and benzoin. Pass, not calling out to me.   Elimanzer Perfume Oil Strangely sinister frumenty: oatmeal, heavy cream, butter, salt, and a whiff of brimstone.  Pass, the oatmeal note didn't sound good to me, also heavy cream and butter could go badly on me.   Elizabeth’s Imps Perfume Oil A promise in the shadows: black molasses, cinnamon bark, and glowing amber.  Decant!  This actually sounds really nice.     Lady of Saintonge Perfume Oil Perfumed black silk encasing a mangled, blood-spattered talon of white sandalwood, ivory accord, and inky fur.  Pass for now, didn't quite sound like something I would like.    The Corn Spirit Perfume Oil Rye stalks, corn husks, hay absolute, tilled soil, and German chamomile.  Passed on this too, I like hay and soil, but not the other notes.     The Hound and the Milk-White Doe Perfume Oil Graceful, regal, elegant, and cursed: golden sandalwood and liquidambar, cardamom, coconut milk, jasmine sambac, white petal rosewater, and labdanum.  I think I passed on this too - sounds too strong for some reason.    Witch-Birds Perfume Oil Blinding-white mallow and vanilla sandalwood streaked with indigo opium pod accord, velvet black violet petals, wild plum, and opoponax.  Bottle ordered!  Sounds interesting, took a chance.    Monster Milk   Ghost Milk Perfume Oil Goat’s milk, marshmallow, vanilla cashmere, honey dust, and white chocolate.  Pass on honey dust.   Invisible Man Milk Perfume Oil Sheer musk and an exhale of evaporated milk.  Pass, for now.     Mummy Milk Perfume Oil Condensed milk wrapped in coconut shavings and tea-stained linen with a hint of bitumen, myrrh, and embalming resins.  Decant - this is the only Milk one I was somewhat interested in, I think myrrh sounds nice in this combination.    Vampire Milk Perfume Oil A creamy coagulation of clove bud and goat’s milk.  Pass, clove can misbehave on me.    Witch Milk Perfume Oil Honey-infused goat milk, incense smoke, yew boughs, black pepper, mandrake root, ambrette seed, red currant, kitchen herbs, and fly agaric accord.  Pass, the combination didn't grab me.    Wolf Milk Perfume Oil Crunchy leaves, well-worn black leather, cardamom pod, moonlit yellow bergamot, woodmoss, molasses, and buttermilk.  Pass, although now looking again, might be interesting?  I'll watch reviews.    Zombie Milk Perfume Oil Grave-dry rice milk, black moss, hemp fibers, bone-white sandalwood and orris root, and bog osmanthus.  Pass, didn't grab me.   Nightmare Novellas   A Boy and His Zombie Perfume Oil
Zombie-green lime hard candies with a glob of marshmallow white matter and a splat of cherry viscera.  Passed on this    A Melancholy of Goths Perfume Oil
Clove smoke, champaca incense, plum velvet, and hairspray.  Sounds ok except for clove and hairspray - two notes that could misbehave    An Autumn Stroll for a Pumpkin Man Perfume Oil
Russet dried maple leaves crunching around a jack o’lantern splashed with bay rum, curling with cigar smoke.  Could not resist a decant.  Nothing sounds bad here, except it could be too strong and/or aftershavey.    Butterscotch and Gummy Candy Witch Perfume Oil
Butterscotch brittle, burnt coffee beans, and sour apple gummies.  3 notes I don't really care about in perfume!    Don’t Play Fetch with a Teenage Werewolf Perfume Oil Honey biscuits, warm auburn fur, and a squished chocolate nougat bar.  Another 3 notes I don't really care for!    Halfway to Halloween Perfume Oil
Sweet fig and golden almond with buttery amber and a flutter of autumn leaves.  This sounded great and I took a chance on a bottle.    Halloween Cat Perfume Oil
Cacao and coconut husk dusted on shining black fur, illuminated by electric green mandarin and raw amber.  The combination didn't sound like something I would like.    Headless Perfume Oil Black leather and brimstone alight with red peppercorn and blood amber.  Kind of tempting but pass mostly because of the peppercorn, it can misbehave sometimes.    It Jittered Out of the Woods Perfume Oil
Corn husks and freshly uprooted gourds in a rustle of twigs, dead oak leaves, and a faint whiff of myrrh.  Passed, not calling me for some reason, although it doesn't sound too bad now..    Make a Face Perfume Oil
A surrealist swirl of ethereal yellow bergamot, white pomegranate rind, lemon peel, and white musk.  Thought about it but ended up passing altogether.  I think I already have something with lemon peel and white musk, and I think it was too loud and perfumey.     Man With a Haunted House for a Head Perfume Oil
Creaking oak floorboards coated in dust. A trembling sandalwood spiderweb writhes with long-buried memories.  I passed but now I'm more curious... What could this smell like?   Slumber Ghoul Perfume Oil
Sleepy lavender bud, the memory of warm milk, a splinter of bone dust, and a clawful of upturned grave loam.  Decant - I love lavender plus earth/soil notes.    The Harvest Haunt Perfume Oil A thick, viscous blackened pumpkin incense. Ordered a bottle!  Was too intrigued to pass it up, but it's a risk.  Could be really strong and go off the rails on my skin.    Wayfaring Stranger Perfume Oil An offering of footstep dust and rusted keys, raw tobacco and whiskey, coconut shells and candle wax.  Pass for now, kind of hit-and-miss notes for me.   Witch in the Woods Perfume Oil A tangle of blackthorn, mandrake root, and myrrh scratching through cypress boughs, blackberry resin, and incense smoke.  I think I'most excited to try this, it just sounds so very Halloweenie!    Pumpkin Patch Happy Hour   Pumpkin Spice Absinthe Perfume Oil A recurring fave at the BPAL cantina. No, you’re not hallucinating: this pairing smells divine! Pass    Pumpkin Spice Champagne Perfume Oil The bubbles from this calabaza go straight to your cabeza.  Decant    Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Vodka Perfume Oil Fun fact: they call this time of year “Fall” because of the difficulty of staying on your barstool after a few of these. Pass    Pumpkin Spice Dark ‘N’ Stormy Perfume Oil In a mood? Pour one of these over it: extra spicy rum fizzed up with ginger beer and garnished with a lime wedge. Pass    Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini Perfume Oil A triple shot with extra drizzle to keep you vamping till the sun comes up. Pass    Pumpkin Spice Hot Buttered Rum Perfume Oil Time to get cozy next to a crackling fire and let the season enfold you in its spicy, buttery arms. Pass 
  Pumpkin Spice Margarita Perfume Oil You might regret this in the morning, but tonight is all about living in the moment! Served in a salt-rimmed gourd. Pass    Pumpkin Spice Piña Colada Perfume Oil You’ll just have to trust the bartender on this one! An extra loco coco to encourage beach goths to attempt some moonlight skinny-dipping. Decant, this actually sounds really fun.  Looking forward to trying it! 
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Lupers breakdown 2023

Rating by interest on a scale of 1-5, for a few selected scents...   Cacao and Scorched Milk Perfume Oil - kind of interested, because it sounds like maybe the milk note from Snake Milk and I love that one.  3/5    Chocolate Chypre - not sure if chypre always works for me, but I'm definitely intrigued!  3/5    Femdom Perfume Oil An eagerly-anticipated whip crack of wild plum, champagne, and blackcurrant - I'm recently loving the Lab's champagne note, and I also enjoy fruity notes, so this is a no-brainer for me.  4/5    Silk Daffodil Perfume Oil Daffodil petals, spiced amber, and neroli - I'm somewhat curious except I think daffodil = narcissus, and I can't hang w/narcissus.. might try it somewhere down the line.. 2/5    Silk Tiger Lily Perfume Oil Ginger-splattered lily petals - now this one I am very curious about.  Sometimes lily can be really nice, and paired with ginger, it has my interest.  3/5    Sister Death Perfume Oil A sorrowful white lily fougere shadowed by yew branches - another lily to keep my eye on.  3/5    The Morning Star Among the Living Perfume Oil Black fig encased in saffron-threaded amber - sounds interesting, 3/5    The Serpent in the Roses Perfume Oil Snake Oil dribbling across a cluster of amber-flecked, blackened rose petals - heck yeah I want this, I'm another of those who has been wishing for a rosey Snake Oil!  4/5    A Medley of Vulvas Perfume Oil Bourbon vanilla, pink labdanum, pink pepper, honey, and bushman’s candle absolute - I tend to steer clear of honey but this almost sounds like a sweet bubble-gum type of scent, in which case I would want to try it.  3/5    An Introduction to Illustrious Kabuki Actors Perfume Oil White sandalwood, vanilla bean, fig froth, and buttercream - I feel like I need to smell this, lol.  4/5    At the Tea Drinking Perfume Oil Kamairicha, blood orange, and champaca blossom - there's the champaca I love - need to smell this.  4/5    Call of the Geese Meeting at Night Perfume Oil A raucous honk of red currant snuggled in downy orris root, coconut, and sandalwood smoke - I feel this one is calling out to me too, somewhat.  3/5    Copulating Couple Mimicking a Pose in a Shunga Book Perfume Oil Washi, matcha, crushed mint, green bergamot, white moss, patchouli, and lichen - sounds nice as long as the moss and lichen behave.  Possible decant somewhere along the way, although I've totally gone off buying decants lately.     Four Penises Perfume Oil Amber cream, lotus root, white sandalwood, teak, pear blossom, and white tea - looking forward to smelling this, and I enjoy trying the "penis" scents, when the notes look agreeable, lol.  4/5    Highest Quality Vagina Perfume Oil Golden amber and vanilla milk, sweet almond, honey, and soft incense - looks very sweet and honey isn't always my thing.  I'm curious, though.  3/5    Inspection Perfume Oil Black tea, smoked jasmine, cedarwood, sandalwood incense, and sweet sage - sounds pretty good, actually.  3/5    Kiseru Perfume Oil Red sandalwood, vanilla husk, and tobacco smoke - sounds good, would like to try.  3/5    The Tea House Perfume Oil Green tea, sandalwood incense, hinoki cypress, bamboo reeds, lemon petals, and plum wine - sounds good but maybe a little basic?  There's a lot of competition for my attention with this update!  3/5    Yanagi No Arashi Perfume Oil Pale amber musk and linden blossom splashed by a torrent of coconut milk, hazelnut foam, and heliotrope - very interested, something about the combination of these notes is calling to me.  4/5 
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2018 Yule breakdown

for my own benefit, so I know what decants and/or bottles to hunt for!  I'm leaving out the ones I'm definitely not interested in.  I think I'm going back to my old rating system, rating these on a scale of 1-5 to measure my interest level.   Blueberry Sufganiyot, "Blueberry-filled sufganiyot, blooping blue with jelly" Maybe a decant just for fun, not a top priority.  I know a friend who says she's getting this, maybe I can just try hers : )  2/5   Hearthflame and Incense, "Crackling almond wood and the deep sweet smoke of burgundy pitch, Austrian amber resin, black copal, and frankincense" This has potential, but I sometimes don't like copal (not sure about black).  3/5   Jacob's Ladder, "golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka" I haven't tried this since '06 or '07.  It really is my kind of thing and I'm surprised I haven't worn it since then.  Possible decant.  3/5   Maison en Pain D'Epices, gingerbread house I've been wanting to try this since I first saw it, but never have tried it.  Possible decant.  3/5   Mincemeat Pie, "Figs, dried cherries, and suet accord steeped in dark brown sugar, crystallized ginger, lemon and orange zest, nutmeg, allspice, and clove, embraced by an apple cider cornmeal crust" If this isn't the foody scent to end all foody scents, I don't know what is!  Seriously, this is on my radar because it just sounds great.  I occasionally do wear gourmand scents and this sounds like a really good one which I might enjoy.  4/5   Shattered Silence, "black cedar, yew berries, juniper and frost-crusted moss, crushed beneath a shaggy spectral black musk" This has some potential, I'm vaguely interested, will watch reviews first but possible decant.  2/5   Song of the Otherworld, "Sleet and champaca, fir needle and opoponax, blue musk and cypress, balsam and snow" Same as above, possible decant or watch reviews.  2/5   The Cross of Snow, "Cypress, Spanish moss, and clove bud with labdanum, Italian bergamot, and white tobacco flower" This has potential, not top priority but I love bergamot and labdanum, I'm just not sure about the tobacco flower.  I'll watch reviews.  3/5   The Season of Ghosts, "bergamot, frankincense, rose geranium, ginger, lemongrass, and blood orange" I've had my eye on this for a long time, and never tried it.  Possible decant.  3/5   Cadences and Shakes, "rosewood and rose geranium prickled with pink peppercorn, cardamom, white sandalwood, and frankincense" I am always saying that I love rosewood, and here it is.  I should try this but somehow I'm not as excited as some of the other scents.  Possible decant.  3/5   Mr. Morse's Seances, "polished teakwood, pipe smoke, sugar-clouded absinthe, vetiver, and rum musk" Well, these notes sound nice, this does have some potential.  It could be too loudly sweet.  Possible decant.  3/5   The Ghost of a Ghost's Ghost, "pallid oakmoss and earthy patchouli tumbling into a void of misty lavender, cistus, and white agarwood" All of these notes sound perfectly acceptable and nice.  It could be good, it could be great, I'm just not sure.  It's not screaming out at me but I may possibly try it.  3/5   The Mysterious Rappings Polka, "Rose musk with pink and black peper, a splash of bay rum, tobacco absolute, and toffee" This one is speaking to me.  I don't know, just one of those strange mix of notes that could be really great.  I am contemplating a full bottle.  4/5   Thought Photography, "Mercury-limned lavender, palo santo, and ambrette seed" Strong possibility, I'm definitely eyeing this one.  3 or 4/5   Gingerbread Oudh I'm interested, because I think it could be a nice semi-gourmand blend of notes.  3 or 4/5   The Lashes, in order : ) Second Lash, "Birch tar, tobacco, bergamot, ochre musk, and petitgrain" Possible decant.  3/5 Fourth Lash, "Black rose, Baltic amber, leather, white sandalwood, black pepper, and vetiver" Possible decant, 3/5 Tenth Lash, "Bitter almond, cacao, black cherry, patchouli, and labdanum" Strong possibility for a decant, I love 2 of the notes (patchouli and labdanum) and have known to like the rest of them.  3 or 4/5 Eleventh Lash, "Snow and black leather" This is intriguing me for some reason.  I may even go straight to a bottle.  4/5 Twelfth Lash, "Blackened patchouli, sweet vetiver, labdanum, and honey" Possible decant, because of the patchouli and labdanum.  3 or 4/5   Schonperchten, "snow-spattered lavender, bourbon vanilla, white mint, and white amber" This could be my minty snow scent I was hoping for.  Bottle or decant?  4/5  
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Oct wear your Halloweenies challenge 2022

For me to keep track    Sat Oct 1 - Dead Leaves, Violet Candy and Sugar Crystals  Sun Oct 2 - Magnificent Autumn  Mon Oct 3 - Pumpkin Cheesecake  Tues Oct 4 - Pumpkinville  Weds Oct 5 - Dead Leaves, Black Plum, Bitter Clove, and Oudh  Thurs Oct 6 - Brom Bones  Fri Oct 7 - The Shadowed Veil  Sat Oct 8 - Pumpkin Booze; Sweet Ginger & Patchouli hair gloss  Sun Oct 9 - Icy Drafts  Mon Oct 10 - All Hallows Chaos: Dead Leaves, #82  Tues Oct 11 - Pumpkin Masala Rooibos  Weds Oct 12 - All Souls (2006)  Thurs Oct 13 - Pumpkin Chypre  Fri Oct 14 - Peasants Fleeing (Witchcraft)  Sat Oct 15 - Three People Plucking A Mandrake  Sun Oct 16 - Sugar Skull (2015)  Mon Oct 17 - Alice In the Pumpkin Patch  Tues Oct 18 - Dead Leaves & Ginger Spice  Weds Oct 19 - Nocturnal Witches Scene Thurs Oct 20 - Blade of Grass  Fri Oct 21 - Witches Taking Off For the Sabbath  Sat Oct 22 - Samhain (2006)  Sun Oct 23 - Cognac Stained Sheet Ghost + Supposed To Be A Pretzel  Mon Oct 24 - The Dance of the Farfadets  Tues Oct 25 - Day of the Skulls, 2008  Weds Oct 26 - Elegy IX: the Autumnal  Thurs Oct 27 - Pumpkin Queen + Pomegranate Morocco  Fri Oct 28 - Rickety Staircase  Sat Oct 29 - Fearful Pleasure  Sun Oct 30 - Dusk In Autumn  Mon Oct 31 - Death of Autumn.... And that's a wrap! 
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Halloween update - breakdown!

I've already made a purchase but this is to help me decide which others I need, or if I want to try for decants, etc.. I'm going back to my good ol' rating system where I put my interest level on a 1-5 scale.    Abelard Coconut husk and pearwood with frankincense and carnation petals.  This might be nice, I'd certainly try it if it were put in front of me.  Kind of sounds like a Luper.  3/5   Apple Macchiato This is a homage to the upstart little sister of Caffeinated Autumn Beverages: apple spice, cinnamon, brown sugar, oatmilk, and caramel apple drizzle over espresso.  Not much looking for gourmand scents this time around, but still might try this somewhere down the road.  3/5    Autumn 1990 This is the scent of a disaffected deathrock kid skulking around Hollywood with her ne’er-do-well friends: pre-climate catastrophe autumn winds billowing through a cloud of decaying leaves, exhaust fumes, maximum-hold hairspray, and clove cigarettes, but minus the Boones Farm.  At first I wasn't interested but now I'm thinking this could be kind of an evolved cousin of Devil's Night, and I'm a little more interested.  I love atmospheric scents.  This went from a 3 to 4/5   Every Day is Halloween Skin-warmed sandalwood and toasted pumpkin settle into a gentle blend suitable for all 365 days of Halloween.  I have a previous bottle, like it but definitely don't need more.  1/5    Fleece Skeleton Onesie The scent of freshly-washed fleece skeleton onesie and a little bit of smeared eyeliner.  I just got skeleton onesies for myself and my partner, so I was cracking up when I saw this!  I do like "clean laundry" type scents, enough to have multiple of them, and this sounds like a spooky variation of that.  I will say 4/5   Heloise Polished limewood, myrrh smoke, and blackened spices.  Could be good, but not making a huge impression on me.. something like a darker Mr. Nancy?  I'd try a decant, maybe.. 3/5      L.A. River Pumpkin An offering of sun-warmed pumpkin flesh anointed with slithering green musks, sun-dried grasses, pineapple juice, and squished prickly pear fruit.  Not sure about this one.  I haven't tried any of the Lab's pineapple scents, I'm kind of scared of it.  I'd try it, but not seeking it out.  (And I could be totally wrong, it's been known to happen, lol!) 2/5   October 32nd The scent of Eternal October: leaves fluttering against a thick wool sweater, the cool amber glow of an autumn sunset, dollops of thick cream swirling in black tea.  I do love tea scents, never tried this one but all the notes sound okay, so why isn't it grabbing my attention (and didn't last year)?  3/5    Oil and Blood There are no saints here: thick blackened rivulets of blood soak through linen winding sheets and cold clay.  This could be good, but it could go a little too "perfumey" on me?  I'd certainly like to try it.  4/5    Pomegranate Tiramisu Lady Fingers soaked in pomegranate syrup and tipped with fingernails of sliced almond, entombed in layers of mascarpone and crème fraîche and then topped with a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds.  Not calling out to me, but I would try it on if it crossed my path.  2/5    Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Pumpkiny, chocolatey, muffiny.  Doesn't sound like my kind of thing. 1/5    Pumpkin Spice Latte Getting back to basics.  I already have Pinched w/Four Pumpkins, don't think I need this.  2/5    Samhain Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.  I love Samhain but I already have lots of it, various decants and a few bottles.  Don't need more right now but I would try it in the interest of comparing to other years.  2/5   Sugar Skull Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.  I love the older Sugar Skull, but last year's (or was it the year before?) was a very different variation that I didn't like as much.  I do have a couple older bottles now and a few different decants, so I don't really need more, but I'd be really interested to know if it's the newer variant again, or if it's back to the older formula (but I think even the older formula went through some slight variation from year to year..but this is another topic).  2/5    The Shadowed Veil A strangely sensual, darkly fae All Hallow’s Eve cologne, a perfume of the Otherworld: black pumpkin, leather, pomegranate incense, agarwood, and bourbon patchouli.  I have an older decant, like it, don't need more.  But again I do like comparing different years of the same scent.  2/5    The Unreturning When far-gone dead return upon the world: wisps of spectral white musk and ambergris, blackened leather, yew needles, cypress boughs, gnarled patchouli root, and the memory of frankincense smoke.  White musk can be borderline soapy or too perfumey, and ambergris can take over everything on my skin.  Not willing to risk this one but I'd try it.  2/5    The Wind Strike Chill and Cold The frost of undeath: an icy and lustrous white mint with ti leaf, white amber, and bruised lilac.  I already have Icy Fingers from previous Halloween (is that what it was called?), and this isn't really calling out to me.  I'm not a huge lilac fan.  1-2/5    Torta Setteveli A classic Sicilian recipe alternating layers of chocolate sponge cake, hazelnut Bavarian cream, chocolate mousse, and hazelnut praline crunch, all enrobed in a dark chocolate mirror glaze.  I don't really like chocolate or nut notes in perfume, usually.  1/5   X-Rayed Candy Bag The sugary contents of last night’s Trick-or-Treat bucket blasted with atomic particles at your local hospital, producing a stark image of ghostly treats cast in a greeny-white radioactive glow.  This isn't really calling out to me.  I'd try it, though.  2/5    Halloween 2022 - Bobbing for Apples 2022 Not really into apple scents for the most part, although I still try them out from time to time.  So....   Bobbing for Ball Gags Black leather, honeyed amber, and a bite of apple.  2/5   Bobbing for Blood Kisses Gleaming red apples sloshing through lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. 2/5    Bobbing for Daddy The following contest is scheduled for one fall. Get it? Fall! Our ongoing collaboration with the pro-wrestler EFFY has taken a decidedly seasonal turn, conjuring fantasies of apple picking, polishing, nibbling, and even a bit of juicing if the mood is right. Blended together with DADDY’s signature notes of diabolical incense, bay rum and a hiss of infernal fougere, this is one hayride you won’t want to miss. 1/5    Bobbing for Dodos Pink lady apples with pink and red musks, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood.  2/5    Bobbing for Jack O’Lanterns Spiced baked apples with nutmeg and cinnamon mushed into pumpkin pulp, glowing peach, and murky clove. 2/5    Bobbing for Oblivion Arkansas black apples with inky musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron.  Maybe?  Sounds interesting.  3/5    Bobbing for Smut Three booze soaked apples soaked in smutty musks and sugar.  Might be interesting.. 3/5    Bobbing for Snake Oil Our best-selling fragrance gets dunked: apples crushed into vintage patchouli, dark, rich, aged vanilla absolute, vegetal musk, and spices.  I'll try just about any Snake Oil variant.  3/5    Bobbing for Zombies Dried rose petals and leathery dried apples soiled with Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.  2/5    Halloween 2022 - Dead Leaves 2022  I have roughly 1 million dead leaves scents already so it will have to be something really interesting to catch my eye...   Dead Leaves And Horchata  DL+ sweet and/or spicy is usually good but sometimes can go wrong on me.  Pass for now.  2/5    Dead Leaves, and Ginger Spice  And here it is, the one I bought!  I'm really hopeful for this one to be great.  4/5   Dead Leaves, Boot Leather, and Sweet Grass  Not really my thing right now.. 2/5    Dead Leaves, Praline, and Sheer Vanilla  See DL& Horchata.. 2/5    Dead Leaves, Scorched Pumpkin, and Marshmallows  This was close but DL& Ginger Spice won out.  This has marshmallow so I fully expect it to sell out.  I'll watch for reviews!  3/5    Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates  Dates + vanilla bean does catch my eye but fig is historically a note I don't care about either way.  Brandied dates makes it sound even better, though.. will have to see what happens.. 3-4/5    Halloween 2022 - Ginormous Yard Skeleton   Angst Charred sandalwood and cardamom soured by bitter caraway seed.  I tend to avoid caraway (in perfumes).  1/5    Anticipation Red sandalwood and white pumpkin prickling with black pepper, orange blossom, and bergamot.  Nothing here sounds bad, but it's not really grabbing me.  2/5    Despondency A sorrowful Halloween blend of pumpkin puree, lavender bud, night-blooming violets, purple sandalwood, and tears.  Hmm, this does sound interesting.  Violet is one of those notes I don't love but do crave occasionally.  It kind of amps on my skin but I bet pumpkin and lavender would be good balancing notes.  This is a possibility.  4?/5    Victory A joyous fusion of pumpkin cheesecake and champagne.  I have Pumpkin Cheesecake, I love it but probably don't need this.. we'll see.  3/5    Halloween 2022 - Lightning Strikes   Lightning Strikes Cinema The scent of sitting in a darkened theater in a rainstorm circa 1935, marveling at the alchemy that transforms scribbled words into specters of light, shadow, and sound: dripping umbrellas, a nicotine haze clinging to musty velvet curtains, camphorous vapors rising from strips of hot celluloid.  It's a kind of scent I usually am drawn to, but there's a lot of competition in this update.  Undecided.  3/5    Lightning Strikes Literature The incendiary moment when a human hand snatches fire from the gods of creativity and channels it onto the page: a lightning storm stirred with beeswax candle smoke, yellowing notebooks, and pools of India ink.  I'm not crazy about beeswax- related scents.  2/5    Lightning Strikes the Future The ultimate lab experiment: streaks of feral red musk twining in a double-helix around a pulsing, electrified core of fossilized amber, erupting from a glimmering pool of reactor coolant.  Not sure.. these notes aren't calling out to me for some reason.  2/5    Halloween 2022 - Persephone’s Bounty I'm just not a big pomegranate fan (in perfumes).  I did just get Pomegranate Morocco, and that's about all I need right now.    Pomegranate Oud 2/5  Pomegranate Turkish Delight 2/5  Pomegranate, Brown Sugar, and Tobacco 2/5  Pomegranate, Freesia, White Tea, and White Amber 2/5  Pomegranate, Patchouli, Moss, and Fir Needle 2/5  Pomegranate, Pink Pepper, and Black Apple 2/5    Halloween 2022 - Witches, Sorceresses, and Sorceries in Art History   A Breton Sorceress Tonka bean, yellow bergamot, ambrette seed, patchouli root, oak bark and leaf, bitter almond, smoked cedar, allspice, and vanilla absolute.  Sounds very cozy and warm.  I ordered a bottle.  4/5    A Sorceress Black silk, golden thread, skin musk, white sandalwood, vanilla dust, red lotus absolute, tonka absolute, serpent scale accord, and black amber.  A few of these notes are kind of just not really my thing, like silk, skin musk, black amber (sometimes works).  I see the word "red" and worry about that too.  This could go either way, but I'm not risking it right now.  2/5    An Enchanted Cellar with Animals A cacophony of feathers and fur, cracked clay and moist stone, scattered rushes, upturned herbs, red sage, and frankincense smoke.  Sounds good but I don't know what red sage smells like.  Again sometimes "red" notes clash with my skin & nose.  Pass for now.  3/5    Dulle Griet Black oud, bay leaf, olibanum, rose smoke, cassis, green cardamom, clove bud, and black sandalwood.  I would try this if it crossed my path.  2 "black" notes kind of put me off, but it has potential.  3/5    Gooped Familiar Sweet black musk, golden amber, cedarwood, catnip, and hay absolute with a shock of carnation, clove, and cinnamon bark.  Probably smells good but isn't rising above the competition in this update.  I'll keep my eye on it.  3/5    Heksenbijeenkomst Black oud and wild plum, tobacco leaf, black amber, opium smoke, and myrrh tar.  I have a decant of Dead Leaves, oud, plum etc and I like it fine, but this doesn't call out to me.  Will watch.  3/5    La Danse de la Sorciere Auburn amber, polished wood, dribbles of golden honey, a cascade of budding herbs, red sandalwood, and sugared white amber.  Something about this combination doesn't sound like 'me'.  2/5    Lightning Struck a Flock of Witches A crack of ozone slicing through blue benzoin, indigo musk, tobacco, and opoponax.  Same as above.. 1/5    Nocturnal Witches Scene Hungarian pine needles, oak wood, black mosses, smoldering pitch, and bonfire smoke.  This sounds very interesting to me, it's kind of a risk but I went for a bottle.  4/5    Peasants Fleeing (Witchcraft) Yellow balsam, well-worn leather, dark musk, and mud-spattered wool.  This is a combination that does call out to me, for whatever reason, I went for a bottle.  Might be too strong, hope not.  4/5    Scene with Witches Smoked ambergris accord, gray silk, incense-stained cotton, and crushed herbs.  I don't usually like ambergris, it's one of the few notes I usually avoid.  Add in "gray silk" and I'm out.  The other 2 notes do sound good.  2/5    The Dance of the Farfadets Gray sandalwood, packed earth, hinoki, patchouli root, myrrh resin, and balsam.  There's that "gray" again, but this time... Look at that artwork!  I had to get a bottle.  I like a lot of earthy scents, so maybe it will work.  4/5    The Love Potion Golden neroli, blackcurrant, candied pomegranate, gilded rosewood, smoldering incense resin, and rose musk.  Not sure.  This has a lot of potential, but I passed for now.  It could turn soapy on me, or too perfumey.  Will keep it in mind.. 3/5    The Necromancer Dusty tomes, russet cashmere, green velvet, and leather, frankincense and cinnamon bark, galangal root and fig, rosewater and lilac cologne.  This sounds good, and I had it in my cart.  When I see a long list of notes, I know from experience it has potential to go wrong somewhere.  Will keep it in mind.  3/5    Three People Plucking a Mandrake A tangle of mandrake root and patchouli root bound by champaca resin.  Champaca resin is one of my favorite notes, and I love patchouli.  Bottled.  5/5    Tovenares Pale woods and dried rose petals, white sandalwood, bone dust, sweet amber, and incense smoke.  "Pale", "dried", "white" and "dust" all sounds very dry and/or perfumey to me.  Pass for now, although I do like woods, some rose, some amber, and some incense smoke.  3/5    Witchecraft: Consulting a Book of Spells, Performing Various Rites Candlewax, clove leaf, yellowed parchment, a cluster of mosses, incense resin, black pepper, cardamom, black amber, and ylang ylang.  Combination not calling to me.. 2/5    Witches at Their Incantations Red olibanum, scorched opoponax, 13-year aged myrrh oil, and champaca absolute.  Red olibanum is very worrisome to me, and myrrh might push this over the edge into "too perfumey", but it definitely has potential.  3/5    Witches Taking off for the Sabbath Broomcorn and tallow, waxed pine wood, pumpkin seeds, orris root, oakmoss, dried fig, frankincense, ambrette seed, dragon’s blood ink, and a drop of cacao.  Kind of neutral on this - but not really calling me.  2/5    Witches’ Kitchen Bourbon tobacco absolute, nagarmotha, vetiver, tomato leaf, gunpowder, yarrow stalks, brimstone, vervain, seared leather, and castoreum accord.  Right now this doesn't sound like my thing, but that could change.. pass for now.. 3/5    Young Witches at Play in the Night Sky Cloudstruck white musk, orris root, white bergamot, magnolia petals, fir needle, and juniper mist.  Again, sounds perfumey, but I'm interested because of the magnolia petals.  I think that might be like champaca.  Pass for now, will watch.  3/5 
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Sept different scent every day challenge

Making a list here so I can keep track of them   Thurs Sept 1 - Dr. John Seward  Fri Sept 2 - Marshmallow & Black Plum  Sat Sept 3 - Oak Moon  Sun Sept 4 - Autumn  Mon Sept 5 - Nyarlathotep  Tues Sept 6 - All the Meaner Things  Weds Sept 7 - Meditation In Autumn  Thurs Sept 8 - Mummies of Mexico City  Fri Sept 9 - Mr. Jacquel  Sat Sept 10 - Blood Moon '05  Sun Sept 11 - Charcoal, Champaca Resin, and Tobacco Absolute  Mon Sept 12 - Kisses For Us All  Tues Sept 13 - Flesh of My Flesh  Weds Sept 14 - Mr. Nancy  Thurs Sept 15 - Vanilla Bean, Marshmallow & Benzoin  Fri Sept 16 - Apple Sugar  Sat Sept 17 - Ded Moroz  Sun Sept 18 - Ra, and Djinn beard oil prototype  Mon Sept 19 - The Anti-Salloon League  Tues Sept 20 - All Hallows Chaos: Samhain, #46  Weds Sept 21 - Rose Petals & Palo Santo  Thurs Sept 22 - Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller  Fri Sept 23 - A Pale and Glimmering Light Appeared Before Him  Sat Sept 24 - Devil's Night, 2006 bottle  Sun Sept 25 - Labdanum, Red Musk & Scorched Vanilla  Mon Sept 26 - Every Day Is Halloween  Tues Sept 27 - October (2007 I think)  Weds Sept 28 - Doc Constantine (orig. release bottle with small amt left)  Thurs Sept 29 - Julia Stone, and Pomegranate Morocco  Fri Sept 30 - Autumn Coolness 
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2018 Weenies

A breakdown, for my own benefit (to narrow down choices).

Blue Ghost Blues....A ward against evil: bay rum, whiskey, cigar smoke, black pepper, and salt
I want to try this for sure. Maybe a decant or partial bottle.

Dia De Los Muertos......dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus
I've never tried this and always wanted to. Or maybe I smelled it briefly at Moonarcana's house. Still, I would like a decant if I can find one.

Midnight Bonfire......night-blooming jasmine, smoldering maple leaves, a cluster of patchouli and blackened ti leaf, black sage, and pinewood smoke
If I'm doing decants, I should throw in this. It has a good chance of being very nice and cozy for fall. The jasmine sounds a little out of place but maybe I'm just not imagining it the way it really is.

Pumpkin Crème Brulee.....With vanilla bean scrapings
Possible decant but there are other Pumpkin scents I'm more interested in.......Like.......

Pumpkin Musk and Black Oudh......A strangely romantic, disturbingly erotic perfume
Disturbingly erotic? Sign me up for a decant. I thought seriously about a bottle but oudh doesn't always smell good to me. It's best when it just fades into the background, IMO.

Pumpkin Tobacco......Sweet black tobacco infused with dried pumpkin and soaked in bourbon
I really want to wear tobacco notes but I'm not sure they always work for me. Everything about this sounds fabulous. Why am I hesitating? Probably a decant.

Scarecrow Turned Philosopher.....Corn husks waving on an autumn breeze, beams of amber sunlight, hay bales, and late summer wildflowers
I am all over this concept, but I'm not sure about wildflowers. I don't love all floral notes, so this would be a risk. That's what decants are for, right? : )

Masque of the Red Death.......

A Multitude of Dreams......A blackened lavender mist, thick with opoponax, licorice root, and benzoin
Sounds somewhat promising, although I'm a little more picky with my incense scents these days (which is what this sounds like to me....incense). I like them if they are soft and elegant, not too strong. I don't like to smell like a big actual incense stick (but there was a time that was what I wanted). Possible decant, but not high priority.

Pickman Gallery 2018.......

A Young Boy and His Brother Seated on a Goat.......Polished mahogany, copal resin, Java sandalwood, teakwood, and Sumantran patchouli
This could be really good or not so good on me, just based on my experience with these notes. Copal tends to smell like cheap aftershave on me and not in a good way. My partner liked the sound of this one but I know certain scents make him wheeze and this sounded like one of those to me. I might get a decant just to satisfy my curiosity and his.

Cabras......Black pine, white sage, creeping ivy, and wild juniper
Sounds like a lot of green, pine and juniper.....I stopped buying these kinds of scents quite a while ago, maybe it's time to try again? The more I look at the notes, and the painting, the more curious I am getting.

Lithograph of a Mountain Goat.......White sandalwood, black pepper, muguet, agarwood, labdanum, and 3-year aged patchouli
I love patchouli and labdanum, and so I am curious about this. I don't think I particularly care for the other notes, especially muguet. But - somehow I think this might be good for my partner, or me. Possible decant.

Studie Einer Ziege.....Sweet labdanum with clove, tobacco absolute, and guiac wood
I actually had this in my cart and removed it before checkout. Again, I love labdanum. But the other notes sound very familiar to me, like I have a dozen other scents with these notes and don't even wear them that much (clove, tobacco..). I might have to get a decant and I may end up loving it. I'm in a mood today, so my judgment may not be the best.

Two Sheep and Two Goats Resting Together in a Field......Sweet vetiver, bourbon vanilla, and wool
I had this in mind for my partner but changed that to Jupiter Nourished at the last minute. I might still need to try a decant of this, either for him or me.

Venus Pandemos.....Hay, rose otto, red benzoin, torch smoke, and pink carnation
This could be really good, but it sounds very powdery and might be soapy as well. Possible decant.

Zoe and the Goat......Caramelized patchouli, cream, and thick golden honey
I picked Jupiter Nourished over this, hope I didn't make the wrong choice. Possible decant.

Pile of Leaves.......

Dead Leaves and Maple Sap.......possible decant, I love Burning Leaves by CBIHP, which is basically the same thing except with smoke added.

Dead Leaves and Scotch.....possible decant, sounds unbelievably cozy for a chilly fall day.

Dead Leaves and Vanilla Incense......I had this in the cart and took it back out. It sounds a little close to Hope and Fear Set Free, which I love. But - would I need both? Decant or partial bottle, probably.

Dead Leaves, Black Tea, and Tobacco Leaf......I had this in the cart too. But, I already have a few scents with tobacco. I am not sure. It might be really great. Possible decant or partial bottle.

Dead Leaves, Blackberry, and Red Patchouli.......how thorough do I want to be with the dead leaves? I don't want to miss a good one, like I know I have in the past. Maybe decant.

Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vetiver, Nagarmotha, and Vanilla Absolute.......see above, possible decant.

Dead Leaves, Sweet Oakmoss, White Sage, and Chaparral........see above again, possible decant.   DECANTS:
Blue Ghost Blues
Pumpkin Musk and Black Oudh
Pumpkin Tobacco
Scarecrow Turned Philosopher
A Young Boy and His Brother Seated on a Goat
Lithograph of a Mountain Goat
Studie Einer Ziege
Two Sheep and Two Goats Resting Together in a Field
Venus Pandemos
Dead Leaves and Scotch
Dead Leaves and Vanilla Incense
Dead Leaves, Black Tea, and Tobacco Leaf
Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vetiver, Nagarmotha, and Vanilla Absolute
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2015 Weenies

All Souls An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes. I like All Souls, a lot. But I think I need to make a rule: no Weenies that I've already tried or already own. This update is overwhelming and I need to narrow down a lot (this breakdown will help). Anyway, I have a bottle + a decant of All Souls, so I don't need more.   Dia de los Muertos This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus. I don't think I've ever tried this, but now is not the time. Need to focus on the new stuff and I think this will be easy to find some if I ever feel the need.   Feeding the Dead A barrel of beer, a pyramid of cakes, and three sticks of incense. I tried this before, and I have a decant, but.....see All Souls. Pass for now.   Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookie With cinnamon, nutmeg, browned butter, and cream cheese icing. No foodie or cookie scents this time, not in the mood.   Le Revenant A shroud of gardenia, narcissus, and sandalwood with ambrette seed, white cognac, muguet, davana, and white musk. Now we're getting closer....but not quite. I will pass on this one. The list of notes just doesn't call out to me for some reason.   Magnificent Autumn A scent that wanders through the Ages of Autumn, from the last green leaf to the first breath of winter. Already have a bottle from last year, I like it, but don't need more now.   October Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air. Not this time - I still have my bottle from '07, and I do love it, but it's enough for me.   Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake No, I don't need this one at all, I have Pumpkin Cheesecake from the inquisition a few years back. That's all the pumpkin cheesecake I need!   Pumpkin Lager A peculiar point of contention: you either love it or hate it, and however you feel, it’s passionate. Lol - No! I am tired of reading about everyone's pumpkin beer! I don't drink these days and I don't feel any desire for this one.   Samhain Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein. I love Samhain, but see All Souls.....have to narrow these down.   Second Spring An accolade: drifting leaves tinted in the bold reds of pomegranate and current, the golds of amber and honey, russet myrrh, a touch of cypress-green, and crisp patchouli-brown. This sounds nice, I would probably like it. But it sounds very similar to Magnificent Autumn, which I already have. I'll watch reviews but will probably skip this one.   Sonnet d’Automne 2015 Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves. No - still have my bottle from a couple years ago, and don't wear it very much. Not a favorite.   Sugar Skull 2015 Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. *sigh* I love Sugar Skull, even though I just said no foodie scents. But - I already have 1 bottle plus 3 or 4 decants, and I can't justify buying a bottle this year, although I would like to. I'll watch reviews, though. It's possible this might sneak into my cart anyway! (if people rave about this year's being special or different)   Sweet William’s Ghost A scent of unendurable grief and longing: pale orris root and honeyed white lily chilled by wild carrot and cognac, pulled into a winding sheet of white jasmine, tobacco flower, tuberose, and patchouli. Ok - this one sort of called out to me instantly. Which is crazy since it's so unlike what I thought I liked up until now. I mean, white lily? Honeyed white lily? I would have steered clear of this before this year. But I had an experience with doezens of lilies that sort of opened my eyes and my nostrils, and ever since then, I've had a complete turnaround about lily in perfumes. I said elsewhere that I wanted an elegant fall floral this year. Maybe this is it! So far, this is the first bottle I'm thinking of buying.   The Unquiet Grave One kiss of clay-cold lips: frozen white roses, frankincense, white gardenia, white sandalwood, and vanilla orchid. I don't really like white rose, and the rest of the description isn't calling to me. Sometimes that's all it comes down to, just a gut feeling.   The Vampire Bride Icy skin touched by a perfume of violet leaf, white tea, olibanum, elemi, myrrh, wormwood, crypt dust, and saffron with a dribble of blood red musk. Is this a repeat? I think I have a decant. Anyway - I usually don't like violet, and this isn't really calling to me. I may try my decant again. The artwork is beautiful.   The White Witch 2015 Love pain-ecstatic, cruel-sweet: gold-flecked honey amber pulsating with red musk, patchouli coeur, bourbon vanilla, inky vetiver, pomegranate rind, myrrh, blackened violet leaf, and blood red rose petals. Just not feeling it, which is good since I need to narrow these down.   Dead Leaves and Tobacco Ok, I want to try all the Dead Leaves, but I just can't. I can't believe this but I'm going to agree with the people who say, these might turn into men's cologne. At this point I am pretty much satisfied with more masculine scents, and I'm more interested in light, elegant, chic, willowy scents. Leaf scents can be a little prickly and I think that I actually have enough at this point. I even have the Pile of Fallen Leaves single note from last year. So - I'm going to pass on these for now. [Dead Leaves, Black Pepper, and Sandalwood Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vanilla, and Myrrh Dead Leaves, Frankincense, and Copal Dead Leaves, Honey, and Oudh Dead Leaves, Red Musk, and Neroli]     Apple I Apple with hay absolute, oats, honey, cream vanilla, and goat’s milk accord. Thank goodness, I don't need ANY of the apple scents. Just not my thing. If I was going to try one, it would be Apple III, but I will pass on all these. [Apple II Green apple with pink pepper, Himalayan cedar, juniper berries, and lemon rind. Apple III Appalachian black apple with sweet tobacco and patchouli, orange blossom, vanilla champaca, lavender, and white honey. Apple IV Red apple with blackcurrant bud, black clove, and vanilla bourbon. Apple V Apple with white coconut, fig, and tiare.]   Apple Cider Pretty sure I can skip the single notes. I got dead leaves last year, pretty hard to top that. Oh and the Pile of Leaves from last year? After 3 hours it smells exactly like Rive Gauche on me. I will skip these for now, because there are 2 sections of Salon scents I need to narrow down still (the Pickman Galleries)...... [bonfire Candied Apple Clown White Disappointing Pencil Graveyard Dirt Redux Polyester Spiderweb Pumpkin Spice Everything Stage Blood]   A Phantasmagoria: Scene – Conjuring Up an Armed Skeleton Wig powder, amber-perfumed leather gloves, and rose petals with a sliver of oak bark and cauldron smoke. Ok, here we go. I will have to be ruthless with these. I have always loved the Lab's Salon scents, even the ones I don't end up wearing, I love smelling them. I think I can skip this one, sounds a little too powdery and the rose petals may turn soapy on me.   A Witch Riding on a Dragon Blackened tonka, patchouli, dragon’s blood resin, and scorched oak. Pass....too incense-y and scorched, which is not what I'm interested in these days.   A Young Woman Appealing to a Witch Honey, cream and white rose petals buffeted by toadstools, creeping moss, bog cypress, and myrrh. Hmmm....no to honey, cream, and white rose.   Départ Pour Le Sabbat (Aufbruch Zum Hexensabbat) Bourbon vanilla, sweet red patchouli, oudh, goat’s milk accord, and white honey. I love the art. I could see myself looking for a decant at some point.   Liebeszauber Honey, rose petals, and carnations – a drop of blood – red clover, cubeb berries, and vanilla cream. Well.....again, I love the art, but I'll say no to honey, rose, and carnation. I bet this smells pretty, though.   The Magic Circle Vanilla-infused frankincense and clary sage with 7-year aged patchouli, jasmine sambac, honey myrtle, and oudh. Ok - on my first quick read-through, I thought I'd pass on this. But, I just took a closer look at the art. Wow, that is beautiful. This just became a bottle candidate. Hope and Fear de-luxe? Sounds good to me.   The Sorceress An evocation incense of frankincense, styrax, lavender buds, mastic, and white sandalwood mingled with moonflower, violet absolute, tuberose, and dark musk. I'm about 50/50 on this one. It's a possibility, but probably won't make the cut in the end.   The Witch and the Mandrake Mandrake root, apple blossom, dusty brown sandalwood, coconut milk, woodmusk, and soft leather. I like leather sometimes, but this combination sounds a little odd to me, and I'm worried about that apple blossom. I don't know - I'd like to give it a sniff but probably pass for now.   The Witches Pumpkin cream, honey, vanilla sugar, and smoked vanilla bean. Again, the art is lovely, but I generally steer away from honey.   The Witches’ Rout (the Carcass) White sandalwood, opoponax, shriveled black plum, and vetiver. Interesting, but sounds a little bitter to me. The list of notes reminds me of something I've smelled before - maybe Lunar Eclipse? I don't know, pass for now.   The Witches’ Sabbath Burgundy and champaca resin with immortelle, leather accord, wine-soaked red fruits, rose geranium petals, red patchouli, guttering candles, and smoke. This sounds a lot like one of the older Salons, I'm blanking on which one. The one thing that worries me is burgundy, I haven't had much luck with wine notes in the past. Pass for now.   Witchcraft Scene Black lily and black pepper with narcissus, white musk, and white sandalwood. This sounds interesting. I know I don't like black pepper in perfume a whole lot. But the combination does spark my interest a little bit. I'll have to think about it.   Witches’ Kitchen Belladonna accord, sprigs of rue, crushed hyssop, white sage, beeswax, mandrake leaf, bay rum, black honey, hemp, and myrrh. I think I'll pass on this one. The list of notes sounds a little strange. It might work, but it's not high on my list.   A Holy Man Advises a Woman to Invoke Mary Against a Devil White musk, tobacco flower, white tea, Tunisian neroli, and blonde leather. This could be good. But - again, not high on my list. And the art isn't standing out to me that much either.   La Femme de Satan Red musk and cacao with clove, caramelized tobacco, aged patchouli, red currant, black leather, and vanilla-infused amber. Hmmm.....sounds very sensual and sexy. I may have to keep an eye on reviews. I could be seeking a partial bottle of this.   La Ronde du Sabbat Oman frankincense, black clove, and tobacco tar. Clove can be tricky for me, but I do like frankincense. I'll watch reviews. This might work if it's smooth and light. It could lean to the gritty or earthy side, though. Might have to find a decant.   Pan Twardowski and the Devil Brown leather, bay leaf, tobacco leaf, lavender, and oudh. Wow....that's one sexy list of notes. I'll watch reviews, but I am not hopeful about this working for me. Now that I think about it, leather scents are about 50/50 on me, and the last few that I tried haven't worked for me at all. Possible decant.   Portrain of an Unidentified Man as Mephistopheles A debonair lavender fougere cloaked in smoky red musk, red mandarin, and oakmoss. Now this sounds sexy. And I love the art. This is a bottle possibility. Very much.   Satan Starting from the Touch of Ithuriel’s Spear Golden amber, carnation, blackcurrant, aged black patchouli, red musk, and vetiver. I will pass on this. I am not crazy about carnation and otherwise, this sounds just very much like other scents I've already tried.   Satan Summoning His Legions White leather and cypress-tinged white musk with cardamom, smouldering incense, Ceylon cinnamon and white sandalwood. This sounds promising. I will watch reviews, possible decant. Despite the leather and incense, it could work, because I tend to love the lab's cinnamon notes. That could bring it all together into something great.
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Order madness

I'm kind of relieved......I think I'm all caught up on my ordering, at least until I get to try my Yule decants (then the madness starts all over again). I am resisting the urge to order a bottle of Meditation In Autumn. I wore it again today, and I realized it smells like November, only greener, with less snow. It does have a bit of icy bite, somehow. But the resemblance to November is close enough that I don't think I really need a whole bottle after all. If, however, someone were to offer a swap, I certainly would take it.   I am excited to try the Yule blends, still have to track down a decant of Mole, but other than that, I'm all caught up on decants I want to try.   I absolutely can't wait for my bottle of Fearful Pleasure to arrive, but it looks like I still have over a week, at least. Hurryhurryhurry!
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custom scents

Today I was perusing the CB I Hate Perfume website, and thinking about custom scents. It's something I would love to do, but it almost seems like getting a tattoo.....I would want to make sure I had the perfect idea, and that it came out just right. I know that's kind of a stretch, but I think it's rather pricey to have him do it, and I would want to get my money's worth, definitely.   So, I was trying to think of a custom scent for myself. Lately I've been in the mood for snowy scents, floral, and woodsy with fir and/or pine sap. Jolasveinar is very, very good. And I'm real hopeful about Christmas Rose. That's almost the image I had in my head........the description of Christmas Rose, which is: "Bruise-tinted hellebore blossoms pushing through snowdrifts". I don't know what hellebore smells like.   The image I had is of a small bouquet of flowers on an icy/snowy mountaintop. The blossoms are perfect and covered with a delicate layer of frost. There are fir trees all around, and a light hint of woodsmoke in the air. And there's a teasing hint of pie and spice in the air, like someone is baking their Christmas desserts and opened their window for a little fresh air. So yeah, I guess that's pretty close to Jolasveinar. I'd like to smell a version of Jolasveinar that's more centered around the smushed buttercups, and with more flowers added, like rose. Maybe I'll try wearing Jolasveinar on one wrist and Rose Red or Peacock Queen on the other, when I get my decants.
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non-bpal review/Czech and Speake No. 88

Czech and Speake No. 88   "No. 88 is the signature fragrance from Czech & Speake. From its Aromatics Collection, No.88 is a blend of woods, bergamot, geranium, rose otto, cassie flower, frangipani, vetiver, and sandalwood. This gorgeous fragrance is worn by both men and women." (description from The Perfumed Court)   I was attracted to this because I read Morrissey wears it (and Elton John, too). I was so glad to find a source for a sample.   This is fabulous! It's a rose scent, but unmistakably gender-neutral, although some may find it masculine. The closest bpal I can think of is Thanatos, but No. 88 is definitely lighter, fresher, and not as powdery (not that I dislike Thanatos). It's definitely woody, but also floral and slightly fruity. It strikes me as a versatile scent.....I could wear this at work (and I did), or out on the town, or for a formal occasion. I would call it almost a studious rose scent, but dark, hinting at naughtiness.   Now I need to try their Cuba scent, because I definitely want a bottle of one or the other. This stuff is pricey and only available from the UK, so it's going to be a treat to splurge and indulge myself. If Cuba is as good as this, it's going to be tough to decide. I could absolutely wear No. 88 on a regular basis.
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non-bpal review/Vetiver Guerlain

Vetiver Guerlain   "fresh and outdoorsy, a blend of vetiver, wood, tobacco and spice." (description from Fragrancenet.com   I love vetiver and having read lots of rave reviews, I really wanted to try this. Wet on the skin, for the first 10 or 15 minutes, this is a glorious, almost dizzying swirl of fresh, bright citrus notes, with some green grassiness peeking in and out. I loved it! After a while, all the top notes fade and what's left is simply vetiver single note. It's a light, fresh vetiver, almost reminiscent of sweet hay. Not a bad thing, but I'd love to smell that first stage longer.
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non-bpal review/Pascal Morabito Or Black

Pascal Morabito Or Black   I sought this after reading Luca Turin's perfume blog, he seemed to really like it. This review is from one test on the skin (I'll probably wear it again, so I may add to this entry later).   top Note : bergamote, pepper, leather Note de cœur : benzoin, ciste, cyprus Note de fond : vetiver, ylang-ylang, amber, Tonkin Musk, oak moss.   Didn't refresh my memory on the notes first, so I thought it was primarily an incense scent. Wet on the skin, it was exactly that. Slightly reminiscent of Midnight Mass, but murkier, more 'black'. After a few minutes, very shortly, I realized there was a strong note of leather. It reminded me of something from my past, maybe Drakkar Noir. It seems to be a formal, almost stern scent. Heavy and dark. Not for everyday wear, but probably good for special occasions. The leather comes out strong and lasts for a long time.
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Harvest Moon Update

Well, looks like I have to do a note-by-note breakdown for these.   Harvest Moon......dry leaves, mulling spices, balsam fir, cedar, juniper berry, clove, saffron, damson plum, sage, yarrow, and lily twined with Dionysus' sacred grapes and ivy, a bounty of apple and pumpkin, and the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, all touched by a gentle breath of festival woodsmoke and sweet wine.   The first nine notes are either 'yes' or 'sure, why not', then things start getting more complicated. Yarrow I just don't know about but I can handle herbal. And then lily....you know, I missed lily the first time I read the notes. Kind of snuck up on me and I usually don't like lily, so that is something to consider. Then we move on to some fruits, more herbs, woods, and smoke.....most of which I like, or don't hate.....except the grape is something to also consider. Overall, I could be interested, and I've never tried Harvest Moon before and this would be a good one to start with, because I do like most of the notes.   Mabon.....Blackberry wine and apple with hops, English ivy, rosemary, hazel, sage, chamomile, sweetgrass, oak bark, wild nuts, and myrrh.   I'm leaning towards no, because of the blackberry wine and nuts, although I might actually enjoy a fall herbal scent. The addition of myrrh makes me want to at least try a decant.   Wildfire.....orris and rose together? No thank you. I don't think there's enough wood to temper those two powder/soap bombs.   So, bottom line, if I'm feeling adventerous I might just grab a bottle of Harvest Moon before it goes bye-bye. Maybe a decant of Mabon if I see one. And I do want to sniff Wildfire, if it crosses my path, but I don't hold out much hope for that one.
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my first post!

I'm starting this because I have 2 livejournal accounts, but I really don't participate in the bpal communities on lj. I used to be a member of a couple of them, but decided that my lj is not the place for my bpal trading. I still write about bpal stuff but I get the feeling that many people on my friends list probably don't care about bpal. So here I am.   Friday I had dinner with my dad and stepmom, and told them a little bit about my perfume obsession. Actually, I told them about Fabienne and Possets. They both expressed interest, and they might go to a Final Friday where Fabienne opens her studio to the public (along with many other artists at the Pendleton Art Center). My point, and I do have one, is that I would like to make lists of imp packs for my dad and stepmom, sort of a bpal introductory selection of scents. My stepmom says she likes gardenia, so I did a search on the lab's site and came up with a few possibilities. The one that stuck out most was Le Serpent Qui Danse. I think she might like Antique Lace, although I myself have never tried it. She works for Clinique and would probably like the more traditional-smelling bpal perfumes, at least to start out. Other than that I have no idea what her tastes might be, so I'd like to come up with a range of styles for her to try.   As for my dad, I would go for more masculine blends, obviously. The first one I thought of was Casanova. Maybe Whitechapel, Calico Jack, possibly Dracul. For both of them I'm going to stay away from limited edition scents, so in case they end up loving a particular scent we can definitely get more. That said, I would probably let them try some of my LE's, particularly from Carnaval Diabolique. Bonnie (my stepmom) might possibly like Midnight On The Midway, and heck, my dad could like it too (I love it, and I'm a guy).   So for the next couple months I'll be keeping my eyes open for possibilities, and I think there are at least a couple recommendation discussions I'm going to peruse also.
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testing at the laundromat

More scent blogging because I'm boooored......   The one good thing about doing laundry is, it's a good place to test scents. It's good because it takes a couple hours, my mind kind of wanders, and with the movement of my hands there is plenty of wafting so I get a good idea of 'throw'. So as my mind is wandering, I might forget what scent I put on, until it wafts up at me again. And the whole process has a little bit of zen that I enjoy.   Other than that......I hate doing laundry. : )
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10ml madness

I posted an ISO for 10ml bottles, and already I've got 3 coming to me! Well, 2 partials and one empty, but that's okay.....I can decant into the empty one (Morocco), if I get some imps or even a bottle (if I like it a lot, which I can barely remember what it smells like.......but I remember I liked it). The other 2 are Bloodlust which I've never tried, but looks promising, and Urd, which I do like, and have never really had an imp of my own....now I'll have plenty. So, that was more of a response than I was expecting! : )
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Lily!

Over the weekend I tested a number of scents including Kostnice and Sepulcher. Both of them turned horribly soapy on me. I guess lily is the note that they have in common, that caused so much trouble.   They both developed a soapiness that got stronger and stronger until it was unbearable, and I had to wash them off. Not only that......both scents seemed to 'ruin' my nose for a good hour or two after I had washed them off. In other words, I tried putting on other scents that I really like, just to 'chase away' the horrid soapiness/memory of it, and nothing smelled right to me. It was kind of like trying to drink orange juice after brushing your teeth......everything smelled off in the aftermath of the soapy lilies!   I don't think all lily notes have this effect. I swear I've tried other scents with lily that didn't cause such a violent reaction. But from now on I'll be eyeing that note warily. Already I'm afeared for 2 of the Yule scents (Noche Buena, and the one with candy-charcoal). Now, the candy charcoal one, I was already not real hopeful about because of the violets and lily. But I really want to like Noche Buena. We shall see!! I've already ordered decants of both.
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Non-bpal fragrances

Seriously, I have way too many samples of non-bpal perfumes and colognes, that I need to test and somehow keep track of what I've tried, what I liked, and what I haven't liked. I've been doing this to a certain extent here on my blog, and I'm going to continue to do it. So far not many of them have "wowed" me to wanting a whole big bottle. I might want to get more Chanel Pour Monsieur, or maybe Parfums de Nicolai's New York.
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Baldessarini, Hugo Boss

Fruity wood, says the description, and that's what I smell. Interesting scent, reminds me of those fruity woody Serge Lutens scents. I like it but I don't think I'd wear it that often. I'll keep the sample unless I think of someone who would like it more.
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Serge Lutens, Five O'Clock Au Gingembre

List of notes: "Bergamot, candied ginger, honey, patchouli, pepper, and dark cocoa"   Well, this is quite a warm, cozy scent, very yummy, as could be expected just from reading the notes. But....it's not really a straight-up foody blend, and it's not quite as sweet as you might expect either. It's spicy but it's also very smooth and wearable, on the male side of unisex in my opinion, and just completely blended, with no notes standing out very much except maybe the ginger. I can't smell dark cocoa but I can tell it's there supporting. Overall I really like this and I'd love a larger bottle if it weren't so dang expensive. As it is, I'll keep wearing my little sample and maybe some day get a larger amount.   Edit: I got busy here at work, so I didn't really finish what I was writing. This scent has a small component of the whole that adds some kind of strange salty or doughy part of the scent. It's just an interesting little twist that kind of reaches out from the scent from time to time.
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Ginger

Ginger is a hit-or-miss note for me. I love Shub-Niggurath, but I don't like the ginger note in Saw Scaled Viper and War. I like Sudha Segara, but I don't love it, and I'm not sure I can smell the ginger in it. It smells more like sparkly lemon and lime to me. I have a wee sample of ginger essential oil from Nature's Gift, and I really like how it smells. Oh and I do like Pumpkin Queen, but I don't love it (wait.....PQ does have ginger, doesn't it?).   I was reading reviews for Shub-Niggurath and couldn't believe all the variations people are smelling. I don't smell lemon at all when I wear it. And were there really different 'versions' of Shub? I always wonder if that's true or if it's just people's different perceptions of the same scent. I have a decant of pre-resurrection Shub, and also a bottle of the resurrected Shub, and they smell exactly alike to me. Of course, I don't know how old the decant is.
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random boredom post

Wow, I guess it's my turn in the barrel for forum problems tonight. I've had hour-long stretches where I couldn't get anywhere, because the page just kept loading and loading.....eeeeever so slowly. Apparently it has been going around lately.   In other news, fingers are crossed because my requests are in for the last 4 Lupercalia decants that I wanted to try. Still waiting to hear if they're available or not. I had thought about risking a bottle unsniffed again this time, but the choice is just too hard. I want to try them first. As usual, excited as heck about pending decants!   More later if I am still this bored.....
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fun, fun, fun

High drama in the ED tonight, but nothing new. We get homeless and/or destitute people who come in with a minor complaint, then after they are discharged they want to stay here in the waiting room for the rest of the night. It's cold outside and they either don't have anywhere to go, or don't have a way to get there. We do have cab vouchers for people, but the charge nurse is usually particular about giving them. I understand their point of view, because once you start giving them out, people want them all the time, every time they come here. So sometimes, people are told no, you cannot have a cab voucher. But then they want to stay in our waiting area, which they can't do. So security gets involved, and they will give a cab voucher to anyone, going anywhere. Another issue is they are only supposed to go to the address listed in their account (their home address). And some of them don't have a home address. So it becomes like a big puzzle. And I am kind of stuck in the middle of it, getting complained at by all sides. I am okay with whatever they decide, but it's not really up to me, so I just sit here looking kind of dumb.
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