Category: Bewitching Brews
In the imp, there is the sweetness of the lavender, spiced around the edges with the prickly sharpness of rosemary.
As it goes on, there's still that very sweet tone with the herbal note throughout...I think I can detect the neroli now.
As it dries, it gets light and peppery...herbs and perhaps frankincense.
While I'm not exactly a huge fan of lavender, it's a nice, soothing, pretty scent, and would make for a great room scent IMHO. Unfortunately it evaporates pretty quickly on me. But if you're a fan of lavender, well, here you go.
Category: Picnic In Arkham
At the very beginning, as I first drew breath to sniff it fresh from the imp, I could detect a faintly-sweet, fruity note.
And then...the cedarwood came.
The cedar completely dominates this one for me; I cannot smell anything else. And, oddly enough, the sweetly-earthy note that usually defines cedar for me takes on a sharp, high pitch early on in this blend; it reminds me more of pine trees.
So, nope...this one just didn't work.
(Just between you and me...I found myself thinking, 'This is what Azathoth uses to spray the bathroom with after he uses it'. It's *that* pine-like.)
Category: Sin and Salvation
Auuuugh OMG!!!
Either I have only experienced very well-behaved, domesticated notes of rose before, or I just haven't had rose on my skin before. But this blend HATES me. And I hate it. From the second I opened the imp it was ROOOOOOOOSE, attacking my nostrils and pounding against my temples trying to give me a headache. And, wouldn't you know it, I not only amped it, but it lasted...all...day...long. Oh good Lord.
Near the end, it *did* morph into the sandalwood note, but it was far too little tempering, far too late. Aside from the very interesting morphing process, this blend holds no allure for me.
I will still have to experiment with rose a bit more to see if I just hate all roses, or if it's just certain blends. But I'm scared to.
Category: Bewitching Brews
Slightly-sour champagne, with candy-like strawberry. It's not bad, but it never really steps up and asserts itself much, and drifts away.
There's a lot of white chocolate here, and after a few moments the violet peeks out. It's really lovely at first, but wears off all too quickly. Ah well.
Limited Editions -- Halloween 2009
Like many, I also detected Roses WTF from this. Upon deeply huffing my wrist, however, I can figure out that it's just the way that the almond is interacting with the other components...it's almost like there's almond and orange extract, or orange rind, in with a caramely pastry of some sort. From a distance, that distinction blurs and becomes a rose-like scent. I actually love the way that this scent works, and therefore bought a bottle of it.
Category: Ars Amatoria
I really wanted to like this one -- and it was pleasant, no doubt about it. I get amber, pretty much, with the apple blossom and myrtle adding something sweet around the edges...and then it goes away. Just doesn't stand out enough for me, alas.
Limited Edition -- Yule 2009
This is a really gorgeous, creamy, fruity scent. Utterly laden with pink and orange goodness; I get a lot of images of a sunlit room redolent with the smell of flowers and a freshly-ordered fruit basket. So very yummy! It has a little bit of throw, and lasts quite a while even under the rigors of things like washing one's hands during cooking and such. Now I'm wishing that finances had allowed a bottle of this.
Category: Unreleased
Perhaps I should preface this with that I'm really not that familiar with fruitcake, my only exposure to it having been a nasty, cold concoction that had all the charm of fossilized Jolly Ranchers buried in road tar. I don't recall it having a scent, and the experience left me with no desire to ever make any of my own, so I've never smelled a freshly-made, *good* fruitcake.
That being said...
In the imp: It reminded me of a sort of bread...a dark, moist, spicy bread with a definite sweetness to it.
Wet: A candy-like scent came out, like gumdrops; it also made me think of brown sugar, and molasses, and, yes, booze...perhaps rum. Definitely something sweet.
Dry: It settles down to a more reserved version of those ingredients...sometimes a more spicy element pokes out, but there's always that sweet tone, as well.
Verdict: I like *this* fruitcake. It's a very evocative scent. I can't see wearing it a lot, but now that I've used the imp I think I'll justify hanging onto it. It's really cute and I'm glad I've gotten to experience it.
What I liked: It's sweet and comforting. I love the mental pictures it gives, even if I do get a vague craving for something moist, sweet, and chewy.
What I didn't like: Hm, nothing really...except perhaps that it makes me fear that no real fruitcake could ever compare to this.
Category: Ars Amatoria
In the imp I could smell musk and a hint of lemon. It was a very elegant mix.
As it joined with my body chemistry, the lemon grew a little bit stronger. Unfortunately, it grew faint and wore off really quickly. Just not for me.
Vanilla with sweet palm date, with the oakmoss and ginger giving it sort of a warm undercurrent. If this would have had any throw at all, it would totally have been on my MUST BUY NAO list. However, it is really, really lovely, and those who prefer to keep their perfumey pleasures all to themselves, to be sniffed discreetly from their wrist throughout the day, are really in for a treat with this one.
Category: Marchen
I get a lot of peach from this, though this perfume is in general a very light scent. There may be some other florals hovering around, but they never really seem to take anything over. The faint aroma lingers all day long. This reminds me of the Gaoler's Daughter, but Belle Vinu is braver and possesses more personality.
Category: Bewitching Brews
I smelled mostly cedar and patchouli in this one, with some other vague incense smokiness going on around the edges.
Aureus is golden in the way that a chunk of amber is golden; you get that lovely deep aura of radiant wood and patchouli, dark red-gold and bright orange-gold; and then there are those dark swirls and flecks of smoke and leftover incense embers caught up within it. If you are blessed with skin chemistry that highlights incense and smokiness, I suspect that your senses would be going over and over it, like polishing a smooth stone in your palm.
I, alas, am not one of those people. As seems to be the norm with incense, this faded quickly on me, though the cedar stuck around for a bit.
Category: Wanderlust
In the imp: It's like sinking your nose into a bouquet of tulips, literally -- that light scent, with an almost peppery air to it, like pollen, all dappled with drops of water.
Wet: The light tulip scent is predominant, though the scary pollen edge to it is gone. It's very evocative of lush green grass in the morning hours, laden with dew. I don't get a 'crisp' note so much as a 'juicy' one: plump tulip heads, thick blades of grass, fat drops of dew sliding down the sides of them all.
Dry: It's as if the sun has come out and dried the grass; now it has a sort of moist, healthy air to it, the tulip scent almost ethereal, with a more traditional 'perfumey' note to it..perhaps that's the peony.
Verdict: Oh, if only this had more throw, and lasted longer! It's beautiful! Once again I am in awe of the perfumist's art of being able to capture such imagery in a bottle. I would highly recommend this to people who like unadulterated (non-perfumey) florals, nature scents, and possibly to those who like aquatic scents. I hate to discard it anytime soon, so I will probably hang onto the imp for a while at least.
What I liked: The light floral scent, and the fact that it smells like a grassy yard in springtime. Mmmmm.
What I didn't like: That it's so shy! It just sort of pokes its head out to show me that it's pretty, and then evaporates. Wahhh!!
Category: Mad Tea Party
Now that I am re-visiting it for the review, this smells a lot better than it had initially. I remember it being rather shrill and awful; now it's more muted, more like a watercolor painting done in pastel colors than the garish melange of FRUT! FLOWERS! INSANITY! that I remember.
Even so, something -- possibly the pineapple -- is just not working for me. This one needs to go to a loving home.
Limited Editions -- Halloween 2009 -- The Literary Vampires
I pretty much just get roasted chestnuts off of this. It's a rich, almost buttery sort of smell -- it's like going over to someone's house after they've been baking all day...all the smells of the various breads, cookies and such mingle together, into one warm, delicious celebration of carbohydrates. It's a very, very intriguing scent, though in my case I'm pretty sure I don't need a bottle of it. If I do ever swap my imp of this, it will be with a bittersweet and reluctant feeling.
Category -- Bewitching Brews
On me this is mainly iris with a sweet, creamy undertone of coconut, though every now and then they trade places in predominance. It's a really light scent on me that seems to fade all too quickly.
Category: Rappacini's Garden
Several people have described this as 'flowery bubblegum', and I concur! It's very, very sweet -- and pretty, in its own way. I pretty much get just damp, juicy lotus, and that's it. Maybe a powdery hint of myrrh as it starts to dry, but it's mostly a floral, on me.
Category: Limited Edition -- Yule 2007
Oh. My. God. Wonderful warm BEESWAX mixed with amber, and I think I'm even smelling the olive oil a bit...a warm, smoky sort of smell. Must...have...more!!
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008 -- Sleepy Hollow
I got a variety of scents from this one over the time that I tested it...the first day, it was straight-on, overpowering apple juice, with a rather unpleasant...biological sort of edge to it. (Read: pee. Eeek.) On subsequent days, however, it played very nice. One day, I could swear that all I smelled was sarsparilla...like a smooth, creamy, home-brewed root beer with a hint of vanilla and just the barest wisp of smoke. I have NO idea what was going on, that day, but I liked it -- and if it had done that repeatedly, I'd definitely be wanting a bottle of it. Overall, however, it settles into spiced apple cider. It's a scent that's both sweet and warm and very evocative of Autumn. If you love apple scents, definitely grab some of this. It's really good, but for a foodie scent, I believe that Huesos works better for me.
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008
The rose note made me super-leery, but the other notes sounded so appealing that I had to at least try a decant. As anticipated, the rose amps hugely on me. However, it never really gets all that obnoxious. There's a fresh, wet side to it, and that may be the agave nobly leaping in and keeping the rose from ruining my day. I don't smell the copal too much, alas, but it is there, lurking in the background along with the woods. It's really lovely, and after Karl complimented me on it, I'm convinced that I need a full bottle.
If rose doesn't normally work for you, don't be afraid...this could be one of those pleasant exceptions, for you.
Pretty much as advertised...very strong, dry lavender, with a faint bit of bergamot underneath. It reminds me lots of Baku, only without the sweet addition of anise. Fades away to nothing pretty rapidly. I thought I'd like this a lot more than I actually did.
Limited Edition -- Yule 2009 -- Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire
I don't get a nutty vibe from this...it mostly smells like spicy baked goods, like cookies or bread. Unfortunately, the sugary side of it is what causes it to smell off to me...there's just a barest hint of toasted plastic to it. And that's a shame, given its subtle throw and very hardy staying power. Ah well.
Category: Bewitching Brews
In the imp: Very, very sweet and floral, with a haze of warm, herbal scent about the edges. When people describe this scent as smelling like a garden, it is very apt.
Wet: The sweetpea comes to the forefront, resonating with a very strong sweetness. It seems like a feminine scent, but one that is more sweetly seductive than powerful and sensual.
Dry: The other notes return; I can definitely smell the musk, and I am assuming that warm tone that envelopes it is the tonka? Now I begin to see why this scent is named after such a fae. It sneaks up on you, but once you become aware of its power it is inescapable, and a little overwhelming.
Verdict: It's very interesting; certainly not a bad mix of scents by any means. I don't know if I would go for a whole bottle of this...I'll be wanting to try other floral-type scents and see how those strike me. It will definitely be a standard that I compare the others to.
I'm a bit relieved that it seems to smell good and 'appropriate', i.e. like the notes that are supposed to be in it, rather than melon-like, sickly-sweet, or just plain icky, as other reviewers had experienced. I'm a little torn on whether or not I like the musk of it...on the one hand, it's nice and warm and strong, and on the other hand it comes dangerously close to turning into 'old-lady' perfume. It may be one of those things that will be iffy on me.
What I liked: The warmth; also the sweetpea was surprisingly good. I will have to keep an eye out for that and tonka in future scents and see if those are the exact notes that I liked.
What I didn't like: The fact that the musk is iffy...almost dangerous, like it could turn on me at any moment. It's less of a dislike than something I'll try to be aware of.
