Kumiho
Category: Diabolus
Quantity: sample
Description:
KUMIHO
Nine-tailed fox demon of Korean lore who transforms into the visage of an irresistible beauty in order to seduce men and lead them to their doom. A sharp, biting blend of crisp white tea and ginger.
Review:
In the bottle: I can smell the white tea, slightly lemony/herbal.
Wet: It reminds me of Unicorn, very floral, white and sharp.
Dry: Now, I get more of the ginger, spicy and warm, but not overwhelming.
Verdict: It's subtle, delicate, and pretty. I wouldn't have expected that for a "foxy demon", but it's nice.
More reviews: Diabolus: Kumiho
Lust
Category: Sin And Salvation
Quantity: sample
Description:
LUST
Uncontrollable passion and insatiable sexual desire: red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh.
Review:
In the bottle: Ew, it smells like old incense... More precisely, like a mix of musk and patchouli.
Wet: Surprisingly, it actually turns sweet and spicy on my skin!
Dry: ...And right back to the musky incense.
Verdict: No, this one is definitively not for me. Too bad, I liked the name.
More reviews: Sin And Salvation: Lust
Sins Of The Past
Category: American Gothic
Quantity: sample
Description:
SINS OF THE PAST
Innocence is lost. The Sins of the Past have yet to be absolved. Weighted and heavy on your heart, they were justified by love and carried out by greed. But, all will be made right. There’s just one more deed to carry out. Simply, one more transgression to erase all the rest. All will be made right again. The Sins of the Past will be put to rest. All fools need to believe. Red apple, aromatic bitters, spearmint, eucalyptus, benzoin.
Review:
In the bottle: Spicy apple and mint, or a minty apple pie.
Wet: It’s cold from the mint. It really smells like apple, with a little bit of warm benzoin and cold eucalyptus. The mix of hot and cold is a bit weird at first, but I got used to it after a minute or two.
Dry: The aromatic bitters appeared, making the apple spicy again. However, it remains foody. I still smell mint, eucalyptus and benzoin, but it's still delicate.
Verdict: Another fruity scent from Good Judy and, as always, an interesting one. In fact, it smells so good, my parents’ dog followed me all-day with her nose up in the air, smelling my trail as if she expected me to get an apple turnover out of my pocket...
Hairy Toad Lily
Category: Rappaccini's Garden
Quantity: sample
Description:
HAIRY TOAD LILY
Spotty, hairy, purple, sweet!
Review:
In the bottle: At first, it's as sweet as candy, yet a bit lemony in the background.
Wet: Still sweet and cute, but definitively more floral and herbal.
Dry: It turned so subtle that I can't review it. I'm left with a powdered deodorant smell.
Verdict: Overall, this is a very light, delicate perfume... So light, in fact, that it disappears! Oops.
More reviews: Rappaccini's Garden: Hairy Toad Lily
Gothic
Category: Punk
Quantity: sample
Description:
GOTHIC
Dramatic and romantic. Moody, mysterious and morbid. Pale skin. Black and jewel-toned velvets mixed with lace and leather. Influenced by the supernatural and the creative. Black roses planted in graveyard dirt. Blood-red lips inhaling a sweet-clove cigarette. A crushed velvet choker cutting into smooth pale flesh. Beautifully dark and sweet.
Review:
In the bottle: I do smell a rose, and something herbal, mixed with clover. It’s almost lemony.
Wet: Yeah, I definitively smell clove, but it’s sweet and soft, with a background note of cigarette.
Dry: A mix of (black?) rose and clove. It’s dark, bitter, and mysterious.
Verdict: It’s too bad this one is not available anymore; it’s gender-neutral, not too feminine. However, I suppose it competed with the American Gothic collection. Thanks for the remaining sample, Gary!
The Pool Of Tears
Category: Mad Tea Party
Quantity: sample
Description:
THE POOL OF TEARS
`I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. `I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer to-day.'
A sea of salty tears drowning out Alice's light floral perfume.
Review:
In the bottle: An aquatic, soft floral blend, with a hint of carnation.
Wet: It's very delicate on my skin, and still very floral, with carnation. It reminds me of Alice, but a bit more salty and aquatic.
Dry: Oops, it just turned bitter during dry-down. It seems temporary, but what remains afterwards smells like deodorant.
Verdict: It started o.k., but turned bad. Not a keeper.
More reviews: Mad Tea Party: The Pool Of Tears
Cannoli
Category: Mary Jo's Bakery
Quantity: sample
Description:
CANNOLI
A cannoli baked up right...Good Judy style! Creamy ricotta, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate chips, nuts and candied fruit all stuffed into a crispy baked shell. Sinful! Mama would be proud.
Review:
In the bottle: Another foody perfume... Sugar, vanilla, cream, chocolate, and something fruity in the background.
Wet: It really smells like pastry, with raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, ricotta or thick cream... It’s very sweet!
Dry: Now, I get the candied fruits, in a sugar-coated shell... However, the fruits smell like an artificial essence, that’s my only disappointment.
Verdict: Hum, this smells delicious! It might be a little bit too rich and decadent though...
Spirit Bottle: Lhunassi
Category: Curio Shop
Quantity: sample
Description:
SPIRIT BOTTLE: LHUNASSI
Also known as a Charm Bottle, these elaborately decorated bottles are known for their healing and good fortune…as well as their powerful voodoo charms. Filled with medicinal herbs and spices, these bottled philtres are further enhanced by the captured spirit that resides in the bottle. Once purchased, you, the Keeper, have complete control over the captured spirit, and the spirit will aid you and you alone. Take heed, because while your spirit will listen only to you, you must also listen to your spirit. Servitude is not forever. Your spirit will let you know when their servitude is complete. When the time comes, make sure to properly bury your Spirit Bottle and come visit Good Judy’s Curio Shoppe to acquire another. We have many more arriving any day now.
This Spirit Bottle boasts the spirit of Lhunassi, powerful Moon Goddess and keeper of the stars. She will guide you on your spiritual journey for increased fertility and appease your need for nurturing and love of others.
Herbs, spices, moonflower, white champa, knotted twine (to bind the spirit)
Review:
In the bottle: It’s very feminine, with a mix of floral and herbal scents.
Wet: It’s already getting more precise: I get moonflower and herbs, with champa in the background. There’s something “old lady-ish” about it, though.
Dry: Now, it’s softer, more herbal, with light champa, and subtle moonflower.
Verdict: It’s very feminine and elegant, I won’t deny that, but it’s a bit too old-fashioned for me.
Mephitic Vapors
Category: Curio Shop
Quantity: sample
Description:
MEPHITIC VAPORS
Careful with that! The contents can be quite dangerous. That bottle has been passed around for generations and nobody is quite sure of how much is left inside. You see, it looks empty. That’s the danger. Bottled hundreds of years ago by an infamous resurrectionist, one whiff of the Mephitic Vapors captured in that bottle would surely bring instant death. You’ll want to make sure you purchase the Good Judy souvenir version. The real one can’t be opened anyway. The lid’s glued on. Accidents do happen though. Authentic Mephitic Vapors: A miasma of graveyard putrescence. Not for sale! Souvenir Version: Black oak, peat moss, graveyard loam, headstones, and damp air. Plenty for everyone!
Review:
In the bottle: It’s very masculine... I do smell the oak and moss very well.
Wet: Yeah, that’s the old-fashioned graveyard caretaker’s favourite cologne. It’s a bit strong, and just so strange on me.
Dry: Ok, I had to wash it off. It was just so absurd on me, even the dog started crying after she smelled me. Enough said.
Verdict: I guess I’ll have to give this one... I don’t doubt this would smell good on a man, and preferably someone fairly older than me, because there really is something old-fashioned about it. It has also a dark/gothic feeling, like taking a walk in a graveyard in late fall, with a coroner passionately telling you all about his most fascinating cases... Well, you get the picture.
Jolly Roger
Category: Bewitching Brews
Quantity: sample
Description:
JOLLY ROGER
Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods.
Review:
In the bottle: It does smell like the sea, in a very salty way; yet, it’s woody, with an under-note of sweetness.
Wet: It’s still very aquatic. I get some of the wood, washed by the sea, but it’s still definitively aquatic.
Dry: As it dries, it starts to smell like an old pirate leather hat, with a splash of rhum. (Yarr...)
Verdict: It’s an interesting aquatic after-shave perfume, with an old pirate twist to it.
More reviews: Bewitching Brews: Jolly Roger
Love Me
Category: Bewitching Brews
Quantity: sample
Description:
LOVE ME
A commanding, dominant oil that increases sexual magnetism, creates an intense and irresistible air of attraction, and amplifies potency.
Review:
In the bottle: I smell patchouli, citrus, something floral (maybe jasmine); overall, it reminds me of Faustus.
Wet: Spicy cinnamon and bright orange. It’s fragrant and warm.
Dry: Now, it’s just patchouli, sweetened by oranges...
Verdict: It’s not bad, but it didn’t work for me. I should try it again someday over another soap, it might change my perception of it.
More reviews: Bewitching Brews: Love Me
Eat Me
Category: Mad Tea Party
Quantity: sample
Description:
EAT ME
Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words 'EAT ME' were beautifully marked in currants.
'Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, 'and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either way I'll get into the garden, and I don't care which happens!'
She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, 'Which way? Which way?', holding her hand on the top of her head to feel which way it was growing, and she was quite surprised to find that she remained the same size: to be sure, this generally happens when one eats cake, but Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way.
Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants.
BPAL’s Eat Me is not for eating. Please use common sense, and remember: perfume oils are for external use only.
Review:
In the bottle: Oh my! What a sugary, creamy, decadent cake!
Wet: A soft, moist vanilla cake. I still hesitate between comparing it to a white wedding cake or a pound cake; but either way, it smells yummy.
Dry: Now I get a little bit of currant to balance the rich sweetness of the cake. However, it still smells like something I would eat...
Verdict: Ok, I admit it, I have a weakness for foody scents... I might be biased, but I think this perfume is adorable. In fact, it makes me want to bake a batch of cupcakes.
More reviews: Mad Tea Party: Eat Me
Rosalind
Category: Illyria
Quantity: sample
Description:
ROSALIND
Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers.
Review:
In the bottle: It smells fresh, indeed! Sweet floral scents mixed with very faint berries.
Wet: Green grass, green grass, and more green grass. As for the flowers, could it be peony? Or something like it? It reminds me of Maiden, but rolling into grass.
Dry: Cut the lawn, roll onto it, that’s what it smells like... Fortunately, it fades away quickly.
Verdict: It’s not so great. I’m almost glad it’s discontinued.
More reviews: Illyria: Rosalind
Kabuki
Category: Ars Amatoria
Quantity: sample
Description:
KABUKI
Compelling, complex, and utterly enigmatic: a luxuriant, exotic blend of cherry, red musk, and star anise.
Review:
In the bottle: Eww, it smells like cherry-scented play-dough... However, if I pay attention, I can also smell anise and some musk.
Wet: At first, I get a lot of anise, but I also smell something sweet, like candy, and cherry.
Dry: Cherry and anise candy, literally. I also get a very faint note of musk. It gets better and better as hours go by.
Verdict: At first, I tought it smelled too much like licorice; but now, I really like it. It turned into something feminine and sensual.
More reviews: Ars Amatoria: Kabuki
Sleepy Hollow: Katrina Van Tassel
Category: Limited Edition
Quantity: 5ml bottle
Description:
KATRINA VAN TASSEL
… and though he had seen many spectres in his time, and been more than once beset by Satan in divers shapes, in his lonely perambulations, yet daylight put an end to all these evils; and he would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the whole race of witches put together, and that was-a woman.
Among the musical disciples who assembled, one evening in each week, to receive his instructions in psalmody, was Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and only child of a substantial Dutch farmer. She was a blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a partridge; ripe and melting and rosy cheeked as one of her father's peaches, and universally famed, not merely for her beauty, but her vast expectations. She was withal a little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set off her charms. She wore the ornaments of pure yellow gold, which her great-great-grandmother had brought over from Saardam, the tempting stomacher of the olden time; and withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle in the country round.
White rose and honeyed cream.
Review:
In the bottle: It’s sweet, like Dana O’Shee, only with roses instead of sweet grains.
Wet: Mostly roses. Somehow, it reminds me of my grand-mother’s perfume; I want to snuggle up in my grandma’s blanket and sing lullabies.
Dry: It’s still rosy, but creamier. It’s very feminine and, without a doubt, a good girl’s perfume. The sweet cream scent lasts much longer than the rose scent though.
Verdict: I like it, but it’s missing a little something to be more than “my grand-mother’s perfume”. I’m happy with the bottle I have, but I wouldn’t buy another one.
More reviews: LE: Katrina Van Tassel
L'École Des Filles
Category: Ars Amatoria
Quantity: sample
Description:
L’ÉCOLE DES FILLES
We sang till almost night, and drank my good store of wine; and then they parted and I to my chamber, where I did read through L'Ecole des Filles; a lewd book, but what doth me no wrong to read for imagination's sake… and after I had done it, I burned it, that it might not be among my books to my shame.
Published around 1655, this is considered to be the origin of modern pornography in France. It is a discourse between two young ladies, the elder instructing the younger in the ways of passion.
This is a libertine's celebration of decadence, debauchery, and sexual freedom: orange blossom, ambergris, orris root, white rose, lemon balm, jonquil, carrot seed, and benzoin.
Review:
In the bottle: It’s hard to identify exactly what it is... It’s lemony and floral, bitter and sweet.
Wet: I smell orange blossom, lemon, benzoin, and florals (jonquil?). It’s relatively strong and masculine-neutral.
Dry: It gets softer after a while. It becomes floral, sweet and feminine.
Verdict: Honnestly, I wasn’t sure I would like this one at first, but I do! It turns into something so soft and delicate. I still hesitate to buy a bottle, I think it might make an ideal scent for my soap making hobby.
More reviews: Ars Amatoria: L'École Des Filles
Yules: Snow White 2010
Category: Limited Edition
Quantity: bottle
Description:
SNOW WHITE 2010
A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.
Review:
In the bottle: So soft and delicate... I smell a bit of vanilla and sugar, but I’m not quite sure what else.
Wet: It smells sweet and floral, almost foody. It reminds me of Dana O’shee, only colder and crisper.
Dry: It turned into vanilla, coconut, mint, and almond, with a floral background.
Verdict: Overall, it’s lovely; however, I really got into it when I went outside. The cold winter air improves it somehow; it becomes even crisper afterwards.
More reviews: Limited Edition: Yules: Snow White 2010
Follow Me Boy
Category: Bewitching Brews
Quantity: sample
Description:
FOLLOW ME BOY
A houdoun recipe dating back almost 150 years. This blend is favored by prostitutes, exotic dancers and others in the sex industry for its power to attract, seduce, and enthrall. Ensures financial gain and increased profits.
Review:
In the bottle: Contrarily to my fellow reviewers, I don’t get any jasmine (in my memories, jasmine smells better than that), but something bitter, maybe lemon, and a strong floral smell, either rose or patchouli.
Wet: I still smell citrus, but sweeter, such as orange, mixed with honey, rose, and baby powder.
Dry: It gets better after a while. I now smell honeysuckle, vanilla, powder, and something spicy. It’s still very floral, but it goes through a nice evolution.
Verdict: It’s ok, but honestly, it’s not something I will keep.
More reviews: Bewitching Brews: Follow Me Boy
London
Category: Wanderlust
Quantity: sample
Description:
LONDON
Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness.
Review:
In the bottle: Roses, yet dried, sour, bitter and intoxicated.
Wet: A sweet and elegant rose, but still dark and bitter.
Dry: Same, with subtlety. It blends well with my skin and becomes quite sweet. However, it doesn’t last very long (at least on me).
Verdict: It’s very elegant and womanly, with an interesting wicked twist. Unfortunately, this perfume smells older than I am. It’s something I’ll want to try again in a few years.
More reviews: Wanderlust: London
Yules: The Nutcracker Acts 1 & 2: KLARA
Category: Limited Edition
Quantity: bottle
Description:
The Nutcracker Acts 1 & 2: KLARA
Honey dusting powder, mandarin, iris, ylang ylang, tea rose, and carnation.
Review:
In the bottle: Sweet, powdery and clean. I smell a strong note of honey.
Wet: Honey and mandarine, with a little bit of iris and carnation.
Dry: Tea rose and ylang-ylang come out strong... maybe a little bit too strong.
Verdict: I don’t know, it’s just missing something. It smells like a Lush soap, or baby powder. I would have liked something more unique than that.
More reviews: Limited Edition: Yules: The Nutcracker Acts 1 & 2: Klara
Dana O'Shee
Category: Bewitching Brews
Quantity: sample
Description:
DANA O'SHEE
In Irish folklore the Dana O'Shee are a fae, elven people that live in a realm of beauty, their nobility akin to our that own Age of Chivalry, eternally beautiful and eternally young. They surround themselves with the pleasures of the Arts, they live for the hunt, and to this day can be seen riding in procession through the Irish countryside at twilight, led by their King and Queen. However, the Dana O'Shee are not benevolent creatures, despite what their unearthly beauty may imply. They are vengeful and treacherous and possess a streak of mischievous malice, and many have whispered that their true home lies deep in the shadowed groves of the Realm of the Dead. Hearing even a single chord of their otherworldly music leaves one stunned and lost to the mortal realms for ever, finding themselves prey to the Dana O'Shee's hunt or enslaved in their Court as servants or playthings. Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains were made to placate these creatures, and it is that the basis of the scent created in their name.
Review:
In the bottle: At first, it’s mostly creamy honey, with a sweet cereal scent (oat?). I do smell a cherry or wild berry scent as well; but I wonder if I’m not hallucinating it, because it’s far behind.
Wet: Wow, this is sweet and delicious, with a touch of almond. It smells like it’s almost edible.
Dry: It’s still sweet, and it still smells like honey; but it’s much softer.
Verdict: I love it! I love foody scents, and Dana O’Shee seems perfect for all those occasions when a strong perfume might be overwhelming. I will probably buy a bottle of this one.
More reviews: Bewitching Brews: Dana O'Shee
Voodoo Doll
Category: Curio Shop
Quantity: sample
Description:
VOODOO DOLL
Well known in the Voodoo world, this particular doll was used as an effigy to gain influence over a specific person…and, in turn, drove its user mad. Wicked little thing, ain't it? Notice where the pins are placed? Curious indeed. What will you do with such a thing? Suggestions, demands, and desires fulfilled? If it pleases our guest, so shall it be. Mugwort, sweet sage, cotton blossom, dove’s feather
Review:
In the bottle: It’s soft, I smell mostly mugwort and sage. It’s very herbal, yet delicate and feminine.
Wet: Is that rosemary? No, wait, it’s supposed to be sage. I still get some mugwort, and some faint cotton blossom.
Dry: Oops, it’s turning bitter and stronger (too bad, I liked it before, but I suppose the voodoo doll comes with a curse). It’s much more aromatic: lemony, floral, with cedar.
Verdict: It’s an interesting neutral blend, neither masculine nor feminine, and it smells clean. However, this is not a perfume I would wear.
All Night Long
Category: Bewitching Brews
Quantity: sample
Description:
ALL NIGHT LONG
As if the name didn't spell it out for you. This blend relieves all sexual
inhibitions by simultaneously relaxing and arousing.
Review:
In the bottle: Wow, this blend is thick! It's spicy, with a lot of cinnamon, and something lemony and floral behind. I also smell clove or pepper.
Wet: That definitively smells like clove to me! It's very spicy, in a hot, exotic way. I smell warm vanilla in the background. It's dark, mysterious and sweet.
Dry: Still spicy vanilla and clove. If you give it a few hours to fully blend with your skin, it really feels warm and sensual.
Verdict: Well, I have yet to test its properties at night, but it definitively smells good! Now, I have to get that song out of my head...
More reviews: Bewitching Brews: All Night Long
Shoujo
Category: Anime & Manga
Quantity: sample
Description:
SHOUJO
Shoujo is all things girly! Images of fairy tales, summer romances, slumber parties, whispered secrets, giggles, best friends, boys, flowers, and those sugary sweet and innocent teenage years. Fushigi Yugi, Ayashi no Ceres, and anything from CLAMP offer Shoujo at its finest! Apricot, sugar cane, candy hearts, white florals.
Review:
In the bottle: It smells like apricot-flavoured candy, mixed with something floral, or a very sweet and fruity herbal tea.
Wet: Hmm, it’s juicy like a fresh fruit, as if you were biting into a delicious apricot. It’s still very surgary sweet, but the flowers balance the candy a little bit.
Dry: It’s so soft and lovely! I can still identify the powdery candy hearts; but overall, it’s a very peaceful blend.
Verdict: It’s soft, delicate, feminine, refreshing, and absolutely perfect for summer. I like it, although I’m afraid that it might be a little bit too young for me… but I do love it, so it’s on my “maybe” list.
Mond-O-Rama
Category: Starlite Oasis
Quantity: sample
Description:
MOND-O-RAMA
It’s the most…to say the least! The very end! So hot, it’s radioactive! So cool, it’s solid, baby! Citrus fruits, floral blooms, warm resins, bright herbs, and cool spices
Review:
In the bottle: It smells bright and lemony, yet floral, and cool... It may seem confusing, but it fits the description perfectly.
Wet: It’s funny, it reminds me of a perfume spray I had when I was a kid. It’s soft, sweet, floral, and delicate, with a background note of spices. Nothing is strong enough to make the blend fall into a specific category.
Dry: ...And this is when it turns from a child’s perfume to an old lady’s generic floral perfume. Honestly, I don’t know which is worse.
Verdict: Either too young, or too old, or both! I really don’t think this blend is for me.
