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
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
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.
Persephone
Category: Excolo
Quantity: sample
Description:
PERSEPHONE
Beautiful, radiant daughter of Demeter... her loveliness was so exquisite that even Hell itself could not resist her. Pomegranate and rose.
Review:
In the bottle: I smell mostly rose... ‘lots of it... I miss the juicy sweetness of the pomegranate.
Wet: I still get a lot of rose, but it’s already much sweeter, and fruity.
Dry: It is better, but... I still get so much rose! I don’t get that decadently juicy pomegranate other reviewers have smelled.
Verdict: Either Persephone loved the smell of roses beyond imagination, or this blend is still too fresh, and scents haven’t blended as much as they needed. Maybe I should let this one “age” for a few months, to see if it improves a little bit, it seems to work sometimes.
More reviews: Excolo: Persephone
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
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
Hurricane
Category: Bewitching Brews
Quantity: sample
Description:
HURRICANE
The Dark Side of Air: a high pitched, tangy, clear scent -- light China rain deepened by murky vetivert.
Review:
In the bottle: It smells delightfully fresh and herbal, with a strong note of bright vetivert.
Wet: It’s still very herbal, but it turns almost floral (that might be my skin chemistry acting funny again). It smells like rain falling on fragrant herbs.
Dry: It becomes warmer as it dries, the murky, almost smoky, aspect becomes more obvious.
Verdict: It smells very masculine, fresh and clean. I think this might be a good suggestion for men who don’t like a cologne or perfume that smells “too much”.
More reviews: Bewitching Brews: Hurricane
Spectral Evidence
Category: American Gothic
Quantity: sample
Description:
SPECTRAL EVIDENCE
In the Old Manse, life lingers, quiet and unassuming yet screaming to be heard. Whispered in a whiff of perfume, a lingering scent of flowers wafts where nobody stood. A shimmering shape lends a glimpse of something that once was. Remembered as visions from a dream, the pieces fit together and the story unfolds. Are you listening? Someone’s trying to tell you something. Lilac, violet, peony, shimmering air
Review:
In the bottle: How incredibly soft! It’s light and floral, mostly lilac and peony, with a little bit of sweet violet.
Wet: It smells like a spring day, or a garden of fresh, delicate lilac, violet and peony. It’s adorable!
Dry: As soon as it started to dry, it turned soapy; and then, it disappeared... Too bad.
Verdict: I’m disappointed by the limited throw of this perfume; however, it might still be a good idea for my soap-making hobby.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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...
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
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
