Again, my paypal falls victim to the fragrant black hole that is Beth's ingenuity. Here's a little analysis of the scents offered today, what I got, what I want, what I might want in small doses etc:

 

I bought:

 

13 (revisited)

cocoa and vanilla beans, Mysore sandalwood, star fruit, orange rind, red amber, fig leaf, mimosa, rooibos tea, bourbon geranium, rose otto, nutmeg, and lavender.

I hoped that I would avoid 13 if it was the same white choc orange scent (which I love, but I don't need more for now) but then Beth unleashes something that tops it. I love cocoa, vanilla, sandalwood, amber (red amber's a new one-I need to try H&E's version too), rose, nutmeg and bourbon geranium...and I'd love to see what Beth's starfruit and rooibos notes are like. And how all these notes mesh together in this scent!

 

SOL INVICTUS --

A radiant blend of solar oils: golden amber, saffron, heliotrope, hibiscus, citron, frangipani, frankincense, tangerine, mock orange, and orange blossom.

Oh yes! I want to smell like a pagan sun-god on December 25 (that's where the date for Xmas originates, after all). I'm also hoping this would be what I hoped Et Lux Fuit was on me. It shares some components but hopefully the tropical florals and the saffron and frankincense will make it richer, warmer and lovelier than ELF was on me. I'm also reminded of Ra, which I love. This looks ideal for anyone who may get SAD in winter, I don't suffer from it too badly but the long nights-and the cold-sometimes give me winter blues, this is the perfect cure.

 

YULE -- It is Yule, and the Holly King has slain the Oak: blood red holly berry, mistletoe, wild thyme, verbena, cinquefoil, hemp, winter rose, evergreen, frankincense, juniper, and myrrh.

I'm collecting the pagan sabbat oils (well, the ones that are easy to acquire as bottles!) and this sounds gorgeous, wonderful, evocative...I wonder if it will be the scent opposite of Litha? (They do share some notes...) Not sure what holly berry, cinquefoil and mistletoe smell like but the other ingredients are pretty awesome. This sounds like an amazing mix of evergreen forest scents, resins, herbs and rose. This looks even better than Yuletide, which smelt like a Yankee Candle on me.

 

LILIUM INTER SPINAS --Hibiscus syriacus, white sandalwood, lily of the valley, apple blossom, and green fig.

I have no idea what the hibiscus note is like but I'm curious...LotV can go soapy, apple blossom is so-so, green fig can be sharp, but this could go either way-the poem is beautiful as well...so I got an imp.

 

HORREUR SYMPATHIQUE -- blood musk, golden honey, thick black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax, and sugar cane.

Holy shit, this sounds magnificent! Look at all these wonderful notes-blood musk, honey, wine, champagne, tonka, carnation, resins, sugar...this looks like one of those amazing complex and fantastic BPALs, reminiscent of the Masque or Sed Non Satiata...I just had to get an imp. Should have got a bottle.

 

LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING -- The velvet flower. A lush, thick, luxuriant bloom, bold and red.

Ditto Devil's Claw, but the name is gorgeous. I used to call those plants 'monkey tails' when I was little. The real name is much more evocative. But what will it smell like-blood? Something fuzzy, perhaps? Imp.

 

THE TEMPTATION -- attar of rose, calla lily, palmarosa, peach blossom, wisteria, rice flower, and black musk.

This sounds like a fascinating floral-I'm intrigued by the rice flower. Not sure about wisteria (can go off on me) but the other ingredients are promising-love rose, peach and black musk. Imp.

 

MANIA -- Screeching white musk collides with a howl of red musk, with sharp white grapefruit and pale strawberry leaf.

Musks! I adore red and white musks. I've never smelt strawberry leaf, would be interesting to see if it smells like greenish strawberries...but the musks! I'd love to see how the grapefruit comes into it as well. Imp.

 

HALÔA -- Wine grapes, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes.

CAKE!!! The description reminds me of All Souls with wine, or Cockaigne with resins, which sounds so delightful. mmm. But the olive leaf worries me-does it smell like olives? I think it did in Alecto, but I love Tzadikim Nistarim, which has olive but doesn't smell of it. I've bought a bottle because...CAKE!!

 

Will get eventually:

 

BLACK LILY -- Breathtaking darkness, a vision of grace in shadow.

I've tried the prototype and I'm torn, because it veers from stunningly beautiful to metallic and weird on my skin. It's a 'locket scent', for me. I might try an imp of this to see if it's changed.

 

DEVIL'S CLAW -- A yellow-bright and smoky brown-black scent, horned, pronged and strange.

I have no idea what this will smell like. Brown and yellow? Smoky? I have no clue, will wait for reveiws. Maybe imp.

 

SLOBBERING PINE -- Dewy, wet, whiplike and sticky.

Hmm, the name's great and a little bit gross, but if it smells like pine resin...I love the smell of pine sap. It's messy, sticky stuff but it smells gooooood, not Xmassy or disinfectant-y at all.

 

THE REAPER AND THE FLOWERS -- A funereal bouquet laid on cemetery grass: longiflorum lilies, white rose, chrysanthemum, and carnation.

This reminds me of Santa Muerte and Sepulchre, which I quite like. Very flowery and traditional, maybe a bit mournful, but it could be beautiful. Maybe an imp.

 

And now for y00ltide goodness!!!

 

BLACK ICE -- Lovely, dangerous, slick, and bitterly cold: chilly white sleet-like notes with a hint of vetiver, a breath of smoky asphalt, and winter wind

Asphalt? I don't really like the idea of smelling of asphalt...and vetiver can be scary at times. The icy and windy notes sound so interesting though...Beth is amazing at conjuring up weather scents, despite me not getting on with storm ozones or seaspray, they are still so evocative. Decant.

 

THE DARKLING THRUSH --

Snow, darkness, and icy air illuminated by the thrush’s song: warm amber, soft orris, and melancholy violet.

This sounds beautiful. Snowy and wintery airy notes? Yum. Amber? Oh yeah. I quite like orris and violet too. Decant for now, but it sounds promising.

 

HERR DROSSELMEYER 2006 -- Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.

Tried it last year, think it's ok but don't need more. Too manly and smoky-in a nice way, but not on my skin.

 

JACOB'S LADDER 2006 --The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.

I adore this scent, maybe I'll get more? I already have two 05 bottles, but I might want to see if this has changed.

 

JÓLASVEINAR --

Their scent is a mishmash of snow, dirt, Icelandic moss, marsh felwort, and the smushed petals of buttercups and moorland spotted orchids, with the barest hint of the scent of pilfered Christmas pastries.

I like snow, dirt and moss, have no idea what marsh felwort, moorland spotted orchids or buttercups (well, vaguely) smell like but previews say this smells like a real Xmas tree, with soil. But it's the Christmas pastries that grab me. To me, that means MINCE PIES!!! If this has even a slight mince pies scent to it, I'll need more, but for now, it's a decant.

 

KNECHT RUPRECHT -- The snow-covered foliage of the Black Forest and the fruit and woods of apple and almond trees.

I wonder if this will smell like Black Forest+snowy notes? Or maybe BF sans musk, but with snow in it's place? If so, this sounds really interesting with apples and almonds...decant.

 

KRAMPUS -- Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches.

Oh, this sounds so fun! Like Spanked for 06! I'm not sure about the dusty rags though-but red musk and leather, like Loviatar! Decant, maybe bottle.

 

LICK IT AGAIN -- Every holiday season should be full of lewd suggestions and filthy double entendres, right? This is a new take on last year’s Lick It – a peppermint candy cane with an extra jolt of sugar.

I adore Lick It, have 2 bottles, love it's minty coolness and it's vanilla-musk drydown. But if this is a new formulation with more sugar...I might need to get this too!

 

MIDNIGHT MASS 2006 -- see Jacob's Ladder 06.

 

THE SNOW MAIDEN -- Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost.

Not sure what hoarfrost smells like (cold, obviously) but the floral/berry/daffodil notes look gorgeous. This scent sounds beautiful and ethereal, delicate and icy, and I need to add more to my 'snow' collection, but it's a decant for now.

 

SNOW-FLAKES -- The radiance and desolation of winter.

A vague description huh? I have no idea if this snowy scent will be like the Skadi/Snow Moon/Bunny snow, Snow White snow, Cloister Graveyard/Ice Queen snow, or something completely different...I'm intrigued though, plus it's another one for my snow collection. Decant.

 

STARDUST 2006 -- This scent reflects the futurism, self-indulgence and excess of the Glitter 70’s: champagne, hyacinth, tuberose, ylang ylang and flashing white musk with jonquil, tobacco flower, white sandalwood and a pale poppy.

See Jacob's Ladder 06.

 

THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT -- Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress.

This sounds very interesting. I love myrrh, orange, clove, nutmeg and smoke, have no idea about artemisia, the other notes sound good, but this may be a little masculine. Decant.

 

This was a spectacular update of course-lots more ice and snow than expected, none of the old faves back (well, some of the 05 faves are there) but a very interesting direction for Beth to go in...I don't know if there'll be a Yule part 2, would be cool if that was the case though.