freneticfloetry

A fastidiously clean scent, with a dash of pipe and cigarette tobacco. Faintly beneath, you catch the fragrance of a smear of greasepaint, a stray horsehair, and a whisper of Moroccan leather and rosin. Okay so, I've tried to come up with a coherent review for this blend, and it's just impossible. Hence, I'm just posting my nonsensical notes. Wet: Sharp, almost chemical. Odd - not quite acquatic, but vaguely reminiscent of ozone. Thick, heavy ozone, not metallic at all. Hint of something green. Drydown: Sweeter, slightly resinous. The rosin, I think. Something that reminds me a bit of absinthe (a 7% something?). Chemical smell, whatever it was, has gone bye-bye. There's a crisp kind of dryness -- less books than paper. And oh oh, leather. Hello, leather. You're my favorite kind, all warm and brown and broken in, like a trusty saddle. Dry: OH. MY. GOD. Yeah, that last part is where it really went off the rails. Here's the thing: Sherlock Holmes is my favorite literary character in history, and one of my favorites in any other medium (and any adaptation). And this? This is Sherlock Holmes in a bottle: impossible to describe, and impossible to resist. That first chemical tang is off-putting - my first instinct was to recoil from my wrist. And then it warms, and changes, and loses that completely, and it becomes this mercurial mix of sweetness and smoke and ink-splotched notes and a cacophony of other things that cannot be named. There's something sharp in the background (ash?) that is so deliberate and so welcome, and I swear there's this waft of what feels like coconut pulp (just nutty in a fresh and light and clean sort of way, not BAM, COCONUT), which sounds like it should be out of place but absolutely isn't. In a way, it reminds me of the CCs androgynous English cousin, who's all at once aloof and offputting and the most interesting person in the world. The whole thing is a beautiful exercise in character understanding and appreciation, and I think it's my new daily blend. I need vats and vats of it. If there are prototypes, I hope they see the light of day -- I'd love to test the steps that led to this masterpiece. TL:DR; I SMELL LIKE SHERLOCK HOLMES. Beth is made of magic. P.S.: I know the label art drew from Conan Doyle's description of Holmes, but the more I wear this the more it looks like a portrait of Jeremy Brett, and that makes me irrationally giddy. (And makes me nervous for the BBC Sherlock special all over again -- I love Cumberbatch, but nobody does Victorian Holmes like Brett. That's why most people have stopped trying.) P.P.S.: I layered it with John Watson (BECAUSE I HAD TO OKAY, I LITERALLY COULDN'T NOT) and together, on me, they smell exactly like The Antikythera Mechanism. I'm... not sure what that says, but I am deeply amused nonetheless. BRING ON THE STEAMPUNK!AU.

Chocolate. CHOOOOOOOOOCOLATE. All chocolate, all the time. I want chocolate just THINKING about it.

The biggest surprise of the exclusives, for me. I went in hesitant to even smell it, which I think was the cheese, and ended up buying two bottles. It's fresh and sweet and green and absolutely lovely.

A marble-white blend of sandalwood, pearlescent orris, white amber, blonde tobacco, and chilled crystalline musk. In the bottle: Oooh, pretty. And actually morphs while I huff it. First it's musk, then it sweetens. Wet: Musk and amber, with a woody, smoky base. It's creamy, but not in a cream sense. It just smells smooth. Drydown: Oooh, the orris has come out to play. It's sweet, slightly floral - almost violet, but softer and rounder. Dry: This is so much sweeter than I expected. Not cloyingly so, but it is. The orris is really prominent, on me, and mellows out the musk quite a bit. But it also plays really nicely with the tobacco, which I only get once this is dry. The whole thing ends up smelling like smoky, humid hothouse flowers, without being in-your-face floral. This is lovely.

The White City by Night: white musk, a drop of violet leaf, and sheer, luminescent vanilla that has been gently illuminated by a spark of electricity. Label says "The Grand Basin" (which is actually the right basin, in this case ). In the bottle: White musk and ozone. Can't detect any violet leaf or vanilla. Wet: Soap. Like straight, unscented, Ivory soap. Which reminds me so much of my grandmother that I'm a little teary. Drydown: Yep, still soap. Dry: There's the violet. It's not distinctly floral, per se, but there's a slightly-sharp sweetness that I associate with violets. The musk is clear and crystalline. No distinguishable vanilla in it, except maybe an overall feeling of warmth that wasn't there until it dried, and the great, nostalgic soap smell is still lingering underneath, but it's not a bad thing at all. It's not an "ugh, this goes to soap on me" soap. It's fresh, clean, wearable soap. And when I get close enough to my skin, there's something almost sugar-sweet - doesn't feel like vanilla, more candyish. Maybe another shade of the violet leaf? This is a tough one to describe, and a morpher, but it's so, so pretty. Edit: Soap's gone. Now it's floating vanilla violets, slightly perfumey and lightly sugared. If you're a fan of Faith, or violets in general, this one may be a must-have.

The leather is a little sharp on application, but warms immediately (hello, patch!) - distinctly black leather, dark and rich, but slick and oiled and broken-in. Something in there is sweet, but I'm not getting anything distinctly almond or vanilla, just warm, sweet, round leather and patchouli. Love this.

WITCHBLADE Antediluvian, sacred metal, glowing red musk, blessed frankincense, and antiqued amber. In the imp: Sweet and vaguely aquatic. Must be the metal. Wet: Metal? What metal? The amber is there, pretty and just a little powdery, and I get wafts of resin when I sniff close to my skin, but the red musk is definitely out in front. Then again, I tend to amp red musk. Fortunate, since I adore it. Drydown: Metal, is that you? There's a note that comes through as this warms, slicing through the musk, that must be it, but it's not crisp and crystalline like the metal notes I'm used to. It smells like aged, ancient metal - more bronze than steel. Dry: This is so pretty. I don't know how Beth does it, but this is completely evocative of the series. The metal note seems to encompass and enhance everything else without being dominant at all, tying everything together beautifully. Makes me wish I'd gotten Sara Pezzini after all, just to see how they layer. Goooorgeous. Definite bottle.

KAIDAN Youngest of The Paradigm, when Kaidan recites the ghost stories of Japanese legend, she brings their spectral warriors to life. Rosehip, plum blossom, white sandalwood, jonquil, and amber-laden incense. I was so overwhelmed by the bottle spread at the booth yesterday that I didn't test anything I had a tester of, so I'm just getting around to testing those. And man, my credit card is incredibly relieved that I didn't test this one yesterday. In the imp: Smells a little department store perfume, which would be a concern if I didn't know that most blends don't stay that way. Wet: Plum! My beloved plum note. There's a soft rose in there, too, and something sweetly smoky that's probably the incense, but the plum is perfection - not overwhelming, not overly-candied, just deep and perfect. I love this one already. Drydown: As it warms, the sandalwood starts to peek out if I huff, but it's still the rosey plum show. Dry: Gah, this is gorgeous. It's well-rounded, with medium throw, and the sandalwood gets richer the closer my nose gets to my skin. For anyone afraid of plum, this might be a good happy medium - the incense and sandalwood ground it and keep it from being too sweet. Definite bottle of Kaiden in my future.

THE VOLSTEAD ACT A bootlegger’s paradise. The scent of a Bizzy Izzy Highball: rye, sherry wine, pineapple syrup, and lemon. In the bottle: I can't even pick out notes on this one, because it smells exactly like a nail polish I had as a kid. The polish was supposed to smell like bubble gum, and didn't quite succeed, but there was something in it that faintly resembled bubble gum, in a dark, twisted way. That's what this smells like. Wet: Huh. And it smells nothing like that on my skin. It sweetens almost immediately - still dark, but round and warm. Nothing like nail polish, thankfully. Drydown: I was really hoping for the pineapple, as it would've been something totally different for me, but the sherry is captivating. It's similar to the sugared plums I love in Queen of Spades, and there's something gritty and earthy underneath that must be the rye. Dry: SWOON. I don't know what it did in the final stage, but it kicked into high gear - it's a little boozy, a lot sexy, and almost reminiscent of Voodoo Queen. But better somehow, if that can be believed. Absolutely my surprise favorite of the bunch.

BATHTUB GIN Homebrew gin, thick with juniper, with hints of wormwood, clove, and nutmeg. In the bottle: I really thought that Bathtub Gin and I were going to get along. Famously, even. At first sniff, it was my instant favorite. I bought a bottle without even dabbing it on, because I just knew we would live happily ever after, Bathtub Gin and I. And... Wet: All was fine. Everything was going according to plan. We were frolicking through fields of gin-soaked juniper, tra-la-la, calloo, callay. Then... Drydown: It began to turn on me. Perhaps there was too much frolicking, and it grew fatigued. Perhaps the wormwood tree that snuck up to smack me in the face had something to do with it. But... Dry: Oh good god, get it off. It's not fresh and frolick-y anymore. It's funk and a gin-fueled hangover. It's as if a large, sweaty man left the gym, sat in a hot car in Savannah in July, then stumbled into a bar to bathe in Beefeater. It's tragic, is what it is. We could have been so happy together... Damn my skin chemistry.

GUN MOLL As sexy as ox blood lipstick and a Chicago typewriter: honeycomb, red amber, narcissus, bergamot, Zanzibar clove, opium poppy, tobacco leaf, skin musk, dark fruits, night blooming jasmine, tarragon, and gunpowder. In the bottle: It's tough to describe at this stage - I smell something different with every sniff. It's a little sharp, but more evocative than anything - the honeycomb from Coxcomb is there, and a hint of clove... Wet: Huh. On my skin, this is nothing like Coxcomb. It warms as soon as it's on, and changes faster than I can process. Wow, this is a morpher. The amber comes out, bolstered by bergamont, and just when I think "oh, I like this stage," it changes again. Drydown: Holy quick change, Batman. Now it's dark fruits and smoke, and the more it dries, the more adamant the gunpowder becomes. Dry: After all of that, everything just balances. The gunpowder is always grounding out the base, but I get a whiff of something different every time it wafts. This is the smell of a complicated woman. A woman with Issues. A woman with a big gun and a sly smile and a quick quip for every occasion. Why oh why didn't I get a second bottle of this?!

THE ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE Our version of a Black Cow, a 1920’s virgin thirst-quencher: sarsaparilla and cream. In the bottle: Similar to a few milk-based blends at first sniff (Milk Moon '05, Nonae Caprotina, The Phantom Cow), but with a little kick that's intriguing. Wet: Goes on like the aforementioned milk blends, then immediately rounds out a bit. The sarsaparilla kicks in just enough green to ground it. Drydown: Oooh, it gets better. There's a mysterious whiff of something sweet... Dry: It's not milky at all anymore. It's creamy and delicious and I want to eat my hand. Omnomnom. Yes, I'm aware that this is a completely unhelpful review.

In the bottle: Overwhelmingly a sweet dairy. Very similar to Milk Moon '05, with a dash of Chaste Moon. Interesting. Wet: It's beautiful in this stage - still bringing Milk Moon plus green herbs to mind, but there's a citrus note and even the hint of a soft floral underneath that makes it kind of delicate and more complicated. Drydown: The backing notes are slowly fading, leaving just the milk and the herbal notes. Dry: It's almost entirely Milk Moon '05 now, except for the odd whiff of oregano every once in awhile. And I don't even wear the MM'05 that I have. Thrilled I got to try this one (and many thanks to my Convergence Fairy), but it'll be happier in a better home.

First, a huge thank you to the lovely Persephone76, who not only sold me on this one but totally shared her stash. I'd usually do a first sniff/wet/drydown/dry breakdown here, but my brain shorted out the second this blend hit my skin. On me, it bears very, very little resemblance to the released version (which is in my top ten BPAL blends). I love this one more. It's reminiscent of L'Estate, not in components, but in the feel of it - it's creamy and warm and rounded and regal, and like nothing I've ever smelled before. Absolutely gorgeous. One of the most beautiful BPAL blends I've ever tried. Ever.

O. THE FOOL He had stepped over the precipice. There was no going back. In his imagination, he could already feel the prick of needle-sharp fangs in his neck, a sharp prelude to eternal life. The sound began. It was low and sad, like the rushing of an underground river. It took him several long seconds to recognize it as laughter. “This is not life,” said the voice. It said nothing more, and after a while the young man knew he was alone in the graveyard. The Fool's perfume: apple blossom, peppermint, allspice, and yellow sandalwood speckled with grave loam and clods of grave dirt. In the bottle: MINT. MINT MINT MINT. Almost antiseptic mint, like mouthwash. Wet: All mint, all the time. Drydown: Mint and... fruit? Apple, perhaps, and a touch of something citrus - I keep getting whiffs of something akin to mint orange juice. Dry: It's an odd blend. Something in there makes it almost sour. But it reminds me (more than a lot) of The Fool from the original Tarot blends. Could we have a stealth resurrection on our hands?