celestia

♔ Gothabilly In the Bottle: Cherry flavoured starburst chews and brilliant golden amber-y musk Wet: Okay this smelt pretty cool in the bottle, because I love lollies! On skin, it turns into a muskier maraschino cherry base, a little less sweet than the confectionary scent I got from the bottle- it carries a little bit of almond essence. There is a lovely, sweet creamy vanillic note which must be the black vanilla. It reminds me of the cream accord from MB: Bloody Mary, though much more subdued, muskier and less-sweet. I can’t detect any liqueur in this at all, if anything I get more of the Egyptian musk which reacts with the vanilla to create a sort of amber-y note in the blend. It’s really nice and smells quite similar (though less bright) to NAVA’s Garnet, but more fruity-rich. Drydown: The drydown is a little disappointing as most of the scent has become but a faint whiff. The maraschino cherry note has faded the most, the musk has become powdery- and the creaminess has faded quite a bit, still somewhat faintly fruity and sour-sweet. TL;DR: Creamy maraschino cherry flavoured confectionary chews

♔ Crypt King In the Bottle: Tart pomegranate, generic cologne with a bit of heat and pepper Wet: This was a pleasant surprise on skin, it’s a peppery black pomegranate, tart and slightly earthy- the pomegranate is dark and bittersweet, not unlike the pomegranate from The Fruit of Paradise- and then there is also an equal part of generic mens’ cologne. I don’t really get much patchouli from this at all, and without looking at the notes, I would never be able to identify the coriander and black dracaena. There is a touch of heat and I can just make out some pale purple- almost white floral- though I’d have guessed it smells more like iris than lilac. Drydown: Both the pomegranate and cologne complement well together on the dry down. I’m really happy there is no show of the patchouli. If this scent were a colour, it would be a deep pinky-ruby red with a darker bordeaux gradient speckled with flecks of black. Definitely a sophisticated and upscale scent, a little tainted with darkness, though a lot less ‘mature’ than the title of ‘King’ let alone the name, ‘Crypt King’ would have me believe. TL;DR: Tart pomegranate and generic cologne spiked with peppery heat

♔ Peach VIII In the Bottle: Juicy creamy peach and soft sweetened jasmine floral Wet: This certainly smells like a fresh, vanillic peach with soft jasmine petals. It’s VERY peach-centric. Jasmine is not screechy, sharp or potent- probably because the whipped cream mellows it out a LOT..it's naturally sweet smelling, lightly fragrant, soft and gentle. The cream in this is not a foody cream, and combined with jasmine, it becomes a light dainty floral cream that has this airy and almost fluffy tangy quality that certainly calls to mind the honeyed cream note from Katrina Van Tassel. And if you consider the tart peach which I smell strongest on me, it's like a peach honeyed cream with a soft floral jasmine aroma? It’s super pretty and delicate smelling, even though the notes themselves are quite bold and distinctive. Drydown: Very feminine, if this was a commercial perfume it could be something you’d find in the classic feminine fruity floral section- just not the ordinary combination you’d expect to encounter, because the peach is a lot more fragrant and true (rather than conceptualised as with most commercial fragrances). The frankincense here is a very light whisper of incredibly light and sweet resins - it’s pale and almost white, adding a touch of ethereal to the scent. TL;DR: Tart peach honeyed cream, and soft sweet white jasmine floral.

♔ Tissue In the Bottle: Beautiful, fresh gardenia petals and almost fruity, floral honey Wet: It’s so juicy, it really is a lot more than the sum of its notes- it’s SO beautifully sweet and juicy that there is something almost on the verge of fruity in this that goes beyond just gardenia and honey. The rice paper note in this smells a little like the powder you get from sinking your hands into a bag of unwashed rice, but it’s very subtle and adds a slight powdery warmth. The gardenia and honey in this is magical, it's got the barest hint of a spiced profile to add body, but isn't any spiced floral note at all . It’s so complex but evidently also manages to smell like a very simple scent. Drydown: This is definitely not like any other gardenia I’ve tried. It’s so controlled and behaved- clean, transcluent and almost lets all the other notes take over- but its so well balanced BECAUSE it's so soft. This raw honey is so beautiful and lends to the overall intoxicating floral characteristic so defining of the blend .. delicate honey drenched gardenia blossoms. It’s very light and hugs close to the skin though. The gardenia is a little citric and lemony and gets a little sour now that the rest of the notes have run their course.. baw .. but this honey, it's one of the best floral honeys I've come across.. it's so so pretty x.x TL;DR: Fruity, almost juicy, floral honey, soft gentle gardenia and barely-there wisps of rice powder.

I guess even though you requested "super light florals" I thought I might try suggest possible scents that belonged to the vanillic floral category (because there are just way too many super light florals in the GC range to list- it would result in pages of suggestions, haha) Given that Regan is sort of a vanillic floral, you might enjoy the new permanent addition in the Neil Gaiman lineup- Zorya Polunochnaya. There is also Lyonesse, which is more vanillic than floral- but has a similar vanilla musk note. Even though it's not a GC, Vanilla Orchid SN is easily accessible on the secondary market and nothing that would break the bank. If you're keen to hunt out another LE, you could try track down Opuhi (Ginger blossom and vanilla orchid.). Otherwise, Lady Death Savage, Dolce Stil Nuovo, and Mouse's Long and Sad Tale are also some commonly suggested light vanillic florals in the GC catalogue.

♔ The Golden Hour I seriously can't believe I managed to catch such a beautifully rare scent. I owe this all to a very special BPALer, thank you so so so much for letting me enjoy this. I am one very, very lucky soul! There are no specific notes for this, so I've attempted to describe.. in verbose detail.. what each of the components and notes might be. As usual, there is always the TL;DR for the quick and dirty. In the Bottle: Golden, sweet amber, breath of white florals, soft resinous incense, and a faint trace of linen Wet: Light vanillic incense with a bit of resinous body. I also get some light, almost waxy citrus in this, might be the same citric note in Mother Ghost because it’s quite fleeting and transient- it’s very restrained though and almost feels luminescent. There is a slight linen note, that's quite perfumey and refined (kind of like the delicate linen note from Antique Lace, rather than the dryer sheet note from Boo!). It mimics the kind of lighter day glow that shines through the window onto luxurious drape-y duchesse satin like cloth. The vanilla deepens, becoming more creamy-rich, but never resembles vanilla bean, it’s a drier but it’s definitely golden- maybe bourbon vanilla? The light ambery-resins are not rich like Nepalese amber, nor is there a tell-tale deeper bronzier spice, like in antiqued amber. I’d even hesitate to suggest grey amber because with all the other notes, this ends up smelling like a lighter, and much paler amber. It mimics a sunset-like golden glow without the warmth- perhaps even artificial glow made cool from a chandelier up high. Drydown: As drydown approaches, I can identify a soft, incensy note that could be mistaken for spice- perhaps elemi, or a really soft myrrh, it might even be white sandalwood? It’s definitely there but it’s quite faint and well blended. There’s also this light salty sweet note that reminds me of the ambergris from both Lyonesse and Edith Cushing. Oh… my god. Then I get the most beautiful, creamy-white-musky floral note I’ve ever smelt. It reminds me of the florals from Elf v4, but a lot cleaner without the heavier vanilla musk accompanying it. Definitely Top 3 material. It’s not heavily fragrant or musky in the way vanilla orchid usually presents, but it smells like something very familiar in my collection. I may have to revisit this review again to fill in the blanks. Such a multi-faceted scent, there’s so much detail in it. I am absolutely in LOVE with this and I am so grateful I have it in my collection. In the final drydown phase, all these beautiful notes blend seamlessly and I get creamy-white florals, soft dry sheer vanilla sugar, and faint traces of light amber resin and white sandalwood that remind me of a very beautiful, soft light musk. TL;DR: Pale golden amber, luxurious duchesse satin, ambergris, sheer vanilla musk, elemi or soft myrrh, white sandalwood, and the most elegant, and a clean blend of beautifully rich, creamy-white florals.

♔ Blossoms in Springtime More than a year and a half since the last review?! WEW! Time to change that! Almost certain I've reviewed this before- and have definitely dropped the name of the scent many times in a lot of my reviews. It's such an overlooked and underappreciated scent. I've jam packed this review with so many adjectives because it really is that vivid and elusive for an olfactory experience. I'm honestly surprised there is no love for this... but I can't complain! More for me! In the Bottle: Sweet, golden, vanilla-rich, honey drenched yellow florals. Wet: This is the richest, creamiest, most golden floral I have ever come across, it positively glows on my skin. The vanilla in this is seriously potent blended in with the amber and honey. No surprise either, the first five notes are glorious “dream team” shades of creamy yellow and gold- I mean look at the lineup! vanilla bean AND vanilla blossom, GOLDEN honey, BEESWAX, ANTIQUED amber. Combined, the initial blast of vanilla is spicy, golden, sweet, and sooooo rich and creamy – this is incredibly intoxicating. It shares similarities with Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge- but a lot more vanillic and floral. Drydown: The honey comes out a lot more in the drydown, it’s a vanillic honey amber. I amp amber to the n-th degree and it’s still quite sweet and creamy with the complex medley of notes still singing to each other. Antiqued amber and copal gives it this spicy, resinous warmth, while the golden honey and beeswax add an all too familiar sweetness. The two vanillas in this are incredible- vanilla bean, guys! And vanilla blossom. It’s just so rich…and creamy even right through to the drydown. Definitely a very warm, glowy scent. Ugh, this is so beautiful and easily accessible which easily justifies my many acquired bottles. TL;DR: Sweet, spicy, golden, honey-drenched, creamy-rich, vanillic florals.

♔ Regan In the Bottle: Sweet, perfumey floral vanilla Wet: It’s a sweet creamy perfume with that lovely and distinctive musky, steamy vanilla orchid note. Comparatively, Vanilla Orchid SN smells comparatively “fresh”, hot, and steamy in a fragrant tropical orchid hothouse whilst the vanilla orchid in Regan smells a little darker, more refined, a tad more vanillic, somewhat honey-like, and (gently) perfumey… it is also more definitively sweet. I also pick up another white floral but it’s non-descript on me, I’m guessing this is the stephanotis. It provides a clean contrast for an otherwise rather sweet blend. I even pick up a little hint of amber or some faint trace of beautifully matured honey reminding me of the vanillic amber properties from the honey-sweet O. Interesting depth. Drydown: Regan smells absolutely divine on the drydown, the vanilla orchid musk in the blend amps a lot more of a powdery vanilla when compared to Vanilla Orchid SN, which amps more of the powdery floral aspect. Regan is richer, headier, and more vanillic. The powdery vanilla has become so florally rich there is a remote likeness to Antique Lace, as though some of the same Madagascan vanilla bean note somehow made it into the blend. It’s so beautifully refined it could very well be an acceptable commercial scent. TL;DR: Sweet, rich, powdery vanilla orchid, a trace of honey-like amber and Madagascan vanilla bean.. with hints of clean white floral.

♔ Red Lantern (2006) I have the original 2006 blend. I don't even know why I still even have this in my collection, lol. In the Bottle: Boozy smoky opium laced, dry black coconut Wet: I detect a dry desiccated black coconut note that reminds me of So Below. There is also dark, smoky sweet, resinous opium blending well with the golden amber/ Actually, it’s about the same level of ‘dark, sweet, and resinous’ as Black Lace and has a similar feel. It also shares the same tobacco note which I really like…though the ‘sweetness’ seems to be coming from the caramel (opposed to the vanilla note in BL). It's definitely not a bright caramel. It's smoky thick and syrupy kind of sweet but because it's tempered by all the other notes, the caramel note itself shows much restraint, and ends up surprisingly balanced. Drydown: The dry down is complex. It's slinky, sultry, borderline loungey and dark, glowing resinous blend. The coconut burns off to a trace, and I'm left with a sweetened opium infused dark golden amber musk. The final drydown is nice, the coconut makes a return and it’s lighter- the caramel is now brighter and sweeter- but gentle. It’s not cloying or buttery burnt…it smells like an opium smoked coconut caramel chew. I wish my chemistry would have done more to save this earlier on. TL;DR: sweetened smoky opium infused dark golden amber musk.

♔ Fée I must thank my 2017 Snow Angel for giving up some of her personal favourites so I could finally experience this treasure of a scent. Thank you SO SO SO much. <3 In the Bottle: Honeydew and white musk tea. Wet: Sooooo beautifully ethereal, smelling this makes me mourn I wasn’t around back then to even purchase it. Fée is a wistfully dainty, pale and light musk with the most beautiful honeydew melon aroma wafting alongside it. The honeydew reminds me strongly of the melon note in Yemaya but not as sweet and strong. Fée has a more complexity afforded by the white tea which smells like white floral buds accompanied by an almost powdery white musk. This element lends another dimension to the blend because it cuts the melon-y sweetness whilst also complementing the blend it with an added, airy and ethereal feel. In an attempt to describe the melon scent more acutely, Yemaya smells more like the innermost part of a melon you bite off first- moist, sweet, and almost candylike. By comparison, Fée is the meaty bulk of the fruit closer to the thick outer peel- not too far down that it hits the rind, but not too close to the inner pulp either. Drydown: This is so conceptually breathtaking, even as an early years BPAL scent. It has the same ethereal medley of fruity notes as Titania but with less sweetness, a sole fruit (honeydew) and more olfactory dimension created by the white tea. It’s not as sweet as actual honeydew melon, but it works in the blend’s favour BECAUSE the faint white musk infused with light tea gives it an almost powdery tea scent that balances really well together. It’s complex and I feel transported to a fae otherworld. TL;DR: Honeydew melon, white musk, light tea

♔ Insects In the Bottle: Dark fruity plums spiked with minty smooth resinous patchouli Wet: The opopo-nope-ax dominates this blend with a strange ashy sweetness. I also dark plums enveloped by crushed black velvet and purple smoke. Neroli here must be the minty aspect because it normally manifests as an anise-like note to my nose. It calls to mind the iridescent sheen from a green bottle fly. Where Black Moths had a powdery dusty warmness, this has a shiny metallic-like coldness. Drydown: This is a resinous patchouli- it’s not earthy, not dirty but it’s also not clean. I do think it has a mint-like syrupy quality that carries well into the drydown phase which making it more difficult in identifying the patchouli from the rest of the notes- but it smells thick and plush. It is not for me …at all. Though I can appreciate it on those who like these scents. TL;DR: Minty dark green patchouli and spiked black plums.

♔ Clockwork Couture: Female In the Bottle: Clay-like ceramic-y, Sugar-powdery and White Vanillic-y Marshmallow Getting down to the last few scents I still need to review from my favourites list. Wet: It kind of reminds me of the drydown I get from Pediophobia- a ceramic, clay-like, gauzy white vanilla and clean white sugar. It smells a little like the marshmallowy inner from a pavlova, rather than a buttery mallow musk. The vanilla orchid in this is definitely musky and vanillic (boosted from the tonka)- but still reminds me more of the Vanilla Orchid SN and Cascading Blossoms, than the Vanilla Orchid I get from being infused with Madagascan Vanilla Bean (as with AL/Elf 4). I pick up some really soft, sweet leather from this too. I don’t get any moss and the amber hasn’t made an appearance yet. Drydown: I still get this lovely clean white sugar note- it’s still not quite as rich for me to call cotton candy or spun sugar, it just barely misses that mark. There is also a smooth smelling leather coming into the forefront now. It’s not the sharp or black leather I get from other blends, which means it must have aged out quite a bit since the initial reviews. I feel like it’s absorbed some of the golden properties from the amber- it smells like a soft, lightly golden speckled, creamy, mild leather. The amber also comes out here, it’s sweeter than normal golden amber, a little sweet, but not as beautifully sweet as the sweet amber from Mrs. Bunce. The amber blends beautifully with the leather and vanilla. It’s also a little powdery I can’t tell if that’s the amber or vanilla orchid. It hardly breaks the blend, it kind of enhances it, actually. The vanillic and sugary notes sort of lends to the impression of soft white marshmallow and soft, mild creamy leather. It’s different from a lot of other sugary, powdery and vanillic blends I have… the amber and leather in this gives it so much depth. TL;DR: Soft white marshmallow, white vanilla orchid, clean white sugar, and creamy gold-flecked, mild-smelling leather.

♔ Serving Fish In the Bottle: Light, gentle, and pretty pink musk Wet: These notes identified with me and my wardrobe so very much, that I knew I had to seek it out, even though the theme inspiring the blend isn’t me at all. A lot lighter and less ‘dazzling’ and ‘rich’ than I expected (from the theme). I smell mostly gentle, light pink musk, a spritzy kind of creamy sugar, and a very soft, but definite sweet pea, similar to the Sweet Pea SN. It’s floral listed and for a three-note scent, it is indeed, very soft. I don’t really get the ‘gilded’ component. In fact, it is quite an understated feminine pink scent that lends itself to smelling more youthful than expensive… though it does smell refined and perhaps the upper-cut of social class. Drydown: Ah, there is a bit of a gold note, it’s an amber – but a very faint trace of amber that reminds me of the amber in Amaterasu v3.. of course, I amp amber a great deal, so even the tiniest drop is something my chemistry will pick up. The pink musk continues to dominate, which isn’t so bad because even then, it’s still has restraint. The sweetness from the vanilla sugar is quite clean smelling- it’s not heavily sugary, and there’s not a lot of depth… but combined with faint florals, and really faint trace of sunlight-like amber, it all elevates this to a level that smells expensively youthful- sunlight catching on glittery delicate gold chain clasping a solitaire diamond. summery light chiffon hime-gyaru dress, and pale creamy skin. Mouse’s Long and Sad Tale smells nothing like Serving Fish to me. It is a lot heavier with vanilla and amber, and the ‘pink’ smells more pigmented and bronzed. I much prefer this. TL;DR: Understated, clean, sweet pink musk. Creamy faint, sunlight-caught amber, and soft, delicate sweet pea floral.

♔ Monster Bait: Closet In the Bottle: Cakey berry buttercream I'm always searching for my perfect black raspberry, blackberry, and boysenberry scents. I love these kinds of notes so much! This particular blackberry note is by far my favourite dark berry from the lab so far. It's still gone undefeated all these years. Wet: I get sweet blackberry buttercream frosting with a cakey note. There is also a light spice that reminds me of cardamom. While I'm not much of a foodie anymore, it appears I still evidently have a sweet tooth, because I still love this scent. I love that this showcases the blackberry more than the cake. The cake-iness is dense, but lightly spiced. I can tell it is cake and not some crisp, flaky pastry, but even as a bakery note, it’s disappearing fast. However, the blackberry note is amping stronger, sweeter, and I find myself actually loving it even more. I can’t believe all this is morphing during the wet stage, it’s just getting better on me! Drydown: In Blackberry Jam and Scones, I got all scone with no blackberry, but with MB: Closet, the sugary blackberry is prominent during the wet phase, and alllllll blackberry jam by drydown. It's so sugary, juicy and jammy...thick, syrupy...detectable and luscious, I even get a tang of fresh dark berries from this. By final drydown I get, perhaps, my favourite stage. I honestly wish it carried through right from application because the note goes from a sugary blackberry jam, into a delicious sugar spun blackberry. Yup! This is pretty much all rich, sugared blackberry cotton candy on me. Fucking delicious! Thank you chemistry! TL;DR: Sweet, sugared, lightly cardamom spiced, blackberry cotton candy

♔ The Girl In the Bottle: Sweet milky white floral. Wet: Such a lovely, gentle, and pristine milky white floral! The pale musk is uplifted by immortelle, davana, star jasmine and ylang ylang to create this wonderful clear, creaminess in the floral which I could only describe as a milky white orchid. There is no vanilla listed in the blend, but it definitely smells creamy and reminiscent of a sheer, or pearl-like white vanilla musk, perhaps why I feel like all the blended florals remind me of some kind of white orchid. When wet, it’s very slightly fruity, which white amber has done to my chemistry with other blends, like Blooming Flowers of Spring and First of the Three Spirits. This fruitiness burns off quickly though, leaving the amber to morph into an amazing rich, white, creamy, and airy-almost-powder-like scent with a pearl-like texture. Drydown: The drydown intertwines all these notes together so beautifully and seamlessly- it’s like a glowing, creamy white musk against gentle, pale white florals. It’s quite an intense scent with impressive throw, given how naturally gentle and soft all the notes sound. There is no tell-tale “bubbly/fizzy/sparkling” or piercing lavender, ozone, or mint note to conceptualise the ‘crystalline, serpentine, and seductive’ properties of this scent, which I think is remarkably difficult to do without. The blend, somehow, is successfully able to elicit and evoke this impression using creaminess, which is incredible. TL;DR: Rich, creamy, silvery white musk and milky white florals

I'm after a BPAL smell-alike for Marc Jacobs Daisy I've tried to compare a bunch of scents from the BPAL offerings based on reviews, but have not really come across anything close enough. I have searched and asked over the years and even on some of the threads here, but there wasn't really anything comparable at the time, and often when asked by other inquiring souls, it generally couldnt even be answered. I'm wondering maybe if that has changed since as time has passed, updates have been released, etc... I really want to find a bpal smell-alike for this scent because I can't wear alcohol based perfume at least for the next year. I'm not expecting an absolute dupe, but something close? I'm weary of testing citric fresh florals without recommendation, because I actually hate similar scents and the process of discovery ends up a lot more stress inducing, So yes! I turn to everyone and anyone who might be able to lend me their opinions ;D ...It is the one area of scent I cannot self-research/explore. Halp? ;A;

♔ Midnight on the Midway (2006) In the Bottle: A burst of sweet effervescent florals and the trailing waft of sugary cotton candy-esque incense carried by the midnight summer heat air Wet: This smells perfumey, sweet, and a little grassy. It smells super close to the beloved Fairy Market scent from Neil Gaiman's Stardust line up. There is definitely something quite shimmery and fairydust-like about it. The perfumey sweet florals have this effervescent powdery complexity that also brings to mind tuberose and freesia when they get blended with sheer and pearl-like, pale vanilla musk- like in Ava. Only this is more sharper and a tad greener smelling. Drydown: The drydown for this blend reminds me a lot of BFJA- sugared effervescent florals from another colour spectrum...perhaps even a few touches more sugary and sweet. The sweetness from the sugared incense also smells akin to cotton candy incense or cotton candyish musk, which is absolutely glorious. It honestly evokes the scent of warm summer heat out at a really beautiful midnight fairy market, eating cotton candy...with fireflies and magical lights speckled through the indigo night, and children gasping sticks of cotton candy as they chase each other. TL;DR: Sugary cotton candy incense, effervescent powdery sweet perfume-y florals

♔ Mrs. Dunbar I knew I’d like this so much I bought my bottles of her blind, amidst the fumble over sold-out ladies, Bunce and Valentine. In the Bottle: crystalline, almost floral musk masked by a slightly foodie-ish, gourmand pearlescent vanilla. Wet: The vanilla in this is kind of gourmand, almost foodie-ish. It reminds me of the same creamy, pearl-like gourmand vanilla Edith Cushing. I get the same sparkly-effervescent floral that’s in Ava and BFJA at the forefront too- the freesia. The white tea smells a bit like white musk and light tea. Interestingly, although I can single the freesia out in this blend (which seems to be in equal strength with the vanilla), it manages to be gentler here- most likely owing to the white tea. Drydown: Yea…the pearl-like gourmand vanilla is more prominent, even becoming almost buttery- but thankfully the sparkly (not bubbly or fizzy, mind you) freesia and white tea both help keep it in check. This results in a scent which remains creamy, gourmand, and vanillic- with a distinctive, sheer, and semi-translucent effervescence afforded by the freesia and white tea. Not my favourite vanilla during the wet stage, but the final drydown blends successfully into a sweet, commercially perfume-y, creamy, sheer vanilla musk- similar to Ava, which I really love. TL;DR: Pearl-like gourmand vanilla, wisps of semi translucent white musk and light tea, all wrapped around by a gently, yet effervescent, sparkly freesia

♔ Katharina In the Bottle: Sweet, non descript orange florals and fruits Wet: Simple unripe apricot, very bright and fruited, a hint of sharpness which translates to a bubbly carbonate rather than “oh no chemistry”. It smells quite clean smelling, almost like a salon product. It smells kind of innocent and less creamy than other apricot blends I’ve tried, most likely owing to the obvious lack of accompany creamy notes, haha. Instead, I get a bit of sweet floral. It never goes powdery, but has this lovely, velvety texture, definitely calls to mind fuzzy apricot peel. Though, since this stone fruit doesn’t particularly smell very ripened, I do confuse it with yellow or golden peach. Drydown: It morphs a little sweeter, and becomes slightly candied. I can pick up a slight tartness to it, and fizz during the initial stages have subsided. This apricot smells really nice, like a fresh, tart and brightly sweet stone fruit. It doesn’t have the same depth and ripeness I can identify from the apricot note in Haloes, and it’s not as gourmand, creamy, spiced or “dried” as Aristocratic couple- and most certainly not as buttery and obviously foodie as the peach in Gáttaþefur. This one is more sweeter, brighter, tarter (a tad sharper) and untainted. It kind of morphs straight into a clean, peach candyfloss (not particularly candied, mind you!) in the final drydown. Such an underappreciated scent! TL;DR: Clean peach candyfloss

♔ Lyonesse In the Bottle: Light, sweet, very light salty vanilla Wet: Mmm this is a beautiful oceany gourmand vanilla musk. It smells like rich, creamy and musky sweet vanilla orchid with salt from the seaside licking around it. It’s so gloriously pale light, creamy, foamy golden in olfactory colour. Drydown: The muskiness from this is astounding, it almost reminds me of Antique Lace and Regan (heavier parts of Regan) blended together with an added oceanic salted element. It emphasises the rich and sweet characteristics of the vanilla but also keeps it from venturing too far into gourmand territory. It’s seriously glorious stuff. The oceanic , slightly salty and atmospheric ozone nature of the sea moss and ambergris are a little sharp on me, but tangs up the blend the way salted caramel tangs up the taste buds. It’s utterly beautiful. I never thought I could appreciate a salty vanilla- but the salt is more of a salty sweet mist, wafting around the blend, rather than a big lump of salt lick just randomly dumped it. Such a masterful, atmospheric blend. TL;DR: salty sweet sea mist and musky rich, sweet orchid vanille.

♔ Vanilla Orchid SN In the Bottle: Sweet, Light musky, Tropical Floral Orchid Wet: Naturally sweet heady fumes from a summer white, tropical orchid at the height of bloom. This is not the dressed up, conceptual level of what a lot of vanilla orchid scents smell like, which I suppose is silly to assume with a true to scent single note anyway. Its definitely not as vanillic as the sweet orchid vanile in Regan, nor the rich orchid-touched, floral vanilla musk in Elf v4 or Antique Lace (also NAVA's Kobalt) - and its not quite as tropically heady and humid as the vanilla orchid and accompanying florals in Cascading Blossoms- but its sort of a sweet, live orchid with traces of the same type of musky floral vanilla from these blends. I definitely dont get much of a green stem either so I cant call it fresh or dewy the way I see Rose Red and her freshly cut stems, or the dewy grass-like note accompanying green smelling florals as in Venus Verticordia. In fact, any freshness is coming from the petals or orchid itself. I feel like I this kind of smell is more likely to waft around during the summer, or late spring where its more humid. Drydown: It certainly isnt much of a morpher. The headiness from the non-gourmand, floral vanilla remains a little too perfumey for me to identify the rest of the blend as fresh and green but it certainly smells living. Ultimately this smells like a white tropical orchid growing in the humidity of some sort of orchid-only greenhouse. Humid, steamy, white tropical orchid. TL;DR: Sweet, heady and human white tropical orchid, with a faint trace of non-gourmand, creamy floral vanilla musk.

♔ Stekkjarstaur In the Bottle: Sweet marshmallow musk Wet: Buh.. buttery vanilla with hints of mallow. This goes beyond the gourmand category into foodie territory. This marshmallow blend has a bit of musk going on, fitting of its ‘wooly’ description… it’s warm, snuggly, mature, and certainly very wearable on older folk. It’s not as pillowy, powdery and sugary light as Marshmallow Poof, and it is a lot more mature smelling than Stale Sugar Crusted Marshmallow Chick SN. Not a hugely complex scent, but it needn’t be. Drydown: The drydown is a LOT tamer, buttery vanilla burns off to reveal vanilla sugar, creating a soft gooey sugary marshmallow musk. I really like this phase a lot. I picked up a bottle each for both my daughters. I don’t imagine they’d want to share a scent like this. TL;DR: sugary vanillic marshmallow musk

♔ Katrina van Tassel In the Bottle: Tangy sweet cream, hint of pink rose Wet: I can immediately understand the tanginess of the sweet cream comes from the rose here, they honey gives it this almost syrupy quality (without too much sweetness) and perhaps calls to mind the ambery tang you get when you blend vanilla with sandalwood. It’s mild, very slightly bordering gourmand, most likely due to the honey- but if I’m honest, This smells like pink rose to me, the kind in Hope, just amped down notches. The honeyed cream is sublime, Drydown: I admit I don’t actually get any honey in this on skin, even into the drydown- just trace characteristics of what honey might get described as. I got more of it in the bottle, which makes me sad because it would have tempered the rose a lot more effectively. I do pick up honey in the later stages of the drydown. It’s a floral honey, sugared and sweet smelling. Not the rich kind of golden honey. The rose amps a great deal and ends up smelling like a powdery honey dusted rose before finally reaching a faithful end as a sugary sweet pink rose SN, ah the life story of most rose blends on me. Such sad. Unfortunately the beautiful cream note has long dissipated, and how I wish it amped as much as when I got my bottle fresh back in 2008. I’m going to have to test again when my chemistry returns back to normal. TL;DR: Creamy tangy sweet pink rose

♔ Aradia In the Bottle: Sweet, dark, smooth patchouli Wet: Dark sweet and woodsy. Is this the same oak note from Haloes? The vanilla must be doing this, even though I don’t smell it, it has to be there- because that’s what gave the oak its sweet vanillic woodsy creaminess. Although there is no amber, it smells rich and golden, like hints of warm, resins…only a lot darker, woodsier- but equally as refined and smooth. Drydown: I really like how this blend settles and reacts to my chemistry. I get more of the vanillic sweet woodsiness from both the bourbon vanilla and oak, tempered by the smoooooth patchouli- a rare feat for me, as I can’t often appreciate patchouli blends. The patchouli does remind me of Banshee Beat, but a lot more refined, a lot smoother, and leaps and bounds more wearable on me. I must say that the bourbon vanilla used in this does not smell as dry as other blends carrying this note either. It’s definitely creamier and richer. It shares the same general feel as So Below. Perhaps a coupling between So Below and Haloes. I thought my only favourite dark scent was Black Lace, but this has officially made it too.. a rare accomplishment! I'm impressed. TL;DR: Darker, woodsier Haloes, blended with smooth patchouli and a glimmer of warm, golden resins

♔ Eve (OLLA) I guess it's about time I reviewed this. Should not have kept her waiting so long. In the Bottle: Resinous incense and spicy dark red rose Wet: This scent smells like years wise beyond its age. The resins in this are almost temple, and sacred smelling with frankincense and myrrh smelling soft and sensuous despite being the most easily detectable. And the spices are rich, warm, like the age-old trade winds used in Morocco. White Sandalwood pulls it altogether and affords this a gentle waft of soft woodsy incense. The result of all these carefully finetuned notes, is that the damask roses in this blend smell like delicately oriental-spiced, woodsy, dried, deep red petals. The rose note itself isn’t that strong at all, almost heavily disguised- but unmistakable. Drydown: This warms up a great deal, the incense is richer, smokier… and the rose is more easy to find. I get more of the sandalwood and saffron here too, though they are still very well balanced. It’s predominantly a very cohesive blend of resins, incense, and spices against soft dried deep-red roses far into the background. Soooooo complex and intricate for a family of notes that otherwise (and generally) go well together. I don’t often venture into blends like these, so when I do, you can be assured that it transcends ordinary blends of a similar nature. Truly exquisite. TL;DR: Sacredly rich smoky resins, gentle warm spices, soft woodsy incense and hints of dried red rose.