VioletChaos

Red currant, Moroccan musk, sage, and frankincense. in the bottle: lordy! this is ALL about the Moroccan musk- and it it DIVINE! wet on skin: same. *crosses fingers* dry down: this is pure musk on me. not the musk in Smut or Enraged Orangutan, this is the sweet-berry-amber sort of musk that one finds in, yes, arabic marketplaces. it's so very fine. in all: this is a lovely skin musk- it stays close, but also holds it's own. this is the sort of scent that will have me sniffing myself all day long- and encouraging others to do the same

A HUGE thanks to marsmomma for picking up this and some other goodies for me from the Trunk Show. a serious debt of gratitude! Onto the review! In the bottle: It has some of the creaminess of the standard GC Chimera, but there's also a spiciness that I strongly associate with Snake Oil. The two are a lovely combo right from the start, and I'm intrigued to see how this plays out! Wet On Skin: Now a desert sand note comes into play, much like the dominant one in Tombstone. Sweet, arid and like the hard-baked earth you get out in New Mexico or Arizona near the Canyon. It's weaving in and out with the spiced, sugared Snake Oil note and the cream. This is going GREAT. Dry Down: A cream-laden Snake Oil, being smelled whilst in the Painted Desert. With the drying also comes another note, that of pure sweetgrass, as one would find in the plains, weaving in and out of the others. In other words: gorgeous! In All: Light to medium throw, sweet, spiced, creamed sugar, without being at all foodie, it's clear this will only get better with age. I CAN'T believe this hasn't been reviewed before now- this is incredible. :wub:

Thank you to the Angel that is GypsyRoseRed for getting me a bottle of this precious elixir Now then, onto the review! In The Bottle: I'm getting leather and french tobacco in equal measure. Wet On Skin: The tobacco is sweetening up a bit, as it likes to do on my skin, and that leather note is warming up nicely. No complaints thus far! Dry Down: The tobacco has now taken a back seat and what's left is a strange and beautiful combination of ink and leather. This is indeed the smell of old books and dusty tomes, a genderless and holy-moly-why-is-this-so-sexy kind of scent. I want my boyfriend to wear this the next time we go out to an Industrial Club so I can attack him in a dark corner when he least expects it. (...And also smelling like books is great) In All: SO SO SO glad I have a bottle, I shall treasure it always!

I have been waiting YEARS to get my hands on a bottle of this Someone, many moons ago, let me scent this from their bottle at a Meet N Sniff. but I didn't get to try it on, so this is all new for me... In the Bottle: The sugar note that works so well with florals in Faith, Hope and TKO. I'm also getting the bluebell and a hint of the green, though at this point to me it smells less like grasses and more like dandelion Wet On Skin: The golden incense note is definitely coming out to play at this point- it's reminding me of shops in Southern California in the 90's that would sell chain wallets, band t-shirts and bag-your-own incense- the way all the various flavors of incense would combine to make this general spicy incense-y smell. Really nice. Dry Down: The sugared-floral combination is holding steady, with that incense note thrown in to round things out. The fresh/green note has all but vanished. In All: Low throw (lower than any of the other scents I've tried with the same sugar note in it) and a softness to the scent. I would wear this on a nighttime Summer stroll through Central Park or any time that I wanted a little romance, and a little magic. This is beautiful and a damn shame that it got discontinued.

In The Bottle: Yes, definitely more smoky and woodsy than the Red. I concure that this is the same Patch that was in #occupywallstreet. I love that scent, but frequently have found myself feeling disappointed when wearing it because what I *really* wanted was THIS. Just pure, unadulterated deep, black patchouli. Wet On Skin: That dirt-after-the-rains thing that bootownrat described? Oh YEAH. Like, in SPADES. Very rich, very earthy. Still smoky and just... Dry Down: Agreed: This isn't hippy/ trustafarian/ head shop patchouli. This is deep and primal and haunting. I might trade all my other bottles of patchouli EVER just to get some more of this- because clearly, ONE back up bottle will *not* be enough. In All: Years and years ago, I had a box of dried patchouli. It was a combination of leaves and roots twisted together into little bundles. The idea was that you could take a bundle and, say, put it in your sock drawer or a special trunk. Everything within the same area would gets it's beautiful, loam-y, dark-rich scent. That's what this is. Like distilling every summer and autumn rainstorm- the wind, the wet, the mineral-rich ground- and bottling it. I can't even imagine how this can improve with age. :wub:

In The Bottle: I, too am getting a cake-y vibe from this scent. It definitely reads as foodie to me, but not overwhelming. Wet On Skin: It's funny because I would also compare this scent to Huesos de Santo, but *not* the orange aspect. It's the sweet, mild cake of Huesos, with the ho wood playing in the background. Dry Down: In The final dry down, the scent has shift focus. It's no longer foodie, it's become a balanced scent of woodsy notes at the forefront and a mix of resins and herb-y essence bringing up the rear. In All: Low to medium throw, this scent, in small amounts, seems to be perfect for hot sultry days- for a scent so full of resins and wood notes, it's surprisingly light. I have a feeling that as it ages it'll become even better. For now, I anticipate wearing this for the remainder of our long, steamy summer.

In The Bottle: The best campfire you've ever smelled. Oh, sure, I can tell you that in the bottle there's a strong front-note of brown sugar, that the ginger is strong and deep and mixing with the cardamom to remind me of every delectable Indian Grocery I've ever been fortunate enough to enter. That the clove is whispering of a beautiful and spooky Hallowmas and that the bourbon vanilla is holding it all together. but really? This is a bright and sweet fire like the ones that I've smelled at Rainbow Gatherings and other hippie-nature activities. Wet On Skin: The cardamom is coming out front now and I couldn't be more delighted about it. Usually that's a note that just doesn't stick around on my skin, and it always makes me sad. But this is turning from campfire into delicious chai tea- I'm kinda hoping it'll stay this way... Dry Down: Yup. Chai tea. Strong, spicy, sweet, creamy chai tea. I've wished long and hard for a BPAL chai scent, and methinks I've at last gotten what I wanted! In All: Low to medium throw. Because of the notes, I'm betting that this will settle and smooth with a bit of aging, but it's certainly a very wearable concoction right now. My personal favorite of this year's crop o' Bats, Mopsfledermaus is that rare thing: a year-round perfume. Just lovely! :wub2:

In The Bottle: Opening this bottle was like stepping into a magick shop. The kind where there's amber bottles with dusty hand-written labels and you might not be sure that you can actually comprehend the words scribed. I immediately get beeswax, a lemony hint of the rosewood, a hearty helping of the labdanum and some black tea. The only one missing from the party seems to be the musk. Perhaps an appearance a bit later? Wet On Skin: This is HEADY. Strong and rich, already I can tell that the tiny drop I put on my wrist might be a wee too much. Yes, a little goes a VERY long way. That said, it also smells pretty delicious. I'm still getting the same 4 notes as before, but they're warming up on my skin now in a way that's really sensuous and sexy. Dry Down: ...Did I say sexy? What I meant was SEX-AY. I have to fan myself because this oil just made me into some kinda trollop, I swear. GoldenRubee is right, you have to wait a bit for the real dry-down change to happen, but it's so, so very worth it. The beeswax and the labdanum have teamed up and turned into a sweet erotic beast with two backs and woe be the fool who things they can take them on! I don't get any of the musk, and the tea is there, but really as more of an afterthought. Not that I mind, because this scent is one to be reckoned with! In All: Heavy throw, so tread lightly when applying. I can tell that with the rich nature of this scent that it's going to get better and better with age. I will likely wear it only a time or two over the next sweltering 4 months, but when the weather turns come Autumn, I anticipate wearing this on a very, very regular basis. Hoard now, I predict this one will be hard to come by later!

In The Bottle: YUM! There's the vanilla and an added sweet-creaminess of saffron. At this stage, I get nothing more. And to tell the truth, I kinda hope it stays this way, because this is heavenly. Wet On Skin: Much the same, with an ever-so-slight note of fruitiness in the mix. It doesn't read as peach, which seems a bit miraculous, as I usually amp peach to the end of the world. Dry Down: I get no amber, ylang ylang or freesia from this. By and large, this is vanilla and saffron with the barest breath of fruit. This is what I so desperately wanted MB: Underpants to be on me and just wasn't. I'm so delighted to have a wish come true! In All: Very low throw. Also, my skin seems to eat this stuff up like candy, because I had to reapply several times just to get enough scent on my skin to test! However, since it's my magical skin that has pulled out all the most delicious notes from this mix, I shall not scold it too badly. THRILLED to have a bottle- I shall treasure it always!

In The Bottle: Mostly that glorious, smoky vetiver, but there's a sweet underlying note, which I'm betting is the licorice. So far, I'm enjoying it. Wet On Skin: The vetiver is still out in front, but I'm getting notes of a flower, something similar to fresh-blooming lilac, which I think is likely the immortelle. The two are playing off each other quite nicely. It's a surprising twist, but I'm curious to see where it goes... Dry Down: The immortelle has definitely taken a front seat in this mix, and there's a hint of the sandalwood there, too. At this stage, I get no plum or licorice, which I'm a bit sad about, but what's come up is actually like a more robust version of B340. I really love that scent for the hottest of hot summer evenings, but I find it's too light and floral for me the rest of the year. Noctule Bat strikes the balance of the sweet-but-not-cloying floral, but with the vetiver to ground it. I'm enjoying the interplay so much that I might experiment with adding some Haitian Vetiver SN to my wrists when wearing Noctule just to see what happens! In All: Low to medium throw, a good, light floral for those who like them, with a bit of heft to make it a viable option into the Fall.

Out of all the latest crop of Pickman scents, this was the one I was simultaneously most interested in trying and least sure would work. Normally, sugar as a note amps on me like nobody's business, which was my main hesitation about this scent, but fortunately, I had nothing to fear. Lemon Scented Sticky Bat is a scent that I am fond of- but only when I can bear the sheer amping of the sugar note in it. I do NOT get LSSB from Happy Baby. Where as Sticky Bat is somewhere between Lemonheads candy and Lemon Gumdrops on me, the sugared lemon in Happy Baby does something heretofore unheard of on me- it's a sweet, yet tart lemon that does NOT seem to have sugar, but instead reads as almost a lemon verbena: sweet without being sugary. And the lavender is not a force that's overly strong or acrid, yet also not the variety as in TKO that literally I can only stand at bedtime because it invokes instant snoozy- no. This lavender is the wild, sweet and gentle variety. The sort that would grow in my friend's mom's garden in high summer. Because of my personal skin chemistry, the scents that I tend to be most drawn to, and that work best on me, lean toward the heavy/rich side of the spectrum. Think: Snake Charmer, Mme Moriarty, Dragon's Blood, VooDoo Queen, etc. Even the few florals I get away with fall more into the Faith / Hope / Rose Red variety. But the thing that's miraculous, is that Happy Baby In A Long Dress is fresh and sweet, with an almost green tea note present- and even with my spicy-musky chemistry, stays true, for hours. In All: Medium throw with surprising depth given only 2 notes are listed, this scent is everything I've longed for in a warm-weather perfume and has previously found unobtainable. Happy Baby is beautiful, fresh, inviting and likely to be my go-to fragrance for many of the hottest days over the next 4 months or so- and more than a few sultry nights. Hoard-worthy!

I personally get no aquatic element from this single note whatsoever. What I DO get is that this is absolutely the dominant note in last year's Silver Bat, which is a blessing for me, because that was definitely, without a doubt, my most favorite scent to come outta Bat's Day last year, and indeed, one of my top 20 favorite BPALs, period. Warm and sweet, without being at all foody, this scent also reminds me a little of the warmth in Tombstone. This is one of the more highly wearable Single Notes and I'll definitely be stocking up on several bottles as I can tell I'll want to layer it with some of my other scents that have Ambergris so as to amp up that aspect a little bit more. Totally precious, bottle-hoard-worthy! :wub2:

This is soooo weird and amazing. When I smell this in the bottle, I get straight-up old-school typewriter scent. It's ink, alright. but it's ink ribbon and it's also a bit of grease in old gears and it's metal. It's all those things, and yes, it's one of those "How did the Lab DO this?!" kind of scents. On the skin, it stayed true to that for about an hour, which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to single notes, I've noticed. But now that it's settled down and even fading a little, now I'm getting something slightly smoky/spicy in there. And that is both intriguing and also means it's going to be fun and interesting to layer. This, to me, is the beauty of a single note- a pure, simplified version of some specific thing we encounter in this world, precious in it's singularity, but also something that has the potential to Play Well With Others. Love it!

Tiki King, hands down. The notes indicate it's "Ironwood", not necessarily sandalwood, but to everyone I've ever had smell it, it reads like a lovely sandalwood blend. It was only around for a little while several years ago, but I don't think it'll be *too* difficult to find- someone will swap it, I bet Good luck!

Golden pear, amber, fig leaf, oakmoss, bronze musk, mahogany, patchouli, and a smattering of glittering pyrite. of the three Le Mat scents, this is the one i've been least sure about. still, my curiosity is peaked. let's get on with it then, shall we??? in the bottle: fig, pear and a metallic finish of what must be the pyrite. wet on skin: uh oh. it's threatening to become shampoo on me. there's still hope, of course, but oakmoss, i'm looking at you. dry down: well, the oakmoss has left town and fortunately taken the shampoo aspect with it. *whew*! what's left is something puzzling. bronze musk? amber? pyrite? not sure. in all: this is one that i think will require aging before a final verdict can be made. but i'm hopeful! ETA: it's a while later and Marotte has turned into this scent that i envision Grande Dames of the 1940's would wear. i'm not normally interested in the scents that smell like "perfume", but this is certainly an exception. not a scent for every day, but one to wear when getting dressed up in total finery and going out for a night on the town. the sort of scent that forced men to hold doors open for you. THAT'S Marotte.

I just got this from the mailbox but I can NOT wait to test it- I'll edit later if necessary... In The Bottle: A combination of Black Lace, Antique Lace and the leaf note from Death In Autumn (which is my personal *favorite* leaf note.) We are off to a good start! Wet On Skin: Same as above but with the addition of the Laudanum adding a dark perfume-y aspect. Dry Down: Wow. This is just...wow. The laudanum has settled down and what remains is a warm, deep beautifully sexy version of the above: The sweet, dreamy elements of Antique Lace, the dark cognac and stained linen of Black Lace, the rich, mulchy leaf note of Death In Autumn and the addition of the spice and resin incense that perhaps was in Mlle Moriarty and Snake Charmer, with the laudanum adding depth and grounding to the whole thing. Just amazing. In All: Medium to Heavy throw- a little seems to be going quite a long way, so tread lightly at first- this scent is sensual and drop-dead gorgeous and I have a distinct feeling that it will only get better with age- if that's even possible. I bought two bottles cold, just based on the description, but honestly, I *might* need to get a third, just in case. :wub:

In The Bottle: Green, smoky, resinous. A vetiver's Vetiver. Wet On Skin: The smoky aspect is coming out a bit more now. I'm loving this. Dry Down: True to form of the other single notes, this Vetiver seems to be staying the same, from bottle to dry down. In All: Medium throw. Rich, smoky, and as with the Siberian Musk, a little goes a deliciously long way. I personally love vetiver, I find it a great earthy note that can be used when patchouli feels too obvious or overdone, and this one is a great addition to any collection. I can easily see adding this to a sweet foodie blend for instance to ground it, or to a floral to add depth. And I would bet dollars to donuts this is going to age fantastically. Well done- glad I have a full bottle, might even try to get a back up!

In the Bottle: Sweet, buttery pumpkin. Lots of butter, lots of pumpkin. (Can I eat this now?! ) Wet On Skin: More of the pumpkin, less of the butter. I think the French Vanilla is peeking out a little at this point, too. Dry Down: Echoin what others have said, I ind I'm surprised by the amount of spice that's showing up. It's almost a softer version of Candied Pumpkin on me, which suits fine because I *adore* that scent, though I'm hoping that with some aging this might become a little more creamy. In All: O lovely addition to the Patch, and it might be a good "starter pumpkin" for some, as it's mostly about the pumpkin and less about other notes Glad I have a bottle!

In The Bottle: Buttery Apply Pie and Cheesecake. Wet On Skin: More of the same, with more butter! Dry Down: I, too am getting the Lambswool/Apple mash thing going on here, but there's definitely buttery pie crust and there's *absolutely* cheesecake involved. The last few years the Beaver Moons weren't enough cheesecake for my skin, but this here is a return to form. On me, this is "Beaver Moon 2005- Now with Apple Pie!" In All: Medium throw and just delicious. Hoard-worthy!

In The Bottle: I think the honeysuckle is combining with the patchouli to create some off version of a Victorian Gentlemen's cologne It's odd. Not unpleasant, but not really my thing either. I hope it shifts... Wet On Skin: There's something very "green" smelling in here. Like lavender and green twisting vines, or ferns. I'm am truly puzzled. None of the notes mentioned have ever turned into something like THIS before on me. Dry Down: Ah. *There* we go. Whew! I thought it was going to be that way forever! Now I'm getting sarsaparilla, honey and some vanilla. And yet, this doesn't read as a 'foodie' scent at all! The patchouli is really, really subtle. Far more than I anticipated. In All: Because of the rich, resinous makeup, I think I'm only getting half the story. I have a feeling I won't really know the final verdict for about 6 months to a year. BUT, from what I'm getting now, I think it's going to be worth the wait.

First a big ole thank you to my CC Fairy! In The Bottle: Honey and rose in equal measure. the honey at this stage is soft, much softer than it is in, say, O. And the rose is rather delicate. Wet On Skin: the fig is making it's appearance. So far it's not going powdery on me, which I'm glad about, as fig can turn on me. Here's hoping it stays true! Dry Down: Sadly, I get no trace of the bourbon vanilla in this, and that note was a big selling point for me However, this has a lovely, gentle vibe to it, and reminds me of Fairy Wine. If you are fond of that scent, you'll probably be in love with this one, too. In All: Low throw, a fine daytime scent, lighter than I expected. I don't think I'll wear this much in the cold months, but I'll be interested to see how it's come together next late Spring when I pull it out again...

I'm also getting the "green" vibe from this scent. I tried this and Evening Stock on at the same time (one on each wrist) and for a brief period, they seemed almost sister scents. But now that full dry-down has happened, they are very very different. There is a sharp, almost acrid quality to this scent. It reminds me of the kinds of traditional perfumes my great aunties wore when I was a kid. It's a note that is very "perfume-y". I don't know that I would have cause to wear this on it's own, but I can tell that this is in some blends I am fond of, like B340 and possibly Lune Noir. I'll keep my bottle, but I don't feel a need to get a back-up at all.

Of the new batch, this is my hands-down favorite. Buying-a-backup-bottle kind of favorite. Although I agree with the assessment that this is a "watery" floral, do NOT make the mistake of thinking there is any touch of an aqua note. This scent is sweet and soft and round, a perfect combination of all those high-summer flowers that are so fragile and ethereal that they seem to very nearly vanish once you've leaned in to sniff them. I am not a big fan of florals as a rule, save the occasional true Rose or watery Violet. But this, this is something rather special, easily worn alone or layered with something else, perhaps a dirt or root note. I could see this doing well with patchouli or vetiver especially. Don't miss this.

Like girbot, I got a "this is *almost* aquatic" sense of this single note. And it's the 'almost' part that saves it, because me and aqua notes do NOT get along. I also agree with the assessment by Lycanthrope that this is not purely pleasant. Some of the other SNs, I feel strongly, can be worn all on their own. But this one is something that I would add to another scent if it needed some earthiness or some grounding. I could see putting this in a very sweet foodie scent, for instance, to give a bit of depth. Or even adding to a clean rose like Peacock Queen, to give it more depth. But it's unlikely I will wear this on it's own unless I'm feeling like I need to do some very serious magick.

In The Bottle: I get a mix of Butterscotch, Cedar and Vetiver. The butterscotch and cedar remind me strongly of Hearth 2005. (I know I didn't see any cedar listed in the notes. Maybe it's the Anise??? ) I was expecting a strong butterscotch, based on a CT I have that's of the WHOA BUTTERSCOTCH! variety, but this is pretty mellow, even in the bottle. Wet On Skin: The scent morphs quickly into just that Cedar (Anise?) note and the Vetiver (which might be the myrrh doing something weird on my skin.) Dry Down: This is now a woodsy, slightly resinous scent. Completely changed from what was in the bottle. In All: Surprisingly low throw considering the intensity of the notes. I read this as a good "early autumn" scent, so I'm glad I chose today, a somewhat crispy early autumn day to try it. The note that smells like cedar on me is well behaved, not becoming the "hamster cage shavings" that real cedar does, so that's nice. but other than that, I feel unable to tell if this is something that is ultimately for me. Because of the depth of the notes, I have a suspicion that this might do very well for some aging, but if, in 6 month, I'm not seeing a shift then it will likely go to a new, more appreciative home.