tinyvulture

An aquatic take on autumn. I love autumn leaves, but here they seem to clash with the rose. And the aquatic note is going sweet and cloying as it almost always does on me. Sorry, leaves. Not this time.

Metallic cologne, lots of balsam. Green, clean, alert. One of the better cologne blends.

It seems like there have been a number of recent rose and honey blends. I love the lab's honey but this doesn't feel new to me. I do enjoy the addition of sweet myrrh to the rose and honey. It's pretty, for sure, just not a standout for me.

A soft scent, like wispy dark feathers. I mostly notice the woodsy resinous notes, oudh and guiac. The patchouli is also present, but it's understated. I'm not getting any grapefruit or davana. Not a "smoky" blend, but representative of the ephemeral, fragile qualities of smoke.

You can just tell this is a Yule blend. It's got that holiday, festive, potpourri vibe. But there's also tons of honey. Like, take a pomander, an orange studded with spices, and then absolutely drench it in honey. Oh BPAL honey, you make me swoon! And then maybe light a beeswax candle, because I could swear there's beeswax in this! Is that what linden blossom smells like? I don't know. Orange blossom is cloying on me, but apparently orange zest is just perfect. Well, anything is perfect if its doused in honey. I'm calling this a holiday version of O.

When first applied, it's fruit salad on my wrist. Apple, peach, lime, and oranges. OK, this is pleasant enough. But then a creamy note and an aquatic note appear. Or a creamy aquatic. Which is kind of gross to me...like, aquatic milk? I am starting to feel filled with dread. Sure enough, the fungal lichen rears its gnarled head, and it's dirty and earthy and kind of...poopy. Like the smell of mushrooms with the dirt still on them?! I had to go wash it off. So very not for me. What a totally odd melange of notes.

I worked in libraries for many years but this doesn't remind me of old papers, books, anything like that. It's SEXY INCENSE. Dark, heavy, with hints of sandalwood or cedar. It has that raspy, "wood shavings" aspect. There's a similarity to Midnight Mass. And just a touch of soft leather. So sexy! I just re-read Good Omens (hilarious!) so I'm very glad I discovered this decant in my possession!

I've had this decant awhile, tried it a few times, and I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. I guess I was hoping it would grow on me but that's not the case. Soft powdery orange blossom, super sweet and sugary thanks to the vanilla and the natural, cloying nature of orange blossom. It's almost like a syrupy treacle. Now, there are syrupy scents I adore (Kill-Devil!), but I think the combination of syrupy vanilla and in-your-face cheeriness of orange blossom is too much for me. Remarkably similar to Zarita the Doll Girl (which I didn't care for either, sadly.)

Gosh, how gorgeous! Bliss + Jack (or Pumpkin Latte maybe.) Velvety rich milk chocolate and sweet juicy, butter, spicy PUNKIN! For the dessert-lovers, the foodie scent fiends! The cinnamon and cocoa combination is reminding me of some of my great loves, Feast for the Greatly Revered Ones and Centzon Totochton...with the wonderful addition of that big orange gourd, of course!

Lavender and anise (or licorice.) Herbal and sweet, ahh. Seems like a perfect sleepytime scent. However it doesn't seem quite as effective as the other Somnium blends I've tried (Somnus, Oneiroi). Last night, instead of Baku eating my bad dreams, I dreamed my husband and I got in a huge fight! It also didn't really help me with falling asleep. Still, the smell is so nice, I'll hang onto it and try it some more.

Straight out of the imp...ROSEMARY! The piney, herbal, lemony, outdoorsiness of rosemary smacks me in the face and it's refreshing and awesome. Then a soft rose note appears and dims the herb's brightness. Next, the cloying sweetness of orange blossom makes me sigh and place it in the swaps pile. But it was lovely while the rosemary lasted! Maybe a rosemary single note is what I'm after.

Gorgeous rich, buttery rice pudding! So buttery, like Christmas butter cookies. I love the realistic powdery rice note, and that creamy note that's like warm milk. Just a hint of cherry pie filling that comes and goes. Sometimes I don't notice the cherry at all. Love rice pudding, love this.

Italian lemon ices. Fresh-squeezed lemonade and clouds of powdered sugar. Lemonheads. Lemon sugar cookies. That's all the foody imagery that I associate with this scent. Mostly the lemon ices. Such a bright, yellow, summery, cheerful scent. So glad it's not turning chemical/cleaner on me! A foodie delight.

Strong, earthy, gritty patchouli. Almost too strong...it irritates my skin if I slather too much. The tobacco absolute lends an exotic spiciness in the background. No cacao or vanilla on me; not foody in the least. I love patchouli, so I love this hippie goodness. Just gotta be careful not to overdo it.

A surprisingly light fragrance. I'm wondering if it may have lost potency over time. So we have lightly sweetened, airy ricotta cheesecake...not buttery at all mind you...with just a suggestion of burnt-sugar and honey notes, and garnished with a single purple sprig of lavender. I'll have to try it as a sleep blend. It fades into nothing on my skin, but perhaps my brain will extract some benefits from the subtle lavender that my nose is missing out on.

I get vanilla incense a la Snake Oil, mixed with bold, fruity red wine and white cake. And there's also a Dia de los Muertos vibe from the desert florals and tobacco. Sweet, foody to the max, comes on strong, but then softens to a beautiful soft, sugared incense. My new love!

I read Frankenstein in college, and this scent makes me want to revisit it. Herbaceous, menthol absinthe is there, plus the distinct "flash of lightning" shock of ozone. Then there's the laudanum, and the floral spice of Oriental perfume. Really unique, evocative, mysterious. Like a dark and stormy night in a bottle.

Woodsy vanilla, YUM! Oak already has almost a vanilla aspect, to my nose, and benzoin is sweet, so these notes work wonderfully together. I love a good sweet, grainy, woodsy resinous blend. The only downside is that I really have to slather it on. Ten minutes later: still vanilla oak.

A strong bamboo note takes center stage, very clean and green! Maybe some other woods...fresh, young woods, not dry. I'm surprised at how strong the bamboo is...almost like a single note bamboo. After a few minutes I still don't smell any frankincense or myrrh. Youthful, natural, nice.

I'm not sure what hyssop or life everlasting smell like on their own, but I'd classify this scent as herbal. Vaguely green like a garden. Then a sweet, purple wine note comes forward. Finally, it all turns soapy. Pass.

Super sweet coconut, with a light touch of citrus. No black pepper sharpness. Just summery, happy coconut. It seems an appropriate scent for a butterfly, lightly flitting from flower to flower. After a few minutes, a burned sugar note comes out. Maybe that's the citrus I was getting...that note does turned citrusy on me sometimes (like in Kill-Devil). After ten minutes, citrus is gone and it's all coconut and caramel. I don't need a bottle, but it's really pretty and nice.

Jasmine + patchouli, match made in heaven. Is indigo musk the same as black musk? I'm finding a similarity to Raven Moon (2012), as they share black musk and patchouli notes. Definitely makes me think of darkness, mysterious shapes in the night sky. There are hints of various other florals, but mainly jasmine. No cinnamon!

Faith + white chocolate! First the white chocolate hits my nose. It's like a rich chocolate liqueur. Then I catch the violet. Two notes that go together perfectly. White and purple. Love it.

Strong cider with mulling spices. Whoa! This decant may not have aged well...it's just so earthy and pungent, with a sour fermented note, almost like cheese! ETA: It smells different and better on my son...like wine with cinnamon.

Very green, earthy, slightly herbal. A garden, some vines, and bitter saltwater tears. Makes me think of someone having a cry, up in their room, and then they throw open their windows and look out on the garden, taking in deep breaths to feel better. The dragon's blood note is noticeable, but very soft.