tinyvulture

Ahh, dry leaves! One of the best notes that I never tire of. Here, they're mixed with a minty or menthol note...must be the "wintry wind." The leaves have a realistic dry sharpness to them. Almost bitter. No hint of currants, just leaves and winter air. Along the lines of Black Forest, Thanatopsis.

Golden liquid in the vial...At first sniff, it's shiny metallic notes with light florals and incense. But then the medicinal tartness of lemon verbena comes in, clashing with the metals. Evil verbena. All I can do is wait it out. Later it morphs back into a baby-powdery, floral/incense. Pass.

I'm terrible with my floral identification; I can't pick out the narcissus or daffodil (and when I googled them, I learned that they're basically the same flower?) But this is a lovely floral bouquet, makes me think of creamy white and cheery yellow flowers in the warm sunshine. I like it a lot!

Hmm, on me this smells like...celery! What is that? I guess it's the green/herbaceous vibe from the violet leaf and rosemary, playing tricks with my nose. On the other hand, I have no idea what a fuselage ought to smell like. A surprising, eye-opening, and somewhat unsettling scent...suitable, considering its name.

Bright yellow oil in the bottle. So this is black musk? I would've guessed there's red musk in there, too. Strong, lasts for hours and hours. And I love that the motor oil has a definite olfactory presence. This scent makes me feel powerful. Detroit will rise.

I'm getting a sweet red popsicle (childhood nostalgia alert!) with a crazy strong, coppery tang! In Indian cooking, there's a spice, asafetida, with a similar tang that just hits you in the face. As that note eventually fades (never completely), it morphs into a less threatening frozen treat. There's amber, maybe a tiny bit of coconut, and clove, but mostly cherry and strawberry. Makes me think of Hollywood Babylon.

Kind of a cough drop vibe, at first. I think it's the interaction of the honey plus the herbaceous/woodsy cypress and pine notes. After a few minutes, the patchouli and tobacco come forward, making things heavier, darker, uncertain. I see how it can represent Detroit, the parts of they city that are as uninhabited and wild as a forest. I really like it, but not quite enough for a bottle.

A rich, luxurious leather note hits me first. There's also beeswax and something sweet and fruity, a plum maybe? The notes are woven tightly together but my overall impression is someone with a lot of money and time. Ancient, wealthy, decadent.

Deep, swirling, meditative rose. Glorious, rich teak and cedar notes. (Fresh cut wood, like walking in a forest, as opposed to lacquered, polished wood in someone's home.) Somber, transfixing in its singularity and beauty. I would wear this to do yoga.

Roses and sweet citrus (orange blossom), with light incense floating through the background. There's something soapy. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't wow me like the rest of the collection.

Rose and sandalwood, plus a bright, refreshing hit of lemon-peppery elemi that makes me inhale deeply. The elemi is the star of this show. It's a very clean, alive scent! Wear it to wake up in the morning.

In the movie, I loved Eve's nocturnal visits to this Moroccan cafe. A bottle called out to me unsniffed. It's amazing. Coffee so thick you can stand a spoon up in it. Coffee with so many spices, more savory than sweet. Cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper. Syrupy shisha, too. Bold, strong, lasts and lasts. I may not have bought enough.

Sandalwood and benzoin, so comforting and warm. A plush, soft blend. I feel like there's something foody as well...almond butter or peanut butter! I have the hardest time describing this one, out of the entire collection. It's gentle, yet resilient.

Saffron, vanilla, and honey...I immediately think of Morocco (the BPAL blend) because of the saffron. But this is foodier, sweeter. And there's something fruity, but that might be the hay note. It turns fruity on me occasionally. No jasmine to speak of; it must be blended in so seamlessly that I don't notice it. Of all the decants I tried, this is the one I wanted a bottle of at first sniff. Honeyed saffron...irresistible.

A happy, pure, sparkling white musk blend. Really captures the glitz and glitter of diamonds. Sweet, white, tropical (must be the davana!) The cognac adds to the posh, festive vibe. I love the lab's cognac note! A lovely perfume for going out on the town.

In the vial, it's leather and butterscotch! (Well, actually it's rum. My nose confuses rum with butterscotch often, like in Baron Samedi.) Very faint patchouli...mostly weathered, dusty leather mixed with a sweet, buttery rum. Very appealing, this Ian. Over time, the other notes fade out and it's mainly leather.

I had high expectations for this scent, representing one of the most brilliant fictional characters I've come across in awhile. I love Eve's zeal for life, even after so many centuries. Her scent is a pastiche of so many different influences and notes, as it should be, all neatly stitched together. It's heavy on saffron, like Hal, but Eve is more reserved, close to the skin. Rose water, light incense, honey...all so perfect together.

There's been so much love for Ava. Now I see why. Ava's the traditional women's floral perfume of the collection, and it's beautiful. The tuberose is lovely here with the vanilla musk. Very faint mandarin orange (and I usually amp citrus), and I can't pick out the almond. Description that comes to mind is sweet, youthful, innocent...deceptively so?

Grainy, woodsy sweetness (brings to mind my beloved Bezoar). Maybe a faint metallic brightness at first, but it fades out. I also feel like I smell wet clay, of all things! This blend is very close to the skin. I adore woods, but this one's too faint for me.

So much TONKA! And vanilla, and a bridal bouquet of other floral notes that make faint impressions, because it's a tonka party up in here! After a few minutes, there's something antiseptic. As in cleaning products. Nope, not this one.

I like how the description almost makes Adam sound like a hoarder. A sexy, sexy hoarder. His scent, at first, is fully enveloping black leather. That's it. It takes about ten minutes for the leather to calm down. The I get tiny hints of the Victorian fougere, the sandalwood. But mostly it's a rich, buttery leather. So warm and rich, I would almost call it chocolaty. That's got to be the ambergris at work. This is so good. And sexy.

"Lake St. Clair" in the description reminds me of the two teenage years I spent in Grosse Pointe, a snotty well-to-do Detroit suburb. We lived blocks from the lake. So this scent description makes me think of yacht clubs, country clubs, and kids who got BMW's on their 16th birthdays. Fortunately, the scent itself is awesome. I usually can't do aquatics, but this one has a rebellious bite to it that I love. Is it the embodiment of the resentment between the haves/have-nots? I also think I smell wildflowers, bringing to mind ancient history, and the fact that the plants and water lived here long before the rich kids, and hopefully long after. Untamed nature.

Amazing warm incense blend with rich, sweet resins. There's that "cola" scent I often get from frankincense. And, liquidambar? I had to look it up. Now I want liquidambar single note. This blend brings to mind religious rites past in the mint-green-domed abandoned churches of Detroit, with sludgy incense resins built up decade after decade. Must have more.

(It doesn't smell like funnel cakes. Just getting that out of the way.) Wild, jungle patchouli! You don't wanna mess with this patchouli. Is red vegetal musk different from regular red musk? I vote no, because I smell red musk. I know the smell of coriander but I'm missing it here. Cardamom is present, though. Vetiver, no. Leather, yes. Nice overall, but it's got a lot going on. Too much of a good thing for me, maybe. Ends up being mostly leather and patchouli, but I prefer Adam's buttery sexy leather.

I love ambergris accord, there's nothing like it. Sweet, warm, with a woodsiness/graininess that's enhanced here by the guiac wood and benzoin. Such a lovely resinous blend, similar to In Templum Dei. ITD wins out only for reasons of personal nostalgia.