tinyvulture

First impression: a warm spring day, a field full of green grass, a giant honeycomb with bees buzzing all around. The hemp and honey dominate at first. Then the beeswax and amber come out. I didn't think I would like the greenness of hemp, but it blends in well. It's actually the amber (which I normally adore) that's worrying me here. It has a sharpness and sourness to it, which clashes with the beeswax's soft haziness. I want to like this blend and there are moments that I do, but then that strange sourness returns. Off to swaps.

A good, strong scent. Polished wood (oak maybe?) with the fruitiest olive oil ever. Lemon and berry notes. Leather is hiding in the background. The fruitiness is not for me, but I'm going to try it on my husband. Since his skin amps leather. I think it'll be more balanced on him.

A woodsy/floral blend. The sandalwood is very dry and sharp, in contrast to the soft, faded roses. A well-blended, classic women’s perfume, unfortunately it’s a bit too “old lady” on me, not a favorite.

The softest, cuddliest bear ever! This is such a sweet, comforting blend. Buttery hazelnut, sour black cherry, and warm, musky fur are the notes I can detect most clearly. No pine at all. I adore the lab’s hazelnut note, so ordering this was a no-brainer for me. So warm and lovely.

Sweet/sour plums and warm musk at first. Then the lemon comes forth and it’s so strong. The matcha tea note is noticeable after a couple of minutes. But it’s mainly lemon and plums. I love some lemony blends, but this one is too sour and it’s reminding me of Mr. Clean.

Smells exactly like those peppery little cookies, right down to the powdered sugar they’re rolled in. Spicy and not too sweet. Cinnamon sometimes gets out of control on my skin, but not here. It blends nicely with the cloves, nutmeg, and other notes. A perfect foody scent that’s not too heavy or cloying. I want a bottle!

I love the combination of cool juniper and dark patchouli in this. The juniper smells medicinal, like menthol. The thyme note is also present, however, I’m not picking up any cocoa or frankincense at all. Sadly, the earthy, musty oakmoss is amping on my skin, as usual, shoving all the other notes aside and singing, “Here I am! I smell like mold and dirt!”

Marigold is such a “yellow” note to me, it makes me think of bright sunshine. So this is a bright, sunny autumn day. There’s also a slightly masculine cologne aspect to it. The autumn leaves, roses, and marigolds dominate, and the herbaceous quality of chamomile is also present. I’m not noticing any vanilla. I like it, but I think I would prefer it on my husband.

A cheerful, raucous celebration of life and death: bouquets overflowing with gerbera daisies, waling waling, sampaguita, ylang ylang, hibiscus, night-blooming dama de noche, santan, and everlasting flower with piles upon piles of bibingka, ube halaya, rice muffins, champorado, purple yam cake, and turon, and plates of gooey kalabasa leche flan. Banana, coconut, and exotic flowers (jasmine, ylang-ylang, orchid), with undertones of baked sweets and caramelized sugar. Cheerful, vibrant and lovely! If you love Manila, this is right up your alley. It’s gorgeous…really hoping this makes a comeback so I can get a bottle.

At first, it smells strongly of baby powder and vanilla. Then I realize it’s not baby powder, but powdery, warm amber. I don’t notice any cocoa. I keep waiting for the dry leaves to show up! After several minutes I can pick them out, faintly, in the background. I hoped the leaves would have a stronger presence. This scent doesn’t make me think of autumn or Halloween at all. It makes me think of cuddly babies! But, I do like it for what it is. Very warm and pretty.

I received a sniffie of this, and I can’t remember the last time I had such an immediate positive reaction to a scent. Like, “MUST hunt down bottle, NOW!” Oh my God, it’s so gorgeous. Luscious golden honey, with the slightest hints of sweet vanilla and I’m also picking up sassafras…that root beer scent…not sure where that’s coming from. Ah, well, now it’s gone and I’m getting buttery honeyed richness. Want to slather it all over. Yes. Love.

For a time, I got kind of burned out on red musk blends. Now, smelling The Arbor, that seems crazy. It's making me love red musk all over again. There’s something grapey about this perfume, even though no grape is listed in the description. It also reminds me of gas station incense. You know what I mean? Where you can get 10 incense sticks for a dollar and there’s 20 or 30 different types to choose from, each designated with a dot of color on the end of the stick, but they all smell basically the same, like patchouli and fruit. Well, anyway, that’s what this reminds me of. I can’t pick out any of the other specific floral notes -- it’s all red musk and patchouli to me. And I love it.

First there’s a rush of coconut and a sexy floral note that I thought was jasmine, but I guess it’s champaca. This perfume is tropical and gorgeous and totally smells like sex, haha. The sugar cane is noticeable, too, adding a candy-sweetness to this coconutty, sensual blend. I totally want a bottle now.

I went through a phase of loving red musk because it’s so bold and sexy, but lately I find myself appreciating black musk. It’s more understated, but its soft warmth does a good job here of toning down the brashness of red. There’s a lot of clove. The myrrh and patchouli are very sweet. They sort of smell like Coca-Cola. No trace of the mandarin orange for me. This reminds me of the studio where I practice yoga, for some reason. So it’s making me feel really calm. Soft, sweet, incense-y. It would make a lovely room spray, too.

I’m glad other reviewers said it – this smells like pot! And heavy, heavy vetiver. I can’t pick out any of the other notes because I just keep thinking “oh my god, I smell like weed.” Yuck!

I’m not sure how the fizzy carbonated quality of ginger ale was captured in a perfume oil, but here it is. At least for the first minute or so after application, it’s straight up ginger ale. Then the “fizz” goes away and the rum and orange notes come out to mingle with the ginger. A festive, cheery, summery scent. It will be useful for fighting off the winter blahs.

Red musk usually amps on me like “Whoa! Who bathed in red musk?” But here, it’s super soft. I think the amber helps soften it. Tobacco and herbal notes in the background. Pretty, but soooo soft. In a few minutes, it’s barely there.

At first this smells like buttery caramel. Then the butteriness fades, and I smell sweet marshmallow goodness. Faintly, I start to smell fireplace scents, like charred wood and ashes. Also a little bit of cinnamon? Wasn’t expecting that. Overall, a sweet cinnamon blend that I have to sniff very closely to pick out the marshmallow. And after just a few minutes, I have to sniff very closely to smell anything at all!

At first, this is all spicy carnation. It’s like Pink Moon ’07 but with less throw. Soon, the leather appears. Then, faint tobacco and coffee notes, which don’t stick around very long. I like how the feminine carnation and masculine leather play off each other. Really interesting combination.

I can pick out each note separately – hippie patchouli, soft cocoa, and sunny hay. Normally, I love all of those notes. But there’s something here that is just not interacting well with my skin. It smells like stale popcorn that’s been left in a hot car or something. I think it’s the way the hay is combining with the other notes. Sounds like it is working out great for others, though. Off to swaps!

Yum! After an initial, confusing, “Fruit punch?” moment, I get mouthwatering apple cider, heavy on the cinnamon. I like how the sweetness of the apple is tempered by the tartness of lemon and orange. Wish I could smell the butterscotch liquor more – or at all. I love the apples and cinnamon, just not sure if I need a whole bottle.

Dark, yet beautiful. Smoke rising out of a spooky forest on a cold night. As you approach, you realize you’ve stumbled upon a witches’ bonfire. The chilly air is heavy with not only the smoke from their fire, but thick, resinous incense smoke as well. Pine, smoke, frankincense and styrax are the dominant notes. Now I want to wear this all winter.

This is my kind of perfume! I can indeed smell the creaky wood, the smoky dying embers, and the chilly, heavy fog (which is a combination of cold/rain notes, without ozone, which is perfect since ozone turns sweet on me.) It’s a scent that makes me want to put on a sweater, as though I can feel the damp cold closing in. So oppressive and hopeless, yet the scent is somehow beautiful. My only slight criticism is that I wish it were stronger. It fades too quickly.

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried a honeysuckle blend from the lab, and today I see that we are still not friends. The rose is lovely but, before I can even pick out any other notes, the honeysuckle appears and goes all turpentine on my skin. Boo.

First sniff: maple leaves and fir needles. Amazing! A minute later, the wildflower honey appears. It really does smell like wildflowers and honey, ha. Add faint fruity, nutty, and boozy notes from the plum leaves, hazelnut, and cognac, and all of a sudden my nose is a little confused. The herbal, astringent qualities of the fir grow stronger and stronger, and now I’m not enjoying it so much. I love Samhain, but this is like a fruitier and far more herbal version of Samhain that isn’t really working out for me.