tinyvulture

A sexy, foody combination of chocolate, juicy cherry, and sweet orange. It reminds me of a chocolate covered cherry, but with a playful kick of citrus. The scent stays true over time, too. It’s such a fun, flirty scent, I think I need a bottle.

i don’t notice the roses at first, just rich, buttery pastry. i’m not that familiar with blackcurrant, but on me it smells somewhat like figs or raisins. after a few minutes, i can smell the rose. it makes me think of a fancy dessert strewn with decorative rose petals. extremely foody and comforting, with just a hint of floral -- a lovely combination.

There was a worrisome sourness to this blend when I first applied it, like pickles! But I gave it some time, and the sourness did indeed fade after a couple minutes. At this point, it smelled like soft fur dusted with baby powder. Then the warm musk came out, and it morphed into one of those wonderful “second skin” scents, the kind that works perfectly with your chemistry and smells like your own skin, only better. As I moved around and got my blood circulating, the scent seemed to “warm up” too, and I wanted to bury my nose in the powdery, furry warmth.

The warm red amber and ambergris are amazing combined with the spicy patchouli and clove, and the vanilla flower adds sweetness. The Spanish moss adds earthiness and depth. I was worried about the clove being too strong, but it’s very subtle and there’s nothing “baking spices” about this blend. It’s like a gorgeous, complex, incense. Exotic and sexy, but warm and comforting at the same time.

a bright, festive floral bouquet of chrysanthemum and plumeria. the flowers are so sweet, they’re almost fruity. there’s also a green, grassy note, which i'm guessing is the sage. noche buena is lush and cheery, one of my favorite floral blends.

i love the green, bitter herbal scent of the ferns. it’s almost medicinal, the way it clears your passages when you inhale. it smells so clean. the rose and lavender in the background are a bit soapy, but that doesn’t bother me. they enhance the fern nicely. i’m not sure what absinthe smells like. there’s a light dusting of sugar, but it’s not too sweet or cloying. this seems like a great unisex scent. it’s not too floral or too herbal; it’s just right.

Pink Moon made me realize that I love sugared florals, so I was dying to get my hands on an imp of Faith. It's really lovely. A soft, sweet, creamy vanilla violet. Not at all powdery or old-ladyish. Youthful, bright, flirty. A lovely floral for spring or summer. Now I just need to try Hope!

sweet, creamy vanilla -- a lovely scent for all seasons. the vanilla cream reminds me of the Candy Butcher. but, i wouldn’t call this a foody scent. a light touch of exotic saffron is the perfect spicy complement. it’s long lasting and doesn’t turn into play-doh or banana. simple, feminine, gorgeous.

the cotton (think White Rabbit) is clean and white and pure, in contrast with the rich, dark tobacco and incense (similar to the Lurid Library), all enveloped in a cloud of sweet vanilla. i can’t make out the musk or cognac but i know they are somehow adding to the overall charm of this blend. it’s so victorian -- elegant, refined, wistful, haunting, yet slightly depraved and dangerous thanks to the heady tobacco and the almost menacing incense. so glad i ordered a bottle of this, i LOVE it.

a woodsy, sweetly spicy masculine blend, with a hint of green herbs. very dry, very dark, more complex than a typical men’s cologne. the elm bark is the strongest note on my skin. the warm musk is there, but it’s mainly woods. i would guess there’s cedar in this, as well as the elm. i want to go wake up my husband so i can slather this on him right now!

this is such a fun scent, perfectly reminiscent of halloweens past. ripe, juicy red apple pairs with golden, sugary caramel. it's a more straightforward version of Creepy -- pure caramel apple, without the coconut and boozy notes. i'm testing this on a gloomy february day and it's giving me happy thoughts of autumn. wishing i had a bottle. edited to add that several minutes later, the apple has faded slightly, but the caramel has become even more rich and buttery. it's still going strong!

a warm, outdoorsy, summery scent, without being overly floral. i smell sugared citrus and bold, fruity red musk, combined with medicinal, bitter herbs, especially chamomile. i really thought there was lotus in this because of the fruitiness, like red berries. i’m not picking up the dragon’s blood at all. i like the complex combination of sweet and bitter notes. the downside is that it seems to fade quickly and i need to apply more.

i smell fresh, wet earth reminiscent of springtime in the garden, combined with summery tropical florals, autumnal bonfire smoke, and the slushy, wintry note of Snow Bunny and so many other Yule blends. it’s like a combination of all seasons in one. i love the combination of dirt, smoke and snow notes. this is one of my favorite “dirt” blends because it’s so rich and sweet.

i smell roses, lavender, and frankincense. i’m usually a huge fan of rose and incense blends, such as Rose Cross. but with Psyche, the lavender is quite strong, and i’m not sure i like this lavender. the rose note is like dried roses, not bold fresh-cut flowers. it’s a sweet, floral, feminine perfume, very whispery and understated. pretty, but not quite right for me.

a sweet egg flan with plenty of vanilla. it’s like eggnog without the spices – just creamy, eggy, sugary goodness. unfortunately, it’s extremely light and doesn’t have much throw.

this reminds me a lot of the GC scents Penny Dreadful and Zombi - rich, loamy earth mingled with florals. there’s a sweet incense note that’s really gorgeous. the incense and dirt seem to be competing to be the most dominant note. when the incense is on top, i love it. it’s a dark, mysterious, masculine scent. but then the dirt takes over, and i don’t love it so much. i wish the incense didn’t disappear so quickly, and i wish the scent was stronger overall.

in the bottle this smells like rich, sweet wine. it’s absolutely bursting with grape and plum, strong and bold. it quickly loses strength, though, as the musk and amber come forward and turn the fruits soft, warm and powdery. light florals linger in the background. i adore plum, so i should love this scent, but it fades so quickly on me. if only it stayed strong, i think it would be an all-time favorite.

Sensual, decadent, and enigmatic. Lavender, softly underscored by lotus and spice. lotus is a note that’s grown on me. sometimes it’s cloying and bubblegummy, but at other times it can be sparkling and beautiful. because it’s so sweet and fruity, i never would have thought it would make a good combination with soothing lavender. but it does. when freshly applied, this smells sort of medicinal, which i don’t like so much. but after it dries, the lavender and lotus balance each other perfectly and the astringent note fades out. it’s a little soapy, but not in a bad way. it reminds me of a high-end, fancy french soap. a worldly, sophisticated scent.

i fell in love with this immediately. spicy florals – i’m not sure what the flowers are, exactly, but it reminds me a lot of the florals in dia de los muertos -- sweet and smoky. the nutmeg is really noticeable and it’s a perfect complement to the beautiful florals. after awhile it turns all powdery and warm, and the sweetness intensifies. gorgeous.

on me, this is like a pina colada – strong pineapple and coconut notes. apple and banana too. is there melon in this? something in it reminds me of ogun. unlike ogun, though, i don’t detect any chili pepper in this. there’s no spice, just a ton of tropical fruits. it’s a fun, summery scent.

a foody blend of molasses and honey. what a perfect combination these sweet syrups make. there’s a burnt sugar note in this that's sharp and almost tart -- in fact, i mistook it for lemon at first. but it fades over time and blends in with everything else. the oak adds a lovely woody base. decadent and addictive.

a breezy, tropical scent. i love a good orchid scent and this one is happy and summery. i thought it would be a bit more earthy from the nicotiana and vetiver, as well as the mysterious “damp stone,” but i’m not picking up those notes at all. it’s a whirl of various tropical flowers and woods, with a slight sourness from the palm wine that makes it more intriguing.

this is pretty, but not really “me.” it’s a super powdery floral. i don’t think i really care for moonflower, since i always seem “meh” about scents containing it. but i admit, i’m not really sure what it smells like, on its own. here, i mostly smell the jasmine, which is extremely powdery (i think i said that already) and soft. the white musk and benzoin add some sweetness and warmth, but this scent still feels very “distant” to me, white and quiet, like a far away star. maybe that’s due to the ozone. i’d like it if my clothes smelled like this after i washed them, but it’s not something i’d wear as a perfume. off to swaps.

oh Goblin, i love you! strong, pure patchouli combines perfectly with tropical coconut, and the benzoin adds just the right amount of sweetness. the coconut note really reminds me of Lush’s Skinny Dip. a delightful scent. the coconut is sweet and fun, but the patchouli grounds it and gives it a darker, earthy side. it’s kind of similar to Brown Jenkins, but i prefer this scent because of all the patchouli! i think this is great to wear year-round.

at first this is a sharp, biting aquatic. you can really smell the salty sea air. as it dries, an odd combination of mint and smoke comes forward and mixes with the sea air. and now it’s turning sickly sweet, as most aquatics do on me. *sigh*. i hoped this one would work for me. a bit later, the sarsaparilla and leather finally make their appearance. they sure smell nice. but it was hard to resist washing it off during the cloying phase. off to swaps.