donnatron

Black Lace is more similar to Dorian. The mix of Snake Oil and Dorian in Lilith Victoria was similar to Black Lace but lacked that dry quality that came from the linen and tobacco notes. Layering Dorian with a dry, tobacco heavy blend from the GC such as Elegba, Hellfire, Santo Domingo or the Lady on the Grey might produce a similar feeling to Black Lace. Depending on how leather behaves on your skin/how you feel about leather, the Buggre Alle This Bible might also be a suitable layering option.

Imp: Strong juniper and rosewood. It reminds me of... uh this is crazy, but it reminds me of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It smells just effeminate enough to make the juniper seem like overcompensation. Odd. Wet: Strong juniper off the bat and then the lilac comes out and sweetens the scent. Very tiny hint of the red musk. Dry: I think this would benefit from further testing. The dominant note is lilac supported by the orchid, rosewood and red musk. The bergamot is MIA and the juniper has dried down to a very, very faint aspect of the scent. It gives this a bit of bite that would otherwise make it too sweet. But it is lovely and totally not what I was expecting (hoping for a good old fashioned red musk/juniper blend). Throw: Moderate. Incredibly strong for a lilac blend (on my chemistry, at least). Overall: I think I am going to try this imp out a few more times and see how I feel about it. I think I'm letting my expectations cloud how I actually feel about the scent.

I don't really know what compelled me to pick this up. But I did and it is mine and it is... not incorrect. Like reviewers above, I've worn it strictly as a personal fragrance. Only did that once and it backfired magnificently--the guy a friend was trying to set me up with (this didn't dawn on me until halfway through the evening) was totally besotted with another mutual friend of ours. I've since used it for its ritual purpose and it definitely gets me more attention. It has resulted in me gettin' some (and helped to provide closure to a weird sort of lingering relationship I've been hesitant to deal with for the last six months), in having every man I met at an event remember my name throughout the night despite not being able to place my best friend or any of the other guests and in the crankiest, angriest, gayest man I know declaring that "After we had that conversation, for the first time in 20 years I felt a little heterosexual" (he might have just been impressed with all my mad skillz when it comes to discussing Jack the Ripper). But use it as intended and I am swimming in more dude attention than I know what to do with. It's kind of a raging fire versus a slow burn thing. It doesn't sustain attention for long and, you know, it's kind of a bad idea to make other people like you by your own means. It's definitely an attention grabber, so use cautiously. From a fragrance perspective I get red musk, rose and a strong mint. Possibly two mints. I think there be a wee bit of pennyroyal here and thankfully it's not repulsive like it usually is on my skin. There may be a straight up peppermint here as well. It has a really long drydown and I much prefer it after the mint dies down a bit. For pure scent purposes it reminds me of a minty Spellbound. Quite lovely.

Imp: A very light, clean leather with a hint of sandalwood. Wet: The sandalwood dominates and it's quite lovely. A hint powdery and a little spicy. It smells like incense and motorcycles. Why? Because there is a little smidge of leather here that is just wonderful. Dry: Sandalwood tends to amp on my skin and the White Rider is no exception. However, it amps PERFECTLY in this blend and it winds up being a sultry sort of clean leather scent with a very strong, defined sandalwood. It's the sort of leather that I could wear to work and feel perfectly comfortable about wearing around clients. It's almost wearing a leather jacket with a very light sandalwood cologne. Just so fresh and airy and a perfect sort of spring/summer leather blend (especially now that the inimitable Severin is gone). Throw: Mild to moderate. Overall: I've already procured a bottle of this from the forums. It is pure wonderful on my skin and I have run through the majority of the imp in less than a week and that's with only wearing it a few times. The rest is just slathering it on the back of my hand to huff it. I may have a White Rider problem. Call Intervention.

Bottle: Big, lush pink roses, a hint of cherry and bright plum. And... lemongrass? Not as strong as lemongrass but a strange lemon-y quality I can't quite place. Maybe my sniffer has gone wonky and that's the fig? Wet: Rose! Rose and cherry and that strange lemon-y note that may actually be the honey? Sometimes honey gets kind of citrus-y on me. Don't know why. Hint of spice/powder from the carnation. Dry: This winds up being warm, sweet rose and plum with hints of cherry and carnation in the background with a little bit of that lemon-y note that could be either fig or honey. It's very... I don't really know how to explain it, but it's just a perfect spring sort of scent. A little sweet, a little floral, a little warm and also a little cool. Like a really refreshing and wonderful gourmet lemonade on the patio of the best-kept-secret-in-town sort of restaurant. Throw: Moderate. Overall: I can't put into words why I love this so much but it's kind of a stealth random favourite. I rediscovered this earlier this year and was like, "Um... why didn't I know this happened?" so I picked some up and discovered that it was amazing. I've gone through half a bottle already. It is absolutely beautiful and worthy of a lot of love this summer.

Bottle: Very herbal and dry. I don't pick up on the Morocco comparisons (my bottle is like marshmallows) but it does remind of a lot of Tombstone. A very dry, regal, more masculine sort of Tombstone. I'm getting a lot of the galangal (sort of a dry ginger smell) and the tobacco. Very gentle vanilla. Wet: This goes on like tree roots. Very dry and powdery on the initial drydown and very woody. The rum starts to develop and blossom on my skin. The vanilla is curiously absent. Dry: That is the stuff. The vanilla takes about ten minutes before it really unfolds on my skin but it lends a smoky-sweet quality to this that really heightens the overall blend. It goes from being a sexy manly sort of a scent to a more unisex blend verging on feminine on my skin. Very warm and sexy. A combo of vanilla and bay rum with a rough rooty quality underneath it from the other ingredients. If you're looking to replicate it you might do well by combining Tombstone with Magus. Throw: Moderate. Overall: Right. I always forget this exists and I have no clue why I do because it is AMAZING!!!

Imp: Oh, hello there vetiver. I've always wondered what the brimstone note was. Now I know. Vetiver. Wet: Really, incredibly strong vetiver and a cloying sweet note. This reminds me a lot of Centzon Totochtin--another scent that is made up of Win! notes but is utterly tragic on my chemistry. Dry: Smoke, wine, blood (yay!) and maple syrup (wtf?). It winds up strangely sweet and syrupy and strange. This smells mostly like what I would wear were I to be doing great amounts of evil, but then there's the maple syrup. It's like doing great amounts of evil and then making pancakes. Throw: Moderate. Overall: Almost but not quite. Not sure where that irrationally sweet note is coming from, but it is not working out on my skin.

Imp: Seaweed and salt. Touch of a berry scent. Wet: It goes on like drier sheets. Salty drier sheets but drier sheets nonetheless. There is still a slight fruity sweetness to this and the cedar adds a very slight hint of gravitas. Dry: Ogygia is a soft, herbal aquatic scent. It's very salty and skin close and kind of inappropriate in a really weird sort of way. It's ostensibly a perfume rather than a skin scent but there is something in this that makes it smell like lingering post-coital skin with perfume on it. It's a very fresh, clean scent but ultimately strangely, strangely dirty. Throw: Mild. Overall: I feel really uncomfortable with this. So fresh and pretty and clean and SO FREAKIN' DIRTY! I don't think I can wrap my head around this bad boy.

My absolute favourite fruity floral is Blood Countess from the Diabolos line (Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry). It's a very lush, dark feminine floral heightened by a beautiful plum/berry note. Some other floral/fruity scents: Sundew Rappaccini's Garden Its dew is believed to grant eternal beauty and longevity, and restore vitality and vigor to the magician. This is a bit more citrus-y but it has a very succulent, fruity vibe. It's like biting into a particularly juicy fruit. No listed notes but I get some warm citrus, white florals, possibly angels trumpet and amber. Morgause Bewitching Brews A bouquet of five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses. The incense grounds this and allows the other notes to really pop. Lampades Bewitching Brews Their scent is the crisp, inviting bittersweet tang of cranberry with smoky dark lilies, heady, sensual musk, a tingle of ginger and a brush of Mediterranean spices. A complex, warm and sensual fruit/floral with a darker edge. Juliet Illyria Sweet pea with stargazer lily, calla lily, heliotrope, honeysuckle, white musk and a touch of fresh pear. A light, fresh, girly sort of fruity floral. Very dewy and innocent. All in the Golden Afternoon Mad Tea Party A bizarre blend of pineapple, tangerine, tobacco, apricot, and seltzer coated with hazy amber and heady sun-baked flowers. Just throwing this one out there--may turn out too synthetic for your liking. Machu Picchu Wanderlust Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber. A warm, natural sort of scent grounded by the amber.

Imp: Dirt and rocks and a sweet floral-ish note. Wet: Maple syrup on hot rocks. There is a sweet note in this that my skin just looooooves! Dry: I think this is the dirt note from Zombi--or at least that's what this strongly reminds me of. That sweet floral note remains and there is a smooth, cold stone-like note. It's really interesting but not nice on my skin, if that makes sense. Like, I'm intrigued by the drydown and it's kind of crazy but I don't want to smell like this all the time. Throw: Moderate. Overall: It is interesting and a little uneven on my skin. The drydown is not really pleasant but it is interesting and I'm glad to have tried the scent. Think it will need a new home but it is definitely intriguing and one of the most unusual scents in the GC.

Imp: Strong musk and metal with a marshmallow-y sweetness I'm assuming is the mallow. Wet: Huh. It reminds me a LOT of La Fee Verte. Less absinthe-y, obviously. Really getting a marshmallow vibe from this overall. The metal is a sharp contrast to the softer, warmer quality of the scent. Dry: Honeysuckle and mallow over Chinese musk and metal. Very simple but pretty. Very classical. It's a weird, morphing sort of scent that reminds me of other BPAL scents. The drydown scent is reminiscent of Morroco with honeysuckle instead of spices. And then there's a random metallic quality to the scent overall. Considering it's the Metal Phoenix scent the metal is neither particularly prominent or really integrated into the scent. It's weird. Throw: Moderate. Overall: I don't think it's exactly rocking on my chemistry. A pretty scent but not as pretty as all the other ones it reminds me of.

I slapped some of this on earlier, forgot it was there and then now am smelling it dry without my usual notes on the drydown. Dry, this smells exactly like San Pellegrino brand chinotto. It is uncanny and also a little unnerving. I have to go wash it off now.

Imp: Lots and lots of pine and woodsy vetiver. It's... not unpleasant but not necessarily something I want to put on my body. Wet: There is a sweet note that stands out during the wet phase. It might be some phantom myrrh? Maybe the musk? It's almost syrupy--definitely reminds me of myrrh. Dry: This is the same vetiver from Queen. I actually don't like the vetiver in Queen very much but every time I wear Queen I get told I smell awesome (such is the power of Voodoo, apparently). It's not an awesome vetiver. Everyone I know is a liar. This dries down to pretty much a single note vetiver and it is not nice. It's grassy, woodsy and almost a little burnt smelling. Not a good time. Throw: Miles. Overall: I'm glad I tried it. It will be finding a new home shortly.

Imp: Warm cream and rose and a very light, weird floral scent I've never smelled before. I say weird because... well, it's different. Not unpleasant, just warm and almost borderline citrusy. But a creamy citrus. Bizarre. Wet: This is all cream straight from the imp. Also a bit of honeysuckle. Dry: The rose and honeysuckle dominate with a sweet cream and a swirl of the rest of the florals. This is very light and very sultry. Skin close. It actually reminds me of a toned down Prunella. A sort of more adult and quiet and reserved Prunella. It's a very golden sort of scent--it smells like afternoon sunlight on a lazy weekend afternoon in with your lover. Or, I guess, the scent you would wear on said afternoon. Throw: Mild. Overall: This is lovely. I don't quite think it edges out Prunella, however.

Imp: Almost almond-y and very golden. I definitely get the sweet gardenia and a touch of frankincense. The chamomile is present and very, very mild. Wet: Maybe it's just an overall golden-ness I'm interpreting as almond? It's a very sweet scent and that is aided by the amber/gardenia/chamomile combination. The iris is a bit drier and reserved. The frankincense is making it smell very... frankincense-y is really the only way to describe it. It smells like frankincense on charcoal. I couldn't identify oude if it punched me in the face so I'm assuming it's that murky, sultry wood note sort of lingering behind everything else. Dry: It's mainly frankincense but the warm, light almost copal/frankincense drydown I associate with King Cobra and Ostara. There is a creamy, lush gardenia note backed by sweet, herbal chamomile and then an incense-y warmness that is definitely one of the (more forgiving, on my skin) ambers and the agar-wood. It's gorgeous. Very rich and feminine on my skin and a little lush and damp and sweet while also shot through with a solid sternness. It's kind of kinky but in a very subtle way. Throw: Strong. Overall: I really, really like this. It's a really complex and interesting scent with really intense layers to it. It's also a perfect evocation of the statue--very lascivious and sexy while kind of buttoned up. An interesting, lovely blend.

The heavier and darker lunacies come to mind immediately. You could try hunting down some: Raven Moon ebony musk with benzoin, myrrh, smoky vanilla, patchouli, nutmeg, and dried red chili. This is the first one I thought of. It looks like we have similar chemistry and tastes and this is one of my favourite lunacies if not the favourite. Hunter Moon 07 Dry leaves, autumn bonfires, blood red wine, feral, animalistic notes and the chill of approaching winter. This one might be difficult to track down but it's another dark, feral sort of scent. From the therianthropic lunacy companions you could try: Lycaon blackened myrrh, crushed olive leaf, black musk, spikenard, frankincense, cypress wood, opoponax, white ginger, and patchouli. This is like the perfect patchouli/musk with a feral bent. Ivanushka Soft, velvety fur and warm musk, brushed by forest woods and dusted by dry leaves. This is truly a furry scent. It's very cuddly. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming releases as well--who knows what we'll be seeing next week!

Imp: Bright citrus and freesia. Wet: Caramel AND celery. WUT? Dry: Like Deiicide, I get a really strong celery smell out of this. Or more like celery dryer sheets. There is something clean about this but ultimately? Celery. So freakin' weird. Maybe a bit of pepper too. Totally odd. Throw: Mild. Overall: I think "WUT?" sums it up. This is totally not what I was expecting and I'm not exactly sure where to go from here. Maybe no more yuzu?

Imp: Pine pitch and clove. In the imp this is gorgeous. Wet: But I know better. On my skin this is a very realistic pine pitch note, a nice warm clove note and what's the other amazing realistic scent? Oh right. Blood. Clove always smells spectacularly bloody on my skin and this is no exception. Dry: Some of the spiciness comes back from the clove but for the most part it remains blood. Rotting blood. Or at least blood and BO. And I actually love blood accord and skin-chemistry-clove-blood freaks me out. That's how... is... it is. It's like a slasher movie in a pine forest. Creepy. Throw: Moderate. Overall: So while sniffing this and trying to articulate the difference between blood accord and the blood scent clove conjures up on my chemistry, I realized that clove blood scent kind of smells like sweat as well. It's like a hideous miasma of body fluids. Do not want.

Imp: Citrus. Mostly grapefruit. Grapefruit loves my skin almost irrationally. Wet: It smells exactly like the grapefruit body wash the Body Shop (used to?) sell(s). Really, really strong grapefruit and yet kind of boring because it is grapefruit and only grapefruit. Dry: Still a strong sharp citrus mainly led by the grapefruit but a bit more floral now. Mild and skin close and not at all interesting on my chemistry. It smells like face wash. Throw: Mild. Overall: I don't know why I'm surprised by this one. My skin just doesn't seem to do much with citrus-y scents other than amp them.

Imp: Quite thin, actually. A very light, white vanilla floral. Like a less sharp Privilege. Wet: Ah, there's the ticket. This goes on all smoke and leather and very warm and borderline masculine. Then my skin does as it will with sweet scents and the vanilla amps up nearly covering the darker notes. Dry: This becomes primarily a vanilla scent but the dark smoke and leather scent lingers underneath. It's not overpowering and doesn't smell like I've been doing anything untoward--just that I might be thinking of doing things that are untoward. There's a powdery-ness to this scent that works quite elegantly for it because it reigns in the darker aspects and still keeps it daytime friendly. Throw: Strong. Overall: The leap between the in-imp scent to the on-skin scent was amazing. This is really sexy without bordering on sleazy and exceedingly interesting. A bottle may be in the cards.

Imp: Warm, creamy plums and a very little bit of floral. Wet: The cream... clots? I don't really know a metaphor here for the scent of cream. It's a thick sort of scent right off the bat. Like a floral flavoured cream for a dessert. A plum cake, of course, because the plum is definitely present although a little pre-occupied at the moment. Dry: I've always been kind of like, "I dunno, I just want to try it because I have the vaguest feeling it will smell like fresh hell on me" when it came to Prunella. I was dead wrong. This is a gorgeous, soft, frilly, incredibly feminine sort of scent. The cream is perfectly lush and warm, the plum adds the faintest tart sweetness and the wildflowers keep it from being exceedingly foody. It's a skin close, warm weather, extremely girly sort of scent. Something for sundresses and sandals and summer breezes. Throw: Mild to moderate. Overall: Well, that was a surprise. A surprise that has shot all the way to the top of my big bottle list. This is gorgeous.

Imp: All ginger. Maybe a hint of this mythical chocolate plum musk. But there is also something dirty about this and not in a good way. In an unwashed sort of way. Odd. Wet: SO MUCH GINGER! It reminds me a lot of War (primarily) and Siren. Just a really strong, screaming ginger on me. There are background notes and there is definitely red musk here but it is almost always ginger all the time. And the ginger is so... dischordant from the rest of the notes. Like ginger single note layered over a really light red musk and a little whisper of fruity perfume. It almost smells like that general "throw" scent those of us multiple testers will get wafting around us after trying on three or four (heavier) scents. Dry: Once dry this is quite lovely on the skin. However, it is almost an exact dupe for War, which I already have a bottle of. It's a bit sweeter and there's a warmer tone all around. The scent is mainly a red musk/ginger blend with a hint of chocolate sweetness/warmth and some of that warm, almond-y amaretto scent. The longer I wear it the more it grows on me. Maybe not something I need a bottle of now but after I'm done my bottle of War. Throw: Moderate. Overall: It's pretty. The ginger prevents it from being fully sexy on my skin because it makes it just a little bit too feral and dischordant for my tastes. I think this is something I'll want to try after letting it age up a bit.

Imp: Mandarin rind and Tang. Wet: The mandarin amps up pretty strong right off the bat. There's a hint of the earthier, darker fig, but this is mostly orange. Dry: Weird. It winds up smelling like orange Kool Aid powder. It's very sharp on my skin and borderline proper mandarin scent but there is a little powdery zing to this that makes it... deeply odd. Throw: Mild. Overall: I smell like astronaut provisions. I don't think this one is a keeper.

Imp: Seaweed and a faint hint of wood. Wet: Hooboy! Lots of salty seaspray aquatic! Not a lot of anything else at the moment. Dry: Oh my, this is lovely. The seaweed/seaspray dominates over a nice warm base of leather and musk and sexy manliness. It smells like all the romantic parts of a pirate's life (so basically the sanitized version from Disneyland). It's not necessarily a masculine scent but it's a manly scent, if that makes sense. It's very evocative of the Calico Jack name. Throw: Moderate. Overall: Hot damn, why am I so in love with aquatics lately? Bottle list.

Imp: Sugared florals. Not as sugary as, say, Hope and Faith, but similarly sugared. Hont of greenery and maybe a bit of incense smoke. Wet: Sugary, green florals. There is a white floral in this that I can't quite place but can cross-reference from other blends. There's also something a bit flat, like flat pop. Dry: Eh. It reminds me a lot of Poisson D'Avril but while Poisson D'Avril blooms on my chemistry, this one falls a little short. It's a simple sugary incense/floral blend that doesn't quite pop on me. It's very quietand skin close and very reserved. It doesn't fit the boisterous image I have of a fairy market. Throw: Mild. Overall: I wish it was a suitable dub for Poisson D'Avril but it just doesn't seem to work on my skin. Oh well. Ques sera.