Aldercy

Liz is lovely. I can't think of anything else just like it, but here's a few smoky sweet things off the top of my head. Maybe you've already tried some of these, but... Mommy Fortuna is sweet floral honey on me with a veil of smoke. Might be a little dark for you, but it is definitely sweet/smoky and not too heavy. I don't know how you feel about dragon's blood resin, but Dragon's Hide is bright red fruity sweet with a spike of smoke and leather. Velvet is foody chocolate-vanilla, but the myrrh gives it a slightly smoky base. I have a hard time describing Inez but it's musky/floral/smoky/sweet, and very pretty.

In the decant, I mostly got sweet screaming violet from Time Does Not Bring Relief, but it really develops on the skin. I'm getting a lot of natural, rustic beeswax and smooth Egyptian musk with a hint of flower-sprinkled resins. The leather is almost absent to my nose. It turns out to be very pretty, but mild and subtle. Nothing about it is in-your-face or powerful. It reminds me a little of a warmer, more down-to-earth version of Giant Vulva with the beeswax, musk, copal and light blossoms in common.

Decidedly manly, but honestly delicious. Why don't I have a man on whom to slather this? Highly musky, bittersweetly resinous, woodsy... but there is a bit of mossy citrus and stiff white linen in there lightening things up. It's an unusual, rich, warm, layered scent. I don't really think I can wear it often or in large quantities because it has considerable throw (it's lovely, but does really does come off as "traditionally" masculine to me), but I'd like to have it around to sniff every once in awhile.

The wood is coming off as a bit cologney, but in a pretty light and inoffensive way. They're sweet, cool, well-blended wood notes, and I actually don't get any rosewood (which I can usually pick out easily) specifically. The apple is, to me, a mixture of blossom and fruit, but more the former. It ends up a pretty, clean floral with thin woodsy undertones. I like it, though not as much as I'd hoped. The decant is definitely enough.

Richly fruity, resinous rose-- it's a very red, juicy, almost hot rose, somehow. The blood orange is not a distinct note (a good thing, I can kind of amp orange), but there's a bite of citrus that really adds a sparkling depth. The myrrh (which gets stronger and stronger as it dries) keeps everything in check and serves to darken what might otherwise be something a little too girly for my taste. I'm not actually getting a lot of musk, but that's okay, because this is already very fine and complex. The decant will definitely be making a home with me.

Mangoes, mangoes everywhere! It is grounded by the duller, heartier tomato note (it's a hint of tomato leaf, but also actual tomato, I think), but I don't really get any red musk (shocking! usually it's kind of a show-stealer) or fig. Very interesting. As it dries, however, the fruitiness does start to go powdery and artificial on me, and ends up smelling a bit like perfumey tropical air freshener. I'm certain that's just my skin chemistry though-- I have a hard time with fruit notes-- because it's amazingly true and unique when wet. Well. I'll hang on to my decant for awhile, but it's not looking promising.

*SLATHER* Oh, wow. The Ring is heart-breakingly beautiful. I think I can pick out every single note... the thick amber, mild spicy patchouli and cool skin musk are probably the most prominent, but they're all there, every single one of them. I'm surprised by how well-behaved the patchouli is-- it's just a very delicate earthiness, really-- and how good the hay turned out. Hay can go kind of nasty and dusty on me, but not here... it's like a sun-baked golden field (the note is a little reminiscent of Pa-Pow, though the scent as a whole is different). Weirdly, it's got a faintly foody sweetness to it, but it's not actually gourmand. It's something of a mix between herbal, gourmand and a sexy skin scent. I don't even know how that works, but it does. Instant hit in my book. I MUST have a bottle.

No idea how to really accurately do it without tearing the label. Looking down into the open imp or tipping the closed imp back and forth gives me an idea of "Okay, I know this isn't full. About half?" But sometimes it's a lot less than I think it is once I tear the label and really look.

The Phoenix in Winter starts out rather similar to Old Moon-- bittersweet purple-red berries and slush-- but the berries fade and it shifts into more of a vanilla-mint snow as it dries. Kind of like Snow White without the flowery almond note that gave me a headache. It turns out not to be very complex, but it's a pleasant scent. Time will tell whether I need this whole bottle or not....

This is a tarry sweet, warmly gritty, gunpowdery musk on me. I'm getting a lot of the opium, incense, resins and musk, but nothing of the amber or plum, as far as I can tell. They're kind of swallowed up the more powerful notes. This is just beautiful-- smooth, filthy rich and well-blended. I wouldn't mind a bottle of this! Romanti.Goth is definitely a sister to Gun Moll in my book, though a little sweeter.

As violetblue said, this is actually lighter than expected. In the beginning, I get a lot of creamy cotton and red sandalwood, and it stays pretty close to the skin. However, yes, it morphs like crazy. One second it's sticky fruit, the next it's sharp red musk. Then back to the creamy sandalwood. I don't know where it's going to end up! It seems to be settling on a slightly grape-y red musk dusted with powdery frankincense. Red Lace has potential, I know it does. The notes just need to blend together better and the red musk needs to lose it's high-pitched "freshness". I have high hopes that aging will melt everything into something more cohesive. ETA: A couple hours later, and I like it somewhat better. It eventually dries to have more of that original soft skin-scent from the beginning, it just takes a long time for the morphing (and the red musk) to chill out. Again, I think aging will help.

I took a bit of a chance ordering this one unsniffed as flowers can really go either way on me, but it sounded like the "right" kind of floral. And I'm in luck! The Phoenix in Spring is very delicate and natural. Juicy new shoots of greenery and flora coming up, warm in the sunlight. It's a close relative of The Host of the Air (despite dandelion being the only named note in common, I suspect there could be bluebell, heather or both among the unnamed "wildflowers," and there's a definite hint of lacy, gentle grass in there). The cherry blossom is not overpowering or perfumy-- it's very in check, and probably the least apparent of the floral notes. The myrrh is not strong, it's just a distant ashy dusting, but it reminds me a little of the incense note in Morocco-- warm, sandy and secretive. Really pretty, and I'm glad I got it. The label is startlingly PINK, but the scent really is not.

The cranberry (and maybe bayberry) are coming off almost like a mild cherry to me. That's unusual. But it's pleasant and natural, without a hint of cough syrup or candy. That note is very strong in the beginning, but it's really tempered by a warm, woody pine as Whoop dries. The heart of the whole thing is rich honeyed evergreen with a lingering bit of red fruit. I think I also get some of the "winter air" with a sudsy, white, clean smell in the background. I would say it's soapy, but it's somehow not soapy soapy in a bad way. It's definitely not ozone or BPAL's snow note. I don't know what it is, but I'm pinning it on the "winter air" mixed with amber. I get nothing of the pumpkin pie, and I'm actually rather glad that these other notes are not overwhelmed by buttery spice. It's different from your average Christmas scent, as others have said. It does fade a little fast than I would expect though.

This seems to be somewhere between Snow White (not a favorite) and Snow-Flakes (kinda like it) on me. There's this slightly rubbery powder-mint overlay though, which seems to kill any possibility of it being okay. I don't get any pine or woods at all except a faint mustiness in the background. It's somehow... dry... for a snow scent. Much, much later (like 3 hours later) it's somewhat better. More just a general "cool" smell with a hint of rosy warmth at the base. Unfortunately, the long-term dry down is not awesome enough that I feel like going through the odd musty mint stages. I don't think this one likes me much.

Well, I was considering an unsniffed bottle of Harlequin & Columbine, but I'm really glad I didn't go for it. It smells like the candle aisle the craft store at Christmastime and someone just finished mopping the floor with industrial cleaner. And then threw sawdust down for some reason. In terms of real notes, I suppose I'm getting almost all lemon and cedar with some sort of generic "fruit and spice." Damn, I wanted lots redcurrant, sage, rosewood and pomegranate, but it's a lost cause almost from the beginning. It may do something in the long-term dry-down, but this is pretty hateful to me right now. Too bad!

Blast of nostalgia! I'm trying to place why I feel like I'm in 8th grade when I smell this scent. I didn't wear perfume. Maybe it smells like a perfume someone I knew wore? I'm specifically picturing school. And my sole-male-friend-at-the-time's basement. ... none of that is helpful as a review for other people, is it? It's actually really good. No, it does not smell like sweaty adolescent cheap mall perfume as my scent-memory-associations may suggest, but it does have a more "traditional" or "mainstream" appeal, I think (just better and BPAL-ified). The vanilla is so far from gourmand it's kind of amazing, but it's still recognizable as vanilla. It's a cloudy, misty vanilla. Maybe vanilla flower. I'm also getting an unexpected hint of lemonade. I say lemonade because it is not sharp lemon, it's a sweet, mirror-smooth, very diluted citrus. Maybe that's coming from one of the unspecified summer flowers. The musk strikes me as being somewhere between white musk and skin musk. Amber almost never does go powdery on me, but I think whatever this variety is might be even less prone to powderiness than usual-- the amber's unusual and almost shiny in its texture. I agree with the comparison Cheri made to Giant Vulva, but this is more floral and not as bold. Different enough that I don't mind owning both of them. It's very pale and very sophisticated. The overall effect of The First of the Three Spirits is like... porcelain. Porcelain perfume.

Thanks, guys! The East alarms me a bit with its freesia, but I think I would try it as it does sound like it could have a similar "feel." I have a decant of Enchanted Wood Florist around here somewhere, and I remember being lukewarm about it, but I'll give it another test. Under the Harvest Moon actually sounds the most promising, so I'll have to hunt some down!

I'll start this party (or funeral, rather) by asking for some Fairy Marketish and Yvainesque recommendations. Thoughts?

In the bottle, I thought this smelled rather similar to The Elephantine Colossus, which I really like. Good start. On me, however, it's a different story. The red musk is a little questionable here. Red musk generally works for me and I love it when it does, but this seems to be one of those few blends where it's indefinably "not right" on me. It's a little grapey and medicinal. A very hard, harsh, flat note. I don't get any vanilla cream or tea at all, and the pie and pepper combination is a little odd. Like ground black pepper on berry pie. With grape cough syrup. I'm going to let this hibernate for a little bit and I'll try it again in a couple weeks, but right now I'm not enjoying it. I'm surprised and disappointed, as this was the one out of the whole update that I thought was the most sure to work. Alas.

I'm getting a lot of razor sharp lemon. I say razor sharp because certain lemon notes almost seem to hurt when I sniff really close. I get something kind of green and ozoney in the background, but it's not breaking through the citrus and is a little bland regardless. Sigh. I had high hopes for this one!

Unfortunately, this is all bitter coffee and generic foodiness on my skin. I was hoping for a paler pumpkin-milk-vanilla thing, but no such luck. It's all spiced black coffee with a hint of gooey caramel-- which isn't terrible, exactly, just not what I really want to wear. If you're looking for a dark, sultry foody blend, this is probably for you, but it's a little harsh and artificial on me.

I love this in the bottle. It smells so gentle and authentic, like how a room filled with old-timey festivities might actually smell-- not really stylized or exaggerated. There's a faint suggestion of hot savory food, but it's mostly warm, dry woods and resins. Really natural and unassuming. Now let's see what it does on the skin! Right off the bat, there's some ginger that I didn't get in the bottle at all. Ginger, a tiny suggestion of clove, and bundles of dried fruits (dried apricot and apple maybe?), so apparently the mince pies are really leaping out at this point. The wood smells a little harsher and more manly (like it's been soaked in a few decades of smoke and spilled stout) without the sweet, more innocent bite of evergreen I sense in the bottle. The resins are also blacker, cloudier and... stickier, somehow. I feel like there's a hint of tobacco or even opium? The spiced fruits of the pies fade as the oil dries. It's very evocative. I think it does accurately depict the "work-hard-play-hard" rustic atmosphere of that passage (no high-minded Victorian luxuries at this dance!), but it also puts me in mind of all the slightly shady (but homey) inns that appear in fantasy novels. It's a late autumn night, you've been journeying for weeks, sleeping on the ground, and here's this inn with a big hearth, oak benches, roasting food and prize-winning beer. Can't beat that. Makes me wish it was a room spray* instead of a perfume, but it's still a keeper. *ETA: And, OMG, it IS. I love life.

Wow, this is not what I expected! I think from the description, I was imagining something darker and a little dirtier, but Black Opal is sleek, shiny and gemlike indeed. It's a sheer, translucent vanilla-powder-musk... a little soapy, very "tame," but undeniably pleasant and somehow not boring. I usually instantly dislike anything that seems "powdery" to me, but this is actually rather good. The smell reminds me of playing dress up as a kid-- the old clothes we used had a faint perfumey smell, and this is very close to it.

Sweet cinders and a hint of thick, spicy beer. It's actually not really strong despite the boldness of those notes, and stays kind of close to the skin on me. Rather like the ghost of scent that hovers after you've been sitting around a fire the night before. It's very comfortable, homey, and a little masculine-- but a not-too-serious, teddy bear sort of masculine. Really nice.

I have the strangest impression of this as smelling of chocolate oranges. I don't think it's literally a chocolate note, but something about the vanilla, nutmeg, and possibly patchouli is translating to something smooth, earthy and chocolaty. I don't sense much of the pomegranate or redcurrant, and the red musk is definitely there, though not as strong as I expected. There is something of Mme. Moriarty in Luxuria, but it's a softer, more gourmand scent. Very nice, round, serenely sexy scent. I especially love that the nutmeg is really distinguishable and not lost among other, stronger spices. And, as always, the bath oil formula is wonderful in the bath or shower-- sheer, mildly moisturizing, not in the least sticky or greasy.