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hlinspjalda

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Everything posted by hlinspjalda

  1. hlinspjalda

    Fig and White Sandalwood Hair Gloss

    This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. I'm good with both fig and sandalwood scents, so I thought this one might go well with a lot of my collection. It is a very understated scent, almost reserved. On my hair it's got very little throw but a whole lot of staying power; I could smell it all day. The sandalwood note is delicate, contributing a soft dryness rather than an overt woody presence. But what makes this scent delightful is the fig note. It smells like a fresh Turkish fig just before you bite into it. It's not juicy, not honeyish, not heavy at all like, say, the fig in Hetairae or Lucifer. It's almost floral, soft, beguiling. I'm not sure what I'd choose from my collection to wear with this, probably other sandalwood blends that include light fruit. Some days I might be content just to wear this by itself with an optional scent locket; it's that good.
  2. hlinspjalda

    Honey Hair Gloss

    This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. I'm a honey lover and honey features in many of my favorite bath and perfume oils. This was the first of my hair gloss decants that I tested. The honey note is very heavy-lidded and smouldering in this one. It seems to have musky notes and something very almond-like in it as well. It reminds me very strongly of the Lupanar atmo spray, Valse Finale et Apotheose, and Kypris. This one seems to have a whole lot of throw (as opposed to Fig and White Sandalwood which had almost no throw), and a lot of staying power. The first time I used it I used much too much through my own cluelessness, and my bedroom smelt of honey for three days! Even though I'm fond of honey scents, I don't think I'll be using this one a lot. I'd rather not wear something this heavy around my face. ETA: The morning after I used this hair gloss, my hair smelled very much like Ü Mutter Museum; that was a surprise! So I put on some Ü and spent a day smelling really coordinated.
  3. hlinspjalda

    L’Eau du Chagrin Bath Oil

    I got a decant of this. In the vial it smells very herbal, but with an intriguing peek of orchid. In the shower, made into a homemade sugar scrub, this is hardcore lavender with a bit of support from geranium. But when I get out of the shower, it's all floral: geranium mostly, but very restrained now, with a soft white rose underpinning. I am very taken by this one. I like the intensity of the lavender and the way it turns so soft, light, and pretty afterward. I picked up a bottle of this; it's my favorite from that series.
  4. hlinspjalda

    Pyriphlegethonian Pomegranate Atmosphere Spray

    I have to both agree and disagree with VioletChaos here. Priphlegethonian Pomegranate reminds me of Red Lantern quite a lot. But I also think they smell a lot alike. I think I'm noticing the opium and tobacco notes similarly; the minute I sprayed it I thought of Red Lantern. Instead of the caramel soft note of Red Lantern, though, there's a sprightly tart red fruit note. It's as puckery as pomegranate jellybeans! However, Red Lantern was never so dark as this one. Red Lantern has a perky sort of "let's all have afternoon tea at the opium den" vibe to it. This one, though, is more like "let's make this gaping maw of Hell smell good, shall we?" It succeeds beautifully, but it's dark. It's really dark. I liked it, and it wasn't too dark for me. Still, I had to swap away the bottle I bought because it was too dark for my family's tastes.
  5. hlinspjalda

    Butterfly Nectar Bath Oil

    I do well with honey and many florals. While Tomoe Gozen bath oil scratches my itch for a honey scent quite nicely, I wanted something a bit more floral and less fruity, without being as intense as Xmvlzencab, so I tried Butterfly Nectar. In the bottle it smells like a deliciously floral honey. I made my decant into sugar scrub which is now my favorite way to use a BPTP bath oil. My skin is very dry, and this is the best method I've ever found to keep my skin soft and moist. So when I used this particular sugar scrub, it blossomed into a whole garden of delightful florals. I couldn't pin down most of them, but after a while the overall impression was honey gathered from creamy soft white florals -- not jasmine, not white rose, something more like orchids and a touch of honeysuckle. Unfortunately, the scent of this bath oil doesn't stay as long on my skin as some of the other ones do. But it perfumed the entire top floor of my house when I used it, which was awesome. After a while I decided it was glorious, even though fleeting, and I've acquired more. I would love it if this came back every summer along with the Metamorphosis. If it were GC, I'd buy it regularly.
  6. hlinspjalda

    Fetish.Goth

    I bought a bottle of this unsniffed on the strength of the notes. In the bottle: Patchouli, myrrh, and something clovelike. I could love this. Wet: So far, so good. Half an hour: More myrrh than anything else. There's still something sharply pungent and clovelike, but it is kept in check by the resinous notes. There is patchouli, slightly mentholated. I have the impression it is going to go sweeter as it ages on my skin. End of day: This stayed true and tasty all day, with myrrh and patchouli and something clovey. The leather never showed up, and it never went sweet the way skin musk sometimes does. This has been the best of all the .Goth scents I've tried.
  7. hlinspjalda

    PEXO

    I purchased a bottle of this unsniffed from the Etsy site based on the reviews here. In the bottle: Spicy and a bit tart. Reminds me just a bit of Lamia prototype, kind of clovey. Wet: Clove and an anise or licorice note. Might be a wood in there too. Half an hour: Softer and creamier now, but still clove with an anise note. I'm getting something sweeter now, more like a honey note -- but a floral one, I think, not a sugary one. I quite like this. One hour: Honey or something floral like that, with clove and spice. There's a wood in here also, though, and it works well on me so I'm guessing cedar or sassafras. I am really pleased with this one. Two and a half hours: Honey and spice with a bit of wood. It's much lighter now. This is a cosy, wintery sort of scent, good for curling up with on cold nights. Five hours: Mostly gone. But it's a soft honeyed woody impression with spice, maybe allspice, clove, and anise.
  8. hlinspjalda

    Iron Phoenix v2

    In the vial: Floral and metal. It reminds me of Metal Phoenix, only with something like a dirt note added. Wet: Very heavy floral, ozone, and metal notes now, with much less of the dirt impression. Half an hour: Now the dirt impression is back, and it's still floral and ozone. The metal note has faded, or mutated maybe. I think this is going to be too ozone for me to wear. One hour: It's blended down now into something that's quite smooth and even. I get a white floral (kind of soapy) and faint metal, ozone, and dirt notes. It reads shiny and white, though, definitely polished iron in my case. Two hours: The floral is quite light now, still with a soapy aspect. More ozone and metal now, still with a touch of dirt. Three hours: Lighter still. This has worked on me better than I expected, but it's not a scent I'd wear except for conceptual reasons. The second hour was pretty good, though. Four hours: Light soapy scent with a tinge of metallic.
  9. hlinspjalda

    Citrinitas v4

    I bought a bottle of this unsniffed. In the bottle: Bright, fruity, but also creamy with floral overtones. Wet: Orangey, but offbeat, like yuzu or kumquat. There's something flat in it, like maybe orchid, that gives it the creamy base and pungent top note. Compelling. Half an hour: Smooth creamy floral with citrus overtones. This smells very Asian to me, like the lunar new year scents. One hour: This smells very much like Vampire Tears to me right now. Two and a half hours: Smooth, powdery, sweet, faintly floral. The citrus overtones are barely perceptible. This stage reminds me a bit of Giant Vulva and Velvet Nudie. Three and a half hours: That powder is amber, I think. This has gone over to a sweet, gentle, faintly floral powdery amber scent. Six hours: Still light, slightly floral, powdery amber. Very sweet, cheerful, warm, creamy. I usually can't wear orange notes, but this one worked fine. I like it more than I thought I would.
  10. hlinspjalda

    PPV662

    I got to try this at a meet 'n sniff. On me it is sweetly honey-like. It might be an intense floral, or more possibly the "golden honey" note because it's slightly powdery on me like the "golden honey" note is. Reminds me a bit of Giant Vulva, maybe beeswax or a flowering grass note?
  11. hlinspjalda

    Hime Gyaru

    I bought a bottle of this unsniffed because it has a lot of notes that are good on me. Wary of the pink musk (not usually very good on me) and the violet leaf (sometimes sours). In the bottle: Floral at first, with two distinct notes, and then I get the fruit. Not noticing musk or sugar, though. Wet: Fruit first, but with a strong white rose element. Interesting that the gardenia has fallen back. But it's not well blended yet, rather piercing. I may not be able to wear this one if the gardenia doesn't behave. Half an hour: A very nice fruity musky floral, less sweet than many despite the sugar. I think the tannic violet leaf note is what's keeping it in control. I love the fruit-musk-floral combination better than any other, so this is nice. It is somewhat more girlish than many, though. Two hours: Now it's a somewhat sweeter fruity floral musk. The balance has shifted toward musk and away from the gardenia. The white rose mostly just adds depth to the sweetness rather than behaving like rose. I like this, but it may be too girly for me. Twelve hours: This stayed nice the whole time on me. It's definitely at least a four. But it's also definitely too frilly for me style-wise. In that way it reminds me of Sugar Plum Fairy: lovely with my chemistry, but just not my idiom.
  12. hlinspjalda

    Boystyle Aristocrat

    I bought a bottle of this unsniffed because I love patchouli and bergamot even though orris is a bit scary. In the bottle: Delicious citrusy patchouli, with something warm beneath. Wet: Bergamot and spice, with a touch of menthol that must be the patchouli. Not as warm or smooth as in the bottle; it may be too sharp for me. Time will tell. Half an hour: A very rich, spiced patchouli with citrus. Normally patchouli is round and chewy on me; this is attenuated, but no less itself. I think the orris has not so much softened as etherealized it. It's working better than I thought it was going to when I put it on. Two hours: I really like this one very much. It's patchouli without being aggressive, citrusy without sourness or the crittery note, and just a bit warmly spicy. It is a boy scent on me, though, not just a boy-style one. Twelve hours: still lightly present. I have liked this one. It is at least a four on me. I found this one really compelling in a way that reminded me a bit of Spider. On two separate occasions I have gotten a bit on my hand, and I compulsively sniffed my fingers for hours and hours afterwards just like I did the time I got Spider on my hand. Boystyle Aristocrat is more elegant and reserved than Spider, but to me it has the same self-confidence to it.
  13. hlinspjalda

    Post-Mortem Laureatus

    I missed the Pickman Gallery scents when they came out. Later I swapped for a decant of this because the notes looked really good for me. In the vial: White amber and a green balsamic note with some herb. This smells delicious. Wet: Nice. Reminds me of Ded Moroz, Euganean Hills, and Hermes Trismegistus (three of my best green scents), only with a more creamy-earthy base. Half an hour: The creamy note is stronger and more floral now, with a touch of crittery musk. There is also a dark, bitter green note. But I also still get the very white amber/balsam impression. I really like this. Hour and a half: I swear there's more to this scent than wood and ivy. However, I really like the green note, so I am going to try looking for ivy in other blends and see if that's what it is. As for this scent, I could do with a bottle. It's a nice change from all the sweet blends that do well on me. Three hours: This one is lovely, all right. It has the impression of dry leaves I get from The Wild Swans at Coole, but there's something smooth underneath as well as some really elegant, lean sandalwood. Five hours: Still very nice. I eventually tracked down a bottle of this. I can't generally wear straight sandalwood scents, but I love them when there's a strong compensating note. This makes a lovely change from my more usual floral-sandalwood scents.
  14. hlinspjalda

    Great Vampire Bat

    I commissioned a decant of this. In the vial: A flat orchidy note, but with a hint of spicy sweetness in it. No impression of incense. Appealing. Wet: Much waftier now, more of a throw than most. Reminiscent of lily. Reminds me a bit of the floral note in Iambe, also. One hour: A very pleasant soft round orchidy scent. I can see why so many people are screaming about this one. Three hours: Beautiful orchid note that seems, if anything, to be intensifying the longer it's on me. I would definitely get a bottle of this if I could find one. But since they're scarcer than hen's teeth, I'm going to hoard my decant and wear it very sparingly.
  15. hlinspjalda

    Mori Girl

    I bought a bottle of this unsniffed. I kind of went out on a limb for it, because even though I'm good with honey and night-blooming jasmine, wisteria and various woods can be problematic. In the bottle: Rich dark floral with honey and wood. Smells very deep and intensely floral but without being headachy or cloying. Of all four AnimeCon exclusives, this one appeals to me most from the bottle. Wet: Oh that's lovely. The jasmine and wisteria have melded into one floral note which the honey enriches. I seem to have a blind spot for the scent of tuberose, though; I can never identify it in a perfume. I don't know if this is going to work on my skin or not, but right now it's giving the impression that it could be quite wonderful if it matures in the right direction. Two hours: Dark, definitely dark and woody, but also jasminey with a touch of honey. I can't decide whether it's too woody or whether it's just perfect. It's definitely one of the best expressions of night-blooming jasmine I've tried, if not the best. [Except that later Blauer Mond came out even better on me. But still, it's very very good on me.] Twelve hours: I kept huffing this one all day. It is such a delightfully shady, almost somber expression of the florals. The tinge of honey stayed present the whole time but never turned it into a honey scent. Of all the AnimeCon scents, this is the one that liked my skin best. It's the only one of the four I'm keeping.
  16. hlinspjalda

    Parker Lily

    A very generous B-pal shared this with me. In the vial: Musk and lilies, but there's something else in here that I should be recognizing but don't. Wet: Heavenly honeyed lily over a rich musky base. Extremely sexy. One hour: It is still sweet, but it no longer reminds me of the Tiger Lily honeyed note. It's not the green, Daylilies at the Bottom of the Stairs lily note, nor Imperious Tiger-Lily either. It's not stargazer lily either. Instead, it's a darker, spicier, more hard-edged note against a thick background of sweet musk. Maybe that's black musk? This is dark, compelling, rich, and just a bit scary. Two hours: Okay, this is starting to remind me of, let's see. Storyville and Black Lace, for sure; it's the same kind of vanilla, maybe boozy note. Also I'm getting The Illustrated Woman as well as Voodoo; I think it's the interplay of pine and vanilla, maybe patchouli too. Because there's definitely an evergreen note and a touch of patchouli. But over that is the slightly sharp, dark lily note. The base seems musky, maybe a really rich skin musk because it also reminds me of both Velvet Nudie and Giant Vulva. Hmmm, maybe that's sugar cane too? Or beeswax? At any rate, this is deliciously complex, dark, sweet. Four hours: The patchouli, pine, and lily have cut back now. I'm left mostly with the softer notes, the skin musk, the sugar cane/beeswax, and just a touch of vanilla. I have been cooking and cleaning as I tested, so my wrist has been subjected to a lot of steam and water, which might account for the fading. I never got anything that read as red musk on my skin. Nor did I pick up on much in the way of fruit. But this was spectacular on me anyway -- probably the most expensive perfume I'll ever love.
  17. hlinspjalda

    Gobo

    I don't usually do well with vanilla cream notes, nor with some of the citrus notes. I don't expect this one to work well on me. In the vial: Like a really high-quality creamsicle with very prominent citrus rind notes. Wet: Powerful yet smooth citrus rind. Not sweet at all, and the cream note is reading a bit boozy on me. This smells a bit like a Tom Collins or some other gin and fruit beverage. One hour: Much softer now, no longer like a gin drink. The citrus rind impression holds, though, only now it's more like an orange ice cream soda than anything else. Two hours: The vanilla cream note is stronger now. The citrus notes have blurred together into a general impression of citrus rind, without the pronounced orange impression of before. It still smells rather like an ice cream soda, but now it's made with vanilla ice cream instead of orange sherbet. Three hours: The vanilla cream is still running the show here, and the citrus rind is the backup. It definitely smells like some sort of a sweet creamy citrus beverage, as it has all along. Most of the time I couldn't tell the various citrus components apart; to me it read mostly as an orange rather than a lemon or grapefruit rind. But it never turned on me the way lots of citrus notes do. Even the cream note stayed manageable on my skin. I am very impressed with all the Fraggle scents, even the ones that are not right for my skin.
  18. hlinspjalda

    Wembley

    I was nervous about this one because I really dislike banana notes in perfume. But I do very well with musk, honey, and many fruits. In the vial: Very sweet banana-pineapple. Wet: Wow, what a change! Honey-musk and pineapple. There's a shaving of green on top, but nothing I could call mint. Where in the world did all that banana go? One hour: Very sweet honey-musk with a touch of pineapple. Two hours: This seems to have settled on honey-musk pineapple, all right. It is very sweet, but in a honey-musk sort of way, not in a juicy pineapple sort of way. Three hours: Very stable honey-musk pineapple. Given the way my skin loves honey and musk, this will probably go on pretty much unchanged for several more hours. This scent is as sweet as dear Wembley himself! I think this is the most I've ever enjoyed pineapple in a blend.
  19. hlinspjalda

    Uncle Travelling Matt

    In the vial: Floralish fruit notes and a touch of chocolate. This smells a bit like one of the Thirteens. Wet: Quince and pear, over a flat base that's sort of like fig. Fig always goes very thick on me; while this has the impression of a figgy substrate, it's not nearly as thick as usual. But on me this is definitely a fruity scent, not a chocolate one. One hour: Surprisingly ethereal, this is mostly a lightly floral fruit scent. I'm not getting any chocolate and very little vanilla. The pear and quince notes read very floral rather than juicy-sweet. There's a sort of thick tangy sweetness in the background that I assume is fig. Two hours: The tangy sweet note is stronger; it smells like a dried fig now, but it does not have the thick powdery sweetness of some other fig notes (as in Hetairae and Lucifer). The quince note is strong too, although trending toward fruit rather than floral. I'm getting almost no vanilla and no chocolate, so this seems to have settled into a mature fruity scent. Three hours: Lighter now, but still pretty much unchanged. The fruit notes are soft rather than sharp or juicy, and at this point some soft vanilla is beginning to emerge from behind the fruit. Normally my skin absorbs chocolate notes, so I'm not surprised that the chocolate didn't last on me. I enjoyed the quince-pear pairing, though; both of those fruits have delicious floral overtones. The fig note is unusual, lighter and tangier than the usual. I enjoyed this more than I enjoy most chocolate blends.
  20. hlinspjalda

    Doozers

    In the vial: Sand and radishes, but with something behind them that's rather like a floral. Wet: Lots of the wet dirt note, similar to Gorg's Garden, but overlaid with something sparkly and metallic, like mica sand. There is definitely a dry impression here that goes with the dirt even though the dirt note itself smells wet to me. There's more of a pungency to this one than to Gorg's Garden, also, like the concentrated radish dust which is the raw material of a Doozer construction. One hour: Still the glittery dry note atop the wet dirt note. There's something very thick and soft underneath, though, something creamy and perhaps floral like an orchid note. Although the pungency is still there, the soft notes are definitely winning. This is a very interesting counterpoint of soft and sparkly impressions. Two hours: It's really bugging me that I cannot put a finger on the sweet creamy flat note that's at the bottom of this scent. It's very pretty, though. Above it are the wet dirt and the sandy note, as before; the pungent note seems to have died back into something rooty or woody. Overall the impression is softly creamy and rooty. I am fascinated by this one! Three hours: Each of the unusual notes -- wet dirt, glittery dry sand, rooty -- is much less obvious now, leaving the underlying creamy smooth floral in charge. Is that perhaps a musky note? It is very gentle and peaceful, tending a shade toward powdery. This one definitely has been a morpher on me. I don't usually gravitate toward the dry earthy/sandy scents, which is what I expected this one to be, but it really surprised me. I particularly like the endgame of this one.
  21. hlinspjalda

    Mokey

    I tried this even though I was pretty much guaranteed not to like it based on notes. But Mokey is my favorite Fraggle, so I had to give her scent a try! In the vial: Violet, orris, and osmanthus. Not promising for my chemistry. Wet: The purple/blue notes are intensifying. This is not going to love me, alas. One hour: Mostly osmanthus now, with a touch of violet sugar that smells like a violet-flavored sugar pastille. Definitely falls well outside my range. Two hours: Much softer now, less sharp inside my brain. It's mostly a soft violet/orris with some osmanthus on top. I could see this as something people would desire, but I can't wear it. Three hours: Pure violet now, but very soft and pretty. If it had been like this all along, I would have been able to wear it. The violet note was never a problem as I feared it would be. Even the osmanthus, so often headache-inducing, was pretty mellow in this scent. The orris wasn't as rooty as it often goes on me. In fact, for a purple/blue/ultraviolet scent, this is definitely the prettiest and best blended I've experienced. It's just that I can't wear scents in this range, alas.
  22. hlinspjalda

    Boober

    I too am a huge fan of the linden note but haven't quite found the perfect expression of it yet. (Cottonmouth is the best on me so far.) I have high hopes for Boober. In the vial: Honey-sweet linden. Beautiful! Wet: I actually think I may have found a linden I can wear. Oh, I hope so! One hour: At first it was all warm sweet linden. Now that it's set in a bit, there's something a bit soapy about it, perhaps a light lily or geranium note. There's also something else I was thinking about absently as I did other things, then realized what it was. There's an aquatic note in here. And then I thought, well duh, of course there is, it's laundry!!! But the aquatic is light enough that it doesn't give me any trouble. I'm fine with lightly soapy notes, especially if it means I still get the linden. The linden is very light but consistent. Two hours: Less aquatic now, this scent is now a soapy duet with the linden. There's something a little darker in there now, too, something almost woody-spicy like aniseed or fennel. Three hours: Slightly warm, slightly woody, mature linden. It's a sort of floral-honey impression, only very light. I am surprised how little in evidence the vanilla has been in this scent -- which is fine with me. Even a little vanilla can dominate a scent for me, and I haven't had that problem with this one at all. I expect I will get a bottle of Boober; that linden note is irresistible.
  23. hlinspjalda

    Red

    Red was my first choice of Fraggle scents because I do well with fruity musks. Red currant is a note of love for me. I'm less good with pink musk, specifically, and haven't been able to wear any of the scents including it. In the vial: Very fruity, a touch astringent, a slight tickle. Mouth-watering. Wet: Fruity-warm, with a musky impression and something a bit sparkly. One hour: Warm light musk and fruit, more cranberry than currant now. The pink pepper seems to add a bit of woodiness at the outside of the scent, but no more. Two hours: Softer now, a very pleasant warm soft fruity scent. This is Red at her supportive, loyal, optimistic best rather than her manic, chaotic moments. I like it. Three hours: A very close, soft, fruit light musk. This is the best pink musk has ever been on me! Although this isn't going to be the best red currant scent in my drawer (I prefer them with more wood notes), it's plenty good enough that I will want more.
  24. hlinspjalda

    Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah

    Kindness begets kindness. Holy hyssop, red apple, massoia bark, and pomegranate with eight different types of honey that represent the sweetness of life and new beginnings. In the bottle: Tangy sweet honey, with a nice fruity warmth beneath. Wet: Pom and honey. It is warmer than expected, very sweet almost like sticky candy, but with a deliciously complex aspect for something that appears so sweet. Half an hour: Soft, incredibly beautiful honey with some wood beneath. I was afraid for the red apple note, which is sometimes too Yankee Candle for me, but it's either not present or blending in seamlessly. I hope it stays like this! Two hours: Remarkably soft sweet honey, well balanced so it's not sugary or cloying or heady. I love this. Five hours: Stayed true, but light. Mostly gone now. I wonder if this would be a good cosmetic scent? The early honey note is so wonderful! I wound up acquiring several bottles of this; it is my go-to honey scent.
  25. hlinspjalda

    Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah

    In the bottle: Tangy sweet honey, with a nice fruity warmth beneath. Wet: Pom and honey. It is warmer than expected, very sweet almost like sticky candy, but with a deliciously complex aspect for something that appears so sweet. Half an hour: Soft, incredibly beautiful honey with some wood beneath. I was afraid for the red apple note, which is sometimes too Yankee Candle for me, but it's either not present or blending in seamlessly. I hope it stays like this! Two hours: Remarkably soft sweet honey, well balanced so it's not sugary or cloying or heady. I love this. Five hours: Stayed true, but light. Mostly gone now. I wonder if this would be a good cosmetic scent? The early honey note is so wonderful! I wound up acquiring several bottles of this; it is my go-to honey scent.
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