crebbsgirl

I'm hoping someone can help me here. I have recently fallen head over heels in love with Black Lace. As it's ridiculously hard to come by and apparently I suck at Ebay, I need a good recommendation. BL on me is all dirty smutty, vanilla. I think it's a combination of the boozy cognac and tobacco and musk that makes it quite so awesome. Does anyone have any recommendations for dirty vanilla-y scents? I'm not looking for foody here. Most of the comparisons to BL from the wonderful list that ivyandpeony compiled are too clean-smelling for me. (Black Lace: Antique Lace, Euterpe (dc), Dorian, Haloes, Black Opal, Zephyr, Desire, Anactoria, The Sailors’ Den, The Antikythera Mechanism, Galvanic Goggles) I'm not looking for something that necessarily smells like BL, more like something that has the same vibe.

Alright, I've worn this twice now before reviewing because I thought for sure I was missing something here. I mean *this* is one of the most sought after scents of the forum, but I was left feeling rather... indifferent. Don't get me wrong, this is sexy as hell. It smells to me like the offspring of Scherezade and aged Snake Oil. I get just a hint of coconut, but I can't detect any black plum at all. This is all amber-y vanilla-y musky goodness. I just don't get all the hype.

I think I'm in love. I swooned when I first applied this. I was a huge WitW fan as a child and still am to this day. Badger was always my favourite character but I think I may love Mole's scent more. This is predominantly soft mosses, and the sandalwood lends a touch of spice here. The patchouli add a bit of earthy depth here. This starts out *almost* cologney but it never quite gets there. As it dries, it gets deeper and softer at the same time. This is a comforting scent. Cozy and cuddly like a warm flannel shirt that your significant other has spent years breaking in and now you're the one who wears it exclusively.

I was so excited to try this when the WiW update went up. I have really fond memories of my mom reading this book to me as a little girl, and I recently found my copy from when I was a child and have been revisiting it. Badger was always my favourite character so when he was introduced as a scent I knew I had to try him. This is a very earthy scent indeed. But warm, and a little spicy. There's definitely a herbaceous note here, and it's a touch dry. I find this blend to be very comforting, but that may be my own associations with the inspiration.

This one was mainly frankincense on me. Wet, there was a pine or cedar like vibe and as it dries, there's a polished wood feel to this blend. Throughout the drydown, it was predominantly frankincense. Very warm and incensey, but on me, this lacks depth.

On me, this blend was vaguely reminiscent of The Caterpillar. I suspect the moss/earth/incense combination. As it dries. I can detect jasmine predominantly (I'm not even sure if Jasmine is in this blend, but I can tell you that's exactly what I smell!). For the rest of the drydown, this turns into a pretty strong floral for me. I'm not a florals person.

I cannot wear violets. I think I have come to accept this. Sybaris was my last hope at wearing a violet scent and on me, this note is entirely too screeching. I thought the cloves and incense would temper the violet nicely, but on me, it was all violet, all the time. After many hours (I think approximately 4 or 5) the clove and incense finally made an appearance, but only subtly.

I had super high hopes for this because wet, I got red musk and faint roses. However, as it dried, this was screaming ROSE as per usual on me. I couldn't detect the amber or musk at all on me. Damn skin chemistry.

Wet, this was all red musk. As it dried, however, some note came out here that caused my fiance to become horrifically nauseous. I have no idea what, as to my nose, this was wonderful. The caramel accord was sweet without being overly foody, and the spices added a wonderful dimension and the honey note in this is to die for. To bad it inspired such a horrible reaction in the boy, or this would have been in my top 10 for sure.

This was a little sharp for my tastes, I suspect there might have been green sandalwood in here, which notoriously smells sharp to my nose. Piercing even. I was expecting something a little smoother and something in here was very discordant to my nose. The dragon's blood was it's usually mellow, sweet self, but something wasn't jiving.

This may be the only rose blend I've liked. The dragon's blood resin adds a sweet fruitiness to the rose. The entire blend is very round and warm. The drydown is beautiful, and it seems to last forever.

The florals ruin this one for me I think. Wet, this is very musky and dark. Musks, vetiver and patchouli are all dominant notes here. However, as it dries, this blend takes on a distinctly perfume-y vibe which I attribute to the florals. The dark and smoky notes are still there, but they seem to be providing a base for the florals. And then the violet comes out. I am beginning to think my skin amps violet, because for the duration of the drydown, it's all I can really smell.

This starts out pretty heavy on the vetiver for me but it soon clears out. As it dries, I get a wonderous vetiver and patchouli scent. This one is pretty dark and just a tad bitter. The fig lends a bit of sweetness to the blend that prevents it from being too bitter. Overall the vibe is smoky/earthy and rather complex. I was prepared to write this one off, but the longer it sits on my skin, the more I'm really digging it. It's unlike anything I've smelled before.

Wet this scent bore a striking resemblance to Blood Kiss on me. I think it's probably the wine note. As it dried the red musk started to show up a little more. However, the weirdest thing happened. It went all grape on me. Like, Grape Crush. In fact, my fiance from across the room told me I was making him crave grape soda. So, I don't think I'll be wearing this again, as Grape Soda is not a scent I would like to smell like.

I get mandarin and clove notes predominantly here. Which is awesome because both very much smell like Yule to me. There is an undercurrent of musk/dark spice/smoke that lends an air of desolation and foreboding to the blend. This is by no means a cheerful scent. I can faintly detect rosewood, but only if I'm really looking for it. I cannot detect the nutmeg at all. I really expected this scent to be a little heavier, but the throw on me is minimal. It's nice, but I don't think I'll be purchasing a bottle.

This is truly a stunning blend. It opens with the snowy pine and a bit of a herbaceous tinge. The flowers are very very subtle, not overpowering in the slightest. As it dries, the musk comes out more and adds a depth to the blend. What little floral there was to begin with fades into the background and the pine note blends with the musk to provide a slightly cologne-y feel without being overtly so.

I thought I was really going to like this one. Unfortunately, I don't think hazelnut plays well with my skin. That seems to be the only new note in this blend, I've had positive results with amber, myrrh, red sandalwood, honey and vanilla bean. When I first put it on, this is very nutty, and as it dries, it takes on an odd undertone. The top notes seem to smell pleasant enough but on me there seems to be a disconcerting base that smells, well, off for lack of a better description. Almost locker room/plasticky kind-of. Unfortunate, because I thought for sure based on notes I had a winner.

Can we chat about this scent? I have been coveting it ever since I first read it's description and never in a million years thought I would ever get to try it. And then, some wonderful forumite frimped me with a testable sniffie. I simulatneously love her and hate her for it because LFV is GORGEOUS on me. It starts out green, with the melissa and the hyssop, and a touch herbal (I think that must be the wormwood) but with a creamy tone to it. As it dries, the vanilla musk comes out a little more and the honey settles in, resulting in a green spiced version of O. Now, if only I can find more.

I didn't want to love this because it's so hard to find. I was looking at the notes thinking "Maybe Lemon or Rosemary will totally ruin this for me, and then I can just forget about it." Nope. Mead Moon is AWESOME! Wet, it's all sweet honey goodness, and as it starts to dry the herbs and spices and ginger come out and just make it beautiful. I love Mead Moon. It's sweet and spicy and creamy and wonderfully warm.

Oh I was so hoping I wouldn't fall in love with this, because it's so hard to find. And I did. Ugh. This is the perfect dirty vanilla on me it's not even funny. The tobacco and incense smoke are GORGEOUS in this, and the Indian musk sullies up the vanilla is such an unbelievably sexy way. This is slinky and sinister and darkly beautiful. I want to roll around with myself I smell so freaking good. GAH! It's so not fair

This was delicious cinnamon clovey goodness with a kick of white pepper to it. The predominant note seemed to be cinnamon on me, with the clove serving as the base here. The white pepper was wafting throughout, so that one could only catch hints of it here and there. Overall it was everything I wanted in a spicy comforting blend. Unfortunately, I seem to be allergic as I broke out in ugly red welts wherever I had dabbed it.

Another blend that went ROSE!! on me. Although this one went through a drydown of ROSE!!! Then ROSEY JASMINE!! Then ROSEY JASMINE woods!!! and that was it. If rose is a predominant note, I can't wear it.

On me, this was predominately jasmine. There was also a rose note. I think I could faintly detect the dragon's blood resin in there, but not enough to save the blend for me.

This is actually a fig blend that doesn't go wonky on me. Wet, this is all dried fruits - fig and dates - with an undercurrent of black spices and herbs. Very dry smelling and dark. As it dries, the currant comes out and provides a juicy dimension here, making this scent a little sweeter and rounder feeling. I like it, but it's not a favourite.

This started out the same way O starts out on my skin. Creamy honey. And then we get to a screaming ROSE phase. I was tempted to wash it off at that point but I kept with it. I'm glad I did, I ended up going shopping and all afternoon I kept smelling something delicious. It wasn't until I got home that I figures out it was me! The carnation had come out and provided a bit of a spicy kick, and the bergamot lent a hint of brightness to the blend, undercutting the sweetness of the milk and honey.