wichapi

KNECHT RUPRECHT I came here from the forest I tell you, it is a very holy night! All over the tips of the firs I saw bright flashes of golden light; And from above, the gates of heaven I saw with open eyes the Christ-child and as I wander through the dark forest I hear a light voice calling me. "Knecht Ruprecht" it called, "Old man Lift your legs and hurry! Fast! The candles alight the gates of heaven open wide old and young shall rest from the hunt of life and tomorrow I shall fly to earth as it shall be Christmas again!" I said: "O dear master, Christ My trip is almost at an end; It is only this one town / where the children are good". "Do you have your sack with you?" I said: "The sack, it is here; apples, nuts and almonds solemn children do enjoy". "Do you also have your cane?" I said: "The cane, it is here. But only for the bad children, to hit their right rear". The Christ-child spoke: "That is good; So go with god my faithful servant!" I came here from the forest I tell you, it is a very holy night! Speak now how I find it here Are the children good or bad? The snow-covered foliage of the Black Forest and the fruit and woods of apple and almond trees. I've used the search engine and searched all through the reviews several times and could not find this oil listed. I am surprised I am the first to review it. Knecht Ruprecht is a totally unexpected favorite in all the Yuletide oils I ordered. In fact, it is ranking side-by-side with my beloved Queen of Diamonds for all-time favorites. This creation defies even Beth's description. Snow covered fir of the Black Forest? Yes. Fruit and apple wood? Yes. Almond wood? No clue, actually -- but if Beth says so, then Yes. It's all there, and so much more! Knecht Ruprecht is an exquisite oil providing intermittent wafts of scent for hours, just as uplifting as the first application, and then softens to a sultry warmth. I absolutely L O V E it, and will probably be wearing it well into and through the summer.

This comes off initially as very ethereal, but hardly dark night with a sliver of light; more like the crescent moon vaguely seen during the day in a vivid blue sky. Maybe it’s the white ginger or the lily, but there is a sharp sour razor-edge of decay that surrounds the deep, soft, and comforting aura of cucumber, orris, purple hyacinth, and night blooms. With wear, it becomes less bright – then disappears completely within an hour, which is more than disappointing since the dry-down had me obsessively sniffing my wrist. What a shame. It goes bye-bye.

I love all of Beth’s ambers, foody or not. This is a “not foody.” But it is so similar to so many, it’s hardly remarkable except for the almond flower – which I could have done without. It tends to overpower the calamus sweet-flag which was probably the finer counterpoint to the heliotrope. The latter does tend to dominate on the dry-down, but it’s not really worth the wait for a little time as the scent lasts.

Ohhhh rats. I suppose that back-splash of salt is necessary to the theme, but maaaaan does it ever spoil the overall silkiness of this otherwise fabulous blend. I get the sea-greens and melon-like aromas with a touch of the primrose underscored with sweet honey... but the salt is so heavy it completely overpowers everything else like a rip-tide, nearly to the point of making me gag. Off it goes.

Earth, pine, brackish water, moss, eucalyptus (?), and a splash of sugared green tea. Makes me eyes water a bit until the menthol dies down. Good to wear when my nose is stuffy... after Lydia.

Okay... I'll take everyone's word for it, but I don't get gardenias at all. Rose, sour-cream accord (as my skin turns it,) maybe some musk... But for some reason, I'm picking up... is that redwood? That would account for the mixture of spice and wood I'm detecting. I think Lydia totally messed with my sniffer. I need a nose crutch.

I'm getting the sharper edges of paper-whites, honeysuckle, and jasmine... maybe a touch of white lilac and/or white wisteria under these, and a tiny hint of vanilla'd violets waaaaaaay down at the bottom. Lydia comes in hissing, spitting, and clawing, and then goes all soft-paws in about 10 minutes. Within 20 minutes - She's G O N E! I mean not even the slightest trace of tracks after the initial assault on the senses. Not my scent to start with and glad it disappeared. Off to pamper my nostrils with The Raven.

Cancer is a very soft, moist green scent gently supported by mellow florals. Absolutely lovely! The scent is also strangely comforting. I don’t know how else to put it. And, as with most lovely things, one would like it to stay for awhile. But so far my skin drinks it up, and it doesn’t seem to have much throw or staying-power. This seems to happening a lot with me lately. Whether it's the oils or my skin chemistry, its becoming expensively irksome.

It takes a while on the dry-down but The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa (Salon) comes close to Tamamo-No-Mae.

Okay... I hope I am not the only one with the "Blues" about Blue Moon? I was truly hoping for a resurrected Blue Moon or at least semi-revisited. Yes, Blue Moon 2007 is fresh, lovely... and nowhere near what the original was. Plus, I had to apply it twice within an hour just so it would hold for an hour. A bit expensive when one must use twice as much for 1/4 the length. Perhaps it’s a component availability issue? I seem to recall that the oud (wood aloe) was the rare and expensive ingredient last time, cited when so many of us were clamoring for a resurrection. This time it seems slim on that oh so delicate strawberry leaf/cucumber/buttercup balance as well. While it’s very pretty, Blue Moon 2007 is not for me. Next time, I’ll look for that magic word “resurrected” to avoid being disappointed by own expectations.

Good ol' HOD! Lace it into Thanatos, and you've got a nearly dead-on Gypsy Queen.

Absolutely what everyone else has said, glorious-beautiful-lovely-awesome-quiet... Yes, it is light and airy, but there is something deep along the edges and supporting it. It seems to fade away completely, then - when least expected - a puff of scent is released, lingers, then fades again. This phenomenon continues to cycle for quite sometime... Kind of like - well, gee - a ghost! I was happy to rediscover this in my BPAL chest. I agree that its perfect for spring, but Lantern Ghost of Oiwa is also early morning mist or the beginnings of evening fog. Another distinction is how the brighter notes are prominent in the day, and the deeper notes dominate in the evening. So the only word I can add to the aptly descriptive mix is elusive.

Fickle is RIGHT! First its rose, then its plum, then honey glazes over it all, and yep - there's that smoky, sedate spice quality drifting over a soft vanilla purr. But something here keeps a sharp edge I'm not sure I like... peony sweetness? Lady Luck Blues is very beautiful. I'm just not goily enough to wear it. As with Bad Luck Woman Blues, writer/composer/artist of "Lady Luck Blues," Bessie Smith, wasn't credited in the description... And I just can't let Bessie go overlooked, y'all. ETA: Found the credits for this at the end of the lyrics in "Shiny & New" section. Thanks sookster. Good to know, hard to find.

I was soooo disappointed by this one. I lovelovelove the Blues!!! Foody scents just don't work on me or appeal to my nose, and the caramel just all the other notes. Also, I noticed there was a little oversight in the description regarding mention of the writer/performer of "Bad Luck Woman Blues," Papa Charlie Jackson... one of the early greats from the deep, dark south. Just a thang I have about crediting artists. ETA: Found the credits for this at the end of the lyrics in "Shiny & New" section. Thanks sookster. Good to know, hard to find.

Mama Ji stands squarely between Arabian Nights and Gypsy Queen, imho. On my skin, AN is a bit sharper and GQ is a bit more floral. Mama Ji is equally exquisite as these rarer oils and far more available.

I accidentally discovered that when you layer Poisson D’Avril over Minotaur, it smells almost exactly like Gypsy Queen but w/o the carnation. I suppose if I added a touch of Hod, the three would create a dead ringer. Lovely!

Thanks to twistygirl, I have a 5ml of this fabulous oil. I am not getting loam, dirt, or anything remotely dark or "black." Perhaps its aged to where this bottle of Black Orchid smells like a brighter (yes, brighter) version of Queen of Diamonds, also a favorite of mine. It has tons of throw and staying power, and mellows only slightly to have a bit of a "soft hush" in the background... and perhaps a hint of exotic tea? If this is what it ages to, Black Orchid is one of the most exquisite scents I have tried, closely rivaling my beloved Darkling Thrush, Queen of Diamonds, and Blue Moon.

Answer: The color of the Jester's hat was my whim. Thanks to all chiming in on this. And thanks to Macha, label artist and designer extraordinaire! Great whim! Reminds me of the days looking at album covers for hidden meanings. Okay, so my thought about the colors of the jester hats wasn't correct. Which still leaves me wondering what are the label differences between first and second issues of Carnaval Noir? The lettering seems different on some of the bottles, as well as the letter coloring. Or is the in the borders? Or perhaps no differences at all?

Svadhinaopatika, Ashtanyika: Faces of the Heroine 2007 !!! This is major. MAJOR honeyed sex in bottle. Check out the limited edition reviews. I described as it "honey with a dangerous curve." It morphs, morphs, morphs again, and it lasts.

Ohhhh myyyyyyyy! This is absolutely naughty! Okay, its lovely in the bottle, but put a DAB on and sit back as the ever-changing fun begins! At first, I get the heavy and spicy-wood qualities which I assume is the red sandalwood, supported by the gold of the amber… and it IS gold, btw. All lustful attraction and blatant seduction. Anything but shy; completely "experienced." All this is amped up by the oude. The coconut-meat scent of the massoia bark is absent on me (thank goodness!) Then the spice and wood step politely back and provide support as honey seductively sways forward with a tiny bit of juicy currant rolling on its tongue. And here is where it seems to stay… prolonged bliss. If you love honey with a dangerous curve, this is it! I love it and am glad to have another bottle on its way! Even then, my two bottles are going to each need backups! Brava Beth!

Mods - please move this if I'm in the wrong place, and please be assured I have done an extensive search under "labels," "Carnaval Noir," "Price Caps," "bottle differences," "Reviews," and now this topic as well, pouring through hundreds of pages, so please don't whack me with a warning because I truly did try But I can't find what I'm looking for, which is this: What are the differences in label color and design between the first release of the Carnaval Noir series and the second release? Some of my bottles show that the little skeleton-jester at the top of the label is wearing a white hat, while on others his hat is red. Which was the first original release? Thanks.

Has anyone else noticed that Cloister in the Graveyard Snow smells almost exactly like The Darkling Thrush? I love DK, so its good to know there's a GC backup when my ten bottles are gone! But again, there's that curious thing about scent similarities when neither seems to share the same notes.

Better late than never! I finally got around to going through my eight CTIII purchases. Disclaimer: First of all, let me say that I am no authority and have little experience when it comes to detecting scents or identifying notes. Descriptions are to the best of my sniffing ability. If anyone has the same or similar CTIII issue numbers with a different take, or would like to share your findings and experience with me, please feel free to send me a PM, but do not reply here. Thanks and on we go! CCLI (251:) In bottle: fresh, green & white; Wet on skin: lovely, fresh, summery green floral vines; Dry: same as wet, but with a hint of spice and bit of musk now supporting it Moves from a lifting summer day to a sultry night-blooms scent. Lovely. DXXXVII (537:) In bottle: Buttery cream cake with a hint of booze; Wet on Skin: a dab of chocolate appears to the mix; Dry: This is a decadent, drizzled dessert from a five star restaurant. Foody and dangerous. MI (1001:) In bottle: fresh, green, and fruity; Wet on Skin: same as in bottle, but with lovely sweetness; Dry: same as wet, but becomes tempered by something delectably sultry. A mysterious morphing here. MII (1002:) In bottle: deep, green; Wet on Skin: melon with hint of dark berry, served in a fragrant wood bowl; Dry: Woodberry, but way better! Awesome!!!! MIV (1004:) In bottle: sparkling citrus, almost like champagne and fruit; Wet on Skin: Ohhh this instantly softened and something here is reminding me of buttercups and orris, two of my favorite things in Blue Moon; Dry: Its gone blue. OMG, I LOVE this and plan hoard it MXXXV (1035:) In bottle: No clue, Boo-Boo. I can’t put my finger (or nose, as the case may be) on this one; Wet on Skin: Red. Not fruity red, though. More like a riot of red flowers; Dry: Red flowers have calmed down a tad, and are now supported by a lovely soft resin. MCLV (1155:) In bottle: Foody and woody; Wet on Skin: Cocoa, vanilla, with maybe some chestnuts; Dry: This is very like an Ofrenda, having all the elements to invite, feed, and appease the Spirits. MCXCI (1191:) In bottle: light, green, fresh, and clean; Wet on Skin: same only more, laced with a bit of tea and crisp white linen; Dry: Absolutely gorgeous blend which is staying in my stash for a long time.

Right away, "June" is in the lemony-citrus with "Gloom" being a bluish purple undertone. Then the prominent lemon begins to fade to sort of a blood-orange Moxie with something like violets (?) coming forward, then quickly goes to a pale lemon iced Giant Purple Bearded Iris - one of my favorite fragrant flowers. I LOVE it. June Gloom is glorious and sits squarely next to Queen of Diamonds and Darkling Thrush as my favorite limited editions. Thank you, Ted! Encore, Beth!!!

As quite a few other people have said, Bitter Moon goes through about three or four incarnations per application. It has a definite sharp quality to it, much like the edge (not scent) one experiences with paper whites or honeysuckle. Later, it seems to be brushed with a soft texture (imagine that in a scent!) that can only be compared to silk. I also find it interesting that, at a distance, the sharp quality is more prominent. But up close and intimate, it’s very sultry… almost a delicate but deep musk. At least that’s what happening on my wrists. Smooth, subtle, but very active!