zankoku_zen

Well then. You smell quite a bit like Gun Moll, minus the gunpowder. On me it's opium, smoke, tar and hints of cognac, clove and vanilla that give it a warmness. So yes, sophisticated, deadly, and seductive. Let's just say that Death smells amazing.

Patchouli, balsam and a hint of bergamot and vanilla. It's a powdery patchouli blend with a twist of citrus/vanilla. PASS.

I really really wanted to love this. It had three elements I had high hopes for. And the pink roses I felt I could handle. And in most ways, this doesn't disappoint. It's pink, delicate, floral with mainly cherry blossoms, honey and a touch of lilies, and pink roses. And yet... I don't adore it. On the other hand, this would be perfect for standing a cherry blossom tree as it blooms, and the petals are carried off in the wind, as you turn around to gaze at the eyes of a besotted youth. Very much like in shoujo/school girl animes. Gloriously, cherry blossom pink.

Lemon, ozone, eucalyptus. This is slushy snow, eucalyptus and a bright pop of lemon. Not desolate at all. Not entirely welcoming either. It's like a winter storm. It just is. "And the storm doesn't care what it leaves behind", to quote a song. That's what this feels like.

Wood, beeswax and bamboo on wet dry into a cedar, frankincense and myrrh. It starts off as a fresh woody, which as it dries, progresses into a much more resinous/wood blend. I liked it best when it was a bamboo/wood blend, and I feel like the cedar is overpowering everything at this juncture.

Peach, lilac and red musk. I am actually surprised how much I enjoyed this. It was a peachy blend, with brushes of lilac, red musk and on the drydown a bit of sandalwood. It's sexy, red, and very wearable. Hmmm, may have to consider more of this one.

Dank dungeon! This smells dark! I get frankincense, mosses, and something that smells dark and smoky like vetiver, with a slight aquatic edge to it. Highly masculine blend. PASS.

Nutmeg, champaca, amber and chamomile on the drydown. This smells like a smokier version of Sachs, with the addition of nutmeg and champaca. It's incensey, slightly spicy, and there's a sharp note to my nose which actually I think is the chamomile. Eh, not my type of blend at all.

Light, creamy tea roses. This is light, pink, and creamy. It smells pretty and fresh, and I think it would very apropos for a teenage girl.

Honey, amber, beeswax and a touch of saffron. This smells vaguely familiar, and honestly, it reminds me alot to Haus of Gloi's Come Hither lotion, which is one of my favorite lotions ever. Very pretty honey blend. I may need some more in my life.

Thyme and aquatic/water. It's slightly bitter, herby, water. Definitely can smell the thyme. Occasionally, I can smell the mugwort, which lends a bright citrusy pop to the water, and its a component that I feel is very present in Blue Moon formulations.

Smoky. Honestly, this is actually a very gender neutral blend that could potentially be masculine, so fellas, take note. I get smoky (the good time) - like that out of a tobacco pipe, with woody elements, from the mahogany and oak, and with a touch of floral sweetness. Oddly enough, I may in fact be getting the magnolia, which almost smells like wet wool to me... but in this blend it smells more like a trace of worsted wool. I find this a more delicate, subtle version of what I wished the Hellfire blends would have been - smoky, woody, and with a trace of wool and florals from either the vases around, or a rose that a gentleman in a fine wool suit wears on his lapel. This is smooth, in the same way polished banisters, polished wood furniture, gleaming brown leather couches is. Sophisticated. If I were the BBC, I'd take this and market this as Mycroft Holmes, as portrayed by Mark Gatiss.

This one is a bit of a surprise in that black pepper doesn't doom this blend into a horrible failure of a mess. On wet, I definitely get the peppery overlay over everything, but then I get a GIANT liy + frankincense bloom that sort of makes the pepper disappear. So yes, heaps of lilies, with a touch of frankincense to ground and deepen it all. On the drydown, I get a slight overlay of tuberose which unfortunately for me always smells like hairspray. Still, WAY better than I would have predicted in a blend with both black pepper and tuberose as notes for me.

On me, this is deeply resinous with a touch of almost boozy red wine/borgoña on the drydown with a swirl of red rose over it. The red rose note is the apple/green stem red rose note from the Yule Red Rose blends. In alot of ways, this is Behind the Scenes as a perfume - minus the jasmine, and amping up the resins. I'm actually surprised at how much I am enjoy this blend, as neither roses, red wine, nor resins are particular favorites of mine. This is really delicious, and compelling. This one is dark, heady, and mysteriously sensual. This is definitely the siren call of femme fatale (one that likes to drink dark red wine), with her nail polish this deep, velvety burgundy color.

This one is amazing in its simplicity. It's soft, cuddly, and it smells like a rosy version of Alice. Instead of carnations, you get soft, creamy amber with just a brush of roses. I really do get a creamy/milky aspect to it. Clean, white, sophisticated. I wish this were made into lotion. It would be amazing.

Super sweet candy apples. On wet, its got both the bright snowy chill green apple you see in SGA, a more baked apple scent to it, and an overlay of watermelon and sugar - both of which give it that candy component. It's personally too sweet for me, but it would be a great blend for a younger girl (pre-teen). More importantly, I support any BPAL blend that brings more apple into the GC. Sweet, apple, innocent.

I might have to try this on mr. zee_zee! This is a bright, citrus bubby fougere. In some ways, it reminds me to a masculine version of Jean Nate, with unisex green plants, watery elements, and then there's something woody underneath. The overall impression is pretty and empty, but actually underneath it all there's something slightly more sinister underneath (but you really have to be looking for it). It's more implied.

Red musk, patchouli, and cacao. This, oddly enough, works better on me than the original Lust. I think the cacao tames the red musk a little, and lets the patch and a hint of the ylang ylang through. Deeply feminine, chocoately, compelling.

Lovely layered resinous blend. I get frankincense, red wine, hints of grape and black currant, with a touch of smokiness from the myrrh. This smells like a super fabulous sangria on top of resins. Despite all the bold notes, it doesn't have a huge throw and stays pretty close to the skin, making it very wearable and subtly sexy. Surprisingly good.

Red musk and red rose. Deeply red rose. Deeply sexy. In other words this smells like sex and red roses.

Frankincense, red rose and a swirl of jasmine. The frankincense, benzoin and cinnamon I think combine together for a root beerlike quality (definitely with cinnamon), and the jasmine gilds the red rose. This is a resin/rose blend, and its voluptuous without being heavy, it has a fresh edge to it, and definitely very spring like. Again, no jasmine for me, but this is a very pretty blend.

Sweet jasmine, raspberry, wine and a touch of sandalwood as a base. It's a very pretty jasmine blend. Fresh, floral and with enough interesting elements to make it a fun jasmine blend. For unfortunately, all jasmine smells like cat pee to mr. zee_zee, so he won't be happy about me trying this on.

On wet, its sugary lemon candy that reminds me alot to Lemon Scented Sticky Bat. As it dries, I get less lemon and more of a straight up honey and rock sugar blend. Sweet, candy, honey.

Sweet light roses, almonds and a hint of baby powder. It's soft, pink, and very wearable. Not my type of blend, but if you love roses, try this one a whirl.

I always enjoyed Deadly Nightshade Honey, and used to have a bottle long long time ago. It's softer, slightly more floral, and the chocolate makes it much more dimensional than the original DNH. If you love honey, give this a whirl.