zankoku_zen

Morocco and pumpkin. This one is the lightest of all the pumpkins I've tried so far, and I have to say that it's mainly Morocco, with just a swirl of pumpkin. I have an odd relationship with Morocco. I really like how it smells, but I never end up wearing it. And this isn't different enough for me that I'd reach for it. So you're off my little friend to a more loving home.

Cinnamon + pumpkin. Sin to me is always ultra-cinnamony, so I get cinnamon, musk and pumpkin. Spicy, but not for me.

Creamy pumpkin + Dorian. I have to say that this is sweet, stylized, pumpkin. Not too buttery, not too sweet, and I think the Dorian acts like a great balance. Love it. Trying to decide if I need a partial.

Grass, touch of lemon verbena, black musk and amber. This is an amber grass blend, with the black musk providing some depth to it. Definitely reminiscent to the Lion. Tall, grassy, masculine.

Fresh peach, touch of tea and honey. This one is very light and pretty, but as it dries the peach definitely takes over and becomes sweeter. At this stage, I'd say it all peach and honey. Damn, I wish the tea had stuck around.

This smells more like a nutty porridge blend to me, with a hint of booze. I can see the banana piece, in that it may be banana bread involved. Definitely nutty. It smells like warm, spicy baking. And let's face it, whose house doesn't want to smell like yummy baked goods?

Lilies, touch of rose, and soap. This smells WHITE. Delicate, white florals. It's wispy, ethereal, and very pretty. But sadly, not for me.

And either narcissus + daffodils = jasmine, or one of the hidden elements of this blend is jasmine, because it REEKS of jasmine. Which means to me, it smells kinda like cat pee. Not 10 seconds after I applied it, mr. zee_zee said "WTF smells like cat pee". After he sniffed at me he said, "I don't know what that is, but it has to GO!" Which is a shame, since I really wanted this blend to work out for me. Sad panda face.

Lavender, moss, opium tar and swirls of tuberose and frankincense. So this is a *much* darker lavender, thanks to the opium tar and the moss. Added to it is a occasional whiff of tuberose that adds to lavender's floralness and sharpness, and the frankincense which adds a resinous warmth to it all. It has a much more complex smell, as compared to I am Tired of Tears and Laughter, much much darker, and in general I'd describe the overall feel as gothic. This is smelling lavender on a moonless night, right before you step into a haunted house. It's a foreboding scent.

Straight up herbal lavender, like the one in Oneiroi, but an added woody base with just a swish of resinous sweetness. This smells like a sleep time blend. It's comforting, cuddy, and straight up AMAZING LAVENDER. Simple, beautiful, lavender.

Chamomile, yarrow, hint of amber, heliotrope and currant. So this one is an herbally, red floral. The redness comes from aspects like the amber, dragon's blood resin and heliotrope, which lends to it a big depth of warmness to this. All of the other floral elements are definitely more toward the herby/soothing side. Red, hazy, soothing.

Soft, deep, and luminous: Lady of the Night orchid, benzoin, opopponax, currant, black chypre, white gardenia, ambergris, damp, wooded mosses, and black lily. 2013 version. Heady orchids, tinge of oakmoss, lily and currant. In general this is a very heady, sophisticated orchid blend. Grand dame perfume, dark, velvety.

Musky, vanilla, lavender tinged with a swirl of Dorian. It's comforting, loveable, and huggable. Unfortunately for me the cream component smells a little plasticky, which was my concern with this blend. But it's foodie and warm. It's hard to put this on and not filled loved, which I think was the entire point of this blend. It's like a security blanket in a bottle.

Dark violets, roses and pomegranate. This is a dark, purple vibed, blend. Regal, sweet-smelling but there's some backbone to this blend. If you like either violets, roses, or pomegranate, I'd give this a whirl. Did I mention regal? There's a certain imperiousness here. The sort of blend a queenly woman that has no problems ordering the assassination of a political rival, with the subtle wave of her hand.

Lemony, sugary carnation with a hint of vanilla. This is a very complex scent, and ends up being both cheery and soothing. Lovely!

Egg Nog smells like a vanilla pudding, custardy, with a hint of rum. Unfortunately, BPAL's cream note tends to go plasticky on me, and its no exception. So it ends up smelling a little like vanilla play doh on me.

Frankincense, benzoin, and a touch of carnation. This is deep, resinous with just a touch of spice of carnation to give it a deep feminine tinge.

This is definitely a *thick* oil. It smells like mentholic, slightly lemony frankincense. It smells resinous and a bit piney on wet. And occasionally, I get a musky undertone to it. Golden, resinous, woody.

Sticky, sweet tuberose and gardenia. Meaning, sticky sweet wet wool and hairspray on me. Why you hate me tuberose? WAAAAI? Why you hate me gardenia? WAAAAI?

Deep, earthy, gritty patchouli.

Mint, mint, mint. This is the minty mint of a toothpaste (hallo eucalyptus) and there's a hint of glass and soap as well. Oddly enough, it would make a wonderful blend for Christmas and scenting a room. (The bathroom seems like a logical fit.)

White floral aquatic. Very clean. There's something very clear, very strong, and very melancholic about this. But in a good way. This like a visit to the grave site of a beloved one, after enough time has passed that there isn't overwhelming grief, but a dull throb of pain, as you squint your eyes at the bright sunshine and your head is full of happy memories. It's pensive without being depressive. There are components in this that remind me to Sea of Glass.

Black Taffeta is very different to me on wet and dry. On wet, it's a much harsher and inkier blend, and I definitely get the 'black taffeta' but its opium tar + patchouli and black musk. As it dries, I get a whiff of the geranium and white musk, and it becomes slightly more wearable. On the drydown, it oddly reminds me to Chinese incense, and it's got a very heavy incense vibe to me. Not something that I adore, but it's very pretty nonetheless. Very different.

Deyania, you are such a morpher you. So on wet at first you smell like a green fresh floral, with tinges of fruitiness. I think you have some pomegranate. But underneath it all, there is a woody, dark resin spiciness. As you dry, I get more of that pomegranate/wood, with a tinge of blackened metal. I got this frimped in a swap, and thank you to the generous forumite for the tester!

Caramel tobacco and vanilla. It's nice, but it hasn't given me a visceral reaction, so it's obviously NOT what I'm looking for. Pity, since it has both vanilla and tobacco, so I thought this could have been a winner.