Lambent

The Small Brown Cat reminds me a bit of Unicorn and Ram without the scratchiness of the wool and the weight of the oud (and also a bit of Dee and The Bow & Crown of Conquest). This cat is softer and more tame. The cardamom is also not as spiky as it was in Unicorn and Ram. I usually amp cedar and it is definitely the most prominent note. However, it is tempered by the bourbon vanilla and becomes less pencil shavings and more of a creamy wood. Linear and comforting.

Heady and slightly powdery on my skin due to the violets, I think. The patchouli comes up a bit strong for me and the whole blend gets a bit overwhelming (I imagine it would be cloying in the summer heat). I do get a bit of an asphalt-like grittiness from it at times. Fuck You, Said the Raven reminds me a bit of department store perfumes, but not necessarily in a bad way. Like one of those vintage or classic perfumes recommended for night wear. Suitable for femme fatales and dark strangers in leather.

Strawberry Moon 2017 is what I wanted Strawberry Moon 2009 to be. While Strawberry Moon 2009 is more boozy, sweet, and caramelized, Strawberry Moon 2017 is more green and fresh. I think the additions of sage and "summer grasses" bolster the dandelion sap. Makes me think of warm weather and U-Picks for sure.

I've stashed away a cherished imp of Antique Lace back from when it was still available years ago. Kicking myself now, of course, for not buying a full bottle or two of it when I could. This is a beautiful lightly musky, vanilla'd, clean linen scent. Keeping component issues in mind, I wonder if we'll ever see an Antique Lace redux (hint, hint). Its ghost surfaces now and again in some of the Laces, and sometimes the scents with vanilla/musk notes remind me of this. But no exact clones, I believe. On the downside, A.L. is near impossible to track down and if found, it is at an exorbitant price. Plus side? There are always new perfumes to fall in love with.

Have you ever eaten those karma orchids before? Vanilla Orchid captures that experience in a bottle. It's a very faint scent that has an icy quality. More orchid than vanilla. It's like the cutting clean, crunchy, slightly green taste of those edible orchids. Those who were looking for a more gourmand or creamy vanilla scent will be disappointed. However, those who enjoy floral fragrances and clean/green smells might like this. UPDATE: On subsequent tries, Vanilla Orchid is stronger and a bit creamier (but not really vanillic). It's definitely still "floral" and perfumey in character. A little fresh linen-like.

Absolutely gorgeous! It's a creamy lilac that, for some reason, reminds me of 2016's The Bride. Slightly powdery, but that drizzle of honey keeps it less dry in texture. A pinch of cardamom is apparent in Cave of Treasures' first few minutes, but this is definitely more lilac cream and honeyed skin than anything else. A periwinkle scent. Don't miss this one if it sounds up your alley!

I'm glad I didn't blind bottle Diligent Instruction for the Bridal Night. I'm not sure if my skin just amps the Lab's strawberry note, but this was all sharp, tart strawberry on me without the mallow blossoms. I was hoping for something more along the lines of the Enveloped in Silk Hair Gloss, but in perfume form. Something creamier and softer. The strawberry in this reminds me of the one in The Small Harem, which I already own, so I'm not too disappointed.

Madagascan vanilla, rice powder, iris root, and pale musk. Of the Lupercalia hair glosses I sniffed, The Moon Reflected in Every Rice Paddy made the greatest first impression. On that note, I actually tried it out in my hair and it's a beautiful, creamy, almost marshmallow-y scent without being saccharine. Not too dry or powdery. I'm seriously considering a full bottle.

Cherry blossoms, white tea, vanilla orchid, and a drop of strawberry. The simplest way to describe Kamisuki is "shampoo-like." It reminds me of Herbal Essences in a way (not that that's a bad thing). I think I get the cherry blossoms most prominently, although on the first spray I forgot to shake it and it ended up smelling very much of strawberry. It's a nice springtime scent and one you can spray on when it's hot out or you want to smell inoffensive. Also the bottle art. Let's not forget how gorgeous the bottle art is. Quite fitting that it's of a woman combing her (presumably) just-washed hair.

Mrs. Dunbar smelled a bit similar to The Bride to me. Speak! Speak! from last year's Weenies also had a similar fuzzy brown note like Unicorn & Ram. Étude de Déshabillé (the recent Luper; black amber, 7-year aged patchouli, cashmeran, and tobacco leaf) might be up your alley if you haven't tried it out already. It smelled quite warm and almost woody to me in person.

I'm relieved I'm not the only one who got the fecal note from this. Once the oudh settles down, it's mostly a frankincense scent on my skin. Slightly citrus-y. It's a calming, contemplative, "holy-smelling" fragrance. I don't detect any of the metal. For reference, the oil itself is a lovely reddish color.

L'Hyver is super atmospheric to me. I think it's the white cypress in this that gives it an almost menthol-like quality--like breathing in biting cold winter air. I do get that slight anise-like note others have mentioned mixed in with "grey" resinous smells. I'm not sure what labdanum smells like, but L'Hyver is both light and airy with substance. It's an enigmatic, cool-toned scent. I'd like to test it out in a diffuser some day.

#LXXVI (76) This one's a head-scratcher for me. It's familiar, but I'm not sure what exactly it is. I know it's not frankincense (or if it does contain frankincense, I assume it's a small quantity). It's dark, sweet, verging on chocolate-y. Maybe not chocolate. Maybe licorice. My quick research leads me to thinking this is myrrh. I'll try to test out some essential oils of resins in the future and figure out what incense is in this. EDIT: Compared this to an imp of Penitence and they smell similar. #LXXVI is darker, though.

Hua Mulan is such a beautiful scent. Jasmine haters need not fear. The jasmine in this is neither indolic or animalic in the slightest. It's a tame, soft kind of jasmine that blends well with the other delicate notes. The leather isn't strong in this--more like a "white" leather. It has a low throw, hangs very close to the skin, is a soft floral/tea leather scent that dries down to a soft, clean pink musk/skin scent.

I think of a zombie hand punching through a grassy, earthy grave when I smell this. The core of this hair gloss smells like the Tomb Moss single note perfume. I get a blast of dandelions in the beginning and the moss drags itself along with the green chypre. It's a smoothly green and damp scent--quite lovely and unusual.