hlemonds

Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when–the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire. Indian ambrette seed, beeswax, champaca flower, saffron, Italian bergamot, frankincense, oak bark, and vanilla orchid. Wow, first one! On me this is mainly frankincense and beeswax. It has a very peaceful, churchlike aroma. Beeswax candles and church incense. I wore it straight out of the box, however, and I wonder if more of the components might come out to play once it has had a bit of time to rest. This is my favorite so far of the Yules I chose. It is simple and sweet and warm. It seems very true to the inspiration.

"You are invited to the elf hill for this evening," said she; "but will you do me a great favor and undertake the invitations? you ought to do something, for you have no housekeeping to attend to as I have. We are going to have some very grand people, conjurors, who have always something to say; and therefore the old elf king wishes to make a great display…" "Croak," said the night-raven as he flew away with the invitations. THE NIGHT-RAVEN Indigo musk, wild plum, rose geranium, benzoin, night-blooming jasmine, and patchouli. Neato, my first time being first! (i think, anyways) In the bottle this is a wierd one. Nearly the only note I can detect when sniffing the bottle is the sharp benzoin. And that's nearly all I smell when wet. But, for those who find this initial wet phase too harsh, please hang in there, because it fades away extremely quickly. Once this dries down I'm getting a base of the benzoin in it's drier (there is a hint of powderiness here, but not enough to be bothersome or bad) and somewhat vanillic incarnation. Over that is the spicy-sweet wild plum mixed with what I think is a fruity patchouli and a whisper of night blooming jasmine. Unlike other jasmine notes, night blooming is lovely, subtle, and a bit creamy on my skin, so it is really lovely here! I'm not certain yet is I'm detecting the indigo musk. I'm sure it's there, but since it isn't a musk I'm familiar with, it's probably hard for me to pick it out. Overall this is beautifully blended and a really nice variation on more traditional incense scents. The patchouli and plum do give it an incense vibe, but the night-blooming jasmine and (i think) the indigo musk and benzoin help steer this towards a "perfume" as opposed to a perfume that makes you smell like straight up incense in a new age shop. Not that smelling like incense is a bad thing, I quite enjoy it, but sometimes I'm in the mood to smell more like perfume that has an incense quality instead of smelling like incense straight up. I'm sure that last bit made no sense. Ah, well. If you're frightened by the jasmine here, please still give this one a try! While ymmv, I do find that night-blooming jasmine smells quite different on my typically jasmine amping skin. Traditional jasmine tends to give me a headache and take over any blend I try that contains it, but that isn't the case here. As this dries further I'm getting a hint more of the floral notes with the incense, this is just lovely! ETA: I had to return to say that after further dry down and a subsequent attempt at a full day's wear, this one just doesn't work on me. I'm beginning to think that Benzoin doesn't like my skin very much. Unfortunately benzoin seems to become high-pitched and perfumey on me (I think this was also the culprit in Bette Noir). Hopefully this one will work better on someone whose skin chemistry can handle bezoin. It is sad, because in my initial test I very much enjoyed the plum/patchouli fruitiness.

EL DORADO Gaily bedight, A gallant knight, In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado. But he grew old This knight so bold And o'er his heart a shadow Fell as he found No spot of ground That looked like Eldorado. And, as his strength Failed him at length, He met a pilgrim shadow "Shadow," said he, "Where can it be This land of Eldorado?" "Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied "If you seek for Eldorado!" Copal resin incense blowing through halls of dazzling gold. Oh my gosh, this is crazy! I've never been a first reviewer!.....Ahem. Wet, this is definitely Copal, i recognize it from Xiuhtecuhtli. I really love copal in other blends like Xiuhtecuhtli and Giant Vulva, so i'm excited to see how this translates on my skin. I only applied a drop or two of this from the cap, and WHOA it's strong. At first i'm getting all Copal, just waiting to see the halls of dazzling gold. After about fifteen minutes i'm faced with something that mostly resembles....er....men's deoderant or some overpowering Men's body spray. Evidently the "halls of dazzling gold" equal Axe body spray on me, WTF?? I am still going to hold out some hope that this will improve after a few weeks of rest, or that it will be wonderful on my hubby. I'll revisit this post with news of further tests.

“Grandmother!” cried the little one. “Oh, take me with you! You go away when the match burns out; you vanish like the warm stove, like the delicious roast goose, and like the magnificent Christmas tree!” And she rubbed the whole bundle of matches quickly against the wall, for she wanted to be quite sure of keeping her grandmother near her. And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day: never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall. She took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety–they were with God. Divine mercy: sweet winter berry, orange blossom, frankincense, golden sandalwood, angel’s trumpet, and red rose. Wow, another first! I'm a bit unsure of this one. The intial wet stage is almost too much for my nose. That's a lot of berries and rose. Mostly berries, but I can for sure smell a sweet, bright rose there. Sometimes the backs of my wrists tend to amp brighter, fruitier notes though, and I have this on the backs of my wrists. When I have a chance I want to test in on the insides of my wrists, and that's where I usually wear my perfume, and I think I will get more of the frankincense and sandalwood to balance the sweet berry-rose. And I just realized there's orange blossom in here too, which is probably adding to that sweet, fruity, floral hit in the early stages. I am able to get a hint of the underlying dandalwood and frankincense now that it has been dry for an hour or two, but it has also faded sonsiderably overall....so. I'm just not sure. I'm gonna give it some time and see how it develops.

I love wand caps, couldn't live without them. But I am a slatherer!

My husband has a pretty decent "manly" BPAL collection. I would recommend Jareth, Crowley, Bow & Crown, Fenris Wolf, Dee, and Western Diamonback for starters

On intial test I like this very much. The citrus is lost very quickly on my skin, leaving a soft lily, lotus root, and vanilla orchid scent. It actually has very good throw for the tiny amount I tested. I'm wondering if the citrus might stick around a bit more with a more generous application. We shall see. I like this very much as a spring scent. Lily is one of the florals that tends to work nicely on me, it seems to be the waxy sorts of flowers that cooperate on my skin. And of course vanilla orchid and bourbon vanilla are win, although I'm not getting a strong vanilla vibe here. That may, again, be due to the small amount applied. It may also need a bit of age for the vanilla to begin to shine.

Lots of honey in this bottle, it is reminding me of another honey heavy blend that I can't bring to mind right this moment. I get the honey and a bit of the soft musk, but actually not much of the melon that I smelled in the bottle. It may be due to where I tested though, things can sometimes end up very different on the back of my wrists (as opposed to the inside of my wrists where I usually apply perfume). I do like it very much, this is the sort of honey that works very well on me, but I do hope that once I wear it on the insides of my wrists the melon and musk come out to play. ETA: I figured out what this is reminding me of, it's the lovely rich honey in Lady Una. And upon testing it again today in my usual application spots I definitely am able to pick up the melon and the gorgeous musk. This one is light on me, but very lovely, and I can see it being a favorite when it is really hot and humid outside and heavier scents can be overwhelming.

When I tested this one yesterday it faded very quickly, but I applied in a spot I don't usually, and it may just burn off perfume too quickly. I got lots of juicy pear steeped in rich, warm cream. Very yummy. I will be testing again to see if it lasts longer in other places. If it tends to wear off this quickly it might not be an absolute winner, but it is still very nice!

Wow, another hit from my batch of Lupers. This is stunning on my skin. Something about it reminds me of Angel. It isn't identical at all, I'm just reminded of it. The copal in this is much more gentle than copal I've encountered in other scents, so thankfully it doesn't overpower the wonderful vanilla and resins. Very, very lovely. Another scent I will certainly want back-ups of.

Stunning is a very apt description. I love this. I just put on a dab, but I can already tell this is backup worthy. It is softly musky and the coconut in this is just delicious. I am so glad I ordered this one. I think that this is going to be even better as it ages.

The lab is hitting it out of the park lately. This is probably my favorite lunacy so far. I think it even beats out Joyful moon. Granted they are quite different, but this is so wonderful, I can't help but love it. Initially it reminds me a bit of Black Opal with a hint of leather. As it dries I do get a hint of dustiness, but it is very pleasant dustiness, not an overwhelming sort of powdery quality like some things can have. And I do agree that there is a vanilla and musk quality to it. This is such a pleasant scent, very inviting. Certainly 5/5 on my skin.

This is beautiful. I absolutely love it. I am so grateful to the Angel who snagged this for me. Initially there is a lot of red musk, as it dries down I get the warm sweetness of the amber, a hint of the cedar, and perhaps a smidgeon of the dusty/dry quality I usually get from orris or chamomile. This is so deep and warm, and it is rich, but not in an overwhelming way. Edit: After a couple of days of rest I went back to this one for another full day of wear. HOMG. This has become my HG scent. This is what I wanted Smut to be on my skin, but Smut just hasn't ever wanted to work on me. The musks and smber in this are so amazing. It is unbelievable the way this sings on my skin. The only bad news is that my other BPAL are being neglected so that I can wear Senelion.

When freshly applied this is all floral...it doesn't register as Champaca to my nose, but I think that is because the white musk is confusing my nose and making me think of a more high-pitched sort of floral. It might be the "chill air" element as well. Once the initial blast dries down however, I love this! That's not to say I don't like it wet, it's just not a scent I would ordinarily choose. Once dry it is lovely. I think that my nose mostly picks up the white musk and grey amber, which are a wonderful combination. I think that my nose might be reading the amber a bit like vanilla. I think it is a lovely amber note. The champaca adds a slightly fruity sweetness in the later drydown. Very pretty!

Mostly honeyed amber with a hint of orange that disappears once dry. I might be getting a hint of the Linden Blossom. Can't really pick out the vanilla. This reminds me a bit of Womb Furie (without the spices) Or O (but not as strong). I do like it, but I wish I was able to sniff out a bit more vanilla and orange. Also wishing it had a bit more throw. All in all it is a nice scent, and I'll enjoy seein ghow it ages.

Gorgeous! I've not found an apple scent prior to this that worked. They all have ended up smelling too craft store potpourri. Which would be fine, if I wanted to smell like that, but that really isn't my thing. This is absolutely NOT a craft store sort of smell. I get apple in the beginning, but it very quickly subsides into the musks and vanilla. It is so wonderfully smooth and sophisticated smelling with the hint of tropical florals wafting over the base of vanilla, musk, and subtle, sweet apple. Just amazing. I see multiple bottle in my future, it is that good.

Love, love, love! This smells fantastic on me. There's definitely red musk here, but perhaps tempered with another variety, maybe a touch of black to make it a bit darker? The currant and blackberry add a wonderful hint of tart fruitiness. Not certain what Kewda Attar smells like, but perhaps it is part of what gives me a sense of Champaca? And I'm certain the amber is there, providing sweet richness, but I can't pick it out of the whole. This is going to age sooooooo well. Thanks Puddin, for such an incredible creation!

This is lovely! Definitely the wonderful vanilla we're familiar with from the other lace scents. I really like the coconut husk note, it isn't extremely pronounced, but definitely there. Pretty sure I'm getting a hint of the opium tar here, it reminds me of the opium note in Vamp Goth. Not that these scents are at all similar, just the one note. The other notes make this a wonderful, complex blend, but I'm not picking them out individually. This is right out of the mail box though, so it's probably endured some wicked temperatures the past coupl of days. Will edit this review if anything changes

I'd definitely recommend Scherezade for a beautiful floral incense.

I really, really like this! It is warm and comforting, all about the gently sweet resins on my skin. I think this is the variety of leather that comes off more as a soft, warm, fuzzy sort of musk on me. I don't get anything that screams harsh leather or latex, to be honest. Definitely none of that chemical leather note that really doesn't work well on me. On my skin this is primarily sweet patchouli, slightly smoky myrrh, and I swear something spicy. A really beautiful kind of spice like clove (which I see others have mentioned, so my nose isn't broke, yay). I love clove, so the appearance of a clove-like note doesn't disappoint me at all! This is really wonderful, although I don't find it very "fetish-y", but honestly I didn't swap for it due to the inspiration for the scent, but rather because the reviews sounded wonderful! I am not at all disappointed in my decision to swap for it, and I will likely try to seek out more! **don't let that latex note scare you off. I think it must be very subtle, or else my skin eats it, because aside from maybe a tiny hint of it for the first few seconds while this is wet on my skin, I don't get any latex at all.

Burning Vulva and Time Does Not Bring Relief (which I see someone already mentioned) from the most recent Lupers both have a strong beeswax component. I love the beeswax note ever since I tried Lights of Men's Lives. I also agree that Saint Foutin de Varialles is a good one to try if you can find it, on me it was Lights of Men's Lives plus a very nice dusty rose note.

This is lovely, a very "classic" style perfume, which makes sense given the inspiration. I noticed that a couple of other folks mentioned it being somewhat foody on them, but it really isn't on me. I definitely get the amber, mandarin, and gardenia. The gardenia is mostly noticeable if I sniff close to where I applied, the throw is more about the creamy amber and ahint of those sweet spices. I do think this needs some time to rest, but I think it is going to improve with a little age and I am very grateful to my lovely pick-up angel for snagging me a couple of bottles! ETA: Once this had a little more time to dry down I totally got the creaminess that other reviewers had mentioned. This is really a gorgeous, glowing scent. I was afraid of the gardenia when I first read the description, but it is really beautiful in this, and not at all overwhelming.

I haven't tried them yet, since they're brand new, but a few of the new RPG scents sound like they might be pretty close to what you're talking about.

This is a really lovely blend. Definitely a spring or summertime fragrance. I will agree that it is light in feel, but it seems to be lasting pretty well (I applied at least a couple of hours ago and I can still smell it quite well without having to sniff my wrists). It may help that I doubtless got some in my hair, which certainly helps a scent to last. I can smell a similarity to Tiki Princess, but to me this is less foody, frothy coconut. This is somehow a scent where I can definitely smell the coconut, but it doesn't smell foody to me at all. The coconut has a really wonderful light creaminess. A year ago I probably would've said that coconut was not a note I cared for very much in perfume, but I have found that it can be really enjoyable (especially in warm weather) if there is enough complexity to the overall scent. I like the coconut being there as a scent element, so long as I can detect other scent elements as well. This is a really, really nice coconut scent because it has beautiful complexity and it doesn't leave me smelling like cheap suntan oil.

This is the yummy bourbon vanilla of Gypsy Moth made light and fresh by mint, lemon, and maybe a hint of absinthe. Upon initial application it is all about lemon and mint when I sniff close to the skin, but the throw is much more about the bourbon vanilla with wafts of the other notes. The lemon and mint soften considerably as this dries, allowing the lovely, sweet vanilla to come forward and the absinthe to become just a tiny bit more apparent. Overall a very nice spring and summer blend. Perfect for anytime you want a scent that is light and refreshing.