Aviatrix

It’s always a bit weird with family. A scant two-hundred years old, there doesn’t seem to be anything that roots Ava to her past. Her scent is utterly contemporary, and, like her personality, it is impulsive, capricious, and dangerous. Voluptuous and brittle, lovely and toxic: sheer vanilla musk with tuberose, red mandarin, and the sweet poison of white almond. First! Oh dear Ava sounds simple, but it feels incredibly complex on the skin. The vanilla musk grounds the scent very beautifully, and the tuberose and mandarin mix to create a light floral feeling that plays well with the sweet musk. I'm actually not detecting the almond. It's incredibly ethereal and beautiful! I'm not a huge floral lover, but this is just like I want a good floral perfume to be. It also stays fairly close to the skin, but has good lasting power, so it's like being enveloped in a blooming fae garden all day. I was expecting something sharper, considering the character of Ava in the film, but the scent is very mellow. It has a youthful feeling to it as well. I would probably say that if you like a good floral, you won't be disappointed. If you're iffy on almond, don't let that deter you from trying Ava, because I'm not getting any almond at all.

Shaggy fur, snow-flecked and rose-touched. This immediately caught my attention when I read the update, and I am very glad I took a chance on a bottle. It starts off as mainly fresh dewy rose petals with a snowy sweet background. After a little while the fur starts peeking out and the scent becomes more snuggly. It is like the snow from Snow White, the rose from Rose Red, and a touch of fuzziness from the fur. He really is the beautiful cousin of those two, but I would say the scent is mainly feminine, although the right guy could pull it off as well. Throw is fairly good, decent wear length.

James Gillray Wig powder, amber-perfumed leather gloves, and rose petals with a sliver of oak bark and cauldron smoke. This is a curious beast. I am definitely getting something powdery, and the way it evokes wig powder is uncanny. I can just imagine a gentleman wearing a powdered wig with this one! The leather is not sharp, but the well-worn kind, and I am only getting a very little bit of rose, so if you're worried about that note, you don't have to be. It is hard to tell whether what I'm getting is simply the powder, or the smoke as well. I don't find it too smoky at all, though. It is a very mysterious scent, and somewhat masculine, although the right kind of woman could also pull it off. I quite like it, but I'm not sure I will keep my bottle, as I wouldn't know when to wear this sort of scent.

Brown leather, tonka, vanilla bourbon tar, and a thin whiff of rose. This is the Luper I was looking most forward to try, because I have been raving about a book+rose scent for ages I love it! The rose is dewy and quite prominent, while the leather and tonka takes a backseat, so rather than a pressed-rose-petal-between-pages-of-an-old-book this is like reading an old book with a vase of fresh roses on the side table. The rose feels reminiscent of the one from The Bear Prince, actually. I can see this morphing a lot with age as well, so I definitely look forward to seeing what has happened in a year from now

Ghost Revelry While we were at Kensal Green in March, Lilith began knocking on all the crypts to wake the ghosts. In her estimation, they were likely bored and lonely, and a party would do them some good. Lil is always very concerned about everyone’s happiness, both the living and the dead. A spectral shindig: damp mosses, fallen leaves, and soft woods swirled with an ethereal mist of white sandalwood, lilac, orris root, and moonflower. I was so excited for this, since the concept reminds me of a favorite scene from Fable 3, where all the ghosts in the cemetery have a party I don't smell anything in the bottle at all! On the skin it is very light and ethereal, with a prominent lilac note that I love. It feels very evocative of a peaceful old cemetery in the morning dew, or perhaps the evening mists? There is a bunch of greenery in this as well, but all of it stays very subdued. It's in the same family as last year's Ghost Houses, although that one was more powerful on me. Since the concept is supposed to be a ghost party, I might have liked something that gave it a little more oomph, since it's all very light. Definitely ghostly, though. I'm glad I have a bottle!

White sandalwood, ti leaf, osmanthus, pink pepper, and white vanilla bark. This is heavy on the tea and pink pepper! I don't get a lot of osmanthus. The sandalwood sits in the background and makes the scent a little more soft and dusty, although I wouldn't characterize this as powdery at all. It is a very spring-like and fresh scent with a little kick from the pepper, and it would also work very well for summer, I think.

At first I was convinced there was peach in this, but it is just my nose getting confused by the berries. This is a bright and summery, yet warm and cosy, blackcurrant with amber on me! Sort of in the same family as my signature scent Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, but fresher because of the fruit. Needless to say I love it. The vanilla is not plasticky or cloying in any way - in fact, it stays solidly in the background for me, and I am only getting the faintest trace of something that could be the sandalwood. The blackcurrant is the main player. The throw is medium, I would say.

This reminds me a LOT of Lady Lucille Sharpe, and I noticed they do share some notes. I am sure it will appeal to many people It is mainly incense and plum on me, and it makes me feel mysterious and kind of sinister. I am not getting much of the oudh, which is fine by me. For such a dark scent I was surprised that the throw was not greater than is the case. It seems very light on me. I would say you could absolutely wear this anywhere - let it depend solely on your mood instead of your fear of stinking up the entire room In short: If you enjoy scents like Lady Lucille or Morgause, you will most likely love this, too.

A smattering of red rose petals scattered atop a pile of yellowing, ancient bones. Oh, no reviews for this one yet? Well, then I'll go first! I'll admit the concept drew my attention straight away; it sounded suitably morbid and evocative for my tastes, so I gave it a try. This is straight up lush red roses, with an undercurrent of something a bit ominous, but not very distinct. Mostly it's just fresh rose, almost honeyed. But I can definitely see how the "old bones" come into the picture…although it's more in tone than in actual distinguishable notes, I think. It's rather pretty and not as dry as the name would suggest. If you enjoy rose, you will like this! I blind-bought a bottle, and I'm actually glad I did.

This is a deep, dark rose (probably due to the moss as others have suggested) with a sharp ink note, without it feeling too much like a "book scent". The notes are well blended and nothing dominates the other notes. Very darkly elegant.

Refreshing white tea with an almost soapy cherry blossom note. It feels both fresh and grounded. The throw is good, and the wear length is medium-ish, because it does start going mainly amber on me after a few hours.

"Hotel Cosmopolitan Jewel Robbery. John Horner, 26, plumber, was brought up upon the charge of having upon the 22nd inst., abstracted from the jewel-case of the Countess of Morcar the valuable gem known as the blue carbuncle. James Ryder, upper-attendant at the hotel, gave his evidence to the effect that he had shown Horner up to the dressing-room of the Countess of Morcar upon the day of the robbery in order that he might solder the second bar of the grate, which was loose. He had remained with Horner some little time, but had finally been called away. On returning, he found that Horner had disappeared, that the bureau had been forced open, and that the small morocco casket in which, as it afterwards transpired, the Countess was accustomed to keep her jewel, was lying empty upon the dressing-table. Ryder instantly gave the alarm, and Horner was arrested the same evening; but the stone could not be found either upon his person or in his rooms. Catherine Cusack, maid to the Countess, deposed to having heard Ryder's cry of dismay on discovering the robbery, and to having rushed into the room, where she found matters as described by the last witness. Inspector Bradstreet, B division, gave evidence as to the arrest of Horner, who struggled frantically, and protested his innocence in the strongest terms. Evidence of a previous conviction for robbery having been given against the prisoner, the magistrate refused to deal summarily with the offence, but referred it to the Assizes. Horner, who had shown signs of intense emotion during the proceedings, fainted away at the conclusion and was carried out of court." Gilded cypress wood, padded silk, and a hint of perfume. This is mainly cypress on me, and very elegant cypress at that. It definitely feels "gilded", somehow. If you are scared that the perfume note will be soapy or floral, I can say that at least on me I get very little floral, if any. There is a touch of something sweet to keep the woody notes in check. I like this one and I look forward to seeing how it will age!

This smells soapy in the bottle, but on my skin it turns into a dreamy, ethereal wisteria and clove, if that makes sense. Wisteria stands out, along with a bit of spiciness from clove, but everything seems well blended in a way that transforms it into more than the sum of its parts. This is my favourite among the shungas this year, which I was not expecting!

Ink and musk! The ink is overpowering the parchment for me, but I still get a distinctly bookish feel from this. The lilac is really only a whisper. I found it to be a rather powerful scent in terms of throw and longevity.

I had such high hopes for this, but I am not getting any of the elegance others experience. In the bottle this smells surprisingly fresh, but also refined. Unfortunately, my skin turns it weirdly chemical. Not sure why, or which note it could be, but it definitely isn't working for me.

This is just like the smell of my morning cup of tea! No honey, but I don't mind. I would have loved a little more vanilla orchid, but this is mainly a true to life tea scent for me.

A memory of Antique Lace, Formula 54s pink pepper, and a splash of Dorian's white tea and lavender fougere. White tea and a sweet lavender - definitely sweetened by some fluffy vanilla in the background! It feels like a perfect sleep scent, at least if you are the sort of person who enjoys lavender for sleep. It reminds me a little of The Serpentine, but not as much as I had expected. This one is softer than The Serpentine, and it feels well balanced with the sharpness of the white tea. If you enjoy any of the notes listed, you should check it out. Chances are you will love it!

This is like a .... tea cologne? It definitely has a cologney vibe on my skin, but not so much that I couldn't envision a woman rocking this as well. The tea is prominent on me, with a woody background, but I'm not getting much vanilla. It is unisex, but leaning on the masculine side, and feels comforting, like a man you love sitting in his favourite chair reading an old book (I agree with the old book smell mentioned in the review above too!) If you like bookish scents, or anything unisex, really, you might want to check this out.

Open of yourselves, you doors, for mightly Ploutos will enter in: golden amber and smoky oudh with honey, patchouli, and leather. Am I first? Okay then! I love this! It's the softest worn leather you can imagine, with just a teensy whiff of patchouli and sweetness from amber, oudh, and honey. The notes are very well blended, and the only thing that really stands out is the leather, but in a good way. I am so glad I got an imp of this; I will definitely be treasuring it and wearing it when I want to be a little snuggly

In the wet stage, this is very sugary - somehow it reminded me of fruit hard candies. On drydown, it's mostly incense. It's a sweet, not too smoky, incense note with an overtone of something fruity - the lingering candy note, although the sugariness has faded somewhat by now.

This one is pure sweet lavender on me. I imagine it works well as a sleep blend. I can't say I am getting any coconut, really. But the lavender note reminds me of the one in The Serpentine, so if you enjoy that one, you might also like this!

The honey is barely there, which is good for me, because honey rarely works well on my skin! The rest is like a peaceful, fragrant flower pond; watery and slightly ethereal. A very calming blend.

I'm not sure what baby's breath smells like, but this is very lily-heavy on me. Right when I put it on it borders on SOAPY, but there is something sinister underneath it - so....sinister soap? I'm not sure.

This is very heavy on the pepper, with a slight coconutty background. Much spicier than I had expected! The spice gives it a certain autumnal vibe, so.....a tropical fall scent? I am still undecided about how much I would wear this normally, even though I like it, but if you love a good peppery scent, this might be for you

This smells just like the vanilla orchid I know and love, so it did not disappoint! It is a light, pretty floral with a hint of non-foody vanilla in the background. Simple and perfect