Aviatrix

This one is very sweet and creamy and delicious! I'm not sure what heliotrope smells like, but I get a big burst of peach blossom, which is nice. The vanilla is there faintly to sweeten up the blend, and there is a teeny bit of sandalwood in the background to give it a slightly woodsy feel. I don't detect the amber outright, but it must be grounding the scent. On me it doesn't morph much, but that's all the same, because it's beautiful just the way it is. This definitely is a keeper!

Speaking of Absinthe... I haven't tried it yet, but in this year's Lupers there's also Absinthe Bonbon, if you like chocolate blends.

I know there is black licorice in both Black Pumpkin Floss and Black Snowballs from BPTP. I tried Black Snowballs, but to me it seemed more berry-dominated than licorice, but I suppose it varies from person to person.

I wanted to give this one a try since it's soon to be DC'd. Caveat: I don't get along with vetiver very well. But I am attempting to find vetivers that I like, because it's such a shame to have notes that don't work, in my opinion. This one was sadly no different. It feels like I am really trying to get to like vetiver blends, but it always amps on my skin and takes over the entire scent. Well, so much for the vetiver in this. Then there's the violet... Whereas I love the sugared Parma violets in La Befana, and I have a fairly neutral relationship with the violet in The Raven, this violet is way too sharp for me. Overall, this was not a success, and I had t eventually scrub it off.

2014 Lupers with booze notes include: Saint Foutin de Varailles: Beeswax, frankincense, dried rose petals, and a dribble of wine. Death Shall Come in with Thee: Opium poppy, smoke, and tar with green cognac, brittle white vanilla pod, white sandalwood, and clove bud. The Flowers Cleave Apart: Honeyed jasmine, white neroli, red sandalwood, champaca, and raspberry wine. Weeping Faces of Wearied Loves: Oman frankincense, grape flowers, sweet myrrh, black currant bud, and Haitian vetiver stained by red wine. Absinthe Bonbon: Wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon embraced by white chocolate. Blood Kiss Bonbon: Dark chocolate and lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. Geisha in a State of Rumpled Annoyance: French lavender, white plum blossom, white ginger, and rice wine. Lovers in the Tea House: Sake and matcha tea with amber incense, golden sandalwood, and yōkan. It will be interesting to see how these fare!

Necrobumping this to add recommendations for a couple of newer book scents! This Yule we had Picture Books in Winter and Whispers of Monstrous Things. Although I mostly got cucumber sushi from Whispers of Monstrous Things myself, I thought I'd mention it here. Picture Books in Winter, on the other hand, is a very beautiful and comforting, slightly foody book scent with a good dose of leather, too. It has been my great favorite this Yule! I would say it shares some vibes with Miskatonic University, but it is still a very different scent. Anyway, just wanted to add those to the discussion.

Im guessing it's the snow note in this that turns somewhat soapy on my skin. I'm sad because I was very much looking forward to this evocative ice blend. There is a bit of pine in there, too, but unfortunately it gets overruled by the soapiness from the snow. I'm willing to give this one another try, maybe in a scent locket, to see how it goes. This doesn't usually happen to my skin.

This is quite pretty. I'm definitely getting the jasmine, and I could swear the lab has nailed it on the "black velvet" accord! Somehow it feels like velvet you're smelling. (I'm not sure what tuberose smells like, so I can't comment on that). Very nice. It's also a lot lighter and closer to the skin than I imagined from reading the notes. Is it just me or is it a general thing for the Fairy Tale Inquisition scents? Scrappy Damsel was lighter than I expected, too. But I digress! As this dries down, I am getting more of the vanilla musk, and it rounds out the blend well. Overall, it's a pretty blend that really evokes images of a velvet-clad sorceress in front of her magical mirror. I won't be needing a bottle, since it's not usually the kind of scent I wear on a regular basis, but I quite like it and am happy for my decant.

How about Hope and Faith from the Carnaval line? They're both sugared flower scents. Also, I'll second La Befana for pretty sugar scents, though perhaps more candy store than cotton candy!

I will recommend Schrödinger's Cat. To me it seems very candy-ish and fun

This was much less aquatic than I thought it would be. It's very fresh and almost sparkling. That could be the eucalyptus. It does have something a bit dark underneath the surface, but it's so faint that it's almost as if I'm just imagining it I am not entirely sure what ambergris smells like, but I am getting some of the bergamot as well. Overall, it's just a nice and fresh scent, perfect for a hot day, in my opinion.

Let's see if I can get this right, since there are no notes listed to help me pick out individual scents here There is something in this akin to Bread-and-Butterfly. Probably the buttery note, but in this it's much lighter than in Bread-and-Butterfly. There is also a faintly burnt smell, but not in an uncomfortable way. It's definitely sweet and very foody, but in a non-cakey way. I didn't think I would like something this foody, but on me it's actually fairly pleasant. Not bottle material for me, but I might just hold on to my imp for those days when I want something a little nontraditional.

This is good stuff! This is like a catalog of my favorite notes, except for the cinnamon, which I don't have much experience with yet. In the vial it smells sweet, almost a little like marzipan, which is strange. But it disappears once on the skin. I get a burst of warm cinnamon and a smoky background of patchouli and sandalwood. I'm not directly getting any amber, but the scent feels well grounded, so it could be there, lurking just outside my reach. For some reason it gets me thinking of Vixen, which I also love. Could be the patchouli, or just the general sexiness of both blends. At any rate, I'm totally loving this! It's warm and spicy and smexy.

Ooh, I totally suck at this, but I will try, because it is a fun topic Forgive me if my suggestions aren't very creative I was thinking Schrödinger's Cat for that mix between deep subjects - quantum physics - and overblown surreal humor. Of course, it's a scent that has a LOT going on, so maybe it's not so grounding. Or maybe Loli.Goth for a fun and light take on your inner goth?

I'm getting mainly cedar from this, both in the vial and on the skin. The rest is a jumble of deliciousness that I can't quite distinguish (I'm not super good at identifying individual notes...) It's sweet and woodsy and spicy, and I really like it! That's all I can say. Definitely keeping my little imp.

I'll second Rappaccini's Garden! Also, Arcana and Magus would both be slightly Potter-themed, I think.

I don't have much to add to this, but I thought I'd review it anyway, since I just got a chance to try it today (slightly aged imp, about a month). In the vial, this had a marzipan-like quality, so I was afraid it would be too sickly sweet. Fortunately, once on my skin it got a lot better. Just sweet, sexy spiciness, yum! I'm not sure what the Indonesian oils smell like, but I like it so far. I'm also getting a sweet, smoky undercurrent of vanilla. I can definitely see what the hype is with this one! I'm in need of more sexy scents in my collection, so I might just get a bottle of Snake Oil with my next order

Now, I just tested Maiden today, and although it probably doesn't fall straight into the pink category, it could definitely be a very light rosy pink, in my opinion. A scent fit for a childish tea party with ribbons and lace and a bouquet of roses and carnations as a centerpiece. Definitely some pink-ness going on.

This one somehow reminds me of Alice's tea party; a very girlish and young and innocent scent that would go well with fine porcelain teacups and tea-stained white lace. It's a well-blended mix of tea and carnation, with a hint of rose thrown in. The carnation remains the strongest note throughout. I quite like this, but I already have other girly scents in my collection, so I don't need a full bottle just now. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys sweet and pure and pretty scents, or who is a fan of carnation. It's very pretty overall.

I personally find Mouse's Long and Sad Tale to be rather pink in feel, with the sweetpea and everything. It's also my absolute favorite GC. Edited to add: Also, this Yule's La Befana is very "sugared flowers", so it might work as well. It's very good, at any rate.

This is mostly rose on me. If I really try I can detect the frankincense in the background, but it's by no means heavy. The rose is fresh and green and pretty and doesn't turn to soap on my skin, which is great. Overall, this is a pretty, pure scent with just a hint of incense softness. Rose lovers will definitely like it! I don't need a bottle of this, but I'll hang on to the imp, I think.

This one is heavy on the frankincense! I do get a bit of vanilla as well and a slightly floral feel that must be the rose. Rose and I don't always get along, but here it seems to work fine. I don't detect the amber, but I'm also not good at distinguishing resins. It reminds me of Hope and Fear Set Free, but it seems more complex. I am debating whether I like this more than La Lugubre Gondola. Maybe they really are equally awesome?

In the vial this is fairly sharp, but it mellows out as soon as I put it on my skin. This is a pretty floral aquatic. The florals are calm and well-behaved. I can't quite make out that it's rhododendron and bellflower, but I like the scent. Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long on me. I'm glad I got to try it, and I will most likely keep my imp, but I won't be hunting down any more.

This is the first vetiver blend that has worked relatively well on me! Yay for that! It's strong and smoky and would probably work better on a guy than on me. I'm mostly getting the smoke note, but it's somehow softer than I would have expected. Still strong, though. I'm glad I got to try it, but it's not something I would ever actually wear. I can see this appealing to a lot of people, though.

In the vial, this is very cedary! On my skin, it becomes sweeter and I get a lot of the orange now. After a while, the resins make their appearance, too, and I get a whole lot of different notes that I can't quite distinguish, but it might be the almond and the date. It's certainly very sweet, and also still woodsy. It has decent throw, and lasts a fairly long time on me without getting too faint in the process. Overall, a delicious, warm, wood/resin blend that certainly evokes the rebirth of the phoenix in all its splendor.