Undine

A nice scent, but as usual, the florals fail to fully succeed on me. On, it's got a strong, sharp white floral scent that I think of "perfumey" and which after a moment I realized is the lily-of-the-valley--reminds me of a perfume shop where my dad used to buy scents for my mom; I think he let me get a lily-of-the-valley perfume. As it dries down the lily-of-the-valley fades away and I get more jasmine. Soapy, also as usual. Not much rose or anything else, really, and overall this scent has little to no throw or staying power on me. Despite its sharpness, I do like the lily-of-the-valley, but it fades so fast, and I'm not a big fan of jasmine, and overall this scent only comes out five minutes later if I stick my nose to my wrist. So, on my scale, a 2 out of 5.

FWIW ... got a response from the lab about my Baghdad Issues (is that quick or what?!) and they said that Baghdad and Bengal were very similar, with Baghdad more buttery and Bengal more spicy. I am divided. They talked to Beth about it, and Beth is the Scent Goddess, and my nose is not, you know, even close to masterly. But on the other hand, these two scents are just so very, very different cinnamon-wise. But maybe I'm just in denial. Now I don't want this 10 ml but I can't really eBay it, I don't think, so I guess I'll put it up for swaps with an explanation. And I'll try reordering a smaller quantity Baghdad at a later date and see whether it's rosy or cinnamony. (In the meantime, please drop me a line if you have rosy Baghdad you don't want, especially large quantities. Because now I am pining!)

I think that maybe some Bengal has been mis-labeled and sent out as Baghdad. I bought an imp of Baghdad a while ago and it was ambery and rose-y, light spices underneath. No cinnamon that I noticed (my skin amplifies cinnamon big-time, and I'm not a big fan of it). Loved, loved, loved it. So I ordered a 10 ml of it, which I received right at the end of September (my Harvest Moon order). I've gotten so many other imps recently I didn't even sniff it until today, when I was like, "Time to break out the old favorites!" I didn't even smell it then, just opened it up and slathered it on both wrists as I usually do with 5 mls. WHOOMP! CINNAMANIA! Cinnamon and cardamom and spices! No rose, no amber, nothing like the Baghdad I remembered. I KNOW there is a lot of cinnamon in this oil, because it burned! Never had that happen before. I kind of went "Huh?" for a while and thought, "Could I really have misread Baghdad that badly?" Went back to my imp and swabbed on a bit. Ambery roses. Totally, totally different. I went to look at the Baghdad, Morocco, and Bengal reviews just now, and several of the Baghdad reviews make me suspicious. Most note amber and rose, but a couple recent ones mention cinnamon or foody scents. And CourtneyLynne in particular mentions having several Baghdad imps that smell totally different, some cinnamon/nutmeg, some not at all, and wonders if some of hers are mislabeled. I have a bottle of Bengal, and I'm pretty sure that's what this is. Either this, or Morocco. But Bengal would make sense, since they both start with "B" and could be easily confused.... I've experienced differences in batches before, but this is completely over-the-top different. I guess I'll drop a line to the Lab about it, and see what they say.

This was a frimp from the Lab--thanks, guys! When I put it on, Thanatopsis smelled VERY medicinal, but it was strange how quickly the pine came out and the medicinal scent went away. Hmm, it is much like Black Forest in some ways. But Black Forest is sweeter, and I think it uses balsam fir instead of pine. In Thanatopsis the juniper and musk add to the dryness, versus the amberness of Black Forest. I've just sent away Ra, so it's hard to compare, but something about the herbal quality reminds me of the herbs in Ra--perhaps the juniper--but much less creepy (although I think I am one of the very few that found Ra creepy; but I digress...). This is a warm, dry pine forest in summer, as opposed to the dark sweet fir woods of Black Forest. Overall I prefer Black Forest, plus I don't like the death associations of Thanatopsis, but this is really quite nice--complex, well-balanced, green. Oddly, it would smell nice walking out in the fields, I think. On my scale, a 4 out of 5. ETA: I tried this again a couple weeks later. My first impression was similar, except not medicinal and more piney and herby and green, but as it dries down I find Thanatopsis so dry that it reminds me not only of Ra but of Kathmandu and its cedar. No toothpaste, thank goodness. It goes way past green to power at some point, and it smells like dragon's blood. I don't know if it is, but now that I look at the color of the oil, it certainly could be. Dragon's blood, a nemesis! I just don't like that sweet-powdery-dry scent and it really "pops" whenever I wear a blend that contains it. I still get the original scent if I sniff my wrist, but the throw I get from it is very dragons-bloody and non-green or herbal. But I fear I have to reassess: it is more a 2.5 out of 5 now.

When I put this on, something reminded me of Yggdrasil. It must have been the herbs. Then, WHAMMO! Lemon Pledge! After a few minutes the lemon backs off a little and I can still smell the Yggdrasil-y herbs. But there's still quite a lot of sweet lemon there. I can't pick out amber or patchouli. Funny, I thought neroli was orange blossom, but for me it's distinctly lemons and not oranges. I like the green herbal part, and this is very light and fresh. But I'm not a big fan of lemon. Its throw is also pretty minimal on me, and the lemon sweetness is the only thing that really throws at all. On my scale, a 2.5 out of 5.

I have often seen people preface a review with something along the lines of "I love this scent so much. I don't know why I haven't reviewed it yet!" I think I once saw someone say, and I believe, that for some reason it's particularly hard to review the scents we love. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it's because they're so well blended for our skin that it's hard to pick anything out, or maybe it's because if you really love something, you don't want to pick it apart or analyze it. Both of these things are true for me, anyway. That's a longwinded way of saying that Samhain is my favorite. scent. EVER! and I am finally going to review it. I really don't feel up to the task, but a) I don't want Beth to think I dislike all her scents because I review the ones that are easiest to do--e.g. the ones I don't like as much; and I really want people to know how much I love this while it's still available. It really is hard for me to pick out all the different elements. Balsam fir is a big one, like the scent of Black Forest. It's sweet, also like Black Forest, but in a golden way rather than in a toothachey, sugary, or floral way. That must be the patchouli. I'm ashamed to say that I'm not entirely sure what pumpkin smells like. I mean, I can think of fresh pumpkin smell, but it's been a long time since I smelled cooked pumpkin, since I don't like it. I ordered an imp of Jack primarily to help me sort that out (since I'm not likely to be sniffing Pumpkin King any time soon! ) and while the butter in Jack makes it a little difficult to compare, I belive the pumpkin in Samhain allies with the patchouli to sweeten it up and, in a weird way, that's what gives Samhain its very smoky scent on me. So it's smoky sweet fir woods, backed by a very, very light, totally non-potpouri assemblage of mulling spices that hover gently in the background. The light sweetness and the woodsy smoke, with the richness of the spices, play off one another beautifully, and that is what makes this, as Beth says, the perfect autumn scent. When my husband smelled it, he didn't realize it was me at first. He's not a perfume guy at all and his comments about the scents I try usually run to either "Baby powder" or "Soap." This time, we were outside, and he sniffed and said, "What's that smell?" "It might be me," I offered. "I put on a little more than I meant." "No, no, I don't think that's it..." he said. "It smells like honeycombs." He sniffed around some more and then sniffed my wrist and, surprised, said, "Huh, I guess it must be you." This is the only scent he's ever close to approved of, and he actually liked it! As this story illustrates, Samhain has fantastic staying power and throw. Unlike most other scents, where slathering and application of baby lotion results in a few hours of scent that I can smell but nobody else can, Samhain sticks around all day long, and others can actually smell it. Love, love, love. I blew a lot of money on my first bottle on eBay, sight unseen, and didn't regret it for an instant. Now that it's available from the Lab again, I just bought four bottles, but frankly I don't think that's enough. What if it never comes back?!? I need to stock up more! Gorgeous, wonderful fall bonfires in a bottle. Everything I ever wanted. That's Samhain. Oh, and 2005 is very very similar to 2004. I don't think the difference is any more than what you'd get between different batches of a catalogue scent. On my scale, a 10 out of 5.

I wasn't sure exactly what orchid smelled like when I ordered this scent. When I smelled it, I said, "Oh, so that's orchid!" It's very familiar, but very hard to describe. I'll try, though... "Subdued and ethereal" captures it very well. It's exotic and very wet- or watery-smelling, not incredibly sweet. It reminds me of lotus, I think. I would also call it "heady," not in that overpowering manner of gardenias--it's not that strong--but because it's so distinct, very consistent, and when you smell it you are sort of distracted from all other smells. It is not at all a typical floral, however. No soap here! I would assume there's other stuff besides orchid tuber in here, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you what, except perhaps lotus. Throw is medium to low, although the "heady" quality I described above makes up for that somewhat. Staying power is similar. This is an utterly unique and fascinating scent that is very evocative of its name. It makes me think of wet jungles, but it is much less fruity than some of the "wet tropical" BPAL scents (Machu Picchu, for instance). I could especially see wearing it during the summer or during a fancy evening out where one wanted to be mysterious and attention-attracting. (A masquerade?) For me, it's a little much. Something about it is just a little unsettling to me--my nose doesn't like it, I think. It's not sharp, but it makes me a little queasy. But I may revisit it when it's warmer out, and not so rainy! On my scale, a 3 out of 5.

Hmm, this is a joyous perfume, as Macha said again, but then again it's the moment before the ruin, when the golden banners float, the pearls and rubies glow, and sweet voices serenade the wise king. The picture that this scent evokes is very clear. On first application the blood orange is strong, a sweet citrus--no surprise, as I tend to amp up citrus. The gardenia lends a heavier note and the vanilla lends sweetness. On drydown the rose appears more. Like most BPAL roses, it's fairly sweet and juicy, although not too horribly so. (I generally prefer a very dry rose.) I'm having a hard time deciding what I think about this! It's floral, but not floral. The depth of the florals used, and the amber, vanilla, and musk keep the scent grounded. But it's certainly heady. And it absolutely does not turn to soap, which most floral scents do on me. I think that, overall, it's too sweet for me. I say that about a lot of blends, though--I seem to have a very "dry", woody, herbal and "natural" taste in perfumes compared to many. But this may be a very good scent for those who generally don't like florals, or for those who often have Rose Issues of one sort or another. It's regal but fun-loving (now there's a sort of oxymoron!), a young princess dancing at a ball while the yellow banners still float and the choirs still sing. On my scale, a 2.5 out of 5.

It is very difficult to follow up a review like Macha's, especially when the followup is as unlyrical as this one is! I took a risk on this one because with most aquatic or ozone scents I just get an overpowering men's-cologne ozone and that's it. But the description was so haunting and exotic, and I love the sea and its scent. And sometimes mixing an overwhelming scent with other more down-to-earth ones will temper it greatly. Bummer--the bet didn't pay off. Once again it's ozone-o-rama. It's much lighter than many ozone blends and I get a hint of sea air, salty green and woods, with a very light sweetness, but unfortunately the nose-running, synthetic smell of ozone makes this hard to pin down. I think that if one generally does OK with aquatic scents, this might be a really lovely, light, melancholy, autumn ocean perfume. Throw and staying power seem to be average. Damn chemistry. On my (stupid) scale, 2 out of 5.

Weird--this is not at all what I expected. On me, Devil's Night smells like lemon sugar cookie with a hint of smoke--but not Samhain-ish, Hexennacht-ish, or Djinn-ish smoke; very sweet or even spiced smoke, more like some of the Carnaval Noir incense smokes. (I've never tried Sugar Cookie, so I can't compare the two.) Quite similar to Aredhel's appraisal, I think. Only, I'm not sure about booze and I wouldn't call this light, exactly, though it's not heavy either. On drydown more of the spices (the mulled cider or wine sort) come out, and I think I smell cinnamon. I also get a light plastic-y Band-Aid note that I believe is the same one I got from Honey Moon. Staying power and throw seem fairly average to good. Really, really not my thing at all. I just don't like sweet scents, generally. But I would suspect that many people here might like it, especially if they liked the Carnaval Noir line generally (I struck out with it). On my scale, 2 out of 5.

Often coconut smells can be so fake, but this one isn't. I think the iris especially helps give the coconut a very green, fresh smell. The white musk and hazelnut are both very light and delicate, and I would never be able to pick them out if I didn't know they were there. Overall this is a very, very light scent on me. Due to being a cold person and not normally having much staying power/throw at all, I put this on with moisturizer, and while this normally greatly increases staying power and throw, I could still barely smell this scent. Even smelling my wrist, an hour or two later, it's barely there. I've never been much of a coconut fiend--I like it to eat, but on me it mostly reminds me of suntan lotion. However, this is quite a nice evocation of palms, islands, and warm breezes. (Today is a rainy, miserable, cold autumn day, so that was part of my motivation in trying this scent today!) However it's not so different that I feel compelled to wear a lot more of it and it does feel a little "wrong" on a cold wet day like today! I could see myself using more of this imp in summer, though. On my scale, a 3 out of 5.

Hmm, I really like this. The amber is rich and golden and the orris gives it such an elegant air. I would never have realized there were berries except when I take a sniff of my wrist I realize that a very small amount is lending the blend a sweeter note. Surprising--often fruits go all out on me and I usually dislike fruit scents or find them to smell all alike and synthetic. I keep on thinking "gilded" and "elegant". In some ways it is what I expected of Versailles--not that I expected Versailles to smell anything like this, but the sensation or mental pictures I get from it. It makes me feel very adult and womanly. I would wear it to the opera or the ballet. The only downside is a slight powderiness, from the orris I suppose. But it goes very well with the scent. Very nice. I may well get more of this. On my scale, a 4.5 out of 5.

I too got the grape smell. I wonder if it's something about how the labdanum and ylang ylang act together. When I first put the scent on, it was very strong, and I thought, "Oh, wild grapes." Or Concord grapes. Yum. Sometimes the scent veered close to Jolly Rancher, but it was never really too much. The whole time the honey hung out underneath and reminded me of Delphi--a significant part of the scent, part of a pair, but not the only significant "player." I've recently started applying moisturizer wherever I put on a scent, right before I put on the scent, as throw/lasting power of BPAL is generally very minimal on me. With this treatment, Skuld lasted all day, although by the end it was just light honeyed sweetness. My husband thought it just smelled sweet on me, and did not smell the grapes. But sometimes I think he is insane. I liked it very much, but don't have it on a bottle list, because I like Delphi's smokiness and Hetairae is my honey sexpot blockbuster, and because of the veering-towards-Jolly-Rancher. But I think it makes a great autumnal, harvest, or Mabon scent with that smell of wild grapes. On my scale, a 4 out of 5. Maybe even a little more.

I received Arcana as a frimp and, though I was surprised by the mix of lavender and frankincense, really liked it. Myself, I like Somnus, but I use it to go to sleep and can't picture wearing it just to be lavender-y--it would be waaaay too hardcore lavender for that, I think. I also really like Oneiroi and Temple of Dreams. Also, the first time I tried Somnus it seemed SO strong, just a drop was almost medicinal and gave me a headache, and I didn't like it. Since then I have gotten used to it and now I'm a total addict. I don't know if it aged or it's just me but now I slather it on like there's no tomorrow. So Somnium scents might be more likeable for some folks as time passes. I also agree that Old Scratch is very nice though to me it is much more of a mix of which lavender is just one element.

Argh--the internets just ate my review, so this is going to be a little abbreviated. This starts out very sweet and herbal, underlain by sandalwood. As it dries down, the herbs become much, much drier and amber makes an appearance. Possibly also myrrh. The herbs remain dominant. This reminds me of the hot sun beating down on the desert or maybe on a very dry, grassy field. It also reminds me of embalming. Part of this may be because, unlike many people here (so no offense meant), I have a strong dislike for the ancient Egyptian culture. I know they were advanced and very interesting, but the whole thing kind of gives me the creeps. I also believe that even Beth's non-TAL scents can very powerfully evoke ... things ... so that can color my feelings about a scent. But, I also think that the herbs just have a bitter or medicinal edge and hence the reason that I don't quite like them--normally I do really like green scents. There's also not a whole lot of throw. So, with the caveat that I have Egyptian Issues, on my scale this would be a 2.5 out of 5.

Very rich chocolate. A bit like being doused in chocolate syrup, if that syrup was made with very expensive cocoa. I also get mintiness, although it's not really strong. And some light spices, a bit like Mexican cocoa in that regard (though much lighter). Throw is OK but the scent fades very quickly. The dab I put on disappeared in under an hour. My skin does eat scents, but I can barely smell it even when I put my nose right up to it. I did want to lick this scent when I first put it on, but this is just waaaaay too foody for me. It smells good, but I don't like smelling like foods, just eating them. On my scale, 2 out of 5.

At first this was very citrusy and I thought "ugh," but Torture King quickly mellowed down into an incense-y scent (lots of frankincense top note) mixed with leather, musk, spices, and green smells. I don't find the clove particularly strong though it is present. Masculine, but not in such a way that I wouldn't wear it. I haven't done too well with the Carnaval Noir line, but this isn't bad. However, it's not so lovely on me that I need to keep it. I love regular smoke smells, but although frankincense is very nice it can quickly become too much for me. This scent, tried right after Bearded Lady, made me wonder if all the Carnaval scents share a common ingredient or whether it's just a theme for many of them. Gypsy Queen, Bearded Lady, and Torture King all have this sweet incense-y note that I am rather "eh" about. On the other hand, House of Mirrors (which I have not tried, only sniffed) doesn't seem to have that at all, so ... never mind? Anyway. On my scale, 3 out of 5.

A seductive and flowing exaltation of femininity: Turkish rose, stargazer lily, violet, honeysuckle, amber, star jasmine and vanilla. Am I the only one who finds this blend oddly masculine? It's appropriate for the name, though. The predominant scent reminds me of Oisin's white musk, which was unbelievably overpowering on me. Perhaps this is the violet--I'm still not 100% sure I recognize violet when I smell it, as I have not ordered many violet scents. It is barely, faintly sour and makes my nose run as Oisin did. This smell is, to me, an artificial one, I guess what others term "department store," and reminds me of cheap men's perfumes. I also smell a little soap, which is either the jasmine or the lily or both. I can smell the vanilla, which lends sweetness, and the rose and amber are squashed down by the other smells but are present. I'm thinking about it and I can picture enjoying this scent if it weren't for that department-store effect. It would be a lightly incense-y floral. And, as it dries down on me, I get less of the masculine musk and more of the nice parts. I think I start to be able to smell the honeysuckle. But, overall, there's not enough difference to change my mind. I don't know if it's the violet, or the lily and jasmine ruining the violet, or all three. It's got pretty good throw, though, which is quite uncommon on me--bummer. What a pity, but this scent just doesn't work for me. On my scale, 2 out of 5.

Wow, this is one sex-ay scent. What's particularly odd about that is that the primary smells I pick up are lavender and rose (much less woody than rosewood usually is; it's more Crabtree-and-Evelyn-type rose, but I don't mean that in a bad way). Those two scents can seem the most old-lady of any and indeed there is something in Old Scratch that makes me think of the afore-mentioned C & E sachets or potpourri. Yet! It's sexy as all hell! Must be that warm amber, patchouli, and tonka underneath. I cannot really sense the tonka at all--which I am thankful for, as I am one of the few people in this world that only likes vanilla in moderation. But it must be a predominant ingredient, as this info about fougeres suggests that this scent is clearly an ambery fougere, which relies on a mix of lavender and coumarin. Coumarin seems to be either tonka or closely related. And, did I mention that it's sexy? When I put this on, for a moment it was all lavender, but within a minute all the scents I've described came out and I felt this almost physical reaction. Unfortunately I'm at home and my husband is at work, but if I could hump my own leg, I would. Okay, not quite, but it's pretty incredible. Throw is very strong on first application, then lessens, but is better than your average BPAL on me (generally throw is minimal). If I were to slather like I do with a 5ml, it might be pretty good. I definitely will consider a bottle of this. I do think this is a slightly masculine scent, but only slightly. I'd be perfectly fine wearing it. On my scale, a 4.5 out of 5.

Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea. Sweet, sugary vanilla tea, and eventually musk. I think it's white musk, because it reminds me of Oisin, and like Oisin, it's too masculine and strong on me. I don't think this would be for me anyway; I like my vanilla very low-key and I'm generally not a big fan of very sweet scents. Oh well--not EVERYONE can like Dorian! It stays well and has fairly good throw. I can also see why someone else would really like this, if that makes any sense. The smoky sweetness is a just little close to stomach-turning for me. I think I might like it a lot better, though, if it weren't for that overly strong musk. On my scale, 2.5 out of 5.

Argh! This is my only chance to review this, since I just spilled the imp all over my kitchen floor. I agree with many of the other reviews. Some scents seem to vary a lot between people, this one seems to have a more consistent reaction. Yes, light, white, and crystalline, but not sharp the way ozone or many "wet" scents get on me (i.e., soap). It's soft due to the musk and oakmoss, and the citrus--which I am normally not a fan of in perfume--keeps very light, sweet, and delicate. I can't identify the type, but to me it is closest to lemon. Perhaps it's Meyers lemons or something a little more delicate than your average lemon. Oh! Lemongrass, since I also think King of Diamonds and Concentration might have a similar function (see below)? I really like it overall, and feel it is very appropriate for the King of Diamonds. (Haven't tried the Queen, so can't compare.) I can see it being masculine, but it's more feminine on me. As opposed to something like Oisin, where I could not see a woman wearing it. Actually, it's sort of like I thought Snow White--not a favorite--would be. I put this on because I wanted something to help me concentrate, don't have Concentration, and to me King of Diamonds is all about the sharp focused intellect, getting stuff done. I think it would do quite nicely, though I haven't tried it out yet. However, it is indeed very light. Despite having put quite a bit of myself, then spilling it on my shirt and finally dumping the remainder on the floor, it's quite a gentle smell and I have to put my nose up to my wrist to get more than a sweet hint of something. It's also just a teeny tiny tad too sweet for me: I'd like a little less musk, a little more oakmoss. And, finally, it cleans off hardwoods quite nicely. On my scale, a 4 out of 5.

I agree this smells like dirt, but to me in the imp it smelled like mushroomy, acrid, wet dirt, significantly more stomach-turning than real dirt. In fact, this smell was so repulsive to me that I absolutely could not bear to try it on. I think it's an amazing blend because it's a very good facsimile of the real thing (and apparently is an exact replication for many people), but it was so not for me. For me specifically, though, it was a 0 out of 5!

On first application, I never would have said peach wine--I would have guessed apple. This reminds me of apple cider, the sparkling kind. As it dries down a little, the amber comes out more while the peach note develops (the increasing "depth" makes it smell more like peaches than like apples). The musk provides some of the "wine" note, I would guess, and on further drydown it makes more of an appearance, giving the scent added warmth. I love amber, but find it very light and hard to detect here. This scent smells like sparkling cider not only in its first application but after drydown in a synaesthetic way. If it were a color, it would be the color of that flute of cider--complete with bubbles rising up from the bottom. I have no idea what myrtle smells like, though I've read that wax myrtle, anyway, smells like bay leaves. There's also a common aromatic herb, lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodoria), that smells like--well, I think you can guess. Or another that smells like anise or licorice. Others are minty. Regardless, I think arabella is right and it's what provides the "sparkle" in this scent. I've always hated peach scents, but this is really very very nice. I'm not sure if I'll wear it, just because it is not quite me. Brisingamen might be the scent for those who find this not amber-y enough or a little too sweet. (It even has myrtle.) And when testing this out I also found that Aglaea might layer very nicely with Brisingamen or with another more amber-y scent. But I have to say, I really treasure Aglaea on its own for the vivid mental sensation of sparkling cider that evokes, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if I find myself wearing more than I planned to. On my scale, 4 out of 5.

From Love in the Asylum I predominantly get a strong rose, green just like I like, but the other ingredients hold their own. I don't particularly smell the high green note I would expect from the ambergris--maybe it mixes in with the rose scent--, but the carnation's spice and the underlying sweetness of the labdanum (which I don't know from Adam, but I read that it smells like amber) come up, as well as, of course, the spicy vanilla of the tonka. I also read that tolu balsam has a vanilla-like smell. I don't really know what distilled tobacco leaf smells like, especially if it was green tobacco leaf, but I do know the scent of a cigar so I can pick out the general idea. I suspect that is the most interesting note in this blend. It's kind of an uneasy scent to me, deeply sweetened by the vanilla scents but a little bitter and smoky. Sometimes I really like smoke, but not so much this one. Like cigars, perhaps it's an acquired taste. On, this scent smells much like it does in the bottle. A green, strong rose with a vibrant undercurrent of deep, rich sweetness that takes a twisted turn. It's unsettling, perhaps partly because rose is a stereotypically pure, virginal, or even old-lady scent and this one is so unfamiliar backed by that bad-boy, uncomfortable tobacco scent. It's really perfectly named. It's very nicely blended, but like Gypsy Queen, is not for me. I like scents that remind me of nature and natural places more than this one does. So, off to swaps or sale it goes.

Initially a bubblegummy scent, but the green and earthy scent quickly comes up as well as something fruity and spicy (the source of the bubblegum). The green/earthiness--reminds me of the "potting soil" description that many gave to Graveyard Dirt, whereas I only smelled horrible rotting mushrooms--always stays above the fruits and spices. It's a nice green dirt. I have a really hard time picking out any of the individual scents. But I really like it. 4 out of 5 on my scale.