Invidiana

The house No. 101 is of the third class, and contains nothing worthy of attention. A little shabby: dusty sandalwood and cold black tea. I was really, really hoping this would be like All Hallows' Eve 1917 on me, that same scent of dusty light beaming in through a window at dusk. Alas my skin chemistry and the sandalwood just couldn't agree with each other. I amp many types of sandalwood and sadly I amped this one to the point of it going from swirling dust to the strong dry wood I was so desperately hoping wouldn't rear its Cerberus head. The black tea was completely overshadowed. It is, however, and atmospheric scent, and if it was an atmo, I would probably love it!

Lady Death in all her savage glory: an unrelenting supernatural warrior witch! White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin. Warrior witch indeed. I couldn't possibly resist this for the theme alone, and the scent is just.....sex. Not a smutty scent, but something that clings to the skin with a fierce edge. The Lab's ethereal white musk is given a dusky feel by the grey amber, and a nonfoody vanilla that is sweet enough to complement the blend but doesn't overpower. I should note that I tend to amp vanilla so it may be a little sweeter on me than on someone who doesn't. The labdanum and styrax give it a substantial resinous anchor that layers very well with the gray amber and emerges more over time. There is something, though, that I can't really put my finger on--something that gives it that extra oomph--maybe that rare jasmine that actually likes me? The caraway? I really doubt the wormwood note is what does it though its interaction with something might give that result. I have a feeling it's from the intermingling of more than one note. Either way, this is a scent that almost hisses its darkly sexual aura, and is the olfactory equivalent of a leather catsuit (without the leather). Love it.

BARD A ridiculously charismatic blend of bay rum, honey, and white musk mingling with the scent of harp wood and lute strings and the twang of horn brass. How do I love thee, Bard? Let me count the ways. I love your clouds of vanilla, your light, white florals, your sheer musk. There is definitely vanilla here, but it is not a buttery or foody or overly sweet vanilla but an airy nonfoody vanilla that does have something of a cloud-like quality. I would say it's more a vanilla orchid than anything else. It's difficult to pick out exactly what floral notes are in here; they start out fresh and dew-covered, even a little green, but dry down soft with a slight (pleasant) powderiness. Definitely white florals for the most part. I think I pick up some lily of the valley and a trace of iris, but there must be other types of white flowers in here as well because it's too complex to just be those two. Later on in the drydown I pick up the musk, something that must involve white musk since I can detect that pure, clean-but-not-soapy scent in here. There may or may not be skin musk in here too, difficult to tell since it's so well blended. The musk(s?) give it a slight warmth but on the whole I would say this is neither warm or cool, the same type of neutral feel as Thieves Rosin but an entirely different scent. It's on the feminine side of unisex and also really uplifting. I swear when they're released I'm getting all four of these.

So here we have another lovely ghost ship story: the Lady Lovibond set sail on Feb. 13 of all days. Her captain thought it would make a novel setting for his wedding reception belowdecks; what he didn't see coming was the jealous first mate who allegedly crashed the ship into a sand bank. Its phantom is said to reappear around there every 50 years. This is a multifaceted blend. It actually evokes the atmosphere of a tropical locale where a ship like the Lady Lovibond (which was actually headed to Portugal) would dock for the honeymoon that never happened: lush greens and heady exotic blooms, possibly orchid, tuberose, ylang ylang, pikake. I'm tempted to say gardenia but I don't distinctly get gardenia from this though it may be hiding in there somewhere since the floral aspect has an overall tropical vibe. The greens start off a little sharp and slightly lemony but the lemony tinge quickly mellows and allows the flowers to shine. I In the background there is that same distinct seaspray note as in the Mary Celeste proto, except it is given an additional burst of refreshment by what must definitely be a hint of cucumber. It doesn't scream cucumber per se, just gives it a vibe of clear skies and open air above the sparkling ocean water. The sea and sky coupled with the leaves and flowers make for an entire scented landscape. All these elements make for a fascinating blend, and I imagine it will only improve with age. Methinks there is a ghost ship series being tinkered with here. It's tantalizing me like hell and I only hope it becomes a reality!

DRUID A woolen robe infused with the scent of a vast, primordial forest: ancient trees, fertile soil, wild herbs, spring grasses, and burgundy pitch incense. Druid smells ancient in the best possible way. I've always been fascinated by Druids in both history and fiction, and this scent evokes all the mental images I've had of them. There are definitely a lot of dark resins and woods here, overgrown with moss and vines like a forest that has gone completely untouched since time immemorial. There is something of an earthy backdrop to it as well, probably with a bit of black patchouli grounding it. I think there is cedar in this but the fact that my skin doesn't turn it into a hamster cage means it's very subtle, and if I'm not mistaken it reminds me of the black cedar in An Altar to Cold Dark Rigid Death. Complex and intriguing, not promouncedly masculine as it may seem with all the wood notes ( I think there's oak in as well and some sort of bark). I'm looking forward to the final iteration of this.

VIAL OF HOLY WATER The gleaming, indescribably clean scent of purified, ritually consecrated holy water. I know how crazy I'm going to sound but this actually smells like water. Now I'm sure there are people who are going to think "well that's a big help water has no smell" but imagine opening a bottle of cool, crisp water straight out of the fridge, no other scent mixed in except utter crispness and coolness--that's how this smells. It's fresh but not cologney, refreshing without being minty, clean without being soapy. There is really no other way to describe it. I can't even begin to pick out notes besides the fact that it's the perfect balance of aquatic and ozonic and still completely unisex. I want an entire tank full of holy water when and if this comes out!

THEME IN YELLOW I spot the hills With yellow balls in autumn. I light the prairie cornfields Orange and tawny gold clusters And I am called pumpkins. On the last of October When dusk is fallen Children join hands And circle round me Singing ghost songs And love to the harvest moon; I am a jack-o'-lantern With terrible teeth And the children know I am fooling. - Carl Sandburg Ghost songs and love to the harvest moon: fresh pumpkins warmed by candlelight and aglow with Halloween joy. Pumpkin and beeswax. For me, a confessed pumpkinphile, this was a no-brainer. Before I start-- no raw pumpkin guts! It's a creamy, delicious baked pumpkin note with just a hint of spice, less than I find to be in Jack or Pumpkin Latte. Wet, it's all that lightly spiced pumpkin, which is delicious enough on its own, yes. But then the magic happens. The beeswax flickers to life and the more it dries down, the more it "glows" in an olfactory sense. The beeswax note most definitely brings to mind beeswax candles with that honeyed undertone, though not actual foody honey. When I was a kid I would just sit there and huff beeswax candles for that reason but that's besides the point. The way that it mingles with the pumpkin into yellow-orange bliss makes it a comfort scent like no other. Mind my synaesthesia but it truly is a scent on the orange side of yellow, warm and welcoming like the candlelit smile of a jack-o-lantern on a crisp October night. Like those candles way back when, I just keep huffing.

ILLUMINATI COTILLION The All-Seeing Eye Will extend its tentacles To crush all nations. The great strength of our Order lies in its concealment; let it never appear in any place in its own name, but always covered by another name, and another occupation. - Attributed to Adam Weishaupt Ceremonial incense, pipe tobacco, temple roses, and shittim wood. I was crossing my fingers for this because of the incense, and I do love my incensey scents. Wet I do get the incense for a moment, and it is a lovely mysterious incense note, but unfortunately it fades to the background within a couple seconds on my skin. The pipe tobacco just amps on me like many types of smoke do (such as that in Djinn), and the combination of the roses with this type of wood turns out to be a very dry and dusty type of rose on my skin, not the silky and voluptuous type I like. It is these three notes that end up taking over the whole blend and making it come off like dry roses and pipe smoke backed with old wood with my chemistry. I could even say this borders on masculine, at least the way it turns out on me, because of the smoke and wood. The extreme drydown is all smoke and wood with an undercurrent of dry rose and no incense to speak of. I do wish the incense could have been the dominant note in this since then I would have probably loved it, but that sadly wasn't meant to be.

THE TRIUMPH OF DEATHThe Triumph of Death, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. East Indian black patchouli, red sandalwood, dark musk, peru balsam, ambrette seed, vetiver, and ambergris accord. Ah, dusky woody evil. There is a lot of dark patchouli and sandalwood with a thick resinous balsam that gradually sweetens as it keeps drying down. The fact that this is red sandalwood accounts for some additional warmth and a shot of sensuality that penetrates the darkness. No vetiver death here! The vetiver just anchors everything in the background like an all-encompassing veil of shadow, and the black musk also contributes to that ominous feeling. There is a deep smokiness from the vetiver for sure but it's sexy and smoldering rather than overpowering. This scent is very evocative of the colors and images of the painting without actually smelling like a scorched battlefield but rather evilly alluring. If you're a fan of Samhain, The Hell-Gate of Ireland, Samhainophobia et al like I am you will love this one too.

Henry Fuseli Mandrake root, apple blossom, dusty brown sandalwood, coconut milk, woodmusk, and soft leather. This is a contemplative scent, soft and dusty in a pleasant way. The first things I smell in the wet stage are the sandalwood and coconut milk. I love the uniqueness of this sandalwood note, which really sets itself apart form the too-dry sandalwoods and the sexy sandalwoods that often appear in Ars Amatoria and the Lupers. This one is unexpectedly comforting, like a furry blanket you've just discovered in the attic and now can't let go. There is an additional, earthier woodiness behind it, which I believe is the mandrake root, and a hint of very well-worn brown leather. The creamy coconut milk and gently floral apple blossom also wrap themselves around you like that furry blanket. It's something I would want to be wearing during a long rainy day, curled up on the sofa, oblivious to everything else except the book I'm reading.

Deep blue musk, olibanum, passion flower, galbanum, immortelle, and sweet myrrh. I feel blue musk is one of those notes that is often underrated. The blue musk in this I feel is deeper than that in the Blue Moons though still with that lovely ethereal quality that blue musk tends to have. It evokes the endle intanglible expanse of night sky or the crystalline depths of the ocean without any aquatics. The floral element here is surprisingly sexy and seems classically Oriental to me, but is given a unique freshness by the blue musk. I'm not too keen on what passion flower and immortelle smell like on their own, but together they are highly sensual, with an almost sandalwoody quality but not quite. There is even a tinge of an orrisy quality to them. The flowers and musk are grounded by the sweet resins, which still remain light enough to retain the gauzy dreamlike spirit of the blend, which is appropriate seeing how it was created to compliment a painting involving a ghost. Like a glowing vision of a phantom, this really beautiful and almost otherworldly.

DARK PUMPKIN MEAD Thick, heady pumpkin mead sweetened with clover honey and a hint of maple. Ah, mead. Only my favorite thing in the world to imbibe. What's this, you say? Pumpkin mead? Forget the "I die", I'm already dead. I haven't ever been able to find a ready-made pumpkin mead (of the drinkable persuasion), but this one (of the smellable persuasion) bottles up everything I hope the real thing will someday be. f the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire were as crazy for pumpkin as I am, this would be in all their drinking horns. Let me clarify that this actually isn't a boozy scent. It has that characteristic honeyed sweetness of mead which is tempered by a golden, almost bready undertone that the honey gets from fermenting. Compared to a sniff of the actual (drinkable) bottle of mead in my liquor cabinet, this is by far a darker, richer scent. I'm sure the pumpkin contributes to this quality but it also seems like the honeys used here are generally darker. I also think the maple contributes to the "dark" aspect; while the pumpkin and honey mead are definitely the prominent notes here, the undercurrent of maple deepens it further. The maple note here is more like that amazing Grade B maple syrup you can never find in your average supermarket, not as sweet but a more robust dark amber. Long story short I want to roll in this for all eternity.

There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! As if Samhain couldn't get any better, along comes this. I die. Samhain already has a pumpkin note, but this is Samhain meets the Great Pumpkin meets ultimate autumnal-scent bliss. Like the other 'Patch blends, the pumpkin note is warm, creamy and lightly spiced enough so it adds some warmth but doesn't amp to the high heavens on my notoriously spice-amping skin. Because the original does have spices of its own, this one is slightly spicier than the other pumpkins but not insanely so. Samhain's patchouli, apple and woods are still very much pleasant, just subtler. If the original Samhain is Halloween after nightfall, I'd say this is Halloween during the day. Maybe it's the golden quality of the pumpkin, or maybe the additional sweetness added by it (though it doesn't get anywhere near cloying). Kind of like Samhain with a slice of pumpkin pie on the side. I love them both to death.

It seems to me this and UOH2 were Banshee Beat protos because the same notes are present but in different proportions. I would say this one is the woodier version of Banshee Beat. The patchouli and vanilla are obvious enough and a tiny bit of hemp fades quickly on the drydown, but this version has the addition of what I believe to be oak. I LOVE oak. It reminds me--in the best possible way--of a vanilla-oak candle I have that I can't bring myself to burn because I just want to keep huffing it. The main difference is that this has the addition of a warm sensual patchouli that is a perfect complement to the oak and vanilla. This is like the woodland version of Banshee Beat, rich and warm. Definitely a keeper!

The best way I can describe this is as the love child of Panther Moon and Fledgling Raptor Moon. It's pleasantly warm but at the same time has a certian darkness about it. There is definitely something toasty here, I'm thinking toasted sandalwood, and patchouli, along with something pleasantly nutty that I can't quite make out; some of that must be coming from either of those but maybe there is some sort of nut in here that I can't identify. It isn't almond or walnut or hazelnut; possibly chestnut? This could posibly have a bit of massoia bark as well. Grounding it there is a warm musk like Egyptian musk but also something darker which I'm guessing is black musk. There seems to be a smidge of tonka in here as well, adding a touch of sweetness to the whole blend. Enveloping, beautiful and complex.

GOBLIN MARKET Apples and quinces, Lemons and oranges, Plump unpecked cherries, Melons and raspberries, Bloom-down-cheeked peaches... Like honey to the throat, but poison in the blood. Let me just say that I'm so relieved I don't get any melon out of this because it generally doesn't love my skin, but it's all ripe fall fruits uninterrupted by any melon shenanigans. Now that that's out of the way I can let the goblins seduce me with their tempting fruits. There's the juicy sweetness of the peach and apple, checked by the red tartness of the cherry and raspberry. I can definitely distinguish the quince note; I've eaten them baked many times and it smells like exactly that. It's kind of like a less sweet apple with something of a starchy, almost bread-like undertone. I also like how the quince adds something warm and hearty to the blend and balances the sweeter fruit notes. There is a hint of citrus from the lemon and orange, and they're both sweet-tart juice notes rather than the more bitter rind notes. The presence of citrus here doesn't make this a summery scent at all but has more of the effect that the orange in Fearful Pleasure has, even though they're very different scents. I'm thinking there might even be a kiss of golden honey here though I can't be completely sure with all the fruit action going on. I adore Christina Rossetti's poem so much, and this is like the lines above were brought to life and bottled.

Moroccan Pumpkin Patch There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! Pumpkin makes an amazing pairing with Morocco. These two were just meant to be. Both are warm scents that amount to double deliciousness when they come together. No doubt that the incensey notes of Morocco make this something of an exotic pumpkin, not the burlesque pumpkin of Sin in the Pumpkin Patch but more of a belly-dancing pumpkin with a sheer red veil (from the red sandalwood of course). The light spice of Morocco, including that from the carnation, also blends perfectly with the pumpkin note, since pumpkin and spice are just a natural pairing to begin with. The spice is present enough to contribute warmth and sensuality but not dominant enough to amp to infinity. I love how the warm musk in Morocco adds something to the pumpkin that's hard to put my finger on but makes it even more warm and inviting. Belly-dancing jack-o-lantern indeed.

THE MONTAUK PROJECT Vile weapons spawned in A mysterious sanctum Yes, Tesla still lives. The government’s most dangerous and fantastic experiments are conducted in Montauk, home to the real Men in Black. Mind-shattering psychological weapons are developed in top-secret facilities, where researchers also investigate invisibility, psychic and psionic power, and travel through hyperspace, alternate dimensions, and time. Breathtaking native flora concealing a bastion of covert government experiments: shagbark hickory, sassafras, black gum, bald cypress, pine, dogwood, wild comfrey, swamp sunflower, and trumpet creeper. Aaaand another one of the Black Helicopters that goes insanely manly on me. It's very piney and cologney wet and in the bottle, and while I was hoping for some exotic florals (I don't exactly know what comprises the native flora) to burst out and save it, but the masculine pine cologne dominates all the way. It's almost completely pine wet, with the cypress making this something of a sharp pine, and as it dries down it gains more of a woodiness from the bark note. Finally on the extreme drydown I do get a hint of florals and a bit of sweetness from the gum, as my skin does sweeten most resins, but it's still very highly masculine and just won't work on me. The cypress, which is often a death note for me, doesn't help either as it gives it a sharp and medicinal edge. It would probably work well on a guy or anyone who really has an affinity for bracing pine scents, but I can't pull it off.

Synaesthesia-heavy review incoming. This smells like a disco ball. Not that I've ever smelled a disco ball. It's just that if a disco ball had a distinctive smell, this is what I would imagine it would smell like; sparkly facets of icy mint catching different colors of light as it twirls around. It's really the snow and mint notes that stay at the forefront for me, with whiffs of different fruits coming and going. I smell something different every time I move. ETA: More of a frosty sugarplum scent comes out on the drydown. This is certainly a morpher!

YE GODS. This is so much more than your average caramel macchiato. The caramel is delicious and chewy, less of a milk caramel and more caramelized sugar, and the coffee balances it out with just the right amount of depth and bitterness to keep it from going into cloying territory, but the scent as a whole is not bitter at all. There is something musky about it on the drydown; I think it's my skin, but I'm here for it. If only someone could make an actual drink that tastes like this smells, I'd die happy.

I've fallen hard for this, because it's basically tropical honey. There is an element here that reminds me of the Coconut, Vanilla Bean and Tiare hair gloss, possibly the jasmine which (even though star jasmine is a different species than tiare) comes close to that tiare note on my skin. The amber and beeswax meld together in one glorious sticky nosegasm that the jasmine takes to the tropics. It's honey, but not cloyingly sweet, just rich and golden. I am definitely going to try wearing this together with the hair gloss at the risk of doing nothing but sniffing myself all day.

Along with UOH34, I'm assuming this was a proto for Banshee Beat because I'm picking up the same notes but in different proportions. This one is the more vanilla-heavy of the two, and I believe there is more patchouli, and a more dirty patchouli, in this one than the released. However, there is enough rich vanilla to mellow it out enough so it doesn't stun my nose with patchouli overload. I used to be afraid of the dirtier patchouli notes but this one is downright sexy tempered with the vanilla. It has an even stronger through than UOH34 and a distinct personality; I wouldn't recommend wearing it to work. I get a tinge of hemp like in the released but it's not a note I amp and virtually disappears on the drydown. I would say this is like a wilder, more feral version of Banshee Beat, like Banshee Beat going from day to night. Another winner!

PALLAS ATHENE Pallas Athene, Gustav Klimt. Antiqued amber, cumin, saffron, frankincense, Atlas cedar, myrrh, mandarin, Ceylon cinnamon bark, and osmanthus. I didn't think this had a chance of working on me because of the cumin and cedar. Boy was I wrong. Sometimes I can amp cumin, true, but here I get only a tinge of it wet and then none at all. Cedar can alo be problematic but instead of the cedar death I expected a la Sacrifice, I get a surprisingly soft woody background. The real stars of this scent are the resins and mandarin, especially the amber. It's a rich, full-bodied "expensive"-smelling amber that is just sweet enough and thoroughly sophisticated. The frankincense and myrrh add even more golden resinous body to it and the mandarin adds to the Oriental luxury of the scent. I get a hint of spice from the cinnamon and maybe the faintest trace of floral from the osmanthus, but these are just details that round out the whole picture. It's a complex scent that reflects the ornate nature of Klimt's painting. The bottle I am testing from is not mine, but I'm definitely picking up one of my own with the next Lunacy. This is just way too lovely to pass up.

A bit of history: the Weisse Maus (White Mouse) was a Berlin cabaret where guests could choose a black or white eye mask to remain anonymous. It was known for the naked "beauty dances" performed by women after-hours. The proprietor claimed they weren't supposed to be sexual. Right. This one is very deceptive. At first sniff, this is an airy green floral with a lemony tinge, the greenness and lemony quality fading to give way to a certain "whiteness" as it dries down. To my nose it's probably white orchid, honeysuckle that actually behaves, possibly a non-cat pee jasmine and other white blossoms. It seems innocent enough. However, the further it dries down, the more its seedy underbelly comes through. There is a certain muskiness with a tinge of sweetness beneath, like a scented evocation of the supposedly non-sexual "beauty dances" that went on after the more wholesome crowd retired for the night. It seems to me like white musk and white amber (which must be what's adding the hint of sweetness)and white sandalwood. Even though it isn't a smoky scent, as a whole it's reminiscent of white smoke or vapor, like the characteristic haze flooding an actual cabaret.

PHANTOM TIME HYPOTHESIS Charlemagne? Fiction. What is the date anyway? Three-hundred year lie. All archaeological evidence that the years AD 614-911 took place is fabricated, and these years were added to our contemporary version of history due to the deliberate falsification of documents and manufactured artifacts. This year is, in actuality, AD 1713. A traditional Medieval perfume that never existed: balm, benzoin, damask rose, gumdragon, lignum aloes, orange water, ambergris, and vegetal musk. I had high hopes for this, especially because of the benzoin which has come to the rescue for me before in many other blends. Unfortunately it couldn't in this one. Initially I get a bracing menthol rush of what I actually jotted down as an almost metallic "time machine air" in my notebook and as it dries down I realize this is the dastardly work of the balm and aloe with the damask rose possibly being an accomplice. Despite vainly hoping it will turn into something amazing after a couple minutes, it ends up a predominantly medicinal old-fashioned ointment with VapoRub-type aloe (which is probably what gave me the "time machine air" impression), and the blending of the rose with these two already highly herbal and menthol scents only succeeds in making them sharper. There is a very slight sweet undercurrent, which must be the benzoin trying to break through, but it's too suppressed by the medieval medicine. Instead of taking me back in time, what my skin chemistry does with this just reminds me of being in bed with a nasty cold.