Court Analyst/Strategist

Theodosius starts out crisp, with the tea being prominent and mixed with dignified musks. This stage dries down to a softer fougere of a scent, with the tartness of the tea firmly tamed by a bed of very light, sweet musks. If there's jasmine leaf in there, he hides well, but the tea note is delicious. As a note, the wear-length and throw for me is decidedly under-average in strength, so I have to reapply generously to keep the scent level up to par for even past an hour or two. Verdict: I would buy a 5ml of this one if Theodosious showed a little more bite and dimension with the tea component, and perhaps if the musks didn't go so delicate in the drydown. As it is, I'll simply enjoy my imp, for its not everyday I can find a blend with vanilla-anything that actually translates so well on my skin chemistry. Court

This is unfortunately terrible on me, but as I loved the name/inspiration, I bought a bottle when the Yules were still available. I was hoping more of the rosewood would show itself on my skin chemistry, but alas, this blend pretty much explodes into heavy(!!) pine and generic winter greens scent (with a smog of incomprehensible nuttiness thrown in, no less) once it touches my skin. The culprit is likely the cypress/nutmeg working together to aid my downfall here, but why the hell does it have to overwhelm everything? Court

When I initially tried this I thought I couldn't wear it, but I am now wearing The Parliament of Monsters a day later and the blend is growing on me. I am usually not one for too much sweetness in a blend and this one is coming dangerously close to that too-sweet edge - but I am liking the scent. On my skin this is a soft, predominantly resinous/light smoke blend and doesn't change much past application. Like Forspecial Plate noted, the sweetness factor has a strangely fruity floral-ish quality that does sort of remind me of the overload of sweetness I encountered with last year's Khajuraho (which had a strong element of the champaca flower he mentioned). However, this level of sweetness is tolerable and lies over a smooth, tobbacco-ish note melded with a lingering cloud of resins and a hint of smokiness. The throw is light to medium with a slightly less than average broadcast of scent. Verdict: Unfortunately, my skin chemistry does make this blend a little too simplistic during wear for my tastes, but its pleasant. Its a toss-up whether I'll keep the imp, but I'll definately test the scent out again once or twice before deciding. Court

This scent starts out soft, and reminds me alittle of Jacob's Ladder. A gentle, ambery scent with a rounded quality of something almost lemony. The vanilla is very prominent and lovely. Although I am generally sort of 'on the fence' about vanilla blends and typically not wowed by them, I'd reccomend this one to a vanilla fan. Very nice, but as I have a partially full bottle of Jacob's Ladder that's pretty similiar (and seemingly more complex on my skin chemistry), I will probably part with the imp. Court

Near instantly, this has a high pitched, unnaturally soured 'grass' note in the forefront of the scent. A strong dish soap effect shows up quickly to mingle with the grass as well . I've tried this one a couple of times now, and I wanted to love Tavern of Hell, but alas, its absolutely incoherent on my skin chemistry. Court

I'm dressing up themed as a devil-in-a-frock-coat type of fellow from the victorian era. I will also be complimented in fx makeup blood as befitting a murderous, unhinged sort of nobleman. The first choices that came to mind were Dorian and Vicomte de Valmont, but unfortunately Dorian fades to next to nothing the instant it touches my skin and I'm not sure I can wear Vicomte (will have to dig out the imp). The prime candidates at the moment (of scents I own) seem to be Old Scratch, Thanatos, Dracul, and Theodosius The Legerdemain, but I am open to suggestion . (-- edited to add Dracul) Court

I was surprised when I originally tried this blend that it was Carfax Abbey. It's very different than I had expected, and sadly, even when I first sniffed the bottle I could hazard a guess that the scent just wasn't destined to work on me.... Carfax Abbey: Thick, sharp dust and the scent of bitter, crumbling herbs. Cedar is present as well. There is a hint of a floral to be glimpsed (possibly lilac) when Carfax Abbey is first applied, but the note fades quickly into oblivion after application. The herbs are not distinguishable but just a sort of generic dried leaf smell upon drydown, so I know my skin chemistry's just not agreeing with this one already. The cedar softens along with the herbs and dust within a short period of wear, but as no other notes appear to balance their strength, the scent still results in being left sort of lopsided. Very dry and heavy. I don't get any incense or resins at all, simply a curtain of dusty herbal notes that stick around strong. However, despite not truly enjoying the scent as a perfume, oddly enough I can imagine an old, empty hallway permeated with the smell. The dust and musty herbs are very genuine, clinging and pervasive. Overall Rating: Moderate to Strong scent broadcasting power, 4/10 on account of lack of wearability. Carfax Abbey shares commonalities with how The Rat King developed on my skin chemistry; Cedar, a type of clingy, wafting dust musk and bitter herbal qualities with no notes coming to temper them into a balanced scent. Disappointing, because I thought with herbs and incense in the description, what's not to love? But something in this blend kind of warps once on my skin. Alas, off to swaps or sale with the bottle. Court

A strong, invigoratingly spicy scent is Bloodlust (Dragon's blood essence, heavy red musk, Indonesian patchouli and swarthy vetiver with a drop of cinnamon.). Despite the claim that it contains 'a drop of cinnamon', the cinnamon is very dominant on me with this scent. Sin is also a very good reccomendation in the same scent family (Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon). The patchouli was not noticable for me in this one. Its a simple combination of notes but lovely, I would definately reccomend this one. Bengal is foody, sugary spice on my skin chemistry, I would reccomend trying that as well. Court

When first applied, Port Royal has some potential, with a flush of ozone-y aquatic fougere circling about some sharp peppered notes of spice. No real wood, yet. However, despite the promising start, this quickly turns to the scent of a spicy candle upon drydown, the aquatic/ozony part completely gone and the spices jumbling with nothing to ground them The notes are neither clear or defined, and there's still no woods. *Glares at skin chemistry* Alas, not for me. Court

Money! Very similiar to very fresh ink on a dollar bill for me, but magnified so the entire scent is much more strong and distinct than it would be on the average faded dollar bill. The dry paper scent of a bill is captured very well, just more robust, crisp, and with a dusty herbal edge. An oddly compelling scent that's much more appealing then I would have thought it to be (although let's be clear that I don't particularly want to smell like money for daily wear , but its nice to sniff otherwise). Alittle dab has a lot of throw. I have used this in annointing work to procure higher sales when I really needed the extra change. Court

Immediately after Applying: The blend starts out a bit too sharp, a jumble of distinct, sharpened wood points and sweet Dragon's blood not quite clicking together yet. Very quickly however, the sandalwoods and the Dragon's blood do reach a truce, and this becomes lovely and smooth. There's notably several sandalwoods in here. This brings to mind a haze of Dragon's Blood spilled over a bundle of freshly-made sandalwood incense sticks, permeating them to creat a mingled, nearly heady scent. Definately a favorite from the Ars Draconis line. Rating (throw): 5.5/10. Starts out strong for the amount applied but fades to a lower broadcast within minutes and stays that way, just lingering over the skin. Rating (overall): 7/10. The Dragon's Blood is definately enhanced and complimented by the sandalwood, they coexist simply and delightfully in this blend. The only con I can readily see is that the broadcasting strength of the scent is very light, and hangs close to the skin's surface after drydown. Dragon's Claw is similiar to what I hoped from Dragon's Bone (which went horribly plastic on me; my skin couldn't handle the orris note). I'm glad I grabbed a 5ml of this unsniffed. Court

When first applied: boozy holiday spices and apples marinated in...well booze and then stewed. I can however distinguish cassia (through warped by something that reacts in here to my skin) and the red wine and cognac. Not much else seems recognizable (althrough most of the other notes should be, in my experience with my skin chemistry). No sign of lemongrass (which I have tried outside of bpal and loved but never witnessed in a bpal blend). I was hoping for something less 'generic holiday spice' and obviously, wasn't even expecting the apples association. This doesn't change much after drydown, except for perhaps the booze falling more to the back of the scent and the 'holiday spice' thing getting more dominant. Something in this blend just doesn't agree with me at all, probably the wine (which has given me trouble before) or the cassia in combination with something else. Verdict: This really does remind me of a really soaked batch of stewed apples at a harvest festival. Not something I would love to smell like...I will very likely sell or swap this bottle. Court

Almost instantaneously soap with a floral bent. Geranium rose, why must you betray me? I ordered an imp, futilely hoping the rosewood would show up on my skin chemistry despite the lily and the blasted geranium rose, but no such luck. Not even close. Now, I'm off to pray to the bpal gods for more rosewood blends with no florals in them to show up in the general catalogue. Court

Once applied, this very quickly becomes something that reminded me strongly of the antibacterial Softsoap in my bathroom. Verdict: Chokingly floral, antibacterial soap. I've rarely (if ever) had a bpal go entirely soap so fast before. I'm not even going to rate it out of a scale of ten because my rating would be unfairly low due to my damned skin chemistry's problems with rose and many other florals. Disappointing, as I love the inspiration for this scent! Oh, well. Court

Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk. When first applied: sharp bergamot, chamomile, and flowery 'mainstream' perfume. I was thinking it smelled like *good* potpourri for some reason after about a minute... Drydown: Rosewood (I would bounce up and down now if I was wired for it, I love rosewood that much ) comes out to play. Amazingly, the bergamot is actually staying pleasant (and not turning strange or making other notes turn strange as it often does on my skin chemistry), through strong. I'm starting to enjoy this one, but I really do wish the bergamot was not so dominant. If there's violet in there, its very light and staying poised (I have bad luck with violet, so I'm still keeping an eye on her). The herbally chamomile is a much milder note but a nice additive, and the musk is barely noticable, way in the background. I was hoping red sandalwood would show up but I don't get him at all from Libertine. There's still a dry hint of 'floral potpourri' quality somewhere in this (perhaps the primrose, I'm not sure), but all in all the blend is doing better than I expected on my fickle skin. 6.5/10 (Overall Rating). I enjoy Libertine contrary to my skin's usual disappearing /or mutating treatment of citrus notes, but its really not wearable for me. The rosewood smells so good with bergamot, though. Court

Nearly pure dragon's blood, from application onward. A bit of warmth from the amber rising underneath the dragon's blood note, but not enough for me. One of the good points however is that Blood Amber does last longer at a slightly stronger throw on my skin chemistry (for whatever reason that is) than the plain old Dragon's Blood blend so I will keep the imp. 6/10 (rating). I like dragon's blood, but generally prefer it mixed with several other notes....although if the amber had actually cooperated and stuck around this would probably be a 7.5/10. Court

In the bottle: sharp floral cherry! A bit worrying... On skin: Instantaneously (I mean that, there's virtually no change in scent from application to drydown) lovely. The cherry blossom note is so fresh and perfect and directly on target. I can almost see the shapes of the blossoms in this smell, if that makes sense. A barely-there tinge of dragon's blood compliments the elegance provided by the tea leaf, and a bit of juicy, tart-ish green (maybe the bamboo) mingles with a faint back note of sandalwood that's only really there if I really look for it. This is a very clear and distinct blend, sweet but not really 'young' in feel, that strikes me as a bit elegant. Verdict: This is a floral that actually works on my skin, which is a great rarity when I find one. I absolutely love the cherry blossom note in here, but this blend simply just doesn't 'fit' my personality, and I knew this the very second the oil touched my arm. I wanted to like this one, and I do, but I simply could not wear it, the blend just doesn't fit. I usually rate blends when I review them, but I can't bring myself to do so this time because I feel the rating for this scent on me would be far less than this blend deserves. I bought two different bottles with two seperate orders and I will probably swap or sell one of them and perhaps keep just an imp of the other. But, for anybody who loves cherry blossoms, I urge you to try it. Court

So, and this is a truly random topic, but I was reading the manga (graphic novel) Berserk Volume 3 a few days ago. The reason this is relevent is because the main character uses a huge broadsword, and has done a strength training exercise since childhood that involves doing a hundred repetitions of raising the broadsword in both hands above his head and bringing the blade slashing downward (keeping the sword held steady and aimed straight in front of him the whole time) in a controlled arc. He repeats this until he's reached a hundred repetitions of the movement. Being the Middle Ages freak that I am, I own several swords in my collection of medieval time-period related items and I suddenly, inexplicably, decided to try this very strength training exercise in the middle of reading the manga in question. All of the swords in my collection are of decent or good grade metal but some are better made than others, or worth more, and all are of different styles. I chose a light-weight sword to practice this out with because I hadn't worked out in a while and still wanted to do all of the hundred repetitions. I tried out this exercise in my upstairs living room (it was 11 pm at night; I am a bit of a night owl, and I couldn't practice out in the yard where there would be more space for safety reasons), so I took care to avoid the ceiling fan in particular amongst the furniture that might prove bothersome. I have practiced sword technique in my living room before so I know what to avoid (by previous trial and error of course! ). I started to ground (balance) my stance, one foot slightly in front of the other, and grasped the grip (basically, the handle/bottom portion of the sword below the blade) of the sword with both of my hands, bringing the blade to point straight north (as linear I could make it, anyway) in front of me. I raised the sword carefully over my head and then swung the blade downward in my best attempt to keep the swing of the blade in a steadily aligned arc of motion and then raised the blade again and repeated. I rested a few seconds after 20 repetitions and then repeated 20 more, and because I like to make things an even number, I did do this atleast hundred times, resting a few minutes every 20 reps or so. I watched Cartoon Network (which is basically comprised of shows like Family Guy around 11pm or 12am 6 out of 7 nights a week) while I did this and this exercise really was a nice change from doing pushups/sit-ups, etc. Afterwords, I could really feel the burn in my stomach area and upper arms, and I've been doing the hundred repetitions every few nights these last few days because the experiment has thus far proved a success, and works the stomach area alot more than I thought it would. Its a much simpler exercise than practicing a whole routine of blade or staff moves (which is pretty difficult to do since my living room has a lot of furniture to worry about avoiding when moving around with a sword or staff) and its not as annoying as doing sit-ups on a hardwood panelled floor(ouch!). Plus, the act of swinging the sword up and downwards in an arc works the arms as well as the stomach and to a lesser extent the shoulders/back. Comparatively, I have found crunches (which is my most regularly used exercise move) to have much less (if practically any) impact on the arms and to often end up making my neck hurt. I also plan on trying this with my heavier staff (I own two staffs, one of a lighter weight and one that is much heavier and longer) just for a change of pace. I'll still do crunches, but I've found its good to have variety. So there you have it. I got a workout move from reading a manga. Yet another reason to read graphic novels. And to be eclectic and bored.

Disclaimer: I was an avid wearer of this in Fall of last year (I loved to layer it with Bloodlust or Fenris Wolf, too!), and then kind of forgot about the imp of Sin lying in my imp drawer. I never got around to ordering a bottle, either. When first applied, it reminds me of Fenris Wolf (I think its the amber/sandalwood sweet-dryness that links my scent memory to FW). The scents are quite different, though, despite my nose's initial scent confusion (which happens nearly every time I apply Sin, oddly enough!). Sin itself has a very dry, smooth sandalwood base, heightened by cinnamon and sweetened by amber. Patchouli is the least prominent note of the lot on my skin chemistry, its simply a faint undertone in the scent, if that. The smell of this blend often brings to my mind the color of light brown, granulated cinnamon mixed with sugar. Throw: 7.5/10 (rating). A little dab of this at the pulse points goes a long way at a pretty steady (moderate) level of broadcasting power. Overall: 8/10 (rating). I must be insane. Why did I forget about this in my imp storage for so long?! I will have to order a 5ml. This is, after all, not only a distinctly sexy blend, but a fantastic layering tool as well (I've found quite a few scents that Sin can be layered very efficiently with). Court

This is masculine, dry, and bitter with a background of dark musk. There is also has a biting element of fir in it that I find quite pleasant, and a sharpened peak of citrus. I was eager to try this due to the description, but Dracul just turned too bitter once on the skin for me wear this as an everyday perfume, and the mint in particular became too elevated for my tastes from there. Throw: 6/10 (rating). This goes on moderate in throw but the broadcasting power grows faint fairly quickly. Overall: 7/10 (rating). This would be a favorite if all the elements I didn't want to amp hadn't amped on my skin! Mainly, the amping culprits were the mint, orange blossom (both of which I do not have a good track record with), and to a lesser extent the bitter clove. However, I was pleased that the tobacco behaved on my skin chemistry (tobacco has about a 50/50 chance of working on me on the average). The overall result is frustrating, but I think I'll keep the imp around, maybe to test it in a scent locket when I buy one. Court

My disclaimer is: Too many florals equals trouble for me. Common predators include iris and violet. In this case, there's no iris so it is just the violet I have to look out for. This is quite nice for a few seconds after applying before the violet takes over, heavy and thickened with a smaller component of myrrh. Glimpses of the lovely juniper and cypress are limited, because there is alot of violet (the myrrh has lessened its hold by now, and has mostly given way to the violet). Its overwhelmed everything in no more than 3 or 5 minutes of wear. Glimpses of the lovely juniper and cypress are limited, because there is alot of violet (the myrrh has lessened its hold by now, and has mostly given way to the violet)...This is especially frustrating because I am particularly fond of the aforementioned cypress and juniper combo. Throw: 5/10 (rating). This goes on fairly heavy but doesn't stay that way. Broadcasting power fades very rapidly. Overall: 5/10 (rating). The end result of Wings of Azrael is not unpleasant (althrough sort of bland), but is frustratingly one-dimensional on my skin chemistry. Disappointing, but I'm thankful that atleast the violet wasn't horrifically mutated (as my skin chemistry is fond of doing to a wide variety of florals), just amped with myrrh and then faded to a mere wisp of its former self very, very quickly. Unfortunate, but not heartbreaking (I came to WofA with tailored expectations, after all). Court

I like frankincense, so I thought I could fool my skin chemistry into enjoying this one. But...This quickly turns to rose potpourri such as those found in ladies powder/dressing rooms. The rose potpourri also seems to have a bit of a soured powder edge to it. Alas, not for me. I am apparently, as I have always suspected, a natural enemy of the rose (and I have tested this theory many a time, with a similiar result. Although let's just say that the rose note or notes are usually not so kind to me as to turn into potpourri...). Throw: 7.5/10 (rating). The broadcasting power of this is of a moderate to strong level. Overall: 4/10 (rating). Unfortunately, Rose Cross goes completely to powder-room potpourri on my skin chemistry. Court

When first applied this reminds me of Fenris Wolf (must be the initial blast of red musk)...but the blend rapidly takes on a sharper, overly sweet tone. This just gets worse on me unfortunately, the ylang ylang and the red musk quickly become insufferably sharp and discordant The myrrh just makes the sickening sweetness heavier (the patchouli mentioned in the description is not really noticable). This one is definately not for me. Throw: 8/10 (rating). This oil has very good broadcasting power unfortunately. (Eventually, I even washed it off, which I never like doing). Overall Rating: 3/10 (rating). Dissonant and sharp on my skin chemistry, Lust is not my cup of tea. Court

LORD OF THE FOREST I recieved this from sevensins' TAL decant circle a while back along with 6 other TAL decants (thanks!!). I am only going to review the scent as I have not had time to do any focus work with Lord of the Forest as of yet. This applies very strongly (and thickly), and I can definately detect civet in this. Strangely, civet has behaved in all of the TALs I've tried with the note in it, even to the point of being enjoyable. This is usually not the case with GC bpal blends, so it has been quite a surprise to find multiple TALs with a dominant note of civet in them that actually don't go to all hell on my skin chemistry. There is pine and some heavily resinous notes here as well. This oil has a very cool, dark feel in my perception of how its notes interact with eachother and I'm starting to like the scent more and more as the drydown comes. This is now a much more rounded scent of deep resins and sharp pine with a dusky overtone of animalistic sweetness. It brings to mind being alone with your adventurous (and perhaps not quite human) lover in an isolated forest in the dead of night. Rowr A very confident, masculine-energy oriented scent (but that's not to say that a female can't wear it too). I enjoy it immensely. This seems like it would be great for focus work on positive masculine energy aspects or the Horned God in particular, and its a strangely calm-inducing blend. I would wear this when I feel its especially crucial to appear confident or to help embody the more (traditionally) masculine aspects of my nature. In comparison in scent to Temple of the Horned God (at the time of ordering, I thought they might smell similiar), this seems to be much lighter on the civet, so if you're really adverse to civet but still want to try one of two, I would reccomend Lord of the Forest. Temple of the Horned God also seems to have a much more raw and heavy musk base, while Lord of the Forest has a more tempered sweetened musk overtone on my skin chemistry, and it wears as a lighter fragrance overall. Court

Lupceri. Its absolutely delicious when I go outside to weed my garden or just lounge around outside (Its 80 to 90 degrees here currently, unusual for this area at anytime of the year. There will be alot of lounging ). I could swear Luperci amps like mad in direct sunlight on me. I also like to wear it when I am using my punching bag or otherwise working out. Its not cooling but it has a sweetened earthy honey vibe to it that mixes well with sweat and lots of sweltering sunlight. Other favorites for going out into direct sunlight for a while/and or working out in hot conditions: Fenris Wolf Old Scratch Buck Moon Fallen Or most anything with a strong component of amber/sweet musk undertone in it, my skin chemistry works best in the heat with bpals that mingle well with my natural scent, as I see Miss Lynx noted for herself as well (a couple of posts up). Court