cherrycherry

In certain cases, emotionally charged complexes of representation, which have become autonomous and dissociated, seem to automatically and compulsively press for discharge and realisation through haunting phenomena…. Hence, the so-called haunting occurs in place of a neurosis. —Albert von Schrenck-Notzing Repressed rage, terror, and subjugated sexuality erupting through fierce bursts of uncontrollable psychic phenomena: black leather and red musk with aged black patchouli, Chinese rose, black pepper, coconut meat, Haitian vetiver, and igneous red ginger. I bought this one because every single note appealed to me. I expected it to be dark and sexy and yeah - that's just what this is. Now, when I first opened it the leather note slapped me in the face and I was, for a brief moment, worried. The only other leather blend I can handle is Whip and I really have to be in the mood for it. I sniffed nervously and then skin-tested it on my wrist, hoping that the leather would calm down soon and let it's fellow notes have their say. I'm happy (and relieved) to report that as soon as the oil reached drydown, the leather was whispering instead of shouting and the red musk, patchouli and coconut were right where I needed them. I absolutely love red musk blends and this is no exception. Altogether, this blend is extremely dark and powerful but also sweet (the coconut) and very slightly spicy. This is the perfect unisex blend and so far, my favourite of the Spiritualism collection. I think that in a year's time, this is going to be one of the sexiest blends I own and will be reserved for extra special date nights and very private moments. Shadowy, hot and visceral. 10/10!

A thick, spongy white cake spiked with hard apple cider and frosted with whiskey-laden buttercream. Exactly what it promises - spicy apple cider, cakey goodness and whisky buttercream. The cider and whisky are quite potent when wet on the skin but on the drydown we get a rush of creamy sponge cake. I don't know if anyone else is going to pick up on this (my nose may be fooling me) but I get the tiniest hint of coconut too. This is no bad thing. This might be one of my favourite gourmand Yules ever. Absolutely delicious, has amazing throw and there is no doubt that this will age well. Lovely!

A sugar-dusted pile of sufganiyot, trickling bright rivulets of strawberry jelly. This was the Yule I was most excited about trying and it does not disappoint in the least. This is sugary doughnuts filled with strawberry jam. It smells *exactly* like that. The sweetness lifts a great deal on the drydown and the throw is spectacular. The cakey note is just gorgeous and the strawberry is so perfect. So many strawberry scents out there are synthetic-smelling and in no way resemble that tart, red berry we all know and love but this note is absolutely spot-on. It's like someone took an actual strawberry and squeezed the juice into the bottle and then crammed in some doughnut and powdered sugar. I am definitely going to need more than one bottle of this. Fabulous. If you like Strawberry Moon '09 and Golettes, you will ADORE this. It is basically a lovechild of the two.

CRAZED THROUGH “OUIJA”Neglected by Her Lover She Seeks Comfort of a Fortune-Telling Device BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Nov. 20.— Mrs. Eugenia Carpenter, a young woman living at 221 Myrtle, av., has been receiving attention from a young man who very recently ceased to call upon her. Mrs. Carpenter bought a fortune-telling board called “ouija,” and from it received the prediction that her suitor would not return to her. Last night she was found wandering almost nude in the streets. Her reason was gone and at intervals she cried out “Ouija said so and I knew it was true.” November 21st 1891 Boston Daily Globe Redwood and bois de rose with white lilac, dried pink roses, and black tea. Oooh, this is a very nice blend indeed. The redwood mingles effortlessly with the bois de rose and dried pink roses. The lilac is present but in no way overpowering. All of the florals together make for a gorgeously elegant and refined perfume. Makes me want to recline on a chaise lounge and fan myself with a peacock feather fan. Honourable mention for the black tea - just what this blend needs. The tea deepens the florals and adds mystery. This is going to age beautifully. 10/10

I've run away from a little old woman, A little old man, A barn full of threshers, A field full of mowers, A cow and a pig, And I can run away from you, I can! Gingerbread with red musk, brown musk, civet and ambergris accord, Ceylon cinnamon, black cedar, black moss, and pine tar. Who knew that musk could work so well with gingerbread? I didn't, until today. I get heavy, spicy musk that really comes out to play on the drydown. I also get the civet and luckily for me I can carry that well. There is a earthiness to this also that grounds it and makes it very masculine. I absolutely must try this on my husband when he gets home from work tonight because I know he is going to absolutely rock this. Sweet, musky sweetness and dominant spice along with earth and a tiny lick of pine tar. God, this is fabulous. Left to rest and settle on my skin for a good 10-15 minutes, this becomes spicier on me and definitely more masculine. Though my husband is going to be slathered in this, I know I will be wearing it too. Only a tiny bit is needed because the throw and power of the blend is totally dramatic. Wonderful. Really, really delicious.

Hot buttered rum with a touch of molasses, lightly spiced and swirled with a touch of cream. Oh WOW. This is incredible and in no way as boozy as I was expecting it to be. I mean, there is booze there but it's tempered perfectly by the cream and molasses and (very subtle) spice. The butteriness is also there and I might be wrong here, but I'm almost sure there's a note in this blend that might also be in Mother Shub's Pumpkin Pecan Treacle Tarts and I am guessing it's the treacle note. It has a sweet, nutty edge to it that is totally delicious. All of these notes marry perfectly and it has an evocative feel to it - even upon the first sniff I was thinking 'Christmas!' Absolutely divine!

In examining and reporting these cases the witnesses averred that certain people, whom they called “materializing mediums,” had the strange physical gift that they could put forth from their bodies a viscous, gelatinous substance which appeared to differ from every known form of matter in that it could solidify and be used for material purposes, and yet could be reabsorbed, leaving absolutely no trace even upon the clothes which it had traversed in leaving the body. This substance was actually touched by some enterprising investigators, who reported that it was elastic and appeared to be sensitive, as though it was really an organic extrusion from the medium's body. —Arthur Conan Doyle, 1930 A luminous, viscid blend of white amber, lemongrass, white oakmoss, and davana. This is everything I hoped for. I'm not the world's biggest fan of lemongrass but I knew Beth would do something beautiful with it, something magical to take the harsh edge away, and that's exactly what she's done. This is a bright, juicy lemongrass that is tempered by the white amber. It has a sharpness when wet that completely disappears on the drydown. When dry and settled on my skin, it turns into an ethereal citrus that is uplifting and moreish. I adore this.

Favorite pastime: creeping around gullies until the opportunity to steal milk appears. You do you, buddy. Coconut cream, sheep’s milk accord, and a drop of Ceylon cinnamon. This was an insta-buy for me because I am a slut for anything coconut related. In the bottle, it is all sheeps' milk with the coconut and the cinnamon nicely balanced. Wet on my wrist, it becomes very decadent and I'm falling madly in love. The coconut starts to sing louder now and it's just so effing beautiful, I can't even. The spice from the cinnamon is subtle and absolutely necessary. The sheep's milk is there too - perfectly creamy. On the drydown, it stays true and the throw is amazing. I am so good right now, you have no idea. This blend makes me smile so much. An hour later, we're still giving off huge waves of spiced coconut-cream perfection. This really is one beautiful blend. It's stunning! Gosh, I could with a vat of this so I could swim around it. 10/10

I'm a long-time fan of Perversion so when I saw this on the 'pumpkin spice' list on this year's update, I had to have it. I've noticed very slight variations in bottles of Perversion over the years. The first bottle I ever had was overboard with the coconut and as I adore coconut, I fell madly in love. Other bottles have been more heavy on the tobacco or the leather but my favourites are always the coconutty ones. Pumpkin Spice Perversion is very coconutty (score!) and so I am one very happy cat. It's spicier than usual (duh) but it enhances the warmth of the blend and really lifts it. I'm over-the-moon with this. I need more.

I see 'Snake Oil' and my reaction is 'shut up and take my money!' Combine Snake Oil with anything even remotely Halloweenie and I'm all heart-eyes and wiggling with impatience to just sniff and wear and hoard. This one is fresh Snake Oil in the bottle but the spices aren't shy once we're reached drydown. It's going to be amazing when it's had a couple of years to mature. It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to let my bottle sit in a drawer for perhaps a year or two before I start slathering. I want to get the absolute best out of this little beauty and it goes without saying that it's going to SING given some time.

An apple and water perfume. Sounds a bit underwhelming but believe me, it's very delicate and beautiful. A perfect apple scent (not your run of the mill apple shampoo or soap experience but rather the actual scent of a crisp green apple) mixed with a true aquatic. Smells a lot like Sea Of Glass mixed with sweet apple. Exceeds all of my expectations. Totally unique, a banger of a unisex blend, and more than just a bottled concept. This is incredible. EDIT : So I've been reaching for this one a lot and I needed to come back and waffle a bit more. I keep thinking how when I put this one in my basket on the site, I (foolishly) underestimated what it would truly be like. I thought it would be something like a single note apple. I don't know WHY I didn't consider the aquatic aspect of it. It honestly didn't cross my mind, despite the concept the blend is based on : apples + water + Halloween = apple bobbing. Duh. I guess I thought that even if there was a watery element, the apple would totally take it over and it would be just apple, apple, all the time apple. And it's weird, because if I had been told that the aquatic note was strong, I don't even know if I would have gone through with the purchase. If someone I know had tried it and said to me 'it's water and apple', I'm sure I would have thought 'yeah, I don't need that. Why would I reach for that with all of the other Halloweenies available?' I'm so used to reaching for richer and more complex gourmands. Cakey and buttercreamy and pumpkin goodness. Or musky scents, which I adore. And so colour me SHOCKED and utterly delighted that Bobbing For Apples has become a total hit with me. It's the autumnal perfume I never knew I needed. The apple is crisp and the water is crisp, but together they are soothing and uplifting and refreshing. I've been working hard on one of my novels recently (about eight hours a day of solid writing) and wearing this has kept me awake and focused without being too sharp. I'm honestly so surprised that it's become a favourite. I thought, out of all the bottles I ordered, this one would be something I'd layer with and maybe leave to age, to see what would happen. But I keep going back to it, and not always to wear it. Sometimes, I just want to sniff the bottle because I just love it so much. It's scents like this that make me so glad I discovered Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and the sister companies because what they create for us is so real and so evocative and special. You don't get stuff like this anywhere else and even if you find something similar, it's never, ever quite as good as what Beth does.

Oozing dark chocolate syrup with a kiss of pulsing musk. Divine.

Unf, this is really good. Buttercream top note with oodles of spice and a nice, heavy, cupcake undertone. It's the perfect blend of cream/spice/chai/cake. The scent of an autumnal tea party. Yes, mama.

Very prominent cardamom note from the off. At first sniff (in the bottle, not on my skin) I was slightly concerned. But when I apply it to my inner wrist and let it settle, the pumpkin comes out to play and so does the cake note. This is super delicious. Also, it's nice to have a gourmand pumpkin blend for Halloween (or autumn in general) where the main spice note isn't cinnamon. Cardamom offers a little something different and I'm pleased with it. Very nice.

Apple notes are 99% of the time an absolute win on me and as rum is my favourite tipple, I had to insta-buy this one. Glad I did. It's very creamy and boozy but the apple cuts through that with just the right amount of juicy sweetness. Gorgeous.

A very nice mix of chocolate brownie and pumpkin. The pumpkin isn't spiced at all but it does add a rounded, fruity note to that baked-good chocolate goodness. Looking forward to this one developing even moreso over the next so many months. A very nice and comforting Halloween blend.

Despite having a ton of musky, dark-floral perfumes from BPAL, I couldn't resist this one. I get patchouli (smooth and whispery), purple florals (mournful), and lavender/vanilla (silky and sweet). Floral offerings in the bedroom of a vampire child. Baby Countess Bathory. Or even a first-time perfume choice for a vampire maiden, reaching for the darker shades of her future. I am in love.

I expected this one to be much like Go To Sleep, Darlings or Snow Bunny or perhaps a mix of the two : softer snow, sweeter snow. In fact, it is quite a sharp snow when sniffed from the bottle. Happily, as I absolutely adore Beth's snow blends, I don't much mind that sharp bite. On the drydown, it lessens somewhat and then we get the fluffy vanilla from the ice cream note. Happy with this. I only need the one bottle but I am happy with it.

Double-chocolate-fudge-cookies with a kiss of pretzel salt. A delightful and hedonistic gourmand perfume.

Coconut TKO. I bought this because although I use lavender essential oil all the time for a variety of reasons, I found myself wanting a really good solid lavender perfume to reach for when the fancy took me. THIS fits the bill oh-so perfectly. The lavender is louder than the coconut but together, along with that bit of vanilla, they make a snuggly and soothing and just creamy-dreamy blend that I just know will be finding a new home on my bedside table rather than falling in line with the rest of my BPAL scent wardrobe. This is absolutely heavenly.

Straight-up candyfloss with bright, fruity, jellybeans. Unf. I get the sugar cookie note and the vanilla frosting more later on but for the most part, it's the perfect mix of candyfloss and jellybeans. I need more of this!

Fans of red musk rejoice! This is surely the red msk-centric room spray you've been waiting for. I know that for me, as a huge fan of red musk, this is perfect for my room/fabric scenting needs. It is so unbelievably sexy and musky. The scent of a vampire's boudoir, for sure. Also, I love the label.

This is a really unique BPTP atmosphere spray in that it has such rich toffee notes that I'm sure I haven't smelt before, even after buying dozens of sprays over the years and many gourmand ones too. I get toffee, sweet pumpkin, a sort of caramel creaminess and spice. Amazing.

Definitely getting the cinnamon-caramel popcorn note everyone is talking about but I'm also getting pumpkin custard and pastry. This is so delicious.

Fruit bubblegum. No... a blue raspberry slushie. Wait, no. Blueberry lollipops. Wait, wait, wait. It's all of these things. And I need to hoard it. NOW.